Thursday, February 26, 2026

Premier League Match Week 28 Preview: London Derby Could Impact Title and Champions League Races

Arsenal hosts Chelsea on Sunday in the feature match this weekend. The Gunners are presently five points clear of Manchester City in the title chase but have also played one additional match than the Citizens. A loss to Chelsea coupled with a Manchester City win at Leeds would reduce the margin to only a two-point advantage with Manchester City holding a game in hand as the top two teams hurtle towards a mid-April clash at the Etihad.

The Gunners made short work of another London rival last weekend in dismantling dysfunctional Spurs by a 4-1 margin. The Gunners have lost only once at home this season, a surprising defeat to Michael Carrick led Manchester United, while winning 10 of their 13 Premier League matches at the Emirates.

Chelsea, meanwhile, has squandered leads in successive home matches to promoted sides, a lack of discipline which has seen the Blues drop 19 points from winning positions. The disappointment of the last two weeks makes the task even more daunting for Chelsea than its usual painful visits to the Emirates. The Blues have not won at Arsenal since August of 2021 and have won but one of the last 13 contests between the clubs staged anywhere in any competition.

Chelsea, still locked in a battle with Manchester United and Liverpool to secure Champions League qualification, has performed better this season when away from the not quite friendly confines of Stamford Bridge. Only Arsenal has a better away record than Chelsea this season.

Manchester City will be trying to keep the pressure on Arsenal when the Citizens visit Leeds. The Whites have much to play for as well with Leeds still sitting only six points above the drop line. The surprisingly game promoted side has grabbed valuable points against quality opponents in draws with Aston Villa and Chelsea in its last two league outings.

Manchester United, meanwhile, will try to remain undefeated under Manager Michael Carrick and preserve its current top four standing when the Red Devils host Crystal Palace. The performance under Carrick since the former club midfielder took the managerial reins, five wins and a draw, has lifted the Red Devils three points clear of fellow Champions League aspirants Chelsea and Liverpool.

Liverpool will be home to West Ham in a critical match for both the Reds and Hammers. Liverpool has won three of its past four matches as it tries to claw north from its sixth-place position in the table. West Ham is fighting for survival and trying to run down stragglers like Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur in the battle to see who survives to play again next season in the Premier League.

Spurs will be the visitor in a London derby at Fulham on Sunday. The Cottagers have prevailed in the last three meetings between the clubs across all competitions, outscoring their London rival by an aggregate 6-1. Nottingham Forest will take the pitch at the same time on Sunday, visiting Brighton where the Tricky Trees will hope to maintain, or increase, a current two-point advantage over West Ham in the relegation battle.

Aston Villa can ill afford a slip up at relegation bound Wolverhampton on Sunday. Once a title contender, Aston Villa is now only six points above sixth place Liverpool in the table and could fall into the battle to secure Champions League qualification. Three points against last place Wolverhampton, should help avoid, or at least delay, any such battle for the Villans.

Seventh place Brentford, meanwhile, has its own European hopes as the Bees visit relegation zone resident Burnley on Saturday while mid-table clashes this weekend will include Everton at Newcastle and Bournemouth playing host to Sunderland.

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Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Premier League Match Week 27 Results: Arsenal Smashes Spurs; Manchester City Continues Dominance Over Newcastle; Chelsea Wilt Once Again; Forest Creeps Closer To Relegation; Another Draw For Leeds

Spiraling Tottenham Hotspur proved just the right medicine for Arsenal to rediscover its top of the table form. The Gunners dominated at the home of their rival, winning by the same 4-1 score by which the Gunners had prevailed in the reverse fixture. For Tottenham Hotspur Manager Igor Tudor, his first Premier League match clearly conveyed the challenge he faces with a Spurs side that seems either not to recognize or to not overly care about its perilous league position. A video circulated on social media after the match showed Spurs defender Mickey van de Ven disregarding the urgent and repeated instructions of his new manager. Van de Ven also clashed with former Manager Thomas Frank, and he is just one example of the toxic brew that Tudor has now accepted.

For Arsenal, it was a confidence boosting three points that were critically needed following Manchester City’s win on Saturday. Victor Goyerkes scored twice for the Gunners to bring his season total to double digits, having now scored five goals in his last five Premier League matches. The other two goals for Arsenal came from Eberechi Eze, the former Crystal Palace star who has largely had a difficult time settling into Manager Mikel Arteta’s rotation. The creative form which Eze can provide could be a critical spark for Arsenal down the stretch. Ironically, Eze had been close to a deal with Spurs last summer. Not only did he dodge a toxic situation for a chance at a title, but Eze has now scored five goals against Arsenal’s north London rival this season.

