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Crystal Palace 0-1 Tottenham (Gray 42’)

You have to hand it to Tottenham Hotspur, for few other teams approach every match with the reverence it deserves, entertaining each opponent as if humbly prostrating themselves before a prime Barcelona.

Perhaps it was the blaugrana of Crystal Palace shirts that caused the confusion, but winning ugly is still winning. The simplicity of Frank-ball will still have its deriders but to listen to him speak before kick-off, it all sounded so simple. Target Palace on the break and exploit their glaring weaknesses from set pieces, which after Archie Gray’s first career goal, account for six of their last nine conceded.

Should we ignore the aesthetics, it worked to a tee. The explosion of joy from Gray after heading in from Pedro Porro’s in-swinging corner was the antidote needed to stem the toxicity. Spurs’ hit rate from the dead ball is the most successfully imported weapon from Brentford. An even greater positive was the impact of Frank’s substitutions.

Archie Gray finds the net in his 112th appearance in senior football! pic.twitter.com/CuRxXjzJMG

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 28, 2025

Much like the plain slice of bread which mops up the Full English, none of Joao Palhinha, Radu Dragusin, Brennan Johnson or Wilson Odobert often get the credit they deserve. They do not always add glitz but here put a gloss on what had been another underwhelming display, two disallowed Richarlison goals adding to the frustration.

The Odobert cameo was especially instructive. With a conventional left-winger on that side, Spurs were a different proposition to the first hour, when the role had been filled by Randal Kolo Muani. They were encumbered by the absence of the suspended Xavi Simons, their most effective (fit) creator, though it was entirely self-inflicted following a moment of madness against Liverpool.

It is not unusual that their first shot on target translated into a goal, not least because in many games Spurs only manage the one. Without such a ratio they might never score at all. The sparsity of chances may be looked down upon, yet how Oliver Glasner would love a conversion rate like that.

Spurs’ success required a horrorshow in front of goal from Palace as Jean-Philippe Mateta, Justin Devenny and Maxence Lacroix peppered Guglielmo Vicario’s goal to no avail. Little wonder they are the league’s lowest converters of expected goals (xG). Frank’s side cannot usually afford to be so generous.

Until the last 20 minutes, Palace were able to control the game and it was only their profligacy that let Tottenham off the hook. That leaves two ways of interpreting a vital victory for Frank – strategic, or chaotic?

The very question sums up the ambivalence towards his reign so far. Interpreting its intricacies is becoming ever more difficult for a new-look board, minus the swinging axe of Daniel Levy.

Frank was at pains this week to point out that Spurs are not really a Champions League team, and are only playing in that competition because they won the Europa League. He reiterated that they finished 17^th last term. In that light, it is becomes easier to accept that even the wins should feel excruciating.

The year will be remembered for the glorious venture in Bilbao over an appalling league record, but it ends with a toss-up of what Tottenham want to be. The Overton window of what kind of performances are acceptable shifted long before Frank’s entrance. But what matters is what works, and these are the realities of the project they have embarked on.

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Exactly halfway into the Championship season, Middlesbrough are on course for a return to the Premier League.

It’s never over until it’s over in the unpredictable second tier, but currently Boro sit second. Although they are eight points behind leaders Coventry City, more crucially they are five points above Ipswich Town in third, bringing promise of a first Premier League campaign since 2016-17 ever closer.

All this is what Rob Edwards gave up, the 43-year-old admitting it was “one of the toughest decisions” when leaving for Wolverhampton Wanderers in mid-November. In the month and a half since, he is yet to register a point seven matches into his new role.

On the surface, his decision appears ridiculous and bordering idiotic. An act of self-sabotage of the like the Premier League has seldom, if ever, seen.

There is no hope for Wolves. They are sinking without trace and breaking records along the way.

Even Derby County’s 2007-08 side had seven points at this stage, and with two points now from 18 after the defeat to Liverpool, Wolves have recorded the worst winless start of the Premier League era given Sheffield United won at the 18th time of asking in 2020-21.

Wolves are also on a collision course with the all-time record in English football’s top flight, when Bolton Wanderers failed to win any of their opening 22 games way back in 1902-03.

It isn’t about survival anymore, it’s about not finishing below Derby’s shambolic 11-point haul and ensuring Edwards has enough to cling onto going into the new season in the second tier.

