Monday, May 18, 2026

Premier League Match Week 37 – Part 1 Hammers Just About Nail Their Relegation

West Ham took another major step toward the second tier by laying an egg at Newcastle in a 3-1 loss. The Hammers were both sloppy and uninspired, looking every bit the sort of team that should not be in the Premier League. With their season on the line, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men conceded the first two goals in a four-minute span of the first half which might well have ended their survival hopes.

Goalkeeper Mads Hermansen gave away the first goal of the match, lazily knocking a ball while trying to play the ball out of the back. Newcastle’s Harvey Barnes seemed to be the only player to pay attention and pounced on the ball. The former Leicester man, starting in place of the out of favor Anthony Gordon, quickly fed the ball to teammate Nick Woltemade who swept it past the flustered Hermansen to give the Magpies an early lead.

After William Osula scored on an impressive individual effort four minutes later, the young Newcastle striker later added his second goal of the match when the Hammers erred yet again, this time losing possession on their own throw in. Woltemade, normally a striker who had not scored since December for the Magpies, played a Number 10 role for Manager Eddie Howe on Sunday and connected well with installed striker Osula, pumping some new life into a Newcastle attack which has been less than prolific this season.

West Ham, meanwhile, will have well earned a demotion after failing to score for a third straight Premier League loss, disgraceful results for a club which should be battling to maintain its Premier League status. The shine has long left Nuno Espirito Santo who had seemed to bring hope after his September appointment. Much must fall on the players, however, if the team goes down. Mistakes at the back have been accompanied by futility up front. Jarrod Bowen, captain and supposed star of the club, has been goalless for West Ham’s last 13 Premier League matches.

Having squandered the opportunity to help save itself at Newcastle, West Ham remains two points south of Tottenham Hotspur in the table. Spurs has two matches to play and an insurmountable goal differential advantage over the Hammers. A point from either of Tottenham Hotspur’s last two matches against Chelsea and Everton, respectively, will doom the Hammers. Given Spurs are a hot mess themselves, there is of course a glimmer of hope should West Ham itself be able to win its last match against an in-form Leeds which is undefeated in eight matches.

Leeds delivered a gut punch to Brighton’s European creds in a 1-0 win over the Seagulls at Elland Road. Dominic Calvert Lewin had the winner in a 1-0 Leeds victory which leaves the Seagulls in seventh position. Brighton’s current placement would be good for a Europa League berth if the season ended with Sunday. There is, however, more to come and the Seagulls are vulnerable.

Eighth place Brentford is just a point behind the Seagulls, but more threatening is the prospect of ninth and tenth place Chelsea and Sunderland respectively, two clubs which could knock Brighton, Brentford, or both out of the European places. A Chelsea win on Tuesday would bring the Blues level on points with Brentford with Chelsea holding a goal differential advantage over the Bees. Brentford struggled against Crystal Palace at GTech Community Stadium on Sunday in a 2-2 draw. Crystal Palace twice took the lead and, while the Bees responded twice to equalize, it was an underwhelming performance considering there was much on the line for the homestanding Bees with little in it for the Eagles.

Sunderland already knows it will be just two points behind the Seagulls, one below the Bees, entering the final weekend after the Black Cats thrashed Everton 3-1 at the Toffees’ Hill Dickinson Stadium. The home defeat essentially ended Everton’s European hopes. Twelfth place Everton needs to climb over four clubs in the unlikeliest of circumstances on the Premier League’s final day. Sunderland, meanwhile, will face Chelsea on the final weekend for what could be European spot should Brighton and Brentford falter.

Champions League qualification could be decided on Tuesday. Aston Villa clinched its place with a 4-2 defeat of Liverpool on Friday. Ollie Watkins had a brace for Villa while center back Virgil van Dijks scored twice in a losing effort for the visitors. Van Dijk’s attacking threat is outpacing his defensive performance at the center of a leaky Liverpool defense which has conceded the most ever goals by the club in a 38 match Premier League season. The defensive area was much overlooked in last summer’s futile transfer endeavors to refresh an attack which has also not delivered this season.

Mohamed Salah, the Liverpool legend leaving after next weekend’s finale, delivered a scathing indictment of Liverpool’s management on social media after the club’s Friday defeat, its 12th of the season. Despite its poor season, Liverpool still holds a four-point advantage over Bournemouth with the Cherries playing their game in hand against Manchester City on Tuesday. Liverpool’s goal differential advantage dictates that the Cherries must win at Manchester City, an unlikely event, to have a chance of overtaking the Reds on the final Sunday.

Manchester United, meanwhile, has already locked down third place in the league and Champions League football for next season. Much of the club’s success, in addition to the guidance of interim Manager Michael Crrick, can be attributed to the record season of midfielder Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese internation tied the Premier League season record of 20 assists in the Red Devils’ 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest. Casemiro also delivered the best season of his Manchester United career in his final season with the club.

Long time club servant Luke Shaw scored against the Trees Sunday in what was his 37th league appearance this season. The veteran left back, who has battled injuries in the past, is the only player to have been active for all of Manchester United’s Premier League games entering the final weekend. As for Carrick himself, there is no official announcement on his status for next year though reports are running rampant that a deal has been reached between the parties.

Rob Edwards, whose status should be in question to accompany relegated Wolves to the second-tier next season, still seems to have ownership support which will not be hurt by a 1-1 draw with higher up the table Fulham over the weekend. Wolves supporters do not necessarily share ownership’s positive opinion on Edwards, who controversially left Middlesbrough in-season to jump on Wolves’ sinking ship.

