Manchester City picked up from where they left off in 2021 by battling to a late 2-1 win over Arsenal, extending their lead at the Premier League summit.

A Riyad Mahrez penalty and a last-gasp strike from Rodri cancelled out Bukayo Saka's first-half opener after Gabriel Magalhaes received a needless red card for the Gunners in an action-packed game – the first top-flight match of 2022.

City's 11th league win in a row means they end New Year's Day with an 11-point advantage at the top, a tally bettered by only two clubs in the competition's history on January 1 – Manchester United in 1993-94 and City themselves in 2017-18 (both 12 points).

There were also victories for Tottenham and West Ham, the London pair seeing off Watford and Crystal Palace respectively to remain in firm contention for a top-four finish.

Here, Stats Perform unpacks the pick of Opta data from Saturday's action. 

Saka's opening goal against City was only the second the Citizens have conceded in the first half of a Premier League game this season, and the first such goal they have shipped on their travels since May.

That was the England international's sixth league goal of the season and was the 36th goal scored by a player aged 21 or under for Arsenal in the English top flight since Mikel Arteta's first game on Boxing Day 2019 – eight more than any other team.

Mahrez converted a contentiously awarded penalty shortly before the hour mark at Emirates Stadium, the Algeria international scoring for a fifth game running in all competitions, and Gabriel's second yellow card – 78 seconds after his first – swung the game in City's favour.

That was Arsenal's 100th red card in the Premier League era, making them the first side to reach that milestone, with Everton (99), Newcastle United (90) and Chelsea (82) next on the list.

Rodri completed the turnaround with City's latest winning goal in a league game since May 2018 (92:28) as the Citizens made it 10 successive top-flight victories over the Gunners, an opponent Pep Guardiola has yet to lose against in the league in 12 encounters.

Watford 0-1 Tottenham: Sanchez stings Hornets in late Spurs win

Tottenham also left it late to overcome Watford and make it eight Premier League games without defeat under Antonio Conte, extending the longest unbeaten start by a Spurs boss in league competition.

Davinson Sanchez made the breakthrough with 95 minutes and 45 seconds played, with that the latest winning goal Spurs have scored in the top flight since Opta started recording such data from 2006-07.

Watford dug deep but could not quite hold on for a valuable point, meaning they have now lost more Premier League matches (nine) since Claudio Ranieri took charge in October than any other side in the division.

Sanchez's goal was his second in five Premier League matches for Spurs, which is more than he had netted in his first 108 in the competition (one), with the defender heading in from a Son Heung-min free-kick.

Watford boss Ranieri has now lost each of his last five Premier League games against Italian managers, whereas compatriot Conte has never lost against a fellow Italian in the competition in six meetings, winning all but one of those.

Crystal Palace 2-3 West Ham: Hammers survive Olise-inspired scare

Palace fell just short of pulling off a remarkable comeback as they lost a home league match on New Year's Day for the first time in their history, with this their 14th such match.

Michail Antonio's close-range finish and a Manuel Lanzini double gave West Ham a commanding three-goal lead, the latter having now scored 52 per cent of his 25 Premier League goals in London derbies (13) – the highest percentage of any player to have scored at least 20 times in the competition.

Michael Olise made a huge difference from the bench by setting up Odsonne Edouard and then scoring a second for Palace late on, making him the first Eagles player to score and assist as a substitute in the Premier League.

But the visitors held on to ensure boss David Moyes made it six straight away league wins against Palace as a manager, defeating a different coach on each occasion during that perfect run (Alan Smith, Iain Dowie, Tony Pulis, Sam Allardyce, Roy Hodgson and now Patrick Vieira).

Only so much of the blame for England's poor Ashes series can lie with captain Joe Root, according to former skipper Graham Gooch.

Australia have already retained the Ashes with two Tests to spare, having established an unassailable 3-0 lead, dominating the opening three matches in Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne.

Root has been one of the only England batters to perform well, going on to become the leading run-scorer as the nation's Test captain, a role he has fulfilled since 2017.

