Manchester City isn’t in need of objectives within the title protection, and the champions discovered a solution to make it unintentionally much more entertaining towards Leicester.
A 6-3 victory — that includes a double from Raheem Sterling — put City six factors in entrance on the prime of the Premier League on the midway level on Sunday, with second-place Liverpool having a sport in hand.
It was a compelling second half on Boxing Day simply when it seemed like Leicester was fully out of sight after City had scored 4 occasions within the opening 25 minutes.
Three objectives in 10 second-half minutes provided Leicester a glimmer of hope of a comeback that was snuffed out by Aymeric Laporte’s header and Sterling’s second.
It secured a ninth successive victory for Pep Guardiola’s facet, with the final three seeing 17 objectives scored by City.
FULL-TIME Man City 6-3 Leicester
The house facet emerge on prime after a surprising contest to assert their ninth #PL victory in a row #MCILEI pic.twitter.com/jdc4Ryu3ZO
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 26, 2021
And whereas title rivals Chelsea and Liverpool are busy with two-legged League Cup semifinals initially of January, the tip of City’s protection of that title does give some restoration time after the packed Christmas and New Year schedule.
There was little doubting City’s health ranges from the outset towards a Leicester staff that was too simply picked aside.
It was a excessive ball excessive from Fernandinho that reached Kevin De Bruyne, who had the area to maneuver the ball round Leicester territory earlier than scoring the opener after 5 minutes.
A foul by Youri Tielemans on Laporte secured a penalty that was transformed by Riyad Mahrez.
Bernardo Silva’s means to coast previous Leicester gamers created the opening for the third, with João Cancelo squaring for Ilkay Gündoğan to web from shut vary.
Leicester was struggling to include the menace and conceded one other penalty when Tielemans tripped Sterling, who struck into the highest nook within the twenty fifth.
A sport that appeared over was dropped at life once more 10 minutes into the second half when Laporte’s slip allowed Leicester to launch a counterattack that ended with Kelechi Iheanacho establishing James Maddison.
The midfielder turned supplier within the 59th when he muscled his well past City gamers earlier than slipping the ball via to Iheanacho whose throughball arrange Ademola Lookman.
The third Leicester aim got here within the sixty fifth after Maddison’s shot was tipped onto the crossbar by Ederson and the ball dropped for Iheanacho to ship over the road to scale back City’s result in 4-3.
It took solely 4 minutes for Laporte to revive City’s two-goal lead because the eighth totally different scorer within the match.
Sterling had the ultimate say with a close-range strike after Rúben Dias headed down a nook.
Moura, Kane, Son give Tottenham 3-0 win over Crystal Palace
Lucas Moura scored one and arrange objectives for Harry Kane and Son Heung-min as Tottenham beat Crystal Palace 3-0 within the Premier League on Sunday.
Palace had didn’t get the sport known as off after a coronavirus outbreak within the squad and supervisor Patrick Vieira was absent after testing constructive himself.
Wilfried Zaha compounded Palace’s woes with a pointless crimson card within the thirty seventh when the south London membership was already trailing 2-0.
Tottenham stays unbeaten in six league video games below Antonio Conte and is six factors behind fourth-place Arsenal with three video games in hand.
A decisive five-minute interval swung the sport in Tottenham’s favor with two quickfire objectives and Palace then lowered to 10 males.
FULL-TIME Spurs 3-0 Crystal Palace
Lucas Moura runs the present because the hosts take all three factors#TOTCRY pic.twitter.com/B88RyRusKY
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 26, 2021
Kane scored within the thirty second minute from Moura’s heart after he was let out by Emerson Royal.
The Brazilian pair mixed once more two minutes later when Emerson’s cross was headed in from shut vary by Moura.
Palace’s capitulation was full as, 11 minutes after choosing up a primary yellow card, Zaha foolishly flung his arms at Davinson Sanchez and was despatched off by referee Jon Moss.
Tottenham needed to wait till the 74th earlier than extending its lead additional. Moura once more discovered area down the correct and his cross was turned house on the close to submit by Son for his fourth aim in 5 video games.
Rare away win for Southampton as West Ham’s stoop continues
West Ham’s stoop continued as Jan Bednarek’s late aim secured a uncommon away win for Southampton within the Premier League on Sunday.
Bednarek’s header condemned the Hammers to a 3-2 defeat in what was solely Southampton’s second win on the highway this season.
West Ham’s hopes of a spot within the prime 4 look more and more unlikely after one other below-par show on the London Stadium.
Southampton took the lead after solely eight minutes when Mohamed Elyounoussi completed from the sting of the penalty space.
West Ham coach David Moyes hauled off Nikola Vlasic and Pablo Fornals at haftime, sending on Michail Antonio — again from a spell out with COVID-19 – and Manuel Lanzini.
FULL-TIME West Ham 2-3 Southampton
Saints edge a cracking encounter on the London Stadium with Jan Bednarek’s header proving to be the decisive aim#WHUSOU pic.twitter.com/IAfjAEvm0t
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 26, 2021
The transfer paid prompt dividends with Antonio pouncing from a nook after Craig Dawson headed Jarrod Bowen’s supply again throughout aim.
But Dawson was at fault when Saints went again in entrance on the hour, the defender being out-paced by Armando Broja earlier than bringing him down on the sting of the field. Referee Kevin Friend consulted the pitch-side monitor earlier than awarding the penalty, which was transformed by James Ward-Prowse.
West Ham equalized 4 minutes later when Bowen received free down the correct and crossed for Said Benrahma to brush house.
However, when Ward-Prowse swung in a free kick with 20 minutes remaining, Bednarek received above Dawson and Tomas Soucek to place the guests in entrance once more.