We can only assume he took on this role with the Championship firmly in mind – but before getting there, he must also somehow keep the dressing room on his side and ensure owners Fosun remain convinced he is the right man for the job.

Former chairman Jeff Shi had said this month that Edwards would “95 per cent” last “two or three years”, adding: “It’s a long-term project with Rob.”

Well, that’s a project Shi is no longer part of – with the unrelated Nathan Shi appointed interim executive chairman – and while two or three years seems a long way away, at this rate so does May. By which point, Wolves’ relegation could easily have been confirmed for months.

Only then we will know whether Edwards is up for the fight when they drop down a tier – if he is even there by then. But if there is one possible positive, he must view a season wading through mud as aiding his managerial skillset. Otherwise, why did he join?

He willingly walked into this binfire, so must surely have considered the damage another Premier League relegation after Luton Town would have on his CV. Perhaps he really is thinking about Wolves for the long-term and cares little for his reputation beyond the club.

He must also value the prospect of rebuilding Wolves from the Championship as far more rewarding than doing so with Boro, especially as another promotion would only have strengthened his credentials.

It speaks of a love for Wolves, something that could carry this club through the storm. Edwards was, after all, a Wolves player. This was the club he made more appearances for than any other.

But to keep the keys for this restoration project he must withstand months more of pain, and somehow not simply endure the sense of doom among all those involved with Wolves but actually lift it.

That is one mighty task, but at least Wolves seem to have someone up for the fight. And should he still be there in two or three years, with the club a restored and renewed Premier League side, that could be something beautiful.

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It is rare to see the Premier League take a back seat on Boxing Day, but that’s exactly what happened this year with just the one top-flight fixture and a bumper schedule instead on Saturday and Sunday.

Manchester United beat Newcastle in the only game of the day on Friday – though there was plenty of EFL and non-league action as usual – leaving Manchester City and Arsenal to battle it out for top spot on the 27 December.

The Gunners’ lead at the summit has looked a little more precarious in recent weeks, but there is a positive omen for Mikel Arteta’s side – the team that was top on Christmas Day has gone on to win the league in 17 of the previous 33 seasons.

Meanwhile Liverpool have marked today to pay further tributes to Diogo Jota as they face his former side Wolves. Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso will be in attendance with their two children, Dinis and Duarte, who will walk out with the players as mascots.

Follow The i Paper’s live blog for updates.

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Rarely has a Manchester United XI that finished a Premier League match looked so shorn of quality, even recognisability.

Yet one patched-up warrior stood tall, steering a nerve-shattered team through to a vital victory.

Oh how United have missed Lisandro Martinez. Despite hundreds of millions spent on the best Europe has to offer, talent supposed to rouse this fallen giant from its perennial slumber, nobody has the effect, in attack and defence, of El Carnicero.

Had Martinez stayed even remotely fit, Ruben Amorim could be viewed in a very different light altogether. In the beleaguered manager’s blueprint, Martinez instigates attacks, gets on the ball more than anyone else, while adding some steel that is all too often missing when he is absent.

As he trudged off late on, every ounce of energy spent on his first league start of the season, bandages literally falling off his legs like a resurrected Tutankhamun, the raucous standing ovation he received told you all you need to know about just how much it means to have Martinez back in the fold.

Amorim rips up his script

Thirteen months in, Amorim has at last shown some tactical flexibility, deploying four at the back against Newcastle and for the very first time moving away from his favoured 3-4-3.  

Something needed to be done to arrest a wretched run of one clean sheet all season, a fallibility that has neutralised the vast improvement down the other end of the pitch.

With skipper Bruno Fernandes a concerned bystander from the sidelines – United had not won in seven when without their captain – the hosts did look more secure with two defensive-minded midfielders, Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte, in front of their backline.

Newcastle confused by Amorim’s tactics

The Newcastle analysts in the press box look dumbfounded. Coming to Old Trafford normally represents one of the few trips you can prepare for without the fear of the unknown. In and out of possession, Amorim’s fluid 4-2-3-1 still posed an attacking threat, without looking porous in the extreme as a byproduct.

A large slice of luck, and Newcastle profligacy, was needed to secure the nervous three points. United had just 33.4 per cent possession, their lowest in a league match that they won since January 2023 against Manchester City, while Newcastle attempted 16 shots – their second-most on record in a Premier League game at Old Trafford.

