PREMIER LEAGUE RACE HEATS UP AS JAMIE CARRAGHER MAKES CALL
Jamie Carragher warns Arsenal that the Premier League title race pressure in March and April is their biggest hurdle. He believes their squad is currently better than Liverpool's but cites the run-in as a major test.
Arsenal has received an alarm from Jamie Carragher about the many traps that could cost them the Premier League championship. Before Liverpool's defeat to Chelsea on Saturday, the Gunners defeated West Ham United to take the top spot in the league table during the October international break.
After an incredible seven-game winning streak at the beginning of the season, Arne Slot's team suffered their third straight loss after losses to Crystal Palace and Galatasaray. Arsenal lost four points to Manchester City and Liverpool during this period, but they have since started a winning run of their own, winning four straight games with just one loss.
With just three goals given up in the Premier League, they defeated West Ham last weekend to record their seventh clean sheet of the year. Even though Mikel Arteta's team is beset by injuries, new additions have greatly increased the team's depth.
Carragher praised his contribution as a substitute in last month's comeback victory over Newcastle United, even though he has not been playing at his best lately.
Carragher also shared his thoughts on the title fight, offering a new angle on Arsenal's prospects as they compete against Liverpool for the championship.
On the most recent episode of The Overlap, he said, "The only thing that can stop you is that thing that has probably stopped other teams in the past, when you get to March and April, and there is so much hanging over your shoulder."
"I agree with what you stated; we have all said it: they have a team, and they are currently superior to Liverpool. They will come and play a little, but I never put my ticket [on Liverpool].
"I believe that, going into January in particular, what you used to do and what others used to say is three or four points behind the lead. Even in February, Liverpool might fall five or six points behind, in my opinion.
This last point is not conclusive, though, since Liverpool struggles with inconsistent play and loses some games. Significant changes were made to the playing group during the summer transfer window, and the situation is definitely being impacted by the record transfer of Alexander Isak's delayed signature.
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
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Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
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