Iwobi, Coutinho, De Bruyne and Morgan in team of the week

Leicester City moved a step closer to the impossible dream as they extended their Premier League lead to seven points following victory over Southampton on Sunday.

Tottenham Hotspur, in second, could only draw with Liverpool to leave Arsenal nipping at their heels, while West Ham lost ground in the race for fourth place.

At the bottom of the table, Norwich's last-gasp win over Newcastle leaves the Magpies in dire straits and eases the pressure on the Canaries, while Aston Villa's grim defeat to Chelsea means they will have to double their points tally for the season in the final six games to stand any chance of surviving. More likely, they will be relegated next weekend.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

But who were the stars of this weekend's action? Here's The Week's pick of the experts picks:

Goalkeeper: Ben Foster (West Brom)

West Brom reached the magical 40-point figure on Saturday with a goalless draw against Sunderland, largely thanks to Foster, who "kept Sunderland at bay, making six saves and keeping a clean sheet", says the Daily Star.

Defence: Hector Bellerin (Arsenal), Wes Morgan (Leicester), Daley Blind (Manchester United), Martin Olsson (Norwich)

Arsenal's young full-back got on the scoresheet as the Gunners thumped Watford 4-0. "The Spaniard scored his first goal in 44 games and almost a year," says Eurosport. "He has been involved in four goals in his past three Premier League games."

Leicester captain Morgan was an ever-present in the team of the week picks after scoring the winner against Southampton. He was "the first name on my teamsheet this week as he was simply immense on Sunday," says Harry Redknapp of the Daily Telegraph.

He may have be a traditional centre-back, but United defender Blind "had a great game up against Romelu Lukaku and seemed to thrive on the challenge of facing Everton's top scorer", says Goal.com.

Norwich match-winner Martin Olsson is also a popular choice. "The full-back's strike was, under the circumstances, quite brilliant. I have seen top players mis-hit or just screw a shot wide when so much is at stake," says Garth Crooks of the BBC. "These were three mighty points for Norwich."

Midfield: Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool), Kevin de Bruyne (Man City), Pedro (Chelsea), Dimitri Payet (West Ham)

Coutinho came up with an "exceptional finish" to put Liverpool 1-0 up against Spurs, says Crooks. "In fact, I don't think I have ever seen the Brazilian score what can be described as an ordinary goal for Liverpool."

After months out with an ankle injury, this was "a sensational comeback for the City star", says the Star. "Scored a goal and was the best player on the pitch as the Sky Blues smashed Bournemouth."

Pedro scored twice for Chelsea against Aston Villa to be the top scorer on Fantasy Premier League, with 16 points. "Pedro’s Chelsea career thus far has been hit and miss, but his display at Villa Park was most certainly a hit," says website The Offside Rule.

West Ham star Payet found the net with a free kick against Crystal Palace on Saturday and it is "clear that Dimitri Payet is the set-piece king," says ESPN. "A stunning free-kick capped another silky smooth display from one of the players of the season."

Attack: Alex Iwobi (Arsenal), Alexandre Pato (Chelsea)

ESPN describes Iwobi as an "attack-minded midfielder", but he gets the nod as a striker after another goal for the Gunners against Watford. While it might only be his second start in the league, he "maintained the extremely lively standard he'd set in the game against Everton".

The last berth goes to another Chelsea forward. "The wait is finally over for Brazil striker Pato as, 64 days after he signed for Chelsea, he finally got his chance to impress and duly delivered as he bagged a goal and an assist in the Blues' hammering of Aston Villa," says Goal.com.