Premier League Winners and Losers After Saturday's Updated Week 18 EPL Table
Manchester City closed the gap on second-place Leicester City after a convincing 3-1 Premier League victory over the Foxes on Saturday.
Everton and Arsenal played out a goalless draw, with newly appointed managers Carlo Ancelotti and Mikel Arteta watching their new teams from the stands.
Newcastle United made it three wins in four after beating Crystal Palace 1-0 at St James' Park, as Miguel Almiron scored his first goal for the club.
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Saturday's Results
Everton 0-0 Arsenal
Bournemouth 0-1 Burnley
Aston Villa 1-3 Southampton
Brighton & Hove Albion 0-1 Sheffield United
Newcastle 1-0 Crystal Palace
Norwich City 1-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Manchester City 3-1 Leicester
Premier League Table (games played, points, goal difference)
1. Liverpool: 17, 49, +28
2. Leicester: 18, 39, +27
3. Manchester City: 18, 38, +30
4. Chelsea: 17, 29, +6
5. Sheffield United: 18, 28, +6
6. Wolves: 18, 27, +4
7. Tottenham Hotspur: 17, 26, +8
8. Manchester United: 17, 25, +6
9. Newcastle: 18, 25, -6
10. Burnley: 18, 24, -6
11. Arsenal: 18, 23, -3
12. Crystal Palace: 18, 23, -5
13. Brighton: 18, 20, -5
14. Bournemouth: 18, 19, -6
15. Everton: 18, 19, -9
16. West Ham United: 17, 19, -9
17. Southampton: 18, 18, -16
18. Aston Villa: 18, 15, -9
19. Norwich: 18, 12, -18
20. Watford: 17, 9, -23
Saturday's Winners and Losers
Winner: Manchester City's Attack
In the end, it wasn't close, and Manchester City's world-class attack flexed its muscle against Brendan Rodgers' team.
It was a match the champions had to win. A defeat would have crushed their confidence and provided Liverpool with another boost in their pursuit of the title.
Leicester soaked up first-half pressure to orchestrate a classic counter-attack, with Jamie Vardy's dinked finish beating Ederson after 22 minutes.
City were in control of the match when they went behind, and they moved through the gears as they produced an emphatic comeback.
Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling controlled the direction of the traffic, and the pair were influential throughout the encounter.
Riyad Mahrez scored the equaliser against his former side after 30 minutes, and City were inspired as Pep Guardiola visually encouraged the crowd to back his team.
Sterling was fouled by Ricardo Pereira's slide tackle, making the decision for a penalty easy for referee Mike Dean, and Ilkay Gundogan slotted home to claim the lead two minutes before half-time.
The Sky Blues were dominant in the second half. Leicester appeared short of the quality needed to live with the champions for the rest of the game.
De Bruyne capped an excellent display by cruising through Leicester's defence as he set up Gabriel Jesus for the third after 69 minutes, and the game was dead and buried.
City relied on their forwards to produce their sumptuous best on Saturday to overpower the Foxes, and the champions could yet close the 11-point gap on Liverpool if the leaders start to drop points in the second half of the season.
Losers: Leicester's Defence
Much had been said about Leicester's impressive defence before their trip to Manchester, but they lacked the required resistance at the Etihad Stadium.
The departure of Harry Maguire to Manchester United last summer was expected to weaken the Foxes' back four, but Jonny Evans and Caglar Soyuncu have been sensational at centre-back throughout the season.
However, they don't face attackers of the calibre of De Bruyne, Sterling, Mahrez and Jesus every week. They simply didn't have the pace or positioning to stop City in full flight.
Pereira's strengths were nullified by Sterling's persistence, and the full-back appeared exposed against the England international.
The Portuguese fouled Sterling for the penalty, with the defender mistiming his tackle and giving the hosts a chance to take the lead.
Leicester's back four will continue to be one of the league's better defences, but against a side with frightening pace and intelligence, they lack the variety to protect Kasper Schmeichel's goal.
Winner: Almiron
The Paraguayan arrived at Newcastle with a burgeoning reputation as an exciting attacker, but he failed to thrive in a stagnant side.
However, 11 months after joining the Magpies, the 25-year-old finally scored his first goal for his club after a 1-0 victory over Palace.
Newcastle are ninth under Steve Bruce, and even the manager's greatest doubters will be impressed by the team's improving form.
Almiron grabbed the winner in a poor contest seven minutes before the final whistle, sending St James' Park into delirium.
According to Ben Collins of BBC Sport, Bruce said he was pleased his forward has broken his duck.
"I think the crowd showed their appreciation for him. I think relief is the wrong word - we're all just delighted for him.
"Since he came to the club in January he lit the place up with his pace, trickery and skills. Day in, day out, he works and works, but unfortunately he's not been able to manage a goal. Today he's got the winner and we're all delighted for him."
Almiron regularly found the back of the net for former club Atlanta United in the MLS, and Magpies fans will hope his latest goal opens the floodgates for the winger in the Premier League.
Losers: Carlo Ancelotti and Mikel Arteta
The cameras were on Ancelotti and Arteta during Arsenal's visit to Everton, and the new club coaches might not have been too impressed by what they saw from their new players.
Both men looked glum in their seats during a lifeless draw at Goodison Park, and the pair have lots of work ahead of them.
Ancelotti was confirmed before the game as the new Toffees boss, and the iconic Italian will need to produce a robust plan in order to be a success on Merseyside.
Arteta watched Arsenal achieve their first clean sheet in 15 games, but they lacked cohesion through the midfield into the attack.
A first managerial role in football is always a daunting prospect. However, the Gunners need significant restructuring to be a force in the top flight once again, and Arteta must trigger change and evolution.
Everton face the prospect of an improving Burnley side on Boxing Day, while Arsenal travel to Bournemouth on the same day.
Neither match is simple, but three points is needed to kickstart the fresh tenures at both clubs.
