EPL Review: Joy for Manchester Clubs, Spurs sinks again and are referees against Arsenal?

Weekend football recap: Man United & City find positives, Arsenal fume at officials, Newcastle soar, Chelsea struggle, and Ipswich fight for survival.

Liverpool and Manchester settled for a 2-2 draw but beyond that, we had lots of exciting games over the weekend, which one caught your fancy? (Photo credit: Opta)

Despite only earning a draw, the two Manchester clubs found joy at the weekend. You'll agree that it's a point that tastes like three points for United, and is the referee association against the Gunners correct?

There’s so much to unpack from the festive fixtures, especially from the immediate past weekend, where Chelsea and Arsenal once again failed to capitalise on the points dropped by Liverpool, and Southampton continues to sink into despair, relegation calling?

It's crucial to discuss West Ham's defensive shortcomings, and is it time for Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham team to look beyond their manager? How fair is that? Their injuries haven't been kind to them, but have they managed things better?

The 2-2 draw between Liverpool and Manchester United evoked a range of emotions, including concerns about Liverpool's decline, the possibility of a United comeback, and the paradoxical question of whether Liverpool is about to fade into obscurity. Or is United sinking further?

From struggling to stick passes together early on to finding solutions in midfield to spring counterattacks, Ruben Amorim showed promising signs. However, the defensive cracks that invited Liverpool into dangerous areas should worry United fans.

Fans of Arsenal are genuinely concerned about the officiating. How did two players engage in a header competition, leading to the adjudication that one had fouled the other? How did Anthony Taylor and his VAR determine that William Saliba had committed a foul against Joao Pedro on Saturday?

Despite having depth issues due to injuries to key players and the suspension of Jurrien Timber, the referee's curious penalty decision helped Brighton earn a point. Arsenal must now find more ways than one to rise above adversaries.

Newcastle is on a high, having secured five consecutive league victories, indicating their ascent to the top four. Just one point separates Chelsea in fourth and the Magpies in fifth; the Blues must wake up. Enzo Maresca insists title dreams are over; they weren’t in the race before.

Ipswich Town exerted significant effort to secure a point against Fulham. Despite being the superior team among the three promoted from the Championship, they must maintain their determination to earn points consistently; the upcoming game holds equal importance to the previous one.