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The Premier League is back after the short interruption of Christmas, with plenty of festive action to sink your teeth into from Boxing Day onwards.
Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick in as many games as Tottenham beat Southampton 5-2, breaking the Premier League record for goals in a calendar year and finishing with 56 in all competitions for club an country - a higher tally than any player in the top European leagues.
Burnley nearly stunned Old Trafford but conceded a late equaliser to draw 2-2 win over Manchester United in the pick of the 3pm games. Chelsea welcomed Alvaro Morata back from suspension and back on the scoresheet as Brighton were easily beaten, while West Ham and Bournemouth played out an entertaining 3-3 draw not without its controversy.
Then it's on to the evening's big game as Liverpool look to set a potential cricket score against bottom-of-the-pile Swansea.
Manchester City, Crystal Palace and Arsenal all get some valuable Boxing Day rest, so here's what's in store over the coming days...
Here's everything you need to know for gameweek 20...
EPL Table | Premier League 2017-18 season standings
Pos Team P W D L GD Pts 1 Man City 19 18 1 0 48 55 2 Man United 20 13 3 4 27 43 3 Chelsea 20 13 3 4 20 42 4 Tottenham 20 10 4 5 19 37 5 Liverpool 19 9 8 2 18 35 6 Arsenal 19 10 4 5 11 34 7 Burnley 20 9 6 5 1 33 8 Leicester 20 7 6 7 0 27 9 Everton 20 7 6 7 -6 27 10 Watford 20 7 4 9 -7 25 11 Huddersfield 20 6 5 9 -14 23 12 Brighton 20 5 6 9 -10 21 13 Stoke 20 5 5 10 -18 20 14 Southampton 20 4 7 8 -10 19 15 Newcastle 19 5 3 11 -10 18 16 Crystal Palace 19 4 6 9 -13 18 17 West Ham 20 4 6 10 -16 18 18 Bournemouth 20 4 6 11 -13 17 19 West Brom 20 2 9 9 -13 15 20 Swansea 19 3 4 12 -15 13
Gameweek 20 fixtures
Tuesday, December 26 Kickoff Coverage TV Tottenham 5 Southampton 2 12.30pm Live Sky Sports Bournemouth 3 West Ham 3 3pm Live Chelsea 2 Brighton 0 3pm Live Huddersfield 1 Stoke 1 3pm Manchester United 2 Burnley 2 3pm Live Watford 2 Leicester 1 3pm West Brom 0 Everton 0 3pm Liverpool vs Swansea 5.30pm Live Sky Sports Wednesday, December 27 Kickoff Coverage TV Newcastle vs Manchester City 7.45pm Live Sky Sports Thursday, December 28 Kickoff Coverage TV Crystal Palace vs Arsenal 8pm Live Sky Sports
Gameweek 19 results
Friday, December 22 Kickoff Coverage TV Arsenal 3 Liverpool 3 7:45pm Live Sky Sports Saturday, December 23 Everton 0 Chelsea 0 12:30pm Sky Sports Brighton 1 Watford 0 3pm Man City 4 Bournemouth 0 3pm Live Southampton 1 Huddersfield 1 3pm Stoke 3 West Brom 1 3pm Swansea 1 Crystal Palace 1 3pm Live West Ham 2 Newcastle 3 3pm Live Burnley 0 Tottenham 3 5:30pm Live BT Sport Leicester 2 Man United 2 7:45pm Live Sky Sports
Top scorers
WITH Manchester City on a record-breaking sprint towards the Premier League title, the leaders have reached the halfway point of the season looking simply unstoppable.
The future is bright for Pep Guardiola’s side, but City’s rivals face a more uncertain time in 2018 as they try to bridge the gulf in class.
It’s extraordinary to fathom that at the halfway point, before Christmas, a supposed big gun like Arsenal is already 21 points behind Manchester City.
With 19 games played in the 38-match campaign, here’s a half-term report for the Premier League’s big six ahead of the Boxing Day fixtures.
Manchester City, 1st: 18 wins, 1 draw, 0 losses, 55 points, +48
When City’s Abu Dhabi-based owners hired Guardiola last year, they dreamed of the Spaniard delivering bountiful success in swaggering style.
A trophy-less first season in England was a huge disappointment, but the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss has worked his magic this term.
Playing such dazzling football that they have already been ranked among England’s all-time great teams, City have reeled off a record 17 successive league wins to move 13 points clear at the top.
Manchester City's Brazilian defender Danilo Source: AFP
Guardiola spent big money to overhaul his squad in the close-season, but he has also shown a deft touch to bring the best out of key players like Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne.
The title race has been turned into a lengthy coronation by unbeaten City and, ahead of their visit to Newcastle United on Wednesday, the only questions remaining are how early they clinch the trophy and how many records they set in the process.
