Thoughts and analysis from momentous weekend of Premier League action

theScore examines the most important developments and biggest talking points from the weekend's slate of action in England's top flight.

The title race was over weeks ago

Arsenal's 3-0 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion signaled beyond any reasonable doubt the end of the Premier League title race. With a four-point lead and a game in hand, Manchester City can clinch with a win over Chelsea next weekend - or if Arsenal fail to beat Nottingham Forest a day prior. It's inevitable.

It's a shame such a promising title race fizzled out so quickly. The Gunners collapsed just as Pep Guardiola's serial champions began to string together their longest winning streak of their campaign.

To a certain extent, Arsenal's late-season slump is understandable. They remain one of the Premier League's youngest teams and couldn't possibly have imagined themselves as City's primary opposition in the middle of May. City, on the other hand, are full of chiseled veterans and world-class players who've been there and done that.

But Sunday's defeat wasn't what killed Arsenal's dream. It was already on life support.

They lost their way during the month of April. Consecutive draws with West Ham United and recently relegated Southampton robbed them of points as City closed the gap from eight to just one. The loss of standout center-back William Saliba certainly had a negative effect on the team, but much of their downfall was self-inflicted. Fans understood how Arsenal could blow a 2-0 lead in the cauldron of Liverpool's Anfield Stadium, but sympathy was in much shorter supply when West Ham clawed back from the same deficit. Then came Aaron Ramsdale's gift of a pass to Southampton's Carlos Alcaraz, which set the tone for an embarrassing 3-3 draw at home to the worst team in the league.

Arsenal were reminded once again of the small margins of error that exist in the English top flight. Just as back-to-back defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United cost Mikel Arteta and Co. a place in the top four last season, this year's dismal run of two wins in seven matches cost them a major trophy.

As much as it's been a season of progress - Arsenal did manage to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in six seasons - it feels like they have wasted a year of considerable opportunity. Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle, and Manchester United should improve in the off-season, and the weight of expectation will only increase in north London. Arsenal have to do quite a bit of work to not only add to the depth of Arteta's squad but to continue to progress in a meaningful way. That starts with tuning the instruments at hand and ensuring they won't sound another flat note at the business end of a similarly promising campaign.

Why Walker is so important for City

Most of us saw a full-back who liked to bomb forward. In his final season at Tottenham Hotspur, Kyle Walker averaged 1.3 key passes per 90 minutes as he repeatedly sprinted down the right flank, maintaining his team's width while trying to furnish opportunities for Harry Kane. Defending wasn't particularly high among Walker's priorities when center-backs with the quality of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen patrolled the space behind him.

But when Walker arrived at Manchester City in 2017, Pep Guardiola had identified a vital part of his side's defensive foundation. Walker's pace could still be utilized in the opponents' half, and it could also be used as a critical last line of protection from counter-attacks and a way to neutralize the trickiest wingers in world football.

Walker's enthralling head-to-head with Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior last Tuesday, along with his interventions to keep Everton's dangerous surges at bay during Sunday's match, underlined his importance to Guardiola's side.

His speed and anticipation may have prevented City from falling behind at Goodison Park. Alex Iwobi carried the ball over the halfway line and sought to expose City's undermanned defense in the ninth minute, sliding the ball inside to Abdoulaye Doucoure. But Walker read the situation, making a threatening scenario appear rather innocuous as he toe-poked the ball away from the midfielder.

Walker can also use his pace to atone for his own errors. Everton's industrious midfielders were unsettling City. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was holding up the ball well. Guardiola looked forlorn in the technical area. The Toffees' belief was growing, and the crowd roared when James Garner pinched the ball in the middle after Walker's poor header. Garner passed to Calvert-Lewin, the striker skipped past Aymeric Laporte, and suddenly Everton had a chance to go ahead. But as Calvert-Lewin wound up to shoot, Walker accelerated back and bashed the ball out for a corner.

City don't have another player like Walker. Joao Cancelo, who's now on loan at Bayern Munich, had some pace - not Walker-level pace, but a decent amount - but was weak defensively. Talented youngster Rico Lewis is more in the mold of how John Stones has played in recent months: a right-back out of possession and a central midfielder in possession. Walker is City's most effective shield to counter-attacks.

With Walker turning 33 later this month, City's transfer strategists must be scratching their heads at the prospect of replacing such a valuable cog in Guardiola's machine.

