Manchester United's 0-0 draw with Sunderland at Old Trafford on Friday may help Chelsea clinch the English Premier League title early next week.
Sunderland's Kelvin Davis was masterful in goal to end United's run of nine successive league wins, but the result ensured last-place Sunderland's relegation.
Chelsea is six points in front of Manchester United.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was almost resigned to the proposition.
"This was an unexpected result, but nonetheless you have to accept it can happen," Ferguson said.
"We played well in patches but we got a bit anxious towards the end and, ultimately, drawing at home to the team who are likely to be the worst the Premier League has ever seen is a killer blow.
"All we can do is believe if these kind of results can happen to us, they can happen to other teams as well."
Manchester United forwards Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo had chances against Sunderland, but Ferguson believed they put in perhaps their worst performance of the season, and timing was a factor.
"All the hype and responsibility being placed on Wayne Rooney winning the World Cup for England has born fruit tonight," Ferguson said.
"He is only a kid. All this stuff about him winning England the World Cup is the biggest load of nonsense I have ever heard in my life. He still has a lot to learn.
"Wayne and Cristiano will be great players, I would stake my life on it. They have potential and we will wait two or three years for them to fulfill it."
Chelsea had 82 points and Manchester United 76. After Saturday, both clubs will have four games to play.
The loss demoted Sunderland, which had only 12 points and five games to play. Above Sunderland is West Brom (28), Portsmouth (29), and Birmingham City (29).
AC Milan beat Inter Milan 1-0 on Kakhaber Kaladze's 70th-minute goal and consolidated its second place in the Serie A standings.
AC Milan moved up to 76 points, five clear of Inter and within four of league leader Juventus, which is at Cagliari today.
Juve, coming off three consecutive draws, will need a victory to restore a seven-point lead over AC Milan with four rounds left.
Defender-turned-forward Kaladze controlled a long cross and volleyed into the goal from 8 meters with his left foot for his second Serie A tally this season.
The Georgia player took advantage of Inter's failed offside trap, and coach Roberto Mancini confirmed that "our mistake helped Milan goal."
Kaladze made up for the unimpressive performance of regular strikers Alberto Gilardino, Andriy Shevchenko and Kaka.
Shevchenko made a single scoring attempt in the 66th, and Kaka had a low drive saved by Inter goalkeeper Julio Casar a short time later.
Inter, led by Adriano returning from injury, mostly tried to control the midfield play and produced few scoring chances.
Esteban Cambiasso nearly netted the equalizer in the 90th off a blunder by Milan goalkeeper Dida, who looked uncertain throughout the derby at San Siro.
It was AC Milan's 103rd win in 262 derbies and avenged Milan's 3-2 injury-time loss in the first confrontation last December.
Inter's seventh defeat this season did not put at risk its third place but was expected to cause further frustration to its fans.
Only 2,000 Inter supporters watched the match as hardcore fans, still furious about elimination from the Champions League by Villarreal, left deserted the stadium section reserved for the visitors.
The two Milan clubs share the San Siro field and Milan played "at home" on Friday in front of a huge partisan crowd.
"The fans' behavior was unfair to [Inter president] Massimo Moratti ... Milan was not as sparkling as usual because the team probably was already thinking of Barcelona," Italian premier and AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi said.
The match was moved to Good Friday, amid protests by Vatican officials, to give AC Milan an extra day to prepare for Tuesday's Champions League first-leg semifinal against FC Barcelona.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti had originally planned to rest Shevchenko and Kaladze. He changed his mind hours before kickoff, saying his players had time to recover by Tuesday and that second place was going to secure the club more money and automatic qualification for the next Champions League.
Mancini's plans were somewhat upset when he was forced to replace injured Sinisa Mihajlovic with Marco Materazzi early in the first half.
Striker Samuel Eto'o scored the only goal to help league leader FC Barcelona beat Villarreal 1-0.
The match could have presaged next month's Champions League final, but both teams had key absentees.
Barcelona was without star midfielder Ronaldinho, who also missed last weekend's draw against Santander with a right thigh injury.
Captain Carles Puyol was able to play, following Barcelona's successful appeal against his suspension on Thursday. Barcelona is set to meet AC Milan on Tuesday in a Champions League first-leg semifinal.
Villarreal, enjoying a sparkling Champions League debut season, plays Arsenal in London next Wednesday, and coach Manuel Pellegrini chose to rest Argentine midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme, who spent the 2002-2003 season at Barcelona, striker Diego Forlan, and goalkeeper Sebastian Viera.
Not as successful in La Liga, Villarreal still hopes to rise from eighth place into the top six to secure at least a UEFA Cup berth in case it misses out on Champions League glory.
Barcelona's win increased its lead in the standings to 73 points, ahead of Valencia and Real Madrid with 59, and Osasuna on 58.
Eto'o controlled the ball with a delicate first touch just outside the penalty area, advanced three paces and struck a right-footed shot just inside the left goal post in the 11th minute in typical, predatory style.
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