Manchester United battled back from two goals down to beat Newcastle United 3-2 at Old Trafford on Saturday as a 90th-minute winner from Alexis Sanchez completed a spirited comeback to ease the pressure on manager Jose Mourinho.
Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion stayed in touch with the Premier League leaders with solid home wins over West Ham United and Newcastle United on Sunday.
Manchester United and Manchester City must switch their focus from the Champions League to the Premier League when they meet at Old Trafford on Sunday in a derby that Louis van Gaal says will show whether United are true title contenders.
Newcastle United return to the Premier League without their customary big-name managers, high-profile signings and unlikely ambitions after a healthy dose of realism from a year spent in the second division.
In the latest alcohol-related problem to hit troubled England football legend Paul Gascoigne, he was arrested for being drunk and disorderly on Wednesday.
Chelsea gave their new Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari the perfect start on Sunday with a stunning 4-0 victory over Portsmouth in their opening Premier League match at Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool's hopes of prising the Premier League title from Manchester United's grip will be boosted by the return of captain Steven Gerrard for Sunday's match at home to Newcastle United.
Champions Manchester United travel to Swansea City for their first Premier League match under new manager David Moyes, while Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City are at home to Newcastle United on August 17.
Holders Manchester City cruised into the Champions League quarter-finals for the seventh consecutive season with a 3-1 victory over FC Copenhagen.
Manchester City shook off the impact of a COVID outbreak in their ranks to outclass Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge
IMAGES from the EPL matches played on Saturday.
Images from Sunday's action in the Premier League.
Something will have to give when in-form Liverpool and bitter rivals Manchester United clash in one of the Premier League's showcase fixtures at Anfield on Sunday.
Tottenham Hotspur bolstered their hopes for a top-four finish and extended Chelsea's miserable run
Arsenal ended their seven match winless run in the Premier League with a surprise 3-1 London derby victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday while Manchester United were held to a 2-2 draw at Leicester City.
Harry Kane became Tottenham Hotspur's joint all-time record goal-scorer with the winner in his side's 1-0 victory at Fulham in the Premier League on Monday.
Newcastle's worries deepened as they now remain at 19th in the table.
Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes fired home a late penalty to rescue a point for the visitors in a lively 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Friday.
Manchester United maintained their push for a Champions League place after a Juan Mata goal on Saturday pushed Norwich City to the brink of relegation.
With barely days to go before the new season starts, the English Premier League has many new things to look forward to.
A complete list of players who will be seen in action and not (all transfer fees undisclosed unless stated, estimated cost in millions of dollars).
Match-by-match facts and statistics ahead of the first round of Premier League fixtures from August 5-7 (all times IST).
Arsenal beat Newcastle United 3-0 to edge ahead of Manchester United in the English Premier League.
Adam Johnson's late winner earned Sunderland a 1-0 victory over Newcastle United.
Manchester United's winless run continued but they gave under-fire coach Louis van Gaal crumbs of cheer with a committed display in an entertaining 0-0 draw with Chelsea while Arsenal went top of the table on Monday.
Images from Saturday's action in the Premier League.
Wayne Rooney scored two first half goals to help send Manchester United to a 4-1 win over a spirited Aston Villa on Saturday, temporarily lifting the gloom surrounding David Moyes' dismal first term in charge.
Pogba also said he is no longer bothered by criticism from soccer pundits because he has grown used to it.
Mohamed Salah is ready to feature in Liverpool's Premier League title decider against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday after the Egyptian forward recovered from concussion.
The FA Cup final will be held on Aug. 1, the Football Association announced on Friday, after the Premier League said on Thursday that its season will restart on June 17.
Out-of-sorts Tottenham Hotspur's Champions League qualifying hopes received another jolt when they lost 2-1 at home to Norwich City on Monday while on-song Newcastle United boosted their chances with a 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers.
Arsenal made a controversial start to their Premier League campaign on Saturday as striker Gervinho was sent off on his debut in a scrappy 0-0 draw at Newcastle United while wasteful Liverpool were held at home by Sunderland.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has questioned Kevin Keegan's decision to return to Newcastle United for a second spell in charge.
West Ham United have bolstered their defensive options with the signing of England fullback Carl Jenkinson from Arsenal on a season-long loan, the Premier League club said on Thursday.
Images from Sunday's action in the English Premier League.
"They look to us as role models. We are just happy to be in this position, to give them a pathway and to show them that your dreams are possible as long as you work hard for them."
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.
Steven Gerrard's huge influence on Liverpool was clearly apparent again on Friday as he took just 31 minutes to inspire a 3-1 Premier League win over Newcastle United in his team's final fixture of the year.
Arsenal survived a massive scare as they registered a thrilling Premier League win over Bournemouth to remain on top of the table.
Free-scoring Manchester City maintained their grip at the top of the Premier League with a 3-1 home win over Newcastle United on Saturday to take their goals tally to 42 from 12 games.
