This is The Score with Daniel Storey, a subscriber-only newsletter from The i Paper. If you’d like to get this direct to your inbox, every single week, you can sign up here.
More relaxed, Arsenal fans? No, probably not – but it was still an excellent weekend for the Premier League leaders as both Aston Villa and Manchester City dropped points in surprising circumstances. The lead is six and it will surely not slip.
Manchester United keep on winning under Michael Carrick and scored late again, while exactly the same thing is true for Liam Rosenior at Chelsea. Those two and Liverpool now have a nice buffer if the Premier League is to get five Champions League spots.
At the bottom, Forest and Palace are probably the two happiest teams after drawing with each other although the pattern of the game (Forest leading, Palace then playing for 45 minutes against 10 men) means either could have pulled further clear of West Ham. This one is going to go deep into May; I can feel it.
Here is one piece of analysis on each of the top flight clubs who played this weekend (in reverse table order)…
This weekend’s results
Brighton 1-1 Everton Leeds 0-4 Arsenal Wolves 0-2 Bournemouth Chelsea 3-2 West Ham Liverpool 4-1 Newcastle Aston Villa 0-1 Brentford Man Utd 3-2 Fulham Nott’m Forest 1-1 Crystal Palace Tottenham 2-2 Man City Your browser does not support iframesWolves’ striker woes laid bare again
There was a double dose of negativity after Rob Edwards bemoaned Wolves’ inability to take their chances before conceding against Bournemouth. Edwards’ point was certainly valid, but supporters pointed out that starting Hwang Hee-chan again reduces sympathy given his profligacy has become expected.
It has also been a theme of Wolves’ season as a whole. Before Sunday’s games, 17 Premier League teams had scored between nine and 13 per cent of their shots, but Wolves’ figure – the worst in the Premier League – is five per cent.
It gets no better when Wolves get their shots on target. Again, 17 Premier League clubs score between 27 and 36 per cent of their shots on target. Not only is Wolves’ 16 per cent the lowest in the division, it’s also five per cent lower than any other club.
Burnley
Play Sunderland on Monday night.
West Ham lack ability to close out games
At Nottingham Forest last season (or at least in the first half), Nuno’ Espirito Santo’s strength was using tactics and substitutions to close out games after taking the lead. Between mid October and mid February, Forest took the lead in 14 league games and won 12 of those matches.
West Ham’s worry is that either Nuno has lost that ability or his squad does not contain enough reliable defensive depth for it to work well. Since beating Burnley in November, West Ham have led in eight Premier League matches, won only two of them and dropped 15 points. If even half of those dropped points had been avoided, West Ham would not be in the bottom three.
Here is another statistic: At Forest, Nuno never once allowed a two-goal lead to slip. At West Ham, it has already happened twice – West Ham led 2-0 at half-time against Bournemouth and 2-0 at half-time against Chelsea.
Nottingham Forest’s diamond in the rough
Seasons can turn on moments such as Neco Williams’ handball and red card, but Forest were fully deserving of a point against Crystal Palace that feels like one gained when you consider the half-time situation in theirs and West Ham’s games this weekend.
I wanted to single out Morgan Gibbs-White, whose skill on the ball has never been in doubt but who produced a monumental captain’s performance in the second half. His pressing, often on his own, repeatedly stopped Palace playing quick balls into midfield and he still somehow had the energy to knit together attacks when Forest did get the ball.
Morgan Gibbs-White pokes Nottingham Forest in front inside five minutes! pic.twitter.com/3LhFxZKoo4
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 1, 2026For the last 15 minutes, Gibbs-White was clearly knackered and yet continued to work as best he could and created a chance in the final minutes. He is an absolute diamond and I think people overlook his pressing effort.
Leeds need a quick response
It is an age-old adage: when your unbeaten run contains a high number of draws, how that run ends matters. For all the upturn in Leeds United’s performances and results, they have taken seven points from their last seven league matches.
Losing to Arsenal is no cause for deep worry, of course. But it will now be fascinating to see how Leeds respond.
Six of their last seven home league opponents are Forest, Sunderland, Brentford, Wolves, Burnley and Brighton. If Leeds take 13 points from those games, hardly unthinkable, they will stay up.
Opportunity missed for Crystal Palace
Moving a point further clear of West Ham and drawing away from home with a decimated squad is cause for celebration; stay up this season and nobody will reflect upon what might have been here.
But Palace were still abysmal in their attempts to break down 10 men for the entire second half. They failed to record a single shot on target at backup goalkeeper Angus Gunn and actually recorded a lower xG than Forest in the second 45 minutes.
Ismaïla Sarr draws Crystal Palace level from the spot! pic.twitter.com/en5aRcPuiM
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 1, 2026The passing was slow away from goal and inaccurate when they eventually got there and too often Palace shot from distance because they were incapable of doing anything more creative.
Solanke earns his Spurs with England place available
If you turned off at half-time, judging the sadness and anger at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as something irretrievable, I both sympathise and understand your call. Never forget the curse Spurs hold over Manchester City.
