City Remain Clear While Reds Thrash Seagulls

Ahead of the upcoming festive period, the Premier League action reached game-week 15.

Saturday's action began with Chelsea claiming a 3-1 win over Newcastle United.

The Magpies opened the scoring through Dwight Gayle in the 13th minute before Eden Hazard levelled with a 21st minute effort. Alvaro Morata put the Blues ahead 12 minutes ahead of the interval with Hazard wrapping up the points with a 75th minute penalty. 

Liverpool sit fourth after a comfortable 5-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion. 

Emre Can fired the Reds ahead on the half hour mark with Roberto Firmino doubling the lead a minute later.  The Reds looked to be out of sight within two minutes of the second half as Firmino struck his second and Liverpool's third. Brighton got off the mark three minutes later with a penalty from Glenn Murray. The points were wrapped up for the visitors with two late goals, Philippe Coutinho scoring ahead of an own goal from Lewis Dunk.


Everton moved into the top half with a 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town. 

An even first half between the sides led to a break in the deadlock two minutes after the restart with Gylfi Sigurdsson firing the Toffees ahead. The win was confirmed with 17 minutes left via a strike from Dominic Calvert-Lewin. 

Leicester City sit ninth after securing a narrow 1-0 win at home to Burnley. 

The crucial strike came after just six minutes as Demarai Gray struck. 


Swansea City dropped to the foot of the table after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Stoke City.

The Swans took the lead inside three minutes through Wilfried Bony, Xherdan Shaqiri levelled for the Potters on 37 minutes before the comeback as completed four minutes later by Mame Diouf's effort.

Watford sit eighth after claiming a 1-1 draw against city rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The Hornets edged ahead on 13 minutes with an strike from Christian Kabasele before Son Heung-Min drew Spurs level on 24 minutes. Spurs suffered a blow on 52 minutes with the dismissal of Davinson Sanchez but the Hornets were unable to use the numerical advantage to claim all three points.

Crystal Palace moved off the bottom with a 0-0 draw at West Bromwich Albion.

The share of the points moved the Eagles to within three points of safety while the Baggies sit just above the danger zone. 

Manchester United maintained their gap in second spot with a 3-1 win over Arsenal.

Antonio Valencia gave the visitors a fourth minute lead before Jesse Lingard doubled the advantage seven minutes later. Arsenal cut the deficit five minutes after the interval with Alexandre Lacazette's effort but a second strike from Lingard after the hour sealed the win. United were to end with ten men though as Paul Pogba was dismissed on 75 minutes.

Super Sunday began with Bournemouth and Southampton drawing 1-1 in the South Coast derby.

Ryan Fraser put the Cherries ahead four minutes before half-time but the points were to be shared as Charlie Austin equalised on 62 minutes. 

Manchester City remain clear at the top after claiming a 2-1 win over West Ham United.

Angelo Ogbonna gave the Hammers the lead with a minute left of the first half but City drew level with Nicolas Otamendi tapping in on 57 minutes. The hosts sealed the win with eight minutes remaining as David Silva struck.

City Remain Clear While Reds Ease Past Potters

The packed festive period is on the horizon as the Premier League action reached gameweek 14 with a midweek programme. 

Tuesday's action opened with a 0-0 stalemate between Brighton & Hove Albion and bottom side Crystal Palace.

Leicester City returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.  

Jamie Vardy fired the Foxes ahead after 13 minutes before a stunning strike from Riyad Mahrez doubled the lead into half-time. Harry Kane cut the deficit on 79 minutes but the Foxes held on for a win that moved them into the top half.

Manchester United remain in second spot after a 4-2 win over Watford at Vicarage Road.

An early brace from Ashley Young was followed eight minutes later by an Anthony Martial effort for 3-0 into the interval. A great fightback from the Hornets saw Troy Deeney slot in a penalty ahead of Abdoulaye Doucouré adding a second for 3-2. United wrapped up the win a minute later as Jesse Lingard claimed their fourth. 

West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United shared the points in a tight 2-2 draw at The Hawthorns.

Hal Robson-Kanu gave the Baggies a 1-0 advantage into the interval before Sam Field opened his account for his boyhood club on 56 minutes. The Magpies replied through Ciaran Clark three minutes later before the hosts gifted their visitors a point with eight minutes left as Jonny Evans deflected into his own net. 
 

Wednesday's action saw Arsenal romp to a 5-0 rout over Huddersfield Town at the Emirates Stadium. 

