Arsene Wenger must accept Arsenal are not good enough, Leicester and Spurs fight where others don't, Pardew's relief

Seven things we learnt: Chelsea have no intention of playing int he Europa League, De Bruyne is City's new Silva, Newcastle in more trouble than Villa and why Leicester's win felt decisive

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger needs to understand his side's have not been good enough to win the Premier League (Getty)

Wenger must accept Arsenal frailties

Arsene Wenger remains defiant in his belief that this current Arsenal team is capable of winning the Premier League title, but the simple matter is they are not, and if anyone needs proof they need only look at the last decade at the club.

Every season, Arsenal show signs that they are in the running to end their wait for the title, which will now stretch to 12 long, long years. However, despite the guaranteed Arsenal collapse coming every season, Wenger always ends the season with the same excuses and it’s about time he realises the truth.

Saturday’s 3-3 draw with West Ham should never have been anything other than a win for Arsenal after they went 2-0 up, but once again they displayed their all-too-obvious frailties in defence when posed with a striker who can outmuscle and bully them. West Ham should have won the match in the end, having seen a goal incorrectly ruled out for offside. It raises the same old questions for Wenger, and unfortunately his answers fall on death ears.

Leicester and Spurs show fight that separates them from the rest

Are Leicester and Tottenham top of the Premier League because they have more talented squads than the rest of the top flight? Spurs maybe, but it’s hard to argue that Leicester’s players are individually better than the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Sergio Aguero of David De Gea. So what’s the difference?

A look at what Spurs did to Manchester United answers that question. At times United were having the better of the game in the opening phases, but Spurs stuck together and took control of the game. United held out for over an hour, but Tottenham’s fight proved too much for United and when they eventually broke them the floodgates opened.

It’s this collective spirit and determination to beat their opponents into submission that has seen the two clubs rise above the rest, and it’s also where the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and United have fallen short when their key players have gone missing at crucial times during matches.

Newcastle should be more concerned than Villa

This Aston Villa side may be a candidate for the worst seen in the Premier League era, but at least there is an acceptance that there is a problem at Villa Park. With the club already building for the Championship next season, a major clearout has taken place at board level, while manager Remi Garde followed his predecessor Tim Sherwood out the door having been sacked after four months in charge.

Alarm bells should also be ringing at Newcastle – but they aren’t. Mike Ashley still runs the club as he sees fit, despite their flawed transfer policy failing once again in the hands of chief scout Graeme Carr and managing director Lee Charnley as over £45m has been wasted on players who have not contributed to Newcastle’s performances on the pitch. Unless they address the issues off the pitch, matters in it will not improve.

Chelsea have no intentions of playing in the Europa League next season

A 1-0 defeat by Swansea displayed all the evidence needed to prove that Chelsea are happy to let their season play out as quickly as possible. Guus Hiddink set the tone by admitting he will give a number of young players the chance to impress, with Alexandre Pato handed his first start and Ola Aina, Kasey Palmer and Charlie Colkett named on the bench.

Swansea took an early lead through Gylfi Sigurdsson, but Chelsea never looked like getting back into the game and the 1-0 result was decided long before the final whistle. With Manchester City, Tottenham, Liverpool and Leicester left to play this season, don’t expect the Blues to challenge for a top six finish any time soon.

It may be against Sunderland, but Leicester’s win felt decisive

A seven-point lead with five games remaining does not mean Leicester are home and dry, but the 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Sunderland felt like a significant step towards the Premier League title. Jamie Vardy was back in the goals, Leicester defence continued its run of five clean sheets and they continued their attacking brand of football that has lifted them to the top of the table in the most incredible of years.

If Spurs needed inspiration, they can look to Manchester City’s title-winning season in 2011/12 when they overcame a similar points gap to pip United on the final day of the season, but in reality this Leicester side just don’t look like losing. The title race may be over already.

Pardew breathes a sigh of relief as Palace pull clear

For the most important three points of the season, see Crystal Palace 1 Norwich City 0 on Saturday 9 April. Had Norwich won, they would have drawn level with a Palace side that had not won a league game since December, and dragged Palace into a relegation battle they would not have fancied.

Instead, they’re six points clear of the Canaries and 10 of the drop zone, and you’d have to say that the Eagles are safe from the drop zone. Pardew’s job too is safe for the time being, but had they suffered defeat at the weekend, the former Newcastle manager may have been facing the inevitable boot come the end of the season.

De Bruyne is City’s new Silva

Kevin De Bruyne’s injury-enforced absence coincided with their slump in form in the Premier League title race that means they face ending the season well out of contention, but his return has proven much, much more about what he offers the team. De Bruyne scored in the victory over Bournemouth and the draw with PSG, and it’s his ability to unlock any defence that suggests City can knock the Parisians out of the Champions League on Tuesday and – dare we say it – actually win the Champions League.

Not so long ago, the man City turned to for a sprinkling of magic was David Silva, but the 30-year-old is no longer the creative force he was when he erupted on the Premier League scene in City’s title-winning year of 2011/12. The Spaniard is still an incredibly talented individual, but its De Bruyne that can pick up this team and take them to heights where they’ve never ventured before.