Premier League: Match Week 23 Preview

Michael Carrick faces another formidable challenge just one week after defeating Manchester City in his interim manager role for Manchester United. Having knocked off second place Manchester City, Carrick now travels to north London for a matchup with table leading Arsenal. It may be a good time to face the Gunners who have lacked pop in their attack in their last two Premier League matches. Arsenal has failed to score a goal in two successive goalless draws, the second of which was to lowly Nottingham Forest. Gabriel Jesus revived Arsenal’s attack with two goals in a 3-1 Champions League defeat of Inter during the week. Can that spark carry over Saturday against Carrick and the Red Devils? Manchester United is riding the high of its Manchester derby conquest and still has opportunity to qualify for next year’s Champions League competition. Can Carrick lead them there or was last weekend’s victory nothing more than a new manager bounce?

Manchester City should be wary of Wolves this weekend. The Citizens added an embarrassing Champions League flop during the week to their recent spate of poor Premier League play. A 2-1 loss in Norway to Bodo/Glimt resulted in the club offering to refund the ticket cost to poor supporters who had made the icy trek to witness nothing but dreck. Wolverhampton visits the Etihad riding a four-match unbeaten run in the league and is playing much better football under Manager Rob Edwards.

Newcastle, presently eight in the Premier League table, is only three points from a top four position in the congested league table. The Magpies will have a chance to show their mettle and Champions League worthiness when Aston Villa visits St. James’ Park this weekend. Villa will be anxious to put a damaging loss to Everton last week behind them. The home loss at Villa Park ruined an opportunity for the Villans to move within four points of Arsenal in the title chase.

Liam Rosenior will be managing his second Premier League match for Chelsea on Saturday. Opposing manager Oliver Glasner seemingly cannot wait to manage his last match, whenever that may be, with Crystal Palace. The Palace manager destroyed his relationship with club ownership with scathing commentary that followed public announcement that he will not return to the club next season. Glasner is now not just the lamest of ducks but a volatile problem for the Eagles who are riding a ten-match winless run under their petulant leader. Everything would seem to point towards a Chelsea victory over an unsettled Palace squad which also sold cornerstone captain Marc Guehi to Manchester City last week and is reportedly also shopping striker JP Mateta. Rosenior’s side was impressive last week in stopping a Brentford squad which had been on a six-match  unbeaten run.

Are you enjoying this Liam Rosenior ball ? 👀 pic.twitter.com/O9H9r4VHKV

— Dennoh (@CFC_dennoh) January 21, 2026

The Bees return to their home G-Tech Community Stadium this weekend to host Nottingham Forest. The battle at the bottom of the table between Nottingham Forest and West Ham, for the final safe position ensuring a Premier League return next season, is made more interesting by Hammer Manager Nuno Espirito Santo having started the season in charge of Forest. Santo rebounded quickly from his sacking by the Tricky Trees to land the West Ham gig, at the expense of Graham Potter, in a move which looked like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

West Ham raised some eyebrows last weekend, however, by grabbing a rare win, only its fourth of the season, at Tottenham Hotspur. To its’ credit, Nottingham Forest mitigated that body blow by drawing with Arsenal. This Saturday’s match at London Stadium could be pivotal when West Ham hosts Sunderland. Can Nuno build some momentum for the Hammers to escape the zone at the expense of his former team? The current gap to safety is now five points.

Sunderland, meanwhile, has been one of this season’s feel-good stories as the Black Cats have returned with every intention of staying for a while. The Black Cats are in the top half of the table, far from the relegation rumble.

Leeds is also surprising observers with a recent run of form which has seen the Whites lose only one of its last nine Premier League matches. The Whites go to Everton on Monday to face a Toffee side which took some of the starch out of Aston Villa with a 1-0 win at Villa Park last week.

Things look grim for Burnley, but the relegation side has not yet rolled over, drawing three of its past five league matches. The Clarets are home to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. Spurs Manager Thomas Frank may have bought some time with a Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund during the week but his chair heats up again if he falters versus relegation bound Burnley.

Liverpool, out of the running for a Premier League title, remains a threat in the Champions League after a 3-0 win at Marseilles. The Reds are currently fourth out of 36 Champions League clubs, having secured their place in the tournament’s playoff phase. The Reds are also fourth in the Premier League standings but trail Arsenal by an insurmountable14 points. Liverpool heads to the south coast o face Bournemouth Saturday.

