A lot of leagues and competitions take the festive period off but there was no break for players in England, Italy and Portugal over the weekend, while the action at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco resumed on December 26. The Premier League's top two, Arsenal and Manchester City, both picked up hard-fought wins on Saturday but Aston Villa remain very much in the title race after a massive win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has suggested that it is only the start for Florian Wirtz at Anfield, after the German scored his first Premier League goal against Wolves on Saturday. Wirtz has had a challenging adaptation period since his £116million ($156.5m) summer arrival and Van Dijk emphasised he is "very happy" for his team-mate, citing his hard work for the team and stating that there is hopefully much more to come from Wirtz in a Reds shirt.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has backed Florian Wirtz to continue finding the back of the net after the midfielder finally scored his first goal for the club in Saturday’s 2-1 Premier League win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Germany star ended his painful wait for a maiden goal in red as the Merseysiders moved into the top four with a tight victory at Anfield.

Liverpool moved into the top four with a nervy 2-1 victory over rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have set the record for the longest winless start to a Premier League season following their latest defeat. Florian Wirtz scored his first goal for the Reds, while Ryan Gravenberch found the back of the net for the first time since November, as Arne Slot's side earned all three points at Anfield.

Florian Wirtz would be receiving far more criticism if he was producing his current Liverpool form for Bayern Munich, according to Germany legend Thomas Muller. The Vancouver Whitecaps forward has weighed in on the performances of the Reds midfielder, who turned down interest from two European giants in favour of a big-money move to Anfield in the summer.