By Iain Roy

Another match week has passed in the hectic December schedule of Premier League football, with a few teams standing out from the crowd.

Crystal Palace

The blue side of Manchester have looked as beatable right now as they have in the last six years. After going 2-0 up at home against Crystal Palace, the Eagles turned it on at the later stages of the game, clawing back a point as the score ended 2-2. Palace have struggled for form recently with no wins in their last five games. Despite this, they fought until the end and achieved a point on the board at one of the hardest places they will play this season. Palace will hope that this is the turning point in their season and a result like this could be the affirmation they need to prove that they can compete with the best in the league when they give it their all.

Newcastle United

After three consecutive league losses and an extensive injury list that sees the Geordie side sport two goalkeepers on their bench, a win against Fulham was necessary to bring stability. At half-time, the score read 0-0 despite Fulham suffering a red card, but it didn’t take long for 17-year-old Lewis Miley to give Newcastle the lead. Goals from Almiron and Dan Burn saw the Geordies cruise to a 3-0 victory. Their Champions League exit earlier in the week disappointed a lot of fans, but with the injury struggles they’re facing, perhaps fewer games is what Newcastle need to continue to put in performances like this.

West Ham United

A comfortable 3-0 victory against Wolves has West Ham sitting ninth in the table after star performances from Mohamad Kudus and Lucas Paqueta were the catalyst for the Hammers’ three points. It was the perfect response to last weekend’s 5-0 thrashing against Fulham as they now have three wins from their last five. With West Ham against the odds in their next game at Anfield, a performance like this was crucial to give David Moyes and the squad belief.

The Hammers’ two heroes: Mohamad Kudus and Lucas Paqueta (Image: Getty Images)

Arsenal

The Gunners have struggled in recent years against Brighton & Hove Albion, with their previous meeting at the end of last season being a defeat which saw Arsenal lose the title to Manchester City. However, on this occasion, Arsenal cruised to a 2-0 win thanks to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz as he continues his impressive form. It was a difficult afternoon for Brighton as they faced nine shots on target while only making one for themselves. The Gunners now sit at the top of the league after their disappointing defeat to Aston Villa last week and hope to stay there following their next game against second-place Liverpool.

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