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Even though Arsenal’s clash with Chelsea is perhaps the ‘glamour tie’ of the weekend, Southampton and Spurs dealt up a tie that lived up to it’s billing as the one that mattered. Both sides are firmly in the hunt for European qualification, and with Mauricio Pochettino returning to St. Mary’s Stadium there was plenty for the narrative lover to enjoy.

It appears both teams have their beach towels and flip flops firmly locked away after serving up a decent spectacle, which may have major connotations by the time the final whistle ends game 38. But what did we learn on the Hampshire coast? Here are THREE lessons

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The Europa League battle will go to the wire

Although the Europa League is often seen as a poison chalice, both Southampton and Spurs seem pretty keen to book a spot in it. Champions League qualification is realistically gone for both sides, and Liverpool look more likely to finish in fifth, so the pair could well be fighting for the last remaining qualification spot with Aston Villa in the FA Cup Final. Spurs sit on 58 points with Southampton on 57 with four games to go… it’ll be tight!

Spurs need a commanding defender

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Spurs are believed to be looking for a new centre-back this summer, and today summed up why. Both of Southampton’s goals were avoidable, with a lack communication at the back the difference between one and three points. Ben Davies, a left-back, was at fault at first, but Graziano Pelle’s header was perhaps avoidable had the Italian been rivalled in the air.

Pelle is back!

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After netting just once in the last four months of action, Pelle officially announced his comeback this afternoon. The big Italian was prolific for the Saints before Christmas, but as the club’s rampaging form dried up, so to did his ability in front of goal – or perhaps the other way around! Two goals today against Spurs will fill him with confidence, and while the first was a little on the fortunate side, his second was a vintage header.

Team News

West Ham have no fresh injury concerns with James Tomkins (calf) and George McCartney (knee) likely to miss out.

Newcastle make the long trip to east London without of several key players. Mathieu Debuchy is suspended after being sent off against Liverpool last week, while fellow full-backs Massadio Haidara and Davide Santon (both hamstring) are sidelined. Tim Krul (dislocated shoulder) and Sylvain Marveaux (groin) remain out, but could welcome back captain Fabricio Coloccini.

What the managers said…

“At the moment, we are far better than where we expected to be. We didn’t expect to be almost safe with four games to go. I think we’ll be okay with 42 points so we’re way ahead of what we expected. As I say, we need to get a few more goals to get the points. We’ll address that in the summer and hopefully we’ll find some better players to improve the squad. Before that we’ve three very important games, two at home and one away so we’ll try to pick up as many points as we can.” Sam Allardyce is content with West Ham’s league position (whufc.com)

“As far as I am concerned, the group is very much together, pulling together trying to get a result. The fact that we have a lot of French players has been torn up and made to be something else. There is no problem. There have not been words that were out of tone or were in a different place. We talked about football, what it is about and how important it is to this football club to get a win quickly.” Alan Pardew denies there is a rift in the Newcastle camp (BBC Sport)

Pre-match Statistic: West Ham have managed just two wins in 14 Premier League meetings with Newcastle at Upton Park.

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Prediction: West Ham United 2-1 Newcastle United

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Leeds fans are calling for Mick McCarthy after Paul Heckingbottom’s torrid run as Leeds boss continued with a 3-1 loss at Preston North End on Tuesday night.

Mick McCarthy announced his immediate departure and stormed out of his press conference after Ipswich’s win over Barnsley on Tuesday, and Leeds fans are hoping their club jumps at the opportunity to replace Paul Heckingbottom.

Heckingbottom has just two wins to his name since taking over in February, and supporters are growing tired of his endless excuses and frankly boring demeanor.

The ex-Barnsley man was furious with the referees in Tuesday’s loss to Preston, as Pontus Jansson appeared to be down with a head injury as Sean Maguire headed in Preston’s second.

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While Heckingbottom may be the victim of a poor squad at Leeds, McCarthy has done an excellent job at Ipswich on limited resources in a difficult situation.

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The 59 year-old has won more games than he’s lost since taking over in 2012, and has solidified the club as a steady mid-table side.

Leeds fans are hoping owner Andrea Radrizzani seizes the opportunity to upgrade on Heckingbottom, and some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…

Ben Kennedy may have only just signed his first professional deal with Stevenage but it looks like he could be heading out of the door and up a few leagues in the summer.

It seems quite a few Premier League clubs have been keeping an eye on the youngster who has made quite an impact since joing the League Two side. The striker has found the net three times in four appearances and he has been spotted by North London Premier League rivals Arsenal and Tottenham. They are not the only ones either, current Champions, Manchester City, are keeping tabs on the youngster.

