Chelsea got away with a point at Stamford Bridge, and Arsenal missed a big opportunity while Aston Villa are serious about a top-four place among the five top stories from Premier League Gameweek 13.
Gameweek 13 of the 2025/26 Premier League season ended with a cagey draw at Stamford Bridge as Arsenal could not take advantage of Chelsea, which has opened new doors in the title race. In what was another action-packed weekend, Liverpool managed to get a crucial win under their belt, while Manchester City survived a Leeds United scare.
The Premier League table saw some key changes in positions, with teams like Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle United, and Fulham gaining momentum. Others like Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, and Tottenham continued to lose points, while there was no change in how the relegation battle is shaping up.
The big story at Stamford Bridge aside, Manchester United and Liverpool gained crucial wins to revitalise their respective campaigns. Manchester City also retained some momentum in the title race, and probably are the biggest gainers this weekend following the draw between Chelsea and Arsenal.
Aston Villa are beginning to show they are serious about this season and are writing a story of how to turn things around. From being in a desperate position at the beginning of the campaign, the Birmingham giants are now staking a claim to be favourites for a top-four finish.
Tottenham suffered a third straight loss across all competitions, and once again continued to raise questions about their home form. Thomas Frank could come under severe pressure if the dismal form continues, particularly on home soil, and they would now need a serious turnaround to get things going in the context of finishing in the top four race.
Let’s look at the five top stories from Gameweek 13 of the 2025/26 Premier League season, including Aston Villa, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs and the Manchester Clubs among others.
Did Arsenal miss their chance at Stamford Bridge?
Arsenal entered the mammoth clash at Stamford Bridge as slight favourites to get a win in the build-up to the game. The clash was poised as one of the grand midfield battles between Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice, but it did not turn out that way, as the former received a straight red card for his horror tackle on Mikel Merino.
With the score goalless at the stage, Arsenal staring at more than half of the game with a man advantage, and given their recent form against Spurs and Bayern Munich, the visiting fans would have surely rubbed their hands thinking about a big win.
Chelsea managed the remainder of the first half well and came out flying with an opening goal in the second period. The lead gave the Blues a reason to sit deep and defend, something Enzo Maresca did well in managing how his team played from there on.
Merino did find the equaliser shortly after Chelsea took the lead, but Arsenal could not build on the Spaniard’s goal to take the game by the scruff of its neck. In the end, there was a lingering feeling that this result was two points dropped rather than battling a draw away from home at a title rival.
This result does not change much for Arsenal’s credentials in the title race, and that will be evident if Mikel Arteta’s side does not drop points against Brentford and Aston Villa next. A win would have let them maintain a seven-point gap over now second-placed Manchester City and a massive nine-point advantage over Chelsea, but the draw here still lets them remain 5 points ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side.
Discipline will cost Chelsea a title challenge
Arsenal picked many red cards last season, which did play a part in derailing their Premier League title challenge in a way that disrupted their rhythm to a certain degree. Chelsea are being way too casual in that regard, as Caicedo’s straight red card was their seventh of the season across all competitions.
Leaving aside the two reds in the Champions League and one in the EFL Cup, which did not cost them any points, the four others have all come in the Premier League. Barring the one in the Nottingham Forest clash, Chelsea have dropped seven points out of a possible nine in the games against Manchester United, Brighton & Hove Albion and now Arsenal.
Discipline is a huge factor for any top team that is fighting for major honours this season, and now, in the context of the title race, Chelsea will be without their best midfielder in Caicedo for the next three games. On paper, the Blues are expected to win against Leeds United, Bournemouth and Everton, but things could go against them without the Ecuadorian international, at least in theory.
It is an unwanted risk that Maresca continues to run with his side, as there is no like-for-like replacement for Caicedo’s quality in the squad, even though they have Andrey Santos as his cover. It is not about the Ecuadorian alone, as Chelsea may need to look deep into the prospect of maintaining their discipline on the pitch if they are serious about winning major honours, and in this regard, at least staying relevant in the title race.
Liverpool and Manchester City post vital wins
Both Liverpool and Manchester City had entered a must-win territory heading into the weekend, following their dismal form of late. Both teams suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League and then in the UEFA Champions League.
Starting with Liverpool, the heavy defeat to Manchester City before the international break, followed by consecutive losses against Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven. Those dismal performances, coupled with the fact that they are out of the title race did mounted massive pressure on Arne Slot.
