Everton have completed the signing of Nathan Patterson from Rangers for an undisclosed fee.

The Scotland right-back has penned a deal until June 2027, with reports suggesting that the initial fee is in the region of £10million.

Patterson becomes the Toffees' second acquisition of the January transfer window following the arrival of Ukraine left-back Vitalii Mykolenko on New Year's Day.

Upon completion of the move on Tuesday, the 20-year-old shared his delight at signing for the Premier League side.

"I'm over the moon to sign for Everton and looking forward to getting started," he told the Toffees' website.

"It was an easy choice to sign. This is a massive club with huge history and the fanbase is tremendous.

"Obviously we aren't in the place where we want to be right now, but we can definitely get there with the talent in the changing room and staff here, and I have full belief we can do that.

"It is really exciting to come to a club that has huge talent in the team. I am going to work my socks off and hopefully I can do well with them in training and in games.

"It was also great for me knowing the manager really wanted me here and that made my decision. When a club really wants you, it makes your mind up early on.

"Long-term, I want to nail down a starting position and win some trophies to make the fans proud."

Patterson also revealed that he has already spoken to club captain Seamus Coleman, who he will be competing with for a spot at right-back.

"I’ve had a good conversation with Seamus," he added. "I am really looking forward to learning from him and working together.

"That is why I am here: to learn and get better as a player and, hopefully, win things and do well for the club. If I am working alongside Seamus, that is definitely going to happen."

Patterson, who will wear the number three shirt at Goodison Park, has made six starts and five substitute appearances for Rangers in all competitions this season, registering one assist.

The first heavyweight tussle of the new year in the Premier League did not disappoint as Chelsea and Liverpool played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues were held at home for the fifth time in six league games, a run that includes three straight draws in the top flight for the first time since February 2016.

But Thomas Tuchel's side can be happy with a point after recovering from two goals down as they extended their unbeaten run against the Reds in the league to four matches.

While there was nothing to separate the sides sitting second and third, Brentford, Brighton and Hove Albion and Leeds United were all victorious on Sunday.

Here, Stats Perform unpacks the pick of the Opta data from another eventful day in the Premier League.

Chelsea 2-2 Liverpool: Blues hit back after Salah strikes again

Sadio Mane opened the scoring in a Premier League game for the 37th time since joining Liverpool in 2016-17 – only Tottenham's Harry Kane (40) has done so on more occasions.

However, some will argue that Mane was fortunate to be on the field at that point after catching Cesar Azpilicueta with his elbow after just six seconds.

Mane was instead issued a yellow card with 15 seconds on the clock, making it the earliest booking in a Premier League game since Opta started recording such data in 2006-07, nine seconds faster than the previous quickest caution for Scott McTominay against Newcastle United in December 2019.

Mohamed Salah went on to double Liverpool's lead with his fourth league goal against Chelsea, which is the joint-most any player has scored against the Blues after playing for them, along with Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne.

Chelsea responded brilliantly with two goals in the space of 245 seconds through a Mateo Kovacic stunner and Christian Pulisic's well-taken strike, ensuring they remain a point above their opponents having played a game more.

This was the fourth occasion in this season's Premier League that a side has failed to win a game in which they have led by two goals, with Liverpool accounting for two of those occasions, having also drawn 2-2 with Brighton in October.


Leeds United 3-1 Burnley: More Maxwell magic not enough

Leeds scored three times in a Premier League game for the first time this season on their way to ending a four-game run without a victory, putting distance between themselves and Burnley in the final relegation spot.

Previously with just one win to their name in the competition since the end of October, Jack Harrison squeezed home for Leeds to open the scoring at Elland Road before Maxwell Cornet equalised through Burnley's first direct free-kick goal since Boxing Day 2017.

That was Cornet's sixth Premier League goal in 10 appearances, the most by an African player in their first 10 games since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for Arsenal in April 2018 (also six).

Stuart Dallas restored Leeds' advantage on his 250th appearance for the club in all competitions, becoming the first United player to reach that tally since Lucas Radebe in November 2003.

The much-needed victory was sealed by Daniel James in added time, meaning Leeds are unbeaten in 10 Premier League games against sides starting the day in the relegation zone (W8, D2) since returning to the top flight last season.