All three teams are currently fighting for Champions League places and it looks like they are ready to fight for the 18 year old as well.  The Gunners’ scout, Brian McDermott was spotted at a Stevenage match recently so it looks like the rumours that top flight clubs are interested are true. Would it be too much of a big step to jump in one go?

Whilst it seems like a big jump for a young player it could be the move he needs to boost his career. It is unlikely he would start in the first team straight away but he would be able to benefit from the amazing training facilities, physios and all the added bonuses being at a big club can offer. Many Premier League clubs like to keep an eye out for talent in the lower leagues and then make sure they get the players on their books before loaning them out again.

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Kennedy only signed for the League Two side in February and he has been enjoying his time there. While everyone wants to know what he thinks about the rumours and how he feels, Kennedy just wants to focus on his job at Broadhall Way. He has told reporters, “I just have to continue working hard, doing what I’m doing and hopefully I can push on.”

Arsenal have a long history of developing young players under Arsene Wenger and this season Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino seems to have taken a similar approach with first team starts for youngsters Nabil Bentaleb, Ryan Mason and Harry Kane. Both managers love finding hidden talent amongst the lower leagues and their development teams and it looks like Ben Kennedy could become the latest North London protégée.

But they are not the only teams who are interested in the Stevenage star. Manchester City certainly shouldn’t be ruled out. It is a well-known fact that City’s team are seen as an “ageing” one and Pellegrini is keen to bring in as many young players as possible. Their new top of the range training facilities means that the club are keen to expand their development and youth squads in a bid to be able to bring more youngsters up through the ranks like Arsenal and Spurs do on a regular basis.

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Stevenage still have 7 games left to play before the end of the season and they currently sit in 9th place just two points out of the play-off places. Kennedy’s main focus is to get Stevenage promoted, only then will he start listening to rumours and gossip about where he may end up. Carry on playing like this and a “promotion” of his own will most definitely be on the cards.

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Former Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo is Sunderland’s preferred choices to replace Martin O’Neill according to the local paper the Shields Gazette.

The Black Cats sacked O’Neill after yesterday’s home defeat to league leaders Manchester United and the North East club are now just one point clear of the relegation zone.

Sunderland have top goalscorer Steven Fletcher and captain Lee Cattermole out for the season as well as a number of first team players on the short term injury list.

Di Matteo has been out of work since he was sacked from his post at Chelsea earlier this season following a run of poor league form and being left bottom of their Champions League group.

The Italian has been linked with every Premier League job that has been vacant in recent months but fellow candidates for the Sunderland job include former Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren, Mark Hughes and Paolo Di Canio.

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Liverpool are planning to offer Loris Karius a new contract, according to The Sun.

What’s the word?

It was not that long ago when the 24-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements as he struggled for game time.

However, since the turn of the year, Karius has been Jurgen Klopp’s number one and Simon Mignolet has dropped down the pecking order.

As a reward for his performances in between the sticks, Liverpool intend to offer him fresh terms and a pay rise on his £50,000-a-week contract, according to The Sun.

Since becoming first choice, Karius, whose current deal expires in 2021, has kept nine clean sheets in 17 matches in all competitions, and he has been in between the sticks for every Champions League game en route to the semi-finals.

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The Sun reports that the manager is still keeping an eye out for a new goalkeeper this summer and is interested in Stoke City’s Jack Butland and Roma stopper Alisson.

Will Karius be demoted next season?

There is no denying that the German has improved due to a run of games as number one, but if a top-class goalkeeper becomes available in the summer, then he will be second string.

Liverpool have proven this season that they are capable of being a force to be reckoned with due to their attacking qualities.

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Mohamed Salah, who according to our poll is expected to clinch the Premier League Golden Boot, has been in stellar form this season with 40 goals in all competitions.

Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane have also been key to a number of Liverpool victories, while the defence has tightened up due to the January arrival of Virgil van Dijk.

Even though Karius is in decent form, a proven goalkeeper could be the difference between the Reds fighting for top four or challenging for titles next season.

As Millwall approach their biggest match of the season and perhaps since promotion back to the Championship in 2010, the general feeling amongst the fans is that manager Ian Holloway might be approaching the end of his time at the club. Millwall are currently 22nd, three points behind Rotherham and the two teams meet at the New York Stadium on Saturday, in a match that could go a long way in determining both club’s immediate futures.

A defeat for Millwall would be disastrous and a six-point gap could prove too steep a gap to overturn. It could also cost Holloway his job as fans were becoming increasingly frustrated with their boss after the disappointing 3-1 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, midweek.

