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Five talking points from this weekend's Premier League action

:Headline: Five talking points from this weekend's Premier League action:
Elsewhere, Mikel Arteta dropped Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for the Gunners' north London derby victory.
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Manchester City marched on while Sheffield United looked lost without their manager and a trio of threatened sides claimed vital points in the relegation fight.

Here, the PA news agency looks at these and other issues among five things we learned from the Premier League this weekend.

City not resting on laurels

Sergio Aguero scored his first Premier League goal in more than a year against Fulham (Adam Davy/PA)

Manchester City may have looked like champions-in-waiting for some time but, with Pep Guardiola's side chasing an unprecedented quadruple, they showed no complacency against Fulham. They may not have been at their dominant best in the first half at Craven Cottage but they ultimately eased to a convincing 3-0 win. They will also take plenty more from the game. Guardiola played a different system with two centre-forwards in Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus both involved, as well as three centre-backs. He also got 90 minutes and a goal out of Aguero as the Argentinian continues his drive to recover full match sharpness. All this could prove beneficial for crucial knockout games in the weeks ahead.

Troubled trio respond to Fulham pressure

Brighton celebrated claiming three vital points against Southampton (Glyn Kirk/PA)

Prior to running into City, Fulham had been gathering momentum in their battle to escape the relegation zone, losing just one of their previous seven and beating champions Liverpool. This week, the sides looking over their shoulders responded. Burnley claimed an impressive win over Everton that combined both hard work and finesse, capped by a stunning goal from Dwight McNeil. Goal-shy Brighton claimed an important victory at Southampton and even Newcastle, after just two wins in their previous 16, battled to the end to grab a potentially crucial point against Aston Villa. The ball is back in Fulham's court.

Influence of Wilder obvious now it's gone

Sheffield United were flat without Chris Wilder (Mike Egerton/PA)

The reaction to Chris Wilder's departure from bottom side Sheffield United has been one of general surprise throughout the game, despite the Blades' struggles this season. Wilder lifted the South Yorkshire side from the middle of League One to ninth in the Premier League last season. Even this term, as luck and results deserted them, performances never indicated that Wilder had lost the dressing room. The influence he was having has perhaps become obvious now it has gone, with United suffering a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Leicester.

Iheanacho sparks Foxes

Kelechi Iheanacho is starting to deliver on his promise (Lindsey Parnaby/PA)

More than six years have passed since Manchester City applied for a work permit for a then 18-year-old Kelechi Iheanacho arguing that, even though he was not a full Nigeria international, he was a 'special talent'. It did not work out for him at the Etihad Stadium, however, and it has also taken him time to find his feet at Leicester since his move in 2017. Yet his current form underlines what they may have seen in Manchester all those years ago and could not be better timed for the Foxes. His hat-trick against Sheffield United, extending his scoring streak to three successive games, brought Brendan Rodgers' men three valuable points as they bid to consolidate a top-four place.

Arteta shows ruthless side

Mikel Arteta (left) dropped captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (right) against Tottenham (Nick Potts/PA)

Mikel Arteta has not revealed what the nature of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's disciplinary indiscretion was but the Arsenal manager made a bold call in dropping his star player for the north London derby against Tottenham. The Gunners boss showed he can be ruthless but, while the squad will now know the consequences for stepping out of line, it was nevertheless a gamble. In the short term it could have cost Arsenal the game and, in the longer term, there is the risk his relationship with a key player could fracture.

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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City30225364214371
2Manchester UnitedMan Utd29169456322457
3Leicester CityLeicester29175753322156
4Chelsea29149644251951
5West Ham UnitedWest Ham29147845351049
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs29146949301948
7Liverpool29137948361246
8Everton28144104037346
9Arsenal29126114032842
10Aston Villa28125113930941
11Leeds UnitedLeeds29123144547-239
12Crystal Palace29107123147-1637
13Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2998122838-1035
14Southampton2996143651-1533
15Burnley2989122237-1533
16Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton29711113236-432
17Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2977152848-2028
18Fulham30511142338-1526
19West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom2939172057-3718
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2942231650-3414
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La Liga Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Atletico MadridAtletico28206251183366
2Barcelona28195467244362
3Real Madrid28186449232660
4Sevilla28174739211855
5Real Sociedad28129744281645
6Real Betis28143113841-345
7Villarreal28101353931843
8Granada28106123446-1236
9Athletic Bilbao2898113832635
10Levante2881193637-135
11Celta Vigo28810103543-834
12Valencia2889113438-433
13Osasuna2879122335-1230
14Getafe2878132233-1129
15CadizCadiz2878132444-2029
16Real Valladolid28512112638-1227
17ElcheElche28510132542-1725
18EibarEibar28411132233-1123
19AlavesAlaves2858152344-2123
20Huesca28312132644-1821
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