1) Welbeck goes through his whole repertoire
Danny Welbeck stayed true to form by mixing the sublime with the ridiculous during Arsenal’s 3-2 victory over Southampton, producing a contender for miss of the season moments before nodding in the winner. The striker’s header was his second goal of the afternoon and proof, perhaps, that he is getting back to his best after an injury‑ravaged season. “Danny Welbeck is getting sharper,” Arsène Wenger said. “I am pleased for him. I have seen him behave when it was really hard. He had every reason to feel sorry for himself and feel the mountain was too big to climb – right knee, left knee. It is the most difficult test for any sports person.” Welbeck remains an infuriating player. He is a handful when he is fit and confident, yet he is capable of glaring misses. He never hides, though, and this was a reminder of his value to Wenger. Jacob Steinberg
• Match report: Arsenal 3-2 Southampton
2) Zaha’s taste for battle could prove key in fight for survival
Crystal Palace need him fit, firing and perhaps fiery too. Wilfried Zaha seemingly gets his kicks playing on the edge, bouncing off challenges and thriving just as it looks as though it is not going to be his day. The 25-year-old enjoyed kerfuffles with Lewis Cook and Simon Francis before scoring what looked like the winner at the Vitality Stadium, on a day when he was handed the responsibility of spearheading the Palace attack. “The fact is, if you’re playing against Wilf Zaha you can never relax,” said his manager, Roy Hodgson. “You’ve always got to be worried and he was a constant menace. If I’d taken him off the field there’d have been a collective sigh of relief from the Bournemouth defence.” Palace have a kind-looking run-in, with home games against Brighton, Leicester and West Brom, during which Zaha will need to come to the fore. Ben Fisher
• Match report: Bournemouth 2-2 Crystal Palace
3) Brighton must overcome anxiety as final straight looms
After a season in which they have often proven so redoubtable it was odd to see Brighton so racked with nerves against Huddersfield. Clearances were sliced and passes underhit, and that is before you take into account Shane Duffy’s awful backpass for Huddersfield’s equaliser. On chances created Brighton still deserved to win, and comfortably. David Wagner seemed pleased with the way his team controlled possession in the second half, but they created little. Chris Hughton, meanwhile, took a question about his team’s obvious anxiety and turned it into an answer about pressing high. But Hughton’s deflection is likely less a sign of weakness than an effort to contain any outbreak of the collywobbles. These two teams now face very similar run-ins in a bid to stay up. It will be interesting to see whose approach fares better. Paul MacInnes
• Match report: Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Huddersfield Town
4) Arnautovic lays old reputation to rest with tireless shift
Marko Arnautovic is a reformed maverick. For most of his time in England he has been perceived as a lazy and erratic wide forward, albeit an obviously talented one. Under David Moyes he has been reinvented and at Stamford Bridge he embraced the misery of playing up front on his own. The former England striker Andy Cole this week described being a lone striker as the “graveyard shift”. In the past Arnautovic might have turned his nose up; instead he rolled his sleeves up and worked like a beast. He had no worthwhile support until the introduction of Javier Hernández – and Arnautovic instantly made the equaliser with a superb cutback that allowed Hernández to demonstrate his finishing expertise. Arnautovic nearly won a penaltynear the end but for a good challenge by N’Golo Kanté after a brilliant solo run, and in stoppage time he was back in his own area blocking crosses. The maverick has turned into a talisman. Rob Smyth
• Match report: Chelsea 1-1 West Ham United
• Barney Ronay: Ray Wilkins given fond farewell on day for goodbyes
5) Klopp trials new-look midfield ahead of City showdown
While there were some unfamiliar faces in Liverpool’s starting XI, the midfield was a rarity, featuring solely regulars. Yet this was not normal. Gini Wijnaldum had Jordan Henderson’s usual berth at the base while the captain operated further forward. It is an experiment first adopted in pre‑season and revived with some haste because with Henderson suspended and Emre Can a doubt, the Dutchman may have to anchor the midfield against Manchester City in the Champions League. “That was obviously the plan to use the chance and it was good,” said Jürgen Klopp. “Gini is a brilliant player for an attacking wide midfielder. He is creative, he is good with the ball, he has good vision and he can jump to the roof.” It is a very Kloppian strategy, to use a box-to-box midfielder as the holding player. It reflects his brand of front‑foot football, but Liverpool and Wijnaldum may be on the back foot against City. Richard Jolly
• Match report: Everton 0-0 Liverpool
• Richard Jolly: numbers game fails to add up for Allardyce and Everton
6) Benítez’s brilliance should provide an object lesson to Ashley
