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Five things we learned in the Premier League

Title-chasing Tottenham squandered a chance to put pressure on leaders Chelsea with a shock defeat at West Ham.

Arsenal players celebrate after scoring the opening goal of the English Premier League football match against Manchester United in London on May 7, 2017

Arsenal revived their hopes of a top four finish by beating Manchester United, while Manchester City crushed Crystal Palace and Liverpool were frustrated by Southampton.

Here are five things we learned in the Premier League this weekend.

Spurs suffer Hammer blow

Minutes before kick off, the 3,000 Tottenham fans crammed into two tiers of the London Stadium were a raucous, vibrant reminder that their title-chasing team were on the brink of something special. But less than 90 minutes later, that away section was silent and almost empty before the final whistle signalled the end of a potentially decisive night in the title race. Tottenham would have temporarily moved within one point of leaders Chelsea if they had recorded a 10th successive league win, but instead they slumped to a lacklustre 1-0 loss against a West Ham team who had won only one of their previous 11 games. It was a curiously limp effort from Spurs and, not for the first time, boss Mauricio Pochettino was left to wonder if he has constructed a squad high on talent but low on mental strength when the stakes are highest. Chelsea won't care about that and by the time Spurs play next weekend, their London rivals could already be crowned champions.

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Mourinho no longer holds the Indian sign over Wenger

Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Manchester United saw Arsene Wenger finally prevail over his old sparring partner Jose Mourinho in the Premier League at the 13th attempt. Quick-fire second-half goals by Granit Xhaka and former United striker Danny Welbeck did the damage as United’s 25-game unbeaten run came to an end beneath the Emirates Stadium sunshine. Mourinho has long been a thorn in Wenger’s side, famously dubbing him a “voyeur” – for which he later apologised – and a “specialist in failure” – for which he did not. Victory will have been richly satisfying for the Frenchman, particularly as it served to keep Arsenal’s hopes of squeezing into the Champions League places flickering. But it was, in some ways, a Pyrrhic victory. Having publicly prioritised United’s Europa League semi-final against Celta Vigo, which United lead 1-0 at the halfway point, Mourinho made no fewer than eight changes to his starting XI.

Silva service lifts City

Frustrated by two costly draws, Manchester City were in danger of losing ground in the race for a top four finish when they faced a Crystal Palace side not afraid to take the scalp of supposedly superior opposition. Fortunately for City boss Pep Guardiola, David Silva was back from the knee injury that had sidelined him since the FA Cup semi-final loss to Arsenal. The Spain playmaker announced his return by scoring City's fastest goal of the season, slotting home from close-range inside two minutes. With Silva pulling the strings, City ran riot to cement their place in top four as they battle for Champions League qualification. Second-half goals from Vincent Kompany, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Otamendi completed one of City's most dynamic displays under Guardiola.

Swans character decisive factor

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Just when they looked to be down and out Swansea have found the character to rebound and keep their hopes of staying in the Premier League very much alive. Their 1-0 win over Everton -- another important goal by Spanish veteran Fernando Llorente his 13th of the season -- made it seven points from their last nine and spoke volumes about the character of the players and the confidence that Paul Clement has instilled in them since he took over from the hapless Bob Bradley in January. The Swans have their fate in their own hands and with games against relegated Sunderland and mid table West Brom to come they could perhaps give him his proudest achievement as a manager in his own right.

Reds lacking killer blow

Just when Liverpool looked to have stolen a march on their rivals for a top four finish and a Champions League spot -- after the 1-0 win over Watford last Monday -- they opened the door wide for them. James Milner's first penalty miss in the last eight could have sealed victory in the 0-0 draw with Southampton but in truth they cannot blame the former England international for not taking the three points. Against an unadventurous Southampton side -- content to see the season out and eyeing their summer holidays -- they created enough but proved unusually wasteful in front of goal.

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