Plus: Mohamed Salah back to his best; Newcastle's nod to the good old days; Everton keep distance to relegation tussle; Leicester lack cutting edge; the gulf between rivals Liverpool and Man Utd plain to see at Anfield; title and top-four races unpredictable...
Those game have been led by Burnley's U23 manager Mike Jackson and assisted by academy director Paul Jenkins, U23 goalkeeping coach Connor King and injured captain Ben Mee. Burnley could well have been out of the relegation zone already had Maxwell Cornet's penalty found the net when Burnley led 1-0 against West Ham, but they are now only a point adrift of safety.
Their performance against Southampton, barring a nervy opening 10 minutes, didn't look like one from a team that had only won four games this season under Dyche. Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster, beaten by first-half goals from Connor Roberts and Nathan Collins, made the scoreline look much closer than it was with a string of fine saves.
So all eyes are back on Pace - chairman since December 2020 - over what he'll do next. The American businessman wrote in his Southampton programme notes a "change was necessary to offer us the best chance to try and secure our Premier League survival".
He explained how the club was looking to identify a new manager and coaching team that can come in capable of building on Dyche's legacy, but do they already have one in the building?
"I will probably speak to the chairman and he will let me know if I am needed for next game," said Jackson after the Southampton match on the possibility of staying in the role with Burnley set to host Wolves on Sunday. "I am here to prepare the group, I don't want to think or talk about all that, I don't think it is right."
Burnley then have six days before a huge clash at relegation rivals Watford with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp believing a change isn't necessary right now given the job Jackson has done.
"I think they will stick with him. If they'd have lost these games they would have changed it," he said.
"Burnley have good honest characters and have given themselves a lifeline today, so I'm not sure why you would change the manager right now."
David Richardson
Leading the line for the Gunners at Stamford Bridge, there would have been doubts about Nketiah's inclusion after his performance at Southampton. There were calls for Gabriel Martinelli through the middle and even shouts for Nicolas Pepe to play as a striker.
However, Arteta stuck with the former England U21 striker, and it was a decision that paid dividends as Nketiah produced an excellent performance, grabbing two opportunist goals to lead his side to a crucial victory in the race for the top-four.
The question now is, can he do it again?
"He could be a 4/10 next week, if he wasn't he'd be in the team every week, that's his second start all season," Paul Merson told Sky Sports. "The consistency levels are not there but if he gets it for three or four games then Arsenal can come fourth.
"He's a natural goalscorer plus he's willing to run beyond. Lacazette wouldn't have chased that first [goal]. He wouldn't have scored those two goals. Even though he's a better footballer, he's not a better finisher."
After a performance like that it's hard to not see him getting an opportunity to back up that performance against Manchester United. "Nketiah is going to be playing against Man Utd at the weekend," former Gunners striker Alan Smith said just after the striker was substituted. "No question of that. That was just what he needed and just what his team and club needed."
What Arsenal need is for him to do it again, and again, and who knows his future, which has been in doubt for a long time, might just still be at Arsenal.
Oliver Yew
