LONDON:
Talking points from the Premier League weekend:
OMINOUS SIGNS AS MAN CITY START TO CLICK
Sixteen sublime minutes at Stamford Bridge on Sunday were enough for Manchester City to prove they are still a major player in the title race this season, despite a slow start.
Goals by Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne ripped Chelsea apart as City claimed a 3-1 win to move up to fifth and within striking range of leaders Liverpool and Manchester United having played a game less.
City's best performance of the season was achieved with six players missing as a result of Covid-19 while Sergio Aguero and Riyad Mahrez were only on the bench.
With five of their next six league games against teams in the bottom seven, expect a City surge before a February trip to Liverpool.
UNITED SETTING STAGE FOR HIGH-OCTANE CLASH WITH LIVERPOOL
Manchester United's 2-1 win over Aston Villa has set the stage for a highly-anticipated clash with traditional rivals Liverpool at Anfield on Jan. 17 with the title race looking set to be the closest in years.
Having suffered false dawns under three managers since they won their last league title in 2013 in Alex Ferguson's final season, United now have an identity under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
They are unbeaten in 10 league matches and even if Solskjaer is doing his best to play down their title ambitions, he knows that in this most strange of seasons, United are in the mix.
TOTTENHAM NEED MORE THAN SON AND KANE
If Jose Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur side are to mount a sustained challenge for the title they must stop being so reliant on Son Heung-min and Harry Kane.
Mourinho described them as "telepathic" after both scored in the 3-0 win over Leeds United to end a run of four games without a league win. Kane's pass for Son's goal means they have already combined for 13 league goals this season -- equalling a Premier League record for a whole season and they have 22 league goals between them this season.
Yet Tottenham do not look convincing. Leeds dominated possession and while the hosts were clinical, allowing opponents so much of the ball is fraught with danger, especially against top-four rivals with greater firepower.
GOALS STARTING TO FLOW FOR ARSENAL
Three successive wins over the festive period have banished talk of Arsenal and relegation battles and the key has been manager Mikel Arteta finally igniting the attack.
Arsenal's goal tally was meagre heading into Christmas but eight goals in three games, including a 4-0 win at West Bromwich Albion, shows Arteta has found the right balance. Alexandre Lacazette, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka formed a three-pronged attack and combined to produce a goal for Saka that resembled the football played by Arsenal at the height of the Arsene Wenger era.
With Kieran Tierney scoring a sensational opener, Arsenal suddenly look full of goals and the pressure on Arteta is lifting.
WOEFUL WEST BROM SHOW NO SIGNS OF RECOVERY
West Bromwich Albion's draw with Liverpool is beginning to look like the exception that proves the rule.
Since then they have suffered two horrible home defeats against Leeds (0-5) and Arsenal (0-4) and relegation battle specialist Sam Allardyce looks as though he might have taken on a challenge that is too big even for him.
West Brom have conceded 13 goals and picked up only one point in Allardyce's four games in charge and he will have to shore up his defence if they are to have any hope.
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