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Manchester City slipped to a ninth defeat in 12 matches with a 2-1 loss at Aston Villa in the early Saturday kick-off.
Newcastle meanwhile eased to a 4-0 win at Ipswich, before Arsenal returned to winning ways by thumping Crystal Palace in a 5-1 victory.
Gameweek 17 fixtures
Saturday, December 21
Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester CityBrentford 0-2 Nottingham ForestIpswich 0-4 NewcastleWest Ham 1-1 BrightonCrystal Palace 1-5 Arsenal
Sunday, December 22
14:00: Everton vs Chelsea14:00: Fulham vs Southampton14:00: Leicester vs Wolves 14:00: Manchester United vs Bournemouth16:30: Tottenham vs Liverpool
just nowBy Jack Johnson
Mohamed Salah has gone up to another level this season.
He’s been involved in 22 of Liverpool’s 31 Premier League goals, which is by far the highest share of any player for their team (71 per cent).
The Egyptian King has 13 goals and nine assists in the top-flight in just 15 games.
That incredible tally now has him on the brink of some more English football history.
If he provides an assist against Tottenham later today, Salah will become the first player ever to reach double figures for goals and assists before Christmas.
What an unbelievable achievement that would be for the Reds legend, who may just be playing in his final campaign at the club.
Credit: GettyCopied
34 minutes agoBy Josh Fordham
Marcus Rashford is believed to still be absent from the Manchester United matchday squad.
It will be the third straight game in a row that Rashford has now been selected by Ruben Amorim.
The forward, along with Alejandro Garnacho, was left out of the Manchester derby squad.
Garnacho returned midweek for the Carabao Cup clash with Tottenham, but Rashford did not.
Now it is believed that he will not be in the squad again.
This is following the comments he made to journalist Henry Winter that he was 'ready for a new challenge'.
Matthijs de Ligt is also not expected to be in the Man United squad again.
He missed the Carabao Cup defeat to Spurs too.
Rashford is not in the squad againCopied
Today, 11:17By Josh Fordham
Eddie Howe is nervous about losing Alexander Isak to a rival Premier League club.
That's the view of former Premier League striker Tony Cascarino.
Isak scored a brilliant hat-trick as Newcastle thumped Ipswich 4-0.
The striker has long been a target for the likes of Arsenal, and the Magpies are under pressure to sell.
Cascarino told Weekend Sports Breakfast: “It's quite clear.
So it would be a huge loss.”
Isak was on fire against IpswichCredit: GettyCopied
Today, 09:45By Josh Fordham
Mikel Arteta is 'pretty worried' about Bukayo Saka after the England winger was forced off in the 24th minute of Arsenal's 5-1 thrashing of Crystal Palace.
Saka was filmed leaving Selhurst Park on crutches, souring what had been a comprehensive second win over the Eagles in four days after Gabriel Jesus' hat-trick secured Arsenal passage to the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Wednesday night.
Jesus scored twice this time, either side of Ismaila Sarr's strike in an exciting first 15 minutes, with Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and the returning Declan Rice also finding the net as the Gunners moved within three points of Premier League leaders Liverpool.
But the focus after the match was on Saka.
"He felt something in his hamstring," Arteta said.
He will have to be assessed, but we are pretty worried, yes."
Credit: GettyCopied
21st Dec 2024, 19:49By Joe Moore
Arsenal's demolition of Crystal Palace has seen the Gunners complete an incredible feat last achieved by Chelsea almost 20 years ago.
Mikel Arteta's men are now unbeaten in Premier League London derbies this calendar year - that's ten matches.
It's the first time it's been done sine Chelsea won nine and drew one in 2005.
Meanwhile, Arsenal last did it the year before in 2004 when they won seven and drew three.
Their record in 2024 is a stunning eight wins and two draws after the victory at Selhurst Park.
Not a good day for Tottenham fans...
Arsenal are now three points behind Premier League leaders LiverpoolCredit: GettyCopied
21st Dec 2024, 19:30By Joe Moore
After a competitive start from both teams, it's Arsenal who run out comfortable winners at Selhurst Park.
After weeks of criticism for only scoring directly from set pieces, they go and score five all from open play in a satisfying victory for Mikel Arteta's side.
Gabriel Jesus was the star man with two goals, but he'll be annoyed he didn't get another hat-trick with plenty of chances for a third spurned in the second-half.
For Palace, they looked set to give Arsenal a proper game, but the Eagles faded as the match went on and were really put to the sword.
Here's how the top of the table looks after a brilliant three points for the Gunners...
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21st Dec 2024, 19:16By Joe Moore
Five goals, and this could be the best of the lot.
It's a first Premier League goal of the season for Rice, and what a way to score it.
It's very similar to Sarr's equaliser for Palace - the England midfielder receives the ball on the left corner of the box and unleashes the most perfect strike with his right foot.
The ball stays low but curls into the far right corner of the net, past a despairing Dean Henderson who makes a big dive across his goal but still doesn't get anywhere near it.
