Mason Mount and Kai Havertz struck as Chelsea relaunched their Premier League season with a much-needed 2-0 victory against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge.

Graham Potter's side headed into the mid-season World Cup break last month having failed to notch a win in their previous five top-flight games, with three losses on the bounce to boot.

An impressive performance from the hosts saw them break their barren run, though it came at a cost with Reece James forced off injured in his first match since October.

The outcome means Bournemouth have had two losses in two competitive games under head coach Gary O'Neil since he took charge of the Cherries on a permanent basis, having been Scott Parker's interim successor for the majority of the season.

Chelsea's early dominance brought a swift breakthrough, with Havertz prodding home Raheem Sterling's low delivery at full stretch just 16 minutes in.

Eight minutes later, Germany international Havertz turned provider for England midfielder Mount, who curled a first-time shot through the scrambled Bournemouth defence to double the lead.

The Blues went close to making it 3-0 just before the interval, with goalkeeper Mark Travers parrying a close-range Sterling strike at his top corner.

A third goal proved elusive following the break for Chelsea, and they were dealt a blow when James was forced down the tunnel after lengthy treatment for an apparent leg problem.

His absence threw their rhythm off to a point, with Bournemouth gaining confidence in pursuit of a response, albeit without showing a great cutting edge.

Former Chelsea youth-team graduate Dominic Solanke headed just wide in stoppage time from Bournemouth's best chance as the visitors could not find a way back into the contest.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has not thought about how the team will handle their quarterback situation in 2023 following rookie Brock Purdy's stunning emergence.

The Niners claimed their eighth straight win on Christmas Eve as they eased to a 37-20 victory over the Washington Commanders to improve to 11-4 on the season.

Purdy, the last pick in this year's draft, has been the starting quarterback for the last three games, having come in and replaced Jimmy Garoppolo following his injury in the first quarter of the Week 13 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Since quarterback starts were first tracked in 1950, Purdy is only the second player to begin his career 3-0 as a starter while throwing multiple touchdown passes in each game. The other is Kurt Warner, who did so in 1999 after stepping in for the injured Trent Green and went on to lead the St. Louis Rams to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV.

The 49ers and Purdy have ambitions on lifting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of this campaign, and it is that goal Shanahan is entirely focused on, not a quarterback decision that figures to be one of the dominant storylines of the offseason.

Garoppolo will become a free agent at the start of the 2023 league year in March, leaving Purdy and Trey Lance — who was the 49ers’ starter before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 — as the two quarterbacks on the roster.

San Francisco traded three first-round picks for the right to acquire Lance with the third overall selection in 2021, but he has started only four games in two seasons and it may be difficult to demote Purdy from the starting role if he continues to thrive and the 49ers enjoy a deep playoff run.

But asked if he had thought about how he will approach the quarterback issue in the offseason, Shanahan told reporters on Monday: "No, I didn't even know what year it is after this season is over, so I'm trying to think about how to get him ready for Wednesday [practice].

"That's a great question, but honestly, I don't look ahead like that. We have a number of big games in front of us."

Purdy averaged 10.64 yards per pass attempt in throwing for 234 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against Washington despite still dealing with an oblique injury.

Assessing Purdy's display, Shanahan said: "I thought Brock played well, really well. He was smart with the ball.

"There were a couple situations that were tight, where there was an unblocked player and the play was almost there and I thought he just did a great job not doing anything stupid in some tough situations also.

"He's shown that he's willing to let a rip at all times and there were a couple times in the game that they got an unblocked guy right to him and he made a couple great decisions just to take the sack, so I was really impressed with how Brock played just talking to him here the last two days.

"He got out healthy again and I think that should continue healing up and I think he should be even a little better this week with more health."

Christophe Galtier insists there is no risk involved in throwing his World Cup stars straight back into Ligue 1 action.

The likes of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi are poised to face Strasbourg on Wednesday as the French top flight cranks into gear once more.

A six-week break for domestic duty has seen PSG's star names experience the roller coaster emotions and intense scrutiny of national team duty at the highest level.

Hakimi helped Morocco make history by becoming Africa's first semi-finalists, while Neymar had an injury-plagued campaign that ended with Brazil's defeat on penalties to Croatia in the quarter-finals.

