Aston Villa secured a dramatic 3-2 win over 10-man Burnley, with Douglas Luiz's late penalty leveling them on points with Liverpool at the top of the Premier League. Despite challenges during the festive season, including a loss to Sheffield United and a 2-0 lead squandered against Manchester United, Villa found redemption with Luiz's spot-kick.
The game featured goals from Leon Bailey, Zeki Amdouni, Moussa Diaby, and Lyle Foster, with Burnley reduced to 10 men after Sander Berge's second yellow card.
Meanwhile, Manchester City breezed past Sheffield United with a comfortable 2-0 victory, extending their unbeaten run. Rodri opened the scoring after 14 minutes, and Julian Alvarez secured the win, placing City just two points behind the joint leaders, Villa and Liverpool. Despite missing Erling Haaland, City's strong performance pleased manager Pep Guardiola, who acknowledged the challenges faced in the first half of the season.
Chelsea ended a run of four consecutive away defeats with a nervy 3-2 win over Luton. Cole Palmer's double, along with Noni Madueke's goal, secured victory for Chelsea, despite a late Luton revival led by Ross Barkley and Elijah Adebayo.
Crystal Palace also ended their winless streak, beating Brentford 3-1 with a Michael Olise double. Olise's goals canceled out Keane Lewis-Potter's early opener for Brentford, easing the pressure on Palace manager Roy Hodgson.
In other matches, Wolves dealt a 3-0 defeat to Everton, further complicating their relegation battle, while Manchester United aimed to build on their comeback against Villa as they faced Nottingham Forest. The victories and upsets highlighted the competitiveness of the Premier League as teams jockeyed for position in the standings.
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