Aston Villa sent a shockwave through the title race by downing the Champions 1-0 at home, and - even more significantly - neutralized Manchester City for almost the entire match. Unai Emery’s side had a few chances to pull ahead early, but Ederson denied Leon Bailey and Pau Torres at both times of asking. Erling Haaland then put two shots on target in rapid succession, both of which were parried by Emiliano Martínez. Those were not just the last shots on target for City, they were the only shots Pep Guardiola’s side mustered in the game. Villa racked up 22. In the 75th minute, Leon Bailey made one of them count, slaloming through the City defense, before sending a strike into the net via a nasty deflection. The Birmingham side nearly added another, with Douglas Luiz’s curled shot denied by the post. And that’s how it finished, 1-0 at Villa Park. It’s a massive win for Unai Emery and Aston Villa; they’ve pulled themselves up into 3rd position and Champions League qualification looks to be possible for them - maybe even likely. For Manchester City, it was another match without Rodri and another loss. The impervious Champions look to be mortal, but it will be up to other teams to take advantage of their weakness as it’s sure not to last forever.

A see-saw of a match ended in triumph for the Gunners (and heartbreak for the Hatters) at Kenilworth Road. The sides traded blows throughout the contest, with Gabriel Martinelli’s opener canceled out by Gabriel Osho’s header. Gabriel Jesus’ header was then nullified by Elijah Adebayo’s. Then two former Chelsea men took turns. First, Ross Barkley - who was great on his birthday night - found the back of the net after crafting himself just enough space to shoot; then Kai Havertz continued his improved run of form by getting a deft touch to roll past Kaminski in the 60th minute. It remained knotted for the next half hour and through 6 minutes of stoppage time. Then, with Kenilworth Road poised for the final whistle, Martin Ødegaard curled a lovely cross in, which was met by Declan Rice, who made no mistake with his finish. That goal kept Arsenal in 1st place and underscored the impact that Rice has had since moving over the summer. It would have been a match the Gunner’s expected to win, but anytime you grab all 3 points in this fashion is a major morale boost. Luton slip back into the relegation places, but they are still the promoted club with the most convincing case for survival. The odds are getting longer every day, but Rob Edwards will feel that he can lead this team to safety. 

Liverpool recorded a relatively routine win on the road, spoiling Chris Wilder’s return to Bramall Lane with a 2-0 scoreline. Jürgen Klopp’s side had to weather some early pressure, but a goal in either half was enough to steer his club to victory. Both of the scoring moves came with a tinge of controversy, with Sheffield United players claiming rough housing when Virgil Van Dijk found himself in space on a corner and duly volleyed in. VAR looked and cleared, as it did again in second half stoppage time when the ever-box office Darwin Núñez won a ball back with a sliding tackle after losing it himself. The Uruguayan then found Dominik Szoboszlai in acres of space, and the midfielder nearly broke the net with his finish. Mohamed Salah is still waiting for his 200th Liverpool goal, and he was only kept from it by a great save by Wes Foderingham. The Merseyside club, who got the awful news that Joël Matip ruptured his ACL, will be particularly happy with a clean sheet considering their defense is rapidly thinning at the moment. Their performance - combined with Manchester City’s loss - made for a wonderful Wednesday for the Reds’ supporters. It’s too early to judge Wilder, but it can at least be said that the Blades weren’t run off the park, which is a building block at the very least.

Tottenham’s nightmare run continued on Thursday, with West Ham coming away 2-1 winners on Spurs’ ground. It started well enough for Ange Postecoglou’s side; Cristian Romero made his return to the side and looped a header into the net in the 11th minute. The North London club kept the Hammers out for the rest of the first half and dominated the contest without adding a second. This came back to bite them when, in the 52nd minute, Mohammed Kudus’ shot plinko’d off two Spurs defenders, setting the table for Jarrod Bowen to smash home. It would get worse, however, and Destiny Udogie’s loose back pass led to a simple James Ward-Prowse finish. It ended 2-1 and Spurs, who remain in 5th place on goal difference alone, are in desperate need of a straightforward, boring win. David Moyes’ side is only 3 points off 5th, and - though their consistency needs work - the Hammers have shown that they’ll at least be in the conversation for European places come the end of the season. 

