The Premier League takes a back seat to the FA Cup this weekend, with five of the clubs in the top six of the English top flight playing for a place in the semi-finals and a trip to Wembley between Saturday and Monday.
Football on TV: The full UK fixtures
Four league clashes were still scheduled, however, with important points up for grabs in particular at the bottom of the table as Hull City took on Swansea City at the KCOM Stadium in what was nothing less than a must-win match for the Tigers.
Here's how the action unfolded...
PREMIER LEAGUE SCORES
Goals were not in short supply on Saturday, with a five-goal thriller at Bournemouth offering the best entertainment across three enjoyable matches.
The Cherries saw off West Ham thanks to Josh King's 90th-minute winner, which also completed his hat-trick. Remarkably, King had missed a penalty in the first half - from which the Hammers took a 1-0 lead by immediately counter-attacking up the other end - and Benik Afobe later saw a second spot-kick saved.
Despite missing twice from 12 yards, Bournemouth still had goals in their locker and were 2-1 up early in the second half thanks to King's double. Andre Ayew appeared to have earned Slaven Bilic's men a point seven minutes from time, but King struck again just as the fourth official's board to show time added on was raised.
The most important result of the day, however, came in Hull, where Marco Silva's impressive start continued with a priceless win against Swansea. Paul Clement's team, also revitalised by a new manager, had the chance to put themselves all but out of Hull's reach but an Oumar Niasse double brought them back to within three points of each other.
Everton tightened their grip on seventh place, meanwhile, by easing past West Brom at Goodison Park. Kevin Mirallas, Morgan Schneiderlin and Romelu Lukaku scored for the hosts, who are now just two points behind Manchester United, in a 3-0 win.
On Sunday, Liverpool had an early scare when Burnley came to call, with Ashley Barnes finding the net after just seven minutes at Anfield. Goals from the in-form Georginio Wijnaldum and Emre Can sealed the comeback, however, and the Reds now sit in fourth place in the Premier League with 55 points.
PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 27 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 57 | 20 | 37 | 66 |
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 27 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 53 | 20 | 33 | 56 |
| 3 | Manchester City | 27 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 53 | 29 | 24 | 56 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 28 | 16 | 7 | 5 | 60 | 35 | 25 | 55 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 26 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 55 | 31 | 24 | 50 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 26 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 39 | 22 | 17 | 49 |
| 7 | Everton | 28 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 47 | 30 | 14 | 47 |
| 8 | West Bromwich Albion | 28 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 36 | 37 | -1 | 40 |
| 9 | Stoke City | 28 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 32 | 40 | -8 | 36 |
| 10 | Southampton | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 32 | 34 | -2 | 33 |
| 11 | West Ham United | 28 | 9 | 6 | 13 | 38 | 49 | -11 | 33 |
| 12 | Burnley | 28 | 9 | 4 | 15 | 31 | 42 | -11 | 31 |
| 13 | Watford | 27 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 33 | 47 | -14 | 31 |
| 14 | Bournemouth | 28 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 40 | 54 | -14 | 30 |
| 15 | Leicester City | 27 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 30 | 45 | -15 | 27 |
| 16 | Swansea City | 28 | 8 | 3 | 17 | 36 | 61 | -25 | 27 |
| 17 | Crystal Palace | 27 | 7 | 4 | 16 | 35 | 46 | -11 | 25 |
| 18 | Hull City | 28 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 26 | 54 | -28 | 24 |
| 19 | Middlesbrough | 27 | 4 | 10 | 13 | 19 | 30 | -11 | 22 |
| 20 | Sunderland | 27 | 5 | 4 | 18 | 24 | 50 | -26 | 19 |
The biggest losers of the weekend are probably Sunderland, who are now five points adrift of 18th-placed Hull, let alone the first spot out of the relegation zone. David Moyes' team will need a miracle to avoid demotion to the Championship in May.
Middlesbrough, who were busy being knocked out of the FA Cup by Man City, also look in major trouble but can put themselves back in the mix by winning the game in hand they hold over Swansea and Hull. After their win against West Ham, Bournemouth will probably need only a couple more wins in their final 10 matches to ensure safety.
LIVERPOOL'S PREDICTABLE UNPREDICTABILITY
Liverpool fans may have envisioned another long afternoon following Ashley Barnes' seventh-minute strike finding the net at Anfield, but the hosts pulled through to put distance between themselves and fifth-place Arsenal (although the Gunners have two games in hand).
The early goal was the first the Reds have conceded inside the first 10 minutes at home since 2015, prompting further concerns over their leaky backline. But their ability to bounce back from behind is matched only by Tottenham this season (14 points from losing positions).
Couple their tenacity with the fact that Klopp's charges are unrivalled with goals from outside the box this season (21) and one thing becomes clear: Liverpool may be inconsistent, but they are one of the most exciting sides in the Premier League to watch.
THE SILVA EFFECT CONTINUES
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It looked as if Marco Silva's honeymoon at Hull City may have ended last weekend when the Tigers were beaten by a back-in-form Leicester City. That result followed a 1-1 draw at home to Burnley that looked as if it might prove a costly two points dropped as Hull sunk back into the relegation mire.
But on Saturday, faced with a must-win match against Swansea City, Silva proved that his team will stick around for the rest of the fight. Hull are still massively at risk, to be sure, but they are giving it more of a go than many thought possible.
Harry Maguire has emerged as a potential England candidate at centre-back in recent weeks, while Sam Clucas is shining in midfield. Clucas was playing in the third tier as recently as 2014-15, while Maguire had been picked up from the same level just a season earlier.
And perhaps the most unlikely star of all has been Oumar Niasse, who scored two goals off the bench to continue his Premier League rebirth after a miserable spell at Everton. The Senegalese was not given a chance by Ronald Koeman but is now showing why the Toffees saw £13.5 million of value in him last February.
ALSO OF NOTE...
After netting a hat-trick against West Ham, Josh King has now scored eight goals in his last seven Premier League appearances. He had tallied just three in his first 20 league games this season but ended an eight-game winless run for the Cherries by firing them past the Hammers.
Lukaku hits Premier League best tally
Romelu Lukaku has now scored four goals in seven league games against West Brom, who he spent a year on loan with from Chelsea. He helped to spoil Tony Pulis' 300th Premier League game, with the manager's record now standing at 95 wins, 87 draws and 118 defeats.
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