The final act of the Premier League soap opera is hurtling into view.
As the number of remaining games in this desperately tight table tumbles away, the form of each team rounding the final corner of the campaign becomes increasingly important.
Liverpool and Arsenal delivered one of the most enthralling episodes of this season's series with a breathless 2-2 draw at Anfield on Sunday. A share of the spoils left Arsenal's lead at six points above Manchester City, although Pep Guardiola's side have a game in hand and host the Gunners this month.
Premier League form table (last six games)
Position | Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Arsenal | 5 | 1 | 0 | 16 |
2 | Manchester City | 5 | 1 | 0 | 16 |
3 | Aston Villa | 5 | 1 | 0 | 16 |
4 | Newcastle | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
5 | Brighton | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
6 | Tottenham | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
7 | West Ham | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
8 | Manchester United | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
9 | Bournemouth | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
10 | Liverpool | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
11 | Chelsea | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
12 | Wolves | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
13 | Leeds | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
14 | Crystal Palace | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
15 | Everton | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
16 | Brentford | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
17 | Southampton | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
18 | Fulham | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
19 | Nottingham Forest | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
20 | Leicester | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
Arsenal may have been held to a draw but they remain the division's in-form side, collecting 16 points from their previous six matches and scoring a league-high 20 goals in the process. Liverpool have taken half as many points in the same period yet managed to overturn a two-goal deficit against the Gunners at Anfield.
“The feeling I have right now is quite similar to that I had in previous battles with Liverpool, when we were able to win 17 or 18 games in a row to be champions,” Pep Guardiola warned at the end of March. The Catalan - not for the first time - proved to be prescient with his prediction as Manchester City recorded an eighth consecutive victory across all competitions against Southampton on Saturday.
City may be gunning for the title (and the Gunners) but Aston Villa have been able to keep pace with Guardiola's side over the last six matches. In fact, since Unai Emery's first match in charge back in November, Villa have collected as many points as the reigning champions. Emery's organised outfit limited Nottingham Forest to precious few openings in a 2-0 victory on Saturday - no side has conceded fewer than Villa's two goals in the last six games.
- Unai Emery’s incredible Aston Villa points record compared to Arsenal & Man Utd
Nottingham Forest, conversely, have shipped the second-highest tally in the division in recent weeks. The relegation battlers are one of only two clubs that are winless during this window. After a meek 1-0 loss to Bournemouth on Saturday, Leicester City are waiting for their first victory in two months, losing seven of their last eight, including both games since Brendan Rodgers' sacking. Manchester City ominously await.
Rounding out the leading gaggle of in-form sides, Newcastle United have recovered as the race for the top four heats up. After a trio of goalless outings centred around an underwhelming Carabao Cup final defeat, Newcastle have plundered 13 goals in their last five games, winning all of them.
Crystal Palace's second-half mauling of Leeds United on Sunday continued the G-force-inducing new-manager bounce Roy Hodgson has sparked. Winless in 2023 before the veteran coach returned to Selhurst Park, Palace have won consecutive games under Hodgson's watch, rattling in seven goals - as many as the team could muster across their previous 15 league games.
Fulham have lost as many matches as Palace in this sequence of fixtures but the club's trajectory is emphatically pointed in the opposite direction. There is no threat of relegation after such a bright return to life in the top flight for the Cottagers but their season does face a very real risk of tumbling to a sour conclusion. With Aleksandar Mitrovic sidelined until May, Fulham will have to halt a run of four consecutive league defeats without their top scorer.
