Erling Haaland's missed penalty contributed to Manchester City's ongoing difficulties, as they could only manage a 1-1 draw against Everton. However, the spotlight was firmly on United's challenges and Liverpool's impressive form on Thursday.
Arne Slot's team was initially taken aback by Jordan Ayew's early goal at Anfield, but they regained their composure and equalized just before halftime through Cody Gakpo. England midfielder Jones celebrated his 100th top-flight appearance by scoring the second goal shortly after the break. Mohamed Salah capped off the match with his 19th goal of the season, securing Liverpool's 11th victory in their last 13 matches across all competitions.
"We created enough chances, but going 1-0 down made it a contest," said Liverpool manager Slot. "Then you could see our quality, and Leicester struggled to respond."
Liverpool's comeback positioned them comfortably ahead of second-placed Chelsea, who suffered a 2-1 defeat to Fulham earlier in the day. In contrast, United faced their third consecutive loss in all competitions, leaving new manager Ruben Amorim with five defeats in his first ten matches. Fernandes was sent off just two minutes into the second half for a second yellow card.
United's ten men faltered in the 58th minute when Matheus Cunha's corner went directly in, as goalkeeper Andre Onana struggled under pressure. Hwang Hee-chan sealed United's fate with a late goal, further deepening the team's woes. This loss to the fourth-bottom Wolves followed a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford and a 4-3 loss in the League Cup against Tottenham.
With United languishing in 14th place, just eight points above the relegation zone, Amorim's challenges are far from over, as they prepare to face in-form Newcastle on Monday before heading to Liverpool.
“It’s so tough to win games in this league with 11 men. With 10 men, it’s more difficult,” Amorim said.
Champions Manchester City have managed only one win in their last 13 matches across all competitions, beginning their Christmas schedule on a disappointing note. Bernardo Silva opened the scoring for City, but Iliman Ndiaye equalized for Everton. Seven minutes into the second half, Erling Haaland had an opportunity to break his goal drought at the Etihad, but Jordan Pickford thwarted him.
Currently, City finds themselves in seventh place, trailing the top four by five points, with their remarkable decline showing no signs of reversing. "We certainly need results, and we didn’t achieve that. The team performed well in all areas, but unfortunately, we couldn't secure a win," stated City manager Pep Guardiola.
In a surprising turn of events, Chelsea faced a late resurgence from Fulham in a thrilling west London derby at Stamford Bridge. This marked Chelsea's first home loss to Fulham since 1979. Cole Palmer gave Chelsea the lead in the 16th minute, skillfully navigating through the Fulham defense to score from the edge of the area.
However, Fulham equalized with just eight minutes remaining when Harry Wilson headed in from close range. The situation worsened for Chelsea when Rodrigo Muniz completed the comeback in the 95th minute.
Nottingham Forest ascended to third place following a 1-0 victory over a struggling Tottenham at the City Ground. This marked Forest's fourth consecutive win, providing sweet revenge for manager Nuno Espirito Santo against his former club, as Tottenham's Djed Spence received a second yellow card in the dying moments.
Tottenham now sits in 11th place, increasing the pressure on manager Ange Postecoglou. Meanwhile, Newcastle comfortably defeated 10-man Aston Villa 3-0, climbing to fifth place after securing three league victories in a row for the first time since 2023.
Jarrod Bowen's goal in the 59th minute secured a 1-0 victory for West Ham against Southampton, who are currently at the bottom of the league.
This match saw the visitors benefit from VAR overturning Guido Rodriguez's red card. It was a challenging debut for new Southampton manager Ivan Juric, who has taken over from the dismissed Russell Martin. Meanwhile, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace played to a scoreless draw at the Vitality Stadium.