Premier League Talking Points: De Bruyne Shines As Chelsea Crumbles

‎Virgil van Dijk’s late winner against West Ham brought Liverpool close to securing the Premier League title on Sunday.

‎Meanwhile, Manchester City needed a standout display from Kevin De Bruyne to keep their Champions League hopes alive.

‎A much-changed Arsenal were held 1-1 by Brentford to gift Liverpool more breathing space at the top of the table, but the Reds were far from convincing themselves in beating the lowly Hammers 2-1.

‎City overcame a slow start to defeat Crystal Palace 5-2 on Saturday, moving into the top five of the league.

‎Nottingham Forest’s Champions League aspirations are in jeopardy after suffering a 1-0 defeat at home to Everton.

‎Meanwhile, Chelsea’s 2-2 draw against Ipswich increased the pressure on manager Enzo Maresca.

‎Sportxparte looks at three talking points from the Premier League weekend.

‎De Bruyne shows class

‎With just 20 minutes gone at the Etihad, City found themselves trailing 2-0 to Palace and in serious danger of missing out on the Champions League for the first time in 15 years.

‎However, Pep Guardiola’s side was saved by a familiar hero, as Kevin De Bruyne showed his vintage form in his first home appearance since announcing he would depart the club at the end of the season.

‎De Bruyne’s free-kick started the City fightback before he teed up Omar Marmoush and Mateo Kovacic to turn the game around either side of half-time.

‎”I’m a competitive animal. I don’t like to lose, so for me, nothing changes,” said De Bruyne on chasing a target in Champions League football that he will not be around to enjoy.

‎City still has work ahead, but dropped points for Nottingham Forest and Chelsea have put the English champions in a prime position for a top-five finish.

‎Sluggish Liverpool Scrape Through

‎Liverpool could be crowned champions on Easter Sunday after stretching their commanding lead at the top of the table to 13 points with just 18 left to play.

‎However, Arne Slot’s men are slowing up as the finish line approaches after an exhausting campaign for many of his key players.

‎Luis Diaz gave Liverpool an early lead with a quick goal at Anfield, but the team ran out of steam in the second half and had to rely on Alisson Becker, who made three outstanding saves to keep West Ham at bay.

‎An own goal from Andy Robertson appeared to threaten Liverpool’s title celebration.

‎However, Van Dijk scored a crucial header from a corner in the 89th minute, igniting even more excitement among the Liverpool fans.

‎Fresh from seeing Mohamed Salah extend his contract for two more years, Van Dijk declared his “love” for the club and hinted that he will be next to end speculation over his future with a new deal.

‎In a few weeks, Van Dijk will lift the Premier League trophy, despite Liverpool’s drop in form.

‎Their only two victories in the last five games have come by a single goal against teams ranked 14th and 17th in the table.

‎Chelsea collapse

‎When Chelsea faced Everton on December 22nd, they had the opportunity to take the top spot in the table.

‎However, in the 16 Premier League matches since then, they have won only five, causing them to drop to sixth place and putting them at risk of missing out on the Champions League for a third consecutive season.

‎All of those five victories came against the bottom six at home, but Maresca’s men were unable to complete the set against Ipswich.

‎The Tractor Boys capitalized on some abysmal defending to take a 2-0 lead at Stamford Bridge.

‎An own goal by Axel Tuanzebe and a stunning strike from Jadon Sancho leveled the match.

‎However, Chelsea’s inability to finish in the final third proved costly once again, as they failed to convert 74 percent possession and 34 shots on goal into a victory.

‎The Blues now face having to make up ground during difficult fixtures in the run-in as they face four of the top eight in their final six games.