All Premier League weekends are important but some are more crucial than others.
Even before a ball was kicked, this seemed one such set of fixtures.
A potential title decider, a key battle in the race for Europe, a Merseyside derby and the ongoing relegation scrap – one which is proving too close to call and, ultimately, will mean disaster for the side which drops out of the top flight.
Were you ready for more Premier League 2026 highlights?
Of course, you were.
It all began with two teams who deserve respect.
While I didn’t think either Brentford or Fulham would make Europe – and Saturday lunchtime’s goalless draw only adds weight to that view – this was still a meeting of two sides who deserve kudos for punching above their weight.
The main talking point? Why, just five days after sending off Lisandro Martinez for supposedly pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair, referee Paul Tierney allowed Dango Ouattara to get away with doing the same to Calvin Bassey.
No wonder interim Manchester United boss Michael Carrick described it as one of the most shocking decisions he has ever witnessed.
Whether VAR inconsistency or incompetent officiating, it again highlighted the decision making which so infuriates fans up and down and the country.
If that was the worst decision of the week, the most impressive result of the week belonged to Bournemouth.
It was confirmed a few days ago that Spaniard Andoni Iraola will leave the club when his contract expires this summer, ending a three‑year spell in charge.
Iraola arrived on the south coast on a two-year deal in June 2023, inheriting a side which finished 15th under Gary O’Neil.
In his first season, he guided them to 12th, achieving a then-club high 48 points and was rewarded with a contract extension until this summer.
The following season, the Cherries finished ninth with a record 56 points and also reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
This campaign, Iraola has placed Bournemouth – who have never played continental football – right in the midst of a fierce battle for a place in Europe with a record 13 games unbeaten in the league.
That includes back-to-back wins against leaders Arsenal and Newcastle and, on Tyneside on Saturday, any suggestion of distraction by the news was firmly dismissed by his players in their statement victory.
Marcus Tavernier opened the scoring and, after William Osula equalised for the hosts, Adrien Truffert won it five minutes from time.
Iraola and his players’ achievements are all the more impressive considering the departures of key players Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez, Illia Zabarnyi and Antoine Semenyo since last summer.
The Cherries are well and truly blossoming!
Another particularly impressive result of the weekend arrived in west London on Saturday night.
It belonged to Carrick and United.
Sure, they rode their luck at times at Stamford Bridge, but their 1-0 victory, earned via Matheus Cunha’s 43rd minute goal, was built on a display of composure, defensive doggedness and determination.
Given a combination of defensive injuries and, in this Sbotop scribe’s view, extremely harsh suspensions – why did it take almost four weeks after his red card to decide that Harry Maguie would have a one match ban extended – the Red Devils deserve many plaudits.
For Chelsea, the race for a Champions League spot now seems a big ask after this result, coupled with last-gasp wins for Aston Villa (at home to spirited Sunderland) and Liverpool (to break Everton hearts).
A few hours before the Chelsea-United contest, North London had played host to drama at the other end of the table.
The full impact of Georginio Rutter’s 95th minute leveller for Brighton at Spurs will not be known for a month or so yet but the despair amongst the majority of home fans and players at full-time resonated far and wide.
They were seemingly on course to win for the first time in the top flight in 2026 and mark a successful home start for new boss Roberto De Zerbi.
Instead, they are now 15 league games without a victory and remain in the drop zone, while the Seagulls still harbour outside aspirations of qualifying for Europe – something they achieved under De Zerbi in 2023.
Nottingham Forest’s 4-1 home success against Burnley on Sunday, led by a hat-trick from Morgan Gibbs-White, a player Spurs wanted to sign last summer, has lifted Vitor Pereira’s men five points clear of the drop zone with strugglers West Ham at Crystal Palace on Monday.
If the Premier League 2026 betting odds appear to be stacking up against Spurs – and I still think they will survive – then the race for the title is even closer.
The top of table clash pitted together Manchester City, in this scenario the challengers, and they could smell blood against the long-time leaders Arsenal.
The end result in a match that could have gone either way is that City have cut Arsenal’s lead at the top to three points and they have a game in hand.
Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland grabbed the goals for the hosts, either side of Kai Havertz’s equaliser before the same players failed to convert a couple of golden opportunities for the visitors, including a free header deep into stoppage time.
There now remains a real prospect of the title being decided on goal difference for the first time since 2012.
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