As for Burnley, they have now won just one of their last 20 Premier League matches and are winless in 11 on their travels, their worst such run on the road since 17 without a victory between August 2016 and April 2017.


Everton 2-3 Brighton and Hove Albion: Mac Allister inspires soaring Seagulls

The highest-scoring game of the day in the Premier League took place at Goodison Park, where Everton suffered defeat in their opening league game of a calendar year for the fifth year running, their worst such streak since a run of seven between 1957 and 1963.

Brighton's opening goal via Alexis Mac Allister after two minutes and 43 seconds was the Seagulls' fastest-ever away from home in the competition, and their third-fastest overall.

Dan Burn doubled the visitors' lead on Merseyside, shortly before the returning Dominic Calvert-Lewin became the 22nd different player to miss a Premier League penalty for the Toffees – only Arsenal (23) have more.

Anthony Gordon scored his first senior goal to give Everton a bit of hope, only for Mac Allister to register for a second time as Brighton moved to 27 points after 19 games – their joint-best return at this stage of a top-flight campaign alongside 1981-82.

It was another afternoon to forget for Rafael Benitez, however, with Everton having now picked up only 19 points from 18 games, which is their worst return at this stage since accruing 17 from 18 matches in 2005-06.

Brentford 2-1 Aston Villa: Bees bounce back again

Comeback experts Brentford hit back to beat Villa late on thanks to goals from Yoane Wissa and Mads Roerslev after Danny Ings had opened the scoring in west London.

Only West Ham (12) and Everton (11) have won more points from losing positions in the Premier League this term than Brentford, who have now recovered nine points in total.

That is in complete contrast to a Villa side that have lost more games in the competition since the start of last season after scoring first than any other side (eight).

Ings has now opened the scoring in more different English top-flight games since the start of 2019-20 than any player (18), but that early strike was not enough for Steven Gerrard's men.

Wissa's equaliser was Brentford's first Premier League goal from outside the box and full-back Roerslev, who set up that strike, completed the turnaround to become the second Bees player to score and assist in the same game in the competition for the club after Ivan Toney.

Everton have completed the signing of Dynamo Kiev left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko.

The Ukraine international has penned a four-year deal at Goodison Park and becomes the Toffees' first signing of the January transfer window.

Mykolenko has represented his country on 21 occasions and was part of the squad that reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2020.

Speaking to Everton's official website, Mykolenko said: "Moving to Everton is a big and important step in my life.

"I have always dreamed of playing in the Premier League. English football is where the game was born and I think that it will suit my game very well.

"I am 22 but I don't feel like a youngster. I have experience of playing at European level and hope I will continue to improve as a player.

"I am excited about the opportunity of playing in front of our supporters at Everton. I have seen the last few games at Goodison Park and they were unbelievable. 

"They are incredible fans to whom I feel great responsibility."

The deal comes amid rumours that Lucas Digne is headed to Chelsea, with reports suggesting the Blues are chasing a loan deal for the France international.

Digne has been a mainstay of Everton's line-up since arriving from Roma in August 2018 but has fallen out of favour under Rafael Benitez.

Chelsea are on the lookout for reinforcements after losing Ben Chilwell to a serious knee injury for the rest of the season, with Marcos Alonso their only other recognised option in the position.

The Premier League has confirmed three of the fixtures postponed over the festive period will now be played in January.

Rising coronavirus cases at clubs across the league has led to large-scale disruption of the top-flight schedule in recent weeks.

In total, 18 games have been postponed since Brighton and Hove Albion's match with Tottenham was called off due to a COVID-19 outbreak in Spurs' camp in mid-December.

Three of those fixtures have now been rearranged, with the games to be played midway through next month.

Southampton were due to host Brentford on December 18, but the Bees will now travel to St Mary's for a 19:45 GMT kick-off on Tuesday, January 11.

Everton, who last played on December 16, will welcome Leicester City to Goodison Park at 20:00 GMT on the same day.

January 12 sees West Ham and Norwich City face off, with that game also rescheduled from December 18.

The latter match clashes with the second leg of the EFL Cup semi-final between Tottenham and Chelsea, though the Premier League have had little choice but to attempt to slot fixtures into any free weeks in the calendar.

Leeds United winger Raphinha is drawing plenty of attention.

The Brazilian debuted for his country in October and has scored two goals in five caps.

Raphinha joined Leeds from Rennes on a four-year deal in 2020.

