Gameweek 17 of the 2024/25 Premier League season continued to enthrall football fanatics with entertaining end-to-end football, resulting in some feisty draws, shock results, high-scoring encounters, with a nine-goal thriller at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium rounding off the weekend’s action.
Let’s take a look at all the action from Gameweek 17.
Goals from Jhon Durán and Morgan Rogers helped Aston Villa leapfrog Manchester City into sixth spot with an impressive 2-1 win at Villa Park, as Pep Guardiola’s champions succumbed to their ninth defeat in 12 games across all competitions.
Villa tore right into the heart of the City defence from the outset as John McGinn nicked the ball off Josko Gvardiol to allow Duran to test City’s goal inside the first minute. The City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega had to pull off two crucial saves inside the opening 100 seconds as Villa set the tone.
Duran opened the scoring with a beautifully worked move after Youri Tielemans had spotted the run of Morgan Rogers, with the marauding midfielder unselfishly squaring the ball for his Colombian teammate to score his seventh Premier League goal of the season.
City thereafter continued to dominate possession, however, they were too static and too predictable in their passing. Villa’s Morgan Rogers, in particular, had the champions on the ropes, time and again as he picked up the ball on the half turn, held off his marker and ran at City’s defence.
In the second half, City offered very little as Morgan Rogers deservedly doubled the advantage midway through the second half. Phil Foden, though, eventually pulled one goal back for the visitors in stoppage time but even that could not mask how poor City were.
The victory lifted Unai Emery’s side above City into sixth in the Premier League table, leaving Guardiola’s side scratching their heads and wondering if this recent slump will ever end.
Nottingham Forest ended Brentford’s unbeaten home run with a deserved 2-0 win in west London to ensure they spend Christmas inside the Premier League’s top four, with goals in either half from Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga sealing a memorable win for the Reds.
The Bees, who were playing their third game in less than a week, soon ran out of steam after flying out of the blocks with little answer to Forest’s fast-moving forward play before Ola Aina gave Nuno Espirito Santo’s team the lead.
Five minutes into the second period it was game over for the Bees when Elanga robbed Keane Lewis-Potter after a heavy touch, before turning inside Ben Mee and finding a similarly well-placed finish to beat Mark Flekken.
The Bees, who registered their first home defeat since the final day of last season did go close through Kristoffer Ajer, whose powerful rising drive hit Matz Sels in the face on its way over the crossbar, however, Forest who boast the third-best defence in the league held off Thomas Frank’s side to register their fifth away win of the season.
West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion played out a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium in a result that suited neither side, with the Hammers failing to pull away from the delegation scrap while the Seagulls missed out on drawing level with champions Manchester City on 27 points.
Fabian Hurzeler’s side worked hard to get themselves in front when Mats Wieffer fired into a gaping goal after Lukasz Fabianski dropped Pervis Estupinan’s high cross at his feet under pressure from Lewis Dunk, with the strike eventually given after a VAR review for offside.
But the Seagulls could only hold the lead for seven minutes with Mohammed Kudus’ well-taken goal just before the hour mark drawing the Hammers level.
Following the result, Brighton have now gone five league matches without a win, with only Southampton currently on a longer such run, as they slip from second down to ninth in the table. While the Hammers have now gone unbeaten in three successive Premier League games for the first time this season.
A hat-trick from Alexander Isak coupled with a powerful strike from Jacob Murphy was enough to see the Magpies out of sight early in the second half, with the Blues unable to build on last week’s crucial victory at Wolves.
Looking for a quick start, Isak rifled the ball into the roof of the net to hand his side the lead after 26 seconds. The flag was raised immediately, and a three-minute VAR check eventually showed that Murphy was onside next to Cameron Burgess, allowing the goal to stand.
Newcastle struck again, having been given too much space in midfield. Gordon picked up the ball on the edge of the area and carried it from left to right, setting up Murphy to rifle an effort off the crossbar and into the net in the 32nd minute, giving the visitors a two-goal advantage.
Newcastle managed to rub salt in the wounds a couple of minutes into the first-half stoppage time as Dara O’Shea passed the ball back to Arijanet Muric. The goalkeeper looked to play it out to Jens Cajuste, who was robbed of the ball by Bruno Guimarães before Isak slotted the ball into the net to make it 3-0.
If the game wasn’t dead before half time, it certainly was in the 54th minute. Jacob Murphy broke into the box and set up Isak with a backheel flick, with the striker slotting the ball past Muric to complete his hat-trick and get Newcastle’s fourth.
Dan Burn later added a fifth goal from a scramble deep into stoppage time which was ruled out following a VAR check. Unfortunately for Ipswich, their fixture list doesn’t get any easier after Christmas.
Arsenal kept pace with Premier League leaders Liverpool as Gabriel Jesus inspired them to a 5-1 London derby thrashing of Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
After his hat-trick sunk the Eagles in the Carabao Cup quarter-final in midweek, Jesus made it five goals in four days against Palace as his first-half brace put the Gunners 2-1 up inside the first 14 minutes.