Manchester City's Sergio Aguero Source: AP
Manchester United, 2nd: 13 wins, 3 draws, 3 losses, 42 points, +27
When Romelu Lukaku sprinted clear to notch his first league goal for United on the opening weekend of the season against West Ham United, it seemed Jose Mourinho had found the powerful attacking talisman that all his best teams have employed.
Lukaku, a close-season signing from Everton, hit 11 goals in his first 10 games as United matched free-scoring City blow for blow, but suddenly the goals dried up for the Belgian.
With Lukaku under fire from his own fans, the increasingly tetchy Mourinho has been unable to scheme enough goals from other areas.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho Source: AP
The nadir coming in a tedious 0-0 draw at Liverpool when Mourinho’s cautious tactics were widely panned.
City’s 2-1 win at Old Trafford was another hammer blow and United, who host Burnley on Tuesday, may need more major investment to catch up.
Manchester United's Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku Source: AFP
Chelsea, 3rd: 12 wins, 3 draws, 4 losses, 39 points, +18
The champions hadn’t even started their title defence when Blues boss Antonio Conte gave an ominous warning about their prospects.
Frustrated by Chelsea’s failure to land his top transfer targets, Conte was already convinced his squad lacked the depth to compete for the title and challenge in the Champions League.
The Italian has been spot on and City showed how far ahead they were with a clinical 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge, while dismal losses at Crystal Palace and West Ham have kept Chelsea from establishing any momentum.
Alvaro Morata’s predatory finishing in his debut season has been one of the few bright spots for Conte, whose side take on Brighton and Hove Albion on Tuesday languishing 16 points behind City.
Chelsea's Spanish striker Alvaro Morata (R). Source: AFP
Liverpool, 4th: 9 wins, 8 draws, 2 losses, 35 points, +18
Last Friday’s scintillating 3-3 draw at Arsenal showcased everything good about Jurgen Klopp’s commitment to an eye-catching style of play -- but just as significantly it emphasised the problems with the German’s team as currently constructed.
Having taken a two-goal lead with some enterprising play from their ‘fab four’ of Philippe Coutinho, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, Liverpool then collapsed at the back and conceded three goals in five minutes.
Liverpool's Brazilian star Roberto Firmino. Source: AFP
Sloppy defending and weak goalkeeping from Simon Mignolet have been a recurring motif of Klopp’s reign and, with fourth-placed Liverpool hosting Swansea City on Tuesday, the problem must be resolved soon if the Reds are to avoid a season of underachievement.
Tottenham, 5th: 10 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses, 34 points, +16
Fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur have been unable to build on last season’s second-place finish as they struggled to adapt to playing their home games at Wembley while White Hart Lane is redeveloped.
Problems in away games against their top-six rivals have added to the angst for boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Tottenham Hotspur's English striker Harry Kane. Source: AFP
Arsenal, 6th: 10 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses, 34 points, +11
Arsene Wenger has presided over the latest in a long line of underwhelming Arsenal campaigns and the Gunners go to Crystal Palace on Thursday an incredible 21 points behind City.
Wenger’s failure to persuade Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil to extend their soon-to-expire contracts has been a huge distraction and Arsenal’s wait for a first title since 2004 is destined to go on.
Alexis Sanchez scores past Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. Source: AFP
FIXTURES (2am AEDT unless specified) Tuesday:
Bournemouth v West Ham, Chelsea v Brighton, Huddersfield v Stoke, Liverpool v Swansea (4.30am), Manchester United v Burnley, Tottenham v Southampton (1130pm aedt), Watford v Leicester, West Brom v Everton
Matter of when Manchester City win the EPL title and how many records fall
GETTY IMAGES Manchester City's David Silva celebrates scoring against West Ham as their total dominance of the EPL continues.
English football has never seen a team so utterly dominant as Manchester City negotiates the packed Christmas programme.
There seems little doubt Pep Guardiola will be raising the Premier League trophy for the first time in May. It is just a question of when City will wrap up their third title since 2014, and how many records will tumble on the way.
City have already reeled off the most consecutive English top-flight wins – a record extended at the weekend to 17 games.
MICHAEL REGAN/GETTY IMAGES Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has cut a frustrated figure as his side struggle to keep up with their rivals.
Manchester United's record Premier League title-winning margin of 18 points from 2000 could also be under threat. And England could be looking at its third unbeaten "Invincibles'' team after Preston in 1888-89 and Arsenal in 2003-04.
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So it doesn't bode well for a compelling second half of the Premier League season? Think again.
LAURENCE GRIFFITHS/GETTY IMAGES Chris Wood's unfancied Burnley side have been the surprise package in the Premier League this season.
The chase for the other three Champions League spots should be fierce with eight points separating second-placed Manchester United and Arsenal in sixth. Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham are in the mix among them. Two leading sides will fall by the wayside and be denied a place among the European elite.
