THE English Premier League (EPL) maintained its yearly tradition of scheduling games on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, while all the other elite leagues in Europe were on holiday break.

    The action was fast and furious in England as eight matches were played throughout the country.

    It was a successful day for all the big teams at the top of the table, as they are all vying for the title and need to keep pace with each other.

    The teams didn’t disappoint, as they all did the business and got the crucial three points.

    While most of the big teams won comfortably, Arsenal did as Arsenal does, and left it late, giving the fans their weekly heart attack.

    The Gunners needed a late goal from in-form Olivier Giroud, who scored on a header in the 87th minute to give Arsenal the 1-0 win over West Brom.

    Chelsea maintained its lead over its rivals with a comfortable 3-0 win over Bournemouth.

    Pedro Rodriguez bagged a brace, and Eden Hazard scored from the penalty spot.

    Chelsea was without two of their star players, Diego Costa and N’Golo Kante, but team manager Antonio Conte has plenty of depth and talent in the team.

    Manchester United is starting to find its form. Better late than never. The side brushed aside a clearly outgunned Sunderland side.

    Zlatan Ibrahimovic seems to be getting the hang of the premiership lifestyle, as he scored again. New signing Henrik Mkhitaryan has also found his role in the team, and has been a major contributor since being called upon.

    Pep Guardiola’s men travelled to Hull and did their part to keep up, as Manchester City beat Hull City 3-0 to move into second place in the table.

    They left it late, as it took them 72 minutes to finally break down the hosts with a Yaya Toure penalty.

    In other results, West ham beat Swansea 4-1. In-form Everton beat last year’s champ Leicester City 2-0.

    Burnley defeated Middlesbrough 1-0, and Watford and Crystal Palace shared the points with a 1-1 draw.(SD-Agencies)