Kieran Gibbs believes that Arsenal are reaping the benefits of their new three-man defensive set-up.

The Gunners have lined up with three at the back since their 2-1 win over Middlesbrough on April 17 and they were able to repair some of the damage caused by last month’s North London derby defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur with a 2-0 triumph over a much-changed Manchester United on Sunday.

Victory at the Emirates Stadium saw Arsenal record a second successive home clean sheet and Gibbs, 27, reckons that switching things up has given he and his team-mates a new lease of life.

“I think the formation is good for the team,” said Gibbs, who has featured at wing-back in Arsenal’s last three games.

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“After a few defeats, sometimes you need to change. It opens up new opportunities for me and I’m happy to have got a few games under my belt.

“That’s always when I feel at my best – when I get a few games. I feel much stronger now.”

Gunners academy product Gibbs, who has 10 England caps to his name, hadn’t featured in the league since February before starting in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Leicester City on April 26.

The left-sided defender believes that his side are comfortable playing in different systems.

Gibbs said: “A lot depends on the personnel on the pitch at the time and how well we can adapt to each formation.

“We still need a lot of work on this formation. We haven’t been doing it for long but we can learn quickly, especially in games like [Sunday].

“We are picking it up quickly.”

Sunderland manager David Moyes has heaped praise on the pride his side showed in Saturday’s victory over Hull City.

The Black Cats’ relegation has already been sealed, but that didn’t stop them upsetting the Tigers’ applecart with a 2-0 victory at the KCOM Stadium.

Billy Jones opened the scoring before Jermain Defoe added his 16^th goal of the season, consigning Marco Silva to his first home loss in 42 matches.

And for Moyes, who has suffered a turbulent season in the North East, at least some solace could be provided in his side’s determination to fight until the very end.

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“They showed pride in wearing the jersey and they showed their own personal pride,” he said.

“We talked about that and we wanted them to show what they could really do.

“When results don’t come people look at the performances and I think the performances have been at a good level.

“We have not had that (winning feeling) for a long time and it is good for the players to feel better about themselves.

“We can go into next week feeling much better and try to enjoy it.

“It is disappointing that we have been relegated but the performance today has been to a similar level of recent weeks.”

His goal moved Swansea City three points closer to Premier League safety, but now Fernando Llorente is urging his teammates to ensure the battle remains in their own hands.

The Spaniard scored his 13^th goal of the season in the 1-0 victory over Everton, a first ever home victory over the Toffees coming at exactly the right moment.

But for Llorente, Paul Clement and his side, the win meant plenty more.

That victory coupled with a Hull defeat took the Swans out of the relegation zone, one point clear of the drop with just two games left in their bid to maintain Premier League football.

That means victories at Sunderland and at home to West Brom would be enough to ensure their top-flight status, regardless of matches elsewhere, an advantage Llorente is desperate to make the most of.

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“I think we played a very good match against Everton and of course it was very important. It was a massive three points for us,” he said.

“We needed this win and I am very happy that we got it, but now we have to keep working and continue this way.

“Now we think about the next match against Sunderland. Hopefully we can win again.

“Beating Everton gives us confidence for that match, and now everything depends on our results. If we win our games, we will stay in the league. We have to make that happen.”

Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure felt his side’s defeat at Leicester City was largely of their own doing, and rued their lack of clinical edge when it comes to set pieces.

The Hornets enjoyed plenty of the ball at the King Power Stadium, but still suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Premier League champions – a third loss in four games.

It leaves Walter Mazzarri’s side still nervously looking over their shoulder, still not mathematically safe despite hitting the Premier League 40-point mark.

But Doucoure is convinced the blip is one that can be transformed at Vicarage Road, so long as his side cut out the errors from dead-ball situations.

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“The score was very heavy. We deserved more, we had a good first half but we didn’t score during our best spell and then one mistake from a corner gives Leicester a goal,” he said.

“We work hard on the training ground on set-pieces, but we made a mistake, didn’t concentrate, and that was the goal.

“We deserved more, we had a good first half but we didn’t score during our best spell and then one mistake from a corner gives Leicester a goal.

“At home we’ve played well, the fans back us, but here we played a good game but did not score at the important moment and after that it was difficult because Leicester are very good, especially on the counter-attack.”

Tony Pulis paid tribute to the West Brom fans after his side ended a four-match losing streak with a draw against Burnley on Saturday.

Albion are eighth in the league table and chasing a highest-ever finish in the top flight with two rounds to go.

And despite Sam Vokes’ late strike earning the Clarets a point at Turf Moor on Saturday, Pulis was delighted with the contributions of fans and players alike.

“I’ve got to say our fans were magnificent for us,” said Pulis.

“I understand that going a goal down after our recent results could have left everyone flat, so it was really heartening to hear our fans still trying to lift the team and singing their hearts out.

“It really makes a difference and all the players were talking about it in the dressing room afterwards.

“They’ve played a big part in us coming back as well as we did, and we’re just sorry and disappointed we couldn’t see the game out.

“People tell me that there has been criticism of the team after losing in these last few games but I don’t think our fans have been really unhappy with our performances – just the results.

“The fact is we’ve had easier chances to score in those games that we’ve lost than in this match, but that’s just the way football sometimes goes.”

Hull City boss Marco Silva is not pressing the panic button any time soon, despite seeing his side drop into the relegation zone this weekend.