Mbappe then experienced the cruellest of fates when he became just the second man to hit a hat-trick in a World Cup final, only to finish as a runner-up after France's spot-kicks loss to Argentina.

Ten days will have passed since that loss at Lusail Stadium when Mbappe steps out to face lowly domestic rivals, and Galtier said: "I don't think there is a risk.

"They wanted to get to play in these very important league games. Of course, we will need to manage things in the coming weeks to see how Achraf Hakimi and Kylian Mbappe cope.

"We are thinking about that and we will need to find the fight time for them to rest."

That rest is likely to come sooner rather than later, given PSG have Champions League commitments from February, but for now Galtier believes his players are reliable judges of their readiness to play.

Head coach Galtier saw PSG pull five points clear of second-placed Lens before the World Cup, and with a trip to Stade Bollaert-Delelis coming up on Sunday, the Strasbourg game might be seen by outsiders as a soft landing before the first big test arrives.

Galtier sees it as nothing of the sort, warning the 19th-placed visitors are "playing for their lives" and suggesting PSG's previous form counts for nothing.

Strasbourg have won just one of 15 league games to date this season, while unbeaten PSG have 41 points from the same number of matches.

Strasbourg also have the highest expected goals against total in Ligue 1 this season (28.52 xGA), signalling their opponents have been able to create a high number of good goalscoring chances, while PSG have the lowest (15.06 xGA) and have shipped just nine goals.

PSG are unbeaten in 31 home games against Strasbourg in Ligue 1 (W24 D7), too, the longest such streak against a specific opponent by a Ligue 1 team without ever losing.

On paper, therefore, there is little for Strasbourg to cling to. PSG have not lost at home in their past 36 home games spanning all competitions (W30 D6), since losing to Manchester City in the Champions League in April of last year.

Perhaps the only saving grace for the team from Alsace is they will not have to face World Cup winner Lionel Messi, who has been granted an extended break by PSG.

Galtier knows anything less than three points would be a disappointment, which is why he is preparing the team with the utmost seriousness and backing them to respond.

"If you just focus on the table that would be a big mistake," Galtier said.

"We are starting from scratch. That is what I said to my players. We had a very good start to the season and we know why that was. The players a had a serious approach. They were demanding. They showed determination and humility.

"They want to achieve something together and all of us need to be in the same mindset tomorrow come kick-off."

For years, the New England Patriots have been the model NFL franchise. They have represented consistency, discipline and, above all else, good coaching.

As they head into the final two weeks of the 2022 season, it is hard to think of three qualities that are less representative of this version of Bill Belichick's team.

The Patriots are still in the mix to reach the playoffs this season and may yet sneak is in as a Wild Card for the second successive season.

But their 2021 campaign ended with the Patriots being blown out by the Buffalo Bills, and all the signs point to this season coming to a conclusion in similar circumstances.

Indeed, any veneer of the Patriots as a postseason contender who could cause problems for the AFC's elite has been emphatically removed by a pair of dramatic finishes that both produced agonising defeats for New England.

The Patriots followed up their last-gasp defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders on Jakobi Meyers' inexplicable failed lateral with another heartbreaking finale that saw Rhamondre Stevenson fumble the ball into the arms of the Cincinnati Bengals safety Vonn Bell.

Those successive losses leave the Patriots at 7-8 and, while they are still only a game behind the 8-7 Miami Dolphins, their consecutive failures over the course of the past two weeks in situations where New England would normally thrive are significant enough to raise significant questions about the direction of a team whose success saw them established as the NFL's modern dynasty.

Most of those questions surround the offensive side of the ball. Last year, the Patriots let the draft board come to them and selected quarterback Mac Jones 15th overall, and looked to have themselves a steal as the former Alabama signal-caller impressed in helping New England to the playoffs.

But a failure to adequately replace offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who has been succeeded by the bizarre combination of Joe Judge and Matt Patricia, has seen Jones fail to take the next step and the New England attack fail to deliver the explosive production needed to truly compete in a very competitive AFC.

According to Stats Perform's advanced data, Jones has actually been more accurate than his rookie season. He delivered an accurate, well-thrown ball on 80.1 per cent of his pass attempts in 2021, and that rate has increased to 82.1 per cent in 2022.

