Stoke City 2-0 Manchester United

Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal has been under pressure of late as his side only collected five points from a possible 15 before facing Stoke City at the Britannia. Wayne Rooney’s poor form meant that he was dropped and Anthony Martial moved to striker. Marouane Fellaini started in an advanced midfield role and Ander Herrera started in place of the suspended Bastian Schweinsteiger. Van Gaal has shown great faith in starting $28.2 million signing Memphis Depay despite his lackluster form and it was his ill-judged back pass that gifted Glen Johnson the opportunity to cut the ball back to Bojan Krkic, who finished calmly. Stoke would double their lead 7 minutes later. Bojan’s free kick was blocked and fell to Marko Arnautovic, who touched the ball out of his feet and fired a blistering shot past a hapless David De Gea. Van Gaal brought Rooney on for Memphis at the interval, but it would have little impact as United continued to pump long balls into the towering figure of Fellaini who eventually forced Stoke City ‘keeper Jack Butland into a fine save from close range. Mark Hughes was full of praise for his side after the match, “On another day we could have scored another goal or two so that is the only slight disappointment from today.” Whereas Van Gaal was critical, “We played better in the second half but the problem is we didn’t dare to play”. Van Gaal, who stormed out of a press conference earlier this week, will be under immense pressure to bring a positive result as they face Chelsea in the next 48 hours.

Aston Villa 1-1 West Ham United

Aston Villa had the chance to go 2 points behind 19^th placed Sunderland and kickstart their campaign to avoid relegation this season. They welcomed a West Ham side whose last loss came at Spurs a month ago but had not won a game since beating Chelsea in October. Remi Garde would have been eyeing his first win as Villa manager this festive period, but it was not to be. Aaron Cresswell’s beautifully struck shot across Brad Guzan on the stroke of halftime suggested Villa’s mediocrity would carry on. However, Angelo Ogbonna brought Rudy Gestede down in the box on the hour mark. Jordan Ayew stepped up to calmly slot home his second goal in as many games. Slaven Bilic’s side have now drawn their last five games as their early season form has curtailed. Garde was happy with the performance, saying, “We are still in a very bad position but when I see my team play it is encouraging.” Villa are rock bottom with 8 points and will have the chance to beat the teams around them as they face Sunderland and Norwich in the next week

Bournemouth 0-0 Crystal Palace

Both sides came into this Boxing Day clash in great form. Bournemouth had the chance to make it four wins on the bounce while Palace looked to continue their push for Champions League qualification. Despite injuries to key players for both sides, they produced a rather entertaining display. Palace had the early chances, with Delaney forcing a goal line clearance. Bournemouth came out in typical fighting fashion as Dan Gosling led wave after wave of attack. Matt Ritchie should have scored after he met a Junior Stanislas cross but headed inches wide. In the second half, Gosling drove into the box and laid it off to Murray, who shot tamely at Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey. Alan Pardew’s side had to defend bravely, typified by a late Scott Dann block to deny Tokelo Rantie, to hold on for a point. “Bournemouth work you. We had to work really hard for a draw here”, Pardew said after the game. Eddie Howe will be pleased with his side’s performance but would have liked all three points as they dangerously sit in 14^th with only a three-point gap above the relegation places.

Chelsea 2-2 Watford

Guus Hiddink’s first game in charge on his return to Stamford Bridge saw them face a Watford side exceeding all expectations thanks to dangerous strike duo Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney. Following their 3-1 victory over Sunderland, Chelsea seemed to have exorcised their demons of this season as Diego Costa fired home a volley after Terry’s deflected header back into the box. However, a strange 42nd-minute handball from Nemanja Matic gifted the Hornets a chance to equalize from the spot. Deeney stepped up and sent Thibaut Courtois the wrong way. Hiddink sensed danger and took off Cesc Fabregas for the defensively sound John Obi Mikel at halftime only to find his side trailing 12 minutes later. Ighalo lashed at goal from an unlikely angle, but a massive deflection off Gary Cahill wrong-footed Courtois and saw Chelsea trail at home yet again. Chelsea have now conceded 14 goals in 10 games at the Bridge, hardly the solidity that Hiddink would have liked to bring to the Blues. 8 minutes later, Costa would find the back of the net as Willian played a beautifully weighted ball through a stagnant Watford backline to Costa, who expertly finished past Heurelho Gomes. With momentum on their side, the Blues looked to have turned the game on its head as Behrami fouled substitute Eden Hazard in the 79^th minute inside the area. Home turf would betray Chelsea as Oscar slipped and fired into the stands. Chelsea sit in 15^th, two points above the relegation zone while overachievers Watford will be pushing for European qualification. They will have the chance to close the gap in two days as they play fourth-placed Tottenham.

