MY ACCOUNT
A reduced Premier League fixture list saw Arsenal and Tottenham reassert their top-four credentials with important victories.
The Gunners celebrated a hard-earned win away at Aston Villa, while Spurs beat fellow Champions League chasers West Ham 3-1 in North London.
Elsewhere, Leeds eased their relegation fears by coming from two goals down to overcome Wolves as Leicester made it three league wins in four by beating Brentford.
Read on as we pick out the stars of Matchday 30 in the Premier League.
Luke Ayling
The Premier League weekend could hardly have kicked off in more dramatic style as Leeds secured a 3-2 win at Molineux despite looking dead and buried for much of the game.
Making it all the more extraordinary was that their stoppage-time winner, which took them seven points clear of danger, came through one of the unlikeliest of sources in right-back Luke Ayling.
Having played his part in giving the Whites hope by striking the post in the build-up to their first, the 30-year-old defender showed composure to bring down the ball in the box before firing home only his second ever Premier League goal.
And while there were celebrations aplenty on the touchline and in the stands, the stand-in Leeds captain also stole the show in that regard by performing his best Robbie Keane-esque cartwheel and roll.
Speaking after the game, Ayling joked: “I tried to do the Robbie Keane but I couldn’t land the cartwheel, which is a bit disappointing. So I’ll have to work on that.”
Bukayo Saka
For too long, Arsenal were considered a team not capable of earning hard-fought victories week in, week out — but that is exactly what they are now doing under Mikel Arteta.
Resilient displays still need match winners and starlet Bukayo Saka proved to be that once again for the Gunners, with his 30th-minute left-footed strike proving decisive at Villa Park.
Having seen a five-game winning streak come to an end despite playing well against Liverpool in midweek, it was crucial that Arteta’s men responded immediately to show top-four rivals that the place is still theirs to lose.
And after Saka helped them do that, Arteta said: “The front players need to make a difference when they play for big clubs.”
Judging by news that Saka will be offered a new contract at the Emirates, it seems the Spanish boss is convinced the 20-year-old can continue to make an impact when it matters.
Timothy Castagne
It has been a tough season for Leicester after being plagued by injuries for much of the season, seeing them fall well below their usual high standards.
But Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Brentford marked the return of several key men to give them hope of a strong finish to the campaign.
And it was one of those returning stars who set them on their way to victory when Belgian full-back Timothy Castagne scored an absolute stunner during his first game in nearly three months.
The 26-year-old would later make way for Jonny Evans to mark his own return from injury, joining fellow defender Wesley Fofana, who scored in the Europa Conference League last week following his long-term absence.
With that victory taking the Foxes back into the top half, Brendan Rodgers will hope having his first-team regulars back once again can be the catalyst to ending their season in style.
Harry Kane
His four-game Premier League scoring run may have come to an end but Harry Kane can still be very pleased with his afternoon’s work in Spurs’ 3-1 win over London rivals West Ham.
The striker yet again showed his creative quality can be equally as devastating as his finishing by providing the cross for Kurt Zouma’s own goal before setting up Heung-Min Son for both of his strikes.
In a perfect showcase of the range of assists he can produce, the first was a sublime defence-splitting through ball, while the second was a well-won header from a long ball which allowed the South Korean to race through on goal and seal victory.
On his partnership with the England captain, Son told Sky Sports: “I just make these runs for another option. If he doesn’t pass the ball, probably there will be space for somebody else or for Harry to shoot.
“The relationship with Harry I’ve spoken about maybe more than 100 times now!
“It’s incredible having this striker next to me. I really feel sorry for him today that he didn’t score — he had a few chances.”
