Premier League top four takes shape ahead of final international window of the year

The English Premier League table saw a major shift in narrative after Matchweek 10, as some of the big clubs succumbed to the highly competitive nature of the division. Juggernauts, Manchester City, hit a tumble on Saturday as they suffered a third straight defeat in the league, losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest. Defending champions Arsenal, after beating Hull City, cemented their top spot with a 5-point lead over second-placed Brighton & Hove Albion.

The defeat turned bitter for Enzo Maresca’s side, as all three goals conceded came out of lousy football while in possession. Forest’s first goal came from their centre-back Jair Cunha, who picked Josko Gvardiol's pocket and penetrated through the defence against all odds to put Forest in front. City’s expensive backline went down quite easily against a defender, casting shadows of indiscipline at the back for the Manchester side.

Former Man City striker, Liam Delap, scored the second shortly from an unopposed counter to find a two-goal cushion for the home side. City showed some response with a goal from Ryan Cherki, but Delap put the game to bed with a brace against his old club. Forest coach Oliver Glasner sprinted down the sideline to celebrate the third as his side moved up to 16th place on nine points, out of the relegation zone. With City going down, the onus was on Brighton to find 3 points and climb up the table to secure second spot. Fabian Hurzeler’s side comfortably beat Brentford 2-0, forcing City down to third.

Meanwhile, defending champions Arsenal had no trouble defeating Hull City at the Emirates Stadium (home of Arsenal) on Saturday. Mikel Arteta’s side emerged victorious in a classic 1-0 win. The scoreline barely reflected the game, as Hull City had no answers to Arsenal’s attack, yet letdowns in the final third prevented the Gunners from taking a healthy lead. Despite the lack of goals, the champions were in complete control of the game.

Noni Madueke hitting form in Bukayo Saka’s absence helped Arsenal’s charge at the top. Madueke’s relentless attacking on the right flank was a handful for the opposition defenders. The only goal of the game came off his ambitious shot, which Hull City goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis was able to parry away, yet club captain Martin Odegaard scored off the rebound.

William Saliba’s return after an injury which sidelined him through this season leaves Arsenal happy to go into the international break. Their arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur tasted defeat against Leeds United after a winning spree of three games.

Liverpool bounced back off their loss against Arsenal in the previous week with a 3-1 win against Crystal Palace. Palace slumped to the bottom of the table, with their manager Pierre Sage’s job under scrutiny. Sunderland beating Chelsea 1-0 helped Liverpool return to the top four before the break.

The final game of the matchweek produced the most dramatic result, with Manchester United pulling off a final-minute comeback to rescue a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa. Villa scored twice inside the opening five minutes through Alysson and Nicolas Jackson. United pulled things back from a Bruno Fernandes penalty and an equaliser from Youri Tielemans.

Michael Carrick’s men crumbled in the second half with Diogo Dalot conceding a penalty for a clumsy challenge on Alysson, which John McGinn fired home from the spot. Leon Goretzka then restored Villa's two-goal lead with a tap-in after sloppy United defending.

Joshua Zirkzee reduced the deficit by slotting one home in stoppage time, before Patrick Dorgu headed home the equaliser in the final minute, letting Carrick breathe a sigh of relief and leaving Villa boss Unai Emery Furious at full time.

With pressure mounting over his role at the club, Carrick said his side had done enough to win but individual errors had cost them. "We haven't won enough games, but I expect to move forward and keep working on things that we've been working on and showing a lot of the good (we showed) in the game today, tighten up on a few mistakes and win football matches," he said.

Despite redemption, the draw left United in 18th place with a meagre eight points from 10 games, above Sunderland only on goal difference. They continue in the relegation scrap, securing the fewest wins in the league, with their only win coming back in August against Ipswich Town.
(With Reuters input).