Meanwhile, unanimous support should be at least temporarily accorded Xabi Alonso’s appointment as Chelsea manager. The former Liverpool player won the Bundesliga two years ago with Bayer Leverkusen before a troubled stint with Real Madrid whose problems run deeper than a managerial issue. In a nod to the influence Alonso will have within the Chelsea organization, he was named “manager” which is a departure from BlueCo ownership’s previous characterization of the role as “coach.”

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Friday, May 15, 2026

Premier League Match Week 37 Preview

Arsenal drew the much stronger card in the title race this weekend. The Gunners are home at the Emirates against abysmal Burnley while Manchester City must go to Bournemouth where the Cherries will be trying to extend a 16-match unbeaten run and secure three points which would lift them into serious Champions League conversation.

Manchester City, even while rotating some of its key players, stayed in the title race with a 3-0 win over disinterested Crystal Palace on Wednesday, but a draw two weeks ago wrested the Citizens’ destiny out of their hands. Arsenal must stumble against one of its two remaining foes for City to claim the silverware. Burnley is bad and Crystal Palace will face the Gunners just days before the Eagles play for Conference League silverware and are thus unlikely to be much interested in the league curtain closer. An epic bottling will thus be required of Arsenal if Manchester City is to sneak ahead of them to claim the Premier League title.

Manchester City plays Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday before regrouping to play Bournemouth on Tuesday. The Cherries are currently four points behind both Aston Villa and Liverpool with those two sides facing each other on Sunday. At least one of those two sides will drop at least two points which means a Cherries win over Manchester City would place them just a point outside of Champions League territory entering the Premier League’s final match day.

Aston Villa has won only one of its last five Premier League matches as it hosts Liverpool to begin the Premier League weekend on Friday. Villa has beaten Liverpool in just one of the last 16 Premier League contests between the two clubs and Manager Unai Emery is in an interesting position for his team’s final home match of the season. Supporters will expect a strong effort, but Emery needs to be mindful that he has the Europa League final just five days after this match. How will he balance priorities and set his team on Friday?

Brighton’s intent is clear as it has it all to play for when the Seagulls visit Leeds on Sunday. Manager Fabian Hurzeler recently received a new three-year contract recognizing the Seagulls recovery from a mid-season slump to win the joint most matches in the Premier League, along with Arsenal, since the beginning of March. Brighton is currently seventh in the table with the chance to overtake Bournemouth this week and keep Brentford, Chelsea and Everton at bay.

Brentford has lost two of its last three matches but can bounce back at home versus disinterested Crystal Palace this weekend. Chelsea hosts Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday, just three days after the Blues play Manchester City at Wembley in the FA Cup final. Neither Chelsea nor Everton, which plays Sunderland on Sunday, have won any of their last five Premier League matches.

Spurs could be in the relegation zone when it travels to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. West Ham can escape the zone and leapfrog Spurs, at least temporarily, with a victory at Newcastle on Sunday. West Ham only has that opportunity due to Spurs’ late dropping of points in its draw with Leeds last week.

Nottingham Forest clinched Premier League survival last weekend and is playing with house money when the Tricky Trees visit Old Trafford to face Manchester United on Sunday. United, meanwhile, has wrapped up Champions League qualification and the only drama now is whether Michael Carrick will be named as manager for next season. Some reports indicate a deal could be in the offing before Sunday’s final home match.

Wolverhampton Manager Rob Edwards cited the remaining objective for his woebegone club, that being to finish out of the league’s cellar. The relegation bound team is three points south of Burnley entering the season’s final two matches. Woeful Wolves, however, has won only three matches all season as it prepares to host Fulham on Sunday.

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Wednesday, May 13, 2026

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.

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. 

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Friday, May 8, 2026

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.

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.

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Wednesday, May 6, 2026

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.

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.

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Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Premier League Match Week 35 Preview

The quirks of Premier League scheduling see Arsenal with the opportunity to pull six points ahead of Manchester City just two weeks after their highly publicized fall out of the top spot. Manchester City will not have participated in a Premier League match since overtaking Arsenal until the Citizens take to the pitch at Everton on Monday when they could potentially be six points down to the Gunners, though with two matches in hand.

Arsenal, however, must first get past Fulham on Saturday at the Emirates. A loss by Arsenal will swing things again Manchester City’s way as a subsequent Citizen win on Monday would put Pep Guardiola’s side back on top with a game in hand. The bottom of the table will also be tense this weekend as both West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur face difficult tests on the road.

The Hammers are first up against Brentford on Saturday with the Bees anxious to re-energize their European hopes after a tough loss at Old Trafford on Monday. The Hammers, however, have lost only to Aston Villa in a six-match run that has propelled them past Tottenham Hotspur in the relegation race. Should West Ham falter again, Tottenham Hotspur will have a chance to leapfrog the Hammers to safety with a win at that same Aston Villa on Sunday.

The Villans, fifth in the Premier League table, represent a far greater challenge than Tottenham Hotspur faced in recording its first 2026 win in defeating relegated Wolverhampton last week. Two clubs have been separating themselves from West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur in the nether regions of the table in recent weeks with Leeds and Nottingham Forest riding unbeaten Premier League runs of five and six matches, respectively.

The Whites, who also advanced to the FA Cup semifinals before falling to Chelsea last weekend, have built a six-point cushion against the drop line before hosting already relegated Burnley this weekend. Nottingham Forest, five points clear of the relegation zone, hopes to continue its suddenly high-octane attack when the Tricky Trees face a trickier challenge at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea on Monday.

