Kevin De Bruyne became the second player to reach 100 Premier League assists for one club as the Manchester City playmaker teed up Erling Haaland for the hosts' third goal in a 3-1 win over Leicester City.

The result cut Arsenal's lead to three points at the top of the table, ahead of the Gunners' trip to West Ham on Sunday.

Saturday's games saw Ollie Watkins remain in eye-catching form for Aston Villa, but there were grim home defeats for London giants Chelsea and Tottenham as Brighton and Hove Albion and Bournemouth celebrated impressive victories.

Here Stats Perform, guided by notable Opta match facts, unpicks the finer detail from the day's Premier League action.

Manchester City 3-1 Leicester City: Haaland and De Bruyne star as City keep pressure on

Armed with a 3-0 lead after 25 minutes, Manchester City took their foot off the pedal and Leicester gained a foothold, but the Foxes rarely get much from this fixture. It is 11 wins in their last 13 league games against Leicester now for Pep Guardiola's team, and five wins from as many meetings.

City are on a 10-match winning streak across all competitions, which they have bettered only twice during the Guardiola era, having a run of 21 wins from December 2020 to March 2021, and an 11-game run from August to October in 2017.

Haaland scored twice to take his goals tally to 32 in the top flight, ever closer to the Premier League record of 34 in a single campaign, while De Bruyne's pass that set up the Norway striker's second meant he completed 100 assists for City. Ryan Giggs, with 162 for Manchester United, is the only other player to reach a century of assists for one club in the Premier League.

De Bruyne has now assisted 10 goals for Haaland across all competitions this season, and that is the most assists any one player has had for the young goal machine with a top-flight club, beating Jadon Sancho's nine when he and Haaland were team-mates at Borussia Dortmund in the 2020-21 campaign.

Leicester remain deep in relegation trouble, with the 2015-16 Premier League champions having taken just eight points from 16 games in the competition (W2 D2 L12), losing eight of their past nine.

Aston Villa 3-0 Newcastle United: Watkins and Villa hit half-century marks as Emery revival gathers pace

Aston Villa were hovering precariously closely to the relegation zone when Steven Gerrard was sacked in October. A sensational recovery continued as they steamrollered third-placed Newcastle on Saturday, with their winning run in the Premier League now at five games.

They last reached five wins in a row in the competition on this corresponding weekend 25 years ago, when John Gregory was boss, and Saturday's result means Newcastle's Eddie Howe has lost his last four league clashes with Villa manager Unai Emery, who was previously in charge of Arsenal, by an 11-2 aggregate.

Villa have reached 50 points from 31 games, the earliest they have achieved that tally since they got there in 29 matches in 2009-10, and Watkins has been a key figure in the team's resurgence.

The England striker added to Jacob Ramsey's opener, which came from Watkins' headed assist, by netting a second-half double to take the game away from the Magpies.

Watkins' 50th, 51st and 52nd goal involvements for Villa (39 goals and 13 assists) came in his 102nd Premier League game for the team, with only Christian Benteke (88 games) having reached 50 in fewer games in the competition for the club. Watkins has 12 goals and three assists on Premier League duty since the World Cup, with only Haaland (16) having more goal involvements during this time.

Chelsea 1-2 Brighton and Hove Albion: Seagulls swoop for Stamford Bridge scalp

Brighton substitutes Danny Welbeck and Julio Enciso did the damage, and Chelsea could have no complaints. In terms of expected goals (xG), Brighton bossed this, ending with 2.28 compared to the hosts' 0.60.

After failing to win against Chelsea in 14 Premier League matches, Brighton have done the double this season, having won 4-1 at home in October.

Chelsea's winless run at home in the league now stands at four matches (D2 L2), and that is their worst streak since taking just one point from their final five games at Stamford Bridge in the 2015-16 season.

Only Manchester United (10) have had more goals from substitutes than Brighton (8) in the Premier League this season, and those two sides meet next weekend in the semi-final stage of the FA Cup.

Tottenham 2-3 Bournemouth: Echoes of Balotelli as Outtara stuns Spurs

Tottenham have Aston Villa and Brighton in hot pursuit after this shock reverse, with Dango Ouattara getting Bournemouth's winner four minutes and 11 seconds into stoppage time.

