Napoli climbed to the top of Serie A with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Genoa at the Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris, taking full advantage of Atalanta’s delayed fixture.

With La Dea not in action until Sunday, Antonio Conte’s men capitalized on the opportunity to leapfrog their rivals. First-half headers from Frank Anguissa and Amir Rrahmani proved decisive, as the Partenopei asserted their dominance early in the match.

The breakthrough came just 15 minutes in, when Anguissa rose highest to nod in a pinpoint cross from David Neres. Napoli doubled their lead only eight minutes later, as Rrahmani expertly connected with Stanislav Lobotka’s deep delivery, sending a looping header beyond Genoa goalkeeper Nicola Leali.

The home side fought back early in the second half, halving the deficit six minutes after the restart. Vitinha’s clever cutback found Andrea Pinamonti, who calmly slotted past Alex Meret to keep Genoa’s hopes alive.

Genoa continued to press for an equalizer in the closing stages, with substitutes Mario Balotelli and Caleb Ekuban testing Meret. However, the Napoli goalkeeper was equal to the challenge, making key saves to secure all three points and send Conte’s side to the Serie A summit.

Arsenal narrowed the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool to just three points after a dominant 5-1 victory over Crystal Palace in a London derby at Selhurst Park, with Gabriel Jesus delivering a match-winning performance.

Fresh off his midweek Carabao Cup hat-trick against the Eagles, Jesus continued his red-hot form, netting twice in the opening 14 minutes to take his tally to five goals in four days. The Brazilian opened the scoring with a clinical finish after Gabriel nodded down Bukayo Saka’s precise cross. Minutes later, he doubled his tally by curling in Arsenal’s 24th goal from a corner since the start of last season.

Palace managed a brief reprieve when Ismaila Sarr, enjoying a rich vein of form with four goals in his last seven league games, curled home a superb equalizer. However, their hopes of staying in the contest were dealt a blow when Jean-Philippe Mateta failed to capitalize on a golden opportunity, his close-range shot brilliantly saved by Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya after the hosts pressured William Saliba into an error.

Arsenal’s comfort was temporarily disrupted when Saka limped off with a suspected hamstring injury, but they quickly regained control. Moments after Gabriel struck the crossbar from another corner, Jesus saw his header hit the post, allowing Kai Havertz to pounce on the rebound and tap into an empty net.

Palace showed intent after the break, but Raya stood firm, producing crucial saves to deny Sarr twice and Mateta when it looked like the home side might mount a comeback. Arsenal punished their missed chances, extending their lead on the hour mark. Jesus’ close-range effort was parried by Dean Henderson, only for Declan Rice to collect the rebound and set up Gabriel Martinelli for a clever deflection into the net.

Rice added a fifth goal in the dying minutes, curling a composed finish past Henderson to complete the rout and underline Arsenal’s dominance.

The emphatic win leaves Arsenal three points behind Liverpool, who have two games in hand, including a highly anticipated clash with Tottenham on Super Sunday. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, remain just four points above the relegation zone and could slip further down the table if Leicester and Everton secure wins on Sunday.

Mohammed Kudus scored a crucial equalizer as West Ham United battled back from a goal down to secure a 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion at the London Stadium on Saturday.

The Hammers found themselves trailing early in the second half when Mats Wieffer capitalized on a loose ball in the box, driving a low shot into the bottom corner from 12 yards. However, West Ham responded with determination, leveling the score through Kudus. The Ghanaian midfielder reacted quickly to nod the ball into the roof of the net after Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen had parried Jarrod Bowen’s initial effort.

The final stages of the game saw both sides push for a winner. Verbruggen and Alphonse Areola, the West Ham goalkeeper, each produced vital saves to keep the match level, but neither team could find a decisive breakthrough. On balance, the draw reflected the overall performance of the Hammers, who struggled to fully assert themselves but showed resilience to claim a point.

The result leaves Julen Lopetegui’s side in 14th place with 20 points heading into the Christmas period. West Ham will now turn their attention to a Boxing Day clash against bottom-of-the-table Southampton, where they will hope to build on this result and climb further up the standings.

Alexander Isak netted his first Premier League hat-trick as Newcastle United capped off a stellar week with a commanding 4-0 victory over Ipswich Town at Portman Road, lifting them to seventh in the table.

Fresh off scoring four against Leicester and securing a Carabao Cup semi-final spot with a midweek win over Brentford, Newcastle arrived brimming with confidence and overwhelmed an Ipswich side still searching for their first home league win of the season.

The visitors wasted no time asserting their dominance, scoring within 25 seconds as Isak smashed in the opener after Jacob Murphy’s cross deflected back to him in the box. A lengthy VAR check delayed the celebrations, but the goal was eventually awarded. Murphy continued his fine form, doubling Newcastle’s lead on the half-hour mark with a powerful finish—his third goal in two league games, matching his tally from his previous 37 appearances.

Just before halftime, Ipswich goalkeeper Arijanet Muric made a costly error by attempting a short pass to Jens Cajuste. Bruno Guimarães pounced, forcing a turnover in the penalty area and setting up Isak for his second goal with a simple finish.

The Swedish striker completed his hat-trick in style, thanks to a moment of brilliance from Murphy. Surrounded by Ipswich defenders, Murphy showcased his skill with a stunning back-heel assist, leaving Isak to slot home and claim the match ball.

The defeat was Ipswich’s heaviest at home since April 2018, ensuring they remain in the bottom three over Christmas. Meanwhile, Newcastle climbed to seventh, temporarily exiting the bottom half of the table as they continue their resurgence.

