Category: News

Manchester City’s Premier League games with Arsenal and Liverpool are among the 12 matches to be shown live on Sky Sports in February.

Pep Guardiola’s reigning champions begin the month with a trip to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday February 2, kick-off at 4.30pm – and end it with another Super Sunday clash with Arne Slot’s side at the Etihad on February 23, with the kick-off time TBC.

Sky Sports will also show Tottenham vs Manchester United on Sunday February 16, kick-off at 4.30pm, as part of a Super Sunday which also includes Liverpool‘s game with Wolves at Anfield at 2pm.

Before Guardiola’s City travel to Arsenal on February 2, Sky Sports will show Brentford vs Tottenham at 2pm, with a Midlands derby between Wolves and Aston Villa on Saturday Night Football the day before at 5.30pm.

That weekend will also see another edition of Monday Night Football with title-chasing Chelsea hosting West Ham in a London derby on February 3 at 8pm.

Enzo Maresca’s Blues will also be live on Sky the following Friday when they travel to Brighton on Valentine’s Day, kick-off 8pm. Also that weekend, Crystal Palace vs Everton is the Saturday Night Football pick on February 5 at 5.30pm.

Sky Sports will show Leicester vs Brentford on Friday Night Football on February 21 at 8pm, with Aston Villa vs Chelsea and Newcastle vs Nottingham Forest the broadcast games on the Saturday and Sunday respectively, before City host Liverpool later that weekend.

Upcoming Premier League matches live on Sky Sports

Monday December 9

West Ham vs Wolves, kick-off 8pm

Saturday December 14

Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa, kick-off 5.30pm

Sunday December 15

Bournemouth vs West Ham, kick-off 2pm

Manchester City vs Manchester United, kick-off 4.30pm

Monday December 16

Brighton vs Crystal Palace, kick-off 8pm

Saturday December 21

Crystal Palace vs Arsenal, kick-off 5.30pm

Sunday December 22

Fulham vs Southampton, kick-off 2pm

Tottenham vs Liverpool, kick-off 4.30pm

Sunday December 29

Leicester vs Man City, kick-off 2.30pm

West Ham vs Liverpool, kick-off 5.15pm

Monday December 30

Manchester United vs Newcastle, kick-off 8pm

Saturday January 4

Brighton vs Arsenal, kick-off 5.30pm

Sunday January 5

Fulham vs Ipswich, kick-off 2pm

Liverpool vs Manchester United, kick-off 4.30pm

Monday January 6

Wolves vs Nottingham Forest, kick-off 8pm

Saturday January 18

Arsenal vs Aston Villa, kick-off 5.30pm

Sunday January 19

Everton vs Tottenham, kick-off 2pm

Ipswich vs Man City, kick-off 4.30pm

Monday January 20

Chelsea vs Wolves, kick-off 8pm

Saturday January 25

Man City vs Chelsea, kick-off 5.30pm

Sunday January 26

Crystal Palace vs Brentford, kick-off 2pm

Aston Villa vs West Ham, kick-off 4.30pm

Saturday February 1

Wolves vs Aston Villa, kick-off 5.30pm

Sunday February 2

Brentford vs Tottenham, kick-off 2pm

Arsenal vs Man City, kick-off 4.30pm

Monday February 3

Chelsea vs West Ham, kick-off 8pm

Friday February 14

Brighton vs Chelsea, kick-off 8pm

Saturday February 15

Crystal Palace vs Everton, kick-off 5.30pm

Sunday February 16

Liverpool vs Wolves, kick-off 2pm

Tottenham vs Man Utd, kick-off 4.30pm

Friday February 21

Leicester vs Brentford, kick-off 8pm

Saturday February 22

Aston Villa vs Chelsea, kick-off 5.30pm

Sunday February 23

Newcastle vs Nottingham Forest, kick-off TBC

Man City vs Liverpool, kick-off TBC

Your club’s Premier League fixture list

Arsenal fixtures

Aston Villa fixtures

Bournemouth fixtures

Brentford fixtures

Brighton fixtures

Chelsea fixtures

Crystal Palace fixtures

Everton fixtures

Fulham fixtures

Ipswich fixtures

Leicester fixtures

Liverpool fixtures

Man City fixtures

Man Utd fixtures

Newcastle fixtures

Nottingham Forest fixtures

Southampton fixtures

Tottenham fixtures

West Ham fixtures

Wolves fixtures

On a weekend where they didn’t even play, Liverpool gained some traction on two of their title rivals, Arsenal and Manchester City. In many ways, things couldn’t be going much better for Arne Slot’s side.

