Arsenal DO have a champion’s mentality after comeback, Spurs’ defence is NON-existent and cup specialists Man United aren’t convincing… 10 THINGS WE LEARNED from Premier League and FA Cup

It was another hugely dramatic weekend of action in English football this weekend. 

In the Premier League, leaders Arsenal dropped more points despite an extraordinary comeback against Southampton, while their rivals Tottenham were mauled 6-1 by Europe-chasing rivals Newcastle.

Leicester and West Ham secured important wins to push them up the table in the relegation battle, with Fulham beating Leeds to push Javi Gracia’s side further into the mire and Liverpool beating Nottingham Forest in a five-goal thriller.

There were draws between Crystal Palace and Everton and Brentford and Aston Villa – while in the FA Cup, Manchester City eased past Sheffield United 3-0 before an unconvincing Manchester United beat Brighton 7-6 on penalties. 

Below, Mail Sport looks at the 10 things we learned from the crucial clashes in the Premier League and FA Cup.

Premier League 

Arsenal drop points but prove mindset of champions

It might seem an odd thing to say about a team who dropped points for the third game in a row against the league’s bottom side, but Arsenal showed they have a genuine champion’s mentality in an exciting 3-3 draw against lowly Southampton.

Admittedly, they started terribly – conceding in the first minute to the promising Carlos Alcaraz after the usually unflappable Aaron Ramsdale gifted the Saints an early chance – and later showing set-piece uncertainty as Duje Caleta-Car netted. 

Yet to rescue a point from 3-1 down in the 88th minute shows real character and resolve, even if the referee was determined to give them as much time as possible to do it (perhaps understandably, given Southampton’s consistent time-wasting).

Their determined fightback proves they do have the mindset of a champion team – even if they do end up falling to the chasing Man City in the title race. 

Tottenham’s defence as fragile as an undercooked flan 

What to say about Tottenham’s defence? 

It’s easier to say with hindsight but interim boss Cristian Stellini’s – who has since been sacked – decision to line up with a back four – none of whom are best suited to that formation – in the bloodthirsty St James’ Park was less ‘brave and positive’ than ‘borderline suicidal’.

World Cup winner and captain Hugo Lloris may have been carrying a knock but was little more than a phantasmic presence in goal, while nominal full-backs Pedro Porro and Ivan Perisic looked horribly out of position.

Cristian Romero looked a shadow of the player who lifted the World Cup in December and Eric Dier’s confidence appears to have vanished. 

Not even attackers as collectively gifted as Harry Kane, Son, Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison could score nearly enough goals to compensate for the undercooked defence, which Newcastle cut through like a chainsaw through cotton wool.

Jota kickstarting European charge for Liverpool’s ‘Entertainers’ 

Who needs midfielders, eh? Or good defenders, for that matter? The obvious answer is: clearly, Liverpool. But you don’t necessarily need those things all the time when you have someone as good as Diogo Jota.

The 26-year-old attacker’s brilliant 21-goal total last campaign has largely been forgotten due to his persistent injury problems this season which have thrust Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez into the starting line-up.

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Jota’s diminutive presence belies his threat and his two goals were taken ruthlessly. 

There are still defensive issues and the midfield is in desperate need of a rebuild but at the moment the Portuguese and Mo Salah are spearheading their forward line.

It seems the Reds may not be too fussed about conceding the odd goal or two when they can score so many – 11 in their last three games – just like Kevin Keegan’s ‘Entertainers’ of old at Newcastle. 

West Ham thrashing shows extent of their underachievement

Again, it may seem counter-intuitive to criticise a team after a massive 4-0 win at their relegation rivals.

West Ham performed brilliantly at Bournemouth on Sunday. It was an utterly dominant, confident and comprehensive win.

But the fact they can play so well only underlines how poor they have been for large parts of this season. 

How can a squad containing the talents of Declan Rice, Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen be anywhere near the drop zone?

And is David Moyes, after last year’s sizeable overachievement in finishing seventh and reaching the Europa League semi-finals, the biggest managerial underachiever this year given the relative strength of his squad? 

Performances like the one at Bournemouth suggest so much more should be expected from this group. 