The Gunners raced out of the blocks with an Alexandre Lacazette strike inside three minutes giving them a 1-0 advantage. Hudds hopes of staging a comeback were heavily dented by three goals in as many minutes for Arsenal with Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil all finding the back of the net. A miserable evening for the Terriers was completed with three minutes to go by Olivier Giroud's second goal. 

Burnley moved up to sixth after claiming a 2-1 win away at Bournemouth. Chris Wood gave the Clarets the lead on 37 minutes before Robbie Brady doubled the lead in the 66th minute. The Cherries mounted a fightback with a goal from Joshua King with 11 minutes remaining but were unable to avoid a defeat.


Chelsea remain in third spot after a narrow 1-0 win over struggling Swansea City. The winning goal came ten minutes into the second half as Antonio Rudiger struck for the Blues.

Under the watch of incoming boss Sam Allardyce, Everton strolled to a 4-0 win over West Ham United at Goodison Park.

Wayne Rooney put the Toffees ahead on 18 minutes slotting in the rebound to his saved penalty before tapping in a second on the half hour. tThe Hammers missed a penalty at 2-0 before Rooney completed his hat-trick in style with an effort from his own half on 66 minutes before Ashley Williams completed the rout in the 77th minute.  


Manchester City left it late to extend their winning run as they secured a 2-1 win over Southampton.

City opened the scoring two minutes after half-time through Kevin De Bruyne with the Saints levelling through Oriol Romeu on 76 minutes. City had the last say though as Raheem Sterling continued his scoring streak with the winner in added time.

Liverpool ended the month on a high with a 3-0 win over Stoke City. The Reds went ahead courtesy of Sadio Mané's 19th minute effort with Mohamed Salah coming off the bench to wrap up the points with a five minute brace in the 77th and 82nd minutes.

Europa League Matchday Five Review

The penultimate round of the Europa League group stage saw a number of sides advance while others saw their exit from the competition confirmed. 

A- Villarreal sealed a spot in the knockout stages with a 3-2 win over FC Astana. The hosts took the lead through Kabananga on 22 minutes but went into half-time level after an equaliser from Rabaseda. A brace from Bakambu gave the La Liga side a 3-2 advantage which was cut late on by Tuimasi's 88th minute effort. 

Slavia Plague remain in the hunt to reach the next stage after a 2-0 win over Maccabi Tel-Aviv. The Czechs claimed the points with a nine-minute brace either side of the interval from Husbauer. 

B- Partizan Belgrade wrapped up a spot in the next stage with a 2-1 win over Young Boys. An early opener from Kana gave the hosts a 1-0 lead which was cancelled out by an equaliser from Ngamaleu. The win was sealed for Partizan by a 53rd minute effort from Ozegovic.

Dynamo Kyiv also reached the next stage despite falling to a 3-2 loss to Skenderbeu. Kyiv struck an opener on 16 minutes from Tsygankov but an instant reply from Lilaj levelled at 1-1. A four-minute double from the hosts saw Adeniyi and Sowe extend the lead to 3-1 with Kyiv's Rusyn striking late on. 


C- Istanbul Basaksehir remain in the hunt to advance after claiming a 2-1 victory over fellow challengers Ludogorets Razgrad. The Turks struck first with a 20th minute effort from Visca with Frei doubling the lead eight minutes later. The hosts cut the deficit on 65 minutes via Marcelinho but were unable to avoid defeat.

Sporting Braga confirmed a spot in the knockout stages with a 3-1 win over 1899 Hoffenheim. A rapid start from the hosts saw Teixeira strike the opening goal inside the first minute with the advantage lasting until midway through the second half as Uth levelled. Barbosa regained the lead for Braga before a miserable end for the Germans saw Barbosa wrap up the win and Szalai dismissed in added time. 

D- AEK Athens can still reach the next stage despite drawing a fourth game in a row after a 2-2 stalemate with HNK Rijeka. An early brace from Gorgon put the visitors two goals ahead before two goals either side of half-time from Araujo and Christodoulopoulos salvaged a point. 

AC Milan wrapped up top spot in the group with a comfortable 5-1 win over Austria Vienna. The Austrians struck first with a 21st minute effort from Monschein before Rodriguez levelled six minutes later. Valente Silva and Cutrone struck braces either side of the interval to complete the rout. 