The battle to stay in the world's richest football league is also intense. No team is stranded at the bottom, with Swansea in 20th place only six points behind Southampton in 13th.
A closer look at the first half of the season:
CATHERINE IVILL/GETTY IMAGES Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez is expected to join Manchester City's star-studded squad next season.
TITLE RACE
City lead by 13 points at the halfway stage after winning 18 of their 19 games and drawing one in the best ever start to a Premier League season. The only dropped points came at home to Everton in the second game on August 21, when City played more than a half with 10 men following Kyle Walker's sending-off.
Guardiola won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich in late March in 2014 – aided by a winning streak of 19 games never before seen in a major European league.
SHAUN BOTTERILL/GETTY IMAGES Alan Pardew has yet to see his West Bromwich Albion side win in his five games in charge of the club.
It will be tough for Guardiola to win the title that early in England as he chases a quadruple after finishing his first season at the club without a trophy. City are already through to the League Cup semifinals, into the Champions League last 16 and begin their FA Cup campaign in two weeks.
Man United are in second place, with defending champions Chelsea three points further back in third. United manager Jose Mourinho says the title race is still on, but the rest of his peers among the chasing pack don't see City faltering now.
It will be intriguing how Mourinho reacts to be seeing his title ambitions further fade in his second season at United, having already opted to publicly call out his "childish'' players after a draw at Leicester last Sunday (NZT).
PICK OF THE PLAYERS
Kevin De Bruyne is playing in a deeper role for City this season, virtually as a centre midfielder, and it is bringing the best of out the Belgium playmaker.
He has provided many of this season's wow moments, from scoring the winning goal at former club Chelsea in September with a fierce left-footed strike from outside the area to the assists for goals by Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling in the 7-2 win over Stoke in October.
Dovetailing perfectly with fellow playmaker David Silva, De Bruyne has six goals and eight assists but it's more than just his statistics. His prodigious work rate, range of passing and crossing ability – arguably the best in the Premier League since the days of David Beckham – that make him a strong contender for the player of the season awards.
No wonder City are determined to nail down the 26-year-old De Bruyne to an improved, longer contract.
EMERGING TALENT
Amid an off-season of record spending in English football, little was made of Watford signing Richarlison from Brazilian team Fluminense for $17 million.
Yet the 20-year-old forward is proving a bargain, settling in quickly to the pace and intensity of the Premier League and being one of the key factors in Watford's impressive start to the season that, at one stage, saw them challenging around the top four.
Direct, skilful and quick, Richarlison already has five goals and keeps getting himself in great positions to score more, with his finishing sometimes letting him down. Opponents have cottoned on to his impact, with Richarlison telling ESPN Brazil this month: "Teams are already marking me individually, they are putting two players there on my side.''
Chelsea and Tottenham have been linked with the Brazil under-20s player, who has yet to earn a callup to the senior squad. That appears only a matter of time.
Other players to break through this season are Chelsea's Andreas Christensen, the Danish centre back who has ousted David Luiz, and Liverpool's Joe Gomez, the right-back who has ensured long-term injury absentee Nathaniel Clyne hasn't been missed.
SURPRISE TEAM
An unfashionable club is mixing it with the heavyweights of the Premier League against all the odds. We've heard this before, right?
Two years ago, it was Leicester delivering a football fairytale by somehow winning the league. Now it's Burnley's turn to provide the feelgood story of the season.
Widely regarded as relegation candidates at the start of the season, Burnley are currently seventh. Don't rule Burnley out of staying in the tussle for the Champions League qualification places, with Liverpool only three points better off in fourth. The northwest team haven't finished a season higher than sixth place in the top flight since 1974.
Burnley, who have conceded just 15 goals in 19 games, have already beaten Chelsea away and drawn at Tottenham and Liverpool. Not bad for a team that returned a profit of about $20 million in summer player sales when most of the rest of the Premier League was spending freely.
POINTS TO PROVE
Alexis Sanchez is a superstar performing well below expectations this season, perhaps as a result of failing to secure a move to Manchester City from Arsenal during the summer.
That transfer could be revived in January – Guardiola cut an awkward figure recently when asked about making a new bid for the Chile forward – to potentially leave City with an even greater wealth of attacking riches.
Sanchez has five league goals. By this stage last season, he had already scored 12 on his way to career-high haul of 24 for a single league campaign.
In the dugout, these are testing times for two British managers: Alan Pardew and Mark Hughes.
Pardew succeeded Tony Pulis a month ago with a mission to keep West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League. Then the Baggies were two points above the bottom three. Now they are next-from-bottom after collecting only two points from Pardew's first five games.
Hughes' future appears on a knife-edge at Stoke despite a pressure-relieving victory over West Brom on Saturday (Sunday NZT) that hauled the team three points from the danger zone.
- AP
