Premier League Match Week 24 Preview

Tottenham Hotspur has been poorer at home than any other Premier League team save for one, that being Wolverhampton which is buried at the bottom of the league table. The heat has been on Thomas Frank for some time now and his club’s home form is going to have to rise several levels to meet the challenge this weekend. Manchester City visits Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with renewed title hopes after Arsenal proved vulnerable in a loss to Manchester United last week. Manchester City has also shown some flaws recently, but the Citizens have loaded up this transfer window to make a stretch run for the title. Striker Antoine Semenyo, third in the Premier League Golden Boot chase, was added from Bournemouth to juice the attack. Marc Guehi has been brought in from Crystal Palace to shore up the defense.

The former Crystal Palace captain left a dumpster fire behind him, one that Eagles striker Jean-Philippe Mateta is anxious to leave as well. Crystal Palace, however, continues to put a high valuation on its striker, a price which has torpedoed efforts by several clubs to court the Eagles’ leading scorer. Nottingham Forest is a club still pursuing a deal for Mateta and that only adds fuel to the bad blood between the clubs. Forest took over the Europa League spot Crystal Palace earned with their FA Cup win when the Eagles tripped over a multi-club ownership regulation. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was believed to be one whom politicked for Palace’s disqualification to the benefit of his own club. Forest later filed a complaint when Crystal Palace supporters unfurled a banner disparaging the Greek owner when the clubs met at Selhurst Park earlier this season. The two clubs meet again, this time at  the City Ground on Sunday, with Mateta being the latest point of disagreement between the parties.

The 17th place Tricky Trees are trying to fend off rejuvenated West Ham in the battle for Premier League survival. The Hammers have won two matches in a row, 40% of their season long victory total, heading into their London derby at Chelsea on Saturday.

Leeds, meanwhile, is trying to avoid making it a three-team relegation fight as it hovers six points above the drop, one point above Nottingham Forest. Visiting Elland Road on Saturday will be an Arsenal squad eager to reassert its league dominance after a humbling loss to Bournemouth last week.

Aston Villa will try to stay on Arsenal’s heels when Brentford comes to Villa Park on Sunday. Manager Unai Emery has puzzles to solve for Aston Villa because of a string of injuries to his midfield. The Spanish manager revealed this week that Youri Tielemans will be out 8-10 weeks, John McGinn 6-8 weeks and Boubacar Kamara appears done for the season. Villa has reached a loan deal for former player Douglas Luiz to help plug the hole in the center of the club’s midfield.

Despite the two wins by interim manager Michale Carrick, Manchester United supporters are moving forward with a planned protest of ownership incompetence when the Red Devils host Fulham on Sunday. Carrick’s success has distracted from the underlying dissatisfaction, but the incompetence of the club’s ownership cannot be masked by the success of an individual that ownership feels is only worthy of a short-term contract.

A nefarious piece of history is on the line for Liverpool on Saturday when the Reds host Newcastle. Arne Slot’s side, the defending Premier League champion, is yet to win a Premier League match this calendar year. Failure to deliver all three points on Saturday would mark the first time since 1954 that Liverpool will have started a calendar year with a six-match league winless streak.

Bournemouth was a dramatic winner over Liverpool last week. Now the Cherries travel to Wolverhampton for what could be a more competitive match than would have been expected just a few weeks ago from the Premier League’s bottom team. Manager Rob Edwrds has the Wolves playing with an energy that was absent much of this season. The cellar dwellers, playing out a schedule which will assuredly end in relegation, had a five-match unbeaten run across all competitions before Wolves were taken down by Manchester City last week.

Sunderland and Burley are the other two clubs promoted for this season along with Wolves. Sunderland, thirteen points removed from the relegation zone, appears intent to stay around for another season. Burnley, however, looks to be making a U-turn back to the Championship along with Wolves. The Clarets are buried a discouraging ten points from safety as they travel to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland on Monday. The Black Cats are the only club in the Premier League not to have lost a match at their home fortress this season.

Brighton is one of three clubs, along with Arsenal and Manchester City, to have stumbled but once at home this season. The Seagulls will try to maintain their own superlative home form when Everton visits the South coast on Saturday.

Premier League Match Week 23 Results: Manchester United Defeats Arsenal As Interim Manager Carrick Delivers Another Shocker; Gunners Lead Down To Four Points Over Manchester City and Aston Villa; Liverpool Nicked By Bournemouth; Crystal Palace Swoon Continues In Loss To Chelsea; Forest and West Ham Both Win In Their Battle for Premier League Survival

He may not be the permanent solution, but Michael Carrick is delivering results in the short term as Manchester United’s interim manager. One week after knocking off rival Manchester City, Carrick’s Red Devils toppled league leading Arsenal 3-2 at the Emirates. Including his prior 2021 interim stint in charge of the team, Carrick is now an unbeaten 4-1-0 managing Manchester United. It was not just the Red Devil fans who were thrilled with Sunday’s results. Both Manchester City and Aston Villa won their matches over the weekend so the lead in the Premier League title chase is now down to four points, far too narrow for the nerves of Arsenal supporters who thought this to be their year after three consecutive second place finishes in the league. Goals by summer signings Bryan Mbuemo and Matheus Cunha bookended a goal by Patrick Dorgu to provide the firepower for Manchester United which took advantage of an uncharacteristically lax Arsenal defense. Cunha was unmarked for his dramatic winner in the 87th minute. The goal by the former Wolves player came three minutes after Arsenal’s Mikel Merino had tied the score and seemingly salvaged a point for the league leaders. It was not to be, and the three-way title chase is on after Arsenal lost at home for the first time this season.

No Manchester United fan can scroll past without liking this

Matheus Cunha appreciation tweet ❤️ pic.twitter.com/O1NMRJnFJn

— Wealth (@wealth_united_) January 25, 2026

Manchester City were easy 2-0 winners over Wolves in a match that was spectated by Erling Haaland and Phil Foden as Manager Pep Guardiola rested his stars. Aston Villa won by the same 2-0 scoreline at Newcastle, the club’s first victory at St. James’s Park since 2005.

