Boxing Day Matches Round-Up + EPL Transfer Latest News:

Hello and welcome to my latest EPL blog post, where I do a round-up of yesterday's matches in the Boxing Day Special, including the last 2 evening matches between Aston Villa vs Tottenham and Stoke vs Liverpool, along with the LATEST EPL News.

5:30pm kick-off match:

Aston Villa 0 Tottenham Hotspur 4

This match was played at Villa Park, as the hosts tried to bounce back from an 8-0 thrashing away from home against Chelsea on Sunday, while Tottenham had the chance to move back into the top 4 with their 5th away win of the season.

Tottenham had all of the chances in the first half, with Bale having a curling shot from 20 yards out which was dipping straight into the top corner of the net - if it was not for goalkeeper Brad Guzan.

Striker Jermain Defoe broke the deadlock in the 58th minute to score his 10th goal of the season after getting past the Aston Villa defenders but beating the offside trap thanks to a through ball by defender Kyle Walker.

10 for the season: Defoe breaks the deadlock in the 58th minute with a good strike that beats Guzan.

It was coming: Defoe celebrates his goal against Aston Villa after 58 minutes of pressing by Spurs.

Welsh winger Gareth Bale doubled the lead in the 61st minute with a great solo effort beating a defender for pace before getting past the goalkeeper to slot the ball into the net after a defensive mistake.

He doubled his tally for the day from 12 yards out after a through ball by Lennon found him and he took a touch to control the ball before hitting the ball past Guzan into the net in the 73rd minute.

Easy does it: Bale goes around Guzan, before tapping the ball into the net to make it 2-0.

Brace: Bale scores again to make it 3-0 in the 73rd minute.

He completed his hat-trick to rub salt into Aston Villa's fresh new wounds in the 84th minute after a ball was played into him by midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson inside the 16-yard box.

Hat-trick hero: Bale celebrates his 3 goals against Aston Villa after winning the matchball.

Nice: Bale posted a picture on Twitter with his matchball on the top of his Christmas tree.

FACT: Aston Villa have conceded 12 goals in their last 2 matches against Chelsea, and now Tottenham. 

Not good enough for a side trying to avoid the relegation battle. If they do not spend money in the Winter transfer window, they may regret it and see themselves in the Championship next season. 

Stoke City 3 Liverpool 1  

This match was the 7:45pm kick-off at The Britannia Stadium, as Stoke hosted Liverpool.  

Liverpool talisman and striker Luis Suarez was brought down by Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross inside the penalty area, and the penalty was given.

Captain Steven Gerrard stepped up to take it, and he broke the deadlock in the 2nd minute with a cool, low effort straight into the bottom corner of the net. 

Liverpool midfielder and captain Steven Gerrard breaks the deadlock from the penalty spot in the 2nd minute.

Stoke instantly replied in the 5th minute, when striker Jonathan Walters equalised after taking advantage of a Martin Skrtel slip to place the ball into the net out of Pepe Reina's reach.

Slotted: Stoke striker Jonathan Walters equalises with a good effort past Reina in the 5th minute to make it 1-1.

Liverpool were shocked after this, and a Stoke corner was turned into the net by unmarked striker Kenwyne Jones after his header beat Reina and the Liverpool defenders to find the net.  

Flying in the air: Jones celebrates his headed effort to put Stoke ahead in the 12th minute from a corner.

Acrobatic celebration: Jones celebrates his header against Liverpool to give the hosts the lead.

Stoke winger Matthew Etherington almost made it 3-1 with a powerful effort from 14 yards out in the 22nd minute, but for a good save by Reina who acrobatically pushed the ball over the bar.

The Reds were desperate to get back into the match, and had chances with Suarez coming close on numerous occasions thanks to some good footwork inside the box, but his efforts were denied by Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. 

In the second half, Stoke made it 3-1 thanks to striker Jonathan Walters who took a half-volley shot towards goal, and even though Reina got a hand to it, it was too powerful to stop it from going into the back of the net.

Nice one: Walters celebrates his 2nd with his Stoke team-mates after a half-volley effort makes it 3-1.

Liverpool could not find a way back into the match, and Stoke held the lead to complete a 3-1 win and win 3 points at home to keep their 100% unbeaten home record intact. 

Other results from yesterday:  

Norwich 0 Chelsea 1

Winger Juan Mata scored his 7th of the season, and the only goal of the match at Carrow Road with a curled efffort past goalkeeper Mark Bunn after good build-up play with Moses and Oscar.  

Everton 2 Wigan Athletic 1 

Leon Osman and Phil Jagielka with the goals for the hosts as they moved into 5th place with a 2-1 victory at Goodison Park. 

Aroune Kone scored a consolation goal in the 82nd minute, but it was too late for Roberto Martinez's side.

FACT: Wigan have now lost 12 matches this season, with 5 at home, and 7 away from home. 

