CREDIT: "HARRY KANE" BY ENVIRO WARRIOR ON FLICKR (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Harry Kane became the first to reach the 20-goal mark this season. The feat also makes him just the fifth Englishman to score 20+ goals in consecutive Premier League seasons.

As we inch closer to the conclusion of this most unpredictable of Premier League seasons, clubs are finding themselves more and more desperate to claim what is left of the points available. Some are fighting for the title, some for Europe and others for their status in the top flight.

With crucial matches all over the table, week 31 gave us some more talking points.

Starting at the top of the table, Leicester City’s incredible run continued, as they extended their lead to eight points, courtesy of a 1–0 win away at a Crystal Palace team that has yet to win a match in the calendar year. Riyad Mahrez was the scorer as the Algerian midfielder netted the 16th goal of his breakout season, and kept his team firmly in control of the title race. Their lead would be cut back to five points as Tottenham Hotspur comprehensively beat Bournemouth 3–0 the following day, with Harry Kane becoming the first to reach the 20 goal mark this season. The feat also makes him just the fifth Englishman to score 20+ goals in consecutive Premier League seasons.

Manchester City’s outside hope of regaining the title seems all but lost, and they now find themselves facing a battle just to stay in the Champions League places. They lost the Manchester derby by a single goal, scored by Manchester United’s 18-year-old Marcus Rashford, who continues to take advantage of his run in the first team. The win conversely gives a real boost to United’s top four prospects.

Southampton also boosted their European push at the expense of a rival with a 3–2 win against Liverpool after being 2–0 down. Halftime substitute Sadio Mané missed a penalty but scored a double to lead his team to a memorable victory.

At the bottom of the table Norwich City clawed themselves out of the relegation zone with a win against West Brom, adding more drama than ever to the North-West derby that was the centrepiece of the weekend. Newcastle United vs. Sunderland is always an ill-tempered, scrappy affair, but with both clubs battling for survival there was more riding on the game than just local bragging rights.

A win for Newcastle would see them leapfrog their old rivals and out of danger, while a win for Sunderland would see them put distance between them and the drop zone. In the end a 1–1 draw would be fought out, leaving both clubs in the bottom three.

It seems inevitable that there will be a new name on the Premier League trophy, neither Leicester nor Tottenham have ever won, and now we are looking at a real chance of both Northern clubs dropping out of the league. Most clubs only have seven more games to make this season a success, and they promise to deliver just as many ups and downs as those that have come this year. The league is more exciting than ever.