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Liverpool leads the Premier League title at Christmas once again, but the Reds will fear that Manchester United have a history of stealing the crown from the holiday pioneers.
This year’s top flight title race places fierce Merseyside-Manchester rivals as two of the top finishers with Jurgen Klopp’s Reds leading the way, but the Red Devils just five points behind with a game in the hand.
And Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hopes history will repeat itself, as United have won more Premier League titles without being the best at Christmas (8) than any other team in tournament history.
All of Norwich, Newcastle, Leeds, Villa, Arsenal and Liverpool have led the way in late December only for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men to overtake them in May and lift the title.
Liverpool have a more recent history of holding on to their holiday top spot, however, winning the league for the first time last year after leading at Christmas. Additionally, the club will look at the statistic that more than half of the festive league leaders (15 in 28 seasons) won the title that season.
The Reds had led the way four times at the midpoint before conferring the title to United in 1997 and 2009 and Manchester City in 2014 and 2019.
Those in which the only two times that City have managed to snatch the title from the Reds, with Manchester’s blue half leading the way at Christmas for their 2012 and 2018 triumphs. Pep Guardiola’s men are eighth in the top flight here. time.
Chelsea’s record at Christmas, however, is not good news for Frank Lampard’s side, who have only won the Premier League title after leading at Christmas.
José Mourinho’s first two holiday seasons in England were full of good news, as the Blues led the way both times in 2004 and 2005 on the national holiday. Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte had a similar first Christmas at Stamford Bridge in the winter of 2009 and 2016 before lifting the title as Mourinho in May.
Despite winning three Premier League titles, Arsenal have come back at Christmas to win the league every time. Manchester United led the way in the 1997 and 2003 Christmas seasons before the Gunners battled to lift the title in 1998 and 2004.
For their double win season in 1998, Newcastle led the way on Christmas 1997, with Arsene Wenger’s team defeating the Magpies in the FA Cup final during the same season.
The only two times the Gunners have led the way at Christmas, in 2002 and 2007, saw them lose to Manchester United in May. Arsenal were also joint leaders with Liverpool in 2013, but lost to Manchester City the following summer.
Liverpool’s other Premier League winners, Leicester City and Blackburn Rovers, were the best at Christmas when they broke the odds of lifting the title.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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