The last week of January 2026 has proven that the mid-season grind is where the most compelling narratives are forged. We are witnessing a collision of statistical improbabilities, from a goalkeeper scoring a last-minute header in the Champions League to a striker seemingly ending the Puskás Award race before the winter frost has even thawed. This week wasn’t just about the results on the scoreboard; it was about the tangible shift in momentum across Europe’s top tiers. The hierarchies that looked set in stone during the autumn are beginning to crumble, replaced by a chaotic, high-scoring reality that has redefined our expectations for the remainder of the campaign. Here are the 5 things we learned from the past week’s fixtures.
1. There is Hope Again for the United Strand
The story of Manchester United’s recent resurgence is inextricably linked to a man who hasn’t seen a pair of scissors in over 480 days. Frank Ilett, known across social media as “The United Strand,” has become a living, breathing barometer for the club’s success. Having pledged not to cut his hair until the team secured five consecutive victories, a streak that hasn’t materialized since October 2024, Ilett’s “afro-style” growth has become a viral phenomenon with over half a million followers. For much of the last year, it seemed like Ilett might be destined for a lifetime of long hair, but the arrival of Michael Carrick as interim manager has suddenly brought a haircut within striking distance.
United’s 3-2 victory over Fulham on February 1 was the third consecutive win in a run that has also seen them dismantle Manchester City and Arsenal. Under Carrick, the tactical shift away from the rigid 3-4-2-1 system used by his predecessor has been the primary catalyst. This newfound fluidity has unlocked Benjamin Šeško, who has netted four goals in his last four matches, including the 94th-minute winner against Fulham that pushed United into fourth place. Ilett, who plans to donate his hair to the Little Princess Trust, is now just two wins away from his goal. With the team currently on a seven-game unbeaten run and playing with a technical intensity that was absent for the better part of 2025, the “Strand” represents more than just a social media stunt; it is the physical manifestation of a fan base finally finding a reason to believe again.
2. Manchester City Lacks the Consistency to Dethrone Arsenal
While Manchester United finds its feet, the blue half of the city is stumbling at a critical juncture. The prevailing sentiment this week is that Pep Guardiola’s side simply lacks the defensive discipline and game-management consistency required to overtake Arsenal in the Premier League title race. The evidence was damning in their recent 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur. Despite a masterclass of a first half that saw City take a 2-0 lead through goals from Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo, they failed to kill the game, allowing a resilient Spurs side to claw their way back. This inability to shut the door has left City six points adrift of Mikel Arteta’s Gunners with only 13 games left to play.
The statistics highlight a growing fragility at the back for the reigning champions. City has now conceded 23 goals in 24 matches, a stark contrast to Arsenal’s league-best defense, which has allowed only 17. While City’s attack remains potent, their defensive transitions have become predictable and exploitable. Arsenal, meanwhile, clinical and relentless, dispatched Leeds 4-0 this week, further extending the psychological gap between the two sides. Guardiola has often spoken about the need for perfection in the final third of the season, but with City dropping points against top-half opposition and failing to maintain leads, the statistical probability of them catching an Arsenal side that currently boasts a perfect home record is dwindling by the day.
3. The New UCL League Phase Has Exceeded the Old Format
The final Matchday of the 2025/26 Champions League league phase has effectively silenced critics of the “Swiss Model.” This season’s league phase was not just statistically superior to the previous year’s; it was significantly more dramatic. A staggering 487 goals were scored across 144 matches, averaging 3.39 goals per game. This high-octane scoring rate wasn’t just a result of elite teams padding their stats; it was a byproduct of the 36-team logjam that forced teams to attack until the final whistle to secure favorable tiebreakers. The goal difference drama predicted in January became a reality on Matchday 8, where every goal scored across 18 simultaneous matches caused seismic shifts in the live standings.
The competitive tension of the new format was best exemplified by the elimination of historic giants like Napoli, Marseille, and Ajax before the knockout rounds even began. In the previous format, these teams might have coasted through a predictable four-team group, but the single league table provided no such safety net. Arsenal emerged as the gold standard of this new era, finishing the phase with a perfect 8-0 record and a tournament-high 23 goals. However, for most of the field, the final day was a scramble for survival. The bottleneck in the middle of the table meant that thin margins separated a seeded draw in the playoffs from total European elimination, proving that the risk-reward ratio of the new format has successfully injected urgency into matches that previously would have been “dead rubbers.”
4. The Special One Still Possesses His Magic
If anyone benefited from the chaos of the Champions League’s final matchday, it was José Mourinho. Now at the helm of Benfica, “The Special One” orchestrated a Bernabéu masterclass that reminded the world why he remains one of the game’s greatest protagonists. Facing his former club, Real Madrid, Mourinho led Benfica to a historic 4-2 comeback victory, the club’s first win against the Spanish giants in 61 years. The victory was the culmination of a “miraculous recovery” for a Benfica side that had lost its opening four games of the competition. Under Mourinho’s combative leadership, they won three of their final four matches to snatch the 24th and final qualification spot.
The match provided a classic “Mourinho moment” that will be replayed for decades. In the 98th minute, with the score tied and qualification on the line, Mourinho made the audacious tactical decision to send 2-meter tall goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin into the Madrid box for a final corner. Trubin proceeded to head home the decisive fourth goal, a moment of pure tactical theater that silenced the Madrid crowd. Since taking over in September 2025, Mourinho has successfully restored a siege mentality in Lisbon, proving that while his methods may be polarizing, his ability to conjure results in high-stakes European environments is as potent as ever. He has taken a side that looked destined for early elimination and turned them into the ultimate dark horse for the knockout rounds.
5. Solanke Might Have Ended The Race For This Year’s Puskas Award
Finally, the footballing world is still reeling from what may be the most technically difficult goal of the decade. On February 1, during Tottenham’s comeback draw against Manchester City, Dominic Solanke produced a moment of improvisation that has likely ended the competition for this year’s Puskás Award. Trailing in the second half, Solanke met a cross that had fallen slightly behind his run. Rather than trying to adjust his body for a traditional strike, he leaned forward and executed a perfect scorpion kick, flicking the ball with his right heel over a stranded Gianluigi Donnarumma and into the top corner.
The technical execution required to generate both power and direction from that angle has invited immediate comparisons to Olivier Giroud’s 2017 award-winning goal. However, Solanke’s effort carried the added weight of the opposition and the moment, serving as the catalyst for a Tottenham side that had been thoroughly outclassed in the first half. Beyond the aesthetic beauty of the strike, the goal was a statement of Solanke’s evolution as a world-class forward. To beat a goalkeeper of Donnarumma’s stature with such an audacious piece of skill requires a level of confidence that few players currently possess. While we are only in February, the consensus among fans and pundits alike is that we have already seen the goal of the year.
The events of this week have served as a reminder that football in 2026 is defined by its unpredictability. Whether it is a fan’s refusal to visit a barber, a manager’s tactical gamble with his goalkeeper, or a striker’s acrobatic brilliance, the storylines are becoming increasingly intertwined with the statistical shift toward higher scoring and greater jeopardy. As the Champions League moves into the knockout rounds and the Premier League title race narrows, the margins for error are vanishing, leaving us with a landscape where every match carries the potential for history.
