The phrase " Premier League big six" may be flawed -- you need only look at Tottenham Hotspur and, to an extent, Manchester United's position in the table over the last 12 months to understand why -- but it does exist for a reason. Between 2016 and 2022, six clubs -- Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, United and Spurs -- occupied the top six positions in the table four times in those six years.
First half v second half Football is most certainly a game of two halves. It may not come as much of a shock to learn the table changes quite drastically when looking at first-half or second-half results in isolation. Some teams will be fitter or mentally stronger than others, and this may contribute to them being better in second halves. Similarly, others are more fired up in the first half and this can contribute to them running out of steam later.
It was a bad decision by me to go in there, and I've got to take ownership of that. There's no point blaming timing or circumstances -- I should never have gone in. It was too soon after Tottenham. I went in at a time when they were used to doing things a certain way, and although I was always going to do things differently, I've got to cop that. It was my mistake. It's no one else's fault.
Pulisic has become a central figure at San Siro this season, and Milan's hierarchy view him as a pillar of their ongoing rebuild rather than a sellable asset. The attacker has revived his career in Italy AC Milan signed Pulisic with the aim of reigniting a career that had stalled in England. The move has proved transformative. Operating across multiple attacking positions, the 27-year-old has rediscovered confidence and consistency, emerging as Milan's top scorer in the league with eight goals.
It's a dream come true. Getting my debut is one thing and then scoring on my debut is another. Just so thankful, just so happy. As I was watching the game I saw the game becoming a bit tense and we had more control of the ball than before, so I knew that going into the last couple of minutes, it was going to be more end-to-end, so I just tried to do the best I can. Luckily, I scored.
One poor decision is forgivable, two is careless, but there were a hat-trick of howlers, with Tammy Abraham clearly offside for Aston Villa's opener. Lucas Digne needed his own dedicated review booth, escaping with a yellow card for an agricultural tackle on Jacob Murphy and avoiding a penalty for handball. Officials ruled that Digne handled the ball outside the penalty area, an impressive feat given that he both took off and landed inside the box as he jumped to block a cross.
The Premier League has secured a 25% increase on the value of its broadcast contact in South America and the Caribbean by agreeing a new deal with the American network ESPN. The Guardian has learned that ESPN has agreed to extend its long-standing partnership with the Premier League until 2031, with the new deal understood to be worth about 450m.
Nübel started in goal for Stuttgart when they hosted Köln on Saturday. He faced three shots on goal and recorded a save in each half. He allowed a goal in the 79th minute which leveled the match at 1-1. His teammates found two more goals in the last ten plus minutes and won the three points at home, 3-1. Stuttgart will travel to Scotland to face Celtic on Thursday in the playoff round of the Europa League.
With eight Premier League strikes already, you would think his family would be showering the 19-year-old with praise, but Kroupi, the son of another striker, has revealed how key his dad has been in his development. You may like Eli Kroupi Snr was a renowned bagsman in Ligue 1 for the likes of Nancy and Lorient, winning the 2002 Coupe de France final with the latter, over 20 years prior to his son representing the club. Junior Kroupi, as he's known, has inherited his dad's two-footedness and eye for goal and he explains to FourFourTwo how his dad coached his trademark thumping finish over the years.
Premier League managers whose primary objective is to avoid relegation tend to talk about a target of 40 points. Even when they're punching above their expectations, 40 points tends to be the stated goal. But does a tally of 40 points guarantee safety in the Premier League over the course of a 38-game season, and how many points might be needed to stay up in 2025-26?
The Premier League and English Football League will resume their procedures for Ramadan, with matches pausing briefly to allow Muslim players to break their fast. Ramadan starts this week and will last for a month. During the this time, Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn until sunset. With sunset in the UK ranging from about 17:00 to 19:00 GMT during this period, the only games that could see a break in play will be Saturday's 17:30 kick-off and Sunday's 16:30 kick-off.
Pereira, who was sacked by Wolves in November after overseeing their dismal start to the 2025-26 campaign, has put pen to paper on an 18-month contract at the City Ground. The 57-year-old takes over a Forest side who sit 17th in the Premier League and three points clear of the bottom three, after playing out a goalless draw with Wolves in midweek. Forest were booed off at the City Ground having registered 35 shots against the division's bottom club, with 10 of those on target.
Several clubs are interested in the Middlesbrough star, and Leeds need to move quickly to complete the deal. Manchester United and Tottenham have also been linked with Hackney. They need more control and composure in the middle of the park. He would be ideal for them. He has recorded 10 goal contributions this season and will only improve with coaching and experience.
Eli Junior Kroupi has been outstanding for Bournemouth since joining the club at the start of the season. The 19-year-old attacker has scored eight goals in 11 league starts for the Cherries, and his performances have drawn the attention of top clubs. According to a report from TeamTalk, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are all monitoring his progress. It will be interesting to see if they decide to make a move for him at the end of the season.
