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An “as you were” weekend in the title race, for what feels like the first time in ages. Manchester City and Arsenal both had tricky assignments that they ultimately dealt with relatively comfortably. After the Molineux mess, Arsenal supporters will certainly feel happiest having brushed aside a wretched Tottenham Hotspur.
The last fumes of Aston Villa’s title race have gone, if they ever really existed, while Leeds, Palace and Brighton all eased any lingering concerns of being dragged into trouble. Forest losing in the last minute to Liverpool means that there are now four points separating them, West Ham and Tottenham. Is it one from three now?
Here is one piece of analysis on each of the top flight clubs who played this weekend (in reverse table order)…
This weekend’s results
- Aston Villa 1-1 Leeds
- Brentford 0-2 Brighton
- Chelsea 1-1 Burnley
- West Ham 0-0 Bournemouth
- Man City 2-1 Newcastle
- Crystal Palace 1-0 Wolves
- Nott’m Forest 0-1 Liverpool
- Sunderland 1-3 Fulham
- Tottenham 1-4 Arsenal
Wolves endure the worst away day of all
We have all experienced terrible away days and we keep going knowing that more will always follow. God only knows Wolves fans understand more than most after this dire season.
But there was something particularly cruel about a defeat at Selhurst Park that breaks any sense of momentum and confirms what we already knew: Wolves are down and Rob Edwards’ positive impact has been mitigated by his side’s continued tendency to trip themselves up and fall onto their faces.
There was the imperfect hat-trick: the penalty miss that kills your spirit because you thought you were going to see your team take the lead; the needless, brainless sending off that makes a hard job more difficult; the last-second goal that makes the long journey home ten times worse. They deserve better than this.
Burnley’s lingering question
Welcome back to Burnley’s Premier League season, which has been impossible to get a handle on. Whenever you consider it an act of carelessness to leave Scott Parker in charge, he finds a result or two. Whenever you think Parker is justifying his position, something mad happens.
Burnley have now drawn two of their six away games against Big Six clubs, an acceptable return for most promoted clubs. Between those matches they have lost at home to West Ham and shambolically gone 2-0 down at Palace. They then scored three times in six minutes to win away for the first time since October, promptly lost at home to League One Mansfield Town and then rescued a point at Stamford Bridge.
Parker’s point about continued fight, given Burnley’s last two away games, appears perfectly reasonable. His team sat deeper than deep, tried to stay in the game and hoped their opponents would make a foolish mistake; they did exactly that. It all leaves one lingering question: what might have happened if the best defence in the Championship had kept hold of James Trafford and CJ Egan-Riley?
West Ham’s margin for error is narrowing
On Saturday, West Ham recorded an xG of 2.87 and failed to score. It was the highest figure by a scoreless team in a Premier League match since 2022 and the fifth highest since those statistics became available.
That is annoying, but it happens. West Ham had their best chances early on, Djordje Petrovic had an excellent game, a touch too many of the shots were speculative rather than crafted and being the better team throughout didn’t end in victory. Put it down to bad luck.
The point is this: failing to beat Bournemouth at home despite being on top, and extending their run to one defeat in eight games, is not the reason that West Ham are in trouble. Their margins have been reduced because they first appointed Julen Lopetegui, then Graham Potter and stuck with him too long so that the summer transfer business became a mess. It is the lack of effective leadership that may cost West Ham, not Nuno Espirito Santo.
Nottingham Forest’s new problem
Forest have started well under Vitor Pereira. They outplayed Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Thursday and were the better team against Liverpool in the first half on Sunday. Their fatigue in the game’s final 20 minutes was punished by a desperately cruel ending that makes relegation look more likely. Performances definitely matter under a new manager, but in their situation the results are king.
Forest’s new problem? A complete failure to take their chances and score when on top. Over their last two-and-a-bit Premier League matches, Forest have taken 55 shots and failed to score a single one. Do that and you create far greater potential for those cruel moments.
Next weekend’s trip to Brighton is now monumental, coming as it does before Manchester City away. Win there after a full week on the training ground and there is room for optimism. Lose and Pereira is already fighting fires.
Worrying signs for Tottenham
This will not be the fixture that determines whether Igor Tudor is a success or failure at Tottenham, but I think there were some very concerning signs (admittedly against the best team in the league).
The back formation did not work at all. They played a back three but Viktor Gyokeres had about 25 minutes to take a touch and score his first goal. The wing-backs did not work at all because Djed Spence got pinned back by Bukayo Saka and Archie Gray isn’t one. Spurs started with four central midfielders and yet there was loads of space in midfield.
Randal Kolo Muani is denied a second after this push on Gabriel
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 22, 2026pic.twitter.com/0aGFfxnLPx
Spurs did score, but that was only from a mistake. Most of the time their attacks were one playing dribbling forward without any support and eventually getting crowded out, or a wing-back or central midfielder begging for a passing option. That is worrying…
Late goals continue to cap Leeds’ ceiling
Without doubt another step towards safety, given the difficulty of the fixture and the inability of West Ham to narrow the gap. Daniel Farke’s shift in style and personnel continues to pay dividends and I can see no obvious way that Leeds get dragged into trouble in this form.
