Arsenal surge, Manchester City stumble, Bournemouth dream and West Ham wobble as Gameweek 35 reshapes the Premier League’s title, Europe and survival fights.
Gameweek 35 felt like one of those Premier League weekends that did more than move points around the table. It changed the mood of the season. Arsenal’s sharp and controlled win over Fulham gave fresh life to their Premier League title push, while Manchester City’s stumble at Everton opened the door just enough for Mikel Arteta’s side to believe the finish line may now be theirs to cross first.
At Old Trafford, Manchester United produced the sort of statement result that settles nerves and raises ambition, beating Liverpool to secure UEFA Champions League football and turn the conversation toward whether third place is now within reach. Chelsea, still hovering around the European conversation, remain part of a crowded race in which every result now carries added weight.
However, the 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest may have ended Champions League qualification hopes for good. Meanwhile, Bournemouth’s rise continued with a valuable victory over Crystal Palace, and Andoni Iraola’s side suddenly look less like surprise contenders and more like a team ready to seize a genuine chance at Europe. Lower down, the pressure shifted again.
Tottenham found momentum at the right time, while West Ham United’s latest setback deepened anxiety and left them staring at a difficult weekend to come. With only three rounds left, Gameweek 35 of the 2025/26 Premier League season did not settle everything, but it gave the run-in a clearer shape.
Arsenal take control in the Premier League title race
Arsenal’s commanding 3-0 win over Fulham was about more than three points. It was a performance that restored the sense of rhythm and authority that had looked slightly shaky in recent weeks. They were quick in their pressing, sharp in possession and far more direct when chances opened up. For a side trying to carry the weight of a Premier League title race, that kind of clarity matters.
What stood out most was the confidence in their play. Arsenal did not look like a team waiting for something to go wrong. They looked like a side that understood exactly what was required. That is why this result could prove so important. In a tight title race, momentum is often emotional as much as tactical, and Arteta’s players now seem to have both again.
The upcoming UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid does complicate things because it will test the squad physically and mentally. But Arsenal can still shape their own ending in the league. That is the biggest shift after Gameweek 35.
They are no longer just keeping pace. With Manchester City dropping points, Arsenal have put themselves in the stronger position. If they stay calm and manage the final three games well, they are shaping up to look like the team most ready to finish the job.
Manchester City leave the door open
Manchester City’s 3-3 draw at Everton may end up being remembered as the night when control slipped at the worst moment. Pep Guardiola’s side still showed enough quality to fight back for a point, but the bigger issue was how uncomfortable they looked for long spells. Everton disrupted them, challenged them physically and never allowed the game to settle into City’s preferred rhythm.
Too often, the Citizens looked half a step off the pace. Their passing lacked its usual sharpness, and they were forced into moments of recovery rather than domination. That does not happen often to Guardiola’s teams, which is why the result feels so damaging. In most stages of a season, a point away from home is manageable. In early May, with the Premier League title on the line, it can feel like a missed chance that lingers.
There is still enough quality and experience in this City side to respond strongly, but the margin for error has gone. They no longer have the comfort of assuming that a flawless finish will automatically be enough. Arsenal now become the odds-on favourites in the Premier League title race, and City’s dropped points at Everton may prove costly because they have handed the initiative away.
Manchester United can aim higher, but Bruno Fernandes must wait for his record
Manchester United’s 3-2 victory over Liverpool did two important things at once. First, it secured the main target of UEFA Champions League football for next season. Second, it gave the team a fresh objective to chase in the final weeks. Once the pressure of the top-four race is removed, the question becomes whether they can now push on and finish third.
On the evidence of this performance, they can. Michael Carrick’s men were aggressive, organised and brave in key moments. Beating Liverpool in a high-pressure fixture is not just a useful result; it is the kind of win that can sharpen belief across the squad. Players begin to approach the run-in with more freedom when the biggest immediate target has already been achieved.
That is why third place now feels realistic rather than hopeful. Much will depend on whether Manchester United maintain their edge and avoid the drop in intensity that can sometimes follow a major achievement. But with confidence restored and the burden slightly lighter, they are in a good position.
