Title favourites Manchester City head into the international break in pole position in the Premier League, but only three points separate the top five teams.
At the other end of the table, the three promoted clubs occupy the relegation places and face a tough fight for survival.
Here, the PA news agency compiles an end of term report card with a third of the season complete.
Good progress
Aston Villa sit top of the class in terms of progress made since the same stage last season. If Unai Emery’s side maintain their impressive home form a top-four finish might not be beyond them.
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou made the best start to a season by a new manager in Premier League history after 10 games as his side sat five points clear at the top. Despite back-to-back defeats since then, it has been an eye-catching start under the Australian.
Liverpool were 13 points adrift of City in ninth place at the same stage last season, but Jurgen Klopp has got the Reds firing again. Currently second, one point off top spot, they are genuine title challengers once more.
Nottingham Forest were rock-bottom at the same stage last season, but have not looked like relegation candidates so far this term, while West Ham are also looking up the table after last season’s Europa Conference League triumph.
More to come
Pep Guardiola’s City have put back-to-back league defeats in October behind them and despite not being as consistently dominant this season, they remain favourites for an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title.
Bournemouth climbed out of the relegation zone with a fully deserved 2-0 win over Newcastle at the weekend and will be looking to kick on after their second win of the season under Andoni Iraola.
Fulham sat seventh after 12 games last season and went on to secure a top-10 finish, but have taken only one point from their last four matches.
Brentford appear to have turned the corner after a slow start, with a recent three-game winning run lifting them comfortably into mid-table, while Crystal Palace have yet to register back-to-back wins but are still closer to the top six than the bottom three in terms of points.
Looks promising
Arsenal, two points clear at the top after 12 games last season, have bounced back from their first league defeat this season at Newcastle and trail City by a single point. Mikel Arteta’s side are well placed for another title challenge.
Wolves turned in their best display of the season at the weekend by beating Tottenham. They were second bottom at this stage last season, but their fourth win of this campaign lifted them nine points above relegation trouble.
Brighton have continued to shine under Roberto De Zerbi as they battle on two fronts, while Sean Dyche’s Everton have made big strides since their poor start to climb eight points clear of the bottom three.
Work to do
Manchester United’s struggles are on-going as Erik ten Hag strives to turn his side into a cohesive unit and close the gap between themselves and the title challengers.
Newcastle’s progress has been stalled by a lengthy injury list and the extra burden of Champions League football and Eddie Howe faces a tough task to keep his side in touch with the top four.
Chelsea are arguably this season’s biggest underachievers, winning only four of Mauricio Pochettino’s first 12 league games in charge, but at last in their two latest matches – against Tottenham and Manchester City – there have been signs of their potential.
All of last season’s promoted sides have found the chasm between Premier League and Championship football difficult to bridge. Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton have each won just one of their first 12 games and face a daunting task to preserve top-flight status.
Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal: Gunners keep title pressure on Man City with Old Trafford triumph
Arsenal regained top spot from Manchester City heading into the final week of the Premier League season with a 1-0 win at Manchester United on Sunday.
Leandro Trossard scored the decisive goal at Old Trafford with 20 minutes on the clock as Kai Havertz profited from an intercepted Andre Onana pass to tee up the Belgian's simple finish.
The Gunners move one point clear of City, who thrashed Fulham 4-0 on Saturday and still have a game in hand at Arsenal's fierce rivals Tottenham on Tuesday, meaning the title remains in the hands of Pep Guardiola's side.
City then host West Ham on the final day, while Arsenal are at home to Everton.
United, beaten 4-0 by Crystal Palace on Monday and now with just one win in their last eight in the competition, stay eighth in the table and are three points off Chelsea and Newcastle United directly above them with a game to go.
Arsenal did not have any true sights of goal in an evenly contested opening, with United looking more coherent than in recent weeks, until the visitors' breakthrough arrived through Trossard.
Onana's pass was cut out on the halfway line and played to Havertz, who was kept onside by Casemiro failing to get up the pitch, and the German squared for Trossard to convert from point-blank range.
The Gunners, who failed to win on the two other previous occasions they had led at half-time at Old Trafford, were happy to sit back after the restart and invite United onto them.
Casemiro was invited to shoot from distance and did just that, forcing a save from David Raya, who then denied Antony's poor attempt from a similar position.
