Manchester United’s defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers has headlined the Premier League’s Boxing Day action so far, which has produced mixed results for some of England’s top teams.
Relegation-threatened Wolves booked themselves a place above the drop zone with victory over United, the only goal of the game coming straight from a corner taken by Matheus Cunha in the 58th minute and Hwang Hee-chan adding a second in the 99th minute. The Red Devils were not helped by Bruno Fernandes’ second yellow card in the 47th minute but were quite poor from start to finish, leaving them in 14th place as they stood.
Elsewhere in England, second-placed Chelsea gave up a goal lead and lost 2-1 to Fulham, while Manchester City missed a penalty in a 1-1 draw with Everton who saw their poor run extend to just one victory in its last 13 games. . Additionally, Tottenham Hotspur recorded a 1-0 defeat against this season’s surprise UEFA Champions League contender Nottingham Forest.
As the Premier League’s final round of Boxing Day matches unfold, here are the ratings for each of the teams in action.
Premier League Boxing Day Results
All times Eastern
- Manchester City 1, Everton 1
- Chelsea 1, Fulham 2
- Nottingham Forest 1, Tottenham Hotspur 0
- Newcastle United 3, Villa Aston 0
- Bournemouth 0, Crystal Palace 0
- Southampton 0, West Ham United 1
- Wolverhampton Wanderers 2, Manchester United 0
- Liverpool 3, Leicester 1
Manchester City vs. Everton ratings
Manchester City: Even amid the worst form of Pep Guardiola’s managerial career, Thursday’s game against 15th-placed Everton could have been seen as a chance for City to reverse their fortunes. That chance came and went, as did the other games in City’s poor run, wasting their 24 shots with just five on target and once again appearing short of ideas in all areas of the pitch. For once, however, City had a chance to win the match on a silver platter with a second-half penalty and couldn’t even capitalize on it. They are undoubtedly in a rut, and the fact that Guardiola still hasn’t found a solution to their problems is very worrying. Grade: D
Everton: The caramels love a draw, sharing the spoils in five of their last seven matches. You could argue that they should look for victory at some point, but they can be forgiven considering their last three games were against ArsenalChelsea and City. They appeared to have perfected manager Sean Dyche’s tactical style and managed to thwart City, until Pickford’s big save with a penalty. They also have a chance of grabbing the biggest result of the day, so it’s a job well done for Everton. Grade: B
Chelsea vs Fulham ratings
Chelsea: The Blues may have been favorites but they were outplayed by Fulham and paid the price by conceding two late goals. Palmer may have given them the lead with a 16th minute goal, but they were unable to control the game afterwards and were arguably second in most categories. This includes their attack, which is among the best in the Premier League with 38 goals this season, but was inconsistent on Boxing Day – they hit eight of their 12 shots but were outplayed by Fulham’s 14 shots and posted 0.9 fewer expected goals than the eventual winners. . It’s unclear how serious Chelsea were as title contenders, but this defeat will undoubtedly be a blow to their chances. Rating: F
Fulham: The race for European places looks set to be competitive this season in the Premier League, largely because teams like Fulham are putting together a string of encouraging performances. Thursday’s performance is an example of this: despite conceding a goal at the start of the match, they slowly but surely managed to get back into the match with Harry Wilsonthe equalizer in the 82nd minute and Rodrigo MunizThe winner in the 95th minute. They also outplayed Chelsea’s impressive attack, outscoring the Blues 14-12 and generating 1.95 expected goals along the way. Grade: B
Nottingham Forest vs. Tottenham Hotspur ratings
Nottingham Forest: Forest’s defensive approach once again served them well on Thursday, successfully stifling league-leading Tottenham’s offense by limiting them to just four shots on goal from 13. This allows them to take advantage of the defense exhausting the opponent just once to secure another valuable victory. , which gives them third place and continues to consolidate their status as main contenders for a place in next season’s edition of the Champions League. Grade: A
Tottenham Hotspur: In a match between a successful defense and the best attack in the Premier League, the latter ended up losing and that adds another layer of worry in a season of inconsistency for Spurs. What generally works for Ange Postecoglou’s side, in good days and bad, is their attack, but they will probably be unhappy with the fact that they played Forest tied on expected goals. Add to this Djed SpenceSecond yellow card in the 94th minute, it was a Boxing Day to forget for Spurs. Grade: D
Newcastle United vs Aston Villa ratings
Newcastle United: The hosts were already the better team by the time Aston Villa John Duran was shown a straight red card in the 32nd minute, but Newcastle United made sure not to waste the added advantage. They end Boxing Day with one of the most lopsided victories of the party, strengthening their own case as a potential entrant in next season’s Champions League competition. Grade: A
