After a week of international football we’re back to Premier League action in ten days time, and there are some truly mouth-watering clashes to look forward to, and some matters to be settled.
The last time league leaders Liverpool met their city rivals Everton there were fireworks aplenty, with a dramatic 98th minute equaliser for the Toffees and two red cards in the chaos which followed. Arne Slot’s team led deep into stoppage time after Alexis MacAllister and Mo Salah turned the game round following Beto’s early goal. It looked like the final Mersey Derby at Goodison Park was about to end in defeat for the hosts but then up popped centre back James Tarksowski with a blistering volley which almost bust the net and lifted the roof off the stadium.
As tempers flared in a red hot atmosphere Liverpool’s Curtis Jones and Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure were both sent off to be followed by Slot and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff. Everton boss David Moyes was understandably cooler. Since his return the Toffees have had a remarkable upturn in form which has lifted them up to 15th place in the Premier League table and a whopping 17 points clear of the drop zone.
The fallout from the battle of Goodison will ensure this is a tasty clash a week on Wednesday in what has been know for years as the ‘Friendly Derby’. I suspect it won’t be so amenable if Moyes’ Boys do another job on the Reds. The Premier League 2025 betting odds suggest Slot’s team is within touching distance of the title, some 12 points clear with just nine games to play but this is not a game to miss, and we’ll be all over it right here at SBOTOP.
There’s another high stakes derby to enjoy on Thursday when Chelsea, currently fourth and in an almighty battle for a Champions League spot, entertain Tottenham Hotspur who are locked on 34 points with Everton. After a strong campaign Enzo Maresca’s men have had a bit of a wobble and have lost three of their last five league games. Meanwhile Tottenham’s Premier League 2025 results have improved slightly on their efforts in the first half of the campaign, but they are without a win in three.
Top and Bottom D-Day is Tuesday
The top flight action returns on Tuesday and two games in particular could have a huge bearing on the outcomes at either end of the league table and there’s another fixture which sees two teams inhabiting each others’ worlds!
Arsenal versus Fulham is another derby but with real implications for both teams. While the Gunners are the only club with any realistic chance of catching Liverpool, slim though it is, the Cottagers are right in the thick of the race for European places, in eighth position and just four points behind their illustrious neighbours Chelsea. The Gunners beat Chelsea last time out thanks to another goal from makeshift striker Mikel Merino, while the Cottagers found another gear when they faced Tottenham Hotspur , Rodrigo Muniz and Ryan Sessegnon scoring two late goals to see off the North Londoners.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have stuttered in recent weeks with only two wins from the last five in the league, while Marco Silva’s Fulham have been blowing hot and cold, with three wins and two losses.
Elsewhere on Tuesday all eyes will be on Molineux where Wolverhampton Wanderers will hope to hammer another nail into the coffin of the bottom three when they entertain West Ham United. The two teams are only a place apart, in 17th and 16th but, while the Hammers’ Premier League future is assured, Wolves are the only team the hapless trio of Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton can catch, though the Saints have been long gone. Nine points and a much better goal difference is Wolves’ cushion and it could become ever so comfortable if they can get a result from this big match. Both teams have two wins from five though Wolves have a much bigger incentive and a lethal goal scorer in Matheus Cunha.
Ipswich are away to Bournemouth while Leicester visit Manchester City by the way.
The other Tuesday fixture which captures the eye is Nottingham Forest at home to Manchester United, third versus 13th. Yes that’s the right way around; while Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest are hunting down a Champions League place, Ruben Amorin’s Red Devils have pulled away from the bottom three and have settled nicely in lower mid table. Both clubs come into the game on the back of two wins, Forest over Ipswich and Manchester City in the league and United over Leicester in the league and Real Sociedad in the Europa League. But while Forest’s team is performing miracles to a man, skipper Bruno Fernandes is carrying the Red Devils
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