Ten matches remain in a hotly-contested Premier League title race, and there's been some change at the top following the latest round of fixtures. In the late game on Saturday, Arsenal surged to the top of the table after a dramatic 2-1 win over Brentford as Kai Havertz scored an 86th-minute winner at the Emirates. With Liverpool and Manchester City playing out a <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2024/03/11/klopp-furious-after-liverpool-denied-late-penalty-as-guardiola-praises-man-city-spirit/" target="_blank">thrilling 1-1 draw at Anfield</a> on Sunday evening, it kept the Gunners top, level on points with the Reds. Defending champions City are a point back in third. The round began with an early Saturday game at Old Trafford, where a pair of penalties led <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2024/03/09/every-game-is-a-final-for-manchester-united-after-fighting-win-over-everton/" target="_blank">Manchester United past a struggling Everton </a>2-0. Also on Saturday, Wolves beat Fulham 2-1, and there were draws between Crystal Palace and Luton Town (1-1), and Bournemouth and Sheffield United (2-2). Sunday began with a battle between two top-four rivals and it was Tottenham who struck a significant blow by thrashing 10-man Aston Villa 4-0 at Villa Park. Elsewhere, Brighton beat Nottingham Forest 1-0, and West Ham fought back from two goals down to secure a 2-2 home draw with Burnley. Chelsea then concluded the round with a <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2024/03/12/cole-palmer-praises-chelsea-courage-after-premier-league-win-over-newcastle/" target="_blank">3-2 win over Newcastle United</a> at Stamford Bridge on Monday night. Below is our Premier League team of the week. Responsible for one of only three clean sheets this weekend, Vicario again provided a reliable pair of gloves in Tottenham's rout of Aston Villa. Before Spurs ran away with it, the Italian produced a fine close-range save on Nicolo Zaniolo that could have proved crucial. Signed for £15m from Empoli last summer, Vicario has undoubtedly been one of the signings of the season. Once a centre-back deployed as a makeshift right-back, White has fully adjusted to the role and was decisive in Arsenal's 2-1 win over Brentford, which sent the Gunners top of the table. Played in a lovely cross for Declan Rice to head home the opening goal and got his second assist with another pinpoint cross for Havertz to score the winner. White's combination with player-of-the-season contender Bukayo Saka has been instrumental to Arsenal's sustained title challenge. Tasked with one of the toughest assignments in football – containing Manchester City's fearsome attack – Van Dijk led a patched-together Liverpool defence with a commanding performance. Erling Haaland was kept quiet throughout as Liverpool secured a 1-1 draw to keep the champions one point behind. Van Dijk has been exceptional for Liverpool this season and will need to maintain his level if the Reds are to end the season with more silverware. For a player with a track record of losing his form in high-pressure environments, Romero was composure personified inside a volatile Villa Park as Spurs ran out 4-0 winners. The Argentine's partnership with Micky van de Ven has the potential to be one of the Premier League's most solid central defences. The Dutchman, who has already missed two months of his debut season with a hamstring injury, was also superb against Villa – until he went off injured again. The Algeria international is having the season of his career under Gary O'Neill and played a key role in Wolves' 2-1 win over Fulham. He posed a constant threat down the left flank and opened the scoring with a well-taken close-range finish. Still only 22 years old, Ait-Nouri is already a key player in a Wolves side operating above expectations in ninth place, and will surely only get better. Now regarded as important to Pep Guardiola's preferred way of playing as Kevin de Bruyne and Haaland, Stones excelled alongside Rodri in City's central midfield in a high-quality 1-1 draw with Liverpool. The England international has struggled with injury this season and his absence has been felt. With Stones and De Bruyne now back up and running, City remain frontrunners for major trophies this season. If £100m could ever be considered a bargain, then Rice is the best example. The England midfielder has been superb all season and was again a leader in Arsenal's 2-1 win over Brentford. Rice opened the scoring with a header in the 19th minute and had other chances to add to his tally. If Arsenal are to end their 20-year wait for the title, Rice should be a leading contender for player-of-the-season honours. Maddison's return from a long-term ankle injury has provided Tottenham a massive boost to their hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League via a top-four league finish. The England midfielder opened the scoring in Spurs' 4-0 win at Aston Villa and played a central role throughout the emphatic victory. Maddison now has 11 goal involvements in 17 league matches, with four goals and seven assists, and he will need to keep producing if Tottenham are to secure a top-four place. Amid another underwhelming season for Chelsea, Palmer has been the one constant bright spark. He was the best player on the pitch on Monday night as the Blues defeated Newcastle 3-2; Palmer set up the first goal for Nicolas Jackson and scored the second, taking his goal involvements to 19 in 23 league games (11 goals, eight assists). Despite recent setbacks like the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2024/02/25/virgil-van-dijks-late-winner-against-chelsea-seals-league-cup-glory-for-liverpool/" target="_blank">League Cup final defeat</a> and draw at Brentford, Chelsea are generally playing better in recent weeks, and while the Blues are still 11th in the table, they have a game in hand on the teams above them and are now only four points behind West Ham in seventh. If Chelsea are to climb the table, Palmer will be vital. After successive defeats to Fulham and City, Manchester United entered Saturday's early game against struggling Everton in desperate need of a win. It was hardly a convincing performance against a side without a win in 10 games, but a pair of penalties - one each from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford - sealed a 2-0 victory. Garnacho was the orchestrator of both penalties when he drew a clumsy foul from James Tarkowski and forced Ben Godfrey to dive in after a slaloming run into the Everton area. The Argentine has been United's only relatively consistent attacking threat this season and has become undroppable. A top performance from a top player as the Tottenham captain led his side from the front with a devastating display to beat Villa 4-0. Son was involved in three of the four goals, assisting Brenan Johnson and Timo Werner either side of scoring his team's third goal. With 14 goals and eight assists in the league, the South Korean forward is unquestionably back to his best and has been instrumental in Tottenham's continued push for the top four.