Things looked even better with Tottenham 2-0 up on their other closest challengers, Chelsea, inside 11 minutes on Sunday. It looked like a potential classic Spurs victory until Enzo Maresca regrouped his side at the interval, told them they were still in the game and then watched them net three second-half goals to win 4-3.

And more importantly, it moved them four points off the league leaders, who had a watching brief after Storm Darragh’s unwelcome input put paid to the Merseyside derby on Saturday lunchtime.

It was 45 minutes away from being Liverpool’s perfect weekend, but instead Chelsea have a dangerous trio of momentum, the most potent attack in the Premier League, and a favourable fixture list over the coming weeks.

Liverpool have only one free midweek until the end of January and that comes over the busy New Year period, so it looks unlikely they will be able to find a new date to face Everton during that time – meaning a four-point swing would be enough for Chelsea to overturn their lead.

With the deepest squad of the title chasers and now out in front as the top scorers in the division, Enzo Maresca’s insistence that the Blues are not in the race may not hold water for much longer.

Of Chelsea’s next seven league games before a trip to the Etihad Stadium on January 25, only Crystal Palace finished last season in the top half of the Premier League, and none currently sit inside this year’s top seven.

The average position of their opponents in that time is 13.7, while Arsenal’s is 11.9 and Liverpool’s the highest with 11.1. The Reds also have to face traditional big-six rivals Tottenham and Man Utd in that time – though both currently languish in the bottom half of the league – as well as Nottm Forest, who won at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The only three top-half teams Chelsea face come in the form of Brentford, Bournemouth and Fulham, with all three travelling to Stamford Bridge, and each an opponent the Blues will be confident of beating on their day.

That would, bizarrely enough, need to begin with a first-ever Premier League home win over the Bees this weekend, as Thomas Frank’s side have beaten them in all three games at Stamford Bridge since their promotion in 2021.

But this is a Chelsea side in the kind of form which it has been lacking in recent years, while Brentford are yet to win away from home this season.

The Blues’ run of 12 goals in three games to see off Aston Villa, Southampton and now Spurs has elevated them to the position of the division’s top goalscorers, four ahead of Frank’s Bees in an unlikely second spot.

Those goals have come from seven different scorers across the week, with Maresca fully showcasing the depth of his squad to allow 21 different players to feature in the 270 minutes of Premier League football.

Only Southampton, Man City and Ipswich have made more starting line-up changes this season, but it has not affected Maresca’s side in the same way as any of the trio given the strength of options he has in reserve.

The Blues’ other four games come against Ipswich, Crystal Palace, Everton and Wolves – all sides within five points of the relegation zone as things stand.

Chelsea are yet to be beaten by any side in the bottom half, and have a points-per-game record only bettered by their two title rivals Arsenal and Liverpool in games against teams outside the top 10.

Whether Chelsea’s points tally and form is enough to sustain a title charge for another 23 games will be tested in the new year, but Jamie Carragher thinks they will lack the quality defensively to lift the Premier League trophy in May.

Addressing their title challenge on Super Sunday, he said: “It is real, because they are there. The big advantage for them is not playing in the Champions League, so Maresca can change the whole team and it’s still a proper team.

“They’ve got six or seven forwards who you could arguably say are first choice. Not being in the Carabao Cup could be important if Arsenal or Liverpool get to the final.

“I look at the goalkeeper and two centre-backs, Benoit Badiashile who played [against Tottenham] and I just can’t see someone winning the Premier League with that goalkeeper and without real stand-out centre-back.

