MY ACCOUNT
A memorable bank holiday weekend saw several eye-catching scorelines up and down the Premier League table.
Matchday 35 did not disappoint as Everton and Nottingham Forest earned crucial wins, while Leicester were humbled at Fulham.
Elsewhere, Chelsea secured their first victory under Frank Lampard since his return to the club and both Manchester City and Arsenal picked up three points in their battle for the title.
Here are five stars from a pulsating three days in the English top flight.
Dwight McNeil (Everton)
Everton pulled off one of the most surprising results of the season when they thrashed Brighton 5-1 at the Amex.
Dwight McNeil bagged a brace for the Toffees on the South Coast and his first strike summed up an almost perfect performance for Sean Dyche’s men.
The midfielder latched on to a defence-splitting pass from Alex Iwobi before dancing past Jason Steele in goal and walking the ball into the net to send the travelling fans into raptures.
His Player of the Match performance has given the Merseysiders a huge boost as they look to maintain their long-standing status in the top flight.
Willian (Fulham)
Fulham returned to winning ways against Leicester after three straight losses had put their European dreams in jeopardy.
Willian was the star of the show against the Foxes, scoring twice as the Cottagers ran out 5-3 victors.
The Brazilian’s first came from a wide free-kick that bypassed everyone in the box, eventually settling in the far corner, before curling an effort past Daniel Iversen with 20 minutes to go to put the hosts 5-1 up.
Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest)
With Everton winning a few hours earlier, it was important that Nottingham Forest responded to their relegation rivals and they did just that against Southampton.
Taiwo Awoniyi is the next forward talent to have netted a brace this weekend and his two goals came within three minutes of each other, scored from almost the exact same spot in the penalty area.
The Nigerian powerhouse fired both of his efforts past Alex McCarthy in the Saints’ net as Steve Cooper’s side stormed into a 2-0 lead.
They eventually came out 4-3 winners and lifted themselves out of the relegation zone at the expense of Leicester and Leeds who remain on 30 points.
Benoit Badiashile (Chelsea)
Benoit Badiashile was an unlikely goalscorer in Chelsea’s much-needed victory at Bournemouth.
Conor Gallagher broke the deadlock before Matias Vina’s strike levelled the contest, but Badiashile’s volleyed effort put the Blues back in the driving seat and Joao Felix ensured all three points would be heading back to London.
The 22-year-old Frenchman impressed on his ninth start since joining Chelsea in January — no player completed more passes (89) or had more touches (110) than him at the Vitality Stadium.
Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
Arsenal maestro Martin Odegaard is included in our list for a second consecutive matchday, after leading the Gunners to a huge win at Newcastle.
Mikel Arteta’s side were under siege early on at St James’ Park but their captain stepped up in their moment of need and silenced the crowd with a low drive from outside the box.
No player attempted more than his three shots on Tyneside and he created the joint-most chances in a game of fine margins that ended in the visitors closing the gap to Manchester City to just one point.
