What we learned from Matchweek 27

Tactical issues and fatigue reveal extent of Tudor’s task

Although Arsenal’s emphatic victory eased some of the tension for the league leaders and restored their five-point lead over Manchester City, arguably the bigger story was Tottenham Hotspur's inability to raise their performance levels on Igor Tudor’s debut.

Spurs are now just four points above the relegation zone and, after a tactically difficult first half followed by an exhausted second, the new head coach will appreciate the size of the task at hand.

A 3-5-2 formation out of possession, coupled with a high man-to-man press in the opposition half, were the two most distinctive parts of the new tactical setup but unfortunately both aspects caused problems for Spurs.

The 3-5-2 proved difficult for the players to shift into, with gaps appearing as the squad attempted to adjust to an entirely new setup.

Most notably, left wing-back Djed Spence was consistently overwhelmed by Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber because Spurs seemed unsure whether midfielder Pape Matar Sarr or forward Xavi Simons were supposed to track the overlap.

It created a two-on-one throughout the first half, eventually leading directly to the Arsenal opener. The goal - Sarr beaten on the dribble and Spurs left exposed - had been a long time coming.

Viktor Gyokeres’ all-important first goal, to make it 2-1 just after the interval, saw the back three and central midfielders confused about who ought to be picking up the striker or closing him down.

This, again, is about needing time to understand the intricacies of the new system. Conor Gallagher, for instance, had a hybrid role, shuttling between a central midfield position off the ball into an inside forward area when Spurs had the ball.

From Gyokeres' goal onwards, Spurs looked very tired as Eberechi Eze danced through the middle, reflecting the downside of applying such an aggressive press at a club not used to that level of hard running.

Tudor’s dramatic tactical shift might require lots of time before it bears fruit. That's the one thing Spurs don’t have.

Pereira makes positive start despite Liverpool’s late winner

The last-minute Alexis Mac Allister winner brought a furious reaction from Vitor Pereira but when the dust has settled he will realise that Forest’s performance was full of positives, enough to significantly improve their chances of survival despite West Ham United closing the gap by a further point at the weekend.

Pereira instructed his players to press high to unsettle Liverpool, while on the ball Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White and Ibrahim Sangare were outstanding at exchanging quick passes before firing the ball out wide.

There was complexity to the pressing and the positioning of the central midfielders, complimented by a desire to hit Liverpool in transition by switching the play to the wings whenever possible.

Forest should have been out of sight by half-time: their 12 first-half shots was the most by any side against Liverpool since May 2015, when Stoke City were 5-0 up by the interval.

Forest were made to rue their missed chances, but the performance bodes very well for the final 12 matches.

Guardiola’s fluid new system has unlocked City's attack

The jubilant scenes at the final whistle were another sign that for Manchester City a familiar old feeling is returning. Pep Guardiola looks spirited and re-energised and is now anticipating a typical surge towards a Premier League title.

“I say to the players: 'Guys, what we have to do is take a lot of caipirinhas, daiquiris in these three days (off)',” Guardiola said, playfully suggesting his players drink cocktails to help them recuperate during a rare midweek off. “Enjoy life. And after that, make a proper three training sessions, and go to Leeds.”

It’s an attitude that has been conspicuously absent at Arsenal, where the pressure is higher and the tension at times almost unbearable and indeed Guardiola might be making a conscious effort to play up the differences between the two sides.

Then again, for Man City the issue has never been one of psychology but of tactics, and Guardiola seems to have found a winning formula.

Over the last four matches he has played something like a 4-3-1-2 formation, with two narrow forwards around Erling Haaland or Omar Marmoush to create a highly fluid front three.

It is a brand new strategy that has seen City attack down the centre more often (30% of the time, compared to 25% in the first 23 Matchweeks) and, notably, has meant Antoine Semenyo, Marmoush and Haaland have been able to exchange one-touch passes before bursting through the lines.

January signings can save the Glasner era after another tense week

It was hardly a swashbuckling performance from Crystal Palace but the three points comes as a huge relief after another difficult week for the club.

Following fan criticism of the team’s performance in the 1-1 draw at Zrinjski Mostar in the Uefa Conference League on Thursday, Oliver Glasner said he is “just not good enough” to replace the players sold and integrate the new ones.

And yet the way Palace scraped past Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday suggests otherwise. Evann Guessand’s first ever Premier League goal followed the assist on his debut that saw Palace secure a 1-0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Last weekend, new striker Jorgen Strand Larsen scored twice before Burnley came back to win 3-2, meaning that had it not been for Palace’s extraordinary collapse they could (and should) be celebrating three consecutive victories in the competition, all powered by January signings.

The hope will be that Palace’s first home win in the Premier League since November, nine games ago, will break the seal and raise confidence before the return leg in Europe. There is still time for the Glasner era to end on a high.

West Ham cannot afford to keep letting points slip away

Nuno Espirito Santo will know that West Ham United simply cannot afford games like this. Such is their precarious position, good performances no longer cut it; they need points by any means necessary.

Again this weekend they couldn’t get across the line. After recently letting a 2-0 lead at Chelsea slip, then seeing Manchester United equalise in stoppage time in Matchweek 26, West Ham had 20 shot against Bournemouth, for an Expected Goals (xG) of 2.82 but somehow could not grab the winner.

It was their most shots in a single Premier League game this season and the highest xG any team has managed in 2025/26 without scoring a goal.

Nuno’s side should have at least five more points on the board by now. Results like this one could cost them dearly by the end of the season.

