Tom Hamilton
Multiple Authors
This is shaping up to be one of the great Premier League seasons. The title race looks set to go the distance, the battle for Europe is heating up and the relegation scrap is wonderfully poised. Last weekend, we saw Spurs slip closer to the mire, Arsenal and Manchester City continue pushing the pace at the top, and the battle for Champions League places remain hotly contested. We also witnessed notable performances from strikers Viktor Gyökeres and Raúl Jiménez.
There are plenty of takes around after the weekend, and ahead of the next batch of fixtures — like we’ve done with NFL and rugby union — we look at some snap judgements before weighing up whether they are overreactions or legit takes.
Let’s start with the battle for the title.
Jump to:
Man City, Arsenal title race will go down to wire?
Spurs in relegation battle?
Chelsea least disciplined side in PL history?
Gyökeres has lived up to transfer fee?
Jiménez one of PL’s great stories?
The title race will go down to the wire
The title race will go down to the wireManchester City are five points and a game in hand behind Arsenal with three months to go. The Gunners stuttered against Wolves last Wednesday in a 2-2 draw, then demolished Tottenham 4-1 on Sunday. It’s developed into the classic game of cat and mouse.
Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION
You can reduce this title race to a handful of words: If either team wins its remaining matches, it will claim the Premier League. The date to circle is April 18, when Arsenal travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City, but you can expect many twists and turns until we get our eventual winner.
Arsenal have been in the driver’s seat for much of the season, but the ghosts of near-misses are peering over their shoulder. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola’s Man City have title-winning acumen throughout. In mid-January, Arsenal had a eight-point lead. Then came the draws at Brentford and Wolves, which opened the door for City. They strode straight through it, getting a late win over Liverpool, easing past Fulham, then hurdling Newcastle United last weekend on the back of Nico O’Reilly’s pair of goals. Guardiola said his team would celebrate that 2-1 win with a cocktail or two. But Arsenal responded, obliterating rivals Spurs.
Opta still gives Arsenal a 82.8% chance of winning the league, predicting them to finish six or so points ahead of City. But the stats don’t account for the psychological aspect. Arsenal had an eight-point lead in April 2023, but ended up surrendering the title to Manchester City just a month later. It is going to be a fascinating, but excruciating, end of the season for the two teams.
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Spurs are in the thick of the relegation battle
Spurs are in the thick of the relegation battleToo good to go down? Perhaps not. After their derby defeat to Arsenal on Sunday, Tottenham are in a precarious situation, sitting in 16th and just four points out of the relegation places.
Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION
Tottenham’s injury list is extensive: Wilson Odobert, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohammed Kudus, Ben Davies, Lucas Bergvall, Destiny Udogie, Kevin Danso and Pedro Porro are all sidelined. Cristian Romero is suspended. They’ve also had to navigate relentless upheaval behind the scenes. And amid all of that, they’ve forgotten how to win; their last league victory was against Crystal Palace on Dec. 28. Oh, and they also have Europe in the equation.
New Spurs manager Igor Tudor has played one, lost one in the Premier League, but says he is 100% convinced Spurs will be a Premier League team next season. Regardless of what he thinks will happen, Spurs are in a relegation scrap. Worryingly, West Ham United and Nottingham Forest are showing signs of improvement and resilient beneath them.
Spurs look low on confidence: These are players who are accustomed to playing in Europe and trying to reach the summit, not scrapping around at the base of the league. Tudor is well versed in getting top players to think his way, and he has managed big clubs (Juventus, Lazio, Marseille) to then steer them through choppy waters, but this could be his greatest ask yet.
Key to survival will be their ability to rally and fight for one another. Take this from Jarrod Bowen after West Ham’s 0-0 draw with Bournemouth: “That’s a pleasing thing in the changing room when you can look around and say: ‘He’s got my back and I’ve got his.'” Can the same be said for Spurs?
Leeds, West Ham and Nottingham Forest are ready to battle. Spurs must start landing some punches of their own.
Chelsea are the most undisciplined side in Premier League history
Chelsea are the most undisciplined side in Premier League historyChelsea’s disciplinary record is truly grim. They picked up their sixth red card of the Premier League season in their 1-1 draw with Burnley on Saturday, with Wesley Fofana getting sent off for two yellows. At this point, the league record for red cards is not that far out of reach.
