Christmas is soon upon us which means Premier League football matches come around quicker than the proverbial London bus. Two rounds of top flight fixtures were played last week so here is our round up of each.
MATCH WEEK 16
The action began on Tuesday 13 December when the pick of the games included Everton’s win against Arsenal. It was the Gunners’ first defeat since the opening day of the season, although they went ahead through Alexis Sanchez’s goal. However, the hosts turned the game around as defenders Seamus Coleman and Ashley Williams headed home respectively despite Phil Jagielka being sent off late on. Bournemouth’s Marc Pugh scored the only goal of the game in Tuesday’s other fixture, as the Cherries defeated champions Leicester City.
West Ham United were the only team in the then bottom half to win on Wednesday as Mark Noble’s goal, tapping home after his penalty had been saved, saw them defeat Burnley by a single goal.
This meant that it was a good night for most of the teams in the top half of the table. Chelsea edged past Sunderland thanks to Cesc Fabregas’ solitary goal to keep their place at the top intact. Liverpool kept within touching distance of the Blues with a convincing 3-0 win against Middlesbrough, a game which included a brace from the impressive Adam Lallana.
Manchester City returned to winning ways with a 2-0 win against Watford, while city rivals Manchester United, continue to improve following a bad start under Jose Mourinho as they beat Crystal Palace 2-1.
Christian Eriksen struck twice as Tottenham Hotspur beat struggling Hull City 3-0 at White Hart Lane, with Victor Wanyama scoring the other goal. West Bromwich Albion continue to be this season’s surprise package as they earned a comprehensive 3-1 win against Swansea City, whose plight also continues to shock many neutrals. Salomon Rondon netted his first Premier League hat-trick, each being a header, before Wayne Routledge added a consolation for the Swans.
Stoke City’s draw with Southampton was the only goalless stalemate across the two match weeks.
MATCH WEEK 17
Chelsea temporarily went nine points clear at the top in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off, defeating Crystal Palace by a single goal scored by Diego Costa.
However, the deficit was cut to just six points on Monday night as Liverpool won the Merseyside derby. Sadio Mane’s goal four minutes into added time was enough to beat Everton.
Both Manchester sides were also able to close the gap between them and the top two with wins over the weekend. A Zlatan Ibrahimovic brace for Manchester United saw off West Bromwich Albion on Saturday evening, while Manchester City came from behind to beat title rivals Arsenal. Theo Walcott scored early on for the visitors, but second half strikes from young pair Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling were enough to complete the comeback.
Tottenham Hotspur were also forced to come from behind against Burnley, eventually winning 2-1. Ashley Barnes opened the scoring for the Clarets before Dele Alli and Danny Rose struck for the hosts.
Meanwhile, Swansea City continued their poor form as they were beaten 3-0 by fellow strugglers Middlesbrough. Alvaro Negredo netted a brace before Marten de Roon completed the scoring in the second half. Boro’s local rivals Sunderland also earned a vital win as they beat Watford thanks to Patrick van Aanholt’s second goal of the season.
West Ham United secured their second victory of the week, having failed to win since October, as they beat Hull City 1-0, once again through a Mark Noble goal.
Jay Rodriguez scored his first two Premier League away goals since 2014 as his Southampton side beat Bournemouth in the South Coast derby. Rodriguez’s goals, the second a wonderful 25-yard volley, came after Ryan Bertrand had equalised following Nathan Ake’s opener for the Cherries.
Finally, ten-man Leicester City were forced to come back from 2-0 down to snatch a point against Stoke City. The Potters raced into a two goal advantage through Bojan and Joe Allen in a first half that also saw Jamie Vardy sent off for the Foxes. Claudio Ranieri’s side, however, left it late to find two goals through Leonardo Ulloa and Daniel Amartey.