Garth Crooks' team of the week: Harry Maguire, Christian Eriksen, Pedro
- Published
Tottenham ensured they will finish above Arsenal in the Premier League for the first time in 22 years with victory in the north London derby, but Chelsea remain four points clear at the top of the table.
At the other end, Sunderland are relegated but Hull City and Swansea both secure vital draws on the road, thanks to their key players.
Do you agree with my selection or would you go for a different team? Why not pick your own team of the week from the shortlist selected by BBC Sport journalists and share it with your friends?
Goalkeeper - Eldin Jakupovic (Hull City)
For the second time in consecutive weeks, Eldin Jakupovic has salvaged vital points for Hull City. Last week it was against Watford - who admittedly played like a team who had just spent three nights in Las Vegas - when he produced two magnificent saves that changed the course of the game.
Southampton, however, were a different proposition entirely and while there were boos ringing around St Mary's at half-time, it was in no way indicative of a poor performance from Hull. On the contrary, it was the biggest compliment Southampton fans could have made to a side fighting for their lives.
Hull were by far the better side at this stage of the contest but what took place subsequently characterised what they have become under manager Marco Silva.
For Alfred N'Diaye to concede a penalty in the final minutes of the game was sheer madness and he needs to have a serious word with himself.
It took something quite special under the circumstances for Jakupovic to pull off that penalty save, but he did and it now puts the Tigers in the relegation battle driving seat.
Will someone tell Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola that's what top-class goalkeepers are supposed to do for your team? Save you points, not lose them.
Defender - Victor Moses (Chelsea)
This was another consummate performance by Victor Moses. It's got to the stage where I actually look forward to watching him play these days.
Indeed it is only Lauren, the former Arsenal and Cameroon player, who I have seen make as successful a transition to full-back as Moses has.
Moses has become such a firm fixture in Chelsea's title challenge that it's hard to see how manager Antonio Conte can improve in that area. If the victory over Everton is any indication then the Chelsea celebrations after the game suggested the title has been won. Or at least they have got over what they considered to be the most difficult part of their run-in.
Conte must have hugged every one of his players and his substitutes and, given the chance, he'd have hugged every Chelsea fan in the stadium.
Whatever the reasons for his celebrations, provided Chelsea do nothing stupid between now and the end of the season, the title is theirs.
Defender - Gary Cahill (Chelsea)
I have found myself selecting either Gary Cahill or David Luiz in my team of the week on a number of occasions this season and often it has been one, then it has been the other. Both impressed at Everton, coping well with the hosts' only real threat - Romelu Lukaku.
However, it was Cahill who broke Tottenham's heart in ultimately keeping the gap between the two teams to four points.
It was his goal that put the game beyond the Toffees, but I was bemused by any notion that keeper Maarten Stekelenburg was somehow at fault.
Everton could have done with an extra body in the wall for Eden Hazard's free-kick but the ball came through a number of players so quickly that Stekelenburg did well to keep it out of the net in the first place. Any thought the keeper should have caught the ball is fanciful.
Nonetheless, Cahill went on to get his sixth Premier League goal of the season and, looking at Chelsea's run-in, probably clinched the title with it.
Defender - Harry Maguire (Hull City)
Harry Maguire has made a meteoric rise in Premier League football and, should he continue to improve at the same rate of knots, international call-ups must be on the horizon.
I saw him play at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season and he caught my eye then, but his performances since have been superb.
We all laughed when Arsenal's Theo Walcott squared up to Maguire during the game at the Emirates. It was like Charlie Magri facing world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. Magri was a great flyweight in his time but no match for the likes of the imposing Joshua.
Likewise with Maguire, his sheer presence, not to mention his performance, is almost a throw-back to the centre-backs of yesteryear who would head it, kick it and threaten centre-forwards with physical violence if they dared venture into the penalty area.
Of course, I'm not saying Maguire would ever do such a thing but his very presence lends itself to the notion. This was epitomised by his bone-shaking tackle on Sofiane Boufal. The Morocco international must have thought he'd been hit by a train. No, just Harry Maguire.
Defender - Stephen Ward (Burnley)
A very dear friend told me that in football there was no better ball than the first-time cross. At the time, I didn't really appreciate the significance of the statement but, as I began to understand how difficult it was to score goals, I became indebted to those full-backs who had the vision and ability to execute the skill.
Stephen Ward clearly understands the importance of that statement, and so does Ashley Barnes for that matter. It was Barnes who took complete advantage of Ward's first-time cross, which gave the Burnley striker the time to have two bites at putting the ball in the back of the net.
Earlier in the afternoon, John Motson went to some considerable effort on Final Score reminding the viewers that Burnley were only on 36 points and not safe by any means.
The idea being that I had not included Burnley among the relegation candidates earlier in the programme. Motty was right of course - Burnley were not safe, and they played like it.
They demolished Crystal Palace, who have not been able to raise a gallop since manager Sam Allardyce said they were safe on 38 points. Well, looking at Hull's ability to pick up points and Swansea's form, if I were Allardyce I wouldn't be putting my feet up just yet.
Midfielder - Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea)
A draw with Manchester United was nothing less than Swansea deserved. In fact, if the Swans had won this game, no-one could have screamed.
Three goals in his past three visits to Old Trafford tells me Gylfi Sigurdsson is a big-match player, worthy of playing his football on a bigger stage.
