10 Premier League talking points as Everton stun Chelsea and Norwich go down

Chelsea were stunned by Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday, with Richarlison firing a vital winner to edge the Toffees closer to safety on the same weekend that Norwich went down

The Premier League season may be winding down to a conclusion, but there was no lack of drama to be found in the top-flight at the weekend.

While Liverpool and Manchester City matched eachother stride for stride at the top of the league, the ante was upped at the bottom. Norwich were finally put out of their misery with Watford also on the brink of the drop, but both Burnley and Everton breathed new life into their respective survival bids.

Meanwhile, Arsenal’s contingent of unfancied stars continued to edge them closer to a coveted top-four finish to leave Tottenham frustrated, while Brighton made history with a classy away win at Wolves. Here, Mirror Football rounds up the biggest talking points from the weekend’s Premier League action…

Fireworks, flares and fever-pitched

Fireworks were let off in the early hours of Sunday morning outside the hotel where the Chelsea team were staying before their game at Everton. The pyrotechnics did not end there as a lit blue smoke canister was thrown onto the pitch after Richarlison’s second-half winner for Everton.

The Brazilian could yet end up in hot water with the Football Association after picking up the canister and throwing it. But not even the threat of disciplinary action against Richarlison could sour a victory that takes Everton to within two points of Burnley and Leeds in the battle for survival.

Burnley bounce

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When Burnley sacked Sean Dyche after nearly a decade in charge at Turf Moor it was suggested the Clarets had taken leave of their senses. Mike Jackson was put in caretaker control, with his only managerial experience stretching to short spells at Shrewsbury and Tranmere and Burnley’s Under-23 side.

Yet Jackson has taken 10 points from four games to steer Burnley out of the relegation zone. Not only that but Jackson (2.50) has a higher points-per-game average this season than Pep Guardiola (2.44) and Jurgen Klopp (2.41).

No let-up in title fight

A Liverpool punch landed, then a swift Manchester City riposte. The title race continues to shift one way and then the other as City and Liverpool keep on winning. The Reds were first up this weekend as Klopp shuffled his pack for a Saturday lunchtime date at in-form Newcastle. New faces, same outcome, as Naby Keita’s strike secured a 1-0 win.

Knocked off top spot for a few hours, City responded with a 4-0 triumph at Leeds. Four games left with a one-point difference in City’s favour, it looks like a question of who blinks first.

Defence best form of attack

Arsenal maintained their two-point lead over Tottenham in the race for a top-four spot and Champions League football next season. Spurs had kept the pressure on their north London neighbours by beating Leicester 3-1 in an earlier Sunday kick-off, with likely lads Harry Kane and Son Heung-min on target.

Arsenal’s goals came from more unpredictable sources, with central defenders Rob Holding and Gabriel scoring. It was only the fifth time in Premier League history that both Arsenal central defenders had scored in the same game.

Same old Norwich

There was a familiar sinking feeling for Norwich as the Canaries were relegated from the Premier League for a record sixth time. It was a cruel irony for boss Dean Smith that the day of reckoning came at his former club Aston Villa, but just five wins all season meant the Canaries’ instant return to the Championship was inevitable.

Summer signings failed to shine, Daniel Farke was gone by the start of November and now Smith – who oversaw a promotion campaign at Villa – faces the challenge of galvanising Norwich in the second tier.

Brighton’s history makers

Brighton’s classy 3-0 win at Wolves on Saturday not only nudged the Seagulls into contention for a top-half finish, but it also ensured Graham Potter’s side of a place in history. Their three-point haul in the Midlands takes their tally for the season to 44 points – three more than the club-record 41 they amassed back in the 2019/20 campaign.

Potter’s side have won plaudits for their slick, expansive play during the course of the season, but had struggled to pick up results before turning the corner in April. Brighton have been plagued by spurning hatfuls of chances during their time in the Premier League, but they were ruthlessly proficient at Molineux.

If that’s a feat they can replicate next year, then there’s every chance that Potter and co can eclipse their tally next year; regardless of how many more points they bag in the handful of games still remaining this term.

Leaky Leeds at risk

While Burnley’s recent renaissance has left Everton looking nervously over their shoulders, all of a sudden, Leeds are in grave danger of relinquishing their top-flight status. The Whites were torn apart by the reigning Premier League champions on Saturday evening, with City romping to a 4-0 win at Elland Road on a weekend where both Burnley and Everton picked up maximum points.

Alarmingly, Leeds’ leaky defence has now shipped 72 league goals this term – more than any other team in the division.

And with their frail rearguard set to go toe-to-toe with Arsenal and Chelsea in the next fortnight, it’s looking more and more plausible that Leeds could be the final team to plunge back into the second-tier this term.

Double European hangover

Both Leicester and West Ham spent the majority of last week gearing up for memorable nights in Europe, but neither were able to bag the win they so desperately craved last Thursday.

As a result, both of them have, arguably, the biggest game in their recent history ahead of them this week – and that probably had an impact on their disappointing weekend results.

The Foxes and the Hammers were both suffering from a European hangover when they were gunned down by Tottenham and Arsenal respectively on Sunday. Mind you, neither will mind if they are able to book their spot in a European final – but if not, then there’s every chance that European hangover could linger until the end of the Premier League campaign.

Roy’s record gone

When Roy Hodgson was parachuted into the Watford job back in January, the 74-year-old had never suffered the ignominy of relegation from the Premier League. But unfortunately, Hodgson’s proud record is on the brink after a miserable stint in Hertfordshire.

And Watford aren’t set to go out in style, either. Burnley’s late, late fightback at Vicarage Road condemned Watford to their 11th consecutive home defeat – a new, unwanted Premier League record.

The result means the Hornets, barring a miracle, are doomed to slip through the trapdoor to the Championship for the second time in three years, while Hodgson’s record looks destined to be blotted at the final hurdle.

Mikel’s misfits leading top-four drive

Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal hierarchy spent big last summer to overhaul their beleaguered playing squad in a big to end their multi-year Champions League exile.

And while the Gunners new-look squad are now in pole position to clinch a top-four finish and see the job through, the Londoners are being pushed over the finishing line by a pair of misfits who seemingly had no place at the Emirates.

Mohamed Elneny and Eddie Nketiah have breathed new life into Arsenal’s top-four charge after circumstances conspired to thrust into the first-team fold. Both Elneny and Nketiah – who are due to be free agents in the summer – have been instrumental in the Gunners recent renaissance to help keep their lofty Champions League ambitions on track – even though neither are guaranteed to even be at the club next year.