Premier League: Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, and Tottenham all in midweek action

The Premier League’s midweek card is stacked with story-lines that could reshape the top-four race, the relegation fight and even the title chase as Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham all take the field inside 72 breathless hours.

Chelsea’s revival under Liam Rosenior faces its next examination at Leeds, where the Yorkshire side have morphed from December’s crisis club into the division’s form surprise. Rosenior’s Blues have plundered 11 goals in four straight wins to muscle into Champions-League contention, yet the memories of last term’s 3-1 defeat at Elland Road— the result that began the end for predecessor Enzo Maresca—still sting. Leeds, now six points above the drop zone after losing only twice in 11 league outings, have won five of seven evening kick-offs this term and will look to Cole Palmer, fresh from a hat-trick at Wolves, to prove their defensive switch to a back three can blunt English football’s hottest attack.

Everton, buoyed by the Premier League’s fifth-best away record, return to the Hill Dickinson Stadium hoping to cure chronic home-sickness. Four wins in 14 home matches since leaving Goodison leaves Sean Dyche’s men two points behind sixth-placed Liverpool, and Bournemouth—unbeaten in five and showcasing £30.3 m Brazilian prodigy Rayan—offer no respite. The 19-year-old’s solo strike against Aston Villa on Saturday underlined why Antoine Semenyo’s injury has not stalled Andoni Iraola’s front line.

Pressure crackles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium where Newcastle arrive with only two away victories in 15 league tries and the league’s worst traveller’s complex. Eddie Howe’s personal dominance over Thomas Frank—six wins in nine meetings—offers fragile comfort; Spurs have lost 22 of their last 26 home league fixtures and, without the suspended Cristian Romero, could be dragged toward a relegation scrap if the Toon strike first.

West Ham believe they have the antidote to Manchester United’s renaissance. Nuno Espirito Santo has lifted the Hammers out of the bottom three with three wins in four, while winger Crysencio Summerville has scored in five consecutive matches. Yet Michael Carrick’s United have reeled off four straight victories, including a statement success at Arsenal, and Bruno Fernandes—10 goal involvements in his last eight Premier League away games—looms as the danger man at the London Stadium.

Aston Villa’s Villa Park fortress has suddenly sprung leaks. Back-to-back home defeats to Everton and Brentford have allowed chasing Manchester United and Chelsea to close within striking distance, and with Youri Tielemans, John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara all unavailable until April, Unai Emery’s midfield resources are stretched to breaking point. Brighton, stung by fan unrest after Sunday’s home loss to Crystal Palace, cannot afford another slip if Fabian Hurzeler is to quiet the doubters.

Burnley’s 16-match winless slide has left Scott Parker’s side 11 points from safety and the Clarets board contemplating change. A trip to Selhurst Park offers little comfort; Palace ended a nine-game Premier League drought by beating Brighton and have lost only once at home to sides currently below them in the table this season.

At the other end, Manchester City stalk leaders Arsenal with the relentlessness of champions. Pep Guardiola’s men, three points adrift, travel to Fulham knowing the Cottagers have lost eight matches after the 80th-minute mark this term. January recruits Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo have added defensive steel and attacking thrust, and another late show could shift scoreboard pressure back onto the Gunners, who face Brentford in a set-piece chess match at the Gtech Community Stadium. The Bees have scored three goals from long throws this season, but Mikel Arteta’s side have netted 20 of their 49 league goals from set-pieces—both league highs.

Nottingham Forest could drop into the relegation places before kicking a ball at Molineux on Wednesday night. Four of Sean Dyche’s last five league wins have come away from the City Ground, yet Wolves, bottom and 11 points from safety, have proved stubbornly competitive before folding late against Chelsea on Saturday. A failure to beat the league’s last-placed side would cast a pall over an 11-day break that precedes a daunting trip to Anfield.

That assignment may look more inviting for Liverpool if their away form does not improve. Arne Slot’s side have won only two of their last 10 on the road and travel to the Stadium of Light where promoted Sunderland are unbeaten in 12 league fixtures—the longest such run by a newly elevated club since 1977-78. Dominik Szoboszlai’s red card at Manchester City leaves Liverpool without a recognised right-back and has widened the gap to the European spots to four points, but Mohamed Salah and company still boast the league’s most potent attack away from home.

From European dreams to relegation nightmares, every midweek fixture carries seismic weight. By late Thursday the Premier League table could have a radically new complexion.