The Trees, starved for goals for much of this season, have found the net nine times in their last two league matches. Both Manchester United and Liverpool, meanwhile, have virtually assured their positions in the Champions League next season, which reduces the hype as they renew their historic rivalry at Old Trafford on Sunday. Interim Manchester United Manager Michael Carrick, however, will further boost his credentials for a permanent posting should he deliver against his club’s most storied rival.

In a match with bigger stakes for the managers than for the teams, Arne Slot must also avoid an embarrassing stumble amid supporters’ disillusionment with his uninspired title defense and cup challenges this season. Brighton and Bournemouth, currently sixth and seventh in the Premier League table, have all to play for as upstarts trying to snare a place in Europe.

The Seagulls travel to face struggling Newcastle on Saturday while the Cherries host a potentially uninterested Crystal Palace side on Sunday. The Eagles are understandably more concerned with their Conference League semifinal tie with Shakhtar Donetsk which bookends this league match. Departing manager Oliver Glasner, who took the club to FA Cup silverware last season, is looking to win a second trophy for the club on his way out the door.

And finally, in perhaps the least meaningful match of the weekend, Wolverhampton, already ticketed for its departure to the second tier, will face a home match versus Sunderland with the Black Cats comfortably midtable after an impressive promotion season.

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Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Premier League Match Week 34 Is In The Books - Spurs Win To Keep Hope Alive; West Ham Stays Safe On Late Winner; Arsenal Staves Off Newcastle To Retake Title Lead; Carrick And Manchester United Win Again

Tottenham Hotspur won for the first time in 2026 to keep its survival hopes alive. Spurs’ 1-0 victory over an already relegated Wolverhampton side ended the club’s 15 match winless Premier League run and enabled it to keep pace with West Ham, which also won to keep a thin two-point advantage over Tottenham Hotspur in the two clubs’ relegation battle. A scruffy goal by Joao Palhinha in the 82nd minute and a stoppage time save by Antonin Kinsky gave Manager Roberto De Zerbi his first win in charge.

The three points were essential but the ugly win over the league’s doormat also came at a cost when Dominic Solanke and Xavi Simons needed to exit the contest with injuries, further depleting an increasingly thin roster for the stretch drive. De Zerbi’s side were agonizingly close to escaping the bottom three until late drama unfolded back in London. West Ham seemed poised to fall into the relegation zone when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored for Everton in the 88th minute to knot the match between the Toffees and Hammers at a goal apiece.

The Hammers proved resilient, however, when a Jarrod Bowen pass found Callum Wilson in the box just two minutes into stoppage time. The 34-year-old Wilson then cooly deposited the winner in the Toffee net to keep his side safe for another week. Bowen, West Ham’s captain, also assisted Tomas Soucek’s earlier goal for the Hammers. Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, sent a message again that it wants nothing to do with this relegation scrap.

The Tricky Trees destroyed Sunderland on Friday, scoring five times and keeping a clean sheet at Sunderland. Forest is still vulnerable at just five points above the drop line but are now undefeated in six matches and have won their last two contests by an aggregate 9-1 scoreline. While the relegation picture remained unchanged with the three primary drop contenders all winning, Arsenal snuck into the top spot of the table over an idle Manchester City.

The 1-0 victory followed back-to-back losses which had knocked the Gunners from their top of the table perch. Saturday’s victory shifts the pressure back to Manchester City which was busy with non-Premier League business on the weekend, the Citizens advancing to the FA Cup final with a 1-0 victory over Southampton. Eberechi Eze scored the winner for Arsenal in the ninth minute off a corner kick from Kai Havertz, the 17th time Arsenal has scored from a corner kick this season.

Eze and Havertz would both be later withdrawn for injuries which are hoped not to be compromising of their run-in participation. Gunner supporters, while celebrating the end of the recent losing run, still cannot feel good about the lack of attacking opportunities against a Newcastle side which suffered its ninth defeat in the Magpies’ last 12 Premier League matches. Former Newcastle star Alexander Isak finally scored his first home Premier League goal at Anfield in a 3-1 Liverpool victory over Crystal Palace.

A third consecutive league victory seems likely to have assured Isak and the Reds of Champions League football next season, but supporters still hold Manager Arne Slot and the club’s ownership accountable for a disappointing season. This time last year, the Reds were clinching the Premier League title. There will be no trophy this season despite a major summer outlay on Isak and others. An announced rise in ticket prices was met with a creative fan protest on Saturday when supporters held up yellow cards en masse in the 13th minute of play.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah may well have played his final match in front of those supporters as he was lifted with an injury in the second half. Next up for Liverpool will be a match with historic rival Manchester United next week. The Red Devils edged Brentford 2-1 at Old Trafford on Monday as interim Manager Michael Carrick won for the ninth time in his 13 matches in charge. Only two more points are necessary for Carrick to qualify his team for Champions League football next season, deemed improbable by most when he took over a seventh-place squad from Ruben Amorim.

And yet there remains no commitment to Carrick beyond this season. The interim gaffer inherited what remains a flawed roster, but he has gotten outstanding runs from a select core of veterans and a new presence between the sticks. Bruno Fernandes notched his 19th assist of the season on Monday, setting up Benjamin Sesko for what proved the winner. That goal involvement moved Fernandes to within one assist of the Premier League season record.

