A deserved defeat at Fulham on Sunday completed a damaging festive period for Arsenal who suddenly appear lacking in confidence, creativity and firepower.
Victory would have taken them top but defeat left them in fourth place and with the transfer window opening, manager Mikel Arteta should be looking at reinforcements.
Eddie Nketiah, selected up front ahead of Gabriel Jesus on Sunday, was ineffective, while Bukayo Saka, despite scoring, looks to have suffered a dip in form.
Arsenal are still very much in the title shake-up, but need to regain some momentum fast.
DE BRUYNE THE PERFECT NEW YEAR GIFT FOR MAN CITY
Perhaps the most significant moment in Manchester City’s routine defeat of Sheffield United on Saturday involved a player who did not even take part in the game.
When Belgian playmaker Kevin de Bruyne got off the bench to warm up, the City fans broke out into loud applause.
City have not been firing on all cylinders during the first half of the season, and in the run-up to Christmas endured a spell of one win in six league games.
The truth is, however, even without De Bruyne since the first game of the season after tearing a hamstring, they are only two points behind leaders Liverpool and perfectly positioned to challenge for an unprecedented fourth title in a row.
With assist-king De Bruyne ready to return and Erling Haaland also likely to be over his injury issue soon, City will take some stopping in the new year.
TOTTENHAM HAPPY TO WIN UGLY TOO
Tottenham Hotspur have earned plaudits for the style of their football under manager Ange Postecoglou, but their New Year’s Eve win over Bournemouth was as ugly as the weather as they rode their luck to take three points.
Bournemouth will wonder how they went home with nothing after a 3-1 defeat, but Tottenham will point to times this season when they lost despite some exhilarating displays.
Injuries have hit Tottenham’s starting line-up and there was little fluency about their play against Bournemouth. But they dug deep to secure the points with some clinical finishing proving the difference.
“That is always the sign of a good team when you come against adversity and you fight against it,” defender Ben Davies said. “It is not about the quality of the football it is about the fight and heart we’ve shown.”
POCHETTINO SEES PROGRESS AT CHELSEA
Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino, who last month said his players were “soft” after 4-1 drubbing by Newcastle United, is sounding more upbeat after back-to-back Premier League wins, the latest a 3-2 victory at Luton Town on Saturday.
“There were many good performances. Players are stepping up. We are happy,” the Argentine told reporters. “It’s only a matter of time, it’s not a piece of magic where you can touch it and start to build a team.”
Chelsea remain in mid-table but two cup ties in their next two games – at home to Preston North End in the third round of the FA Cup and a League Cup semifinal first leg away to Middlesbrough – offer the chance to give their stop-start first season under Pochettino a bit more of a sense of progress.
LUTON ENTER 2024 BELIEVING THEY CAN SURVIVE
Luton Town manager Rob Edwards held his head high after seeing the Premier League newcomers almost pull off a dramatic comeback against Chelsea on Saturday, scoring twice late on before eventually losing 3-2 at home to the big-spending Blues.
Edwards said his players had grown since a 3-0 defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in August and he was confident about the rest of the campaign, despite the Hatters current position just inside the Premier League’s relegation area.
“I think it just shows the growth in the players, the belief in the players, and hopefully it allows everyone to believe that we are going the right way about our business and we are moving the right way,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to the second half of the season.”