The win over West Ham on Sunday would have brought about some level of relief in the camp. For Liverpool, building momentum is the key factor moving forward, especially if they are intent on challenging for the top four place.
The pattern with Liverpool this season have shown they tend to win a game in between and then return to losing ways. It has happened before with the win over Eintracht Frankfurt, and then went on another dismal run, while repeating the sequence following their victory over Aston Villa recently.
On paper, the win over West Ham meant they are only three points off Chelsea in the standings, and well within reach of the Blues as well as the top four race. They should ideally target getting closer to Manchester City, who were the biggest gainers this weekend.
Pep Guardiola’s charges were seven points behind leaders Arsenal heading into the weekend, and gained ground in the title race. The current gap is five points, but given their performances of late, the Gunners are still understandably the favourites to clinch the Premier League crown.
Manchester City were fortuitous in their home game against Leeds United, with the visitors climbing back from a two-goal deficit to make for a thrilling ending. Phil Foden scored a late winner at the Etihad, which somewhat saved Giardiola’s blushes in this clash, but the Catalan boss would not have cared much with the points in the bag being the most important thing.
However, he should care for the displays, following two defeats and nearly dropping points against Leeds United. The five-point cushion that Arsenal have may not seem too much, but Manchester City’s win at the weekend and climbing above Chelsea into second will hopefully galvanise them into mounting a serious challenge for the title.
Tottenham stutter at home again
Billed as an important week from Tottenham’s perspective, Thomas Frank’s side played Arsenal, PSG and now Fulham in that period. While there were mixed expectations with the first two games, the supporters have every right to expect a comfortable win over Fulham, especially with the game being played on home soil.
It took barely five minutes for Fulham to deflate whatever little optimism the audience inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium had. Goals from Kenny Tete and then a perfect curler from Harry Wilson, with Guglielmo Vicario out of his goal, ensured Fulham had a two-goal lead in the opening period.
The fans booed the players, Frank said something about the fans for their noise around Vicario following the second goal, and on the outside, things look bleak over at Tottenham. That loss meant, Spurs only have one win in their last seven games across all competitions, which came against Copenhagen at the start of November.
The Fulham result also means Tottenham have gone the entire month of November without winning in the Premier League. More so than losing, it is the lack of initiative on the pitch that is baffling the supporters, with Frank already under pressure from some quarters over his role.
The Lilywhites have slipped to 12th in the standings and are steadily in danger of missing out on a top-four place once again. It is not like the team is missing key personnel like Ange Postecoglou did last season, as Frank does have most of his big hitters available for selection.
The tactics are the main reason for the disgruntlement, as Frank wants to bring his own ideas into the picture, which have not worked out so far. For Spurs, it is imperative they start winning soon, although their next game is at St. James’ Park, where they rarely get anything against Newcastle United.
Aston Villa are showing steady top-four calibre
Unai Emery deserves plenty of credit as things stand for his turnaround of Aston Villa this season. Going back to their fifth Premier League game of the season away to Sunderland, Matty Cash’s opener in that clash was the club’s first goal of the season, and even there, they could not register a first win of the campaign.
At the time, Aston Villa looked dismal, and Emery was out of sorts, which placed a lot of pressure on the Spanish manager. Since that draw with Sunderland, the Villans have locked in with the idea of progressing and have won seven of their next eight games in the Premier League.
Going back to the result at the Stadium of Light, they were 18th after that gameweek, and now, for consecutive weekends, they are fourth. In a season that has been topsy-turvy between second to 12th place, Aston Villa have risen above most teams there, and their win over Wolves ensured they finished the weekend retaining fourth spot.
Despite what some might suggest, they are lacking the overall quality when it comes to personnel compared to the other top teams. Emery is ensuring there are results to show for their ambition. Villa are showing steady signs of being a team capable of finishing in the top four, and that will be their ambition.
While Emery can naturally use his rich experience in the Europa League and win it to get into the UEFA Champions League, competing for a top-four place in the league is a sign of intent from the club.
There are some tough games ahead, especially next weekend when they host league leaders Arsenal, as that would be a test of their character this season. The top-four race is going to be a close-knit one, as any slip-up could see constant change in the positions, meaning Villa need to be on their toes and showcase their best self at all times, irrespective of the congested fixture list.