Premier League Match Week 25 Preview

The feature game at the top of the table this weekend sees Manchester City going to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday. The Citizens are still in the title race despite some damaging recent results. The deficit is now six points to catch Arsenal and win yet another trophy which no one, but Manchester City supporters, wants to see. Liverpool, the only side to interrupt Manchester City’s monopoly on titles over the past eight years, will be particularly keen to spoil the hopes of opposing Manager Pep Guardiola. Self-interest is also at play for Liverpool which, despite dashed title hopes, is still vying for the Champions League from its present sixth place position in the table.

Manchester United and Chelsea are immediately above the Reds, and both are within two points of the Reds in a lively scramble to secure participation in Europe’s premier tournament. Manchester United is home to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday attempting to extend Manager Michael Carrick’s perfect run of three Premier League victories so far, including massive wins over Arsenal and Manchester City.

League leading Arsenal, meanwhile, is home to Sunderland on Saturday. The Black Cats have surprised the league with their current eighth place standing in the table after a nine-year absence from the league. Home results have powered the Black Cats’ success, however, and the road has been far less friendly. Sunderland visits the Emirates on Saturday with the fourth worst away record in the Premier League. Arsenal, meanwhile, has lost only to Manchester United at home this season.

Aston Villa could fall 10 points back of the Gunners, essentially ending their title hopes, should Arsenal handle Sunderland and Aston Villa falter at Bournemouth this weekend. Manager Unai Emery has seen his lineup ravaged by injury in recent weeks as new transfers such as Douglas Luiz and Tammy Abraham have been rushed into the lineup to help keep hope alive. Abraham had a goal reversed on VAR review last week in his debut performance as he stands in for the injured Ollie Watkins.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, has found form in recent weeks, winning three times in a four-match unbeaten run. The Cherries have displayed a penchant for dramatic stoppage time goals which includes a late winner at Liverpool two weeks ago.

Two consecutive losses, including last week’s demoralizing 4-1 defeat at Liverpool, have dropped Newcastle into the bottom half of the table. In the congested Premier League table, however, Newcastle is only three points south of seventh place Brentford, the Magpies’ Saturday opponent. Brentford stopped a two-match losing run of its own with a hard-earned win at Aston Villa last week where the Bees were obliged to play with ten men for the entire second half of a 1-0 victory.

Brentford is one of six teams separated by only three points in place 7-12 in the Premier League table, all of those clubs hoping to emerge from the gaggle and secure a spot in Europe next season. Two of those clubs, Fulham and Everton, will clash at Craven Cottage on Saturday. Everton may boast a four-match unbeaten run but three of those outcomes were draws with the Toffees scoring exactly one goal in each of the four matches.

Low scoring matches are Everton’s forte, not so much for Fulham. The two clubs have exactly the same goal differential, but Cottager matches have seen 69 goals scored in aggregate compared to just 53 balls finding the net in Everton matches. While Marco Silva and David Moyes are well regarded by Fulham and Everton faithful, respectively, a slew of dropped points in recent weeks has increased the heat on Brighton Manager Fabian Hurzeler.

The Seagulls are floundering far from the European places which supporters have now become accustomed to contending for. Brighton will be playing for its coach and trying to defeat a hated rival when Crystal Palace visits American Express Stadium on Sunday. The Eagles are trying to fly clear of the relegation zone and calm the disharmony between Manager Oliver Glasner and Chairman Steve Parrish over transfer policy. Alarmingly, the Eagles have not replaced center back Marc Guehi after the club captain’s transfer to Manchester City.

The relegation fight sees an important matchup on Friday when the Premier League weekend begins with a contest at Elland Road between Leeds and Nottingham Forest. The Whites and the Tricky Trees are both six points clear of the relegation zone as they fend off a suddenly threatening West Ham side and former Nottingham Forest Manager Nuno Espirito Santo. Leeds has joined the relegation battle after winning just two of its last ten Premier League matches, punctuated by a 4-0 home defeat to Arsenal last week.

