Honestly, if you looked at the table back in August and thought you knew how this was going to go, you’re probably staring at the current standings in a bit of a daze. The English Premier League season of 2025/26 has been a total fever dream. We’re sitting here in mid-January 2026, and the "inevitable" Manchester City dominance has been replaced by an Arsenal side that looks like it’s finally stopped blinking.
It’s weird. We spent years waiting for Mikel Arteta’s project to "mature," and now that it has, it’s actually kind of terrifying to watch. They aren't just winning games; they’re strangling them. But even with Arsenal sitting six points clear at the top with 49 points, the narrative that this is a "one-horse race" is just flat-out wrong.
The Arsenal Gap and Why City Aren't Dead Yet
People keep waiting for the Arsenal collapse. It’s become a bit of a tradition, hasn't it? But this year feels different. Signing Viktor Gyökeres and Martin Zubimendi has given them a physical edge they lacked when they were just "the team that played pretty football." Gyökeres is a handful. He’s that classic "bull in a china shop" striker who makes life miserable for center-backs, which is exactly what they needed to compliment Bukayo Saka’s brilliance.
Then you’ve got Manchester City. They’re sitting on 43 points, tied with a rampant Aston Villa. Pep Guardiola is in a spot where he’s relying on Erling Haaland more than ever. Haaland has 20 goals already—standard stuff for him—but the supporting cast feels a bit thin. Losing Kevin De Bruyne was always going to hurt, and even though Rayan Cherki has been decent, he’s not KDB. Not yet.
- Arsenal: 49 pts (21 games)
- Man City: 43 pts (21 games)
- Aston Villa: 43 pts (21 games)
- Liverpool: 35 pts (21 games)
Villa is the real story here. Unai Emery has turned them into a machine. They aren't just "overachieving"; they are legitimately one of the best coached teams in Europe. They won eight straight earlier this year, a run they haven't seen since before World War I. Think about that for a second.
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The Chaos at Old Trafford and the Carrick Gamble
If the top of the table is about clinical efficiency, the middle is pure chaos. Manchester United has been a soap opera. Ruben Amorim came in, showed some sparks, and then... well, he's gone. Now we’ve got Michael Carrick stepping in as interim (again) for the Manchester derby this weekend.
It’s a bizarre situation. United are 7th, but they're only three points off Liverpool in 4th. This English Premier League season is so compressed that one good week makes you a Champions League contender and one bad week makes you a "club in crisis."
Liverpool’s title defense has been, frankly, a mess. They are 14 points off the lead. Arne Slot's honeymoon ended abruptly with defensive injuries and a midfield that suddenly looks quite porous. They brought in Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiké, who have been bright spots, but the collective grit that defined them last year has vanished. Wirtz is incredible to watch—he basically sees the game in slow motion—but he can't defend for everyone.
The January Transfer Frenzy
We’re in the middle of the winter window, and the moves are getting desperate.
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- Manchester City just dropped £62.5 million on Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth. That tells you everything about Pep’s concerns regarding depth.
- Crystal Palace snatched Brennan Johnson from Spurs for nearly £35 million.
- Aston Villa is still raiding the market, bringing in Alysson from Gremio.
It’s a frantic arms race because nobody wants to miss out on that new Champions League revenue. Even the "smaller" clubs are spending like mid-sized European giants.
The Relegation Battle Nobody Saw Coming
Down at the bottom, it’s grim. Like, really grim. Wolves are sitting on 7 points after 21 games. That is statistically one of the worst starts in the history of the league. Rob Edwards has taken over, but he’s basically trying to plug a leak in a dam with a piece of gum.
The real shocker is West Ham. They’ve been flirtatious with the drop for a while, but this year they’ve actually fallen in. They've conceded 43 goals. You can't stay up with a defense that’s essentially a polite suggestion. Graham Potter left, Nuno Espirito Santo is in, and the fans are—to put it mildly—unhappy.
Then there’s Sunderland. Everyone tipped them to go straight back down. Instead, they’re 10th. They have 30 points and are playing some of the most fearless football in the country. It’s a great reminder that momentum from the Championship is a very real thing if you don't over-tinker with the squad.
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The Late Goal Phenomenon
This English Premier League season has broken the record for 90th-minute goals. We've seen 64 goals in stoppage time already. Why? Some say it’s the new injury time rules, others say it’s the tactical shift toward "all-out-attack" subs.
Whatever it is, it's exhausting for the fans. Harvey Barnes scored a winner for Leeds in the 102nd minute earlier this month. The 102nd minute! That’s not a football match; it’s an endurance test.
What to Watch for Next
If you're following the league right now, keep your eyes on the "mini-league" forming between 5th and 14th place. Only six points separate Brentford (who are incredibly 5th) and Spurs (who are a dismal 14th).
Actionable Insights for the Rest of the Season:
- Watch the North London Derby return leg: That will be the day Arsenal either wins the league or the pressure finally cracks the foundation.
- Track the "Carrick Effect": If Michael Carrick gets a result against City this weekend, the permanent job might be his to lose, for better or worse.
- Keep an eye on Brentford’s Igor Thiago: He’s got 16 goals. If a big club doesn't buy him by February 2nd, he might just fire Brentford into the Europa League.
- Don't write off Nottingham Forest: They are filling the City Ground to 100.2% capacity. That atmosphere is winning them points they have no business getting on paper.
The race isn't over. Arsenal looks strong, but in this league, a "sure thing" usually lasts about three weeks before a 10th-place team like Sunderland ruins your whole month.