And, having seen his career hit new heights since that move, he does not appear to be desperate for another switch.

TOP STORY - RAPHINHA NOT PUSHING FOR LEEDS EXIT

Brazil international Raphinha will not push for a January move away from Leeds United according to the Mirror.

Raphinha has been linked with moves to both Liverpool and Bayern Munich during the January transfer window.

The 25-year-old's agent has spoken about his ambition, but he is content at Leeds who are battling relegation.

 

ROUND-UP

Inter are angling to sign Germany international Matthias Ginter as a free agent in the middle of next year claims Fabrizio Romano. Ginter confirmed on Tuesday he would leave Borussia Monchengladbach when his contract expires at the end of this season.

- Gerard Moreno reports that Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta has reached an in-principle agreement to join Barcelona in the close-season.

Sevilla are considering a bid to sign Barcelona defender Mika Marmol, according to Diario Sport.

Everton want to land Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley on loan in January, says The Telegraph.

- Sky Sport Italia claims MLS club Toronto are in advanced talks with Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne and Torino striker Andrea Belotti.

Newcastle United's Premier League game at Everton on Thursday has been called off due to the Magpies' shortage of available first-team players.

Cases of COVID-19 and injuries have hit Newcastle hard, which left head coach Eddie Howe with a thin squad for Monday's game against Manchester United.

He lost forwards Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin to injury in the 1-1 draw with the Red Devils, and Howe spoke afterwards of concerns he would struggle to raise a team.

Newcastle asked the Premier League to postpone their game at Goodison Park, and the request was accepted on Tuesday.

The Premier League said in a statement: "Everton's match against Newcastle United at Goodison Park, due to be played at 19:30 GMT on Thursday December 30, has regrettably been postponed.

"The board accepted Newcastle’s postponement application as the club does not have the required number of players available for the match [13 outfield players and one goalkeeper], due to COVID-19 cases and injuries.

"The board was able to make its decision in advance of the fixture to give clarity to the affected clubs and their fans. We apologise for the inconvenience and disruption caused to supporters' festive plans."

Newcastle explained their position by saying a number of players and staff had tested positive for coronavirus during routine PCR tests "in recent days".

The club added: "Newcastle United would like to place on record its thanks to Everton FC and the Premier League for their cooperation and understanding."

Everton's Premier League trip to Burnley has become the third game to be pulled from Sunday's programme as the COVID-19 crisis continues to hit the competition.

Injuries and coronavirus cases had left Rafael Benitez down to nine outfield first-team players, the Everton manager said on Thursday.

The English Boxing Day line-up has been trimmed from nine to six fixtures, with Liverpool's home game against Leeds United and Wolves' clash with Watford having already been called off.

Benitez said that five Everton players had tested positive since the 1-1 draw at Chelsea last week, with a long injury list meaning he had few options available and was considering pushing Dominic Calvert-Lewin back into action ahead of schedule, following his long lay-off.

Everton had pushed for the game at Turf Moor to be postponed, Benitez saying he was "surprised" it was still on when he spoke on Thursday, and the club were granted their wish on Friday.

The Premier League said its board had "regrettably approved Everton's request".

"The board reviewed the club's request today to postpone the match following further injuries to their squad," the Premier League said in a statement.

"They concluded that the club will not be able to fulfil their fixture this weekend as a result of an insufficient number of players available to play due to COVID-19 cases and injuries.

"The board this morning was able to make its decision in advance of Boxing Day to give clarity to clubs and their fans. We apologise for the inconvenience and disruption caused to those supporters' festive plans.

"The league is aware that the decisions this week to postpone three matches on Boxing Day will disappoint supporters, and understands their frustrations at a special time of year when fans look forward to attending and watching football games."

The Premier League and its clubs elected to play on after a Monday meeting, even as the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads rapidly in England.

The league added on Friday: "While recognising a number of clubs are experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks, it is the clubs' and the league's collective intention to continue the current fixture schedule where safely possible."

Rafael Benitez has suggested the Premier League need to "take responsibility" after they rejected Everton's request for Sunday's game with Burnley to be postponed.

Everton visit the Clarets at Turf Moor on Boxing Day but Benitez revealed on Thursday that he only has nine senior outfielders to pick from.

The Toffees have three goalkeepers fit and a selection of players from the academy, though Benitez warned that situation may change over the coming days.

