Category: English Premier League

Arne Slot urged his players to keep their foot on the accelerator after Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to four points with a wild 6-3 victory against Tottenham. Although the manager felt his team produced their best attacking performance in an away game under him, he was not happy with a drop in intensity at 5-1 that gave Spurs brief hope of a comeback. The score was pulled back to 5-3 and Liverpool, who ended up capitalising on Chelsea’s draw with Everton earlier in the day, were reminded that they must maintain their focus if they are to win the league.

• Arne Slot warns against complacency despite Liverpool’s six-goal display

• Ange Postecoglou’s unserious Spurs exposed by serious Liverpool

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Liverpool make a statement, Pep Guardiola tries to see the funny side and Sandro Tonali fires on all cylinders

Midway through Ruben Amorim’s post-defeat media conference the roof in the press room, located in the bowels of Old Trafford, did what some of the outside sections of the stadium do: leak. Spots of water hit a scribe perched in the front row, merriment ensued, and Manchester United’s head coach offered a wry smile, a fitting end to an afternoon on which Bournemouth had rained on his side’s pre-Christmas Day parade. Nine games into his tenure, the Portuguese’s coach record is poor – four wins, four losses and a draw – and the next four matches look tough: Wolves (away), Newcastle (home), Liverpool (away) and a trip to Arsenal in the FA Cup. Amorim, who continually repeats the need for victory, knows things have to improve. Jamie Jackson

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Ruben Amorim said Manchester United's players and fans were 'suffering' after a damaging 3-0 Premier League loss to Bournemouth at Old Trafford. Dean Huijsen exposed United's frailties from set pieces with a first-half header before Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo added goals after the break to secure three points for the visitors

• Semenyo seals stunning Bournemouth win to add to Manchester United misery

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Luis Diaz and Mo Salah both scored twice as Liverpool produced a devastating attacking performance to demolish Spurs

Everton 0-0 Chelsea

Fulham 0-0 Southampton

Leicester 0-3 Wolves

Manchester United 0-3 Bournemouth

This is the updated league table.

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Fulham 0-0 Southampton and Leicester 0-3 Wolves were the other results in the Sunday kick-offs

Dear, departed Russell Martin had the look of an indie-rocker, in one of those bands like Biffy Clyro or Foals. But the new man, Ivica Juric, well he’s into the real stuff.

“I started at 14 years old with Metallica and Megadeth, then I moved on to more aggressive things. Death metal is my passion, bands like Napalm Death, Obituary and Carcass.”

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The Friedkin Group’s era at Everton started as Farhad Moshiri’s tenure ended, with a goalless draw against a London club with designs on the top of the Premier League, and a strengthening of Sean Dyche’s case for the stabilisation job that the new owners require. Chelsea missed the chance to go top of the Premier League as their eight-match winning run in all competitions came to a halt at Goodison Park.

Enzo Maresca’s insistence that Chelsea lack the experience and pedigree for a sustained title challenge was given credence as his players toiled against a resolute Everton defence. Dyche’s side had the clearer opportunities and, despite failing to take any, departed the more satisfied team at the end of a momentous few days for the club.

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After mid-morning wind and rain that might have caused Noah a problem, the skies cleared and Bournemouth took apart a Manchester United as amateurish as any of the iterations of the past decade or so.

Ruben Amorim’s men could not defend, retain the ball, or finish. So in these three fundamentals they failed, to leave their head coach appearing hapless and isolated.

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This was almost the perfect way for Mikel Arteta to celebrate five years as Arsenal manager. Another two goals for Gabriel Jesus – his first in the Premier League since January – followed up his match-winning performance against the same opponents a few days ago as Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and the substitute Declan Rice with his first league goal of the season rounded off another ­victory over Crystal Palace.

Only the sight of Bukayo Saka limping off during the first half with a suspected hamstring injury could dampen the enthusiasm of the travelling fans, whose side have scored five or more goals in six away games in all competitions in 2024 – the most ever by an English top-flight club in a calendar year. More importantly, they are now only three points behind the leaders, Liverpool – albeit having played two games more. But with Manchester City six points behind Arsenal and almost a speck of dust in their rear-view mirror, Arteta will know they have never had a better chance to go all the way after clinically ­dispatching Oliver Glasner’s side.

