The latest in the Premier League sees Liverpool’s “Reds” under Arne Slot continue to impress at Anfield with spectacular, polished, and winning Football in the aftermath of Christmas.
Jordan Ayew opened the scoring for the visitors in the 6th minute (0-1), but Liverpool responded like a steamroller, with Cody Gakpo equalizing just before half-time (45+1, 1-1), Curtis Jones putting them ahead in the 49th minute (2-1), and Mohamed Salah sealing the victory in the 82nd minute (3-1).
Liverpool now seems to be racing towards the title, sitting comfortably with a seven-point lead over Chelsea (2, 35 pts), who have an extra game played.
Meanwhile, the “Blues” dropped two points at Everton (0-0) on Sunday and lost three on Thursday against local rivals Fulham, who celebrated a win at Stamford Bridge for the first time since 1979.
Harry Wilson equalized for Fulham in the 82nd minute (1-1), and Rodrigo Muniz stunned everyone with a late winner in the 90+5 minute (1-2), ending Chelsea’s impressive twelve-match unbeaten streak across all competitions.
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“We knew we weren’t going to win every match. Everyone has been saying from the start that we were not title contenders,” remarked Cole Palmer, who scored the first goal in the 16th minute (1-0), during a discussion on Amazon Prime.
The Midlands club extended its fairy tale run while continuing Tottenham’s struggles (1-0) on Thursday, thanks to Anthony Elanga’s goal in the 28th minute.
“There’s nothing wrong with looking at the table,” commented midfielder Elliot Anderson, “but we need to stay grounded and keep our feet on the ground.”
As for Manchester City, the four-time defending champions find themselves in seventh place following another disappointing result against Everton (1-1), who currently sit fifteenth in the Premier League.
Despite a roster filled with absentees (Ederson, Walker, Dias, Stones, Rodri, Grealish…), Pep Guardiola’s side went into the match with a significantly stronger squad than the “Toffees.” They took the lead in the 14th minute through Bernardo Silva (1-0), but once again failed to hold onto their advantage, as Iliman Ndiaye equalized with a superb individual effort in the 36th minute (1-1).
On the flip side, Erling Haaland has not been the lifeline for the Manchester club as he once was, as the Norwegian striker managed only one goal in December and failed to convert a penalty against Jordan Pickford in the 53rd minute.
Since the end of October, the reigning champions have won just once in thirteen matches (three draws and nine losses) across all competitions.
For some consolation, City can take comfort in the fact that the situation is even worse for their rivals: Manchester United languishes in fourteenth place after suffering a 2-0 defeat at Wolverhampton on Thursday.
The “Red Devils” have now lost four out of their last five league matches, hindered by the sending off of their captain Bruno Fernandes (47) and the sharp vision of Matheus Cunha, who scored directly from a corner (58, 1-0) before setting up Hee-Chan Hwang for a second goal (90+9).
The “Wolves,” under new manager Vitor Pereira, have moved out of the relegation zone with just one point clear of Leicester (18, 14 pts), currently the first team in the drop zone.
Croatian Ivan Juric couldn’t turn the tide for Southampton, who remain bottom of the table (20, 6 pts) after a 1-0 defeat to West Ham.
Finally, Newcastle provided the biggest scoreline of the “Boxing Day” matches with a convincing 3-0 victory against Aston Villa at St James’ Park, where the visitors suffered a red card (Jhon Duran) in the 32nd minute.
The “Magpies” celebrated goals from Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak, and Joelinton, extending their impressive run to three consecutive wins, with a total of eleven goals scored and none conceded!
