With managers losing their jobs left, right and centre, the latest weekend of Premier League football served up a treat on the field, as Arsenal remain eight points clear at the top of the rankings thanks to a 4-1 thumping of Leeds United.
Manchester City had briefly closed in on the Gunners thanks to their triumph over Liverpool by the same scoreline, while Newcastle United have nabbed the final podium spot, beating Manchester United 2-0 to demote the Red Devils to fifth place.
The 10 men of both Tottenham Hotspur and Everton shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw on Monday - allowing Spurs to move back into the top four - while Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford remain neck-and-neck in the European fight after their 3-3 stalemate at the Amex Stadium.
Chelsea pulled the trigger on Graham Potter after losing 2-0 to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge, while Roy Hodgson's first game back at Crystal Palace proved to be Brendan Rodgers's last with Leicester City, as the Eagles left it late to record a 2-1 win.
Elsewhere, Bournemouth boosted their survival prospects with a 2-1 win over Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers shook hands on a 1-1 draw, while West Ham United earned the basement bragging rights in a 1-0 success over Southampton.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Team of the Week for the latest round of Premier League fixtures.
DEFENCE
© Reuters
Daniel Iversen may have scored one of the most unfortunate own goals of the season, but the 25-year-old kept Leicester in the game at Selhurst Park and was an honourable mention for this XI. However, with seven saves, two high claims and a clean sheet away to Chelsea, Emiliano Martinez - who had the Blues' wastefulness to thank as much as his own prowess - walks into our team.
Another week, another standout performance from Newcastle's Kieran Trippier, who captained Newcastle to a thoroughly deserved success over a toothless Man United. The right-back's delivery was on the money for Callum Wilson to head home goal number two - one of four chances he created - and he contributed defensively with five clearances and two interceptions.
From zero to hero in the blink of an eye, Michael Keane had seemingly condemned Everton to defeat against Spurs after giving away the penalty for Harry Kane to convert, but the centre-back rifled home an absolute thunderbolt to deservedly level for the Toffees, who quickly forgave him for his earlier indiscretion.
Goalscoring centre-backs were the theme during the most recent gameweek, and while Nayef Aguerd's winner for West Ham against Southampton was far less spectacular than Keane's, it did not make it any less important. The Moroccan rose highest to find the far corner with a header - settling a contest otherwise devoid of quality in and around the final third.
The Amex crowd were also treated to a fine finish from a defender during Brighton's six goal thriller with Brentford, who took the lead for the third time through Ethan Pinnock's striker's finish at the back post, and the Bees could have ended up on the wrong end of the scoreline were it not for the Jamaican's 11 clearances and four blocks at the other end of the field.
MIDFIELD
© Reuters
Terrorising the Man United midfield and defence during an all-action 90 minutes, Joe Willock could not miss with a header from a yard out to put the Magpies into the ascendancy at St James' Park - one of six shots the ex-Arsenal man had on the day - and he also made two interceptions, two tackles and completed two of his three dribble attempts in an all-around excellent display.
Keeping up their phenomenal streak of scoring in every game under Unai Emery, Villa lynchpin John McGinn wanted a slice of the action against Chelsea, curling a beautiful first-time effort into the far corner to double the Lions' lead while also completing all four of his dribble attempts to put the bottom-half Blues to the sword.
The coolest man in the stadium when Liverpool took a shock lead at the Etihad Stadium, the perennially slick Kevin De Bruyne was unsurprisingly at the heart of Man City's merciless second-half performance, beating Virgil van Dijk for pace to tap home his side's second goal before cutting back for Jack Grealish to complete an Etihad drubbing.
ATTACK
© Reuters
Despite failing to add to his goals column at the Amex, Brentford attacker Bryan Mbeumo was the driving creative force for the Bees, playing through Ivan Toney before bagging his second assist of the day with a sumptuous cross for Pinnock to poke home.
Speaking of a creative masterclass, Jack Grealish's purple patch in a Man City shirt continued with a dangerous display during the thumping of Liverpool. Proving to be a constant menace on the left-hand side and giving Trent Alexander-Arnold a torrid time all afternoon, Grealish's pass was inch-perfect for Julian Alvarez to equalise, and he found the bottom corner with aplomb in the second half during a man-of-the-match display.
From a current City attacker to a former one, Gabriel Jesus marked his first Premier League start since November in perfect fashion as Arsenal overcame a slow start to send Leeds home empty-handed. Mikel Arteta got exactly the sort of "chaos" he had implored his striker to cause, as Jesus's tricky feet won him a first-half penalty - which he converted for his first goal since October 1 - and he met Leandro Trossard's cut-back in the second half to complete his brace and keep Arsenal firmly in the driving seat for top-flight supremacy.
SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (4-3-3): Martinez; Trippier, Keane, Aguerd, Pinnock; Willock, McGinn, De Bruyne; Mbeumo, Jesus, Grealish
Ben Knapton