Casemiro, playing his final season in Manchester, scored for a third consecutive Old Trafford contest. Harry Maguire has rejuvenated his flagging career to play a key role in the heart of Carrick’s reimagined back four after “three at the back” proved a failed experiment for the doomed Amorim. Another factor in the club’s success has been the work of goalkeeper Senne Lammens who frustrated Brentford with several fine saves on Monday, a not uncommon occurrence for the Belgian keeper who became the established starter in February.

Manchester United is now alone in third place after Aston Villa’s 1-0 loss to Fulham on Saturday. While Villa may well have been looking past the Cottagers to Thursday’s Europa League semifinal versus Nottingham Forest, Fulham kept their European hopes alive for next season as the race for Europa and Conference League places remains chaotic. The tenth place Cottagers are just two points removed from sixth place Brighton in the Premier League table. 

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Thursday, April 23, 2026

Premier League Match week 34: Manchester City Moves To Top Of Table; Chelsea Sack Rosenior

Manchester City moved to the top of the Premier League table with a 1-0 victory over Burnley on Wednesday. Erling Haaland bagged the winner, his 24th Premier League goal of the season, in a back and forth first half which then gave way to Burnley curiously playing negative football through a turgid second half. City, nine points back in the title chase less than two weeks ago, now has the exact same point total and goal differential as Arsenal. The Citizens, however, own the tiebreaker as a result of having scored three more goals than the Gunners.

Arsenal, a loser in its last two outings, falls out of the top spot for the first time since October. Manchester City, now unbeaten in eleven matches, moves to the top spot for the first time since the season’s opening week. Burnley’s loss on Wednesday, meanwhile, relegates the Clarets to the second tier for the second time in three years. This Burnley side could make history as it still needs four more points to match the total of the Clarets’ worst ever Premier League point total. Burnley now joins Wolverhampton in having clinched places in the Championship next season.

A disjointed Week 34 kicked off Tuesday with another Chelsea disaster. The Blues were defeated 3-0 at Brighton to mark a fifth consecutive league loss, a run in which the club failed to score a single goal. The spiral has all but destroyed chances of a Champions League berth for next season and question now looms as to whether Chelsea will qualify for any continental football next season. An emergency meeting of Chelsea ownership on Wednesday resulted in the sacking of overmatched manager Liam Rosenior.

Former mangers Mauricio Pochettino and Enzo Maresca, each of whom had elusive moments of success, both left the club on bad terms with an ownership which thought it had its “company man” in Rosenior, who was managing another BlueCo club in France at the time of his January Chelsea appointment. Unfortunately, there are other requisites to be a successful Premier League manager and Rosenior has room for improvement in both tactics and man management.

Brighton, meanwhile, appears to be peaking at the right time after some struggles earlier in the season had raised questions about the future of its own young manager, Fabian Hurzeler. The 33-year-old Hurzeler, however, benefits from a solid operating model at Brighton and has never appeared cowed by the challenges of the English top division. The sacked Rosenior, meanwhile, seemed well out of his depth and was penalized by an operating strategy which appears to be a massive failure for Chelsea in the aftermath of the far more successful Roman Abramovich era.

Brighton leapfrogged Chelsea into sixth place in the table on Tuesday as the Seagulls won for the sixth time in their last eight matches. The Seagulls have also now defeated Chelsea four of the last five times the clubs have met. Brighton’s success versus Chelsea has become a habit since Chelsea began poaching Brighton assets such as former manager Graham Potter, co-sporting director Paul Winstanley, midfielder Moises Caicedo, fullback Marc Cucurella, goalie Robert Sanchez, defender Levi Colwill and striker Joao Pedro.

Embarrassingly for the Blues, Brighton has proven adept at reloading, certainly helped by the funds received from player sales and compensation for the release of Potter and his staff. Brighton is now one point ahead of Bournemouth, Chelsea having fallen all the way to eighth. The Cherries lost an opportunity to move into the top six when Leeds’s Sean Longstaff struck the equalizer in the 97th minute of a 2-2 draw Wednesday at Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium.

After a brief respite on Thursday, the Premier League restarts on Friday with Sunderland visiting Nottingham Forest. Sunderland still has a small chance for European qualification, but the stakes are much higher for the visiting Trees. Forest, despite winning two of its last three Premier League matches, is still vulnerable with just a four-point cushion versus the relegation line. The schedule, however, provides some odd encouragement for the Trees as Friday remains the only day of the week on which Sunderland has never won a Premier League match.

Six matches unfold on Saturday. Arsenal can, of course, afford no further slipups after two consecutive league losses, as the Gunners host flailing Newcastle, losers of their last three league outings. Tottenham Hotspur also faces a must win scenario. The struggling club, yet to measurably improve under new manager Roberto De Zerbi, must absolutely, positively secure their first league win of the calendar year against Wolverhampton which is already relegated. Spurs will join them if De Zerbi cannot engineer an immediate turnaround.

The other match with massive relegation implications takes place at London Stadium where West Ham are home to Everton. The Hammers are currently only two points above Spurs and could find themselves back in the relegation zone if results do not go their way this weekend. Elsewhere on Saturday, Liverpool can strengthen its stranglehold on the fifth Champions League spot if the Reds win their third consecutive league match when they host Crystal Palace while Manchester United, virtually assured of playing in Europe’s premier competition next season, hosts Brentford which desperately needs a win after five consecutive draws to advance their own European ambitions when the Bees visit Old Trafford.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, will share the same point total and rosy European outlook as Manchester United when Manager Unai Emery takes his squad to Fulham on Saturday. The Cottagers hopes for Europe, however, hang by a thread which will likely be severed if Fulham loses Saturday’s match at Craven Cottage.

