(Reuters) – Manchester City led the best way in a bumper Boxing Day goal feast in the Premier League on Sunday with a 6-3 win over Leicester City sending them six factors clear on the high of the standings.
The opening 5 video games of the COVID-19 impacted festive programme delivered 26 targets with Arsenal romping to a 5-0 win away to backside membership Norwich City and Chelsea having fun with a 3-1 win at Aston Villa.
Tottenham Hotspur beat Crystal Palace 3-0 whereas Southampton loved a shock 3-2 win at West Ham United.
Pep Guardiola’s City are on 47 factors with Liverpool, whose match in opposition to Leeds United was known as off because of COVID-19 instances in the Yorkshire staff, on 41 factors.
Third-placed Chelsea are additionally on 41 factors, whereas Arsenal transfer as much as fourth place on 35 factors.
City received off to a flying begin, grabbing a fifth-minute lead by way of Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, earlier than a Riyad Mahrez penalty put the hosts in management 9 minutes later.
Things went from unhealthy to worse for a weakened Leicester aspect with Ilkay Gundogan and one other penalty, transformed by Raheem Sterling, giving the hosts a four-goal lead inside 25 minutes.
Despite trying useless and buried, although, Leicester stormed again in the second half as targets from James Maddison, Ademola Lookman and Kelechi Iheanacho threatened to derail the league leaders.
But Aymeric Laporte’s 69th-minute header and Sterling’s late second took the champions over the road.
Arsenal’s fourth straight win got here in convincing trend at Carrow Road with Mikel Arteta’s aspect taking a sixth minute lead by way of Bukayo Saka who completed off a effective, flowing transfer.
Kieran Tierney doubled the lead simply earlier than the break with Martin Odegaard offering the killer move for the Scotland left again, who struck a low shot into the web.
England ahead Saka grabbed Arsenal’s third in the 67th minute with one other low strike earlier than Alexandre Lacazette was fouled in the field and received as much as stroke residence the spot kick in the 84th.
Substitute Emile Smith Rowe wrapped up the win with a easy tap-in throughout stoppage time.
Chelsea fell behind at Villa when a Matt Targett cross flew in off the pinnacle of defender Reece James however Jorginho introduced Thomas Tuchel’s aspect stage from the spot simply earlier than the break.
Romelu Lukaku, a halftime substitute, put Chelsea forward with a effective glancing header from a Callum Hudson-Odoi cross after which in stoppage time he was introduced down by Ezri Konsa and Jorginho once more made no mistake from the spot.
Spurs stretched their unbeaten Premier League run below new supervisor Antonio Conte to six video games because of a powerful show in opposition to a Palace aspect diminished to 10 males for the second half.
Lucas Moura created targets for Harry Kane and Son Heung-min and bagged one himself as Tottenham comfortably beat a Palace staff for whom supervisor Patrick Vieira missed the sport due to a constructive COVID-19 check.
Palace had winger Wilfried Zaha was despatched off in the thirty seventh minute however by that point Spurs had been already properly on high.
Harry Kane had swept in the opener from Moura’s move earlier than Moura himself headed the second.
Son wrapped up the win along with his aspect’s third from shut vary in the 74th minute.
James Ward-Prowse scored one and created one other as Southampton took three factors from their go to to London Stadium in opposition to a West Ham aspect which have gone 5 video games with out a win.
Southampton took the lead after eight minutes by way of Mohamed Elyounoussi however substitute Michail Antonio levelled for the Hammers in the forty ninth minute.
Ward-Prowse restored the away aspect’s benefit from the spot in the 61st minute, just for West Ham’s Said Benrahma to revive parity.
Jan Bednarek secured the primary win since Nov. 5 for the Saints in the seventieth minute after deftly turning in a curling free kick from Ward-Prowse.
In the day’s late fixture Brighton & Hove Albion ended an 11-game winless run as they beat Brentford 2-0 to maneuver ninth — Leandro Trossard and Neal Maupay had been on the right track earlier than halftime.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Watford and Burnley v Everton had been additionally postponed because of COVID outbreaks.
(Reporting by Simon Evans; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
