The Premier League season takes a short respite this week for the FA Cup third round, and after a hectic stretch over the festive period, it's a good chance to take stock and reflect on the campaign so far.
With the season now beyond the halfway stage, it appears as though it could be all to play for. At the top end, a genuinely wide-open title race looks to be under way, with Liverpool holding a three-point lead over surprise challengers Aston Villa. However, champions Manchester City – aiming to become the first club to win four successive Premier League titles – can close the gap to two points by winning their game in hand.
Arsenal, in fourth, remain contenders despite ending this recent run of fixtures with back-to-back defeats. Rivals Tottenham are a point and a place back, so the battle for the top four looks set to be closely contested.
The rest of the top half of the table sees West Ham in sixth place, David Moyes so far successfully balancing Europa League commitments (the Hammers are through to the last 16) and staying competitive domestically.
Brighton & Hove Albion, in seventh, continue to thrill even if consistency has been an issue, while the three teams in eighth, ninth, and 10th will be disappointed with their campaigns so far.
Eighth-placed Manchester United perennially creep from one crisis to another, ninth-placed Newcastle have found their squad too stretched on their return to the Champions League, and Chelsea, in 10th, continue to struggle for cohesion, despite the brilliance of new signing Cole Palmer.
Wolves and Bournemouth – in 11th and 12th respectively – have impressed to defy preseason expectations that both clubs would be in a relegation scrap, while 13th-placed Fulham have picked up enough good results to stay clear of the bottom three.
Crystal Palace, in 14th, looked to be sliding down the table but the return of Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze should be enough to keep them safe, while 15th-placed Nottingham Forest have started brightly under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo with back-to-back wins.
Brentford, in 16th, endured a miserable festive period and five successive defeats sees them lurking just five points above the drop zone. Everton, meanwhile, bounced back from their 10-point deduction to surge clear of the bottom three but three straight losses have halted their progress.
As for the relegation zone, those places are occupied by the three promoted clubs. Luton Town, whom many expected to get buried this season, are making the best fist of it and are just one point behind Everton with a game in hand. Burnley and bottom club Sheffield United are five and seven points adrift of safety and will need to produce monumental turnarounds to preserve their top-flight statuses.
As the campaign heads into its second half, we have picked our Premier League team of the season so far in the gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.
TICKETS
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs: Aston Martin DB11 V8 vs Ferrari GTC4Lusso T
Price, base: Dh840,000; Dh120,000
Engine: 4.0L V8 twin-turbo; 3.9L V8 turbo
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic; seven-speed automatic
Power: 509hp @ 6,000rpm; 601hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 695Nm @ 2,000rpm; 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.9L / 100km; 11.6L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