Nottingham Forest brought Brentford’s long unbeaten home streak to an end with a commanding 2-0 victory in west London, ensuring they will spend Christmas firmly inside the Premier League’s top four.

Despite a sluggish start at the Gtech Community Stadium, Forest grew into the game and dismantled Brentford’s resistance with goals in each half from Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga. The Bees, fatigued after playing their third game in under a week, began brightly but quickly ran out of energy, unable to cope with Forest’s dynamic and incisive forward play.

Forest nearly struck first when Chris Wood’s header from six yards was brilliantly saved by Mark Flekken, though better placement would have left the goalkeeper with no chance. They didn’t have to wait long for the breakthrough, as Ola Aina embarked on a 40-yard run unchallenged, meeting Neco Williams’ low cross and guiding the ball into the far corner just before halftime.

The visitors doubled their lead early in the second half. Elanga capitalized on Keane Lewis-Potter’s heavy touch, dispossessed him, and twisted inside Ben Mee before curling a precise shot past Flekken. Brentford, struggling to create meaningful opportunities, came closest through Kristoffer Ajer, whose thunderous rising strike was blocked by Matz Sels’ face on its way over the bar.

Forest’s defensive solidity shone once again, solidifying their status as one of the league’s toughest teams to break down. They cruised to their fifth away win of the season—matching their total across the previous two campaigns combined—and now sit ahead of Manchester City, Aston Villa, and Newcastle in the standings. Brentford, meanwhile, suffered their first home defeat since the final day of last season.

Aston Villa handed Manchester City their sixth defeat in eight Premier League matches with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Villa Park, further deepening the struggles of the reigning champions.

Villa took an early lead through Jhon Duran, who coolly finished after exploiting a sluggish start from Pep Guardiola’s side. The home team continued to outpace and outmuscle City, and their dominance was rewarded when Morgan Rogers doubled the lead midway through the second half. The performances of Duran and Rogers highlighted the energy and physicality Villa displayed, qualities that City notably lacked.

City managed to pull a goal back in stoppage time through Phil Foden, but it was too little, too late to salvage even a point. The defeat exposed City’s frailties once again, leaving them in sixth place in the league standings, overtaken by Unai Emery’s resurgent Villa side, who now sit fifth. For Guardiola, the lingering question remains: how much longer will this troubling slump continue?

Early penalty appeals were waved away as Jackson Tchatchoua’s arm was tucked close to his chest when struck by Rafael Leão’s acrobatic volley.

Samuel Chukwueze tried his luck with a long-range curler, but it was comfortably gathered. The first real test came at the other end, where Mike Maignan denied Tomas Suslov’s solo effort, with Amin Sarr failing to capitalize on the rebound.

Rafael Leão was forced off with a muscular injury and replaced by Theo Hernández, prompting Alex Jimenez to take on a more advanced role down the left wing. Former Verona player Terracciano nearly stunned his old club with a powerful strike from distance, but Lorenzo Montipò made a sensational fingertip save to deny him.

After the break, Milan pressed for a breakthrough. Darko Lazović made a crucial intervention to stop Chukwueze from connecting with Jimenez’s cross at the far post. However, Milan finally opened the scoring with a beautifully crafted play. Youssouf Fofana’s precise through ball unlocked the defense, allowing Tijjani Reijnders to beat the offside trap and curl a first-time shot into the far top corner. It marked Reijnders’ fourth Serie A goal of the season, matching his career-best tally.

Maignan stayed sharp to smother Suslov’s low drive at the near post, while Jimenez’s ground-level effort forced Montipò into another solid save at the bottom corner.

Bayern Munich bounced back from last week’s 2-1 loss to Mainz with a dominant 5-1 victory over RB Leipzig at the Allianz Arena on Friday night.

Alphonso Davies and Harry Kane returned from injury, while Leon Goretzka replaced Aleksandar Pavlovic in midfield. RB Leipzig’s Marco Rose made two changes, bringing in Peter Gulacsi and Arthur Vermeeren for Maarten Vandevoordt and Kevin Kampl.

Bayern struck early as Jamal Musiala converted Michael Olise’s pass, but Leipzig quickly equalized through Benjamin Sesko. Bayern regained control, with Konrad Laimer restoring the lead in the 25th minute and Joshua Kimmich adding a stunning long-range goal to make it 3-1 by halftime.

In the second half, Bayern pressed for more. Leroy Sané scored in the 75th minute after a superb Alphonso Davies assist, and Davies added a fifth three minutes later with a header from Kimmich’s cross. Leipzig rarely threatened, with Antonio Nusa missing their best chance.

The win moves Bayern to 36 points, seven ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, while Leipzig remain fourth.

Ivan Juric has agreed to take over as Southampton’s new head coach, signing an 18-month contract with the club. The agreement includes a break clause that will be reviewed this summer. If Southampton successfully avoid relegation this season, the deal has the potential to be extended by an additional two years.

Juric, who was recently dismissed by Roma after a brief two-month stint, is now poised to lead the Saints in their bid to climb out of the Premier League’s danger zone. The 49-year-old Croatian has long been admired by Southampton, having previously been considered as a replacement for Ralph Hasenhuttl when the Austrian departed the club two years ago.

Southampton explored several other candidates before finalizing the deal with Juric. Among those considered were West Brom manager Carlos Corberan, former Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand, and Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl, who had also been linked with the role.