Premier League News 23.04: Change at the Top

It wasn’t an overly busy Wednesday on the pitch for the Premier League but that didn’t mean it was without intrigue. Quite to the contrary, the two matches that took place brought some clarity to the table as we get close to the weekend. With teams having four or five matches left, the picture is getting clearer as far as how things may fall. Let’s take a look at what happened Wednesday and how it impacts things in the standings.

Tie at the Top

It was just three weeks ago that Arsenal was alone atop the Premier League standings. The Gunners held a nine-point advantage over Manchester City as they pursued their first title since 2003-04. With a record of 21 wins, seven draws and three losses at that point, things were rolling for Mikel Arteata’s squad.

However, fast forward to Wednesday and see how things have changed. Arsenal dropped their two Premier League matches in that span. Meanwhile, with Man City’s 1-0 triumph over Burnley Wednesday, the two sides have identical 21-7-5 marks and are tied for the top spot. As a result of goals scored, it’s Man City owning the top spot in the table.

Erling Haaland’s 24th goal of the Premier League season, coming in the fifth minute, was the lone marker of the contest. Burnley mustered just one shot on target while being beaten 28-9 in shot attempts in the contest. With the loss, the Clarets dropped to 4-8-22 on the year. The defeat ensured that Burnley is relegated to the Sky Bet Championship next season.

Leeds Inching Toward Safety

In a battle of sides with momentum, Leeds and Bournemouth went to the wire and in the end, nothing was settled.  The two sides traded goals midway through the second half to open the scoring. Bournemouth took a 2-1 lead in the 85th minute on a goal by Rayan. It seemed like Bournemouth was going to pick up the victory. Instead, in the seventh minute of stoppage time, Sean Longstaff booted the tying goal from the middle of the box to the bottom right corner of the net to even the score. Two minutes later, the match was over and ended in a 2-2 draw.

With the result, Leeds ran their unbeaten streak to five with two wins and three draws. They are 9-13-12 on the year for 40 points. That puts them 15th in the table, nine points clear of Tottenham to avoid relegation. Meanwhile, Bournemouth is unbeaten in 14 straight matches, with six wins and eight draws, dating to January 3. They stand seventh in the table with a 11-16-7 mark for 49 points. They missed a chance to jump into sixth place and stand six points of Liverpool for fifth place. That fifth-place spot comes with a guaranteed Champions League berth next season.

What’s On Tap

There are no Premier League fixtures on the docket Thursday. The next fixture to take place features Nottingham Forest traveling to take on Sunderland Friday night. That is followed by five matches on Saturday. Aston Villa visits Fulham, Crystal Palace travels to face Liverpool and Everton takes on West Ham. Meanwhile, Tottenham battles Wolverhampton in a clash of teams likely to be relegated. In the final fixture Saturday, Newcastle travels to take on a reeling Arsenal. With Sunday being dark, the final match of the week comes Monday when Brentford  heads to Old Trafford to tangle with Manchester United.