By Sam McGuireMatchday 26 altered how a lot of people viewed this campaign. Arsenal could’ve cut Liverpool’s lead at the top to just five points but now find themselves 11 points off the pace. Newcastle looked rocked after their 4-0 loss to Manchester City last weekend but are now level on points with the reigning champions and no doubt feeling bullish about a top four finish. This mid-week round of fixtures has thrown up some intriguing match-ups that could have large scale ramifications for the remainder of the campaign. Let’s take a look at what and why.The battle for a European place is heating up A few weeks ago, after their 7-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, it looked as though Brighton would have to settle for a mid-table position after a disappointing campaign under new manager Fabian Hürzeler. However, back-to-back wins over Chelsea and Southampton have completely transformed the outlook on the season. All of a sudden, the Seagulls have racked up 40 points and are just four points behind fourth-placed Manchester City. A Champions League spot might be a stretch but there’s no reason they couldn’t claim a European place.Bournemouth had been one of the form sides in the Premier League, going on a 12-match unbeaten run across all competitions before their 2-0 loss to league leaders Liverpool. They bounced back, beating Southampton, before a 1-0 loss to relegation threatened Wolves on Saturday. They’re now just three points ahead of their Tuesday night hosts. Another loss could see them finish the week in as low as 8th position, a huge blow to Andoni Iraola and his players. A win, though, could see them, momentarily at least, claim a place in the top four. This is a must not lose clash for both sides.Arsenal need to be looking over their shoulders In the blink of an eye, Arsenal have gone from being the hunter to being the hunted. The loss against West Ham United on Saturday, coupled with Liverpool’s win over Manchester City, means Mikel Arteta’s side are 11 points off the pace, albeit with a game in hand. Just a few days ago, Arsenal fans had been plotting the game in which they’d be able to leapfrog Liverpool into top spot. Now they’re looking over their shoulder and wondering whether Nottingham Forest could displace them in second position. The Gunners have a six point lead over Forest but the two teams face off at the City Ground on Wednesday evening.Arsenal are struggling offensively with so many attackers out injured. Mikel Merino spearheaded the attack against the Hammers in a game the hosts struggled to create anything of real note, finishing the game with an Expected Goals total of just 1.22 despite having 20 efforts. Forest lost last time out, falling to a 4-3 defeat to Newcastle United at St James’ Park. They’ve now lost two on the bounce in the Premier League but they’ll still think they can take something from this game against the Gunners. Nuno Espírito Santo’s men have only lost twice at home all season and have the fifth best home record in the English top-flight. In fact, if Forest want to be playing European football next season, they’re going to have to wrestle back some momentum ASAP and a win over Arsenal does just that.The Spurs hoodoo Spurs made it consecutive wins in the Premier League with a 4-1 hammering of Ipswich Town. They’re now 12th in the table and the pressure has eased on Ange Postecoglou. For now at least. They face an out of sorts Manchester City side on Wednesday. The reigning champions lost 2-0 to Liverpool at the Etihad just days after crashing out of the Champions League. They could finish Matchday 27 in as low as eighth if results don’t go their way. Erling Haaland might be back after missing the game against the leaders but that might not be enough for them to get back on track. He’s not exactly been at his ominous best this term, has he? And City don’t have the best record at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. They’ve played eight matches there in all competitions and won on just two occasions, losing six times. They’ve scored just four goals and conceded on nine occasions. In the league, they have one win in their five clashes. If Spurs keep up their hoodoo over Pep Guardiola’s men, City could be in trouble. The title is already gone. Their top four place could be in danger despite that big investment in January.A shootout for the Golden Boot at Anfield Mohamed Salah is the best player in the Premier League this season. He’s a shoo-in for every single individual award. He leads the way for goals (25) and assists (16). The three-time Golden Boot winner has at least one goal involvement in his last eight outings for the Reds across all competitions.He added to his haul on Sunday with a goal and an assist against Manchester City at the Etihad. In the race for the Golden Boot, he’s six clear of his nearest rivals – Haaland and Alexander Isak. On Wednesday evening, Liverpool welcome Newcastle to Anfield.Isak might look a little off the required run rate to topple Salah in the race for the Premier League’s top goalscorer but he’s been moving up the table over recent weeks. He’s scored doubles in three of his last six outings in the English top-flight. If he keeps on chipping away with two goals here and there, things are going to get a lot tighter in the race for the Golden Boot. Outscoring Salah at Anfield on Wednesday night gets him off to a good start. 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