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Manchester City picked up only their second win in fourteen games on Sunday, beating Leicester City 2-0 to secure a win that had long eluded them. Goals from Savinho and Erling Haaland ensured the reigning champions would take all three points against the relegation candidates, while Liverpool strengthened their position as favorites to win the competition after a 5-0 win over West Ham United. Nottingham Forest also recorded a big victory and climbed to second place with a 2-0 win over Everton.
Here’s how each Premier League fared on Sunday as the annual festive fixtures continued to play out.
Results of the festive matches in the Premier League
Sunday December 29th
- Leicester City 0, Manchester City 2
- Tottenham Hotspur 2, Wolverhampton Wanderers 2
- Everton 0, Nottingham Forest 2
- Crystal Palace 2, Southampton 1
- Fulham 2, Bournemouth 2
- West Ham United 0, Liverpool 5
Monday December 30th
Aston Villa vs. Brighton, 2:45 PM ET
Man United vs. Newcastle, 2:45pm ET
Wednesday January 1
Brentford vs. Arsenal, 12:30 PM ET
Figures West Ham United vs. Liverpool
West Ham United: The Hammers’ four goals conceded and zero shots on target provide a succinct summary of their below-average performance against Liverpool on Sunday. There were also no redeeming qualities for them to draw on, which is especially troubling for a team with just two wins in their last seven. This lopsided result is probably the low point of West Ham’s season so far, which was not particularly memorable to begin with. Grade: F
Liverpool: The league leaders came through Sunday’s match against West Ham, building a 4-0 lead in the 54th minute on a day when everything went well. They will even be forgiven for their lack of precision in the final half hour, when they could have continued but earned the right to take their foot off the accelerator. The result is a reminder of the steadfastness they radiate under the leadership of Arne Slot and reaffirms their status as big favorites to win the title. Grade: A+
Leicester City vs Manchester City
Leicester city: Even with City’s poor form, Leicester were always going to be the underdogs and so Sunday’s defeat comes as little surprise. However, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side can take some positives from the fact that they essentially played an even match against the reigning champions, with limited possession and expected goals at the final whistle. Time will tell whether this is a sign that 18th-placed Leicester can claw their way out of the drop zone or not, but in a season full of bad days for the Foxes, this is probably one that might feel better than the others. Grade: C-
Manchester City: Pep Guardiola’s side will be happy to have recorded their first win in six games and Haaland has his first goal in five games, but City still do not look like their usual selves. They have dominated many games during their poor run of form over the past two months but were unconvincing in an evenly played game against Leicester. City got the win on Sunday, which doesn’t mean the end of their battle, but they probably won’t care too much. Grade: C+
Figures Tottenham Hotspur vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers
Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs will feel hard done by conceding goals on two shots that amounted to just 0.31 expected goals, but the reason they didn’t collect all three points on Sunday is because they couldn’t convert their own chances. Ange Postecoglou’s side remain the Premier League’s top scorers with 41 goals, but managed just three shots on target from 13 total attempts. Had they taken a few other meaningful chances – including Son Heung-min’s penalty saved by Jose Sa – they could probably have ended 2024 on a high. Grade: C
Wolverhampton Wanderers: On the other hand, Wolves will probably be happy with the point they got in North London, especially as every point in the race helps them avoid relegation. The visitors were undoubtedly lucky on Sunday, missing several chances of their own and scoring just 0.69 expected goals from a total of eleven shots. Sa’s penalty save is a big plus in this match, but Spurs’ problems are a reminder that Wolves may still have a lot to overcome to stay out of the bottom three. Grade: C–
Everton vs. Nottingham Forest figures
Everton: The Toffees’ four-match unbeaten run came to an end on Sunday in a game full of missed opportunities. Everton finished the match with 64% possession and 13 shots, but put only two on target and generated just 0.75 expected goals along the way. It was a departure from manager Sean Dyche’s usual game plan – clearly designed for Forest – but a change they clearly couldn’t cope with. Grade: D
Nottingham forest: Nuno Espirito Santo’s side may not play in a glamorous manner, but they deserve credit for often getting the job done. Forest were quite happy to play without the ball, but didn’t sacrifice their end product for it. Seven of their eleven shots were on target, generating 2.23 expected goals. It feels like they’ve got their strategy down to a science at this point, especially after keeping three clean sheets in a row and five straight wins in the Premier League. Grade: A
Figures of Crystal Palace vs. Southampton
Crystal Palace: The match was arguably more nervous than it needed to be, with Southampton scoring the opening goal of the match, but with 19 shots and 10 on target there was little reason to doubt that Crystal Palace would come away from this match with all three points. There may be no such thing as an impressive win against the league’s worst team, but teams still need to win winning games, so all in all it’s good work from Palace. Grade: B
Southampton: Ivan Juric may be officially on the sidelines, but there is no new manager in sight for Southampton. They were outplayed by Crystal Palace and their porous backline was once again exposed, but at the other end of the pitch they did little to keep themselves competitive in a match where the scoreline favored them. The Saints managed just seven shots on Sunday, reinforcing the fact that they still have a long season ahead of them as they desperately try to climb out of 20th place. Grade: F
Fulham vs. Bournemouth figures
Fulham: The Cottagers couldn’t come up with a big follow-up after Thursday’s win over Chelsea, although they were perhaps a little lucky to come away with a point on Sunday. They outperformed their expected goals of 1.01 and were slightly outplayed by Bournemouth, so a point is better than nothing, but it does little to dent their position as they remain in the hunt for European berths. Grade: C
Bournemouth: The Cherries can take positives from having rescued a point thanks to Dango Ouattara’s 89th-minute equalizer, but there is an argument that they should have had all three. Bournemouth took sixteen shots and put nine on target, which was enough to win, especially as Raul Jimenez’s goal was worth only 0.05 expected goals for Fulham. Like Fulham, this point does little to dent their chances of a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League, but based on performance they remain in good standing. Grade: B