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Villa re-established a cushion in the battle for Champions League qualification by beating West Ham 2-0, taking advantage of defeats for Liverpool and Chelsea.
West Ham’s loss also meant Spurs avoided dropping into the relegation zone for now, but they have just seven games to arrest a worrying slide and avoid dropping out of the top tier for the first time in nearly 50 years.
Scroll down for the biggest talking points from the weekend’s Premier League action!
City beat Arsenal to seal their first domestic title in a container of highlights as the weekend’s action unfolded, while the broader context saw Tottenham’s difficulties persist and title contenders’ form be scrutinized across multiple matches.
SPURS SINK EVER CLOSER TO ABYSS
Tottenham fans issued a rallying call for the relegation six-pointer against Forest, descending en masse before kick-off to greet the team bus amid a sea of white.
But it made little difference when it came to matters on the field. Spurs are the only side without a Premier League win in 2026 and remain just one point above the relegation zone.
For the second time this season Forest strolled to a 3-0 victory over the Europa League winners.
Igor Tudor missed his post-match duties due to news of a family bereavement. But the Spurs hierarchy have a huge decision to make over the Croatian’s future in the three weeks before they play again.
Hired to bring an immediate lift, Tudor has collected just one point from a possible 15.
“The whole reason the manager was brought in was because he’s had an impact initially at other clubs – that’s the whole remit for him,” a pundit said on Sky Sports.
“The biggest job is to keep Tottenham in the league, but the whole point was to come in and make an impact really quickly.
“He hasn’t made that impact and I think it was always felt that once you got to this international break, it’s almost a ‘see where we are’.
“Unfortunately for him and the club, it hasn’t worked.
“No manager can come in right now and make the players fitter, make them better. The only thing you can do is make them more confident and have more belief in themselves.
Someone with an affiliation to the club [could come in] and try and get the supporters involved. It’s ‘how can we keep this group of players and club in the Premier League right now – we need togetherness’.
“With the situation he finds himself with his family and at the club, I think it would be better if Tottenham parted ways with Tudor and looked to bring another manager in between now and the end of the season.”
SLOT LACKS SOLUTIONS TO LIVERPOOL SLIDE
The defending champions slumped to a 10th league defeat of the season as Danny Welbeck struck twice in Brighton’s 2-1 win over Liverpool.
Any hope that Arne Slot’s men had turned the corner in a dominant 4-0 victory over Galatasaray to reach the Champions League quarter-finals proved short-lived.
“This is a backwards step for Liverpool,” a pundit said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“You just don’t know what you are getting from this team. The spine of the team is not there. They are looking around saying ‘what’s going on?’. They can’t find an answer.”
A flat performance lacking intensity, creativity and riddled with individual errors was a familiar feeling for a fan base who have begun to question Slot, less than a year after he delivered the club’s 20th league title.
“I could come up (and) tell you all the reasons why we’ve lost 10 times this season,” Slot said, referencing Liverpool’s lengthy injury list.
Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Alisson Becker were among those missing from the trip to the south coast, while Hugo Ekitike limped off inside the opening 10 minutes.
“It’s not my job to find excuses,” Slot added. “My job is to find answers.”
Slot desperately needs to find those answers during the international break to make a top four charge in their remaining seven games - Liverpool are five points behind fourth place Aston Villa.
The Reds’ Champions League hopes also remain alive, but next month’s quarter-final against defending champions PSG could be ugly if they do not turn their form around.
“If they go and play like that in Paris it could be 10-0,” a pundit said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“That’s how bad Liverpool were today. Brighton weren’t clinical and tried to walk it in, but PSG will be clinical. It’s very, very worrying for Liverpool.”
SLOT LACKS SOLUTIONS TO LIVERPOOL SLIDE
The defending champions slumped to a 10th league defeat of the season as Danny Welbeck struck twice in Brighton’s 2-1 win over Liverpool.
Any hope that Arne Slot’s men had turned the corner in a dominant 4-0 victory over Galatasaray to reach the Champions League quarter-finals proved short-lived.
“This is a backwards step for Liverpool,” a pundit said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“You just don’t know what you are getting from this team. The spine of the team is not there. They are looking around saying ‘what’s going on?’. They can’t find an answer.”
A flat performance lacking intensity, creativity and riddled with individual errors was a familiar feeling for a fan base who have begun to question Slot, less than a year after he delivered the club’s 20th league title.
“I could come up (and) tell you all the reasons why we’ve lost 10 times this season,” Slot said, referencing Liverpool’s lengthy injury list.
Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Alisson Becker were among those missing from the trip to the south coast, while Hugo Ekitike limped off inside the opening 10 minutes.
“It’s not my job to find excuses,” Slot added. “My job is to find answers.”
Slot desperately needs to find those answers during the international break to make a top four charge in their remaining seven games - Liverpool are five points behind fourth place Aston Villa.
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