Manchester United put together a solid performance and downed Chelsea at Old Trafford, moving within 3 points of the top 4, despite all the talk of their abjectness this season. It was a sloppy game of football, with errors and loose play running rampant. The Red Devils nearly went ahead early, when VAR adjudged that Antony had been fouled in the box, leading to a Manchester United penalty. Bruno Fernandez couldn’t fool Robert Sánchez, however, and the match stayed 0-0. In the 19th minute, it was Scott McTominay - who continued his caffeinated scoring run - who put his side ahead, latching onto a rebound from Harry Maguire’s blocked shot and putting a low shot home. On the stroke of halftime, Chelsea found an equalizer, with Cole Palmer - who’s been the West London side’s best player - finding the bottom corner with one of the slowest rolled shots in recent memory, just barely squeaking past Andé Onana in goal. It stayed tied until the 69th minute, when a curled cross by Alejandro Garnacho was driven home by the head of - who else - Scott McTominay. And that was that. United continued their pattern of winning against sides lower than them in the table, and Chelsea continued to show their frustrating inconsistency.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side earned a needed win over Brentford, triumphing 2-1 at the Amex. The margin may have been small, but it could be a huge result for the Seagulls as they look to shake off a spotty run of form. It started badly for the hosts on the coasts, however, with Brentford earning and a penalty, which Bryan Mbeumo hopped, skipped, and finished to give the visitors the lead. But, their advantage was short-lived; Kaoru Mitoma found Pascal Groß at the top of the box, who tucked a left-footed shot sweetly into the side netting. Brighton were lucky not to find themselves behind again early in the second half, when Yoane Wissa latched on to a rebound and sent a ball in which positively pinballed around, somehow staying out. The hosts pulled themselves ahead in the 52nd minute when Mitoma again found Groß with a clever ball who in turn lofted a cross for young Jack Hinshelwood. The 18 year old headed home and was clearly in disbelief as he celebrated his first goal for the club. While the Seagulls had a ways to go, they looked far more likely to score another than to concede. Brentford can’t feel hard done by, and Brighton moved closer to recapturing a European place.

Everton lifted themselves out of the relegation zone with a resounding 3-0 victory over Newcastle. Sean Dyche’s side had to wait until late in the second half to pull ahead, but - once they did - the floodgates opened. Dwight McNeil opened the scoring in the 79th minute, finishing a beautiful left-footed strike for the second match in a row after pouncing on a Kieran Trippier mistake. Trippier was at fault for the Toffees’ second as well, losing the ball to Jack Harrison and setting the stage for Abdoulaye Doucouré’s finish. Beto capped it all off, scoring his first Premier League goal in stoppage time, slotting between Martin Dúbravka’s legs after a long run. The Merseyside club has now won 2 in a row (and 3 of the last 4). If they continue with anything resembling this form, they will stay up easily. Newcastle continue to struggle with maintaining their levels over a busy schedule, which won’t be easy with the festive fixture pile up. 

The Cherries went on the road and nabbed a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, bolstering their case for safety. Both of the South Coast club’s goals came from well worked headers: the first from a flicked on corner sent into the net by Marco Senesi, the second a tricky little piece of skill to cross to a steam-powered Kieffer Moore, who scored shortly after coming on. Roy Hodgson's side didn’t find the goal, but they forced Neto into a few smart saves - Jordan Ayew and Odsonne Édouard both may have scored on another night and Jefferson Lerma also stung the bar. Palace have now lost 3 in a row at home, and the Eagles next host Liverpool in the early Saturday game. They are not in danger now - nor are they likely to be - but stagnation is hovering around Selhurst Park. Bournemouth, on the other hand, have left their early struggles in the rear-view mirror and now sit just 3 points off 10th place in the table. 

Wolves notched a 1-0 win at home, containing Burnley - who were fresh off a season-best performance. The hosts had the majority of the chances, with Pablo Sarabia just skying an improvised volley and nearly netting via a wicked deflection. Dan Bentley, filling in for José Sá, made an exquisite double save to keep it 0-0, and once Wolves pulled ahead it was a done deal. Gary O’Neill’s side did that by pouncing on a mistake in Burnley’s build up, the ball patiently worked to Hwang Hee-chan who slotted home. The sides each produced chances, but nothing spectacular enough to change the scoreline. It was ultimately a steadying win for Wolves and a step backward for Burnley, who just couldn’t raise themselves to the level of their last outing.

Fulham put on a show for their home fans at Craven Cottage, obliterating Nottingham Forest 5-0 and possibly sealing Steve Cooper’s fate. It took half an hour for the Cottagers to break through, but - like a can of Pringles - once they popped, they wouldn’t stop. The first came from Alex Iwobi, who brilliantly timed a run to meet a cross at the back post. Iwobi would add a second later on, sweeping home a cross that ran through the box. Those two goals sandwiched a brace by Raúl Jiménez, who postage stamped his first finish with power before scoring a very cheeky backheel. It’s great to see the Mexican forward on song (unless you’re a Forest fan) as this is the best he’s looked since his horror injury a few years ago. Captain Tom Cairney would cap it all off, finishing coolly after Fulham caused an overload. The West London team looks to have flipped some sort of switch on offense, scoring 8 goals in their last 2 games after struggling for consistency at the pointy end of the pitch. This could well be the last time Steve Cooper graces the Nottingham Forest technical area. He’s given the side a host of great memories, and drove the beleaguered giant (and 2 time European champion) from the dregs of the Championship to Premier League survival. At time of writing, he remains in his position, but that could be more due to the quick turnaround of fixtures than anything else. If Cooper goes, he’ll be remembered fondly by the fans. This match will not.