On the morning of January 5th, Beijing time, the 20th round of the Premier League ended with multiple matches, showcasing a night of joy and sorrow. Manchester City defeated West Ham United 4-1, Arsenal drew 1-1 with Brighton, Chelsea drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace, and Tottenham was reversed by Newcastle 1-2, making for an exciting night. At the same time, the league standings also experienced changes.
As the defending champions, Manchester City ended their five-game winless streak after defeating Leicester City away in the previous round. Returning home to face West Ham United, Guardiola's team continued their impressive form. New signing Savigno scored three goals in just 45 minutes and provided two assists for Haaland to score, ultimately securing a 4-1 victory over West Ham United, achieving their first double-win in more than two months.
After the victory, Manchester City reached 34 points and remained in sixth place, which is related to Newcastle's win as well. In this round, Newcastle came from behind 0-1 away, relying on joint goals from Gordon and Isak, eventually reversing Tottenham 2-1, achieving a five-game winning streak, accumulating 35 points to firmly occupy fifth place, while only being one point behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
Originally ranked second, Chelsea has recently been winless, drawing 1-1 away with Crystal Palace in this round, marking their fourth consecutive winless game, dropping to fourth with 36 points at a critical moment.
With both Manchester City and Chelsea gradually falling behind, only Arsenal has the opportunity to catch up with the leaders, Liverpool.
Before challenging Brighton away, Arsenal had played one more game and trailed the top by six points, so this match was crucial.
In the first half, Arsenal led 1-0, but in the second half, Brighton equalized 1-1 with a penalty kick, and neither side scored afterwards, ending in a draw.
Thus, like Chelsea, Arsenal faltered at a critical moment, and this is habitual for Arsenal. In the past two seasons, they have also struggled to compete with Manchester City for the title, and now they are doing the same in pursuit of Liverpool.
The latest standings show Liverpool with 45 points after 18 rounds, firmly in first place. With two fewer games played, they have a five-point lead over second-placed Arsenal, and also an eight-point lead over third-placed Nottingham Forest with one fewer game played, increasing their advantage in the title race.
It can be said that the battle for the top four in the Premier League this season will be more intense than the title race because Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle, and Bournemouth all have a chance, with a maximum difference of only four points, leaving a lot of suspense.