Five things we learned from the Premier League this weekend
Finally, it was a good weekend for Alexandre Pato – and yet again, Leicester marched on.
With Leicester's title win beginning to look as inevitable as Aston Villa's relegation, here's what we learned from the Premier League this weekend.
Twelve months to the day after sitting seven points adrift at the bottom of the Premier League, Leicester are seven points clear at the top.
With six games to play, 12 points would be enough for the Foxes to complete a remarkable triumph. Claudio Ranieri's side have shown few signs of nerves after four successive 1-0 wins.
They next play Sunderland, West Ham and Swansea and could win the title at Old Trafford against Manchester United on May 1.
2. Manchester City might be up there if Kevin De Bruyne had stayed fit.
Kevin de Bruyne returned from a knee injury to inspire Manchester City to a 4-0 win at Bournemouth.
City had won four of their 12 games in the absence of the former Chelsea playmaker, signed for a reported £55million from Wolfsburg last summer, and were left to ponder what might have been had the Belgian been fit for that key period.
Now he will be relied upon in the pursuit of a place in the top four.
3. Manchester United can finish with a flourish.
Anthony Martial scored Manchester United's 1,000th Premier League goal at Old Trafford with his eighth of the season in the win over Everton.
Despite failing to score in the first half for the 10th time in 15 Premier League games, United are still in Champions League contention after four successive home wins for the first time in a year.
Louis van Gaal's side are one point behind their 'Noisy neighbours' and have seven games to try to finish with a flourish.
4. Being part of the establishment counts for nothing.
Newcastle thought they had fought back to earn a vital point at Carrow Road, but the Magpies had their wings clipped by a rare Martin Olsson strike.
Rafael Benitez's side are six points adrift of safety after a five-goal thriller which dented their survival prospects.
The three clubs promoted last season – Norwich, plus Bournemouth and Watford – could all stay up, with established top-flight clubs in danger of losing the bounty on offer from the incoming broadcasting deal.
5. Even Alexandre Pato can score against Aston Villa.
Once again Aston Villa's players did little to try to delay their inevitable relegation from the top flight as a much-changed Chelsea side of young players and journeymen sauntered to a 4-0 win at Villa Park.
Alexandre Pato made his long-awaited debut, 64 days after signing for Chelsea, as the Blues inflicted Villa's 22nd loss from 32 games this season.