Six Premier League games, including Everton's meeting with Leicester City, were called off last weekend amid COVID-19 outbreaks within several squads.

On Thursday, the Premier League confirmed Leeds United's trip to Liverpool and Watford's game at Wolves, set to be played on Sunday too, had also been postponed.

Premier League clubs met on Monday, deciding to carry on without a "circuit-breaker" shutdown, though each game would be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Benitez, however, could not hide his frustration that Everton were being told the Burnley encounter must go ahead.

He told a news conference: "I'm really surprised that the game is going on because of all the cases we have and the injuries.

"We have followed all of the rules, we do the lateral flows, PCRs, have the masks, three dressing rooms to spread the players. But we cannot control when we have to play matches and a player is positive but does not have any symptoms and can pass it to the others.

"That is what happened the other day against Chelsea. We had to play some young players and after the game we found that we had five positives. With the injuries and the positives we had, we thought that the game would be postponed.

"The rules are 13 players plus one goalkeeper. We have nine outfield players available plus three goalkeepers and after that we have five young players, but they say they have enough experience to play in the Premier League."

Benitez confirmed that Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has been out injured since August, is in contention, but is concerned the striker will have to be rushed into playing a full match.

He continued: "The reality is some of these players, like Dominic, have been out for months, so we have players who have knocks, we have to push them, play players who are not fit.

"Who will take responsibility if something happens? We are exposing them. My main job now is to find 11 players and play in the right positions to be competitive.

"I think they are considering just the numbers. But who is taking responsibility if something is wrong with injured players? We have six injuries, five players with COVID."

Lucas Digne has missed Everton's last three games after a reported falling out with Benitez, but the left-back is, as it stood on Thursday, available.

"At the moment [Digne] is available, yes. Lucas is our player," said Benitez, with Everton reported to have secured the signing of Ukraine left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko for January.

"My main concern is to concentrate on the players I have, Lucas is one of these players. Lucas has been a key player for us, he's an important player, working really hard in every training session and during the games."

Real Madrid saw Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos leave in the off-season.

The Spanish champions have fared well without them, leading LaLiga comfortably.

But Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti wants to add to their backline.

 

TOP STORY – MADRID CONSIDER GOMEZ MOVE

Madrid are lining up a potential move for Liverpool defender Joe Gomez, according to the Daily Mail.

Madrid will monitor the England international defender who has recently returned to fitness ahead of an off-season move.

Los Blancos' priority after 2021-22 is their attack and landing Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe, but they do want to bolster their defensive options.

 

ROUND-UP

- Liverpool are genuine contenders to sign Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland according to Sky Germany. Madrid, Manchester CityManchester United and PSG have been heavily linked with the Norwegian, but the Reds are in the race.

- Mundo Deportivo claims that Manchester UnitedBarcelona and Madrid are all keeping tabs on Bayern Munich's Kingsley Coman.

- United forward Anthony Martial wants to join Sevilla on loan in January and will hold talks with the club, claims Sky Sports.

- Hoffenheim midfielder Florian Grillitsch is drawing interest from both Tottenham and Roma who will jostle for his services, reports Sky Germany.

- Everton will look to sign Rangers right-back Nathan Patterson again but will need to pay £10m, reports the Daily Mail.

Thomas Tuchel was left to rue Chelsea's missed opportunities in their Premier League stalemate with Everton at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea squandered the opportunity to cut the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester City as their injury-hit opponents held out for a hard-earned 1-1 draw on Thursday.

Tuchel's Chelsea registered 80.3 per cent of the possession and 23 shots, but could only convert one courtesy of Mason Mount's fourth in as many games.

And the hosts were made to pay for their failure to capitalise while in the ascendancy; Jarrad Branthwaite equalising when he turned home Anthony Gordon's free-kick to secure a share of the spoils for the Toffees.

It also marked the third time in six games that Tuchel's side had dropped points from a winning position – and they are now four behind leaders and defending champions City.

"We gave away another lead. If we see in a match like this the effort we need to score one goal and the effort the opponent needs to score an equaliser, it’s hard to swallow," he told BT Sport.

"I think we missed big chances in the first half to get the result. In the second half, we did not find the rhythm consistently and tried to bring on some energy from the bench, but it was a bit hard. 