Swansea fans won't thank me for saying this, but if they don't stay up - and it's too close to call at the moment - they will almost certainly have to kiss goodbye to Sigurdsson.
In the meantime, what was referee Neil Swarbrick thinking for the penalty? If I've said it once I have said it a thousand times - referees have no business guessing.
They give what they see or give nothing at all. The time it took Swarbrick to point to the spot and award United a penalty was enough to tell me he wasn't sure whether Marcus Rashford had made contact with Lukasz Fabianski or the Swansea goalkeeper had impeded the striker.
I certainly didn't need Graham Poll, the former referee now an analyst on TV, telling me what I already knew - Swarbrick guessed.
Midfielder - Christian Eriksen (Tottenham)
I said last week, after Spurs lost to Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final, that Christian Eriksen could see passes ordinary players couldn't and execute them with alarming accuracy. What I saw against Arsenal in the north London derby was a player who had wonderfully quick feet as well.
Spurs are looking exceptional at the moment and much of their quality is coming from the Dane. The gifts he is producing for Dele Alli and Harry Kane are just wonderful. It's not often Tottenham beat Arsenal in any competition and it is 22 years since they last finished above their neighbours.
No doubt Arsenal fans will be feeling quite low at the moment but please note, it is not Arsene Wenger's target to finish above Spurs but to win a trophy - preferably the Premier League title - and if not a trophy, then finish in a Champions League spot. With the FA Cup final to come, if I'm not mistaken, can't Arsenal still do both?
Midfielder - Dele Alli (Tottenham)
What a performance by Spurs and what a victory against Arsenal. This was an excellent team performance with players who are going places. Dele Alli's performance is worth mentioning because, having presented him with the PFA Young Player of the Year award last week, he is clearly someone who likes the spotlight and responds well to stardom.
For Alli to score in a north London derby fits his profile perfectly. He's becoming the man for the big occasion.
What Spurs must ensure now is that the transfer vultures do not destabilise this team. If this team can stick together and continue to mature, trophies will inevitably follow.
In the meantime, Tottenham's board of directors must ensure all their players' contracts are absolutely secure to stop the likes of Manchester United taking Kane or Eric Dier, or Real Madrid trying to take Toby Alderweireld or Alli.
Above all, Spurs must not lose their most important person - manager Mauricio Pochettino. He stays and the team stays together. He goes and Spurs will unravel.
Forward - Joshua King (Bournemouth)
Back-to-back victories for Bournemouth mean they should stay up and Sunderland go down. In all honesty, Joshua King's goal - his 15th in the league this year - put Sunderland fans out of their misery.
King's performance was a first-class representation of what Eddie Howe has given so many of his players over the years and that is an unwavering belief they can perform in the Premier League.
King's attempt to chip Sunderland keeper Jordan Pickford was as audacious as it was brilliant and it signified his Premier League development under the tutelage of Howe.
On the other hand, the Black Cats have, for some considerable time, been suffering and the decent thing to do was to end their pain. If you have ever been relegated from top-flight football - and I have - it has the most sobering effect imaginable on a professional footballer.
The status and credibility are gone in a blow of a whistle and you are seen differently by those who once adored you.
So who would want it? Nevertheless, this is what Sunderland and David Moyes are going to have to live with and the only thing that can alleviate their pain is an immediate return to the Premier League.
I have been critical of Moyes in the past and find his style of management uninspiring, but I think he has the ability to get Sunderland back in the big time.
I hope this marvellous club with amazing support return to the Premier League soon. It's a proper football city with a great football history.
Forward - Jamie Vardy (Leicester)
He may not be having the sort of party he was enjoying last season but there's no doubt about it, Jamie Vardy is back scoring goals again. The partnership between Vardy and Shinji Okazaki is also looking back to its best.
It was Okazaki's first-time through-ball to Vardy against a stubborn West Brom that provided the England striker with the opening he needed to score.
That said, Vardy still had a lot to do to put the ball past Ben Foster, but he did it with the same confidence we saw from him last season.
Leicester should look forward to another season in the Premier League, but the question for the Foxes is what do they do with boss Craig Shakespeare? Do they give him the job long term or do they look elsewhere?
I suppose it's all about where they see themselves five years from now. They've tasted success in the Premier League and Europe so I would have thought mid-table mediocrity would not be an option anymore. Which makes their decision about Shakespeare all the more interesting.
Forward - Pedro (Chelsea)
What a goal to break the deadlock in what was quickly becoming a game of attrition. It was only when Pedro broke to his left with the ball at his feet and unleashed an unstoppable shot did this fixture come alive.
Until his goal I was starting to fall asleep - but that was precisely the point. Chelsea wanted to get through this game without any histrionics.
Everyone, including Diego Costa, was on their best behaviour - determined to finish the game with 11 players and give Everton fans nothing to shout about. Keeping the opposition's fans quiet was the order of the day and Chelsea did it beautifully.
As for the goal, well, only exceptional players can score goals like that in games of such importance. I was extremely surprised when one pundit said on commentary that he only expected such brilliance in the Chelsea line-up from Eden Hazard.
Anyone who had watched Chelsea this season would have known precisely what Pedro was capable of and it was a point another pundit was also keen to make in his post-match comments.
You can't play for Barcelona as long as Pedro did, win so many trophies, and not be capable of the occasional piece of brilliance.
- Published30 April 2017
- Published30 April 2017
- Published30 April 2017
- Published30 April 2017
- Published30 April 2017