Spiraling Tottenham Hotspur proved just the right medicine for Arsenal to rediscover its top of the table form. The Gunners dominated at the home of their rival, winning by the same 4-1 score by which the Gunners had prevailed in the reverse fixture. For Tottenham Hotspur Manager Igor Tudor, his first Premier League match clearly conveyed the challenge he faces with a Spurs side that seems either not to recognize or to not overly care about its perilous league position. A video circulated on social media after the match showed Spurs defender Mickey van de Ven disregarding the urgent and repeated instructions of his new manager. Van de Ven also clashed with former Manager Thomas Frank, and he is just one example of the toxic brew that Tudor has now accepted. Igor Tudor, Mickey van de Ven ve diğer Tottenham oyuncularına ileriye çıkmaları için bağırıyor ancak dinlenmiyor.
İlk maçtan otorite kaybı…
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For Arsenal, it was a confidence boosting three points that were critically needed following Manchester City’s win on Saturday. Victor Goyerkes scored twice for the Gunners to bring his season total to double digits, having now scored five goals in his last five Premier League matches. The other two goals for Arsenal came from Eberechi Eze, the former Crystal Palace star who has largely had a difficult time settling into Manager Mikel Arteta’s rotation. The creative form which Eze can provide could be a critical spark for Arsenal down the stretch. Ironically, Eze had been close to a deal with Spurs last summer. Not only did he dodge a toxic situation for a chance at a title, but Eze has now scored five goals against Arsenal’s north London rival this season.
When Eberechi Eze scores against Tottenham 🫢 pic.twitter.com/pUgConhe6D
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) February 22, 2026
Arsenal needed to respond after Manchester City pulled within two points of the Gunners with the Citizens 2-1 victory over Newcastle the day before. Nico O’Reilly scored both goals for the Citizens, his 27th minute winner assisted by none other than Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker is joint second in the league for assists this season in addition to his league leading 22 goals. Newcastle pressed hard for a second half equalizer but once again fell short at the Etihad where they have failed to come away with a victory in their last 21 Premier League matches at the home of Manchester City. The Citizens have now won in the past 17 such encounters between the clubs.
Third place Aston Villa salvaged a point when Tammy Abraham found the net in the 88th minute of a 1-1 final versus Leeds. Title hopes are dead for Aston Villa, which now finds itself 10 points removed from league leading Arsenal. Leeds, despite the late concession, accumulated another valuable point in its effort to stay up for another season of Premier League play. Leeds stayed six points clear of West Ham and the relegation zone as the Hammers were also held to a draw in a goalless affair on Saturday versus Bournemouth. The point did pull West Ham closer to both Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest with both those clubs becoming increasingly vulnerable to a potential drop.
New Forest Manager Vitor Pereira faces the same problem as his sacked predecessor Sean Dyche had. These Trees cannot score. Only bottom of the table Wolverhampton has failed to find the net in more than the 13 matches that Nottingham Forest has been held scoreless. Twenty shots were wasted by Nottingham Forest on Sunday before Liverpool’s Alexis MacAllister scored in the 97th minute to seal a 1-0 victory for the Reds, both damaging the Trees’ survival prospects and keeping Liverpool in the thick of the Champions League qualification race. If the Trees are relegated, paltry goal production will be the reason.
Even relegation bound Burnley has scored more goals than Nottingham Forest. The Clarets’ latest goal, a stunning 93rd minute header by defender Zian Flemming, rescued a draw in front of a shocked Chelsea home crowd at Stamford Bridge. The 1-1 draw saw Chelsea’s dropped points from a winning position climb to an unfathomable 19 points this season, 17 of those points being thrown away at Stamford Bridge. A 72nd minute red card assessed to Chelsea’s Wesley’s Fofana was a club Premier League record sixth red card of the season, reflecting the self-destructive indiscipline of the young club. Home supporters watched their heroes drop points for a second consecutive home match against a promoted side.
Manchester United capitalized on Chelsea’s latest misstep to take sole possession of fourth place in the Premier League table with its 1-0 victory at Everton on Monday. Benjamin Sesko, whose stoppage time goal had saved a point against West Ham, played super sub once again, this time claiming all three points with his 71st minute strike. Manchester United Manager Michael Carrick remains unbeaten with five victories in his six matches since taking over from Ruben Amorim.
Brentford suffered a setback in its efforts to capture a European place when the Bees suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Brighton. The Seagulls won for the first time since January 3rd to lessen some of the heat on young Manager Fabian Hurzeler. Perhaps even more noteworthy in the grand scheme of things was the 654th Premier League appearance made by current Brighton midfielder James Milner. The 40-year-old former Manchester City and Liverpool player moved past Gareth Barry to set the new Premier League appearances record.
Yet another senior citizen in the league, thirty-four-year-old Raul Jimenez, had two goals to pace Fulham’s 3-1 win at Sunderland, only the Black Cats’ second defeat at the Stadium of Light this season. Sunderland has lost four out of its last five matches to fall out of the top half of the table, but the promoted side remains well clear of any relegation concern. Wolverhampton, its relegation assured, has still shown fight and was close to posting a third straight draw on Sunday. Unfortunately, Wolves fell 1-0 to a 90th minute goal by Crystal Palace substitute Evann Guessand.
Crystal Palace were poor once again under increasingly unpopular manager Oliver Glasner. Wolves, however, handed the Eagles just their second win since early December. First, there was a missed first half penalty kick by Wolverhampton’s Tolu Arokodare which would have given the visiting club the lead. Ladislav Krejci then received a red card in the 61st minute to hand a man advantage and the initiative to the homestanding Eagles. Palace relegation fears are allayed for the moment. Wolves, meanwhile, still needs two points to avoid having the worst season in Premier League history.
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