Analysis

Man City continue to fall short of Pep Guardiola's unrealistic search for perfection - Premier League hits and misses

Sky Sports' football writers analyse Saturday's Premier League action including Pep Guardiola's search for perfection as Man City land their fifth successive victory and fragile Liverpool survive scare at Spurs

Sunday 21 December 2025 07:39, UK

Is Pep's search for perfection realistic?

Arsenal were knocked off their perch, temporarily at least, at the top of the Premier League for the first time since September when Manchester City beat West Ham 3-0 on Saturday. But that is not enough for perfectionist Pep. He has never been a win-by-any-means manager. Performance matters.

The heat is certainly on the Gunners with Man City on a five-game winning streak in the league, scoring 18 times in the process, but Guardiola likes to analyse each game in intricate detail and he saw plenty that frustrated him. He referenced November's Leeds result post-match, likening the situation after half time to that game.

Last month, City conceded twice to Leeds shortly after half-time before nicking a late winner, on this occasion they conceded chances but crucially not goals, needing three saves from Gianluigi Donnarumma. Against better finishers perhaps the outcome would have been different.

No observer of City this season believes them to be the finished article, least of all Pep. His demand for more control is probably fair and yet the graphic above will tell you how little ground they actually conceded.

As the fight for Christmas No 1 reaches its climax, more than anything, Pep's post-match declarations calling for 'more bravery' seemed to be a message to Arsenal: We will be better. And it can't hurt to keep his players grounded either. They are yet to put together what Pep would describe a complete performance, but there's no doubt they are getting closer. Arsenal will be all too aware of that fact.
Laura Hunter

Fragile Liverpool survive scare as they try to rebuild

The damage of Liverpool's nine defeats in 12 games is still being felt. The wretched run has hit confidence at the club and that has been evident in nerve-jangling, chaotic finishes to games at Leeds and now Tottenham.

The Reds were in complete control 2-0 up against 10-men. They almost contrived to draw against nine.

"I thought against nine we would be able to keep them away from goal," said Liverpool boss Arne Slot about Cristian Romero following Xavi Simons for an early bath. "But it looked like were down to nine and they had 11."

Slot is insistent, though, that he saw signs in the majority of Liverpool's performance in north London that they are refinding the form they are aiming for. That's three wins in a row now and fifth place in the Premier League, trailing Chelsea in fourth only on goal difference.

"It's never been as bad as people said," added Slot. After his side somehow came through the chaos, he can be positive. Another step forward. But this fragile Liverpool side will need to add more results to this run to remove that feeling of vulnerability.
Peter Smith

A step in the right direction for Gyokeres?

A lot of the pre-match talk surrounded what's next for Viktor Gyokeres, with the Swedish forward not quite at the level amid pressure from Gabriel Jesus, Mikel Merino and Kai Havertz on the way back from injury.

This latest outing against Everton - where he scored a first-half penalty which won the game - had fewer question marks and was more of a step in the right direction.

Everton 0-1 Arsenal - Match report & highlights
As it happened | Teams | Stats

The goal was a positive but there were other moments too. A lot has been made about his Arsenal team-mates not spotting his runs, but William Saliba played him through for a good chance in the first half.

In the second period, Leandro Trossard released him for a trademark channel run down the left and managed to barge through two Everton defenders. It was much closer to the 'battering ram' forward the Premier League was promised - and his three shots on Merseyside was more than he managed in his previous 180 Premier League minutes for Arsenal.

Arsenal's players recognised the need to give him a goal and the penalty summed that up. It was reminiscent of October 2023, when the Gunners' regular penalty takers gave up a spot kick to get Kai Havertz his first Arsenal goal.

The German ended up with 13 goals that season as Arsenal went within two points of the title. Gyokeres now has five - but crucially it looks like there's a better understanding with his team.
Sam Blitz

Chelsea going in the right direction after Maresca's 'good week'

Under-pressure Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca would have been a worried man at half-time at St James' Park with his side trailing 2-0 and without a shot on target in the first 45 minutes.

After what the Italian had described as his "worst 48 hours" at the club following last weekend's win over Everton, and subsequent reports linking him with the Man City job were Pep Guardiola to leave the Etihad next summer, the last thing he needed was a lacklustre first-half showing from his players.

The visitors had four shots before the break, all off target, creating zero big chances with an xG of just 0.24 as Maresca's Chelsea obituary was being prepared.

But, whatever the Blues boss said to his players at the interval - and he "promised" there were no angry words - it worked as Chelsea stormed back in the second half to earn a deserved point after nine shots, four on target, for an xG of 1.02.

And so after beating Everton last weekend and coming back to earn an excellent point at Newcastle on Saturday, in between which they progressed to the Carabao Cup semi-finals, Maresca's troubled week has become a "good" one.

"My last week has not been complicated, it has been good," he said after the game.

"We beat Everton, we beat Cardiff and we drew Newcastle away. So, in terms of results, I am happy. Again, there are things that for sure we can do better. But I think we are going in the right direction."
Rich Morgan

Taxing schedule taking its toll on Palace

When asked if the fixture pile-up is causing an issue for Crystal Palace, Olver Glasner gave the question a blunt "no". However, the numbers do say differently. In eight games after playing in Europe, Palace have just one win, two draws and five defeats.