"We had the lead and gave it away with one free-kick.

"In football, there isn't a game where you can have one reason why things go this way. One big reason, for sure, is the chances we missed today; we could have been two or 3-0 up and playing with fire.

"We had enough chances and quality to win the game, and did not."

Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 27 Premier League home games against Everton (W15 D12), equalling their longest ever unbeaten home run against an opponent in their league history (27 against Tottenham between 1990 and 2016).

At (22years 340days), Mount is the youngest player to score in four consecutive Premier League appearances for Chelsea – the England international has scored seven times in the Premier League this season; his joint-best tally alongside 2019-20.

Chelsea missed the chance to pressurise Premier League leaders Manchester City as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton.

Amid a dominant display at Stamford Bridge, Mason Mount put the hosts in front 20 minutes from time with his seventh goal of the season.

But despite missing several key players, Everton responded just four minutes later with Jarrad Branthwaite's maiden Premier League strike earning a share of the spoils.

Thomas Tuchel's men now trail City by four points, as they spurned the opportunity to close the gap.

Chelsea were unbeaten in their previous 26 home Premier League matches against Everton and dominated the first half with a staggering 81.1 per cent of the possession.

But they struggled to convert that control into goals.

Reece James shot wide after latching onto Jorginho's precise throughball, while the in-form Mount and Christian Pulisic also went close for the hosts, who had 13 shots to Everton's two before the break.

Fresh from scoring three goals in as many league games, Mount created another great opportunity in the 36th minute and forced Jordan Pickford into a reflex save from close range.

But there was no denying Mount as Chelsea finally made the breakthrough; the midfielder latching onto James' pass before slotting past Pickford.

Nevertheless, Everton did not trail for long as Branthwaite met Anthony Gordon's deep free-kick with an outstretched leg to divert past Edouard Mendy.

Chelsea almost regained the lead when Thiago Silva's header was saved well by Pickford, but they were forced to settle for a point.

 

What does it mean? A chance missed for Chelsea

The Blues have now won just one of their past four league games at Stamford Bridge, and will be disappointed not to have capitalised on their dominance in possession.

Meanwhile, Rafael Benitez will be thrilled with the character of his injury-hit side, who ended a run of four straight defeats on the road.

History for Mount

Despite Chelsea's disappointment, Mount continued his impressive run of form in front of goal.

Indeed, the England international found the net for a fourth successive Premier League match, becoming the youngest Blues player to do so.

He also registered game-high tallies of six shots and four on target.

Pickford to the rescue

Chelsea were only able to convert one of their 10 shots on target during the contest, thanks to the heroics of Pickford.

Everton's busiest player throughout the 90 minutes with 49 touches and 34 passes – both the highest tallies of any visiting player – the England goalkeeper made nine saves to keep the hosts at bay.

What's next?

Chelsea will look to respond and get back to winning ways on Sunday, when they travel to Molineux to face Wolves. Following the postponement of Everton's clash with Leicester City, the Toffees are back in action away to Burnley on Boxing Day.

Chelsea missed the chance to pressurise Premier League leaders Manchester City as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton.

Amid a dominant display at Stamford Bridge, Mason Mount put the hosts in front 20 minutes from time with his seventh goal of the season.

But despite missing several key players, Everton responded just four minutes later with Jarrad Branthwaite's maiden Premier League strike earning a share of the spoils.

Thomas Tuchel's men now trail City by four points, as they spurned the opportunity to close the gap.

Chelsea were unbeaten in their previous 26 home Premier League matches against Everton and dominated the first half with a staggering 81.1 per cent of the possession.

But they struggled to convert that control into goals.

Reece James shot wide after latching onto Jorginho's precise throughball, while the in-form Mount and Christian Pulisic also went close for the hosts, who had 13 shots to Everton's two before the break.

Fresh from scoring three goals in as many league games, Mount created another great opportunity in the 36th minute and forced Jordan Pickford into a reflex save from close range.

But there was no denying Mount as Chelsea finally made the breakthrough; the midfielder latching onto James' pass before slotting past Pickford.

Nevertheless, Everton did not trail for long as Branthwaite met Anthony Gordon's deep free-kick with an outstretched leg to divert past Edouard Mendy.

Chelsea almost regained the lead when Thiago Silva's header was saved well by Pickford, but they were forced to settle for a point.