It was the latest winning goal Bournemouth have ever scored in the Premier League, as well as being the second-latest winning goal scored against Spurs by any team on record since 2006-07, after Mario Balotelli's strike for Manchester City in January 2012, which came after four minutes and 39 seconds of added time.

This was Bournemouth's first away league win against Tottenham, after losing on all five previous attempts, and it marked the first time Spurs have lost at home when taking the lead since a 3-2 setback against Southampton in February of last year.

Bournemouth have won five of their last nine Premier League games and have remarkably leapt six points clear of the bottom three, having won just five of their previous 25 matches. Dominic Solanke scored the Cherries' second and provided assists for their two other goals, scoring and assisting in the same Premier League game for the third time this season, with no player having done so on more occasions.

Simone Inzaghi acknowledged Inter must show greater maturity in their Serie A performances after they missed out on a chance to move into the top four with a 1-0 home loss to Monza.

Luca Caldirola's 78th-minute finish was enough to give the visitors an upset victory at San Siro and further extend the Nerazzurri's barren league run.

Inter have collected just one point from five Serie A games, damaging their hopes of Champions League qualification. The defeat saw them fail to capitalise on a draw for city rivals Milan against Bologna earlier on Saturday.

Speaking afterwards, Inzaghi reflected on another tough result for his side, noting he feels they are doing little wrong but must be smart to find answers.

"We got nervous," he told DAZN. "We want this victory, but it is not coming in the league at the moment.

"A mature team must stay in the game. We need to direct the game.

"Now we're talking about a defeat that has slowed down [any chance of momentum]. We have to work on it and not just up front.

"After Lisbon, I was calm. But then, we have seen how it has gone.

"But we lose games that we do not deserve to lose, so we still have to be rational."

With eight top-flight games to go and just a two-point gap to third-place Roma, Inter's top-four hopes are far from over.

In addition, they still have the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie with Benfica to come this week, having taken a 2-0 victory on the road in Portugal.

Inzaghi accepts there is a tough spell ahead, and says both he and Inter must be frank in their self-appraisal if they are to turn matters around.

"We're behind in the league, but we have time to recover, even if these are heavy [blows to take]," he added. 

"This result is not deserved but we need to make more of an impact on games.

"We were the best attacking side in Italy, but now we have difficulties. We have to do a mea culpa, including myself as the coach."

Francesco Bagnaia made it a pole position and sprint race double as Ducati's reigning world champion set the standard ahead of Sunday's MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas.

The 26-year-old Italian crashed at the Argentine Grand Prix last time out in wet conditions but rebounded strongly in Austin with a reminder of the form that brought him last year's title.

He was thoroughly dominant in the sprint, pocketing the 12 points on offer to the winner and moving just one point behind championship leader Marco Bezzecchi in the early season standings.

Honda's Alex Rins took nine points with second place, some 2.545 seconds behind the winner, while third went to Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin who rocketed through the field from 12th on the grid, with Aleix Espargaro taking fourth for Aprilia.

Espargaro had been running second at one stage, while Fabio Quartararo was also showing lively pace before crashing at the first corner with six laps remaining.

Brad Binder took fifth in the sprint, with Bezzecchi sixth as he conceded ground to Bagnaia in the championship, having been nine points ahead heading into this weekend after his maiden race win in Argentina.

Pole position earlier went to Bagnaia in a lap record of two minutes and 1.892 seconds, with Rins an impressive second, ahead of the Mooney VR46 of Luca Marini.

Marini's team-mate Bezzecchi could only take fifth on the grid, with Alex Marquez (Gresini) fourth and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) in sixth spot.

Grid classification

1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) 2:01.892
2. Alex Rins (Honda) +0.160 seconds
3. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46) +0.289
4. Alex Marquez (Gresini) +0.350
5. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46) +0.376
6. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) +0.647
7. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +0.857
8. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) +0.990
9. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) +1.170
10. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM) +1.192

Championship Standings

Riders

1. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46) 54
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) 53
3. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) 35
4. Alex Marquez (Gresini) 33
5. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) 32

Teams

1. Mooney VR46 72
2. Pramac Racing 64
3. Ducati 53
4. Red Bull KTM 53
4. Aprilia 50

Animal rights campaigners succeeded in delaying the Grand National at Aintree on Saturday as police arrested 118 people amid scenes of chaos.

