Five things we learned from the weekend football: Man City face fixture pile-up

1 Storm Ciara sparks whirlwind fixture pile-up for Man City

As if this week's Premier League programme was not light enough already, the number of games played this weekend dropped from four to three after Manchester City's clash with West Ham was postponed due to the gale-force winds of Storm Ciara.

Next week is scheduled to be a rest week for both clubs with the remainder of the league's teams in action but when the Citizens return to the field at the end of this month, the games will pile up.

Between February 22 and March 21, they will play eight matches in four different competitions, including the League Cup final against Aston Villa, meaning it could be some time before they can reschedule their clash with the Hammers.

Advancing to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, which is likely to be Pep Guardiola's priority now, would prevent them from squeezing in the tie between league contests at the start of April. As a result, the end of April looks the most viable solution but even that could them having to wedge in three league fixtures in the space of a week.

2 Everton are proving they have the pieces in place to be top-six contenders

Everton have accumulated 17 points in the league since Carlo Ancelotti's arrival in December - a tally bettered only by Liverpool - propelling the Toffees into contention for a Europa League berth. So what has the Italian changed?

Well, strangely, not a lot. Ten of the 11 players who started when Everton played Crystal Palace under Marco Silva's stewardship in August were also on the field for their 3-1 win against the Eagles on Saturday.

In terms of the system, he has stuck with the 4-4-2 approach initially adopted by interim boss Duncan Ferguson but his man-management abilities have been getting the best out of a group who had been underperforming.

The Italian's calm, comforting persona has gone a long way to restoring confidence among the Merseysiders, who could be a bit of value at 4-1 to make the top six.

3 Losing lead at Sheffield United could come back to bite Cherries

When sides are facing relegation at the end of the season, certain moments of their campaign which could have altered their destiny will come flooding back. Sunday's 2-1 loss to Sheffield United could be one of those moments for Bournemouth.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but had Eddie Howe not opted for such attacking substitutions in the second half, his side could have been more effective in the midfield battle and at least avoided defeat in a game they were leading until just before the break.

Now, though, they go into a testing run of fixtures after a defeat when they could have approached them with a three-match unbeaten streak in the league.

Howe's side face eight of the league's top nine teams before the season is over and odds-against quotes for them to be relegated look worth snapping up.

4 West Brom may be the value selection to top the Sky Bet Championship

Leeds fans will be dreading a repeat of last season's failed promotion challenge after a fourth league loss in five games.

Marcelo Bielsa's men go into tough matches with Brentford and Bristol City level on points with Fulham in third, and West Brom capitalised by beating Millwall to go four points clear at the top.

No side shows as much attacking intent week after week as the Baggies, who are top scorers in the division with 55 goals and they managed 29 shots in a routine win at the Den.

Bookmakers are struggling to separate the top two in the Championship title betting but Albion surely have to be the better option at 7-4 to go all the way.

5 Getafe determined to secure Champions League football

The word across Spain last season was that it might be better for Valencia to achieve Champions League qualification than Getafe, whose small stadium could give La Liga a bad reputation in the continent's premier competition.

Valencia went on to pip Getafe to the post while the Deep Blues had to make do with the Europa League. This season, though, they are out to prove a point.

A resounding 3-0 win over Valencia at the weekend - in which they won the shots on target count 10-0 - put Getafe third in La Liga and back on course for a top-four spot.

There is still a long way to go and quotes of 17-10 about them making the top four suggest they could miss out again, but there is plenty to be admired about the little club who won't stop dreaming.

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