The unfortunate byproduct of climbing the footballing shelves into one of the country's European representatives, without a deep squad to match, is inconsistency.

Granted, Glasner fielded a different 11 to the side that ran out to a 2-2 draw in midweek but the mental toll is clear. Palace have struggled to refresh after games.

Their lack of time on the training pitch between the two games was telling with set-pieces, so evidently their Achilles heel. Dominic Calvert-Lewin's opener was the first time Palace conceded from a long throw this season and one became two soon after, with the Leeds striker netting a second.

One would think that's the kind of thing a team would work on in the run-up to these kinds of games. The problem for Palace, though, is that another test lies before them in the form of league leaders Arsenal in the Carabao Cup, live on Sky, on Tuesday.
William Bitibiri

England's No 9, England's, England's No 9?

Alright, the chances of Dominic Calvert-Lewin stepping out for England's World Cup opener against Croatia next summer might be consigned to the more fanciful dreams of Leeds supporters.

But what I'm saying is, there's a chance. And when you compare that to the hopes the 28-year-old had of even being on the plane to America as recently as two months ago, that in itself is remarkable.

Even Calvert-Lewin's most ardent defenders would have been laughed out of town for such a thought, after a measly run of 18 goals across four injury and confidence-hit seasons at Everton and a solid but unspectacular to life at Elland Road.

But Harry Kane aside, there is no more in-form striker than the 11-cap forward. Not only is he scoring, six goals in his last five games, he is showing the striker's instinct which looked for so long like it had escaped him, potentially forever.

His first against Palace was an opportunistic back-post tap in after his initial shot from a long throw had been saved. The second had that same quality but from a glancing header. All it needed was something left footed for the perfect hat-trick.

And with the 26-player squad size remaining for next summer's tournament, there is easily room for a physical back-up to Kane as well as a pacier alternative like Ollie Watkins.

"I continue to do the basics well, lead the line for my team and the rest will do itself," Calvert-Lewin told Sky Sports. If he does keep doing that, those words might just prove an astute prophecy.
Ron Walker

Semenyo shines amid transfer rumours

With the January transfer window less than two weeks away from opening, the rumour mill is kicking into full gear and the man at the centre of it? Antoine Semenyo.

He was the centre of Bournemouth's draw against Burnley too - one that should really have been a win, something that has been said too often about them this season.

Semenyo was the driving force behind every positive Cherries attack. He looked confident taking on and beating his defenders, finding those small spaces and sending in the crosses. It's a shame none of his team-mates were able to convert.

He of course had his own moments where he should have scored, but his goal was one from a player full of confidence. He was first to a loose ball, curling home wonderfully into the top corner. A special finish from a great player.

Bournemouth will be pleased to have their star man over the busy festive period as they look to end a run of eight games without a win, after Ghana failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations.

"Antoine is massive for us," Andoni Iraola told Sky Sports. "I think he's our top scorer and assister and with his physicality, he helps us a lot… I hope he continues in the same way because he is playing well."

While the Cherries boss remained coy on any transfer prospects, whether Semenyo is still there come January Deadline Day is another matter. Manchester United and Manchester City are both firmly in the race, as are Tottenham.

Semenyo certainly showed what he can do against Burnley. Now, he needs to carry that on and help his current team arrest a worrying slump.
Charlotte Marsh

Wolves are a historically bad team

There is a macabre fascination in watching this Wolves team now. If a side is merely bad it can be a joyless experience, but record-breakingly bad? That is different. No team has ever had fewer points after 17 games. In all four divisions. Since 1888. This is history.

Jorgen Strand Larsen's wretched penalty was the fitting finale to another hapless display against Brentford as Wolves were beaten 2-0, a scoreline that fails to convey just how desperately poor Rob Edwards' team were at Molineux on Saturday afternoon.

Wolves 0-2 Brentford - Match report & highlights
As it happened | Teams | Stats

Keane Lewis-Potter scored twice in the second half, deservedly the hero having been the only player to produce a shot on target in the first. Brentford did not have to do a lot to win this, just wait for the mistake. Ladislav Krejci duly provided it for the opening goal.

Such is the pessimism of supporters that each time a team faces Wolves they think that it is their side that will be the unfortunate outfit to be undone. Each time they have been proven wrong. Wolves are winless at Christmas. One wonders if they will ever win again.

The home fans are angry, their chants critical of the players and the ownership. But more often they are melancholy, choosing to sing for past heroes from Steve Bull to Ruben Neves, going through the names in that Nuno Espirito Santo side. Happier days.

They finished by chanting the name of teenager Mateus Mane, who at least played with purpose having come on late in the game. Amid the longing for past heroes, he offers hope for a future one. The present? That is harder to take. Even if they are seeing history.
Adam Bate

Ballard is Premier League quality

Dan Ballard is thriving in the Premier League. In a place that has a habit of exposing players, Ballard has stepped up with ease from the Championship.

Back-to-back clean sheets against Newcastle and Brighton haven't happened by accident. Ballard has been to the fore of both those excellent defensive showings.

Ballard is not just a powerhouse, he reads pictures early and is rarely dragged into duels he doesn't need to fight. When Brighton went direct, he dominated his box with authority, winning first contacts and mopping up second balls. There was no fuss, just repeatable, high-level defending.

Premier League football is unforgiving but Ballard is making life at the level look very easy for this sensational Sunderland side.
Lewis Jones