The final gameweek before the international break was disrupted by FA Cup action, which allowed Arsenal to increase their lead at the top.
Games between Liverpool and Fulham, Manchester City and West Ham United, and Brighton and Manchester United were all postponed due to their FA Cup fulfilment. However, in the final round of fixtures in March, there was plenty of excitement in the matches that did go ahead.
Nottingham Forest 1-2 Newcastle United – Alexander Isak got both goals for Newcastle, including a crucial injury-time penalty as the Magpies closed the gap to Tottenham in fourth. Eddie Howe’s men are just two points off the Champions League places with two games in hand.
Brentford 1-1 Leicester City – Harvey Barnes cancelled out Mathias Jensen’s opener, although Brendand Rodgers’ Foxes remain engulfed in a fascinating relegation battle involving nine sides.
Southampton 3-3 Tottenham Hotspur – Ivan Perisic’s strike in the 74th minute gave Tottenham a two-goal lead, which looked conclusive. However, Theo Walcott grabbed one back before a James Ward-Prowse injury-time penalty rescued a point for the Saints.
Cue a post-match implosion from Antonio Conte, who criticised everyone apart from himself in an explosive post-match press conference. His job in North London is hanging by a thread.
Aston Villa 3-0 Bournemouth – The Villains made light work of their task on Saturday afternoon, easing past the Cherries. Their safety is all but secured, and they can now look up the table. The European places aren’t completely out of reach.
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-4 Leeds United – Leeds secured a vital win in a thrilling game at Molineux that included six goals and two red cards. Leeds raced into a three-goal lead before two goals in quick succession for Wolves brought them back into the game. Rodrigo’s late goal sealed the points in injury time with Wolves finishing the game with nine men.
Chelsea 2-2 Everton – Chelsea looked to have turned a corner, but in a gameweek of late goals, Graham Potter’s side were pegged back at the Bridge. Chelsea squandered their advantage twice with Ellis Simms rescuing a vital point for the Toffees.
Arsenal 4-1 Crystal Palace – Bukayo Saka once again starred for Arsenal as they made light work of Crystal Palace, who sacked manager Patrick Vieira after the result. The former OGC Nice player had been on a barren run in 2023, and former manager Roy Hodgson has returned to take charge of his former club.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are now eight points clear of second-placed Manchester City, although the latter do have a game in hand.
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