Matchweek 32 in the Premier League proved to be a pivotal turning point in the title race, with big winners and even bigger losers.
The set-up for next week’s title fight match-up couldn’t be more perfect, but what was it that led us to this moment?
Winners – Man City
Defending champions Manchester City came into the weekend nine points adrift but with a game in hand.
Following Arsenal’s dismal loss to Bournemouth on Saturday, the northern side took the opportunity presented to them by putting three past Liam Rosenior’s lacklustre Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge.
Nico O’Reilly opened the scoring, which was quickly followed by a neat Marc Guéhi finish, both supplied by the on-form Rayan Cherki, before Jérémy Doku added a third.
City are now six points out, still with a game in hand, but come face to face with the pack they’re chasing next weekend.
If they topple Arsenal at home on Sunday and win their game in hand, they will be level on points with only a handful of games to go.
Given Pep Guardiola’s experience in this situation and his side’s current form, it feels difficult to bet against them.
After the game against the Blues, the Man City manager told Sky Sports: “The success of these players is the hierarchy, the sports directors, the club that bring me, or give me at my disposal, an amazing mentality, competitive players. So that is the key of the success.
“The question of this week will be that we’re going to play against a team that in 49 games lost three, and in the Champions League, they didn’t lose once.”
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Losers – Arsenal
Man City’s rampant 3-0 win over Chelsea may have put salt in their wounds, but Arsenal’s shock 2-1 loss at home to Bournemouth cannot be overlooked.
Before this game, the Cherries had been in middling form, having drawn all of their last five Premier League games, with Arsenal winning four in that time.
Eli Junior Kroupi gave the south coast side the lead in the 17th minute before Viktor Gyökeres equalised from the spot before the end of the first half.
That was all undone by a brilliant Bournemouth move that carved open the Arsenal defence in the 74th minute, with Alex Scott slotting it home to seal a stunning win for the struggling visitors.
After the match, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told Sky Sports: “It’s extremely disappointing. It’s a big punch in the face, but it’s about how we react now.
“It hurts the players a lot and it has to. You have to take it on the chin, and there is no grey area now.”
Winners – West Ham
West Ham took full advantage of perhaps the easiest chance in the remainder of their season to grab three points with a 4-0 thrashing of Wolves on Friday.
Taty Castellanos and Konstantinos Mavropanos were the stars of the game for the Hammers, scoring a brace apiece.
Castellanos scored both of his goals in the space of two minutes.
The win pushed West Ham out of the relegation zone by two points, with Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, and Tottenham also fighting to stay afloat.
Losers – Tottenham
Just when you think it can’t get any worse for Tottenham Hotspur, it somehow does.
In his first game in charge, new manager Roberto De Zerbi didn’t manage to turn the North London side’s fate around as they remain winless in 2026 following a 1-0 defeat away to Sunderland.
The hosts took the lead in the 61st minute after Nordi Mukiele’s strike took a heavy deflection off Micky van de Ven and beat keeper Antonin Kinsky.
Sunderland now sit in 10th place, while Spurs wallow on 30 points, 18th and in the relegation zone.
After the defeat, Roberto de Zerbi told Sky Sports: “I think we played a good game, but not enough to win.
“We didn’t deserve to lose the game, but we have to accept it, we have to move on and prepare for the next game.”
He later added on BBC Sports: “My style is to trust the confidence of the players.
“During the week, they play better because they are clean in their heads, but in the game, it is different. My work must be to get them to show what they are doing during the week in a game.”
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SportJustSport writers