Saints sunk by poor transfers, Nathan Jones

Fulham were occasionally guilty of being too casual in possession and lacked creativity in the final third. They still won 2-0 at Southampton.

Saturday's defeat confirmed the Saints' descent - a relegation that appeared inevitable in recent weeks. Like many demotions, mistakes from years ago contributed to their demise. But a drastic change to the club's transfer policy - it signed numerous young, inexperienced players last summer - and the appointment of Nathan Jones in November were what left this season in ruins.

Jones discussed his disastrous 14-match spell with Sky Sports News on Saturday and revealed his greatest regret was his post-match comments following a 3-0 defeat at Brentford in February. During that press conference, he dropped huge hints that there were divisions in the dressing room and a difficult relationship between himself and the club executives. Rather than dealing with the club's issues internally, he needlessly exposed the splintered roots of Southampton's struggles.

"It was probably a little bit ill-timed," Jones conceded.

There were obviously other errors over Jones' tenure. He failed to recall Nathan Tella from his loan at Burnley - where the versatile attacker tallied 17 goals and five assists over 39 Championship appearances - and it was hard to identify a playing style while he constantly tinkered. He changed formation five times during a 3-1 home defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion; that might not destabilize the experienced squad members, but Jones used 10 players aged 25 or under in that fixture.

Ruben Selles was left to deal with the mess that Jones left behind. The coach tried to instill discipline that had begun to fray during Ralph Hasenhuttl's time in charge. There were positive moments - the wins over Chelsea and Leicester City and, most notably, the stirring display in April's 3-3 draw at Arsenal - but it was ultimately too little, too late.

Jones is undoubtedly one of the EFL's greatest managers over the past decade - he was instrumental in Luton Town's rise from League Two to the upper reaches of the Championship. But the chasms in Southampton's dressing room and waning confidence in the club's new transfer strategy were made worse by the appointment of an intense figure who constantly and unhelpfully referred back to his prior achievements.

Southampton need to ensure the woeful decisions made this season can never happen again, otherwise earning an instant promotion from the Championship will be near-impossible.

Awoniyi a big part of Forest's survival run

Taiwo Awoniyi missed nearly half the season through injury, and yet Nottingham Forest may have the 25-year-old to thank for preserving their Premier League status.

Awonyi's brace against Chelsea on Saturday helped Forest move three points clear of the relegation zone and crowned a particularly prolific week for the Nigerian striker. His brilliant two-goal performance in Monday's 4-3 win over Southampton gave Forest the belief they could extend their membership in England's top flight, and he showed the same clinical edge at Stamford Bridge, eluding Chelsea's defenders to score off a pair of headers.

If Awoniyi hadn't missed 15 matches between January and the beginning of April, Forest may not have even been in this mess. His match-winning potential became clear earlier in the season: He scored the only goals in 1-0 wins over West Ham United and Liverpool and showed he can carry attacks with his dribbling ability. But a groin injury derailed his first season in England and left Forest without either a target man or a counter-attacking presence in their lineup. It's no coincidence Steve Cooper's side struggled to score goals during Awoniyi's absence.

The problem now is that Forest are leaking more goals than ever. The last time they kept a clean sheet in the Premier League was Feb. 5 against Leeds United, a whopping 16 games ago.

"We're scoring more goals in this phase than any phase of the season, although we are conceding as well," Cooper said afterward, according to Sarah Clapson of the Nottingham Post. "It feels like we are giving away goals more easily than how we are scoring them."

That makes Awoniyi's recent run of goals all the more meaningful.

Time running out for woeful Spurs

Tottenham fans were annoyed from the get-go. And who could blame them?

Long before Spurs slumped to a 2-1 away defeat against a strong Aston Villa side, fans voiced their displeasure at the club's longtime chairman, Daniel Levy, at the tail end of another lost season. "We want Levy out," shouted supporters just 15 seconds into Saturday's contest at Villa Park.

It was another loud demand for change at a club that has regressed to the point where a European berth isn't certain for next season. Pressure continued to mount on the north London side Saturday against a Villa side breathing down its neck in the Premier League table.

Spurs justified frustrations in the away end less than 10 minutes into the game after conceding the opener to Jacob Ramsey. There was hardly anything to cheer about over the next 35 minutes. In fact, Spurs were lucky to go into halftime trailing by just a goal after Villa missed a pair of golden opportunities to increase their advantage.