When the UK general election campaign kicked off many political pundits predicted May’s vote would return another Conservative-Lib Dem coalition.

While a lowly Ed Miliband struggled to convince voters that a Labour government would act tough on the nation’s deficit, a more popular David Cameron focused the Tory campaign on personalities and the parties’ respective records on the economy.

In what has effectively became a game of two halves, however, polls suggest a resurgent Miliband is favourite to be the next Prime Minister and Labour no longer seems so synonymous with fiscal irresponsibility.

The Tories, having put all their eggs in one basket, have been forced into panic buying votes with greater NHS funding among other extravagant pledges.

A long-time Villa turned West Ham fan, apparently, in ways David Cameron and his party mirror Premier League mega-rich flops Manchester City.

Like Man City, they were favourites at the campaign’s opening, boasting a front and back bench of big hitters yet are likely to lose out come the final whistle.

Flip-flopping on strategy and policy has flown in the face of party attempts at assuring stability since 2010.

A lack of variety in messaging and conviction on anything other than keeping Miliband out of Downing Street have failed to brush off the Labour challenge.

Ironically, US-style negative campaigning and personal attacks on Miliband have played into Labour’s hands with an increasingly comfortable Ed appearing ever more statesmanlike.

Despite quietly coming to accept near wipe-out in Scotland at the hands of SNP, this lacklustre Tory campaign performance might dispel the myth that Labour can’t win England.

If the Tories are the Man City of Westminster politics then Labour can be compared to Manchester United: currently enjoying a decent run of form but nowhere near good enough to claim the top prize; that is, a majority of seats in Parliament.

Which party is Chelsea? In UK politics no party comes close to the soon-to-be-crowned league champions, neither will party leaders enjoy the chance to bounce back that football managers are often afforded.

In football the winner takes all, but this is often not the case in politics. Come 8th May the reigning Conservative party, even the “big two” might actually be the biggest losers at Westminster.