Another Premier League fate was sealed in gameweek 33 of the 2024-25 season, as Liverpool's 1-0 success over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium condemned the Foxes to Championship football for next season.
The Reds' narrow triumph also leaves them just one victory away from officially securing the title, but they were made to wait that little bit longer thanks to Arsenal's 4-0 smashing of Ipswich Town.
Further down, the race for Champions League football continues to throw up gripping twists and turns, as Aston Villa blew the top-five fight wide open by besting Newcastle United 4-1 at Villa Park.
Nottingham Forest's 2-1 success over Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City's 2-0 away triumph at Everton also boosted their own UCL credentials, as did Chelsea's captivating 2-1 comeback victory against West London rivals Fulham.
Bournemouth's hopes of bringing continental football to the South Coast were dealt another blow in a goalless draw with 10-man Crystal Palace, though, while Manchester United's disastrous season continued with a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Finally, Brentford's home hoodoo was finally snapped in a 4-2 win over Brighton & Hove Albion, while Southampton's 1-1 draw with West Ham United ensured that they would not set a new record-low points total en route to the second tier.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week for the latest round of matches.
DEFENCE
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Standout goalkeeping performances were few and far between this week. Leicester's Mads Hermansen would have waltzed into the side, but the Foxes number one did not cover himself in glory for the Reds' winner, so Palace's Dean Henderson gets the nod after making four stops to preserve a precious point for his 10-man team.
Hermansen was undone by a deflected Trent Alexander-Arnold winner at the King Power Stadium, as the Liverpool vice-captain came off the bench to put his side within touching distance of the Premier League crown - perhaps one final crucial contribution before jumping ship for Real Madrid on a free transfer.
The Liverpool faithful would have also cracked a smile during events at Old Trafford, where Pablo Sarabia's free kick stole the headlines, but take nothing away from the performance of Santiago Bueno, whose eight clearances and six tackles were invaluable in a famous Wolves win.
Similarly, Palace's defensive rock Maxence Lacroix was consistently in the right place at the right time during the stalemate with Bournemouth, where the Frenchman produced 10 clearances, three tackles and two blocks in a dogged defensive effort, made harder by the Eagles playing the entire second half with 10 men.
At the other end of the field, Man City's shiny new toy Nico O'Reilly continues to dazzle in his so-called 'left-back' role, showcasing his fabulous goal threat yet again at Goodison Park. The 20-year-old burst into the box to strike the opener against Everton, while also completing all three of his dribble attempts, thus justifying a healthy pay rise in his new contract.
MIDFIELD
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Easily one of the most in-form players in the Premier League at the moment, Villa's midfield maestro Youri Tielemans was at it again during the demolition of Newcastle; as well as registering another assist inside the opening minute, the Belgian registered five tackles and completed three of his four long pass attempts. Player of the Month nomination incoming?
Also running the show from the engine room, Nottingham Forest fulcrum Elliot Anderson benefitted from a couple of deflections at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but his sweetly-struck volley was a thing of beauty regardless. The 22-year-old also won four fouls, made eight clearances and won five of his six aerial duels against Spurs, and a senior England call-up may not be too far away at all.
Spurs' Easter may have been miserable, but Arsenal's was marvellous, thanks in no small part to the majestic Martin Odegaard. The Gunners skipper's assist for the opening goal against Ipswich may have only been a slight flick, but he conducted the Arsenal orchestra all afternoon, creating five chances and astonishingly completing nine long passes from nine attempts.
ATTACK
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Leandro Trossard was the beneficiary of Odegaard's unorthodox assist at Portman Road, but the Belgian still displayed brilliant composure to find the corner through Dara O'Shea's legs as he was losing his balance, before producing another clinical low finish to bag his first brace for the North London giants.
Sticking with the two-goal theme, Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo channelled his inner Bryan Mbeumo from the first half of the 2024-25 season with a glorious display at the Gtech Community Stadium, netting two goals of his own against Brighton and also teeing up Yoane Wissa, enhancing their reputation as one of the deadliest double acts in the country right now.
Mbeumo has nothing to prove to Thomas Frank anymore, but Ollie Watkins certainly did when he was given the nod against Newcastle, having been overlooked for starts against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. The self-proclaimed 'furious' Villa marksman took just 33 seconds to break the deadlock - equalling Gabriel Agbonlahor's record for the most Premier League goals for Aston Villa in the process - while also setting up Ian Maatsen and hitting the woodwork twice, sending the loudest and clearest selection message possible to Unai Emery.
SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (4-5-1): Henderson; Alexander-Arnold, Bueno, Lacroix, O'Reilly; Mbeumo, Tielemans, Odegaard, Anderson, Trossard; Watkins.
Ben Knapton
