2025/26 Premier League Roundup: Gameweek 36

West Ham 0-1 Arsenal

A dramatic and rather controversial final 15 minutes saw Arsenal move a step closer to becoming Premier League Champions at the expense of a furious West Ham United! Leandro Trossard came close to giving Arsenal the lead twice early on, with Mads Hermansen saving the first effort, whilst Trossard headed the second onto the woodwork! Konstantinos Mavropanos then pulled off a great block to stop Riccardo Calafiori from making it 1-0, before David Raya was forced into making an important save just before halftime to stop Valentin Castellanos from scoring one heck of a headed goal! In the second half, Mateus Fernandes had a golden opportunity to give West Ham the lead in the 78th minute, but his effort was crucially saved by David Raya! Whilst this is a great save from Raya, Fernandes has to be placing this ball in the other corner! Just 5 minutes later, Arsenal found themselves in front as Leandro Trossard found the back of the net after a helpful deflection off Tomas Soucek! And then, in the 95th minute, Callum Wilson thought he’d scored a ginormous equaliser in the context of both the top and bottom of the table, only for his goal to be ruled out for a foul on the goalkeeper! This whole decision took over 5 minutes to be decided, the complete opposite of what VAR was supposed to be! The inconsistency with refereeing decisions in England is what’s killing this game; this was shocking! In the end, West Ham United almost feel like collateral damage in all of this! The Hammers remain inside the Relegation Zone (in 18th), and they have no other option but to go and win at Newcastle next time out! As for Arsenal, they’re so lucky, but at the same time, they’re now just 2 wins away from becoming Premier League Champions! The Gunners remain top of the league, and their final home game of the season takes place next Monday when they welcome Burnley!

Manchester City 3-0 Brentford

A brilliant second-half performance lifted Manchester City to a much-needed win over Brentford! Caoimhín Kelleher made a decent save to stop Erling Haaland from scoring early on, before Bernardo Silva got quite heated towards Nathan Collins! Bernando needs to keep his composure way better than he does, as he could’ve easily been sent off here! Anyway, in the second half, Gianluigi Donnarumma made a decent save to stop Igor Thiago from giving Brentford the lead, before Manchester City would finally find themselves in front in the 60th minute through Jeremy Doku! This is such a great finish! In the 75th minute, Man City’s lead was doubled courtesy of Erling Haaland, before Kelleher made a wonderful save to deny Phil Foden a much-needed goal! However, in the 92nd minute, City would get their third through Omar Marmoush! I love everything about this goal! Overall, Manchester City just have to keep fighting! City remain second in the league, and they’ll play a game in hand against Crystal Palace tomorrow before their FA Cup Final clash with Chelsea this Saturday! As for Brentford, whilst they may feel like a couple of decisions didn’t go their way, they weren’t nearly creative enough to get anything from this game! The Bees drop to 8th in the table, and they’ll host Crystal Palace next time out!

Tottenham 1-1 Leeds

Tottenham Hotspur may have moved a step closer to staying up this weekend, but they still would’ve wanted more than a home draw against Leeds United! Antonin Kinsky made a good save early on to stop Joe Rodon’s headed effort from going in, before Joao Palhinha missed a great chance to give Tottenham the lead down at the other end! However, 5 minutes into the second half, Tottenham would find themselves in front as Mathys Tel scored a pretty big goal! Karl Darlow definitely got a touch on this, but it wasn’t enough to stop Tel’s effort from hitting the back of the net! Richarlison then had a good chance to double Tottenham’s lead, but he poorly blasted his effort well off target, before Leeds were awarded a penalty after Mathys Tel caught Ethan Ampadu right in the face! Dominic Calvert-Lewin then stepped up and scored to make it 1-1 with 16 minutes of normal time to play! And then, in the 98th minute, Sean Longstaff had a chance to win it for Leeds, but his effort was tipped onto the crossbar incredibly by Antonin Kinsky! In the end, the pressure is very much still on Tottenham Hotspur, given that they didn’t win this game! Spurs remain 17th in the table (2 points above the Relegation Zone), and their next game is away at Chelsea in a week’s time! As for Leeds United, survival is officially secured! The Whites stay in 14th place, and they’ll host Brighton next time out!

Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea

Neither Liverpool nor Chelsea will be particularly happy with a lacklustre draw! After just 6 minutes, Liverpool already had the lead thanks to a great strike by Ryan Gravenberch! Virgil van Dijk then had a golden opportunity to make it 2-0, only to blast the ball over the crossbar, before Chelsea were back on level terms in the 35th minute through Enzo Fernandez! That’s how Chelsea score these days: from attempted crosses! Anyway, Cole Palmer then had a goal ruled out early in the second half for offside (which Sky Sports didn’t even show in their highlights package), before Dominik Szoboszlai smashed the post! Van Dijk then had another good chance to score, but he could only guide his headed effort onto the crossbar, before Chelsea were screaming for a penalty right at the end of the game for a challenge on Joao Pedro. For me, this is definitely a penalty! In the end, Liverpool are very fortunate that they didn’t lose this game! The Reds remain 4th in the league, and they’ll head to Aston Villa for a massive game next time out! As for Chelsea, at least they snapped their 6-game losing streak! The Blues stay 9th in the table, and they take on Manchester City in the FA Cup Final this weekend before they host Tottenham in their next league game!

Burnley 2-2 Aston Villa

Already-Relegated Burnley earned a point against a limping Aston Villa! After just 8 minutes, Burnley were already in front as Jaidon Anthony followed up on the rebound! Zian Flemming then had a great opportunity to double Burnley’s lead, but he poorly guided his effort off target, before Ross Barkley dragged his effort wide! In the 39th minute, Aston Villa thought that they’d gotten themselves level through Ollie Watkins, but his goal was rightly ruled out for offside, before Barkley would make it 1-1 just 3 minutes later! In the 56th minute, Villa would find themselves in front courtesy of Ollie Watkins, only for Flemming to equalise for Burnley just 2 minutes later! In the end, it’s a point that moves Burnley closer to not finishing bottom of the league this season! The Clarets remain inside the Relegation Zone (in 19th), and they’re tasked with going to Arsenal next time out! As for Aston Villa, they’re barely getting over the line when it comes to qualifying for next season's Champions League! Villa stay 5th in the league, and their next game is absolutely crucial at home to Liverpool this Friday!

Fulham 0-1 Bournemouth

Another brilliant performance over Fulham moves AFC Bournemouth a step closer to making history! In the 39th minute, things looked set to become pretty difficult for Bournemouth as Ryan Christie was shown a straight red card for a pretty bad challenge on Timothy Castagne! Joachim Andersen then headed the ball onto the crossbar from the resulting free-kick, before Andersen was shown a red card of his own right before halftime! I don’t think this tackle was as bad as Christie’s, but it’s an incredibly stupid one to make! In the second half, Junior Kroupi came close, smashing the crossbar to be exact, before Bournemouth would find themselves in front in the 53rd minute as Rayan’s effort flew in thanks to a helpful deflection! Josh King then had a chance to rescue a point for Fulham right at the death, but his effort could only smash the crossbar! In the end, Fulham’s European hopes are fading by every passing weekend right now! The Cottagers stay 11th in the table, and their next game is an absolute must-win away at Wolves! As for AFC Bournemouth, they can still make the Champions League yet! The Cherries remain 6th in the league, and they’ll face Manchester City next time out (in a week’s time)!

Brighton 3-0 Wolves

There was no messing around at the AMEX as Brighton and Hove Albion breezed past Wolverhampton Wanderers to move a step closer to returning to European Football! After less than 60 seconds, Brighton already found themselves in front as Jack Hishelwood headed home well following a great ball by Maxim De Cuyper! In the 5th minute, it was 2-0 to Brighton as Lewis Dunk scored (following another strong ball in by De Cuyper)! Daniel Bentley was then needed to stop Danny Welbeck from adding a third, before Yerson Mosquera struck the crossbar for Wolves in the second half! Adam Armstrong then seemed to want to do anything but shoot, before Yankuba Minteh officially killed the game off in the 86th minute! Overall, this was nice and straightforward for Brighton and Hove Albion! The Seagulls remain 7th in the table, and they’ll need to win again when they head to Leeds this Sunday! As for Wolverhampton Wanderers, their dreadful season is nearly over! Wolves stay bottom of the league, and they’ll host Fulham next time out!

