Chelsea still have double top five Champions League advantage which could save Enzo Maresca

Nottingham Forest and Manchester City may well have moved above Chelsea again in the Premier League table, but there is still plenty of hope for Enzo Maresca in the race for a fop five finish. After beating Fulham 2-1 on Sunday, the fight is well and truly still on.

. Manchester City are four ahead in third.

From sitting seventh and closer to 10th than fifth in the 92nd minute at Craven Cottage, there is renewed belief. Maybe hope is the better word, because confidence in this team is still brittle.

mean that optimism is still far from widespread. Compared to that of their rivals, the feeling at Chelsea is still the lowest.

City have four wins from their last five and are finding a way when it matters. Forest, despite a blip earlier this month, are still riding high on being in this conversation at all. Newcastle United may have been hammered by Aston Villa last week but were one of the form teams before that and were even eyeing up second spot before then.

Villa are in the FA Cup semi-final and, other than defeat at City which knocked the stuffing out of Unai Emery and his players, had won five in a row to steadily climb under the radar into contention themselves. They are bruised by events of the past week - including the dramatic comeback which wasn't to be against Paris Saint-Germain - but still hold plenty of ambition.

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Chelsea, meanwhile, are on the edgeThey were flashes of inspiration after months devoid of just that.

With away games left at Newcastle and Forest - two of the most emotionally and atmospherically fuelled clubs in the country - Chelsea will have to ensure that their first win on the road since early December does not make way for a reversion to the mean in the final month.

If they are to have any leeway in those two games - which come either side of hosting Manchester United - then Maresca knows that home form will have to be close to perfect.

Liverpool are the best team in England and still have to visit Stamford Bridge as well. This is where the caveats can start, though. Squint a little and there are reasons to think Chelsea actually can finish strongly, as they will have to.

Everton is the most immediately winnable game left and they have nothing to play for. Anyone is capable of being done by a stubborn David Moyes low-block but his uptick in form has taken a slight hit (albeit they did just beat Forest and have had a tricky run of matches). Moyes has a notoriously terrible record against the best sides away from him, as well.

Chelsea will be confident that a rotated XI can do the business against a team ninth in the Swedish top division after five games at the start of their season.

Then it is Liverpool. They will be crowned champions this weekend if they even draw to Tottenham at Anfield. Spurs have their eyes elsewhere due to their own European demands and have posed little threat to anyone of late, not even Wolves. Maybe West Ham are Ange Postecoglou's biggest rivals.

So Liverpool can expect to be winners by the time they come to Chelsea. Even if they were to somehow lose to Tottenham, Arsenal would still need to beat Bournemouth next week, a game which is in between their Champions League semi-finals with PSG.

Chelsea can, therefore, expect Liverpool to have nothing to play for except dominance. That is undoubtedly a boost of sorts. It might be a stretch but there is more of this to come.

After Liverpool (and the Djurgardens home leg), Chelsea go to Newcastle. There isn't much in terms of hope here. It is one of the toughest places to go and Newcastle have full focus on the league. The only variable here is that they were just taken apart by Villa.

It is Manchester United following that. Whether they get through in the Europa League or not, Ruben Amorim's side will not be putting much on this game other than pride. If they are in the final then they will be looking to rest up and get ready for that. If they aren't, then United's season really is over.

Chelsea have a shocking record against United recently but did win this fixture last year. There is no excuse not to beat them again here, not when it really matters.

And then it is over to Forest. A final day showdown at the City Ground is well and truly on the cards. Maybe one of these sides have already secured a place in the top five, maybe they haven't. It is impossible to know how things will play out but Forest could have FA Cup final success/failure to add into the mix.

This could make a difference heading into the last match. At the same time, if Forest aren't in the final then City will be and that could impact their run-in. The FA Cup final is due to be played on the penultimate weekend of the season. One of City or Forest will be there and there dealing with the comedown or high of winning/losing it.

It will either be a major blow to their confidence or a potential distraction. We did say we are reaching, here, but this is what Chelsea cannot fail to consider as the last five games are played out and analysed.

Villa, too, might be contesting the final. The same goes for them. Fail to get there or lose in the final and it could dent their form heading into matchday 38. Win and it's a possible hangover (not literally).

Another final point to make here is that Chelsea do have a current goal different advantage over Villa. The gap of 13 is unlikely to be bridged before the end of the season. Forest are four behind but there will be a two goal swing in one direction on the final day when the teams meet, unless it is a draw.

Given how tight the table is, it wouldn't be a surprise if goal difference played a big part. This is what social media will label 'copium' for Chelsea supporters.

Context is crucial, though, and all of these elements - be it the Premier League title, FA Cup heartbreak or trophy glory - alter the dynamics one way or another. Chelsea may well need luck to go their way to feel the full force of these factors but they cannot be discounted. It could make all the difference.