Nil-nil at Nottingham did not knock London Red off the top. It did something more interesting: it made the title race breathe again.

After 34 matches in ENG Division 1, London Red lead on 66 points, with Crystal Palace on 64, Manchester Blue on 61 and Liverpool on 59. That is the race now. Red still have the position. Palace have the momentum.

The numbers don't lie. Palace's last-six form reads WWWDWW, worth 16 points from 18. Newcastle match that same return from fifth. London Red, by contrast, are LDDWWD: still sturdy, still league-best defensively with 12 conceded, but no longer moving like a side that has the table under lock and key.

The Title Shape

Nottingham 0, London Red 0 was not a robbery. Nottingham had 52% possession, nine shots to London's five, and three on target to two. From a tactical perspective, London Red's 3-2-2-2-1 Long Ball setup protected the middle well enough, but it did not stretch Nottingham often enough. Then came the detail that matters for Gameweek 35: Martin Odegaard went off injured on 59 minutes.

That is the cost of a run-in. London Red already have the best defensive record in the division, but their attacking rhythm is thinning at exactly the wrong time.

Palace did their part, though not cleanly. They beat Luton 1-0 through Christopher Richards in the 82nd minute, then survived Carlton Morris having an 88th-minute equaliser cancelled. Luton actually put nine shots on target to Palace's five. Dean Henderson made eight saves, and Chadi Riad's 10-rated defensive performance was the sort of quiet match-winning platform that rarely gets the headline. Palace's current 4-2-2-2 Normal setup is not exotic. It is balanced, repeatable and, right now, properly effective.

Manchester Blue are still in the conversation because Erling Braut Haaland did what elite centre-forwards do: he settled Coventry 0-1 Manchester Blue in the 53rd minute after Daniel Tackie Welbeck had a 10th-minute Coventry goal cancelled. Blue had 51% possession, 11 shots to nine, and six on target to three. Mateo Kovacic rated 10, Manuel Akanji supplied the assist, and Kevin De Bruyne still produced a nine-rated hour. Not spectacular. Controlled enough.

Liverpool's 0-0 at Fulham was the strange one. They had 56% possession, 11 shots, seven on target, and conceded none on target. That is not a control problem. It is a final-action problem. It also cost them third place.

The Form Teams

Newcastle are the form side nobody should fancy playing. WDWWWW, up from eighth to fifth, and the 1-0 at Derby was far more dominant than the score suggests: 61% possession, 30 shots, 16 on target. Harvey Barnes scored after 19 minutes, Valentino Livramento rated 10, and the only caveat is squad stress, with Daniel Burn and Sven Botman both injured during the match.

That makes Liverpool vs Newcastle in Gameweek 35 more than a top-five fixture. It is a styles test: Liverpool's technical superiority and big-name spine against Newcastle's direct, long-ball pressure and serious momentum.

Chelsea deserve a note as well. Their WLLWWW form has them back moving in the right direction, and Chukwunonso Madueke's 10th-minute goal at Brighton made it three league wins on the spin. Brentford are harder to read: sixth, unbeaten in six, but DDWDDD is too draw-heavy to apply real pressure above them.

On the player board, Haaland's 11 league goals and four man-of-match awards remain Manchester Blue's cleanest title-race weapon. Liverpool still have Mohamed Salah Hamed on six goals and Alisson Becker with six man-of-match awards, which tells you why they remain dangerous even when the finishing disappears for a night.

The Trapdoor

There is no promotion carrot in Division 1. The bottom-end business is survival, and the live line is brutal: Leicester sit 16th on 33 points, West Ham 17th on 32, Derby 18th on 31, Burnley 19th on 20, and Luton 20th on 10.

Derby's 1-0 defeat to Newcastle hurt because West Ham also lost, 2-1 at home to Manchester Red. Jarrod Bowen put West Ham ahead after six minutes; by 17, Rasmus Winther Hojlund and Lorenzo Lucca had flipped the match. That is the table refusing to let anyone breathe.

Leicester missed their chance to pull clear, losing 3-1 at Everton after Norberto Gomes Betuncal and James Garner had Everton two up inside 13 minutes. Burnley did land the upset, beating Tottenham 1-0 through Jeremy Sarmiento Morante's 71st-minute penalty, but 20 points still leaves them 12 behind West Ham. Luton, after that cancelled 88th-minute equaliser against Palace, are running out of table as much as time.

Gameweek 35, all scheduled for Saturday 13 June at 19:00 UTC, is beautifully uncomfortable. London Red host Fulham, the side that just blanked Liverpool. Palace host Brighton. Manchester Blue get Burnley at home. Liverpool host Newcastle. Derby go to Tottenham, West Ham go to Bournemouth, Leicester host Coventry, and Luton visit Manchester Red.

That is the weekend in one line: London Red still lead, Palace are applying proper pressure, and the bottom three cannot afford polite football anymore. Credit where it's due. This run-in has tightened on merit.