Manchester City remain nine points clear at the top of the Premier League after they beat Norwich 4-0 and Liverpool won 1-0 at Burnley.
Third-placed Chelsea were playing in the Club World Cup and beat Brazilian side Palmeiras in extra time to win the trophy for the first time.
Manchester United drew 1-1 with Southampton but were not the only side to drop points in the race for the top four.
West Ham levelled late to draw 2-2 with Leicester, while Wolves beat Tottenham 2-0 to move themselves into contention.
Newcastle earned a third successive win with a 1-0 victory against Aston Villa, while Everton also moved away from the relegation zone as they beat Leeds United 3-0.
Brighton won 2-0 at struggling Watford, with Brentford and Crystal Palace playing out a goalless draw,
Check out my team of the week and then make your own selections towards the bottom of the article.
Goalkeeper – Jose Sa (Wolves)
Jose Sa: This was an outstanding defensive display by Wolves at Tottenham. The star of the show was Sa. Not only did he keep a clean sheet but he is starting to show the sort of authority in his own penalty area that defenders respect. Sa is one of the few modern goalkeepers who is not afraid to catch the ball in mid-flight. Quite what Hugo Lloris was doing punching a ball that former Tottenham great Pat Jennings would have caught with one hand, I don’t know. Spurs look like they are struggling under Antonio Conte, but the Italian is a good manager and they can’t afford to lose him. Manchester United would snap him up in a second.
Did you know? Sa made seven saves against Spurs, the most he has made in keeping a clean sheet in a Premier League game for Wolves.
Defenders – Seamus Coleman (Everton), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Michael Keane (Everton), Dan Burn (Newcastle)
Seamus Coleman: This was an impressive recovery by the Toffees after a disappointing result at Newcastle in midweek. Everton fans seem to have embraced Frank Lampard, for now, although he’s playing the same players who struggled under Rafael Benitez. One player who never seems to struggle under any regime is Coleman. The Republic of Ireland international gives his all, every time I see him perform for club or country. Against Leeds his enthusiasm was as infectious as ever, while his performance seemed to set the tone for an impressive victory. Yet I am not convinced Lampard has the players he needs to get him where he wants to be at Goodison.
Did you know? Coleman’s opener for Everton was his first goal in 69 Premier League games, since he scored against Burnley in May 2019.
Ruben Dias: This was made to look embarrassingly easy for Manchester City against a Norwich side who refuse to accept that relegation beckons. There is no doubt in my mind the arrival of Dean Smith as a replacement for Daniel Farke as manager of the Canaries is too little too late. Norwich look organised and now up for the battle but, as City proved, they simply don’t have the ammunition. Dias was imperious at the back for City. If Norwich had played with 12 men for three hours I doubt they would have scored, such was the visitors’ dominance.
Did you know? Dias made five clearances against Norwich, more than the rest of his team-mates combined, while he registered his second assist in six Premier League games, one more than in his first 49 in the competition combined.
Michael Keane: It was interesting to hear Keane suggest in his post-match interview his new boss has increased the team’s intensity. It was clearly visible in Everton’s victory over Leeds but I’ve seen this Everton before. New manager, renewed enthusiasm, but then it all evaporates so quickly. New owner Farhad Moshiri, with the support of Bill Kenwright – the chairman that fans were so keen to hold responsible for their lack of success – have delivered Carlo Ancelotti, Benitez and now Lampard in quick succession. I wonder who they will hold responsible if this goes wrong?
Did you know? All 10 of Keane’s Premier League goals have come from a set-piece, with seven of them headers.
Dan Burn: He was a player who always caught my eye when he played for Brighton and seemed to improve under Graham Potter. So I wasn’t entirely surprised when Eddie Howe decided to invest in such a dependable defender. Burn is a snip at £13m, while his debut for Newcastle against Aston Villa proved just how effective he can be. He can play almost anywhere across the back four and seems like just what the Magpies need to tighten things up at the back. A very impressive debut.
Did you know? Burn made more clearances (three) than any other Newcastle player against Aston Villa.
Midfielders – James Ward-Prowse (Southampton), Fabinho (Liverpool), Declan Rice (West Ham)
James Ward-Prowse: Southampton clearly enjoy playing in Manchester. They gained a point against City earlier in the season and more than deserved a point against United. The man at the heart of a splendid week for the Saints was, without doubt, Ward-Prowse. He was outstanding against Tottenham in midweek, producing two excellent assists. I’ve been singing the praises of this gifted midfielder for some time now, and his performances for Southampton only seem to get better. I don’t know what Liverpool are waiting for – he’s made for them.
