Honestly, if you took a nap this weekend and missed the scores, you’d probably think I’m lying. The Premier League just went through a meat grinder. Every single "big" title contender decided to drop points at the exact same time, which is just... weird. Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Aston Villa all fumbled. It’s like they’re allergic to the top spot.
The biggest shocker? Aston Villa. They had a massive chance to jump into second place today, January 18. All they had to do was beat Everton at home. Villa Park has been a fortress lately—they’d won 11 straight games there since August. But Pau Torres gifted the ball away, Emi Martinez had a rare "butter-fingers" moment, and Thierno Barry tapped in a winner for the Toffees. Just like that, Unai Emery’s title dreams took a heavy punch to the gut.
The Weekend Where Nobody Wanted to Win
It wasn’t just Villa. This whole weekend of latest football news feels like a fever dream for the underdogs. Arsenal went to Nottingham Forest on Saturday and came away with a boring 0-0 draw. You'd expect the league leaders to smash a team fighting relegation, but Forest held firm. Then you’ve got the Manchester Derby.
Manchester City went to Old Trafford and got humbled 2-0. Erik ten Hag’s successor (or Ruben Amorim, depending on how the recent chaos settled) seems to have found a spark, but for Pep Guardiola, it’s a nightmare. City look tired. Even Liverpool, who usually thrive on Anfield energy, could only manage a 1-1 draw against Burnley. Burnley! They’re literally next-to-last in the table.
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- Arsenal: 0-0 vs Nottingham Forest (Still top, but shaking)
- Man City: 0-2 vs Man United (The blue side of Manchester is quiet)
- Liverpool: 1-1 vs Burnley (Anfield was stunned)
- Aston Villa: 0-1 vs Everton (The biggest missed opportunity of the season)
Transfer Chaos: Mainoo, Chelsea, and the €140m Rumors
While the actual football has been chaotic, the January transfer window is getting even crazier. Everyone’s talking about Kobbie Mainoo. Chelsea apparently threw a €50 million bid at Manchester United to see if it would stick.
The word from Carrington is that Mainoo isn't going anywhere. He’s reportedly decided to stay put, especially after the recent management shake-ups. But Chelsea being Chelsea, they aren't stopping there. They’ve already offloaded Leo Castledine to Middlesbrough and sent Facundo Buonanotte back to Brighton. It’s a revolving door at Stamford Bridge.
Down the road in North London, Arsenal are reportedly eyeing a double deal worth €140 million. They need depth. The 0-0 draw at Forest proved that when the front line isn't clicking, they don't have many "break glass in case of emergency" options. We’re also seeing weird moves like Donyell Malen leaving Aston Villa for AS Roma on loan. He literally just arrived in Italy and already scored in a 2-0 win over Torino. Villa fans must be scratching their heads watching him thrive elsewhere while they lose to Everton.
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The Champions League Is Looming
We’re just days away from the European nights returning. On Tuesday, January 20, we get the heavyweights. Inter Milan just beat Udinese to stay top of Serie A, and they look terrifying. They’re hosting Arsenal next.
If Arsenal play like they did against Nottingham Forest, Lautaro Martinez is going to have a field day. Meanwhile, Real Madrid is prepping for AS Monaco, and PSG is bracing for a clash with Tottenham. The new Champions League format is finally starting to weed out the pretenders, and the "League Phase" is reaching its boiling point.
The Relegation Scrap is Getting Weird
Don't ignore the bottom of the table. Wolves are basically doomed—everyone knows it—but they’re suddenly playing like prime AC Milan. They just held Newcastle to a 0-0 draw. That’s five games unbeaten for Wolves now. They still need about 14 points to even sniff safety, but they’re ruining everyone else’s season on the way down. Newcastle’s push for the top four just hit a massive orange-and-black wall.
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What This Means for Your Fantasy Team (and Your Sanity)
If you're looking at the latest football news and trying to make sense of the title race, stop. You can't. This is the most unpredictable January in a decade.
- Watch the mid-week fixtures: Arsenal and Inter is the game of the week. It’ll tell us if the Gunners are actually in a slump or just had a bad day in the woods.
- Keep an eye on the "Done Deals": The window closes soon. Expect Manchester City to panic-buy a midfielder if they lose another game.
- Don't bet against the bottom feeders: Burnley and Everton just proved that in 2026, the "guaranteed three points" doesn't exist anymore.
The next few weeks are going to be defined by who recovers from this "Weekend of Blunders" fastest. Arsenal still holds a seven-point lead over City and Villa, but that gap feels a lot smaller than it did on Friday. Keep your eyes on the injury reports coming out of the Etihad—Pep looks like he's about to lose his mind.
To stay ahead of the curve, track the official UEFA draw on January 30 for the knockout play-offs. That's when the real season begins. For now, just enjoy the fact that in football, absolutely nobody is safe.