A huge weekend in the Premier League saw Manchester City’s 21-match winning streak come to an end at the hands of their bitter rivals Manchester United, while a shock win for Fulham over Liverpool dramatically changed the relegation battle.
United win the Manchester derby
City were beaten 2-0 at the Etihad by United, bringing their incredible run to a close and giving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side the slimmest of hopes at getting back into the title race.
Bruno Fernandes netted from the penalty spot after just one minute, which was added to in the second half by a rare goal for Luke Shaw.
Champions stunned by strugglers Fulham
Liverpool also suffered a shock defeat, losing 1-0 to Fulham at Anfield, extending their losing streak at home to six games and dropping to eighth in the league.
A good finish from Mario Lemina late in the first half alongside a fantastic defensive performance was enough for the Cottagers, who moved level on points with 17th placed Brighton.
Following some lacklustre showings of late, Leicester City got back to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Brighton.
The Foxes came from behind thanks to goals from Kelechi Iheanacho and Daniel Amartey to overcome Adam Lallana’s initial opener.
Top-four battle remains tight
Chelsea maintained their top-four position following a comfortable 2-0 win against Everton.
The goals came through a penalty and an own goal, as Jorginho fired in from the spot and Ben Godfrey turned into his own net.
Fellow London club West Ham also continued their great season with a solid 2-0 victory against Leeds.
On-loan midfielder Jesse Lingard’s penalty rebound gave the Hammers the lead, which was soon doubled by a Craig Dawson header.
Elsewhere, Tottenham moved closer to the top four with a dominant 4-1 win over Crystal Palace.
A brace each for Harry Kane and Gareth Bale saw the north London club briefly move into sixth, before West Ham’s match with Leeds. It also saw them surpass 100 goals for the season in all competitions.
Their rivals Arsenal didn’t fare as well, only managing a 1-1 draw at relegation-threatened Burnley.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put the Gunners ahead after just six minutes, but a freak incident involving Granit Xhaka saw Chris Wood score the easiest goal of his career.
The Swiss midfielder’s attempted pass across his own box was fired straight into the hip of the unsuspecting Wood to deflect into the goal, handing the Clarets an equaliser.
Down at the bottom
Fears of a looming relegation battle for Southampton were eased with their 2-0 win away at Sheffield United, while also pretty much condemning the Blades to the Championship.
A penalty from James Ward-Prowse was added to by a rocket from Che Adams as the Saints picked up their first league win since January 4.
While one club’s survival hopes were boosted, both West Brom’s and Newcastle’s took a huge hit following the clubs’ 0-0 draw.
A point each was made worse by Fulham’s win, meaning that both sides need a major change in form going into the final games of the season.
Finally, Aston Villa struggled again without Jack Grealish as they could only draw 0-0 in their Midlands derby with Wolves.
