Hello everyone! The writing staff has been on Holiday in Australia and it’s starting to show. The long hours in the sun on the beach and endless flat whites has thrown everyone off, nobody knows what day it is.

All that to say, one match from week 20 is already completed and the next one starts in 5 minutes.

Whoever said better late than never, clearly never wrote a Premier League newsletter.

Enjoy!
-Gabe

In this edition

• Fixtures

• Extra Slice

Matchweek 20 Fixtures

Saturday, Jan 3rd

⭕ Aston Villa 3 -1 🌲 Forest

🐧 Brighton vs 🟣 Burnley — 7:00 AM — Peacock

🐺 Wolves vs ⚒️ West Ham United — 7:00 AM — Peacock

🍒 AFC Bournemouth vs 🔫 Arsenal — 9:30 AM — NBC
Arsenal kick off 2026 with their intentions clear: finish the job. After three straight runner-up finishes, the Gunners start the new year at the top of the table and are “super cereal” about winning the league this time.

A dominant 4–1 win over Aston Villa midweek, paired with Manchester City’s stalled draw against Sunderland, has only strengthened Arsenal’s grip on the title race. The trip to Bournemouth looks like a manageable next step (especially against a side winless in 10 league matches) but recent history suggests this fixture isn’t quite that simple.

Bournemouth were one of the few teams to truly disrupt Arsenal last season, completing a rare league double that included a 2–0 win at the Vitality Stadium. But this Arsenal side arrives better faster stronger… and more ruthless. Their dismantling of Villa was everything Arteta wanted heading into the run-in: set-piece dominance, defensive goals from Gabriel Magalhães, and attacking fluidity led by Leandro Trossard, who continues to quietly rack up goals and assists. Dare I say it, they could go all the way.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, continue to scrap and resist. A spirited 2–2 draw at Chelsea showed fight, with Antoine Semenyo once again at the heart of everything dangerous the Cherries do. His long throws, direct running, and end product remain Bournemouth’s biggest weapon, and if Arsenal switch off even for a second…well they better watch out.

Sunday, Jan 4th

🦉 Leeds United vs 🟥 Manchester United — 4:30 AM — NBC
This fixture never needs extra spice, but Manchester United vs Leeds arrives with plenty of it anyway. United limp into Elland Road looking for stability after a messy end to 2025, where leads have evaporated almost as quickly as they’ve been earned. A recent draw with bottom-placed Wolves summed it up: lots of chances, an early goal, and yet another equalizer conceded. United has dropped more points from winning positions than anyone else in the league this season.

Leeds, on the other hand, are trending upward at just the right time. Daniel Farke’s switch to a back three and more direct approach has sparked a six-game unbeaten run, including back-to-back draws with Liverpool. Elland Road has been rocking again, with Leeds scoring freely at home and failing to find the net just once there all season. Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s recent scoring run has added a focal point up top, and against a United side that hasn’t kept a clean sheet away from home in months, there net could see some action.

🟦 Everton vs 🐝 Brentford — 7:00 AM — Peacock

🏠 Fulham vs 🔴 Liverpool — 7:00 AM — Peacock

⚫️ Newcastle United vs 🦅 Crystal Palace — 7:00 AM — Peacock

🐓 Tottenham Hotspur vs 🐈‍⬛ Sunderland — 7:00 AM — Peacock

🌙 Manchester City vs 🦁 Chelsea — 9:30 AM — NBC
Sunday at the Etihad feels less like a title clash and more like a stress test for two teams heading in opposite emotional directions. Manchester City arrive fresh off a frustrating 0–0 draw at Sunderland that snapped an eight-game winning run, but their home form remains ruthless; eight straight league wins in front of their own fans.

 Chelsea, meanwhile, land in Manchester in full damage control. Enzo Maresca’s abrupt New Year’s Day exit has left the Blues reeling. Former City keeper Willy Caballero, is in the blues dugout and will be looking to wake his team up after a run of one win in seven league matches. Whatever optimism existed in November has evaporated fast.

On the pitch, the contrast is just as sharp. City look steady with the return of Rodri at halftime on Wednesday, his presence restoring control even if the breakthrough never came. Erling Haaland, has been devastating at home all season with 11 home goals. Chelsea’s biggest issue hasn’t been creating chances, but holding onto leads; they have dropped 15 points from winning positions this season. Add the absence of Moisés Caicedo through suspension and lingering defensive injuries, and the task becomes even steeper against a City side that is anything but forgiving.

History doesn’t offer Chelsea much comfort either. City are unbeaten in their last eight league meetings with the Blues and almost always find the net in this fixture. Chelsea have managed just three wins in their last 16 trips to the Etihad.😬

^{Times are in Pacific Standard Time and channels are based in the U.S.
Stats are supplied by Opta Analyst.}

Extra Slice 

Maresca Says Ciao

And just as quietly as he appeared, he was gone. After the 2–2 draw with Bournemouth, Maresca changed, said nothing to his players, skipped the press conference, and walked out. By New Year’s Day, the relationship was over. Officially the two parties parties “parted company”. What made the exit so jarring wasn’t just the timing, but the speed: a manager who won November’s Manager of the Month was suddenly deemed untenable before the calendar flipped.

Behind the scenes, tension had been building around control… specifically, minutes. Chelsea’s medical department operates independently, setting strict playing-time limits for returning players. Maresca increasingly pushed back, playing key figures like Reece James beyond recommended thresholds, creating friction with staff and executives alike. Add in frustration over rotation, reluctance to trust younger players consistently, and public comments that the club felt invited unnecessary scrutiny, and the cracks widened. Results didn’t help either: one league win in seven, a Premier League–high number of points dropped from winning positions, and growing unrest inside Stamford Bridge.

The final accelerant came off the pitch. Maresca’s admission that he had held conversations linked to Manchester City (entirely within his contractual rights) raised doubts about his long-term focus just as Chelsea entered a brutal January schedule. For ownership, the noise became the story, and the story became the problem. Chelsea pulled the plug believing short-term disruption was preferable to long-term drift. Now, with another reset underway and a talented but fragile squad watching closely, the bigger question looms: is this decisive leadership, or just another chapter in a cycle Chelsea still haven’t learned how to break?