He will lead England out for a record 60th time in the fourth Test in Sydney, overtaking Alastair Cook's tally of 59, while 26 per cent of all the team's runs were scored by Root in 2021, with the Yorkshireman plundering 1,708 in total.

However, England have averaged just 187.5 with the bat in six innings, failing to score more than 300 in any of the first three Tests down under, and Root's leadership abilities have come under scrutiny.

But after Chris Woakes backed the 31-year-old to stay on, Gooch has also offered his support to Root, but suggested the skipper may need to take a more realistic view on his team's scenario.

"I like Joe a lot. He's a brilliant player; a world-class player. He's not a bad captain; I don't think it’s his fault," Gooch, who scored 8,900 Test runs for England between 1975 and 1995, told Stats Perform.

"But to keep saying we’re close to Australia, that we can feel it coming, and one good session or one good day is going to turn it around. I don't think that’s going to wash really. We've been comprehensively beaten.

"I think it's a bit galling for us ex-pros and captains to hear."

Gooch, fourth on the all-time list for runs scored as England's Test captain, also paid tribute to the victorious Australia, whose strong displays he feels have played a major part in the tourists' slump.

Asked whether he believed the outcome of the Series was down to the hosts' performances or a poor showing by England, he said: "I think it's a bit of both.

"I think you've got Australia doing what they do best. They're aggressive, they're ruthless. If they smell blood, they capitalise on it.

"It's not because England have been so poor; they have not allowed England to be successful."

Manchester United will benefit from integrating security, confidence, courage and responsibility rather than splashing out on a blockbuster signing during the January transfer window, according to former striker Louis Saha.

The Red Devils have endured an inconsistent first half of the Premier League season and find themselves in seventh place – four points off the top four and 22 behind leaders Manchester City.

A difficult start to the campaign culminated in the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with Ralf Rangnick appointed his successor on an interim basis for the remainder of 2021-22. 

Following the arrivals of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane during the previous window, more big names have been linked with a move to Old Trafford in a bid to boost the club's fortunes on the field.

But Saha, who scored 42 goals in 124 appearances for United between 2004 and 2008, believes his former club's priorities should be elsewhere.

In an exclusive interview with Stats Perform, he said: "Right now, I don't think that any player is [suitable for Man United in the transfer market] unless you bring in [Erling] Haaland or [Kylian] Mbappe and you know things are going to be very interesting, but I don't think that's going to be the case. 

"This transfer window is always very special and hard to manage. When you actually go into the press and say, 'oh, we need a defender, or we need a midfielder,' the price increases by 30 per cent easily because you're showing that you're desperate. 

"Any agent will take the opportunity to make it difficult, so that's the name of the market. 

"What you have to provide is more about security, confidence, courage, responsibility and all those needs to be integrated. This is where United will mostly benefit."

One of the main pre-season arrivals at Old Trafford, Sancho has yet to truly make a mark with his new employers.

The England international, who scored eight goals and provided 11 assists for Borussia Dortmund in last season's Bundesliga, has only found the net once in 15 Premier League appearances, while he is yet to register his first assist. 

Nevertheless, Saha is confident it is only a matter of time before the winger hits his stride.

"He's a top player, and there are moments like this where confidence can be shattered a little bit," he added.

"But when you have his quality, it's just like maybe one combination, one player that puts you in a better configuration, one dribble, one skill that the guy does on the field – and he's flying again. 

"So, I have no doubt he can score, he can obviously assist and open up any defence for our strikers. So, I do feel like it's an amazing talent to have."

Ligue 1 club Monaco have sacked head coach Niko Kovac, bringing an end to his 18-month spell in charge.

Former Bayern Munich coach Kovac succeeded Robert Moreno in July 2020 on a three-year deal and finished third in his only full season in charge.

However, Monaco were defeated by Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League qualifying play-off stages in August and are sixth in the French top flight after 19 matches.

The Principality club found a bit of form with three wins in their final four league games of 2021, but they confirmed on Saturday that Kovac has been relieved of his duties.