Yet Jones has thrown just nine touchdowns after tossing 22 last season, his struggles in that regard reflective of the Patriots' overall problems in punching the ball into the endzone, which they have done on only 15.4 per cent of their offensive drives, scoring six points on 26 of their 169 offensive series.

Their inability to turn possessions into touchdowns is in part a product of their lack of investment in the offensive skill positions. The Patriots rank 21st in win rate in pass coverage matchups, the starting wide receiver triumvirate of Meyers, Nelson Agholor and DeVante Parker unsurprisingly failing to consistently create the separation required for Jones to build a productive rapport with his receivers.

The Patriots' offensive issues are as much a failure of scheme as they are of personnel. Theirs is an offensive system that does not play to the strengths of Jones, who came from an offense built around the run-pass option at Alabama.

In 2022, the Patriots have used RPOs on just 1.3 per cent of their pass game snaps, below the average of 2.8. On top of that, they have eschewed the opportunity to capitalise on the influence of a run game defenses have committed at least eight men into the box to guard against 50.1 per cent of the time by leaning on the play-action pass.

The Patriots have used play-action on 9.87 per cent of pass plays, well shy of the league average of 13.3 per cent, limiting the easy buttons for Jones in an attack that is too reliant on the pure dropback game.

New England's offense has run a dropback concept 42 per cent of the time in 2022, nearly 11 percentage points above the average of 31.4 per cent, with the Patriots' primary reply to defensive aggression being a screen game that is overused and predictable. Screen passes have made up 16.3 per cent of New England's passing plays, with the league average being 9.9 per cent.

This static and ineffective offense is not only wasting the second year of Jones' development, but also an excellent season from the Patriots' defense, which ranks sixth with a Success Rate of 36.8 per cent.

The Patriots have two extremely productive pass rushers in Matthew Judon (15.5 sacks) and Josh Uche (11.5) and have pieced things together effectively in the back seven with a mix of rookies, veterans and emerging playmakers such as third-year safety Kyle Dugger, who serves as a tribute to Belichick's ability to develop talent on that side of the ball.

Belichick's defensive genius remains and it is undoubted, but in 2022 it is being cancelled out by the lack of offensive talent and a scheme that does little to elevate its young quarterback.

Jones is obviously a long way from being Tom Brady, and the talent on this Patriots roster is nowhere close to that of the New England teams he helped steer to six Super Bowl titles, yet Belichick has a quarterback and a group that can at be a threat to do damage in the postseason. Belichick excels at making teams into more than the sum of their parts, but it's hard to argue against the fact that, through negligence on the offensive side of the ball, he has missed an opportunity to do that this season.

The Premier League is back, and in many ways, it felt like it never left.

A number of teams picked up where they left off for the World Cup in Monday's action, with leaders Arsenal securing a win against West Ham, though having to come from behind to do so.

Tottenham repeated their party trick of recovering from losing positions, though had to settle for a point at Brentford as Harry Kane kept up his superb Boxing Day record.

Liverpool came back with a hard-fought win at Aston Villa, with teenager Stefan Bajcetic scoring his first goal for the club, while Newcastle United blew away Leicester City in the first half at the King Power Stadium.

Stats Perform takes a closer look at some of the more interesting stats from the day.

Arsenal 3-1 West Ham: Gunners keep up record to fighting back against Hammers

Arsenal went in 1-0 down at Emirates Stadium at half-time after Said Benrahma's penalty, but came from behind thanks to goals from Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah. It made it the eighth time they have come from behind to beat West Ham in the Premier League, more than they have against any other opponent.

Hammers boss David Moyes has now lost 15 Premier League away games against Arsenal, equalling Harry Redknapp for the most away defeats against a specific opponent in the competition (15 vs Manchester United).

In the presence of Arsene Wenger for the first time since he left the club, the Gunners won their 10th consecutive Premier League home game, the first time they have managed that since April 2019, while this is the first time they have done so while scoring two or more goals each time since November 2017.

Saka seems to enjoy his Christmas, as he has scored in three consecutive Boxing Day games (also 2020 vs Chelsea and 2021 vs Norwich City), the first Arsenal player to do so since Thierry Henry between 2002 and 2004.

