Premier League Boxing Day 2024 did not produce as many goals as did the historical date in 1963, but it did thrill observing fans, as neutrals enjoyed the sight of their rivals fall in what may be their biggest gift of the day.

The fixtures were again on display as had been the tradition since the 1888-89 campaign, and it saw the unusual remain unending, while the couple of surprises that unfolded were not so shocking.

From Everton’s savage trip to the Etihad to Liverpool’s late-night slaughtering of the Foxes in Anfield, here is a recap of the excitement of the Premier League Boxing Day actions in 2024.

Top 5 Premier League Boxing Day 2024 Highlights

1. Slumbering City adds to Everton’s casualties

Manchester City fans would have thought their Boxing Day present had arrived in the form of their darling team’s return to form after a Bernardo Silva’s 14th minute strike gave them an early lead at home to Everton; however, Ilman N’Diaye leveled for the visitors after the half-hour, and it eventually finished all square.

N’Diaye’s was the 26th goal conceded by the Citizens since the start of November, making their defense the second poorest in all competitions amongst the teams in the top five leagues at that time, behind only German Bundesliga outfit, FC Heidenheim, 28.

Their day couldn’t get any worse than watching Erling Haaland miss a second-half penalty with a chance to restore their lead as the Norwegian’s effort was thwarted by Jordan Pickford, while his goal from the rebound was adjudged offside.

It was his fourth penalty miss in a City shirt, and his second of the season as his poor run of form continues with just three goals in his last 13 Premier League appearances, on the back of ten in his first five in the competition this season.

The result extends a run of poor form for Pep Guardiola's charge, with just one win and three draws in 13 games across all competitions, while they’ve now dropped 14 Premier League points from a winning position this season, more than they did in the entirety of last season, 10.

Everton has avoided a defeat in a run of games believed will wreak havoc on them.  Although the meeting with Liverpool, which was supposed to kick off this run, was postponed, they faced Arsenal and Chelsea before City, traveling to the Emirates and Etihad, and didn’t lose a game.

2. Stamford Bridge as Fulham gets a first-ever win at Chelsea

Despite dropping points in their previous game, Chelsea headed into their London derby clash with Fulham filled with optimism, after they had been unbeaten at home since the 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on the opening weekend.

In addition to a run of 13 unbeaten across all competitions, they had also never lost a home meeting with Fulham since their first clash in 1979, and their last top-flight home loss to the Cottagers came as far back as March 1964.

Looking to make it 13 unbeaten at home, they led through Cole Palmer’s 16th-minute goal until the 82nd minute, before the visitors turned it around as goals from substitutes Harry Wilson and Rodrigo Muniz sealed a 2-1 win for Marco Silva’s charge.

It was only the first time the club had lost a Premier League match when they were leading until the 82nd minute since 1999, when they led until the 83rd minute before Kanu Nwankwo completed a hat-trick to give Arsenal a 3-2 win at Stamford Bridge.

The result spells Chelsea's third defeat in four Premier League Boxing Day games, more than they recorded in 23 previous Boxing Day games before this run, 12 wins, and eight draws.

Enzo Maresca’s charge maintains second place, a point ahead of Nottingham Forest and one more than Arsenal, who play host to Ipswich Town on Friday night.

3. Newcastle United made a Villain of Aston Villa

Looks like Eddie Howe has rediscovered his muse, one that propelled Newcastle United to a top-four finish in 2022-23 as their impressive form continued with a flawless 3-0 win over Aston Villa in Saint James’ Park.

The host got their noses in front less than two minutes in, as Anthony Gordon beat Emiliano Martinez with a sensationally curled strike into the top right corner.

Hopes of a Villa comeback took a hit later in the half, when striker John Duran was sent off with a straight red card after losing his composure and lashing out with a stamp on defender Fabian Schar just after half an hour, giving the hosts more license to walk over them.

Second-half goals from Alexander Isak, who extended his impressive streak to five straight league games where he has scored, and Joelinton sealed a 3-0 win, making it a fourth straight win across all competitions.

With that defeat, Aston Villa are now joint first for most losses on Premier League Boxing Day with 16, an unwanted record they share with Newcastle United.

