Premier League 2017/18 - Five talking points from gameweek 23

There are numerous highlights from the 23rd game week of the Premier League, but one incident that stands out away from the rest is the truncation of Manchester City's unbeaten run at Anfield.

Pep Guardiola's men have finally lost a match in the competition and it took an exhilarating Liverpool attack to rattle the top-ranked team on Sunday (January 14).

In other news, Chelsea continued on their torrid draw-spree and Arsenal suffered another shock defeat away from home. Tottenham Hotspur blew past an insipid Everton attack and retained their spot in the Top 5.

Here are five major talking points from this weekend's action:

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#5 Manchester City suffer a LOSS

It was a night to remember for the men from Merseyside

It took a seven-goal thriller to finally end Pep Guardiola and Manchester City's unreal league run this season. The top-ranked team went 22 games without losing before an incredible attacking impetus from Jürgen Klopp's men put a halt to their incredible record.

The match was everything you expected it to be, and more. It started with a riveting goal from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 9th minute. Liverpool dominated most of the first half, but an equalizer from Leroy Sane just before half-time set the tone perfectly for the rest of the game.

What followed was an absolute pandemonium.

Liverpool netted three absolute scorchers within nine minutes. Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, and Mohamed Salah showed that losing Philippe Coutinho might not be as catastrophic for the team as it was made out to be. They put their team firmly in front and it looked like the game was killed for good.

However, this was a vintage Liverpool win, if there ever was one.

The Reds almost bottled their lead and the ball went past Loris Karius twice after the 84th minute. They scrapped, scratched, and struggled to hold on to that solitary goal difference in the next four minutes. However, they managed to do that, thereby scripting yet another historic victory before the tumultuous crowds at Anfield.

#4 Arsenal get a peek of the nightmare to follow

It just goes from bad to worse for the North Lonon side

Since Arsene Wenger took over, Arsenal had never finished behind Spurs in the Premier League, never failed to make it to the Top 4 and never tumbled out in the third round of the FA Cup. In the past 9 months, they've managed to do all of that.

They added another embarrassing record to their name on Sunday, when their mediocre effort away from home led to AFC Bournemouth's first ever victory over the Gunners.

Arsenal has failed to register a win in 2018 till now and will struggle to accomplish anything substantial this season. To make things worse, Alexis Sanchez is on the verge of signing with their historic arch-rivals, Manchester United. Mesut Ozil and Jack Wilshere are yet to extend their contracts, leading to catastrophic conditions within the club.

Sanchez and Ozil did not play the game today, and their absence stung Arsenal hard. If the duo is to move away from the Emirates this month, Gooners are in for such disappointing performances every week from now. It will be a harsh time for Wenger, who seems to have passed the tipping point for Arsenal fans all around the world with this loss.

#3 Is Jose Mourinho inside Antonio Conte's head?

The Italian hasn't been able to register his win since his verbal exchange with the United manager

Since Conte participated in his war of words with Jose Mourinho, this is how Chelsea have fared across all competitions:

Arsenal 2-2 Chelsea

Norwich City 0-0 Chelsea

Chelsea 0-0 Arsenal

Chelsea 0-0 Leicester City

It is safe to say that the spat has had a negative impact on the Italian's psyche, and that is creeping onto his management in the game. The protracted verbal battle between the two has lead Chelsea to three consecutive failures to score and four consecutive draws.

Chelsea's home game against Leicester on Saturday should've been buried by the Blues, but they were found struggling from the word go. Jamie Vardy and men dominated the proceedings from the first whistle and even looked like winning the game through most of its length.

A red card to Ben Chilwell in the 68th minute of the game killed the game though and helped Chelsea clinch a draw from a rather clumsy performance. The defending champions were in terrific form in the last couple of months, but seem to have lost their way currently.

Conte must pull himself together as soon as possible and find a way to move past this psychological muddle he is in now. Chelsea has important fixtures to follow in the next couple of weeks, and they need their manager at his best through them all.

#2 Harry Kane keeps adding to his legacy

When Harry Kane plays, records tumble!

Everton capitulated miserably to Tottenham Hotspur's class at the Wembley Stadium on Saturday, and as expected, Harry Kane was the star of the night.

Almost every time he steps on to the field these days, he makes, breaks and thrashes records. The man from England is an unstoppable force and continues to impress with his exceptional skill with every passing game.

This time, he broke Teddy Sheringham’s record of 97 Premier League goals for the North London side. With his double strike in the game, he also became the first baller in the league to reach 20 goals this season.

This is the fourth consecutive time Kane has reached the milestone. His impeccable consistency is what makes him such an asset for the Spurs and such a threat to the opposition. It will be interesting to see how many goals he adds to his tally till the end of the season. It is just January right now and the England international has a substantial chance of repeating his exploits from last season and finishing the year as Europe's leading goalscorer.

#1 The hand-ball equalizer

Abdoulaye Doucoure probably scored the most controversial league goal of this season against Southampton

Southampton started their away game at Watford brilliantly to end the first half with two massive goals from James Ward-Prowse. However, the men in yellow drew level in the second half and clinched a draw for themselves in the 90th minute of the game.

Did Southampton squander their lead or were they robbed off two well-deserved points?

In a desperate attempt to make something off the match, Abdoulaye Doucoure scored a goal in stoppage time to salvage a point for the hosts. However, a replay of the goal displayed a clear handball from the Frenchman.

The error cost the Saints a crucial victory away from home and understandably, the fans are furious with the refereeing, or lack thereof, for the goal.

This incident raises the pertinent PL question yet again: when will the VAR be introduced in English football?