EPL Review: A two-horse title race and the rise of the underdogs

After Arsenal’s impressive 1-0 success at Brentford on Wednesday, round 19 of games in the Premier League concluded, bar the Merseyside derby.

It's looking indeed like a two-horse race in the Premier League, will Liverpool blink in their title charge? (Photo credit: GOAL)

After Arsenal’s impressive 1-3 success at Brentford on Wednesday, round 19 of games in the Premier League concluded, bar the Merseyside derby, which was postponed due to a whirlwind at Goodison Park.

The first half of the season introduced us to Liverpool and Arne Slot, demonstrating the Dutchman's seamless transition into the role of Jurgen Klopp. We met a reinvigorated Mohammed Salah, who is running out of records to break, all at the young age of 32.

We saw an indifferent Arsenal; one moment they’re firing hard, and the next they’re looking like a side who needs help. Despite their potential, can we trust them to mount a successful title challenge? Maybe their activities in the current window will answer that with Bukayo Saka injured.

We can’t disrespect the champions; we must talk about them even though they’re nowhere near where we expect them to be at this stage of the season. What went wrong? Where did Pep Guardiola’s mojo disappear to? The title may have vanished, but when will Manchester City recover?

Step forward Nuno, what a season Nottingham Forest is having. Nottingham Forest, with a 33-year-old upfront, a group of warriors in midfield, and a certain Nigerian running both ends in the defence, is currently ranked third on the log and is performing exceptionally well. Are we having another Leicester City season? Will Forest keep the energy flowing?

Let’s talk about Chelsea, shall we? The summer's abyss quickly transformed into a stable squad, with one half consistently achieving league results and the other half excelling in the Conference League. Although they have slowed down in recent games, we cannot deny the Blues' impressive performance.

Newcastle comes next, having secured five consecutive victories, the most recent of which was a rare victory at Old Trafford, a venue where Eddie Howe had previously experienced no success. The 2-0 win gave them a great finish to 2024, and now they're pushing for another Champions League football.

Aston Villa is a team that struggles with consistency, while Brighton is a team that struggles with consistency. Both teams are struggling to find consistency, and it's crucial that they do so soon. Brighton hasn’t won a game in six, but they have only lost two of those. At Villa, Morgan Rodgers and Emi Martinez are the key players; others need to step up.

Tottenham Hotspur faces a challenging situation; with Micky Van De Ven and Christian Romero out injured and their first-choice goalkeeper unavailable, is it inappropriate to ask Ange Postecoglou to adjust to the available players? Is he facing the sack soon?

The three newly promoted sides all look like they’re going back to where they came from. Ipswich beat Chelsea for their first home win of the season, and the other two already changed managers. While Van Nistelrooy's Leicester team appears strong, the trio appears destined for relegation.

Fulham and Bournemouth both deserve mentions. Marco Silva and Andoni Iraiola have both impressed with their teams sitting in 7th and 8th on the log and hoping to keep things together. To put that into context, the duo are only a point behind Manchester City.