Did you know? Ward-Prowse completed more passes (49) than any other Southampton player against Manchester United.
Fabinho: Whenever Liverpool need to dig out a result Fabinho always seems to be the man on hand to provide the grit and determination required. This result was not a foregone conclusion by any means and if Wout Weghorst had taken any of his chances the Reds might have come away from Burnley with nothing. Why Sadio Mane started this game, so soon after his exploits in the Africa Cup of Nations, is a mystery to me, especially as Diogo Jota is in such good form. If anyone needs a break Mane does. Read why I think the winter break is a complete waste of time in the Crooks of the Matter below.
Did you know? Fabinho has now scored more goals in his past seven matches (five) than he managed in his first 142 for Liverpool in all competitions (four).
Declan Rice: Hearing West Ham fans singing “I’m forever blowing bubbles” used to fill me with dread. I hear that song now and it’s an indication the Hammers are going places – and so is their captain Rice. What a driving force. Leicester should have put this game to bed, but it was Rice who continued to make demands of his team and helped them gain a deserved point. Brendan Rodgers is going through his first crisis with the Foxes. The quicker they get Jamie Vardy fit and back in the team the better. Boy, are they missing him.
Did you know? Rice completed more passes (56) than any other West Ham player against Leicester.
Forwards – Che Adams (Southampton), Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
Che Adams: If his winner against Tottenham in midweek was impressive then his equaliser against Manchester United was top class. Adams is finding his feet at Southampton following the departure of Danny Ings. In fact I would argue his striking partnership with Armando Broja might be a better fit for Adams. The Scotland international is starting to look like he has the ability to replace Ings at St Mary’s and Broja, on loan from Chelsea, might be just the man to help him do it. The partnership looks impressive, while Adams has rediscovered his appetite for goals.
Did you know? Adams has scored four away goals in 10 Premier League appearances this season, as many as he netted on the road in his previous two campaigns in the competition combined (four in 33).
Romelu Lukaku: I said Thomas Tuchel would need Romelu Lukaku and so it is proving. The overzealous nonsense by the Chelsea manager in sanctioning the Belgium striker after he fell for the flattery of an interviewer in Italy almost cost Tuchel and the club. Instead Lukaku apologised when other strikers of similar calibre might have put two fingers up to the manager and made for the exit. All credit to Lukaku, who has knuckled down and worked his way back to form with regular appearances, which is all the £97.5m player wanted in the first place. Lukaku led the line brilliantly against Palmeiras and was instrumental in Chelsea winning the Club World Cup for the first time in their history. Not a bad return.
Did you know? Lukaku is Chelsea’s outright top goalscorer in all competitions this season with 10 goals. He has now reached double figures in each of his past 10 club seasons.
Raheem Sterling: No-one scores a hat-trick and fails to get in to my team of the week. However, Sterling would have made my selection regardless of his goals. The Manchester City forward is in great form again. I haven’t heard City fans chanting Sterling’s name for some time. But against a Norwich side destroyed by the possession game of the visitors, the longer the game went on the more they hailed their hero. There was talk that when Jack Grealish arrived, Sterling might be surplus to requirements. What complete and utter nonsense. In the absence of Gabriel Jesus, Sterling is the only genuine world-class striker at the club.
Did you know? Sterling became the third Manchester City player to score a perfect hat-trick in the Premier League, after Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero (twice).
Pick your XI from our list and share with your friends.
The Crooks of the Matter
Thank goodness the so-called ‘winter break’ is over.
Not a snowflake in sight and no frozen pitches. Meanwhile, some players were out enjoying themselves, kicking the cat, playing football in Africa or on holiday in Dubai in order to fill their time.
It used to be adverse weather conditions in December and January that determined if games were played or not, and we all hated the disruption. Now, managers along with the occasional player, insist they need to rest in the middle of the season regardless of weather conditions, having had millions of pounds spent on undersoil heating at every pitch in the Premier League in order to avoid any interruptions.
What a farce. I know Covid hasn’t helped (and World Cup qualifiers needed to be played outside Europe) but the winter break has only served to make an already congested season even worse.
The game is in desperate need of some normality. Is there any chance we can go back to regular dates and kick-off times please? It’s the least fans deserve.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah, followed shortly afterwards by Sadio Mane, comes back from the Africa Cup of Nations final and is immediately placed on the bench against Leicester City, and both are in the starting line-up to face Burnley three days later – a great break!
I don’t blame Mane in the slightest taking his time returning from Dakar after Senegal’s first Nations Cup triumph. Salah and Mane actually deserve a winter break.
It seems to me the only people who had any rest throughout this rather confusing period were the managers.
