5 talking points from Saturday and Sunday's Premier League action

1. Should Chelsea be more worried about Arsenal than City?

IN RECENT TIMES, there has been much talk about the title race being between Man City and Chelsea.

However, Manuel Pellegrini’s side’s latest slip-up, coupled the Gunners’ fantastic domestic form that has seen them win seven of their last eight league matches, means Arsenal are now just a point behind City in the table.

Given City’s increasingly erratic form (they’ve lost three of their last four games now), it would no huge surprise if Arsenal ultimately establish themselves as the greater threat to Chelsea in the next few matches.

Moreover, Jose Mourinho certainly believes they are challengers, telling reporters, after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Southampton: “I keep thinking our opposition is better than theirs [over the run-in], but I think both teams are in the race.”

2. Michael Carrick instrumental in United’s success

Man United’s emphatic 3-0 win victory over Tottenham on Sunday was arguably the closest the Red Devils have come to recapturing the kind of form they regularly showed under Alex Ferguson, since the legendary Scot’s shock departure.

Remarkably, it was the first time they had overcome opposition in the top 10 since defeating Liverpool by the same scoreline back in December.

However, while their triumph over the Reds did not accurately reflect the large slices of good fortune they enjoyed that day, Sunday afternoon’s victory was thoroughly deserved.

And perhaps it is no coincidence that a player who was highly influential towards the latter part of the Ferguson era had a big role to play yesterday.

Not only did Michael Carrick create the first goal and score the second, he ensured United dictated the tempo and controlled the midfield, giving a masterclass to his much younger opponents, Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason, in the process.

3. Tottenham defence not exactly Champions League material

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While none of the Tottenham players distinguished themselves against United on Sunday, their defence in particular looked alarmingly poor.

Kyle Walker and Eric Dier made individual errors for a goal apiece, thereby ensuring the game was effectively all over after 35 minutes.

And it is not the first time the Spurs backline have folded this season. They have already conceded three against Liverpool (twice) and four against Man City.

Even in what was undoubtedly their greatest triumph to date under Mauricio Pochettino — the 5-3 defeat of Chelsea on New Year’s Day — they won in spite of rather than because of their unreliable defence.

Consequently, they now look unlikely to get in the top four at the end of the season, and should they fail, the Spurs boss will have a pretty good idea where the finger of blame lies.

4. Gibson getting better

Everton eased their relegation fears considerably with a convincing win over Newcastle on Sunday — their first league victory at Goodison Park in three months.

And while one Irish midfielder, James McCarthy, will grab the headlines after his goal opened the scoring for the Toffees, another should not be overlooked.

Before having to deal with numerous injury problems, Darron Gibson was one of Everton’s most influential players, even though the success of James McCarthy and Gareth Barry last year rendered him somewhat of a forgotten figure at the club.

His tidy performance against the Magpies caught the eye and perhaps contributed to Everton’s overall improvement, as it was just the second time he has completed 90 minutes in the league this season — as positive a sign as any that he is finally once again close to full fitness, after spending well over a season on the sidelines.

5. Villa buoyed by Sherwood’s influence

Having struggled for goals under Paul Lambert, Villa now have six in their last two games.

Their 4-0 win away to relegation rivals Sunderland was a huge boost psychologically as much as anything else, and it would be a surprise if they fail to build on this result in the coming matches.

Speaking on Match of the Day Extra, Irish goalkeeper Shay Given subsequently suggested there was nothing particularly sophisticated about the impromptu Tim Sherwood revolution.

The ex-Tottenham boss appears to have encouraged Villa to get forward and given them the freedom to attack, with Given admitting it was refreshing to see so many of their players getting in the box on a regular basis on Saturday.

However, whether Sherwood has the ability to last much longer than he did at White Hart Lane remains to be seen. Clubs often receive a temporary boost when a new manager comes in, only for old habits to eventually die hard, so the 46-year-old coach has a long way to go yet before he fully endears himself to the notoriously hard-to-please Villa faithful.