Manchester United on the march, Chelsea title class, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp take tough decision
Seven things we have learnt from the bumper midweek Premier League programme that has seen the table take shape
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CHELSEA ensured they will be top of the Premier League at Christmas with victory at Sunderland that leaves them six points clear in the table.
But while Arsenal faltered on Tuesday, the rest of Chelsea's rivals for the title all kept the pressure on with victories in a crucial midweek programme of games.
Liverpool trounced Middlesbrough to move up to second while Manchester City's win over Watford saw them move to within a point of the third-placed Gunners.
SunSport takes a look at seven things we learned from Wednesday's matches that have made a major impact on both ends of the table.
Manchester United are looking ominous
The performances have been there for a while, but now the results are coming and all of a sudden Manchester United are clicking into gear as we approach the second half of the season.
The below par displays of earlier in the campaign are a distant memory - Jose Mourinho has now got his squad playing how he wants them and the evidence is there for all to see.
United are now seven games unbeaten, with a settled side and big stars Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are really starting to turn it on.
The signs are all pointing to a serious push over Christmas and the New Year that could well see them cruising to a Champions League finish.
Chelsea have the grind to win the title
Having blitzed opponents with their blistering attacking game for the last couple of months, there were still lingering doubts whether they could grind out wins. Not now.
Antonio Conte's side had to be patient and dig deep to see off a resolute West Brom at Stamford Bridge at the weekend.
And Sunderland were far from pushovers on Wednesday night as David Moyes set out his team to frustrate and close the spaces down to deny the Blues an easy run.
Faced with such challenges, the very best teams find a way, and that is exactly what Chelsea have done in their last two matches.
They may have been a grind, but these are exactly the results that Premier League winners get across a season.
Pep can drop anyone like a stone
He may love a ball-playing footballer, but there is nothing better than a win for any manager and Pep Guardiola showed his tough streak as he axed John Stones from his side.
Stones has been exposed in the last two matches, and it says a lot that he was ditched in favour of left-back Aleksandar Kolarov to tackle the physical threat of Watford.
Guardiola talks at great length about sticking to his principles and playing the game the right way, but maybe he is starting to realise that might not be enough in the English game.
Results matter more, Kolarov was seen as better able to physically match up, and Stones was the fall-guy. The penny may be dropping for Pep.
Klopp is helping Karius in the long-term
With so much public debate surrounding Loris Karius, it would be easy for a manager to be stubborn and stick to his guns when all else were claiming he had made a mistake.
To be clear, it is far too early to say that signing Karius as his first choice goalkeeper is a mistake - but the time was right to take him out of the firing line.
In goalkeeping terms, the 24-year-old is still learning his trade and having the spotlight shone on his every move after a couple of poor displays will not have done him any favours.
Simon Mignolet may not be everyone's cup of tea at Anfield, but he knows his way around and his experience will be welcome in a Liverpool defence that has shipped to many goals of late.
Karius may be feeling sore at being dropped, but if he is as good as his manager believes he is, his omission will only make him stronger.
Baggies could bounce into Europe
A season that started in turmoil is really taking off for West Brom who are fast emerging as one of the most difficult sides to beat in the Premier League.
Their only defeat in the last six games was by the single goal at Chelsea and they responded in great fashion by taking care of Swansea
with ease.
Tony Pulis sides are always combative, but this Baggies team mixes the physical side with no shortage of quality going forward and in Salomon Rondon they have a striker of genuine class.
West Brom are up to seventh in the table and have the platform to play without any fears of relegation, so the signs are good at The Hawthorns.
The Bubbles could still burst
West Ham finally secured their first win since mid-October as they beat Burnley, but the display was far from impressive.
Slaven Bilic's side knew they had a run of games in December that would make or break their season, and they got the victory in the first of those.
But the Hammers still haven't clicked into gear and their performances are nowhere near the levels they showed last season.
At least they have opened up a four point gap between themselves and the drop zone - but they still have more to prove.
Alan Pardew looks a man destined for the axe
Sometimes things just go wrong no matter what you try or change, and Alan Pardew is getting that sinking feeling at Crystal Palace.
A woeful run of form throughout the whole of 2016 has seen the vociferous Palace supporters starting to turn their anger on the manager.
Home defeat to Manchester United has been laid squarely at the feet of Pardew, apparently for his poor substitutions, and when you lose the fans it is so hard to come back.
Things are not helped by the fact they face Chelsea next up, when defeat could spell the end for the once popular boss.
Tigers are turning into pussycats
No-one thought it was going to be easy, but Hull looked doomed unless they can rediscover their early season bite.
Mike Phelan's team have won just one of their last ten matches - a run which has seen them beaten seven times.
That is relegation form whichever way you look at it, and the only way they can arrest that slump is to start putting up more of a fight.
Tottenham had it far too easy at White Hart Lane on Wednesday, they cannot afford to be so timid against West Ham this weekend in a game against one of their relegation rivals.
