Football writer Alex Keble analyses where this weekend's fixtures could be won and lost, including:
- Can Arsenal build momentum or will Villa’s game plan stump them again?
- Can Postecoglou relieve some pressure against goal-shy Everton?
- Will fast-starting Brentford capitalise on Liverpool’s slowdown?
- Will Ipswich atmosphere give Man City another tough trip?
- Can Palmer end Chelsea’s winless run against fading Wolves?
- Will Forest let it slip in the most unlikely of matches?
- Will resilient Bournemouth be the team to end Isak's incredible run?
- Will Soler and Paqueta thrive again under West Ham's new management?
- Can Vardy rediscover his form to get Van Nistelrooy out of trouble?
- Can Brighton stop red-hot Amad and win at Old Trafford again?
Can Arsenal build momentum or will Villa’s game plan stump them again?
The raucous atmosphere at the final whistle of the north London derby was reminiscent of the Emirates at its best in 2022/23 and 2023/24.
Arsenal must harness that energy and use their victory over Tottenham Hotspur as a catalyst for a strong second half of the season.
Only four points behind leaders Liverpool, Arsenal are very much in the title race, although they will need a long string of momentum-building wins to go all the way. They are a little unlucky, then, to be facing Aston Villa next.
Unai Emery’s side have won three in a row in all competitions and, more pertinently, have won five of their last 10 meetings with Arsenal, including a 2-0 win in this exact fixture last season.
Villa know how to play this game. They know to sit back, force Arsenal into the kind of passive sideways possession that has become all-too common this season (especially in Bukayo Saka’s absence), and hit them on the break.
The visitors will filter most of their counter-attacks at Emirates Stadium down the right, where all their speed resides. It will be either Morgan Rogers or Leon Bailey from the outset – and new signing Donyell Malen off the bench.
Their direct target will be 18-year-old left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly, outstanding so far in an Arsenal shirt but facing his toughest challenge yet on Saturday evening.
Can Postecoglou relieve some pressure against goal-shy Everton?
The pressure is mounting at Spurs.
Picking up only five points won from their last nine Premier League matches has left Spurs closer to the bottom three than the European places, and Ange Postecoglou pulled no punches assessing his team’s performance at Arsenal in midweek.
"The fact we went out in the first half in such a big game and were so passive, it was unacceptable," Postecoglou said. "And we paid a price for it."
Sunday’s game at Goodison Park could go one of two ways; it could be either a blessing or a curse for Spurs.
Everton’s goal-shy attack and defensive outlook could allow the visitors to dominate possession and territory, gifting Spurs the chance to get back into their rhythm after a tough couple of months.
Or David Moyes’s tactical approach could suck the life out of the game, creating another "passive" and "unacceptable" feel to the Spurs performance.
Everton have lost three Premier League matches in a row without scoring a goal and were beaten 1-0 by Villa on Moyes’s second debut, despite Emery’s side rarely getting out of second gear.
Everton's last three PL matches
On that evidence, Spurs can find their feet again. But it won’t be easy.
Will fast-starting Brentford capitalise on Liverpool’s slowdown?
Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest was the latest example of Arne Slot’s side slowing down a little through winter. They have now won just four of their last seven Premier League matches, and in each one have looked a little leggy and too reliant on Mohamed Salah.
This gives Brentford, who have won the second-most home points in the division (23), the chance to get off to a fast start and capitalise on any sluggishness.
Brentford have scored more first-half goals at home (16) than any other team in the division, while Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa are joint-top home goalscorers in the Premier League (nine each).
What’s more, Liverpool have conceded the first goal in five of their last seven league matches.
Brentford will be confident they can take the lead - and help open up a window of opportunity for Arsenal and Forest.
However, Brentford have only picked up one point from their last three at the Gtech. Perhaps Liverpool, yet again, will benefit from the good luck of facing a Premier League outfit just as they leave a purple patch.
Brentford's last three PL home results
Will Ipswich atmosphere give Man City another tough trip?
We said the midweek visit to Brentford would answer the question of whether Manchester City had recovered from their difficult spell, and for 80 minutes the answer was an emphatic yes.
But two late Brentford goals have flipped the narrative again and, remarkably, a late Mbeumo chance means Man City were lucky to escape with even a point.
It won’t get any easier at Portman Road. Ipswich Town have repeatedly shown themselves to be punchy, tough opponents on home soil, their hard pressing and hard tacking likely to disrupt Man City’s rhythm.
This season teams are discovering there is no reason to treat Man City like champions. Bravery and self-belief are invariably rewarded – and we know Kieran McKenna’s side possesses those qualities in abundance.
On the other hand, Ipswich have struggled to score goals at home this season while Phil Foden, with a brace at Brentford, threatens to return his best form after a tough first half of the campaign.
There was a time when Man City playing a promoted side would be a foregone conclusion. But although Ipswich lost 2-0 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday night, they beat Chelsea 2-0 there recently and have every right to believe a formidable atmosphere at Portman Road will help McKenna’s side claim another big scalp.
Can Palmer end Chelsea’s winless run against fading Wolves?
Chelsea are winless in five Premier League matches, their longest such run since May 2023, and have collected just three points in that time, fewer than all but Spurs, Everton, Leicester City, and Southampton.
It’s a dreadful sequence, and one that has come out of absolutely nowhere to effectively end Chelsea’s title challenge – and even put UEFA Champions League qualification in doubt.
Fans won’t be looking forward to Monday’s match at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers, primarily because they carry too many scars, losing three of their last four against them.
