da supremo： Just two days after the last gameweek, Premier League clubs were back in action as the festive fixtures continued.
da realbet： Now officially in the second half of the season, the Premier League table is really taking shape and this weekend’s action was another indication of who will be involved in the defining moments in May.
Liverpool hosted Arsenal in Saturday’s top table clash, with Klopp’s men looking to extend their lead over their closest rivals Tottenham and Man City.
Whereas, Fulham, Huddersfield and Cardiff went into the weekend desperate to move away from the bottom three.
You know the results, but what about the moments you missed on another jam packed weekend of Premier League action.
City Without A Clean Sheet Again
They may have returned to winning ways after two successive losses, but Manchester City’s frailties in defence once again showed.
Pierre-Emile Hojberg’s goal first half goal means the champions are now ten games without a clean sheet.
Andros Townsend Photographer Collision
Crystal Palace’s Andros Townsend is known for his pace and energetic playing style, but on Sunday it seems he ran out of pitch!
The midfielder crashed into a female photographer who was perched by the advertising hoardings, after the collision, Townsend checked that she was all ok before proceeding to chase down the ball.
Top class act.
Teenager Scores For Burnley
19-year-old Dwight McNeil became the first teenager to score a Premier League goal for Burnley as his side beat West Ham 2-0.
Sean Dyche handed the former Man United youngster a rare start and he duly delivered.
Joe Hart Dropped
McNeil wasn’t the only Burnley player given a rare start, Sean Dyche made five changes to the side that were thumped 5-1 by Everton on Boxing Day.
Goalkeeper Joe Hart was replaced by Tom Heaton in goal and after keeping a clean sheet (Burnley’s fourth of the season) it is likely the former England number one will find himself on the bench for the forseeable.
Morata Asleep
Alvaro Morata’s career at Chelsea is becoming laughable.
The Spaniard was left on the bench once again for Chelsea’s trip to Crystal Palace as Maurizio Sarri opted for Olivier Giroud.
On a cold day in south London, the striker was spotted almost asleep on the bench under his snood.
Ederson Taking Liberties
Considering he hasn’t kept a clean sheet in ten matches you would Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson would not take so many risks in his own penalty area.
But the Brazilian who has perfect the ‘no-look’ pass was at it again on Sunday, turning skilfully just three-yards out.
Spurs Title Challenge Lasted Three Days
After Man City lost to Leicester on boxing day, Tottenham’s 5-0 win against Bournemouth moved them up to second, with many tipping them for a serious title challenge.
But just three days later a sorry 3-1 loss to Wolves at Wembley seems to have killed all their momentum.
Kane Booked For Diving
It was supposed to be a celebratory day for Harry Kane who received news that he has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Years’ Honours list.
But the England captain was shamefully booked for diving in the second half at Wembley.
More Penalty Woes For Leicester
After one of the worst displays in their Carabao Cup quarter-final with Manchester City, you would have thought penalty taking practice would have been high on the list.
But James Maddison showed that the Foxes haven’t been practicing as he missed a 75th minute spot kick.
Rashford Skill
Pogba isn’t the only one enjoying life post-Mourinho.
Marcus Rashford was in devilish form as he assisted the Frenchman for his first goal inside five minutes, dribbling past and making Nathan Ake and Diego Rico look rather foolish.
Another Penalty For Liverpool
You know what they say about buses, you wait ages for one and then suddenly two come along at once!
On Boxing Day, Liverpool were awarded their first home penalty for 422 days, three days later Michael Oliver pointed to the spot twice against Arsenal!
Practice Makes Perfect
There is no doubt that Paul Pogba’s mood has changed since the departure of Jose Mourinho.
The Frenchman was spotted practicing his goal celebration during his warm-up on Sunday which paid off as he scored twice in United’s 4-1 win over Bournemouth.
Fight Over Penalty At Fulham
Incredibly Fulham had a penalty taking issue also, however they had a ‘who is going to take it?’ domestic.
Aboubakar Kamara and Aleksandar Mitrovic made it very obvious they were disagreeing over who would take it.
Kamara took it and missed, Fulham boss Claudio Ranieri said:
“I wanted to kill him. That is normal when one man takes a ball, only because he scored the last penalty (against Manchester United). It should be Mitrovic, that is it.”
Mitrovic who is the team’s designated penalty taker later revealed:
“He’s a striker, he’s hungry for goals as well, maybe he wanted to score as well and he scored his last penalty,” the striker said.
“It’s normal. He’s young; these kind of things can happen. It’s normal.
“You need to take care of each other. We had a bit of an argument but in the end he took the ball and I wished him luck and told him to stay focused and score. That’s what he’d do as well.”