"Football: The Guardian's Top 10 Discussion Topics from the Premier League Weekend Matches"

Arsenal are making a case for the adage that 2-0 is football's most dangerous scoreline to be brought back. For the second week in a row, they lost a hard-earned two-goal lead, showing a lack of form not befitting of title hopefuls. This marks the first time a team at the top of the Premier League has done so. Arsenal will need to regain their momentum before their trip to Manchester City next Wednesday, where they must get a result to avoid disappearing into City's rearview. Their inability to do so could lead to regrets beyond just this season's losses. Arsenal have already turned a lead into a desperate draw four times this season, all against opponents that should have been easily defeated. If their epic win against Bournemouth last month showed how a thrilling match can make you feel like a trophy winner, the past two weeks have demonstrated the opposite. - Alex Hess

Antony has shown throughout the season that he is supremely talented. The Brazilian winger has the ability to create problems for defenders by cutting in from the touchline and producing skills that others can only dream of. However, he has also shown inconsistency, petulance, and overly excitable ball handling. Against Nottingham Forest, he was in the right place at the right time to give Manchester United the lead and created the second goal through some impressive skill and a perfectly weighted pass. He also demonstrated his weaknesses, such as his predictability due to his weak right foot, dribbling the ball out of play with meaningless skills, and not attacking the back post during crosses. Nonetheless, as a 23-year-old in his first Premier League season, his positives outweigh the negatives, and he has shown that he can make a difference at United for years to come. - Will Unwin

Since his £89m move to Chelsea in January, Mykhailo Mudryk has been known for his speed, but unfortunately, that's about it. Of all the idiosyncratic signings Chelsea have made, Mudryk is the one who has raised eyebrows the most. His assist for Conor Gallagher's deflected opener was his second for Chelsea, the result of a surging run that suggested he is beginning to acclimatise to the Premier League. Nonetheless, there remains a lack of precision in his game, which is a series of panicked flurries rather than clear decisions. Mudryk is only 22 and had started only 33 games in the Ukrainian league before his move to London, making this a significant step up, in addition to a move to a new culture. There's promise, but given his fee, there are immediate expectations that may not be healthy. - Jonathan Wilson

Aston Villa, who were three points off the bottom of the table approaching November, are now being considered a candidate for the top four. However, Unai Emery tried to quell the giddiness, stating, "Now we can think to be a candidate for the Europa [League] positions, but the top four is difficult." Villa's evisceration of Newcastle leaves them six points behind Eddie Howe's side, who have a game in hand and a far superior goal difference to Villa. While the top four is likely out of reach, Villa's unlikely prospect remains possible, with Manchester United, Tottenham, and Brighton among their final five matches. - Ben Fisher

Match reports:

• West Ham 2-2 Arsenal
• Nottingham Forest 0-2 Manchester United
• Chelsea 1-2 Brighton
• Aston Villa 3-0 Newcastle

Gary O’Neil has cemented himself as one of the managers of the season for pulling Bournemouth six points clear of the relegation zone. Despite the club sacking Scott Parker after only collecting two points between Christmas and mid-February, they kept faith and did not panic. Since March 4th, O’Neil’s team has been one of the in-form teams of the Premier League. They recently beat Tottenham with great defensive tactics and attacking quality on the break. Dominick Solanke was excellent, and new signings Matías Viña and Dango Ouattara were astute purchases. O’Neil is no Premier League rookie, with over 200 games played for five different clubs. He is realistic and acknowledged the “fine margins” that have put Bournemouth in such a strong and unexpected position.

Pep Guardiola knows how to deliver a team talk through his public utterances. After Manchester City’s victory over Leicester, he sent a message to his team that the Sadio Mané and Leroy Sané bust-up could be used by Bayern Munich to overcome their 3-0 deficit in the upcoming Champions League quarter-final second leg. He stated that “sometimes you need conflict to make the team more together” and that it would be a strong point for them against City. Mané, who received a suspension for hitting Sané, missed Saturday’s draw with Hoffenheim but is now free to play against City.

Everton may be edging closer to losing their top-flight status after 69 years, with Fulham defeating them 3-1, marking their sixth away win in a top-flight season. Despite only collecting six more points from their last eight games, Sean Dyche denies that their performances are on a downward spiral. The central midfield was weakened by the absences of Amadou Onana and Abdoulaye Doucouré, and Dyche’s chosen team helped the Fulham cause. However, the general air of resignation was not a good sign for a club on the brink of relegation. Dyche insists that there is still a good group of players and they need to step up as a team.

David Moyes’ aggressive and direct style of football may save West Ham from relegation if they replicate their final hour against Arsenal a few more times. They dominated Arsenal in midfield, and Michail Antonio was unstoppable in attack. Despite playing in Gent only 72 hours prior and being without two center backs due to injury, West Ham looked like the team that had not played in Europe at all. Moyes’ job has been hanging by a thread, but if he can secure a strenuous end to the campaign, it may save his position at the club.

When Julen Lopetegui took over as manager of Wolves, they were bottom of the table with 10 points and eight goals from 15 games; since then, they have played 16 times, accumulating 24 points and 18 goals. After an impressive win over Brentford, their relegation worries look almost assuaged. But next season, their aim will not simply be to stay up because now, Wolves not only have some good players but the right person leading them. That the same appears to apply to almost all the teams above them demonstrates two things about England’s top division. The good news is that most clubs are on an upward trajectory, so matches in 2023-24 should be high-level and ultra-competitive; but the bad is that this is reflects a damaging, Super League-style financial dominance – which explains why a figure like Lopetegui left Spain for a piece of it. Daniel Harris

Match report: Wolves 2-0 Brentford

It is no coincidence that Eberechi Eze’s return to form has coincided with Crystal Palace’s incredible transformation under Roy Hodgson. The 24-year-old has played every minute of the three successive victories since Hodgson replaced Patrick Vieira and is now Palace’s top scorer in the league with seven. Why Vieira appeared to lose faith in Eze – who was restricted to just one start in the two previous months – remains a mystery but his successor certainly has faith in the player he signed from QPR in 2020. Asked whether the winger could once again be on England’s radar after missing out on the provisional squad for Euro 2020 due to injury, Hodgson insisted Eze’s future is in his own hands. “Yes, why not? If I was him I would be saying, ‘I’m so good that I’m going to make that my ambition,’” he said. “But the only way that he will do that is by producing more and more of these performances and hoping that Steve Holland and Gareth Southgate come to the same conclusion and think this is a guy that could help us out.” Ed Aarons

Match report: Southampton 0-2 Crystal Palace