E- Atalanta sit atop the group and safely in the next stage after a 5-1 humbling of Everton. Cristante's brace either side of the interval gave the Italians a two goal advantage before Sandro Ramirez cut the deficit for the Toffees. The rout was completed in style as Gosens added a third before a late brace from Cornelius. 

Olympique Lyonnais also eased to victory as they claimed a 4-0 win over Apollon Limassol. The opener for the hosts came from Diakhaby on 22 minutes before Fekir doubled the lead ten minutes later. A Mariano strike after the hour extended the lead with Maolida completing the rout late on. 

F-Lokomotiv Moskva claimed a 2-1 win over FC Kobenhavn with both sides still with a chance of reaching the next stage. The Russians struck an opener on 17 minutes through Farfan but the visitors did well to reply and levelled through Verbic on 31 minutes. The winning goal came just six minutes after half-time as Farfan completed his brace. 

Sheriff Tiraspol top the group after a 1-0 win over Zlin but are yet to seal a spot in the next stage. The crucial goal game after just 11 minutes courtesy of Jairo. 


 

G-Lugano claimed a 1-0 win over fellow eliminated side Hapoel Beer Sheva. The winning goal came five minutes after half-time from Souza Junior.

Viktoria Plzen sealed a place in the next stage after a 2-0 win over fellow qualifiers Steaua Bucharest. Petrzela got the hosts off the mark just four minutes after half-time with Kopic confirming the win in the 76th minute. 

H- FC Koln remain in the battle to qualify after claiming a 1-0 win over group winners Arsenal. The winning goal came in the 62nd minute as Guirassy slotted in a penalty.

Bate Borisov and Red Star Belgrade both remain in the hunt to reach the next stage after sharing the points in a 0-0 draw. 

I- Red Bull Salzburg wrapped up the group with a 3-0 win over Vitoria Guimaraes. The Austrians took the lead on 22 minutes with a goal from Dabbur, Ulmer doubled the lead just before half-time with Kwang rounding off the win in the 67th minute. 

Konyaspor and Marseille are both still in contention to reach the next stage after sharing the points in a 1-1 draw. A close run game burst into action late on as Amavi was dismissed for the visitors with Skubic opening the scoring with the resulting penalty on 82 minutes. The share of the points was ensured in added time after an own goal from Moke.

J- Athletic Bilbao stay in contention to advance after a 3-2 win over Hertha Berlin. The Germans opened the scoring through Leckie on 22 minutes before Aduriz levelled with a penalty which was rapidly joined by a second lead for the Germans as Selke made it 2-1. Aduriz converted a second penalty on 66 minutes to level at 2-2 before Williams sealed the points eight minutes from the end. 

Ostersunds FK sealed a place in the next stage with a 2-0 success over Zorya Luhansk. The hosts were gifted the opening goal five minutes before half-time as Grechyshkin struck an own goal. The win was confirmed with 12 minutes to go by Ghoddos's effort. 
 

K- Lazio wrapped up top spot in the group as they secured a 1-1 draw against Vitesse. The visitors opened the scoring after just 13 minutes through Linssen but an equaliser three minutes before the interval from Luis Alberto meant a share of the spoils.

OGC Nice sealed a place in the next stage with a 3-1 win over Zulte Waregem. Mario Balotelli opened the scoring for the hosts inside five minutes before doubling the lead with a penalty on 31 minutes. Hamalainen pulled a goal back for the Belgians with nine minutes to go but the hosts were to have the last say as Tameze made it 3-1.

L- Real Sociedad secured a spot in the knockout stages with a 1-0 win over Rosenborg. The crucial goal came late on as Oyarzabal struck in added time.

Zenit Saint Petersburg wrapped up top spot in the group with a 2-1 win over Vardar. The Russians went ahead on 16 minutes with Rugani's strike before Poloz doubled the lead two minutes before half-time. The visitors claimed a consolation late on from Blazevski. 

Premier League Gameweeks 12-13 Results

Champions League Matchday Five Review

The penultimate round of matches in the Champions League group stage saw a number of teams secure spots in the next stage while others saw their exit from the competition confirmed.

E - Spartak Moskva remain in the hunt to reach the knockout stages despite being held to a 1-1 draw with Maribor. The Russians took the lead with eight minutes to go with Jose Mendes Andrade's effort before being pegged back in added time by a Jasmin Mesanovic leveller.

