Chelsea remain seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table after a late goal from Willian earned the Blues a 1-0 victory over Everton on Wednesday night.
The winner from the Brazilian midfielder ensured that his side matched Manchester City's three points at Stoke City, with Sergio Aguero returning to form with two goals at the Britannia Stadium.
Manchester United returned to third spot with a 3-1 triumph over Burnley, while Southampton complete the top four despite being held to a goalless draw by 10-man West Ham United.
Arsenal are fifth after edging past Leicester City by a 2-1 scoreline on Tuesday night, with Liverpool closing the gap on Tottenham Hotspur in sixth position with a 3-2 success at Anfield.
At the foot of the table, Aston Villa dropped into the bottom three after losing 2-0 at Hull City, a result that cost Paul Lambert his job in the West Midlands, with Queens Park Rangers moving above the relegation zone after their 2-0 win at Sunderland.
West Bromwich Albion continued their revival under Tony Pulis with a 2-0 win against Swansea City, while the match between Crystal Palace and Newcastle United ended in a 1-1 draw.
Below, Sports Mole selects 11 players who have impressed over the past two evenings in the top flight.
Petr Cech (Chelsea)
After surprisingly being recalled to the starting lineup, Petr Cech showed why he is still one of the best goalkeepers in the world with several impressive saves to deny Everton, including one at point-blank range from Romelu Lukaku. The 32-year-old has now kept five clean sheets in his last seven games.
James Tomkins (West Ham United)
James Tomkins deservedly came in for criticism when play-acting against Everton earlier in the season, but the Hammers defender has since turned in a succession of fine performances at the back, one of which came at Southampton on Wednesday night.
Chris Smalling (Manchester United)
Chris Smalling found himself out of the Manchester United starting lineup on Wednesday night, but after coming on as an early replacement for Phil Jones, he needed just 22 seconds to set his team on the road to victory against Burnley before netting a second just before half time.
Rio Ferdinand (Queens Park Rangers)
After being drafted into the side as a replacement for the injured Richard Dunne, Rio Ferdinand played a significant part in Queens Park Rangers finally recording their first away victory of the season at Sunderland, while also keeping a clean sheet at the Stadium of Light.
Ahmed Elmohamady (Hull City)
The Hull wing-back featured in our 'numpty of the week' section after his comical handball against Newcastle United, but he's back in this piece for the right reasons this time around after delivering an energetic display on the flank while providing several threatening balls into the middle for his team's frontline.
Theo Walcott (Arsenal)
He has had to bide his time since recovering from a serious knee injury, but Theo Walcott is finally starting to have an impact after being handed more starts by Arsene Wenger. That continued on Tuesday as he volleyed home his team's second against Leicester City, a goal which proved decisive by the end of the night.
Nemanja Matic (Chelsea)
While Cesc Fabregas has been receiving praise for his assists this season, Nemanja Matic has kept the engine room ticking over with combative performances to nullify the opposition, and that's what occurred against Everton as the Serbian international covered all areas of the pitch to inspire his team to a last-gasp win.
James Milner (Manchester City)
James Milner was Manchester City's saviour against Hull City at the weekend, and on Wednesday night, he delivered another display that strengthened his position to earn a new deal at the Etihad Stadium. In a performance that saw him record the most distance covered by a Premier League player this season, his header regained the lead for City in the second half.
David Silva (Manchester City)
David Silva has established himself as Manchester City's chief creator since moving to the Etihad Stadium in 2010, and his influence continued at the Britannia Stadium on Wednesday as he played his part in helping his side remain in the title race by winning a second-half penalty that helped extend City's lead to 3-1.
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
After five games without a goal, Aguero finally delivered the kind of showing that he was producing on a regular basis before suffering a knee injury in December. His opening goal was superb, but his overall contribution saw him earn the plaudits at the Britannia Stadium.
Brown Ideye (West Bromwich Albion)
It was just nine days ago that Brown Ideye appeared to be on the way out of The Hawthorns, but after netting an important goal at Burnley on Sunday, he did the same against Swansea City on Wednesday night to suggest to Pulis that he was right to retain his services.
Numpty of the week
Adrian: West Ham goalkeeper Adrian has been one of the club's stars of the season with a number of consistent performances in the Hammers goal, but he faces a suspension after slipping up at St Mary's on Wednesday night. The Spaniard could argue that a foul contributed to him handling the ball outside of his area, but it was his indecision on the ball that initially put himself in that position. Fortunately for the Hammers, it didn't cost them a point as they try to remain in the top eight.
Goal of the week
Sergio Aguero - Stoke City vs. (Manchester City): The Argentine forward has struggled to make any sort of an impact since his return from a knee injury on January 10, but he finally showed why he is regarded as the best striker in the Premier League with a stunning effort at the Britannia Stadium. Despite being fouled on the halfway line, Aguero continued to push forward before seeing off the attention of another Stoke defender to drive the ball into the far corner from 18 yards.