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Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Premier League Week 33 Results: Manchester City Sweeps Aside Arsenal; Liverpool Triumphs In Merseyside Derby; Manchester United Wins At Stamford Bridge; Spurs Refuse To Win; Leeds And Forest Separate From Relegation Pack

Manchester City is on a heater as the Citizens swept by Arsenal 2-1 to turn the Premier League title race on its head. The stars were out for the Citizens as French magician Ryan Cherki opened the scoring and Premier League Golden Boot leader Erling Haaland drilled the winner. Bernardo Silva, leaving the club after this season, was again in fine form as he navigates the final leg of his Manchester City career. Their heroics overcame an error by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma which allowed Arsenal to equalize the match early on.

Sunday’s result leaves City just three points removed from the top of the table with a match at Burnley looming on Wednesday. Arsenal played well but its attacking limitations were again on full display. Havertz was able to score off a fumbled ball from Donnarumma, but the German also missed other opportunities which could have changed the match’s outcome. Most excruciating for Gunner supporters was his miss versus a gaping Manchester City net in the dying seconds of stoppage time.

In fairness, Arsenal recognized Havertz’s limitations as a striker and invested in a presumed upgrade in Victor Gyokeres during last summer’s transfer window. While Gyokeres has shown flashes, he has not proven the difference that Arsenal needed and was benched for Havertz on Sunday in Arsenal’s biggest game of the season. Haaland, meanwhile, proved his mettle by winning his match-long battle with Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes and finding the winner in the 65th minute for his 23rd Premier League goal of the season.

The battle between the two players included customary shoves, head butts and grabbing which required the Norwegian wonder to replace a ripped jersey. In a testament to old school football, Haaland refused to go to the ground when receiving a Magalhaes head butt in the 84th minute. That decision not to draw the type of attention which likely would have meant an early exit for the Arsenal defender served to extend the match’s drama between two balanced sides.

With Sunday’s victory, Manchester City showed championship grit. Alternatively, a good performance by Arsenal is no longer enough for a side that has already failed to measure up in the past. A torrid start to this Premier League season now assures nothing for the Gunners because, as Haaland stated post-match “the last weeks are when things get decided.” A season of disappointment for Liverpool provided a satisfying highlight on Sunday when the Red emerged with a 2-1 victory in the first Merseyside derby played at Everton’ new Dickinson Hill Stadium.

Fittingly, it was Liverpool legends Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk who scored the goals for the Reds, van Dijk’s dramatic 100th minute winner claiming all three points for the visitors. This was Salah’s final Merseyside derby while van Dijk’s future is clouded by the steep decline in his play this season. The victory extended Liverpool’s lead over Chelsea in the race for the final Champions League slot to seven points.

Chelsea lost a fourth consecutive Premier League match, a 1-0 home loss to Manchester United as the wheels appear to be coming off at Stamford Bridge. The club has not scored a goal in any of those four losses as the attacking play under Manager Liam Rosenior appears lethargic and disjointed. The goal drought is the longest experienced by the Blues since 1912. A third consecutive home loss makes it six losses at Stamford Bridge this season, the most in over 30 years.

The young manager has presided over a spiral which has both players and supporters questioning the club’s strategic direction. More than 500 Chelsea supporters marched in protest against club ownership before Saturday’s match. Matheus Cunha scored the first half winner which virtually assured Manchester United of Champions League play next season. The question remains, however, as to who their manager will be next year.

The club has not yet extended its commitment to interim manager Michael Carrick despite the former Red Devil player leading his club to more Premier League points than any other side since his January appointment. Bruno Fernandes, who will be entering the final year of his current contract, assisted on Cunha’s goal to move his league leading assist total to 18 as he chases the league record of 20 assists held jointly by legendary players Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.

Aston Villa, level on points with the Red Devils, also helped solidify their Champions League participation for next season with a 4-3 win in a thriller over Sunderland. The Black Cats scored twice in the final five minutes of regulation to knot the match before Tammy Abraham halted their comeback with his winner in the third minute of stoppage time. While the Champion’s League places increasingly seem certain, the races for the other European places remain muddled.

Sixth place Chelsea is now level on points with both Brentford and Bournemouth. Brighton and Everton are just one point further behind and even 12th place Fulham is only three points behind Chelsea. The Cottagers kept themselves in the hunt by handing Brentford a fifth consecutive league draw in a goalless affair at Gtech Stadium. A surprisingly strong season by the Bees is threatening to go for naught as the club continues to search for its first league win since February.

Bournemouth experienced a similar spell of five inconclusive results before the Cherries rose up and defeated Arsenal last weekend to introduce turmoil to the Premier League title chase. The Cherries further improved their own European chances with a 2-1 win over Newcastle on Saturday. Adrien Truffert scored in the 85th minute to provide a second consecutive victory and keep the Cherries unbeaten for a club record 13th consecutive Premier League match.

Brighton added to the misery which is Tottenham Hotspur when the Seagulls’ Georginio Rutter scored an equalizer in the 95th minute to knot the score at two goals apiece and extend Tottenham Hotspur’s winless Premier League run to 15 matches. The Seagulls had earlier tied the match at one goal a piece with a first half stoppage time goal by Kaoru Mitoma as Tottenham Hotspur continues to demonstrate an unwillingness to embrace success.

