Tottenham lost another battle on the same day as the Royal Rumble and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain reached a Premier League landmark he will not be boasting about on Sunday.
Leandro Trossard scored the only goal of the game as Brighton and Hove Albion beat Spurs to ease their relegation fears, inflicting what looks like a finishing move on Jose Mourinho's side in the title race.
Oxlade-Chamberlain came off the bench for the 100th time in a top-flight game late in Liverpool's 3-1 victory at West Ham, while leaders Manchester City broke a record on Saturday.
With the help of Opta data, we take a look at some of the quirkiest stats from the Premier League action over the weekend.
Trossard wrestles the initiative
Tottenham made the journey to the south coast reeling from a painful midweek defeat to Liverpool in which they lost captain Harry Kane to injury.
Trossard delivered the knockout blow at the Amex Stadium, leaving Mourinho's men 11 points behind leaders City in sixth place.
Spurs fans who follow WWE may have been fearing the worst, as they have lost nine times when playing on the same day as the Royal Rumble was staged - more than any English league club.
Edge and Bianca Belair came out on top in the extravaganza at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida after Spurs were seemingly eliminated from the title race.
Sub century for Ox
Midfielder Oxlade-Chamberlain replaced Divock Origi 10 minutes from time in the Reds' victory at previously in-form West Ham.
The former Arsenal man became the 15th player to make 100 top-flight appearances off the bench.
Peter Crouch (158) did so on the most occasions, with Oxlade-Chamberlain's team-mate James Milner (154) second on the list and Jermain Defoe (149) completing the top three.
Happy new year for irrepressible City
City extended their winning streak to 12 matches at the expense of bottom side Sheffield United on Saturday, Gabriel Jesus scoring the only goal of the game.
Pep Guardiola's side will take some stopping in their bid to regain the title, as they lead neighbours Manchester United by three points with a game in hand.
That early strike from Jesus made it nine wins out of nine for City in January, more than any side has achieved in a calendar month since the formation of the Football League in 1888.
Shot-shy Clarets
Chelsea eased to their first win under Thomas Tuchel on Sunday, seeing off Burnley 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
The Clarets arrived in London on a three-match winning run, including a shock 1-0 triumph at Anfield and a 3-2 thriller against Aston Villa.
Sean Dyche's men barely laid a glove on Chelsea, though, and went the longest any side has gone without an attempt at goal in the Premier League this season.
They looked set to become the first team not to have an attempt in a game since Bournemouth against Manchester City in March 2019 until James Tarkowski's header in stoppage time. Better late than never? Dyche might not see it that way.
Jorginho: Arsenal players laughing at Haaland form for Man City
Jorginho has said the form of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is making him and his Arsenal team-mates laugh ahead of next weekend's meeting.
Haaland netted two more goals for City in Saturday's 2-1 comeback win over Brentford at the Etihad Stadium to maintain his side's perfect start.
That took the striker to nine goals across City's first four Premier League games this season - the most any player has scored in the competition's history at this stage.
Arsenal are the next side tasked with attempting to keep Haaland quiet in next weekend's showdown between the division's top-two sides.
Despite Haaland's superb form to begin the campaign, Jorginho insists Arsenal are unfazed heading into Sunday's battle in Manchester.
"Erling scoring again... it is starting to make us laugh," he said. "We look because we watch all the games and we love the Premier League.
"We watch [City] as well, which is normal. It doesn't get to our head. We need to focus on us and that is what we are trying to do."
Last season's runners-up Arsenal are two points behind early pacesetters City after winning three and drawing one of their opening four matches.
Mikel Arteta's men managed to grind out a 1-0 win in their North London derby with Tottenham at the weekend thanks to a Gabriel header.
Arsenal were without key midfield pair Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, owing to suspension and injury respectively, but still got the job done.
"You learn more about each other," said Jorginho, who replaced Rice in midfield. "Everyone wants to improve and wants the best for the team.
"When you put the team in first place I think just good things can happen. Keep believing in what you are doing. I think we are on the right way."
Arsenal travel to Atalanta for their opening Champions League game on Thursday, but one eye is undoubtedly on the trip to City three days later.
"If you want to achieve big things you need to have the mentality of trying to win every single game," Jorginho said.
"That is what we need to do and that is what we want to do. That is what we are trying to do. You need to keep in this way.
"Keep believing in what you're doing. We are believing in what we are doing and we keep working hard to improve on what we need to improve."
Slot doubles down on selection policy ahead of Champions League opener
Arne Slot hit back at critics following his first defeat as Liverpool head coach but is relishing his first Champions League game in charge of the Reds against Milan.
After starting his Liverpool tenure with three wins from three, Slot's side were beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest last weekend upon their return from the international break.
