EPL: Big clashes to look forward to ahead of the weekend

Arsenal beat Man United, cutting Liverpool's lead after a Newcastle draw. Premier League weekend highlights include Everton-Liverpool & Chelsea-Spurs.

Tottenham's season is going from bad to worse but, can they get a grip and beat Chelsea on Sunday? (Photo credit: BBC)

Arsenal defeated Manchester United in the Premier League's midweek match, delivering Ruben Amorim his first defeat as a United manager.

The Gunners beat Manchester United 2-0 at the Emirates, cutting Liverpool’s lead at the top to seven points after an Alexander Isak-inspired Newcastle performance at St. James’s Park held Liverpool to a 3-3 draw.

Tottenham's performance deteriorated further as they suffered a 1-0 loss at Bournemouth, placing Ange Postecoglou's team in 10th place on the standings and fifteen points behind the leaders. All these set us up for a mind-blowing weekend in the Premier League.

Everton hosts Liverpool in the early kickoff on Saturday, a game of huge significance for both sides. Everton destroyed Wolves 4-0 on Wednesday, sending them to 15^th on the log with fourteen points and five clear of the drop zone.

Liverpool dropping points at Newcastle means they can’t afford to slip up again. If they can't maintain the current point cushion heading into the challenging final fixtures of the year, they aim to preserve it, starting with this Merseyside Derby.

Has Manchester City healed? How far have they come from their recent embarrassing meltdown? We will find out when they travel to Crystal Palace this weekend. Their 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest needs improvement; they can’t afford to slip up.

Palace goes into this game on a winning note after beating Ipswich 1-0 away at Portman Road. The Tractor Boys are facing challenges and need to start seeking points in all areas if they hope to maintain their current position, while Palace should focus on maintaining their composure and discipline when facing the champions.

Manchester United lost at Arsenal; they have a home game against Forest, and it’s a game they must show up big for. United's primary objective is to maintain their current position in the log; their ultimate goal is to secure a spot in the European league.

On Sunday, fresh from their 3-1 win over Brighton, Fulham will host Arsenal and would hope to do what they did at about this time last season, which was to beat the Gunners 2-1. Arsenal's strategy should focus on achieving a string of consecutive victories; they cannot afford to lose at Fulham.

In Sunday's final game, Chelsea and Spurs will battle. With European duties waiting for the duo on Thursday, both sides will give everything to register points, especially with Chelsea hoping to cement their place in second and Spurs seeking to climb after defeat on Thursday. Let the weekend begin.