Several spectacular goals on Boxing Day! Manchester City wins crazy game against Leicester

The traditional Boxing Day has been overshadowed by some game cancellations. Manchester City was unimpressed by the corona worries. At 6.30 p.m. Chelsea FC will be visiting Aston Villa (now on LIVETICKER).

The biggest holiday in British football was overshadowed by the corona pandemic – but the merciless defending champion Manchester City was unfazed by any worries. Team manager Pep Guardiola’s team consolidated their top position in the Premier League on traditional Boxing Day with a wild 6: 3 (4: 0) against Leicester City and are now six points ahead of pursuers Liverpool FC. The Reds’ game against Leeds United was canceled due to the corona pandemic.

Kevin De Bruyne (5th), Riyad Mahrez (14th, penalty kick), international Ilkay Gündogan (21st) and Raheem Sterling (25th, penalty kick) shot City out of a quick 4-0 lead. After that, the hosts took it easy. James Maddison (55th), the ex-Leipzig Ademola Lookman (59th) and Kelechi Iheanacho (66th) punished the carelessness of the favorite and made it exciting again. But then Aymeric Laporte (69th) and again Sterling (87th) met for Manchester.

Meanwhile, Arsenal FC is still on the upswing. The ex-champions won easily 5-0 (2-0) at bottom group Norwich City and claimed fourth place. National goalkeeper Bernd Leno was again only on the bench. West Ham United also scored five goals against Southampton FC. The home side lost 3-2 to the Saints.

Tottenham Hotspur defeated Crystal Palace 3-0 (2-0). The guests had to do without team manager Patrick Vieira, who had tested positive for the corona virus – not an isolated case.

Premier League: Klopp vented his anger

A total of three matches were canceled on Boxing Day, and the Premier League now has to make up 14 games. The Omikron variant has long held the whole country in suspense, numerous clubs are groaning under the additional burden of more and more positive tests. Aston Villa will also have to get by against Chelsea on Sunday evening (6.30 p.m.) without team manager Steven Gerrard, who is also suffering from COVID-19.

Catch-up dates are also difficult to find in the tight schedule with two cup competitions. Liverpool team manager Jürgen Klopp therefore vented his anger. “I have not only been concerned about the well-being of the players since this year,” said the former Dortmund champion in view of the overloading of the professionals: “I’ve been talking about it for six years or more. I can’t see that there will be changes.”

Klopp also called for even more cohesion in the pandemic. Nobody can predict how the pandemic will develop in the coming days, weeks or months, “but one thing is clear to me: together we are stronger,” wrote Klopp in his Christmas letter to Liverpool fans.

Premier League: The current table