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Premier League Boxing Day preview: We look at the main talking points for Thursday's football including Leicester v Liverpool
We look at the main talking points for Thursday's football including the big Leicester v Liverpool clash and the return of Paul Pogba.
In the last few games before Christmas, there were plenty of talking points as Chelsea secured a fine victory at Tottenham, but an allegation of racism from fans towards Antonio Rudiger soured the occasion.
Watford kicked off their survival bid by easily beating the ultra inconsistent Manchester United, who had Paul Pogba back off the bench and looking like he could make a long-term impact.
Liverpool increased their grip on the Premier League title without even playing as Manchester City beat Leicester to close in on second.
Here's what we learned from the latest round of Premier League games as we look ahead to a bumper Boxing Day schedule.
Can Liverpool's title grip increase?
The Reds managed to increase their grip on the Premier League without even playing, as Man City beat Leicester while they were out in Qatar winning the Club World Cup.
A few weeks back there was a chance when they faced Leicester on Boxing Day that the Foxes could be within touching distance, but Brendan Rodgers' side lost 3-1 at the Etihad to ensure the gap remains at 10 points. On top of this, the Reds have a game in hand over their title rivals. It feels like only a matter of time before Jurgen Klopp gets his hands on the Premier League trophy.
Can Pogba fire for United?
A major question has been whether Pogba would even be at United after January, but he showed his importance with a cameo in their hugely disappointing loss at Watford.
The Red Devils entered the game on a high, after recent wins over Manchester City and Tottenham, but it is in matches against sides outside of the top six where the Frenchman's creativity is needed.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team can sit back and counter-attack against the likes of City and Spurs, but they continuously struggle to break down the other teams in the Premier League. The introduction of Pogba at Vicarage Road saw United finally wake up and he helped them to create a number of chances. It was too little too late and again shows his importance going forward this season.
Can Watford perform a great escape?
While the visitors at Watford were incredibly poor for an hour, the hosts secured three much-needed points and especially at home. Nigel Pearson's arrival - combined with Hayden Mullins' brief, but noteworthy impact as caretaker - has resulted in the Hornets' survival prospects improving.
They have been solid in games against Leicester, Crystal Palace and Liverpool and finally got their reward in front of goal against United. Pearson's men will be bottom at Christmas but have a building block ahead of a crucial run of fixtures coming up.
Alleged racism mars Apprentice vs Master
Frank Lampard watched his Chelsea get the better of Jose Mourinho's Tottenham, but an allegation of racism marred the 2-0 win for the Blues. Away defender Rudiger was on the receiving end of an alleged racist remark from the stands, which was reported to referee Anthony Taylor, who informed both managers.
🗨 Gary Neville speaks out on racism after today's incident at Tottenham.
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) December 22, 2019
🗣️ Calls for players to feel empowered enough to walk off the pitch if suffering racist abuse#TOTCHEpic.twitter.com/TcVbD2uNee
A Tottenham stadium announcement during the game said "racist behaviour among spectators is interfering with the game". There were two further announcements. It was a real sour note after a brilliant victory for Lampard following a difficult run of form.
Spurs play at home against Brighton on Boxing Day and all eyes will be on the crowd.
Will Blades keep sharp?
At the halfway point of the league season, new boys Sheffield United are fifth after another excellent result on the road. The away-day specialists claimed a 1-0 win at Brighton thanks to Oli McBurnie's first-half goal.
It made it three victories in a row for Chris Wilder's side, who are yet to lose away from home in the Premier League this season. Talk of a European tour was played down by Blades fan Wilder afterwards, but they have been more consistent than Spurs, United and Arsenal so far.