It marked the Dutchman's first loss since replacing Jurgen Klopp, with Forest securing their first triumph at Anfield since 1969.
Slot named an unchanged team for the fourth consecutive game since taking over at Liverpool against Forest, with many questioning his decision to do so.
But speaking ahead of their encounter at the San Siro on Tuesday, Slot doubled down on his selection policy during his early tenure on Merseyside.
"If rotation would be the reason why you didn't win a game, then last Saturday probably wouldn't be the first game I lost in 2024," Slot said.
"It's too simple to put this loss on rotation, I think it was because too many players didn't reach their normal level. The playing style of the opponent made it really difficult.
"When you don't win, you try and look at as many possible reasons why, but I preferred to look back at what we did well and what we didn't do well.
"We could have done a lot better in things that were not related to rotation, but again it's not possible to say what would have happened if I did rotate.
"Now I can do something about rotation in the upcoming games but before the weekend they were with the national team.
"For me this loss didn't have anything to do with rotation, it was the opponent and too many players not bringing what they can bring."
Slot takes charges of his first game in the Champions League as Liverpool boss, but has struggled in the competition away from home.
The Dutchman has lost all three of his away games in the tournament, with each of those coming in the group stage with Feyenoord last season.
However, Slot's former side did have the second-best shot differential away from home in last season’s group stage (+19 – 48 for and 29 against), while only Man City (24) faced fewer shots on the road.
The fixture will also come on Slot's 46th birthday, with the Liverpool head coach hopeful of getting the perfect present from his players.
"I think it is the first time that my birthday is not so important tomorrow!', Slot said.
"It's a big game also for me, but it's a big game for us too because it's the first game [of the Champions League] and it's the next game and the next game is always the most important one, as you know.
"But because of the history that these two teams have and the venue where it's played in - it's one to look forward to."
Slot was also able to provide an update on Federico Chiesa, who is yet to feature since his switch from Juventus in the transfer window.
Chiesa offers Slot an experienced option against the Serie A side, having notched seven goal involvements (three goals and four assists) in the 13 games he has played against Milan.
But the Dutchman confirmed that any involvement for the Italy international will likely be from the bench.
"He is, for the first time, in our team selection," Slot said.
"And since I said it's the first time he's in our team selection it would be a big surprise for him and for everyone if he would start tomorrow.
"I don’t think you should expect that he starts but he can make a few minutes for the first time tomorrow if we need him. That is something we will see tomorrow.
"For the first time with us and don’t expect him to be there in the starting line-up because he has been with Juve training on his own for a long time.
"It is too early for him to play 90, but hopefully he can make his first minutes in the upcoming fixtures."
Liverpool opener a chance to show Milan progression, says Fonseca
Paulo Fonseca believes Milan's Champions League opener against Liverpool is the perfect opportunity to show the team's progress under his stewardship.
Fonseca, who arrived at the San Siro from Lille in July, picked up his first Serie A victory for the Rossoneri on Saturday with a 4-0 rout of Venezia.
All four goals came in the first 30 minutes of that encounter, the first time Milan had done so in a league match since October 1958 against Alessandria.
Milan welcome a familiar foe in the competition in Liverpool on Tuesday, with the pair having squared off in the 2005 and 2007 finals, both winning one apiece.
The Italian side also faced the Reds in the Champions League group stage in the 2021-22 season but lost on both occasions as Liverpool reached the showpiece match, only to lose 1-0 to Real Madrid.
But Liverpool come into the contest off the back of a shock 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend, the first defeat of the Arne Slot era.
However, Fonseca insisted that despite their opponents' latest result, his side must eradicate their own mistakes and be defensively perfect to kickstart their campaign with a victory.
"I think Liverpool is one of the strongest teams in Europe. They have a good game and strong individuals," Fonseca said.
"We have to be perfect defensively, you cannot make mistakes.
"I see it as an opportunity to show our progress. It will lead us to do different things... but also to prove our worth.
"I am sure it will. The support of our fans is always important for us. Tomorrow it will be like that, we want to feel their love."
Milan's new signing and Euro 2024 winning captain, Alvaro Morata, is also expecting a difficult test against Liverpool on Tuesday.
Morata returned to action as a second half substitute against Venezia after missing two games with a back injury after marking his debut with a goal against Torino.
The Spaniard also has an impressive record against Liverpool, failing to lose in his five appearances against them (won three and drawn two) while also scoring once.
"It will be a great challenge, we have so many different players, and we have to fix so many mechanisms, only time will tell," Morata said.
"Ever since you arrive at a club like this you dream of playing with Liverpool in the Champions League, it could even be a semi-final, it's strange that we play right away.
"There is so much desire. These are the games that make sporting history."
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