Thomas Tuchel insists there is no reason for Chelsea to panic after seeing their place as Premier League leaders usurped by Manchester City.

The European champions looked imperious in the opening weeks of the season, winning all but two of their first 10 league games and conceding just once from open play.

However, a run of only three wins from their most recent six league matches, during which they have conceded eight times and kept only one clean sheet, has seen Chelsea fall from first to third in the standings.

Liverpool sit second, while City, who thrashed Leeds United 7-0 on Tuesday, are five points ahead of the Blues having played a game more.

Chelsea's defence has also been unusually sloppy recently, with Tuchel's team conceding eight goals in their last three games in all competitions, as many as they had in their previous 18 combined. 

Yet Tuchel says now is not the time to "give up" as his side look to follow up their 3-2 win over Leeds – delivered courtesy of a stoppage-time penalty from Jorginho – against struggling Everton.

"Not so long ago it was the opposite position and Man City turned things around," he said. "At the moment, they have good form, and they show it. They show their quality. There was never a doubt they have the quality because for years they've shown this consistency with Liverpool.

"We knew before that if we wanted to compete with City and Liverpool for the title, we would face adversity and tough moments. So we can't be surprised now, and we can't give up. We knew this before and enjoy being in the middle of difficult moments.

"Maybe it's what we need at the moment to overcome. We were lucky at the weekend but didn't feel blessed with luck against West Ham. We didn't have the luck against Burnley. So we should not start to say sorry for a late victory. We found a way to win the game."

N'Golo Kante will be fit enough to make the bench for Thursday's game at Stamford Bridge, as will Trevoh Chalobah, while Tuchel hopes Romelu Lukaku can manage over an hour against one of his former sides.

The Belgium striker, who was sidelined for around a month with an ankle injury, has not scored in the top flight since a double in the 3-0 win over Aston Villa on September 11.

"Fitness, we can debate endlessly," said Tuchel. "The player will say he is fit, but maybe the fitness coaches will agree and disagree. Then comes the head coach and maybe he disagrees.

"We let him play 70-something minutes against Zenit, and then we had travelling, a lack of sleep, and an intense opponent with Leeds. Because we decided not to put him in this turmoil, I think he can play 70 minutes, but we will see."

 Lukaku is Everton's highest ever goalscorer in the Premier League, having plundered 68 goals for the Toffees. However, he has netted just once in his five appearances against Everton in the competition, doing so with Manchester United in September 2017.

Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 26 Premier League home games against Everton (W15 D11) since a 1-0 loss in November 1994. If they avoid defeat, it would equal their longest ever unbeaten home run against an opponent in their league history (27 vs Tottenham between 1990 and 2016).

Everton boss Rafael Benitez has been dealt a major blow after star forward Richarlison was ruled out for several weeks with a torn calf.

The Brazil international was substituted after 58 minutes in the 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday, with Benitez defending that decision by insisting his player was injured.

Now Everton have confirmed 24-year-old Richarlison faces a spell out of action, at a time when they already are without England frontman Dominic Calvert-Lewin due to a thigh injury.

Calvert-Lewin has been absent since August, with Everton hoping Richarlison's spell out of the team will be significantly shorter.

The club said in a medical update on Tuesday that Richarlison is "expected to be sidelined for a number of weeks", stating the former Watford player underwent a scan that revealed the muscle tear.

Richarlison, a strike partner of Neymar in Brazil's team, has three Premier League goals and two assists from 11 appearances this season. He had two goals disallowed in last week's 2-1 home win over Arsenal before getting the equaliser.

His creative influence as well as his goal threat will be missed by an Everton side who sit 14th in the Premier League, with Richarlison having created 13 chances for others so far in this campaign.

That includes four Opta-defined 'big chances', which is more than any other Everton player in the top flight this season.

Everton go to third-placed Chelsea on Thursday at the beginning of a busy two and a half week run that sees them also host Premier League clashes with Leicester City, Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion, and travel to Burnley.

Benitez is also set to be without ex-England winger Andros Townsend, who suffered a fracture in his foot against his former club Palace, while captain Seamus Coleman is recovering after suffering bone bruising and soft tissue damage in the painful loss at Selhurst Park.

One title race ended in controversial fashion this past weekend, but the Premier League's charge to the top is only just clicking into gear.

