Both Premier League title deciders and relegation six-pointers were played this weekend in what was a pivotal 72 hours for so many teams up and down the table.
Manchester City welcomed title rivals Liverpool to the Etihad in a dramatic 'first meets second' clash that saw the honours end even after the Reds responded twice having fallen behind to goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus. That result means Pep Guardiola's side maintain their slender one-point advantage at the top of the pile.
At the other end of the table, Burnley failed to capitalise on the momentum Tuesday's win over relegation rivals Everton presented them and ended up suffering a surprise 2-0 defeat away at bottom-placed Norwich. The Clarets' misery was compounded by the fact the Toffees put four points between them having beaten Manchester United the day prior.
Arsenal saw their hopes of a top four finish take a significant dent after being on the wrong end of a 2-1 scoreline at home to Brighton & Hove Albion. In stark contrast, their North London neighbours Tottenham Hotspur ran riot as they put four past Aston Villa with no reply at Villa Park.
Mirror Football has selected the standout performers from this week's batch of fixtures.
Goalkeeper - Hugo Lloris
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While Jordan Pickford did well to keep United at bay on Saturday lunchtime, Lloris was just that little bit better as he ensured Spurs went in at half-time in the Midlands one goal to the good, rather undeservedly.
Heung-Min Son's early goal put Antonio Conte's side in front within four minutes, but the remainder of the first-half was an onslaught of Villa attacks that the Frenchman was equal to every time.
The most impressive save came from Jacob Ramsey's effort, as Lloris got a strong left-hand on the ball to parry it over the bar from close range. The 'keeper's inspired form allowed Spurs to gather their thoughts during the interval and come out a stronger team - eventually cruising to all three points.
Right-back: Rico Henry
The Bees defender has quietly gone about his business and been one of Brentford's most solid performers during their debut campaign in the top-flight. It was a similar story for the visit of West Ham on Sunday afternoon.
Tasked with dealing with the threat of in-form Hammers forward Jarrod Bowen, Henry barely put a foot wrong as his side all-but secured their status as a Premier League club for another season. Thomas Frank's side put two past David Moyes' men at the Brentford Community Stadium.
Henry was just one part of a back-four that dealt with everything their visitors threw at them with ease, restricting West Ham to minimal opportunities throughout.
Centre-back: Michael Keane
So often this season the Everton central defender has come in for criticism and at times justifiably so, with Keane well below both the level required and level he is capable of. He deserves plaudits however, for delivering when it mattered most.
Up against his former side in United, Keane nullified the threat of Cristiano Ronaldo and co., particularly during a spell later on in the game when the Red Devils were desperately searching for an equaliser.
Frank Lampard's Toffees side needed three points arguably more than ever in the wake of their midweek defeat by Burnley and while Anthony Gordon ended up being the matchwinner, the Goodison Park have Keane and the rest of their defence to thank for clinging on.
Centre-back: Dan Burn
In truth, many of the Magpies' defenders could have been included as they kept an impressive clean sheet at home against Wolves. However, the honour must go to Burn as a reward for his stellar start to life at St. James' Park.
Purchased from Brighton in January, some questioned whether Burn would make the required impact but the versatile defender has been near faultless since making the switch to his boyhood club.
He handled whatever Bruno Lage's side threw at him with ease to silence his critics and go some way to repaying his £13million transfer fee.
Left-back: Joao Cancelo
All of the full-backs in display during Man City's meeting with Liverpool were impressive at some stage of the game, but Cancelo stole the show with his teasing cross that put his side's second on a plate for Jesus.
The Portugal international is so technically gifted that at one stage a moment of skill had Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler purring as he declared Cancelo "too good" to be a full-back, while sat right next to ex-United right-back Gary Neville.
The 27-year-old could most likely play any position on the pitch such is his technical prowess, but he is more than capable of delivering hammer blows from the full-back position as proven by another fantastic assist - just the latest in his growing collection.
Central midfield: Enock Mwepu
The Brighton star notched what was just his second Premier League goal in spectacular fashion at the Emirates as the Seagulls enjoyed a shock win over the Gunners.
Mwepu's strike proved to be the difference between the two sides and it was a worthy winner as the Zambian hit a stellar side-footed volley from outside the area beyond Aaron Ramsdale to spark jubilant scenes in the away end.
His goal was a bonus on top of what was already a very impressive display as he dealt with the likes of Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe with relative ease.
Central midfield - Kevin De Bruyne
When the Belgian superstar is in the mood, even a side of Liverpool's quality struggle to stop him. De Bruyne was among the goals yet again as he put City in front after just five minutes with a deflected effort that cannoned in off the upright.
There was so much more to this performance than his goal, with seemingly every single pass to a teammate weighted to perfection as the former Chelsea man put in a masterful display in the middle of the park.
Every single player in a sky blue shirt had a better game as a result of De Bruyne's influence as he constantly drove forward, tirelessly looking to inflict damage on a Reds side that at times were rocked by his brilliance.
Central midfield - Mason Mount
After two stellar seasons in the Blues' first team, Mount has faced question marks for the first time in his Chelsea career this term - though with performances like this it is difficult to understand why.
The England international was back to his best for the trip to St. Mary's as Chelsea put Southampton to the sword with a stunning 6-0 away victory. Of those six, Mount bagged himself a brace.
The 22-year-old is now edging ever closer to a 20-goal contribution season, with his current tally sitting on 10 goals and eight assists with eight games left to play. His first strike was the pick of the bunch as he lashed beyond Fraser Forster from around 20 yards out to nestle his effort in the bottom corner.
Right-wing: Raphinha
The Brazilian is so often linked with a move away from Elland Road due to the amount of potential suitors keeping tabs on him, but he did not look unfocused at Vicarage Road on Saturday.
The tricky winger was a thorn in the side of the Hornets all afternoon but his standout moment came for the game's opening goal. Leeds eventually ran out 3-0 winners and were set on their way by Raphinha who started the scoring in spectacular fashion.
Picking the ball up on the edge of the box with his back to goal, the 25-year-old quickly turned and lashed a fierce left-footed effort beyond the despairing dive of Ben Foster to start what would be an enjoyable trip down for Jesse Marsch's men.
Striker: Harry Kane
Yes, we know - he didn't actually score, but take Kane's inclusion in this side as a testament to the striker's frankly ludicrous playmaking abilities.
The England skipper played a part in the first goal after his shot was blocked into the path of Son, while he nodded it on to Dejan Kulusevski for Spurs' second - but it was the game's third goal that Kane really left fans slack-jawed in amazement.
Despite the ball being fizzed into him at head-height, the Tottenham talisman managed to take the time to glance behind him and have a good look at where his fellow forward was before deftly glancing it on and into the path of Son who made no mistake. It was Kane's eighth Premier League assist of the season.
Left-wing: Heung-Min Son
Arguably the most standout performer of them all in the Premier League this week, Son secured his third Spurs hat-trick away at Aston Villa with three delightfully taken goals.
The first stunned Villa early on, before goals two and three capped off a stellar solo performance that has done wonders for Spurs' hopes of a top-four finish this term.
Son's first displayed the kind of instinctive finishing most strikers would kill for, while his second and third were put on a plate for him by Kane and Kulusevski. The South Korean international also surpassed Eden Hazard's Premier League goal with his second of the match, doing so in 20 fewer matches than the Chelsea legend.
