The « Boxing Day » was fatal to Chelsea, overthrown 2-1 by neighbor Fulham, and it prolonged the torments of Manchester City, the reigning quadruple champion of England, held in check by the poorly ranked Everton (1-1).
THE « Citizens » were hoping to redo their victory on Thursday against the « Toffees »fifteenth in the Premier League, but they only extended their journey through the desert.
Since the end of October, they have only won once in thirteen matches (compared to three draws and nine defeats), in all competitions.
And the day after Christmas, they appear in seventh place with 28 points, like Fulham (8th) and Aston Villa (9th), just behind Newcastle and Bournemouth, 29 points each.
Pep Guardiola may blame the crisis on injuries, certainly numerous (Ederson, Walker, Dias, Stones, Rodri, Nunes, Bobb and Grealish were absent on Thursday), he still had a squad far superior to that of Everton at kick-off.
His team quickly took the lead thanks to Bernardo Silva (14th, 1-0), designated captain, but they were subsequently unable to be truly dangerous.
Everton had almost nothing to eat, either, but their first foray into the Mancunian area was enough to equalize, with a nice sequence from Iliman Ndiaye (36th, 1-1).
Erling Haaland had the ball at the end of the 2-1, from a penalty in the second half. But the Norwegian, author of only one goal in December, saw Jordan Pickford dive on the right side (53rd).
The goalkeeper of the England team allows Everton to snag a new big name, just after thwarting Arsenal (0-0) and Chelsea (0-0).
Nottingham solid third
Enzo Maresca in London on December 26, 2024 / Glyn KIRK / AFP
THE « Blues » They experienced a second successive disappointment, Thursday against neighbor Fulham, who came to win at Stamford Bridge for the first time since 1979.
Harry Wilson (82nd, 1-1) and Rodrigo Muniz (90th +5, 1-2) created astonishment against Cole Palmer’s Chelsea (16th, 1-0), who had remained undefeated in twelve matches since the end of October, all competitions combined.
Mancuneans Kevin De Bruyne (right) and Ilkay Gundogan (left) came on in the 75th and 85th minute without being able to change the course of the match against Everton in the Premier League on December 26, 2024 in Manchester, England / Darren Staples / AFP
Enzo Maresca’s team (2nd, 35 pts) can see leader Liverpool (39 pts), who have two games in hand, slip away. And she sees Nottingham coming back in the rearview mirror (3rd, 34 pts).
Forest extended its fairy tale at the same time as the torments of Tottenham (1-0), Thursday, thanks to the only goal scored by Anthony Elanga (28th).
“There’s no harm in looking at (the rankings)”commented midfielder Elliot Anderson, “but we must remain lucid and keep our feet on the ground”.
Newcastle, for their part, have their heads in the clouds after their clear 3-0 success against Aston Villa, long numerically inferior on Thursday at St James’ Park (expulsion of Jhon Duran in the 32nd).
THE « Magpies » enjoyed goals from Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak and Joelinton, enough to extend their good streak: three successive victories, with eleven goals scored and none conceded!
West Ham is also in a good situation. The Londoners beat Southampton 1-0 thanks to their captain Jarrod Bowen, a fourth match without defeat which allows them to breathe easier in the Premier League.
However, they experienced a big scare in the first half with goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski being stretchered off, injured by an opponent. The Frenchman Alphonse Areola replaced him, successfully.