2025/26 Premier League Roundup: Gameweek 18
- Linus O'Howell
- Dec 29, 2025
- 7 min read
Brentford 4-1 Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth’s woes continued as Kevin Schade shone for Brentford! After just 7 minutes, Brentford already had the lead as Kevin Schade scored a really strong goal! Igor Thiago then had a great chance to make it 2-0, but he tamely guided his effort straight at Djordje Petrovic, before Brentford had a second goal thanks to a crazy own goal by Petrovic! This was a complete and utter mess at the back! 6 minutes into the second half, it was 3-0 as Schade scored again, before Bournemouth finally had one back in the 75th minute through Antoine Semenyo! Alex Scott then pulled off a terrific defensive block to deny Schade a hat-trick, before Keane Lewis-Potter somehow managed to miss an absolute sitter! And then, in the 96th minute, Kevin Schade would complete his hat-trick with a nice headed finish! Overall, it’s another brilliant home win for Brentford! The Bees rise to 8th in the league, and they host Tottenham next time out! As for AFC Bournemouth, they’re a complete mess right now! The Cherries stay 15th in the table, and they head to Chelsea tomorrow!
Chelsea 1-2 Aston Villa
A brilliant second-half turnaround was enough for Aston Villa to stun Chelsea to extend their incredible winning run! Cole Palmer found himself in a good position early on, but he poorly scuffed his shot well off target before Chelsea had the lead in the 37th minute through Joao Pedro! I don’t think Pedro knew anything about this, but he’ll certainly take it! In the second half, John McGinn pulled out a massive defensive block to stop Alejandro Garnacho from making it 2-0, before Robert Sanchez made a decent save to keep Boubacar Kamara’s effort out! However, in the 64th minute, Aston Villa were back on level terms through none other than substitute Ollie Watkins! Sanchez then pulled out another strong save, this time to deny Ian Maatsen, before, in the 84th minute, Watkins scored again to complete a brilliant comeback win for Villa! In the end, Chelsea are fully out of Title contention, no doubt in my mind! The Blues drop to 5th in the table, and they host Bournemouth next time out! As for Aston Villa, it’s now 11 straight wins for them! Villa remain third in the league, and they head to Arsenal tomorrow for what is a proper 6-pointer!
Arsenal 2-1 Brighton
Arsenal managed to get over the line against Brighton and Hove Albion to remain top of the league! Viktor Gyokeres had a great chance to give Arsenal the lead early on, but his effort was incredibly tame, before Arsenal did have the lead inside 14 minutes courtesy of Martin Odegaard! Bart Verbruggen then made a cracking save to keep Martin Zubimendi’s flicked effort out, before just 7 minutes into the second half, Arsenal’s lead was doubled thanks to a Georginio Rutter own goal! It was a good finish by Rutter! After Yasin Ayari’s effort struck the post, Brighton had one back in the 64th minute as Diego Gomez finished off the rebound! David Raya then managed to pull off an incredible save to tip Yankuba Minteh’s effort over the crossbar, before Gabriel Martinelli missed a great chance to finish the game off for good! Overall, it’s another win for Arsenal! The Gunners remain top of the league, and they host Aston Villa tomorrow in easily the biggest game of the season so far! As for Brighton and Hove Albion, they gave themselves too much to do! The Seagulls drop to 13th in the table, and they head to West Ham next time out!
Nottingham Forest 1-2 Manchester City
A Rayan Cherki masterclass was enough for Manchester City to pick up a key win over Nottingham Forest! Nottingham Forest probably should’ve taken the lead early on, but Morgan Gibbs-White just wasn’t quite able to make contact with the ball before Manchester City finally had the lead just 3 minutes into the second half through Tijjani Reijnders! John Victor then made a good save to tip Rayan Cherki’s effort onto the post, before Nottingham Forest were back on level terms in the 54th minute courtesy of Omari Hutchinson! Victor then pulled off another strong save, this time to deny Phil Foden, before in the 83rd minute, Rayan Cherki finished well to earn a massive 3 points for Man City! In the end, Nottingham Forest will be disappointed not to have left this game with at least a point! Forest stay 17th in the table, and they host Everton next time out! As for Manchester City, this is a big result for them! City remain second in the league, and their next game is another big one away at Sunderland on New Year’s Day!
Liverpool 2-1 Wolves
Hugo Ekitike was unlucky early on as his effort came back out off the post, before Jose Sa made a great save to tip Alexis Mac Allister’s effort onto the post! In the 41st minute, Liverpool finally had the lead through Ryan Gravenberch, before Florian Wirtz netted his first goal for the club just a minute later! In the 51st minute, Wolves were back in it as Santiago Bueno finished on the rebound after Alisson’s initial save! Tolu Arokodare then had a decent chance to equalise for Wolves, but he failed to guide his headed effort on target! Overall, it’s another 3 points for Liverpool! The Reds rise into the Top 4, and their first game of 2026 is at home against Leeds! As for Wolverhampton Wanderers, their losing run shows no signs of stopping any time soon! Wolves remain bottom of the league, and they head to Manchester United next time out!