They are in the relegation zone in 18th place with 15 points. 

Fulham 1 Southampton 1

Craven Cottage saw 2 goals yesterday. Striker Dimitar Berbatov scored his 6th goal this season after a £5million move from Manchester United in August for the hosts, but Rickie Lambert gave the visitors a "get out of jail free" card in the 85th minute, after equalising from the penalty spot.

Manchester United 4 Newcastle United 3  

7-goal thriller at Old Trafford saw the EPL leaders take on 13th placed Newcastle. 

Newcastle started the match off well thanks to a goal from full-back James Perch. 

Ahead at OT: Newcastle full-back James Perch celebrates his goal against Manchester United.

Defender Jonny Evans equalised for the hosts with a scrappy goal inside the 6-yard box after a shot by striker Javier Hernandez was saved by Krul.
 

Equaliser: Defender Jonny Evans celebrates his scrappy goal with the Manchester United supporters.

Evans then scored again - but this time at the other end and gave Newcastle the lead again after a deflected effort hit him.   

Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra equalised in the 58th minute with a low strike which beat Tim Krul and found its way into the back of the net, into the bottom corner.

Come on! United left-back Patrice Evra shows no celebration as his goal gets United back into the match.

Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse broke his goal-scoring duck in the 68th minute in style with a good strike which flew past De Gea into the net just outside the box. 

Manchester United striker Robin van Persie made it 3-3 in the 71st minute after a scrappy bit of play in the box allowed him to win the ball inside the 16-yard box. 
He had his first shot parried by fellow Dutchman Tim Krul, but the follow-up was was clincically finished by van Persie to equalise.

Equaliser - AGAIN: Striker Robin van Persie scored his 13th goal of the season to make it 3-3 in the 71st minute.

United had more chances, with van Persie and Hernandez both coming close to scoring in the last 20 minutes. 

Valencia's cross into the box found Hernandez, but his header was just wide of the goal.

In the 85th minute, Newcastle striker Sammy (not Shola, his younger brother) Ameobi used some good footwork to get past Evra and Ferdinand before having a shot inside the box.  

The shot beat goalkeeeper David De Gea, but it hit the post and bounced back straight into the young Spainiard's arms. 

The match was won by Mexican striker Javier Hernandez in the 90th minute, when midfielder Michael Carrick's lofted delivery into the box for him fell straight to his feet as he ran away from the defender marking him. 

Hernandez hit the ball first time, and the ball went through Krul's legs into the net to give United a late winner at Old Trafford.

Boxing Day 9-Match Recap:  

• Chelsea beat Norwich 1-0 to move back into 3rd place thanks to a goal from winger Juan Mata. 
• Manchester United and Newcastle involved in 7-goal thriller at Old Trafford, with Hernandez scoring a last-minute winner. 
• Stoke keep their 100% unbeaten home run in-tact after 3-1 win over Liverpool.
• Reading draw 0-0 at home with Swansea. 
• Bale hat-trick and Defoe give Aston Villa more Christmas nigtmares with 4-0 win away from home to put Spurs into 4th place.
• QPR lose again, this time 2-1 to West Brom.
•  Former Manchester City winger Adam Johnson comes back to haunt his old club with the only goal in a 1-0 win for Sunderland against 2nd placed City. 
• The Arsenal vs West Ham match is POSTPONED due to safety and transport reasons.
• Berbatov gives Fulham the lead, but Southampton striker Rickie Lambert gives the away side a point after a 85th minute penalty goal. 1-1 is how it finished.
  

 EPL Latest Transfer News:

Liverpool are reportedly interesting in making a bid for Wigan striker Franco Di Santo in the January transfer window.

Time for a change? Wigan striker Franco Di Santo is linked with a move to Liverpool.

Chelsea target Radamel Falcao has told journalists that he will stay at Atletico Madrid until he end of the season at least.

Blow: Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao has scored 17 goals in the Liga BBVA so far this season - and is there to stay.

 

Wigan are ready to replace Di Santo, by making a £4million bid for Leeds striker Luciano Becchio.

Arsenal winger Andrey Arshavin has been heavily linked with a move to Reading, as they look to boost their strikeforce in the hope of staying in the EPL beyond this season. 

Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel has signed a new contract which will keep him at White Hart Lane until 2014 at least.

And the major news is:

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has reportedly been told to find a new club by the team.  

Wednesday Boxing Day LIVE Special:

Hello everyone! I hope that you all had a great day yesterday on Christmas Day, and enjoyed lots of food and drink with your family. But now, it is Boxing Day also known as the day after the night before. 

Today in the English Premier League, there are 9 EPL matches for all to enjoy while everyone finishes their leftovers from last night. Arsenal vs West Ham is the only match which does NOT go ahead, due to a tube strike in the area which will not allow supporters to get into the ground safely.