“City won it with Ederson and Ruben Dias, Liverpool with Alisson and Virgil van Dijk, you go back to John Terry and Petr Cech. Those figures you think you need to win a title, I still think Chelsea are still a little bit short in those areas.”

Chelsea’s next seven league fixtures

• December 15: Brentford (h)
• December 22: Everton (a)
• December 26: Fulham (h)
• December 30: Ipswich (a)
• January 4: Crystal Palace (a)
• January 14: Bournemouth (h)
• January 20: Wolves (h) – live on Sky Sports

Liverpool’s next seven league fixtures

• December 14: Fulham (h)
• December 22: Tottenham (a) – live on Sky Sports
• December 26: Leicester (h)
• December 29: West Ham (a) – live on Sky Sports
• January 5: Man Utd (h) – live on Sky Sports
• January 14: Nottm Forest (a)
• January 18: Brentford (h)

Arsenal’s next seven league fixtures

• December 14: Everton (h)
• December 21: Crystal Palace (a) – live on Sky Sports
• December 27: Ipswich (h)
• January 1: Brentford (a)
• January 5: Brighton (a) – live on Sky Sports
• January 15: Tottenham (h)
• January 18: Aston Villa (h) – live on Sky Sports

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher is back to assess the controversial moments from the weekend’s action.

Dermot: ‘Intensity’ saves Caicedo from red

INCIDENT: Moises Caicedo appears to plant his studs into the shin of Pape Matar Sarr during Chelsea’s 4-3 win at Tottenham. No foul is given at the time and a VAR review decides not to intervene.

DERMOT SAYS: “I think it’s a yellow card. I can understand why Jamie Carragher thinks it’s a red.

“I think he goes down, puts his foot into the ground and doesn’t go through it – that’s what saves him. If he catches him half-way up the shin, he’s going to get a red card.

“What everybody’s looking for now is intensity. Has he got it, has he got the momentum, has he gone through it. His boot comes down on the pitch, rather than his shin.

“That’s what saves him.”

Dermot: Not enough in Kulusevski elbow to warrant red

INCIDENT: Dejan Kulusveski catches Romeo Lavia on the side of the head with a raised elbow as the pair duel for the ball. Again, the incident goes unpunished despite a VAR check.

DERMOT SAYS: “I heard [the VAR] say it lacked the intensity, he didn’t use his arm as a weapon, he didn’t draw it back.

“The question you’d ask is why he has his arm up like that. Why’s he running like that? It’s a dilemma.

“I heard the VAR say he’s got his arm up but he doesn’t draw it back, he doesn’t use it as a weapon. It doesn’t have the intensity, as you say, the buzzword now.

“That was their reason – when you look at where [the referee] is and what he’s seen, he was speaking to the VAR and if you look at the images now, he’s looking straight at it.

“He sees what happens and will know how hard he’s caught him. The images will then portray what he’s said.”

Dermot: Difficult to do more about Tottenham missiles

INCIDENT: As Chelsea players go across to take corners in front of the home end at Tottenham, paper used to make a pre-match display is thrown at their takers, causing delays on several occasions.

DERMOT SAYS: “The best thing to do is what they did do, which is try to sweep it away very quickly.

“The worst scenario is to have to suspend the game. When that happens, it invites people to do it more.

“It’s not nice, it’s not clever. It happened on both sides, the referee and assistant did as best they could to get rid of it and move on.”

Dermot: Lewis red ‘exposes’ issue over second yellows

INCIDENT: Rico Lewis is shown a second yellow card in Man City’s draw at Crystal Palace, despite appearing to be trodden on by Trevoh Chalobah.

DERMOT SAYS: “When you see that, you’d say yes – but looking at it close up, it’s unlucky.

“He doesn’t catch Chalobah, it’s the other way round. He’s paid a heavy price for the earlier yellow card.

“When you see it as the referee sees it, I understand why he’s sent him off, it looks like a lunging challenge.

“But it does expose that you can’t change second yellows.”

‘No second-yellow review was to reduce stoppages’

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher on whether second yellow cards should be reviewed by VAR:

“At the moment, VAR is evolving. Whether that will come, I don’t know.

“There was the [Carlos] Baleba one the other week, which everyone thought wasn’t a yellow card.

