This weekend served up yet another reminder as to why the Premier League is considered the best in the world.
Every fixture was littered with goals and drama, with controversy and excitement in equal measure.
Manchester United were able to cut Manchester City’s lead at the top of the table to 13 points, while at the other end of the table, Brighton claimed a huge victory in their basement battle with West Ham.
Here at talkSPORT, we’ve compiled a list of ten things we have learnt from this weekend’s round of fixtures.
Click on the right arrow, above, to see the rest of the gallery.
Mario Lemina became the first ever player from Gabon to score for Southampton when he netted against West Brom. Can you name every country to produce a goalscorer for the club?
Beginning closest to home, Matt Targett made a winning home debut for new club Fulham; the full-back impressed in his side’s convincing 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest before being substituted for Denis Odoi in second-half stoppage time.
The result saw Saints’ FA Cup Third-Round opponents climb above Bristol City into fifth and into the play-off places.
At the other end of the table, Sam Gallagher featured for the full 90 minutes as Birmingham City continued their strong recent form by beating nine-man Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 at Hillsbrough.
Three first-half goals from David Davis and Jota (2) mean that the Blues have now collected 10 points from a possible 15 since the turn of the year to pull clear of the relegation zone.
Elsewhere in the division, Harrison Reed’s Norwich consolidated their position in mid-table with a 1-0 success over Middlesbrough at Carrow Road; German midfielder Tom Trybull secured the points with a long-range drive on the stroke of half time.
In League Two, Ryan Seager came off the bench with half an hour to play to help Yeovil to a 2-0 victory over Cambridge at Huish Park.
Across the Channel, Jordy Clasie started Club Brugge’s entertaining 3-3 draw with Charleroi in the Belgian Pro League. The Dutch midfielder was substituted on 62 minutes in the meeting between first and second place. Brugge remain nine points clear at the top of the table.
The Under-23s welcome West Brom in league competition this evening, before entertaining Cardiff City in the Premier League Cup on Friday night.
Jaïdi has pinpointed Saints’ “desire and commitment” as key to last week’s triumph, and wants that hard-working mentality to be replicated during a challenging double game week.
“It wasn’t only the win against Stoke, it was the way we went about it,” the Under-23s coach asserted.
"It has given the boys a boost of positive vibes, and this week in training the intensity has reflected that.
"The confidence is high. They applied what we’ve asked, and showed more of that desire and commitment on the field. I want that to be ongoing, to give us the best possible opportunity to push up the table.
"We need to push momentum, mentality and hard work. It will be the same objectives against West Brom, of course we want to breed consistency and wins.
“For us, developing these players, the next level is senior level and they need to learn how to win games, and how to manage games on a consistent basis.”
Harry Kane joined a select band of players to score 100 Premier League goals this weekend.
The Tottenham striker rectified his earlier penalty miss with a successful second spot-kick to rescue a point for Mauricio Pochettino’s side in their 2-2 draw against Liverpool.
Kane is one of 27 players to have scored 100 goals in the Premier League, but he is part of an even more exclusive group to have reached the tally with one team.
Click the right arrow, above, to see which other players have scored 100 Premier League goals for one club.
His assured performance has earned him a recall to tonight’s squad, as the Under-23s prepare to face West Brom at Staplewood, and the youngster has intentions on a more permanent place in Radhi Jaïdi’s setup.
“The Stoke win was a good result, and an all-round team performance,” Rowthorn commented. "I’m happy in myself, the boys were pleased with the win and looking forward to West Brom tonight.
"First 90 of the season for me, felt fit throughout the game, hopefully I can kick on now and play regular football. The main thing is getting a good result, we want that to continue.
"Radhi was pleased with us after Stoke, but tonight is a difference prospect. We’ll be looking for three points.
“I want to start games, and play as well as I can. All the boys want to push in the league, we know we’re capable of going higher.”