There were seven Premier League matches and the two FA Cup semi finals being played over this past weekend. We bring you the major talking points from this week’s action.

1. The Tyne-Wear derby throws struggling Sunderland a lifeline

One of the biggest matches to be played over this weekend threw up the biggest surprise as Sunderland secured their biggest victory at St James’ Park since 1979. A string of listless displays by the Black Cats saw Martin O’Neill getting a sack and a volatile Paolo Di Canio taking over. This volatility and exuberance was on full display as the Italian wore his heart on his sleeve and the way he celebrated the Sunderland goals were a sight to behold.  Stéphane Sessègnon, Adam Johnson and David Vaughan featured on the scoresheet at Sunderland registered their first victory on the Tyneside in 13 years. The result was a bitter pill to swallow for Alan Pardew whose side now sit only 2 points above their fierce Wearside rivals. An unexpected casualty of the match was Howard Webb, who after a string of poor decisions (a disallowed Papiss Cisse goal, an offside goal by Vaughan and a horror challenge from Yoan Gouffran which went unpunished), was dropped from the Premier League officials line-up and relegated to League One.

2. Has Mancini done enough to warrant another year at the helm?

A victory at Old Trafford followed up with another deserved victory over the European Champions at Wembley in the FA Cup semis. This was definitely a signature week for Roberto Mancini. And at the end of it the City supporters gleefully sang their manager’s name as he waved acknowledgement for their support. But before you begin to conclude that the Italian’s position at the helm is all but secured for another season, you will have to consider the fact that a solitary piece of silverware in the form of an FA Cup is probably not what he was expected of at the beginning of the season. And up against an unpredictable Wigan Athletic side in the final, even that is far from certain.  Khaldoon al-Mubarak and Ferran Soriano, City’s executives, were in attendance at Wembley this weekend. And on the evidence of what City dished out over the first hour or so, it definitely seems that the swagger is back. And while a heartbroken City will probably have to hand over their Premier League trophy to the red half of Manchester come the end of this season, they better prepare themselves for the upcoming season and plot to get it back. An Italian job with Mancini at the helm.

3. Disgraceful Millwall violence shames English football

In what was certainly a throwback to the dark era of hooliganism in the 1970’s and 80’s, violent infighting erupted between a certain section of Millwall supporters at Wembley. It was a stark reminder that the demons which once afflicted English football are yet to be eradicated. It was to be a glorious day for the two clubs who were on the field that day – Wigan and Millwall – two clubs with a not-so-storied history. Instead as it turned out, it was the off the field incidents which contributed more headlines than what happened on the pitch as the Lions were subdued by the Latics two goals to nil.

Any chances that this incident could be brushed under the carpet as a “one-off” one was a hopeless proposition as 29 football fans were arrested and three police officers injured after violence following the Tyneside-Wearside derby. The police were pelted with missiles as a group of Newcastle fans tried to confront Sunderland supporters. Surely this week would not stand out as an ideal advertisement for English football.

4. Retrospective action on horror tackles: the need of the hour

The FA Cup semi final between Chelsea and Manchester City was marred by an ugly looking two-footed lunge by City’s star Argentine striker Sergio Aguero on David Luiz. The referee was in full view of the incident and going by the intent and malicious nature of the tackle, one expected a straight red card and an automatic three match ban. It was somewhat inexplicable when the referee thought otherwise. The FA reviewed the incident retrospectively but let the player go scot free. The reason being the rule which states “Where one of the officials has seen a coming together of players, no retrospective action should be taken … regardless of whether he or she witnessed the full or particular nature of the challenge.” In an age when each challenge can be possibly viewed from all conceivable angles, it seems ridiculous that one still has to go by the word of the referee when there is so much overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Earlier in the season Wigan Athletic’s Callum McManaman went unpunished even after a reckless tackle that put Newcastle’s Massadio Haïdara in hospital.

As it stands, both these players, Aguero and McManaman, will be in action in the FA Cup final in Wembley in three weeks time. Yet another boot to the face of the ‘Respect’ campaign.

5. Champions League position looks inevitable for the Gunners

Arsene Wenger believes that Arsenal “have developed a way to play that makes us stronger throughout the season”. While we are left wondering as to what those methods might be, there is no doubt to the efficacy of it as the Gunners are undergoing a late season metamorphosis by winning their fifth straight match. Things are definitely coming together at the right time as Arsenal refused to accept defeat or even settle for a draw even after trailing Norwich City for the majority of the second half on Saturday. They certainly left it late but Arteta, Giroud and Podolski made sure that Arsenal were not punished for their profligacy in the first half. This victory takes them to third in the league table, overtaking the likes of Tottenham and Chelsea.

