Arsenal are closing in on a first Premier League title for 22 years after the decision to rule out a late West Ham equaliser had huge ramifications at both ends of the table on Sunday.
Callum Wilson's stoppage time strike looked to have given the Hammers a lifeline in the relegation battle and Manchester City hope in the title race.
But a VAR review for a foul on David Raya rescued Arsenal and edged north London rivals Tottenham closer to survival.
Dropped points for Aston Villa and Liverpool has left the fight for a place in the Champions League next season open as in-form Bournemouth and Brighton close in.
AFP Sports looks at three talking points from the Premier League weekend:
Fortune favours the Gunners
Arsenal's demons were set to reappear at the London Stadium in a frantic finale.
Runners-up for the past three seasons, Mikel Arteta's team have wasted numerous opportunities already this season to leave City for dead in the title race.
Now, though, they appear to have scaled the final big hurdle after a hugely contentious call fell their way.
"You need a lot of courage and bravery to stand out and give the opportunity to the referee to have a look at the action," said Arteta. "They were very brave."
Two games against already-relegated Burnley and Crystal Palace, just days before the latter play in the Conference League final, separate the Gunners from glory.
And Arsenal might not even need six points with City still to travel to high-flying Bournemouth in one of their three remaining games.
Bournemouth dream big
Bournemouth’s 11,000 capacity Vitality Stadium could be playing host to the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain next season after they stretched a remarkable unbeaten run since losing Antoine Semenyo to City in January to 16 games.
Semenyo’s replacement Rayan has proven another smart piece of business by the Cherries and the Brazilian struck the only goal in a 1-0 win over Fulham in which both sides were reduced to 10 men.
Bournemouth look nailed on to at least qualify for European competition for the first time in the club’s history.
The top five in the Premier League are assured of Champions League qualification, while sixth could also be enough if Aston Villa finish fifth and win the Europa League final later this month.
Four points adrift of Liverpool and Villa with two games to go, Bournemouth lead Brighton by two points in the battle for sixth.
Slot promises change
The growing frustration among the Liverpool support towards Arne Slot was in evidence as another lacklustre performance from the defending champions allowed Chelsea to snap their six-game losing streak in a 1-1 draw.
Slot’s decision to replace teenager Rio Ngumoha with Liverpool chasing a winner in the second half was met with howls of derision, while widespread boos greeted the final whistle.
Reports suggest the Dutchman will survive a desperately disappointing second season, thanks in large part to the credit he earned in delivering the title during his first year in English football.
Slot has bemoaned the toll that injuries have taken on a short squad despite a record £450 million ($613 million) outlay in the transfer market last summer and promised big changes will be made for next season.
"I do. Not this season, by the way. This season they will have their opinion and it will not change," he said on whether he can regain the faith of the Liverpool support.
"But if we can have the summer that we are planning to have, then I'm 100 percent convinced that we will be a different team next season than we are now. Different in terms of results, different in how things look."
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