After a seemingly endless week of FA Cup action, the Premier League was finally back for the 24th round of fixtures.
Manchester City’s shock defeat to Newcastle meant that Liverpool had the chance to open up their lead at the summit to seven points, but the Reds could only draw with Leicester, taking them five points clear.
Tottenham’s late comeback against Watford sees them move two points behind City. Arsenal overcame Cardiff 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium and Chelsea’s 4-0 defeat against Bournemouth sees the Gunners leap into fourth place.
Manchester United salvaged a draw at home to Burnley, meaning the Red Devils are only two points away from fourth placed Arsenal.
Who stood out and who had a midweek to forget? Here are our winners and losers.
WINNERS
Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham)
When Fulham went 2-0 down early at home to Brighton, they needed someone to step up and inspire them to victory. Mitrovic did just that.
The Serbian striker netted twice to take his total tally for the season to ten, level with the likes of Eden Hazard and Raheem Sterling.
The 24-year-old bullied the Brighton defenders in the second half and showed how clinical he can be when afforded sufficient space. If Fulham want to stay in the top flight, they need Mitrovic to stay fit and firing.
Raul Jimenez (Wolves)
Jimenez has been a revelation for Wolves this term and the club will be seriously considering making his loan move a permanent one at the end of the season.
West Ham simply could not handle the striker’s clever movement and after numerous attempts, the Mexican finally scored twice to seal a deserved 3-0 victory.
Josh King (Bournemouth)
King had the tough task of filling in up front for the injured Callum Wilson, but he made it look remarkably easy.
His pace and trickery were a nuisance to the Chelsea defence all evening and he deservedly ended the match with two goals to his name.
The Norwegian also provided an assist to the impressive David Brooks as the Cherries thrashed Chelsea at the Vitality Stadium.
LOSERS
Lucas Digne (Everton)
Digne was the headlines for all the wrong reasons once again. The Frenchman came on to replace the injured Leighton Baines and was then sent off just after the hour mark.
The left-back scored an own goal last week and received a red card this week, meaning his 2019 has got off to the worst possible start.
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola’s side had the chance to go one point behind Liverpool. And after leading 1-0 in the opening minute, it seemed that they would coast to victory.
But, a few lapses in concentration meant that Newcastle scored twice and inflicted another defeat on the champions.
City face a tough test against Arsenal next in what is a must win game to keep their title challenge alive.
West Ham and Chelsea
After being dumped out of the FA Cup, West Ham got torn apart by Wolves, with manager Manuel Pellegrini admitting that it would be hard for his side to perform any worse than they did.
The Hammers are in 12th place and with only one win in their last five league games, the pressure is starting to mount on Pellegrini.
As for Chelsea, the arrival of Gonzalo Higuain had fans hopeful of a big win at Bournemouth. How wrong they were. Higuain got limited service and was eventually hauled off the pitch just after the hour mark.
If the Blues want to secure Champions League football, they need to improve quickly.