Arsenal needed to respond after Manchester City pulled within two points of the Gunners with the Citizens 2-1 victory over Newcastle the day before. Nico O’Reilly scored both goals for the Citizens, his 27th minute winner assisted by none other than Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker is joint second in the league for assists this season in addition to his league leading 22 goals. Newcastle pressed hard for a second half equalizer but once again fell short at the Etihad where they have failed to come away with a victory in their last 21 Premier League matches at the home of Manchester City. The Citizens have now won in the past 17 such encounters between the clubs.

Third place Aston Villa salvaged a point when Tammy Abraham found the net in the 88th minute of a 1-1 final versus Leeds. Title hopes are dead for Aston Villa, which now finds itself 10 points removed from league leading Arsenal. Leeds, despite the late concession, accumulated another valuable point in its effort to stay up for another season of Premier League play. Leeds stayed six points clear of West Ham and the relegation zone as the Hammers were also held to a draw in a goalless affair on Saturday versus Bournemouth. The point did pull West Ham closer to both Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest with both those clubs becoming increasingly vulnerable to a potential drop.

New Forest Manager Vitor Pereira faces the same problem as his sacked predecessor Sean Dyche had. These Trees cannot score. Only bottom of the table Wolverhampton has failed to find the net in more than the 13 matches that Nottingham Forest has been held scoreless. Twenty shots were wasted by Nottingham Forest on Sunday before Liverpool’s Alexis MacAllister scored in the 97th minute to seal a 1-0 victory for the Reds, both damaging the Trees’ survival prospects and keeping Liverpool in the thick of the Champions League qualification race. If the Trees are relegated, paltry goal production will be the reason.

Even relegation bound Burnley has scored more goals than Nottingham Forest. The Clarets’ latest goal, a stunning 93rd minute header by defender Zian Flemming, rescued a draw in front of a shocked Chelsea home crowd at Stamford Bridge. The 1-1 draw saw Chelsea’s dropped points from a winning position climb to an unfathomable 19 points this season, 17 of those points being thrown away at Stamford Bridge. A 72nd minute red card assessed to Chelsea’s Wesley’s Fofana was a club Premier League record sixth red card of the season, reflecting the self-destructive indiscipline of the young club. Home supporters watched their heroes drop points for a second consecutive home match against a promoted side.

Manchester United capitalized on Chelsea’s latest misstep to take sole possession of fourth place in the Premier League table with its 1-0 victory at Everton on Monday. Benjamin Sesko, whose stoppage time goal had saved a point against West Ham, played super sub once again, this time claiming all three points with his 71st minute strike. Manchester United Manager Michael Carrick remains unbeaten with five victories in his six matches since taking over from Ruben Amorim.

Brentford suffered a setback in its efforts to capture a European place when the Bees suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Brighton. The Seagulls won for the first time since January 3rd to lessen some of the heat on young Manager Fabian Hurzeler. Perhaps even more noteworthy in the grand scheme of things was the 654th Premier League appearance made by current Brighton midfielder James Milner. The 40-year-old former Manchester City and Liverpool player moved past Gareth Barry to set the new Premier League appearances record.

Yet another senior citizen in the league, thirty-four-year-old Raul Jimenez, had two goals to pace Fulham’s 3-1 win at Sunderland, only the Black Cats’ second defeat at the Stadium of Light this season. Sunderland has lost four out of its last five matches to fall out of the top half of the table, but the promoted side remains well clear of any relegation concern. Wolverhampton, its relegation assured, has still shown fight and was close to posting a third straight draw on Sunday. Unfortunately, Wolves fell 1-0 to a 90th minute goal by Crystal Palace substitute Evann Guessand.

Crystal Palace were poor once again under increasingly unpopular manager Oliver Glasner. Wolves, however, handed the Eagles just their second win since early December. First, there was a missed first half penalty kick by Wolverhampton’s Tolu Arokodare which would have given the visiting club the lead. Ladislav Krejci then received a red card in the 61st minute to hand a man advantage and the initiative to the homestanding Eagles. Palace relegation fears are allayed for the moment. Wolves, meanwhile, still needs two points to avoid having the worst season in Premier League history.

