Images from the English Premier League matches on Saturday.
Tottenham Hotspur beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 away with goals by Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski for a second straight win that nudged them closer to the Premier League top four on Friday although they had midfielder Yves Bissouma sent off late on.
The official presentation of Michael Owen in the Manchester United shirt took place on Monday.
Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool raised the spirits with a rip-roaring 2-2 draw in a pre-Christmas Premier League classic on Sunday after a weekend marred by COVID-19 related postponements.
Arsenal, long accused of being too weak during an eight year spell without a trophy, showed their growing resilience in Sunday's narrow win at Newcastle United that sent them back to the top of the table, manager Arsene Wenger said.
Reading spoilt Michael Owen's party on Monday when they beat Newcastle United 1-0 on the day the striker was celebrating playing his first match since June.
It is a first win in six games in all competitions for Liverpool.
IMAGES from the EPL matches played on Saturday
The English Premier League is not the same product with fans barred from stadiums but clubs have no choice but to adapt in challenging times, Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce said on Friday. The English top-flight season restarted on Wednesday with two matches after a 100-day hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but access to stadiums has been restricted to squads, coaching staff and necessary personnel only.
Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers and Rangers secured four berths for British teams in the knockout phase of the UEFA Cup on Thursday.
Chelsea beat Newcastle United 2-0 for a 10th successive Premier League home win at their Stamford Bridge stronghold on Saturday to reassert themselves as Premier League leaders while champions Manchester City drew at Everton.
Tottenham Hotspur climbed to third with a 3-1 win over Southampton while Chelsea hung on to fourth spot, above Arsenal on goal difference, despite a 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
A summary of Saturday's action in the Premier League.
The defending champions beat Blackburn Rovers 2-0 to move to fourth place in the Premier League.
IMAGES from English Premier League matches played on Sunday
Eden Hazard inspired Chelsea while Lionel Messi sizzled for Barcelona. Rediff.com takes a look at the other top soccer players of the weekend in Europe.
Michael Owen's first-half double helped Liverpool crush Blackburn Rovers 4-0 and reclaim fourth place in the English premier league.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Manchester City took another step toward the Premier League title when they brushed aside Blackburn Rovers 3-0 for their 18th successive home league win to move five points clear of Manchester United at the top of the table on Saturday.
Manchester City took another step toward the Premier League title when they brushed aside Blackburn Rovers 3-0 for their 18th successive home league win to move five points clear of Manchester United at the top of the table Saturday.
The Dutch striker has agreed a three-year contract with Spanish Primera Liga side.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers stressed that his team would give everything to qualify for the Champions League after a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United on Monday left them four points behind Manchester City in the Premier League.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers stressed that his team would give everything to qualify for the Champions League after a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United on Monday left them four points behind Manchester City in the Premier League.
Lucas ended a goal drought stretching back to 2010 and Divock Origi missed a late penalty as Liverpool beat fourth tier Plymouth Argyle 1-0 in an FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday.
Former European Footballer of the Year Michael Owen may be on the verge of joining Manchester United from relegated Newcastle United, according to several media reports Friday. The England international could move to the Premier League champions if he passes a stringent medical examination, said the reports.
Chelsea, looking for a league and Cup double, reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win over Newcastle United.
Manchester United's Brazilian midfielder Anderson will be sidelined until February with a knee injury, manager Alex Ferguson said on Friday.
Tottenham Hotspur celebrated the return of manager Harry Redknapp with a comfortable 2-0 win over Aston Villa which lifted them to third in the Premier League on Monday.
Everton's Premier League match at home to Manchester City on Monday has been called off due to new COVID-19 cases reported at City.
Stuart Pearce will take temporary charge of England for this month's friendly against the Netherlands while the search for Fabio Capello's permanent successor as boss gets underway ahead of June's European Championship.
Spurs, Liverpool top eco-friendly table
The unstoppable Gareth Bale scored twice in Tottenham Hotspur's 2-1 victory over Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday while rivals Chelsea and Arsenal also won to add spice to the race for the Champions League spots.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Emmanuel Adebayor is racing to get back in time from the African Nations Cup with fellow forward Jermain Defoe ruled out for as long as three weeks for the striker-light club.
Team mates Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer were sent off for fighting each other as Newcastle United suffered a 0-3 defeat by Aston Villa
The Newcastle United striker has postponed his retirement and will play on next season on a player/coach contract.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson knows how many goals he wants new signing Michael Owen to score next season -- "plenty."
Harry Kane may have had his thunder as England's brightest young strike hope stolen of late by Jamie Vardy but Tottenham Hotspur's own home-polished jewel sparkled once more on his 100th appearance for the club on Saturday.
The Chelsea left back will miss the rest of the season with a double fracture of his ankle.\n