A starring role for @ManUtd's Patrick Dorgu v Newcastle pic.twitter.com/hzyPgENQRu

— Premier League (@premierleague) December 27, 2025

Yet, for a team with one clean sheet all season, this victory, sealed by Patrick Dorgu’s first-half volley, was as resolute as Amorim’s team have seemed over the last 13 turbulent months.

It is no coincidence such a showing presented itself upon Martinez’s return. Nobody passes the ball like him – his sublime pick-out to Diogo Dalot for the moment that should have made United’s victory secure in the second half was one that only he could conjure. More pertinently for this battling victory, nobody puts their body on the line, time and again, like him either.

Why Martinez could make or break Amorim

While Ayden Heaven took further giant strides forward with a defensive display that belied his fledgling years, it was Martinez’s return that has given Amorim the confidence to let go of everything he so firmly believes in, for the greater good.

“He is a guy with a lot of character,” Amorim said of Martinez’s showing. “He is really good on the ball. He won the World Cup, he is used to that stress [of the second half against Newcastle] but he showed today he is a top player. He is a small guy but today he did well against a team with tall players.”

Staying fit for Martinez is something else entirely. It is not, however, churlish to suggest something as bold as keeping him fit will make or break Amorim, and United’s hopes of finding their way once more.

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Was 2025 the tipping point for anyone who still believed that those who run football give a flying fig about those who watch it?

Long before Fifa’s World Cup ticket farce we had the news, slipped out in autumn, that this would be the first Boxing Day since 1982 to feature just a single Premier League fixture.

Scheduling, commitments to player welfare and the unstoppable expansion of the Champions League were the reason. The result? Another cherished tradition chipped away at. Another kick in the teeth for paying supporters.

It seems almost quaint to suggest it these days but if you polled regulars at the 20 clubs – those parting with their hard-earned cash to actually go to games – there would be a firm consensus in favour of this festive tradition.

Boxing Day football has a rich tradition, of course. There have only been five years without top-flight matches on 26 December since the Second World War, and most of the time it is nearly a full programme. It is the perfect day for it: reunited families trudging off to games together, local pubs full and bumper gates.

These are occasions in their own right and there’s a reason why most supporters scan the fixture lists when they come out for four things: first and last games, derby games and then Boxing Day. This year that’s all gone. Sunderland, Leeds, Crystal Palace and Spurs don’t even play until 28 December – by then the turkey will be a distant memory.

The Premier League – who are not the villains of this piece, despite ultimately deciding on the fixtures – says the tradition will be back next year. Boxing Day falls on a Saturday and that will mean an almost full programme, broadcaster picks permitting.

But that is not how these things work, is it? When it’s been proved that you can tinker with festive football, the risk is it will happen again.

That’s what happened to FA Cup third round weekend, which is now a shadow of what it once was as games are spread over five days and an increasing number of Premier League bosses struggle to hide their indifference. Replays have been banished, sacrificed at the altar of supposed progress.

And the Premier League know themselves there is little they can do, with Uefa and Fifa seemingly hellbent on squeezing ever more of their competitions. The reason we’ve lost Boxing Day this year is the expansion of the Champions League, which leaves the domestic game with less time to fulfill their fixtures.

Given there is now a commitment to give players 60 hours of rest between games, the Premier League couldn’t sacrifice a full round of fixtures on 27-28 December.

So what it boils down to is English football losing one of the best football days of the year so we can get more Club World Cup or another round of largely meaningless first round Champions League games. That, like the last of the Christmas sprouts, is very difficult to stomach.

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Four questions per month. Two bonus picture questions. And answers at the bottom of the page… no peeking!

