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BETMGM GOLDEN GOALS MD36: CAN HAMMERS LAND A BLOW TO ARSENAL TITLE TILT?

It’s advantage Arsenal in the Premier League title race ahead of two huge matches for both the Gunners and rivals Manchester City.

They travel across London to West Ham on Sunday but could do so just two clear at the top as City host Brentford on Saturday evening.

Elsewhere in the Premier League Manchester United head to Sunderland having confirmed their return to Champions League football – the Black Cats have slim European aspirations of their own.

A resurgent Nottingham Forest take on Newcastle at the City Ground, Fulham face Bournemouth while Brighton welcome bottom-of-the-table Wolves to the south coast.

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Here’s how we see things going on Matchday 36…

Brighton 3-0 Wolves

Brighton’s European football hopes took a dent last week with the defeat at Newcastle but they have the perfect opportunity to bounce back here.

Relegated Wolves are drifting towards the end of the season and even the chance to finish above Burnley, and therefore not bottom of the table, doesn’t appear to have given them much incentive.

They laboured to a 1-1 draw last weekend against a Sunderland side that played with 10 men for the majority of the game and it is very difficult to see them getting anything on the south coast.

The Old Gold have picked up just five points away from home and haven’t won a single game. Brighton, meanwhile, have lost just three times at home.

Jack Hinshelwood scored the Seagulls’ only goal on Tyneside having also notched in the 3-0 win over Chelsea the week prior. He forms part of our 9/1 Builder.

The academy graduate has had 17 shots on target this season and five in his last two games. Add to that Yerson Mosquera to be carded – the Colombian has 11 yellows in the Premier League – and over 2.5 goals in the game and you have a tasty combination.

Three of Brighton’s last four games have had three goals or more, while Wolves’ last three games on the road have hit that threshold too.

Sunderland 1-3 Manchester United

Michael Carrick made an almost undeniable case to land the permanent position as Manchester United manager this past weekend with a 3-2 win over storied rivals Liverpool, securing Champions League football after three long years.

The win was also the former Red Devils midfielder’s fifth to form a clean sweep over the big six, with Arne Slot joining an exclusive club that also boasts Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta amongst its members.

Sunderland were at one stage unbeaten at the Stadium of Light for more than half the season but have since lost four of their last five at home; a city by the sea seemingly already on the beach.

With United already securing a place in Europe’s premier competition you would think there’s not a lot for them to play for here, giving the Black Cats some much-needed respite.

But there actually is, unfortunately.

Bruno Fernandes stats

Bruno Fernandes is one assist away from matching a Premier League record held jointly by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne, and was not so lucky to be playing in his favoured 10 position the last time these two sides met on Matchday 7.

The Portugal international also assists our 6/1 Bet Builder if you’re interested: United win, both teams to score and a Fernandes assist.

For, as clinical as Carricks’s side have been this season, they’re still 17th in the league for clean sheets with six so expect the Wearsiders to find the back of the net at some point over the course of 90 minutes.

In terms of extra motivation, there’s also a certain United fan that could be but one win away from Manchester’s most talked about haircut since David Beckham circa 2002.

Fail to secure all three points in the North East and it’s going to be one long summer.

Fulham 1-2 Bournemouth

Bournemouth’s form since the turn of the year is about as juicy as it gets in terms of pure entertainment, with the Andoni Iraola farewell tour recently stretching to 15 games without a single defeat.

It’s the longest unbeaten run in Cherries history and the longest in the Premier League this season – longer than Aston Villa’s scintillating 11-game winning streak from November to December.

Villa are the side only six points ahead of Bournemouth going into Matchday 36, a gap that could and should shrink to three after this Craven Cottage clash.

But it won’t be as much of a cakewalk as expected.

Marco Silva’s Fulham are capable of giving any team in the top flight a tough time on their day and have actually not lost to Bournemouth at home in any of their previous five meetings.

What’s more, like their Saturday afternoon opposition, the west Londoners are one good weekend away from putting themselves into a decent position for Europe with only four points separating sixth from 11th.

