The Premier League stars who lit up Matchday 27

The Premier League delivered goals, red cards and excitement in Gameweek 27 as leaders Arsenal maintained their five-point advantage over Manchester City at the summit.

Elsewhere, Manchester United and Liverpool dropped points in the race for fourth, while Tottenham and Newcastle capitalised to strengthen their chances of playing Champions League football next season.

Everton, Leeds, Southampton, Bournemouth and West Ham added to their tally, meaning only five points separate Crystal Palace in 12th from rock-bottom Southampton.

After a weekend of drama on and off the pitch, we pick out five star performers who shone brightest for their clubs.

Leandro Trossard (Arsenal)

Arsenal showcased their title credentials once again in the 3-0 win over Fulham and Leandro Trossard is proving to be a smart purchase for Mikel Arteta.

The former Brighton winger recorded three first-half assists at Craven Cottage as the rampant Gunners maintained their gap over the current champions.

Belgium's 24-cap international is the first player to have a hat-trick of goals and assists in the same season since Santi Cazorla in 2012-13 and the speedster has already tallied six goal contributions in an Arsenal shirt.

Gabriel, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli were the grateful recipients as Trossard became the first player to provide three goals for team-mates in the first half of a Premier League game.

Harry Kane (Tottenham)

Despite playing in a side that has fewer resources than City, Harry Kane is doing well to keep in touch with Erling Halaand in the race for the Golden Boot.

The England skipper notched twice in the 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday to take his league tally to 20 — eight behind the Norwegian.

His first was an excellent looping header from a Pedro Porro cross that sailed over Keylor Navas early on and the No10 later tapped home from the penalty spot to double Spurs' lead.

Kane could have had a third but for a smart save from the Forest stopper, who kept the North London outfit from scoring five or six on the day.

It was a good response from Antonio Conte's men, who were dumped out of the FA Cup and Champions League in the space of a week and will now turn their attention to a strong finish in the remaining 11 games.

Neto (Bournemouth)

Bournemouth's win over Liverpool was a huge step forward for the Cherries, who are looking to retain their Premier League status.

Although Neto did not get a hand on Mohamed Salah's shocking penalty, the goalkeeper played his part in putting off the Egyptian finisher and was delighted when he watched the winger's effort sail into the crowd behind him.

The 33-year-old made five saves and kept his fourth clean sheet of the season as Gary O'Neil's side moved to within a point of safety.

A standout stop from Diogo Jota was the difference between one point and three for Bournemouth, who have won only six league games in 2022-23.

Dwight McNeil (Everton)

It was a successful weekend for teams at the bottom and Everton's win over Brentford lifted the Toffees into 15th, although they have played a game more than those below them.

The Bees came to Goodison Park on a 14-match unbeaten run but the quality on show at Merseyside, particularly from Dwight McNeil, was enough to end their impressive form.

Summer signing McNeil, 23, opened the scoring after just 35 seconds which was enough for Sean Dyche's side to collect three points.

The former Burnley man received the ball on the edge of the box before unleashing a devastating shot that sailed past David Raya and into the top corner.

His strike was a fifth goal contribution of the 2022-23 campaign and it looks like the midfielder is finally coming into his own after a slow start to life at Everton.

Ben Chilwell (Chelsea)

Chelsea have won three games in a row and are starting to look like a side that can compete on a more consistent basis under Graham Potter.

After their success over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday, the Blues continued their upward trend by beating Leicester in the Midlands.

And it was a happy return for Ben Chilwell, who emerged as a top talent at the Foxes before making the switch to London in 2020.

His low strike past Danny Ward opened the scoring and the left-back made sure to make his feelings heard in front of the home fans after being on the receiving end of boos in the opening minutes.

Chilwell has suffered with injury issues during his time at Stamford Bridge and Potter's men have visibly struggled without his dynamism and attacking threat for large periods this season.