Premier League Match Week 17 Preview

Arsenal can be forgiven for a sense of déjà vu as its lead in the Premier League is down to two points. Arsenal has been at the top of the table for Christmas in two of the last three years before faltering in its chase for a title. The Gunners may not even make it to this Christmas as Premier League leaders pending this weekend’s results. The lead over Manchester City is down to two points as Haaland and Company bear down on injury plagued Arsenal. The Gunners struggled past cellar dwelling Wolverhampton at the Emirates last weekend.

Everton may provide an even greater challenge at its glistening new Hill Dickinson Stadium. The Toffees had won three of four matches in the league before stumbling at Chelsea last week. David Moyes’s side will face an injury ravaged Arsenal back line which is missing Gabriel, Cristhian Mosquera and Ben White. Whether the Toffee attack can capitalize is a question, however, as Everton has scored only 18 times this season in 16 league matches. Look for Arsenal to be at the top of the table at Christmas for a third time in four years.

Manchester City though will be poised to take advantage of an Arsenal stumble and will be facing a poor opponent at the Etihad this weekend. West Ham is in the relegation zone without a victory in its last five matches as Nuno Espirito Santo continues to try to figure things out at his latest managerial stop. Manchester City has pounded the Hammers in their last five meetings, not only winning but scoring at least three goals in each contest.

Aston Villa is currently threatening both Arsenal and Manchester City with only three points separating the three clubs at the top of the table. Manager Unai Emery’s side are home at Villa Park this weekend to face Manchester United. The Red Devils have shown some life during a three-match unbeaten run in the league, but Emery’s side has steamrolled to eight consecutive victories across all competitions. Morgan Rogers, Donyell Mallen, Emi Buendia and Ollie Watkins have all taken star turns in the Villa attack. Manchester United, meanwhile, has surprised with four goals in each of its last two league matches.

Chelsea is back in the top four after its victory over Everton last weekend. The Blues go to Newcastle on Saturday to face a Magpie side smarting from a loss to hated rival Sunderland last week.

Sunderland are just two points behind Chelsea and a top four spot as the Cats travel to Brighton this weekend. The Seagulls have been lilting of late with two losses sandwiching a draw in their last three matches. Sunderland and Brighton are unfamiliar foes as this is their first Premier League meeting, and they have not met in any competition since 2011.

A win over Thomas Frank’s former club Brentford two weeks ago was hoped to be a turning point for a struggling Tottenham Hotspur side. Such was not the case as the Spurs followed up with a desultory 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest. Liverpool now comes to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with its own fervent hope that their season is about to turn. Hugo Ekitike was marvelous for the Reds last week as they now embark upon a future that will be without Mohamed Salah in the short term and possibly even the long term. Along with Ekitike, the clean sheet in the 2-0 win over Brighton was particularly encouraging for a defense which has been largely unreliable during Liverpool’s troubles this season.

Crystal Palace was scoreless last week in a loss to Manchester City. The Eagles’ chances of finding the net should be much improved this week versus a Leeds team which has conceded 30 goals, more than any club not in the relegation zone.

Wolverhampton, the undisputed rulers of the relegation zone will host Brentford hoping to limit additional damage after already allowing a breathtaking 35 goals in their 16 matches so far.

Burnley still has a sliver of survival hope with the Clarets currently six points from safety. A trip to Bournemouth, however, is unlikely to improve their prospects. While the Cherries are in the midst of a rough patch that has dropped them to 13th in the table, Manager Andoni Iraola and his charges are capable of more and a home match versus Burnley could be just the pivot point to reverse their fortunes.

Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, has found its footing under Manager Sean Dyche. The Tricky Trees have prospered under new management, emerging from the relegation zone with four wins, three losses and a draw with Dyche in charge. The Trees are at Craven Cottage this weekend with a chance to move past 14th place Fulham  with a victory.