Corach Rambler won the 175th running of the famous steeplechase; however, the start was held up for 14 minutes after a large number of activists attempted to gain access to the course before the main event.

Merseyside Police said arrests had been made for "offences including causing public nuisance and criminal damages", with efforts to breach the perimeter fence and enter the track largely thwarted.

The Aintree spectacle is among the world's most famous races but also has many detractors, with concerns over the number of horses that suffer serious injuries or die from falls.

Two horses died at the Liverpool course in earlier races during this week's Grand National Festival, and a third passed away in the big race itself, with Hill Sixteen dying after falling early on.

Police and security had been on alert for a likely effort to interrupt the race.

Assistant chief constable Paul White said: "The perimeter of Aintree racecourse covers an extensive area of between 4-5km and obviously poses challenges for policing. However, we have been planning the policing of this event for a number of months and we had a robust plan in place to ensure that we had adequate staff to deal with it.

"Just after 5pm a large number of protesters attempted to gain entry onto Aintree racecourse. The majority were prevented from breaching the boundary fencing thanks to our planning and the work of my officers.

"I can confirm a total of 118 people have been arrested today. I would like to thank everyone for their patience whilst this matter was dealt with in a safe and appropriate manner."

After the protest drama, pre-race favourite Corach Rambler lived up to that billing by timing the finish to perfection, coming home ahead of Vanillier, with third place going to Gaillard Du Mesnil.

Reacting to the news of Hill Sixteen's death, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), indicated its concerns about horse safety at the meeting.

The RSPCA said on Twitter: "‘We are very distressed to hear of the deaths of Hill Sixteen, Dark Raven and Envoye Special at the Grand National Festival today. We will be discussing this incident with the British Horseracing Authority."

Kylian Mbappe became Paris Saint-Germain's all-time top scorer in Ligue 1 as he helped them to a crucial 3-1 win over 10-man title rivals Lens on Saturday.

The forward made the most of Salis Abdul Samed's 19th-minute dismissal to net his 139th top-flight goal for PSG and overtake Edinson Cavani's haul, beating Brice Samba inside the box.

Further goals from Vitinha and Lionel Messi helped Christophe Galtier's side refocus on the pitch at Parc des Princes amid a week of off-field distractions.

Most importantly, it sees them open up a nine-point gap over Franck Haise's visitors, who face a monumental task to rein in the champions with seven games to go.

A cagey opening quarter exploded into life when Lens found themselves abruptly a man down, after Abdul Samed was shown a straight red for crunching into Achraf Hakimi's ankle.

PSG wasted little time in making their advantage count, with Mbappe driving his history-making goal in off the right post in the 31st minute as the prelude to a purple patch.

Vitinha buried a 25-yard rocket past Samba in the 37th minute to double the lead, before Messi played a one-two with Mbappe and slotted past the keeper three minutes later.

Hopes of a further rout did not come to fruition following the break however, and Lens were gifted a penalty lifeline when VAR cited Fabian Ruiz for a handball shortly before the hour mark.

Przemyslaw Frankowski duly sent Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way, and from there the visitors proceeded to punch above their weight in a lively last half-hour.

But there was to be no great comeback, and with three more points in their back pocket, it is PSG who hold all the cards heading into the final stretch of the season.

Two goals in the space of four minutes from Nacho and Marco Asensio secured a 2-0 LaLiga win for Real Madrid at Cadiz on Saturday.

Los Blancos dominated the game at Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla but were wasteful until Nacho opened the scoring with his first goal of the season after 72 minutes.

Asensio added a second soon after as Carlo Ancelotti's side moved 10 points behind leaders Barcelona at the expense of relegation-threatened Cadiz.

Ancelotti omitted Vinicius Junior and Toni Kroos ahead of the Champions League clash at Chelsea on Tuesday, while Luka Modric came off the bench late in an ultimately comfortable win.

