Leeds United forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin completed an impressive Premier League feat that even England captain Harry Kane could not achieve during his time with Tottenham Hotspur, as the English forward scored the all-important equaliser in their 1-1 draw against Sunderland on Sunday. The former Everton star is in sublime form since moving to his new club as he has already scored eight league goals.
The Christmas period is upon us, which means we are somehow already more or less at the midway point of the 2025-26 football season. As many of Europe's leading leagues pause for the winter break, it's time to take stock and reflect on four scintillating months of action. It's also the opportune moment to assess those players who completed transfers across the continent in the summer, now that they have a decent sample size of games under their belts.
As we head into Christmas, it's time to review the Premier League season so far. Each side has played 17 games out of 38 and we've got a good idea of who will be fighting for what this year. Arsenal boast a two-point lead at the top from Manchester City and a further one from Aston Villa, while Wolves already seem destined for relegation at a Derby-esque pace.
As we reach Christmas and approach the midway point in the Premier League season, the time has come to reflect on the first half of a campaign that has delivered drama and unexpected twists in abundance. It's also the opportune moment to assess those players who completed a transfer to, or within, the English top-flight back in the summer, with a decent sample size of games now under their belts.
Pure excitement has been the theme of this Premier League season. Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa are locked in a three-way title race while practically the rest of the division is competing for a European place. Indeed, the table is so crowded it feels more like the Championship than the top-flight, with back-to-back wins being all it takes to propel teams from 15th to the top five.
The Africa Cup of Nations is back this December and January, with the continent's very best set to battle it out in Morocco as they aim to take Cote d'Ivoire's crown after their unlikely victory at the start of 2024. AFCON's prestige, drama and quality remains up there with the Euros and Copa America, but the downside for European clubs is it's another tournament which falls slap bang in the middle of their seasonal calendar, meaning most teams will be losing players for up to a month.
Newcastle United have been dealt a massive injury blow, with Dan Burn suffering a punctured lung and a broken rib during Sunday’s bruising Wear-Tyne derby defeat to Sunderland. The England international was forced from the field just before half-time following a heavy collision with Sunderland right-back Nordi Mukiele, and is now facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Newcastle defender Dan Burn was rushed to hospital after a rib injury suffered in the Magpies’ derby defeat to arch-rivals Sunderland left him “struggling to breathe”. The towering England international was sent for medical checks after being forced out shortly before half-time, and it has now been confirmed that the towering defender has suffered a fractured rib.
Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes lashed out at his team-mates for failing to "compete" against Sunderland, while Eddie Howe issued an apology to fans for his team's 1-0 derby defeat on Sunday. The Magpies have now failed to beat the Black Cats in their last 10 English top-flight meetings, and have dropped into the bottom half of the table.
Sunderland rubbed salt in rivals Newcastle United's wounds with a savage team photo after they picked up a hard-fought derby victory on Sunday at the Stadium of Light. Taking all three points at home, the Black Cats extended their unbeaten run against their fiercest rivals to 10 Premier League matches, with their last encounter happening nine years ago in 2016.
Sunderland have paid tribute to Gary Rowell after the club legend passed away at the age of 68. The Black Cats have announced they will honour their legendary goalscorer, who died following a long battle with leukaemia, when they host Newcastle United in Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby at the Stadium of Light. Both clubs have sent heartfelt messages to Rowell's family ahead of the Premier League game.
Manchester United are reportedly eyeing Sunderland midfielder Noah Sadiki following his sensational Premier League start, with Chelsea also keeping a tab on the £15 million ($20m) star. Ruben Amorim has urged the board to sign at least one midfielder in the summer of 2026 after missing out on Brighton's Carlos Baleba. They are also monitoring the likes of Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton and Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson.
Sunderland stars Wilson Isidor and Noah Sadiki were left in hysterics after seeing a Black Cats fan deliver a brutal one-liner at the expense of former Newcastle striker Alexander Isak. The Sweden international left Tyneside during the summer of 2025, with his transfer wishes finally being granted - after going AWOL at one stage - when a £125 million ($167m) move to Liverpool was completed.
Former Premier League boss Gus Poyet has quit his post at South Korean club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors days after his assistant manager departed amid a racism scandal. Poyet, who guided Jeonbuk to both the K League 1 title and the Korea Cup this season, informed the club he wished to terminate his contract after Mauricio Taricco was handed a severe punishment for what league officials deemed a racist gesture towards referee Kim Woo-seong.
Pep Guardiola compared his Manchester City star playmaker Rayan Cherki to Lionel Messi after the Frenchman pulled off an audacious rabona in his side's 3-0 win over Sunderland. Cherki produced his second assist of the game to set up Phil Foden with an outrageous piece of skill and Guardiola, who coached Messi for four years at Barcelona, claimed the Argentine had never produced a moment like it.
Rayan Cherki delivered a masterclass in skills to inspire Manchester City to a 3-0 win over Sunderland which showed they mean business in the title race. The Frenchman produced the moment of the game by serving up a header for Phil Foden with an outrageous rabona straight from the streets of Lyon, crowning a dominant win for Pep Guardiola's side after goals from Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol.
Our expert offers his best Premier League Predictions for Gameweek 16 this weekend, with all of Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool backed to claim three points.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been forced to explain some big selection calls, with Mohamed Salah named among the substitutes again for the Reds’ Premier League clash with Sunderland. The Egyptian superstar failed to make it off the bench in a welcome win over West Ham - ending a run of featuring in every match under Slot. He was involved against Sunderland, but was only introduced at half-time.
Florian Wirtz was denied a first strike for Liverpool after the Premier League's goal accreditation panel judged his effort against Sunderland to be an own goal from Nordi Mukiele. The German midfielder showed great close control to weave his way through the penalty box before shooting, with his effort taking a significant deflection off the Black Cats defender on its way into the back of the net.
Sunderland
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