Premier League Matchday 25 Review

The race for the title and European places continues to heat up in the Premier League. Arsenal secured a crucial victory over Leicester thanks to a brace from Mikel Merino. Manchester City dismantled Newcastle with a rapid-fire hat-trick from Omar Marmoush, while Nottingham Forest suffered a setback with a defeat at Fulham. Here’s a look back at the standout matches from Matchweek 25.

Arsenal grateful for Merino’s heroics

Travelling to Leicester, Arsenal—depleted in attack due to multiple absences—needed a win to keep pace with Liverpool. However, the Gunners struggled for long periods against a well-drilled Foxes side. Their first-half display was lacklustre, marred by poor offensive decision-making and avoidable offside calls. Leicester, on the other hand, came close to opening the scoring through Wilfred Ndidi, who saw a powerful shot saved before heading wide from close range.

The game finally opened up late on, courtesy of Mikel Merino. Introduced in the second half, the Spaniard made an instant impact, heading home a superb cross from Ethan Nwaneri to break the deadlock in the 81st minute. Just six minutes later, he doubled Arsenal’s advantage with a well-placed left-footed strike across goal. The victory keeps the Gunners in second place, maintaining the pressure on Liverpool, while Leicester remain mired in the relegation zone.

Forest stumble at Fulham as City close the gap

Third in the table heading into the weekend, Nottingham Forest endured a frustrating 2-1 defeat at Fulham. Nuno Espírito Santo’s men fell behind early to an Emile Smith Rowe goal but responded just before the break through Chris Wood, who capitalised on a deflected ball to level the score.

Despite Forest’s resurgence, Fulham continued to dominate after the restart and regained the lead on the hour mark as Calvin Bassey nodded home a well-taken header. Switching to a back four in search of an equaliser, Forest created late chances but ultimately fell short. This marks their second defeat in three matches, allowing Manchester City to close the gap to just three points after their emphatic win over Newcastle. Meanwhile, Fulham’s victory boosts their European hopes, lifting them to eighth place.

Marmoush on fire as City put on a show

In a battle between top-four hopefuls, Manchester City put on a masterclass, thrashing Newcastle 4-0 at the Etihad. The night belonged to Omar Marmoush, who bagged a sensational hat-trick in just 14 minutes. The Egyptian forward opened the scoring with a delicate chip over the keeper following a pinpoint long ball from Ederson, before doubling his tally with a deflected low strike. He completed his treble in the 31st minute, latching onto an Ilkay Gündogan cross to make it 3-0.

Newcastle, overwhelmed in all areas, never looked capable of mounting a response and conceded a fourth late on when James McAtee found the net moments after coming on. With this statement win, City climb back into fourth place, while Newcastle, still struggling for consistency, remain seventh.

Maddison fires Spurs to vital win over United

Finally, Tottenham Hotspur secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Manchester United, completing their first league double over the Red Devils. After snapping a seven-game winless run with victory over Brentford two weeks ago, Spurs recorded their first home win since November.

James Maddison proved the match-winner, pouncing on a loose ball spilled by André Onana following a Lucas Bergvall strike to put Spurs ahead in the 13th minute. United had their chances, including a glaring first-half miss from Alejandro Garnacho, but were denied by a brilliant display from Guglielmo Vicario on his return to the side. The victory lifts Ange Postecoglou’s men to 12th with 30 points, overtaking United, who drop to 15th.