The Tigers were downed by Sunderland at the KCOM Stadium, ending their unbeaten record at home under the Portuguese boss.

That opened the door for Swansea to leapfrog them out of the drop zone and the Swans duly did with a 1-0 victory over Everton.

But Silva insists there are plenty of twists and turns still to come in the final two weeks of the season.

“Of course it is not a good moment for us, but nothing finished [on Saturday] afternoon,” he said.

“Even if we achieved a good result, these are my words to you – of course it is a not a good afternoon for us but it doesn’t change nothing.

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“We need to work hard during the next week to prepare for the next game, and after the last game as well. Of course it is not a good moment but this is a moment to be calm because, for me, it is clear [that against Sunderland], our players don’t play calm.

“They tried to do everything too fast, and fast and well is not easy. They tried to do everything too fast in some moments, not be calm. If you’re not calm, it is impossible to play well.”

Sean Dyche admits that securing Burnley’s survival in the Premier League owes much to the faith shown in him by the board.

The Clarets’ 2-2 draw with West Brom on Saturday all but confirmed their safety as they lead 18th-placed Hull City by six points with two weekends left and a vastly superior goal difference.

Burnley have never lasted longer than a season in the top flight after their two previous promotions.

But Dyche has been in charge since 2012 at Turf Moor and it is that long-standing faith in his work that has made all the difference.

“Over the four-and-a-half years that I’ve been here, we’ve always had something to fight for and that’s a great achievement in itself for my staff and players,” he said.

“The board have stood by me as well, when we’ve had a few knocks along the way, and I think it’s paid them back as well, for the way we have all been aligned with our thinking for what Burnley Football Club stands for.

“It just shows it’s very difficult. It’s very difficult at the top level of football without major finance. We did it to a reasonable degree for a club of this size; nowhere near everyone else.

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“It’s more about wages. There are teams who get players on frees who are paying astronomical wages. We are good on both and that’s because we have to be. It’s the way this club has to work. I manage what I am given.

“I take great pride in that we all see beyond that and we got on with it. We take some knocks along the way, question marks about how we are trying to play, but 40 points, with two games left, for a team that was given absolutely zero chance of being in the Premier League – I think that’s a fair marker.”

Everton rookie Jonjoe Kenny was left with mixed emotions after only his second-ever Premier League appearance ended in defeat at the hands of Swansea City.

The 20-year-old came off the bench late in the Toffees’ trip to South Wales on Saturday but was unable to prevent his team falling to a 1-0 defeat courtesy of Fernando Llorente’s first-half header.

Kenny helped Everton’s U23 side win the Premier League Two title this term and while delighted to get a taste of first-team action, the Liverpool-born youngster admitted he was disappointed to see the Toffees come unstuck.

“When you come on, you’ve got to try and influence the game as best as you can. You want to help the team to get the win,” said Kenny, who was handed his debut on the final day of the 2015-16 season.

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“[Ronald Koeman’s] instructions were to just get up and down, put some crosses in and do what I’ve done well for the U23s, so I tried to put that into the game.

“I enjoyed coming on. It’s been a long season but at the end of the day, we didn’t get the result we wanted.

“We needed the three points.

“Fair play to Swansea. They set up well, were defensively organised, and were tough to break through.

“The lads dug in, showed good attitude, but it wasn’t the result we wanted.”

Craig Shakespeare is imploring Leicester City to keep their foot on the gas after securing their Premier League safety on Saturday.

Reigning champions Leicester put any relegation worries to bed as they beat Watford 3-0 at the King Power Stadium to claim a second victory in succession.

With the Foxes now up into the top half of the table, Shakespeare, who is currently in charge until the end of the season, has challenged his players to finish in the best position possible.

“We, as a club – owners, supporters, players and staff – can be very pleased that we’ve been able to secure Premier League survival,” said Shakespeare, whose team will face Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth in their final three games of 2016-17.

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“The result [against Watford] was always going to be important. There hasn’t been any points target but we want to try to finish as high as possible.

“To do that, you have to beat the opposition. We’ve done that and we’ve got three games left now – difficult games.

“I want to finish on a high, the players want to finish on a high, and I’m sure the supporters want to finish on a high too.”

Mark Hughes is coyly refusing to rule out Stoke City making a move to offer former England captain John Terry a new home when he ends his long association with Chelsea this summer.

The 36-year-old defender’s impending departure from Stamford Bridge was announced last month and Potters boss Hughes has admitted that he enquired about Terry’s future plans when his team visited Stamford Bridge on New Year’s Eve.

The Stoke manager also spoke to Terry again at March’s reverse fixture but Hughes is keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes to just how concrete his interest in signing the Chelsea legend is.

“John’s got to move somewhere. He’s someone I know very well but I think there would be a lot of interest in John Terry,” said Hughes.

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“Whether or not we’d be able to present anything to John that would make him think [about joining Stoke], I don’t know – I haven’t had that conversation.

“We spoke briefly after the Chelsea game here this year and had a laugh and a joke about things.

“Whether that constitutes me personally asking about his future, I don’t know.”

Hughes has confirmed that defensive reinforcements will be his priority when the transfer window opens.

The Stoke chief added: “Predominantly, since I’ve been at the club, we’ve concentrated more on at the top end of the pitch and midfield.

“That’s where we’ve spent our money but this year, it’s more likely to be at the back.

“We have to do it stage-by-stage and the back four isn’t an area where we’ve invested a lot of money, so the intention this year is more on defensive positions.”