Today was the second time Arsenal playmaker Martin Odegaard has provided two assists in a single Premier League game, with the other coming on Boxing Day last season against Norwich.

Brentford 2-2 Tottenham: Kane puts penalty woe bee-hind him

Following on from his agonising penalty miss in England's World Cup quarter-final loss to France, Kane kept his composure to plant a header past David Raya as Spurs came from 2-0 down to earn a point on Monday.

Kane has now scored more Premier League goals on Boxing Day than any other player in the competition's history (10), finding the net in all seven of his appearances on December 26, while he has also scored against all 32 teams that he has faced in the Premier League – the best such 100 per cent record of any player.

One thing that will concern boss Antonio Conte is that Spurs have conceded the opening goal in each of their last six Premier League matches; their longest run of conceding first in the competition since April 2014 under Tim Sherwood (also six). They have also conceded two or more goals in six consecutive league games for the first time since May 2003.

Brentford are now winless in their last 14 meetings with Spurs in all competitions (D5 L9), since a 2-0 home win in the second tier in March 1948.

Ivan Toney scored the second for the Bees, making him the first English player to register 30 goal involvements (23 goals, 7 assists) in his first 50 Premier League appearances since Jamie Vardy in 2015 (also 30).

Leicester City 0-3 Newcastle United: Almiron continues to fly

It was a fast start by Eddie Howe's men, going 2-0 up against Leicester inside seven minutes – the earliest they had been 2-0 up in a Premier League game since January 2007 (seventh minute v Aston Villa). In fact, it was the earliest a Premier League team had been 2-0 up on Boxing Day since 2010 (Manchester City v Newcastle, after five mins).

Leicester conceded three goals in the first half of a home league game for the first time since September 2003 against Manchester United.

Miguel Almiron picked up where he left off with a superb strike, and has now scored nine goals in 16 games in the Premier League this season, as many as he had scored in his previous four campaigns in the competition combined (nine in 110 appearances).

Newcastle have won six in a row in the Premier League for the first time since 2012 under Alan Pardew. In fact, the Magpies have won 21 Premier League matches in 2022, their most in a single year since 1995, when they won 23.

Howe is only the third English manager to win more than 20 Premier League matches in a single year (21 in 2022 so far), after Kevin Keegan (24 in 1994 and 23 in 1995 with Newcastle) and Roy Evans (22 in 1996 with Liverpool).

Aston Villa 1-3 Liverpool: Robertson provides historic assist

It has not been the best campaign so far for Liverpool, but despite a World Cup being sandwiched in between, this made it three consecutive Premier League wins for the first time since winning their final three games of last season.

Mohamed Salah both scored and assisted in the win, taking his totals to 125 goals and 50 assists for the club in the Premier League. The Egyptian is only the second player with 50+ goals and 50+ assists for the club in the competition, along with Steven Gerrard (120 goals, 92 assists).

Andrew Robertson provided the ball for Salah's fifth-minute opener, his 54th Premier League assist, making him the all-time leading assister among defenders in Premier League history, one more than Leighton Baines (53), while 10 of his assists have come for Salah, with only Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane providing more for him (12 times each).

Bajcetic came off the bench to seal the win, scoring his first Premier League goal for Liverpool aged 18 years and 65 days, making him their third-youngest Premier League scorer, behind only Michael Owen (17y 143d) and Raheem Sterling (17y 317d). Bajcetic is also the second-youngest Spaniard to score in the competition, behind only Cesc Fabregas in 2004 (17y 113d).

Another youth prospect, Ben Doak, came off the bench for Liverpool to make his Premier League debut aged 17 years and 45 days, becoming the youngest ever Scottish player in the competition's history, overtaking Nigel Quashie in 1995 for Queens Park Rangers (17 years, 163 days).

Jurgen Klopp is certain the goals will soon arrive for Darwin Nunez after his "exceptional" performance in Liverpool's Boxing Day win against Aston Villa.

Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Stefan Bajcetic got on the scoresheet as Liverpool returned to Premier League action with a 3-1 victory at Villa Park, where Nunez gave a tireless display.

Nunez led all players on the pitch for shots (six), attempts on target (four), expected goals (1.15 xG) and touches in the opposition area (12), but the striker failed to convert any of his four big chances. 

