Friday, April 17, 2026

Premier League Week 33 Preview: Title Rests With Sunday’s Match

Sunday will determine whether there is still a Premier League title race. Arsenal can move back nine points ahead of Manchester City should the visiting Gunners find victory at the Etihad. A loss by the Gunners creates a worst-case scenario for Manager Mikel Arteta and his three-time bridesmaids. A slender three-point advantage could be gone in a matter of days should the Citizens continue their charge with a win next Wednesday against relegation bound Burnley. It is thus difficult to overstate the importance of Sunday’s clash.

The Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton is thus a lesser focus for all but the citizens of their common city. Rather, the supporters of England’s top two clubs and other fans across the Premier League are laser focused on a contest which will tell whether Arsenal might fall agonizingly short for a fourth consecutive season. It has been six years since Arsenal claimed a trophy of any sort. Despite being bounced from the Carabao Cup and FA Cup by Manchester City and Southampton, respectively, Arsenal is currently in the Champions League semifinal and sits atop the Premier League table.

This could yet be a glorious season which validates the project of Manager Mikel Arteta who this week implored supporters to “enjoy where we are as a club.” There will be little enjoyment among supporters, however, if the club comes up on the short end on Sunday. Arsenal has not won at the Etihad in their last 10 Premier League visits to the Etihad, losing seven times. This weekend’s Merseyside derby is also about more than pride. Liverpool is trying to hold on to its Champions league place where it has a four-point lead over sixth place Chelsea.

Everton, meanwhile, can move to within two points of the Reds with a win in the first Merseyside derby to be played at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock. Liverpool will be without Hugo Ekitike for the match as the French striker is lost for the season after an Achilles injury forced him to leave Liverpool’s losing effort versus PSG during the week. Chelsea meanwhile will try to end a three-match losing run when the Blues host Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

A protest march is scheduled by Chelsea supporters unhappy with the policies of BlueCo ownership, a consortium of Clear Lake Capital and Todd Boehly. An expensively assembled roster is now seeing its young stars yearn for greener pastures amid the club’s declining performance and unpopular managerial changes. Enzo Fernandez returns after being suspended for his ill-chosen words about the club. A lack of veteran leadership and a lack of balance on the roster continues to plague the Chelsea project.

Manchester United is looking to bounce back after the first Premier League loss this season under interim Manager Michael Carrick. New Tottenham Hotspur Manager Roberto De Zerbi will look for his first win when his currently relegation bound squad hosts Brighton on Saturday. The bedraggled Tottenham Hotspur club he now commands has not won a league match in 2026. That first win will not be easy against a Seagulls side which has won five of its last six Premier League matches and is battling for a place in Europe.

Leeds has opportunity to remove itself further from the relegation scrap should the Whites defeat cellar dwelling Wolverhampton on Saturday. Leeds currently enjoys a six-point advantage over Spurs. Nottingham Forest and West Ham are less safe and within three points of Spurs and the drop line as they face crucial matches on Sunday. The Tricky Trees have an enviable opportunity for three points against a bad Burnley team at the City Ground while West Ham face a tougher test at Crystal Palace.

The Eagles are flying high after qualifying for the semifinals of the Conference League during the week and have lost just one of their last five Premier League matches under lame duck Manager Oliver Glasner. West Ham moved out of the relegation zone last weekend with a 4-0 pounding of Wolverhampton. The crowded race for Europa and Conference League positions appears to have shifted into slow motion. Two points and three clubs separate seventh place Brentford from 11th place Bournemouth with both those clubs having drawn four of their last five matches.

Brentford hosts Fulham, just three points below the Bees, while Bournemouth travels to Newcastle for its first match since Manager Andoni Iraola announced he is leaving after this season. There is an interesting trend of manager resignations, or mutual departures this season. Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca and Crystal Palace’s Glasner are two other high-profile walkaways which come to mind. Sunderland could still challenge for an unlikely European spot and will hope to catch Aston Villa napping when the Black Cats visit Villa Park on Sunday. Villa has a seven-point cushion in its quest for a Champions League berth and has advanced to the Europa League semifinals where it will curiously face Premier League and Midland rival Nottingham Forest. 

