Premier League Match Week 36 Results: Path Is Clear For Arsenal After Win Over Hammers; Spurs Fail To Capitalize; Leeds and Nottingham Forest Are Safe; Streaking Bournemouth Threatens Top Five; Everton Concedes Late To Jeopardize Europe Chances; Liverpool and Chelsea Draw

Arsenal may have salted away the Premier League title and West Ham took another step toward relegation in Sunday’s action at London Stadium. The Gunners defeated West Ham 1-0 as Leandro Trossard’s deflected strike in the 83rd minute proved the winning margin. The winner came just moments after Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya had stoned a point-blank attempt by Mateus Fernandes which would have given West Ham the lead. To further the misery of West Ham supporters, a potential tying goal for the Hammers was disallowed in stoppage time after a lengthy VAR review determined that Raya was fouled, a controversial call that reverberated at the top and bottom of the Premier League table.

Either you hate watch Arsenal or not, that’s a clear foul on David Raya. You can’t block or hold the keeper like that from a corner and pretend it’s normal. VAR got it right. #WHUARS pic.twitter.com/rvUMKt43DC

— Olawale Balo (@walebuilds_) May 10, 2026

Arsenal is now five points ahead in the Premier League race. While Manchester City, 3-0 winners over Brentford on Saturday, can pull within two points by beating Crystal Palace on Wednesday, those two points appear massive considering Arsenal’s remaining schedule.

Next week sees the Gunners host punching bag Burnley while the Gunners’ final game of the season against Crystal Palace comes just days before the Eagles’ Conference League final in Germany. Clearly the Eagles and their manager, Oliver Glasner, will be risking nothing to help Pep Guardiola and Manchester City.

At the other end of the table, West Ham is fortunate to be only two points from safety after Tottenham Hotspur conceded a careless penalty kick on Monday to draw 1-1 with visiting Leeds. Mathys Tel scored the opening goal for Tottenham Hotspur but was then guilty of the penalty which came about when he tried to “bicycle kick” a clearance from his own box.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted the equalizer which deprived Spurs of two critical points in its struggle to avoid relegation. Leeds even threatened to take all three points in the late going when substitute Sean Longstaff’s drive was tipped off the crossbar by Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.

It is no wonder that Tottenham Hotspur is in a relegation fight after supporters witnessed the 15th non-winning effort in their club’s 17 home dates so far as the north London side has captured only 11 points at home this season. Like Leeds, Nottingham Forest is also safe now after the Tricky Trees earned a 1-1 draw with Newcastle that saw former Magpie Eliot Anderson secure the point for the Tricky Trees with an 88th minute goal.

Nottingham Forest is seven points clear of the drop line with only two matches remaining. Newcastle, meanwhile, suffered an all too familiar fate as the Magpies have now dropped 27 points from a winning position this season, more than any other Premier League team.

The Magpies host West Ham next week with the chance to further influence the relegation places. Following their result at St. James’s Park, the Hammers will need wait until Tuesday to see if relegation rival Spurs can steal a result from a tough battle away at Chelsea.

While the top and bottom of the table feature two team battles, the battle for European places remains wide open. Manchester United, which shared the points in a goalless snoozefest with Sunderland over the weekend, is already assured of its Champions League place along with Arsenal and Manchester City.

Liverpool and Aston Villa have long occupied the two remaining guaranteed Champions League slots, but both clubs are struggling to mathematically lock down their place. Liverpool and Aston Villa are level at 59 points after both clubs drew over the weekend.

Bournemouth is now on 55 points after the Cherries defeated Fulham 1-0 in an odd match where both clubs were reduced to 10 men for the entire second half. Brazilian teenager Rayan scored in the 53rd minute on a deflected shot to provide the winning margin and give the surging Cherries their fourth win in their last five Premier League matches and extend their unbeaten league run to 16 matches under departing Manager Andoni Iraola.

Rayan now has three goals in his last three Premier League matches, finding his best form at the best possible time for Iraola’s club. Brighton are two points behind the Seagulls in seventh place after making easy work of Wolverhampton in a 3-0 victory where Brighton scored two of its goals in the first five minutes of play.