With a packed roster of matches being played out over the weekend, we have plenty to talk about regarding this gameweek.

1. Manchester City get a glimpse of an alternate reality

Still 12 points clear of their noisy neighbors, United possibly just can’t throw it away from here. But yesterday’s match did was to serve up a intriguing mix of ‘What ifs’. A hard fought victory at Old Trafford in which all the three goals were scored by players wearing a sky blue shirt won’t possibly alter the destination of the League trophy this season. But what it would definitely do is restored the flagging morale of the Citizens. Possibly buy Mancini some more time at the helm. And sound a clarion call – loud and clear that Manchester City are back. In a season blighted by poor form and fitness of key players, in a season when the FA Cup is the only silverware they could possibly win, this resounding victory will give them the self belief which could ensure that the race to the league will be a more tightly contested affair next season.

2. Arsenal and Tottenham in an all too familiar situation

A Gareth Bale-powered Tottenham found themselves sweeping aside all opposition as they fixed their sights of a Champions League spot. An unfortunate twist of fate (or rather of an ankle) and the Lilywhites find their Welsh superstar on the treatment table. Arsenal and Chelsea choose this precise moment to turn up the heat on their North London rivals as they both recorded narrow wins to close the gap down. Add to that a tough run-in with matches against Manchester City and Chelsea and suddenly Spurs are nervously looking over their shoulders.  Tottenham fans will be forgiven for having that all too familiar feeling of being overtaken by their fierce rivals Arsenal, who currently sit two points adrift, albeit with a game in hand.

3. Rafalution and The Legend of Zorres

A gruelling run of three fixtures in the space of a week. And they won them all. The European Champions were finding their squad stretched to the limit as the onerous schedule finally started catching up with them. The insipid first half performance was a testimony to that and it was looking all the more obvious when a panicked César Azpilicueta sliced a clearance into his own net. And it was then a masked superhero came to the fore. Sporting a mask (for a facial injury) which kind of resembled the one worn by Antonio Banderas in the two Zorro movies, El Nino injected conviction into the Blues lineup. He might not have got a goal himself, but his introduction in the second half certainly changed the course of the match. With 19 goals all season and three strikes in his last five, he can no longer be labelled a ‘flop’. And the man who had brought him to England and coached him at Liverpool would be probably responsible for the turnaround in fortunes of this Spaniard.

Make no mistake, with six home wins on the trot; Stamford Bridge is slowly becoming a fortress.

4. Next in the Premier League sack race – Tony Pulis?

Make no mistake – Stoke City are in freefall. A shambolic haul of only five points in 2013, it was really no surprise that the Potters faithful made their displeasure evident after yet another dismal performance at the Britannia. Only three points above 18^th place Wigan Athletic, Stoke are certainly flirting on the fringes of relegation.  For a team which depended on their defensive solidity at home and aerial threats, this season it just hasn’t come together for The Potters. With only one clean sheet in their last 14 games, they look only a pale shadow of their former selves. All this was exemplified this week as a chronic lack of width and long hopeful downfield punts by Robert Huth and co. were easily taken care of by the Villa backline. Stoke City find themselves in a precarious position, one of the more difficult situation since winning promotion in 2008. It will be no wonder if Peter Coates, the Stoke City chairman decides that he has seen enough. If EPL were a popularity contest, Stoke City would bring up the rear end. So the neutrals won’t bother to shed a tear or two if The Potters find themselves plying in the Championship next season.

5. God save the Queens and the Royals

Seven points from safety and not even seven matches to go. You would be certainly forgiven for thinking that the death knell has sounded for the two teams who bring up the rear in the Premier League table. The two R’s, Reading and Rangers, are definitely hearing the ominous rumble of relegation.

QPR fought bravely, despite the early sending off of Bobby Zamora and made a match of it versus Wigan. They almost snatched three points when Loïc Rémy smashed home a stunning shot on the 85th minute. However they had themselves to blame as the otherwise excellent Stéphane Mbia foolishly bundled Shaun Maloney just in front of the 18-yard box deep into stoppage time. Maloney curled in a sublime free kick past the despairing dive of Júlio César to wrest back a point for his side.

On the other hand, one would struggle to say anything complimentary about the performance the Royals dished out over the weekend as they were convincingly beaten 2-0 by Southampton, in the process setting an unwanted club record of eighth defeats in succession.

With nine Premier League games being played over the weekend, we bring you the points that made headlines this gameweek.