“It might gather ground but at the moment it’s impossible.

“I think it’s the amount of stoppages [which have stopped it being brought in]. It will evolve, we’re in a better place than we were five years ago.”

Dermot: No argument over Palace final whistle

INCIDENT: Rob Jones blows the final whistle at Selhurst Park with Jeremy Doku looking to counter-attack from a Crystal Palace corner.

DERMOT SAYS: “He blows up very early, doesn’t he? They’re 70 yards from goal.

“I don’t see a lot of argument here. He’s got so far to travel with the ball and the ref’s got to blow the whistle at some point.

“He’s looking to blow in a safe period. It’s 70 yards from goal and I don’t see anything other than that being a safe period.”

Dermot: VAR did well to take time over Saliba goal

INCIDENT: William Saliba’s Arsenal equaliser at Fulham is awarded after a VAR check, having initially looked offside following Kai Havertz’s header to tee him up.

DERMOT SAYS: “If you remember the infamous Arsenal-Brentford game, where the VAR gave up on the decision, they took a little bit longer here.

“They explained to the referee here that it would take a bit of time to check and get the lines on. It took a little bit of time but they got it right.”

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Tottenham’s Dejan Kulusevski appeared to have elbowed Chelsea’s Romeo Lavia whilst trying to challenge for the ball. Was the Spurs midfielder lucky to escape any punishment?

Cole Palmer possesses the “X-factor” to lead Chelsea to a Premier League title, says Paul Merson, while Jamie Carragher thinks he could become Chelsea’s “greatest ever.”

Chelsea fought back from two goals down to win 4-3 at London rivals Tottenham to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to four points.

Palmer kept his nerve at key moments to score twice from the penalty spot as he became the first player in Premier League history to score 12 consecutive spot kicks.

The England star also provided the assist for Enzo Fernandez, meaning no player in the Premier League has registered more goal involvements since the start of last season than Palmer’s tally of 50.

“He’s phenomenal,” said Merson.

“No one really knew much about him when he came from Man City, so it was a free hit for him. But in the last seven months, he’s now the big boy.

“The name of the game for opposition is to stop Cole Palmer. Teams are trying to stop him – and they can’t do it. That shows you how good he is. He’s too intelligent. He’s always got space. Everybody needs an X-factor to win a Premier League title and Chelsea have it with him.”

Chelsea are now into third favourites with the bookmakers to win the Premier League and are shorter in the betting than Manchester City. Enzo Maresca has got his team ahead of where many people had predicted Chelsea would be this season as the win at Spurs was their 14th win from their last 20 Premier League encounters.

Carra: Palmer on the same level as Hazard

Palmer’s influence has been huge in getting Chelsea to challenge towards the top, according to Carragher.

He said: “When you think of Chelsea’s flair players like Gianfranco Zola and Eden Hazard, I think Palmer has done more in 18 months than Zola did and Zola is one of Chelsea’s greatest ever players.

“He’s on the same level as Hazard and that came over four or five years.

“If he takes Chelsea to a title then he’d go down as one of their greatest ever players if he keeps doing what he’s doing. He’s a special player.

“This Chelsea team is no underdog story. This is a team that has spent £1.2bn but what they’re doing this season is something totally unexpected. This club are right in the mix for a title challenge.”

Maresca: Palmer is not a normal player

Chelsea head coach Maresca understands Palmer’s talent and potential better than most having coached the forward as he came up through the ranks at former club Manchester City.

Asked after the win over Spurs whether he thinks Palmer can now be regarded as the best player in the Premier League, Maresca said: “Cole belongs to that kind of player, they are not normal players, they are top players.

“And top players, they do things that normal players or us say ‘how can he do that?’, it’s because he’s Cole, because he’s top. We can expect this from Cole.

“I had Cole for one year four years ago, so I know him from then. When he was with me in the U23s, he was in one way, and now, he is exactly the same guy. Lovely, humble, no strange things and this is the best thing for young players.

Asked what he thought of Palmer’s ‘Panenka’ spot-kick, Maresca replied: “The second penalty…he’s cold!”