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Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Premier League Week 32 Results: Arsenal Loss Opens The Door For Manchester City; Citizens Use Second Half Barrage To Put Away Chelsea; West Ham Escapes Relegation Places With Resounding Win; Spurs Misery Continues; Liverpool Rebounds with Good Showing At Anfield; Leeds Defeats 10-Man Manchester United; Crystal Palace Overtakes Newcastle

Arsenal’ s march to the Premier League title took a wrong turn on Saturday when the Gunners lost 2-1 to visiting Bournemouth. A nine-point lead entering the weekend is now six points after Manchester City’s 3-0 demolition of Chelsea on Sunday. Arsenal and Manchester City will meet next week at the Etihad in a contest which could determine who raises the Premier League trophy. What seemed for much of the season to be a certain title run after three consecutive second place league finishes is now a major doubt for Arsenal and its handwringing fans.

Should Manchester City defeat the Gunners next Sunday, they will have opportunity to match Arsenal’s point total by winning at Burnley in a previously postponed match just three days later. Incredibly Arsenal may no longer be at the top of the table when the Gunners visit Newcastle in two weeks. Against Bournemouth, the Gunners once again suffered from a lack of creativity in their attack with Mikel Arteta pulling out all the steps with the triple substitution of Eberechi Eze, Leandro Trossard and teen phenom Max Dowman in the 54th minute to try to spark a winner with the match tied at a goal apiece. Instead, it was Bournemouth’s Alex Scott who found the net in the 74th minute.

Manchester City will host the Gunners on a confident high after a three goal second half explosion which broke up a scoreless first half at Stamford Bridge. Rayan Cherki assisted the first two goals by Manchester City as the summer transfer has become a star in this reconstituted Citizen team which could still win a domestic treble this season. Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi and Jermey Doku scored the goals which demonstrated that City’s attack extends beyond Erling Haaland.

Chelsea’s poor second half performance puts the Blues’ Champions League hopes in jeopardy after Liverpool defeated Fulham 2-0 on the weekend and extended its lead over sixth place Chelsea to four points. Chelsea Manager Liam Rosenior is feeling the heat as the club is not only trailing Liverpool for the final Champions League spot but is being hunted down by a gaggle of clubs below them. Five clubs are within three points of Chelsea, threatening to keep the Blues out of Europe altogether next season. Chelsea has failed to score in three consecutive Premier League losses and an embarrassing Champions League exit where the Blues were outscored 8-2 by PSG over two legs also does not help Rosenior’s credibility.

Liverpool has also been disappointing its fans of late, making Saturday’s win in front of home supporters all that more meaningful. The club’s past and future were on display with the two goals being scored by 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha and 33-year-old club legend Mohamed Salah who has already announced that this is his final season in a Liverpool jersey. Decisive Cup losses to Manchester City in the FA Cup and PSG in Champions League have been unfortunately accompanied by announced ticket price increases which were protested at Saturday’s match. With its first win in four league matches, perhaps the Reds can even rise to an improved performance against PSG at Anfield this week in the second leg of their Champions League tie.

Further down the table, the relegation race was turned on its ear with West Ham making a statement with a 4-0 win over Wolverhampton which began the Premier League weekend on Friday. Taty Castellanos and Konstantinos Mavropanos each had a brace and Jarrod Bowen had two assists as the Hammers escaped the relegation zone. Castellanos flashed the form that the Hammers were hoping for when they expensively purchased the Argentine forward in the January window. Club stalwart Bowen, meanwhile, now has nine goal involvements in his last 10 matches.