Here are the matches being played today (3pm unless stated):

Everton vs Wigan Athletic:

This match will be played at Goodison Park, as Everton look to boost their qualification hopes for the Europa League with a win at home against Wigan. It will not be easy for them, as Wigan have a strong defence, but the visitors strikeforce of Gomez and Kone may not be enough to trouble David Moyes' men.

Fulham vs Southampton:

Craven Cottage is the home of 13th placed Fulham. They host 17th placed Southampton, who are desperate to get further away from the relegation zone in a bid to stay in the EPL in their first season after promotion last season.  

Could Dimitar Berbatov or Rickie Lambert be the difference?

Manchester United vs Newcastle United:

The EPL leaders host a Newcastle side who have lost 4 matches away from home this season. They drew against Swansea last time out, and will be hoping for a win today at home.

It will not be easy for them, as Newcastle are a solid side despite their injuries to their squad. 
But they need a win at Old Trafford today. Or else their grip on the title will slip with City right behind them.

Norwich City vs Chelsea:

Norwich have been a surprise to everyone this season. Sitting in 10th place, with 25 points out of a possible 54.

Chelsea have come back from their Club World Cup adventure with a bang. An 8-0 bang in this case. A 8-0 thrashing of Aston Villa on Sunday proves that The Blues are hungry for Champions League qualification.

They can prove it today against a side that are underdogs at home, but who knows. They could pull off an upset.

QPR vs West Bromwich Albion:

QPR have been poor this season. Winning 1 out of 18 does not bode well for their hopes of staying in the EPL this season. 
However, after the appointment of former Tottenham and Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp, QPR have looked much different despite losing matches. The question is whether they can win at home today.

They have a tough test against 7th place West Brom, who can move into the TOP 4 with an away win today (as long as results go their way).

Reading vs Swansea City:

Not a Christmas cracker at The Madejski, but Reading NEED 3 points. They are stuck at the bottom of the table in 20th place, and a win at home will see them go into 19th, provided QPR lose to West Brom.  

Swansea on the other hand can move up to 8th place with a win, so a lot is counting on this match.

Sunderland vs Manchester City:

Speaking of a lot counting on matches, The Stadium Of Light is going to be a tense atmosphere. 

The hosts are in 15th place, and anything but a win will see them further pushed back into the relegation battle.
Manchester City need a win also, because they want to continue the pressure on rivals United because they are only 4 points away from top spot.

It will come down to who wants it more....

Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur - LIVE at 5:30pm

Stoke City vs Liverpoool - LIVE at 7:45pm

Team Line-ups: 

Manchester United vs Newcastle United:

Man United: De Gea, Smalling, Evra, Evans, Ferdinand, Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Scholes, Hernandez, van Persie.

Subs: Lindegaard, Vidic, Cleverley, Fletcher, Buttner, Wootton, Tunnicliffe.

A changed United line-up, with the absence of Rooney who is left out of the squad.

Giggs and Scholes both start, along with Hernandez and Carrick. 

Vidic drops to the bench, while Ferdinand comes back into defence.

Newcastle: Krul, Coloccini, Santon, Simpson, Williamson, Perch, Anita, Marveaux, Bigirimana, Cisse, Ba.

Subs: Elliot, Shola Ameobi, Obertan, Sammy Ameobi, Ferguson, Tavernier, Campbell.

Super sub Shola Ameobi (who scored the winner against QPR on Saturday) starts - FROM THE BENCH.

Gael Bigirimana is in the midfield, along with Vurnon Anita. 

5-2-1-2 formation for Alan Pardew.

Bigirimana and Anita the defensive midfielders, with Marveaux the lone winger. Ba and Cisse are up top, and the strikeforce.

Norwich v Chelsea:

Norwich: Bunn; R Martin, Bassong, Turner, Garrido, Pilkington, Johnson, Tettey, Snodgrass, Hoolahan, Holt.

Subs: Rudd, Howson, Jackson, Morison, E. Bennett, Barnett, R. Bennett.

Chelsea: Cech, Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Cahill, Cole, Luiz, Mikel, Mata, Oscar, Moses, Torres.

Subs: Turnbull, Ake, Ferreira, Lampard, Marin, Hazard, Piazon.

Lampard and Hazard drop to the bench, while Oscar starts.

4-4-1-1 formation for Rafa Benitez.

QPR vs West Brom:

QPR: Green; Fabio, Ferdinand, Hill, Traore; Faurlin, Mbia; Mackie, Taarabt, Wright-Phillips; Cisse. 

Subs: Cesar, Diakite, Derry, Granero, Hoilett, Ehmer, Dyer.

West Brom: Foster; Jones, McAuley, Olsson, Popov Mulumbu, Morrison Fortune, Gera, Brunt, Lukaku. 

Subs: Myhill; Ridgewell, Rosenberg, Long, Dorrans, Odemwingie, Tamas.

