Premier League Match Week 24 Preview

Tottenham Hotspur has been poorer at home than any other Premier League team save for one, that being Wolverhampton which is buried at the bottom of the league table. The heat has been on Thomas Frank for some time now and his club’s home form is going to have to rise several levels to meet the challenge this weekend. Manchester City visits Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with renewed title hopes after Arsenal proved vulnerable in a loss to Manchester United last week. Manchester City has also shown some flaws recently, but the Citizens have loaded up this transfer window to make a stretch run for the title. Striker Antoine Semenyo, third in the Premier League Golden Boot chase, was added from Bournemouth to juice the attack. Marc Guehi has been brought in from Crystal Palace to shore up the defense.

The former Crystal Palace captain left a dumpster fire behind him, one that Eagles striker Jean-Philippe Mateta is anxious to leave as well. Crystal Palace, however, continues to put a high valuation on its striker, a price which has torpedoed efforts by several clubs to court the Eagles’ leading scorer. Nottingham Forest is a club still pursuing a deal for Mateta and that only adds fuel to the bad blood between the clubs. Forest took over the Europa League spot Crystal Palace earned with their FA Cup win when the Eagles tripped over a multi-club ownership regulation. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was believed to be one whom politicked for Palace’s disqualification to the benefit of his own club. Forest later filed a complaint when Crystal Palace supporters unfurled a banner disparaging the Greek owner when the clubs met at Selhurst Park earlier this season. The two clubs meet again, this time at  the City Ground on Sunday, with Mateta being the latest point of disagreement between the parties.

The 17th place Tricky Trees are trying to fend off rejuvenated West Ham in the battle for Premier League survival. The Hammers have won two matches in a row, 40% of their season long victory total, heading into their London derby at Chelsea on Saturday.

Leeds, meanwhile, is trying to avoid making it a three-team relegation fight as it hovers six points above the drop, one point above Nottingham Forest. Visiting Elland Road on Saturday will be an Arsenal squad eager to reassert its league dominance after a humbling loss to Bournemouth last week.

Aston Villa will try to stay on Arsenal’s heels when Brentford comes to Villa Park on Sunday. Manager Unai Emery has puzzles to solve for Aston Villa because of a string of injuries to his midfield. The Spanish manager revealed this week that Youri Tielemans will be out 8-10 weeks, John McGinn 6-8 weeks and Boubacar Kamara appears done for the season. Villa has reached a loan deal for former player Douglas Luiz to help plug the hole in the center of the club’s midfield.

Despite the two wins by interim manager Michale Carrick, Manchester United supporters are moving forward with a planned protest of ownership incompetence when the Red Devils host Fulham on Sunday. Carrick’s success has distracted from the underlying dissatisfaction, but the incompetence of the club’s ownership cannot be masked by the success of an individual that ownership feels is only worthy of a short-term contract.

A nefarious piece of history is on the line for Liverpool on Saturday when the Reds host Newcastle. Arne Slot’s side, the defending Premier League champion, is yet to win a Premier League match this calendar year. Failure to deliver all three points on Saturday would mark the first time since 1954 that Liverpool will have started a calendar year with a six-match league winless streak.

Bournemouth was a dramatic winner over Liverpool last week. Now the Cherries travel to Wolverhampton for what could be a more competitive match than would have been expected just a few weeks ago from the Premier League’s bottom team. Manager Rob Edwrds has the Wolves playing with an energy that was absent much of this season. The cellar dwellers, playing out a schedule which will assuredly end in relegation, had a five-match unbeaten run across all competitions before Wolves were taken down by Manchester City last week.

Sunderland and Burley are the other two clubs promoted for this season along with Wolves. Sunderland, thirteen points removed from the relegation zone, appears intent to stay around for another season. Burnley, however, looks to be making a U-turn back to the Championship along with Wolves. The Clarets are buried a discouraging ten points from safety as they travel to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland on Monday. The Black Cats are the only club in the Premier League not to have lost a match at their home fortress this season.

Brighton is one of three clubs, along with Arsenal and Manchester City, to have stumbled but once at home this season. The Seagulls will try to maintain their own superlative home form when Everton visits the South coast on Saturday.

