Just three points separate the Premier League's top three after Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa all claimed narrow victories on Saturday to keep things interesting
Martin Odegaard celebrates scoring for Arsenal against Brighton
Arsenal beat Brighton on Saturday to remain top of the Premier League
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All three of the Premier League's title contenders won on Saturday to leave things as they were. All three victories were by a 2-1 margin, too, with Arsenal holding on against Brighton, Manchester City squeaking past Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa coming from behind away at Chelsea.
With 18 games gone, Mikel Arteta's Gunners remain on top of the pile with 42 points. City are two behind them, with Villa just one more behind them,
It's all very delicately poised, and to add to the drama, Unai Emery will take his Villa side to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday. Emery has already handed his former side one of their two defeats this season, with Emi Buendia scoring a late winner in the West Midlands, and it wasn't the first time Emery has haunted his old employers.
The season is long, and the next round of fixtures won't decide things for good. To begin with, the transfer window opens just two days after Arsenal host Villa, and both clubs - as well as title rivals City - will have decisions to make on their respective squads.
So, what are the key things to keep an eye on in the title battle? Here, Mirror Football takes a closer look at what we should expect.
The looming six-pointer
Arsenal were far from their best at Villa Park at the start of December but still nearly rescued a point. Their equaliser came in a brief spell of quality after Leandro Trossard's introduction from the bench, but Villa rallied and got their win in the dying seconds.
Arteta's side have been in the title mix in each of the last three seasons, and matches against Villa have felt significant more than once. A dramatic late 4-2 win in 2023 looked like a real title statement for the Gunners, only for the title chase to collapse late in the season, while a defeat in April 2024 and a collapse from 2-0 up in January 2025 both hurt the London side in different ways.
Emi Buendia celebrating his winner against Arsenal
Emi Buendia scored Aston Villa's late winner against Arsenal in early December
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One key for Arsenal this time around could be the return of Gabriel. The Brazilian came off the bench in Saturday's win against Brighton after six league games out with an injury sustained on international duty - including that away game at Villa Park.
January's big decisions
All three of these teams have benefited from their January recruitment in recent seasons. Trossard, Jorginho and Jakub Kiwior all added depth to Arsenal in 2023, while City added the likes of Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez in a £200m spree last January.
Villa were also busy in that window, with loan moves for Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford followed by a run of 29 points from 14 games to leave them just shy of Champions League qualification. They aren't the only ones who could have a busy point ahead, though.
Antoine Semenyo during Brentford vs Bournemouth
Antoine Semenyo could be a difference-maker if he joins Manchester City in January
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The biggest question surrounds Antoine Semenyo, who reportedly wants to join City. It will cost £65million to bring the Ghana international to the Etihad Stadium but he would arrive as a plug-and-play option who could yet make the difference title-wise.
Arsenal are also refusing to rule out more investment, while last season was far from Villa's only big January. Star man Morgan Rogers joined from Middlesbrough midway through the 2023/24 campaign, while Jhon Duran was a big-money January arrival in Emery's first campaign in charge.
Villa may feel they need another striker, despite Ollie Watkins' match-winning brace at Chelsea on Saturday. Watkins and fellow frontman Donyell Malen have just nine league goals between them, with Villa's total return of 29 goals the lowest among the current top six.
Injuries could hold the key
Riccardo Calafiori in Arsenal training
Riccardo Calafiori was injured in the warm-up before Arsenal beat Brighton
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Arsenal were without Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori against Brighton on Saturday, while Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera have also been missing to leave them with a threadbare back-line.
Kai Havertz is close to a return, though, while Gabriel Jesus' form since recovering from long-term injury has impressed Arteta. “I think Gabriel has a lot to offer to the team and he's proven that straight away in the first minute that he was available to play," the manager said, all but ruling out a January exit.
City are without Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri for as long as their respective countries remain at the Africa Cup of Nations, though John Stones and Jeremy Doku could return sooner after injury-enforced absences. Villa are also without a handful of players, including late AFCON call-up Evann Guessand.
The key for all three sides will not just be the absences themselves, but also how they deal with them. Last season, Arsenal eventually ran out of steam after injuries to Havertz and Gabriel Jesus left them down to the bare bones up top and they'll want to avoid a repeat.
The next five fixtures
Rayan Cherki celebrating his winner at Nottingham Forest
Rayan Cherki's winner at the City Ground kept Pep Guardiola's Man City in the hunt
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Arsenal and Villa might not be looking beyond the Villa game for now, but there's plenty to be wary of beyond then. They also have Bournemouth (a), Liverpool (h), Nottingham Forest (a) and Manchester United (h), and may be grateful to be up against Liverpool when the champions are without both Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak.
City's next game is away to a Sunderland team left depleted by the Africa Cup of Nations, with Chelsea (h), Brighton (h), Man Utd (a) and Wolves (h) after that. The Manchester derby looms large, especially given United's recent green shoots.
As for Villa, three points against Arsenal would likely increase the attention on the games that follow. They come against Nottingham Forest (h), Crystal Palace (a), Everton (h) and Newcastle (a) - matches from which they took a combined six points last term.
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