As the Manchester clubs attempt to make up ground in the title and the top-four races, they will find comfort from the fact that they are entering a festive period where they both tend to thrive.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Man City
MCI
|
38 | +61 | 89 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
38 | +45 | 84 |
| 3 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
38 | +15 | 75 |
| 4 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
38 | +35 | 71 |
| 5 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
38 | +28 | 67 |
| 6 |
Brighton
BHA
|
38 | +19 | 62 |
Manchester United have the best Christmas record of all Premier League clubs past and present, averaging 2.16 points per match (ppm) in fixtures played between 26 December and 4 January.
Their upcoming matches could help them improve that league-leading figure.
The Red Devils face two of the bottom three sides next up, hosting Nottingham Forest on 27 December before visiting Wolverhampton Wanderers on New Year's Eve.
They then welcome AFC Bournemouth to Old Trafford on 3 January.
Best festive records 26 Dec-4 Jan*
| Club | Played | Pts | Pts/match |
|---|---|---|---|
| MUN | 88 | 190 | 2.16 |
| ARS | 85 | 169 | 1.99 |
| LIV | 83 | 162 | 1.95 |
| MCI | 71 | 132 | 1.86 |
| BLB | 49 | 91 | 1.86 |
| TOT | 86 | 159 | 1.85 |
| CHE | 86 | 150 | 1.74 |
| SHW | 21 | 35 | 1.67 |
| CHA | 22 | 34 | 1.55 |
| COV | 23 | 35 | 1.52 |
*Minimum 20 matches
League leaders Arsenal have the next-best festive record over the history of the Premier League, averaging 1.99ppm.
See: How every 2022/23 club have fared at Christmas
The Gunners host West Ham United on Boxing Day, before a New Year’s Eve trip to Brighton & Hove Albion and then a home match against third-placed Newcastle United on 3 January.
However, the last 10 years have been dominated by Man Utd's local rivals and Arsenal's title challengers Manchester City.
The Citizens have won 22 of their 29 festive fixtures since the 2012/13 season, averaging 2.38ppm.
Top clubs for festive points/match since 2012
| Club | Played | Pts | Pts/match |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCI | 29 | 69 | 2.38 |
| TOT | 29 | 67 | 2.31 |
| MUN | 30 | 64 | 2.13 |
| ARS | 28 | 57 | 2.04 |
| LIV | 29 | 56 | 1.93 |
| CHE | 30 | 54 | 1.80 |
| FUL | 10 | 15 | 1.50 |
| LEI | 23 | 33 | 1.43 |
| BHA | 15 | 20 | 1.33 |
| WHU | 29 | 38 | 1.31 |
Seeking to maintain that status, Pep Guardiola's side will back themselves to win at Leeds United on 28 December and at home against Everton on 31 December.
Their third match of the festive period, at Chelsea, is later than usual on 5 January.
If the defending champions slip up, Tottenham Hotspur could replace them as the best-performing side over the last decade, having collected only two points fewer.
Antonio Conte's side face three bottom-half teams over the turn of the year.
Spurs visit Brentford on Boxing Day, having stayed unbeaten across their last 15 league matches on 26 December.
A home match against Aston Villa on New Year's Day is then followed by a second London derby in the space of 10 days, at Crystal Palace on 4 January.
Also in this series
Part 1: Does being Christmas No 1 lead to the title?
Part 3: How much does your club enjoy Christmas?
Part 4: Promoted clubs target rare hat-trick in bid to stay up
Part 5: Festive duels can shape relegation battle
Part 6: Kane targets goal records for Boxing Day and festive period
Part 7: League leaders set for tough festive schedule
