Chelsea moved nine points clear at the top of the Premier League courtesy of a 1-1 draw away at Liverpool on Tuesday night.

Antonio Conte’s men looked set to go 11 points clear at the summit when David Luiz gave them a half-time lead at Anfield, yet Georginio Wijnaldum’s header 12 minutes into the second half secured a much-needed point for Jurgen Klopp’s men, who in turn ended a run of three straight home defeats.

The draw gave both Arsenal and Tottenham the chance to close the gap on the leaders, yet the Gunners lost 2-1 at home to Watford, while Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs failed to break down a stubborn Sunderland defence at the Stadium of Light.

Manchester City were the only winners in the top six after thumping West Ham 4-0 at the London Stadium, while neighbours Manchester United fell four points adrift of the top four after drawing 0-0 at home to struggling Hull.

Everton remain seventh after drawing 1-1 away at Stoke, and thus remain four points clear of West Brom after they drew by the same scoreline at Middlesbrough, while Burnley moved up to tenth after beating champions Leicester 1-0 at Turf Moor for their ninth home league win of the campaign.

At the bottom, there were huge wins for Swansea and Crystal Palace, with Paul Clement’s Swans getting the better of Southampton 2-1, while Sam Allardyce recorded his first Premier League victory in charge of Palace with a 2-0 success at Bournemouth.

So, on what was a fascinating midweek of football in the top-flight, here is What’s Hot and What’s Not from this week’s games…

HOT – Gabriel Jesus and Man City

Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

Having seen some of their rivals slip up on Tuesday, a trip to the London Stadium gave Manchester City a great chance to pile the pressure on those in the top four.

And they produced a stunning performance to brush aside Slaven Bilic’s men 4-0, all without star striker Sergio Aguero, who had to make-do with a spot on the bench.

That’s because Guardiola gave Gabriel Jesus his first Premier League start, and alongside Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane, the 19-year-old was outstanding, netting a goal and grabbing an assist on his full debut for the club.

The front three were sensational throughout and gave the Hammers no end of problems, which will give City fans much optimism ahead of the second half of the season and beyond.

NOT – Arsenal

Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

Arsenal went into their clash with Watford off the back of a 5-0 thumping of Southampton in the FA Cup on Saturday, and would have been hugely confident of recording a 15th league win of the campaign against the Hornets.

However, their first half performance suggested little of the sort.

Wenger’s side were lethargic and second-best for much of the opening 45 minutes and, for all that Walter Mazzarri’s side were excellent, Arsenal were horrendous.

It does call into question Wenger’s decision to make ten changes against Southampton at the weekend, before recalling much of his first team players against Watford, as the Gunners were incredibly slow out of the blocks, with it looking like many of them were hindered by not playing against the Saints.

Nonetheless, the Gunners are now nine points behind leaders Chelsea, which means that only a win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday will suffice if Arsenal want to keep their title hopes alive.

HOT – Teams near the bottom

Photo: Charlotte Wilson

The bottom four of the Premier League all avoided defeat on what could turn out to be a crucial week in the battle for survival.

The biggest winners were Swansea, who beat Southampton 2-1 to record a second successive Premier League win under Paul Clement, while Sam Allardyce got his first league victory as Crystal Palace manager with a 2-0 success at Bournemouth.

Those results made it imperative that Sunderland got something from their game with Tottenham, which they did thanks to some spirited defending, as did Hull, who held Manchester United to a 0-0 draw on Wednesday.

Swansea’s victory means that they are now level on points with both Middlesbrough and champions Leicester, neither of which have won in the league in 2017, while the likes of Bournemouth, Watford, and Southampton will also be nervously looking over their shoulders in the coming weeks.

Nonetheless, it was a good few days for the sides at the bottom of the Premier League.

NOT – Teams near the top

Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

While the sides near the bottom will be satisfied with their midweek excursions, the majority of those in the top six won’t be.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City were the only top six side to pick up three points following a dominant display at West Ham, while Antonio Conte’s Chelsea will be the other happy manager this week having seen his side extend their lead to nine points following their draw at Liverpool.

However, the North London duo of Tottenham and Arsenal had a chance to benefit from Chelsea’s draw at Liverpool, yet Spurs couldn’t find a way past a resolute Sunderland defence, while the Gunners were left to rue a woeful first half performance in their defeat at home to Watford.

Mourinho’s Manchester United knew that three points against Hull would take them to the cusps of the top four, but they couldn’t find a way past the Tigers, while Klopp’s Liverpool would also have sensed an opportunity in the second half to get all three points against Chelsea and keep the title race competitive, yet in the end they have Simon Mignolet to thank for securing them a point.

Nonetheless, it was another one of those unpredictable weeks in the Premier League, with those chasing Chelsea doing themselves no favours in their quest to keep the pressure on the Blues.