Skiddle's open goal: A weekly roundup of football news and events

Arsenal used the festive period to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League as the teams chasing them all dropped points. They beat Brighton 4-2 away in what has become a difficult fixture for any side this season even if Brighton had a change of manager. They now hold a seven-point lead in the title race.

Liverpool thought they'd come back into form by winning three in a row but none of the performances were convincing. Now, they lost 3-1 to a brilliant Brentford side who have only lost once at home all season. Liverpool were nothing short of embarrassing and are paying the price for their Championship level midfield. It feels like the end of an era at Anfield, at this point is Jurgen Klopp the man to turn things around next season?

Manchester City surprisingly dropped points in their game against Everton after a Demarai Gray stunner saw the Merseyside club equalise in the second half after a goal from Haaland in the first half. Newcastle also surprisingly dropped points at home to Leeds after a 0-0 draw. If we had to put any money on the top four at the end of the season at this point it would be Arsenal, Man City, Manchester United and Newcastle (not necessarily in that order). 

Tottenham found themselves having various shockers around Christmas. They continued their run of terrible first halves against Brentford as they went 2-0 down. They managed to fight back to a 2-2 draw but couldn't do the same against Aston Villa who won the midfield battle. It leaves the London side in a poor run of form.

London rivals Chelsea aren't doing much better and it is difficult to gauge whether or not they're making any progress under Graham Potter. It likely doesn't matter though as their owner Todd Boehly will clearly spend whatever it takes on however many players it takes to push them up the table. They look likely to spend another 100 million in January as a bare minimum. 

If you're looking for some football events in your local area then have a look below...

 

Hanley Town v Leek Town

When: Saturday 18th February

Where: Hanley Town Football Club, Stoke On Trent

Hanley Town will be taking on Leek Town in February and if you can manage to get down as a local Stoke resident then why not catch some lower-league football for a change? Guaranteed to be more gritty than what you're used to, you can watch these two teams battle it out for all three points.

 

Buy tickets:

 

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Hastings United vs Hornchurch

When: Saturday 7th January 

Where: The TGS Pilot Field, Hastings

Hastings United are looking to push for a promotion challenge and are eight points off the top. The top of the league being their next opponent Hornchurch. If Hastings manage to win this one it will make the race for the top of the league a lot closer, as there isn't really much to separate the top ten teams.

 

Buy tickets:

 

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Man United vs Man City

When: Saturday 14th January

Where: Joshua Brooks, Manchester

One of the biggest derby games in world football, the Manchester derby is taking place in January and it'll be at Old Trafford. You can catch the game at Joshua Brooks where you can see if United can get a reverse for their devastating loss earlier in the season. Can they stop Haaland?

 

Buy tickets:

 

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Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.