Spectacular stage in the Premier League » Manchester City gets confused again, Arsenal breaks away
Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published on Thursday, 05 March 2026, 00:18 / Updated on Thursday, 05 March 2026 00:44
Round 29 of the Premier League kicked off on Tuesday, March 3, and continued on Wednesday night with five games with direct implications for both the title race and the relegation zone. The big winner of the stage is Arsenalwho took advantage of the misstep made by Manchester City and distanced himself to seven points at the top of the standings.
The stage started with an unexpected result: Liverpool lost 1-2 on the field of Wolverhampton, in a match that seriously complicates the chances of the “cormorants” in the fight for the podium. Also on Tuesday, Bournemouth and Brentford drew 0-0, while Everton won 2-0 at Burnley. Sunderland secured an important 1-0 win at Leeds United, consolidating their position in the table.
Chelsea put on a show at Villa's ground
At “Villa Park”, Aston Villa started the duel with Chelsea perfectly. Douglas Luiz opened the scoring in the 3rd minute, but the hosts' joy was short-lived. Joao Pedro equalized in the 35th minute, and in extra time of the first half he managed the double, reversing the result before the break.
In the second half, Cole Palmer extended the lead in the 55th minute and Joao Pedro completed his hat-trick in the 64th minute to make it 4-1. Villa thus reach a single win in the last five stages, while Chelsea climbs to 5th place and re-enters the race for the Champions League.
Arsenal, leading victory
Brighton & Hove Albion was coming after two consecutive successes, but could not find solutions in front of the leader. Arsenal withstood the siege in the end and won 1-0 thanks to Bukayo Saka's goal. Mikel Arteta's side are on a ten-game unbeaten run in the league and are taking full advantage of the champions' misstep.
The Gunners are 7 points behind Manchester City and are due to receive a visit from Everton.
Manchester City are losing momentum in the title race
At the Etihad, Manchester City surprisingly drew 2-2 with Nottingham Forest. The hosts opened the scoring through Semenyo in the 31st minute, but Gibbs-White equalized in the 56th minute. Rodri put City back ahead in the 62nd minute, but Anderson set up the final score in the 77th minute, much to Pep Guardiola's frustration.
West Ham breathes, pressure in the basement » Newcastle strikes with Manchester United
Fulham, in good form ahead of the stage, lost 1-0 at home to West Ham United. The Hammers, who are in the relegation zone, get a huge three points thanks to Summerville and rekindle their hopes of survival.
Newcastle United struck in the 90th minute to beat Manchester United at home 2-1, moving up to 12th place in the Premier League. Anthony Gordon and Casemiro scored in first-half stoppage time and looked set to settle the final scoreline, but William Osula struck in the 90th minute with a phenomenal run down the right as Newcastle secured their second win in their last five games.
In contrast, Manchester United were enjoying an excellent run before this setback: six wins in their last seven games and unbeaten in the league since December 21. After this result, the “Devils” are in 3rd place, but remain nine points from the second position and 16 from the leader.
Premier League standings
FINAL » Aston Villa – Chelsea 1-4
FINAL » Brighton – Arsenal 0-1
FINAL » Fulham – West Ham 0-1
FINAL » Manchester City – Nottingham Forest 2-2
FINAL » Newcastle – Manchester United 2-1
