FULL TIME: Liverpool 5, Swansea 0 – Reds Dominant to Go Fourth

Football
  • The last match of Boxing Day English Premier League live actions has just ended with Liverpool Thrashed Swansea by 5-0 at Anfield

    • FT: Liverpool 5-0 Swansea
    • Coutinho with superb early goal
    • Firmino scores twice after half-time
    • Alexander-Arnold also scores (65)
    • Oxlade-Chamberlain with fifth (82)

    See how the goals were scored below

    GOAL! LIVERPOOL 5-0 SWANSEA (Oxlade-Chamberlain 82)

    Nice finish from Oxlade-Chamberlain after some more really sloppy defending from Swansea, who fail to clear the ball from inside the box three or four times. Eventually it’s stolen by Oxlade-Chamberlain and he lobs a shot over Fabianki and into the far corner.

    GOAL! LIVERPOOL 4-0 SWANSEA (Firmino 66)

    Swansea sloppiness punished. They give the ball away inside their own half and Salah gets into the box and then slides it across for Firmino to finish from close range. Really poor from the visitors in the last few minutes.

    GOAL! LIVERPOOL 3-0 SWANSEA (Alexander-Arnold 65)

    What a moment for Alexander-Arnold. His first Premier League goal in front of the Kop.

    Robertson’s cross is headed out and Alexander-Arnold reacts quickest, touching it past a defender and then firing into the roof of the net from 15 yards out.

    GOAL! LIVERPOOL 2-0 SWANSEA (Firmino 51)

    Liverpool scored after six minutes in the first half, and they have scored six minutes into the second half to surely put this game to bed.

    Coutinho involved again, this time curling in a good free-kick which goes over everyone in the middle and falls for Firmino to volley in from six yards out.

    Long way back for Swansea now.

    GOAL! LIVERPOOL 1-0 SWANSEA (Coutinho 6)

    Wow. What a goal.

    A perfect start for Liverpool and it is a brilliant strike from Liverpool’s captain for the day. Firmino wins the ball inside the Swansea half and it’s played on for Coutinho, who gets his foot around the ball and whips it into the top corner from around 25 yards out.

    No stopping that for Fabianski.

    See goal updates below and post match reactions

    See goal updates below and post match reactions

    Man Utd 2-2 Burnley

    • Man Utd 2-2 Burnley
    • Barnes nets early for visitors (2)
    • Defour with stunning FK (36)
    • Lingard flick for 2-1 (53)
    • Sub Lingard again to level (90+1)
    • Two goals is ‘miserable’ – Mourinho

       Manchester United manager Jose Mourninho told Match of the Day: “We should have won, yes. I take satisfaction by the way the team played, by the way the team reacted, to try to recover from 2-0 down. The boys they fought against the 2-0 at half-time, so nothing at all negative to say about my players. I praise their spirit, their recation, the way they accept all the risks we took in the second half.”

      What went wrong in the first half? “I don’t know how they score a goal from a free kick, rebound here, rebound there. Similar goal that we conceeded in other matches and then they defend for 95 minutres, second shot they score again. For us to score two goals we need to play in their half for 45 minutes, with only one defender. The end product of so much dominance, two goals, is a miserable number. Lingard come in and helped the team, Lingard and Mkhitaryan gave us a good dynamic. All the boys accepted the risk to only play with Jones (in defence). All the boys accepted the risk that we took, at least the point is not a defeat and is the mimnimum the boys deserve for such spirit.”

      Fixture list a factor in you not winning?: “It was the same for us and the same for them, they are also one of the teams that is punished by the fixtures.”

      Going through a sticky spell? “Why? Because we deserve to win matches? Because the opponent went to our goal twice and they score twice? The quality of our play, the risk that we took today and also against Leicester, the team that deserved to win both matches is us.”

      Draw is ‘disapointing’ – Lingard

      Man United 2-2 Burnley

      Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard scored twice to rescue a point for United and he told the media: “It’s disapointing, obviously we created a lot of chances, we should have won the game. We dominated the game so we’re disapointed. I’m on form at the moment, it’s great being in the team and helping the team get goals.

      On a lack of rest days between matches: “We enjoy playing matches, that’s why we play football. The more games the better, we can rotate the squad if needs be.

      Burnley manager Sean Dyche told Match of the Day: “A lot of pride in a team that is stretched at the moment. The gameplan is you’re going to have to defend and do all of the ugly details of the game well. We scored early, we didn’t relax on that, we scored again. Second-half they dominated a lot more. To come out with a point is pleasing. My only frustration is the final decision on Sam Vokes, I don’t know what he’s (Vokes) supposed to do. I look at their team play and their bench they don’t look too vulnerable.”