While some have criticised Nunez for his inconsistency in front of goal, Klopp has no concerns about the Uruguayan's progress.

"It's incredible, what a game he played," Klopp told Amazon Prime Video after the win, which put Liverpool within five points off the top four.

"Of course, he will score. I was in this situation very often with strikers, and everything will be fine. His game was exceptional."

Liverpool have now won three consecutive Premier League games for the first time this season, and Klopp was pleased with their ability to withstand strong pressure from the hosts.

"It was a top performance in a difficult game," Klopp said. "We played exceptionally in the first half, even though Villa had their moments. We were really good, I liked what I saw.

"In the second half we missed the last step a little bit. Aston Villa were pushing hard, that's normal in a home game. We knew that would happen. You have to get through these periods."

Salah converted a low cross from Andrew Robertson to open the scoring, as the left-back surpassed Leighton Baines to become the defender with the most assists in Premier League history (54).

Speaking to the club's official website, Robertson admitted he had been eyeing the record throughout the World Cup break.

"Full-back has evolved a lot and it's about going forward now as well as defending," Robertson said. "But first and foremost, I want to defend and things like that – but it's a big part of our game. 

"During the break I just wanted to try to get back and beat it. First game back, it's always nice. Look, I'm not really into individual things, I'm all for the team. 

"But when you do stuff like that and you're in the Premier League against some unbelievable defenders, it's always nice to put yourself at the top there."

Arsenal made light of Gabriel Jesus' absence as each of the Gunners' attacking trio scored in Boxing Day's 3-1 win over West Ham on their return to Premier League action.

The blow of losing Jesus for three months due to a knee injury suffered during the World Cup had seen many write off the league leaders' title chances, but at Emirates Stadium their mentality shone through.

Arsenal – who had a fifth-minute Bukayo Saka goal wiped out – looked to be in trouble when Said Benrahma scored a penalty on the stroke of half-time.

But their dominance eventually brought chances, and while they benefited from a hint of luck, Saka coolly levelled before Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah secured a deserved win.

Nketiah, the man tasked with replacing Jesus, was encouragingly key in the build-up to the early disallowed Saka goal.

But Arsenal initially missed the Brazilian's presence, with their only other first-half chance seeing Martin Odegaard scuff wide from close range in the 24th minute.

They then conceded from the next meaningful attack.

William Saliba was penalised for a desperate lunge on Jarrod Bowen, and Benrahma converted emphatically from the spot.

An Arsenal penalty was overturned on the stroke of half-time, with the ball striking Aaron Cresswell's face rather than his arm.

West Ham's resistance ended early in the second half, though, Saka controlling Odegaard's miscued shot and sweeping past Lukasz Fabianski.

The Hammers' goalkeeper was arguably culpable when beaten at his near post five minutes later, Martinelli blasting goalwards after darting beyond Vladimir Coufal.

And Nketiah fittingly completed the scoring, cleverly spinning away from Thilo Kehrer before finishing clinically into the bottom-left corner.

Liverpool made a winning return to Premier League action as Mohamed Salah starred and Stefan Bajcetic scored his first senior goal in an entertaining 3-1 Boxing Day win at Aston Villa.

Salah handed Liverpool a strong start when he converted Andrew Robertson's delivery from close range – making the left-back the defender with the most Premier League assists in history.

The Egypt star then teed up Virgil van Dijk to steer home a deflected second, though Liverpool came under pressure after Ollie Watkins halved the arrears with just over half an hour remaining.

However, Jurgen Klopp's side made the points safe late on as substitute Bajcetic rounded Robin Olsen to score his first Premier League goal, moving Liverpool within five points of the top four.

Liverpool needed just five minutes to take the lead, with Salah on hand to tap home Robertson's cross after the left-back latched onto a sublime outside-of-the-foot pass from Trent Alexander Arnold.

A lively first half saw both goalkeepers forced into action, though Watkins should have done better when heading at Alisson before Robin Olsen was tested by Darwin Nunez's volley.

After a series of narrow escapes, Villa failed to prevent Liverpool from striking again 37 minutes in, as Van Dijk's left-footed volley struck Ezri Konsa before finding the bottom-right corner.

