Three Premier League talking points
Chelsea battled fiercely against Premier League frontrunners Arsenal in an intense 1-1 draw that ignited the race for the championship.
Alexander Isak at last silenced those calling him a costly disappointment, as Thomas Franks challenges deepened at Tottenham.
AFP Sport examines three key discussion points from the weekends matches:
Chelsea deliver strong performance
Following an exchange of intense action with Arsenal over 94 thrilling minutes at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea ended up battered yet resilient.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca had maintained that his youthful squad were not in the running for the title before their vital encounter with the Gunners.
However, Chelsea proved they can compete directly with Mikel Artetas side, even after the 38th minute sending off of Blues midfielder Moises Caicedo for a harsh challenge on Mikel Merino.
Overall, Arsenal received six yellow cards compared to one for Chelsea, who stood firm against the top team.
They even went ahead via Trevoh Chalobahs header in the second half, from a corner play that echoed Arsenals strength in set pieces.
Though Merino nodded in Arsenals equaliser in the 59th minute, leaving third placed Chelsea six points adrift of the north London club, Maresca could draw positives from a determined showing that hints at them becoming title rivals earlier than anticipated.
"I believe we demonstrated we are moving the right way," the Italian remarked.
"We are getting nearer. We will check our position in February and March and then decide on our goals."
Isak proves his worth
Alexander Isak dropped to his knees as Liverpools teammates hurried to hug the Swedish forward, whose joy from his debut league goal for his new team mixed relief with excitement.
On a chilly day in east London, Isak at last displayed the sharp finishing that prompted Liverpool to spend a UK record £125 million ($165 million) to acquire him from Newcastle during the summers transfer drama.
The 26 year old coolly slotted home Cody Gakpos pass with a low first time shot from inside the box.
After five league outings without scoring, this marked Isaks second goal for Liverpool and his first in 10 games since bagging one against second division Southampton in the League Cup back in September.
"It is crucial for us as a group that we took a 1-0 lead, but I feel it was also key for him since it was his third or fourth opportunity in this match," Liverpool manager Arne Slot commented.
Both Isak and Slot had faced criticism amid a poor streak of nine losses in 12 games across all tournaments before heading to West Ham.
Although questions will persist due to the scale of Liverpools remarkable drop off after their title win last season, this result signalled progress.
Frank faces scrutiny
Thomas Frank justified his approach after Tottenhams lacklustre 2-1 loss to Fulham on Saturday prolonged their poor home form in 2025.
Tottenham let in two goals within the opening six minutes and Mohammed Kuduss response failed to prevent the north London outfit from enduring a fourth loss in their past six league outings.
It capped a tough week for the criticised Frank following a 4-1 hammering by north London foes Arsenal and a 5-3 defeat at Paris Saint Germain.
Tottenham have secured just three victories from their last 13 games under Frank, who has drawn ire from fans over his cautious style since joining from Brentford to take over from the dismissed Ange Postecoglou in the summer.
"Naturally the strategy became far tougher after going 2-0 down. We found ourselves trailing when we ought not to have, passing through the centre when we should have avoided it," Frank explained.
"All that stemmed from us hurrying excessively. But I am not concerned, as we have witnessed on other occasions how much smoother it runs."