Manchester City and Aston Villa both achieved victories on Sunday, December 14, 2025, allowing them to remain close competitors to the Premier League leader, Arsenal, which had extended its lead to five points the day before.
Manchester City’s Victory
Second-place Manchester City defeated Crystal Palace 3-0 in a match played at Selhurst Park, securing revenge for their loss to Palace in the FA Cup final last season. Erling Haaland scored two goals for City, including his 101st Premier League goal late in the first half and an 89th-minute penalty. Phil Foden scored City’s third goal. Haaland, who leads the league with 17 goals, has tallied 36 goals across 27 appearances for club and country this season. Following this win, City is two points behind Arsenal.
Aston Villa’s Comeback
Third-place Aston Villa earned a 3-2 comeback victory against West Ham at the London Stadium, maintaining Unai Emery’s team’s high position in the standings. Villa’s winning streak has now reached nine consecutive games, and the team has only lost one of its last 13 league games. West Ham scored the fastest goal in the league this season just 29 seconds into the match via Mateus Fernandes, but Konstantinos Mavropanos tied the game with an own goal eight minutes later. Jarrod Bowen put West Ham ahead before halftime. Morgan Rogers was the deciding factor for Villa, scoring goals to equalize five minutes after the break and then netting the winning goal in the 79th minute. Villa is one point behind City in the standings.
Other League Results
In other Premier League action, Nottingham Forest secured a 3-0 victory over Tottenham, moving Forest five points clear of the relegation zone. Nottingham Forest’s win featured two goals from Callum Hudson-Odoi and one from Ibrahim Sangare. Tottenham’s defeat, their sixth of the season, puts increased pressure on coach Thomas Frank, as Spurs have won just one of their last seven league games.
Meanwhile, in the Tyne-Wear derby, Sunderland defeated Newcastle 1-0. The only goal was an own goal scored by Newcastle’s Germany striker, Nick Woltemade, who headed the ball past goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale a minute into the second half. Woltemade was substituted in the 75th minute after registering only one shot.