Sports

Premier League 2024/25: 5 things we learned from Matchday 26 of the season

admin
Premier League 2024/25: 5 things we learned from Matchday 26 of the season
Premier League 2024/25: 5 things we learned from Matchday 26 of the season

New Delhi: With the power of hindsight, Matchday 26 of the Premier League season could be seen as the most pivotal one in the title race given the results that this weekend cooked up. Arsenal lost ground on Liverpool that they’d made up over the previous weekend as they lost their London derby, at home to West Ham allowing the league leaders a chance to extend their lead at the top of the table, which they grabbed with both hands.

Liverpool saw off Manchester City at Etihad comfortably, extending their lead at the top of the table to 11 points which puts them in pole position to win the title come May. It wasn’t a memorable weekend for the rest of the top four though as along with losses for both Manchester City and Arsenal, Nottingham Forest were also beaten by Newcastle despite putting a resilient display but the Magpies first half goal shower was enough to hand them the win. Let’s dive in to find out what we learned from this weekend’s Premier League action!

5) Alexander Isak creates history in Newcastle win

Newcastle United will have a tough task on their hands next summer in trying to hold on to star striker Alexander Isak. The Swedish International has been in blistering form this season for the Toons and added another two goals to his name with a quickfire brace against Nottingham this weekend. Those two goals have now taken the 25-year-old to 19 goals in the league already this season and stretched his Premier League goal tally to 5o.

With his first goal on the night, Isak became the highest scoring Swedish player to ever step foot in the Premier League, surpassing the 48-goal tally of Arsenal legend Freddie Ljungberg. Spurs’ Dejan Kulusevski is the only other active Swedish player on the list and his 22 goals are far behind Isak’s tally, cementing his place as the top scoring player from his country in the English top flight for a long time.

4) Chelsea have to rely on UEFA Conference League for European qualification

Chelsea’s first half of the league season has been drastically different from the club’s second half of the league season. From being touted as Liverpool’s nearest title challengers, the Blues have fallen off drastically and currently occupy the seventh position in the Premier League table. With another loss this weekend to Aston Villa, Enzo Maresca’s side have fallen way behind in the race for Europe and basis their current form, the club are far behind the likes of Villa, Newcastle and Bournemouth.

Chelsea don’t have a potent attack with none of their attackers proving to be a reliable source of goals off late and their defensive issues keep on piling. The club don’t have a solid first choice keeper with both Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen being error prone which makes a top six finish difficult, leaving the UEFA Conference League as their sole consolation prize. The Blues might have to rely on winning the competition to secure a place for themselves in the UEFA Europa League next season.

3) Are Nottingham Forest running out of fuel?

Nottingham Forest have been the biggest surprise package of the Premier League this season. Nuno Santo’s side are sitting comfortably in third for a while and have been chasing a return to the UFEA Champions League for most part of the season. Ever since 2025 began though, a bit of inconsistency has creeped into their game as the Tricky Trees have only won three out of their seven league games. Out of those three, one was an impressive 7-0 thrashing of Brighton but the other two were wins against relegation threatened Wolves and Southampton.

Forest have also been on the receiving end of some humiliating and hurtful losses during this time, including a 5-0 loss at Bournemouth and this weekend’s 4-3 loss to Newcastle. They were completely blown away in the first half with the Toons romping to a 4-1 lead at half time before Forest tried to stage a comeback but ultimately failed to take something from the game. This leaves them only three points ahead of Manchester City in the league table, leaving very little space for error for themselves.

2) Aston Villa’s January recruits can help them get Europe

Aston Villa were arguably the best side in this year’s January transfer window, signing some top class players that could help them finish in a European spot and also help them go deep in the UEFA Champions League. Two loan signings dominated the headlines for the club, with those being the arrivals of both Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio from Manchester United and PSG on loan and they have both looked great since arriving at the club.

Rashford has been dazzling with his displays for his new club while Asensio looks close to returning to his Real Madrid form. Both their new signings combined to hand their side the win against Chelsea this weekend as Rashford assisted both of Asensio’s goal to inspire a comeback win for Villa over Chelsea. If they can continue their form for the club and get the support needed from Donyell Malen, the club can sneak a UEFA Champions League finish once again, especially if England get’s the fifth spot.

1) Manchester City’s inconsistency might be costly

Manchester City completely blew away Newcastle last weekend, thrashing them 4-0 at home, making everyone believe that the club is back on top form. However, just after that convincing win the club lost to both Real Madrid and Liverpool in successive games and never looked too comfortable against both those sides. Ever since Pep Guardiola’s side went through their run of bad form in November, things haven’t been bright for City.

While they have ended that bad run of form, the club hasn’t been consistent in neither their results nor their performances. Ever since the turn of the year, they have thrashed West Ham, Ipswich Town and Newcastle but have also failed to beat Brentford, lost to Liverpool and been thrashed themselves by Arsenal. If they don’t get consistency back in their game, it’ll be a tough task for the club to finish in a UEFA Champions League spot this season.

 The Premier League served up another thrilling weekend packed with drama, goals, and unexpected twists. Let’s dive in to find out the key talking points from an action-packed round of fixtures!  Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today

Related Posts