sport news Premier League: Liverpool have amazing Christmas record but Man City, Man ...

sport news Premier League: Liverpool have amazing Christmas record but Man City, Man ...
sport news Premier League: Liverpool have amazing Christmas record but Man City, Man ...

It's a wonderful time of year for football fans, if not necessarily for the players they're watching.

December typically sees the Premier League season accelerate with the fixtures coming thick and fast, squads stretched to breaking point and managers moaning about injustices in the scheduling.

This year promises to be no different. December has opened with a midweek round of top-flight games and there are six more full sets of matches before the month is out.

Liverpool can enter December full of confidence given their excellent record during the month

Liverpool can enter December full of confidence given their excellent record during the month

But it's a month of trepidation for their title rivals, including Pep Guardiola and Man City

But it's a month of trepidation for their title rivals, including Pep Guardiola and Man City

Chelsea lead the way in the Premier League as we enter December, with Man City and Liverpool breathing down their neck. Arsenal, Tottenham and Man United are further back

Chelsea lead the way in the Premier League as we enter December, with Man City and Liverpool breathing down their neck. Arsenal, Tottenham and Man United are further back

The festive period is certainly one where the big sides often come unstuck, suffering defeats to opponents they really shouldn't be losing to.

But get on a roll around this time of year and rewards often follow in the second half of the season.

In recent years, Liverpool have repeatedly proven themselves the kings of Christmas. Their manager Jurgen Klopp enjoys complaining about the fixture pressure but his team seldom lose.

In fact, you have to go all the way back to December 4, 2016, when a howler from goalkeeper Loris Karius deep into stoppage time gifted Bournemouth a 4-3 win, for the last time Liverpool lost a match in the month of December.

Since then, they have won 23 and drawn seven of their matches played in December, a quite remarkable record.

A mistake by Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius gifted Bournemouth a 4-3 win back in 2016

A mistake by Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius gifted Bournemouth a 4-3 win back in 2016

Jurgen Klopp hasn't lost a Premier League match in December since then, winning 23 games

Jurgen Klopp hasn't lost a Premier League match in December since then, winning 23 games

Big Six clubs' record in December since 2016 

LIVERPOOL 

Played 31 Won 23 Drawn 7 Lost 1

MANCHESTER CITY

Played 31 Won 20 Drawn 3 Lost 8

CHELSEA

Played 32 Won 21 Drawn 2 Lost 9

MANCHESTER UNITED

Played 32 Won 19 Drawn 10 Lost 3

ARSENAL

Played 31 Won 11 Drawn 10 Lost 11

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Played 29 Won 17 Drawn 4 Lost 8 

Premier League games only 

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Twice they have won all of their games during the 12th month. In 2018-19, a 3-1 success over Manchester United and a 5-1 thrashing of Arsenal were among the highlights of a perfect seven from seven as they matched title rivals Manchester City stride for stride.

The following season saw the Reds impressively win all five of their games either side of a successful visit to Qatar for the FIFA Club World Cup.

With another packed December getting underway with a trip across Stanley Park to Everton for Wednesday night's Merseyside derby, Liverpool could do with more of the same.

They are only two points behind current leaders Chelsea but the Africa Cup of Nations, which will see star players Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita away for several weeks, looms in January.

Given that Salah has 17 goals already this season, plus eight assists, and Mane has scored nine times, Klopp will want to ensure they get maximum points on the board before they fly off to Cameroon for the tournament.

The good news for Liverpool is that while they typically take December in their stride, their title rivals Man City and Chelsea often drop points.

In the last five seasons, Pep Guardiola's City have lost eight of their 31 matches played during December and though they've also won 20 games, it is a month where they're most vulnerable.

In 2019-20, for example, City's losses to Man United and Wolves allowed Liverpool to pull clear in the race for the title.

And even the year before, when they went on to lift the trophy, City suffered defeats to Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Leicester during the month.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (left) and Sadio Mane (right) will head to AFCON in January

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (left) and Sadio Mane (right) will head to AFCON in January

Manchester City lost at Wolves in December 2019 as Liverpool stole a march in the title race

Manchester City lost at Wolves in December 2019 as Liverpool stole a march in the title race

This time around, with a pretty gentle set of games to come, Guardiola will be hoping for something akin to 2017-18, when they won six in a row.

Chelsea have been equally susceptible to a December stumble, especially in the past two years which saw Frank Lampard feeling the pressure.

They have lost nine games during the

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