Goals from Victor Moses and Daniel Sturridge eased Liverpool through a tricky FA Cup fourth round tie at Championship (second division) Bournemouth on Saturday although they had to work hard for a 2-0 victory.
London clubs' erratic start to the Premier League season improved with victories for Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal on Saturday but Manchester sides continued to make the running, with City and United the top two.
Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres applied the gloss to a workmanlike 2-0 victory at Hull City that lifted Chelsea ominously to the top of the Premier League on Saturday.
Arsenal suffered another painful Premier League defeat as Swansea City capitalised on some glaring errors to win 3-1 on Tuesday, boosting their survival hopes and denting the visitors' top four chances.
Manchester United were held 1-1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers and missed out on taking top spot in the English Premier League.
Chelsea begin their Premier League title defence against Swansea City on Saturday in the unusual position of heading into a new season having been significantly outspent by their rivals.
Leicester City's Premier League title defence got off to a terrible start as they were beaten 2-1 at promoted Hull City, who shrugged off an injury crisis to shock the champions on the opening day of the new season on Saturday
Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski scored twice in the opening half-hour as the Premier League leaders romped to a 4-0 win over third-tier Coventry City in their FA Cup fourth round tie at the Emirates on Friday.
Luis Suarez struck a clinical hat-trick as Liverpool thrashed West Bromwich Albion 4-1 at Anfield to keep pace with Premier League leaders Arsenal on Saturday.
Prakash Bhandari salutes the spirit of Abebe Bikila who twice won the Olympic Marathon in record times.
Champions Liverpool suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to lowly Burnley on Thursday, ending their 68 match unbeaten home record in the Premier League as their title defence continued to fade.
Jose Mourinho has won a trophy every season of his top flight career and finds it "unacceptable" to contemplate finishing his comeback season with Chelsea empty handed.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
Steven Gerrard says he has been dreading the moment he must wave goodbye to his adoring Anfield fans .
Jose Mourinho gets a final chance to outwit a player he calls his 'favourite enemy' on Sunday when Steven Gerrard leads Liverpool.
Burnley's seemingly doomed attempt to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Jose Mourinho has again refuted criticism that his team plays dull football after Arsenal fans jeered them with chants of "Boring, boring Chelsea" during the London derby on Sunday.
IMAGES from the English Premier League match played on Saturday
Buoyant Chelsea extended their Premier League lead and calmed nerves at Stamford Bridge with a 4-2 win over Southampton on Tuesday that moved them seven points clear of their nearest pursuers Tottenham Hotspur.
How quickly affections can switch in soccer. Where once they would serenade coach Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge with an operatic flourish, now Chelsea fans have fallen headlong for another man driving them inexorably to the Premier League title.
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
Chelsea may have restored some breathing space over Manchester City with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United on Saturday but they have not regained the form that made them runaway title favourites earlier in the season.
IMAGES from the EPL matches played on Saturday
While Chelsea and Manchester City slug it out at the top of the Premier League, Louis van Gaal's Old Trafford revolution gathers ever more momentum in the red half of Manchester.
Fans return to English grounds, but told not to celebrate goals too much.
Eight wins and a draw in their last nine games had seen Leicester emerge as the closest pursuers of runaway leaders Liverpool but they went down 3-1 at the Etihad despite taking an early lead through Jamie Vardy. Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Wednesday night.
Irresistible Chelsea go into the Christmas round of fixtures knowing they can end the year by re-writing the record books.
Images from the English Premier League matches played across England on Tuesday
Frank Lampard, Chelsea's all-time record scorer, came on as a late substitute for Manchester City and scored their equaliser in a 1-1 draw at the Etihad as the champions ended his former club's perfect start to the Premier League season on Sunday.
'It's very difficult to play football in these circumstances within 48 hours. It's amazing for the fans around the world, everybody has the Premier League, I'm more than happy to do that but it's very hard for the players'
Chelsea maintained their stranglehold on the Premier League by beating Sunderland 1-0 on Wednesday to register their 10th successive win and move six points clear at the top of the table.
IMAGES from the EPL matches played on Wednesday
A last-gasp Christian Benteke penalty handed Tim Sherwood his first win as Aston Villa manager.
Manchester City beat Swansea 3-1 to make it a perfect 10 victories under Pep Guardiola, including six in the Premier League, as they recorded their best start to a top-flight campaign. City's victory was the perfect riposte to the Spaniard's old rival Jose Mourinho, who earlier saw his remodelled Manchester United sparkle without the dropped Wayne Rooney, thumping Premier League champions Leicester City 4-1. On a day of goals, both Manchester sides were outscored by Liverpool, who crushed Hull City 5-1 to take their tally to 24 in the past eight games.
Jose Mourinho's side had paid lavish sums to bolster key areas by this time last year but, having claimed the title at a canter, the motto of this transfer window seems to be: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
British media reports say Sanchez will seal his move to United this week
Manchester United have scored 14 goals and earned maximum points from their four matches under interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
Manchester City overcame a spirited Bournemouth side 3-1 on Saturday to maintain their unbeaten streak and extend their lead at the top of the English Premier League to five points.
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