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Home » Features » Premier League 2025-26 Week 25 Updates: City Return From The Brink; Spurs Self-Combust; Chelsea Cruise

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Premier League 2025-26 Week 25 Updates: City Return From The Brink; Spurs Self-Combust; Chelsea Cruise

Manchester City reignited a near-dead title race at Anfield in a week where Cole Palmer shone for Chelsea and Spurs shot themselves in the foot.

Manik+Sharma

Feb 09, 2026

Matchweek 25 updates are here!

Romero becomes pantomime villain in United’s stroll past Spurs

MANCHESTER UNITED haven’t just turned a corner, they’ve found a new highway to heaven. The attacking players are purring, Bruno Fernandes looks the classiest midfielder in the league, and even Casemiro — who will leave the club in the summer — seems to have rediscovered his legs. But the story of their most recent Old Trafford romp couldn’t have been written without the kamikaze nature of their opponents. Spurs have oscillated between surprisingly excellent and woeful performances in Europe and the Premier League, respectively. Ironically, Critian Romero — recently accused of mutiny — went from villain on the sidelines to villain on the field. In the first half, as the game began to drift away from the London side, Romero, hot-blooded as always, unleashed a reckless challenge on Casemiro, leaving the Brazilian in a heap of pain. A deserved red card followed, ensuring United had the kind of midsummer stroll they couldn’t have dreamed of. Spurs need a guiding light from somewhere, but should someone as rash as Romero even be given the task of leading them?

Watch Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur (2-0) highlights here on JioHotstar, now available with your OTTplay Premium subscription.

Gyokeres leads the way as Arsenal cruise

Arsenal have been in the driving seat for the title since the season began. But the ledger of their first impressions has probably not made it past the first page because they’ve barely made any — at least, in the aesthetics column. One could forgive Arteta for first making sure, and then having fun, but part of it is also down to the fact that the tip of the Arsenal spear, at the moment, is an un-Arsenal-like player in Viktor Gyokeres. At home to Sunderland, a side that has given teams across the league a run for their money, the Gunners were dominant, without necessarily being emphatic. On came Gyokeres, who is, if not an improvement, at least a bulkier extension of Kai Havertz. Both of the striker’s goals were him crashing past opponents and awkwardly bungling the ball into the net. But it showed physicality and strength that Arsenal teams of the recent past have lacked. This may not be sexy football, but by god, is it sinewy and intimidating. Nobody in Europe would want to play this team.

Palmer back in the thick of it as Chelsea dispatch sorry Wolves

More than half of the season has gone by, and Cole Palmer, who stamped the summer of Chelsea — the Club World Cup — with his left foot, has hardly made an impression. Injuries have taken their toll, managers have changed, and Palmer has looked rather jaded, as opposed to the source of inspiration he so reliably has been over the last two seasons. Against a poor Wolves side, Palmer took centre-stage, towering above his colleagues in quality and vision. Two of his three goals in the first half were penalties, but the confidence and elan with which he took them hinted at a return to some sort of form and that cocky coldness everyone has come to love. If Chelsea want to stay on track for Europe, while also going deep into other remaining competitions, Palmer needs to reclaim the mantle — and maybe even the passion.

Revisit Man City vs Liverpool (2-1) highlights here

City come back from the brink against Liverpool to reignite title race

For 84 minutes at Anfield, Pep Guardiola must have rued the chances, the missed opportunities and the overall dullness of what has now become a season that seems to be drifting past them. The title race, at least numerically, is on, but City look nowhere close to playing the part of antagonists to Arsenal’s long but assured march to the title. Trailing to a Liverpool side that has found its bearings over the past couple of months, City, however, found inspiration from somewhere in a frantic contest that was high on drama and low on conviction. Somehow, the jaded warriors of Guardiola trumped the clueless battlers of Arne Slot in the dying minutes of an entertaining contest. City clutched a win from somewhere, but based on empirical evidence, neither team looks the part in what was not too long ago, English football’s heavyweight clash. Mikel Arteta’s champagne bottle must wait, but if anyone was going to make Arsenal sweat, it was City. Lest they now run out of steam themselves.

WATCH | The Best Saves and the Best Goals of Matchweek 25 here via OTTplay.

Villa’s dip in form has bigger clubs licking their lips

A month ago, Aston Villa were the toast of the Premier League when they beat Arsenal at home to establish themselves as top-table contestants as opposed to lucky warts. Villa’s resurgence from a terrible start to the season is worth its plaudits alone, but the fact that they kept pace with the top two this deep into the season is frankly miraculous. The inevitable is starting to happen, though. Villa has lost steam, its creative forces — barring the mercurial Morgan Rogers — are struggling in front of goal, and if not for the heroics of Emi Martinez, Unai Emery’s men could have had a hiding against a Bournemouth side that deserved all three points. A nine-point gap at the high echelons of third has now become three as United, Chelsea and Liverpool have queued up on Villa’s shoulders. For the romance of it, they should endure, but chances are that things will soon unravel as expected.

Watch the match highlights here

Postscript:

Newcastle have been quietly mediocre for so long, it’s a mystery why their underwhelming season isn’t put through frothing scrutiny. Eddie Howe’s men, who squeezed into the Champions League last season and have made it to the knock-offs in this edition, have been woefully inconsistent, despite a deep squad, minimal injuries and substantial investment into new personnel. Howe has often been touted as a candidate for bigger jobs, but the one he is performing at Newcastle is only tarnishing a decorated reputation. He needs to push in this last leg of the season, or stagnation might become a club and individual theme.

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