Thomas Tuchel stayed until the end and he must have been impressed by Dominic Solanke’s finishing. The second was a genuine Puskas Award nominee, a scorpion kick that looked a little messier than Olivier Giroud’s back in the day but only because Solanke had to adjust his body to somehow loop the ball up and over Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Dom Solanke draws Spurs level with a SCORPION KICK! pic.twitter.com/0qIFpjhneP
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 1, 2026With Ollie Watkins not prolific and Dominic Calvert-Lewin receiving support for a World Cup place, there is clearly room for a striker to make a mad dash for the US. Could that possibly be Solanke, or is that late injury going to cause yet further absence for a player with bags of talent but no luck?
Hurzeler now a target for Brighton fan ire
A late goal that completely shifts the pressure facing Fabian Hurzeler. Brighton’s home support is largely still supportive of the manager, but social media has seemingly made its position clear: demands for corner flag posts, a proud refusal to engage with the club until he is sacked. It is hyperbolic and performative, but it is also growing.
And Brighton should be better than one win in 11 Premier League games (against Burnley at home), given that run began just when the lack of European football should have provided an advantage. It hardly helps Hurzeler that Everton’s equaliser came in time added on for his decision to bring on James Milner in the last minute, also something plenty of supporters disagreed with.
Next weekend, Brighton have the M23 derby against Crystal Palace at the Amex. Win that and doubts easily dissipate. Concede late again, as Brighton have done to drop points in each of their last two matches, and the knives may come out in the stadium.
A great day for Bournemouth’s teenage recruitment
Last week we praised Andoni Iraola for the manner in which he has handled the sale of key players and the uncertainty over his own future. This week, some love for a recruitment team that has done superb work in identifying young talent to develop.
A year ago, Bournemouth signed Eli Junior Kroupi for £10m and on Saturday he scored his eight Premier League goal of the season; he has been a steal and his chance conversion is off the scale. A week ago, Bournemouth signed Rayan for an initial £25m and on Saturday he got his first Premier League goal involvement.
This is how a club recovers to stay clear of any trouble. You also need a manager prepared to give youth a chance, which must be the principal selling point of whoever replaces Iraola this summer (assuming he does leave).
Sunderland
Play Burnley on Monday night.
Newcastle’s Howe error
As Mark Douglas wrote on Saturday, Newcastle’s record against the top six this season is one win, two draws and five defeats. For a team that looked to have broken into the elite, it is a miserable record that highlights their away struggles.
I think we can also conclude that Newcastle’s summer transfer window was an expensive failure. Nick Woltemade’s decent start feels a long time ago now, while Jacob Ramsey and Anthony Elanga – at a cost of £95m between them – didn’t even get that. Yoane Wissa was expensive for a player out of contract a year later; he is 30 in September and has one Premier League goal or assist.
Whenever Howe mentions the limits imposed by profitability and sustainability rules, think back to those failures. The mind wanders back to the criticism of his transfer business when Bournemouth manager. Was giving him the keys to Newcastle’s recruitment really a good idea?
Moyes has a point
The best post-match quote of the season, from David Moyes about his yellow card for over-celebrating:
“I bloody will do it again. Actually, if I’d been a bit more mobile, I might have done a knee slide. That would only have got me a yellow as well, so I might as well have gone the whole hog.”
I am normally a “well those are the rules, to be fair” kind of guy – I am not a bootlicker, I promise – but in this case it really does feel particularly joyless. Firstly, we have to allow managers, who are under immense pressure, the leeway to celebrate if they are not harming anyone in the process. Secondly, if the yellow card was for leaving the technical area then managers do that all the time.
Never leave Fulham games early
If you want late entertainment, never leave Fulham games early. And when you are a mid-table club punching above your weight, that is a compliment.
Since the beginning of December, Fulham have had a mad close comeback against Manchester City and lost in the 87th minute against Crystal Palace. They have lost in the last minute at Newcastle and won in the 85th minute at West Ham. They have conceded and scored in second-half stoppage time against Liverpool and done exactly the same against Manchester United.
WOW! Kevin equalises in stoppage-time at Old Trafford in some style! pic.twitter.com/QtqOOsub6M
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 1, 2026And more: they have scored a last-minute winner against Brighton, directly after conceding a last-minute winner against Leeds. And since 8 November, the only Fulham game settled by a margin of more than one goal was against Championship opposition in the FA Cup (when, naturally, they scored in the last minute).
Brentford’s magnificent defensive grit wins out
The perfect response to losing at home to Forest is to win at Villa – this Premier League season is silly and unpredictable and Brentford’s last 10 days prove as much.
If there is one thing Brentford are good at, it is defending deep. They have won 11 of their 16 games in which they have led this season, but three of those five failures came in the first month of the season.
"How's that for a finish!"Dango Ouattara strikes from a tight angle to put Brentford ahead before half-time pic.twitter.com/IIuTwQQumE
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 1, 2026This season, Brentford have avoided defeat against Leeds, Villa (twice), Bournemouth, West Ham, Wolves, Tottenham and Sunderland. They have conceded two goals in those games from a total of 118 shots faced. They sit in a low block and allow opponents to take shots but aim to limit their quality. Interestingly, that was Sean Dyche’s defensive strategy at Burnley.
