Premier League

A fifth-minute penalty from Patrick Bamford was enough to give Leeds United a 1-0 win over Burnley at Elland Road in the Premier League on Sunday, but Sean Dyche's side were left furious after an Ashley Barnes effort was ruled out.

Bamford, who spent a spell on loan at Burnley earlier in his career, drilled home the early spot kick after referee Robert Jones ruled that Burnley keeper Nick Pope had brought down the Leeds forward. It was the Leeds man's 10th league goal of the season.

Manchester City breezed to a 2-0 home win over Newcastle United thanks to goals in each half from Ilkay Gundogan and Ferran Torres, a result that lifted them to fifth in the Premier League on Saturday.

On a rainy, cold night at the Etihad Stadium, Newcastle boss Steve Bruce started with a five-man backline but there was little his side could do to keep control of City's array of attacking talent.

Man City Newcastle Highlights

For Arsenal fans, it feels like the last time the Gunners won in the Premier League was a couple million years ago. In reality, it was nearly two months ago that Arsenal edged Manchester United. Since then, Mikel Arteta has watched his side lose five and draw two in league play. 

So it’s safe to say not even the most ardent of Arsenal fans expected what happened on Boxing Day.

Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings was sent off just before halftime with his side nursing a one-goal lead against Crystal Palace. Then Villa really showed how good it is.

Despite playing the entire second half down a man, Aston Villa throttled Crystal Palace 3-0 on Saturday. Remarkably, it was Villa’s fifth 3-0 victory of the season, which begs the question: Can this club actually compete for a spot in Europe?

LEICESTER, England — Leicester City came back twice to end Manchester United's away winning streak in the Premier League with a 2-2 draw at the King Power stadium on Saturday.

A Jamie Vardy shot which deflected off United defender Axel Tuanzebe, five minutes from the end, secured a point for Brendan Rodgers' side after Bruno Fernandes appeared to have secured another victory on the road for United.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, who had won their last ten away games in the Premier League, stay third on 27 points, a point behind second-placed Leicester.

Brentford made club history on Tuesday by beating Newcastle in the League Cup quarterfinals, the fourth Premier League side the Bees have usurped in this year's competition.

The victory marked the first time in club annals that Brentford has reached the semifinals of a major tournament (that classic Johnstone's Paint Trophy run of 2010-11 doesn't count).

Football without fans has hurt clubs throughout the footballing pyramid, but the pandemic has hit non-league sides especially hard. These clubs depend on ticket sales as a primary source of revenue, and with empty stadiums across England, many local teams have been pushed to the brink financially.

These semi-pro and amateur sides also provide a helpful reminder of what true football fandom entails.

2020 has been a rollercoaster year for many teams, but few clubs have experienced as many ups and downs this past year as Arsenal.

Last season's FA Cup champions are currently winless in their last seven matches and sitting 15th in the Premier League, which would be the worst finish since 1975-76 for the North London club.

The Gunners have five losses and two draws in their last seven matches, putting Mikel Arteta's status as Arsenal manager under heavy scrutiny. Arteta's response to this criticism was, while interesting, not entirely logical.

If you’re looking for a stern reminder of the threat posed by COVID-19 on even the fittest of athletes, look no further than Newcastle United and the lasting effects of an outbreak that initially began with a significant number of positive tests on Nov. 29. 

The day after, Newcastle’s entire first team squad went into self-isolation and a Premier League match against Aston Villa scheduled for Dec. 4 was ultimately postponed. It’s believed that the amount of positive tests ran into double figures.