Fans were treated to eight action-packed Premier League encounters on Boxing Day 2024.
Manchester duo, Man City and Man Utd, both dropped points, with the Cityzens drawing 1-1 with Everton at the Etihad Stadium and the Red Devils losing 2-0 away at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Meanwhile, over in London, Chelsea fell to a shock 2-1 defeat to Fulham at Stamford Bridge. North London side Tottenham Hotspur also had a night to forget as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at The City Ground.
Liverpool were the only high-profile team not to underperform on Boxing Day, with them claiming a comfortable 3-1 victory over Leicester City at Anfield Stadium. The victory, combined with second-placed Chelsea’s defeat to Fulham, allowed the Reds to go seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table, with a game in hand.
With the summary out of the way, let us get down to business. Continue reading to take a quick look at the four players who impressed and three players who failed to deliver on Boxing Day.
Impressed: Sasa Lukic
Fulham stunned Stamford Bridge by scoring two late goals on Thursday, 26th December. Harry Wilson scored in the 82nd minute to cancel out Cole Palmer’s 16th-minute opener. Then, in the fifth minute of injury time, Sasa Lukic delivered a gem of an early cross into the box, perfectly picking out Rodrigo Muniz at the far side. Muniz took a touch before beating Robert Sanchez with a fine strike.
The brilliant assist was Lukic’s finest moment of the game, but he was not resting on his laurels before flipping the script at the death. He passed the ball around with confidence, carried the ball with grace, and stopped Chelsea midfielders from taking control. Over the 90, he completed 62 passes with 91% accuracy, played six passes into the final third, delivered four accurate long balls, recorded eight recoveries, and won five ground duels.
Underperformed: Dominic Solanke
Tottenham Hotspur had Boxing Day to forget away at The City Ground. Former Manchester United man Anthony Elanga fired Nottingham Forest into the lead in the 28th minute, and Spurs could not find a way back.
Centre-forward Dominic Solanke cut a particularly frustrating figure against Forest. The defenders marked him tightly and spent the night trying to break free. Throughout the game, the 27-year-old English striker took three shots but none of them landed on target (2 blocked, 1 off-target). He also failed to create any goalscoring opportunities, lost possession four times, and lost nine of 14 duels. A night to forget for Solanke.
Impressed: Matheus Cunha
Wolverhampton Wanderers claimed a crucial 2-0 victory over Manchester United on Boxing Day. Creator-in-chief Matheus Cunha was at the heart of both goals, as he scored the first and set up the second one.
Cunha fired Wolves into the lead in the 58th minute. Easily the best player on the pitch, Cunha scored directly from a corner, floating it over Man Utd goalkeeper Andre Onana’s head and finding the far corner. The Brazilian forward capped off his performance with an excellent assist in the ninth minute of injury time. He led a late counter-attack with vigour before rolling the ball back for Hee-Chan Hwang to finish.
Over the course of the game, Cunha completed the most dribbles (4), won the most duels (14), and drew the highest number of fouls (5). He also completed 50 passes with 86% accuracy, created a big chance, played 11 passes into the final third, and delivered four accurate long balls.
Underperformed: Erling Haaland
One of the finest strikers in the world, Erling Haaland, failed to deliver the goods as Manchester City hosted Everton in the Premier League on Boxing Day. The two-time Golden Boot winner not only failed to put pressure on the opposition from open play but he also could not beat Jordan Pickford from the penalty spot.
Savinho drew a foul from Vitalii Mykolenko inside the box in the 51st minute, compelling the referee to award Man City a penalty. Haaland understandably took the spot kick, but Pickford had his number, as the goalkeeper lunged to his right to block the Norwegian’s low penalty. The penalty turned out to be Haaland’s only effort on target.
The 24-year-old also veered to an offside position on a couple of occasions and lost three duels in the 1-1 draw with Everton.
Impressed: Joelinton
Newcastle United secured a 3-0 victory over 10-man Aston Villa on Boxing Day. There were quite a few players who left an impression, but Joelinton was the best of the lot. The Brazilian made his mark just two minutes into the game, dribbling through the midfield before laying the ball off for Anthony Gordon on the left. The Englishman dispatched an inch-perfect curler to find the back of the net. Joelinton added a goal to his assist at the death, picking the ball up 35 yards from goal and dribbling towards the box before sending a thumping strike into the top corner.
Against the Villans, Joelinton made 31 accurate passes (94% accuracy), lodged two efforts on target, and took seven touches inside the box. His defensive action included three clearances, two interceptions, and five recoveries.
Underperformed: Bruno Fernandes
Captain Bruno Fernandes has been a reliable source of goals and assists for Manchester United since he joined the club in 2020. The Portuguese is also generally a cool operator, not losing his composure too frequently. Unfortunately, Fernandes’ better traits were not on display in the Premier League clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Boxing Day, as he picked up a needless red card, jeopardizing his team’s chances of securing a win.
In the 18th minute, Fernandes brought down Matheus Cunha, drawing a yellow card for his recklessness. Two minutes into the second half, Fernandes caught Nelson Semedo. The tackle was high and late, which prompted the referee to show Fernandes a second yellow card and give him marching orders. Playing without their captain, Man Utd never looked like securing maximum points at Molineux.
Before his dismissal, Fernandes only created one chance, misplaced two crosses, and lost possession three times.
Impressed: Mohamed Salah
Last weekend, Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah became the first player in Premier League history to record 10+ goals and assists before Christmas. Salah extended his impressive form over to Boxing Day, hitting the back of the net as the Reds secured a 3-1 victory over Leicester City.
Against the run of play, Jordan Ayew fired Leicester City into the lead in the sixth minute. Liverpool committed bodies forward in search for the equalizer, but it did not arrive until the first minute of first-half injury time. Cody Gakpo popped up with the goods to equalize for the hosts at Anfield Stadium.
Four minutes into the second half, Curtis Jones fired Liverpool into the lead with a clinical tap-in. Salah was integral to the goal, as he released Alexis Mac Allister on the right, allowing the Argentinian to roll the ball across the box for Jones.
The Liverpool No. 11 added to his goal tally in the 82nd minute, and it was one for the highlights reel. Receiving a long ball from Gakpo, Salah drove towards the box. He then engineered a bit of space with a couple of feints before curling the ball into the far corner. The Egyptian forward, who is leading the Golden Boot race with 16 strikes, also created a couple of chances, pulled off two dribbles, and delivered two accurate crosses against Leicester.