Liverpool, meanwhile, lost for the first time in 14 Premier League matches when Bournemouth’s Amine Adli scored in the final moments of stoppage time in a thriller at Vitality Stadium. Liverpool’s unbeaten run had masked some mediocre play as the Reds drew six different times during their 13-match run. The dropped points during that run had already doomed a title chase well before Adli’s heroics. Bournemouth had been on an 11-match winless run before a victory over Tottenham Hotspur two weeks ago. Saturday’s win extended a three-match unbeaten run for the rejuvenated Cherries.

New Chelsea Manager Liam Rosenior has won back-to-back Premier League matches after the Blues 3-1 victory at Crystal Palace. The Eagles are clearly in deep trouble. Crystal Palace has not won in 11 matches across all competitions and are being managed by an arsonist who has put the match to their season. Disgruntled Manager Oliver Glasner has declared he is leaving after the season and claims ownership has abandoned the manager and players with a transfer policy which has purportedly left the roster unable to compete. An unthinkable relegation battle could beckon for the Eagles who are currently eight points above the drop line.

West Ham is beginning to make some noise as the Hammers try to claw free of the relegation places. The Hammers made it two league wins in a row with their 3-1 thrashing of Sunderland on Saturday. Jarred Bowen had a goal and an assist to overtake Michail Antoinio as the all-time West Ham leader in Premier League goal involvements.

Nottingham Forest, however, has responded both last week and this past Sunday to keep the Hammers at bay. The Tricky Trees won their own second consecutive league match with a surprising 2-0 away win at Brentford, marking only the second time this season that Brentford lost a home Premier League match. Strikers Igor Jesus and Taiwo Awoniyi scored the goals which kept Nottingham Forest unbeaten in their last three matches and, most importantly, five points above West Ham in the battle for a Premier League return next season.

The reason Burnley will not be returning was evident on Saturday when the Claret defense faltered and allowed a late 90th minute equalizer in a 2-2 draw with struggling Tottenham Hotspur. With the lead in the closing minutes, Burnley repeatedly left opposing players unmarked, allowing multiple chances that included Xavi Simons’ booming blast which caromed off the top crossbar shortly before Romero’s header found the net. The Clarets are now ten points removed from safety. Tottenham Hotspur, despite Saturday’s dramatic point, is still without a  2026 Premier League victory.

Leeds are six points clear of the drop line after a 1-1 draw at Everton. Thierno Barry scored his fourth goal in his last five league games to bring the Toffees level with a 76th minute goal. The dropped points by Leeds keeps the Whites at risk of falling into a three-way battle with Nottingham Forest and West Ham for the final safe position in the league.

Everton’s Barry is not the only Premier League player on a current tear. Fulham’s Harry Wilson scored the winner in the 92nd minute of a 2-1 defeat of Brighton to continue his run of brilliant form for the Cottagers. Wilson’s Premier League goal involvements since the beginning of November are exceeded only by Erling Haaland and Saturday’s victory by Fulham has the London side up to seventh in the table.

Premier League: Match Week 23 Preview

Michael Carrick faces another formidable challenge just one week after defeating Manchester City in his interim manager role for Manchester United. Having knocked off second place Manchester City, Carrick now travels to north London for a matchup with table leading Arsenal. It may be a good time to face the Gunners who have lacked pop in their attack in their last two Premier League matches. Arsenal has failed to score a goal in two successive goalless draws, the second of which was to lowly Nottingham Forest. Gabriel Jesus revived Arsenal’s attack with two goals in a 3-1 Champions League defeat of Inter during the week. Can that spark carry over Saturday against Carrick and the Red Devils? Manchester United is riding the high of its Manchester derby conquest and still has opportunity to qualify for next year’s Champions League competition. Can Carrick lead them there or was last weekend’s victory nothing more than a new manager bounce?

Manchester City should be wary of Wolves this weekend. The Citizens added an embarrassing Champions League flop during the week to their recent spate of poor Premier League play. A 2-1 loss in Norway to Bodo/Glimt resulted in the club offering to refund the ticket cost to poor supporters who had made the icy trek to witness nothing but dreck. Wolverhampton visits the Etihad riding a four-match unbeaten run in the league and is playing much better football under Manager Rob Edwards.

Newcastle, presently eight in the Premier League table, is only three points from a top four position in the congested league table. The Magpies will have a chance to show their mettle and Champions League worthiness when Aston Villa visits St. James’ Park this weekend. Villa will be anxious to put a damaging loss to Everton last week behind them. The home loss at Villa Park ruined an opportunity for the Villans to move within four points of Arsenal in the title chase.

Liam Rosenior will be managing his second Premier League match for Chelsea on Saturday. Opposing manager Oliver Glasner seemingly cannot wait to manage his last match, whenever that may be, with Crystal Palace. The Palace manager destroyed his relationship with club ownership with scathing commentary that followed public announcement that he will not return to the club next season. Glasner is now not just the lamest of ducks but a volatile problem for the Eagles who are riding a ten-match winless run under their petulant leader. Everything would seem to point towards a Chelsea victory over an unsettled Palace squad which also sold cornerstone captain Marc Guehi to Manchester City last week and is reportedly also shopping striker JP Mateta. Rosenior’s side was impressive last week in stopping a Brentford squad which had been on a six-match  unbeaten run.