Like Bournemouth’s Rayan, the Seagulls’ Jack Hinshelwood also has three goals in his last three Premier League matches after scoring 35 seconds into Saturday’s match, the fastest goal in Brighton history. The wins by Bournemouth and Brighton combined with draws by Liverpool and Aston Villa keep the race for Champions League places alive as the season enters its final two weekends.

Chelsea, once expected to compete for Europe’s top competition, ended a five-match losing run by grabbing a point in a 1-1 contest at Anfield between two clubs suffering disappointing seasons. Chelsea, of course, has been in a death spiral and is facing the prospect of no European football next season.

Though Liverpool remains well positioned to still finish in the top five spots, the supporters have become fully disillusioned with Manager Arne Slot. The vocalization of discontent reached a new level when Slot substituted for 17-year-old crowd favorite Rio Ngumoha in the 67th minute versus Chelsea.

Slot concedes he cannot win back the supporters until much work is done on the squad in the summer. Whether he gets that chance remains a question. Slot’s side remains locked on points with Aston Villa with both clubs currently trying to fend off Bournemouth and possibly Brighton.

Villa did not try too hard on Saturday, as the Villans suffered a 2-2 draw with Burnley which has already been relegated, a circumstance which prompted the sacking of Manager Scott Parker. The Clarets snapped a five-match losing run and avoided defeat for just the 13th time in 36 matches this season when Zian Flemming knotted matters at Turf Moor just two minutes after Ollie Watkins had given Aston Villa a lead.

While technically still needing to nail down its league place for Champions League qualification, Aston Villa is far more focused on a Europa League championship which would also provide entry to Europe’s top competition next season. The Villans advanced to the Europa League final with their victory over Nottingham Forest on Thursday.

Those celebrations may thus have influenced the somnolence shown at Turf Moor. Crystal Palace were similarly celebrating advancement to a European final after moving past Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday to qualify for the Conference League tournament final which will take place just days after the Eagles host Arsenal for a match which could determine the Premier League title race.

The Eagles could thus be forgiven if they attributed little weight to their match with the Toffees this past Sunday. Everton, meanwhile, had it all to play for as they entered the weekend on the cusp of qualifying for next season’s European fun.

It was surprising then that Everton squandered the lead twice in drawing 2-2 at Crystal Palace. This was the second consecutive week that Everton dropped points from a winning position, and a five-match winless run has the Toffees in 10th position with European hopes quickly fading.

Crystal Palace, while staking their hopes on a European trophy this year, can also now devilishly determine who lifts the Premier League trophy as the Eagles will face both Manchester City and Arsenal before concluding their domestic campaign. 

Premier League Match Week 36 Preview

Arsenal enters this weekend fresh off a Champions League semifinal victory which puts them in the final for the first time in 20 years. A historic double is thus within reach of the Gunners as they enjoy a five-point lead over Manchester City in the Premier league title race.

West Ham is next up for Arsenal whose league slate is down to three ultra critical contests. London Stadium will be the venue on Sunday as West Ham desperately tries to grab some form of result which might help its survival chances. Currently the Hammers are trapped in the relegation zone, a point below Tottenham Hotspur.

Manchester City, now hanging by a thread in the title race, needs to shake off its potentially devastating draw with Everton last weekend when the Citizens host a dangerous Brentford side Saturday. The Bees are seventh in the table, bunched with a cluster of clubs seeking to capture a Europa or Conference League berth for next season.

The league’s top two goalscorers will be in action at the Etihad as Brentford’s Igor Thiago trails Erling Haaland by only three goals in the Golden Boot race with the Brazilian having found the net 22 times already this season.

Erling Haaland agreed with a fan who asked Antoine Semenyo to pass the ball to the @ManCity forward on his recent Instagram post 😅

Haaland leads the race for the Golden Boot - but Igor Thiago is just one goal behind! 👀 pic.twitter.com/NIvRzMzbY1

— Premier League (@premierleague) April 13, 2026

Following Brentford, Manchester City should have an easier time in a makeup match with Crystal Palace on Wednesday before facing another difficult challenge at Bournemouth next weekend.

