Leaders Manchester City earned a 1-0 win over Wolves as the Premier League’s top three sides all picked up victories at the weekend.
Manchester United beat Norwich City 1-0 to reduce the gap on fourth-placed West Ham, who were held to a goalless draw at Burnley on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Leicester City bounced back from their Europa League exit with an emphatic 4-0 win over Newcastle United, Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 victory against Southampton, and Crystal Palace held on to beat Everton 3-1.
That all came after Brentfordscored two goals in the final 10 minutes to beat Watford 2-1 on Friday night.
Check out my team of the week and then make your own selections towards the bottom of the article.
Goalkeeper: David de Gea (Manchester United)
If the save from Teemu Pukki was top class then the one from Ozan Kabak’s header was world class. This is the second Manchester United league performance I have seen under Ralf Rangnick and without de Gea in goal they would have lost them both.
He is in the most brilliant form and once again United’s best player. There’s still a lot of work to do with this team, especially in defence, but De Gea is making them look better than they actually are.
Norwich, on the other hand, are starting to look like a team under Dean Smith, which spells danger for Burnley, Newcastle and Watford. What a pity they can’t convert their chances.
Did you know? Ralf Rangnick is only the second Manchester United manager to oversee a clean sheet in his first two league games in charge of the club – and the first since Ernest Mangnall in 1903.
Defenders: Gabriel (Arsenal), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea)
Gabriel: Arsenal weren’t at their best for much of the first half against Southampton but I don’t think they have been at their best at any point this season. In fact, how they are sixth in the table is a mystery to me.
Ever since they beat Spurs in the north London derby they seem to be grinding out games without playing particularly well. One of the reasons they have continued to improve under Mikel Arteta is the performances of Gabriel. Whenever the Brazilian is available, Arsenal look solid at the back and also a threat in attack.
As for their captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang being left out of the starting line-up for disciplinary reasons, he should stay out until he knows how to conduct himself.
Did you know? Gabriel’s second goal in the Premier League means Arsenal have scored eight times during a run of scoring in each of their last four league games.
Virgil van Dijk: One of the many reasons I think Van Dijk is the best defender in the world is because he does difficult things with the minimum of fuss.
He wins headers when strikers are backing into him and doesn’t complain to the referee. He wins tackles he has no right to win and then plays one touch to set the attack in motion. It’s as if he has no wish to attract attention to himself.
He reminds me of my former BBC colleague Alan Hansen, who was the same and he wasn’t bad either! Read why I think dressing room banter in the wrong context can be very dangerous in the Crooks of the Matter below.
Did you know? Liverpool have conceded the second-fewest number of shots against them (135) after Manchester City (105). They stopped Aston Villa registering a single shot on target in a league match for the first time since December 2019.
Antonio Rudiger: Regular readers will know how highly I rate Rudiger. The Germany international has been outstanding for Chelsea for some time. He made my team of the season and if he keeps playing the way he is at the moment, he’s odds-on to do it again.
His performance against a stubborn Leeds, who were to some extent responsible for their own downfall, was quite brilliant. There is some speculation Rudiger might still have contractual issues with Chelsea. If that is the case I suggest they solve them very quickly.
Stick him in a Manchester United shirt, for example, and suddenly they become a very attractive proposition. In plain language, Chelsea simply cannot afford to lose him – and certainly not to one of their rivals.
Did you know? Rudiger is just the second Chelsea player to win two penalties in a Premier League game – after Yuri Zhirkov in March 2010.
Midfielders: Conor Gallagher (Crystal Palace), Jorginho (Chelsea), Youri Tielemans (Leicester City), James Maddison (Leicester City)
Conor Gallagher: This was an important win for Crystal Palace, having lost three on the spin. Gallagher was an inspiration in the first half and scored a cracker in the second.
The Chelsea player, on loan to Palace, continues to impress at Selhurst Park. The only problem with this is that he is either going to cost Patrick Vieira too much money to buy – or worse he stays at Chelsea, which in my view would be a terrible mistake by the player.
Everton might have got something out of this game if Seamus Coleman hadn’t tried to be too clever. In trying to smash the free-kick into Jeff Schlupp – and get him booked for encroachment – he missed the player and gave the ball away and Gallagher did the rest.
Did you know? Gallagher has been directly involved in 41% of Crystal Palace’s Premier League goals this season, the highest proportion for a team by any English player in the competition.
Jorginho: Last week his backpass put Chelsea on skid row at West Ham. However, against Leeds his two expertly-executed penalties provided the Blues with three very important points in a title race that is so unpredictable and so tight it’s impossible to call.
Taking spot-kicks can be a nerve-wracking experience and only those who have ever taken one in such circumstances can appreciate the moment.
Jorginho has become a safe pair of hands when it comes to taking penalties and so valuable in a team that has desperately struggled to find a competent taker since the days of Frank Lampard.