But there was to be no way through for United, who had Onana to thank for late saves to deny Gabriel Martinelli and Declan Rice, as the visitors completed a league double in this fixture for the first time since 2006-07.
United continue to concede
Trossard's goal, which came despite United having four players back in a position to intercept Havertz's pass, makes it 82 goals conceded for the Red Devils across all competitions this season – the most they have shipped in a single season since 1970-71 (also 82).
Erik ten Hag's men were ultimately unable to hit back and have therefore now suffered 19 losses across all competitions this term, which is their most since 1977-78 (also 19).
This is also just the third time in Premier League history they have lost at home to three sides from the capital in a single season, having previously fallen to Crystal Palace and Fulham.
Havertz and Trossard stepping up
Trossard has more than played his part in Arsenal's title pursuit, with this his 12th league goal of the season. Three of his last four have put the Gunners 1-0 up, showing just how important he has been.
That crucial breakthrough goal was assisted by Havertz, who has scored and assisted a combined 14 goals in the Premier League since the start of 2024 – already surpassing his previous highest tally in a single year in the competition with Chelsea in 2022 (13).
Indeed, only Chelsea's Cole Palmer with 19 can boast more direct goal involvements than the Germany international this calendar year among all Premier League players.
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Celta Vigo: De Paul stunner keeps Simeone's side on course for Champions League
Rodrigo De Paul scored a brilliant late goal to snatch a 1-0 home victory for Atletico Madrid against relegation-threatened Celta Vigo, as they consolidated fourth spot in LaLiga on Sunday.
The Argentina midfielder controlled a clearance from a corner just outside the box before unleashing a breathtaking shot into the top-right corner with just six minutes remaining.
The win leaves Atletico with 70 points from 35 games – eight points ahead of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao – while Celta are 16th with 34 points, five points above the drop zone.
Diego Simeone's hosts had launched a late offensive effort but remarkable saves from Celta goalkeeper Vicente Guaita kept them at bay until De Paul's stunner clinched three points.
Atletico can secure a spot in the Champions League next season with victory away at Getafe on Wednesday.
Skinner lauds 'history-makers' after Man Utd lift Women's FA Cup
Marc Skinner lauded his Manchester United Women side as "history-makers" after their first FA Cup triumph in history on Sunday.
The Red Devils swept aside Tottenham Women with a 4-0 victory at Wembley Stadium as Ella Toone and Rachel Williams were on target before Lucia Garcia's second-half double.
United missed out in the final of the Women's FA Cup last season, losing to Chelsea 1-0, but produced an emphatic response to secure the first major trophy in their history.
Having lost in Champions League qualifying, suffered group-stage elimination in the League Cup and sitting fifth in the Women's Super League, Skinner was delighted with his side's response in the capital.
The United boss told BBC One: "We are obviously not where we want in the league, right? But we are history-makers for Manchester United.
"I didn't need to remind the owners of that, they know. There is a lot of support and love for our team and the growth.
"We want to compete for titles but you all know how important adding that first piece of silverware is. We've got nothing but growth ahead."
Toone provided the first moment of magic with a rocketed right-footed finish into the top corner from the edge of the area, setting the tone on the stroke of half-time after a dominant opening 45 minutes.
"In all honesty, I felt that first half was just frustration because we didn't score, I thought we offered more of a threat, we controlled most of their threat," Skinner added.
"As much as I am exhausted now, it is a magical feeling. Tooney scored one of those goals at Leicester but it is another thing to do it at Wembley.
"I told her on the podium you have to feel it, remember it because it comes and goes too quick, and that is what she did. Congratulations to her and the team, we are FA Cup winners."
Williams added the second with her headed finish after 54 minutes, though the United forward admitted this season has been far below usual standards.
"We don't like to admit it but it does mask over the issues we've had," Williams told BBC One.
"We have had some ups and downs this year. That's for Marc [Skinner] and the backroom staff to be like 'right this is what we have to do in the summer'.
"We are going to have change things next year. We have had some injuries, three or four ACLs, at the start of the season. That's football, teams go through transition.
"You have a good year, you have a dip. Next year we might just come back bigger, better and stronger and who knows we might just be lifting the league."
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