The offside flag denied Watkins a goal soon after the restart, but there was to be no reprieve for Liverpool when he nodded Douglas Luiz's cross home after 59 minutes.

Liverpool then went close to a third through Nunez, but 18-year-old Bajcetic stepped off the bench to calm any nerves, latching onto a loose ball to round Olsen and lash a left-footed finish home.

What does it mean? Liverpool back in the groove

Liverpool entered the World Cup break seven points adrift of a top-four place after an inconsistent spell, leading Klopp to acknowledge his side will be playing catch-up from here on in.

However, the Reds have now won three consecutive Premier League games for the first time this season, and with over half the campaign remaining, they remain a strong contender to reach the table's upper echelons. 

Salah hits the ground running

Egypt's failure to qualify for the World Cup ensured Salah enjoyed a seven-week break ahead of Liverpool's return to action in the EFL Cup last week, and the winger looked every bit refreshed as he netted his 55th away Premier League goal for the club – a joint-high tally alongside Michael Owen.

Salah's assist then made him just the second Reds player to reach a half century for both goals and assists in the Premier League (125 goals and 50 assists), alongside Steven Gerrard (120 goals, 92 assists).

Van Dijk exploits Villa frailties

Though Villa looked menacing on the break throughout, they struggled to cope with Liverpool's attacking threat – including from set pieces.

Van Dijk lost marker Emiliano Buendia with ease to double Liverpool's lead. Since the start of the 2018-19 season, the Dutchman's tally of 15 Premier League goals is more than any other defender.

What's next?

Liverpool host Leicester City in their final Premier League game of the year on Friday, while Villa's 2022 is over – they are next in action at Tottenham on New Year's Day.

Andrew Robertson surpassed Leighton Baines as the defender with the most assists in Premier League history by teeing up Mohamed Salah's early goal at Aston Villa on Monday.

Liverpool needed just five minutes to hit the front on their return to league action, with Robertson playing a key role by breaking Villa's offside trap to deliver a low cross for Salah to convert.

That represented Robertson's 54th Premier League assist – one more than former Everton and Wigan Athletic left-back Baines managed before his retirement in 2020.

Trent Alexander-Arnold – who sits third on that list with 45 assists – showcased his own vision for Liverpool's opener with a sublime pass to release his fellow full-back Robertson.

Robertson's assist was also his fifth in the Premier League this season, more than any other player has managed for Jurgen Klopp's side – Salah is second with three.

Shay Given sees no reason why high-flying Newcastle United cannot dream of Premier League glory following their victory over Leicester City.

The Magpies climbed to second in the table – four points behind leaders Arsenal – after a commanding 3-0 win at the King Power Stadium thanks to goals from Chris Wood, Miguel Almiron and Joelinton.

Newcastle have now recorded six successive Premier League victories for the first time since doing so on the way to a fifth-placed finish under Alan Pardew 10 years ago.

With one game remaining in 2022, Newcastle have won 21 matches this calendar year, their most since 23 wins in 1995. They finished second in 1995-96.

Former goalkeeper Given, who racked up 462 appearances at St James' Park between 1997 and 2009, believes his former club can genuinely challenge for a first top-flight title since 1927, highlighting opponents Leicester's fairytale success in 2016 as an example.

The 46-year-old told Amazon Prime Video: "Can Newcastle compete to win the league? Leicester did it a few years back, why can't Newcastle dream of it? Why not?"

Eddie Howe became the third English manager to win more than 20 Premier League matches in a single year after Kevin Keegan (24 in 1994, 23 in 1995) and Roy Evans (22 in 1996).

But the Magpies coach is eager to keep his players focused on the short term.

"Internally, it's [about keeping] expectations in check, not putting unnecessary pressure on ourselves," he said. "Let's just go into the next game and try to win it, try to execute our game plan as well as we have in previous games.

"Everyone else no doubt will talk and build things up. We can't control it. Let people do it, as long as we're internally focused on what we have to do to perform well.

Wood, who opened the scoring from the penalty spot, concurred: "It's way too early to even think about that, but [the fans] can go on and dream.

"They're enjoying it, and we just want to put on a show for them and show what we can do. It's a great start." 

Joelinton, who sealed the points, added to BBC Sport: "We have to go game by game, and let's see what we can achieve at the end of the season."