The last Premier League victory for Spurs was last December. The north London side remains in the relegation zone, one point below West Ham which drew 0-0 at Crystal Palace on Monday. It may well be now a two-team battle between Spurs and the Hammers for the final position of safety in the Premier League table. Both Leeds and Nottingham Forest were victorious this weekend over inferior foes to pull themselves further away from the relegation rumble.

Leeds moved eight points clear of the drop line with a 3-0 whitewashing of bottom of the table Wolverhampton. Nottingham Forest moved five points in front of Spurs with a 4-1 thumping of next to bottom Burnley. The Tricky Trees are undefeated in their last five league matches, winning twice during a run which has created some much needed separation from the league’s bottom feeders. Forest, rejuvenated by new manager Vitor Pereira, has also advanced to the semifinals of the Europa League where the Trees will face Aston Villa.

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Friday, April 17, 2026

Premier League Week 33 Preview: Title Rests With Sunday’s Match

Sunday will determine whether there is still a Premier League title race. Arsenal can move back nine points ahead of Manchester City should the visiting Gunners find victory at the Etihad. A loss by the Gunners creates a worst-case scenario for Manager Mikel Arteta and his three-time bridesmaids. A slender three-point advantage could be gone in a matter of days should the Citizens continue their charge with a win next Wednesday against relegation bound Burnley. It is thus difficult to overstate the importance of Sunday’s clash.

The Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton is thus a lesser focus for all but the citizens of their common city. Rather, the supporters of England’s top two clubs and other fans across the Premier League are laser focused on a contest which will tell whether Arsenal might fall agonizingly short for a fourth consecutive season. It has been six years since Arsenal claimed a trophy of any sort. Despite being bounced from the Carabao Cup and FA Cup by Manchester City and Southampton, respectively, Arsenal is currently in the Champions League semifinal and sits atop the Premier League table.

This could yet be a glorious season which validates the project of Manager Mikel Arteta who this week implored supporters to “enjoy where we are as a club.” There will be little enjoyment among supporters, however, if the club comes up on the short end on Sunday. Arsenal has not won at the Etihad in their last 10 Premier League visits to the Etihad, losing seven times. This weekend’s Merseyside derby is also about more than pride. Liverpool is trying to hold on to its Champions league place where it has a four-point lead over sixth place Chelsea.

Everton, meanwhile, can move to within two points of the Reds with a win in the first Merseyside derby to be played at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock. Liverpool will be without Hugo Ekitike for the match as the French striker is lost for the season after an Achilles injury forced him to leave Liverpool’s losing effort versus PSG during the week. Chelsea meanwhile will try to end a three-match losing run when the Blues host Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

A protest march is scheduled by Chelsea supporters unhappy with the policies of BlueCo ownership, a consortium of Clear Lake Capital and Todd Boehly. An expensively assembled roster is now seeing its young stars yearn for greener pastures amid the club’s declining performance and unpopular managerial changes. Enzo Fernandez returns after being suspended for his ill-chosen words about the club. A lack of veteran leadership and a lack of balance on the roster continues to plague the Chelsea project.

Manchester United is looking to bounce back after the first Premier League loss this season under interim Manager Michael Carrick. New Tottenham Hotspur Manager Roberto De Zerbi will look for his first win when his currently relegation bound squad hosts Brighton on Saturday. The bedraggled Tottenham Hotspur club he now commands has not won a league match in 2026. That first win will not be easy against a Seagulls side which has won five of its last six Premier League matches and is battling for a place in Europe.

Leeds has opportunity to remove itself further from the relegation scrap should the Whites defeat cellar dwelling Wolverhampton on Saturday. Leeds currently enjoys a six-point advantage over Spurs. Nottingham Forest and West Ham are less safe and within three points of Spurs and the drop line as they face crucial matches on Sunday. The Tricky Trees have an enviable opportunity for three points against a bad Burnley team at the City Ground while West Ham face a tougher test at Crystal Palace.

The Eagles are flying high after qualifying for the semifinals of the Conference League during the week and have lost just one of their last five Premier League matches under lame duck Manager Oliver Glasner. West Ham moved out of the relegation zone last weekend with a 4-0 pounding of Wolverhampton. The crowded race for Europa and Conference League positions appears to have shifted into slow motion. Two points and three clubs separate seventh place Brentford from 11th place Bournemouth with both those clubs having drawn four of their last five matches.

Brentford hosts Fulham, just three points below the Bees, while Bournemouth travels to Newcastle for its first match since Manager Andoni Iraola announced he is leaving after this season. There is an interesting trend of manager resignations, or mutual departures this season. Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca and Crystal Palace’s Glasner are two other high-profile walkaways which come to mind. Sunderland could still challenge for an unlikely European spot and will hope to catch Aston Villa napping when the Black Cats visit Villa Park on Sunday. Villa has a seven-point cushion in its quest for a Champions League berth and has advanced to the Europa League semifinals where it will curiously face Premier League and Midland rival Nottingham Forest. 

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Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Premier League Week 32 Results: Arsenal Loss Opens The Door For Manchester City; Citizens Use Second Half Barrage To Put Away Chelsea; West Ham Escapes Relegation Places With Resounding Win; Spurs Misery Continues; Liverpool Rebounds with Good Showing At Anfield; Leeds Defeats 10-Man Manchester United; Crystal Palace Overtakes Newcastle

Arsenal’ s march to the Premier League title took a wrong turn on Saturday when the Gunners lost 2-1 to visiting Bournemouth. A nine-point lead entering the weekend is now six points after Manchester City’s 3-0 demolition of Chelsea on Sunday. Arsenal and Manchester City will meet next week at the Etihad in a contest which could determine who raises the Premier League trophy. What seemed for much of the season to be a certain title run after three consecutive second place league finishes is now a major doubt for Arsenal and its handwringing fans.

