Soccer

Life in United yet and Magpies march on - Five Premier League talking points from Matchday twenty

Ash Rose

DAZN

The Premier League's two biggest names slugged it out in a thrilling encounter on Sunday, as the Premier League kicked off 2025 with a bang.

Liverpool saved their worst display of the season for the visit of Manchester United but remain six points ahead at the top of the table, with Arsenal and Chelsea both missing the chance to close the gap in the race to keep up with Arne Slot's men.

Here are the biggest talking points from Matchday 20 in the Premier League.

Read next I 'It could have been a lot worse' - Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk admits Reds were subpar in Manchester United draw

Life in Manchester United

Of course, Manchester United saved their best performance under Ruben Amorim for the trip to Anfield.

The script was almost perfect. Horrible conditions, a below-par United against runaway league leaders Liverpool, and it was the visitors who were disappointed with the point in the end.

Amorim's team were more disciplined, more of a threat and more up for the game than we'd seen previously, and this has to be the template going forward.

If only Harry Maguire had buried that late chance, then it could have been even better for the Red Devils, but with talk of relegation battles starting to perpetuate the walls of Old Trafford, this was the ideal tonic.

Magpies on the March

In the race for the top four, no one should be sleeping on Newcastle right now.

The win at Spurs on Saturday lunchtime was the Magpies' fifth win on the bounce and they now sit just outside the regular Champions League places and breathing down the necks of a Chelsea team who are suddenly out of form.

A portion of the credit must go to Alexander Isak, who found the net again in North London and has netted in his last seven Premier League games.

The Swede looks unstoppable right now.

Saints to be ultimate sinners(Getty Images)

The new manager bounce hasn't reached the South Coast, who looked to be resigned to relegation despite the arrival of Ivan Juric.

Brentford had not won a Premier League away game before this weekend but battered the Saints 5-0, and it's hard to see where the next victory is coming from for Southampton.

Perhaps even more worryingly, Derby County's record lowest points haul of 11 recorded in 2008 looks in serious danger of being 'beaten' if Southampton don't find a way to improve on their six point haul.

The Trent thing

It's time to tie up these contracts at Liverpool.

Everyone is allowed an off day - although preferably not against your biggest rivals - yet it seems a tad coincidental that Alexander-Arnold's worst performance of the season came in the week that Real Madrid is said to have bid for the Reds defender.

The England man has been in inspired form so far this season, but the club need to sort his future out - and the same for Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk - so that the situation doesn't derail what is looking likely to be a memorable campaign on Merseyside.

Stick or twist for Toffees

Another week and another goalless performance from Everton, only this time they didn't manage to keep a clean sheet at the other end.

Full credit to Sean Dyche for making the Toffees hard to break down, but the lack of a threat at the other end could not only drag the hard work down, but it's draining the goodwill from the fans towards the manager.

With a new board in place, Dyche's days could be numbered if goals don't come from his team soon.

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