But more important than historic performance is recent form, and fortunately for Enzo Maresca’s side, Vitor Pereira’s honeymoon period is very much over.
Wolves have lost both of their Premier League matches in 2025 by a three-goal margin and have moved back into the bottom three in the process.
As ever for Chelsea, much rests on Cole Palmer, whose 20 goal contributions this season are responsible for just under 50 per cent of his team's Premier League total.
Chelsea players' goal contributions ranked
Palmer has been involved in five goals in his last two Premier League matches against Wolves. If he’s on form, and is fit, Chelsea should have enough to continue their opponents' decline and re-establish themselves as top-four contenders.
Will Forest let it slip in the most unlikely of matches?
Everything points to a home win here, of course it does.
Since the start of December, no team has earned more Premier League points than Forest (19), who are unbeaten in seven and have lost just two of their 11 league matches against sides starting the day bottom of the table.
Southampton are pretty much everything Forest are not.
And yet following the rousing draw against Liverpool in midweek, a match that seemed to declare their viability in the title race, there is probably that incomprehensible, pessimistic doubt creeping into Forest fans’ heads.
In December last season, Villa, after beating Man City and Arsenal in consecutive matches, had just been declared outsiders for the title when they welcomed bottom club Sheffield United to Villa Park, knowing victory would almost guarantee them top spot at Christmas.
Villa could only draw 1-1 and even needed a late Nicolo Zaniolo goal to spare them the ignominy of being the first team to lose at home to Sheff Utd in 2023/24.
The pressure told and Villa tripped up.
There will be a nagging feeling of doubt afflicting Forest fans this week. Surely they won’t allow the fairy-tale to end here?
Will resilient Bournemouth be the team to end Isak's incredible run?
Newcastle United and Bournemouth are both on remarkable runs – and something has to give.
The Magpies have won their last nine matches in all competitions and are looking to make it ten for the first time in their entire history. The Cherries are unbeaten in 10 matches.
Meanwhile, Alexander Isak has now scored in eight consecutive Premier League matches for Newcastle, closing in on Jamie Vardy’s record of 11 for Leicester, set during the Foxes' famous title-winning season of 2015/16.
Eddie Howe's men are only nine points off the top, so it won’t take too many more consecutive wins for pundits to start wondering whether they can surge out of nowhere, like Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool did in 2013/14 with 11 league victories on the spin.
They’re a long way off that, mind, and Bournemouth will fancy their chances of stopping Isak.
Howe – who incidentally has been in the dugout for all 13 Premier League meetings between the two sides – has not beaten Bournemouth as Newcastle manager in five attempts.
The Cherries are stubborn. The Magpies' winning streak could end here.
Will Soler and Paqueta thrive again under West Ham's new management?
It hasn’t been the best of years for new-manager bounces.
Everton got off to a losing start under Moyes, while Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ivan Juric, and Pereira haven’t been able to improve the form of Leicester, Southampton, or Wolves respectively.
But Graham Potter could buck the trend. West Ham were fortunate to beat Fulham 3-2 in midweek, scoring three times from just four shots on goal, but there were notable tactical changes that seemed to work.
Lucas Paqueta in particular excelled as a false nine, while Carlos Soler scored in a rare appearance from the left wing and Edson Alvarez had arguably his most composed performance in a Hammers shirt in the heart of midfield.
With time, West Ham will become a more proactive and possession-based side under Potter, and Soler, Paqueta, and Alvarez are likely to have starring roles.
The visit of Palace, who rank 17th for possession average with 43.5 per cent, is Potter’s first chance to put the Hammers on the front foot.
Can Vardy rediscover his form to get Van Nistelrooy out of trouble?
Leicester have lost each of their last six Premier League matches, their second-longest such run in their Premier League history after a sequence of eight way back in 2001.
Their manager Van Nistelrooy needs things to go his way, and fast.
The biggest issue lately has been Vardy’s form, with the striker failing to score in any of his last five appearances despite amassing an Expected Goals (xG) of 2.6.
Vardy might feel hopeful of ending that drought against a Fulham side that have only won two of their previous 10 Premier League matches – and have conceded eight goals in their last four.
Marco Silva’s leaky defence presents Vardy and Leicester with a rare opportunity they simply have to take.
Can Brighton stop red-hot Amad and win at Old Trafford again?
Amad rescued Manchester United yet again when he scored a dramatic 12-minute hat-trick against Southampton on Thursday evening.
The Ivorian, who became Man Utd’s second-youngest player to score a Premier League hat-trick after Wayne Rooney, has scored or assisted 11 of the club's 14 league goals under Ruben Amorim.
The Red Devils are remarkably reliant on Amad, but arguably never more so than this week, when bottom club Saints repeatedly broke through a wide-open Man Utd shape. The visitors recorded five shots on target in the first half, the most United have faced in an opening period this season.
Therefore, Brighton, who ended an eight-game winless run at Ipswich on Thursday, have been given a clear objective: shut down Amad and they can burst through the middle to victory.
It’s easy to envisage Fabian Hurzeler’s hard-pressing and transition-focused team tearing through their opponents, with Joao Pedro, Kaoru Mitoma, and Simon Adingra finding space to dribble into after the ball is turned over.
It should be an open and end-to-end game, which in theory suits Brighton, who have won on their last two visits to Old Trafford, in August 2022 (2-1) and September 2023 (3-1).
But you can’t underestimate how much damage Amad can do all on his own.