The Magpies reach 29 points after 18 games and climb up to fifth on the log, taking their winning run in a fixture with Aston Villa to three, by an aggregate of 11-2.

4. Delirium in the Molineux as Wolves Dare The Devils

Manchester United’s troubles under Ruben Amorim are getting more serious as games go by. On Thursday, the players again left fans with nothing to cheer after a third straight loss in a 2-0 defeat to Wolves at the Molineux.

Though the visitors had the fair share of the first-half possession, it was the hosts who created more assured situations in attack. Their hopes were dashed a minute into the second half, as Bruno Fernandes picked up a second booking, and was sent for an early shower, becoming the first Manchester United player to be sent off most times in a single season, since Nemanja Vidic in 2008-09.

Wolves immediately took advantage of the man advantage and striker Strand Larsen headed them in front less than two minutes later from a Nelson Semedo cross, but the goal was ruled out for offside by the linesman, who was spot on despite the margin being very tight.

The host eventually took a deserved lead through their man in form, Matheus Cunha, who found the back of the net just before the hour mark from a direct corner. It was a sour sight for the traveling fans, who had watched their team concede from a similar embarrassing situation to Heung-Min Son in a Carabao defeat to Spurs the previous week.

Cunha, with the goal, achieved a personal best of scoring in three consecutive Premier League games for Wolves, doing so in a top-five league for the first time since November 2020, in the German Bundesliga for Hamburg.

Ruben Amorim withdrew some players, and the substitutes stepped up the tempo, creating dangers on the right through Antony, as Casemiro, Alejandro Garnacho, and Harry Maguire tested Jose Sa in goal for the hosts.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t find a response until the final minute of added time, when Garnacho cheaply gave the ball away, and the host countered in a two-to-beat-one situation to double their lead.

Cunha drove forward until he got to the penalty area before squaring the ball to substitute Hee-Chan Hwang to fire past Andre Onana from close range, sealing an impressive win for Vitor Pereira's charge, who moved out of the dropzone with back-to-back wins.

It makes a fifth defeat for Ruben Amorim after ten games into his Manchester United reign as he becomes the manager with the most defeats in their first ten games at the club since Walter Crickmer in 1932, six defeats.

5. Resilient Red stays on Course in a Comeback win

After watching second-place Chelsea drop points in a home loss to Fulham, Liverpool knew a win would see them move seven points clear at the summit, yet with a game in hand. They were able to achieve just that, but had to overcome adversity to do it.

Jordan Ayew gave the visitors a shocking lead less than six minutes into proceedings at Anfield, and the hosts would not find a response until the added minute of the first half, when Cody Gakpo’s curling strike beat everyone on its way into the back of the net.

Arne Slot's charge continued to exert more pressure on a leaky Leicester City defense after the interval and got their reward early. A well-worked sequence of play ended up with Alexis Mac Allister sending a low cross into the center of the box, and Curtis Jones applied the finish on his 100th Premier League appearance for the Reds.

Mohamed Salah inevitably got on the scoresheet in the closing stages, giving Liverpool a much-needed cushion and killing off the hopes of the Ruud van Nistelrooy charge's comeback, and extending his productive run in consecutive games to ten in the Premier League.

He becomes the eighth player to score 100 home goals in Premier League history, 98 of which have come for Liverpool, while the other two have been for Chelsea during his first stint in England.

It finished 3-1 to Liverpool, who extended their unbeaten run to 22 games and moved seven points clear on the summit, leading the Premier League table at Boxing Day for the 21st time.

The good omen for Arne Slot is that all of the managers to have toppled the Premier League table on Boxing Day in their first seasons have gone on to win the championship. Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, and Carlo Ancelotti, all for Chelsea, have set this impressive landmark.

In another top Premier League Boxing Day fever, Tottenham Hotspur lost 1-0 at home to Nottingham Forest, who moved up to third thanks to Anthony Elanga’s strike just before the half-hour, making it fourth straight win, three of which have come away to Old Trafford, Brentford and now Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

There was a win for West Ham United away to Southampton through a Jarrod Bowen strike, while Bournemouth was denied in a goalless draw with Crystal Palace.

Later today, two more fixtures will go down as Brentford travels to the AMEX to face Brighton while Arsenal plays host to Ipswich Town in the late kickoff.