Sportsmail takes a look at 10 things we have learned from an entertaining weekend of Premier League fixtures, as well as intriguing statistics from the Football League. 1. Dick Advocaat might consider bringing in referee Anthony Taylor to give his players some lessons on keeping up with play. The official sprinted more than half the length of the field to be 10 yards from Yannick Bolasie when he completed his hat-trick for Crystal Palace in the 4-1 demolition of Sunderland. Top marks for him – but none at all for Lee Cattermole who was goal side of Bolasie before the breakaway began, yet way behind the official when the goal went in. Connor Wickham and Adam Johnson were also both stood nearer their own goal than the ref when James McArthur’s clearance began the move, but nowhere to be seen when the ball hit the net. Yannick Bolasie raced past Lee Cattermole before scoring his hat-trick goal against Sunderland . Cattermole was goal side of Bolasie before the Crystal Palace winger went on to score his third goal . Referee Anthony Taylor sprinted past Sunderland midfielder Cattermole during Bolasie's impessive run . Bolasie starred in Crystal Palace's emphatic 4-1 win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light . 2. Gary Cahill has responded to the challenge of fighting Kurt Zouma for his place in Chelsea’s defence and looks to be winning the battle. When it got tough for the Premier League leaders at Loftus Road it was Cahill who responded best to ensure Cesc Fabregas’ late striker was a winner. Cahill made 15 clearances – as many as the rest of Chelsea’s back four put together – and won 13 of 15 duels for the ball. Gary Cahill has managed to win back his starting spot alongside John Terry after his brief absence . Chelsea starlet Kurt Zouma had deputised for Cahill during the England international's stint on the sidelines . 3. Arsene Wenger’s decision to axe goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny after fining him for smoking in the showers at Southampton has proved a pivotal point of Arsenal’s season. The 1-0 victory at Burnley was the sixth clean sheet the Gunners had kept in 12 Premier League games since David Ospina took over – one more than they’d achieved in the previous 20. More important, Arsenal have won 11 of those matches to move from sixth in the table to second. Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina has kept six clean sheets since replacing Wojciech Szczesny . 4. Vincent Kompany’s recovery from a hamstring injury was supposed to be the boost Manchester City needed towards the end of the season but instead has marked the collapse of their campaign. City were in the middle of a 14-game unbeaten run when their skipper came back to face title rivals Arsenal at the end of January – a game they lost 2-0. The 4-2 collapse at Old Trafford made it 14 matches since then, of which City have lost eight. Belgian star Kompany has missed only one of them – a 2-0 win over Leicester which saw one of only three clean sheets. Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has struggled for form during the past few weeks . 5. West Brom’s 'Jeff Astle day' provided a nostalgic trip back in time, with Albion’s players wearing replica kit from the 1968 FA Cup final and shirts numbered from two to 11 (goalkeeper Boaz Myhill wore no number, like John Osborne back then). But there was one aspect that was completely out of keeping with the flashback to football’s black and white days – every one of Albion’s players wore coloured boots. Four red pairs, two orange, two white, one blue, one yellow – and captain Darren Fletcher’s purplish pinky colour made up the modern footwear rainbow. West Brom captain Darren Fletcher wore multicoloured boots on 'Jeff Astle day' at The Hawthorns . 6. When Paul Lambert was sacked in early February, Aston Villa had scored just 15 goals in 28 matches in all competitions. It’s taken Tim Sherwood just 10 games to overtake that total – Christian Benteke’s winner at White Hart Lane was the 16th scored since his appointment. Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke has returned to form since Tim Sherwood's arrival at Villa Park . 7. James Ward-Prowse backed up manager Ronald Koeman’s faith by tucking away the penalty against Hull that put Southampton on the path to a 2-0 win. Koeman had to shout orders from the bench to let the England youngster take the kick as Senegalese striker Sadio Mane picked up the ball to head for the spot first. You couldn’t blame Mane for wanting to jump the queue – Ward-Prowse had never scored a Premier League goal in 68 previous appearances for the Saints, and none of his four England Under 21 strikes had come from the penalty spot. Southampton manager Ronald Koeman ensured James Ward-Prowse took penalty ahead of Sadio Mane . 8. Reading midfielder Jem Karacan has timed his return to fitness perfectly after 16 horrible months recovering from a cruciate knee ligament operation. The London-born product of the Royals’ youth academy got through 73 minutes of the 0-0 draw with Blackburn in his first start for 16 months – just in time to be available for Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal. He has a good chance of playing at Wembley after helping make the defence more solid. It was the first time Steve Clarke’s side had kept a clean sheet in their last nine Championship games. Reading's Jem Karacan made his first start for 16 months against Blackburn on Saturday afternoon . 9. Taking 50 points is normally a guarantee of safety from relegation in League One – it’s been enough to stay up for all but one of the last nine years (Gillingham had 50 but went down on goal difference in 2010) This season looks like being different, though, after Crewe’s draw with Leyton Orient left both clubs plus Crawley on 47 points with four games still to play. That means sleepless nights for Crawley boss Dean Saunders who’ll have bad memories of going down from the Championship with Wolves despite finishing on 51 points. Crawley Town are in danger of dropping down to League Two despite ascertaining 47 points in 41 games . 10. Plymouth midfielder Bobby Reid has the curious middle name of Armani – and he’s certainly all the fashion when it comes to taking set-pieces. The 22-year-old is on his third loan of the season from Bristol City because Pilgrims boss John Sheridan admires his pinpoint accuracy with a dead ball. He showed why by setting up goals from both a corner and free-kick in a 2-1 win over Mansfield that put Plymouth back into the League Two play-off places. Plymouth midfielder Bobby Reid has taken League Two by storm since being loaned out by Bristol City .
Yannick Bolasie raced past Lee Cattermole to claim his hat-trick .
Referee Anthony Taylor was closer to Bolasie than Cattermole for final goal .
Gary Cahill has won back his starting spot after brief spell on sidelines .
Vincent Kompany failed to impress in Man City's defeat by Man United .
Arsene Wenger's decision to drop Wojciech Szczesny has been justified .