Sunderland vs Manchester City:

Sunderland: Mignolet, Gardner, Rose, Kilgallon, Cuellar, Larsson, Colback, Johnson, McClean, Sessegnon, Fletcher.  

Subs: Bardsley, Campbell, Wickham, McFadden, Vaughan, Bramble, Westwood.

Man City: Hart, Kompany, Zabaleta, K Toure, Nastasic, Y Toure, Garcia, Silva, Milner, Aguero, Tevez.

Subs: Pantilimon; Lescott, Rekik; Razak, Sinclair, Barry; Dzeko.

Fulham vs Southampton:

Fulham: Schwarzer, Riether, Hangeland, Senderos, Riise, Dejagah, Sidwell, Baird, Kacaniklic, Berbatov, Rodallega. Subs: Stockdale, Kelly, Karagounis, Briggs, Hughes, Ruiz, Frei.

Southampton: K Davis, Clyne, Fonte, Yoshida, Shaw, 

Schneiderlin, Cork, S Davis, Puncheon, Ramirez, Lambert. 

Subs: Boruc, Hooiveld, Rodriguez, Ward-Prowse, Guly, Richardson, Mayuka.

Everton vs Wigan:

Everton: Howard, Neville, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Osman, Hitzlsperger, Gibson, Pienaar, Jelavic, Anichebe. 

Subs: Mucha, Heitinga, Oviedo, Naismith, Gueye, Barkley, Vellios.

Wigan: A

l Habsi, Boyce, Caldwell, Figueroa, Stam, McCarthy, Jones, McArthur, Beausejour, Maloney, Kone.

 Subs: Pollitt, Di Santo, Gomez, McManaman, Boselli, Ramis, Golobart.

Reading vs Swansea:

Reading: Federici; Harte, Mariappa, Pearce, Gunter; McAnuff, Karacan, Leigertwood, Kebe; Guthrie; Pogrebnyak. Subs: Taylor, Cummings, Morrison, Tabb, Robson-Kanu, Le Fondre, Hunt.

Swansea: Vorm, Tiendalli, Chico, Williams, Davies, Britton, Ki, Michu, Routledge, Dyer, Moore.

Subs: Tremmel, Bartley, Monk, Agustien, De Guzman, Schechter, Graham.

15:00: The 7 3pm kick-off's have all started, apart from the match at Loftus Road.

They have decided to delay the match until 3.15 due to safety.

15:03:

Old Trafford,

Manchester United vs Newcastle United:

GOAL! The hosts have conceded believe it or not. Their defensive errors this season have continued. Striker Demba Ba's shot was parried away by goalkeeper David De Gea, but the ball fell to full-back James Perch to tap the ball into the net.

15:07:

Chants of "You shouldn't be here!" at Manchester United striker Robin van Persie from the Newcastle fans. This is embarassing for Sir Alex, who said that he could have died with a hit to the head on Sunday against Swansea.

15:09:

Craven Cottage,

Fulham vs Southampton:

The battle between 13th and 17th place has truly begun.

Striker Dimitar Berbatov has broken the deadlock to score his 6th goal this season in the EPL inside 10 minutes after converting Sascha Riether's cross.

He has also recieved a booking for his troubles after revealing a T-shirt which read "Keep calm and pass me the ball"

Interesting...

15:25:

Old Trafford,
Manchester United vs Newcastle United:

And guess what! It did not take long, as defender Jonny Evans has equalised for United with a lunging tap-in from close range after a Hernandez shot was saved by Tim Krul. 1-1, and United are back into the match. 

Back in the match: Manchester United defender Jonny Evans equalises for the home side after 25 minutes.

15:29:

Old Trafford,
Manchester United vs Newcastle United:

Ignore what I said! Newcastle are back in-front. And guess who scored?! 
Jonny Evans with a deflected own goal.
Controversy, as Newcastle would not have been given the goal if the strike did not hit the defender, but it did so they are BACK in the lead.

But despite that, Newcastle take the lead again. 2-1. 

15:39:

Carrow Road,
Norwich vs Chelsea:

The deadlock has broken just before half-time, and the lead has gone to the away side Chelsea. Winger Juan Mata has scored his 7th goal of the season with a great strike past Mark Bunn to put Benitez's men ahead after a nice attacking move with midfielders Moses and Oscar. 

7th of the season: Chelsea winger Juan Mata has broken the deadlock at Carrow Road. 1-0.

Clinical: Mata celebrates his goal to put The Blues ahead in the 39th minute.

15:40:

Loftus Road,
QPR vs West Brom:

GOAL for the away side! West Brom midfielder Chris Brunt has opened the scoring with a great strike from 25 yards out after a good pass from team-mate Marc-Antoine Fortune.

Doesn't look as though QPR are winning at home today... 