After presumably taking care of business against West Ham, Arsenal fortuitously will face a second consecutive relegation zone resident next weekend in Burnley. While Arsenal battles for silverware, historic rival Tottenham Hotspur is locked in a battle for survival with West Ham.

Spurs has an excellent opportunity to further their survival chances should Manager Roberto De Zerbi’s squad be able to defeat Leeds for a third consecutive Premier League win. Should West Ham lose to Arsenal and Spurs prevail at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, De Zerbi’s team will be four points safe with two matches to go.

Three points on Saturday is even more important as the remaining run in will not be kind to Spurs. A match at Stamford Bridge the following week looms against a Chelsea squad in bad form. However, a home loss to rival Spurs would be a frightening spectacle in front of already unhappy, and highly vocal home Blue supporters.

There should thus be ample motivation for Chelsea if such a thing is possible for this group currently wearing the Blue shirt. Chelsea is at Liverpool on Saturday where a sixth consecutive Premier League loss is a strong possibility. After Leeds and its visit to Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur must go to Everton on the final day to play a Toffee side which may well be fighting for a European place.

After derailing Manchester City’s title run last weekend, the Toffees now visit Crystal Palace, whose eyes remain fixed on the Eagles’ Conference League final later this month. A victory on Sunday over disinterested Crystal Palace could see the Toffees finish the weekend as high as eighth in the table and closing in on a European opportunity.

While West Ham faces a daunting task versus Arsenal this weekend, the Hammers’ remaining two matches, after facing the Gunners, are against Newcastle and Leeds which should represent winnable matches for Manager Nuno Espirito Santo and his desperate crew. Newcastle, away at Forest this weekend, is mired in 13th place entering this weekend.

Leeds will almost assuredly be safe by the time they face the Hammers and will likely have only marginal interest in its season finale, particularly away from Elland Road. Aston Villa has two possible routes to Champions League qualification.

The Villans swept aside fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest on Thursday to stake a place in the Europa League final on May 20th, the winner securing not just silverware but a Champions League invitation. Villa is also currently fifth in the Premier League table, holding on to the final “table determined” Champions League slot by six points over Bournemouth.

Absent a hangover from Thursday’s celebrations, Villa should have little difficulty this weekend at Burnley. Bournemouth’s task this weekend has the potential to be trickier against an inconsistent Fulham side playing at Craven Cottage.

Brighton is just two points further down the table from sixth place Bournemouth and has a home match against woeful Wolves on Saturday as the Europa and Conference League battle remains congested with only five points separating Bournemouth from 12th place Sunderland. The Black Cats host Manchester United at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

Premier League Match Week 35 Results: Arsenal Regains Control Of Title Race; Manchester City Stunned At Everton; Spurs Exit Drop Zone; Chelsea Felled By Trees; Manchester United Defeats Liverpool

Arsenal is back in control of the Premier League title race after a stunning turn of events following the Gunners defeat at the Etihad in mid-April. Arsenal’s 3-0 thumping of Fulham on Saturday put the Gunners six points ahead in the Premier league race before Manchester City took the pitch on Monday for the first of its two games in hand. Needing to close the gap created by scheduling and two winning performances by Arsenal, Manchester City stumbled.

The Citizens fell behind 3-1 at Everton before recovering to salvage a point. The two dropped points, however, could decide this year’s Premier League championship. Arsenal are five points clear with three matches to play. Manchester City still has a game in hand, but its fate is no longer in its own hands.

Arsenal wasted no time at Fulham, uncharacteristically putting up three goals, two by striker Viktor Gyokeres, in the first half before falling back on its league best defense to secure the Gunners’ 17th clean sheet of the season. The dominant nature of the victory also allowed Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta to rest additional players in advance of the Gunners’ Champions League match with Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

Manchester City, playing on Monday, wilted under the pressure exerted by Arsenal’s result and a determined Everton side fighting for a place in Europe next season. Things started well enough for the Citizens when Jeremy Doku scored the opening goal at Hill Dickinson Stadium in the 43rd minute. Manchester City’s title chances, however, diminished with a 13 minute second half stretch where the Toffees scored three times.