The game became uncomfortable for the Gunners when Bukayo Saka limped off injured with an apparent hamstring injury. Subsequently, Palace had a great chance to equalise for the second time with Jean-Philippe Mateta through on goal but the Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was equal to the task kept Palace at bay.
Arsenal restored their breathing room when Gabriel Jesus’ header rebounded off the right post and found Kai Havertz who slotted the ball into the empty Palace net.
Palace came out in the second half with intent but Raya pulled off saves from Sarr twice and Mateta when the hosts looked all but sure to pull one back.
However, Arsenal made them pay again when Jesus’ close-range strike was denied by the feet of Dean Henderson inside the penalty area but the rebound fell to substitute Declan Rice, whose strike was diverted in by Gabriel Martinelli after keeping himself onside.
Rice then transformed from provider to goalscorer as he curled home from inside the box with five minutes to go to turn the London derby into a rout.
Bottom placed Southampton secured a point away from home for only the second time this season as a stout defensive performance saw them hold hosts Fulham to a goalless draw in the Premier League at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
It was only the sixth point of the campaign for the struggling Saints, but a much improved showing will have given hope to new manager Ivan Juric, who watched from the stands.
Fulham dominated most aspects of the game but proved unable to forge a breakthrough to the frustration of their fans.
Their best first half effort was from Alex Iwobi, whose curling left-footed effort forced a fingertip save from Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, returning after a finger surgery.
The England international was called into action again and made an even better stop in the 67th minute to block Harry Wilson’s left footed half volley, which was hit hard from close range but saw Ramsdale push it over the bar.
Fulham, who are at Stamford Bridge to meet Chelsea on Boxing Day, moved up one place to ninth with the added point. Southampton, on the other hand, remain at the foot of the table, and are now six points adrift after Wolverhampton Wanderers who won at Leicester City to move up to third from bottom.
Vitor Pereira made the dream start to life as Wolves head coach as his new side ended a run of four straight defeats with a 3-0 win against Leicester on Sunday.
Goals from Gonçalo Guedes, Rodrigo Gomes and Matheus Cunha across a 25-minute spell in the first half sealed an impressive win for the Midlands club.
The Portuguese coach made four changes to the side that lost 2-1 the previous week and two of those, Gonçalo Guedes and Rodrigo Gomes, both pounced inside the opening 36 minutes to give them a two-goal cushion.
Top scorer Matheus Cunha also took advantage of some sloppy Leicester defending to add a third with his ninth goal of the season right before half-time.
Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy made a double change at half-time, then another just seven minutes into the second half. But the hosts barely threatened as Wolves halted a four-match losing streak to move within two points of Leicester, who are one place above the relegation zone.
Striker Nicolas Jackson struck the post with a close-range header as Chelsea failed to keep pace with Premier League leaders Liverpool after they were held to a 0-0 draw by Everton at a blustery Goodison Park on Sunday.
The conditions made it difficult for both teams, but they each had chances to win the game. Jackson was also denied from point-blank range by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford as Everton kept a fifth clean sheet in six games.
Chelsea keeper Robert Sánchez saved from Jack Harrison at the other end, while Iliman Ndiaye’s goal-bound shot was blocked by visiting defender Tosin Adarabioyo as Everton impressed with new executive chairman Marc Watts in attendance.
Chelsea remained in second place with 35 points, four behind leaders Liverpool but having now played two games more. Meanwhile, Everton climbed to 15th with 16 points from 16 games, four clear of the relegation zone.
Brilliant Bournemouth won 3-0 at Old Trafford for the second season running, with Manchester United’s fortunes continuing to yield mixed results under new boss Ruben Amorim.
The hosts worked hard without reward in the first 45 minutes, but shot themselves in the foot after the break and didn’t have the guile to respond in the attacking third either, perhaps casting further doubt on some of Amorim’s attacking selections.
Bournemouth teenager Dean Huijsen became the latest player to capitalise on United’s lax set-piece defending, glancing home a first-half opener when unmarked from Ryan Christie’s free-kick.
A quick-fire double in the second period – Justin Kluivert’s penalty and Antoine Semenyo’s finish two minutes and eight seconds apart – sealed the biggest blow of Amorim’s short reign to date, and condemned United to their seventh Premier League loss of the season.
Andoni Iraloa’s side leap into fifth in the table, while United are marooned in 13th – the first time they’ve been in the bottom half of the table at Christmas since 1989-90.
Injury-hit Spurs were thrashed 6-3 by Liverpool in a chaotic game in north London – the second time in Premier League history the club has conceded six at home – which leaves them languishing in 11th at Christmas.
Despite having seven players unavailable, Spurs still played their full-throttle football against the Premier League leaders and were punished by a ruthless showing from Arne Slot’s side.
Goals from Luis Díaz, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai in the first half with a James Maddison goal in between giving them a sizeable cushion into the halfway mark.
However, things went from bad to worse for the North London club when a brace from Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah inside the first 15 minutes of the second half took the game out of Tottenham’s reach.
Two goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke gave the Tottenham faithful a glimmer of hope before Luis Díaz’s second goal of the night in the 85th minute sealed Liverpool’s 6-3 emphatic win at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
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