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.

Inter Milan secured their place in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals with a composed 2-0 victory over Udinese on a rainy evening at San Siro. A heavily rotated Inter lineup controlled the match from start to finish, taking advantage of Udinese’s errors and showcasing moments of individual brilliance.

The breakthrough came on the half-hour mark when Udinese lost possession in midfield, allowing Mehdi Taremi to slip a precise through-ball to Marko Arnautovic. The Austrian striker made no mistake, calmly slotting the ball low into the net to give the hosts the lead.

Inter doubled their advantage just before halftime in extraordinary fashion. Kristjan Asllani curled a corner kick directly into the goal, catching Udinese’s defense and goalkeeper off guard. However, celebrations were briefly subdued due to a lengthy delay caused by a medical emergency in the stands, reminding everyone of the bigger picture beyond football.

In the second half, Inter continued to press for more, with Taremi coming closest to adding a third when his powerful effort struck the woodwork. Despite their dominance, the Nerazzurri settled for a comfortable two-goal victory.

Nine-time Coppa Italia champions Inter will now host Lazio in the quarter-finals next February as they continue their pursuit of more silverware.

Tottenham edged Manchester United 4-3 in a chaotic Carabao Cup quarter-final, a match defined by goalkeeping blunders and defensive lapses that left fans from both sides alternating between despair and exhilaration.

The two inconsistent teams showcased the reasons behind their frustrating campaigns with error-strewn performances in a dramatic encounter in north London. Spurs surged into a 3-0 lead, only to allow Ruben Amorim’s United side to claw back to 3-2, as stand-in goalkeeper Fraser Forster twice fumbled disastrously under pressure. First, his poor pass in the box was intercepted by Bruno Fernandes, allowing Joshua Zirkzee to score. Then, Forster was chased down by Amad Diallo, whose persistence forced the ball into the net.

United’s own stand-in keeper, Altay Bayindir, had a nightmare of his own. After a weak parry gifted Dominic Solanke the opener, Bayindir’s evening worsened when he allowed Heung-Min Son’s corner to sail directly over his head and into the net, handing Spurs their crucial fourth goal.

Despite the cushion, Spurs couldn’t avoid late drama. Deep into stoppage time, a defensive lapse from a set-piece allowed Jonny Evans to head in for United, ensuring the final moments were as chaotic as the rest of the match.

While Tottenham secured their place in the semi-finals, both sides will be left reflecting on the defensive and goalkeeping errors that turned a high-stakes clash into a near-comedy of mistakes.

Marc Guiu delivered a stunning first-half hat-trick as Chelsea secured a commanding 5-1 victory over Shamrock Rovers to finish top of their Conference League group with a flawless record.

Enzo Maresca’s youthful second-string side dominated the league phase, advancing directly to the last 16 after winning all six matches, scoring an impressive 26 goals while conceding only five. Guiu, the 18-year-old striker signed from Barcelona in the summer, stole the spotlight and further cemented his reputation as one of the club’s brightest prospects.

Guiu opened the scoring by capitalizing on a mistake from Darragh Burns, who misjudged a backward header, allowing the teenager to finish clinically. Shamrock Rovers briefly stunned Stamford Bridge by leveling the match, with Markus Poom firing home from a well-worked corner. However, Chelsea quickly regained control as Guiu pounced on a poor back pass from Daniel Cleary to restore the lead. Moments later, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall made it 3-1 with a composed finish from inside the box.

Before halftime, Guiu completed his hat-trick in style, rising to meet Noni Madueke’s pinpoint cross with a glancing header that left the visitors reeling.

The onslaught continued after the break, with Marc Cucurella adding a fifth goal just before the hour mark. The Spanish full-back capped off a delightful team move with a precise low strike. Despite Chelsea’s dominance, Shamrock Rovers managed to limit further damage in the second half, though the loss saw them drop out of the automatic qualification spots and into a play-off position.

Chelsea’s performance not only showcased their depth but also highlighted Guiu’s immense potential as he played a starring role in an emphatic group-stage campaign.