15:48:

HALF-TIME SCORES:

Manchester United 1 Newcastle 2
Everton 0 Wigan 0
QPR 0 West Brom 1
Norwich 0 Chelsea 1
Sunderland 0 Manchester City 0
Fulham 1 Southampton 0
Reading 0 Swansea City 0

15:50:
Boos from the home side at Old Trafford as the players go into the tunnel. They are evidently unhappy about the players performance in the first half, as they are trailing to 14th placed Newcastle - which is not good for a side that want to regain the EPL title.

16:05:
Half time in the match between QPR and West Brom after the delayed start. 
And at the same time, all of the matches which started at 3pm have restarted with the second half underway.

Notably, Sir Alex Ferguson is not happy and is giving the referee and the linesman a talking to after the controversy surrounding Newcastle's 2nd goal.

16:11:

Goodison Park,
Everton vs Wigan Athletic:

It looks like Everton may end the drawing drought today at home. Midfielder Leon Osman has broken the deadlock with a deflected effort past goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi.

16:12:

The Stadium Of Light,
Sunderland vs Manchester City:

The deadlock has been broken between 2nd and 15th place. And the latter have scored. 

Controversial goal, as Manchester City full-back Pablo Zabaleta was down injured on the floor, but winger Adam Johnson played on nonetheless to score against his former club and give the hosts the lead in the 54th minute. 
1-0, and the defending EPL champions are under the knife.

16:15: The second half has started at Loftus Road between QPR and West Brom. 1-0 to West Brom.

16:16:

Old Trafford,
Manchester United vs Newcastle United:

GOAL! United have equalised! Manchester United's left-back Patrice Evra has made it 2-2 with a strike that beat goalkeeper Tim Krul. 
Questions will be asked from the Holland international though, because he should have done better to keep it out. 

16:21:

Loftus Road,
QPR vs West Brom:

GOAL! And the hosts are surely down and out now? 
A corner is headed by defender Anton Ferdinand. Goalkeeper Robert Green parries at the ball, and it falls into his own net under pressure from West Brom midfielder Fortune.
49 minutes gone, and QPR have a game to save now, having gone 2 goals down.

16:26:

Old Trafford,
Manchester United vs Newcastle United:

GOAL! Newcastle have re-taken the lead once more with striker Papiss Cisse scoring a beautiful goal to end his goal-scoring drought. Assist goes to former Manchester United winger Gabriel Obertan. United are behind again with just over 20 minutes to play.

16:29:

Old Trafford,
Manchester United vs Newcastle United:

GOAL! This time, it is for the hosts! 
Robin van Persie has scored his 13th goal with a follow-up after his shot was parried away by Tim Krul. 3-3, and this match is a thriller. What a match.

16:36: 

Goodison Park,
Everton vs Wigan:

Defender Phil Jagielka has doubled the hosts' lead with a power header from a cross thanks to defensive midfielder Phil Neville on his 500th EPL appearance.

16:39:

Loftus Road,
QPR vs West Brom:

The comeback is on for the hosts. Striker Djibril Cisse halves the deficit after defender Stephane M'Bia splits open the defence with a nice through ball pass.

16:40:

Goodison Park,
Everton vs Wigan:

Arouna Kone gives Wigan late hope of salvaging something away from home after scoring from close range with a scrappy shot after the ball bounced around in the area and he was there to slot home.

16:42:

Craven Cottage,
Fulham vs Southampton:

PENALTY for Southampton. Fulham defender Chris Baird handles the ball inside the box, and striker Rickie Lambert steps up to take the penalty.....
He shoots... GOAL! Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer got a hand to it, but Lambert's strike was too powerful for him. 1-1, and Southampton have equalised. 

16:50:

Old Trafford,
Manchester United vs Newcastle United:

LATE DRAMA! Striker Javier Hernandez has started this match today, and repaid the faith shown in him by Sir Alex - by scoring a late winner in the 90th minute! United have completed the comeback, having trailed for most of the match!

Late winner: Hernandez scores in the 90th minute to give United all 3 points at OT.

16:52:

FULL-TIME SCORES:

Everton 2 Wigan 1

Manchester United 4 Newcastle 3

Norwich City 0 Chelsea 1

Reading 0 Swansea 0

Fulham 1 Southampton 1

Sunderland 1 Manchester City 0

17:00:
FULL TIME - QPR 1 West Brom 2

The evening matches (Aston Villa vs Spurs and Stoke vs Liverpool) will be covered in my next blog post tomorrow.

 

EPL Double Bill LIVE Coverage:

Hello and welcome to my latest EPL blog post.
Today, there is a double bill of EPL football, with Swansea hosting Manchester United at 1.30pm, while Chelsea play their first match at Stamford Bridge after the Club World Cup final loss against an in-form Aston Villa side who have Christian Benteke and Andreas Weimann fit to play.

Swansea vs Manchester United - LIVE:

0: The referee has blown the whistle to start the match at The Liberty Stadium in Wales, as 11th placed Swansea host the EPL leaders Manchester United in the first of two matches being played in the EPL today.

