Three talking points from the Premier League

With Arsenal and Manchester City facing off in the League Cup final, the focus was on the battle for Europe and to stay in the lucrative English top flight. Villa reestablished a cushion in the battle for Champions League riches as they beat West Ham 2-0 to take advantage of defeats for Liverpool and Chelsea. West Ham's defeat also meant Spurs avoided dropping into the relegation zone for now, but they have just seven games to arrest an alarming slide and avoid dropping out of the top tier for the first time in nearly 50 years.