Skiddle's Open Goal: A Weekly Roundup of Football news and events

Here begins the busy festive period, where there's so much football that it all kind of begins to blur into one. During the most recent weekend of Premier League action, we were almost treated to an upset when Chelsea faced Leeds. The Yorkshire side were dangerous throughout, bagging a leveller in the 83rd minute when young substitute Joe Gelhardt scored off the bench with his first touch. Yet a stupid challenge in the 95th minute gave Jorginho the chance to score a penalty which he emphatically did in one of the last kicks of the game.

Elsewhere in the title race, Manchester City overcame Wolves by a tight margin, beating them 1-0 with Raul Jiminez being sent off before halftime for giving away a free-kick and then blocking it from being taken, resulting in a quick dismissal. City maintain their course at the top of the league. Yet it is only by a point as Liverpool also stuck to winning ways by beating Aston Villa 1-0 thanks to a Mo Salah penalty.

Steven Gerrard returned to a hero's welcome at Anfield yet didn't let the occasion get to him, with his side managing to halt Liverpool for large parts of the game. Leicester pummeled Newcastle 4-0 on Sunday, with the away side in such poor form that even being the richest club in England might not save them from the drop this season.

There was an absolute thriller in League Two where Oldham Athletic and Forest Green Rovers settled for a 5-5 draw in a game that went back and forth constantly. The biggest surprise being that there weren't more goals in the last ten minutes. All of a sudden things are a lot closer in the Championship as Fulham and Bournemouth have found a way to start drawing games. This has allowed West Brom to catch right up again and that the top six are now only separated by ten points, which goes to show that you can't write the Championship season off too early.

If you're a footy fan the following events might be of interest to you. Click on the event titles for more information.

Lancaster City FC vs Atherton Collies

When: Saturday 1st January 2022

Where: Lancaster City FC

What better way is there to spend the first day of 2022 than watching some live football action? Lancaster City will be taking on Atherton Collies in this Northern Premier League Division fixture. At the time of writing, the teams are separated by only a point so this could be a key fixture.

It's a chance to get an upper hand on a close league rival as they look to climb towards the top end of the table.

Find tickets for Lancaster City FC vs Atherton Collies here.

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Caernarfon Town vs The New Saints

When: Friday 28th January 2022

Where: Yr Oval, Caernarfon 

Caernarfon Town will be banking on some home advantage as the leaders of the Welsh Premier League, The New Saints come to give them a visit. They'll be hoping for a strong turnout, with a home crowd size that'll intimidate the away side who have only lost one game in the league at the time of writing.

Get down to watch some close Welsh Premier League action in the new year.

Find tickets for Caernarfon Town vs The New Saints here.

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Manchester United vs Southampton Hospitality

When: Saturday 12th February 2022

Where: Hotel Football, Old Trafford, Manchester

Manchester United will be taking on Southampton in this Premier League fixture. Under new leadership, the early signs are there that the Red Devils might be in for a much happier second half of the season after disappointing so far. 

They'll be taking on Southampton who has only been showing positive signs in glimpses this season, with patchy form and some disappointing losses. But it's all to play for on the day and you can enjoy it from the comfort of hospitality.

Find tickets for Manchester United vs Southampton Hospitality here.

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Manchester United vs Chelsea Hospitality

When: Sunday 15th May 2022

Where: Hotel Football, Old Trafford, Manchester

Manchester United vs Chelsea is always a fixture that can go either way as the two teams have been sparring every season in the Premier League. Two of the traditional top 6 sides going head to head is always worthy of hyping up as some of the best players in the league face each other.

Chelsea will surely be the favourites this season but Manchester United will never lie down. You can watch it unfold from hospitality with complimentary food and drink.

Find tickets for Manchester United vs Chelsea here.

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If you're looking for more great sports events to attend then head to our Things To Do page. If you're still wanting New Years Eve plans head to our NYE Inspire Me page.