Liverpool started the ball rolling with a convincing 4-1 win at home to promoted Norwich and City responded a day later with an even more emphatic 5-0 victory at West Ham United.
The challenge against champions Chlesea on Sunday is for Manchester United to show that they can replicate the confident and businesslike win that City showed a month ago.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Wednesday.
A summary of Wednesday's group matches in the UEFA Champions League.
Images from the European World Cup qualifiers played on Thursday
A preview of the line-up action in the English Premier League
Liverpool took a giant step towards their first title since 1990 on Saturday when their 3-0 win at Bournemouth combined with Manchester United's 2-1 victory at Manchester City to leave the champions 14 points adrift of the Premier League leaders.
City have 89 points, one more than rivals Liverpool, with both teams having three games to play -- and none of them against top six opponents.
This and more from the happenings in the world of football
I'm not happy with just fighting for fourth, I want to fight for trophies, says manager Jose Mourinho
Tottenham Hotspur missed the chance to move up to provisional fourth place in the Premier League after relegation-threatened Newcastle United held them to a 2-2 draw with a late equaliser from substitute Joe Willock at St James' Park on Sunday. Images from EPL matches played on Sunday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Five talking-points from the Premier League weekend after Manchester City suffered a shock home loss to Crystal Palace, meaning that Liverpool stayed four points clear at the top following their win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Lionel Messi came off the bench to inspire Barcelona to a 3-1 win over a dogged Leganes side on Sunday, creating one goal and scoring another to keep the Catalans five points clear at the top of La Liga.
Inter Milan's aversion to Europa League football continued with a 3-1 defeat at Sparta Prague, while AS Roma ended a continental hoodoo stretching back seven games with a 4-0 home win over Romanian side FC Astra on Thursday.
'It's not easy to handle a team at a big, big club... always demanding to win competitions and every manager needs time. I have the feeling United started to play the way he wants'
Joe Maguire was found guilty of repeated bodily harm, violence against public employees and attempted bribery. Sharman was found guilty of insult, repeated bodily harm and violence against public employees.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Thursday
After a close season in which he said he wanted to leave the club but ended up staying at Old Trafford, all eyes were on Paul Pogba as Manchester United began their Premier League campaign on Sunday. Yet following a 4-0 home win over Chelsea, in which the French midfielder set up the third and fourth goals, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was full of praise for the former Juventus star.
Southgate hopes Black Lives Matter protests could signal change in society
The Champions League quarter-final between Liverpool and Manchester City is one of the most anticipated games of the season pitting the Premier League's runaway leaders against the top scorers in Europe's elite competition.
Chelsea brought a whole new dimension to the Premier League title race when they handed Manchester City their first defeat of the season on Saturday to leave Mohamed Salah-inspired Liverpool as the new leaders.
Bristol City, from English football's second-tier, pulled off a sensation in the League Cup quarter-finals as they knocked out the holders Manchester United 2-1 amid late and wholly improbable drama at their Ashton Gate home on Wednesday.
Chelsea coach Antonio Conte declared himself 'a serial winner' after leading his side to a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday and said it was up to the club to decide whether to fire him.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
IMAGES from the Champions League matches played on Tuesday
Having beaten Colombia in a tense Round of 18 match at the World Cup England can now look forward to a quarter-final against Sweden with the curse of the shootout lifted.
English football's biggest club seem to have secured the services of the sport's most colourful manager after Jose Mourinho, according to Sky TV reports, agreed personal terms with Manchester United on Tuesday.
Manchester City claimed the win required to finally end Liverpool's relentless attempt to dethrone them as Premier League champions as they hit back from a goal down to crush Brighton and Hove Albion on the south coast on Sunday.
Photos from the Premier League matches played on Sunday
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Manchester United and Chelsea secured places in the Champions League with wins on the final day of the Premier League season while Watford and Bournemouth were relegated along with bottom club Norwich City.
Premier League leaders Manchester City recovered from two goals down to beat Championship side Swansea City 3-2 at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday and progress to the FA Cup semi-finals.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Second half goals from Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe gave the impressive French side a clear advantage ahead of the return in Paris on March 6.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
Brighton & Hove Albion scored three times in the second half to fight back from two goals down and beat Manchester City