A club statement read: "Monaco announces they have decided to part ways with Niko Kovac. The Croatian coach was informed about this on Thursday in a preliminary interview."

Monaco B boss Stephane Nado will take temporary charge until a replacement for Kovac, who lasted just 74 games in his first job since leaving Bayern, is found.

Club Brugge coach Philippe Clement is the favourite to land the position, while Jesse Marsch – who left RB Leipzig last month – is also a rumoured contender.

Monaco face Quevilly Rouen in the Coupe de France on Sunday, with their Ligue 1 campaign restarting on January 9 with a trip to Nantes.

The Kansas City Chiefs have ruled out running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire for their clash with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Kansas City can clinch the top seed in the AFC this week if they beat the Bengals on the road and the Tennessee Titans lose to the Miami Dolphins.

But they will attempt to do so without Edwards-Helaire, who did not practice this week because of a shoulder injury.

He was originally listed as questionable on the injury report but on Saturday was downgraded to out.

Edwards-Helaire, a first-round pick in 2020, has struggled to justify his draft status to this point in his brief career.

This season, Edwards-Helaire has averaged 4.3 yards per carry, amassing 517 yards in 10 games. He has scored four touchdowns on the ground and a further two as a receiver.

Xavi is urging Ousmane Dembele to "make an effort" after contract negotiations between the Frenchman and Barcelona hit an obstacle.

The 24-year-old has entered the final six months of his contract at the club, meaning he is able to begin talking with other clubs over a free transfer at the end of the season.

Dembele's Barca career has been largely disappointing since joining from Borussia Dortmund for a reported €105million in 2017, with injuries restricting him to just 86 LaLiga appearances from a possible 165.

Yet, ever since Xavi was appointed as Ronald Koeman's replacement in November, the new coach has frequently spoken of his admiration for Dembele, repeatedly backing him to be the best player in the world in his position.

Xavi remains hopeful in light of rumours suggesting Barca and the player's representatives reached something of a stumbling block in talks, though he wants Dembele to play his part as well if he truly wants to stay.

Asked about the apparent "tension" encountered in negotiations, Xavi told reporters: "I am not disappointed. It's a negotiation.

"Agents are difficult. At Barca we have a clear position and it is in progress, it's not over. I'm optimistic and I hope that Ousmane makes an effort. He has a fantastic proposition [but] there is always a tug of war.

"I hope he can stay because he is a player capable of making a difference and could be the best footballer in his position. It's an opportunity for him and he can't miss it.

"I don't think he'd be happier elsewhere than he is here. Barca is the best club in the world, the sporting project is going to be more important than economic [aspect], and I have let him know. That is why I am hopeful.

"I naturally told him that we need him. He is an important player for us. He knows that the project is very interesting for him. The economic issue does not concern me."

One player being linked with joining Barca is Alvaro Morata.

Reports suggest Xavi wants to bring the Atletico Madrid-owned striker back to Spain from Juventus.

While it would seemingly be a complicated deal – and that is before you consider Barca's need to offload players before registering new ones due to their salary limit – it is one that seems to make sense on the face of it.

Though Ferran Torres has arrived from Manchester City, Xavi has appeared unconvinced by his options in the striker role, with Luuk de Jong supposedly set to have his loan from Sevilla terminated, though the coach was reluctant to talk about Morata.

He said: "Let's talk about the players we have. Ferran Torres and [Dani] Alves are going to improve our squad.

"They are very good for our style of play. The rest are theories and that's something that does not concern me."

Antonio Conte insisted Tottenham have room for improvement if they are to enjoy future success after his side edged past Watford.

Spurs have yet to lose in eight Premier League games under Conte, extending the longest unbeaten start by a Tottenham manager in league competition.

It seemed for large parts on Saturday that Spurs would have to settle for consecutive draws as Daniel Bachmann repeatedly thwarted the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min at Vicarage Road.

