The Wrap: What's happened in Matchweek 15 so far

The title race is back open. Matchweek 15 began with Aston Villa inflicting only Arsenal’s second Premier League defeat of the season to halt the league leaders’ charge.

That result moved Villa three points off Mikel Arteta’s side, while second-placed Manchester City capitalised by easing past Sunderland to close their gap to Arsenal to just two points.

Elsewhere, a late Leeds United equaliser continued Liverpool’s struggles, Chelsea could find no way past AFC Bournemouth, and Thomas Frank secured a much-needed home win for Tottenham Hotspur against his former club Brentford.

Here is everything you need to know about the weekend’s action.

Villa boss Unai Emery insisted he is “not thinking” about a title challenge, but this victory against leaders Arsenal surely puts his team in the hunt after a poor start to the season.

The gap between Villa and the Premier League summit is now just three points, with Emery’s side having won nine of their past 10 league matches.

“I know 38 matches is very difficult,” said Emery. “We are not a contender. If we were in game 35, perhaps we can speak differently.

"Three points gives us a lot of confidence and it gives us a lot of feelings together about how we are doing in this way. The table, we are feeling better about it than two months ago.”

Victory was dramatic. Leandro Trossard looked to have earned a point for an injury-depleted Arsenal when cancelling out Matty Cash’s opener. But Emiliano Buendia stole the win with almost the final kick of the match.

The hosts’ Expected Goals (xG) tally of 2.27 was the highest by any team against Arsenal in the Premier League this season.

The Gunners had nine shots on target – their most in a Premier League away game since April 2024.

“The result could have been different,” said Arteta. “The reality is not. Now it is time to bounce back.”

Although Chelsea are winless in their last three Premier League outings, Enzo Maresca insists his side remain title contenders.

“The table is so tight,” he said. “I’m still thinking that the four, five, six teams that are at the top are going to be all close.”

This goalless draw left the visitors in fifth, eight points off the pace after failing to take advantage of Arsenal’s earlier defeat.

The returning Cole Palmer made his first league start since August, but Liam Delap was forced off before half-time with a worrying shoulder injury as Chelsea did not score for the first time in 14 Premier League matches.

Bournemouth have not won any of their last six league outings, although they had 13 attempts here, which is their most without scoring in a Premier League home game since February.

They thought they had taken the lead when Antoine Semenyo converted from close range in the fifth minute, but the goal was ruled out due to offside in the build-up.

“I think we had better chances than Chelsea,” insisted Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola.

When he was in charge of Everton, Sean Dyche’s main assignment was avoiding relegation.

Making his return to the club as Nottingham Forest manager, he departed on Saturday with his former team up in fifth (although they dropped to sixth on Sunday).

David Moyes’s side have won four of their past five games, prompting the Everton manager to say: “I want to be positive, I want to say we will try and attempt to get close to Europe. We are not a side yet who will win games all the time, but we are making good progress.”

The hosts led inside two minutes through Nikola Milenkovic’s own goal. After managing just a solitary shot on target in his 16 previous appearances, Thierno Barry then scored his first Everton goal, much to the home fans’ joy.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall capped off another brilliant individual display with his third goal in four Premier League games.

WATCH: Fans react to Barry's goal v Forest

For Forest, who responded little after a triple half-time substitution, it was an afternoon to forget after a prior run of encouraging results.

Suddenly, the gap between Man City and the top of the Premier League table is just two points.

While Pep Guardiola’s side have stuttered on occasion this season, they have been imperious at the Etihad Stadium, with this their seventh consecutive win in front of their own fans.

They seized the game when both City centre-backs, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, scored in the space of four first-half minutes. Phil Foden then added a third just after the hour.

Foden now has nine goal contributions (seven goals, two assists) in his last seven starts across all competitions.

But it was Rayan Cherki, with two assists including an outrageous rabona cross, who stole the show.

WATCH: Cherki's masterclass v Sunderland

“Rayan is an exceptional player,” said Guardiola. “So young, has huge personality. In the final third he has something special.”

Sunderland ended the game with 10 men when Luke O’Nien was shown a red card for a nasty challenge on Matheus Nunes in stoppage time.

That Burnley have lost six successive Premier League games might suggest this was the latest in a run of lacklustre performances by the promoted side. But appearances can be misleading.

Scott Parker’s side were the first team to have a player sent off (Lucas Pires), give away a penalty and concede two goals (to Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon) in the first half of a Premier League match for almost four years.