1. The Managerial Merry-go-round keeps on spinning

Roberto Di Matteo, Mark Hughes, Nigel Adkins, Brian McDermott. Martin O’Neill joins the list of managers who got the sack after a lacklustre showing versus Manchester United. With only three points from the last 24 and scoring only six goals in the process, O’Neill was always threading the thin line. The dam finally broke this week as Sunderland owner Ellis Short pressed the eject button somewhat justifiably with O’Neill failing to get the best out of his players. What is baffling is the installment of Paolo Di Canio to the hotseat – a manager with no previous top flight experience tasked with making Sunderland stay up in the league this season.  Deprived of their injured leading scorer, Steven Fletcher and captain Lee Cattermole until the end of the season, and desperately short of goals, it increasingly looks like the Wearside outfit are Championship bound, especially as they are only a point above the relegation zone. Who’s next in the Premier League sack race?

2. Race to the top-four: Chelsea slips, the Bale-force powers Tottenham on and Arsenal thrash Reading

The Blues find their resources stretched as they face a gruelling run of 7 matches in 19 days. And if “the morning shows the day” adage is considered to be irrevocably true, the dusk will definitely not paint a pretty picture for Chelsea.  With the manager having to resort to making seven changes from their last match, the Blues slipped to fourth position after their third away defeat in a row. Meanwhile Gareth Bale inspired Tottenham with a sublime winner as Spurs came back strongly after 2 consecutive losses to record a hard fought 2-1 victory away at Swansea. In the process they leapfrogged Chelsea to the third spot in the table.

Arsenal will probably finish their eight consecutive trophy-less campaign but they refuse to be bogged down in their quest of a 16th consecutive outing in the premier European competition. A commanding performance from the hosts as they hammered Reading 4-1, who were playing their first match under new manager Nigel Adkins.

3. Mauricio Pochettino plots a Southampton revolution as the Latics emerge on their customary late season run

Of all the managerial changes rung in by trigger-itchy owners, there is one which stands out as an inspired choice. When the Saints’ executive chairman Nicola Cortese announced that the club had decided to replace Nigel Adkins after a rousing comeback from 2 goals down to grab a point at Stamford Bridge, the decision did seem a bit high handed. However, on evidence of what Southampton have dished out over the last few weeks, the gamble seems to have paid off. For a team who were once languishing in the 19th spot in the league table, wins against the big boys of the league (Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea) are surely commendable. The Saints find themselves in the 13th position now; the highest they have been all season.

With 3 wins in their last 4 matches, Wigan Athletic seem to have finally hit their stride in the run in to the end of the season. The sequence of results from Roberto Martinez’s men is strangely reminiscent of the back end of the 2011/12 and 2010/11 seasons where they survived by the skin of their teeth.

4. Sir Alex eyes José Mourinho’s record

The Scotsman has made no secret of his desire that he aims to match or possibly overtake the record points haul of 95 points that Chelsea side amassed under The Special One’s tutelage in the 2004-05 season en route to the league title. With 18 points in their last six fixtures and with 9 games and a possible 27 points still up for grabs for the Red Devils, it would take a brave man to bet against them. Standing in their way in the upcoming week is their noisy neighbours, Manchester City, who recorded a thumping 4-0 victory over Newcastle United in this game week. There are crucial fixtures for Sir Alex’s charges on the horizon like top four hopefuls Arsenal and Chelsea. Also there is a small matter of negotiating a Tony Pulis managed Stoke City away at the Britannia in gameweek 33.

5. Carroll, Gervinho, Mirallas: On the road to redemption?

With two well taken goals in a crucial tie versus the Baggies, Andy Carroll finally seem to reaching the ‘heights’ that once prompted a certain Kenny Dalglish to fork out a princely sum of £35m for his signature. He needs to be doing much of the same to force his way into Sam Allardyce’s plans for the next season, in the process strengthening his claims to an England call-up.

Elsewhere a prolific Gervinho netted once and claimed two assists in a win over a hapless Reading side. The 25-year old Ivory Coast forward has often cut a controversial figure among Arsenal fans but with goals in consecutive league matches, he finally seems to be winning them over.

With a brilliant 70-yard run and finish, Kevin Mirallas ensured that Everton take all the points on offer to keep their top four hopes alive. The Belgian has only appeared sporadically for the Toffees but his participation might prove crucial in the business end of the league as they chase the final Champions League position.

With 10 matches being played over this weekend, we have plenty to talk about.

