Arsenal and Manchester City both enjoyed four-goal Saturdays as neither side ceded any ground in the Premier League title race.
City still trail the Gunners by eight points at the top of the table, but have a game in hand and a 4-1 humiliation of Liverpool was further evidence that Pep Guardiola's men are finding their best form of the season for the run-in.
It was a former City forward who stole the headlines for Arsenal as Gabriel Jesus scored twice on his first league start since November as Leeds United were swept aside 4-1 at the Emirates.
UEFA Congress in the Portuguese capital comes just a few weeks after Gianni Infantino was re-elected as president of FIFA, also unopposed@FIFAcom @FIFAWorldCup @fifacom_ar @ChampionsLeague @EuropaLeague @UEFA @UEFAcomhttps://t.co/WRZIEwnXe4
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) April 4, 2023
At the other end of the table, Leicester City finally lost patience with Brendan Rodgers after a 2-1 defeat at Crystal Palace saw the Foxes slip to second bottom.
Grealish comes good
Despite costing City a Premier League record £100m when he signed from Aston Villa in 2021, Jack Grealish spent most of last season watching his new club win the title from the bench.
Not for the first time in Pep Guardiola's time in charge at the Etihad, it has taken a second season for a major signing to come good and City are finally getting the player they splashed out for.
Grealish set up Julian Alvarez's equalizer and rounded off a brilliant performance with City's final goal against Liverpool.
But his contribution going the other way was just as decisive as he charged back over 50 yards to prevent Mohamed Salah running clear on goal when Liverpool led 1-0.
Messi's name was jeered by some fans at the Parc des Princes before PSG's home game against Lyonhttps://t.co/Bt7muC1rqS
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"I could not imagine with the big name he is and the price the club paid to have this humility to run like a teenager," said Guardiola of Grealish's work ethic.
"I like the standing ovation from our fans. He really deserved it. All season he has been playing well."
Jesus adds to Arteta's Arsenal
Jesus was a vital part of Arsenal's flying start to the season that has put them in position to win a first league title in 19 years.
There were fears for the Gunners' challenge when the Brazilian suffered a knee injury at the World Cup that kept him out for over three months.
A collective effort from Mikel Arteta's forward line got Arsenal through that spell with their lead at the top intact and Jesus could now provide the perfect boost to deny his former club a fifth title in six years.
Chelsea managerial hot seat has now seen its 16th change in the last 20 yearshttps://t.co/9g7Dj90Xmb
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Jesus' return to fitness, allied to the form of Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, allowed Arteta to drop Bukayo Saka from his starting line-up for the first time in the league since December 2021.
That wealth of options will be crucial to getting over the line with just nine games now separating Arteta's men from glory.
Rodgers runs out of time
Of the sides in the bottom half of the table only West Ham United have now resisted sacking their manager this season after Leicester finally showed Rodgers the door Sunday.
The former Liverpool boss led the Foxes to back-to-back fifth-placed finishes in his first two full seasons in charge, as well as lifting the FA Cup for the first time in the club's history in 2021.
Such apparently insignificant gestures could, for example, be signals to players in a football match to allow their team to concede goals, Tom Harding explained in an interview at the company's London base@premierleague #footballfixing #fixinghttps://t.co/wElZjz0sio
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) April 4, 2023
That success had afforded the Northern Irishman patience early in the campaign despite Leicester losing six of their first seven games.
But panic has now set in at the King Power with relegation a real danger.
