10 things we've learned from Week 36 of the 2023-24 Premier League season
There were hardly any true upsets to be found in Premier League Week 36, where normal service continued for the two main title challengers.
Manchester City and Arsenal had little trouble collecting all three points, and multiple-goal wins were the story of the weekend as Newcastle United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Nottingham Forest all followed suit.
[ MORE: Premier League upcoming schedule, all results | PL table ]
We've still got one more match left in Week 36, and there are no sure things in Manchester United's visit to explosive (Watch live at 3pm ET Monday on USA Network and streaming online via NBC.com).
Here are 10 thoughts from our writers, as Joe Prince-Wright, Andy Edwards, and Nick Mendola share their observations from across the most recent PL games.
10 things we learned from Week 36 of the 2023-24 Premier League season
William Saliba is Arsenal’s most important player
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French center back William Saliba has not missed a single second of Arsenal’s Premier League season and that is why they’re still in the title race with two games of the season to go. His absence last season coincided with an almighty defensive meltdown and that was no coincidence. Saliba bailed out Arsenal twice on Saturday as he recovered superbly in the first half to deny Dominic Solanke after Gabriel’s mistake, then turned on the jets to stop Justin Kluivert’s counter and calmly keep possession of the ball. Saliba reminds you of prime Virgil van Dijk: So calm, powerful, and efficient in everything he does. He even made a marauding run forward and should have scored in the first half as the similarities with Van Dijk are clear. Arsenal keeping another clean sheet, their 17th of the season (most in the PL) and conceding just 28 goals (the fewest in the PL) is in large part down to Saliba’s incredible calmness, durability and solidity. Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Declan Rice get plenty of praise and rightly so, but there is a legitimate claim to be made that William Saliba is Arsenal’s most important player. When he’s not there, everything falls apart. Luckily Arsenal haven’t been without him this season. Saliba is one of those players who makes everyone around him better and more comfortable. He's Arsenal’s MVP. — Joe Prince-Wright
Erling Haaland, Man City send another reminder
[ MORE: Watch all of Haaland’s 25 goals this season, see his career stats ]
Erling Haaland's injury deprived him of the chance to challenge his single-season Premier League record for goals, but his four-spot on Saturday run his goal-per-minute to one for every 91.88 minutes in league play. While that's about a quarter-hour off from debut season — one for every 77.14 minutes — it is still pretty darn good and comes in a season in which Kevin De Bruyne missed the first 20 PL games and Haaland missed matches 16 through 21. While other good teams missed plenty more stars this season, City was without two FIFA Best XI players for considerable stretches of this hopeful fourth-straight title run. What's more? Twenty-four year old Julian Alvarez has come into his own, now onto 10 goals and nine assists in PL play this season. Pep Guardiola rebuilds on the fly as well as anyone, and City could seal a title while looking to the league and saying, "Is that the best you could do?" — Nick Mendola
Pochettino will be very positive about next season
[ MORE: Pochettino’s long speech on what’s changing at Chelsea ]
It looks like Chelsea could finish in the European spots after all and given everything they have been through this season that would be a remarkable achievement. Chelsea won’t spend much this summer and they probably don’t need to. Defensively they will have key players back and that is the main area where Chelsea can improve, as even in this mauling they gave up big chances and had the crossbar to thank on three occasions for not conceding. Going forward and in midfield they look pretty set as the quartet of Madueke, Palmer, Jackson and Gallagher have clicked in attack. Not having to bed in new players and introduce your philosophy during preseason will be a huge help to Pochettino, and the finish to this season will have bought him more time as things are clearly heading in the right direction at Chelsea. With Liverpool having a new manager, Spurs’ project under Postecoglou stalling, Manchester United struggling on and Aston Villa unlikely to maintain their upward trend with Champions League football likely, Chelsea will have a legitimate chance of finishing in the top four next season. — Joe Prince-Wright
Newcastle a total vibes team at the right time
The laundry list of injuries hoisted upon Eddie Howe’s Magpies this made a European return feel unlikely at points this season, but the attacking quality is so good that the points have piled up. It sure helps that Manchester United and West Ham United have wildly underachieved in the second half of the season, but that disclaimer needs to be followed in bold by the world-class talent of Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes (and, perhaps, an emerging superstar in young Anthony Gordon). The duo will be recruited hard this summer but are electric and capable of performing on the highest stages. Their goals and playmaking have helped overcome injuries to key pieces like Sven Botman, Kieran Trippier, Joelinton, and Callum Wilson. The last two names were back on the pitch by the end of the game Saturday — Wilson started and played so well with his goal and would-be assist — and reminded everyone that Newcastle’s project might’ve been ahead of schedule last season, but look on that initial schedule now with a possible Europa League qualification. — Nick Mendola
