The Premier League’s Gameweek 12 ended with Arsenal maintaining their advantage, while their rivals struggle, but Chelsea are in the mix to make their case as title contenders.

Gameweek 12 of the Premier League ended with more drama than anticipated before it began, as there were plenty of movements in the table. There were a few surprise results along the way as well as blows to some title challengers in their quest for success, while Arsenal continued to write the script at the summit.

The Gunners continued to counter-punch their way at the top of the standings, having first sat down to watch Liverpool and then Manchester City lose their games before thumping Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates. Thomas Frank has a lot of questions on him, while Mikel Arteta answered the first of the three in what could be a pivotal week in their so far tremendous season.

Meanwhile, there was a new challenger in town as Chelsea climbed up the charts and into second. Their victory over Burnley makes their next game on home soil against Arsenal all the more important in the context of the title race, as the Blues could be very much in the mix then or already out of the equation depending on the direction of the result.

Meanwhile, he struggles of Liverpool continued while Manchester City showed yet another side of their team with an inconsistent display at St James Park. It may not mean too much in the current moment for Newcastle United, but Pep Guardiola fighting with a cameraman certainly showed the Catalan boss has some nerves in the title race after watching his side lose further ground to Arsenal.

Manchester United ended a five-game unbeaten run at Old Trafford with a strange loss to Everton. Had they won it, their position on the table would have been different, but they are currently in the bottom half or near it. To end the stories of this Gameweek, the relegation battle continued to show different faces, as things are getting much clearer than before on who might be the real candidates.

Arsenal relentless in the North London Derby thrashing

The build-up to this particular edition of the North London Derby placed all the pressure on Arsenal in the context of the title race. The dropped points at Sunderland before the international break allowed Manchester City to close the gap to fourth, while Chelsea’s win over Burnley on Saturday meant the Gunners only had a three-point advantage at the top, albeit having a game in hand.

Thomas Frank opted for a pragmatic approach in yet another big game, fielding five defenders at the back in an attempt to restrict Arsenal’s movements. Mikel Arteta made light work of Spurs’ tactics and ensured his players got the better of them in every part of the pitch.

The story was, of course, about Eberechi Eze, who famously turned down a high-profile move to Tottenham in the summer and made a preferred switch to Arsenal. The former Crystal Palace side proved to be a thorn for Spurs yet again, with a swashbuckling hat-trick at the Emirates, a first from any player in the North London Derby since 1978 and the very first in the Premier League era.

Arsenal’s domination made them look like the real deal in this title race, as Arteta certainly answered one of the three questions posed in a pivotal week in fitting style. The next two games are key for the Gunners as Bayern Munich and Chelsea are on their agenda, with the latter holding more importance in the current scenario.

Arsenal have a big chance on their hands to put daylight between them and the next best team in the league, in Chelsea. The trip to Stamford Bridge is poised to see the top two in the league take on each other, with the Gunners in with a chance to open a nine-point advantage between themselves and their chasers next weekend.

Chelsea in firm Premier League title contention?

Chelsea have stormed back into the title conversation after a few good results and certainly benefited from the abysmal form of those around them. With an early victory over Burnley setting the tone for Gameweek 12, their slender advantage over Manchester City worked in their favour as Guardiola’s side collapsed at St James Park.

While their fans would have hoped the three-point gap between them and Arsenal would have added to the pressure on the leaders, but that wasn’t the case. However, the reality of the situation is that the Blues are currently seen as title contenders, despite the long-term doubts over their ability to challenge.

Enzo Maresca’s side have the quality in midfield and the attack to mount a title challenge, but there are questions about whether they are defensively capable of sustaining it. The loss of Levi Colwill and the inconsistent fitness of Wesley Fofana could be the big difference between them fighting for a top-four race rather than being closer to Arsenal.

Next weekend will be pivotal to determine Chelsea’s title-challenging credentials. A win would take them within three points of Arsenal, but a loss would allow Arteta’s side to open a nine-point gap. Should the latter scenario transpire, the chances of anyone closing that kind of gap will be difficult, especially for Chelsea, which could potentially bow out of the title race one week after entering the frame.

Trouble in Manchester?

The victory over Liverpool before the international break painted a picture showcasing Manchester City as the bona fide challengers to Arsenal for the title. The fortnight without Premier League action certainly allowed a build-up sort of within the two fanbases, with the Cityzens claiming they could repeat the scenarios from the 2022-23 season when they chased the Gunners down.