Lewis Hamilton will not be the only one left feeling harshly penalised after events over the last few days, after eight spot-kicks were awarded across the latest round of top-flight fixtures.

Chelsea were a major benefactor, as their win over Leeds United saw them keep pace with title rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.

Ralf Rangnick's Manchester United also scored from the spot in a win over Norwich City, while Conor Gallagher inspired Crystal Palace to a victory over Rafael Benitez's Everton.

Benitez's former club Newcastle United, meanwhile, suffered another damaging defeat in their quest to make it to the January transfer window with a fighting chance of staying up.

With all that and more, here are some of the weekend's quirky stats from the Premier League...

 

Penalties galore

The season of giving is approaching and it seems Premier League referees were more than willing to hand out goalscoring gifts.

Brentford beat Watford thanks to a last-gasp penalty on Friday, when the fun started. Bryan Mbeumo's resultant strike saw the Bees become the first team in Premier League history to have each of their first 10 home goals in the competition scored by different players.

Champions City then needed a spot-kick to defeat 10-man Wolves, with Raul Jimenez receiving his marching orders for blocking a free-kick from being taken, just 31 seconds after he had received his first booking. Raheem Sterling put it away, scoring his 100th goal in the Premier League. He is the 32nd player to reach that landmark in the top flight.

Chelsea's clash with Leeds really boosted the penalty numbers, with three awarded at Stamford Bridge. Antonio Rudiger became only the second Chelsea player to win two penalties in a single Premier League match, after Yuri Zhirkov against Aston Villa in March 2010. Jorginho put away both penalties to secure a 3-2 win, with Raphinha having put Leeds ahead from 12 yards.

Cristiano Ronaldo made no mistake at Carrow Road and Youri Tielemans was also on target for Leicester City in their demolition of Newcastle. Mohamed Salah converted a penalty he won in order for Liverpool to see off Aston Villa and club legend Steven Gerrard at Anfield.

Each penalty at Stamford Bridge resulted in a side taking the lead, a Premier League first, while Saturday was the first matchday to have three 1-0 wins all settled by spot-kicks.

Seven penalties awarded eitiher on Saturday and Sunday ranks second in Premier League history across a single weekend, after September 13-14 in 2003 (eight). Last season saw 125 spot-kicks given, the most ever in the competition, at a rate of 0.33 per game. The count for 2021-22 so far stands at 41.

Records set to go

Sterling's goal for City was the 499th scored in the Premier League under Pep Guardiola, in what was his 206th top-flight match in charge.

Guardiola is set be the Premier League manager to have seen his side score 500 goals in the fewest games, with Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp the current record-holder on 234.

Staying with City, they have already won 32 league games in 2021, one shy of Liverpool's top-tier record for a calendar year, set back in 1982. With four games remaining before the turn of the year, that is surely another record the champions are set to take.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are now on 1,999 top-flight victories, and will become the first team to reach the 2,000 milestone with their next success.

Benitez on thin ice?

It was always going to be a difficult task for Benitez to win over the Everton faithful. Given the chants directed his way by the travelling support at Palace on Sunday, he is as far away as he ever was from achieving that. A 3-1 defeat at Selhurst Park means Everton are on a run of one win in 10 league matches.

The wonderful Gallagher was their downfall, scoring twice either side of James Tomkins bundling home from a corner. The on-loan midfielder has now scored six goals and laid on three assists, contributing to nine of Palace's 22 league goals this season (41 per cent).

That ranks him eighth in the league when it comes to goal contributions for a side, and top among English players in the competition, and first for players aged 21 or under.

Everton have come from behind to claim 10 points this season, which already marks their best total since 2017-18 (14) and is the most in the competition this season, but based on the frustration directed Benitez's way, the former Liverpool boss might be in need of a Christmas miracle.

Howe's that defence staying up?

One place Benitez would certainly feel the love is St James' Park. Newcastle finally claimed their first win of the season by beating Burnley, but they were on the end of a 4-0 pasting at Leicester.

Newcastle's defence is the primary course for concern. They have already conceded 34 goals, the worst in the league. After 16 top-flight matches, they have conceded as many goals on eight other occasions, the last being in 1977-78.

Newcastle went down in that season, as they did in the 1960-61 campaign, but Eddie Howe might at least take some solace from the fact that the Magpies survived on the other six occasions.

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