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4-3, 4-4, 3-3, 6-1, 5-2: Remembering five classic Premier League Boxing Day matches

December 26 has delivered a number of Christmas crackers and Planet Sport looks back on the five of the best.

With the well-known exception of Ebenezer Scrooge - and even he came round in the end - just about everyone loves Christmas. It's a time of joy, music, gifts, telly, the odd drink or four, lots and lots of food, and…soccer.
Boxing Day games are as much an integral part of the festive season in the UK as Santa is on Christmas Eve, and the turkey is on Christmas Day.
Millions of fans either shake off the overindulgence of the previous day and head to a game, or continue snacking on leftover pigs in blankets and gather around their TVs to watch the action from home.
Thankfully for all those watching on, the Premier League has, in the past, served up some real Christmas crackers on Boxing Day. Planet Sport recounts five of the best.

5) Tottenham Hotspur 5-2 Southampton (2017)

There may not have been a white Christmas in the truest sense in 2017, but there was certainly a Lilywhite Boxing Day in north London, as Tottenham resoundingly thrashed Southampton at Wembley.

Harry Kane capped off a dream 2017 with a hat-trick as former Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino handed out a humbling to his former employers.

Kane opened the scoring midway through the first half when he nodded Christian Eriksen's free-kick beyond Fraser Forster. It was a strike that was momentous in its own right as it was the England man's 37th goal of the calendar year and handed him the Premier League record for the most goals scored in that time frame. He then finished off a flowing Spurs move from close range to double the lead six minutes before the break.

It was three not long after half-time as Dele Alli bent a shot inside Forster's far post and Heung-min Son then put the result to bed with a fourth just two minutes later. The visitors did pull one back when Sofiane Boufal rifled in an effort that Hugo Lloris was unable to keep out, but a new Premier League king was officially born at Christmas when Kane completed his hat-trick thanks to a delightful chipped finish. Dusan Tadic's late effort proved no more than another consolation for Southampton.

Tottenham went on to finish the season in third, securing qualification for the Champions League, while Southampton narrowly avoided relegation, finishing 17th, just three points above the drop zone.

4) Manchester United 4-3 Newcastle United (2012)

Having equalised on three occasions against Newcastle, Man United did what they do best and netted an injury-time winner to take all three points in a Premier League classic at Old Trafford.

United started the game sluggishly and were punished after just four minutes when James Perch capitalised on David de Gea's poor attempt at saving Demba Ba's strike to score his first Magpies goal. Midway through the first half, Jonny Evans reacted quickest to slide Javier Hernandez's strike over the line to level the scores.

However, Evans' Christmas dream turned to a nightmare just two minutes later when he diverted Danny Simpson's strike past his own goalkeeper to hand the initiative back to Newcastle.
The hosts levelled again just before the hour-mark when Patrice Evra found the bottom corner with an angled drive. Newcastle refused to be bowed and went back in front ten minutes later when Papiss Cisse smashed Gabriel Obertan's cutback beyond De Gea.
As is often the case with Manchester United, though, it isn't over until it's over and Robin van Persie equalised for a third time with a smart strike from inside the box.
With time ticking away, Hernandez then ensured it was a jolly old Christmas for the Old Trafford faithful, brilliantly finishing Michael Carrick's teasing delivery.

The game would turn out to be Sir Alex Ferguson's last ever Boxing Day encounter as a manager, but he inevitably signed off in style as United won their 20 league title the following April, finishing 11 points clear of neighbours Manchester City.

Newcastle, meanwhile, battled against relegation for much of the campaign, but ultimately finished 16th, five points clear of the drop.

3) Arsenal 6-1 Leicester City (2000)

It turns out that turkeys aren't the only animal that can find themselves stuffed over Christmas, as Arsenal went fox hunting at Highbury on the first Boxing Day of the new millennium.

Thierry Henry netted his maiden Gunners hat-trick and made two more as Leicester were ripped apart.

Arsenal led by one at the break after Henry had volleyed compatriot Robert Pires' corner beyond Tim Flowers in the 35th minute. Henry set up Patrick Vieira to double the lead just after half-time before Ade Akinbiyi's tap-in following an Alexander Manninger mistake gave the visitors hope. However, the floodgates then opened.
Henry collected Lee Dixon's lofted pass and spun away on the edge of the box en route to firing in his second before Freddie Ljungberg made it four after Leicester made a hash of defending a corner.
Nelson Vivas then split the defence with a pass that Henry gratefully ran onto and finished well.
Tony Adams completed the rout, stretching and making enough contact with Henry's cross to send it into the roof of the net.
The Gunners went on to finish the season in second, ten points behind champions Manchester United, while Leicester were 13th, a comfortable 14 points clear of the relegation zone.

2) Sheffield Wednesday 3-3 Manchester United (1992)

The Premier League's very first Boxing Day programme threw up an instant classic, as United recovered from being 3-0 down to Sheffield Wednesday to snatch a late point at Hillsborough.
David Hirst and Mark Bright fired the Owls into a 2-0 lead after just six minutes, an advantage they retained up to half-time. With 62 minutes gone, John Sheridan then controlled Hirst's header and burst through the United defence to put the hosts further out of sight.
However, five minutes after Sheridan's strike, Brian McClair nodded in Lee Sharpe's cross to pull a goal back and then reduced the arrears even further by repeating the act shortly after. Four minutes later, Eric Cantona then got the final touch to knock yet another Sharpe cross over the line from close range and leave the Owls with a bitter taste in their mouths.

The Red Devils went on to be crowned champions, their eighth English title and first for 26 years, as they finished ten points clear of Aston Villa. Wednesday, meanwhile, concluded the season in seventh, sandwiched between Liverpool and Tottenham on goal difference.

1) Chelsea 4-4 Aston Villa (2007)

Perhaps the most remarkable Boxing Day game of all unfolded at Stamford Bridge 14 years ago, as Chelsea and Aston Villa partook in a true Christmas gift of an encounter.

Gareth Barry's 92nd-minute penalty earned Villa a point, but that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the madness on offer.
Shaun Maloney put Villa in front after 14 minutes, sliding home John Carew's header at the back post and doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time when Petr Cech spilled his effort from the edge of the box into his own net. Just moments later, however, the visitors' festive merriment turned out to be short-lived when Zat Knight was dismissed for a challenge on Michael Ballack in the box. Andriy Shevchenko stepped up to send Scott Carson the wrong way and halve the deficit seconds before the break.
The Ukrainian then slammed home an effort from 25 yards out to level proceedings five minutes after half-time. Brazilian full-back Alex then dashed through the Villa defence to complete, at that point, what appeared to be a remarkable comeback.
Villa then hauled the game back to three each when Martin Laursen karate-kicked Ashley Young's inswinging free-kick beyond Cech. And now the real madness could begin.
Ten minutes from time, it became ten men apiece as the hosts' Ricardo Carvalho saw red for a two-footed tackle on Gabriel Agbonlahor on the halfway line.
But when Ballack put a free-kick into Carson's bottom corner with just two minutes remaining, it seemed as though Chelsea would still be walking away with all three points.

Not so, as in injury time, referee Phil Dowd brought out his red card for a third time to dismiss Cole for a handball on the goal-line, awarding Villa the chance to take a share of the spoils.

Barry stepped up, slotted the spot-kick home in exactly the same place that Shevchenko had an hour earlier, and the points were indeed split after one of the most madcap games ever seen in the Premier League.

Chelsea would go on to finish second, just two points behind champions Manchester United, while for Villa it was a sixth-place finish, five points behind Everton in the race for UEFA Cup qualification.

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