After seeing his Newcastle team practically secure their Premier League survival – and, indeed, move into the top half of the table – by winning at Leicester on Saturday, Rafael Benítez described himself as a PE teacher who is happy to have young pupils who are eager to learn. His players should be grateful for such masterful tutoring. Appointing Benítez is one of the smartest moves Mike Ashley has made as the club’s owner. Driving him away would be among the most risky. Ashley shrewdly banked on Benítez staying loyal to the club this season but must know that the Spaniard will not tolerate the limited ambitions for very long. And more clubs, surely, will try to lure the Spaniard away considering the fine job he has done with such limited resources. Sooner rather than later Ashley must either sell Newcastle, give the manager more funding, or lose a key asset. Paul Doyle
• Match report: Leicester City 1-2 Newcastle United
7) Guardiola’s risky team selection could yet be vindicated
Pep Guardiola may be questioned about fielding Raheem Sterling as centre-forward against Manchester United. But should he be? The manager had an eye on the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Liverpool on Tuesday and so decided to leave Sergio Agüero and Gabriel Jesus on the bench. In came Sterling, with 21 goals this season, and he showed a striker’s instinct for moving into goalscoring positions at least twice in the first half. But he snatched at the chances and spurned the opportunity to kill off United. Given that City have the Liverpool game and a near-unassailable lead in the league, Guardiola’s decision to save Jesus and Agüero for Tuesday was correct. The hope, though, will be that Sterling’s confidence is not dented. To ensure it is not, the forward might be best advised to avoid replays of Guardiola’s furious disappointment at each of his misses. Jamie Jackson
• Match report: Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United
• Jamie Jackson: Pogba highlights ‘if only’ feeling despite his display of season
• Paul Wilson: it is clear that Manchester City can fold under very little pressure
• Sean Ingle: Lukaku is not alone: myth of the ‘big-game bottler’ is rife
8) Second tier beckons for Stoke – but not for Ndiaye
Stoke are sliding towards the Championship but perhaps that would have been avoided if they had been able to benefit from a full season of Badou Ndiaye. The January signing from Galatasaray hit the ground running and his excellent display against Tottenham was right in character. Ndiaye drove Stoke on from midfield, offering several exhilarating reminders that the art of the tackle is not yet dead. One dynamic interception and pass led to a break from which Mame Biram Diouf, a Senegal team-mate, should have laid on a second equaliser. “He’s an absolute diamond of a guy, a great pro, and he’s been absolutely brilliant,” Paul Lambert said. “He has only been here more or less the time I’ve been here but he’s been outstanding.” Along with Xherdan Shaqiri and Joe Allen, Ndiaye is one of the few Stoke players who should be playing top-flight football next season no matter what. Nick Ames
• Match report: Stoke City 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
9) European adventure now firmly in Burnley’s sights
Burnley playing European football conjures images of pounds, shillings, pence, and Pathé News. Turf Moor last welcomed competitive European opposition in 1967, when a 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt victory ended their Inter‑Cities Fairs Cup hopes at the quarter‑final stage. A third season of continental adventure – Burnley reached the quarter-finals of the 1960-61 European Cup – is within touching distance. Their 2-1 victory at Watford maintained a grip on seventh place they have held for all but one week of 2018. That should be enough to reach the Europa League next season, with Manchester City winning the League Cup and Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals. How Sean Dyche might choose to prioritise the extra fixtures next season is, though, a consideration to dampen the romance. John Brewin
• Match report: Watford 1-2 Burnley
10) Foster the remainer may find himself in minority
Ben Foster has pledged his future to West Bromwich Albion next season irrespective of their likely relegation, but the question is how many of his team‑mates will do the same. “I’ll be here. I’ve got no interest in trying to move clubs,” said Foster, who has spent the past seven seasons at Albion. “I’m very settled and I’m sure there are quite a few others who would love to stay and help us get back to the Premier League.” Although the long-serving pair of Chris Brunt and Craig Dawson appear likely candidates to remain at the Hawthorns, Kieran Gibbs, Jonny Evans, Salomón Rondón and Jay Rodriguez are all expected to attract interest from Premier League clubs and question marks also hang over the future of so many other players. It will, in short, be quite a rebuilding job for the manager who is appointed to try to guide them back at the first attempt. Stuart James
• Match report: West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Swansea City
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 32 | 66 | 84 |
| 2 | Man Utd | 32 | 38 | 71 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 33 | 40 | 67 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 32 | 37 | 67 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 32 | 23 | 57 |
| 6 | Arsenal | 32 | 18 | 54 |
| 7 | Burnley | 32 | 3 | 49 |
| 8 | Leicester | 32 | 3 | 43 |
| 9 | Everton | 33 | -15 | 41 |
| 10 | Newcastle | 32 | -8 | 38 |
| 11 | AFC Bournemouth | 33 | -12 | 38 |
| 12 | Watford | 33 | -17 | 37 |
| 13 | Brighton | 32 | -14 | 35 |
| 14 | West Ham | 32 | -18 | 34 |
| 15 | Swansea | 32 | -19 | 32 |
| 16 | Huddersfield | 33 | -28 | 32 |
| 17 | Crystal Palace | 33 | -19 | 31 |
| 18 | Southampton | 32 | -19 | 28 |
| 19 | Stoke | 33 | -33 | 27 |
| 20 | West Brom | 33 | -26 | 21 |
