Manchester City drop more points, while a rampant Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool make up for the five stories from Gameweek 24.
Gameweek 24 of the 2025/26 Premier League season did not just reshuffle the table, it redrew the mood. Arsenal were the headline act, strolling out of Elland Road with a 4-0 win that felt bigger than the scoreline because of what it suggested: rhythm, variety, and a front line finally landing punches in clusters again.
Manchester City, meanwhile, let control slip in north London, turning a two-goal lead into a 2-2 draw at Tottenham and watching precious ground disappear in a title race that’s starting to demand near-perfection. Manchester United kept living dangerously but also winning, edging Fulham 3-2 with another late twist that maintained Michael Carrick’s perfect start and pushed them deeper into the top-four conversation.
Liverpool’s season has been a story of flickers rather than flames, yet their 4-1 win over Newcastle at Anfield was the kind of statement that can reset a dressing-room and make the run-in feel less like survival and more like opportunity.
And then there was Aston Villa: beaten 1-0 at home by 10-man Brentford, a result that did not just sting but hinted that the margins at the very top might be getting too thin for them right now. Put it together and Gameweek 24 read like a turning point: the leaders accelerating, the champions wobbling, and the chase pack suddenly smelling possibility.
Arsenal back on regular course in the Premier League
A 4-0 away win is always loud, but Arsenal’s performance at Leeds felt loud in a more specific way: it was the sound of an attack finding solutions rather than searching for them. The game’s early shape mattered — Leeds started brightly — yet Arsenal didn’t need a flawless flow to get ahead, leaning on set-piece quality and wide delivery to tilt the pitch.
Noni Madueke stepping in after Bukayo Saka was injured in the warm-up could have been a disruption; instead, it became a feature, with Madueke involved in the first-half surge as Arsenal went in 2-0 up. From there, the second half looked like a team playing with clearer spacing and more conviction: runners arriving on time, crosses hit earlier, and bodies consistently occupying the box as the scoreline moved to 4-0.
The significance is bigger than one afternoon because Arsenal’s recent wobble had invited doubt, and this was a reminder that when their timing clicks, they can win comfortably without needing chaos.
With City dropping points at Spurs, Arsenal have also opened up a seven-point lead at the top — and leads like that change how opponents approach you, because now they’re not just facing Arsenal, they’re facing the pressure of “must-win” football.
Manchester City: Stumbling and getting dragged into a top-four race?
City’s 2-2 at Tottenham was a familiar kind of frustration: dominance that didn’t translate into closure. They were 2-0 up at half-time, as Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo had done the damage. Additionally, for long spells it looked like the sort of away performance that usually quiets a title race.
Then the game flipped, and the flip wasn’t a mystery so much as a pattern: Spurs came out with belief, City lost their grip, and Dominic Solanke dragged Tottenham back with two second-half goals, including a spectacular scorpion-kick equaliser that turned the stadium into a verdict.
The worry for Pep Guardiola isn’t the dropped points alone, it’s what they say about City’s recurring soft moments — the kind where control becomes passive, duels start getting lost, and transitions suddenly look like emergencies rather than inconveniences.
Titles are often won in the minutes after you go 2-0 up, when the opponent is most tempted to gamble; City didn’t manage that phase here, and it’s why Arsenal’s cushion now feels meaningful rather than cosmetic. The question is simple and uncomfortable: can City truly challenge for the title if they keep offering opponents a route back into games — or does this season require a ruthlessness they haven’t consistently found?
Manchester United: Catching City no longer an impossible dream
Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Fulham was chaotic, breathless, and absolutely on-brand for a team rediscovering its nerve in real time.
They led through Casemiro and then Matheus Cunha, only to get dragged into a finish where Fulham found life via Raul Jimenez’s penalty and a stoppage-time equaliser — before Benjamin Sesko snatched it again even deeper into added time.
What that does, beyond the points, is reinforce a new habit: United now expect late moments to belong to them, and that belief is a competitive edge even when performances wobble. Carrick’s start has been spotless — three Premier League wins from three — and that alone changes the conversation from “stabilise” to “chase”.
The Fulham win lifted United to fourth place on 41 points, which frames the run-in as something more than damage limitation. Top four is realistic if this blend holds: enough structure to stay in games, enough momentum to win tight ones, and enough clarity in selection that the group trusts the plan.
Catching City is a higher bar, but the more City keep dropping points, the less outrageous that thought becomes — especially for a side suddenly treating pressure situations as opportunities instead of alarms.
Liverpool: Back on track for a Premier League top-four challenge?
Liverpool needed a spark; instead, they got a bonfire. Their 4-1 win over Newcastle at Anfield was their first Premier League victory of 2026, and it arrived with the kind of emotion that can rewire a season’s storyline. Hugo Ekitike’s quickfire double was the hinge — two goals that didn’t just swing the score, but swung the feeling inside the stadium from tension to release.
The scoreline matters, yet the timing matters more: this was a match that stopped the “what’s missing?” conversation and replaced it with “what if this is the run?” There’s also a table logic to it: the win moved Liverpool up to fifth, which keeps the top-four door not merely open, but inviting. The best Liverpool sides play like they’re pulling you into their tempo; when they’ve been off it, games become a grind of half-chances and frustration.
This performance hinted at a return to the old principles — aggression without panic, pace without sloppiness — and that’s exactly what you want before a stretch of fixtures that can either define your spring or drain it. If they can bottle the confidence of a big Anfield win and carry it away from home, this result won’t be remembered as a highlight — it’ll be remembered as the moment the season turned
Aston Villa: Premier League title challenge over?
Aston Villa losing 1-0 at home to Brentford would be damaging in any context; losing to a side that played most of the match with 10 men is the kind of result that leaves a deeper mark. Brentford had Kevin Schade sent off before half-time, yet still found a lead through Dango Ouattara’s strike and then defended it with discipline, leaving Villa Park stunned.
The official Premier League report didn’t dress it up: it described Villa as “title hopefuls” taking a blow, and noted that they now trail leaders Arsenal by seven points. This is where Villa’s season starts asking sharper questions.
Being high in the table is one thing; sustaining title-level weekly control is another, and games like this hint that Villa’s margin for error is thinning — especially when rhythm gets interrupted and confidence starts to depend on scoring first.
The more pressing debate might actually be top four, not the title. Villa have shown enough across the season to be in the race, but the chase pack is gathering momentum (Liverpool re-energised, United surging), and competitors who can win on “bad days” tend to separate in the final months.
Villa can still get there, but to do it they’ll need to turn performances like this into a lesson quickly — because from here, the calendar doesn’t forgive hesitation
