The weekend’s football games started with goals galore and ended as such.
Live betting saw early goals for visitors to Leicester and Bournemouth and when Crystal Palace and Liverpool done with their abuse of goals, the league table also experienced changes.
Now, for the key festive period.
Leicester City 0-3 Crystal Palace
Few sports betting fans saw this coming, yet perhaps we should.
After all, Palace were buoyed by their last-gasp turnaround against Watford and had the luxury of 24 hours more recovery time than the Foxes.
Who knows what exertions their 4-1 rout of Southampton had taken out of them but once Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha gave Roy Hodgson’s men a cushion, they were on their way to climbing out of the drop zone, especially once Wilfred Ndidi had received his marching orders.
Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle United
A gem of a goal from Mesut Ozil settled a game Arsenal largely dominated, keeping them on course for a top four finish and secure a 10th straight victory over the Toon.
The Geordies have not won since October and have now slipped into the bottom three. Investment is required next month.
Brighton & Hove Albion 0-0 Burnley
The normally reliable Glenn Murray’s failure to convert from the penalty spot was the main talking point.
All in all, however, a decent point for the newly-promoted Seagulls who had the better of the first half before Burnley were on top in the second.
The Clarets have only lost four times this season.
Chelsea 1-0 Southampton
Manager Antonio Conte is correct when he says his side’s run of eight wins in 10 Premier League matches has been overlooked.
If Man City had not been so imperious, Chelsea would be very much in the title race.
They deserved this win, courtesy of Marco Alonso’s first-half stoppage time free-kick, yet the only surprise was that they weren’t more clinical to kill off the Saints.
Watford 1-4 Huddersfield Town
Halfway to Premier League survival was how Terriers’ manager David Wagner described this victory, which took their points tally to 21.
Two goals inside the opening 23 minutes set the Yorkshire side on their way.
Once Watford lost skipper Troy Deeney to a red card before the break – their third dismissal in as many games – Huddersfield were already en route to a first victory away from home since the opening day.
Stoke City 0-3 West Ham United
It’s so often the way that when you’re down, someone you know puts the boot in.
For Marko Arnautovic to seal the Hammers’ victory, on the day he returned to his former team, summed up the bad luck under-pressure home boss Mark Hughes is enduring right now.
Stoke are one place and one point above the relegation zone. Either way, Hughes’ counterpart David Moyes could offer some encouraging words about how things can change quickly at the end of a wonderful week for West Ham.
Manchester City 4-1 Tottenham Hotspur
With 20 minutes remaining, this game was in the balance. By the end of it, people saw a 16th successive victory for the runaway Premier League leaders and a convincing one at that.
Hugo Lloris has now conceded 25 goals to City since his arrival in 2012. Spurs are 11 points clear and in a class of their own.
West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Manchester United
The two men who have scored most of Man Utd’s recent goals, Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard, were on target again as the Red Devils consolidated their three point advantage in second spot.
A late injury to captain Antonio Valencia seemed to unsettle United that led to a nervy finale.
West Brom remain in the drop zone and in need of some inspiration quickly.
Bournemouth 0-4 Liverpool
Two sides at their best when they attack.
A truly dominant first half won the game for the Merseysiders and included Mohamed Salah’s 20th goal of the season.
Bournemouth’s day was summed up by injuries to Joshua King and Charlie Daniels and Jermain Defoe hitting the post.
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