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?

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

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

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

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.