Manchester City claimed just their second win in 14 games on Sunday, beating Leicester City 2-0 to claim a victory that had long eluded them. Goals from Savinho and Erling Haaland ensured the defending champions took all three points against the relegation contenders, while Nottingham Forest maintained a place in the top four with a win over Everton. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur failed to win a third successive Premier League match after conceding a late equalizer against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Here’s how each Premier League fared on Sunday as the annual festive matches continue to unfold.
Premier League festive match results
- Leicester City 0, Manchester City 2
- Tottenham Hotspur 2, Wolverhampton Wanderers 2
- Everton 0, Nottingham Forest 2
- Crystal Palace 2, Southampton 1
- Fulham 2, Bournemouth 2
- West Ham United vs. Liverpool, 12:15 pm ET (USA Network)
Leicester City vs Manchester City
City of leicester: Even amid City’s poor run, Leicester were always going to be the underdog, so Sunday’s defeat is no surprise. Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team, however, can take something positive from the fact that they essentially played a close game against the reigning champions, with a slight advantage in possession and expected goals until the final whistle. Time will tell whether that’s a sign that 18th-placed Leicester can climb out of the relegation zone or not, but in a season full of bad days for the Foxes, this is probably one that feels better than the others. . Grade: C-
City of Manchester: Pep Guardiola’s side will be pleased with the fact that they have achieved their first win in six games and that Haaland has scored his first goal in five games, but City are still not looking like their usual selves. They have dominated many games during their poor run of the last two months, but were unconvincing in a close game against Leicester. City were victorious on Sunday, which doesn’t mark the end of their struggles just yet, but they probably won’t care much. Grade: C+
Tottenham Hotspur Ratings vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers
Tottenham Hotspur: The Spurs will be feeling drained after allowing goals on two shots that accounted for just 0.31 expected goals, but the reason they didn’t get the three points on Sunday is because they couldn’t capitalize on their own opportunities. Ange Postecoglou’s side are still the Premier League’s top scorers with 41 goals, but only managed three shots on target in 13 attempts in total. Had they taken advantage of a few other significant opportunities, including Son Heung-min’s penalty saved by Jose Sa, they probably would have finished 2024 on top. Grade: C
Wolverhampton Wanderers: On the other hand, Wolves will probably be happy with the point they got in north London, especially as every point helps in the race to avoid relegation. The visitors were certainly lucky on Sunday and wasted several chances and scored just 0.69 expected goals from a total of 11 shots. Sa’s penalty save is a big positive to take from this game, but Spurs’ struggles offer a reminder that Wolves could have a lot to overcome to stay out of the bottom three. Grade: C–
Everton vs. Nottingham Forest Ratings
Everton: The Toffees’ four-match unbeaten run came to an end on Sunday in a game full of missed opportunities. Everton finished the game with 64% possession and 13 shots, but only scored two and generated just 0.75 expected goals along the way. It was a departure from manager Sean Dyche’s usual game plan (clearly designed for Forest), but a change they clearly couldn’t cope with. Grade: D
Nottingham Forest: Nuno Espirito Santo’s team may not play glamorously, but they deserve credit for getting the job done frequently. Forest were perfectly happy to play without the ball, but did not sacrifice their end product for it, hitting seven of their 11 shots on goal and generating 2.23 expected goals in the process. It seems their strategy has been down to a science at the moment, especially after three clean sheets in a row and five consecutive Premier League wins. Grade: A
Crystal Palace vs. Southampton ratings
Crystal Palace: The game was arguably more edgy than it needed to be, with Southampton scoring the first goal of the game, but with 19 shots and 10 on target, there was little reason to doubt that Crystal Palace would come out of this game with all three points. There may be no such thing as an impressive win against the worst team in the league, but teams still have to win winnable games, so all in all it’s a job well done for Palace. Grade: B
Southampton: Ivan Juric may officially be on the touchline, but there is no new manager in sight for Southampton. They were outplayed by Crystal Palace and their porous defensive line was exposed once again, but they gave little at the other end of the pitch to remain competitive in a game where the scoreline benefited them. The Saints took just seven shots on Sunday, reinforcing the fact that they still have a long season ahead of them as they desperately try to climb out of 20th place. Grade: F
Fulham vs. Bournemouth ratings
Fulham: The Cottagers failed to muster a strong follow-up act after Thursday’s win over Chelsea, although they were perhaps a bit lucky to come away with a point on Sunday. They exceeded their 1.01 expected goals and were slightly overtaken by Bournemouth, so a point is better than nothing, but it doesn’t do much to improve their position as they remain in the hunt for European places. Grade: C
Bournemouth: The Cherries can capitalize on the fact that they rescued a point thanks to Dango Ouattara’s 89th-minute equaliser, but it can be argued that they should have had all three. Bournemouth took 16 shots and nine on target, doing enough to win, especially as Raúl Jiménez’s goal for Fulham was worth just 0.05 expected goals. Like Fulham, the point does little to boost their chances of a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League, but they remain in a good position based on their performance. Grade: B
