Liverpool beat Spurs 6-3 to extend lead at the top
Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League with a dominant but chaotic 6-3 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday thanks to doubles from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah.
Diaz met Trent Alexander-Arnold's beautiful cross with a diving header to open the scoring before Alexis Mac Allister nodded home from close range to double Liverpool's lead, but James Maddison pulled one back four minutes before half-time.
Dominik Szoboszlai scored in added time and Salah netted twice in seven second-half minutes, before Dejan Kulusevski's volley was followed by Dominic Solanke's 83rd-minute goal to set up a frantic finish until Diaz made it 6-3 two minutes later.
Liverpool are top with 39 points from 16 games, four points above second-placed Chelsea who have played a game more. Spurs remain 11th, with 23 points from 17 games.
Bournemouth climb to fifth with 3-0 rout at Man United
Bournemouth thrashed Manchester United 3-0 in the Premier League at a chilly Old Trafford on Sunday and climbed to fifth in the table thanks to goals from Dean Huijsen, Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo.
Bournemouth's fourth league victory in five matches moved them to 28 points after 17 games, while United are 13th with 22 points and will spend Christmas in the bottom half of the table for the first time in Premier League history.
Huijsen put the visitors on the score sheet when he out-jumped Joshua Zirkzee to head home Ryan Christie's free kick in the 29th minute. United have been plagued by set piece issues, giving up two goals from corner kicks against Arsenal and then one to Nottingham Forest earlier this month.
While United peppered Bournemouth with shots late in the first half, including three from captain Bruno Fernandes, it was the visitors who put the game away with two goals within two minutes early in the second half.
Kluivert scored from the penalty spot in the 61st minute - awarded after Noussair Mazraoui brought down the Dutch winger - sending keeper Andre Onana the wrong way.
The delighted Bournemouth fans were still celebrating when Dango Ouattara swept a pass into Semenyo inside the box two minutes later. Martinez put up little resistance as Semenyo unleashed a hard shot past Onana.
Bournemouth's supporters gleefully sang "Man United, it's happened again" in the dying minutes, in reference to the Cherries' victory by the same score at Old Trafford last season.
United looked completely out of sorts at both ends of the pitch for most of a game that came on the heels of their feel-good 2-1 derby victory over Manchester City a week earlier.
United had 23 shots to Bournemouth's 10, including the flurry right before the break that saw Fernandes fire a rocket from the top of the 18-yard box that sailed just wide of the net. Seconds later, Kobbie Mainoo beat three defenders before shooting just wide of the post.
Alejandro Garnacho squandered a terrific chance in the second half when he outsprinted two defenders before shooting at keeper Kepa.
Amorim left forward Marcus Rashford out of his squad for the third successive match, after rumours his time with the club could be limited.
The 27-year-old forward, who was at the stadium on Sunday but not on the bench, appears to have fallen out of favour, and said in an interview earlier in the week that he was ready for a "new challenge" away from the club.
Wolves maul Leicester 3-0 in Pereira's first game in charge
Wolverhampton Wanderers kicked off the Vitor Pereira era with an impressive 3-0 victory over Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday to snap a four-match losing streak and move a step closer to the safety zone.
Pereira, who was appointed Wolves' new manager on Thursday, made several changes to the starting lineup from Gary O'Neil's last game in charge and the visitors played with courage and intent to score all three goals in the first half.
With goals from Goncalo Guedes, Rodrigo Gomes and Matheus Cunha, the victory gave Wolves fans some Christmas cheer as they moved up to 18th, two points behind 17th-placed Leicester.
The travelling supporters sang Pereira's name after the fulltime whistle and the beaming 56-year-old Portuguese approached the away end to acknowledge them.
Wolves took the lead in the 19th minute when Guedes allowed a long ball from Nelson Semedo to bounce and the Portuguese forward took a shot from a tight angle without looking up to beat Danny Ward in Leicester's goal.
Wolves were gifted a second goal when Leicester right back James Justin let Matt Doherty's long diagonal ball go through, unaware that Gomes was stealing in behind him and the winger controlled the ball before poking it past Ward to make it 2-0.
Boos rang around the King Power Stadium as Gomes, who could not believe his luck, celebrated with his teammates while Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy looked on incredulously from the touchline.
Vardy nearly halved the lead before halftime but saw Toti Gomes clear the ball off the line and seconds later Wolves made it 3-0 at the other end for the boos to only get louder.