Ekitike steps up for Liverpool (again)
If Liverpool qualify for the Champions League this season (the Premier League is overwhelmingly likely to get five places, then nobody will have done more for the cause than Hugo Ekitike.
It could easily have been different, had Newcastle got their principal target. Ekitike holding up his fingers to goad the away fans, sticking out his tongue too, will ingratiate him further with Liverpool fans but he hardly needs any boost there.
HUGO EKITIKE, WOW! Two goals in two minutes from the Frenchman as Liverpool turn the game around. @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/PMNqKX7UfM
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 31, 2026This season, 25 Premier League players have attempted 40 shots or more. Only Erling Haaland has scored with a higher proportion of his shots than Ekitike (and even then only just). Only two players have scored with more than 45 per cent of their shots on target: Phil Foden with 54 per cent and Ekitike with 59 per cent.
Chelsea’s comeback offers evidence against rotation
One of the reported reasons for Enzo Maresca falling out with his superiors at Chelsea was him being coerced into rotating his team at the advice of medical staff. Given the number of changes made from game to game by Liam Rosenior so far, it suggests that he is listening to the same advice.
The complication was obvious on Saturday: Chelsea’s backup players simply are not of the standard required.
Stamford Bridge erupts as Enzo Fernández completes Chelsea's comeback in stoppage-time! pic.twitter.com/9kObW22Oh4
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 31, 2026Liam Delap is a mid-table Premier League striker at best on current form, Jorrel Hato couldn’t cope with Jarrod Bowen, Alejandro Garnacho produced an all-time bad first half and Reece James offers so much more tactical versatility.
Man Utd’s happy habit
We asked all week whether Manchester United could break down a lower block, something that they struggled with immensely under Ruben Amorim. The results were mixed: a loss of control, a sticky patch, set-piece goals, late collapse that happened often under Michael Carrick’s predecessor.
But who cares when the good late goal vibes are back? Before Carrick took over, United had a -2 goal difference in the 80th minute of their league games this season – 14 goals in the last 10 minutes of their league games. That goal difference is -1 under Carrick and their last two matches have seen five goals scored after the 80th minute.
"This is old-style Manchester United" Benjamin Šeško, WOW! pic.twitter.com/4XzEnIrTQp
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 1, 2026The difference? This time it is falling United’s way. To score once in a week late on to win a match is one thing. To do twice, continue the winning run and retake your place in the top four is another. This squad definitely believes again.
Why Aston Villa’s momentum has stalled
It is the theme of Villa’s season. In the 11 league games where they have recorded their lowest possession, Unai Emery’s team have taken 28 points.
In the eight games where they have recorded their highest possession, Villa have taken eight points. They have a low-block kryptonite and twice this season they have had more than 70 per cent of the ball against Brentford and lost 1-0.
When Villa have succeeded in this type of match this season, the breakthroughs have come from long-range, low-xG chances. Against Brentford, karma came to haunt them. Villa attempted 10 shots from outside the box, 16 more from inside the area and just one from inside the six-yard box. If anything, the red card made it harder.
Second-half Man City are a mess
Manchester City have a huge second-half problem. In 2023-24, when they last won the Premier League title, City “lost” seven second halves. They are already at nine in 2025-26 – only four teams have more defeats and that figure is level with Burnley.
Now you might reason that this is because City often have commanding leads and coast through matches (and that is definitely a thing and was in 2023-24), but it has also cost them points against Chelsea, Brighton and Spurs and almost did against Fulham and Leeds.
Those six points are the difference between them being level on points with Arsenal and not. If it is complacency, it is completely unacceptable.
Arsenal take a firm step towards the title
Given that Arsenal supporters seem to have entered into an emotional psychodrama that can only be ended by their club marching to the title with a succession of comfortable wins, this was a vital weekend. The recent sticky patch, plus Elland Road’s febrile atmosphere, presented further opportunity for existential crisis. Arsenal swatted Leeds aside eventually.
The identity of a key ingredient was also important. Nobody at Arsenal underestimates how crucial Bukayo Saka will be over the next four months, so the sight of him leaving the pitch during the warm-up caused a rush of “We are cursed” negativity.
Step forward Noni Madueke, about whom some Arsenal fans protested when he was signed. Madueke created Arsenal’s first and second goal, but he also completed four dribbles, two fewer than every other Arsenal player combined. We have been crying out for Arsenal to stretch the game in open play; having a right winger who wants to get to the byline and cross, rather than Saka cutting back or driving infield, was actually a nice change.
Read more: I fear for football if this Arsenal side win the league
Your next read
square PETE HALLI fear for football if this Arsenal side win the league
square FOOTBALLTottenham fans have been grossly misjudged
square MARK DOUGLASThe Alexander Isak saga has knocked Newcastle out of the elite
square FOOTBALL Sport AnalysisCasemiro has given Man Utd a real headache
Hence then, the article about the score newcastle s howe error man utd s happy habit and the moyes outrage was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( The Score: Newcastle’s Howe error, Man Utd’s happy habit and the Moyes outrage )
Also on site :