Verdict: OVERREACTION
We looked at Chelsea’s discipline back on Dec. 2 and whether it would cost them a Champions League spot. Back then, coach Enzo Maresca looked settled, and Chelsea were finding a way to grind matches out with 10 men. We said it wasn’t yet an issue that would scuttle their season, but they needed to sort it quickly.
Well, it’s still a major problem. Chelsea have lost 17 points from winning positions this term, and it happened again against Burnley as they conceded a 93rd-minute equalizer, with Zian Flemming heading home. But their red cards are not helping in the least. On Saturday, Wesley Fofana’s red made it nine total in all competitions (if you count Maresca’s against Liverpool in October). They’ve won just one of the six league matches in which they’ve had a player sent off.
But the Premier League record? Chelsea still have a way to go. Sunderland (2009-10) and QPR (2011-12) managed nine red cards, so they hold the record for the poorest discipline. It would take a lot for them to reach that unenviable mark.
It’s one of the unwanted habits that has crossed from Maresca’s tenure into Liam Rosenior’s. Chelsea have a young squad, but that’s not the sole reason for blame. “We need players you can rely on in the moment to do their job,” Rosenior said. “I know what we need to get there. It’s not down to youth; it’s down to assessing the players and identifying the ones you can rely on in difficult moments.”
Viktor Gyökeres has finally filled his Arsenal shirt
Gyökeres put in arguably his finest performance for Arsenal in the North London derby, scoring a second-half brace. As the Gunners chase their first title since 2003, Gyökeres might finally be living up to his $74 million transfer fee after making the move from Sporting CP last summer.
Verdict: OVERREACTION
In addition to his two wonderful goals, Gyökeres linked well with Bukayo Saka coming off the right wing, and was generally an immense nuisance down Spurs’ left side. His runs also created space for others, drawing defenders away. While he sometimes struggles in holding the ball up, his lethal form in front of goal was what Arsenal fans have been waiting for.
He has faced frequent challenges to his spot in the side. There was that spell when manager Mikel Arteta favored Mikel Merino as a false nine, and Gabriel Jesus’ return added a further threat. With Arsenal in the driver’s seat of the title race, though, it’s Gyökeres’ shirt to lose. He’s scored more goals across all competitions than any other player in the Premier League in 2026.
But to say he’s finally living up to his transfer fee is premature, as he now faces the challenge of backing it up across the remaining 10 matches of the season. He’s rightly receiving praise for his performance last weekend, but he needs to show consistency over the coming weeks.
Raul Jiménez is one of the Premier League’s great stories
Raul Jiménez is one of the Premier League’s great storiesJiménez suffered a fractured skull in November 2020 and after eight months of rehabilitation, he returned to action the next summer. Since joining Fulham from Wolverhampton Wanderers in June 2023 for a fee of $6.4 million, he has proved to be one of the best signings in Premier League history, with his brace for Fulham in their 3-1 win at Sunderland on Sunday the latest evidence.
Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION
The Jiménez who arrived at Fulham in 2023 was still finding his feet in the sport after that horrific injury. “He was not in a good moment in his career,” Fulham manager Marco Silva said postmatch Sunday. That’s no surprise given doctors told Jiménez he was lucky to be alive.
In his final season for Wolves, Jiménez scored just three Carabao Cup goals. But Fulham believed they could nurture him back to his best. “We showed the confidence that we are capable for him to get to his best level,” Silva said. “We hope there is more to come. For a striker that we signed at the price we signed, he is doing very, very well.”
Jiménez’s brace gave Fulham a priceless win at Sunderland. It’s safe to argue that he must be one of the best points-per-pound acquisitions in the top flight. He has eight league goals this term, after chipping in with 12 last year and seven the season previous. With Rodrigo Muniz having missed so much of this season through injury, Jiménez has been leading the line.
While he doesn’t have the same pace we saw when he broke through for Wolves back in 2018, he still has that lethal touch in front of goal. His first against Sunderland saw him head home unmarked a corner, and his second was a calmly taken penalty. He’s 34 now, and heading into the twilight of his career, but his influence has not diminished.
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