Madrid started strongly but they were almost behind against the run of play when Cadiz captain Alfonso Espino let fly with a left-foot strike that rattled the far post.

Asensio and Karim Benzema were denied by alert Cadiz goalkeeper David Gil, although Los Blancos wanted a penalty for a tug on their captain before he got his shot away.

A left-foot shot from Benzema bounced down to safety off the crossbar after Rodrygo burst into the box from the left and Dani Ceballos' volley from a corner was palmed over by Gil as Madrid failed to find a first-half breakthrough.

Rodrygo was unable to beat Gil after racing clear early in the second half before the forward inexplicably side-footed wide from six yards out when Federico Valverde presented him with an open goal.

Madrid continued to dominate and Valverde wasted a glorious chance to break the deadlock after Asensio showed great awareness and quality to pick him out with a quickly taken corner.

With Madrid's frustration mounting, Nacho produced a quality right-foot finish from 20 yards out to finally open the scoring.

Asensio then cut in from the left to finish off with a slick move with a composed finish, sealing a deserved win.

Luca Caldirola returned to haunt Inter as Monza snatched a stunning 1-0 win at San Siro, a result that means Simone Inzaghi's problems are deepening.

Defender Caldirola started his playing days at Inter but did not make the grade as a first-team regular, going on to have a journeyman career. However, a powerful header from the 32-year-old snatched all three points for Monza on Saturday, as Inter fluffed their big chance to go fourth in the table.

Milan's draw with Bologna earlier in the day had opened up that opportunity, but Inter's dismal run of form continued as Caldirola claimed the spotlight.

It is now one point from the last five league games for Inter, a desperate run at this crucial stage of the season.

Inter striker Romelu Lukaku headed wide from an excellent position early on, wasting a big chance, and there were to be several of those for the home side.

Joaquin Correa then combined neatly with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Lukaku as he carved out a route into the Monza penalty area, but the Argentine forward was denied by Michele Di Gregorio's save.

It was Correa who was providing much of the early Inter threat, but the first half proved a largely drab affair.

Monza's Carlos Augusto fired into the side-netting as the visitors posed an early threat after the break, with Inter losing defender Stefan de Vrij to injury.

Nicolo Rovella also threatened for Monza with a long-range effort before Inter's Lukaku had a header clawed away by Di Gregorio.

Correa sent a shot narrowly wide, and Lukaku fired fractionally over the bar as the hosts pushed for a breakthrough, yet Dany Mota went equally close for Monza with a left-footed strike that went just too high.

Monza stunned their hosts in the 78th minute when Caldirola stomped through a crowd to head in Patrick Ciurria's left-wing corner, and Inter could not find a way back to level terms.

Luciano Spalletti confirmed Victor Osimhen will start Tuesday's Champions League clash with Milan after the fit-again Napoli star was denied by the woodwork on his return against Hellas Verona. 

Osimhen was sidelined for around three weeks after sustaining a groin injury while on international duty with Nigeria last month, returning to Napoli's bench for Saturday's frustrating goalless draw.

Striker Osimhen was introduced for the final 20 minutes and went closest to breaking the deadlock, crashing a fierce volley against the crossbar as the Serie A leaders were held.

Despite failing to add to his league-high tally of 21 goals this season, no Napoli player bettered his five touches in the Verona area throughout the course of the game.

Spalletti hopes Osimhen's outing will help him enter the Milan game - with Napoli 1-0 down in the tie - in top form, saying the mere sight of the striker lifted the crowd at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. 

"He'll be a starter against Milan," Spalletti said of Osimhen.

"He has this structure where you can throw the ball into him, or in the space, and he holds it. 

"He has many qualities. [Giacomo] Raspadori has almost all of them, but when we throw a long ball over his head, it becomes difficult for him. 

"Osimhen is now a favourite of the fans, so when he enters he always gives a breath of enthusiasm to the whole team.

"Players like him are made of different stuff, they have too many solutions to be normal, they have so many characteristics."

Asked why Napoli failed to make the breakthrough, Spalletti said: "We found a team that closed in and took the space away from us. We need to know how to fill the empty spaces. 

