Images from the English Premier League matches on Saturday.
The Premier League bursts back into life after the international break.
Raheem Sterling scored a hat-trick as champions Manchester City made a convincing start to their title defence with a 5-0 win over West Ham United.
Fans are openly speculating that owner Roman Abramovich, a man who places notoriously high demands on his managers, could call time on Jose Mourinho's second spell at Stamford Bridge if Liverpool can inflict another defeat on the champions.
Mohamed Salah was inevitably on the scoresheet as Liverpool took full advantage of the inactivity of their top-four rivals to thrash West Ham United 4-1 at Anfield and provisionally move into second in the Premier League.
Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho helped Liverpool reach the FA Cup fifth round.
Tottenham Hotspur stormed back from 2-0 down to beat Burnley 4-2 in their FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday despite resting their top striker in the once-fabled competition.
Manchester City embark on a fifth Champions League campaign buoyant after a perfect start to their domestic season but still searching for the secret formula against Europe's top brass.
Manchester City beat Swansea 3-1 to make it a perfect 10 victories under Pep Guardiola, including six in the Premier League, as they recorded their best start to a top-flight campaign. City's victory was the perfect riposte to the Spaniard's old rival Jose Mourinho, who earlier saw his remodelled Manchester United sparkle without the dropped Wayne Rooney, thumping Premier League champions Leicester City 4-1. On a day of goals, both Manchester sides were outscored by Liverpool, who crushed Hull City 5-1 to take their tally to 24 in the past eight games.
The omens are good for a Chelsea side heading into Christmas top of the Premier League tree but manager Jose Mourinho does not want to give title rivals Manchester City any reason to cheer over the festive season. Check out the big games on Boxing Day.
Four wins a row have lifted Manchester United into the Premier League's top four and Louis van Gaal's managerial reign is beginning to bear fruit after a difficult start.
A 3-0 reality check at the hands of Manchester City was always a moment waiting to happen for Southampton. Just how they bounce back from Sunday's defeat may now determine their fortunes this season.
Chelsea begin their Premier League title defence against Swansea City on Saturday in the unusual position of heading into a new season having been significantly outspent by their rivals.
The visitors got off to the perfect start when a mix up at the back saw Riyad Mahrez square for Jamie Vardy to tap into an open goal in front of the Kop in the third minute. Liverpool looked for an immediate riposte, but Salah missed two gilt-edged opportunities before Sadio Mane saw an effort disallowed for offside as Juergen Klopp's men grew frustrated.
Two months after dropping him following a string of mistakes, ManchesterCity manager Manuel Pellegrini on Friday hailed goalkeeper Joe Hart as "the best in England".
Theo Walcott's double fired Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League as the Gunners got their title challenge back on track with a 3-1 victory at West Ham United on Thursday.
Manchester City made sure of third place in the Premier League when they romped to a 5-0 win at Watford on Sunday to ensure a Champions League berth for next season.
New buyers of English and Welsh soccer clubs may be forced to sell up to 10 per cent of their stakes to fans of the club under plans put forward on Friday by Britain's opposition Labour party to shake up club ownership and governance rules.
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce deserves credit for re-introducing the 'West Ham way' after a positive start to the Premier League season, co-chairman David Sullivan said on Friday.
Manchester City endured some anxious moments but escaped from fourth-tier Newport County with their FA Cup hopes intact as Phil Foden scored twice in an ultimately comfortable 4-1 fifth-round victory on Saturday.
England soccer coach Roy Hodgson's four-year reign came to an abrupt end after their shock 2-1 defeat by tiny Iceland at the Euro 2016 round of 16 stage on Monday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Chelsea ticked off three more points in their Premier League title quest with a 2-1 victory over Manchester City on Wednesday but Tottenham Hotspur's Houdini-like 3-1 win at Swansea means the race is far from over.
Steven Gerrard spoke of dread, devastation and defeat on Saturday as the Liverpool captain said farewell to an adoring and emotional Anfield crowd after 17 years and more than 700 appearances.
Steven Gerrard says he has been dreading the moment he must wave goodbye to his adoring Anfield fans .
Jose Mourinho gets a final chance to outwit a player he calls his 'favourite enemy' on Sunday when Steven Gerrard leads Liverpool.
Burnley's seemingly doomed attempt to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Jose Mourinho has again refuted criticism that his team plays dull football after Arsenal fans jeered them with chants of "Boring, boring Chelsea" during the London derby on Sunday.
Liverpool a dramatic 2-1 victory over Leicester City at Anfield, thus maintaining the league leaders' 100 per cent start
Saturday's clash between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford is already shaping up as an early-season eliminator to challenge runaway leaders Manchester City for the Premier League title.
Manchester United spurned a chance to move into the Premier League's top four after striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed a penalty in a 1-1 draw against 10-man Bournemouth on Saturday.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Anthony Martial snatched a late winner to send Louis van Gaal's Manchester United into a potentially season-redeeming FA Cup final as the favourites following a 2-1 victory over Everton at Wembley on Saturday.
Manchester City stayed ahead of age-old local rivals Manchester United at the top of the Premier League on Saturday with a deserved 1-0 win away to champions Chelsea.
IMAGES from Saturday's English Premier League matches.
Chelsea moved 12 points clear of Arsenal, who suffered their fourth defeat in nine league matches, while fourth-placed Liverpool fell 13 point adrift after their wretched 2017 continued with a shock 2-0 defeat at resurgent Hull City.
French teenager Anthony Martial, having scored as a substitute on his Premier League debut in Manchester United's last game, added two more goals to earn his team a 3-2 win at Southampton on Sunday.
Following is a match by match look at the English Premier League's weekend fixtures:
London clubs' erratic start to the Premier League season improved with victories for Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal on Saturday but Manchester sides continued to make the running, with City and United the top two.
There may be little glamour in being a mid-table Premier League team but this season suggests that those clubs who become bored with such an existence can find the alternative is far worse.
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