1. Despite an out of sorts number 20, Manchester United inch closer to title no. 20

What has happened to the talismanic Dutchman? Once considered as a sure shot bet for the Golden Boot, Robin van Persie has dramatically fallen off the radar. With only a solitary goal in his last six appearances, he has been overtaken by Luis Suarez in the race to the coveted award. Despite the Dutchman’s profligacy in front of goal, Manchester United find themselves 15 points clear of their closest rivals Manchester City – thanks in no small part to a David Moyes scripted 2-0 victory for Everton over City… the same Everton who had roadblocked United’s road to glory last year with a pulsating 4-4 draw at Old Trafford.

Everton roared back from a humiliating 0-3 defeat in the FA Cup to Wigan to beat Mancini’s charges, even though they played the bulk of the second half with 10 men on the pitch after Steven Pienaar was sent off. With only 9 games to go and a yawning 15-point gap, surely there is no way back for City. Tie those red ribbons to the Premier League trophy, I say.

2. Video Replays – the need of the hour in the Premier League

Three separate incidents that raised the question – why don’t the match officials have video replays to assist them in their decision making? One, Marouane Fellaini’s handball inside the 18-yard box as he attempted to block Carlos Tevez’s shot. Surprisingly referee Lee Probert chose to award a free kick outside the box, much to the chagrin of protesting City players.

Two, a similar incident at the Stadium of Light as Danny Rose handled the ball and the referee awarding a free kick despite replays clearly showing the infringement to have been inside the box.

Three, the horror tackle by Wigan Athletic’s English striker Callum McManaman on Newcastle United’s Massadio Haidara, which resulted in the Frenchman being stretchered off to the hospital, probably out for the rest of the season. This incident went unsighted by referee Mark Halsey. The first two incidents could have had serious implications on the outcomes of those matches and while retrospective action against McManaman could still be taken, it could have been much worse for Wigan had they gone a man down in the first half itself. The standard of refereeing has been unusually shocking this weekend and it remains to be seen whether the FA takes steps to remedy these game changing decisions by introducing some kind of a video replay on the lines of the system used in the NFL.

3. Tottenham Hotspur: Fighting against their own past

Three defeats in their last three matches. Spurs fans will be forgiven for having that sinking feeling once again. In a season that promised so much, in a season that was earmarked as a chance to set the record straight, a season to avenge their humiliation of missing out on a Champions League spot last season (despite a top 4 finish) – their season is unravelling rather quickly. Add to that the Gunners are hot on their trail. The Lilywhites’ participation in the quarter finals of the Europa League will do their chances of a top four finish no favors as the hectic Thursday-Sunday schedule takes its toll come the end of the season. Their performances haven’t been bad – especially against Liverpool and Fulham, and they still have a 4-point lead over their North London rivals – but the Spurs faithful can only hope that their season doesn’t implode at the fag end; just like it did in the last two seasons under Harry Redknapp.

4. Arsenal and Chelsea take giant strides towards Champions League qualification as Liverpool’s top four dreams come crashing down

It’s weeks like these that go a long way in determining the fortunes of the top four hopefuls. Arsenal and Chelsea did their hopes no harm by registering identical 2-0 victories over their rivals. Arsenal were facing a slightly trickier opposition in Swansea away at the Liberty Stadium in Wales. A Nacho Monreal strike and a late strike on the counter by Gervinho helped the Gunners close the gap to 4th place North London rivals Tottenham.

A brilliant Eden Hazard helped Chelsea beat their West London opponents West Ham United 2-0, a match which saw the Blues mercurial midfielder Frank Lampard notch up a double century of goals for his side.

Liverpool were uncharacteristically poor versus Southampton in which aggressive pressing by the hosts and shambolic defending by the visitors saw the Merseyside team’s top four chances go up in smoke. With 12 goals in their last three matches many expected the resurgent Reds to steamroll relegation threatened Saints. But it was not to be as they were brought down to the ground with a resounding thud. Brendan Rodgers’ side are very much a work in progress.

5. The picture is becoming clearer at the bottom of the table

The Saints and the Villains pull away from the drop zone as Reading and QPR edge ever closer to the Championship. Southampton’s impressive 3-1 victory over a resurgent Liverpool gave them three priceless points and they are starting to draw away from the bottom three. A win for Paul Lambert’s Aston Villa over fellow relegation strugglers QPR helped them open up a three point lead over 18th place Wigan and condemned the Rangers to the bottom place on the League table. Joining them on 23 points and a good seven points adrift of safety are Reading, who were consigned to a 0-1 defeat at the hands of runaway leaders Manchester United at Old Trafford. So sacking Brian McDermott last week did nothing to reverse the fortunes of The Royals.

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