      On Defour’s free-kick: “It was fantastic, on another day it wins the game. They’re a big side, we took him off to size up a bit. They’re a top side so overall you’re happy to get a point.

      Tempers frayed at times? “I wasn’t frayed, I always look like that. I’m calm. We’re trying to move forward and we have moved forward on the pitch with our points tally and off the pitch.”

    • FT: Bournemouth 3-3 West Ham 
    • Collins heads opener (7)
    • Gosling equaliser (30)
    • Ake puts Cherries ahead (57)
    • Arnautovic nets double (82, 87)
    • Wilson again pulls hosts level (90+3)
    • ‘Touch of magic’ from Wilson

      Callum Wilson after being credited with the controversial equaliser for Bournemouth against West Ham: Sometimes you get those decisions against you. I tried to go in as a striker and follow the ball in and put a little touch on it to our delight but not to West Ham’s.

      When asked a touch of what, Wilson responded with a laugh: Magic.

      It was eventful. It seems to be the way against West Ham. It is disappointing not to take three points as we played well until the slip. It was hard to go one down after seven minutes, but we have shown character to get back in the game at 2-1.

      Nathan Ake had handed Bournemouth a 2-1 lead just before the hour mark: We tried to defend and see the game out, but they have come back into the game and it was frustrating. To be fair it was hard to take, but all you can do is keep going. We are happy we have a point, but we wanted to win. It is a really important point and we now need to start picking up points, but it was important not to lose at home.

    • FT: Huddersfield 1-1 Stoke  
    • Sobhi levels in 60 minute
    • Huddersfield 1-0 Stoke
    • Ince opens scoring
    • Depoitre on bench for Huddersfield
    • Stoke team unchanged
    • FT: Watford 2-1 Leicester
    • Mahrez heads opener (37)
    • Wague levels things up (45)
    • Schmeichel OG puts hosts in front (65)
    • Wague makes first Watford start
    • Dragovic debuts for Leicester
    • ‘Defeat was harsh’ for Leicester

      Leicester boss Claude Puel: “It’s a story about free-kicks. Our first half was not bad with some quality and chances. We conceded the goal from the free-kick just before half-time.

      “In the second half it was more difficult. This result is a little harsh. It was not a bad game for us.

      “Unfortunately we cannot come back into the game with two or three chances at the end. It’s a story about free-kicks and we need to correct this.”

      On whether Kasper Schmeichel was to blame for his own goal:

      “All the team are responsible for the free-kick. We didn’t concede a lot of chances. It was difficult to defende against this team with long balls and second balls. They’re a physical team.

      “It’s a shame. It was an interesting game.”

    • FT: Chelsea 2-0 Brighton
    • Morata opens scoring (46)
    • Alonso makes it 2-0 (59)
    • Morata, Fabregas return
    • Hughton makes four changes
    • ‘We were luckier last season’

       Chelsea boss Antonio Conte: “In the first half we had the right chances to score but didn’t take them. For this reason it becomes difficult because you’re opponent stays with 10 players behind the ball.

      “In the second half we settled very well and created many chances. It was a good performance with good intensity.

      “It’s the same performance against Everton – against Everton we showed 25 times we had shots on goal but today we scored twice. We are in a good moment of form and just continue this way.

      “Morata is our number nine and is important. Today he played a good game with and without the ball, his commitment was great. But I’m happy with the commitment of all my players.

      “This season is different to last season. Last season a lot of times we won games and were a bit lucky – like against West Brom here, Sunderland. This season sometimes we could have more luck.

      “We have great respect for Manchester City because they are doing an extraordinary thing.”

      ‘We were value for something’

      Brighton boss Chris Hughton: “Over the 90 minutes I think we were value for something – I’m not talking about points, I’m talking about really participating in this game.

      “We need to figure a way of getting the goals we need. We’re very conscious of the division we’re in. What we will do is work as hard as we can coming up in January to strengthen the squad in areas that can strengthen us.”

    • FT: WEST BROM 0-0 EVERTON
    • West Brom 0-0 Everton
    • Bolasie ends year-long absence
    • Three West Brom changes

    ‘We need to be better in possession’

     Everton manager Sam Allardyce: “Our football was average in possession, which continues to concern me. We are building blocks in terms of being resilient but we need to be better in possession.

    “We’ve got another point, another clean sheet and we look forward to our injured and ill players come back so that, certainly in possession, we can get better.”

    FT: Tottenham Hotspur 5 – Southampton

    One more game to go

    Liverpool
    ? – ?
    Swansea City