Arsenal defeated Everton 1-0 to claim top spot in the Premier League at Christmas, while Liverpool fought back to defeat nine-man Tottenham 2-1 in the final game.
Erling Haaland’s double gave Manchester City a 3-0 lead over West Ham, which gave them a brief ascendancy to the table.
Viktor Gyokeres scored a penalty to give Arsenal a two-point lead, but the team struggled to make a grinding comeback against Merseyside.
At Hill Dickinson Stadium, penalty appeals were a common occurrence.
Before being given a spot-kick for a Jake O’Brien handball, the Swede converted, Arsenal had strong claims waived away for a foul on Gyokeres.
After the visitors broke, Leandro Trossard and Martin Zubimendi hit the post, but Everton were outraged that Thierno Barry’s two challenges inside the area went unpunished.
With a seventh straight victory in all competitions, City kept the Gunners under pressure.
Pep Guardiola was, however, still unsatisfied with his demands for improvements if City were to retain their seventh Premier League title.
“I want to be truthful. I said to the players, “Hake a Merry Christmas, but it won’t be enough if we don’t get better.”
When Haaland fired home after just five minutes, the Hammers feared a draw.
Tijjani Reijnders scored his first goal at the Etihad just before half-time, and Haaland provided for City’s second.
And he already scored his 38th goal of the season for the club and country when City moved one point clear of Arsenal with a 21-minute break in the process.
Read more about Hakimi’s fitness for Morocco’s AFCON bid here.
Isak hurts, and
To make things worse for Spurs manager Thomas Frank, Liverpool extended their unbeaten run to six games.
Virgil van Dijk, Virgil van Dijk’s Dutch international teammate, was killed by Xavi Simons’ dangerous lunge as they left the home side on the final 33 minutes.
Alexander Isak started on the bench once more despite Mohamed Salah’s absence from the Africa Cup of Nations.
The most expensive Premier League player ever was unveiled at the break, according to Arne Slot.
The Swede added yet another injury setback to his debut goal against Liverpool for £125 million in September, forcing him to be replaced. This was his third goal since moving to Liverpool for £125 million in September.
In three league games, Hugo Ekitike scored his fifth goal to give Liverpool a two-goal lead.
However, once Richarlison pulled a goal back, Slot’s men continued to stutter in the closing stages.
You can always recall the final few minutes of a game, which were the worst of the entire series, said Slot. It “went through a lot of chaos and hectic.”
Cristian Romero, Frank’s captain, helped Frank as his team’s pressure increased as a result of his fifth defeat in nine home league games this season, which caused him to lose inutilely.
Spurs are rooted down in 13th place, while Liverpool moves up to fifth.
Chelsea are still in fourth place in the league in goal difference thanks to Enzo Maresca’s recovery after more rumors surround his future.
After winning against Everton last weekend, the Italian claimed that he and his players had not received enough support despite a difficult run of results.
In recent days, Maresca was suggested as Guardiola’s replacement at City.
Chelsea’s last five league games have resulted in their only one win, leaving their desire to challenge for the title.
Maresca’s double in a dominant first half resulted in a 2-0 lead for Newcastle, but it could have been worse.
The Blues regained control of the situation after Reece James’ brilliant free kick, which Joao Pedro equalized after Malick Thiaw made an error.
After losing 2-0 at home to Brentford, Wolves are still without a league win this year and are on their way to becoming the worst team in Premier League history.
Armando Broja’s 90th-minute goal gave Bournemouth a 1-1 draw, ending their seven-game losing streak.
In a 4-1 win over Crystal Palace, Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored twice to move six points clear of the bottom three.
After drawing 0-0 at Brighton, Sunderland moved up to sixth place.
Source: Channels TV
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