sport news 10 THINGS WE LEARNED in the Premier League this weekend trends now

sport news 10 THINGS WE LEARNED in the Premier League this weekend trends now
sport news 10 THINGS WE LEARNED in the Premier League this weekend trends now

sport news 10 THINGS WE LEARNED in the Premier League this weekend trends now

It was another pulsating weekend of Premier League action with yet more twists and turns as the fight for the title, top four and relegation continues to enthral.

While only 14 of the 20 top flight sides were in action due to the FA Cup quarter-finals, there was no shortage of drama.

Arsenal reaffirmed their title credentials with a thumping 4-1 win over Crystal Palace that puts them eight points clear of Man City, while Newcastle seem to be back on track in their push for the Champions League after a mid-season wobble.

It was a disastrous afternoon, however, for Antonio Conte and Tottenham with the Italian unleashing his latest remarkable rant at the club, calling his players 'selfish' and 'lacking fire', among other things.

There was a crucial win for Leeds over fellow-strugglers Wolves, while Southampton, Leicester and Everton all picked up important points at the bottom. 

Here, Sportsmail dissects the key talking points from another gripping weekend of action.

It was another action-packed weekend in the Premier League with yet more twists and turns

It was another action-packed weekend in the Premier League with yet more twists and turns

Arsenal secured an important win against Crystal Palace to open up an eight-point lead

Arsenal secured an important win against Crystal Palace to open up an eight-point lead

Tottenham are better off WITHOUT Conte

In the seemingly inevitable parting of ways between Tottenham and Antonio Conte, the Italian took his latest shot at the club in the midst of a furious 10-minute tirade after watching his team surrender a 3-1 lead to take only a point from bottom of the table Southampton.

Over recent weeks and months Conte has slammed Tottenham fans, who he claimed are impatient and unappreciative of the size of the task after their Champions League defeat against AC Milan.  

Now he's taken aim at the players, who he labelled selfish and lacking fire, unable to perform when the pressure is on, without heart and going backwards. All the while he is shielding himself from blame by a litany of excuses.

It had actually been a much more positive display from Spurs at St Mary's, as they raced into a 3-1 lead thanks to Pedro Porro, Harry Kane and Ivan Perisic.

But the manner of their collapse and the way they retreated further and further when 3-1 up was alarming, with Theo Walcott and then James Ward-Prowse scoring to secure a vital point for the Saints.

Having now criticised all aspects of the club with Spurs' players unlikely to have taken too kindly to Conte's latest rant, the situation has become toxic.

While Spurs have the tendency to produce performances out of nowhere and could still well reach the top four, it feels like an ending to the club's increasingly bitter relationship with the Italian would be best for everyone.

Tottenham threw away a 3-1 lead to Southampton as they conceded late twice to draw 3-3

Tottenham threw away a 3-1 lead to Southampton as they conceded late twice to draw 3-3

Antonio Conte unleashed a stunning rant at his players, who he labelled selfish and lacking fire

Antonio Conte unleashed a stunning rant at his players, who he labelled selfish and lacking fire

Chelsea in dire need of a No. 9 after Pulisic experiment

Christian Pulisic seemingly came in from the cold having been absent with injury over recent months to start his first Chelsea game in two months against Everton.

While the American put in a solid performance as he rotated with Joao Felix and Kai Havertz across the front-line, the Blues were again unable to make their dominance count and dropped points against the struggling Toffees.

Despite having 20 shots and 69 per cent of possession, a profligacy in front of goal coupled with switching off in key moments at the back, meant they were held 2-2.

The Blues are being hamstrung by their lack of a clinical No. 9, with Graham Potter's side having scored just 29 league goals this season from an xG of 36.42.

An out-and-out forward has got to be at the top of Potter's wishlist this summer. 

The Christian Pulisic experiment up top for Chelsea reaffirmed their dire need for a goalscorer

The Christian Pulisic experiment up top for Chelsea reaffirmed their dire need for a goalscorer

Everton's midfield three is key to their success 

While Chelsea were wasteful, Everton deserve enormous credit for their performance as Sean Dyche's side were resilient, before taking their chances at key moments of the game to peg the Blues back twice.

They now have 11 points in eight games under the former Burnley boss and a key part of this renaissance has been the midfield three of Abdoulaye Doucoure and Amadou Onana either side of the more defensive-minded Idrissa Gana Gueye.

Despite Dyche's reputation for playing a 4-4-2 at Burnley, he has adapted and his midfield - which has seen the popular Alex Iwobi shifted out to the right and Dwight McNeil reinvigorated on the left - has made the Toffees much more defensively sound, while Onana and Doucoure have also added attacking impetus. 

Doucore - who was frozen out under Frank Lampard - has scored two and added two assists in his last three games, while Onana has been a bright spark all season since his £33m move from Lille and Gueye, 33, continues to demonstrate his quality and experience.

There have been improvements all over the pitch, but the trio - who have started every one of Dyche's games in charge - provide the foundation in their battle for safety.

Abdoulaye Doucoure has scored two goals and added two more assists in his last three games

Abdoulaye Doucoure has scored two goals and added two more assists in his last three games

Isak starting to repay his £63m price tag

Much was expected of Alexander Isak after his record-breaking £63m move from Real Sociedad in the summer and he started brightly - scoring twice in his first three games.

But he then badly struggled with injuries and failed to start a game between September and February. 

However, since returning to the starting XI last month, Isak has begun to show all of his undoubted talent, with two superb displays against Wolves and Nottingham Forest in the past week.

The Swedish star caused all sorts of problems for Julen Lopetegui's side with his skill and searing pace, and he did the same to Forest at the City Ground on Friday.

His first goal was extremely well-taken and after having a sublime assist unbelievably ruled out by VAR, he showed strong courage to slam home an injury time

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