Antonio Conte knows Tottenham must tighten up at the back if they are to remain in the upper reaches of the Premier League table.

Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hjobjerg scored in the space of six second-half minutes to seal a 2-2 draw against Brentford on Monday after they had fallen behind to goals from Vitaly Janelt and Ivan Toney.

Janelt's goal meant Spurs have conceded the opening strike in each of their past six Premier League matches – their longest run of conceding first in the competition since April 2014 under Tim Sherwood (also six).

Indeed, they have conceded two or more goals in six consecutive Premier League games for the first time since May 2003.

The result left them in fourth, four points clear of Manchester United, and Conte accepted they need to improve in defence if they are to secure a Champions League qualification place.

"For the people that watched the game that don't watch Tottenham a lot it was another exciting game," he said.

"On one side I have to be happy because of the way we played in the second half – the energy, desire and intensity, and when you play like this you create problems.

"On the other side this is now six Premier League games in a row we have conceded the first goal. It's important to be stable for a team that wants to try to stay in a good position in the table.

"We have to find solutions to stop us conceding the first and second goals so many times.  

"This is the first time in my career to concede first in so many games in a row. They showed great character but we have to start in this way."

In the absence of Cristian Romero, who has been afforded extra time off following Argentina's World Cup win, Conte handed a first Premier League start of the season to defender Japhet Tanganga.

However, the 23-year-old was given a torrid time by Toney and was put out of his misery in the 67th minute when Conte replaced him with Davinson Sanchez.

Asked if he would dip into the transfer market in January to strengthen his defence, Conte responded: "With central defenders we are good, we have to continue to work.

"Now we have Tanganga back, who played his first game of the season. He needs a bit of time to get into the game. I'm pleased for him to play a game today. Romero comes back to training tomorrow.

"On one side I'm a bit disappointed, and in the other we're scoring a lot of goals and creating a lot."

Tottenham return to action on Monday when they host Aston Villa. 

Manchester City must make a flying start on their return to Premier League action after falling behind Arsenal in the title race, says winger Riyad Mahrez. 

City travel to Leeds United for their first league game since the World Cup on Wednesday, trailing leaders Arsenal by five points ahead of the Gunners' clash with West Ham on Monday.

Pep Guardiola's team lost 2-1 to Brentford in their last game in the competition, and are looking to avoid suffering consecutive league defeats for the first time since December 2018.

Mahrez, who was on target as City eliminated Liverpool from the EFL Cup with a 3-2 win on Thursday, is aware of the importance of Wednesday's trip to Elland Road.

"We have to hit the ground running," Mahrez told the club's website. "We are not currently top of the Premier League and that is where we want to be.

"We will take it game by game but our aim is to try to win another title.

"There are lots of strong teams in England who could still win the league so we are not just focused on Arsenal, although they have been very good so far.

"If we want to win the league, we will have to be ready as soon as the league starts again.

"Leeds are a big club and it's a hard place to go, but we know what to expect from them. We will be prepared for it and hopefully we can come away with the three points."

City won their two Premier League fixtures against Leeds last season by an aggregate score of 11-0 – including a 4-0 triumph at Elland Road. The champions are looking to win on consecutive trips to Leeds for the first time since September 2000.

Harry Kane broke the Premier League's goalscoring record on Boxing Day with his strike during Tottenham's clash with Brentford.

The England captain netted his 10th goal on the day when he headed home Ivan Perisic's 65th-minute cross at Gtech Community Stadium.

Kane, who surpassed the previous record set by Robbie Fowler (nine), also maintained his record of scoring in all seven of his Premier League appearances on Boxing Day.

Antonio Conte's side fell 2-0 behind as Brentford took control with goals from Vitaly Janelt and Ivan Toney, but goals from Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg dragged the visitors level.

Kane's appearance for Spurs came 16 days after a crushing defeat in the World Cup in Qatar, where England lost to France in the quarter-finals and Kane missed a late penalty.

He showed no signs of that hindering his performances back at club level, however, with the strike against Brentford being his 12th in the Premier League this season.

Jayson Tatum said it was "fun playing on Christmas" after excelling for the Boston Celtics in the victory against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Christmas Day clash at TD Garden saw the two teams with the best records in the NBA this season collide, with Boston running out 139-118 victors.

