Arsenal will reach Christmas atop the Premier League table after a 1-1 draw with second-placed Liverpool. Meanwhile, Manchester United crashed to a dismal 2-0 defeat at West Ham as goals from Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus piled renewed pressure on under-fire boss Erik ten Hag on Saturday.
Elsewhere, Spurs moved up to fourth while history was made at Craven Cottage.
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RED DEVILS FALL APART AGAIN
Ten Hag’s side were blown away by West Ham’s late strikes at the London Stadium, condemning them to an eighth Premier League loss already this season.
United, languishing in eighth place, have managed just one win in seven games in all competitions.
They have lost three of their last four matches and failed to score in any of them for the first time since 1992.
It has been a wretched second season for Ten Hag, whose team have been eliminated from Europe after finishing bottom of their Champions League group, while also crashing out of the League Cup.
United have lost 13 games in all competitions this season — their most defeats before Christmas since 1930-31 when they finished bottom of the table.
“In 2023, we won a Cup, we played the FA Cup final, we were third in the league. There were highlights but we are over-performing, but in this moment we are underperforming,” Ten Hag said.
“There are reasons for it, we have many injuries, so the team will be better if the injured ones return.
“We have to be calm, stick together, stick to the plan, we have to do it together.”
REDS AND GUNNERS DRAW
Arsenal ensured they will spent Christmas Day on top of the Premier League as they held title rivals Liverpool to a pulsating 1-1 draw at Anfield on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta’s side took an early lead through Gabriel Magalhaes, but Mohamed Salah hauled Liverpool level before the interval.
A draw was arguably the right result after both sides flexed their muscles to show why they have emerged as the leading contenders to win the title.
Chasing a first title since 2004, Arsenal sit one point clear of second placed Liverpool heading into the festive period.
The team that has topped the Premier League at Christmas has gone on to win the title in six of the past 10 seasons, but the draw on Merseyside was also a boost to the chasing pack.
Third placed Aston Villa are level on points with Liverpool, fourth placed Tottenham are three points further back, while champions Manchester City are six points adrift of the leaders with a game in hand.
Liverpool are unbeaten in their past 11 games against Arsenal at Anfield. However, coming a week after their goalless stalemate against Manchester United, this was another frustrating result for Jurgen Klopp’s team.
Arsenal weren’t completely satisfied either.
Arsenal took the lead after only four minutes. Martin Odegaard delivered a perfect free-kick into the Liverpool area and Gabriel rose to thump his header past Alisson Becker from eight yards.
Liverpool were controversially denied a penalty by VAR when Odegaard handled in the area after slipping under pressure from Salah.
Salah took it upon himself to ensure Liverpool weren’t left to rue that debatable decision as the Egyptian conjured a superb 29th minute equaliser.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s raking pass picked out Salah down the right flank and he glided away from Oleksandr Zinchenko into the area before smashing a fierce strike past David Raya at his near post.
Liverpool should have been in front in the 73rd minute when a break from an Arsenal corner climaxed with Salah teeing up Alexander-Arnold, but the ball took a slight bobble and his shot cannoned back off the crossbar with just Raya to beat, and Arsenal held on for a crucial point.
WELCH MAKES HISTORY
At Craven Cottage, Rebecca Welch became the first woman to referee a Premier League match as struggling Burnley won 2-0 at Fulham.
In 2021, Welch became the first woman appointed to referee a match in the English Football League when she took charge of the fourth-tier fixture between Harrogate and Port Vale.
Last month, the 40-year-old became the first woman to act as fourth official in a Premier League game as part of the officiating team for Fulham’s match against Manchester United.
It was an impressive debut for Welch, who ignored boos from the Fulham fans when she booked Calvin Bassey after his arm caught Josh Brownhill.
Wilson Odobert’s 47th minute opener for Burnley needed no intervention from Welch and her assistants, with Sander Berge’s 66th minute goal sealing just the third win this season for the second-bottom Clarets.
SPURS INTO FOURTH
Tottenham moved up to fourth, three points behind Arsenal, with a 2-1 win against Everton in north London.
Richarlison put Tottenham ahead against his former club in the ninth minute, slotting home from Brennan Johnson’s low cross to make it three goals in his last four games.
Son Heung-min doubled the lead in the 18th minute and Andre Gomes’s 82nd minute reply was too late for Everton.
Luton bolstered their bid for survival with an impressive 1-0 win against Newcastle at Kenilworth Road.
Paying the perfect tribute to Tom Lockyer as the Hatters captain recovers from his on-pitch cardiac arrest at Bournemouth last Saturday, Andros Townsend clinched the points in the 25th minute with a close-range finish.
Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke ruined Nuno Espirito Santo’s first match in charge of Nottingham Forest as the striker’s 94th-minute hat-trick sealed a 3-2 victory.
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