Will one of Liverpool or Chelsea emerge as title challenger to Manchester City? That will be the question on Sunday as the marquee matchup on Jan. 2 pits the two closest teams in pursuit of the defending champion.
Manchester City (1st, 53 points) used a second-half comeback and late Rodri winner to beat Arsenal (4th, 35 points) for its 11th straight victory to extend its lead to 11 points over second-place Chelsea. A draw between Chelsea (2nd, 42 points) and Liverpool (3rd, 41 points) would be the ideal scenario for City as it would keep the distance at double digits with the calendar year just getting started.
Anything but a victory would be a blow to Chelsea which is in turmoil after the release of a Romelu Lukaku interview in which he was critical of manager Thomas Tuchel. Meanwhile, it's the last chance for Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane to help the Reds before departing for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
The Arsenal loss opened up the race for fourth place, with both West Ham (5th, 34 points) and Tottenham Hotspur (6th, 33 points) moving to within one and two points for the fourth and final Champions League berth. Manchester United (7th, 31 points) can join the trio of London clubs with a win against Wolves (8th, 25 points) on Monday.
MORE: Premier League top goal scorers
At the bottom of the table, Newcastle (19th, 11 points) and Norwich City (20th, 10 points) are not playing due to COVID-19 postponements, but there's a massive matchup between Leeds United (16th, 16 points) and Burnley (18th, 11 points) which is a must-win for Marcelo Bielsa's men if they're hoping for a slightly more relaxed start to their 2022.
How to watch the Premier League in the USA
Premier League matches are broadcast in the USA across NBCUniversal networks (NBC, USA Network, Telemundo and Universo) and its Peacock streaming service. NBCSN was shut down beginning Jan. 1, 2022 and USA Network is the new TV home of the Premier League.
Premier League games on NBC and USA Network will be streamed on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app for authenticated cable, satellite and telco subscribers.
- Dates: Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, through Sunday, May 22, 2022
- TV channels (USA): NBC, NBCSN, USA Network, CNBC (select matches)
- Spanish-language TV: Telemundo, Universo (select matches)
- Streaming: NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, Peacock
Televised matches can also be streamed live on fuboTV, which offers a free seven-day trial for new users.
MORE: What happened to NBCSN?
Premier League schedule - Matchday 21
Saturday, Jan. 1
| Match | |
| Leicester City vs. Norwich City | Postponed |
| Arsenal 1, Manchester City 2 | Highlights |
| Watford 0, Tottenham 1 | Highlights |
| Crystal Palace 2, West Ham 3 | Highlights |
Sunday, Jan. 2
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Southampton vs. Newcastle | Postponed | ||
| Everton vs. Brighton | 9 a.m. | USA Network, Telemundo | fuboTV |
| Brentford vs. Aston Villa | 9 a.m. | — | Peacock |
| Leeds United vs. Burnley | 9 a.m. | — | Peacock |
| Chelsea vs. Liverpool | 11:30 a.m. | USA Network, Telemundo | fuboTV |
Monday, Jan. 3
| Match | Time (ET) | TV channels | Stream |
| Manchester United vs. Wolves | 12:30 p.m. | USA Network, Universo | fuboTV |