Manchester City cut the gap at the top of the Premier League down to three points on Wednesday night thanks to a 3-0 win over Fulham, a result which heaps the pressure onto Arsenal who have a difficult test away to Brentford on Wednesday night.
Third placed Aston Villa also picked up a win, with a late goal to sink Brighton and Hove Albion, while there were draws for Manchester United and Chelsea.
The Sky Blues met Fulham in high spirits after fighting back to beat Liverpool on Sunday and their quick passing game had the Cottagers chasing shadows in the early stages. It was no surprise when Antoine Semenyo opened the scoring, on 24 minutes, turning in a loose ball after Matheus Nunes had crossed into the danger area. And one became two, just five minutes later when Nico O’ Reilly played a one two with Semenyo before chipping the ball over Bernd Leno and into the net.
City were playing statement football and Arsenal fans can be excused for being un-nerved by the way the Sky Blues seem to have come alive again, since injury time at Anfield sparked something quite spectacular. Well this game was done and dusted before the break when Erling Haaland took a pass from Phil Foden, shifted the ball onto his right foot and rifled it into the bottom corner.
The latest Premier League 2026 betting odds are still right behind Arsenal to win the title, but anything less than a win at Brentford tomorrow and you’ll be able to hear the nerves jangling at the Emirates.
It’s Sesko time!
Michael Carrick’s return to West Ham as Manchester United’s interim boss, with four Premier league wins under his belt, was box office stuff; but in my SBOTOP preview I suggested Nuno Espirito Santo’s improving Hammers might be the team to stop the Red Devils. And so they did in a 1-1 draw. But the hosts were seconds away from taking all three points until that man Benjamin Sesko climbed off the bench to level with virtually the last kick of the match.
The Red Devils became famous for scoring winners during ‘Fergie Time’ in their heyday and the current crop of players have been rolling back the years under Carrick. The Hammers have picked up in recent weeks with three wins from the last four, and when Jarrod Bowen set up Tomas Soucek for their goal it looked like they would draw level on points with 17th placed Nottingham Forest. But Sesko pounced in the 96th minute to break the home fans’ hearts.
Okay this is not strictly what you’d call Premier League 2026 news but Manchester United’s failure to win means that super-fan Frank Illet, who has refused to cut his hair until his heroes win five consecutive matches, is still waiting for his long-awaited trip to the barbers.
Frank has let his hair grow of 493 days…and counting!
Back to the football, Manchester United stayed fourth after Chelsea, who were also on a run of four consecutive victories, let a commanding 2-0 lead go at home to lowly Leeds United. An opener from Joao Pedro and a penalty from Cole Palmer put the Blues in charge, but Lukas Nmecha and Noah Okafor levelled for Leeds with the visitors’ only two shots on goal.
Palmer somehow missed an absolute sitter in injury time as Chelsea stay fifth.
Frank…and Spurs, are in trouble
One manager who may have heaved a sigh of relief when Sesko snatched two points away from West Ham, but was frustrated by Leeds’ comeback at Chelsea, is Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank, who watched his team lose at home to Newcastle United, leaving Spurs in 16th place and just five points above the drop zone.
After Malick Thiaw had given the Magpies a lead the hosts levelled through Archie Gray but the Spurs defence gave Jacob Ramsay far too much room when he fired home the winner, and the Spurs players and manager left the field to a chorus of boos. The loss means Frank has the lowest win ratio of any Tottenham manager in the Premier League era at 27 per cent, and that is a real head scratcher when you consider how highly rated the Norwegian manager is after his success at Brentford, and the players he has at his disposal.
The manager insists he will stay calm and steer his team through these murky waters, but Spurs are without a league win in eight and the pressure is mounting.
And a last word from me tonight. Burnley beat Crystal Palace 3-2 to end a 16 match winless run in the league. Well done the Clarets.
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