Three Premier League Big Teams Win Narrowly on Boxing Day

JAKARTA - The results of the English League in the Christmas week show the consistency of the top three standings. Arsenal, Manchester City, and Aston Villa successfully won a narrow victory and widened the gap with the competitors.

The three of them won 2-1 in the 18th week of the English League.

Manchester City secured three points through Rayan Cherki's late goal against Nottingham Forest, to extend their positive run to eight wins in a row in all competitions.

Pep Guardiola menilai timnya mulai menunjukkan kembali karakter juara.

"In winter, away to Nottingham Forest, games like this happen often when we win the league," Guardiola said, quoted from the official Premier League website in Jakarta, launching ANTARA on Sunday, December 28.

Arsenal also won an important victory after defeating Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1. The Gunners were pressured in the final minutes before goalkeeper David Raya made a crucial save.

Mikel Arteta said his team was able to respond to the pressure of the schedule and the squad's less than ideal conditions.

"The margin between teams is very small, and the players must always be ready," said Arteta.

The victory saw Arsenal return to the top of the table after being overtaken by City for a few hours. Arteta also got extra strength with the return of Gabriel Magalhaes, while Declan Rice appeared as an emergency right-back due to a defensive crisis.

In another match, Aston Villa came back from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 through two goals from Ollie Watkins. The victory was the eighth in a row in the English League and made Villa equal their best record which has lasted more than a century.

Villa coach Unai Emery insists his team has not thought about the title race. "There are still 20 games to go," he said.

The result means the top three remain seven points clear of the rest of the pack, including defending champions Liverpool who climbed to fourth after a run of three wins in a row and six unbeaten games.