Are you enjoying this Liam Rosenior ball ? 👀 pic.twitter.com/O9H9r4VHKV

— Dennoh (@CFC_dennoh) January 21, 2026

The Bees return to their home G-Tech Community Stadium this weekend to host Nottingham Forest. The battle at the bottom of the table between Nottingham Forest and West Ham, for the final safe position ensuring a Premier League return next season, is made more interesting by Hammer Manager Nuno Espirito Santo having started the season in charge of Forest. Santo rebounded quickly from his sacking by the Tricky Trees to land the West Ham gig, at the expense of Graham Potter, in a move which looked like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

West Ham raised some eyebrows last weekend, however, by grabbing a rare win, only its fourth of the season, at Tottenham Hotspur. To its’ credit, Nottingham Forest mitigated that body blow by drawing with Arsenal. This Saturday’s match at London Stadium could be pivotal when West Ham hosts Sunderland. Can Nuno build some momentum for the Hammers to escape the zone at the expense of his former team? The current gap to safety is now five points.

Sunderland, meanwhile, has been one of this season’s feel-good stories as the Black Cats have returned with every intention of staying for a while. The Black Cats are in the top half of the table, far from the relegation rumble.

Leeds is also surprising observers with a recent run of form which has seen the Whites lose only one of its last nine Premier League matches. The Whites go to Everton on Monday to face a Toffee side which took some of the starch out of Aston Villa with a 1-0 win at Villa Park last week.

Things look grim for Burnley, but the relegation side has not yet rolled over, drawing three of its past five league matches. The Clarets are home to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. Spurs Manager Thomas Frank may have bought some time with a Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund during the week but his chair heats up again if he falters versus relegation bound Burnley.

Liverpool, out of the running for a Premier League title, remains a threat in the Champions League after a 3-0 win at Marseilles. The Reds are currently fourth out of 36 Champions League clubs, having secured their place in the tournament’s playoff phase. The Reds are also fourth in the Premier League standings but trail Arsenal by an insurmountable14 points. Liverpool heads to the south coast o face Bournemouth Saturday.

A tasty mid table match features Brighton on the road at Fulham. The two clubs are separated by just one point as they try to keep hope alive for a European place. The congested table sees ninth place Fulham just three points below sixth place Chelsea, though four clubs reside between the two. Everything is still on the table for a Conference League or even a Europa League spot for all those clubs.

Premier League Match Week 22 Results: Red Devils Prevail In Derby Shocker; Toffees Defeat Aston Villa; Arsenal Draws At Forest; Frank Assessment Required After Another Spurs Home Loss; Glasner Explodes At Crystal Palace Ownership; Liverpool Bumbles To Home Point; Chelsea Wins Rosenior Prem Debut

Manchester United overwhelmed Manchester City in Michael Carrick’s latest turn as interim manager. The Red Devils scored twice and had three other goals disallowed for offside in an aggressive performance seldom seen under former manager Ruben Amorim. Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu had the goals that counted in the 2-0 victory which extended Manchester City’s winless run in the Premier League to four matches. A drab performance by the visitors did damage to City’s title hopes and brought attention to the drought which continues for Golden Boot leader Erling Haaland. Haaland has but one goal in his last seven matches after finding the net 24 times in his first 23 contests this season. Fatigue could be showing as Haaland has logged more than 200 minutes more than any other Manchester City player. Helping to stymie the Norwegian striker on Sunday were outstanding performances by Manchester United center backs Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez. Defensive midfielder Kobbie Maino, freed from Amorim’s doghouse, aligned alongside Casemiro to provide further protection in delivering the team’s third clean sheet of the season.

While the loss was far from helpful, the damage to Manchester City’s title chances was mitigated somewhat when Arsenal was held to a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest. Additional pressure was levelled on the Tricky trees when West Ham grabbed a surprise victory at Tottenham Hotspur, narrowing the distance to Nottingham Forest and the final safe space in the table. Forest responded with a defensive focus which left the Trees without a shot on goal but enabled them to shut down the Gunners.

Aston Villa had a golden opportunity to make strides in the three-team title race but failed its test at Villa Park versus Everton. Victory would have brought Villa to within four points of Arsenal. The 1-0 defeat, however, leaves both Aston Villa and Manchester City seven points behind the Gunners. Thierno Barry capitalized on a fumbled save by Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez to deposit the game’s winner in the 59th minute for the Toffees.

Liverpool drew for a fourth consecutive league match as Anfield supporters saw their hometown heroes drop more points in a 1-1 draw with Burnley. Liverpool is unbeaten in 12 matches across all competitions but the inability to claim all three points in their league matches has become maddening. Thirty-two shots and 11 shots on target were unable to deliver a winning result for wasteful Liverpool versus a team headed for relegation. Saturday’s draw means that Liverpool were unable to defeat any of the newly promoted sides at Anfield this season, the first time that has ever happened to Liverpool in a Premier League season.

Happier home supporters could be found at Stamford Bridge where Liam Rosenior led Chelsea to a 2-0 victory over Brentford in his Premier League managerial debut. Joao Pedro scored the first half opener and Cole Palmer’s second half penalty kick sealed the deal as Chelsea put an end to Brentford’s six-match unbeaten run in the league.

A different London derby made headlines as Tottenham Hotspur Manager Thomas Frank would seem all but done after Spurs were 2-1 home losers to wretched West Ham. The Hammers had been unable to defeat any other Premier League foes in their last ten attempts before ruining Frank’s day on Saturday. It was the sixth home defeat for Spurs this season against only two wins in 11 Premier League matches contested at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Overall, the club has lost eight of its last 14 matches and the Danish manager has lost the supporters and likely his locker room. While he is expected to remain in charge for Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund, the former Brentford manager is on the thinnest of ice.

