Match-by-match facts and statistics ahead of the Premier League
Philippe Coutinho scored twice as Liverpool recovered from an early deficit to beat struggling Premier League champions Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and pile more pressure on Blues manager Jose Mourinho.
Harry Kane became Tottenham's joint fifth highest scorer as he helped his side earn a 2-1 Premier League victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
Third-placed Leicester go to Hodgson's sixth-placed Crystal Palace on Sunday
Swansea City and Hull City were fined 20,000 each following a mass confrontation between their players during a Premier League match this month, the Football Association said on Wednesday.
Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo returns to former club West Bromwich Albion convinced that his sacking there last year strengthened his resolve and helped him become a European champion.
Arsenal striker Alexis Sanchez and playmaker Mesut Ozil are fit for Sunday's Premier League clash with Chelsea, manager Arsene Wenger said. The league leaders have been without the influential Chilean, who has scored six league goals this season, since late November after he suffered a hamstring injury. Ozil missed Sunday's goalless draw away at Stoke City with a minor toe injury. "The good news is that Ozil certainly will be available, and Sanchez ... the next two days will be decisive ... but I think this time he will make it to be available for selection," Wenger told reporters on Thursday.
Stoke City became the highest-profile casualty in the English League Cup second round when third-tier Swindon Town pulled off a dramatic 4-3 win late in extra time on Tuesday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Liverpool face Spurs in the game of the weekend, a day after title rivals Manchester City travel to struggling Fulham.
Brendan Rodgers endured a sorry Premier League start as Liverpool boss with a 3-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion on the opening day of the season on Saturday while Arsenal, without Robin van Persie, were held 0-0 by Sunderland.
Mathew Ryan asked his family if anyone wanted to come and watch him play in the World Cup in Russia, there was an enthusiastic response - from 27 of them.
Leicester City recorded the biggest ever English top-flight away win by beating 10-man Southampton 9-0 at a rain-sodden St Mary's to move up to second place in the Premier League on Friday.
Chelsea's Brazilian midfielder Oscar has taken to Twitter to deny reports of a training ground row with team mate and Spain international Diego Costa.
There are too many foreign managers in the Premier League and little opportunity for local talents, according to former Manchester United winger and assistant manager Ryan Giggs.
Images from the weekend fixtures of the English Premier League that witnessed holders Manchester City, leaders Chelsea and 19-time winners Manchester United scoring comfortable wins.
Manchester City set a new top-flight record of 15 consecutive wins as their seemingly unstoppable march towards the English Premier League title continued with a 4-0 romp at bottom club Swansea City.
Roy Hodgson has been appointed England manager on a four-year contract, the English FA said on Tuesday.
Roy Hodgson became the leading contender to take charge of England at Euro 2012 when the English FA said they had spoken to the West Bromwich Albion manager about succeeding Fabio Capello.
Manchester United fielded a defence boasting only two first-team appearances but still proved too good for Premier League rivals Newcastle United with a 2-1 win in the League Cup third round at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
Tottenham moved up to seventh place with 36 points from 22 games
Jose Mourinho's United side have 62 points and lead the Merseyside club by two with nine game remaining.
Chelsea needed a late winner from Ashley Cole to beat Stoke City 1-0 and move three points clear at the top of the English Premier League on Saturday.
Manchester United spurned a chance to move into the Premier League's top four after striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed a penalty in a 1-1 draw against 10-man Bournemouth on Saturday.
Frank Lampard and Edin Dzeko scored twice as holders Manchester City sailed into the English League Cup fourth round with a crushing 7-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday and Chelsea beat Bolton Wanderers 2-1 on Wednesday.
Former Chelsea and England captain John Terry has joined Championship side Aston Villa, the club's owner said on Monday.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
League One Burton, managed by Nigel Clough, the son of former Nottingham Forest boss Brian, must endure another 90 minutes at their own ground on Jan. 23 before City formally book their place in the final.
Spanish striker Michu hit his fourth goal in three league games but Swansea City missed the chance to top the fledgling Premier League standings after the Welsh side were held 2-2 at home by Sunderland on Saturday.
Iceland midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson produced his second two-goal blast in three games to inspire promoted Swansea City to an emphatic 3-0 win at Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday.
United's schedule contains 13 fixtures, including 11 league matches, but that total could potentially rise to 20 depending on their progress in the cup competitions.
Leicester City's traumatic week ended with a 1-0 win at Cardiff City although the result was never the chief concern on a day when the tributes flowed for the Midlands club's late owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha who died in a helicopter crash.
Since the formation of the Premier League two decades ago, Liverpool have been classed as one of the division's "Big Four" but their weakening grip on a place among the true elite was eroded further by a woeful start to the new campaign.
IMAGES from Saturday's English Premier League matches.
Carlos Tevez of Manchester City and Dimitar Berbatov of Manchester United emerged the top scorers with 20 goals in the English Premier League season, which concluded on Sunday. Arsenal's Robin van Persie, with 18 goals, was next best.
Manchester United may field weakened teams in the league if a top-four finish seems beyond them in order to boost their chances of winning the Europa League, manager Jose Mourinho said.
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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says his team will not be daunted when they attempt to clinch a place in the Champions League at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday against a side playing their last match under England-bound coach Roy Hodgson.
Pep Guardiola has criticised the weight of the match ball used in the League Cup after his team failed to score in their fourth round match against Wolverhampton Wanderers and won 4-1 on penalties.
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