3 Premier League talking points

Liverpool’s late winner against West Ham took the Reds to the brink of the Premier League title on Sunday, while Manchester City needed a Kevin De Bruyne masterclass to keep their quest for Champions League football on track.

A much-changed Arsenal were held 1-1 by Brentford to gift Liverpool more breathing space at the top of the Premier League table, but the Reds were far from convincing themselves in beating the lowly Hammers 2-1.

City responded from a slow start to beat Crystal Palace 5-2 on Saturday and move into the top five.

Nottingham Forest’s Champions League dream is in danger of unravelling after a 1-0 home defeat to Everton, while Chelsea were held 2-2 by Ipswich to ramp up the pressure on Enzo Maresca.

Below are three talking points from the Premier League over the weekend.

De Bruyne shows what Man City will miss

At 2-0 down to Palace after just 20 minutes at the Etihad, City looked in real danger of missing out on the Champions League for the first time in 15 years.

But Pep Guardiola’s men were rescued by a familiar figure as De Bruyne rolled back the years in his first home appearance since announcing he will leave the club at the end of the season.

De Bruyne’s free-kick started the City fightback before he teed up Omar Marmoush and Mateo Kovacic to turn the game around either side of half-time.

“I’m a competitive animal. I don’t like to lose, so for me nothing changes,” said De Bruyne on chasing a target in Champions League football that he will not be around to enjoy.

City still have work to do but dropped points for Forest and Chelsea have put the English champions in pole position for a top-five finish.

Lethargic Liverpool do just enough

Liverpool could be crowned champions on Easter Sunday after stretching their commanding lead at the top of the table to 13 points with just 18 left to play for.

However, Arne Slot’s men are slowing up as the finish line approaches after an exhausting campaign for many of his key players.

After Luis Diaz gave the home side the lead in a fast start at Anfield, Liverpool ran out of steam in the second half and needed Alisson Becker to produce three outstanding saves to keep West Ham at bay.

An Andy Robertson own goal looked like it could delay Liverpool’s title party, but Van Dijk headed home a corner in the 89th minute before giving the Liverpool fans even more reason to get excited.

Again, Arsenal stutter in Premier League with Brentford draw

Fresh from seeing Mohamed Salah extend his contract for two more years, Van Dijk declared his “love” for the club and hinted that he will be next to end speculation over his future with a new deal.

Within a few weeks, Van Dijk will be lifting the Premier League trophy despite a drop off that has seen Liverpool’s only two wins in their last five games come by a single goal against the sides sat 14th and 17th in the table.

Chelsea collapse

When Chelsea travelled to Everton on December 22 they had the chance to go top of the table.

In the 16 Premier League games since, they have won just five to slip down to sixth and are in serious danger of missing out on the Champions League for a third straight season.

Newcastle coach Howe hospitalised ahead Man United clash

All of those five victories came against the bottom six at home, but Maresca’s men were unable to complete the set against Ipswich.

The Tractor Boys took advantage of some shambolic defending to go 2-0 up at Stamford Bridge.

An Axel Tuanzebe own goal and Jadon Sancho’s stunning strike restored parity.

But Chelsea’s lack of a cutting edge in the final third cost them again as they failed to make 74 percent possession and 34 shots at goal count, AFP reported.

The Blues now face having to make up ground during difficult fixtures in the run-in.

Chelsea face four of the top eight in their final six games.

The Star