Tottenham and Manchester City kept the pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea courtesy of victories over Everton and Sunderland respectively on Sunday.

Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs cut the gap to seven points after a Harry Kane brace inspired them to a 3-2 victory over in-form Everton, with Dele Alli’s strike late on turning out to be the winner after goals from Romelu Lukaku and Enner Valencia threatened a Toffees second half fightback.

However, Spurs held on to record a ninth successive league win at White Hart Lane, and they remain a point clear of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City after they got the better of bottom side Sunderland 2-0 at the Stadium of Light.

Goals from Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane secured the Citizens a fourth successive league victory, and also means that they are five points clear of Arsenal in fifth after the Gunners went down 3-1 at Liverpool on Saturday, a result which propelled Jurgen Klopp’s men into the top four.

Manchester United remain sixth after only managing a 1-1 draw at home to Bournemouth on Saturday, while Stoke and Southampton moved into the top half after wins over Middlesbrough and Watford respectively.

Boro’s defeat at the bet365 Stadium saw them fall into the bottom three for the first time this term, and that was because Sam Allardyce’s Crystal Palace picked up a vital 2-0 success away at West Brom on Saturday.

Elsewhere at the bottom, Swansea’s resurgence continued with a 3-2 win over Burnley at the Liberty Stadium, and caretaker manager Craig Shakespeare led champions Leicester to a second consecutive league victory as they saw off Hull 3-1 at the King Power Stadium.

Clearly, it has been a fascinating weekend of Premier League action, so here is What’s Hot and What’s Not from English football’s top-flight over the last few days…

HOT – Harry Kane and Tottenham

Harry Kane went top of the Premier League’s goal-scoring charts and helped Tottenham close the gap on Chelsea to seven points with a brace in their 3-2 win over Everton on Sunday.

The England international netted a hat-trick in his last league outing against Stoke, and followed that up with a stunning 25-yard strike to give Mauricio Pochettino’s men a deserved lead after 20 minutes against the Toffees.

The 23-year-old netted his 19th of the campaign 11 minutes into the second half when he coolly slotted under the onrushing Joel Robles, and a further strike from Dele Alli sealed the victory, despite Everton’s best efforts to come back through Romelu Lukaku and Enner Valencia.

Nonetheless, it was once again Kane who stole the show on Sunday, and the form striker in the Premier League again looks set to be the key in Spurs’ quest to reel in Chelsea, and indeed secure another top four finish.

NOT – Arsenal

It was yet another disappointing weekend for Arsenal, who suffered a fourth defeat in seven games against fellow members of the top six with a 3-1 loss at Liverpool on Saturday.

Arsene Wenger’s side had almost two weeks off to prepare for their trip to Anfield, but their first half display was hopelessly short of where it needed to be, allowing Jurgen Klopp’s Reds to seize initiative that even the introduction of Alexis Sanchez after the break wasn’t able to overcome.

The Chilean was dropped following a row in training earlier in the week to further demonstrate his frustration and expected departure from the Emirates, in what is turning out to be a tricky end to the campaign for the Gunners.

Defeat was Arsenal’s third in their last four games, and it means that they have dropped out of the coveted top four places – they need an upturn in form quickly if they are to secure Champions League football again next term.

HOT – Craig Shakespeare and Leicester

Claudio Ranieri’s sacking a few weeks ago as Leicester boss was met with disbelief and disgust from some parts of the country, yet with two wins out of two, it’s fair to say that interim boss Craig Shakespeare has embraced the role as caretaker manager.

The Foxes secured their second successive 3-1 victory by dispatching fellow strugglers Hull at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, with strikes from Christian Fuchs and Riyad Mahrez, as well as a Tom Huddlestone own goal, cancelling out Sam Clucas’ opener for the visitors.

It means that the champions are now five points clear of the bottom three, and given that they were in the relegation places when Shakespeare took charge ahead of the Liverpool game last week, he has clearly given them a much-needed boost after a disastrous campaign thus far.

Shakespeare has certainly made his case for the permanent role, and if he is able to lead the Foxes into the last eight of the Champions League next week, it’s surely his job to lose.

NOT – Middlesbrough

There has been much focus on the form of Crystal Palace, Leicester, Hull, and Sunderland at the foot of the table, but it is Middlesbrough who join the latter two in the bottom three this weekend.

Aitor Karanka’s side suffered a fourth league defeat in six matches by going down 2-0 at Stoke on Saturday, which in turn extended their winless Premier League run to ten games.

With just four wins all season, the last of which coming in December, and just 19 goals scored thus far, the least by some distance, Boro have a serious fight on their hands to remain a top-flight club for next season.

They have been tricky to beat this term, they have only conceded 30 goals which is by far the least in the bottom half of the division, but have kept just one clean sheet in their last six, and with few goals to bail them out, it’s difficult to see where the wins are going to come from between now and May.