Team Line-ups:

Swansea: Vorm, Tiendalli, Chico, Williams, Davies, Dyer, Britton, Agustien, de Guzman, Routledge, Michu.
Subs: Tremmel, Graham, Monk, Shechter, Moore, Ki, Richards.

Man Utd: De Gea, Jones, Evans, Vidic, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Cleverley, Young, Rooney, van Persie.
Subs: Lindegaard, Giggs, Hernandez, Welbeck, Scholes, Fletcher, Buttner.

Bargain: Swansea forward Michu has scored 12 goals in his first season after a £2million move in the summer.

Well spent: £24million striker Robin van Persie has also scored 12 goals this season for new club Manchester United.

6: Manchester United trying to pass the ball around comfortably at the back.

7: Swansea corner, and the home supporters are getting hyped up for the first corner of the match...

8: Comfortable catch for United goalkeeper David De Gea, and he throws the ball out to his defenders. 

9: Lofted ball by Kemy Augustien into the box for forward Michu. He beats Manchester United defender Vidic with pace, and takes a shot while off balance..... WIDE! 
He snatched at the shot, and should have taken a touch to control the ball. 

10: Swansea winger Wayne Routledge has a shot from just outside the box.... COMFORTABLE SAVE!! by De Gea.     

12: Michu has another shot on target, but defender Jonny Evans blocks it, and De Gea comfortably holds the ball.

13: Rooney has a shot from 20 yards out which swerves towards goal.... PARRIED by Michel Vorm.   

15: Manchester United corner whipped into the box, and left-back Patrice Evra jumps over a Swansea defender's head to head the ball towards goal..... GOALLL!!!! United break the deadlock after 15 minutes!

Deadlock broken: Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra heads the away side in-front after 15 minutes.

3 for me: Patrice Evra celebrates his 3rd goal of the season against Swansea after 15 minutes.

21: Possession:
Swansea - 41%, Manchester United - 59%  

24: Augustien is furious after a challenge on Evra sees a United free-kick given.

26: Manchester United's young defender Phil Jones is given a yellow card after a 50-50 collision with Swansea defender Davies.  

30: GOAL FOR SWANSEA!!! And guess who scored?!?! The one, the only Michu! 

Swansea midfielder Jonathan De Guzman took a shot from inside the 16-yard box after a counter attack found him with a nice through ball. His shot was on target, but goalkeeper David De Gea parried the ball away to safety.
Unfortunately for hm, Michu was lurking next to the ball, and he cooly tapped the ball past De Gea into the net to score his 13th goal of the season.  

45: The fourth official has signalled for 1 minute of stoppage time to be added on at The Liberty Stadium.

45+1: The referee has blown the whistle to end the first half of end-to-end action at The Libefrty Stadium tbetween Swansea and Manchester United.

Both sides have played attractive football, with United dominating the first 20 minutes. Swansea have been dangerous on the counter attack, with Michu showing exactly why he is the "bargain of the season".
Manchester United will be desperate to win today, because they will go 6 points clear of rivals Manchester City on Christmas day next Tuesday. If they draw or lose, the momentum will switch in their title rivlas' favour.   

45: The referee has blown the whistle to start the second half in Wales.

53: End-to-end start to the second half, with Swansea and Manchester United both going on counter attacks, but neither side able to trouble the other's goalkeeper. 

58: Swansea defender Chico Flores is shown a yellow card after a late tackle on Wayne Rooney.

60: Manchester United SUB:
Antonio Valencia OFF
Javier Hernandez ON

Swansea SUB:
Leon Britton OFF
Ki Sung-Yeung ON  

64: United piling on the pressure, looking for the 2nd goal now. 
 
66: United dominating possession and passing aswell, as the stats show:

Possession: United 75% - Swansea 25% 

66: Rooney crosses a ball into the box for van Persie.. who hits the ball sideways on in the air towards goal.... OFF THE BAR!!

The referee has given United a corner, even though van Persie was the last player to touch the ball, but what a goal it would have been in RVP scored. The Dutchman shows his intelligence once again by creating a good chance out of nothing really. 

68: Rooney is given a yellow card after he clipped Swansea midfielder Tendalli. Swansea free-kick, and that is Rooney's 4th yellow card of the season so far. 1 more and he gets a suspension....

70: Swansea SUB:
Jonathan De Guzman OFF
Luke Moore ON

Good decision by Michael Laudrup. De Guzman has had a goo match today, but he needs to have his players fit and energized, hence the substitution with 20 minutes to go, plus a player to link up well with Michu as they look to hold on against the EPL leaders.  

71: Hernandez has a shot inside the box deflected off a defender before stopped by goalkeeper Michel Vorm. Good chance created by van Persie on the counter attack for United. Still 1-1 though.  