Sunderland 1-1 Leeds
After 28 minutes, Sunderland had the lead as Simon Adingra finished well! Leeds then thought they were going to equalise through Brenden Aaronson, but his effort was brilliantly blocked on the line by Trai Hume, before Brian Brobbey missed a great opportunity to make it 2-0 right on halftime; his headed effort went out off the crossbar! And then, just 2 minutes into the second half, Leeds were back on level terms as Dominic Calvert-Lewin continued his incredible goal-scoring run! In the end, I think Sunderland AFC will be slightly disappointed not to have won this game! The Black Cats drop to 7th in the league, and their next game sees them host Manchester City on New Year's Day! As for Leeds United, it’s another positive result for them! The Whites remain 16th in the table, and they head to Liverpool next time out!
Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle
Bruno Guimaraes had a decent chance for Newcastle early on, but he couldn’t guide his effort past Senne Lammens, before Manchester United had the lead in the 24th minute thanks to a great volleyed strike by Patrick Dorgu! In the second half, Benjamin Sesko came close to doubling Man United’s lead as his effort came crashing off the crossbar, before Lewis Hall smashed the crossbar for Newcastle! Anthony Gordon then had a good opportunity to equalise, but he poorly dragged his effort wide of the target, before Lewis Miley smashed his effort wide late on! Overall, Manchester United will very much take this result! United rise to 6th in the league, and they host Wolves tomorrow in what is their final game of 2025! As for Newcastle United, they were poor here! The Magpies drop to 14th in the table, and they head to Burnley next time out!
Crystal Palace 0-1 Tottenham
Crystal Palace’s poor form continued as Tottenham Hotspur picked up a massive 3 points in the latest London Derby! After 17 minutes, Tottenham thought they had the lead through Richarlison, but his goal was rightly ruled out for offside! Jean-Philippe Mateta then came close to giving Crystal Palace the lead; his effort dragged just wide of the post, before Mateta missed again as he headed over! In the 42nd minute, Tottenham had the lead as Archie Gray scored his first-ever senior goal! In the second half, Justin Devenny made a mess of a great opportunity, blasting his effort well over the crossbar, before Maxence Lacroix headed just wide! Richarlison then scored again, only for it to be disallowed for another offside, before Wilson Odobert struck the post! In the end, Crystal Palace are really starting to struggle! The Eagles drop to 9th in the league, and they host Fulham next time out! As for Tottenham Hotspur, this is a massive win for them! Spurs rise to 11th in the table, and their first game of 2026 is another London Derby away at Brentford!
West Ham 0-1 Fulham
A late Raul Jimenez winner was enough for Fulham to pile more misery on Nuno’s West Ham United! In the first half, both Alphonse Areola and Bernd Leno made decent saves to keep the game at 0-0, before Jarrod Bowen had a golden chance to give West Ham the lead, but he failed to hit the target completely! And then, in the 85th minute, Raul Jimenez headed home well to earn a massive 3 points for Fulham! In the end, this is a really tough loss to take for West Ham United! The Hammers remain inside the Relegation Zone (in 18th), and they host Brighton tomorrow in what feels like a pretty crucial game for them! As for Fulham, it’s now back-to-back 1-0 wins for them! The Cottagers rise to 10th in the league, and they head to Crystal Palace next time out!
Burnley 0-0 Everton
In the first half, Beto came within a whisker of giving Everton the lead, barely missing the ball, before Jacob Bruun Larsen missed a golden opportunity to give Burnley the lead early in the second half! Martin Dubravka then made a great save to keep Beto’s cleverly flicked effort out, before Bashir Humphreys missed another great chance to put Burnley in front! Dubravka then managed to make another good save, this time to deny Thierno Barry, before Zian Flemming thought he’d won it for Burnley right at the death, only for his effort to come back out off the post! In the end, this is another example of a game that Burnley should’ve won, but their offence just isn’t good enough! The Clarets remain inside the Relegation Zone (in 19th), and they host Newcastle tomorrow! As for Everton, they’re really struggling to score goals at the moment! The Toffees drop to 12th in the table, and they head to Nottingham Forest next time out!
Premier League Table at the End of Gameweek 18
Arsenal: 42pts (+22)
Manchester City: 40pts (+26)
Aston Villa: 39pts (+10)
Liverpool: 32pts (+4)
Chelsea: 29pts (+11)
Manchester United: 29pts (+4)
Sunderland: 28pts (+2)
Brentford: 26pts (+2)
Crystal Palace: 26pts (+1)
Fulham: 26pts (-1)
Tottenham: 25pts (+4)
Everton: 25pts (-2)
Brighton: 24pts (+1)
Newcastle: 23pts (0)
Bournemouth: 22pts (-6)
Leeds: 20pts (-7)
Nottingham Forest: 18pts (-10)
West Ham: 13pts (-17)
Burnley: 12pts (-15)
Wolves: 2pts (-29)
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