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Friday, February 20, 2026

Premier League Match Week 27 Preview

The north London derby will again draw the full attention of Premier League followers when the hated rivals square off at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. The Thomas Frank era is over at Tottenham Hotspur, but what comes next remains clouded in uncertainty. Igor Tudor has been signed as manager only though the balance of this season with the mandate to keep Spurs safe from the unthinkable prospect of the club’s first relegation from the Premier League. Tudor takes over a team that is only five points above the drop line after failing to win any of its last eight league matches. A thin roster has been ravaged by injuries and the challenge of this difficult season seemed only to be exacerbated by the struggles of Frank who was taking the helm of a big club for the first time. Tudor, while having no Premier League experience, is familiar with the demands of a large club with a rabid fan base, having formerly managed Italian giant Juventus in Serie A.

Arsenal, meanwhile, visits Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for Tudor’s debut with the Gunners themselves appearing a bit wobbly of late. Arsenal has dropped four points over its last two matches and has won just two of its last seven Premier League matches to bring Manchester City back into the title race. Wednesday saw the Gunners squander a two-goal lead in a draw at Molineux Stadium against Premier League worst Wolverhampton. Could another title opportunity be slipping away from the Gunners? A win at rival Spurs could provide a much-needed confidence boost.

Manchester City will try to keep the pressure on by extending its surprising Etihad invincibility versus Newcastle. The Citizens have won their last 16 Premier League matches when home to the visiting Magpies. Manchester City’s 21 match unbeaten run at home versus Newcastle is the longest such streak at a single venue in Premier League history. Magpie hopes to end their futility are dampened by the absence of Bruno Guimaraes. Newcastle has not won a Premier League match without Guimaraes in the lineup since the Brazilian midfielder joined the club in March of 2022.

There is no title chase for Liverpool this season, but the Reds are trying to qualify for Champions League play next season. Approaching Saturday’s match at Nottingham Forest, Liverpool is sixth in the table with five clubs expected to qualify for Europe’s top competition. Three points are thus critical to the Liverpool mission, but the stakes are equally high for Nottingham Forest, which is but three points above the relegation line. Sean Dyche was sacked for his inability to free the Trees from relegation peril and now Vitor Pereira makes his debut as Nottingham Forest’s fourth manager of this Premier League season. No Premier League club has ever experienced such managerial turnover in a single season. Pereira will need to find a way for the Tricky Trees to find the net with more regularity as only cellar dwelling Wolverhampton has scored fewer goals than Nottingham Forest this season.

Leeds is just three points further north of Nottingham Forest in the table with the Whites traveling to Aston Villa on Saturday. Only two Premier League sides have lost fewer matches than Leeds since the beginning of December, though the Whites have drawn more often than any league club during that same span which leaves them vulnerable to falling into the relegation mix. Chelsea was embarrassed last weekend when Leeds erased a two-goal deficit to split the points with the Blues at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea had also previously lost at Leeds earlier this season. As the Blues were also beaten by Sunderland, Saturday’s match at Stamford Bridge versus Burnley has historic potential because Chelsea has never lost to all three promoted sides in a single Premier League season.

The way Chelsea responds after last week’s disappointment could say a lot about new manager Liam Rosenior. The Blues are battling with Liverpool and Manchester United for Champions League qualification. United, like Chelsea, have not lost in the Premier League since a recent change in manager. Unlike Rosenior, however, Michael Carrick is an interim appointment with Manchester United, his second such appointment for the team he once played for. Carrick’s first four matches after replacing Ruben Amorim were all victories, including defeats of rivals Manchester City and Arsenal. The draw with West Ham last time out was less impressive but demonstrated some resilience when a 96th minute goal salvaged a point. Carrick and his men are at Everton this week.

Practically speaking, West Ham are the only club with a chance to change this season’s relegation story. The Hammers are present residents of the drop zone but trail Nottingham Forest by three points, Spurs by five and Leeds by six with 13 matches yet to be played. West Ham has rallied from a horrendous start to the season which cost Graham Potter his job. Manger Nuno Espirito Santo has led the club to 10 points in the last five matches, as many points as West Haam captured in its first 15 matches of the season. The Hammers host Bournemouth at London Stadium on Saturday with the Cherries riding a six-match unbeaten run in the league.

Crystal Palace has not joined the relegation rumble just yet, but the Eagles are descending fast under Manager Oliver Glasner who has already said he is leaving the club and has transformed from hero to zero in the eyes of supporters. The south Londoners host Wolves on Sunday looking for their first home win at Selhurst Park in nine matches. Sunderland, meanwhile, has lost just once at the Stadium of Light where the Black Cats will face Fulham on Sunday. Brentford has also performed well at home this season, losing just two home matches. Brighton will be at Gtech Community Stadium to face the Bees on Saturday. While Brentford has two wins and a draw with Arsenal in its last three matches, Brighton is a train wreck right now with no wins in its last six matches and the Seagulls netting no more than a goal in any of those winless efforts.

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