Seasonal cheer has been scarce for Louis van Gaal after a six-match winless sequence for his Manchester United side intensified rumours that he will be sacked and Stoke City are unlikely to be offering any solace on Saturday.
IMAGES from EPL matches played on Wednesday
Spaniard Pedro scored twice as Chelsea tightened their grip on top spot by sweeping past Bournemouth 3-0 on Monday, a club record 12th successive Premier League win taking them seven points clear.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane's determination to prove his doubters wrong after a slow start to the campaign has driven the England international to the top of the scoring charts in a remarkable season for the player and his club.
An underwhelming Chelsea boosted their chances of a spot in next season's Champions League, overcoming a slow start to beat relegated Norwich City 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. Olivier Giroud scored with virtually the last touch of the first half as Chelsea consolidated third place in the Premier League and moved four points above Leicester City and Manchester United in the battle for a top-four finish.
Chelsea's struggle to retain the title is hardly surprising as the club returned to the Champions League and their league rivals strengthened their squads, former Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has said.
Alli was caught on video deliberately swinging his arm into the stomach of West Bromwich Albion's Claudio Yacob during Monday's 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane
Midfielder Mesut Ozil is looking to reassure Arsenal's fans that he is committed to fighting for honours until the end of the season after saying last month that the club only had an outside chance of winning any silverware.
The Kolkata giants will leave on July 28 to participate in Leicester City's 120th anniversary celebrations.
Here we bring you all the sporting action from last week in this stunning photo feature.
Liverpool's wide range of goalscorers this season is a direct result of their attacking style, according to manager Juergen Klopp.
Arsenal will also extend their unbeaten league run to 40 games, two short of Nottingham Forest's record of 42 set over two seasons in 1977-78.
A draw with Leicester City on Saturday will make them the first top-flight club since Preston North End to finish their campaign unbeaten.
Michael Owen scored twice in an easy 3-0 win over Portsmouth in the English premier league.
Bolton manager Sam Allardyce has called on world soccer's governing body FIFA to scrap new guidelines on the offside rule.
Sky reported Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea have been in touch with Kane's representatives.
Britain's Prince William has urged the Football Association to reform its governance structure to avoid falling short of modern standards.
The Dutch striker gave Manchester United a 4-1 premier league win at Leicester City.
Chelsea's Diego Costa continued his stunning start to life in the Premier League with a hat-trick in a 4-2 comeback win over Swansea City on Saturday that left champions Manchester City staring up the table after a 2-2 draw at Arsenal.
Tottenham Hotspur's hopes of moving into the top four stalled in a 2-2 draw at bottom club Norwich City, while several VAR interventions overshadowed the action. Images from EPL matches played on Saturday.
Roundup of the Champions League matches played on Wednesday night
France coach Didier Deschamps confirmed his final Euro 2016 squad on Tuesday, including defenders Adil Rami and Samuel Umtiti in place of the injured Raphael Varane and Jeremy Mathieu. Liverpool centre back Mamadou Sakho was not included even though his 30-day provisional suspension for failing a drugs test expired last weekend. Hosts France geared up for the finals with a 3-2 victory over Cameroon in Nantes on Monday. They take on Scotland in Metz on Saturday.
Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah and Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny have returned another positive test for COVID-19, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said on Wednesday.
"After feeling strange in the second half of the Burton game in September, I underwent a series of tests," he said.
Chelsea fans may have Ronaldinho and David Beckham to thank as they celebrate midfielder Willian slotting home free-kicks.
Liverpool moved into the Champions League qualifying spots after a 3-0 win at Burnley on Wednesday took them above Leicester City and into fourth place with one round of Premier League matches remaining.
Videos of Tuesday's protest outside Durga Bhawan temple on Spon Lane in Smethwick area of the West Midlands city were circulating on social media overnight, with groups of masked men seen shouting and hurling items. Police officers could be seen holding and pulling some of these masked men trying to scale the temple fence.
However, experienced goalkeeper Joe Hart and Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere were both omitted from a squad announced on Wednesday via a social media video featuring young recreational players from around the country shouting out the names.
Of the 32 teams that have been promoted to the premier league since its inception in 1992, 14 have gone straight back down the next season.
Emery's position is under the spotlight after two wins in Arsenal's last 10 league games with the latest setback coming in a 2-0 defeat at high-flying Leicester City on Saturday.
West Ham United and Chelsea both narrowly avoided ignominious FA Cup exits with narrow wins against lower-league opposition but Everton marked Frank Lampard's first game in charge by sauntering past Brentford into the fifth round on Saturday.
Manchester City begin a crucial week in the Premier League title race when they host Arsenal at the Etihad on Sunday.
Manchester United stretched their unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions after Daley Blind, in-form striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and substitute Henrik Mkhitaryan gave them a 3-1 home win over Sunderland on Monday. Left back Blind fired United ahead with a crisp 39th-minute shot after Ibrahimovic teed him up perfectly. The towering Swede doubled the lead with a clinical 82nd-minute finish for his 17th goal of the season. Fit-again Mkhitaryan put the icing on the cake with a spectacular backheel effort after a sharp Ibrahimovic cross from the right, although television replays suggested the Armenian was marginally offside. Striker Fabio Borini gave Sunderland fans something to cheer with a dipping late volley.
The three Premier League and three La Liga clubs in the last eight avoided each other, with Manchester City up against Atletico Madrid and Liverpool to face Portuguese side Benfica.
Liverpool's hopes of opening up a menacing five-point lead at the top of the Premier League were scuppered in unlikely fashion as struggling West Bromwich Albion snatched a 1-1 draw at Anfield
Manchester United have deposed Real Madrid as the world's richest soccer club after revenue grew to a record $735 million in 2015-16, according to Deloitte's annual Money League published on Thursday.
ManchesterCity reached the quarter-finals of the League Cup after they finally broke down a resilient Newcastle United to win 2-0 after extra time on Wednesday, while Tottenham Hotspur needed penalties to get past Hull City.
Belgium begin their campaign in St Petersburg against Russia on June 12
Teenager Marcus Rashford followed up two goals on his Manchester United debut in midweek with another double plus an assist as Louis van Gaal's team dented Arsenal's Premier League title hopes with a 3-2 win on Sunday.
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