Villa Aston: It seems that almost everything went wrong for Aston Villa, who had already lost a goal two minutes later, and then played the last hour against one player. As a result, they failed to manage more than four shots and just one attempt on target, although much of that will be attributed to the impact of Duran’s red card. Thursday’s game may be an exception in terms of performance, but the fact that they have now slipped to ninth place is a worrying sign. Rating: F
Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace ratings
Bournemouth: Fresh off a 3-0 win Manchester UnitedBournemouth had chances to score but failed to find the back of the net on Thursday. They were arguably wasteful, making 18 shots but mustering just 1.33 expected goals and taking just four shots on goal. It may be two missed points for the Cherries, who are chasing European competition and currently sit sixth, but it doesn’t look like a record for their strong season so far. Grade: C
Crystal Palace: To some extent, Crystal Palace held their own against an impressive Bournemouth side, but still failed to offer anything extraordinary despite picking up a point on Boxing Day. That could well be a valuable point for Palace, who are currently three points above the relegation zone, but a team close to the bottom usually means they often leave something to be desired in their performances. That was certainly the case for Palace on Thursday. Grade: C
Southampton vs West Ham United ratings
Southampton: Even without Russell Martin, Southampton did not abandon their attacking approach on Thursday and outpaced their opponents in shots and expected goals. That said, the Saints will be very disappointed that they failed to turn 17 shots and 1.86 expected goals into an actual goal, leaving valuable points on the table and doing little to move out of last place. Rating: F
West Ham United: A win may be a win, but West Ham didn’t cover themselves in glory by barely beating the worst team in the Premier League. They managed just two shots on target against the most porous defense in the league and, as mentioned, lost most of the offensive battles against the Saints. The Hammers are still locked in that tight middle table which includes Tottenham and Manchester United, but even though they are just 10 points outside the top four, Julen Lopetegui’s side have done little to convince them that they could move up the rankings. Grade: D
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United ratings
Wolverhampton Wanderers: It might not have been the most entertaining performance, but Wolves came out on top in a fair contest against United and picked up three valuable points along the way. Whether this is simply part of a new manager’s bounce back under VÃtor Pereira or a sign of more to come remains to be seen, but the concrete victories are the mark of a team keen to emerge from the relegation battle , therefore a 17th place. at the end of Boxing Day will suit them very well. Grade: B-
Manchester United: Every game seems to be a reminder of United’s shortcomings these days, regardless of the context. United should be good enough to beat a relegation-threatened side, but in the midst of yet another season’s rock bottom, Thursday’s defeat comes as no surprise. Although Cunha may have surprised many by scoring from a free kick, the fact that United conceded a free kick is not surprising since it was the 18th time an opponent had scored from a free kick in 2024. That wasn’t the only problem for the visitors, though – they managed no more than seven shots and had just 0.78 expected goals. Adding Fernandes’ second yellow in the 47th minute, it was another bad day for United in a way that is becoming their trademark. Rating: F
Liverpool vs Leicester City ratings
Liverpool: Things may not have gotten off to a perfect start with Leicester City’s sixth-minute goal, but leave it to Liverpool to recover without issue. They naturally took control of the match from the start and their in-form attack eventually managed to put three goals on the opposition, limiting the visitors to just one shot on target. Arne Slot’s side are further demonstrating the ease with which they have built a seven-point lead at the top of the table, and as the only traditional English top six to win on Boxing Day, they continue to build a hold potentially unshakeable in first place. Grade: A-
Leicester City: Jordan Ayew may have put Leicester ahead after just six minutes, but even though that goal landed in the back of the net, it felt like it was just an asterisk on another losing day for the Foxes. They couldn’t find a way to turn that goal into something that would change the course of the match, which is perhaps no surprise but nonetheless reminiscent of Leicester’s current situation. They remain stuck in the relegation zone with just three wins so far this season and it’s hard to see any debate right now about how they will fare – with or without the context of a defeat to the league leaders. Rating: F