Swansea City 1-0 West Bromwich Albion

Swansea’s season has been in free-fall since September as their last win came against struggling Aston Villa in late October. Caretaker manager Alan Curtis has taken the reins in the meantime, replacing Gary Monk. Tony Pulis’ side has had their struggles as well, winless in 4 games prior to Boxing Day. The Swans took an early lead thanks to a rather bizarre Ki Sung-Yeung goal. A neat exchange down the right-hand side saw Wayne Routledge play in Angel Rangel whose shot struck Boaz Myhill’s near post and ricochet off his back. As he attempted to collect, the ball slipped away and the onrushing Ki poked home. An unfortunate error from Albion’s perspective but the early nature of the goal saw a buoyed Swansea City side hold on for all three points and they will be hoping a new manager can turn their season around in the new year. West Brom are in 13^th and are another side with a three-point gap who sit precariously above the relegation zone.

Manchester City 4-1 Sunderland

After the defeat at Arsenal, the Manchester City camp would have seen the visit of lowly Sunderland as an opportunity to get back to winning ways and reaffirm their title ambitions in time for the New Year. It only took 13 minutes for the Citizens to get off the mark. Kevin De Bruyne was afforded plenty of time on the right wing to cross for Raheem Sterling to score a rare header. Sam Allardyce will be livid with Patrick Van Aanholt’s lackadaisical defending. Unfortunately, it would typify Sunderland’s defensive effort on the day as Yaya Toure twisted and turned Jordi Gomez inside out before lashing home a left-footed drive from 20 yards. 6 minutes later, Wilfried Bony headed a De Bruyne set piece into the far corner. Any sliver of hope that Big Sam would have tried to instill into his squad at halftime would be vanquished as De Bruyne capitalized on a poor clearance to finish under Vito Mannone. Fabio Borini would force a save from Joe Hart, but he could not recover in time as Borini slotted the consolation goal past his near post. Manuel Pellegrini’s biggest concern would be Vincent Kompany lasting only 9 minutes on his long-awaited comeback from injury before limping off again. “Yes it is a calf [injury to Kompany]. Nobody understands. He had a good warm up (…) The most important thing is to understand why this happens.” Meanwhile, Sam Allardyce will look to the January transfer window, “I’ve changed the side as much as I could, everyone has had a chance, it is about what we can do in this window. I was hoping the players would show me more, but they have not done that since that third win.” Sunderland are five points behind cross-town and now, relegation rivals Newcastle United.

Newcastle United 0-1 Everton

There was much talk of Roberto Martinez’ Everton side not matching results with impressive performances. The Toffees seemed reenergized by criticism as they put Newcastle on the back foot the entire first half. Finishing was an issue for both sides despite red-hot Romelu Lukaku leading the Everton line. Steve McLaren would spark some life into his Newcastle unit at the break as the two sides would trade opportunities back and forth with only poor finishing the reason for deadlock. Aleksandar Mitrovic missed the best chance of the game as he met Moussa Sissoko chipped cross but got too much contact with the header and the ball flew just wide of the far post. He would get another chance at a tighter angle minutes later, but Tim Howard parried away. Lukaku could not keep a rebound down after Funes Mori’s header was saved. Both sides would have happily taken a point, but there was just enough time for heartbreak as Newcastle’s Rob Elliot failed to punch a corner clear in the 93^rd minute and Tom Cleverley’s looping header found the gap between Chancel Mbemba and Fabricio Coloccini on the line. It would be the last touch of the game as the Toffees dramatically snatched three points to leave Newcastle in 18^th place.