Crystal Palace 2-2 Everton

Despite leading twice, Everton dropped more points in their battle for European Qualification away at Crystal Palace! After just 6 minutes, Everton already found themselves in front as James Tarkowski was there to tap the ball home at the back post! Jordan Pickford and Dean Henderson then both pulled off important saves to stop Maxence Lacroix and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from scoring at either end, before Crystal Palace would find themselves back on level terms in the 34th minute through Ismaila Sarr! Just 2 minutes into the second half, though, Everton were back in front thanks to a brilliant bit of solo play by Beto! This is superb! However, in the 77th minute, Jean-Philippe Mateta scored to level the game back up at 2-2! Sarr then had a great chance to make it 3-2, but he couldn’t get enough power on his effort, before Adam Wharton struck the post for Palace! Iliman Ndiaye then had a great chance to win the game for Everton in stoppage time, but he couldn’t keep his effort down, before Mateta missed down at the other end! In the end, I don’t think Crystal Palace are going to be too down about this result! The Eagles remain 15th in the table, and their next game is away at Manchester City tomorrow! As for Everton, they just can’t win at the moment! The Toffees stay in 10th place, and they’ll host Sunderland next time out!

Nottingham Forest 1-1 Newcastle

A late goal at the expense of Newcastle United was enough for Nottingham Forest to confirm their Premier League status for another season! Nick Pope made up for his initial error by keeping Jair Cunha’s effort out, before Matz Sels pulled off a good save to deny William Osula! In the second half, Pope was needed again, this time to stop Taiwo Awoniyi from making it 1-0, before Bruno Guimaraes blasted a really great opportunity straight at Sels! Osula was then unlucky as his free-kick effort smashed the crossbar, before Newcastle would finally find themselves in front in the 74th minute through Harvey Barnes! But then, in the 88th minute, Forest would get their equalising goal courtesy of Elliot Anderson! In the end, Nottingham Forest have done very well to secure survival with two weekends still to be played! Forest remain 16th in the table, and they’ll head to Manchester United next time out! As for Newcastle United, their chances of qualifying for Europe are probably all but done now! The Magpies stay 13th in the league, and they’ll host West Ham United this Sunday in what is a massive game for their opponents!

Sunderland 0-0 Manchester United

A ton of missed chances against Manchester United may cost Sunderland AFC dear in their quest to qualify for European Football next season! Chemsdine Talbi had a decent chance to score early on, but he couldn’t guide his effort on target, before Noah Sadiki was denied by Senne Lammens! Sadiki has to do better here! Amad then curled his effort wide of the target down at the other end of the pitch, before Lammens pulled off another good save in the second half, this time to deny Brian Brobbey! Lutsharel Geertruida then struck the post for Sunderland, before Matheus Cunha had a chance to win it for Manchester United in stoppage time, only to strike his effort straight at Robin Roefs! In the end, Sunderland AFC had more than enough chances to win this game! The Black Cats stay 12th in the table, and they’ll head to Everton this Sunday for what is a must-win game for both sides! As for Manchester United, they didn’t do much in this game, but third place has basically been secured! United remain third in the league, and they’ll host Nottingham Forest next time out!

Premier League Table at the End of Gameweek 36

1. Arsenal: 79pts (+42)

2. Manchester City: 74pts (+40)

3. Manchester United: 65pts (+15)

4. Liverpool: 59pts (+12)

5. Aston Villa: 59pts (+4)

6. Bournemouth: 55pts (+4)

7. Brighton: 53pts (+10)

8. Brentford: 51pts (+3)

9. Chelsea: 49pts (+6)

10. Everton: 49pts (0)

11. Fulham: 48pts (-6)

12. Sunderland: 48pts (-9)

13. Newcastle: 46pts (-2)

14. Leeds: 44pts (-5)

15. Crystal Palace: 44pts (-6)

16. Nottingham Forest: 43pts (-2)

17. Tottenham: 38pts (-9)

18. West Ham: 36pts (-20)

19. Burnley: 21pts (-36)

20. Wolves: 18pts (-41)