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.

Getting to work 💪 pic.twitter.com/EV9kKnLK8H

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 17, 2026

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.

Premier League Match Week 26 Results

Arsenal dropped points in a 1-1 draw at Brentford on Thursday to narrow the Gunners’ advantage over Manchester City in the title chase. Ironically, it was a dead ball play beginning with a long throw into the box that equalized the match and stole points from the league leaders. Set pieces are supposed to be the purview of Arsenal so the equalizer proved to be an example of “live by the sword, die by the sword.”

Questions now will be asked whether Arsenal’s attack is too dependent on set pieces. The Gunners created little in attack at Brentford and generated only two shots on target. Eberechi Eze, brought in from Crystal Palace to provide some creativity, was terrible and benched at halftime. On the season, Arsenal is 16th in the league with respect to the percentage of its goals which come from open play. That could prove a fatal flaw as Manchester City continues in hot pursuit of the Gunners.

The Citizens had rolled over Fulham 3-0 the day before and the difference between the clubs at the top is now a mere four points. The prospect of Arsenal falling short once again was loudly reminded to Arsenal and their supporters by the Brentford faithful who were thrilled with their Bees’ performance. Somewhat surprisingly, Brentford seems improved after the change-in of current Manager Keith Andrews for legendary Bees gaffer Thomas Frank last offseason.

Perhaps not all that surprising, however, given the debacle that proved to be Frank’s stay at Tottenham Hotspur. Frank alienated both players and supporters during this miserable season in north London. Finally, the higher ups could wait no longer after the club’s seventh home loss of the season on Tuesday. Only relegation bound Burley and Wolverhampton are poorer at home this season and Spurs is now just five points away from joining those two clubs in the relegation zone.

The Club has taken the decision to make a change in the Men’s Head Coach position and Thomas Frank will leave today.

Thomas was appointed in June 2025, and we have been determined to give him the time and support needed to build for the future together.

However, results and… pic.twitter.com/mo82TaAXts

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 11, 2026

Newcastle’s 2-1 victory over Spurs on Tuesday was followed by the sacking of the former Brentford manager who seemed out of his depth in charge of the large London club. Frank’s eight-month tenure never gained traction as horrible results were wed with clashes with players and supporters who regularly questioned Frank’s tactical decisions. Spurs are now faced with the problem of who replaces Frank. A more impressive pool of candidates will be available after this season. There remains the romantic notion that the club will be reunited with current USA coach Mauricio Pochettino.

As the club hurtles toward the relegation fight, however, reliance on an interim solution could be dangerous. While relegation might still seem an unlikely reality for Spurs, the specter of demotion has been all too real for Nottingham Forest which is now searching for its fourth manager of the season, a Premier League record. First there was current West Ham Manager Nuno Espirito Santo. Then Ange Postecoglou stopped by for a brief 39-day debacle.

Sean Dyche has now been sacked after a four-month stint following the Tricky Trees’ goalless draw with cellar dwelling Wolverhampton on Wednesday. Capturing only two points from a run of three winnable matches against Crystal Palace, Leeds and Wolverhampton was the final straw for Dyche as impulsive owner Evangelos Marinakis sacked his third manager of the season. A haul of only 25 goals in 26 Premier League matches this season has been infuriating to the Greek owner who has spent heavily on offensive weapons.

Marinakis is now rumored to be turning to former Wolves Manager Vitor Pereira who previously managed Olympiakos for the Nottingham Forest owner. Pereira is credited with saving Wolves from relegation last season and would seem a reasonable choice to address the desperate situation whereby Forest is only three points from the drop. Seven Premier League managers are now no longer with the clubs they started the season with, including Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca who purportedly left by “mutual consent.”

Oliver Glanser has told Crystal Place that he is done after this season, but supporters would be okay with an earlier parting with the irascible manager who is producing poor results while taking shots at ownership. Crystal Palace suffered disaster at Selhurst Park on Wednesday when the Eagles squandered a two-goal lead and lost 3-2 to Burnley. New Crystal Palace signing Jorgen Strand Larsen gave the Eagles a two-goal cushion before disaster struck in a seven-minute span where Burnley scored twice on its own and then saw the winner find the net on an own goal by Crystal Palace winger Jefferson Lerma.

