Arsenal hold Liverpool to seal top spot at Christmas
Arsenal will spend Christmas Day on top of the Premier League after they held title rivals Liverpool to a pulsating 1-1 draw at Anfield on Saturday, while Manchester United crashed to a dismal 2-0 defeat at West Ham that piled pressure on Erik ten Hag. Mikel Arteta's Arsenal took an early lead through Gabriel, but Mohamed Salah hauled Liverpool level before the interval. A draw was arguably the right result after both sides flexed their muscles to show why they have emerged as the leading contenders to win the title. Chasing a first title since 2004, Arsenal sit one point clear of second placed Liverpool heading into the festive period. The team that has topped the Premier League at Christmas has gone on to win the title in six of the past 10 seasons, but the draw on Merseyside was also a boost to the chasing pack. Third placed Aston Villa are level on points with Liverpool, fourth placed Tottenham are three points further back, while champions Manchester City are six points adrift of the leaders with a game in hand. Liverpool are unbeaten in their past 11 games against Arsenal at Anfield. However, coming a week after their goalless stalemate against Manchester United, this was another frustrating result for Jurgen Klopp's team. At the London Stadium, Ten Hag's United side were blown away by late West Ham strikes from Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus, condemning the visitors to an eighth Premier League loss already this season. United have lost 13 games in all competitions this season – their most defeats before Christmas since 1930-31 when they finished bottom of the table. "In this moment we are underperforming," Ten Hag said. "We have to be calm, stick together, stick to the plan, we have to do it together." At Craven Cottage, Rebecca Welch became the first woman to referee a Premier League match as struggling Burnley won 2-0 at Fulham. Tottenham moved up to fourth, three points behind Arsenal, with a 2-1 win against Everton in north London. Luton bolstered their bid for survival with an impressive 1-0 win against Newcastle at Kenilworth Road. Paying the perfect tribute to Tom Lockyer as the Hatters captain recovers from his on-pitch cardiac arrest at Bournemouth last Saturday, Andros Townsend clinched the points in the 25th minute with a close-range finish. Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke ruined Nuno Espirito Santo's first match in charge of Nottingham Forest as the striker's hat-trick sealed a 3-2 victory. (AFP)