By Joshua Davies. Check his Football Survivor challenge at footballsurvivor.co.uk
Crystal Palace v. Chelsea
Christmas came early for Chelsea fans this year, as they continue their fine form with a champion-esc performance at Selhurst Park to increase the mounting pressure on Alan Pardew. It was, yet again, a superb Diego Costa goal which settled the tie, and a third straight 1-0 Chelsea victory to take their total winning streak to 11 games. The Blue’s have really turned on the style since Arsenal drubbed them at the Emirates and it looks as though the title could soon be returning to West London. Conte will be most pleased with the style of this win, as the league leaders never really left first gear. In truth, Palace’s chances were few and far between, yet, if Jason Puncheon had managed to convert his opportunity we may have had a different result. It really is the style of Champions to win, even when they aren’t at their best. A test Chelsea have now passed with flying colours, in the last week alone. With all due respect to Bournemouth and Stoke, Chelsea fans will be anticipating their winning streak to hit 13 before the beginning of the new year.
Score: 0-1 Goals: Chelsea: Diego Costa (43’)
West Brom v. Manchester United
Are the Manchester United wheels finally in full spin? A third straight Premier League win was achieved on Saturday evening as Zlatan Ibrahimovic reminded everyone that he isn’t quite done yet. A trademark United goal of old meant the visiting team were ahead within minutes at the Hawthorns and they never looked back. A fantastic, three pass move, involving Valencia, Lingard and Zlatan set the ball rolling for a first half of entire dominance. Wayne Rooney, chasing the record breaking goal which would put him at the pinnacle of United’s scoring charts, crashed a fine effort off the crossbar via a superb reaction save from, former Red Devil, Foster. Rondon, fresh of a mid-week hat-trick, glanced a decent headed effort just wide prior to the interval. Ibrahimovic secured a much needed win for Jose Mourinho with a piece of individual brilliance as he danced past two Baggies defenders before a sizeable piece of luck flicked his effort into the net. United are now a mere 4 points off the top 4 as opposed to the 10 that they were last weekend. Don’t rule them out yet.
Score: 0-2 Goals: Manchester United: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (5’, 56’)
Tottenham Hotspur v. Burnley
It all looked to be going a bit ‘Spurs esc’ when Barnes scored to send the away fans into delirium. The chant from the Claret dressed fans was superb, and a contender for the best of the season as they roared ‘how s*** are you? We’re winning away’. The promoted side have fared very poorly away from Turf Moore this season, and it was soon evident why. Dele Alli, the villain several weeks back as he dived against Swansea, was at hand to drill the home side level as Pochettino’s men raced forward. Another England regular, Danny Rose, was in the right place and the right time to smash Spurs’ winner and close the gap on Arsenal to a mere 1 point. However, in a weekend where referees have stolen some headlines, Sissoko was lucky to avoid a red card as his late and high challenge was deemed only worthy of a yellow card. Ultimately, Spurs fans would’ve breathed a huge sigh of relief as the final whistle blew. Next up, Tottenham face a trip to Southampton on the 28th, a game which will be extremely tough but one that could be a chance to lay down a marker.
Score: 2-1 Goals: Tottenham: Alli (27’), Rose (71’) Burnley: Barnes (21’)
Manchester City v. Arsenal
It was the big one, and it didn’t disappoint. Manchester City’s defensive fragilities were exposed, devastatingly, by Arsenal on the counter attack when Theo Walcott continued his fine scoring form to put the Gunners ahead. For the remainder of the first half, Arsenal looked dangerous, as the pace, power and precision of Sanchez and Iwobi was threatening. Yaya Toure, the remembered man at City, saw a header saved by Cech to pencil the home side’s first shot on target just before the break. Over the years, both Arsene Wenger and Arsenal have built a reputation for suffering under the intensity and pressure of big games, and it was clear again, as City turned the scoreline around to win the game in the second half. There was a hint of offside about Leroy Sane’s equaliser, as an exquisite David Silva through ball was converted in confident fashion by the young German winger. The Arsenal capitulation was complete when Raheem Sterling beat Petr Cech at his near post, a consistent weakness of the Czech goalkeeper, to put City ahead. Pep Guardiola will be delighted that the home side have seemingly turned their dire form around and have now secured back to back home wins. Arsene Wenger, on the other hand, will be worried now as Arsenal’s form has slumped. On Monday, the Gunners drew Bayern Munich in the Champions League and the week hasn’t got any better since then, after losing to Everton and now City. Is this the year Arsenal finally slip out of that top four?
Score: 2-1 Goals: Manchester City: Sane (47’), Sterling (71’) Arsenal: Walcott (5’)
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