Premier League mid-season grades: top marks, failures and surprises across all 20 clubs | OneFootball

Halfway through, the Premier League’s mid-term grades tell a clear story. According to NY Times, Aston Villa and Sunderland earn A*, Arsenal and Manchester City land A, while Wolverhampton Wanderers sit on F-.

Villa have recovered 18 points from losing positions and are in their best form since 1914, fuelling Champions League and Europa League aims. Promoted Sunderland boast seven wins, a top-half perch and a strong defence.

Arsenal have only two defeats, yet Viktor Gyokeres sits on five league goals. City stumbled early to Tottenham and Brighton, but Rayan Cherki’s spark and eight straight wins to end 2025 have revived a title push.

Brentford’s A follows a smooth handover to Keith Andrews after high-profile exits, though ACL injuries to Fabio Carvalho and Antoni Milambo hurt. Crystal Palace’s A- reflects a European campaign but shallow depth and concern Oliver Glasner is likely to leave when his contract expires in summer. Leeds United’s December surge earned A-.

Liverpool are a C after a £450 million outlay preceded nine defeats in 12 across all competitions, and Alexander Isak has a broken leg. Chelsea’s C includes Enzo Maresca’s exit and Robert Sanchez’s improvement. Tottenham’s C follows Daniel Levy’s September sacking and a shortage of creativity.

Newcastle take D in the league but B+ in cups, including a 1-0 derby loss at Sunderland. Burnley’s D- includes the league’s third-worst defence on 37 conceded. Nottingham Forest were F before Sean Dyche, then B- since, while West Ham’s F and Wolves’ F- reflect three points from 19 and no wins.

Source: NY Times