Arsenal escape with a late win, and Manchester City flex their muscle in the title race as Aston Villa, Tottenham, and Manchester United all feature in our top five picks of Gameweek 16.
Gameweek 16 of the 2025/26Premier League season ended with yet more drama as the title race is steadily shaping for a three-horse battle. Aston Villa scraped a win away at West Ham despite being behind twice in the game, as Arsenal escaped with the three points against a Hapless Wolves side at the Emirates.
Manchester City continued to apply pressure on Arsenal at the top of the table with a stellar win over a misfiring Crystal Palace side. The title race now looks poised to have those three teams above, as there are chances for Chelsea and even Liverpool to re-enter the conversation if the top three drop off and those two continue to keep winning.
One team that are moving against the tide, not only with regard to the title conversation but also in the top four race, are Tottenham. The north Londoners suffered a morale-sapping loss against Nottingham Forest away from home, which has brought he pressure back on Thomas Frank.
Finally, the main story to start this review would be with the result at Old Trafford, as Manchester United and Bournemouth entertained the neutrals with an enthralling 4-4 draw. The result puts the brakes on Manchester United’s form, as there are questions for Ruben Amorim moving forward.
Ruben Amorim needs to stabilise the ship
One week, there’s jubilation and informal talk of making a concerted run at a top-four spot, and then another week of disappointment followed. A lot has been spoken about Amorim’s defensive structure, using a back three and wing-backs, which brings about a debate about whether he has players suited for those roles.
Once again, in the enthralling draw against Bournemouth, the Red Devils conceded four times, and if not for their keeper Senne Lammens, they would have lost the clash right at the death. The fact that their midfield is showing weakness off the ball and allowing teams to open up their backline, there are some serious issues to solve for Amorim.
While his attackers are taking their chances and scoring plenty of goals, the backline needs plenty of addressing and defensive stability. If Amorim cannot solve those issues in midfield and the backline, Manchester United could thoroughly struggle for consistency, which may, in turn, severely hurt their chances in the top four race.
Liverpool looking ahead with optimism
The win over Brighton did solve a lot of issues on and off the pitch, as things looked much calmer than a week before. Mohamed Salah played a considerable part and provided the assist for the decisive second goal for Hugo Ekitike, which may have calmed some nerves at Anfield.
There are some injury issues for Arne Slot to deal with; the Dutchman is looking more composed compared to what has transpired at the club in the last few weeks. Now, the Merseysiders have some favourable games coming up after their next one against Tottenham.
Should they keep building momentum with positive results, a lot can happen that may result in a change of fortunes for Slot and his men. For now, a top-four place should be the priority target for Liverpool, but should the top three and Chelsea slip up with their respective form, they could potentially re-enter the title conversation if things go their way.
Aston Villa showing title credentials?
Aston Villa looked weary in the early parts of their clash with West Ham United, where they went behind twice in the game. Unai Emery continued to stretch things with his squad to a certain extent, as a Morgan Rogers brace secured a crucial win for the Birmingham giants.
Now, Villa maintained their position in the standings as they are still only three points behind leaders Arsenal and one point behind Manchester City. Emery’s side are categorically being written off with their chances to win the title or even put forward a concerted effort for the championships, but they do have the capacity to surprise some of those doubters.
However, for that to materialise, Emery’s side needs to put together a consistent run of results and build on a few recent ones, such as wins over Manchester City and Arsenal. Beating direct rivals may not be enough, as Aston Villa need to stitch together a concerted run of results to stake their claim in a potential title challenge.
Manchester City pressure continues; Arsenal escape with a win
Manchester City continued their progressive form, despite a few defensive wobbles against Leeds United and Fulham of late. However, they were not very assured against an otherwise impressive and clinical Crystal Palace side at Selhurst Park, but managed to win that game with an impressive scoreline in the end.
Erling Haaland continued to prove his importance in that Manchester City side, as they continued to keep up with Arsenal in the title race. Wins like those at Crystal Palace showcased that Pep Guardiola might be ready for a title challenge, as the Gunners are showing some frailties.
Arsenal fans would have been ashamed to a certain degree at the prospect of their team not being able to beat a hapless Wolves side. The moment of truth arrived late in the game as Rob Edwards’ basement side equalised at the Emirates to stun the stadium.
Arsenal did respond immediately after with a late winner to seal the three points. Mikel Arteta was critical of his defence, which has conceded seven goals in their last five games across all competitions. Given they are still in the lead, there will be some worry in the Gunners camp, but they must get back to stitching together another impressive run to make themselves firm contenders in the title race again.
Some worrying signs at the Lane for Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank looked to be out of the woods following wins over Brentford and Slavia Praha, which did seem like the Dane had gained some support after a turbulent few weeks. However, the massive loss to Nottingham Forest away from home has brought back the pressure on the Spurs boss, as things look somewhat untenable at the Lane.
There’s a growing disconnect between Frank and the club’s supporters, which does resemble events of the past with several other high-profile managers at the club. There an expectations from the fans to experience entertaining football, but the Dane is concerned about bringing in some stability, which has not seen any tenable results at the current moment.
Frank openly commented following the loss to Forest, stating that any manager would need plenty of time to stabilise things at the north London side. Hence, the upcoming days will be crucial to see how things pan out at Tottenham with regards to Frank’s future, although the consensus has been that the club’s board are currently backing the manager, something the fans aren’t.