A tasty mid table match features Brighton on the road at Fulham. The two clubs are separated by just one point as they try to keep hope alive for a European place. The congested table sees ninth place Fulham just three points below sixth place Chelsea, though four clubs reside between the two. Everything is still on the table for a Conference League or even a Europa League spot for all those clubs.

Premier League Match Week 22 Results: Red Devils Prevail In Derby Shocker; Toffees Defeat Aston Villa; Arsenal Draws At Forest; Frank Assessment Required After Another Spurs Home Loss; Glasner Explodes At Crystal Palace Ownership; Liverpool Bumbles To Home Point; Chelsea Wins Rosenior Prem Debut

Manchester United overwhelmed Manchester City in Michael Carrick’s latest turn as interim manager. The Red Devils scored twice and had three other goals disallowed for offside in an aggressive performance seldom seen under former manager Ruben Amorim. Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu had the goals that counted in the 2-0 victory which extended Manchester City’s winless run in the Premier League to four matches. A drab performance by the visitors did damage to City’s title hopes and brought attention to the drought which continues for Golden Boot leader Erling Haaland. Haaland has but one goal in his last seven matches after finding the net 24 times in his first 23 contests this season. Fatigue could be showing as Haaland has logged more than 200 minutes more than any other Manchester City player. Helping to stymie the Norwegian striker on Sunday were outstanding performances by Manchester United center backs Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez. Defensive midfielder Kobbie Maino, freed from Amorim’s doghouse, aligned alongside Casemiro to provide further protection in delivering the team’s third clean sheet of the season.

While the loss was far from helpful, the damage to Manchester City’s title chances was mitigated somewhat when Arsenal was held to a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest. Additional pressure was levelled on the Tricky trees when West Ham grabbed a surprise victory at Tottenham Hotspur, narrowing the distance to Nottingham Forest and the final safe space in the table. Forest responded with a defensive focus which left the Trees without a shot on goal but enabled them to shut down the Gunners.

Aston Villa had a golden opportunity to make strides in the three-team title race but failed its test at Villa Park versus Everton. Victory would have brought Villa to within four points of Arsenal. The 1-0 defeat, however, leaves both Aston Villa and Manchester City seven points behind the Gunners. Thierno Barry capitalized on a fumbled save by Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez to deposit the game’s winner in the 59th minute for the Toffees.

Liverpool drew for a fourth consecutive league match as Anfield supporters saw their hometown heroes drop more points in a 1-1 draw with Burnley. Liverpool is unbeaten in 12 matches across all competitions but the inability to claim all three points in their league matches has become maddening. Thirty-two shots and 11 shots on target were unable to deliver a winning result for wasteful Liverpool versus a team headed for relegation. Saturday’s draw means that Liverpool were unable to defeat any of the newly promoted sides at Anfield this season, the first time that has ever happened to Liverpool in a Premier League season.

Happier home supporters could be found at Stamford Bridge where Liam Rosenior led Chelsea to a 2-0 victory over Brentford in his Premier League managerial debut. Joao Pedro scored the first half opener and Cole Palmer’s second half penalty kick sealed the deal as Chelsea put an end to Brentford’s six-match unbeaten run in the league.

A different London derby made headlines as Tottenham Hotspur Manager Thomas Frank would seem all but done after Spurs were 2-1 home losers to wretched West Ham. The Hammers had been unable to defeat any other Premier League foes in their last ten attempts before ruining Frank’s day on Saturday. It was the sixth home defeat for Spurs this season against only two wins in 11 Premier League matches contested at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Overall, the club has lost eight of its last 14 matches and the Danish manager has lost the supporters and likely his locker room. While he is expected to remain in charge for Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund, the former Brentford manager is on the thinnest of ice.

There is no uncertainty regarding the future of Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace. The Austrian manager ripped his team’s ownership after Saturday’s loss to Sunderland, claiming that it “abandoned” him and the players by selling off key players such as Eberechi Eze and, most recently, Marc Guehi. The sale of Guehi to Manchester City during the week seemed to be the final straw leading to Glasner’s eruption. In a seeming demonstrative act to accentuate his points, Glasner refused to make a substitution in his club’s 2-1 loss to Sunderland, highlighting the lack of depth allotted him by financially conservative ownership. Glasner also exited his last job at Eintracht Frankfurt after developing a similar caustic relationship with the German club’s ownership. The talented manager has won silverware for both clubs, but his public disparagement of employers may enter the calculus of his next hiring. In fairness to Crystal Palace and Eintracht Frankfurt, they are not financial behemoths like Manchester City and Bayern Munch and Glasner seems to expect more than he can reasonably expect from mid table clubs. Larger clubs, meanwhile, may think twice before taking a chance on the volatile Austrian. For the time being, Crystal Palace Chairman Steve Parish has indicated he wants Glasner to finish his contract which expires in June. Glasner has already indicated he will not renew and, uncomfortably, he seems disposed to an earlier exit. While the soap opera plays out between Glasner and Parish, on pitch performance has nosedived during a ten-match winless run for the Eagles.

