Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League remains at five points after Manchester City dumped a lot of pressure on the Gunners with a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham on Sunday.
READ ALSO: Chelsea couldn’t buy a goal in the Fulham stalemate
Everton inflicted just their second defeat on Arsenal this season by the same scoreline 24 hours earlier.
But Mikel Arteta’s men can breathe a sigh of relief over their north London rivals as Harry Kane’s record-breaking goal to become Tottenham’s top scorer condemned City to a fifth successive defeat against Spurs.
It was also another forgettable weekend for Liverpool – who thrashed 3-0 at Wolves – and Chelsea’s free throw after they were held 0-0 at home to Fulham.
AFP Sport looks at three talking points from the Premier League weekend:
– City drop Arsenal –
As the tag of title favorites looks to have finally caught up with Arsenal’s young guns, they have been released by the defending champions.
READ ALSO: Guardiola missed a chance as Kane turned down Man City’s title bid
Pep Guardiola’s team selection will be questioned after leaving Kevin De Bruyne on the bench.
The decision to let Joao Cancelo go on loan to Bayern Munich this week also looked strange as 18-year-old Rico Lewis worked hard when forced out of the left-back position.
City have lost more league games this season than they did last season.
Guardiola criticized his side’s failure to retain the title after going 2-0 down to beat Tottenham 4-2 last month.
But the general spread did not have the desired effect as City are now far from the heights they achieved under Guardiola.
-Chelsea can’t buy goals –
Enzo Fernandez made his Chelsea debut after becoming the most expensive player in English football history with a £107 million ($129 million) transfer from Benfica.
The Argentine midfielder’s arrival eclipsed the record £320m January transfer from the Blues.
Chelsea’s total spending on signings in the first season under new ownership has now exceeded half a billion, but they are still ninth in the table.
For all the money they spend, Graham Potter’s men still lack a natural goalscorer.
Chelsea have scored just 22 goals in 21 league games this season.
Kai Havertz is the top scorer with five, but the German remains ineligible as ninth as he missed out on a first-half hat-trick against Fulham.
The solution for Todd Boehly’s consortium appears to be more spending with a deal for Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig reportedly agreed for the summer.
But it looks increasingly likely that the Frenchman will have to sacrifice Champions League football next season if he moves to Stamford Bridge.
– Unexpected European dreams –
Chelsea and Liverpool struggle to see Brighton, Brentford and Fulham up the table.
Brighton refused to lose former manager Potter mid-season and sold Marc Cucurella, Yves Bissouma and Leandro Trossard to Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal.
Despite knowing their place on the Premier League food chain, the Seagulls continue to grow.
Kaoru Mitoma is likely to be near the top of the big six’s wishlist for the summer after Japan’s fifth goal in seven games secured a 1-0 win over Bournemouth for six.
Brentford trailed just once after beating Southampton 3-0 to extend their unbeaten run to nine league games, with Fulham a point back in eighth.
Manchester United and Newcastle’s progress to the League Cup final has certainly ensured that sixth will be enough for a place in Europe next season.
On current form, there is no reason for Brighton, Brentford and Fulham not to dream.