6-3 to Leicester. Arsenal and Tottenham super

MANCHESTER CITY – LEICESTER 6-3
A two cushion Manchester City beat Leicester and tries to stretch into the Premier League lead. Guardiola’s men won 6-3, suffering more than expected at halftime, and momentarily flew to +6 over second Liverpool. The Cityzens dominate at the start of the game and after 25 ‘they are already 4-0 ahead: De Bruyne’s brushstroke, Gündogan’s goal and penalties from Sterling and the former Mahrez seem to close the game long before the teams see to the locker room. In the second half, City drop their guard completely and Leicester come back, taking advantage of the meadow on the counterattack. In ten minutes Maddison, Lookman and Iheanacho write the sensational 4-3 and scare the locals, who react thanks to Laporte’s header and Sterling’s double in 87 ‘. Rollercoaster boxing day gives Manchester City their ninth consecutive Premier League victory as Leicester continues to elbow in the middle of the table.

NORWICH – ARSENAL 0-5
Arsenal is confirmed in a state of grace and slips its fourth consecutive victory in the Premier League, winning 5-0 to a Norwich never disputed. The Gunners immediately turned their game downhill, unlocking on 6 ‘with Saka’s left diagonal at the end of splendid choral action. Odegaard is the light of the Londoners and in the 43rd minute he invents his second assist of the day, seeing Tierney’s insertion: the winger flies to the left and crosses the goal of 2-0. Saka’s double, in the middle of the second half, with another left-handed diagonal clears any doubts about the result of the match, then Lacazette’s penalty in 84 ‘and Smith-Rowe’s goal in the recovery round the score to 5 -0 final. Arteta’s men, very fast, remain in fourth position, at 35, while those of Norwich, in the fourth consecutive knockout, remain last at 10.

TOTTENHAM – CRISTAL PALACE 3-0
Antonio Conte gives himself a happy boxing day, knocking out Crystal Palace with a clear 3-0 and staying in full swing for a place in the Champions League. His Tottenham overcame a treacherous hurdle by unlocking the match just after half an hour, when Harry Kane first attempted the counterattack started by Fowler and perfected by the splendid assist from Lucas Moura. For the forward, this is the ninth goal of his career on boxing day, allowing him to snag Robbie Fowler at the top of this special ranking. The Spurs froze the game in a few minutes: In the 35th minute, Lucas Moura built and finished another restart, heading for an Emerson Royal cross. Shortly after Zaha leaves the guests in ten for a handful that earned him the second yellow card. By Heung-Min Son in the 74th minute, again with an assist from Lucas Moura, claw of the final 3-0. Tottenham is fifth at 29, but with games to catch up, they can still break into the top four.

WEST HAM – SOUTHAMPTON 2-3
Southampton wins again and comes out of the quicksand of the safety zone. The Saints defeat West Ham 3-2, which with the second consecutive knockout begins to slide away from the European zone. Exciting match from the start: the guests unlocked at 8 ‘with Elyounoussi’s left foot from the edge of the area, the hosts pushed but found the tie only with the entry to the field of Michail Antonio, who only needed 3’ in the second the half to find the feeling with the goal. At 60 ‘Ward-Prowse finds the new overtaking of a penalty, at 66’ Benrahma responds again (with an assist from Bowen) for the 2-2. Southampton need to win again and find their third definitive lead in the 70th minute, when Bednarek heads Ward-Prow’s free kick and the final goal of 3-2. The Saints climb to 20 points, West Ham stays at 28.

VILLA ASTON – CHELSEA 1-3
Chelsea win again in the Premier League with a 3-1 comeback against Aston Villa signed by former Italian league stars Jorginho and Lukaku. After an unexciting start, the Blues come close to the lead when Mount’s great cross suddenly falls and hits the outer crossbar. A few minutes pass and the hosts are unlocked: in the 28th minute James extends a Targett cross to his own goal and taunts his goalkeeper Mendy. Tuchel’s men respond quickly, taking advantage of Cash’s penalty for a foul on Hudson-Odoi. From the place Jorginho displaces Martínez and scores 1-1. Former Inter Milan striker Lukaku enters the second half and at 10 ‘turns the game around, spitting out Hudson-Odoi’s tense cross with his head to put the 2-1 corner into the corner. Mount wastes the knockout blow by going for an empty goal, but Lukaku-Jorginho still thinks about it: the Belgian scores the second penalty, the former Napoli player realizes it. Chelsea celebrated 3-1 and won again after two draws, hooking Liverpool (who played one game less) in second position, 6 points behind the first City. Aston Villa stays at 22, in the center of the table.

BRIGHTON-BRENTFORD 2-0
Brighton is only in ninth place, with 23 points, having easily scattered Brentford within the friendly walls. The formation trained by Graham Potter already dominates in the first half with two opportunities missed by Burn and Mwepu; after which, with the assistance of the latter, Leandro Trossard intends to break the tie in the 34th minute thanks to a wonderful and delicious right lob from outside the area on the hasty exit of goalkeeper Álvaro Fernández. Another great goal from the hosts, signed in the 42nd minute, was worth 2-0 just before half-time: Moder’s percussion, control and just below Neal Maupay’s crossing of the posts. Guests try to reopen games, but Robert Sanchez is excellent at fending off opportunities from Baptiste and Pinnock. Webster saved Ghoddos’ safe shot down the line and the Seagulls won 2-0. Frank’s team comes out with -3 in the standings.

RESULTS AND CLASSIFICATIONS