It was the first Premier League victory in 17 matches for Burnley. Meanwhile, a Crystal Palace win over Brighton last weekend proved to be fool’s gold and more a reflection of Brighton’s incompetence than a resurgence by the Eagles. Brighton has won just one of its last 13 Premier League matches after Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Aston Villla and pressure is building on Manager Fabian Hurzeler, the Premier League’s youngest manager whose relative inexperience has become a subject of debate.

The winning runs of managers Michael Carrick and Liam Rosenior came to an end during the week though both remained undefeated since taking over Manchester United and Chelsea, respectively. A Benjamin Sesko goal in the 96th minute salvaged a point for Manchester United against West Ham at Old Trafford. While it was perhaps the worst performance under Carrick for the Red Devils, it was West Ham which squandered a golden opportunity to make up more ground in its struggle for survival.

The one point moved the Hammers to within three points of presently safe Nottingham Forest in the relegation fight. Chelsea remained a point behind fourth place Manchester United after the Blues drew with Leeds at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea moved to a two-goal advantage on Cole Palmer’s 58th minute penalty kick but then conceded two goals in a span of six minutes to the visiting Whites. Leeds had not had a shot on target until Lukas Nmecha converted from the penalty spot in the 67th minute.

The equalizer came in a shambolic scramble in front of Chelsea’s goal in the 73rd minute. Sunderland finally lost a match at the Stadium of Light after an unbeaten run of 12 matches at their fortress in northeast England. The Black Cats were the only undefeated club at home in the Premier League until Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk put an end to that with his 61st minute goal which proved the difference in a 1-0 final.

Bournemouth executed yet another comeback to defeat Everton 2-1 on Tuesday and extend the Cherries’ current unbeaten run to six matches. Only Aston Villa and Sunderland have rescued more points from a losing position than the Cherries this season. With his goal to tie the match, Bournemouth’s Rayan became just the third teenager to register a goal or assist in each of his first three Premier League matches. After a goal by Amin Adli put the Cherries ahead in the 64th minute, Everton’s efforts to level terms were stunted by a 69th minute Jake O’Brien.

Premier League Match Week 25 Results: Manchester City Wins At Liverpool; Villa Drops Points At Bournemouth; Manchester United Wins Fourth Straight Under Carrick. Leeds Crushes Forest While West Ham Wins To Tighten Survival Race

Manchester City roared back with two late goals to defeat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield. The tense match was scoreless until Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai broke the ice with a 74th minute goal, a swerving free kick which further solidified his growing reputation as a dead ball master. Liverpool’s goal scorer would later be disqualified for a shirt pull on a goal bound Erling Haaland late into stoppage time. The damage was already done, however, by a Manchester City comeback which began with a scrappy Bernardo Silva equalizer in the 84th minute.

Bernardo Silva pops up in the box for a crucial equalizer 😤 pic.twitter.com/MVkagwOIgI

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 8, 2026

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson would then interfere with City’s Matheus Nunes and send Erling Haaland to the spot. The Golden Boot leader did not disappoint as he registered his 21st goal of the season which would secure all three points for the Citizens and allow them to keep pace with Arsenal in the Premier League title race. City almost lengthened its lead but for an odd occurrence 13 minutes into extra time. The Citizens’ Rayan Cherki launched a hopeful ball from midfield when seeing Alisson out of position.

Haaland set chase after the ball only to be grabbed by Szoboszlai. Haaland would then grab Szoboszlai, preventing the Liverpool man from clearing the ball as Cherki’s prayer rolled into the net for what appeared to be Manchester City’s third goal. VAR intervened, however, and the referee agreed that the goal should be disallowed because of Haaland’s interference. Szoboszlai’s earlier infraction, however, was deemed a clear prevention of a goal scoring opportunity by Haaland.

The result of the adjudication was no goal, a direct free kick to Manchester City, and a red card for Szoboszlai who will now be suspended for the Reds’ midweek clash with Sunderland. Manchester City remains six points behind Arsenal which dispatched Sunderland 3-1 on Saturday. 

