Watch Crystal Palace vs Manchester City, kick-off 2.05pm, and Liverpool vs Chelsea, kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports Premier League on Sunday; Coverage from 1pm
Sunday 14 April 2019 16:29, UK
There is a familiar feel to this weekend's Super Sunday as Manchester City travel to Crystal Palace before Liverpool host Chelsea in the Premier League.
The same two fixtures were live on Sky five years ago - on April 27, to be precise - but played in reverse, with Liverpool, leading the way in the league table, up against Chelsea before City took on Palace.
As we now know, it proved to be the day City wrestled control from Liverpool before going on to claim a second league title in three years.
This time around the margins remain fine as Pep Guardiola's side have a game in hand but trail Liverpool by two points.
Before we discover how pivotal this Sunday's double-header could prove to be for the title race, let's see how the events unfolded five years ago…
It is the morning of April 27, 2014. George Clooney is reportedly engaged to lawyer Amal Alamuddin, Popes John XXIII and John Paul II are set to be canonised in Vatican City, footballing twins Lars and Sven Bender are celebrating their 25th birthday, and most importantly, there's a Super Sunday triple-header on the way.
After a midday relegation battle between Sunderland and Cardiff, Liverpool - on an 11-game winning streak in the Premier League - host second-placed Chelsea before Manchester City head to Crystal Palace. It is a crucial day at both ends of the table.
As far as the title race is concerned, Liverpool are in the driving seat. Brendan Rodgers' side are five points clear of Chelsea, and six ahead of City, who have one game in hand.
Luis Suarez has 30 league goals to his name, while Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho looks set to name a second-string XI with a Champions League semi-final return leg against Atletico Madrid looming on the Wednesday.
After Sunderland climb out of the bottom three with a 4-0 win over 10-man Cardiff, attention turns to Anfield…
The players take to the field at Anfield. Liverpool have named the same line-up which battled to a 3-2 win at Norwich the weekend prior, while Chelsea have made seven changes to the side that drew 0-0 with Atletico in the semi-final first leg; Petr Cech and John Terry are among those missing for the Blues, but experienced trio Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Branislav Ivanovic all start, as does Tomas Kalas for his Premier League debut.
Demba Ba leads the line alongside Andre Schurrle and a 21-year-old Mohamed Salah, who is starting his sixth-straight league game having joined Chelsea from Basel in January.
The crowd were there early, and that was really special for the players. The atmosphere can give you a real lift before kick-off. But I felt the Chelsea game was a bit different, obviously because I wasn't playing. When you're sitting in the stand, and the way Chelsea were playing was frustrating the crowd. It was more tense and obviously in the end it was a disappointing result for us.
As the first half unfolds, it is evident Chelsea have set up on the defensive, and as a result the visitors are able to thwart Liverpool, who had become known for their fast starts during their 16-match unbeaten run.
In the third minute of first-half stoppage time, disaster strikes for Liverpool and captain Steven Gerrard, who lets Mamadou Sakho's pass slide under his right foot before a slip plays in Ba.
The striker, enjoying just his fourth league start of the season, bears down on goal and strokes the ball beyond Simon Mignolet.
"It's a terrific moment for Chelsea, but an awful one for the Liverpool skipper," says Martin Tyler on commentary. "A bit-part player for Chelsea this season becomes a big-part player here." And the visitors go into the break 1-0 up.
Liverpool push and they probe, but despite recording 26 shots - including eight on target - as well as 73 per cent possession, it is Chelsea who score a breakaway goal in the fourth minute of injury time, as Fernando Torres slides it over for Willian to tap in.
Mourinho runs towards the away end in celebration with his arms aloft before patting the Chelsea badge on his gilet - his side may have the Champions League to look forward to, but they are very much in the title race.
And as the full-time whistle sounds, Liverpool's grip on the league is lost. Rodgers goes on to bemoan the fact Mourinho's side "parked two buses" at Anfield, and though the Reds may still be two points above Chelsea, City - six points behind - have two games in hand and a superior goal difference.
And the first of those games in hand is just moments away at Selhurst Park…
With only four minutes on the clock at Palace, a City side spurred on by the result at Anfield take the lead at Palace thanks to Edin Dzeko, who meets Yaya Toure's inch-perfect cross with a header which evades goalkeeper Julian Speroni.
Then, towards the end of the first half, City go 2-0 up. The influential Toure, returning from injury, plays a one-two with Dzeko, and then another with Samir Nasri, before brushing off Damien Delaney and curling a beauty into the far top corner.
City see out the match to win 2-0 at Palace and cap off an extraordinary four hours of Super Sunday drama. Just three points separate three sides, while, crucially, City have a game in hand over leaders Liverpool.
Opposing manager Tony Pulis congratulates man-of-the-match Toure: "To think that he has been out for a few weeks and can play like that, he was fantastic" - while City boss Manuel Pellegrini tells it how it is: "We must win the next three games. We are thinking about beating Everton next week. We must win all our games. That is important."
Dzeko's double inspires City to a 3-2 win at Everton the following weekend, with Liverpool going on to squander a three-goal lead at Palace to draw 3-3 on Monday Night Football.
City then stroll past Aston Villa 4-0 at home, capitalising on their game in hand to move two points clear of Liverpool going into the final weekend.
On Sunday, May 11, City host West Ham knowing victory would secure the title, while Liverpool welcome Newcastle to Anfield knowing they require a favour from the Hammers.
Goals from Nasri and Vincent Kompany secure a 2-0 win for City, while Liverpool come from behind to win 2-1. It means City are crowned champions for the second time in three seasons, while Liverpool's 24-year wait for league glory rumbles on.
Five years later, Liverpool and City are fighting for supremacy once more. See how Super Sunday unfolds this time around from 1pm on Sky Sports Premier League, with Crystal Palace vs Manchester City kicking off at 2.05pm, before Liverpool vs Chelsea at 4.30pm. You will not want to miss it.