Premier League Match Week 23 Results: Manchester United Defeats Arsenal As Interim Manager Carrick Delivers Another Shocker; Gunners Lead Down To Four Points Over Manchester City and Aston Villa; Liverpool Nicked By Bournemouth; Crystal Palace Swoon Continues In Loss To Chelsea; Forest and West Ham Both Win In Their Battle for Premier League Survival

He may not be the permanent solution, but Michael Carrick is delivering results in the short term as Manchester United’s interim manager. One week after knocking off rival Manchester City, Carrick’s Red Devils toppled league leading Arsenal 3-2 at the Emirates. Including his prior 2021 interim stint in charge of the team, Carrick is now an unbeaten 4-1-0 managing Manchester United. It was not just the Red Devil fans who were thrilled with Sunday’s results. Both Manchester City and Aston Villa won their matches over the weekend so the lead in the Premier League title chase is now down to four points, far too narrow for the nerves of Arsenal supporters who thought this to be their year after three consecutive second place finishes in the league. Goals by summer signings Bryan Mbuemo and Matheus Cunha bookended a goal by Patrick Dorgu to provide the firepower for Manchester United which took advantage of an uncharacteristically lax Arsenal defense. Cunha was unmarked for his dramatic winner in the 87th minute. The goal by the former Wolves player came three minutes after Arsenal’s Mikel Merino had tied the score and seemingly salvaged a point for the league leaders. It was not to be, and the three-way title chase is on after Arsenal lost at home for the first time this season.

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Matheus Cunha appreciation tweet ❤️ pic.twitter.com/O1NMRJnFJn

— Wealth (@wealth_united_) January 25, 2026

Manchester City were easy 2-0 winners over Wolves in a match that was spectated by Erling Haaland and Phil Foden as Manager Pep Guardiola rested his stars. Aston Villa won by the same 2-0 scoreline at Newcastle, the club’s first victory at St. James’s Park since 2005.

Liverpool, meanwhile, lost for the first time in 14 Premier League matches when Bournemouth’s Amine Adli scored in the final moments of stoppage time in a thriller at Vitality Stadium. Liverpool’s unbeaten run had masked some mediocre play as the Reds drew six different times during their 13-match run. The dropped points during that run had already doomed a title chase well before Adli’s heroics. Bournemouth had been on an 11-match winless run before a victory over Tottenham Hotspur two weeks ago. Saturday’s win extended a three-match unbeaten run for the rejuvenated Cherries.

New Chelsea Manager Liam Rosenior has won back-to-back Premier League matches after the Blues 3-1 victory at Crystal Palace. The Eagles are clearly in deep trouble. Crystal Palace has not won in 11 matches across all competitions and are being managed by an arsonist who has put the match to their season. Disgruntled Manager Oliver Glasner has declared he is leaving after the season and claims ownership has abandoned the manager and players with a transfer policy which has purportedly left the roster unable to compete. An unthinkable relegation battle could beckon for the Eagles who are currently eight points above the drop line.

West Ham is beginning to make some noise as the Hammers try to claw free of the relegation places. The Hammers made it two league wins in a row with their 3-1 thrashing of Sunderland on Saturday. Jarred Bowen had a goal and an assist to overtake Michail Antoinio as the all-time West Ham leader in Premier League goal involvements.

Nottingham Forest, however, has responded both last week and this past Sunday to keep the Hammers at bay. The Tricky Trees won their own second consecutive league match with a surprising 2-0 away win at Brentford, marking only the second time this season that Brentford lost a home Premier League match. Strikers Igor Jesus and Taiwo Awoniyi scored the goals which kept Nottingham Forest unbeaten in their last three matches and, most importantly, five points above West Ham in the battle for a Premier League return next season.

The reason Burnley will not be returning was evident on Saturday when the Claret defense faltered and allowed a late 90th minute equalizer in a 2-2 draw with struggling Tottenham Hotspur. With the lead in the closing minutes, Burnley repeatedly left opposing players unmarked, allowing multiple chances that included Xavi Simons’ booming blast which caromed off the top crossbar shortly before Romero’s header found the net. The Clarets are now ten points removed from safety. Tottenham Hotspur, despite Saturday’s dramatic point, is still without a  2026 Premier League victory.

Leeds are six points clear of the drop line after a 1-1 draw at Everton. Thierno Barry scored his fourth goal in his last five league games to bring the Toffees level with a 76th minute goal. The dropped points by Leeds keeps the Whites at risk of falling into a three-way battle with Nottingham Forest and West Ham for the final safe position in the league.

Everton’s Barry is not the only Premier League player on a current tear. Fulham’s Harry Wilson scored the winner in the 92nd minute of a 2-1 defeat of Brighton to continue his run of brilliant form for the Cottagers. Wilson’s Premier League goal involvements since the beginning of November are exceeded only by Erling Haaland and Saturday’s victory by Fulham has the London side up to seventh in the table.

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.