Nottingham Forest has flirted with the drop zone throughout the season, Manager Sean Dyche having been brought in to replace Santo and ensure survival for the Tricky Trees. Santo meanwhile finds himself below the drop line with his Hammers currently one of the three clubs in the relegation places. Back-to-back victories had raised some optimism before the Hammers squandered a two-goal lead in a crushing 3-2 loss to Chelsea last Saturday.

West Ham faces lesser opposition this week, however, when it travels to Burnley. The Clarets are buried in the relegation zone after going winless in their last 15 Premier League matches. Only Wolverhampton, which hosts Chelsea on Saturday, has accumulated fewer points this season. 

Premier League Match Week 24 Results: Arsenal Wins, City Draws, Villa Loses As Gunners Widen Their Lead; Manchester United Stays Perfect Under Carrick; Chelsea Lowers Second Half Hammer On West Ham; Liverpool Drills Newcastle; Sunderland Stays Undefeated At Home

Arsenal’s lead is six points over Manchester City after a weekend when the Gunners romped to a 4-0 win at Leeds while Manchester City and Aston Villa both dropped points. The depth of Arsenal was again on full display Saturday. Bukayo Saka suffered a hip issue in warmups. No immediate problem for Manager Mikel Arteta who turned to Noni Madueke as next man up. The former Chelsea player responded with a goal and an assist in the annihilation of a Leeds side which had played well at Elland Road this season but was clearly overmatched versus the league leaders. Madueke’s goal from a corner kick was originally booked as an own goal as a cluster of Leeds players failed to clear with no Arsenal players in sight and managed to bumble the ball into their own net. Madueke had earlier executed a beautifully placed cross to set up Martin Zubimendi for his opening goal header. Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus would add second half goals to complete the rout.

All signs pointed to an easy victory for Manchester City on Sunday after a dominant first half and resultant two-goal advantage at the break. After the customary halftime booing by the home fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Manager Thomas Frank’s side turned on a dime and exhibited the kind of grit which had been missing in its six previous home losses. The defense stiffened after Frank changed the formation to a back four for the second interval. Dominic Solanke took care of the goalscoring. The forward halved the margin with a controversial 53rd minute goal where he may or may not have fouled Manchester City center back Marc Guehi on the play.

The equalizer for Spurs was a thing of beauty. The newly acquired Conor Gallagher launched a cross which was off the mark for a flying Solanke attempt. The Spurs forward, however, was able to accommodate and proceeded to score what could be the goal of the season. The airborne and horizontal Solanke flicked the ball with his trailing back heel from a flying scorpion position. The ball floated beyond understandably flatfooted Gianlugi Donnarumma to cap an unforgettable moment. Solanke’s skill and acrobatics recalled a similar scorpion kick goal by then Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud back in 2017.

That Xavi pass 🤌

Finished off by Solanke 💪 pic.twitter.com/wWpCFoXDmb

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 3, 2026

The equalizer was heartening for the under-fire Frank and his players. It was not only disheartening but highly damaging to Manchester City’s title hopes as the dropped points left the Citizens six points behind victorious Arsenal. Doubt was seeded once again for this Manchester City side which has now drawn four times and lost once in its last six Premier League matches. Manager Pep Guardiola has seen his side drop seven points since the turn of the year by conceding second half goals.

If possible, Aston Villa had an even worse day. At home versus Brentford, Manager Unai Emery and his charges suffered a 1-0 defeat despite the Bees’ Kevin Scahde being red carded in the 42nd minute, leaving Brentford to play with 10 men for the duration of the match. Just minutes after Schade’s red card, Dango Ouattara scored the only goal of the match in first half stoppage time for the Bees. Villa failed to capitalize on its man advantage and lost a second consecutive home match. Aston Villa is now seven points adrift of the top. The gritty defensive effort by the Bees ended a two-match losing run for Brentford.

