Premier League talking points: Arsenal or Man City - who holds the title race advantage?

PGMOL in the spotlight after two controversies while the relegation battle becomes a little clearer

Gabriel Jesus, left, scored to give Arsenal a 2-0 lead at Anfield but Liverpool fought back to claim a 2-2 draw and potentially hand the Premier League title advantage to Manchester City. AFP

Another round of Premier League matches is in the books as the season edges closer to its conclusion, and there were several significant results and incidents to discuss.

Here are the three biggest talking points from the weekend.

Have Arsenal handed Man City the advantage in the title race?

Erling Haaland scored twice in Manchester City's 4-1 win at Southampton. EPA

Anfield hosted one of the games of the season on Sunday evening when Liverpool and Arsenal played out a pulsating 2-2 draw. Less than half an hour into the contest, it appeared leaders Arsenal were cruising to victory after goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus put the visitors 2-0 up and in total control.

But what should have been a statement win and three crucial points turned into a battling draw after Mohamed Salah pulled one back, before missing a penalty, and Roberto Firmino levelled late on.

Arsenal had their chances both before and after Firmino's equaliser to earn their first Premier League win at Anfield since 2012, but in the end two stunning late saves from Aaron Ramsdale preserved the point for the Gunners.

The result means Arsenal hold a six-point lead over second-placed Manchester City, who have played one game fewer and hold a marginally better goal difference, boosted by the 4-1 victory at Southampton on Saturday.

Liverpool v Arsenal player ratings

LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson- 6. Little he could have done about either goal with poor defending from Liverpool, but a much better second half where he commanded his box well. Reuters

Andy Robertson - 6. Some moments where his defending could have been better. Showed intensity in the second half to win a high number of duels and stretch the play going forwards. AP

Virgil van Dijk - 5. A poor clearance allowed Martinelli in for Arsenal’s first, while his marking was poor as Gabriel Jesus headed past to make it 2-0. Improved in the second half with much more aggression in his play. AP

Ibrahima Konate - 7. A dominant display saw Konate strong in the challenge, and that helped get the crowd going after a slide tackle won the ball cleanly. Unable to take advantage of his chance at the end of the game that he looked certain to score. AP

Trent Alexander-Arnold - 7. It was clear Alexander-Arnold was adapting to a new role against Arsenal as he was deployed inside a lot more in attacking phases. Secured the crucial assist to complete Liverpool’s comeback after a piece of brilliance on the right flank and cross to find Roberto Firmino. Getty

Fabinho - 5. Gave the ball away too cheaply at times, and was sometimes slow to close down spaces. Fared better when Liverpool switched to play more aggressively. Getty

Jordan Henderson - 6. Had a chance to score before the break but couldn’t keep his effort down. Kept things ticking in the opponent’s third and took care of the ball. Reuters

Curtis Jones - 6. An assured display from midfield with Jones who timed his astute flick perfectly in the build up to Mohamed Salah’s goal. Replaced for Thiago around the hour mark. AFP

Diogo Jota - 5. The Portugal international couldn’t seem to get on the ball enough during the time he was on the pitch, with Arsenal quick to crowd out his space. AFP

Cody Gakpo - 5. Looked composed under pressure on the ball and moved into different channels to provide an option. Not able to get a sight of goal. AP

Mohamed Salah - 5. May have got Liverpool’s first goal, but he will be disappointed to not leave the game with three points. He was unlucky with an effort that drew an excellent save from Ramsdale, and his penalty miss could have been costly. Getty

SUBS: Thiago Alcantara (Jones, 60') - 6. Always looked to play progressively and took up astute positions in midfield. Helped control the game for Klopp’s side. Reuters

Darwin Nunez (Jota, 60') - 6. A huge chance saw Darwin Nunez unable to generate enough power to beat Ramsdale, while he also made an opportunity for Ibrahima Konate in the final minute of the game. EPA

Roberto Firmino (Fabinho, 78') - N/A. Took his time to grow into the game after coming on, and eventually got the all important equaliser in space at the back post in the 87th minute. Reuters

ARSENAL RATINGS: Aaron Ramsdale - 8. Arsenal’s best player with a number of massive stops helping keep Liverpool at bay. A game the Gunners would have lost without him. AP

Oleksandr Zinchenko - 6. Not as effective as usual going forward, in a display where he struggled to make an impact going forward, though he did take care of the ball when in possession. AP

Gabriel Magalhaes - 7. Constantly frustrated Liverpool with a number of quick interventions to clear the danger. Kept Liverpool’s forward line quiet for the most part. AFP

Rob Holding - 6. A no nonsense approach from Holding saw him quick to clear the danger, but he did concede a penalty that Mohamed Salah missed. Reuters

Ben White - 5. Not at his best today in a difficult match that Arsenal lost control of. Could have been much better with his passing. AP