However, Davinson Sanchez headed home Spurs' latest ever winning Premier League goal since Opta began recording data (95:45) as he rose the highest to seal all three points for the visitors in a 1-0 win.

Victory over Claudio Ranieri's struggling side moves Spurs within two points of fourth-placed Arsenal, who have played two games more, but Conte still wants more from his side.

He told Sky Sports: "It is important to get three points. We know we have to suffer to get points. We are building a team to try to be competitive in the future but we know we have to be competitive in this season too.

"It is important to be humble, to fight and to suffer. I think everything can improve.

"It was difficult because we didn't score but created chances and when you find an opponent who is well organised it is not simple.

"But when you score the game changes and you find spaces to attack. I am happy with the commitment and effort from the players. We were a bit tired but I wish the world to my friend Claudio Ranieri the best because [Watford] deserve something."

Conte has never lost a Premier League match against an Italian manager (W5 D1), with three wins to his name against Ranieri.

The former Inter head coach expressed his satisfaction with the performance of his side as he commented on how difficult the busy festive period has been.

He added to BBC's Match of the Day: "To play so many games in a few days is not easy. This was the fifth game in 13 days and if you think we played almost with the same players, this period is busy but at the same time we try to get a result because it is very important, three points is very important.

"We have to improve the last pass, in the first half it was 29 crosses and no goals, it is important for us to improve the quality in the last pass because that gives you the possibility to score."

Before the Watford clash, Conte called for patience as he warned Champions League football will not be sealed with a couple of months of work and one transfer window.

But Conte feels the best way for Spurs to succeed in January is to keep playing the way they are doing, as opposed to focusing on various needs in the transfer market.

"Honestly, when Tottenham put me in charge, I asked for time to make my evaluation about the squad, now I did and for sure we will have a meeting with the club," he continued.

"It is important always to be honest, to understand where we are at in this moment, which is our point of start and then I will see. January is not simple, but maybe we will see what happens.

"We have to continue to work in this way and these players are giving me everything, great commitment and trust – the best buy in January is to continue this way. Then we will see what are our intentions are."

Xavi believes forcing Barcelona to play Real Mallorca on Sunday is "crazy" due to the Blaugrana's 17 first-team absences.

Barca were hit with a spate of COVID-19 cases during the winter break, with as many as 10 players testing positive for the illness.

One of those – Samuel Umtiti – has since returned a negative test meaning he is technically available for Sunday's trip, though he is not deemed match fit after being unable to train in the past week.

Additionally, Xavi is without five players through injury; Sergio Busquets is suspended; Yusuf Demir is negotiating his departure; and Ferran Torres, who is injured anyway, cannot be registered until Monday at the earliest.

While postponements have become commonplace in other competitions, such as the Premier League, regulations in LaLiga make such situations much rarer.

Teams will still have to play so long as they have 13 available players from their first and second teams. Clubs must continue to adhere to the rule that dictates a minimum of seven players registered to the senior team are on the pitch at the same time.

But that minimum can drop to five players if teams have fewer than seven professionals available for selection – essentially, as long as Barca can name five first-team players in a starting XI, their games will not be postponed, much to the frustration of Xavi.

"It makes no sense to play tomorrow," Xavi told reporters in Saturday's pre-match news conference.

"We are in an extreme situation. We have between 17-18 casualties, it depends on Umtiti, who today has tested negative but has not trained for a week.

"It's a time to suspend the game. In this way [not postponing the game], the competition is adulterated, it is crazy to play like this.

"We have no choice but to compete with who we have. Mallorca has also asked for it [the game to be postponed].

"We must appeal to common sense. It's not a complaint, it's a reality. Basketball has been suspended.

"We will play if LaLiga forces us. We've trained well, but it's a chaotic situation. Be that as it may, we will go out to compete and try to win."

Barca head into their first game of 2022 seventh in LaLiga, 18 points adrift of leaders Real Madrid.

Diego Simeone insisted Kieran Trippier is an important player to Atletico Madrid but suggested the right-back may leave the club amid talk of a move to Newcastle.