With no home win in their last ten at the Den – the last coming in a 1-0 win over Cardiff in October – and Holloway seemingly unable to get the best out of his players, the Millwall boss has struggled since taking over in January 2014. The Lions managed to stay up last season by four points but he hasn’t been able to kick-start their Championship stay which other than their first season back, has been quite a struggle. Holloway has led his side to just 14 wins in 59 matches at a win percentage of under 24, where the club’s home form has been a real cause for concern.

Holloway is a manager who has a great track record in this league, since first arriving after leading QPR to promotion in 2004. After successful spells at QPR and Plymouth, Holloway joined Leicester where he was in charge when the Foxes were relegated to League One for the first time in the clubs history. Despite this, he took charge of Blackpool in 2009 and led them to an incredible promotion campaign in his first year as boss.

He couldn’t stop Blackpool from relegation in their first season in the Premier League, but won over a lot of people due to their gutsy performances throughout the campaign. After a heartbreaking play-off final defeat to Cardiff in 2012, Holloway left to join Crystal Palace where once again he led a side to the promised land and at the first time of asking. He decided to leave in October 2013 but since taking over at the Den, things haven’t quite gone as planned and he hasn’t been able to take them to the next level.

Whilst Millwall aren’t necessarily going to be a club that will challenge for promotion every season, they have shown they belong at this level. The team are usually hard to beat at home but under Holloway have an extremely poor record at the Den, which has left many fans calling for the manager’s head.

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Holloway has led two teams to promotion to the Premier League but has been in this situation before where he couldn’t save Leicester from relegation. A manager who has achieved great success in the Football League, his time at Millwall clearly hasn’t worked out and it might be the time for both parties to go their separate ways. The Rotherham clash on Saturday is one in which the whole season rests on and could potentially be Ian Holloway’s last in his feckless reign as Millwall manager.

Ex Arsenal winger Marc Overmars believes that if the Gunners fail to beat rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, their season will be over.

Arsenal will fall seven points behind their neighbours with defeat at White Hart Lane and could be five points adrift of the Champions League places if Chelsea also pick up three points today.

The Gunners also have a tough task to overturn Bayern Munich’s 3-1 advantage when they travel to Germany in their last 16 second leg of the Champions League later this month leaving Arsene Wenger another season without a trophy.

A home defeat to Blackburn in the FA Cup was a large number of Arsenal fans’ final straw with Wenger who is now as unpopular as ever in the red side of North London.

Overmars won a number of medals in his time at Highbury under Wenger and the Dutchman believes the Arsenal fans must stick with the manager and the board.

“Sunday is crucial for them,” Overmars told talkSPORT.

“At this moment in the Premier League, it is very difficult for Arsenal. They have to win the match. If they don’t, the season is over.”

“They have to keep faith in Mr Wenger and the board.”

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“The problem is football has changed a lot in the last ten years. With all clubs having private investors or owners, it makes it more difficult.”

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Kevin Mirallas’ loan spell with Olympiakos has gone from bad to worse, and it doesn’t seem like Everton fans are going to welcome the Belgian back with open arms.

Olympiakos president Evangelos Marinakis has fined his side €400,000 and ordered them to go on holiday, after they drew 1-1 with Levandiakos.

Mirallas played 86 minutes in the draw, and the 30 year-old has not exactly found his best form since the loan move to Greece.

The Belgian winger has yet to find the net since his return to the club Everton signed him from back in 2012, and the Greek champions are reportedly not interested in taking him on a permanent deal this summer.

There hasn’t been much to cheer about at Goodison Park this season, as many of last summer’s big money signings have had troubles with form, fitness and injuries. Still, we don’t think there will be too many fans queuing up to bring Mirallas back.

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The 30 year-old scored 29 league goals in 151 appearances for Everton, but fans grew tired of his inconsistency.

Some of the best Twitter reactions to Mirallas’ awful loan spell can be found below…

It’s getting to that time of year when leaked images of next season’s shirts start doing the rounds on social media.

Earlier on we covered Man United’s latest leaked shirt, made by adidas, which is truly awful. But have Liverpool outdone their rivals already with their leaked kits for next season?

It had been revealed their Liverpool’s current kit manufacturer Warrior is being ‘wound up’ by parent company New Balance, which means the Reds will have to done the New Balance logo on their shirts from next season until the contract expires.

That news was revealed quite some time ago, although it seemed to have slipped the radar, presumably because Liverpool fans weren’t particularly prepared to shout from the rooftops about it. And it’s no wonder of the below images are the real deal.

The below images are apparently going to be Liverpool’s kits as of next season and, as expected, Liverpool fans are absolutely fuming about it…

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