"Many difficulties came from Verona, a team used to wasting time, as they were also allowed to do tonight. I don't see the time we lost added anywhere."

While Napoli have won just one of their last four games across all competitions (D1 L2), they remain 14 points clear of second-placed Lazio and on course to win their first Scudetto since 1990.

Pep Guardiola acknowledged his substitutions made for a nervous finish after seeing his Manchester City side ease up in a 3-1 win over Leicester City at the Etihad Stadium.

City closed the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to three points as Erling Haaland struck twice in the first 25 minutes, after John Stones' fine volley had given the hosts an early lead.

With City cruising against their out-of-form opponents, Guardiola withdrew both goalscorers at the break, with Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Jack Grealish following after the interval.

Leicester then threatened an unlikely fightback after Kelechi Iheanacho tapped in for 3-1, with the Nigerian hitting the post late on and James Maddison missing a fine chance.

Asked if Leicester's late onslaught had caused any nerves, Guardiola told Sky Sports: "Of course we were worried. 

"It was 3-1 from our mistake and they had the chances with Maddison and Kelechi, so the game was tricky in the last 15 minutes. The first 60 or 65 minutes was good.

"I'd like us to push ourselves better and avoid what happened after 3-0, so we do not suffer, but it happened because of the substitutions. From my experience, when you do that, this happens."  

City have won nine successive games as they chase silverware on three fronts, and Guardiola says alterations were necessary in order to preserve his stars' fitness.

"We started really well, with incredible focus, but at the end when you make a lot of substitutions at the same time, you always drop a little bit," he said.

"If the guys from the second half started, it would be the same approach that we had in the beginning. It's just a fact that playing every three days, we have to make a lot of rotations.

"I made just two [changes] in the beginning. When the game was under control, I made the rest."

City turn their attentions to the Champions League on Wednesday, looking to defend a 3-0 first-leg lead when they visit Bayern Munich in an attempt to reach the semi-finals.

Asked by BBC Sport if Bayern had a chance of overturning City's advantage, Guardiola said: "Absolutely, we know that. We have to try our game and think we will win the game. 

"We have to defend otherwise they have the rhythm. It's a real tough opponent. We go there to achieve something unique, to reach a semi-final.

"We have to play with the right mentality, be stable in the bad moments and go for it."

Edin Terzic called Borussia Dortmund's 3-3 draw with Stuttgart "brutally disappointing" as they missed the chance to move level with Bayern Munich at the Bundesliga summit.

The Black and Yellow looked on course to join Bayern at the top of the table when Gio Reyna struck in second-half injury time at Mercedes-Benz Arena.

But a 97th-minute equaliser from Silas Katompa Mvumpa instead saw them drop two crucial points in the title race against their 10-men hosts.

It is the latest capitulation of a topsy-turvy season for Dortmund, and Terzic did not hold back in his scathing assessment of their performance after the final whistle.

"We missed a huge chance as a team," he told Sky Sport Germany. "That is brutally disappointing.

"It is hard for me to find the words [to explain] why it happened.

"We thought that with the loss at home to Werder Bremen, we had already experienced the worst part of the season.

"But this tops it again. We were lucky in the early stages. If we are honest, we almost conceded four goals against a team that was outnumbered."

Dortmund held a man advantage for an hour of the game, after Stuttgart defender Konstantinos Mavropanos was dismissed for a second yellow card in the first half.

Their inability to capitalise on Bayern's own slip-up, after a home draw with Hoffenheim, leaves them trailing the Bavarian giants by two points in the Bundesliga title race with six games to play.

Dortmund next host Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

Thomas Tuchel described Bayern Munich's 1-1 Bundesliga draw with Hoffenheim on Saturday as a "big step backwards".  

Benjamin Pavard had given the hosts an early lead at the Allianz Arena, yet Andrej Kramaric sealed a point for Hoffenheim with a wonderful free-kick in the 71st minute.

Despite the setback, Bayern still retain a two-point advantage at the Bundesliga summit after Borussia Dortmund could only draw 3-3 with 10-man Stuttgart.