While the trip to Newcastle United was always seen as a tricky proposition, the surprising part was that both teams missed gilt-edged chances to take advantage of proceedings. Phil Foden and Erling Haaland both missed their opportunities, while the same could be said about Nick Woltemade, among others.

Newcastle United winning the game amid controversial circumstances may not mean too much for the Magpies in terms of their prospects for the main prize, but it certainly did for Manchester City. Guardiola was furious with the cameraman for some reason, but that was a show of frustration in how crucial the loss could prove in the title race.

Having gained two points over Arsenal, they now lost three to their rivals, with Arteta’s side now opening a seven-point advantage over Man City at the top. There will be an inquest into the below-par performance from Guardiola’s side, as they are steadily entering a frame where they might need to win 90% of their remaining games to stand a chance to win the title and, more importantly, topple Arsenal off their perch.

Meanwhile, back in Manchester, the Red Devils hosted Everton in what turned out to be a bizarre game. With both teams starting the clash evenly, the Toffees saw a man sent off as early as the 13th minute as Idrissa Gueye was red-carded for slapping his own teammate, Michael Keane, after a strange incident on the pitch.

Despite the advantage, it were the Toffees who looked much dangerous when attacking, and soon scored a goal through a terrific effort from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Everton barely threatened the Red Devils, but Ruben Amorim’s side were surprisingly clumsy in how they approached the rest of the game.

The man advantage did bring early predictions of a huge result, but Everton not only put in a strong defensive performance, but they looked rather comfortable doing so despite being a man down. Amorim’s tactics were widely criticised as well as his substitutions, but more importantly, Manchester United missed the beat to climb up the standings, which could hurt their season and the manager.

Liverpool’s struggles hit a new low; Arne Slot to be sacked?

The sight of an emptying stadium has become synonymous with Manchester United in recent years, but it was the Champions who witnessed the phenomenon following a disastrous result against Nottingham Forest at Anfield.

The Merseysiders entered this game at the back of a disappointing loss to Manchester City before the international break, as the fans widely expected them to beat Nottingham Forest at Anfield. Before the game, Forest languished in 19th place, and Sean Dyche put in a masterclass.

A 3-0 scoreline does not resemble a disaster waiting to happen, but a team already in a major crisis. The emptying stadium always means the fans are steadily losing trust in the team and, more importantly, the manager.

Having been five points ahead of leaders Arsenal at one stage, Liverpool have since suffered six losses in seven Premier League games, with the Gunners now eleven points ahead. Questions are being asked of Slot over his role at the helm, and while reports have stated he could be given time until the end of the season, should more such results arrive, he could leave soon.

Surprisingly enough, Slot does not have too many key injuries to deal with and has been unable to get a tune out of his expensive summer signings. Florian Wirtz was missing with a fitness issue on Saturday, but the likes of Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, alongside Milos Kerkez, have failed to hit the ground running.

Moreover, there are big question marks over some of the seasoned stars in this team, with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister and Ibrahima Konate continuing their unimpressive form in the team. There’s huge pressure on Liverpool and Slot to turn things around.

Hence, the upcoming games will be crucial to Slot’s future, as the writing seems to be on the wall, at least from the fans, that they will not oppose a change of guard. It won’t be the first time nor the last, but the Premier League could see yet another title-winning manager relieved of his role midway through the season.

The changing face of relegation

A few weeks ago, West Ham United and Nottingham Forest were showing signs that they could be in the thick of a relegation battle, but things have changed on that front. Given the performances of newly promoted sides, Leeds United and Burnley looked like units that could use their early-season momentum to escape being in the bottom three altogether.

With West Ham United and Nottingham Forest making key managerial decisions before they would have left it too late. The arrivals of Nuno Espirito Santo and Sean Dyche have been key to the chances of both teams, who gained an advantage at the weekend.

With Wolves losing yet again, they are now the favourites to go down a the end of the term, while Leeds United and Burnley joined the Midlands side in the bottom three. Burnley’s loss to Chelsea and then Leeds United succumbing to Aston Villa have now changed the relegation odds, with the incumbents the favourites as things stand.

The fact that both West Ham and Nottingham Forest have squads stronger than the usual relegation battle team will help them climb up the table steadily in the coming weeks. It remains to be seen whether any of the other teams closer to the bottom three, such as Fulham, Brentford or Newcastle United, get any worse, although the quality they have could see them open a sizeable gap with the relegation favourites.

Should Burnley and Leeds United not improve their fortunes, the duo, alongside Wolves, will be in a league of their own and destined for the Championship. For now, West Ham and Nottingham are the clear favourites to escape relegation in a big way, as the identity of the favourites to go down is becoming increasingly clear.