Arsenal face Everton on the final day of the season and their fans actually don’t seem to mind losing to the Gunners on this occasion. Here’s why.
- Arsenal are four points below Liverpool with an extra game
- Gunners need Liverpool to drop points
- Everton guaranteed seventh
- Toffees’ fans would love to see local rivals Liverpool miss out on Champions League
Arsenal can reach a total of 75 points in the Premier League if they win their three remaining fixtures, while Liverpool can reach 76 if they win their last two.
Therefore, even if the Gunners win theirs, they’re going to need the Scousers to drop points to either West Ham or Middlesbrough in order to leapfrog them into the top four.
However, if it comes down to the final game of the season and Arsenal have the chance to go above Liverpool or even force a highly unlikely Champions League play-off match, Everton fans don’t mind taking one for the team, so to speak, and watching their side lose. As long as it means seeing their bitter local rivals miss out on Champions League football next season.
The Toffees are guaranteed seventh, so it’s not as if the loss would impact their season in any way.
“It’ll just be like when we played City while they were battling Liverpool for the title,” said one Everton fan.
“I want us to win every game but I won’t be anywhere near as disappointed if we lose.”
“It’ll basically be a win-win situation. Nice end to the season!,” said another.
While another Toffee summed up how everyone else is feeling:
“A mental dilemma for me.
“On the one hand, I want us to lose because I just cannot stand the sh**e but on the other hand, the voice inside of me tells me that we absolutely need to get rid of exactly these thoughts because they only stand for one thing: small club mentality. And I don’t want us to be a small club.
“So I guess I hope that we play a couple of players we are unsure of keeping in order to see if any one of them steps up and wants to recommend himself for the next season. I want us to play our best and try out things. If we win, I will be happy… if we lose, I won’t be disappointed.”