There is no uncertainty regarding the future of Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace. The Austrian manager ripped his team’s ownership after Saturday’s loss to Sunderland, claiming that it “abandoned” him and the players by selling off key players such as Eberechi Eze and, most recently, Marc Guehi. The sale of Guehi to Manchester City during the week seemed to be the final straw leading to Glasner’s eruption. In a seeming demonstrative act to accentuate his points, Glasner refused to make a substitution in his club’s 2-1 loss to Sunderland, highlighting the lack of depth allotted him by financially conservative ownership. Glasner also exited his last job at Eintracht Frankfurt after developing a similar caustic relationship with the German club’s ownership. The talented manager has won silverware for both clubs, but his public disparagement of employers may enter the calculus of his next hiring. In fairness to Crystal Palace and Eintracht Frankfurt, they are not financial behemoths like Manchester City and Bayern Munch and Glasner seems to expect more than he can reasonably expect from mid table clubs. Larger clubs, meanwhile, may think twice before taking a chance on the volatile Austrian. For the time being, Crystal Palace Chairman Steve Parish has indicated he wants Glasner to finish his contract which expires in June. Glasner has already indicated he will not renew and, uncomfortably, he seems disposed to an earlier exit. While the soap opera plays out between Glasner and Parish, on pitch performance has nosedived during a ten-match winless run for the Eagles.

Leeds Manager Daniel Farke was under immense pressure earlier this season as his promoted club struggled in its initial return to the Premier League. Pundits pointed to Farke’s lack of Premier League success with Norwich City after guiding that club to promotion. A new respect has developed for the German manager. Farke adapted his tactics in November to employ a back three which was instrumental in a season turning seven match unbeaten run. The streak ended in a loss at Newcastle, but Farke’s heroes captured all three points at Elland road on Saturday when substitute Lukas Nmecha scored in stoppage time to defeat Fulham 1-0. The dramatic finish, which ended the Cottagers’ five match unbeaten run, enabled Leeds to stay eight points above the drop line.

Wolverhampton, of course, has already punched its ticket for relegation with historically bad football for much of this season. Manager Rob Edwards, however, has reintroduced respectability in recent weeks. Supporters no longer fear embarrassment at Molineux Stadium where Wolves held Newcastle to a scoreless draw on Saturday. Wolverhampton now has a four-match unbeaten run in the Premier League, five unbeaten across all competitions including a 6-1 drubbing of Shrewsbury in the FA Cup. Six of Wolves eight Premier League points this season have come from its recent four match run in the league.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, was tumbling down the table before ending an 11-match winless run versus Spurs last week. Adding to the worries for Bournemouth fans was the departure of star Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City in the January window. The Cherries were close to a morale boosting win at Brig
hton Monday but fell short when the Seagulls’ Charalampos Kostoulas executed an overhead kick in stoppage time to salvage a point for Brighton in a1-1 draw at American Express Stadium. The dramatic goal by the 18-year-old teenager extended the Seagulls’ four match unbeaten run.

Premier League: Match Week 22 Preview

Saturday’s Manchester Derby has a strange aura about it. Manchester City has long been the more talented club in the matchup but Manchester United has at times surprised in the emotion packed encounter. Those emotions could be tamped down for this one given the state of suspended animation the Red Devils currently inhabit. The club seems to have folded the cards on its current season, preferring to seek a permanent managerial solution next summer. In the meantime, Michael Carrick has been brought in as the interim manager for the balance of this season. Oddly, Manchester United had largely gotten improved results in what was Amorim’s second season in charge. The club is, after all, only three points removed from fourth place Liverpool in the Premier League table. Amorim, however, lost his composure during a recent downturn in results and publicly criticized the ownership which had backed him through the darkness characterizing much of his tenure. Amorim is now out and Carrick is left to salvage what is left of the season. Indications that no major moves will take place in the January window further fuels discontent among a fan base which is supposedly planning a mass protest against Manchester United ownership at the February 1st match versus Fulham. Carrick is generally well liked as a former player on some of Manchester Untied’s championship teams. His managerial resume, however, is lackluster. After an interim stint for Manchester United in 2021, three matches without a defeat, he won 46% of his matches in charge of Middlesbrough from 2022-2025 before being sacked. Manchester United supporters, however, are more upset at the delay in finding a long-term manager, Carrick being contracted only until the end of the season. That, combined with a lack of ambition in the January window, conveys a perceived and inexplicable indifference to Champions League qualification by club ownership.

Michael Carrick's training sessions have blown the @ManUtd players' minds.

They are hugely impressed with his methods. The tactical meetings have everyone on high alert 🚨 pic.twitter.com/gBP6KQYDNE

— indykaila News (@indykaila) January 15, 2026

Manchester City, meanwhile, is chasing another  Premier League title under legendary manager Pep Guardiola. The Citizens have work to do as they sit six points back of table leading Arsenal. Guardiola, however, must be thrilled at the January addition of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth. Semenyo is third in Premier League goalscoring this season and provides another formidable option for a Manchester City attack which already includes Golden Boot leader Erling Haaland. Manchester City should be poised to boost their title aspirations at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Arsenal, however, shows no signs of  stumbling in trying to end a three-year run as Premier League bridesmaid. The Gunners, 3-2 winners over Chelsea in the EFL Cup semifinals on Wednesday, have lost only twice in the Premier League this season, piecing together an earlier 18 and current 11 game unbeaten runs. Arsenal is on a five-match winning run on the road as they travel to Nottingham Forest for a Saturday match at the City Ground. Nottingham Forest is in a battle of its own at the bottom of the table, currently winning that battle with a seven-point cushion against the relegation places.

West Ham has made life more comfortable for Nottingham Forest with the Hammers’ dreadful performance under Manager Nuno Espirito Santo who risks being sacked by a second Premier League club in the same 2025/26 season. Santo will face off against Thomas Frank and Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday in both a London derby and Battle of the Embattled Managers. Frank is under fire for not just poor results but also an unappealing playing stye devoid of creativity and his crusty comments directed at his own supporters. Frank has Spurs positioned just six points above 17th place Nottingham Forest. That final safe position in the table is where spurs landed season under subsequently sacked manger Ange Postecoglou. A loss to visiting West Ham could spell the end for Frank on Saturday.