The result follows the heavy defeat to Manchester City in their Champions League quarter-final first leg in midweek, and Tuchel was left frustrated at his side's inability to get fans back onside ahead of the second leg on Wednesday.

"We didn't have enough speed, too few changes of pace, and we made mistakes," he said.

"We didn't get any security in. We started to defend carelessly. The display today was not enough; it was a disappointment for me. We have a lot of room for improvement today.

"It's extremely amazing because I felt the energy in the training, but it wasn't there on the field.

"We have to process it first, but it's definitely a big step backwards. Today was the moment to inspire fire and confidence. We didn't succeed at all.

"It's going to be difficult on Wednesday anyway [in the second leg against City], it's not going to get any easier now.

"We missed an opportunity to put ourselves and the fans in the mood to believe in it at all."

Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich endured a frustrating game, losing possession a team-high 16 times, and was at a loss to explain why Bayern struggled so much.

"Today was an absolutely bad performance from us, we know that," he said.

"After a 3-0 defeat you would actually think that you want to show a reaction. Especially in the Bundesliga, where it's very tight and where we need every point.

"I can't explain why we put in such a performance on the pitch today. It's lack of concentration, recklessness, we're not really there. We played without energy and then you can't win either.

"We all know that we need a completely different performance against City. We know we can do it too, but we have to put it on the pitch."

Erling Haaland matched Mohamed Salah's scoring record in a 38-game Premier League season as Manchester City swatted aside lowly Leicester City 3-1.

Free-scoring City had the game won by the 25th minute at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, with Haaland scoring twice after John Stones' stunning opener.

Subbed off at half-time, Haaland has now netted 32 league goals this season, matching Salah's haul from the 2017-18 campaign. 

Sloppy defending allowed Kelechi Iheanacho to grab a consolation for Leicester in Dean Smith's first match in charge, with the former City striker hitting the post in stoppage time as the hosts rather staggered over the line to reduce Arsenal's lead to three points.

City enjoyed 93 per cent possession in the opening five minutes and were rewarded when Stones arched a brilliant left-footed strike into the right-hand corner.

Leicester's slim chances of snatching a much-needed shock victory were further dented when Wilfred Ndidi was deemed to have handled from Jack Grealish's cross.

Haaland slammed away the resulting penalty, and had his second 12 minutes later, brilliantly collecting in Kevin De Bruyne's throughball and lifting a cute finish over Daniel Iversen.

With an eye on the midweek trip to Bayern Munich, Pep Guardiola took the chance to rest both of his goalscorers at half-time.

Rodri joined Stones and Haaland in earning a rest shortly after, with Kalvin Phillips handed a rare league appearance, although City's composure turned to complacency when Iheanacho tapped in after Harry Souttar's header was saved by Ederson.

James Maddison missed a golden chance to set up a grandstand finish when he failed to beat Ederson, before Iheanacho struck the woodwork between two hopeful penalty appeals, albeit Leicester's resurgence was too little, too late.

What does it mean? Almost too easy for City

Guardiola will not have been happy with his side’s display in the second half, albeit the stuttering nature of their performance can in large part be put down to the amount of changes made.

The first half was a different matter altogether. City purred, having eight shots, scoring with all three they got on target and registering 1.9 expected goals to Leicester's 0.22.

Leicester's new interim boss Smith, meanwhile, will target matches elsewhere as he looks to drag the Foxes out of danger, though his team had their chances to make a fight of it late on.

Another record tumbles

Haaland's goal tally for the season now stands at 47. The British single-season record stands at 63, scored by Everton legend Dixie Dean back in the 1920s, and you would not bet against the 22-year-old surpassing it.

His next top-flight goal will see him set a record for the most scored in a 38-game Premier League campaign, while he is only two short of the outright competition record, which is shared by Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole.

Ton up for De Bruyne

De Bruyne was the creator of Haaland's second goal, nipping in ahead of the lacklustre Ndidi to steal the ball in midfield before playing a perfect pass through to City's superstar striker.

It brought up De Bruyne's 100th Premier League assist for City, while it was the eighth time the Belgium international has teed up Haaland in the competition.

What's next?

City travel to Bavaria for that game against Bayern, while Leicester face Wolves next Saturday.