A real beauty.
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21st Dec 2024, 18:52By Joe Moore
That's game over I think and it's another simple finish.
Again, Jesus should have his hat-trick, but he couldn't put away Trossard's cross and hits it straight at the goalkeeper.
Declan Rice then picks up the parried ball on the edge of the box and sends it back towards goal, and Martinelli gets his foot in the way to direct it into the net.
Lovely ball forward from Gabriel [centre-back] to find Trossard on the wing too.
But Jesus will be annoyed he didn't complete his trio there - it was a gift of a chance right in front of the goal!
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21st Dec 2024, 18:24By Joe Moore
What a first-half that was, particularly from Gabriel Jesus.
He's not been front and centre of everything the Gunners are doing, but he's been clinical when called upon.
It's been an impressive 45 minutes from the striker, who is playing his way back into Mikel Arteta's plans and looks hungry for that second hat-trick.
Maybe they don't need to sign a new frontman after all...
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21st Dec 2024, 18:12By Joe Moore
So, so close to that double Gabriel Jesus hat-trick, as Havertz scores on the rebound.
Jesus leaps like a salmon to meet a Martinelli cross, but his header pops back out off the post.
It only goes as far as Havertz, who has a tap-in to give Arsenal a two-goal cushion.
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21st Dec 2024, 18:08By Joe Moore
The Arsenal defender goes into the referee's book...
Everyone's been saying Arsenal need a No.9 - turns they had one on their bench the entire time.
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21st Dec 2024, 17:44By Joe Moore
The hosts are right back in this game, and what a goal this is.
Sarr is seriously rapid, everyone knows it, and yet the Arsenal defenders back off and let him run with the ball.
He reaches the edge of the box and BANG, a fabulous strike that sails past David Raya and into the net.
"This is the kind of goal Heung-min Son used to score" - Jamie O'Hara
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21st Dec 2024, 17:38By Joe Moore
I bet Jesus wishes he could play against Palace every week - it's his fourth goal against them in a matter of days.
Bukayo Saka swings in a cross from the right and it's a lovely side-footed finish from the Brazilian to give the Gunners the lead.
It's Jesus' first league goal since January.
And Arsenal have scored from open play!
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21st Dec 2024, 17:21By Joe Moore
The line-ups are in for Crystal Palace vs Arsenal...
Subs: Neto, Tierney, Kiwior, Trossard, Jorginho, Merino, Calafiori, Rice,
Nwaneri.
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21st Dec 2024, 17:13By Joe Moore
Here's how the Premier League action ended after a goal-hungry afternoon.
Brentford 0-2 Nottingham ForestIpswich 0-4 NewcastleWest Ham 1-1 Brighton
That's 11 goals in just four games today, after Aston Villa beat Man City 2-1.
Next up is Crystal Palace vs Arsenal, where hopefully this Saturday goalfest continues.
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21st Dec 2024, 16:41By Joe Moore
Alexander Isak is the first Newcastle player to score a Premier League hat-trick for five years.
The last man who hit three goals in one game in Toon stripes was Ayoze Perez, who bagged a trio against Southampton in April 2019.
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21st Dec 2024, 16:25By Joe Moore
Well, that lead didn't last long - seven minutes to be exact.
Take a bow Julen Lopetegui, whose tactical substitution reaped instant rewards with the equaliser.
Niclas Füllkrug was replaced by Crysencio Summerville, allowing Jarrod Bowen to move into the centre-forward position.
It was that change that put the England star in a place to receive the ball and run at the Brighton defence - they couldn't stop him, although his shot was saved.
But the ball went straight to Kudus who made no mistake with the follow-up.
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21st Dec 2024, 16:19By Joe Moore
The Super Swede has his hat-trick with another tidy finish.
It's another Jacob Murphy assist, as he backheels the ball brilliantly to find the striker right in front of the goal in a crowded penalty area full of bodies.
Quite how he's done that, I don't know, but all is left for Isak to do is poke it into the bottom corner, with the goalkeeper helpless to stop him.
The goal came just moments after Bruno Guimaraes hit the post with a header.
Newcastle running riot.
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21st Dec 2024, 16:14By Joe Moore
More VAR drama, but like Isak's Newcastle opener, it's given.
There was a check for an offside and a foul, after Lewis Dunk won the ball challenging with Lukasz Fabianski in the air.
The ball bounced out to Wieffer who calmly finished into an empty net, and after a lengthy check it was awarded.
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21st Dec 2024, 16:13By Joe Moore
Forest are in full control of this one after Elanga pounces on a Brentford mistake.
It's a huge blunder from Keane Lewis-Potter, whose heavy touch opens the door for Elanga to steal the ball.
None of the Brentford back-four can get anywhere near him as he darts towards the box and finds the net with a fine finish.
He's hit it low and curling to beat the goalkeeper and find the very bottom corner of the goal.
Forest could be about to enter Christmas third in the Premier League.
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