Who’s Kicked On and Who’s Fallen Flat? Premier League Points Swings Laid Bare

Twenty-four games down in the 2025/26 Premier League and the plot thickens. The title race is tight, Europe’s a bunfight, and the trapdoor looks ominous for a few. Stack this season’s tallies against last year’s and you get a clear picture of who’s purring and who’s puffing. Data courtesy of journalist Dougie Critchley, as of 05/02/26.

20–16: The basement and the brink

Wolves look marooned. Bottom with just 8 points, they’re a hefty 11 worse off than this stage last term. They limped to 16th in 2024/25; right now they’re miles from safety.

But the biggest slide belongs to Nottingham Forest. Seventeenth with 26 points and a staggering -21 versus last season, which is jaw-dropping for a side that finished seventh in 2024/25. The regression is as alarming as it is mystifying.

West Ham are deep in bother too: 18th on 20 points and seven down on last year’s pace. As for Burnley (19th, 15 points) and Leeds United (16th, 26 points), there’s no comparison to make after last season’s Championship stints, but the current numbers tell you both have a real scrap on.

15–11: The mid-table muddle

Crystal Palace are doing Crystal Palace things: 15th on 29, just one shy of last season’s mark. The reliable middle-laners of the league.

Tottenham, for all the grumbling under Thomas Frank, are actually two points better off at this stage: 14th on 29. It says as much about the Spurs of last season as it does about the present lot.

Brighton have eased off slightly (13th, 31 points, -3), while Bournemouth have dipped more noticeably (12th, 33, -7). The real eyebrow-raiser is Newcastle: 11th on 33 and eight worse off than a year ago. From Champions League chasers to mid-table strugglers—Eddie Howe’s side have lost their edge.

10–6: Hopefuls, surprises, and one giant wobble

Everton are loving life at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Tenth with 34 points and a chunky +7 on last term—David Moyes has them organised, awkward, and sniffing around Europe again.

Fulham sit steady (9th, 34, -2), while newly promoted Sunderland continue to defy the script (8th, 36, no comparison to make) with mature, front-foot football. Brentford, under Keith Andrews, are five to the good (7th, 36, +5) and making plenty of the doubters look daft.

Then there’s Liverpool. Sixth with 39 points and a whopping -18 on last season despite a blockbuster summer for Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitike. That’s not a blip; that’s a season-long stumble.

5–1: The sharp end, where margins are thin

Chelsea pressed the button in January, swapping Enzo Maresca for Liam Rosenior. The Blues are 5th on 40, three shy of last season’s clip—work to do if they’re to better last year’s fourth place.

Manchester United have rocketed. Fourth with 41 and a league-best +12. Michael Carrick has lifted the mood, tightened the structure, and nabbed nine points from nine to start—no Europe, no distractions, and a top-five finish firmly on the table.

Aston Villa are serious operators: third with 46 and nine up on last season. Unai Emery has them playing with authority and control—proper title-race gatecrashers.

Manchester City are six better off (2nd, 47). They’ve still looked mortal at times, but with Pep Guardiola plotting, you’d be brave to bet against them hunting down the leaders.

Arsenal headline the lot: top on 53 and three ahead of their own pace from a year ago. It’s not a dramatic leap, but it feels like the incremental gains of a side that knows how to win ugly, as well as beautifully. That, in tight run-ins, is often the difference.

The title race is still on a knife-edge—and for those weighing up form and momentum, our guide to the best betting sites is a handy companion while the run-in twists and turns.

The takeaway

United and Villa surge, City lurk, and Arsenal look the part. At the other end, Wolves and West Ham are in the mire, with Forest’s nosedive the most startling shift of all. From here, it’s about big moments and bigger nerves. Strap in.