73: Cameras show that winger Ryan Giggs is about to come on for Manchester United, back in his home country of Wales.  

74: van Persie is brought down just outside the box by Nathan Dyer, and Swansea captain Ashley Williams kicks the ball away, but the ball hits van Persie on the head.
The Dutchman reacts angrily to this, and a scuffle breaks out between him and Williams before many team-mates break the fight up.

75: The referee decides to end the drama by giving both Robin van Persie and Ashley Williams yellow cards.    

76: Rooney's free-kick just outside the area is blocked by the Swansea wall, and the ball goes out of play before a United substitution is made: 

Manchester United SUB:
Wayne Rooney OFF
Ryan Giggs ON

Rooney is ironically jeered off the pitch after having a bad day at the office today, not making much impact for the away side, and maybe Giggs can make an instant impact and help United win all 3 points going into Christmas.    

81: Giggs is making an instant impact, after a good through ball onto the win is delivered into the box for van Persie and Young to both take chances.
van Persie's shot is blocked by a Swansea defender, while Young's strike hits the arm of a Swansea defender off the line, but the hosts play on. 

85: Manchester United SUB:
Tom Cleverley OFF
Paul Scholes ON

87: Swansea SUB:
Kemy Agustien OFF
Itay Shechter ON

90: The fourth official has signalled for 4 minutes of stoppage time to be added on.

90+1: Scholes is given a yellow card after a silly studs-up tackle on Wayne Routledge.

90+3: 1 minute left of the match, and it looks as though it will stay 1-1.

90+4: The referee has blown the whistle to end the match at The Liberty Stadium, as Swansea held on to draw with Manchester United, 1-1 thanks to a goal by Michu mid-way through the first half. 

Manchester United fail to move 6 points clear of title rivals Manchester City, but are 4 points clear at the top of the table at Christmas.
They will play Newcastle on Boxing Day, and that will be covered by me on Wednesday in my Boxing Day 9 Match SPECIAL.  

Meanwhile, Swansea will be happy that they played well against the EPL leaders and deservedly won a point today. They stay in 11th place with 24 points, and have a match away against Reading on Boxing Day. 

Chelsea vs Aston Villa - LIVE Commentary: 

Team Line-ups:
  
Chelsea: Cech, Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Cahill, Cole, Luiz, Lampard, Moses, Mata, Hazard, Torres.

Subs: Turnbull, Ramires, Oscar, Ferreira, Marin, Piazon, Ake.

Aston Villa: Guzan, Herd, Clark, Baker, Lowton, Bannan, Westwood, Lichaj, Weimann, Holman, Benteke.

Subs: Given, Ireland, El Ahmadi, Albrighton, Delph, Bowery, Bennett.

16:00: The referee Phil Dowd has blown his whistle to start the first half of the match at Stamford Bridge, between 2 of the 4 Capital One semi-finalists.

2: Right-back Cesar Azpilicueta whips a ball into the box for striker Fernando Torres who jumps before heading the ball towards goal...GOAL!!! 
Torres breaks the deadlock for Chelsea after only 2 minutes of playing time to score his 7th goal in the EPL this season.

16:50:

HALF-TIME: Chelsea 3 Aston Villa 0

The Blues are casually cruising throguh this match with 45 minutes still to play. Torres broke the deadlock after 2 minutes, before defender David Luiz scored a powerfully dipping free-kick from 20 yards out in the 28th minute. 
Branislav Ivanovic made it 3-0 in the 33rd minute after Mata's delivery from a corner found Cahill. Cahill took a shot while off balance, and Guzan parried the ball away, but Ivanovic was there to head the ball into the net.  

Early opener: Striker Fernando Torres heads Chelsea into a 2 minute lead against Aston Villa.

7th goal of the season: Torres celebrates his early strike with team-mate Victor Moses.

Clinical: Chelsea DEFENDER David Luiz scores a free-kick from 20 yards out to double the lead.

Watch out: Luiz has scored more free-kicks this season than "the great, consistent" Ronaldo.

Domination: Branislav Ivanovic cleans up a parried save by Guzan to make it 3-0 to Chelsea before half-time.

17:55:

FULL-TIME: Chelsea 8 Aston Villa 0

Yes, you saw correctly. Chelsea won by 8 goals to nil. Aston Villa's 5 match unbeaten run grounds to a holt. 

Chelsea's "living legend" midifielder Frank Lampard made it 4-0 in the 60th minute with a bullet strike from 30 yards out which creeped past Brad Guzan into the net.

Landmark: Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard scores to make it 4-0 on his 500th appearance for Chelsea.

Sign me up! Lampard is on his last year of contract at Chelsea, and rumours are ciruclating that he will leave in the summer.

Then, substitute Lucas Piazon played a lovely through ball to midfielder Ramires, who took a low, powerful shot from 14 yards out towards goal, and the ball went through Brad Guzan's legs into the net.