That said, the continued issue of conceding late goals is not allowing Leeds to pull themselves fully clear of trouble. After Saturday, they have now allowed their opponents to score 14 goals in the last 15 minutes of matches. That’s more than every other team in the division.
There are supporters who label this as a Farke problem, the result of defensive substitutions and a tendency to sit back on what they have. That may well carry some weight, but I actually think it is merely an inevitable symptom of this new style.
Leeds expend so much energy in pressing and physically imposing themselves in central midfield that they simply look knackered late on. It is a wholly acceptable balance as long as they keep picking up unexpected points.
A significant milestone for Brighton’s loyal servant
Firstly, Brighton and Fabian Hurzeler badly needed this. I wrote last week about the club’s desperate form and the danger of drift, but Saturday released the shackles. Despite the evident personal significance of the match to one player, James Milner was at pains to point out that he has always prioritised the team over the individual.
But this was Milner’s day. Given the rise in physical intensity and the continued ability of the Premier League to attract elite young talent, to be still a part of a first-team environment and contributing as an outfielder at the age of 40 is an astonishing achievement.
Milner has not been a regular starter for some years – he last started 20 league games in 2016-17. This creep towards the record owes as much to his faintly ludicrous experience before turning 21 as the longevity aided by a smaller workload. But he is an impeccable professional, a lovely bloke and a phenomenal servant to the division. Milner is uncomfortable in the limelight for sure; he more than deserves it.
Crystal Palace’s civil war is getting worse
A win is a win, however it happens. Crystal Palace are almost certainly now safe from relegation. They were fortunate that Wolves squandered a penalty and fortunate too that they arrived at a point of outright mutiny with the worst team in the division at Selhurst Park.
But confirming their safety only strengthens the argument to get rid of a manager who doesn’t want to be there and is leaving in May anyway. Were Oliver Glasner playing his part as he should, running the show and keeping supporters onside, fine. But he has incited a civil war with his comments.
Evann Guessand scores his first goal for Crystal Palace and what a time to get it
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 22, 2026pic.twitter.com/Jmr2DyepSD
Having already tried to make peace once after a public tantrum, Glasner should not be allowed to deteriorate relationships further. Palace are a club where each of the stakeholders seem to be ill at ease with each other. If that continues until May, the summer only gets harder.
Sunderland’s wheels are coming off a little
This is absolutely the first time that we have said this all season, but Sunderland look a little shaky. They have lost four of their last five league games and the end to their unbeaten home run has been backed up with their worst performance at the Stadium of Light this season.
I don’t know if it is fatigue or Sunderland’s opponents working them out and not taking them lightly – they have not done the double over anyone yet. But there is something aimless about Sunderland all of a sudden.
They play slow passes that end not with knitted moves through midfield but direct balls down the channels that wingers are struggling to do anything with. Brian Brobbey had two touches of the ball in the penalty area and zero shots.
Newcastle have another goalkeeper issue
Nick Pope has this weird characteristic where, when not at his best, he makes shots look better than they are. I am not sure whether there is something in his footwork that disallows him into full-stretch dives or a tendency for shots to slip past him even when he gets a touch (see Nico O’Reilly’s first goal for details), but it is very much not ideal.
Here is the other thing: another Premier League goalkeeper who I think can sometimes share this characteristic is Aaron Ramsdale, Newcastle’s No 2 who was signed on loan last summer and wholly failed to take Pope’s place.
Newcastle have another goalkeeping problem this summer. I don’t think Pope is good enough for their ultimate goal. Ramsdale’s loan will surely not be made permanent. Odysseas Vlachodimos has had a fine season at Sevilla, but the circumstances of that signing suggest he will not become No 1. Do you go back in for James Trafford and hope that this season has not set him back?
Fulham’s penalty king
I am not a Premier League data analyst and I would make a terrible one I am sure, but there is a little secret that I have picked up along the way: do not give away penalties against Fulham.
On Sunday, Raul Jimenez took his 13th penalty in the Premier League and scored his 13th penalty in the Premier League. Only two players in the history of the division have taken nine or more and scored them all – Dimitar Berbatov with nine and Yaya Toure with 11.
Cool as you like from Raúl Jiménez
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 22, 2026pic.twitter.com/oF1iq7PIpc
Why is Jimenez so effective? There is the set routine, the two steps to the side and the slight stutter in the runup, although not enough to make him stop near the ball. He has hit seven penalties to one side of the goalkeeper and six to the other, so you cannot really predict where he will go next; he is also prepared to go high and low. Good luck to all goalkeepers; maybe have a word with Mark Crossley.
Everton
Play Manchester United on Monday night.
Petrovic proves his worth to Bournemouth
It is not Djordje Petrovic’s fault that he was signed for £25m, but it is certainly true that he has struggled a little at Bournemouth this season. Petrovic has underperformed his shot numbers and, in December, Andoni Iraola admitted that he was still waiting for a standout performance from his goalkeeper. That came at West Ham on Saturday.
At which point, it is probably worth pointing out how difficult it is for a new keeper when there is so much change in front of them. Join a club with a settled defence and that continuity makes it far easier to focus on your individual tasks with communication and positioning largely taking care of itself.
