Man Utd hold Liverpool to goalless draw to stay top of the Premier League
London, UK - Manchester United held onto top spot in the English Premier League (EPL) after grinding out a dour 0-0 draw at title rivals Liverpool, while Tanguy Ndombele's stunning strike sealed Tottenham's 3-1 win at Sheffield United on Sunday.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side had the better chances in a strangely subdued clash between two of English football's bitterest rivals. Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker saved well from Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba in the second half, but neither side deserved to win.
United are three points clear of third placed Liverpool and two ahead of second placed Leicester. United are top after the New Year for the first time since Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013 thanks to nine wins in an 12-match unbeaten run.
Leaving Anfield unscathed is a solid result for United as they chase a first title in eight years, but they might feel it was a missed opportunity to pile pressure on injury-hit Liverpool given their recent struggles.
It is the first time these two old foes have been involved in a title race together since 2009 when United, then at their peak, held off Liverpool's challenge.
But there was little feel of a seismic encounter as both teams largely played with the handbrake on at an empty and silent Anfield. Liverpool are well short of the dynamic form that carried them to the title last season and the Champions League in 2019.
Jurgen Klopp's team have now gone four league games without a win and are without a goal in their last three top-flight matches.
Ndombele stunner
At Bramall Lane, Tottenham took an early lead through a rare goal from Ivory Coast defender Serge Aurier. Harry Kane's 19th goal of the season - the England captain's fourth in his last six games - increased Tottenham's advantage before half-time.
David McGoldrick got one back for bottom of the table United in the second half, but Ndombele's sublime lob, flicked over his shoulder from an acute angle, wrapped up the points. The wonder-goal was the latest sign of Ndombele turning his Tottenham career around.
Earlier on Saturday night, Mason Mount put Chelsea back on track with the late winner that sealed a vital 1-0 victory at ten-man Fulham, while Leicester scored a 2-0 win over Southampton.
Next up for Chelsea is a trip to Leicester on Tuesday with the Foxes enjoying another successful season under Brendan Rodgers.
One moment of magic from Maddison made the difference against Southampton as he smashed high into the roof of the net from a narrow angle on 37 minutes.
Harvey Barnes then sealed the points for Leicester deep into stoppage time on the counter-attack.
Ozil quits Arsenal
Istanbul, Turkey - Mesut Ozil confirmed on Sunday that he was leaving Arsenal for Turkish team Fenerbahce after being frozen out for months at the
Gunners. "I'm very happy, very excited. God has given me the chance to wear the Fenerbahce shirt. I will wear it with pride and give everything for the team," Ozil said in an interview with Turkish television channel NTV.
OTHER RESULTS:
Sunday: Motherwell 1 Rangers 1; Saturday: Celtic 0 Livingston 0,Ross County 4 Aberdeen 1, Hamilton 0 Dundee United 0, Hibernian 2 Kilmarnock 0, St Johnstone 1 St Mirren 0.
PSG beat Angers to go top
Paris, France - A rare Layvin Kurzawa goal was enough for