We’re giving the visitors the edge here because of their form in recent weeks – especially the form of one Junior Kroupi.

No teenager has scored more goals in their debut season than the Frenchman, whose haul now sits at 12 after his fourth in five games against Crystal Palace last Sunday.

We’ve got him up top in our 13/5 Bet Builder for the game too: Bournemouth to win or draw and Kroupi to score.

Manchester City 4-1 Brentford

City have the title out of their hands again.

Monday’s topsy-turvy 3-3 draw at Everton means Arsenal are firmly in control of the title race – but Pep Guardiola’s men will not give it up without a fight.

They showed that on Merseyside. The draw was disappointing but coming from 3-1 down to get something shows there is a long way to go in the fight for the league… and Jeremy Doku’s last-gasp leveller might turn out to be crucial.

They face Brentford at the Etihad on Saturday, a side they have beaten twice already this season in the league and the EFL Cup. They have no option but to do so again.

They should.

The Bees are enjoying a season to remember but last week’s win over West Ham is their only one in seven.

City have won five of their last six meetings with Brentford and Doku looks like a man on a mission.

Three of his four Premier League goals have come in City’s last four matches and it’s a nice 14/1 for the Belgian to score and Bernardo Silva to be carded.

City’s captain has 13 yellows in all competitions and is giving everything to ensure his final season in Manchester ends with Premier League glory.

Winning is all they can do to keep the pressure on the Gunners – that shouldn’t be a problem here.

Nottingham Forest 2-1 Newcastle

After a superb 3-1 win away to Chelsea on Monday, Nottingham Forest are all but safe in the Premier League.

Indeed, a win over Newcastle here would put them above their opponents.

In truth, the hosts are not in any kind of relegation form. They have gone 10 games unbeaten in all competitions for the first time since 2016 and for the first time in the top flight since 1995.

They have also scored three goals or more in three consecutive games for the first time since the same year.

The Magpies arrested an alarming slide with a 3-1 win over Brighton on Saturday, though it was not all plain sailing. The Seagulls dominated for large spells and finished the game with 67.7% possession.

MD35 TOTW

However, no team has scored more in the bottom half of the league this season than the visitors. They should have had more, at least according to the stats.

They have averaged 13 shots a game this season, which is the sixth-highest in the league, but are in the bottom five for goals per shot (0.09) and goals per shot on target (0.27).

That dysfunction in attack isn’t helped by the lack of certainty in the futures of multi-million-pound offensive signings over the summer in Nick Woltemade, Yoane Wissa and Anthony Elanga.

The momentum is with the hosts, who look good for a victory. For a Bet Builder, try Forest to score over 1.5 goals and over 5.5 shots on target for Newcastle at odds of 5/1.

West Ham 1-3 Arsenal

What a difference a week makes.

The weekend before last, West Ham scored a last-minute winner at home to Everton to drive a dagger into the heart of onlooking Tottenham fans. Arsenal had managed a very unconvincing 1-0 home win over struggling Newcastle.

Now there is a very real vibe shift in both clubs. A 3-0 defeat to Brentford last time out leaves the Hammers’ hopes of survival in the balance, while the Gunners are five clear at the top of the table and have made a Champions League final.

After a four-goal burst at home to Wolves last month, the goals have dried up for West Ham at the worst possible time. They have managed just two from games.

They are at least clinical, with a shot conversion percentage of 11.54%, the fifth-highest in the division.

Arsenal, meanwhile, look like a team reborn. A 3-0 home win over Fulham has been backed up by a memorable semi-final win over Atletico Madrid.

They are now at odds of 1/5 with BetMGM to win the Premier League trophy, following Manchester City’s Monday night slip-up.

The return of their winger Bukayo Saka has proved timely. The forward has now racked up 150 goal involvements (80 goals, 70 assists) for Arsenal in 308 appearances.

Don’t be surprised if Saka contributes again here. Our Bet Builder combines Arsenal to win and Saka to score or assist at odds of 29/20.

GW36 picks

Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change. Please note: This week's Golden Goals deadline is Saturday 9th May 2026 15:00. Opt-in is required and you can find out more here.

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