Thomas Partey - 7. Won the ball back on a number of occasions for Mikel Arteta’s side, but his influence seemed to fade after Liverpool scored. AP

Granit Xhaka - 6 . Alert to the danger and won the majority of his duels. Squared up to Trent Alexander-Arnold in the first half which seemed to ignite the Liverpool crowd before momentum began to switch sides. Getty

Martin Odegaard - 5. One of Odegaard’s more disappointing displays this season, with the Norway international not able to influence the game as well as he normally does. AP

Bukayo Saka - 7. Arsenal’s brightest attacker with Saka causing plenty of trouble for Liverpool. Produced an excellent piece of skill in the second half, but his team-mates weren’t alert to his cut back. Reuters

Gabriel Jesus - 6. Another goal for Jesus who was unmarked to head past Alisson. Struggled after the restart with Liverpool much quicker to challenge him. Reuters

Gabriel Martinelli - 7. It took just minutes before Martinelli dribbled past Alexander-Arnold before producing a cross, and he looked confident across the 90 minutes, getting a goal in the process with a delicate touch past Alisson. Reuters

SUBS: Leandro Trossard (Jesus, 80') N/A. Usually spent his time defending with Arsenal unable to re-capture control of the game. AFP

Kieran Tierney (Zinchenko. 88') N/A. Jakub Kiwior (Odegaard, 80') - N/A. Reuters

On a five-match winning run, City appear to have hit their trademark business-end-of-the-season surge and the April 26 showdown between the two challengers at the Etihad is being billed as a title decider: if City win, the title is in their hands; if Arsenal avoid defeat, they remain in control of their destiny.

Mikel Arteta will therefore hope to put points on the board before that encounter. Arsenal have two league games (away to West Ham and home to Southampton) while City host Leicester City. If Arsenal can establish a nine-point lead, albeit having played two games more, the pressure will be firmly on City to not skip a beat.

The task is clear for both teams: win all remaining games and they win the title. There is still plenty of football to be played and more twists and turns in this enthralling battle.

PGMOL takes centre stage on weekend of controversy

Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma had a goal disallowed and a penalty appeal turned away during the 2-1 defeat at Tottenham. AFP

Professional Game Match Officials Limited, the body responsible for match officials in English professional football and more simply known as PGMOL, found itself in the headlines this weekend over two separate incidents.

Firstly, PGMOL’s chief refereeing officer, Howard Webb, admitted match officials got a crucial penalty decision wrong in Brighton's 2-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday after Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma, who also had a goal disallowed for handball, was tripped in the area by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Referee Stuart Attwell failed to spot the foul, while video assistant referee (VAR) Michael Salisbury did not overturn the on-field decision.

The incident occurred with the score at 1-1 and before Harry Kane scored a 79th-minute winner in a match that saw tensions flare on the touchline, resulting in both Tottenham's interim coach Cristian Stellini and Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi receiving red cards.

If that hardly covered the PGMOL in glory, the incident at Anfield on Sunday shrouded the body in more serious controversy after assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis appeared to elbow Liverpool player Andrew Robertson.

Robertson had earlier been warned by referee Paul Tierney for his attitude towards Hatzidakis, and after approaching the assistant referee at the end of the first half and receiving a strike to the face, was booked for dissent, leaving the Liverpool players and staff stunned.

Following recent incidents which have seen Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic handed an eight-game ban for his push on referee Chris Kavanagh, and Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes receive widespread criticism for nudging an assistant referee, there are clear issues that need to be addressed between players and officials.

“PGMOL is aware of an incident involving assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis and Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson at half-time during the Liverpool v Arsenal fixture at Anfield,” the body said in a statement. “We will review the matter in full once the game has concluded.”

Relegation battle becomes a little clearer

Crystal Palace crushed Leeds at Elland Road to edge further clear of the relegation battle. AP

Only a couple of weeks ago, the battle to avoid relegation involved as many as nine teams with 12th-placed Crystal Palace and West Ham, in 18th, separated by only three points.

Fast forward two rounds of fixtures and the situation at the bottom of the table appears to be getting a little clearer. Palace, after successive wins against potential relegation rivals Leicester City and Leeds United — a 5-1 mauling at Elland Road on Sunday — can breathe a little easier with a six-point cushion above the drop zone.

Wolves and West Ham, in 13th and 14th respectively, each secured important wins against Chelsea and Fulham at the weekend to edge further clear, while Bournemouth, seemingly dead and buried one month ago, have now won three of their last five to sit 15th and three points above the bottom three.

The south coast club are hardly out of the woods but the mood around the training ground will be far more positive than at Leeds, Everton, Nottingham Forest, Leicester, and Southampton — all of whom lost this weekend to remain mired in the relegation dogfight.

As this season has shown, a couple of wins — and conversely a couple of defeats — can dramatically alter the landscape at the bottom of the standings, but those battling to avoid the drop are fast running out of time.