EPL Boxing Day Weekend (Dec 26–28, 2025): Festive football with pure receipts

If you thought the Premier League was coming with peace on earth this Christmas… loool. This Boxing Day weekend (Dec 26–28) was one of those ones: tight games, late drama, set-piece demons, and super-subs turning grown men into philosophers.

United scraped. Arsenal stayed top. City did that “we don’t play well but we still win” thing. Villa kept running the league like it’s a playlist on repeat. And Spurs? They finally found an away win.

The weekend scoreboard (Dec 26–28)

Fri, Dec 26

Man United 1–0 Newcastle — Dorgu volley, Old Trafford exhale.

Sat, Dec 27

Nottingham Forest 1–2 Man City — Cherki late dagger, title pressure maintained.
Arsenal 2–1 Brighton — Ødegaard finally opens his league account this season.
Brentford 4–1 Bournemouth — Schade hat-trick… no ambulance, just vibes.
Liverpool 2–1 Wolves — Gravenberch + Wirtz, then Anfield got nervy.
Chelsea 1–2 Aston Villa — Watkins off the bench, two goals, 11 straight wins.
West Ham 0–1 Fulham — Jiménez late header, London Stadium in shambles.
Burnley 0–0 Everton — festive “zero ball knowledge” scoreline.

Sun, Dec 28

Sunderland 1–1 Leeds — Adingra spark, Calvert-Lewin continues the streak.
Crystal Palace 0–1 Spurs — Archie Gray first senior goal, Spurs win ugly (and needed it).

Match-by-match: the sauce version

Man United 1–0 Newcastle: “one goal, three points, no apologies”

A Manchester United player celebrates joyfully after scoring the winning goal against Newcastle, with the final score displayed as 1-0. The player, wearing a red jersey, is raising his fists in triumph.

United weren’t trying to write poetry , they were trying to survive the festive schedule, as they were without their captain Bruno Fernandes. Patrick Dorgu decided to be the main character with a rasping volley and that was that. It was gritty, tense, and very “we’ll take it and go home.”

Forest 1–2 Man City: Cherki said “hold this”

A dejected Nottingham Forest player sitting on the pitch after a match, with Manchester City winning 2-1 as indicated by the scoreboard graphic.

City made it hard. Forest fought back. Then Rayan Cherki showed up like a late Amazon delivery: right on time. An assist for the opener, then the late winner. The type of cameo that keeps title dreams breathing.

Arsenal 2–1 Brighton: top-of-the-table behaviour

Arsenal players celebrating after a 2-1 victory against Brighton, with match details displayed.

This one screamed “December grind.” Arsenal weren’t flawless, but they were serious. Ødegaard’s first league goal of the season landed at the perfect time, and the Gunners did enough to stay looking down from the top.

Brentford 4–1 Bournemouth: Schade hat-trick, Cherries got cooked

Brentford players celebrating a 4-1 victory against Bournemouth, featuring the match score and goal details.

Some games are close. Some games are content. This was content. Kevin Schade ran wild with a hat-trick as Brentford turned the match into a highlight reel and extended Bournemouth’s misery.

Liverpool 2–1 Wolves: first-half blitz, second-half “please blow the whistle”

A player celebrating a goal in a Liverpool football jersey, sticking out his tongue, with the final score of Liverpool 2 - 1 Wolverhampton displayed on the image.

Liverpool did their damage before halftime: Ryan Gravenberch struck, Florian Wirtz finally got his first league goal, and Anfield thought it was wraps… until Wolves scored late and suddenly everybody remembered anxiety exists. A win is a win, but the last stretch was pure clench.

Chelsea 1–2 Aston Villa: Watkins off the bench like a cheat code

Aston Villa player celebrating passionately after scoring two goals against Chelsea in a Premier League match, with the final score displayed as Chelsea 1 - 2 Aston Villa.

Chelsea went ahead, Villa shrugged, then Ollie Watkins came on and flipped the whole script — two goals, another win, and Villa made it 11 straight. That’s not form. That’s a statement.

West Ham 0–1 Fulham: Jiménez, late and lethal

A football player celebrating after scoring a late goal for Fulham against West Ham, with the final score displayed as 0-1.

This London derby was heading for a draw until Raúl Jiménez said “nah.” Late header, three straight Fulham wins, and West Ham left staring at the table like it’s a bad report card.

Burnley 0–0 Everton: two teams, one point, no joy

A tense moment from the Premier League match between Burnley and Everton, featuring two players contesting for the ball. The match ended in a 0-0 draw, as indicated at the bottom of the image.

Burnley’s winless run stretched again and Everton weren’t exactly throwing punches either. The kind of match you describe as “important” only because the bottom of the table exists.

Sunderland 1–1 Leeds: Adingra spark, DCL stays hot

Two football players celebrating after a goal during the Sunderland vs Leeds match, with the scoreboard showing a final score of 1-1, highlighting goals by Adingra and Calvert-Lewin.

Sunderland struck first through Simon Adingra, then Leeds responded through Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who’s quietly putting together a serious streak. One of those draws where both teams leave thinking, “we could’ve snatched it.”

Palace 0–1 Spurs: set-piece pain + Archie Gray history

Celebration scene after Tottenham Hotspur's victory over Crystal Palace, with players in yellow jerseys rejoicing together following the match, displaying the final score of 0-1 with Archie Gray's goal noted.

Tottenham didn’t need style — they needed points — and they got them. Archie Gray scored his first senior goal after a corner caused chaos, and Spurs defended like they were protecting the last plate of jollof at a party. Ugly win. Huge win.

Retsek Media Team of the Weekend (4-2-3-1)

GK — Bernd Leno (Fulham)
Big saves, clean sheet, and he kept Fulham calm until the winner landed.

RB — Pedro Porro (Spurs)
Corner delivery that directly cashed out for the winner. Set-piece dealer.

CB — Josko Gvardiol (Man City)
Organized, aggressive, and involved in the decisive corner moment.

CB — Santiago Bueno (Wolves)
Scored at Anfield and made Liverpool sweat — that’s not small.

LB — Milos Kerkez (Liverpool)
Quietly solid in a game that got shakier than it should’ve.

CM — Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool)
Midfield goal + set the tempo early.

CM — Granit Xhaka (Sunderland)
Threaded the pass for the opener like he had a remote control.

RW — Rayan Cherki (Man City)
Assist + late winner = “we’re still in the title race, thank you.”

AM — Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal)
First league goal of the season and it lands in a table-defining win.

LW — Kevin Schade (Brentford)
Hat-trick. End of conversation.

ST — Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
Super-sub brace at Stamford Bridge. That’s superstar behaviour.

Bench (honourable shouts): Dorgu (United winner), Jiménez (late derby header), Calvert-Lewin (streak continues), Archie Gray (winner + clean sheet).

3 talking points (streets are discussing)

1) Set-pieces are basically a second currency

City won it from a corner moment. Spurs won it from a corner moment. Fulham won it with a late header. If you can’t defend dead balls in December, the league will bill you with interest.

2) Super-subs were moving like final bosses

Watkins came on and scored two. Jiménez decided the derby late. Cherki delivered late. December isn’t about “pretty”, it’s about having options and pressing the right button at the right time, and most importantly 3 points.

3) The title race is not a one-man show

Arsenal are setting the pace, City are right there, and Villa are crashing the party like they got invited personally. One slip and the whole table changes. No festive mercy.