Another London derby will be drawing eyes as Liam Rosenior makes his Premier League when Chelsea hosts an in-form Brentford side. The new Blues manager suffered defeat at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday in the first leg of an EFL Cup tie with Arsenal. A competitive loss to the Premier League leader does not constitute a black mark. A second consecutive loss at home could raise eyebrows as to whether the inexperienced manager is truly ready to turn around Chelsea’s poor run of form. Chelsea has won just one of its last nine Premier League matches, a rough patch which has seen them drop from title contention to eighth in the league table. Brentford, meanwhile, has been climbing the table to its current fifth place perch. Only Arsenal has gathered more points in the last six matches than the Bees. Forward Igor Thiago has a hat trick and a brace in his last two matches for the streaking Bees. His 16 goals on the season have taken the league by surprise and provided the Bees with firepower they feared lost when Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa left the club last summer. Brentford could have to deal with returning Chelsea stars Cole Palmer and Reese James who missed the midweek Arsenal loss due to injury.

Sunderland is at a critical juncture to its season. The Black Cats have outperformed expectations by spending this season in the top half of the table, far from the relegation fight expected for the newly promoted club. A win, however, has eluded Sunderland in its last five matches. Manger Regis Le Bris will be hoping to get back in the win column this weekend when the club returns to its home fortress to host Crystal Palace at the Stadium of Light where the Black Cats are undefeated and have won five of their ten home matches. Crystal Palace has not won any of its last six league matches. Any encouragement from a draw with Aston Villa in its last league contest was short lived for the Eagles who suffered a shocking FA Cup loss to measly Macclesfield in a historic upset last Saturday. It will be interesting to see how Manager Oliver Glasner is able to put the pieces back together again at Sunderland this week.

Fulham and Liverpool have been two of the most in-form Premier League sides in recent weeks. Liverpool has warts but also the type of talent that makes it far from surprising that they are back in the Champions League places despite a disappointing campaign which had warmed the seat of Manager Arne Slot. The Reds should not have much trouble this weekend when they host an overmatched Burnley side which is second bottom in the table on merit. Unlike Liverpool, the recent run of success by Fulham is less expected. The Cottagers roster is not imposing but Manager Marco Silva is highly respected and former Liverpool property Harry Wilson has caught fire. Wilson spent much of his Liverpool time on loan at various clubs but seems to have found a home at Craven Cottage. Since the beginning of November, only Erling Haaland has had more goal involvements than the  28-year-old Wilson. The Wilson led Cottagers will put their five match Premier League unbeaten run on the line at Leeds on Saturday.

Aston Villa is still in the title picture, level on points with Manchester City, both clubs six points shy of Arsenal. The Villans have hit some bumps in recent weeks, being whacked soundly by Arsenal and then suffering a frustrating draw with Crystal Palace. The Villans are home to Everton this weekend.

The Semenyo era is over at Bournemouth as the club’s leading goalscorer is now wearing a Manchester City shirt. Manger Andoni Iraola thus needs to find new answers for the Cherries’ attack when they journey to Brighton on Monday. Wolverhampton has had a poor attack all season, netting just 15 goals in its 21 league contests. Cellar dwelling Wolves has shown some life recently, however, going undefeated in its last three matches. Newcastle visits Molineux Stadium on Sunday.

FA Cup Makes Headlines

The David and Goliath aspect of the FA Cup always grabs attention even as most mismatches play out as one would expect. The competition pits clubs from all levels of English football against each other. Thus, you see outcomes such as Manchester City’s 10-1 demolition of Exeter City, a romp which featured Manchester City’s newest weapon Antoine Semenyo both scoring and assisting a goal. The competition also provides opportunities for top tier sides having a rough season to flex versus lower tier sides. Premier League doormat Wolverhampton pounded League Two side Shrewsbury 6-1 on Saturday. Relegation bound Burnley was a 5-1 winner over second tier Millwall.

You also have random matchups of Premier League clubs which provide an expected high level of play and competitiveness. Such was the case when Sunderland came back to eliminate Everton in penalty kicks. Newcastle also knocked off a Premier League rival in penalty kicks, requiring seven players to find the net in a shootout before sending Bournemouth packing. Manchester United was a 2-1 loser to Brighton as former Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck bagged the winner for the Seagulls. So heated was the match between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur that a full out brawl erupted between players after Villa’s 2-1 win.

The storied tournament, however, also delivers the kind of special fairytale moments often hoped for but only occasionally realized. One such story was literally right out of Hollywood when Wrexham was a winner over Premier League side Nottingham Forest, in penalty shootout fashion, over the weekend. The true shocker, however, took place before roughly 5,000 amazed onlookers when non-league Macclesfield defeated defending FA Cup champion Crystal Palace. The Premier League Eagles were an underdog story themselves last season when they won the first significant silverware in the club’s long history, defeating Premier League heavyweight Manchester City in the FA final at Wembley. Now the Eagles have crash landed in perhaps the FA Cup’s greatest upset. Macclesfield plays in the sixth tier of English football. The club was in administration as recently as 2020 before reforming as a ninth-tier club in the pyramid of English football and then ascending thorough promotion to its current level, one which still often dictates that many players hold down other jobs to support themselves.