Leeds Manager Daniel Farke was under immense pressure earlier this season as his promoted club struggled in its initial return to the Premier League. Pundits pointed to Farke’s lack of Premier League success with Norwich City after guiding that club to promotion. A new respect has developed for the German manager. Farke adapted his tactics in November to employ a back three which was instrumental in a season turning seven match unbeaten run. The streak ended in a loss at Newcastle, but Farke’s heroes captured all three points at Elland road on Saturday when substitute Lukas Nmecha scored in stoppage time to defeat Fulham 1-0. The dramatic finish, which ended the Cottagers’ five match unbeaten run, enabled Leeds to stay eight points above the drop line.

Wolverhampton, of course, has already punched its ticket for relegation with historically bad football for much of this season. Manager Rob Edwards, however, has reintroduced respectability in recent weeks. Supporters no longer fear embarrassment at Molineux Stadium where Wolves held Newcastle to a scoreless draw on Saturday. Wolverhampton now has a four-match unbeaten run in the Premier League, five unbeaten across all competitions including a 6-1 drubbing of Shrewsbury in the FA Cup. Six of Wolves eight Premier League points this season have come from its recent four match run in the league.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, was tumbling down the table before ending an 11-match winless run versus Spurs last week. Adding to the worries for Bournemouth fans was the departure of star Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City in the January window. The Cherries were close to a morale boosting win at Brig
hton Monday but fell short when the Seagulls’ Charalampos Kostoulas executed an overhead kick in stoppage time to salvage a point for Brighton in a1-1 draw at American Express Stadium. The dramatic goal by the 18-year-old teenager extended the Seagulls’ four match unbeaten run.

Premier League: Match Week 22 Preview

Saturday’s Manchester Derby has a strange aura about it. Manchester City has long been the more talented club in the matchup but Manchester United has at times surprised in the emotion packed encounter. Those emotions could be tamped down for this one given the state of suspended animation the Red Devils currently inhabit. The club seems to have folded the cards on its current season, preferring to seek a permanent managerial solution next summer. In the meantime, Michael Carrick has been brought in as the interim manager for the balance of this season. Oddly, Manchester United had largely gotten improved results in what was Amorim’s second season in charge. The club is, after all, only three points removed from fourth place Liverpool in the Premier League table. Amorim, however, lost his composure during a recent downturn in results and publicly criticized the ownership which had backed him through the darkness characterizing much of his tenure. Amorim is now out and Carrick is left to salvage what is left of the season. Indications that no major moves will take place in the January window further fuels discontent among a fan base which is supposedly planning a mass protest against Manchester United ownership at the February 1st match versus Fulham. Carrick is generally well liked as a former player on some of Manchester Untied’s championship teams. His managerial resume, however, is lackluster. After an interim stint for Manchester United in 2021, three matches without a defeat, he won 46% of his matches in charge of Middlesbrough from 2022-2025 before being sacked. Manchester United supporters, however, are more upset at the delay in finding a long-term manager, Carrick being contracted only until the end of the season. That, combined with a lack of ambition in the January window, conveys a perceived and inexplicable indifference to Champions League qualification by club ownership.

Michael Carrick's training sessions have blown the @ManUtd players' minds.

They are hugely impressed with his methods. The tactical meetings have everyone on high alert 🚨 pic.twitter.com/gBP6KQYDNE

— indykaila News (@indykaila) January 15, 2026

Manchester City, meanwhile, is chasing another  Premier League title under legendary manager Pep Guardiola. The Citizens have work to do as they sit six points back of table leading Arsenal. Guardiola, however, must be thrilled at the January addition of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth. Semenyo is third in Premier League goalscoring this season and provides another formidable option for a Manchester City attack which already includes Golden Boot leader Erling Haaland. Manchester City should be poised to boost their title aspirations at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Arsenal, however, shows no signs of  stumbling in trying to end a three-year run as Premier League bridesmaid. The Gunners, 3-2 winners over Chelsea in the EFL Cup semifinals on Wednesday, have lost only twice in the Premier League this season, piecing together an earlier 18 and current 11 game unbeaten runs. Arsenal is on a five-match winning run on the road as they travel to Nottingham Forest for a Saturday match at the City Ground. Nottingham Forest is in a battle of its own at the bottom of the table, currently winning that battle with a seven-point cushion against the relegation places.

