Manchester City took a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League to break Leicester’s first half in a thrilling 6-3 win as Arsenal and Tottenham were also comfortable winners on Sunday.
Three of the nine Boxing Day matches scheduled were postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak as Britain battles a record number of cases due to the Omicron strain of the virus.
Earlier this week, Premier League clubs ruled out the option of temporarily halting the season to allow for circuit breakers to transition.
And a stop for the season could be the only way to slow City’s charge towards a fourth title in five seasons as Pep Guardiola’s men have now won nine consecutive league games.
Leicester were blown away by four goals in 25 minutes.
Kevin De Bruyne blasts home to open the floodgates before Riyad Mahrez nets against his former club from the penalty spot.
Ilkay Gundogan scored a brilliant City team move to make it 3–0 before Raheem Sterling won and converted the champion’s second penalty.
Leicester are one of the sides that have been decimated by Covid infections and injuries in recent weeks, but they created a stir in the second half thanks to James Maddison.
The midfielder pulled a goal back before leading the break that was terminated by Ademola Lukman.
Kelechi Ihenacho made it 4-3 when Ederson could only convert Madison’s shot into the bar.
But City quickly restored some order as Aymeric Laporte driven home from a corner and Sterling fired the scoring from close range.
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Arsenal consolidated their position in fourth place with a regular 5–0 win over Rock Bottom Norwich.
Goals from Bukayo Saka and Kieran Tierney put the result beyond doubt before half time.
Saka added a second before Alexandre Lacazette’s penalty and substitute Emil Smith Rowe secured a fifth consecutive victory for Mikel Arteta’s men.
Spurs moved up to fifth place, six points behind their north London rivals, but with three games to go, leaving behind a dwindling Crystal Palace.
Palace’s request to postpone the game was rejected by the Premier League despite the coronavirus outbreak, which has left them without manager Patrick Vieira.
The Eagles were still able to field a strong side, with just one change from their previous outings.
However, a rejuvenated Spurs under Antonio Conte never looked back after scoring twice in two minutes after half an hour.
Harry Kane scored his third Premier League goal of the season before Lucas Moura operated in a header.
Palace’s task was made even more difficult when Wilfried Zaha was sent off foolishly before half-time for two bookable offences.
Son Heung-min added a third 16 minutes to the time.
West Ham’s bid for the top four is crumbling fast as Southampton beat them 3-2 at home.
The Saints led three times through Mohamed Elinoussi, James Ward-Prause and Jan Bednarek and held out to advance nine points from the bottom three.
Chelsea are badly needed to end a poor run of one win in four league games when they visit Aston Villa, who will be without manager Steven Gerrard due to a positive Covid test.
The Blues are now nine points away from City and only three points away from Arsenal.
Villa’s next match against Leeds, scheduled for 28 December, was also canceled on Sunday, bringing the total number of Premier League games postponed over the past two weeks to 14.
No restrictions have yet been put in place for crowd size at matches in England, although supporters must provide proof of vaccination or test negative in the past 48 hours.
Sport in Wales will be forced to return behind closed doors from today, while a ban of 500 outdoor public events in Scotland has seen Scottish Premiership clubs bring forward their winter break a week after Sunday’s fixtures.
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