Yet the numerically depleted visitors showed plenty of spirit in their unlikely bid to take something out of the game, with Zian Flemming scoring an stoppage-time penalty and almost snatching a draw immediately after.

“I feel frustrated and disappointed,” said Parker. “It’s tough. That was an incredible performance from us, probably our best of the season. We’ve set a new bar, today is how I want us to look.”

Newcastle have thrown away more points from winning positions than any other team in the Premier League this season. They were thankful to hold on for victory here.

“We have to improve,” said their boss Eddie Howe. “It was a bizarre ending, and a sluggish start, but we got the job done. It was a tough game and the vibrant second half I was hoping for didn’t happen, but we’ve taken 10 points from the last possible 12.

"That’s no mean feat so let’s be positive rather than negative; we’re moving in the right direction.”

Facing his former club Brentford and feeling no shortage of pressure given his new team’s terrible home form, this routine victory was precisely what Spurs boss Thomas Frank would have ordered.

Spurs managed their second-highest xG total in a Premier League game this season (2.15), their most shots on target (seven), faced their fewest shots (four) and lowest xG against (0.29).

It was the kind of match that makes it all the more baffling that this was just their fourth home Premier League win of 2025, and a first since the opening day of the season.

Both goals came in the first half, with Xavi Simons heavily involved. The Dutchman provided the assist for Richarlison’s opener and then scored a brilliant solo goal – his first since joining the club in the summer.

Simons ended with the most shots (four) and shots on target (two) of any player in the match.

WATCH: Simon's solo goal v Brentford

“I’m so happy for him,” said Frank. “He’s been working very hard. He’s a top pro. He’s so determined. He wanted it so badly in every aspect of his game, and it’s just a little bit of adaptation.”

It swung this way, that way, provided the most dramatic of stoppage-time equalisers, and concluded with Mohamed Salah questioning his Liverpool future – not at all what the champions would have hoped from their Saturday evening trip to Elland Road.

All looked to be going in the right direction for Arne Slot’s team when Hugo Ekitike scored twice in three minutes soon after half-time. But then began the rollercoaster.

Leeds drew level through Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Anton Stach, before Dominik Szoboszlai restored Liverpool’s lead. The sting in the tail saw Ao Tanaka rescue a point from a corner in the 97th minute.

“There’s a sense of disbelief,” said Slot. “The players have worked so hard and to concede from a set-piece again – the 10th or 11th this season. If you concede so many like this, you cannot be higher up the table than we are.”

After a run of nine defeats in 12 games, Slot’s side are now at least unbeaten in three.

But he has a major headache to deal with in the form of Salah, the Premier League EA SPORTS Player of the Season, who did not come on after he was benched for the third consecutive match.

Salah will be available for one more Premier League match, at home to Brighton & Hove Albion next weekend, before departing for the Africa Cup of Nations.

“I will be at Anfield to say goodbye to the fans and go to the Africa Cup,” he said. “I don’t know what is going to happen when I am there.”

Missed opportunities all round. While a win could have lifted West Ham out of the relegation zone, three points for Brighton would have seized on Chelsea dropping points to close in on the top four.

In the end, neither managed it.

West Ham looked to be on track for victory through Jarrod Bowen’s superb finish, until Georginio Rutter struck from close range in stoppage time to share the spoils.

WATCH: Bowen's goal v Brighton

It provided relief for the hosts, but they were worryingly devoid of attacking threat, not managing a single shot on target until the 89th minute.

Oddly, they have not won any of their last six Premier League home games against opponents starting the day in the relegation zone.

“We have to be honest with ourselves, and we didn’t put out our best performance,” said Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler. “We will reflect and analyse, and hopefully we will start games better.”

Bowen described the result as feeling “like a loss”. But things are looking up for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, who have two wins, three draws and just one defeat from their last six Premier League matches.

Marc Guehi’s late header ensured Crystal Palace ended the weekend in the top four. The game looked to be on track for a draw after Harry Wilson’s beautifully crafted goal had cancelled out Eddie Nketiah’s neat finish.

But Palace captain Guehi popped up to add a goal to the assist he provided in the victory over Burnley earlier in the week.

Since Oliver Glasner’s first Palace match in March 2024, his team have won 52 points: only Arsenal (65), Liverpool (57) and Man City (55) have won more.

“It makes me proud because my team didn’t want to just defend the draw, we wanted to win and that’s why we got it in the end,” said Glasner.

“There are small margins like this in every single Premier League game, but we are always able to score goals and defend well.”

Fulham have now lost seven of their last 10 Premier League matches.

Wolves host Manchester United on Monday 8 December at 20:00 GMT.