It was another big weekend in the Premier League, with Arsenal maintaining their bid for title glory with a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners, who will be crowned champions if they don’t drop points between now and the end of the season, triumphed following goals from William Saliba and Jurrien Timber.
Manchester United and Liverpool beat Crystal Palace and West Ham respectively, with both teams chasing Champions League football next term.
Aston Villa, however, suffered a blow on Friday night with a 2-0 defeat to Wolves at Molineux.
Everton, Brighton and Fulham overcame Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham, while Manchester City kept their own title tilt on track with a gritty 1-0 victory away at Leeds.
Meanwhile, there was a 1-1 draw between Bournemouth and Sunderland.
GB News now takes you through 10 talking points from the matches.
1) Elland Road Ramadan row
Leeds United supporters inside Elland Road were left furious on Saturday night as play was halted in order for Muslim players to break their fasts during Ramadan | GETTY
The most heavily discussed, and heavily criticised, moment of the weekend had nothing to do with the football itself.
During Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Leeds United, referee Peter Bankes paused the match in the 13th minute so Muslim players, including City’s Rayan Aït-Nouri and Rayan Cherki, could break their Ramadan fast at sunset.
Despite a pre-agreed protocol and an explanatory message on the stadium screens, a vocal section of the Leeds home crowd met the stoppage with loud boos and offensive chants.
Pep Guardiola called out the lack of respect for religion and diversity, while the charity Kick It Out released a statement condemning their actions.
2) Arsenal’s corner wizardry
Arsenal strengthened their grip on the Premier League title race with their win over Chelsea | GETTY
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side are turning set-pieces into an art form.
With William Saliba and Jurrien Timber both scoring from corners in their 2-1 victory over Chelsea, the Gunners have equalled the Premier League record for the most goals from corners in a single season (16).
It might not always be pretty, but it’s a highly effective strategy that has restored their five-point cushion at the top of the table.
3) City’s January signings are the real deal
Antoine Semenyo celebrates after scoring for Manchester City against Leeds | PA
While the crowd behavior dominated the post-match discussion at Elland Road, Pep Guardiola’s mid-season acquisitions are quietly paying massive dividends on the pitch.
Antoine Semenyo netted his sixth goal in 11 appearances to secure City’s 1-0 victory over Leeds, while Marc Guehi continues to bring much-needed stability to City’s backline.
The title race is far from over, and City continue to press for the crown.
4) Carrick does it again
Michael Carrick continues to steer Manchester United up the table
| GETTY
Manchester United are officially back in the top three for the first time since May 2023, and interim manager Michael Carrick deserves immense credit.
United are now unbeaten in 11 league matches following their 2-1 comeback victory against Crystal Palace.
Carrick has managed to instill a renewed grit, tactical clarity, and belief into a squad that looked entirely lost just a few months ago.
5) Sesko continues to come good
A massive part of United’s resurgence is the red-hot form of Benjamin Sesko.
The Slovenian striker’s headed winner against Palace means he now has seven goals in his last eight matches.
He is rapidly developing into the clinical, reliable focal point United have spent years searching for, making him one of the most dangerous attackers in the league right now.
6) Chelsea pay price for poor discipline
Pedro Neto was sent off for Chelsea against Arsenal
| GETTY
Liam Rosenior has a serious discipline problem to sort out at Stamford Bridge.
Pedro Neto’s quick-fire double yellow card against Arsenal marked the Blues’ seventh red card of the campaign.
Chelsea actually played quite well, but you simply cannot mount a serious push for the European spots when you are consistently forcing yourselves to play with ten men in tight matches.
7) Tottenham crisis continues
Alarm bells are ringing loudly in north London.
Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat to Fulham stretched their miserable winless streak to a staggering 10 Premier League matches.
New manager Igor Tudor has lost his first two games in charge, and Spurs now find themselves uncomfortably close to a genuine relegation scrap. The honeymoon phase is officially over before it even began.
8) Villa stutter once more
Wolves rocked Aston Villa on Friday night
| REUTERS
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa have stumbled at the worst possible moment.
A shocking defeat to rock-bottom Wolves, only the hosts’ second league win of the entire season, has severely dented Villa’s Champions League aspirations.
With United moving up to third and Liverpool closing the gap, Villa desperately need to find their second wind before the season slips away.
9) Raya’s moment of magic
Five facts about the Premier League | PA/GETTY/REUTERS/GBNEWS
While Arsenal’s set-pieces grabbed the Sunday headlines, David Raya’s heroics between the sticks are what truly kept their title charge intact.
The Spanish keeper pulled off a heart-stopping, reflex save deep in stoppage time to deny a 10-man Chelsea a late equaliser.
Come May, Arsenal fans may look back at that single save as the defining moment the title was won.
10) The weird Sunday quirk
In a fascinating piece of Premier League trivia, all four matches played this Sunday finished with the exact same 2-1 scoreline (Arsenal over Chelsea, Man Utd over Palace, Fulham over Spurs, and Brighton over Nottingham Forest)
| PA
In a fascinating piece of Premier League trivia, all four matches played this Sunday finished with the exact same 2-1 scoreline (Arsenal over Chelsea, Man Utd over Palace, Fulham over Spurs, and Brighton over Nottingham Forest).
It marks the first time in top-flight history that a day featuring four or more games has ended with identical scorelines across the board.