January

1 Who beat Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open?

2 Who did Luke Littler overcome in the final to win the PDC World Darts Championship?

3 Tottenham Hotspur needed extra time to get past which fifth-tier side in the FA Cup?

4 Wales lost 43-0 to which side on the opening night of the Six Nations?

February

5 Which side denied Kansas City Chiefs a third successive Super Bowl?

6 Who shocked England in their second Champions Trophy match?

7 France lost to England in the Six Nations for the first time in how many years?

8 How many of Real Madrid’s six goals against Manchester City came from Kylian Mbappe?

March

9 Who won from pole to take F1’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix?

10 Which horse denied Galopin Des Champs a third successive Cheltenham Gold Cup?

11 England’s first goal under Thomas Tuchel came from which Arsenal player?

12 Which Frenchman topped the Six Nations try charts as his side reclaimed the title?

April

13 Which Englishman did Rory McIlroy beat in a play-off to win the Masters?

14 Who scored Arsenal’s third after Declan Rice’s double in the win over Real Madrid?

15 In what position did Eilish McColgan finish in the London Marathon?

16 Which blue won the men’s boat race for the sixth time in seven years?

May

17 In which country did Chelsea win the Conference League?

18 Mark Williams lost the World Snooker final, how many years after his first defeat?

19 Inter Milan edged a seven-goal thriller against which side to make the Champions League final?

20 Which Manchester City forward had a penalty saved in the FA Cup final?

June

21 Whose 149 helped England beat India in the first Test?

22 Which Englishman finished in a tie for fourth at golf’s US Open?

23 How many match points did Carlos Alcaraz save in the French Open final?

24 Who became the first African side to beat the England football men’s team?

July

25 How many strokes did Scottie Scheffler win the Open by?

26 Who scored England’s equaliser in the Euro 2025 final?

27 Whose last-minute try helped seal the British & Irish Lions’ series win?

28 How many minutes did Iga Swiatek take to beat Amanda Anisimova in the SW19 final? (Fiendishly difficult… so you get a point if within five minutes either side!)

August

29 How many runs did India beat England by to tie the Test series at the Oval?

30 What tournament-high tally did England put on Samoa in the Women’s World Cup?

31 Jack Draper reached which stage of the US Open?

32 Which Frenchman scored the opening goal of the Premier League season?

September

33 Who top-scored with four points as Europe edged the US to retain the Ryder Cup?

34 Ezri Konsa and which other defender scored their first England goals in the rout of Serbia?

35 Who did England thrash by 342 runs in a one-day international?

36 England beat which side to win the Women’s Rugby World Cup at Twickenham?

October

37 Who defeated England in the semi-finals of the Women’s Cricket World Cup?

38 England qualified for the men’s World Cup after winning 5-0 away to which side?

39 How many of Chelsea’s goals in their 5-1 win over Ajax were scored by teenagers?

40 Where did George Russell pick up his second race win of the F1 season?

November

41 Lando Norris’s final F1 race win of the campaign came in which country?

42 Who was the only England player to reach a half-century in the first Ashes Test?

43 How many successive wins did Steve Borthwick’s England finish the year with?

44 Which country beat Spain to win a third consecutive Davis Cup?

December

45 Joe Root scored his first Test century in Australia after how many attempts?

46 Rory McIlroy was the first golfer to win the Sports Personality of the Year since when?

47 Which Englishman scored Manchester City’s equaliser at Real Madrid?

48 Who did Scotland draw as their opening game at next summer’s World Cup?

Bonus picture questions  

49 Name the British sprinter below who won 200m silver in her first major final at the World Athletics Championships in September.

50 Here’s Newcastle United’s players celebrating the opening goal of their Carabao Cup final triumph over Liverpool – but who scored the header?

Answers

1 Novak Djokovic

2 Michael van Gerwen

3 Tamworth

4 France

5 Philadelphia Eagles

6 Afghanistan

7 Four

8 Four

9 Lando Norris

10 Inothewayurthinkin

11 Myles Lewis-Skelly

12 Louis Bielle-Biarrey

13 Justin Rose

14 Mikel Merino

15 Eighth

16 Cambridge

17 Poland

18 Twenty-six

19 Barcelona

20 Omar Marmoush

21 Ben Duckett

22 Tyrell Hatton

23 Three

24 Senegal

25 Four

26 Alessia Russo

27 Hugo Keenan

28 57

29 Six

30 92

31 Second round

32 Hugo Ekitike

33 Tommy Fleetwood

34 Marc Guehi

35 South Africa

36 Canada

37 South Africa

38 Latvia

39 Three

40 Singapore

41 Brazil

42 Harry Brook

43 11

44 Italy

45 30

46 1989

47 Nico O’Reilly

48 Haiti

49 Amy Hunt

50 Dan Burn

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Football would be boring if it was predictable, right. So rather than bask in all of my brilliant predictions of how the sport would play out over the last year [citation needed], I thought I’d laugh at some of things that I absolutely didn’t see coming.

