Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca warned that the Premier League summit is unsettled and insisted several clubs must be treated as genuine challengers after recent results tightened the table.

Manchester City moved to within two points of leaders Arsenal with a third straight win, while Aston Villa sit third, three points off the top. Fourth-placed Chelsea are eight points behind the leaders. Maresca, speaking after a frustrating outing on the south coast, said: “The table is so tight,” he told assembled media. “You win two games in a row and you are there. Lose two and you drop. I still think four, five, six teams that are at the top, [can win two] and will all be close.”

The standings, correct as of end of Dec. 6, 2025, show Arsenal top on 33 points with a +19 goal difference, Manchester City second on 31 (+19) and Aston Villa third on 30 (+7). Chelsea are fourth on 25 (+10). Everton sit fifth on 24 (+1) with Crystal Palace and Sunderland level on 23, and reigning champions Liverpool eighth on 23 (0 goal difference).

Liverpool were held to a 3–3 draw after a late equaliser from Leeds condemned them to one point. Dominik Szoboszlai conceded the uncertainty: “Last year we became champions, now I don’t even know which position [in the table] we are.”

Villa sit a single win behind Arsenal, yet manager Unai Emery urged caution. “After 15 matches it’s very difficult,” he said. “We are not contenders. If we are still [in the race] in game 35 then maybe I can speak about it.” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta disagreed: “They are [in the title race],” he declared. “When you look at where they are, the way they play, they have beaten some big teams, especially at home. Everybody is going to have to play everybody, so at the moment they are where they are and we are there as well.”

Manchester City collected nine points across a testing week, recovering from nervy moments including Leeds overturning a two-goal deficit at the Etihad and a wild win at Fulham, before a 3–0 victory over Sunderland. Pep Guardiola reflected: “Many things are going to happen still,” he told Sky Sports. “It’s down to the way we play, not how many points behind we are. It’s the way you perform. The players are not stupid, consistency doesn’t come from one result. ]”

Chelsea were held to a 0-0 draw at Bournemouth as a patchy attacking display and a first-half injury hindered their response after the Leeds defeat. Robert Sánchez produced the standout performance, his 8.5 rating reflecting a crucial save shortly before the break that kept Chelsea level.

The Blues showed some life after the interval, Alejandro Garnacho heading against the post and Cole Palmer testing Đorđe Petrović with shots that briefly threatened to change the game. Overall, though, Chelsea offered too little to deserve more than a point away from home.

Player ratings (out of 10)
GK: Robert Sánchez — 8.5
RB: Malo Gusto — 8.1
CB: Trevoh Chalobah — 7.5
CB: Wesley Fofana — 7.9
LB: Marc Cucurella — 7.2
DM: Reece James — 7.1
DM: Enzo Fernández — 7.0
RM: Pedro Neto — 7.1
AM: Cole Palmer — 7.6
LM: Alejandro Garnacho — 6.7
ST: Liam Delap — 5.7

Substitutes
Marc Guiu (31’ for Delap) — 6.6
João Pedro (58’ for Palmer) — 6.5
Estêvão (77’ for Garnacho) — 5.7
Subs not used: Filip Jörgensen (GK), Benoît Badiashile, Jorrel Hato, Josh Acheampong, Andrey Santos, Jamie Gittens.

Liam Delap left the field after 30 minutes with a shoulder injury sustained in a physical duel with Marcos Senesi, forcing an early change. Earlier, Bournemouth thought they had taken the lead inside four minutes when Antoine Semenyo celebrated, but a lengthy VAR check ruled Evanilson offside. Defensive nerves were visible in Chelsea’s opening phase and it took time for the team to settle.

In the second half Chelsea increased their urgency. Garnacho’s header hit the post and both Enzo Fernández and Cole Palmer drew saves from Đorđe Petrović, a former Blue. The match statistics underline the story: Bournemouth generated the better expected goals and more efforts on target, while Chelsea held more possession and a higher pass accuracy but produced too little in the final third.

Enzo Maresca conceded he felt a clear regret after Chelsea’s defeat at Leeds United, saying he should have started teenager Josh Acheampong.

For the trip to West Yorkshire Maresca named five changes from the side that drew with Arsenal the previous weekend, one of them enforced by Moisés Caicedo’s suspension. Acheampong, 19, had not featured in a Premier League match since he started the defeat to Sunderland on Oct. 25. He was on the bench at Leeds but the manager said hindsight made the decision plain.

“One of the regrets I have after the game is I didn’t play with Josh,” the boss said.

Maesca explained the rationale behind his defensive selection, pointing to a specific tactical reading of Leeds’ attack.

“So the reason why we played with Trev [Chalobah], Tosin and Benoît [Badiashile] is because analysing them, we saw that most of the time they were playing long ball for [Dominic] Calvert-Lewin, for [Lukas] Nmecha. And so we prefer physicality to win aerial duels. But even with that, we lost most of them.”

Asked whether leadership or experience was the issue, Maresca defended the squad while underlining collective shortcomings.

“It’s not [a lack of leadership]. I love a young squad, I love young players and I’m delighted with the players I have,” Maresca responded when asked to decipher the reasons behind the Leeds result.

“I was very surprised about the performance, no doubt, because I expect more in general, in all the aspects,” he explained.

“But when we prepared the game, we analysed all the small details, we were aware about the Arsenal game, to play with 10 players for one hour, making some rotation because we need to protect players. We were ready in some moments, but not for the entire game.

Maesca also referenced the wider context of availability and experience in his post-match remarks.

“We always talk about experience when we drop points. When we beat Barcelona, we drew against Arsenal, no one was mentioning about experienced players,” Maresca highlighted.

“I understand that when we don’t win, we are always looking for the reason why, but I think the reason why we didn’t win against Leeds is not because of the experience, it’s because we were not good enough.

“We have experienced players. Unfortunately, they were not on the pitch. [Moisés Caicedo] because he was suspended, [Reece James] because of injury. So, it’s because in that moment, the ones that have more experience, they were out. Who is the oldest one for us in the pitch? Tosin. Did he play good? So, it’s not about experience. It’s about that 11 players, they were not good enough. ]