Aston Villa defender Chris Herd conceded a penalty in the 78th minute after clipping Oscar inside the box with his arm. There was hardly any contact, and it looked as though it was a dive, but Oscar stepped up and blasted the ball into the top corner of the net.

1st goal of the season: Chelsea midfielder Oscar celebrates his goal from the penalty spot against Aston Villa.

Nice 1-2 play by Piazon and Hazard found the latter with the ball inside the  box. Hazard weaved in and out past two defenders before blasting the ball powerfully past Guzan into the net.  

Hazardous: Chelsea winger Eden Hazard makes it 7-0 to the hosts in the 83rd minute.

And the last goal of the day for Chelsea fell to midfielder Ramires, when a quick counter attack was finished by the Brazillian from just inside the box.

Chelsea have moved back up into 3rd place, with 1 game in hand over every side having played in the Club World Cup instead of playing the match against Southampton.     
Aston Villa's solid run of form has come to an end, after an 8-0 thrashing by The Blues. They fail to move up in the table and are stuck in 16th place, just ahead of the relegation zone. 

EPL's Latest News - December, Part 2:

Arsenal target Klaas Jan-Huntelaar has ended speculation of a move to The Gunners, by signing a new contract with FC Schalke 04. 

Here to stay: Schalke striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has signed a contract extension which will keep him at the club until June 2015.

Arsene Wenger has persuaded 5 of his Young Gunners to all sign new contract extensions, amid rumours that winger Theo Walcott will NOT sign a new contract deal and will leave in the summer to either Manchester United, Juventus, Chelsea or Liverpool. 

Where's Walcott: Jenkinson, Ramsey, Wilshere, Gibbs and Oxlade-Chamberlain all signed new contracts for Arsenal.

AC Milan are reportedly ready to make a £20million bid for Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli, in an attempt to take him back to Italy. 

Making way? Balotelli's EPL career has been plagued with controversy, and AC Milan are ready to make a move for him.

City manager Roberto Mancini has said that he wants Balotelli to stay, but the Manchester City chief Txiki Begiristain has reportedly flown into Brazil to talk to Neymar's representatives over a possible move to Manchester at the end of this season.  

Will he or won't he? Santos forward Neymar is wanted by Manchester CIty, along with Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Chelsea are ready to make a surprising £5million move for Tottenham full-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto as a replacement for Ashley Cole who is rumoured to be leaving The Blues soon.

That would be a surprise if the deal is done. Even though Assou-Ekotto has admitted that he likes the money, I doubt that Tottenham would sell a defender to their London rivals.

Tottenham are lining up a £8million bid for Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha. They are in a battle with Arsenal and Manchester United, who are both also interested in the under-21's services. 

At the top level: Crystal Palace startlet Wilfried Zaha is wanted by Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal.

He is one of England's top prospects, and despite what manager Ian Hollaway has said, it does not look as though he will stay at Palace for long. 

Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge is undergoing a medical at Melwood, ahead of a £12million transfer move to Liverpool in the January transfer window.

Undergoing a medical: Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge is on his way to Liverpool in January for £12million.

Good transfer on Liverpool's part. They only have one recognised striker in Luis Suarez, so if he gets injured, then they are in serious trouble. Another midfielder and a defender would not go amiss for Brendan Rodgers aswell. 
Chelsea are not using Sturridge to his full potential, they obviously did not see him play on loan at Bolton but then again, they are too focused on Torres and the "midfield three" of Mata, Oscar and Hazard to think about the future talented players on their bench.  

Manchester United are targeting moves for Denmark defender Jores Okore, and Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster as Sir Alex Ferguson looks to bolster his squad ahead of a busy term of football next year..

Heroics: Goalkeeper Fraser Forster has pushed Celtcic into the Last 16 of the CL. United now want him. 

SAF needs to bolster his defence. It is too leaky, and Forster is a great goalkeeper. He may be the one to put De Gea and Lindegaard under pressure after his great performances in the Champions League this season for Celtic.

Fulham are favourites to sign unsettled Aston Villa striker Darren Bent in January, who is upset and disappointed at the lack of matches that he is playing, despite being the club's record signing at £24million pounds.

A good strike partner for Dimitar Berbatov perhaps? All Bent needs is game time, and he will get that at Fulham. 

Everton are interested in taking Manchester City winger Scott Sinclair on loan in the January transfer window, after the lack of matches from the Welshman after a £7million move from Swansea in the summer.

Ineffective so far: Scott Sinclair was bought by Mancini in the summer, but Everton want him on-loan.

Everton are short in attack, and would love to have more attacking options as they look to secure a place in next season's Europa League. A good signing if it goes through, for both parties.

 
Thank you for reading my EPL Blog today. I will speak to you all next week on Wednesday 26th of December. 
Have a Merry Christmas, and I will be back on Boxing Day for 9 EPL matches.