Tottenham Hotspur have leapfrogged Chelsea back up to third place in the English Premier League, while Manchester United moved a step closer to a 20th English football league title with a 1-0 win at Sunderland.
That defeat's left Sunderland without a win in eight games and just a point above the relegation zone, and the club acted swiftly, dumping manager Martin O'Neill.
Spurs won 2-1 at Swansea City while Chelsea lost 2-1 at Southampton to see their hopes of Champions League qualification compromised.
Manchester City thrashed Newcastle 4-0 and the champions now have a five-point cushion in second place above Chelsea, while Arsenal's 4-1 rout of visitors Reading at the Emirates closed the gap to the fourth-placed Blues to two points.
Everton maintained their push for European football by repelling Stoke City 1-0, and the Toffees are now just two points behind Arsenal in sixth place.
The All White captain Winston Reid's West Ham United beat West Bromwich Albion 3-1 in London, while Wigan Athletic climbed above Aston Villa and out of the relegation zone after a 1-0 home win over Norwich City.