NB: this does not say “all the things I got totally wrong in 2025”. There will be others…

Liverpool to defend the title

We do a season predictions feature at the start of every campaign, because it’s nice to have your horrifically poor foresight documented for all to see. I was hardly alone in predicting Liverpool to retain the Premier League, but I just didn’t see any way that a very good squad that dominated one season + apparent upgrades on several players in key positions couldn’t = more of the same. 

That, it appears, was not smart. And so we begin…

Earps over Hampton

I didn’t think that England would defend their European Championship title, but the shame of that is slightly mitigated by their route through the tournament: losing to France, winning two penalty shootouts and scoring in the 96th and 119th minutes to beat Italy. Fine margins.

But what I certainly didn’t foresee was Hannah Hampton becoming the best goalkeeper in the world this year, or certainly the one that made the biggest difference. I figured that dropping Mary “big game” Earps was a risk not worth taking with so much other uncertainty around form and selection (particularly given the absence of Millie Bright).

Sunderland straight back down

The Premier League had worn me down. The last six promoted clubs had gone straight back down and I didn’t dare to predict that anyone could bridge that gap. Wolves being one of the worst Premier League teams in history has helped, but Sunderland deserve all the credit for both their recruitment and the ability of Regis Le Bris to knit it all together.

Sunderland probably aren’t quite safe yet but I’m prepared to be wrong twice in saying that the rest of this season will be enjoyable simply because supporters can enjoy the ride. That was unthinkable six months ago.

Postecoglou’s second chance

I was in Seville to watch Ange Postecoglou’s first European game in charge of Forest. Despite one draw from games against Arsenal, Swansea and Burnley before it, the quality of Forest’s play with and without the ball during the first half persuaded me that he could build something.

Ah well. Postecoglou was sacked after only eight – winless – games in charge, Forest immediately went for the risk-averse option of Sean Dyche and have won seven games in 12 since. Ange will struggle to get another job in England.

Why appoint Frank Lampard?

On 2 January, 2025, Coventry City were 14th in the Championship. Frank Lampard had been in charge for nine league games, winning three, drawing three and losing three. Supporters were angry at owner Doug King for a decision that they perceived was based upon fame rather than ability. Why replace Mark Robins with this?

Points at league table: Yeah, fair enough. Coventry have been the most dominant team in their league in English professional football this season. They are free-scoring, occasionally open defensively but it hardly matters when you’re picking up 2.24 points per game and 12 points clear of third place. Along the way, Lampard has rebuilt his own reputation.

We’d have a Man City verdict by now

“Man City’s 115 charges: Premier League’s 12-week hearing concludes with decision expected in spring,” read one headline in December 2024. Most media outlets and journalists were on the same page. After months of rumour and counter-rumour, we didn’t know how the case would shake out.

But we did think an initial verdict, along with punishment pending appeal for proven charges, would land in the first half of 2025. And still we wait. And still there would likely be appeals if it goes against Manchester City. And still we grow older and more weary.

Frank to impress at Tottenham

I didn’t think that Thomas Frank would supercharge Tottenham because the squad seemed imbalanced and I put more credence on the 17th-place finish than the Europa League win (I picked Spurs to finish ninth). But I absolutely didn’t think that Frank would look out of his depth to the point that the pressure would envelope him three months into the season.

There’s an obvious point to make: losing matches at Brentford was less of a national news story than it is at Spurs. But it’s the inflexibility tactically and the incapability to create dynamic patterns of attacking play that has underwhelmed me most.

Tuchel’s crunch point

Because Thomas Tuchel had been appointed with a “win now” mandate, every setback seemed likely to become bigger than itself. So when England beat Andorra 1-0 and then lost to Senegal in the June international break, I feared that we may be witnessing a slump that England’s head coach could ill afford a year out from the World Cup.

Who knows what next summer brings, but Tuchel has absolutely got a firm grip back on this situation. England haven’t conceded in their six games since, Elliot Anderson has become a fixture in midfield and with it Tuchel has the balance right. It’s still win now or nothing, but I feel far happier than I did in June.

