Arsenal takes top spot for Christmas as Haaland overtakes Ronaldo''s Premier League goal tally

Another double for Erling Haaland, who is motoring along at better than a goal a game. Another three points for Manchester City, whose winning streak is up to five matches. That's still not enough to stop Arsenal being top of the Premier League on Christmas Day. A 1-0 victory at Everton, secured by Viktor Gyokeres' first-half penalty, means Arsenal - seeking a first English top-flight title since 2004 - will spend Dec. 25 in first place for the fifth time since the Premier League was formed in 1992. On none of the four occasions so far did Arsenal go on to win the title. History isn't the only thing the Gunners are fighting. City is the closest challenger, just two points behind in second, and continued its strong recent form by sweeping aside West Ham 3-0. Haaland scored in each half to move to 19 goals in 17 matches in this campaign - in doing so passing Cristiano Ronaldo on the Premier League's all-time scoring list - and also set up Tijjani Reijnders for the other goal. City manager Pep Guardiola is still not completely satisfied and revealed his locker-room message to the team. “I said to the players, Merry Christmas everyone but it will not be enough if we don't improve,'" Guardiola said. Liverpool won at nine-man Tottenham 2-1 but lost record signing Alexander Isak to a left ankle injury sustained when scoring the first goal. Chelsea came from two goals down to draw at Newcastle 2-2. Haaland overtakes Ronaldo Haaland has 38 goals in a combined 28 games for City and Norway in what is shaping up to be the most prolific season of his career. Injury permitting, the season will end in him going to his first World Cup. Haaland scored at the second attempt from Phil Foden's cross to give City a fifth-minute lead and took advantage of a defensive mix-up by West Ham to make it 3-0 in the 69th. In between, Haaland slipped a short pass to Reijnders, who took a touch and rifled a shot into the roof of the net in the 38th. His two goals gave Haaland 104 in the Premier League, one more than Ronaldo - who had two spells at Manchester United - having played 122 games fewer. Isak injured Isak just can't catch a break at Liverpool. The Sweden striker has struggled in his first few months as British soccer's record signing, having joined Liverpool after training mostly alone in the offseason. He then recently had time out with a groin injury. On as a sub against Tottenham, Isak scored within 11 minutes but in the act of converting his finish his left ankle was hurt by a challenge from Tottenham's Micky van de Ven and he was helped off the field. Tottenham was already down to 10 men at that point after Xavi Simons' red card for a studs-up foul on Virgil van Dijk, and Hugo Ekitike doubled Liverpool's lead with a header. Richarlison reduced the deficit...

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