A Wolves counter-attack saw Guedes find Cunha making a run into the box and the Brazilian expertly controlled the pass to lose his marker before firing a shot across Ward as the ball went in off the far post.
A livid Nistelrooy made changes at halftime and Leicester had more of the ball in the second half, but Pereira's Wolves were happy to sit back with a three-goal cushion.
Scores of Leicester fans headed for the exits as the clock wound down and it was the Wolves fans whose cheers echoed around the emptying stadium.
It was the perfect start for Pereira as Wolves kept their first clean sheet in 17 away games in the league, their last coming in January in Brighton.
Southampton hold Fulham for point as new boss watches
Bottom-placed Southampton secured a point away from home for only the second time this season as a stout defensive performance saw them hold hosts Fulham to a goalless draw in the Premier League at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
It was only the sixth point of the campaign for the struggling Saints, but a much improved showing will have given hope to new manager Ivan Juric, who watched from the stands.
Southampton had conceded five goals in their previous Premier League outing last Sunday, thumped at home by Tottenham Hotspur, after which manager Russell Martin was fired.
But with a new man waiting in the wings, and taking notes in the stands, there was a vast improvement in their defending as they kept a clean sheet for only the second time this season.
Fulham dominated most aspects of the game but proved unable to forge a breakthrough to the frustration of their fans.
Manager Marco Silva made five changes from the side that drew 2-2 at Premier League leaders Liverpool last weekend and might have underestimated Southampton’s determination.
But they still had several chances to win the game.
Their best first half effort was from Alex Iwobi, whose curling left-footed effort forced a fingertip save from Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, returning after a finger surgery.
The England international, who wore a modified four-fingered glove on his left hand to protect his finger, made an even better stop in the 67th minute to block Harry Wilson’s left footed half volley, which was hit hard from close range but saw Ramsdale push it over the bar.
Substitute Adama Traore put his snap shot narrowly wide with four minutes left as Fulham piled on the pressure in a desperate search for a late winner.
It took 55 minutes for Southampton to take a first shot on goal but Adam Armstrong’s tame effort at the end of a quick counter attack went straight to Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
There was a goalbound effort five minutes later from outside the box from Yukinari Sugawara, but the shot was blocked.
Fulham, who are at Stamford Bridge to meet Chelsea on Boxing Day, moved up one place to ninth with the added point.
Southampton remain last, and are now six points adrift after Wolverhampton Wanderers won at Leicester City to move up to third from bottom.
Juric’s first game will be on Thursday at home against West Ham United.
Southampton under-21 coach Simon Rusk was in interim charge on Sunday: "We wanted to build on solidity for the group, find that balance. We're the first team to deliver a clean sheet here this season," he said.
Chelsea held by Everton in goalless draw at Goodison
Striker Nicolas Jackson struck the post with a close-range header as Chelsea were denied the chance to go top of the Premier League table as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Everton at a blustery Goodison Park on Sunday.
The conditions made it difficult for both teams, but they each had chances to win the game. Jackson was also denied from point-blank range by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford as Everton kept a fifth clean sheet in six games.
Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez saved from Jack Harrison at the other end, while Iliman Ndiaye's goal-bound shot was blocked by visiting defender Tosin Adarabioyo as Everton impressed with new executive chairman Marc Watts in attendance.
Chelsea remain in second place with 35 points, one behind leaders Liverpool but having now played two games more. Everton climb to 15th with 16 points from 16 games, four clear of the relegation zone.
The result snapped Chelsea's run of eight straight wins in all competitions, and five in a row in the Premier League, but in truth they did not create enough with five shots on goal in the game, most of which were tame.
It was a first game for Everton since their purchase by the Friedkin Group in midweek, and there was certainly plenty of effort from the home side in front of a fervent home crowd.
Pickford made a superb save to deny Jackson at point-blank range early on, before Malo Gusto headed over the bar from the rebound with the goal gaping.
Jackson should have scored at the back post after a corner reached him through a sea of bodies, but his header from all of a yard came back off the woodwork.
At the other end, Orel Mangala forced a fine save from Sanchez, who went sprawling to his right with a low shot from the edge of the box.
Harrison should of scored when he was put into acres of space at the back post by Ndiaye, but Sanchez again made an excellent stop.
Chelsea were then grateful for a superb block from Adarabioyo to deny Ndiaye from four yards, the last big chance in the game.