Should Manchester City defeat the Gunners next Sunday, they will have opportunity to match Arsenal’s point total by winning at Burnley in a previously postponed match just three days later. Incredibly Arsenal may no longer be at the top of the table when the Gunners visit Newcastle in two weeks. Against Bournemouth, the Gunners once again suffered from a lack of creativity in their attack with Mikel Arteta pulling out all the steps with the triple substitution of Eberechi Eze, Leandro Trossard and teen phenom Max Dowman in the 54th minute to try to spark a winner with the match tied at a goal apiece. Instead, it was Bournemouth’s Alex Scott who found the net in the 74th minute.

Manchester City will host the Gunners on a confident high after a three goal second half explosion which broke up a scoreless first half at Stamford Bridge. Rayan Cherki assisted the first two goals by Manchester City as the summer transfer has become a star in this reconstituted Citizen team which could still win a domestic treble this season. Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi and Jermey Doku scored the goals which demonstrated that City’s attack extends beyond Erling Haaland.

Chelsea’s poor second half performance puts the Blues’ Champions League hopes in jeopardy after Liverpool defeated Fulham 2-0 on the weekend and extended its lead over sixth place Chelsea to four points. Chelsea Manager Liam Rosenior is feeling the heat as the club is not only trailing Liverpool for the final Champions League spot but is being hunted down by a gaggle of clubs below them. Five clubs are within three points of Chelsea, threatening to keep the Blues out of Europe altogether next season. Chelsea has failed to score in three consecutive Premier League losses and an embarrassing Champions League exit where the Blues were outscored 8-2 by PSG over two legs also does not help Rosenior’s credibility.

Liverpool has also been disappointing its fans of late, making Saturday’s win in front of home supporters all that more meaningful. The club’s past and future were on display with the two goals being scored by 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha and 33-year-old club legend Mohamed Salah who has already announced that this is his final season in a Liverpool jersey. Decisive Cup losses to Manchester City in the FA Cup and PSG in Champions League have been unfortunately accompanied by announced ticket price increases which were protested at Saturday’s match. With its first win in four league matches, perhaps the Reds can even rise to an improved performance against PSG at Anfield this week in the second leg of their Champions League tie.

Further down the table, the relegation race was turned on its ear with West Ham making a statement with a 4-0 win over Wolverhampton which began the Premier League weekend on Friday. Taty Castellanos and Konstantinos Mavropanos each had a brace and Jarrod Bowen had two assists as the Hammers escaped the relegation zone. Castellanos flashed the form that the Hammers were hoping for when they expensively purchased the Argentine forward in the January window. Club stalwart Bowen, meanwhile, now has nine goal involvements in his last 10 matches.

Replacing West Ham in the relegation zone was Tottenham Hotspur which lost 1-0 at Sunderland to put themselves below the drop line for the first time since 2015. A first ever Premier League relegation would have severe financial consequences for the “top six” club. The club’s recent huge investment in new manager Roberto De Zerbi reflects the sense of panic being felt by club ownership. Whether the gamble pays off hangs in the balance over the next six matches. There was no new manager bounce on Sunday as the club lost for the seventh time in its last eight Premier League matches.

Tottenham Hotspur has not won any of its last 14 Premier League matches and is in search of its first league win of the calendar year. Things deteriorated further on Saturday when Spurs’ captain and arguably best player, Christian Romero collided with his goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky. Romero’s knee banged into Kinsky’s head, and the Argentine left in tears with an injured knee ligament which will keep him out for the remainder of the league season. Sunderland’s winner was a bit fluky as well, Nordi Mukiele’s shot deflecting into the net off Spurs defender Mickey van den Ven.

Nottingham Forest claimed a valuable point to move three points north of Spurs when the Tricky Trees drew 1-1 with Aston Villa. Forest is undefeated in its last four Premier League matches, keeping the Trees clear of the drop line. Leeds took an even bigger step to remove itself from relegation jeopardy when the Whites emerged with a 2-1 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. Noah Okafor scored twice in the first half hour of play to give Leeds a two-goal lead.

Manchester United’s comeback hopes were then severely damaged when Lisandro Marinez received a red card for pulling the hair of Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the 56th minute. Casemiro closed the gap to 2-1 in the 59th minute but Leeds was able to frustrate 10 man United for the balance of the match and hand Manchester United the first home loss of Michael Carrick’s interim reign. The victory was incredibly important for a Leeds side which is now six points clear of Tottenham Hotspur and the drop line. The loss was less impactful for Manchester United, which remains seven points north of Chelsea and the possible forfeiture of a berth in the Champions League for next season.

Crystal Palace is not gunning for a European place in the table, but the Eagles have done far better than feared when the relationship between the club and lame duck Manager Oliver Glasner blew up some weeks ago. Chairman Steve Parish apparently made the right decision to keep Glasner in place till season’s end despite his disparaging remarks about the club. The Eagles are still contending in the Europa Conference League, defeating Fiorentina 3-0 in a quarterfinal match Thursday, and overtook Newcastle in the Premier League table on Sunday with a 2-1 comeback victory over the Magpies at Selhurst Park.