West Ham has made life more comfortable for Nottingham Forest with the Hammers’ dreadful performance under Manager Nuno Espirito Santo who risks being sacked by a second Premier League club in the same 2025/26 season. Santo will face off against Thomas Frank and Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday in both a London derby and Battle of the Embattled Managers. Frank is under fire for not just poor results but also an unappealing playing stye devoid of creativity and his crusty comments directed at his own supporters. Frank has Spurs positioned just six points above 17th place Nottingham Forest. That final safe position in the table is where spurs landed season under subsequently sacked manger Ange Postecoglou. A loss to visiting West Ham could spell the end for Frank on Saturday.

Another London derby will be drawing eyes as Liam Rosenior makes his Premier League when Chelsea hosts an in-form Brentford side. The new Blues manager suffered defeat at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday in the first leg of an EFL Cup tie with Arsenal. A competitive loss to the Premier League leader does not constitute a black mark. A second consecutive loss at home could raise eyebrows as to whether the inexperienced manager is truly ready to turn around Chelsea’s poor run of form. Chelsea has won just one of its last nine Premier League matches, a rough patch which has seen them drop from title contention to eighth in the league table. Brentford, meanwhile, has been climbing the table to its current fifth place perch. Only Arsenal has gathered more points in the last six matches than the Bees. Forward Igor Thiago has a hat trick and a brace in his last two matches for the streaking Bees. His 16 goals on the season have taken the league by surprise and provided the Bees with firepower they feared lost when Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa left the club last summer. Brentford could have to deal with returning Chelsea stars Cole Palmer and Reese James who missed the midweek Arsenal loss due to injury.

Sunderland is at a critical juncture to its season. The Black Cats have outperformed expectations by spending this season in the top half of the table, far from the relegation fight expected for the newly promoted club. A win, however, has eluded Sunderland in its last five matches. Manger Regis Le Bris will be hoping to get back in the win column this weekend when the club returns to its home fortress to host Crystal Palace at the Stadium of Light where the Black Cats are undefeated and have won five of their ten home matches. Crystal Palace has not won any of its last six league matches. Any encouragement from a draw with Aston Villa in its last league contest was short lived for the Eagles who suffered a shocking FA Cup loss to measly Macclesfield in a historic upset last Saturday. It will be interesting to see how Manager Oliver Glasner is able to put the pieces back together again at Sunderland this week.

Fulham and Liverpool have been two of the most in-form Premier League sides in recent weeks. Liverpool has warts but also the type of talent that makes it far from surprising that they are back in the Champions League places despite a disappointing campaign which had warmed the seat of Manager Arne Slot. The Reds should not have much trouble this weekend when they host an overmatched Burnley side which is second bottom in the table on merit. Unlike Liverpool, the recent run of success by Fulham is less expected. The Cottagers roster is not imposing but Manager Marco Silva is highly respected and former Liverpool property Harry Wilson has caught fire. Wilson spent much of his Liverpool time on loan at various clubs but seems to have found a home at Craven Cottage. Since the beginning of November, only Erling Haaland has had more goal involvements than the  28-year-old Wilson. The Wilson led Cottagers will put their five match Premier League unbeaten run on the line at Leeds on Saturday.

Aston Villa is still in the title picture, level on points with Manchester City, both clubs six points shy of Arsenal. The Villans have hit some bumps in recent weeks, being whacked soundly by Arsenal and then suffering a frustrating draw with Crystal Palace. The Villans are home to Everton this weekend.

The Semenyo era is over at Bournemouth as the club’s leading goalscorer is now wearing a Manchester City shirt. Manger Andoni Iraola thus needs to find new answers for the Cherries’ attack when they journey to Brighton on Monday. Wolverhampton has had a poor attack all season, netting just 15 goals in its 21 league contests. Cellar dwelling Wolves has shown some life recently, however, going undefeated in its last three matches. Newcastle visits Molineux Stadium on Sunday.