Haaland Propels Man City to Premier League Summit, Chelsea Comeback Thwarts Newcastle
Erling Haaland propelled Manchester City to the summit of the Premier League with a 3-0 triumph over West Ham, meanwhile Chelsea staged a comeback to clinch a 2-2 stalemate against Newcastle on Saturday.
Arsenal have the chance to reclaim the top position before Christmas when they travel to Everton later on, yet City intensified the challenge on the Gunners through their seventh successive victory across all tournaments.
The Hammers anticipated a heavy defeat after Haaland struck in merely five minutes.
Alphonse Areola blocked the Norwegian's initial attempt prior to the ball rebounding favourably for Haaland to blast it into the upper corner.
Haaland assisted for City's next goal shortly before the interval, with Tijjani Reijnders netting his debut strike at the Etihad.
West Ham squandered several opportunities to reduce the lead at the start of the second half, keeping them mired in the drop zone.
In stark contrast, Haaland showed no mercy, bagging his 38th goal of the campaign for club and international duty when the ball fell to him 21 minutes remaining, positioning City a single point clear of Arsenal.
Chelsea hold onto fourth place, as a post-interval surge spared manager Enzo Maresca from further doubts about his tenure.
The Italian remarked following last weekend's success against Everton that he and his squad had lacked sufficient backing amid a tough sequence of outcomes.
Maresca subsequently faced rumours of succeeding Pep Guardiola at City in the past few days.
Newcastle Left Frustrated
Chelsea have secured only one victory in their previous five league fixtures, causing their title aspirations to fade.
However, matters could have deteriorated further for Maresca, with Nick Woltemade's brace granting Newcastle a commanding 2-0 advantage in a strong opening period from the Magpies.
A superb free-kick from Reece James revived the Blues' hopes, followed by Joao Pedro capitalising on a mistake by Malick Thiaw to level the scores.
Newcastle expressed dismay over two denied late penalty claims and a potential red card for James, leaving Eddie Howe's team stuck in 11th position.
"The past week for me has been straightforward and positive. We defeated Everton, we overcame Cardiff in the League Cup, and we held Newcastle to a draw away from home, so regarding outcomes, I am content," Maresca stated.
"Once more, there are aspects we undoubtedly can improve, yet I believe we are heading correctly."
Liverpool Face Spurs Sans Salah
Liverpool seek to sustain their revival without Mohamed Salah as the English title holders head to Tottenham later.
The Reds remain undefeated across five matches following a spell of nine losses in twelve.
Salah has left to captain Egypt's efforts at the Africa Cup of Nations, temporarily shelving discussions about his prospects.
A win for Liverpool would elevate them to fifth.
Spurs commence in 13th, with Thomas Frank facing demands to secure an uncommon home Premier League success.
Wolves persist winless in the league this term and appear set to etch their name as the most dismal team in Premier League annals.
Keane Lewis-Potter tallied twice as Brentford triumphed 2-0 at Molineux, placing them 10 points above the relegation battle.
Burnley halted their seven-match skid thanks to Armando Broja's stoppage-time equaliser securing a 1-1 tie at Bournemouth.
The sought-after Antoine Semenyo, drawing attention from City, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Tottenham prior to the January transfer period, initiated the scoring, but the Cherries now endure an eight-game winless run.
Sunderland climbed to fifth following a goalless encounter at Brighton.