Bayern defender Boateng handed two-game ban

Liverpool ended 2019 with a 13-point lead at the top of the Premier League after extending their unbeaten home record to 50 top-flight matches with victory over Wolves at Anfield.

It was a happy end to the year for the Reds local rivals too, with Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti making it two wins from two games in charge as his side beat Newcastle United at St. James Park.

But uncertainty reigned in north London as the decade in football came to a close, with Arsenal letting slip the lead as they lost at home to Chelsea, and Tottenham being held to a draw by struggling Norwich City.

Our Opta-powered review features all the key stats and facts from a fascinating weekend of action.

2019 you’ve been fun. 2020 let’s go

— Trent Alexander-Arnold (…

Borussia Dortmund rode their luck in their Champions League opener, but Nuri Sahin believes they deserved the three points against Club Brugge.

Dortmund won 3-0, with all of their goals coming in the final 14 minutes after their hosts had spurned several chances.

Brugge were the better side for much of the contest, but Jamie Gittens brace and a penalty from Serhou Guirassy, who netted for the first time in a Dortmund shirt, sealed the win for the visitors.

In the process, Gittens became the second-youngest player to score two or more goals as a substitute in a Champions League game, older than only Monaco s David Trezeguet.

And Sahin hailed his side s resilience for pushing them to victory.

It was important to start with an away win against a to…

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has earned a share of more history… or, at least, he might have.

It may sound cryptic but Ronaldo s latest remarkable goalscoring feat is sure to be a bone of contention.

The 35-year-old s effort in the 2-0 Supercoppa Italiana win over Napoli means he is now on 760 professional goals during his illustrious career.

That tally in some quarters matches the number accumulated by Josef Bican, who played internationally for Austria and Czechoslovakia between 1933 and 1949.

However, there are those – including FIFA s official website – who credit Rapid Vienna and Slavia Prague legend Bican with scoring 805 goals in 530 matches, an astonishing 1.52 goals per game (FIFA also clarifies 805 is an estimated number).

The …

Bayern Munich fell victim to a brutally effective Borussia Monchengladbach in their humbling 3-2 defeat on Friday, according to Hansi Flick.

Robert Lewandowski s penalty – his 20th Bundesliga goal of the season – and a fine strike from Leon Goretzka put Bayern in control of the Bundesliga clash at Borussia-Park inside 26 minutes.

However, a wayward pass from Benjamin Pavard led to a quick break that finished with Jonas Hofmann scoring, and the Gladbach midfielder was played onside by Niklas Sule as he doubled his tally before half-time after Joshua Kimmich was caught in possession by Lars Stindl.

Sule then gave the ball to Hofmann inside his own half four minutes after the restart and Florian Neuhaus subsequently atoned for conceding the first-half spot-kic…

Chelsea have hit out at FIFA for treating them entirely differently to Manchester City over transfer breaches after the London club had their registration ban halved by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The Premier League side were banned from registering new players for two successive transfer windows by FIFA in February, a punishment handed down for breaching rules related to acquiring and registering players under the age of 18.

An appeal to FIFA had been partially upheld, allowing them to sign players 16 or younger, but Friday s announcement means they will now be able to buy reinforcements for their senior team in January.

Chelsea have since taken the opportunity to lambast FIFA s treatment of them, convinced they were dealt a crueller hand than Manc…

In-form Arsenal moved back into the Premier League s top four as Thomas Partey and Alexandre Lacazette scored in a 2-0 win over Leicester City.

Partey opened the scoring for Mikel Arteta s men following a corner, before hitting the angle of post and crossbar during a first half in which Leicester managed just three shots.

Caglar Soyuncu s handball allowed Lacazette to double the advantage from the penalty spot, sealing another win for one of the Premier League s strongest current sides.

The result lifted Arsenal back above Manchester United in the table, as they chase a first top-four finish since 2016.

After making a bright start, Arsenal took the lead in the 11th minute, exploiting Leicester s continued frailty from set-pieces when the unmarked Partey h…

Didier Deschamps will hold talks with French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet next week to discuss France s Euro 2020 disappointment.

Pre-tournament favourites France topped a tough group containing Portugal, Germany and Hungary, only to be eliminated at the last-16 stage on penalties by Switzerland.

It marked the first time since the 2010 World Cup that Les Blues had failed to reach at least the quarter-finals of a major competition.

France s premature exit led to questions about Deschamps future, with Zinedine Zidane being heavily linked with the job since leaving his position as Real Madrid boss in May.

Deschamps is under contract until after the 2022 World Cup and has been in charge of his country since 2012, lifting the World Cup in …