The Premier League is the biggest league in world football and there are always plenty of talking points - whether it's the opening weekend or in early-April with the title race heating up.
Here, Ben Dinnery will look at the best of the weekend's action while also highlighting teams and players to watch for upcoming gameweeks throughout the 2023/24 Premier League season.
We still have six fixtures to go in Round 34, and with games coming thick and fast during the run-in, we're going to need all the help we can get. So, we'll take a quick look at last weekend to glean insight into the upcoming matchups.
Arsenal were able to bounce back following a torrid week that saw the Gunners exit from the Champions League – losing in Munich – and relinquishing top spot after defeat at home to Aston Villa.
However, normal service resumed at Molineux, with three points to keep their season and second-favourite football odds alive.
This result against Wolves was significant for two reasons: first of all, it meant the return to first place plus the opportunity to stretch their lead even further with another game (versus Chelsea) before Manchester City or Liverpool play again.
And secondly, it demonstrated steeliness, character and the ability to grind out a victory when needed.
Arsenal were able to successfully navigate the low block, a game plan they failed to execute well when facing Villa or Bayern, and it goes some way to answering questions about whether the Gunners had the footballing know-how to break down teams who were happy to sit in.
Arsenal were not only able to create chances – 24 shots with nine on target – but they finished well scoring twice from 1.66 xG.
Kai Havertz looked bright, managing four shots from inside the box while accumulating 0.4 xGI. Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice, with five key passes, also caught the eye, with the title race set to linger on until the final weekend.
Arguably, Crystal Palace gave us the biggest surprise of the weekend after their first-half performance on Sunday blew West Ham away. The Eagles led 4-1 at the break before winning the match 5-2.
Palace have one of the nicest runs through until the end of the season, and with the pressure off, now that their top-flight status is guaranteed, the side have taken their entertainment levels up a notch.
Oliver Glasner has implemented his style since arriving at the club, and the hardworking Eagles were the second most pressing team of the weekend (9.07 PPDA) while creating a massive seven Big Chances.
Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta combined well as a fearsome front three in their best-attacking display of the campaign: the side scored more than three goals for the first time in 2023-24!
Newcastle must be wary on Wednesday, as Palace offer a significant attacking threat with the shackles off, plus a fully fit Olise champing at the bit to finish an injury-ravaged season on a high.
Following a comprehensive win at Kenilworth Road, Brentford are another side that falls into the low-pressure group after a victory, which all but secures their place in next season's Premier League.
Discussions pre-match centred around Luton and how three points would take them out of the relegation zone. However, Rob Edwards described the performance as 'poor', apologising to supporters after the game.
On the other hand, Brentford were very good, registering the highest xG of the weekend (3.78), with Keane Lewis-Potter, Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo stealing the headlines.
According to Thomas Frank, Ivan Toney was once again missing from the match-day squad due to injury, or if you believe the conspiracy theorists, a tactical omission by the manager already planning for life without their talismanic striker.
Regardless, the team showed they are still very much in the fight, and with a good run-in, the Bees should break the 40-point barrier.
Vincent Kompany has finally got his side playing a tune as Burnley stretched their run to just one defeat in seven with an emphatic win over relegation rivals Sheffield United.
The Clarets are putting up a real fight for survival, and they are only three points from safety, although an inferior goal difference (-32) could play a significant part. The side has not kept a clean sheet since Gameweek 18, and at the opposite end, goals (21) have been hard to come by during this period, with only three teams scoring fewer.
However, during this recent upturn, Burnley are sitting in the top half of the table across several metrics as the most unlikely of fightbacks from the brink becomes more than a pipe dream.
But it won't be easy, as Burnley will be facing sides that still have something to play for, and this one could go down to the final day with Forest arriving at Turf Moor.
Luton, Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest all made poor accounts of themselves in Gameweek 34, although you would say that while last season's two promoted sides were well beaten - nine goals conceded between them – Forest will consider themselves very unfortunate to be on the receiving end of at least two big penalty calls resulting in the club calling out the officials post-match, which is likely to land them in hot water with the Premier League and Football Association.
They frustrated Everton at Goodison Park for long periods, limiting the home side to just 0.47 xG, but ultimately, they still lost by two goals.
Defensively, Nuno Espirito Santo has tightened up his team, hitting Top 8 metrics over the last six matches, which includes two clean sheets. And if any side was going to be OK, then Forest would be among my Premier League tips if they can match their expected numbers.
Meanwhile, Luton have the worst xG Conceded (72.6) throughout 2023-24, while no team comes close to Sheffield United for actual goals against (88).
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
