Arsenal fight to hold Premier League lead over festive period

Will high-speed Manchester City climb to the top of the Premier League during the Christmas break or can Arsenal hold firm at the number one position?

Pep Guardiolas City welcome struggling West Ham to their home ground on Saturday following six consecutive victories across all tournaments, whereas the Gunners have a challenging away match against Everton later that day.

Aston Villa meet Manchester United, aiming to sustain their remarkable streak that has propelled them into contention for the championship, while Liverpool journey to confront faltering Tottenham.

AFP Sport examines three key discussion points before the weekend fixtures:

City target the summit

Pep Guardiolas Manchester City have shifted into a threatening rhythm and sit merely two points adrift of the longstanding Premier League frontrunners Arsenal.

The Gunners face a demanding sequence of league encounters ahead, beginning with an away clash at Everton, followed by meetings with Brighton, Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Liverpool. 

City, eager to recapture the crown they surrendered to Liverpool in the previous campaign, would surge to the leagues pinnacle, if only for a brief moment, by defeating the Hammers.

Mikel Artetas squad appeared fatigued during their 2-1 triumph over basement dwellers Wolverhampton last week and were fortunate to secure the victory thanks to an own goal in added time.

They registered only two efforts on target in spite of their abundant forward options.

Arteta also criticised poor defensive practices that fall far short of the necessary standards against Wolves, though this should be viewed alongside a wave of significant injuries.

William Saliba returned for the visit to Molineux, but Gabriel Magalhaes and Cristhian Mosquera remain sidelined, and the Gunners saw Ben White exit with a hamstring problem midway through the game.

Arsenal continue as frontrunners to claim their initial Premier League trophy since 2004, yet they must prevent City from gaining momentum.

Villa confront rivals United 

Arsenal and Manchester City stay as the primary contenders for the Premier League honour, but dismissing Aston Villa proves challenging.

Unai Emerys team, who failed to score in their opening four outings this term, have triumphed in 10 of their last 11 domestic fixtures and trail Arsenal by a mere three points.

However, it extends beyond mere successes, it involves the style of those triumphs.

Villa rallied from two goals down on two occasions to overcome West Ham 3-2 last week, after staging a comeback against Brighton and netting a dramatic late goal versus Arsenal.

Emery indicates his squad experiences no undue stress.

We feel driven by ambition and seek to compete in Europe alongside the Premier League, the Spaniard noted. Enjoy every game, focus on preparation, then recover. 

The players need to feel at ease with this approach. This forms our ongoing method. Now we face Manchester United.

Emery engineered a win over United at Villa Park in his debut game there, but that stands as the sole instance of Villa defeating the Red Devils on home soil in the Premier League since 1995.

Struggling Spurs

Thomas Frank conceded there exists no rapid solution at Tottenham following their harsh 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest last week. 

Yet how tolerant will the Spurs leadership remain after only four successes in their previous 14 outings across competitions.

Supporters suffered a dismal Premier League season under Ange Postecoglou last year, ending in 17th place, but at least the play was engaging and they ultimately rejoiced in Europa League success.

Little concrete advancement has emerged under ex-Brentford manager Frank, whose 11th-ranked outfit now host title holders Liverpool.

After 16 league matches in 2024/25, Postecoglous group had netted 11 additional goals and allowed two less than Franks current team.

Notably, just Everton, Sunderland and Wolves have mustered fewer shots on target than Tottenham, despite bolstering their offence during the summer market with arrivals like Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani.

Frank believes he will receive the opportunity to reverse the fortunes, but time presses on.

Fixtures

Saturday (1500 GMT unless stated)

Newcastle v Chelsea (1230), Bournemouth v Burnley, Brighton v Sunderland, Manchester City v West Ham, Wolves v Brentford, Tottenham v Liverpool (1730), Everton v Arsenal, Leeds v Crystal Palace (both 2000)

Sunday (1630)

Aston Villa v Manchester United 

Monday (2000)

Fulham v Nottingham Forest