Liverpool 1-0 Leicester City

The Boxing Day featured match pitted a Liverpool side looking to turn their fortunes around after a 3-0 thumping at Watford, against high-flying surprise league leaders Leicester City. The opening exchanges saw the Leicester quartet of Marc Albrighton, Riyad Mahrez, Shinji Okazaki and Jamie Vardy apply their customary high-press. Mamadou Sakho looked shaky and a few risky traps and turns saw his confidence grow as the game wore on. Likewise with defensive partner Dejan Lovren, who is starting to look like the $29.7 million defender the Reds paid for, attempted more passes and had more touches than any other player on the night. Leicester’s thin squad meant that fatigue showed as the dynamic duo of Mahrez and Vardy could not conjure any heroics. Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho grew into the game as the Liverpool defenders broke the pressure. In particular, the fullbacks proved instrumental. Alberto Moreno was afforded acres of space as Coutinho continually cut onto his right side. With Nathaniel Clyne bombing forward on the right wing, Mahrez and Albrighton were forced deep, isolating Vardy and Okazaki. Divock Origi’s pace proved an issue for the Leicester defense until a hamstring injury forced him off in place of out-of-favor Christian Benteke. The mighty Belgian would prove to be the difference as Roberto Firmino crossed for Benteke to meet with a well-timed slide just past the hour mark. The Foxes left themselves exposed at the death, but Benteke dallied in front of an open net to leave the score 1-0. This is the first instance this season where Leicester have failed to score and it is only their second loss. They remain two points clear at the top, but Claudio Ranieri will be conscious of his side’s labored display; it will be interesting to see the changes he makes against Manchester City.

Tottenham 3-0 Norwich City

Tottenham will be eyeing a top four finish as star striker Harry Kane has found his feet after a leggy start to the season. Kane scored twice in the first half to take his tally to 13 for the season. Norwich goalkeeper, Declan Rudd brought Kane down when he should have stayed on his feet. Kane dispatched the penalty with ease and Norwich never looked to threaten afterward. In the 42^nd minute, Kane shot with pinpoint accuracy across Rudd from the corner of the 18-yard box to double Spurs’ advantage. Tom Carroll came on for Christian Eriksen and staked his claim for a more regular berth with an emphatic, dipping shot from just outside the area. Mauricio Pochettino’s side will be looking to reinforce fourth place as they are only two points ahead of Crystal Palace. Norwich, on the other hand, will have the perfect opportunity to steer clear of the drop as they face an out-of-sorts Aston Villa at Carrow Road in two days.

Southampton 4-0 Arsenal

The Gunners missed their chance to go top of the table against a rampant Southampton side, who will be hoping this result is a sign of better things to come after losing their last four in five games prior to kickoff. Making his first Premier League start, Cuco Martina opened the scoring with a sumptuously struck three-toe, which curled around Laurent Koscielny and nestled into the far corner. Petr Cech helplessly scampered to preserve a sought-after clean sheet but to no avail. The goal had a telling impact on the Gunners’ body language as shoulders visibly dropped and the Saints had a spring in their step. James Ward-Prowse and Steve Davis found themselves in good positions but lacked the necessary final touch as their shots were off target. Arsene Wenger fielded the same eleven that ran themselves ragged against Manchester City last Monday, hoping he could squeeze one more result out of them before rotating against Bournemouth. He was left to rue that decision as Shane Long’s pace and constant runs in behind caused Per Mertesacker and Koscielny nightmares. Long made it 2-0 on the counterattack with a tap in, assisted by Sadio Mane. Arsenal players felt aggrieved as they believed Koscielny, the man marking Long, was fouled in the buildup. The Gunners seemed mentally distraught as they conceded from a set-piece as Jose Fonte met Ryan Bertrand’s pinpoint corner and then in stoppage time, Long raced onto a Dusan Tadic through ball and finished between Cech’s legs to end the rout. The Gunners remain two points behind Leicester City and will have one eye over their shoulders as Manchester City narrowed the gap to just a point behind them.