Eddie Howe's side head into their first transfer window following the Saudi Arabian-backed takeover in October, with Newcastle reportedly submitting a formal bid to make Trippier the first signing of their new era.

The experienced Trippier has repeatedly been linked with a mid-season switch to Newcastle, having impressed during his stint in the Spanish capital, and has also previously been suggested as a target of Manchester United, Arsenal and Everton.

Trippier, who joined the reigning LaLiga champions from Tottenham in July 2019, has managed 67 top-flight appearances for Atletico, while Howe has previously managed the 31-year-old when the pair crossed paths at Burnley in 2012.

Atletico head coach Simeone addressed the transfer speculation on Saturday as he expressed his admiration for Trippier, though he conceded that managers cannot influence players' decisions to leave.

"Kieran Trippier has to decide whether he is leaving or not," Simeone told reporters on New Year's Day at his news conference.

"We will move on following his decision. We have always had these situations where very good players have the possibility of leaving.

"It will depend on what the player wants. We will then look for solutions. We coaches can't do too much in terms of players' decisions. We can only tell Trippier how important he is for the team."

Trippier has hardly excelled for his current team this campaign, failing to register a goal or an assist in 17 games across all competitions, but his previous displays for Tottenham highlight the quality Newcastle would be acquiring.

He created 49 chances in 27 Premier League games in 2018-19, the third-highest for defenders behind only Lucas Digne (71) and Andy Robertson (51), while playing eight and nine games fewer than the respective full-backs.

His addition would offer Howe an attacking outlet and the former Bournemouth manager will also hope the full-back can firm up Newcastle's defence, which conceded 80 league goals in 2021 – the most shipped by any Premier League team in a calendar year.

Howe's side are currently 19th, having won only once in their opening 19 league matches and collected just 11 points.

Davinson Sanchez scored a stoppage-time header as Tottenham edged out Premier League strugglers Watford 1-0 on New Year's Day.

Watford headed into Saturday's meeting at Vicarage Road on a five-game losing streak but seemed to have halted that poor run thanks in large part to the efforts of goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann.

But Bachmann's heroics were ultimately in vain when Sanchez popped up in the 96th minute to secure all three points for the visitors after a medical emergency in the crowd had stopped play temporarily.

Tottenham are yet to lose since Antonio Conte's arrival and move within two points of fourth-placed Arsenal following their defeat to Manchester City.

Conte's side boasted over 70 per cent of the first-half possession but were unable to make their dominance pay.

Sergio Reguilon came close to getting Spurs ahead before the interval, with the wing-back drawing a fine diving stop out of Bachmann prior to Harry Kane curling narrowly wide following Imran Louza's lapse in concentration.

The same Spurs duo almost broke the deadlock after the break. Reguilon saw a strike deflect just off target, while Bachmann tipped over from Kane.

Joshua King then forced a magnificent save from Hugo Lloris in a rare Watford attack, with Son Heung-min nudging wide with an audacious flick at the other end.

Bachmann was then on hand once more to deny Son, though Spurs' efforts finally proved fruitful in stoppage time.

Son turned provider with a wonderful delivery from a free-kick, with Sanchez on hand to head in from point-blank range.

Aaron Ramsdale and Arsenal assistant Albert Stuivenberg complained about a lack of consistency with the use of VAR in Saturday's eventful clash with Manchester City.

The Gunners felt hard done by after they were denied a penalty in the first half when Ederson was adjudged to have got the ball when he lunged in on Martin Odegaard, before City were awarded a spot-kick of their own following a VAR check shortly after the restart.

Bernardo Silva went down under the challenge of Granit Xhaka, with referee Stuart Attwell changing his decision not to award a penalty after going to the pitch-side monitor.

Riyad Mahrez coolly drilled home to cancel out Bukayo Saka's opener, before Gabriel Magalhaes was handed a second booking in swift succession for a foul on Gabriel Jesus.