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Gabriel Jesus continued to torment Palace as Arsenal narrowed the gap at the top of the Premier League

2 min: Sarr pings a pass down the inside-right channel for Mateta, and things look promising for Palace. But then the whistle goes, because Hughes was judged to have fouled Lewis-Skelly in the build-up. A slightly soft free kick, but to be fair Palace don’t really complain.

Arsenal get into their pre-match huddle … then realise their captain and keeper aren’t in it. Odegaard and Raya eventually deign to turn up, the group hug is completed, and the visitors then kick off.

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Alexander Isak scored his first Newcastle hat-trick while in-form Forest ended Brentford’s unbeaten run at home

Ipswich (4-2-3-1) Muric; H Clarke, O’Shea, Burgess, Davis; Morsy,
Cajuste; Burns, Hutchinson, Szmodics; Chaplin.
Subs: Walton, Phillips, Taylor, Al Hamadi, Johnson, Townsend, Greaves, Broadhead, J Clarke.

Newcastle (4-3-3) Dubravka, Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall; Tonali, Guimaraes, Willock; J Murphy, Isak, Gordon.
Subs: Vlachodimos, Trippier, Barnes, Targett, Osula, Almiron, Kelly, Longstaff, Miley.

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Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers got the goals as Aston Villa put on a commanding performance to pile more misery on their visitors

• Read Ben Fisher’s match report from Villa Park

“I handle the good moments - I handle good the bad moments,” said Manchester City’s manager in his pre-match press conference. “I have had bad ones in my career as a manager but we were able to come back and now it takes longer.

“I take experience with that. I have had 40 days of bad days in terms of results. That is the truth when you compare to eight years which is much better. There have been eight years of incredible [results] and now we have 40-45 days of [bad results].

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Aston Villa take on Manchester City on Saturday while Liverpool visit Tottenham in Sunday’s standout fixture

Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue Villa Park

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Bournemouth look to repeat Old Trafford heroics, Saints must get ugly and it’s Füllkrug time for West Ham

Approaching the halfway point, it is hard to gauge where Aston Villa are at. Regardless of Manchester City’s extended wobble, a result at home to Pep Guardiola’s side will go a long way to providing an indication. It was always going to be a big ask for Villa to better or even equal last season’s achievements but, with automatic qualification to the Champions League last 16 a distinct possibility and a top-four finish within reach, it has been another solid, if imperfect, start. Only once this season have Villa recorded victory after a European night, in September after winning at Young Boys. This time last season Villa were third in the division, two points off the summit, on 35 points. They may be 10 points worse off now but, despite defeat at Nottingham Forest last time out, they remain in a good spot. Ben Fisher

Aston Villa v Manchester City, Saturday 12.30pm (all times GMT)

Brentford v Nottingham Forest, Saturday 3pm

Ipswich v Newcastle, Saturday 3pm

West Ham v Brighton, Saturday 3pm

Crystal Palace v Arsenal, Saturday 5.30pm

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• US company buying 98.8% stake in Merseyside club
• ‘Exciting new era’ promised after deal worth about £500m

The Friedkin Group has completed its takeover of Everton and brought the turbulent era of Farhad Moshiri to an end.

The US company (TFG), owned by the Texas billionaire and proposed new Everton chairman Dan Friedkin, agreed a complex deal to purchase Moshiri’s 94.1% shareholding in September. Through its entity Roundhouse Capital Holdings Limited it has acquired 98.8% of the shares in Everton and converted the club’s short-term debt to equity.

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• ‘There is a limit for me, and then I can get emotional’
• Slot to miss Southampton tie after third yellow card

Arne Slot has said he must reflect on the touchline behaviour that has attracted three yellow cards this season, but he admitted Premier League referees are breaking his limits.

The Liverpool head coach will serve a one-match suspension in the Carabao Cup quarter-final at Southampton having collected his third booking, in the draw against Fulham on Saturday. Slot was also shown a yellow card against Chelsea and Arsenal, the latter after a mix-up with the fourth official, who thought he was swearing at him and not Ibrahima Konaté.

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