EPL WEEKLY WRAP - All You Need to Know Before Kick-off

Missed some of the action in Gameweek 29 of the Premier League? Don’t worry, I’ve got you. I caught it all, and below I recap the week’s biggest storylines, from Arsenal opening up a seven-point gap at the top, to Chelsea’s statement win at Villa Park and Tottenham’s collapse against Crystal Palace.

The biggest story of the week is Arsenal reaffirming their grip on the Premier League title. They  won 1-0 against Brighton on Wednesday morning NZT to move seven points clear at the top, while most other chasers failed to advance their cases.

Bukayo Saka marked his 300th club appearance by scoring the only goal inside 10 minutes, cutting in from the right and seeing his deflected strike squirm through Bart Verbruggen. After that, it wasn’t pretty, but Arsenal got the job done. They’ve now won 10 league games by a single goal this season, their most at this stage of a campaign since 2003/04. 

But perhaps the biggest boost for Arsenal was what happened elsewhere. Second-placed Manchester City drew 2-2 at home to Nottingham Forest, twice taking the lead yet twice being pegged back. With Erling Haaland still sidelined, City are wobbling at the worst time possible. They may still have a game in hand, but with just eight games to go, seven points is starting to look like a comfortable cushion for Arsenal.

Manchester United also lost, with their unbeaten run under Michael Carrick ending against Newcastle. Will Osula scored a 90th-minute winner to give the 10-man Magpies a 2-1 win after Jacob Ramsey had been sent off for a controversial second yellow. Anthony Gordon had earlier converted a penalty before Casemiro equalised in a frantic end to the first half. 

Of the chasing pack, it was only Chelsea who picked up a win, putting on their best display of the season to thrash Aston Villa 4-1 on the road. The win sees Chelsea draw closer to fourth-placed Villa, just three points afloat now. 

The standout mid-table story of the week belongs to Sunderland, who beat Leeds 1-0 at Elland Road to move onto 40 points and up to 11th. Interestingly, this is the most points by a promoted side at this stage of a Premier League season since Sheffield United in 2019/20. It was also Sunderland’s first league win in March since 2012.

Elsewhere in the middle of the pack, Everton beat Burnley 2-0 with goals from Jarrad Branthwaite and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Jordan Pickford recorded his 10th clean sheet of the season and is right in the mix for the Golden Glove. They now sit eighth on 43 points, and are suddenly having a much better campaign than expected.

Looking towards the bottom of the table, it’s poor old Tottenham that once against grab the headlines here.

Their 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace extended the club’s winless league run to 11 games, the worst in Tottenham’s Premier League history. Dominic Solanke gave them the lead, but Micky van de Ven was shown a straight red card for hauling down Ismaila Sarr as the last man, and Palace scored three times in seven minutes before half-time. They’re now 16th on 29 points, just one above the relegation zone. Van de Ven’s suspension means he’ll miss the trip to Liverpool for Gameweek 30 too. 

Zero domestic wins in 2026. I genuinely don’t know how Newcastle avoid relegation if they can’t sort their defence out - they’ve conceded two or more goals in nine consecutive league matches, which has never happened before in their history.

Nearby Tottenham on the table, West Ham beat Fulham 1-0, moving up to 28 points. This draws them level with Nottingham Forest, who did well to draw against Manchester City. 

This means that while the bottom two of Burnley and Wolves looks settled, Tottenham and Forest are very much in danger. Wolves did pick up back-to-back wins before the break, including a shock 2-1 over Liverpool courtesy of Andre’s 94th-minute winner, but 16 points after 29 games is still a massive ask.

For NZ fans using sports betting apps or checking betting promotions ahead of Gameweek 30, Saturday’s fixtures are looking excellent this week. Arsenal host Everton at 7:00am NZT, Chelsea take on Newcastle at 7:30am NZT, and the big one is Liverpool v Tottenham at 6:30am NZT on Sunday. Given Tottenham’s current state, that could be grim viewing for Spurs fans. 

I’ll have a stack of predictions and multis coming out shortly, so keep an eye out for these if you’re looking to get a bit of football betting in.