Bournemouth lost two central defenders and a left-back last summer. That made Petrovic’s job doubly hard and we should probably have cut him a little more slack earlier this season.
An odd pattern is emerging at Brentford
An annoying rather than angering home performance. Brentford started brightly against Brighton, but as soon as their visitors scored they managed the game effectively. In the second half, Brentford had more of the ball, territory and shots but couldn’t make the breakthrough and were mostly limited to half chances.
The reason to mention all that? It is becoming a pattern. Six of Brentford’s last seven league defeats have been 2-0 (the exception was 2-1, when Igor Thiago scored a penalty). In four of those 2-0 defeats, Brentford have recorded 65, 54, 66 and 52 per cent of the ball, all significantly higher than their season average of 46.6 per cent.
In the last three 2-0s, Brentford have had 38 shots without scoring and conceded in the first 30 minutes before slightly labouring to create clear chances despite having lots of the ball. Shifting this type of match will be the puzzle for Keith Andrews to work on over the summer.
Ngumoha deserves more of a chance at Liverpool
When Mohamed Salah saw his number displayed to bring him off the pitch with Liverpool needing a goal, he gave a laugh as to suggest either disbelief at the decision or frustration at his own performance. Let’s be generous and call it the latter, because the former makes no sense at all.
In 20 minutes on the pitch, Rio Ngumoha did more than Salah and Cody Gakpo did in their 154 combined minutes. He dribbles directly, crossed excellently and essentially changed the game in Liverpool’s favour. Yes he was running against tired defenders who played in Turkey on Thursday evening, but it was still a stark contrast.
Alexis Mac Allister scores in stoppage time for Liverpool!
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 22, 2026
Vitor Pereira is FUMING!pic.twitter.com/mdmYzYUBMg
If Arne Slot wants to keep his job beyond this summer, he should make this forward line a meritocracy. Right now that means leaving Salah (soon surely to be the past) on the bench in favour of Ngumoha, who may well be the future.
Man Utd
Play Everton on Monday night.
Chelsea’s same old problems return
The two standout issues of Chelsea’s season: 1) They have had eight players sent off in all competitions, the most of any Premier League club in a season for a decade; 2) they have dropped 17 points from winning positions at Stamford Bridge in the league this season.
Both combined against Burnley, Chelsea coasting before Wesley Fofana’s silly challenge gave the opposition hope and then Liam Rosenior’s late changes – most notably bringing off captain Reece James off for a teenager with two minutes of normal time left – invited pressure that they could not fend off.
Rosenior was visibly angry at full-time: he said his side had “set fire” to four points in recent home games against Burnley and Leeds. But this is a problem that neither of Chelsea’s managers has got to grips with this season. There is still a chance that it costs them a Champions League place.
Aston Villa are now out of this title race
Aston Villa were probably never going to win the title anyway, but those faint hopes have evaporated at Villa Park over the last month. Villa have won only one of their past four Premier League home games, each of them containing reasons to be frustrated having built up such strong momentum previously.
There is a pattern to this performance too: sluggish, lethargic first halves. Their last four half-time scores in the league at home are a messy binary message: 0-0, 0-1, 0-0, 0-1. The last time that Villa scored in the first 30 minutes of a league game at home was 9 November.
The lack of intensity, as if Villa are waiting to see how a match unfolds, is in complete contrast to the manner in which Unai Emery’s side seized the initiative in the first half of matches for several matches before that and have continued to do away from home. They are now the 13th best team in the Premier League over the first half of their matches; you struggle to maintain a title challenge with that imbalance.
Man City’s World Cup certainty
Left-back is England’s most obvious problem position. In their World Cup qualifiers and 2025 friendlies, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Tino Livramento, Djed Spence, Reece James and Nico O’Reilly all started in that position.
O’Reilly is the most in-form and most regular in that position of all the options. Lewis Hall and Luke Shaw come into the mix, but neither have the positional flexibility of O’Reilly and international managers usually crave that.
Nico O’Reilly at the double
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 21, 2026
Man City restore their lead just minutes after Newcastle levelled it up. @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/dUOWyuLC2k
The bigger question, after O’Reilly’s excellence against Newcastle, is where O’Reilly plays. Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford are both liked by Thomas Tuchel on the left, but O’Reilly offers something different as he provides cover and thus could effectively cover an entire flank and allow the advanced central midfielder to stay high up the pitch. Get him on the plane.
Gyokeres’ coming of age for Arsenal
I would struggle to believe that Viktor Gyokeres will ever play against three central defenders who give him more space on the edge of the box or allow him to run the channels with such abandon, but this might be the day that he finally made his mark on Arsenal’s team.
Gyokeres’ first goal was reminiscent of his Sporting Lisbon goals, finding space and hitting a powerful shot almost without thinking. But the link-up play was there too. The first goal was his first from open play in the Premier League that changed draw into lead or deficit into draw. That is why he was signed.
Credit to Mikel Arteta, for there were calls to start Gabriel Jesus in the derby. Instead, Gyokeres now has eight goals in his last 12 games and Arsenal have their lead again.
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