English Premier League champions Chelsea needed two late goals to salvage a 2-2 draw at Newcastle United on Saturday, with Brazilians Ramires and Willian coming off the bench to earn Jose Mourinho's stuttering side a point.
Arsenal laboured to their second win of the season with a highly-charged 1-0 victory against 10-man Newcastle United at St James' Park on Saturday.
Manager Steve McClaren called for more of the same after Newcastle United beat Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday to put some daylight between themselves and the relegation zone, but stopped short of describing the win as a turning point in their season.
Liverpool failed to mark captain Steven Gerrard's 600th appearance for the club with a win when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Newcastle United in the Premier League at Anfield on Sunday which leaves them mired in mid-table.
The former England manager has been linked with the north-east English club, along with Birmingham City manager Steve Bruce.
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley officially put the club up for sale at a cut-price 100 million pounds ($158.9 million) on Monday in a small-ads style statement on the team's website.
Everton have rejected a 20 million pound ($36.3 million) bid from Newcastle United for England striker Wayne Rooney, the Premier League club said on Monday.
Manchester United's 100 per cent start to the Premier League season ended when they were held to a goalless draw against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The club is planning to strengthen it's bid to return to the Champions League by signing two players in next month's transfer window.
Ivan Toney, once Brentford's lynchpin in attack, has moved to Al-Ahli for 40 million pounds ($52.50 million).
Liverpool snatched three points with a wild 1-0 victory over relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest.
Chelsea were held and Newcastle United and Liverpool humbled on a day of surprises in the Premier League on Saturday when the lesser lights enjoyed some unexpected success against the more established teams.
The 52-year-old, who had already admitted a misconduct charge prior to Tuesday's personal FA hearing, will be banned from stadiums for the first three matches and he will be barred from the touchline for the remaining four.
Obafemi Martins scored twice as Newcastle United produced a stirring second-half performance to beat Aston Villa 2-0 on Monday to move off the bottom of the Premier League.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Sunday
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley said on Sunday he had put the Premier League club up for sale after falling foul of the fans following coach Kevin Keegan's resignation.
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
The midfielder was granted bail but with strict conditions and ordered to reappear in court on January 16.
Alan Pardew suffered the ignominy of becoming the first Newcastle United manager to lose four successive Tyne-Wear derbies against Sunderland after Adam Johnson's late goal subjected his team to more misery against their arch-rivals.
Speaking at a news conference in Newcastle, his club manager Sam Allardyce said the striker had suffered a torn thigh muscle and also had a suspected weakness in his stomach area which may require surgery.
A summary of Sunday's Premier League matches
Kevin Keegan said on Thursday he was returning to Newcastle United as manager, 11 years after leaving, because he still had "unfinished business" at the club.
Arsenal, who fired Unai Emery as manager last week and appointed former player Freddie Ljungberg as caretaker boss, now sit 10th in the table on 19 points, with Brighton a single point behind and three places below them.
Wolverhampton Wanderers stunned Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 with stoppage-time goals from Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina on Saturday, thwarting the visitors in their bid to reclaim top spot in the Premier League table.
An early Peter Crouch goal gave Stoke City a 1-0 home win against Newcastle United in the Premier League on Monday to pile more pressure onto beleaguered Toon boss Alan Pardew.
Newcastle United gained immediate promotion back to the English Premier League without playing on Monday after Nottingham Forest's failure to beat Cardiff City in the Championship (second division).
Liverpool kept alive their hopes of Champions League football next season with a comfortable 2-0 Premier League victory on Monday against a Newcastle United side who finished with 10 men.
Newcastle United were thrashed 5-1 by second divison leaders Birmingham City in their FA Cup third round replay on Wednesday at St James's Park.
Manchester United opened up a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League even as rivals Man City suffered a shocking reverse at Sunderland on the Boxing Day.
Chelsea missed their chance to slash Manchester United's lead in the Premier League to a single point on Sunday when they were held to a 0-0 draw at Newcastle United.
Albert Luque steered Newcastle to the top of UEFA Cup Group H when he scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Palermo on Thursday.
Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish scored three minutes apart as Manchester City came from behind to beat Premier League newcomers Luton Town.
Kevin de Bruyne struck twice to inspire Manchester City to a dominant 4-2 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday and move the champions level on points with Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table.
Alan Shearer broke Newcastle United's goal-scoring record in a 2-0 home win over fellow strugglers Portsmouth.
Newcastle United's Papiss Cisse has gatecrashed the Premier League in spectacular style and his second strike in Wednesday's win at Chelsea could sneak in as a goal of the season contender, especially given its potential importance.
League leaders Chelsea and Liverpool however won their matches in the Premier League.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente left Barcelona's 17-year-old defender Pau Cubarsi and midfielders Marcos Llorente and Aleix Garcia out of his 26-man squad
Liverpool's Raheem Sterling netted a sharply-taken double in a 3-1 win over Bournemouth on Wednesday to set up a League Cup semi-final with Chelsea.