Did you know? Jorginho’s winner after 93 minutes and 11 seconds was Chelsea’s latest winning goal in a Premier League game since September 2009.
Youri Tielemans: Two goals and a sparkling performance by the Belgium international made up for Leicester’s disappointing result at Villa Park recently.
Against a Newcastle side that lacked a cutting edge, Tielemans controlled the game while Maddison cut them to ribbons.
Newcastle may have new owners with money but they had better spend some of it quickly, otherwise they could find themselves in the Championship, where their spending power will be severely restricted.
Did you know? Tielemans is the second player to score on his 100th Premier League appearance for Leicester, after Riyad Mahrez in May 2017.
James Maddison: By the end of this fixture, it had Maddison’s creativity and flair written all over it.
Since the player’s return to first-team action he has looked more like the lad who burst onto the scene at Leicester two seasons ago. His goal was just reward for all his hard work as he put Newcastle well and truly to the sword.
The Magpies were outclassed in every department and manager Eddie Howe has problems. His games over the Christmas period could leave him isolated and marooned at the foot of the table. Some imagination in the January transfer window might be their only way out.
Did you know? No Leicester player has been directly involved in more goals than James Maddison this season (10 – level with Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka).
Forwards: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford)
Mohamed Salah: The most difficult thing to do on a football pitch is score goals, that’s why I make such a fuss of goalscorers in my team of the week.
Taking penalties is no different. They are deliberately designed to create drama. They often make the taker feel nausea, but the feeling of euphoria when you score is quite unbelievable and equally desperate when you miss. To see a player of Salah’s class hyperventilating prior to taking his penalty against Aston Villa reminded what the experience is like even for him, especially when the stakes are high.
The win against Villa keeps Liverpool in the title hunt and Manchester City looking over their shoulder.
Did you know? Salah has scored or assisted in 14 consecutive Premier League appearances, leaving him just one off Vardy’s record of 15 between August and December 2015.
Raheem Sterling: I hate false centre-forwards, but if you must force a square peg in a round hole you can do much worse than play Sterling there.
However, I am a big fan of Raul Jimenez but I can’t for the life of me understand why the striker was so belligerent about referee Jon Moss’ orders to get 10 yards away from the free-kick he had given away in the first place.
It was the most blatant disregard for authority I have seen on a football pitch for some time. Not only was the official right to send the player off, but if I were his manager I would have fined him a week’s wages as well. There is no doubt the sending-off cost Wolves the match and Jimenez should feel the weight of that loss through his pocket.
Did you know? Sterling scored his 100th goal in the Premier League, becoming the eighth-youngest player to do so at 27 years and three days old.
Bryan Mbeumo: To convert a penalty in the 95th minute when your team is fighting for its life in the toughest league in the business must be the greatest feeling in the world.
Mbeumo showed nerves of steel to snatch victory from Watford who inflicted the most awful self-harm to themselves. Why William Troost-Ekong felt the need to go to ground in his own penalty area at the most crucial time of the match beggars belief.
What was worse, there wasn’t one Watford player screaming to him to stay on his feet. The Hornets have some exciting players in their team but I’m afraid they are all in attack.
Did you know? Mbeumo’s goal saw Brentford become the first side in Premier League history to have their first 10 home Premier League goals all scored by different players.
Pick your XI from our list and share with your friends.
The Crooks of the Matter
Liverpool sailed into the last 16 of the Champions League last week in record style having won all their games – but it was not without controversy.
Jurgen Klopp unintentionally stepped on a football landmine when he suggested the Africa Cup of Nations was a “little tournament”.
The comment came when the Liverpool manager was asked about the disruption the tournament might cause. The words got back to Senegal manager Aliou Cisse, who was furious with Klopp.
The former international captain raged: “I manage Senegal and my players play for Klopp at Liverpool. I respect Liverpool but not Klopp who undermines African football events.
“He is where he is today because of African footballers. Klopp owes his success to African players, having lost ‘every final’ until Salah, Sadio Mane and defender Joel Matip came along.”
Cisse does have a point. Klopp was struggling until Salah and Mane showed up at Anfield.
However, it wasn’t until I heard Klopp’s explanation in his pre-match interview prior to the AC Milan fixture, when challenged by a journalist, that I understood the comments were shrouded in irony.
Klopp was being sarcastic and suggesting the tournament was quite the opposite. Far from being a little tournament, the Liverpool manager was insisting the tournament was far more demanding than people realise.
The problem with sarcasm is that it doesn’t always travel well and what might appear funny in a dressing room doesn’t always translate well or is very clear in other parts of the world.
It will also teach Klopp not to be reckless in future with language from the dressing room. I might not be his biggest fan, but I’ve seen enough of his teams to know that he not only respects African football but also their footballers. Otherwise why would he buy them?