Premier League Match Week 16 Results: Arsenal Barely Escapes Wolves; Manchester City Grounds Eagles; Thriller at Old Trafford; Salah Sets Mark As Liverpool Future Uncertain; Sunderland Wins Derby Versus Newcastle; Spurs Look Lost At Forest; Palmer Scores In Chelsea Win

Bad teams do bad things. And sometimes good teams need a little luck to win titles. Arsenal played poorly but was saved by the losing ways of the worst team in the Premier League. In fairness, Wolverhampton displayed a determination in locking down the Gunners with a parked five-man bus in back. The effort went for naught, however, when Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera headed the ball into his own net in the 94th minute to hand Arsenal a 2-1 win at the Emirates. The gifted points kept Arsenal ahead of Manchester City in the table.

The Citizens dominated Crystal Palace 3-0 on Sunday and would have taken over first place on goal differential if Arsenal had drawn. Instead, Manchester City remains lurking two points behind Arsenal and looks more frightening by the moment. Erling Haaland scored twice and Phil Foden scored his sixth goal in his last five matches across all competitions as the Manchester City attack is reaching peak form.

Six league wins in a row speaks to Aston Villa’s form as Morgan Rogers scored the winner with his second goal of the match in a 3-2 victory over West Ham. Villa remained just a point behind Manchester City, two points off the table lead.

Relegation zone occupant West Ham slipped further from safety with Leeds’s 1-1 draw at Brentford which puts the Whites three points clear of the Hammers with a superior goal differential as well.

Chelsea moved back to the top four with a 2-0 win over Everton which saw Cole Palmer score for the first time since September in his injury marred season. Palmer was playing only his seventh Premier League match of the season due to a groin injury which has probably doomed Chelsea’s title hopes for this season.

Cole Palmer hits the ‘cold’ celebration for the first time since September 🥶 pic.twitter.com/NjcLLDIA4E

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) December 13, 2025

Manchester United has no title delusions but the Red Devils are surprisingly in striking range of the top four. Even more surprising is that the club is now sometimes an entertaining watch. United remained sixth in the table after a wild 4-4 draw with Bournemouth at Old Trafford. The see-saw, eight goal extravaganza saw both sides relinquish leads and mount comebacks in furious fashion amid 38 shots being launched in aggregate by the two sides. Eight different players found the net. While disappointing to the home crowd, Eli Junior Kroupi’s 84th minute equalizer for Bournemouth capped what was a fair sharing of points by two worthy adversaries.

Liverpool and Sunderland won over the weekend to join Crystal Palace and Manchester United on 26 points. Mohamed Salah broke the Premier League record held by Wayne Rooney for goal involvements with a single club as Liverpool defeated Brighton 2-0 at Anfield. Salah recorded an assist on Hugo Ekitike’s second goal of the match to move past Rooney with 277 combined goals and assists. We now wait to see if that was Salah’s final goal involvement for Liverpool. He is off to the African Cup and may be departing in the January transfer window due to his soured relationship with Manager Arne Slot. In a strange season for the defending champions, Ekitike once again proved his worth with his brace for the Reds. As another high-priced summer acquisition, Ekitike began the season strongly before being brushed aside by Slot after the acquisition of Alexander Isak. With Salah gone and Isak largely useless, Slot might do well to make better use of Ekitike.

Isak’s former team, Newcastle, still struggles to replace the production that the Swedish striker provided in his purple patch of last season. The Magpies were 1-0 losers to their hated regional rival Sunderland 1-0 at the Stadium of Light on Sunday. The only goal came by way of an own goal on a fouled header by Nick Woltemade, the striker procured to replace Isak. Sunderland defeated their rival for the fourth consecutive time at home, the first time that has happened in the long rivalry. The Black Cats remain undefeated at home in the Premier League, a standard matched only by current table topper Arsenal.

Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, had been abysmal at home but a successful traveling side until Sunday’s decisive 3-0 thumping at Nottingham Forest. Callum Hudson-Odoi scored two of the goals while Ibrahim Sangare not only assisted on both of Odoi’s tallies but scored a goal of his own for Nottingham Forest. Spurs goaltender Guglielmo Vicario was just as helpful as Sangare on the two Hudson-Odoi goals and is becoming a problem for Manager Thomas Frank. Forest, meanwhile, won for the third time in five league matches to move five points above the relegation line under the strong hand of Manager Sean Dyche, a seasoned survivor of rumbles at the bottom of the table.

Burnley, meanwhile, looks comfortably settled in the relegation zone after its 3-2 home loss to Fulham. The Clarets have lost seven league matches in a row and 12 of their 16 matches. Burnley Manager Scott Parker is thus tracking toward a third relegation from the Premier League after previous relegations as manager of Fulham and Bournemouth. Like Forest’s Sangare, Fulham’s Harry Wilson had two assists and a goal in the Cottagers’ victory which ended a 34-year winless run for Fulham at Turf Moor.

Premier League Match Week 16 Preview

Top meets bottom when table leader Arsenal hosts cellar dweller Wolverhampton on Saturday. Wolves are unlikely to find their first win of the season at the Emirates despite Arsenal’s uninspiring form and injury issues of recent weeks. The Gunners injury driven problems at center back should not be visible against an opponent that has only managed eight goals in its 15 league matches to date. Arsenal goalscorers, meanwhile, will be excited to welcome a Wolverhampton defense which has shipped 33 goals this season.

A more competitive match could take place at Selhurst Park where Crystal Palace, now fourth in the Premier League table, will host Pep Guardiola, Erling Haaland and second ranked Manchester City on Sunday. The Eagles have never flown higher than their current ascension under miracle worker manager Oliver Glasner. Their 26 league points to date is the most in the club’s history after 15 matches and double their total of this time last season. Manchester City, meanwhile, has been giving every indication of returning to title contender form as they have closed the gap on Arsenal in recent weeks.

Aston Villa, however, is the club riding the league’s longest win streak as they visit relegation zone occupant West Ham on Saturday. West Ham could climb to safety with an upset win but to escape the drop zone this weekend, the Hammers will also need for Nottingham Forest or Leeds to trip up. Forest is home to Tottenham Hotspur while Leeds will travel to Brentford.

There will be more eyes than usual on Liverpool’s Saturday home match with Brighton. Mohamed Salah has dropped hints that this could be his final game at Anfield after a falling out with Liverpool Manager Arne Slot. Salah has even invited his mother such that he won’t need to take a walk alone. After Saturday’s match comes the African Cup of Nations and a potential January transfer to Saudi Arabia for the Liverpool legend.

Newly promoted Sunderland would never have expected to be above defending champion Liverpool in the table this late into the season, but such is the case, even if only based on goal differential. The Black Cats host Newcastle Sunday at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light fortress. Only Sunderland and league leading Arsenal remain undefeated at home this season. Newcastle is currently on a four-match unbeaten run in the league as it tries to recover from a shaky start to its season.

Chelsea, meanwhile, has hit a rough patch where the Blues have gone three matches without a win in the Premier League. A loss to Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday did nothing to brighten spirits as the club prepares to face Everton on Saturday. The Toffees have been good of late but are heading to one of their least preferred destinations, going winless in their last 30 visits to Stamford Bridge.

Bournemouth feels no such trepidation heading to Old Trafford on Monday where the Cherries have posted back-to-back 3-0 victories on their last two visits. Manchester United, however, has been on a rare run of good form under Manager Ruben Amorim. The Red Devils have just one loss in their last nine games and have climbed to a relatively respectable sixth in the Premier League table.

Perhaps the most uninteresting match on this week’s schedule features the most remarkable statistic. Fulham is mired in the bottom half of the table, not yet threatened with relegation but certainly going nowhere good this season. Burnley, meanwhile, looks dead in the water and headed for relegation. When Fulham visits Burnley this weekend, however, the Cottagers will be trying to snap a streak of futility which has seen them go winless in their last 29 league visits to Turf Moor. You have to go back to 1951 to find the last time Fulham won a league match at Burnley.