5 Truths: Riyad Mahrez is the best player in the Premier League, Arsenal badly need a new striker

In terms of performances and impact this season, no player can compare to Riyad Mahrez. The Leicester star again shone brightly against Swansea as he grabbed an opportunistic goal with a sublime finish and proceeded to dictate the play for Claudio Ranieri’s imperious hosts thereafter. The fact that he has been involved in a league high 28 goals this season with 17 strikes of his own and 11 assists says it all. Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane have again proved themselves to be clinical and classy strikers, but what Mahrez has offered from a deeper position has been hugely significant for the side that will surely now go on and clinch the Premier League title.

This is not news to anyone who has watched Arsenal play over the last few seasons, but Arsene Wenger’s stubborn refusal to address one of his side’s most obvious needs continues to baffle. Olivier Giroud had another underwhelming day at the office and Arsenal distinctly lacked a cutting edge against a struggling, desperate Sunderland side. If Arsenal are to have any hope of winning the Premier League title again under Wenger, he simply has to invest in a world-class striker capable of dominating defences and providing a touch of class in the final third which is still sorely lacking.

The hysteria in some quarters since Jamie Vardy was suspended has been quite embarrassing in relation to a suspected slump for Ranieri’s side. Surely anyone who has watched the Foxes in action this season would testify that they are as far from a one-man team as any in the league and the way Leonardo Ulloa came in and bagged a superb brace - to follow his goal against West Ham last week - emphasised that perfectly. Ranieri’s men are again eight points clear of Tottenham and showing no signs of faltering, with or without Vardy.

Roy Hodgson may well love Jack Wilshere as a player and admire his creativity and poise from midfield, but that should not ensure that he grabs a place in England’s 23-man squad for Euro 2016 simply on the basis that he has regained fitness. There is a huge difference between getting the all clear to participate and having genuine match sharpness and sufficiently good form. Hodgson has repeatedly said that he would not take unfit players to France, but that must be extended to out-of-form players too. If Wilshere does not deliver in a big way for Arsenal in closing out the season, he should not go.

The FA Cup semi-finalists were something of a motley crew this year, with the managers of all four teams under threat, but this might be one of those rare seasons where Alan Pardew doesn’t get sacked or at least look to be in danger of getting sacked at the end of it. It was a very decent performance by Crystal Palace - a team who looked unfathomably good early in the season and have no shortage of talent in their ranks. But it’s not all good news for Pards: on the basis of today’s performance, you wonder how he’s managed to get such a bad second half of the season out of his team.