Record-breaking Milner secures his place as a Premier League legend

How fitting that on the day James Milner took the record for the most Premier League appearances of all time (with 654), he played in a relatively unfamiliar role for Brighton & Hove Albion. Milner as a deep-lying No 6 is not exactly new but it is not how anyone tends to think of him.

Then again, where you think Milner plays and what his best attributes are depends on which version of Milner you associate with the most.

When Milner made his debut as a 16-year-old for Leeds in November 2002, becoming the second-youngest Premier League player ever, he was an inside forward.

He flourished into a nippy winger at Newcastle United, then became a playmaking No 10 at Aston Villa, then a box-to-box midfielder at Man City, played a season a fullback at Liverpool and is now a jack-of-all-trades at Brighton.

The 40-year-old pulled the strings in the Xavi Alonso role on Saturday, topping the game charts for touches (70) and passes (60) and controlling the midfield as Brighton grabbed just their second Premier League win since the start of December.

It was the kind of nonchalant display that sums Milner up: an ultra-versatile, true professional who fully deserves the appearance record that will secure his place as a Premier League legend.

Fulham right to dream of Europe – but do they have enough depth?

Every week it feels like a new club from the compressed middle section of the Premier League emerges as a contender for Europe and this time it’s Fulham, who have moved to within three points of seventh.

Fulham were the only team between seventh and 12th who recorded three points and so it's their turn to start looking up the table.

What they have in their favour are two creative players at the peak of their form - and showing no sign of slowing down.

Since the start of November only Haaland (17) and Bruno Fernandes (15) have been involved in more Premier League goals than Fulham's Harry Wilson (12), who assisted the third goal at the Stadium of Light.

A brace for Raul Jimenez meant Fulham did not miss Samuel Chukwueze, who has seven goals and assists in just 13 Premier League matches this season.

Wilson and Chukwueze supporting Jimenez looks as good as any forward line in the middle section of the division, and with Alex Iwobi in form (he scored and assisted at Sunderland) Fulham will feel confident about the inviting run of games ahead.

Their next four Premier League fixtures are against four of the bottom five: Spurs (H), West Ham (H), Forest (A) and Burnley (H).

A string of wins would leave Marco Silva’s side in a brilliant position to qualify for Europe for the first time since 2010/11.

Abraham and Barkley can refresh flagging Villa

It was another turgid display at Villa Park for Unai Emery’s side, who have won just one of their last four matches on home soil to leave them only six points clear of sixth-placed Liverpool.

Suddenly their chances of Uefa Champions League qualification are dimmed but as Villa begin to look jaded – psychologically as much as physically – there was a glimmer of hope in the way the hosts came back into the game in the final ten minutes.

Tammy Abraham scored for the second game in a row for Villa, appearing off the bench to rescue a point, while Ross Barkley was superb in a brief cameo, turning the momentum of the match almost single-handedly.

Injuries in central midfield, coupled with Ollie Watkins’ difficulties in front of goal, are defining Villa’s gradual decline and increasingly stale football. Barkley and Abraham could be the answer.

Dropped points and red cards continue to define Chelsea's season

Liam Rosenior has not lost any of his first six Premier League games in charge of Chelsea, which is the longest unbeaten start by a Chelsea manager since Thomas Tuchel in March 2021 and yet he is likely to be feeling frustrated about dropped points against Leeds and Burnley.

Wesley Fofana’s red card made it six in the Premier League this season for Chelsea (their joint-most ever, along with 2007/08) and their eighth in all competitions, the most by a Premier League side in a campaign since West Ham’s nine in 2015/16.

Chelsea have dropped 17 points from winning positions at home this season, only losing more in 1995/96 (20).

Dropped points and red cards: it is the story of the season for this young Chelsea side and, more often than not, the reason why they “set fire” to points, to use Rosenior’s words on Saturday.

Rosenior clearly needs to find solutions, which might require a slight shift in his priorities.

He has rotated the squad regularly and given minutes to young players since his appointment but he might decide to stick more rigidly to the more experienced members of the squad in the future.

With Chelsea still leading 1-0 in the final few minutes, Rosenior withdrew Pedro Neto and Reece James for teenagers Mamadou Sarr and Josh Acheampong.

Those kinds of changes might not happen from this point on.

Carrick appears to have the Solskjaer knack – and so does Sesko

In an otherwise bruising, wheezing and low-quality Premier League game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, one moment of genuine quality was enough for Man Utd to steal the points.

There was nothing particularly noteworthy about the visitors' performance other than that uncanny ability to get over the line, a skill they have developed under Michael Carrick simply by playing a settled team in an easily-understandable formation and maximising counter-attacking opportunities.

It all feels very Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

This is exactly what Man Utd were like back in 2018/19 when Solskjaer, like Carrick, took interim charge and went 12 Premier League games unbeaten by playing a tactically simple – and predominantly counter-attacking – style of football. Carrick is currently on six without defeat.

Across his two spells in charge, Carrick is yet to lose a game in any competition. His nine-match run has only been bettered twice in Man Utd’s history, by Herbert Bamlett in 1927 (10) and Solskjaer in 2018/19 (11).

And funnily enough, Carrick isn’t even the only person at Man Utd emulating Solskjaer.

Benjamin Sesko's late goal was his third off the bench in the last four matches - two have been winners and the other rescued a draw. It means he has now scored the joint-most substitute goals in the Premier League this season (three).

Sesko is embodying Solskjaer the player, while Carrick embodies Solskjaer the manager; a combination that has catapulted Man Utd back into the top four and just three points shy of Villa in third place.