🎥 | BEHIND THE SCENES: MACCLESFIELD FC 2-1 CRYSTAL PALACE

🔍 We take you behind the curtain for a closer look at the unseen bits and angles of Saturday’s momentous occasion at the https://t.co/fL99QEEJ4D Stadium

🔗 Watch here: https://t.co/7Zs5h05ijn#AgainstAllOdds 💙 pic.twitter.com/swk7El0Lw3

— Macclesfield FC (C) (@thesilkmen) January 13, 2026

Others have vagabond type careers reflecting a star-crossed journey across the lower tier geographies of English football. Within the pyramidal hierarchy of English football, including the semiprofessional level of Macclesfield, there are currently 117 places separating Crystal Palace from “The Silkmen.” That disparity makes the Silkmen’s 2-1 victory over the Eagles on Saturday the greatest upset in FA Cup history based on comparative league position. The match had drama from the start as the first goal was scored by Macclesfield captain Paul Dawson via a header from a noggin that was heavily bandaged from a head injury sustained just seconds into the match. Those bandages were adjusted by a teammate just moments before the 43rd minute goal which broke up a scoreless match. Isaac Buckley-Ricketts would provide an insurance goal for the upstarts, a cushion which proved necessary when Crystal Palace’s Yeremy Pino brought the Eagles to within a goal with his 90th minute free kick strike. Buckley-Ricketts, who began his football journey in Manchester City’s academy, has played for seven different clubs in England, most in the lower echelons of the English league system. His goal proved the winner as Macclesfield, managed by Wayne Rooney’s brother John, held firm in the closing minutes to capture the win and dethrone the reigning FA Cup champions.

After the match, Rooney dedicated the title to Ethan McLeod a 21-year-old Macclesfield player tragically killed in a car accident just last month, further fueling the emotions surrounding a shocking result. The last time a defending FA Cup champion lost to a sixth-tier side was 1909.

Premier League Match Week 21 Results: Dark Days For West Ham; No Changes To Top Four; More Buzz About The Bees

Things grew darker for West Ham on Tuesday as the Hammers lost a proverbial “six pointer” to Nottingham Forest. Rather than cutting the distance to safety to one point, the Hammers and Manager Nuno Espirito Santo are now seven points adrift of the club which Santo began the season in charge of. A Morgan Gibbs-White penalty conversion in the 89th minute secured all three points in the Tricky Trees’ 2-1 victory. The Gibbs-White goal completed a comeback win which had seen Forest down at halftime due to a self-inflicted own goal. The victory ended a four-match winless run for Nottingham Forest and Manager Sean Dyche and provided some much-needed breathing space between the Trees and the dreaded drop line. Dyche is the third manger this season for Nottingham Forest after Ange Postecoglou failed as the immediate successor to Santo. Santo has captured only 11 points in 15 matches since replacing Graham Potter on the touchline for the Hammers and the man who led Nottingham Forest into the European places just last season is now at risk to become the first Premier League manager to be sacked by two different clubs in the same season.

Wolverhampton supporters, meanwhile, may be growing fonder of Manager Rob Edwards. After a bleak start to his tenure in charge of the relegation assured outfit, Edwards’ gang is starting to show some spunk and is on a three-match winless run after drawing 1-1 at Everton. Five of Wolves’ seven points this season have come in the club’s last three matches.

Burnley, another relegation team, also picked up a point in a 2-2 draw with unsettled Manchester United. The Clarets moved within a point of 18th place West Ham though they remain a daunting eight points below Nottingham Forest and the promise of a Premier League return next season. Darren Fletcher was the man on the touchline for Manchester United following the Ruben Amorim sacking. The confused Manchester United ownership may not appoint a permanent successor till the summer and has floated the idea of another interim solution beyond Fletcher to get the Red Devils though the balance of this season. Fletcher is only truly assured of directing the side for this weekend’s FA Cup tilt with Brighton.

The Seagulls went to the Etihad on Wednesday and extended the Citizens winless run to three matches with a 1-1 draw. Earling Haaland put Manchester City ahead with his 150th goal for the club when he converted a first half penalty kick. The Citizens’ however, squandered a lead for a second straight match when Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma equalized things with his 60th minute goal. It was only Mitoma’s second goal of an injury and illness marred season. A healthy run from the Japanese winger could alter the fortunes of a Brighton club which has underwhelmed for much of the season to date.

Manchester City, meanwhile, missed a chance to make up some ground as Arsenal was held to a goalless draw with Liverpool on Thursday. An aggravated Gabriel Martinelli let his frustration boil over at the Emirates when he attempted to shove an injured Conor Bradley off the pitch in stoppage time, thinking the seriously injured Bradley was merely time wasting. Liverpool dominated play for much of the second half action as Arsenal’s five match winning run ended.

Aston Villa was also held to a goalless draw at Crystal Palace as the entire top four garnered a point during the midweek matches.

Creeping up on fourth place Liverpool, however, is a suddenly dangerous Brentford side. The fifth place Bees are just a point behind Liverpool after winning for a fourth time in their last five Premier Legue matches. Brentford defeated Sunderland 3-0 as Igor Thiago scored twice to increase his haul to five goals in his last two matches. The Brazilian striker now has 16 goals on the season, trailing only the 20 tallies of Golden Boot leader Haaland. No Brazilian player has ever scored as many goals in a Premier League season as Thiago’s current total. Sunderland’s five-match unbeaten run ended after four consecutive draws.

Every Igor Thiago @premierleague goal from his record-breaking season so far 🇧🇷🐐 pic.twitter.com/AydbGN4WZ5

— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) January 9, 2026

Newcastle kept pace, one point behind Brentford in the table as the Magpies defeated Leeds 4-3. Newcastle’s Harvey Barnes scored his second goal of the match in second half stoppage time to give all three points to Newcastle and put an end to a seven match unbeaten run by newly promoted Leeds.

While Brentford Manager Keith Andrews ascends the table, former Bees’ manager Thomas Frank cannot be enjoying his time with Tottenham Hotspur where he is booed each match by unhappy supporters. At least the latest loss was away which reduced the number of unhappy Spurs customers. Bournemouth defeated Frank’s side 2-1 to end an 11-match winless run by the Cherries when Antoine Semenyo scored the stoppage time winner for the Cherries in what might have been his final game for the club with a move to Manchester City expected this week.

Chelsea fell all the way to eighth place in the Premier League table after a 2-2 London derby loss to Fulham. The Blues went down to 10 men on a Marc Cucarella red card in the 22nd minute to make it a tough slog for Chelsea and interim Manager Calum McFarlane. New Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior will be on the touchline for Chelsea’s FA contest versus Charlton this weekend. Harry Wilson was the hero for Fulham, striking the winner in the 81st minute for his team leading seventh goal of the season to go along with four assists.

