The league has ruled out a 'pause' to the season to allow clubs to recover their squads, although the surging Omicron variant has put paid to half of the weekend's fixtures including Manchester United's home game with Brighton & Hove Albion.
After a six-match unbeaten start to his reign as Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp came down to earth with a bump as his side lost 2-1 to Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola denied reports that his contract contains a 'break clause' that could allow him to leave at the end of the season. The Spaniard signed an extension last year until 2021 but with City's hopes of a third successive Premier League title now looking remote, questions have been raised about his future.
Liverpool continued their relentless march to a first English title in 30 years, easing to a 2-0 victory at West Ham United on Wednesday to move 19 points clear at the Premier League summit. Mohamed Salah fired them ahead from the penalty spot in the first half and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain doubled their advantage early in the second to wrap up a remarkable 23rd win from 24 games this season and stretch their unbeaten league run to 40.
A round-up of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
Liverpool charge towards English Premier League title with win at Wolves. Here are images from the match played on Thursday.
Guardiola also took aim at Spanish league president Javier Tebas, a long standing critic of City, who had questioned whether CAS was the right court for deciding such matters.
Atalanta's Josip Ilicic and Robin Gosens scored quickfire second-half goals to give them a comfortable 2-0 win over a toothless Liverpool
Such is the impact Sadio Mane has made on Liverpool that the 24-year-old is an automatic pick to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday while experienced international teammates scrap it out to play alongside him.
It was not so much the maths, though Liverpool's nine-point advantage over defending champions City, with one point less over Leicester City and Chelsea, is a significant gap, especially as Juergen Klopp's side have lost one league game in 18 months.
Arsenal can cut down the deficit to Premier League leaders Manchester City and challenge for the title this campaign, midfielder Granit Xhaka said.
The following are talking points from the Premier League weekend:
City were due to open their season against Aston Villa and United against Burnley but those games will be moved.
Inspirational manager Juergen Klopp has rekindled the Anfield flame though and delivered the club's 19th top-flight title, one behind arch-rivals United's record of 20, after finishing runners-up to City in a thrilling race last season.
Summary of all that transpired on and off the football field
"It's not much better at the moment. With Daniel's injury we have to take it day by day, and see if he's better," Klopp told a news conference on Friday.
Realistically, the Foxes, who beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final last Saturday, need to win and hope one of their rivals slip up.
An off-key Liverpool were frustrated for a second successive game by struggling opponents as they were held to a 0-0 Premier League draw at Newcastle United on Wednesday.
A summary of Wednesday's action in the Premier League.
Arsenal will not sell striker Olivier Giroud, midfielder Jack Wilshere and winger Theo Walcott in the January transfer window despite their lack of playing time at the Premier League club, manager Arsene Wenger has said.
Juergen Klopp's side, chasing their maiden title in the Premier League era and first in the top flight in 30 years, took a 14th-minute lead from a Virgil van Dijk header but had to wait until stoppage time to put the game to bed through Mohamed Salah.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Steven Gerrard will return to former club Liverpool to train next week and is looking forward to learning from manager Juergen Klopp, but has ruled out returning to Anfield in a playing capacity.
Images from Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
A preview of the line-up action in the English Premier League
IMAGES from the EPL matches played on Sunday.
Luton pulled one back on the half-hour mark when Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga failed to keep out Jordan Clark's low effort which squeezed between his hand and leg into the net.
The loss was the joint-heaviest defeat by a side already crowned Premier League champions. Arsenal were beaten 4-0 at Liverpool in 1997-98 in the game after they clinched the title.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp says his team can compensate for their lack of Champions League final experience by showing greater desire and work-rate than Real Madrid in Saturday's clash in Kiev.
"The best team won, we struggled from the beginning and we couldn't deal with their long balls. Usually, you press the ball to win it, but this was different. They defended so deep and so well," City coach Pep Guardiola told the BBC.
There is often nothing more dangerous than a striker with a point to prove as Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi showed in Liverpool's League Cup mauling of Southampton on Wednesday.
Ibrahimovic was forced off with a muscle problem with 11 minutes remaining, and the Swede was pictured sitting on the bench with an ice pack strapped to the back of his left leg.
Danny Ings gave Southampton a surprise 1-0 home win over Premier League leaders Liverpool.
The Egyptian becomes the fastest player to score 50 goals for Liverpool, achieving the feat in 65 games.
Liverpool face Spurs in the game of the weekend, a day after title rivals Manchester City travel to struggling Fulham.
Arsenal became the highest-profile casualties of the FA Cup third round as the 14-time winners lost 1-0 at Nottingham Forest, but Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur avoided early exits after scares against lower-league sides on Sunday.
Spurs Premier League match at Brighton postponed due to COVID-19
Chelsea paid a heavy price for a 3-2 defeat at West Ham United as first Liverpool, then Manchester City, leapfrogged them in the English Premier League title race on Saturday, with City ending the day on top for the first time this season.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp is a fan of Leicester's playing style.
Mohamed Salah hit a hat-trick as Liverpool humiliated Manchester United, romping to a stunning 5-0 victory at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday that leaves Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's future in serious doubt.
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