Liverpool missed the chance to secure qualification and win the group as they were held 3-3 by Sevilla. The Reds raced into a 3-0 advantage inside the first half hour as Roberto Firmino struck inside two minutes before striking a second on the half hour after Sadio Mané doubled the lead on 22 minutes.Sevilla stunned the Reds with two goals in nine minutes from Wissam Ben Yedder, a 51st minute effort followed by a penalty on the hour. The comeback was completed in added time as Guideo Pizarro salvaged a point. 

F- Manchester City extended their perfect record to five wins with a 1-0 win over eliminated Feyernoord. City claimed the points late on with an 89th minute winner from Raheem Sterling.

Napoli remain in the hunt to advance after claiming a 3-0 win over fellow challengers Shakthar Donetsk. The sides played out an even first half before Lorenzo Insigne opened the scoring on 56 minutes and the points were wrapped up by two strikes in as many minutes late on from Piotr Zielinski and Dries Mertens. 


G- Besiktas sealed top spot in the group after claiming a 1-1 draw against FC Porto. The visitors went ahead on 29 minutes through Felipe Almeida Monteiro but were denied the win by an equaliser four minutes before half-time from Anderson Talisca. 

RB Leipzig remain in the hunt to advance after easing to a 4-1 win over eliminated AS Monaco.The Germans were gifted an early lead by a Nascimento own goal inside six minutes with Timo Werner doubling the lead three minutes later before slotting in a penalty for 3-0 on 31 minutes. Radamel Falcao cut the deficit to 3-1 two minutes before half-time with Naby Keita completing the rout in added time. 


H- Already qualified Real Madrid eased to a 6-0 hammering of eliminated Apoel Nicosia. Luka Modric put Real ahead on 22 minutes with Karim Benzema and Nacho extending the lead to 3-0 at the half-time break. 

Tottenham Hotspur wrapped up top spot in the group with a 2-1 win over eliminated Borussia Dortmund. The Germans opened the scoring on the half hour as Pierre Aubameyang struck, Spurs levelled through Harry Kane three minutes after half-time before Son Heung-Min sealed the win on 75 minutes. 

 
A- CSKA Moskva remain in the hunt to advance after claiming a 2-0 win that confirmed Benfica's elimination. Georgi Schennikov gave the hosts an early lead with a 13th minute opened before an own goal from Jardel on 56 minutes wrapped up the win for the Russians. 

Manchester United missed the chance to advance as they suffered a 1-0 loss to fellow challengers Basel. The crucial strike came on 89 minutes from Michael Lang and sets up a three way battle to claim the the two spots in the next stage with just one matchday left. 

B- Paris Saint Germain extended their perfect record to five wins with a 7-1 demolition of Celtic. The SPL side took a shock lead as Moussa Dembele struck inside the first minute with Nemymar levelling eight minutes later. before giving the hosts the lead on 22 minutes. Further strikes from Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe gave the hosts a 4-1 lead at the interval.  Three goals in five minutes completed the rout as Marco Verratti and Dani Alves struck either side of a second goal for Cavani.

Already qualified Bayern Munich secured a 2-1 win that left Anderlecht still awaiting their first point. Robert Lewandowski put the Germans ahead six minutes after half-time but they were pegged back by Sofiane Hanni's 63rd minute leveller. The win was sealed for the visitors with 13 minutes remaining after Corentin Tolliso's effort. 
 

C-Chelsea confirmed their place in the next stage with a 4-0 win over Qarabag. The hosts suffered an early blow with the dismissal of Sadiqov on 19 minutes with Eden Hazard converting the resulting penalty. Willian doubled the lead nine minutes before half-time with a Cesc Fabregas penalty and second strike from Willian in the second half completing the rout.

Atletico Madrid remain in the hunt to advance after a 2-0 win over fellow challengers AS Roma. A superb strike from Antoine Griezmann opened the scoring on 69 minutes before the Italians suffered a double blow late on with Silva Peres dismissed on 83 minutes with Kevin Gameiro confirming the win two minutes later. 

D- Juventus remain in the hunt to reach the next stage as they drew 0-0 with group winners Barcelona.  

Sporting Lisbon also remain in the hunt after a 3-1 win over Olympiakos. Bas Dost opened the scoring on 40 minutes with Cesar Zanaki doubling the lead three minutes later. A second strike from Dost made it 3-0 before Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe claimed a consolation for the Greeks four minutes from the end.

Premier League Gameweek 11 Results

Europa League Matchday Four Results