Manchester City picked up just their second win in 14 games on Sunday, beating Leicester City 2-0 to collect a victory that had long eluded them. Goals from Savinho and Erling Haaland ensured the reigning champions would take all three points against the relegation contenders, while Nottingham Forest maintained a spot in the top four with a win over Everton. Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, failed to win a third successive Premier League game after conceding a late equalizer to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Here’s how each Premier League did on Sunday as the annual festive fixtures continue to play out.
Premier League festive fixtures scores
- Leicester City 0, Manchester City 2
- Tottenham Hotspur 2, Wolverhampton Wanderers 2
- Everton 0, Nottingham Forest 2
- Crystal Palace 2, Southampton 1
- Fulham 2, Bournemouth 2
- West Ham United vs. Liverpool, 12:15 p.m. ET (USA Network)
Leicester City vs. Manchester City
Leicester City: Even amidst City’s poor run of form, Leicester were always going to be the underdogs and so Sunday’s loss comes as little surprise. Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side, though, can take some positives from the fact that they essentially played an even game against the reigning champions, boasting a slight advantage in possession and expected goals by the final whistle. Time will tell if that’s a sign that 18th-place Leicester can claw their way out of the drop zone or not, but in a season full of bad days for the Foxes, this is probably one that might feel better than the others. Grade: C-
Manchester City: Pep Guardiola’s side will be happy with the fact that they have their first win in six games and that Haaland has his first goal in five games, but City still do not look like their usual selves. They have dominated plenty of games during their poor run of form over the last two months but were unconvincing in an evenly played game against Leicester. City coasted to victory on Sunday, which does not signal the end of their struggles just yet but they probably will not care much. Grade: C+
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers grades
Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs will feel hard done by after letting in goals on two shots that amounted to just 0.31 expected goals, but the reason they did not collect all three points on Sunday is because they could not finish their own chances. Ange Postecoglou’s side remains the Premier League’s top scorers with 41 goals, but they mustered just three shots on target from 13 overall attempts. If they had capitalized on a few other meaningful opportunities – including Son Heung-min’s penalty that was saved by Jose Sa – they likely would have ended 2024 on a high. Grade: C
Wolverhampton Wanderers: On the flip side, Wolves will likely be happy with the point they picked up in north London, especially since every point helps in the race to avoid relegation. The visitors were undoubtedly lucky on Sunday and wasted several chances of their own and mustered just 0.69 expected goals off of 11 total shots. Sa’s penalty save is a big positive to take out of this game, but the struggles at Spurs offer a reminder that Wolves might have a lot to overcome to stay out of the bottom three. Grade: C–
Everton vs. Nottingham Forest grades
Everton: The Toffees’ four-game unbeaten run came to an end on Sunday in a contest full of missed opportunities. Everton ended the game with 64% possession and 13 shots but put just two on target and generated just 0.75 expected goals along the way. It was a departure from manager Sean Dyche’s usual gameplan – clearly by design for Forest – but a change they were clearly unable to cope with. Grade: D
Nottingham Forest: Nuno Espirito Santo’s side may not play glamorously, but they deserve credit for getting the job done frequently. Forest were perfectly happy to play without the ball but did not sacrifice their end product for it, putting seven of their 11 shots on target and generating 2.23 expected goals in the process. It feels like they have their strategy down to a science right now, especially after three straight clean sheets and five consecutive Premier League wins. Grade: A
Crystal Palace vs. Southampton grades
Crystal Palace: The game was arguably nervier than it needed to be, with Southampton scoring the game’s opening goal, but with 19 shots and 10 on target, there was little reason to doubt that Crystal Palace would come out of this game with all three points. There is perhaps no such thing as an impressive win against the league’s worst team, but teams still have to win the winnable games so all in all, it’s a job well done for Palace. Grade: B
Southampton: Ivan Juric may officially be on the touchline, but there’s no new manager bounce in sight for Southampton. They were outplayed by Crystal Palace and their porous backline was exposed once again, but they delivered little on the other end of the pitch to keep themselves competitive in a game where the scoreline benefitted them. The Saints took just seven shots on Sunday, reinforcing the fact that a long season is still ahead of them as they desperately try to dig out of 20th place. Grade: F
Fulham vs. Bournemouth grades
Fulham: The Cottagers were unable to come up with a big follow-up act after Thursday’s win over Chelsea, though they were perhaps a little bit lucky to come out with a point on Sunday. They overperformed their 1.01 expected goals and were slightly outplayed by Bournemouth so a point is better than nothing, but it does little to improve their standing as they remain in the chase for European berths. Grade: C
Bournemouth: The Cherries can take positives from the fact that they rescued a point thanks to Dango Ouattara’s 89th-minute equalizer, but there’s an argument to be made that they should have had all three. Bournemouth took 16 shots and put nine on target, doing enough to win, especially since Raul Jimenez’s goal for Fulham was worth just 0.05 expected goals. Like Fulham, the point does little to bolster their chances of a spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League, but they remain in good standing based on the performance. Grade: B
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