The Premier League now steps aside for the third round of the FA Cup this weekend and will return on Saturday January 17th.

Premier League Match Week 20 Results: Wolverhampton Wins, Wolverhampton Wins, Wolverhampton Wins; Amorim Sacked, Is Nuno Next ?

The long drought is over as Wolverhampton garnered its first victory of the Premier League season, in its 20th try, with a 3-0 win over West Ham. The win, which doubled Wolves’ point total for the season, was the first for long suffering Wolverhampton since last April. The 19-match winless run by Wolves to open this season was the first time that had happened in the English topflight in over 120 years. That infamous run is now over as Manager Rob Edwards’ side built on the momentum of a Tuesday draw with Manchester United which delivered Edwards’ first points with the club. Adding to the joy at Molineux was a top performance by 18-year-old Matheus Mane who scored the final goal on Saturday and has injected some fresh energy into the lineup.

Energy was not something exhibited by dismal West Ham whose manager, Nuno Espirito Santo, apologized to Hammer supporters after the club’s winless run was extended to nine matches with the loss to the league’s bottom side. West Ham is also very close to the bottom and facing relegation. The sacking of Grahm Potter and insertion of Santo has resulted in just two wins in the new manager’s 15 matches in charge. A massive tilt awaits on Tuesday when the Hammers face Nottingham Forest with the Tricky Trees clinging to the final safe position in the table, four points above the hapless Hammers.

Manchester United may not be hapless but is certainly dysfunctional as Ruben Amorim was sacked after a 1-1 draw at Leeds. It was not so much the draw with newly promoted Leeds but Amorim’s comments before and after the match that seemingly ended a borderline disastrous 14 months in charge. Amorim seemed to lash out at ownership for interference in tactical matters and for a lack of support in the transfer market. The man in charge for the worst season in Manchester United history, the 2024/25 campaign, did not have enough credibility to cushion his act of defiance. Despite improvement over last season’s debacle, Manchester United was still struggling with Amrorim’s 3-4-3 formation which the manager clung to as if it were the holy grail despite a seeming mismatch with the personnel at hand. Apparently, the club was unwilling to overhaul the entire roster to accommodate Amorim. The dismissal casts additional doubt on the capabilities of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS group to run the Manchester United organization. Many saw the mismatch of Amorim’s inflexibility and the demands of Premier League play at the time of his hiring. Among those were former technical director Dan Ashworth who was dismissed after a comically brief hiring and firing by INEOS. Where Manchester United goes from here is anyone’s guess.

Chelsea, meanwhile, is apparently looking to replace departed Enzo Maresca with Liam Rosenior, the manager for Ligue 1 side Strasbourg. The French club is also owned by BlueCo, the Chelsea ownership group. Rosenior has a thin resume but would seem to be a fit for the ownership’s group’s desire for a company man willing to be a coach versus aspiring to a more expansive manager role. Maresca was thought to be such a man but grew petulant in his final days. Reporting now indicates that Maresca resigned, rather than being sacked. His seemingly impulsive move will cost the manager millions and millions in what would have been a hefty sacking settlement. Chelsea U-21 squad manager Calum McFarlane was a smashing success in what might have been his only match in charge of the senior Blues. Enzo Fernandez’s stoppage time equalizer gave Chelsea a point against Pep Guardiola and Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday. The perceived managerial mismatch did not benefit the Citizens and McFarlane actually made some astute substitutions to facilitate the outcome. The strategy of Chelsea ownership to employ the same senior level tactics and formations throughout its age groups also helped to ease the abrupt transition for Mc Farlane.

Manchester City, meanwhile, lost further ground to Arsenal with a second consecutive draw. The table leading Gunners stretched their lead to six points over the Citizens as Declan Rice  notched his first Premier League brace in a 3-2 win over Bournemouth. Rice’s two goals came after Gabriel Magalhaes was responsible for the first two goals of the match. An errant pass by the center back gifted Bournemouth an opening goal by the Cherries’ Evanilson. Gabriel would then equalize matters just six minutes later. A second Bournemouth goal by Eli Junior Kroupi in the 76th minute proved too little, too late after Rice’s unusual offensive outburst. Bournemouth has now gone 11 matches without a win, an ignominious run stretching back to October.

Aston Villa bounced back from its loss to Arsenal last week with a 3-1 defeat of Nottingham Forest. Jon McGinn scored twice and Ollie Watkins scored a goal in his 250th appearance for the club as Villa chopped down a Forest side which has lost its way in recent weeks and is again in relegation trouble. Any boost from the appointment of Manager Sean Dyche is long gone after the Tricky Trees lost a fourth consecutive match to fall within four points of the drop line with a massive match versus West Ham looming on Tuesday. Aston Villa, meanwhile, pulled level on points with Manchester City and showed little adverse effect from the sobering loss to Arsenal.

Things are still a bit rocky at Liverpool despite the Reds’ current fourth place standing, eight points below Villa. More than two points would have been expected from back-to-back matches with Leeds and Fulham. The Reds drew for a second consecutive week, however, when Fulham’s Harrison Reed blasted a wonder goal in the 97th minute to salvage a point for the Cottagers in a 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage. Reed’s strike from more than 30 yards away negated a 94th minute goal from Liverpool’s Cody Gakop which seemed to be a dramatic winner for a few brief minutes before Reed changed the script. Liverpool was without forward Hugo Ekitke on Sunday but is hopeful of having the star and his hamstring fit for Thursday’s headline match versus Arsenal.