The steadfast second half defensive performance by Brentford contrasted dramatically with what happened to West Ham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Chelsea Manager Liam Rosenior chose to make six changes to his lineup to balance workloads after a midweek European match and an upcoming Carabao Cup semifinal this Wednesday versus Arsenal. West Ham capitalized by going up two goals against an opponent lineup peppered with reserves. Chelsea benchwarmers Alejandro Garnacho and Jorrel Hato made Chelsea’s left flank particularly vulnerable with Garnacho adding little up front and doing a poor job in tracking back.

Rosenior swung the game by bringing in the cavalry for the second half. Garnacho and Hato were benched. Replacements Joao Pedro and Marc Cucrella scored second half goals. An Enzo Fernandez stoppage time goal completed Chelsea’s 3-2 comeback win, leaving West Ham Manager Nuno Espirito Santo to rue the second half collapse by his defense.

Chelsea’s win kept them one point behind fourth place Manchester United which stayed perfect under interim Manager Michael Carrick with the Red Devils’ 3-2 win over Fulham at Old Trafford. Carrick’s third consecutive victory since his recent appointment became nervy when Manchester United surrendered a two-goal halftime advantage late in the match. Following a Raul Jimenez penalty kick which pulled Fulham close in the 85th minute, a stoppage time equalizer by Fulham’s Kevin seemed to dictate a sharing of points. Benjamin Sesko, however, had other ideas and scored the winner for the homestanding Red Devils just minutes later to conclude the dramatic late match fireworks. The summer signing from RB Leipzig has had a rough first season in England but Carrick applauded the extra work in training that has shown in improved form for the Slovenian striker.

Hugo Ekiteke now has 10 goals in his debut season for Liverpool. The Frenchman scored a brace in an easy Liverpool 4-1 win over Newcastle at Anfield which also saw fellow summer signing Florian Wirtz deliver a goal and an assist. It was the first Premier League win of 2026 for Liverpool while Newcastle is reeling after back-to-back losses.

Bournemouth, victors over Liverpool last weekend, won for a third time in four league matches with a 2-0 victory over Wolves. Eli Juniour Kroupi and Adam Scott found the net for the Cherries who are managing to overcome the departure of former top scorer Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City.

Burnley joined Wolves and West Ham in settling deeper into the relegation zone when the Clarets were spanked 3-0 at the Stadium of Light by Sunderland, extending Burnley’s winless run in the league to 15 matches. The Black Cats, meanwhile, remain the only undefeated Premier League team at home this season. Sunderland’s unbeaten run of 12 home matches is the longest streak by a team newly promoted to the topflight since Nottingham Forest in 1977/78. After waiting nine years to see Premier League football back at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland supporters are yet to witness a league defeat this season at their seemingly invulnerable fortress.

Nottingham Forest pulled further away from the relegation zone by salvaging a point in a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace. The Tricky Trees got off to a 1-0 lead in just the fifth minute of play when Morgan Gibbs-White scored from close range. Disaster then almost felled the Trees. Neco Williams received a red card and gave Crystal Palace a penalty try when he handled a goal bound header from Crystal Palace’s Jefferson Lerma. Ismaila Sarr converted to knot the match as time ran out on the first half. Ten-man Forest battled on and appeared the more likely side to score in a second half where the Eagles were unable to put a shot on target despite their man advantage.

The hard-won point by Nottingham Forest increased their distance from the relegation sides. Crystal Palace ended a three-match losing run but remains without a win for twelve matches across all competitions. A deal to sell disgruntled striker JP Mateta fell though for the Eagles when a knee injury did not survive a medical by AC Milan. The Frenchman may now require surgery while still pulling a paycheck from the club he wants away from. To cover their bets, Crystal Palace has signed underperforming Jorgen Strand Larsen from Wolves. The Norwegian scored 14 times last season but has just a single goal in the Premier League this season.

After losing on a stoppage time goal last week, Brighton was again victimized in extra time when Everton striker Beto scored in the 97th minute of a 1-1 draw at American Express Stadium. Home supporters booed their Seagulls at the final whistle as dissatisfaction is heating up the seat of Manager Fabian Hurzeler whose side has won just one of its last ten Premier League matches. The road warrior Toffees, meanwhile, have lost but one of their last seven away matches after snatching their late point on Saturday.

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.