As the Premier League nears its halfway stage and the busy festive period ends, the table continues to shift every week in what is becoming one of the closest seasons yet.
In the biggest game of the weekend, Manchester City put in an incredible performance against Chelsea to win 3-1 and move into fifth in the table.
First-half goals from Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne ensured the game was over in 45 minutes, despite Callum Hudson-Odoi’s late consolation.
The loss has cast doubts over Frank Lampard’s future in charge of Chelsea, having won once in his last six league games.
Elsewhere, Manchester United defeated Aston Villa 2-1 to go level at the top of the league with Liverpool.
Anthony Martial and Bruno Fernandes netted for United, either side of Bertrand Traore’s equaliser, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side continued their good run of form.
Liverpool dropped points again, losing 1-0 away at Southampton after putting in an uninspiring performance.
Danny Ings scored within minutes after a clever set-piece, and a fantastic defensive display followed to ensure all three points went to the Saints.
Leicester also stayed in reach of top spot with their 2-1 win over Newcastle United.
A solid second-half showing featured goals from James Maddison and Youri Tielemans, which overshadowed Andy Carroll’s first goal in Newcastle colours in over 10 years.
The win sees the Foxes into third in the league, while Steve Bruce’s side dropped to 15th.
On Friday, Everton lost 1-0 to West Ham in a game that saw them drop out of the top four and down to seventh.
Tomas Soucek scored the only goal of the game as David Moyes won for the first time at Goodison Park since he left in 2013.
Tottenham capitalised on the Toffees’ loss the following day when they outclassed Leeds 3-0 to move back into the top four.
Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Toby Alderweireld all netted with no reply, despite Matt Doherty’s late red card for Spurs.
An outstanding 4-0 victory away at West Brom saw Arsenal continue their rise up the table, moving within just three points of ninth-placed Chelsea.
Their young talent shone with Kieran Tierney and Bukayo Saka’s goals being followed up by an Alexandre Lacazette brace as the Gunners’ upturn in form continued.
Towards the bottom of the table, Brighton finally found their goalscoring edge in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Wolves.
Aaron Connolly, Neal Maupay and Lewis Dunk all score for the Seagulls, while strikes from Romain Saiss, Ruben Neves and a Dan Burn own goal for Wolves meant the points were shared.
Finally, Crystal Palace comfortably beat Sheffield United 2-0 thanks to goals from Jeffrey Schlupp and Eberechi Eze – leaving the Blades still without a win.
Fulham and Burnley were due to play, but their match was postponed due to multiple Covid cases in the former’s squad.
By Ali Pollock
