Premier League Match Week 18 Results: Aston Villa Tops Chelsea To Set Up Mid-week Showdown With Arsenal

Aston Villa continued its dominant form with a 2-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Ollie Watkins had a second half brace to overcome an early Chelsea lead as Villa kept pace with Arsenal and Manchester City. Manager Unai Emery’s side has now won 11 consecutive matches in juggernaut fashion across all competitions and remains just three points off the top of the Premier League table. Aston Villa will now visit the Emirates to face Arsenal on Tuesday in perhaps the biggest match to date of this Premier League season.

Martin Odegaard scored his first goal of the season and Arsenal benefitted from an opponents’ own goal for a fourth consecutive game as the Gunners defeated Brighton 2-1 and kept their advantage at three points over Villa and two points over Manchester City.

Manchester City got an 83rd minute winner from Rayan Cherki to defeat Nottingham Forest 2-1 at the City Ground. Manchester City has now won eight consecutive matches across all competitions while Nottingham Forest lost a second consecutive match for the first time under Manager Sean Dyche.

Liverpool, meanwhile, defeated Wolverhampton 2-1 to leap over Chelsea into the Premier League top four. The third consecutive victory for the Reds was keyed by first half goals by Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz. Woeful Wolves lost for the sixteenth time this season with the club’s two-point haul from its first 18 matches representing the worst start to a season in Premier League history.

Manchester United is now level on points with fifth place Chelsea after the Red Devils downed Newcastle 1-0 at Old Trafford. Wingback Patrick Dorgu’s first ever goal for the club was the difference as Manchester United’s defense was bolstered by the return of Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez from suspension and injury, respectively. Manchester United Manager Ruben Amroim also played Manuel Ugarte alongside Casemiro to shield his back line and deliver the club’s second clean sheet of the season. Manchester United notably won its first match without the injured Bruno Fernandes since March of 2022.

Incredible feeling to score my first goal at Old Trafford. God is good. Merry Christmas ⚽️🎁 pic.twitter.com/BzN27w0iqr

— Patrick Chinaza Dorgu (@PatrickDorgu13) December 26, 2025

Like Dorgu, Tottenham Hotspur’s Archie Gray also secured victory with his first goal for his club as Spurs handed Crystal Palace a third consecutive Premier League loss by a 1-0 score at Selhurst Park.

Sunderland remains undefeated at the Stadium of Light after the Black Cats drew with fellow promoted side Leeds 1-1 on Sunday. That unbeaten run will be tested this Thursday when Manchester City visits Sunderland. All three points seemed in reach for Sunderland on Sunday before Leeds’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored for the sixth time in his last six Premier League matches to give Leeds a valuable point in their battle to return to the Premier League next season.

Leeds is seven points clear of currently relegation bound West Ham after the Hammers’ 1-0 loss to Fulham. Raul Jimenez struck the 85th minute winner as the Cottagers extended West Ham’s winless run in the league to seven matches. Angry West Ham supporters chanted “sack the board” at London Stadium as the Hammers are in serious peril of going down for the first time in 14 years. The managerial appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo has been a failure to date as only Burnley and Wolverhampton have collected fewer points in the 13 matches since Santo took charge at West Ham.

Burnley did pick up a point for a second consecutive match in a goalless draw with Everton at Turf Moor. While the point could prove useful to the relegation fight, the Clarets have still not tasted victory for nine consecutive Premier League matches.

Bournemouth is also winless in nine Premier League matches after the Cherries were thrashed 4-1 at Brentford. Kevin Schade went for a hat trick in the Bees’ victory which pushed Manager Keith Andrews’ side up to eighth in the Premier League table.

Holiday congestion is now here with a full slate of mid-week games arriving fast on the weekend results. All eyes, of course will be on Tuesday’s titanic match between Arsenal and Aston Villa.