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The weekend’s Premier League action saw Manchester City and Manchester United close the gap to Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table.
The Gunners were held to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium by a plucky Brentford side riding the crest of a form wave under Thomas Frank.
A point was enough to ensure Arsenal maintained their position at the top of the Premier League form table, with seven wins from their last ten outings, but City‘s 3-1 win over Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium means the gap at the top of the table is back down to three points and the gap in the form table to one.
United, meanwhile, cruised to a 2-0 win over Leeds United to chalk up their sixth win in their last ten – a slightly better record that Newcastle, Brentford and Brighton, who all have picked up 20 points from a possible 30.
The one feather in Newcastle and Brentford’s cap is that they’re unbeaten in that time, with Marco Silva’s Fulham rounding out the top seven.
Those who have displayed up and down form over the last ten games include three of the Premier League’s ‘big six’, but they have all been outgunned at times.
In fact it’s Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Wolves who complete the Premier League’s top ten according to the form guide, just ahead of Leicester after their 4-1 spanking of Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs sit 12th in the form table after losing five of their last ten – more worryingly they’ve shipped 19 goals in that time.
Liverpool have also tasted defeat five times and have a negative goal difference, while Graham Potter’s Chelsea have scored just six goals en route to picking up two wins in ten.
You won’t be surprised to know that 50% of the bottom half-dozen teams in the form table have changed their manager – Southampton have even done it twice after removing Nathan Jones from his role as first team manager.
Crystal Palace‘s Patrick Vieira is one boss not under pressure despite winning just two of his last ten, but a slightly worse record at Leeds was enough for Jesse Marsch to get the boot.
Sean Dyche has replaced Frank Lampard at Everton and is off to the perfect start, but he has a long way to go to drag Everton up the form table. West Ham have had a pretty shoddy time of it under David Moyes recently, scooping up just six points, but it’s still a better record than the one mustered by Gary O’Neil at Bournemouth.
Southampton bring up the rear after winning just once in ten – their 2-1 defeat at Wolves leaving the club searching for a third manager in as many months.