Replacing West Ham in the relegation zone was Tottenham Hotspur which lost 1-0 at Sunderland to put themselves below the drop line for the first time since 2015. A first ever Premier League relegation would have severe financial consequences for the “top six” club. The club’s recent huge investment in new manager Roberto De Zerbi reflects the sense of panic being felt by club ownership. Whether the gamble pays off hangs in the balance over the next six matches. There was no new manager bounce on Sunday as the club lost for the seventh time in its last eight Premier League matches.

Tottenham Hotspur has not won any of its last 14 Premier League matches and is in search of its first league win of the calendar year. Things deteriorated further on Saturday when Spurs’ captain and arguably best player, Christian Romero collided with his goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky. Romero’s knee banged into Kinsky’s head, and the Argentine left in tears with an injured knee ligament which will keep him out for the remainder of the league season. Sunderland’s winner was a bit fluky as well, Nordi Mukiele’s shot deflecting into the net off Spurs defender Mickey van den Ven.

Nottingham Forest claimed a valuable point to move three points north of Spurs when the Tricky Trees drew 1-1 with Aston Villa. Forest is undefeated in its last four Premier League matches, keeping the Trees clear of the drop line. Leeds took an even bigger step to remove itself from relegation jeopardy when the Whites emerged with a 2-1 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. Noah Okafor scored twice in the first half hour of play to give Leeds a two-goal lead.

Manchester United’s comeback hopes were then severely damaged when Lisandro Marinez received a red card for pulling the hair of Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the 56th minute. Casemiro closed the gap to 2-1 in the 59th minute but Leeds was able to frustrate 10 man United for the balance of the match and hand Manchester United the first home loss of Michael Carrick’s interim reign. The victory was incredibly important for a Leeds side which is now six points clear of Tottenham Hotspur and the drop line. The loss was less impactful for Manchester United, which remains seven points north of Chelsea and the possible forfeiture of a berth in the Champions League for next season.

Crystal Palace is not gunning for a European place in the table, but the Eagles have done far better than feared when the relationship between the club and lame duck Manager Oliver Glasner blew up some weeks ago. Chairman Steve Parish apparently made the right decision to keep Glasner in place till season’s end despite his disparaging remarks about the club. The Eagles are still contending in the Europa Conference League, defeating Fiorentina 3-0 in a quarterfinal match Thursday, and overtook Newcastle in the Premier League table on Sunday with a 2-1 comeback victory over the Magpies at Selhurst Park.

Jean-Philippe Mateta scored both goals in the Eagles’ win, including a 94th minute penalty kick after teammate Jefferson Lerma was pulled down in the Newcastle box. Crystal Palace moved past Newcastle into 13th position in the table, not a world beating accomplishment unless contemplating the relegation fears present in south London not very long ago. Other weekend matches saw an unsurprising 2-0 win for Brighton at bumbling Burnley while Everton and Brentford drew at 2-2, dampening the hopes of both clubs to make a push for Liverpool’s current Champions League berth. The Toffees and Bees are five points south of Liverpool in the table, one point behind struggling Chelsea.

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Thursday, April 9, 2026

Premier League Week 32 Preview: Is There A Title Chase As Premier League Returns?; Liverpool And Chelsea Look To Reverse Struggling Form; Time Is Now For Hammers As Wolves Have a Say; Di Zerbe Debuts For Spurs

The Premier League returns this weekend after an extended break for international matches and the FA Cup quarterfinals. Arsenal returns to action with a substantial lead over Manchester City yet still seems vulnerable and generally unimpressive. The Gunners were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by City a few weeks ago and then last week were beaten in the FA Cup by Southampton. Arsenal managed to edge Sporting Lisbon 1-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday with a stoppage time winner from Kai Havertz.

The lead over Manchester City is nine points. The Citizens, however, have a game in hand and host Arsenal on April 19th. There is thus less margin for error than it would seem for an Arsenal side which is not projecting championship form at the moment. The league leaders host Bournemouth this weekend with the Cherries riding a curious five match run of consecutive draws. The Cherries were whitewashed in three of those matches as they face Arsenal’s’ league leading defense which has for the most part compensated for a lackluster Gunner attack this season.

