Premier League predictions: Liverpool too strong for Newcastle, Spurs and Man City in for a thriller

We pick out the winners and losers from the midweek English top-flight fixtures

Mohamed Salah, centre, celebrates after scoring for Liverpool in their Premier League win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on February 23, 2025. Victory took the Merseysiders 11 points clear at the top of the table. AFP

Mohamed Salah scores Liverpool's opening goal in the 14th minute, albeit via a big deflection. It was the Egyptian's 25th Premier League goal of the season. Reuters

Mohamed Salah provided the assist for Dominik Szoboszlai, right, to score Liverpool's second goal. Reuters

Omar Marmoush scores for Manchester City but the goal is ruled out for offside. Getty Images

Curtis Jones scores afor Liverpool but the goal is later ruled out for offside following a VAR check. Getty Images

Liverpool manager Arne Slot and his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola. Reuters

Liverpool's Hungarian midfielder #08 Dominik Szoboszlai (C) celebrates scoring the team's second goal during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on February 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. /

Dominik Szoboszlai fires home Liverpool's second goal in the 37th minute. Getty Images

Dominik Szoboszlai scores for Liverpool. PA

Tuesday: Brighton v Bournemouth (11.30pm kick off UAE)

Brighton are targeting a third win on the spin following convincing victories over Chelsea (3-0) and Southampton (4-0) lifted them to ninth in the table and just four points outside the top four.

Bournemouth are currently sixth in the standings having fallen to two home defeats in a row following losses to leaders Liverpool and, more surprisingly, fourth-bottom Wolves at the weekend.

Prediction: Brighton 2 Bournemouth 2

Crystal Palace v Aston Vila (11.30pm)

Palace registered a fourth successive 2-0 away win when they defeated London rivals Fulham but their home form remains an issue – the Eagles have only won twice at Selhurst Park this season.

Eighth-placed Villa sealed a first league win in five attempts – after four draws and a defeat – when they edged out Chelsea 2-1 with on-loan Marcus Rashford setting up both goals for Marco Asensio.

Prediction: Palace 1 Villa 2

Wolves v Fulham (11.30pm)

Wolves' surprise win at Bournemouth earned them a vital three points in their battle against the drop – a second victory in three matches that pulled them five points clear of the bottom three.

Fulham's home loss to Palace was a blow to their European qualification hopes as victory would have pushed them to within touching distance of a Uefa Champions League spot. Instead, they dropped down to 10th, five points shy of Manchester City in fourth.

Prediction: Wolves 0 Fulham 1

Chelsea v Southampton (12.15pm)

Chelsea's poor 2025 form continued with a late defeat at Villa which followed on from a 3-0 loss at Brighton that manager Enzo Maresca had described as the “worst” game of his reign.

Southampton's wretched season goes on with their home thrashing by Brighton condemning the Saints to a 21st defeat in 26 games, with just nine points in the bag.

Prediction: Chelsea 4 Southampton 0

Wednesday: Brentford v Everton (11.30pm)

Brentford made it four away wins on the trot by thumping hapless Leicester City 4-0 which means a top-half spot is just one place and two points away.

Everton extended their unbeaten run to six matches when they drew 2-2 with Manchester United, but David Moyes' side will be disappointed to have missed out on three points having been 2-0 ahead with 18 minutes to go.

Prediction: Brentford 2 Everton 2

Man United v Ipswich Town (11.30pm)

United at least avoided a third successive defeat when they drew with Everton but they have won once in five games and remain closer to the bottom three than the top four.

Ipswich's instant return to the second tier is looking more likely by the week with their latest 4-1 home hammering by Tottenham Hotspur made it five defeats and two draws from their last seven matches. The Tractor Boys are third bottom, five points from safety.

Prediction: Man United 3 Ipswich 1

Alexander Isak, centre, scored a first-half double as Newcastle United defeated Nottingham Forest 4-3 in the Premier League on February 23, 2025. AFP

Newcastle's Alexander Isak scores his second goal to make it 4-1 in the 34th minute, less than two minutes after scoring his first. Reuters

Forest substitute Ryan Yates scores Forest's third goal in the 90th minute. Reuters

Jacob Murphy celebrates after scoring Newcastle's second goal. Getty Images

Forest Belgian goalkeeper Matz Sels after failing to keep out Alexander Isak's penalty for Newcastle. AFP

Nikola Milenkovic flicks home for Forest to pull scoreline back to 4-2. Getty Images

Alexander Isak scores from the spot to put Newcastle 3-1 up. Getty Images

Jacob Murphy forces the ball home to score for Newcastle in the 25th minute. Getty Images

Lewis Miley, second left, celebrates scoring their Newcastle's opening goal in the 23rd minute. PA

Callum Hudson-Odoi curls a finish past Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope to put Nottingham Forest 1-0 up. Reuters

Callum Hudson-Odoi celebrates after scoring for Forest in the sixth minute. Getty Images

Nottingham Forest v Arsenal (11.30pm)

Forest fell to a third defeat in four games at the weekend when they lost 4-3 at Newcastle, but they at least showed some fight having gone in at half-time 4-1 down. They remain third, three points ahead of Man City and the Magpies.

Arsenal's hopes of keeping the pressure on leaders Liverpool took a hit when they lost 1-0 at home to West Ham, a result and performance that left manager Mikel Arteta “really, really annoyed."

Prediction: Forest 1 Arsenal 0

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City (11.30pm)

Spurs are in the hunt for a fourth league victory in a row following their wins over Brentford, Manchester United and Ipswich.

City go up against a Spurs side that has knocked them out of the League Cup this season and thrashed them 4-0 at the Etihad in the league. Pep Guardiola's side fell to a 2-0 home loss to Liverpool on Sunday and are now 20 points behind the leaders.

Prediction: Spurs 3 Man City 3

Liverpool v Newcastle (Thursday, 12.15am)

Liverpool's win at Man City leaves them 11 points clear at the top although second-placed Arsenal have a game in hand. Arne Slot's side have lost only three games across competitions this season.

Four goals in 11 first-half minutes put Newcastle on the way to victory against Nottingham Forest, despite a rocky second-half showing at St James' Park. Victory moved the Magpies up to fifth in the table.

Prediction: Liverpool 3 Newcastle 1

Thursday: West Ham United v Leicester City (midnight)

West Ham secured their first win in four matches by beating Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium with Jarrod Bowen scoring the only goal of the game. The Hammers are now 13 points clear of the relegation zone.

Leicester's season hit a new low with a 4-0 loss to Brentford at the King Power Stadium. Manager Ruud van Nistelrooy has won just twice in 13 league games since his November appointment with Leicester second bottom, two points from safety.

Prediction: West Ham 2 Leicester 0