Manchester City maintained their lead at the top of the table with a dominant win at Newcastle, while Chelsea dropped yet more points away at Wolves.
Newcastle 0-4 Manchester City
Infogol xG: NEW 0.33 - 3.19 MCI
Bernardo Silva staged a midfield masterclass as Premier League leaders Manchester City swept aside struggling Newcastle 4-0 to claim a record 34th win of 2021.
The Portuguese, aided and abetted by Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne, steered City to a commanding victory at St James’ Park to eclipse Liverpool’s mark of 33 top-flight wins in a calendar year set in 1982.
A header from Ruben Dias got the scoring underway, before a thunder-strike from Joao Cancelo made it two before the break. Goals from Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling after half-time secured the points with the minimum of fuss as Newcastle were once against left to count the cost of a combination of dreadful defending, shot-shyness and questionable decisions.
Eddie Howe’s men have now won just one of the 18 league games they have played this season and while their fate will not be dictated by what they achieve against the division’s powerhouses, a worrying trend shows little sign of abating.
As for City, they have scored 11 goals without reply in their last two league games ahead of their Boxing Day game against Leicester.
Wolves 0-0 Chelsea
Infogol xG: WOL 0.40 - 0.85 CHE
Covid-hit Chelsea ground out a goalless draw with Wolves at a foggy Molineux to lose further ground on Premier League leaders Manchester City.
Before kick-off it was made known that Chelsea had asked for the game to be postponed due to Covid cases, but the request was rejected by the Premier League.
Daniel Podence had a first-half tap-in chalked off for offside and Leander Dendoncker spurned a glorious chance as luckless Wolves forced Chelsea to settle for a fourth draw in eight top-flight matches.
Chelsea travelled to the midlands without at least eight senior players but still managed to field a strong XI.
The Blues again struggled for fluency however, eventually slipping six points behind leaders and defending champions City.
As the Molineux mist thickened, so too did the clouds of portent descend on Chelsea’s title bid.
The Blues are now six points behind a rampant Manchester City side, and Tuchel's side travel to face in-form Aston Villa next weekend.