As for Manchester United and new manager Ruben Amorim, they stumble into the festive period in 13th place — as low as they've been at Christmas since the 1989-90 season — and with a familiar sinking feeling.
United lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth on Sunday for the second straight season, the latest statistic to show just how far the English giants have fallen and the job Amorim has to turn around their fortunes.
Tottenham coach Ange Postecoglou reflects on a bad day amid his roller-coaster season. (AP PHOTO)
Worse for United, it seems like their greatest rivals Liverpool can't be stopped.
Make that 21 games in all competitions without defeat now after the Reds' biggest league win of the season, with Mohamed Salah netting two of the goals to move them above Manchester City's Erling Haaland to the top of the scoring charts.
He's also the first player ever to top the goalscoring (15) and assists (11) tables with double-figure tallies before Christmas in the Premier League era.
Liverpool have 39 points from 16 games, four ahead of Chelsea, six clear of Arsenal and eight more than Nottingham Forest.
In a mad, end-to-end contest resembling a basketball match, Liverpool also netted through Luis Diaz (two), Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Tottenham's injury-hit defence were ripped open at the back but their attack caused Liverpool problems throughout, with James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke all scoring on another barmy day for Spurs coach Ange Postecoglou, whose side slipped to 11th.
The optimism generated by a last-gasp 2-1 derby win at Manchester City last weekend disappeared for Manchester United, who'd also lost 4-3 at Tottenham in the League Cup quarter-finals on Thursday as they were caned by Bournemouth.
Man Utd players were left dejected by their defeat at Old Trafford. (AP PHOTO)
"We were a bit nervous, I felt it in the stadium," said Amorim, who has now won four and lost four in all competitions after leaving out Marcus Rashford for the third straight match.
Dean Huijsen, Justin Kluivert (penalty) and Antoine Semenyo scored for Bournemouth, who climbed to fifth.
Champions City have dropped, almost unthinkably, to seventh.
After all the money spent on players — $US1.3 billion ($A2.1 billion) and counting — and the huge turnover of managers, Chelsea's American ownership could have seen the club atop the Premier League with a win at Everton — for a couple of hours at least.
However, a 0-0 draw ended the Blues' eight-match winning run in all competitions.
Nicolas Jackson headed against the post in the first half for Chelsea, while Everton had the clearer chances in the second half.
Vitor Pereira got off to a great start as Wolves manager as they beat Leicester 3-0.
Pereira took charge on Thursday as the replacement for Gary O'Neil and immediately ended Wolves' four-game losing run as Goncalo Guedes, Rodrigo Gomes and Matheus Cunha scored first-half goals at King Power Stadium.
Wolves stayed in the relegation zone but moved two points behind Leicester, who are a place above the bottom three.
They handed Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy a second straight big loss early in his reign, after a 4-0 defeat at Newcastle last weekend.
Another newly hired Premier League manager, Ivan Juric, began life at Southampton with a 0-0 draw at Fulham.
