A depleted weekend of Premier League fixtures has come to a close, with the title race remaining unchanged as the trophy hopefuls ply their trade in the FA Cup.
Down below, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal both suffered blows in their respective top-four pursuits, with Brighton & Hove Albion and Southampton beating the North London clubs by 1-0 scorelines respectively.
Manchester United took advantage with a 3-2 success over Norwich City to rise to fifth in the rankings, and West Ham United's Europa League fatigue came into play during a 1-1 draw with Burnley.
Elsewhere, Newcastle United left it late to register a 2-1 win versus Leicester City, while Brentford marched to victory over Watford by the same scoreline.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week for the latest round of fixtures.
DEFENCE
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Forming an impenetrable barrier that none of Arsenal's bright young attackers had the answer to, Fraser Forster played a blinder during Southampton's win over the Gunners, making terrific stops from Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Granit Xhaka - posting six saves in total - while he also made two punches and two high claims in a commanding display.
A quietly solid performance came Emil Krafth's way during Newcastle's smash-and-grab win over Leicester, as the Swedish right-back made seven crucial tackles, three interceptions and won eight of his 10 ground duels in front of the buoyant St James' Park crowd.
Forster was not the only member of the Southampton backline to play their part during the win over Arsenal, as Jan Bednarek was in the right place at the right time to smash home the game's only goal on the stroke of half time, while seven clearances and five interceptions were priceless in his side's win.
In keeping with the theme of goalscoring defenders, Pontus Jansson did not score the most difficult header of his career in the win over Watford, but his last-gasp effort into the ground ultimately sealed the deal for the Bees, who also appreciated the centre-back winning four of his six ground duels on the day.
Finally, Brighton's swoop for Marc Cucurella has proven to be an astute piece of business from Graham Potter, as the Spaniard starred in the win over Spurs by winning all five of his ground duels, making three tackles and posting an 88% pass accuracy in the capital.
MIDFIELD
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Kieran Dowell has had to be patient for consistent opportunities in the Norwich first team this term, but the 24-year-old certainly staked his claim for a regular spot with two contributions against Man United - darting into acres of space to head home before turning provider for Pukki with a delightful threaded pass.
Dowell's efforts went unrewarded at Old Trafford, but Bruno Guimaraes's brace for Newcastle proved invaluable during the visit of Leicester, with the Brazilian poking home through Kasper Schmeichel while on the ground before sending the home crowd and players into delirium with a composed header right at the death.
Before Jansson sealed the deal with virtually the last kick - or header - of the contest, Brentford lynchpin Christian Norgaard put in an exemplary display in the middle, finishing clinically after the ball came to him quickly from a throw-in while also winning five of his six ground duels in the engine room.
Only one week after making the net ripple in one North London stadium, Leandro Trossard continued his affinity for goals in the capital in the dying embers against Tottenham - beautifully cutting inside before settling the contest in the Seagulls' favour with an expertly-taken outside-of-the-boot finish.
ATTACK
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Teemu Pukki's efforts to keep Norwich afloat in the top flight will likely be in vain once again, but the Finnish striker's contributions at Old Trafford certainly gave the Red Devils quite the scare on Saturday, as his pinpoint ball across met the head of Dowell before he calmly beat a goalkeeper as competent as David de Gea at his near post.
While Pukki briefly stole the spotlight at the Theatre of Dreams, there was one true star on show for Ralf Rangnick's side. Breaking the 20-goal barrier for the season again, Cristiano Ronaldo scored three goals of major significance - a well-taken finish with plenty of the goal to aim at, a strong header from a corner, and a trademark unstoppable free kick - to boost his side's Champions League hopes and post a 60th hat-trick of an illustrious career.
SPORTS MOLE'S PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole's Premier League Team of the Week (4-4-2): Forster; Krafth, Bednarek, Jansson, Cucurella; Dowell, Guimaraes, Norgaard, Trossard; Pukki, Ronaldo
Ben Knapton