Manchester City, meanwhile, visits Chelsea for a match at Stamford Bridge with huge ramifications for both squads. Chelsea is currently on the outside looking in with respect to Champions League qualification. The Blues sit sixth in the table after losing three of their last four matches. Since the club last took the pitch in a Premier League match, three star players have spoken out with negative remarks regarding their Chelsea futures, the club’s recruitment policies and the decision to change managers earlier this season. While the comments of Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo were relatively benign if unwelcome, Enzo Fernandez earned himself a two-match suspension by the club which will see him on the bench for the crucial match versus Manchester City.

Chelsea is currently a point behind Liverpool and two points ahead of Brentford and Everton. Liverpool was rocked 4-0 when the club was decisively booted from the FA Cup by Manchester City last weekend. The unraveling Reds were then undone 2-0 by PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday, a contest in which the Premier League side failed to put a single shot on target as Manager Arne Slot kept Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah bolted to the bench for the entire game. Liverpool needs a home win this weekend against Fulham to help stem the tide of supporter discontent which has endangered the job security of Manager Arne Slot.

The winner of the Brentford and Everton match at Gtech Stadium on Saturday could find itself level on points with Liverpool at weekend’s end. Everton has won three out of four matches, including a dominant 3-0 thrashing of Chelsea before the break. Brentford has drawn its last three matches, including disappointing deadlocks with lower table wanderers Wolverhampton and Leeds in the Bees’ last two matches. Wolves will have opportunity to spoil someone else’s season when the league’s bottom team visits London Stadium on Friday for a match of incredible importance for West Ham. The cellar dwellers, who have been remarkably improved under Manager Rob Edwards, could well decide the third team to join Wolves and Burnley in the Championship tier next season.

Wolverhampton’s two matches following the visit to West Ham are a trip to Leeds and a Molineux Stadium visit from Tottenham Hotspur. The Hammers remain the only one of the three current relegation zone residents with a chance to escape their fate. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo has his club just one point below 17th place Tottenham Hotspur and three points below Nottingham Forest. New Spurs Manager Roberto De Zerbi enters the relegation battle royale when he makes his debut on the road at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light. The Black Cats, with no relegation worries, have rebounded from a temporary lull in results to win two of their last three Premier League matches.

Nottingham forest, meanwhile, faces a tough matchup with Aston Villa which could put the brakes on what has been a nice new manager bounce, including a 3-0 walloping of Spurs, after Viktor Pereira replaced Sean Dyche in charge of the Tricky Trees some weeks ago. Just a point above Forest and paddling hard to stay above the relegation fray is Leeds United. The Whites face a tough test at Manchester United on Monday seeking their first league victory since an early February win over Nottingham Forest.

Manchester United’s Harry Maguire signed a new one-year contract with the Red Devils this past week, capping what has been a remarkable comeback story for the one-time star who became little more than a squad player before now once again becoming a critical piece at the heart of the Manchester United defense. The third place Red Devils are nearly assured of a Champions League berth with a present seven-point margin on sixth place Chelsea.

Newcastle would have been expected to compete for a Champions League berth before the club was gutted over the summer by the departure of leading scorer Alexander Isak who turned out to have an injury plagued campaign for his new employer in Liverpool. Eddie Howe’s side has not only been unable to replace Isak’s firepower but has also sprung leaks in its defense. Only three teams not currently in the relegation zone have conceded more often than the Magpies. Howe’s side travels to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace which is winding down the tenure of Manager Oliver Glasner after its own disappointing season. Brighton could yet make something of its season as the Seagulls are just three points shy of a possible Europa Conference League slot as Manager Fabian Hurzeler is probably rubbing his hands in glee at the three points available from this week’s tiff at relegation bound Burnley. 

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