Manchester United show how far they've fallen, Philippe Coutinho revels in new role, Olivier Giroud displays importance

Seven things we learned: It was another dramatic weekend in the Premier League with action at the top and bottom of the table

Manchester United showed just how far they've fallen in their meek defeat to Tottenham (Getty)

Chelsea's victory encapsulated their season

West Brom are a disciplined, well-organised team, and they have beaten Arsenal and Leicester this season, as well as taking points from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. They also clung on for a point at White Hart Lane last season in a draw that effectively ended Tottenham’s title charge, meaning they have previous on occasions such as these.

They delivered a characteristically tough, gritty performance against Chelsea in this fixture – but still, Chelsea got the job done. This result sums up their season. Whereas Spurs endured a miserable October and while the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal have all proved woefully inconsistent, Chelsea have kept winning.

After that chastising early defeat to Arsenal – which necessitated Antonio Conte’s highly successful switch to a 3-4-2-1 formation – Chelsea have been imperious, without a single occasion on which they have dropped points in two consecutive matches. They fully deserve the 2016/17 title.

City’s youthful trio offer bright future

There’s no doubting where the future of Manchester City lies. Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling were firing on all cylinders today as they set about terrorising the patchwork Leicester defence. With their pace, quick feet and intelligence on the ball, the City trio ran dominated against their opposite numbers for large swathes of the match.

Sane was particularly impressive down the left-flank, repeatedly beating Danny Simpson to take the ball to the Leicester byline before firing in ball after all ball. Jesus, too, continues to look the real deal. He dispatched his penalty with an air of maturity and confidence that belies his 20 years of age. With these three leading the City frontline, the future looks bright for Guardiola and his men.


 Manchester City are in the box seat for a top four finish 
 (Getty)

Giroud is actually important for Arsenal

Yes, he has been branded nothing more than a target man but with 14 Premier League goals this season now – and important ones at that – Olivier Giroud has shown that he deserves to stay at the Emirates for another season. He has had a more reduced role this season with the bench being more of a home to him that the starting line-up, but his impact is, if anything, greater from there. He offers Arsenal another option and against the muscle of defences like Stoke’s the Frenchman is well at home. He is rash at times and is not the most clinical of finishers, but even in a game where he was pretty much non-existent, he has managed to have a big say in the result.

Hull down but Silva won't be out

Hull are gone and for many they will be forgotten. The Tigers haven't pulled up many trees this season and are now set for another year in the second tier after just one away from it. The writing was on the wall for some time in truth and barring Marco Silva's heroics they would have gone long ago. The Portuguese has done a stunning job at the KC and while his team will be in the Championship next term he surely will not. Southampton and Watford are monitoring him while his efforts will no doubt have caught the eye further afield too. But all is not lost for the team he will all but certainly leave behind. If they can regroup, buy and sell well and learn from what Silva has taught them over the last few months then promotion straight back shouldn't be out of the question.


 Hull went down but Marco Silva's work won't have gone unnoticed 
 (Getty)

Coutinho revelling in new role at Liverpool

Philippe Coutinho is one of the Premier League’s best, let alone Liverpool’s, yet here, deployed in different role, it appears he may be about to get even better. The Brazilian, used further from goal at the London Stadium – less a 10 than an 8 – excelled. Two goals and an assist really do only tell half the story. He was Liverpool’s metronome, their tone and tempo setter all afternoon long. At his best few can touch him. West Ham certainly couldn’t.


 Philippe Coutinho dazzled in a deeper role 
 (Getty)

Lads, it's United

Roy Keane tells a famous story in one of his books regarding Sir Alex Ferguson. Manchester United were on a poor run of form, Spurs were heading to Old Trafford, and Keane feared a long team talk from Sir Alex. The Scot walked in, simply said: “Lads, it’s Tottenham” and walked out. United went on to win 4-0 and that was that.

How times have since changed. In light of the visitors’ form this season, and the result here at White Hart Lane, it’s not hard to imagine Mauricio Pochettino delivering his own version of the famous Ferguson team-talk before today’s match. As was the case with United at home during their days under the Scot, Tottenham have been formidable at White Hart Lane this season. From the off they played with a swagger and confidence that suggested they knew they were going to win. After today’s win there’s no doubting that these two sides have swapped roles – for now, at least.

Tottenham bow out in perfect fashion

As Mauricio Pochettino walked off the old White Hart Lane pitch and into the stadium’s tunnel for the final time, he stopped to playfully pat the faces of the Tottenham Hotspur children who were acting as a guard of honour, before agreeing to shake a supporter’s 1960s rattle as Ricky Villa and other legends walked by chatting with some of the current squad. It was just another fitting reflection of a day that was about the past and the future, and rich in so much colour and emotion.

“I think it was perfect,” Pochettino said of that day, one that brought the last ever game at the old White Hart Lane. His word was pretty much the only way to describe how they bid farewell to the Lane, how they beat Manchester United 2-1, how Harry Kane scored Spurs’ last goal there, how they ended their last season there unbeaten at the stadium, how the old mixed with the new and the young.

It was all so elegantly done, all so appropriate, but it was still fittingly the sounds from the stands that stood out. That, after all, is what makes stadiums like this really come alive; what really remains in the memory - not just the goals and the great games, but the atmosphere that accompanies them.