Leeds best placed of the bottom five – but are in the worst form 

With Bournemouth in 15th, four points clear of Leeds in 16th, many are drawing an imaginary dotted line below the Cherries and above the Yorkshire side to illustrate the most likely relegation contenders.

Probably, the three that eventually go down are among the current bottom five at the moment. Of those, Leeds are the best placed in 16th, five clear of Southampton in 20th.

Yet they’re displaying some of the worst form. Their 2-1 win against Nottingham Forest on April 4 was massive but since then they seem to have regressed.

New boss Javi Gracia has lost six of his opening 10 games but more concerning will be their defence, which has shipped 13 goals in their last three matches. 

It’s Championship level defending right now – and that’s where they’ll be if they don’t fix up sharpish. 

Toney delivers blow to Watkins in England striker battle 

England assistant Steve Holland was at Brentford’s stadium on Saturday to watch Aston Villa face the Bees, with a particular eye on Villa striker Ollie Watkins, who is being considered for a call-up for the June internationals.

But it was another classy English No 9 leading the line that caught the eye most.

While Watkins struggled to get into the game, admittedly a rarity in this purple patch of 11 goals in 13 games, Ivan Toney was a constant menace and scored the opener to emphasise his importance to Thomas Frank’s men.

It could be a blow to Watkins in his bid to displace Toney and Callum Wilson as Three Lions captain Harry Kane’s striking deputy. 

Everton showing proves Palace still need Zaha 

Wilfried Zaha, much-maligned and often misunderstood, is still the man at Crystal Palace.

After three successive wins against Leicester, Leeds and Southampton, of which Zaha only played 45 minutes due to injury, some suggested Palace were better off without him. Nonsense.

There is some merit to the theory that his absence perhaps allows the likes of Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze more creative freedom, but the Ivorian is a hugely talismanic figure and is so often the point of difference for the Eagles.

Against a stuttering Everton side desperate to disrupt the rhythm of the game, playing the clock from the 10th minute, flopping to win free kicks and generally breaking up play as much as possible, Zaha was the player Palace needed. 

Fortune favoures brave Dean Smith’s three-striker set-up

In Dean Smith’s first home game as Leicester boss, after four defeats in a row (not all under his leadership), it was absolutely crucial that the Foxes got a positive result against Wolves at the weekend.

Much of this season has seen Leicester line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with one up top, with 36-year-old Jamie Vardy mostly resigned to the bench and Patson Daka often preferred to Kelechi Iheanacho, their most clinical striker.

Smith answered questions about which one to play… by playing all three of them. 

True, his hand was forced given the injury absences of James Maddison and Harvey Barnes.

But it was still a bold, brave decision to start them all together. And it paid off. Let’s see how he handles things when Maddison and Barnes are back… 

FA Cup 

United win – but Erik ten Hag will want more

And in the FA Cup, there were more thrills and spills. Manchester United did, just about, get over the line eventually against a tricky Brighton side, winning 7-6 on penalties after poor Solly March ballooned his spot-kick over the crossbar.

That still should not paper over the clear cracks in their team. Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw were fine at centre back but United need more cover across the entire defence, more cover for the Casemiro-Eriksen-Fernandes midfield axis and more quality up front than Anthony Martial and Wout Weghorst.

Brighton played very well, looked the most likely to win it and could well have done. United manager Erik ten Hag knows his players should be and must be better than this come the final.

It’s a good habit to win when you don’t play at your best, though. United weren’t convincing but could still win the FA Cup and finish third – and that would represent a successful first season for Ten Hag.

Mahrez is as much of a star as anyone else at Man City 

Manchester City’s team can often read like a ‘who’s who’ of world-class players: Ederson, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland. I could go on.

But a 32-year-old who was playing in France’s second division nine years ago is equal to all of them.

Riyad Mahrez scored a wonderful hat-trick as a rotated City side eased past Sheffield United 3-0 at Wembley in the other FA Cup semi-final and keep their hopes of a remarkable treble alive.

The Algerian, when on his game, is one of the shiniest jewels in City’s attacking crown and his silky brilliance could be crucial to their hopes of silverware this season.