The first of two goals by Thierno Barry came off an errant back pass by Manchester City defender Marc Guehi, the second such error in three matches by a Manchester City defender. Jake O’Brien put the Toffees ahead five minutes later and Barry extended the Toffee lead even further with an 81st minute strike. To City’s credit, Erling Haaland and Doku responded with goals to salvage a point in the 3-3 final, but it may well have been a case of too little, too late in this tight Premier League title duel.

That South Stand roar as Barry taps in our third. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/lqzQ0eFuOZ

— Everton (@Everton) May 6, 2026

Manchester United is now as close to Manchester City as it is to fourth place Liverpool after the Red Devils extended their lead to six points over the Reds with a 3-2 win at Old Trafford. The victory epitomized the debate over interim Manager Michael’s Carrick’s future with the club. The results continue to outpace expectations as Manchester United has now clinched Champions League play for next season.

The actual performance, however, is somewhat underwhelming, the Red Devils forfeiting a two-goal lead on Sunday before midfielder Kobbie Mainoo rescued the three points with his 77th minute strike. Manchester United errors by second half substitute Amad Diallo and goalkeeper Senne Lammens led to the two Liverpool goals after Manchester United had built a two-goal halftime lead. Mainoo’s goal rescued the day, however, and Manchester United not only clinched a once improbable Champions League berth but also secured the first league double over Liverpool in ten years, the winner coming off the foot of a player who could not find the pitch under Carrick’s predecessor, Ruben Amorim.

Despite its failed effort at Old Trafford, Liverpool remains on track for its own Champions League berth. Level on points with Aston Villa, the Reds are six points clear of sixth place Bournemouth in the battle for the Premier League’s “table determined” five Champions League slots. The Cherries, while still a long shot for Champions League qualification, enhanced their European prospects with a 3-0 whitewashing of Crystal Palace.

Bournemouth played an Eagles team which had little interest in this league matchup. Palace, a seemingly safe seven points above the relegation line, is battling for European silverware this year which would also provide a pathway to a second consecutive European appearance next season. The Eagles won a semifinal contest over Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday in the Europa Conference League, the only competition of importance for the club right now.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, is clawing for every league point as it battles a gaggle of six clubs within five points of the Cherries in the scramble for tickets to next season’s Europe’s second and third tier tournaments. Brentford is just a point behind Bournemouth after the Bees stung West Ham 3-0. The heavy defeat could prove a hammer blow to West Ham’s survival chances as Tottenham Hotspur leapfrogged the Hammers to safety with a second consecutive victory.

Spurs were 2-1 winners over an almost unrecognizable Villa squad, reflecting seven changes to the squad as Manager Unai Emery decided to prioritize the upcoming Europa League semifinal contest this week with Nottingham Forest. Even allowing for the rotation of players, it was a listless performance by the homestanding Villans who were booed by supporters at halftime. Spurs were more than happy to take advantage of Aston Villa’s generosity and showed an energy often lacking in the London club this season.

Safety now seems far more probable on the back of two consecutive wins and West Ham’s defeat in advance of the Hammers’ difficult challenge versus Arsenal this coming weekend. Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, will be home to Leeds which pulled itself seven points clear of the drop line with a 3-1 victory over Burnley. The relegation battle is clearly a two-horse race between West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur as Nottingham Forest were also victorious in a 3-1 away win at Chelsea which lifted the Trees six points clear of West Ham and the threat of demotion.

Nottingham Forest, like Aston Villa, rotated its lineup in advance of Thursday’s Europa League battle. It mattered little against a Chelsea side which is in disarray and suffered a sixth consecutive Premier League defeat, the longest such run since 1993. Of little solace was Chelsea’s 93rd minute consolation goal, the first time the Blues had scored in 550 Premier League minutes of play.

Newcastle had lost four in a row before a surprising 3-1 win over Brighton on Saturday. The result did little for the Magpies but to temporarily quiet the vocal disapproval of supporters and perhaps extend the stay of Manager Eddie Howe a bit longer. Brighton, meanwhile, is still playing for a European place, the prospects for which took an unexpected hit on this visit to St. James’s Park. Brighton is now eighth with four clubs in hot pursuit within three points of the Seagulls. One of those clubs is Sunderland which failed to advance its cause in a 1-1 draw at Wolverhampton where the Black Cats played with 10 men after a 24th minute red card.