Another weekend of Premier League action has come and gone. With now just eight games left to play. There was, yet again more drama to be had this weekend as the top and bottom really starts to shape up.
Liverpool stayed just one point behind Manchester City at the top of the Premier League as Arsenal ended Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s unbeaten run as Manchester United interim boss.
Here’s a look at five things we learned from this weekend’s fixtures.
Adam Lallana’ can be Liverpool’s joker in the title race
Liverpool have added another option to their armoury with the return of the England playmaker as they seek to keep up the pressure on Man City.
Lallana over the course of the last eight games can help bring another dimension to Liverpool’s play. While his contributions on the ball were clever and creative at times against Burnley, it was when becoming the first line of the press that Lallana did his best work.
No player regained possession more for Liverpool during Lallana’s time on the field nor made more tackles and it was his brave interception off a Burnley clearance which helped put Sadio Mane in for the crucial second goal.
Rafa Benitez’s tactics are proving successful
Rafa Benitez’s tactics are proving successful as he mixes up Newcastle’s striking front-line.
Newcastle United have surged up the table in recent weeks going from relegation candidates to mid-table safety, and as much as their fortunes have changed the Spanish manager has changed their formation to mixed results.
Arsenal show spirit to end United’s hot streak
United’s resurgence under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been remarkable and United will have come to North London, walking on air after their heroics in Paris last Wednesday.
However, Arsenal were once again in impressive form when one of their top six rivals came knocking on their door. They will no doubt want to play with more control in the future, as they yielded an awful lot of possession and chances to United, but a spirited and determined 2-0 win will rank up there as one of Emery’s best results so far.
They sit in fourth, with just eight to play and look good value for a top four spot as things currently stand.
Kane conundrum for Spurs continues
Harry Kane made it four goals in five games since returning from injury, but Tottenham continue to stutter despite the presence of their top striker, losing 2-1 at Southampton on Saturday.
Tottenham’s wobble is a conundrum Mauricio Pochettino must solve as he fights to keep his side in the top four.
Pochettino’s men won all four league games that Kane missed but they have been beaten in three of the five matches in all competitions following his return, with only one victory.
With 24 goals to his name this season and now 200 in his glittering career, nobody could challenge the 2018 World Cup top scorer’s value to Tottenham.
Yet Kane did miss several chances to increase Tottenham’s lead after his clinical first-half finish at St Mary’s and some believe the north Londoners have played a slower, more predictable style since he returned.
Sterling rediscovers City’s spark
Manchester City had scored just once from open play in 345 minutes after a lacklustre first-half against Watford on Saturday ended goalless.
However, Raheem Sterling put that right by scoring a hat-trick inside the first 14 minutes of the second half to ensure City, who won 3-1, ended the weekend on top.
There was plenty of controversy over the England international’s opener, with even Pep Guardiola admitting it should have been ruled out for offside.
Yet Sterling showed a predatory instinct often missing from his game before Guardiola’s arrival at the Etihad for his second and third to take his tally for the campaign to an impressive 18.