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At Ewood Park, there tend to be five seasons in a year: spring, summer, autumn, winter and protest. This weekend, a new campaign commenced as a multitude of supporter groups have joined up under the banner of Blackburn Rovers Coalition.

“Turn off the taps” starts with refusing to spend money in the stadium on matchday and continues with a planned boycott of the Watford home game on 24 January. New year, same old scene at Blackburn Rovers.

The pertinent question, entirely bleak, is whether anyone will notice. Against Millwall, Ewood had its lowest crowd for a Saturday league game in more than four years (and that likely included season-ticket holders who may or may not have been included in the count).

One stand was entirely free of home supporters and the top tier of another stand was closed. Outside the ground, 30 minutes before kick off, it felt hard to believe that a Championship fixture was about to take place.

Blackburn have the third lowest average home crowd in the Championship this season. Add together the ground capacities of the two teams below them – Wrexham and Oxford United – and it’s still more than 6,000 short of Ewood Park’s capacity. Only at Stadium MK, a ground far too big for its football team, will you find more empty seats in English football.

Still, after a week of rain I should be happy to see a full game at all. Twice this season, Championship matches in Blackburn have been abandoned due to the state of the playing surface. The Alum House Brook, running behind the Riverside Stand, provides water table complications, but the infrastructure of the pitch is dated and requires investment that hasn’t been forthcoming.

A fortnight ago, manager Valerien Ismael stressed that he would accept a reduction in the playing budget to improve the club’s pitch. Managers at this level don’t usually have to make these choices. Ismael calls this job the biggest challenge of his career and you can see his point.

Nothing is ever easy at Ewood; that is the wastage. Everything good only seems to exist as the set-up to a punchline at supporters’ expense. Seventh in the Championship in 2023 to 19th in 2024. Seventh last season to who knows where in 2026.

Rovers were victorious on Saturday, some blessed relief after five winless matches. But the grim reality here is that positive news is always accompanied by concern. There were first-team debuts for Matty Litherland and Nathan Dlamini; the former was named as the game’s best player. After the game, Ismael said that he is using academy players because the attitude and performance in training of others has not been good enough.

Protest has returned because Blackburn are in danger of relegation again and because of a wider, greater unease that a club has been trodden into its own muddy pitch. The malaise is long-term and unforgivable. When Venky’s took over in 2010, Rovers had played in 17 of the 19 Premier League seasons and were a point off the top seven. Their only full top-flight season as custodians ended in a pathetic relegation and Blackburn have not been back since.

In 15 years under Venky’s, Rovers have finished in the top six only once. That was in their only third-tier season in the last 45 years. Again, even the successes come laced with resentment. When one recent list ranked all Championship owners, Venky’s were kept off the bottom by Dejphon Chansiri, now no longer at Sheffield Wednesday. If that’s your low bar…

It is the sheer length of tenure that grinds you down. Fifteen years ago to the day from the time of writing, then new owners appointed Steve Kean as manager – sacking Sam Allardyce – and the rot set in. From then, the only movement was sideways or backwards. Ewood Park, home for 135 years, is full of memories and trinkets that have become ghosts of a time when people were proud to come here.

And so apathy drowns the place like the rain. The first chant of the game from home supporters – “We want Venky’s out” – barely garners support away from one corner of the Ronnie Clayton Blackburn End. “Stand up if you hate the Venky’s” doesn’t get much either.

In the final 20 minutes a banner is raised: “We want Pasha out” (Suhail Pasha is the chief operating officer). But the only people who really seem bothered are two stewards in bright orange jackets who have a word and then leave them to it.

I – and we all should – wish the Blackburn Rovers Coalition well. Their mandate is everything that is no more, tangible and intangible: investment, ambition, hope. There is no reason why Rovers should be so helpless and so hopeless, ceilings lowered and green shoots damaged by rain. That is not entitlement; look what these owners inherited.

But that’s the biggest problem here. It has been 15 years. When you support a club where nothing ever seems to happen, forcing change becomes only more daunting because you first need to persuade everybody that it is even possible.

You’re asking people to believe in better when nobody can really remember what unadulterated happiness feels like when it comes to Blackburn Rovers. Anger gets into your head and can be used as fuel. Apathy seeps into your bones and breaks your fighting spirit from the inside out.

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