Spurs running on fumes (yet eventually running some, nonetheless)
Liverpool 4-2 Tottenham Hotspur
[ MORE: Jurgen Klopp’s reaction to big win, penultimate home game ]
Tottenham had a few good minutes early at Anfield, then largely went to bed for the better part of an hour. It felt like perhaps the season of learning and playing Ange Postecoglou’s exuberant and energetic system had finally sucked the players dry (Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds vibes, honestly). But Richarlison’s entry led to a goal and Tottenham suddenly seemed to realize this wasn’t a dead end. Liverpool, of course, doesn’t ever stop playing open football and so we got a nice and entertaining finish (for everyone but Jurgen Klopp). Both of the these teams need their summer recharge, as Arne Slot (presumably) will try to reinvigorate a good but fading Liverpool and Postecoglou will seek to find more players who want to play his way. Spurs can’t quit their charge because of who's coming up behind them — let alone Aston Villa’s still-congested Run-in — but the North Londoners can clearly use for a rest. — Nick Mendola
Villa running out of steam
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa have run out of steam, seemingly proven Sunday after being hinted by their 4-2 defeat at home to Olympiacos in the Europa Conference League semifinal first leg on Thursday. Villa never got going at Brighton and looked so sluggish. The Villans were never able to gain control of the game. This is understandable given how intense their season has been with the Thursday-Sunday grind and that they’ve reached the final four of the Conference League and are close to clinching Champions League qualification in the Premier League. Villa’s squad has been stretched to its limits and they have achieved great things. But they were so far off it at Brighton that it doesn’t bode well for the second leg of their Conference League semifinals at Olympiacos on Thursday as Emery aims to oversee a remarkable comeback. — Joe Prince-Wright
Callum Hudson-Odoi shines with season-saving brace
Sheffield United 1-3 Nottingham Forest
It was the kind of performance that Callum Hudson-Odoi was expected to deliver in future title races at Chelsea not so long ago, not relegation fights at Forest. But Forest fans will be singing the 23-year-old’s name in the East Midlands this weekend after scoring first to pull Forest level at 1-1 in the 27th minute, then again to make it 3-1 in the 65th. Hudson-Odoi’s first goal was of the highest quality, turning and instinctively curling the ball toward the far post from just inside the penalty area. The second wasn’t as impressive for the quality of finish, as it was for the shifty dribbling and beating of the defender before sticking another right-footed finish far post. In truth, Hudson-Odoi should have had a hat trick as he pinged a nearly identical chance off the outside of the post just a couple minutes earlier. — Andy Edwards
Another almost in Luton’s season of nearly
An overhead kick that slams into keeper Jordan Pickford. A shot through traffic just deflected out by Jarrad Branthwaite. Oh, Luton, you were so close to a winner on Friday — even getting the rub of the green on two possible penalties — and that’s been the story so often this season. Granted most of their “almosts” came much earlier in the season, like the 4-4 draw with Newcastle that could’ve been a win, the 3-2 loss at Chelsea that featured a 2.64-1.57 goal differential advantage for the Hatters, and a similar September loss to West Ham (There were points won that shouldn’t have been, too, but we digress). That said, three points were necessary at home against a team that has very little but vacation left in its plans. Luton will regret this match as much as any this season (including the stunning loss to Sheffield United). You have to beat the lower-half sides to stay up. Now Rob Edwards’ men need to defeat tougher foes in West Ham and/or Fulham. — Nick Mendola
Rebuild time: Where do Brentford go from here?
Ivan Toney will be a hugely exciting signing for one of the Premier League’s top-half sides this summer, not only for the goals he’s scored while at Brentford but also for his impact in so many facets of the game, and that makes the upcoming transfer window incredibly intriguing (and important) for the Bees. The goals (36 in 81 PL games) will get most of the headlines, but Toney is more of a complete player than he is typically credited. His presence improves Brentford defensively because he always offers a safe out-ball from the back, able to win (and keep) the long ball with the best of them; Toney is a monster defender on set pieces (all the more important with injuries at center back); He’s also an underrated playmaker on counter-attacks, attempting — and completing — long-range passes at a rate well above average. Replacing Toney won’t be too dissimilar from what Tottenham have endured this season following Harry Kane’s departure. Fundamentally, everything about the way that Brentford play will be touched by Toney’s departure, as he’s a key figure in just about all of it. — Andy Edwards
Too little, too late for Burnley, who are in good Kompany
Will the Clarets, now very likely to go down given Forest’s win over Sheffield United, be able to bounce right back up next season in the Championship? You’d bet on it if they keep manager Vincent Kompany, who will be in demand next season whether Burnley miraculously stay up or go down to the Championship. He’s got good plans but his pieces are good enough. Lorenz Assignon and Maxime Esteve were good additions in January but really needed to come over the summer. Will Kompany stay if a bigger job comes calling? — Nick Mendola