Arsenal were furious at the two decisions, and their anger turned to despair late on when Rodri was on hand to prod home a dramatic winner.

While Arsenal should perhaps consider their own indiscipline – Gabriel's dismissal took the Gunners to 100 red cards in the Premier League, the first team to reach that tally – goalkeeper Ramsdale hit out at the use of the video technology.

"I am basing it on both penalties – the inconsistency of going to the screen, the referee might have ruled it out straight away when he looked at it," Ramsdale told BBC Sport.

"But it is the fact he went to look at it. Both in real time he said no penalty, but only gets told to look at one. Theirs was soft for me, but he gets told to look and has given it.

"I am at the other end of the pitch for our penalty shout. The goalkeeper comes out with his foot and he either catches him or the ball. The Bernardo one, he stood him up and it got given. Penalties are penalties, but for us it is getting told to look at the screen."

No Premier League team has seen more players sent off than Arsenal (11) since Mikel Arteta took charge of his first game on Boxing Day 2019, though the Spaniard was not on the touchline on Saturday as he has contracted COVID-19.

Stuivenberg stood in for Arteta, who was in communication with his coaching staff constantly throughout the match, and the Arsenal assistant echoed Ramsdale's complaints.

"We are very frustrated with the outcome if you play a game like this against one of the best teams in the world. At the end to have zero points is frustrating because we should have won the game," he told BBC Sport.

"I think it [should have been] a penalty [to Arsenal] but I am looking for consistency. We have VAR in place so why not check yourself as a referee? That did not happen so it is disappointing."

Reflecting on Gabriel's sending off, with the bookings coming in the space of 78 seconds – the first one having been for scuffing up the penalty spot before Mahrez's spot-kick – Stuivenberg conceded Arsenal showed a lack of composure.

"It is something we have to learn, we have young players in the team and have to control our emotion," he said.

"I am not sure the first yellow is because of that [scuffing the penalty spot], I cannot ask the question to the referee now. If you are on a yellow you have to be smarter."

Rodri says Manchester City demonstrated their "champions' personality" as they snatched a dramatic 2-1 victory over 10-man Arsenal.

The Premier League leaders left it at the Emirates, the Spain international striking in the third minute of stoppage time to send Pep Guardiola's side 11 points clear at the summit of the table.

The contest had appeared to be heading for a stalemate after Riyad Mahrez equalised from the penalty spot to cancel out Bukayo Saka's first-half effort.

Despite dominating possession (70.9 per cent), City were far from their best, registering just two shots on target from 15 attempts. 

Nevertheless, Rodri believes he and his team-mates reaped the rewards for their persistence, while he also paid tribute to Arsenal's display in the absence of boss Mikel Arteta following his positive COVID-19 test.

"This kind of game, you always have two or three in a season," he told BT Sport.

"They're an unbelievable team; they show why they're in that position. The way they grow with Mikel is huge, massive.

"They did a good game but fortunately, we saw our champions' personality. I've learned from previous years you have to push always, no matter what happens. 

"We were 1-0 down in the break. Suddenly, things change. We didn't do a great game, but we pushed; never dropped, and always thought it was possible."

Arsenal were on a five-match winning streak at the Emirates, keeping a clean sheet in each of their four most recent outings on home soil.

The Gunners were unlucky not to quickly retake the lead after Mahrez's equaliser, with Nathan Ake just about clearing off the line following a mix-up between Aymeric Laporte and Ederson, before Gabriel Magalhaes was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence.

And City boss Guardiola acknowledged that those fine margins proved crucial for his side, who he felt lacked energy during their third match in the space of six days.

"They [Arsenal] were better," he said. "We faced a team who have struggled to be in top four and start the season at the bottom. Now, they are in the top four. 

"They had six or seven days since their last game at Norwich; we had three days since Brentford. 

"We didn't have energy. In the second half, one minute changed with the penalty, one minute the [near] own goal and the sending off. 

"Sometimes, the coin falls on your side, sometimes the other side. We know how much it means to win at the Emirates at the moment and the good team they are."