Arsenal is a deep and powerful squad that is much improved over the version which has fallen short in recent title races. Manager Mikel Arterta was missing both Bukayo Saka and Maritn Odegaard for the match with the Black Cats, a situation which would have been perilous in recent seasons. This season, however, summer signing Viktor Gyokeres stepped up with a brace after fellow transfer Martin Zubimendi opened the scoring to help the undermanned Gunners to victory. Gyokeres has scored six goals in his last eight appearances across all competitions, and his eight Premier League goals lead the squad. Zubimendi, meanwhile, has proved a reliable option for Arteta and has played more minutes than any other Arsenal outfield player this season, adding five goals in league play.

The title battle is beginning to look like a two-horse race after Arsenal’s emphatic victory and Manchester City’s dramatic win at Anfield while Aston Villa dropped points once again in a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth. The Villans have won but one of their last five matches to now trail Arsenal by nine points. Nineteen-year-old Brazilian Rayan scored his first Premier League goal to salvage a point for the Cherries and damage Villa’s title dreams.

Assuming five clubs qualify for Champions League, Aston Villa should still be in that mix with Liverpool now sitting in sixth position, a full eight points back of third place Villa. Manchester United and Chelsea, the current fourth and fifth place clubs, continue to surge under new management. Michael Carrick remained perfect as Manchester United manager as the Red Devils downed Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 for a fourth straight victory under the interim manager.

Tottenham Hotspur center back Cristian Romero was disqualified after a rash tackle in the 29th minute to take the wind out of a Spurs side which is now winless in its last seven Premier League matches. Carrick, meanwhile, has won his first four matches in charge whereas predecessor Ruben Amroim never won four games in a row during his entire disappointing tenure.

Liam Rosenior has also won his first four league matches since taking over in charge of Chelsea and joins former Leicester manager Craig Shakespeare as the only English managers to win their first four Premier League matches. The English born Carrick has not technically been appointed permanent manager and is in his second interim stint for Manchester United.

Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Wolverhampton on Saturday featured a hat trick by Cole Palmer, the first two coming by penalty after teammate Joao Pedro was fouled in the box by Wolves defenders. All of Palmer’s goals came in the first half as Chelsea sprinted to a three-goal halftime lead before a second half consolation goal by woeful Wolves. For Wolverhampton, it was a third consecutive league loss in a season which has seen only one win in 25 matches to date.

Burnley will be joining Wolves in the second-tier next season. The third team to go down, however, remains a question mark after West Ham took care of business by winning 2-0 at Burnley on Saturday, one day after Nottingham Forest was defeated 3-1 by Leeds on Friday night. Crysencio Summerville registered his fifth goal in as many matches across all competitions in West Ham’s win.

The victory moved the Hammers to within three points of Forest for the final ticket to next year’s Premier League. Leeds victory over Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, moved the Whites six points clear of the drop line with Friday’s win. The relegation battle could take another turn during the week, however, as West Ham will need to play red hot Manchester United while Forest will face cellar dwelling Wolverhampton.

Crystal Palace supporters have feared their own club might join the relegation fight. Some of that anxiety was relieved on Sunday when the Eagles defeated rival Brighton 1-0, ending a nine-match winless run in the Premier League. Ismaila Sarr scored his tenth goal of the season to capture all three points for Crystal Palace winner. Brighton supporters understandably voiced their anger with the loss to rival Palace in the contrived “M23 derby.” Manager Fabian Hurzeler is feeling enormous pressure as his club has won only one of its last 12 Premier League matches.

A 2-1 home loss to Brentford did nothing to improve Newcastle Manager Eddie Howe’s popularity. The Magpies lost their third consecutive league outing and are floundering in 12th position in the table. Brentford’s Dango Ouattara scored the 85th minute winner which gave the Bees their first victory at St. James’s Park since 1934.

Fulham was also a home loser when Cottager goalkeeper Bernd Leno bundled a corner kick from Everton’s Kieran Dewsbury-Hall into his own net for the winning Toffee goal in a 2-1 victory at Craven Cottage. Dewsbury-Hall had knotted the match earlier with his 75th minute equalizer. Everton has now won five times and drawn twice in their last eight away games. Match week 26 will be played out midweek and conclude with a potentially tricky match for Arsenal at Brentford on Thursday. Brentford is seventh in the table after back-to-back league victories.