Tatum posted 41 points with seven rebounds and five assists, scoring 20 points in the third quarter alone.

"It's fun. It's fun playing on national TV; it's fun playing on Christmas," Tatum said. "And those matchups are fun. You get to play against the other best players, and it just raises your level of play.

"The competition is exciting, but that's the game that you live for. The moments, the matchups, if you can't get up for those games, then you're probably in the wrong profession."

The Celtics appear to be back on track, recording back-to-back wins after a run of five defeats in six, and moving on to a record of 24-10.

"It did feel good to get back to playing the way we know how to play," Tatum added. "We have the emotional understanding of it [being] a long season, and there's going to be great stretches and there's going to be some bad ones. But not letting the bad ones snowball effect and getting back on track sooner than later. It helps when we make shots too."

Tatum has scored at least 30 points in his last five games and is averaging 30.9 for the season, fifth in the league behind only Joel Embiid (33.1), Luka Doncic (32.8), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.6) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (31.2), who the Celtics restricted to 27 points on Sunday.

"It's definitely an honour. I've said many times how much I love being here and what it means to play on Christmas, [this is my] sixth year in a row and something I never want to take for granted," Tatum said.

"As a kid, that was part of the tradition: Eat, be with family, watch all the games and try to envision myself playing out there one day. Now I get to do that."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is hopeful Jude Bellingham will not come under too much pressure following his "absolutely exceptional" showing for England at the World Cup.

The Borussia Dortmund midfielder has been strongly linked with a move to a number of Europe's elite clubs – Liverpool among them – on the back of another impressive year.

Bellingham started all five of England's matches at Qatar 2022, which ended in quarter-final defeat to France, scoring and assisting one goal from central midfield.

He was reportedly valued in excess of €100million (£88.5m) by Dortmund prior to the World Cup, a valuation that is likely to have only risen since.

However, Klopp says that no matter how expensive the 19-year-old is, he should not be weighed down by growing expectations in his home country.

"I don't like to talk always about money," Klopp told reporters. "When you talk about a player like Jude, I think everybody agrees he's just exceptional for the age group. 

"Imagine somebody has no clue about football or whatever or knows about football but didn't watch it for a while and has no clue on Jude Bellingham...  

"'How old do you think he is?' I think nobody would get it. Or even get close to his age. It's like 28, 29, whatever, these kind of things, because he plays that maturely. 

"He played an exceptional World Cup, absolutely exceptional. And he's so good in so many things and has to improve and other things.

"But to describe him I'd say the things he can do already are difficult to learn. The things he has to improve are easy to learn and to improve so that makes a really good player. 

"What can I say? I don’t say anything new. I thought that already, since two or three years ago, since he had his breakthrough at Dortmund, everybody knows that already.

"But I have no idea what that means for the money side of it. I really think if we all if want to do him a favour, then we just don't talk too much about money. 

"And I mean, from an English point of view, don't throw any hurdles in his development. That would be really cool, wherever he will end up."

Bellingham (19 years, 145 days) is the third-youngest player to start for England at a World Cup after Michael Owen in 1998 (18y, 198d) and Luke Shaw in 2014 (18y, 347d).

The Birmingham City academy product became the second-youngest player to score for England in the competition behind only Owen with his goal against Iran.

The teenage midfielder will remain in high demand ahead of the January transfer window, which Liverpool will target as a chance to strengthen their squad.

Liverpool are sixth in the Premier League and face a challenge to qualify for the Champions League, which Klopp accepts that could impact what players his side try to sign.

"It's very important, very important," he said of finishing in the top four. "That's obviously our main target. I'm surprised that you don't ask me today 'can you be champions?' 

"I think we have a good chance to qualify for the Champions League. If it will happen this year, I don't know. But we're 100 per cent one of the contenders for the next few years. 

"If you ask a player and he's like, 'yeah, but next year you're not sure if you're in the Champions League; I'd prefer to go to a club who play in it now, but maybe not next year'. 

"I'm not sure I would want this player still to be honest. So it's like I understand it 100 per cent. I want to be part of the Champions League, to be honest, all the time.

"For now, we have pathways still to qualify for the Champions League next year. As long as that's the case, I see ourselves as a proper contender for qualification."