Jean-Philippe Mateta scored both goals in the Eagles’ win, including a 94th minute penalty kick after teammate Jefferson Lerma was pulled down in the Newcastle box. Crystal Palace moved past Newcastle into 13th position in the table, not a world beating accomplishment unless contemplating the relegation fears present in south London not very long ago. Other weekend matches saw an unsurprising 2-0 win for Brighton at bumbling Burnley while Everton and Brentford drew at 2-2, dampening the hopes of both clubs to make a push for Liverpool’s current Champions League berth. The Toffees and Bees are five points south of Liverpool in the table, one point behind struggling Chelsea.

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Thursday, April 9, 2026

Premier League Week 32 Preview: Is There A Title Chase As Premier League Returns?; Liverpool And Chelsea Look To Reverse Struggling Form; Time Is Now For Hammers As Wolves Have a Say; Di Zerbe Debuts For Spurs

The Premier League returns this weekend after an extended break for international matches and the FA Cup quarterfinals. Arsenal returns to action with a substantial lead over Manchester City yet still seems vulnerable and generally unimpressive. The Gunners were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by City a few weeks ago and then last week were beaten in the FA Cup by Southampton. Arsenal managed to edge Sporting Lisbon 1-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday with a stoppage time winner from Kai Havertz.

The lead over Manchester City is nine points. The Citizens, however, have a game in hand and host Arsenal on April 19th. There is thus less margin for error than it would seem for an Arsenal side which is not projecting championship form at the moment. The league leaders host Bournemouth this weekend with the Cherries riding a curious five match run of consecutive draws. The Cherries were whitewashed in three of those matches as they face Arsenal’s’ league leading defense which has for the most part compensated for a lackluster Gunner attack this season.

Manchester City, meanwhile, visits Chelsea for a match at Stamford Bridge with huge ramifications for both squads. Chelsea is currently on the outside looking in with respect to Champions League qualification. The Blues sit sixth in the table after losing three of their last four matches. Since the club last took the pitch in a Premier League match, three star players have spoken out with negative remarks regarding their Chelsea futures, the club’s recruitment policies and the decision to change managers earlier this season. While the comments of Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo were relatively benign if unwelcome, Enzo Fernandez earned himself a two-match suspension by the club which will see him on the bench for the crucial match versus Manchester City.

Chelsea is currently a point behind Liverpool and two points ahead of Brentford and Everton. Liverpool was rocked 4-0 when the club was decisively booted from the FA Cup by Manchester City last weekend. The unraveling Reds were then undone 2-0 by PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday, a contest in which the Premier League side failed to put a single shot on target as Manager Arne Slot kept Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah bolted to the bench for the entire game. Liverpool needs a home win this weekend against Fulham to help stem the tide of supporter discontent which has endangered the job security of Manager Arne Slot.

The winner of the Brentford and Everton match at Gtech Stadium on Saturday could find itself level on points with Liverpool at weekend’s end. Everton has won three out of four matches, including a dominant 3-0 thrashing of Chelsea before the break. Brentford has drawn its last three matches, including disappointing deadlocks with lower table wanderers Wolverhampton and Leeds in the Bees’ last two matches. Wolves will have opportunity to spoil someone else’s season when the league’s bottom team visits London Stadium on Friday for a match of incredible importance for West Ham. The cellar dwellers, who have been remarkably improved under Manager Rob Edwards, could well decide the third team to join Wolves and Burnley in the Championship tier next season.

Wolverhampton’s two matches following the visit to West Ham are a trip to Leeds and a Molineux Stadium visit from Tottenham Hotspur. The Hammers remain the only one of the three current relegation zone residents with a chance to escape their fate. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo has his club just one point below 17th place Tottenham Hotspur and three points below Nottingham Forest. New Spurs Manager Roberto De Zerbi enters the relegation battle royale when he makes his debut on the road at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light. The Black Cats, with no relegation worries, have rebounded from a temporary lull in results to win two of their last three Premier League matches.

Nottingham forest, meanwhile, faces a tough matchup with Aston Villa which could put the brakes on what has been a nice new manager bounce, including a 3-0 walloping of Spurs, after Viktor Pereira replaced Sean Dyche in charge of the Tricky Trees some weeks ago. Just a point above Forest and paddling hard to stay above the relegation fray is Leeds United. The Whites face a tough test at Manchester United on Monday seeking their first league victory since an early February win over Nottingham Forest.

Manchester United’s Harry Maguire signed a new one-year contract with the Red Devils this past week, capping what has been a remarkable comeback story for the one-time star who became little more than a squad player before now once again becoming a critical piece at the heart of the Manchester United defense. The third place Red Devils are nearly assured of a Champions League berth with a present seven-point margin on sixth place Chelsea.

Newcastle would have been expected to compete for a Champions League berth before the club was gutted over the summer by the departure of leading scorer Alexander Isak who turned out to have an injury plagued campaign for his new employer in Liverpool. Eddie Howe’s side has not only been unable to replace Isak’s firepower but has also sprung leaks in its defense. Only three teams not currently in the relegation zone have conceded more often than the Magpies. Howe’s side travels to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace which is winding down the tenure of Manager Oliver Glasner after its own disappointing season. Brighton could yet make something of its season as the Seagulls are just three points shy of a possible Europa Conference League slot as Manager Fabian Hurzeler is probably rubbing his hands in glee at the three points available from this week’s tiff at relegation bound Burnley. 

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