Good Morning,
Exciting matchups this morning across the board. Plus we look at the managers to win the league their first attempt. But first, can we address the fact that yesterday I said it was a waste of time for Southampton to even show up against City? Consider my words, eaten. Congrats saints on not being the worst team ever. It’s a
-Gabe

Matches

⚔️ Sunday’s Scrappy Showdown: Newcastle vs. Chelsea

It’s a Champions League six-pointer up north as fourth-place Newcastle host Chelsea in a top-five tug-of-war. The Magpies have quietly gone full throttle—only Liverpool have picked up more points in the last 20 games—and a lot of that is down to one man: Alexander Isak. The Swede has been a goal machine since December, racking up 19 goals (15 from open play), and he’s looking to make it four straight games scoring against the Blues. With St. James’ Park back to being a fortress and VAR drama still echoing from last week, expect chaos, passion, and probably another Isak penalty.

🔵 Chelsea Heating Up at the Right Time

Don’t sleep on Chelsea though—they just handled Liverpool with swagger, and the stats say this team’s been better than their early-season memes suggest. Enzo Fernández is finally delivering on that hefty price tag, creating more open-play chances in 2025 than anyone not named Mo Salah. Chelsea have now strung together three straight wins, and with an xG (expected goal count) that screams "we're cooking," Maresca’s men are peaking at just the right time. Add in Cole Palmer breaking his dry spell and a decent 31-win record against Newcastle? We’ve got ourselves a banger.

Manchester United vs. West Ham 
The Red Devils look to rebound from a 4-3 loss to Brentford and distance themselves from the bottom crowd. West Ham, have the chance to leap frog United and jump to 15th with a win.

Nottingham Forest vs. Leicester City
Forest, the season's surprise package, aims to get back on track for their top 5 finish aspirations.

Tottenham vs. Palace
Spurs, host a Palace team looking to finish the season on a high. Tottenham’s Europa final is not for another 10 days but a match against the fast paced Eagles will be a good match to sharpen them up.

Liverpool vs. Arsenal
Anfield hosts a marquee matchup as newly crowned champions Liverpool face Arsenal. While the title is secured, Liverpool won’t want to lose back to back games against top 6 opponents. On the other end, morale must be at an all time low over at the Emirates, Arsenal could use a little win to cheer them up.

Extra Slice
🥇 First Time’s a Charm

🧞‍♂️ The Slot Machine Pays Out Early
Arne Slot just joined one of the most exclusive managerial clubs in Premier League history: debut season title-winners. The Dutchman didn’t just steady the post-Klopp ship, he turned it into a rocket. Liverpool tore through the league with a 26-game unbeaten run and sealed the crown with a 5-1 throttling of Spurs at Anfield. Now with 20 league titles, Liverpool sit shoulder to shoulder with Manchester United.

📚 Welcome to the One-and-Done Club
Slot joins an eclectic crew of first-season legends. José Mourinho walked into Chelsea with a Champions League crown and left his first Prem campaign with 95 points and just 15 goals conceded (still a record). Carlo Ancelotti did it again with Chelsea in 2009-10 with unreal stats : 103 goals, and Lampard contributing to a goal per game. Manuel Pellegrini’s Man City squeezed past Liverpool in a 100+ goal shootout of a season. Antonio Conte flipped Chelsea's system mid-season and rattled off 13 straight wins en route to 30 total, the first manager to ever hit that mark. And of course, there’s Claudio Ranieri’s 5,000-to-1 Leicester miracle, powered by Vardy’s record-breaking scoring streak and N’Golo Kanté’s infinite lungs. Slot may be the latest member, but with only three league losses, he has every right for a seat at the table

🏆 Managers Who Won the Premier League in Their First Season at a Club:

• Alex Ferguson – Manchester United (1992–93*)

• José Mourinho – Chelsea (2004–05)

• Carlo Ancelotti – Chelsea (2009–10)

• Manuel Pellegrini – Manchester City (2013–14)

• Claudio Ranieri – Leicester City (2015–16)

• Antonio Conte – Chelsea (2016–17)

• Arne Slot – Liverpool (2024–25)

(*Ferguson had been manager for years, but 1992–93 was the first official Premier League season.)

 Tweet of the Day

Southampton guilty of celebrating not being last a bit too hard

📈 Table