Get us the Harrison Reed highlight reel 🎞️🚀

Goal of the season sewn up 🎯 pic.twitter.com/Ekk0fYMZ6g

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) January 4, 2026

Sunderland have now drawn each of their last four matches after a 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur. The cagey Cats snatched their latest point when Brian Brobbey rocked homestanding Spurs with a thunderous 80th minute equalizer. Tottenham Hotspur’s uninspiring home form continued as supporters mercilessly booed the players and, perhaps more loudly, Manager Thomas Frank as they seem to do at every home match now. Only the three clubs in the relegation zone have delivered worse results at home than Tottenham Hotspur this season.

Brentford, meanwhile, does not seem to miss Frank at all. His replacement Keith Andrews has the Bees up to seventh in the table after a 4-2 win at Everton. Igor Thiago netted a hat trick and has 14 goals on the season, a haul exceeded only by Golden Boot leader Erling Haaland. The outburst ended a December drought which saw a lull in Thiago’s production. Thiago’s emergence this season has been key to the Bees’ fortunes after the departure of both Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa in the summer window.

Newcastle and Brighton remained within striking distance of the European places with wins on the weekend. The two clubs sit ninth and tenth in the table, respectively. Newcastle defeated a declining Crystal Palace side 2-0 at St James’ Park to move within two points of the top six. Crystal Palace lost for the fourth time in its last five league matches as a once-promising season is seemingly running out of gas. Brighton, meanwhile, has been wildly inconsistent and welcomed a relatively easy match versus relegation bound Burnley, a bedraggled side which has now won just one of its ten away matches after Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Brighton’s American Express Stadium. The Seagulls ended a six-match winless run.

Premier League Match Week 19 Results: Arsenal Asserts Its Dominance; Chelsea Sacks Maresca; Sunderland Draws with Manchester City at Stadium of Light Fortress

Aston Villa’s 11 match winning streak hit a wall on Tuesday in the form of the Premier League leaders. Arsenal blew Aston Villa off the pitch with four second half goals in a 4-1 Gunner victory at the Emirates. The return of Arsenal center back Gabriel was punctuated when the center back headed in from a 48th minute corner to open the door to Arsenal’s rout. Gabriel had been out since mid-November. Ironically, the Gunners were able to navigate Gabriel’s absence with just one loss, that being to Aston Villa in early December. Revenge was resounding on Tuesday as the Aston Villa defense was overwhelmed in Arsenal’s second half breakout. Arsenal’s ability to overcome key player absences was again on display Tuesday as Declan Rice was an injury scratch with Jurrien Timber entering the starting lineup. Four different players scored for Arsenal, the final goal coming from substitute Gabriel Jesus who found the net for the first time since last New Year’s Day. Aston Villa fell six points behind Arsenal with the defeat.

The other major news of the week broke on Thursday when Chelsea announced it was parting ways with Manager Enzo Maresca. Despite retuning Chelsea to the Champions League and winning the Club World Cup, Maresca leaves after a year and a half in charge. The Italian Manager was named Premier League Manager of the Month for November, a month which concluded with a 10- man Chelsea side battling Arsenal to a 1-1 draw. Things turn quickly in the Premier League, however,  which saw Chelsea win only one of its next six league matches as fans became increasingly disenchanted with the manager and friction increased between Maresca and Chelsea ownership. A schism widened over transfer strategies, the use of individual players and resentment on the part of Maresca that he was not properly appreciated. That deteriorating relationship, the recent poor results and fan discontent all led to Thursday’s announcement that a new manager will be on the touchline when Chelsea visits Manchester City this weekend. Maresca’s last match in charge saw Chelsea draw 2-2 with Bournemouth at Stamford bridge on Tuesday, the sixth time in 10 Premier League matches that the Blues had failed to win on their home pitch. Chelsea relinquished another lead on Tuesday and have now dropped 15 points from a winning position, the most of any Premier League club. Jordan Kluivert’s equalizer for the Cherries in the 27th minute marked the end of the scoring in a match between two struggling clubs. The result extended Bournemouth’s winless run to 10 matches.

West Ham also dropped points from ahead as it allowed Brighton to twice come back in a 2-2 final at London Stadium. The Hammers failed to win for an eighth consecutive match as West Ham continues to languish in the relegation zone.The Hammers are four points below 17th place Nottingham Forest, 2-0 losers to Everton on Tuesday. A West Ham player did make some history as Lucas Paqueta became only the second player in Premier League history to both concede and score a penalty in the first half of a match.

Points were also shared at Old Trafford on Tuesday as Manchester United suffered a humiliating 1-1 home draw with cellar dwelling Wolverhampton. It marked the first point for Wolverhampton since October, and the first earned by Manager Rob Edwards after starting his tenure at Wolves with seven consecutive losses.

Arsenal’s lead over second place Manchester City is now four points after Manchester City was held Thursday to a goalless draw at Sunderland. The Black Cats remain undefeated at The Stadium of Light and make the turn at the midway point of this Premier League season in seventh place, a lofty perch for any newly promoted team. A more expected place of residence for a newly promoted side is that of relegation bound Burnley, 3-1 losers to Newcastle on Tuesday. The Clarets have not won since an October victory over Wolverhampton, the only club beneath Burnley in the table.

Crystal Palace, meanwhile, is 10th in the table after a 1-1 home draw  with Fulham. The sputtering Eagles’ attack should soon have reinforcement as winger Brennan Johnson has signed a transfer agreement from Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs drew 0-0 at Brentford on Thursday, one of three goalless contests which welcomed the new year on Thursday.Leeds accumulated another valuable point in its survival fight in a goalless match at Liverpool. The Whites are unbeaten in six Premier League matches, though five of those results were draws. Leeds also shared the points with Liverpool in early December at Elland Road.

All the Premier League clubs are back in action this weekend for Match week 20. Aston Villa begins the weekend with the early match on Saturday as the Villans try to start on a new winning run when they face Nottingham Forest at Villa Park. The final match of the weekend takes place on Sunday at the Etihad where Chelsea’s U-21 coach, Calum McFarlane, will lead the Blues against Manchester City.