Additionally, the squad can push as a unit to get Bruno Fernandes the sought-after assists record, with the skipper only one behind Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne’s joint record. He could not equal the tally on Sunday, but the record is within reach. If they treat the last three games as a chance to build momentum, earn the talisman a record, and end a rollercoaster of a season on a high, they have every chance of enjoying the run-in even more.
Bournemouth dream big, but Chelsea slide continues
Bournemouth’s rise to sixth in the Premier League standings is no longer a pleasant side story. It is one of the strongest themes of the closing weeks. Andoni Iraola has built a team that plays with intent, energy and courage, and the win over Crystal Palace showed how far they have come. It was the sort of result ambitious sides take without drama, and it arrived at the perfect time with Aston Villa and Liverpool both slipping up.
That combination has given Bournemouth a real opening. Top five is still a difficult ask because the margin is small and the pressure will only increase, but it is now a serious possibility rather than a fantasy. The Cherries look well coached, physically ready and mentally committed to the fight. Their style makes them dangerous because they do not wait for games to come to them. They force errors and play on the front foot.
Even so, the minimum target should now be a top-six finish and a place in Europe. That would still represent a huge achievement and a deserved reward for the consistency they have shown. If they keep their composure and continue playing with the same aggression, Bournemouth are well-placed to confirm at least that much, but there might be a slight threat from Chelsea and others hanging below the Cherries.
Meanwhile, despite the 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest, Chelsea can still chase Bournemouth for the last Europa League place, or at least stay in the hunt for a UEFA Conference League spot, but their run-in looks demanding with Liverpool away, Tottenham at home and Sunderland away in the final three league games.
Bournemouth’s closing schedule of Fulham away, Manchester City at home and Nottingham Forest away is hardly easy either. So Chelsea are not out of it, but they may need both a strong finish and a slip from the Cherries.
The bigger concern is what missing Europe would mean beyond this season. Analysis around Chelsea’s UEFA settlement and wider financial position has suggested that finishing outside the European places could make squad planning, player trading and the summer window more complicated, which would only add to the pressure around the club.
Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest gamble on Europe
Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest approached Gameweek 35 with the coming Thursday firmly in mind, and both managers made clear sacrifices in the league to protect key names for the Europa League semi-final second leg. Villa made seven changes before their 2-1 home defeat to Tottenham, while Forest sent out a heavily rotated side and still produced one of the weekend’s biggest shocks by beating Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge.
That contrast makes the judgment on the two calls slightly different. Vitor Pereira looks fully justified because his reshuffled Forest side not only preserved energy before Thursday’s trip to Villa Park but also carried real momentum into the tie, even if Morgan Gibbs-White’s head injury now adds an obvious worry.
However, Unai Emery’s choice is harder to assess because Villa were poor for long spells against Tottenham and looked like a team whose focus had drifted toward Europe, yet he also avoided overloading several important players before trying to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit.
The bigger question now is how those decisions shape Thursday night. Forest head into the second leg with the lead, fresh belief from winning at Chelsea and the sense that their rotation strengthened rather than weakened them, while Villa must hope the legs they saved in the league translate into a sharper and more urgent display at home.
On balance, Pereira’s gamble has already paid off, but Emery’s punt will only be seen as the right call if Villa respond with far more intensity and turn preservation into progression. On top of that, they must keep Bournemouth at bay amid the Cherries’ relentless push for European qualification.
Tottenham have the momentum, West Ham have the fear
At the bottom end, the pendulum has swung again, and the balance has shifted toward Tottenham. Spurs’ back-to-back wins have done more than add points. They have changed the feeling around the relegation fight. They may only have a one-point buffer over West Ham United is not uncatchable, but it is significant when one team is rising and the other is slipping.
West Ham’s problem is not only their position on the table but the timing. Consecutive poor results have drained confidence, and the next challenge will be the Premier League title-chasing Arsenal, who now look sharper and more driven than they have for weeks. That is a brutal fixture to face when the pressure is already high. Tottenham, by contrast, suddenly look like the side better equipped to handle the tension of the closing days.
For that reason, Spurs now have to be seen as favourites to survive. The momentum is with them, and survival battles are often decided by belief as much as quality. Still, it would be risky to call it over. One unexpected result can flip the mood again, and West Ham still have a chance to produce a late twist. But after Gameweek 35, the pressure is firmly on the Hammers, and Tottenham have given themselves a genuine edge.
