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Liverpool go top, Newcastle lose again – ARN News Centre
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Liverpool moved back to the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 victory at struggling Burnley as Boxing Day once again proved to the liking of Juergen Klopp’s side on Tuesday.
There was little festive joy for Newcastle United though as they suffered a surprise 3-1 home defeat by Nottingham Forest for whom Chris Wood scored a hat-trick.
Luton Town won the day’s big relegation battle — beating Sheffield United 3-2 thanks to two own goals — while form-team Bournemouth won again to reach the top half of the table.
Liverpool have now won all six of their Premier League games on Boxing Day under Klopp and while three points always looked likely against 19th-placed Burnley, it was not until substitute Diogo Jota’s 90th-minute goal that the points were sealed.
Darwin Nunez’s precision finish after six minutes gave Liverpool a flying start — his first Premier League goal for almost two months. Liverpool had goals by Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott ruled out after VAR checks and Mohamed Salah rattled the crossbar as the visitors dominated.
But Burnley rallied in the second half and there was a sense of relief for Klopp when a sweeping move ended with Jota slotting in from a tight angle late on.
Liverpool overtook Arsenal to move into first place with 42 points from 19 games. Arsenal are on 40 ahead of their London derby with West Ham United on Thursday.
“Whatever the outside world thinks, it is really intense — and coming here and playing the game we played is absolutely exceptional,” Klopp told reporters.
“It’s exceptional as well that we didn’t score more goals actually, we did but for different reasons they took them away.”
On hitting the top, Klopp said: “42 points, that’s really pleasing, to be honest. That’s really cool because the first part of the season is done and it was absolutely alright what we did. Not perfect but it was alright.”
Newcastle’s punishing schedule and injury list appears to be coming home to roost as they lost for the fifth time in seven games in all competitions to slip behind the top four.
Wood only managed five Premier League goals for Newcastle during his time on Tyneside but returned to haunt his old club and secure a huge three points for Forest.
Forest’s first win under new coach Nuno Espirito Santo lifted them to 16th in the standings on 17 points, five above the relegation zone, while Newcastle’s fourth defeat in their last five league games left them seventh on 29 points.
Newcastle took the lead in the 23rd minute when Alexander Isak stroked home a penalty he had earned.
Wood, who was loaned to Forest by Newcastle in January before being signed permanently, levelled just before the break with a close-range tap-in from Anthony Elanga’s pass.
A counter-attack in the 53rd minute ended with Wood dinking a superb finish over Martin Dubravka. The New Zealand international completed his hat-trick on the hour mark when he rounded Dubravka and slotted home.
“There’s a whole combination of different things that are hurting us. We will have to be strong in these moments as it’s not easy but we will look to bounce back,” Newcastle coach Eddie Howe said.
In the basement battle Jack Robinson and Anis Ben Slimane scored own goals in the final 13 minutes as Sheffield United let a late lead slip to lose 3-2 at Luton who are now just one point behind 17th-placed Everton.
Alfie Doughty had given Luton the lead but goals by Oli McBurnie and Anel Ahmedhodzic turned the game on its head.
But Robinson flicked a cross into his own net and Slimane deflected a shot past his goalkeeper.
Bournemouth moved into the top half as goals by Justin Kluivert, Dominic Solanke and Luis Sinisterra earned them a 3-0 victory over fading Fulham.
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Indian chess star Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu produced a brilliant final-round victory to win Norway Chess 2026, capping a dramatic finish to one of the year’s most prestigious tournaments.
Entering the final day half a point behind leader Wesley So, Praggnanandhaa knew only a win would give him a realistic chance of claiming the title. The 19-year-old delivered under pressure, defeating Vincent Keymer with the white pieces to secure the full three points and surge to first place.
The victory lifted Praggnanandhaa to 18 points, enough to overtake Wesley So and clinch the Norway Chess crown in Oslo.
So, who had led the standings heading into the final round, drew his classical game against Alireza Firouzja before winning the Armageddon tiebreak. However, the extra points were not enough to keep him ahead of the charging Indian grandmaster.
Firouzja completed a strong campaign to finish third overall.
Elsewhere, world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen signed off in style with a classical victory over reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, delighting home fans with a final-round win.
Final Standings
- Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu – 18 points
- Wesley So – 17 points
- Alireza Firouzja – 15.5 points
Assaubayeva dominates women’s event
In the Norway Chess Women’s tournament, Bibisara Assaubayeva completed a dominant campaign to secure the title after having already wrapped up first place with a round to spare.
The final day featured three decisive classical games, eliminating the need for Armageddon tiebreaks.
Women’s world champion Ju Wenjun handed Assaubayeva her first classical defeat of the tournament, while Zhu Jiner defeated Humpy Koneru to secure second place overall. Anna Muzychuk also ended her campaign on a high note with a victory over Divya Deshmukh to finish third.
Norway Chess women’s final standings
- Bibisara Assaubayeva – 16.5 points
- Zhu Jiner – 16 points
- Anna Muzychuk – 15 points
Praggnanandhaa’s triumph marks another major milestone in the young Indian grandmaster’s rapidly rising career and further strengthens India’s growing influence at the highest level of world chess.
The battle for the Norway Chess 2026 title is set for a thrilling finish after a dramatic Round 9 left three players firmly in contention heading into the final day in Oslo.
Tournament leader Wesley So maintained his narrow advantage after drawing his classical game against Magnus Carlsen before winning the Armageddon tiebreak to secure valuable extra points.
The standout result of the day came from Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, who defeated reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju with the black pieces. The victory earned Praggnanandhaa three points and moved him to within half a point of the tournament lead.
Meanwhile, Alireza Firouzja kept his championship hopes alive by overcoming Vincent Keymer in Armageddon after their classical game ended in a draw.
With one round remaining, Wesley So leads the standings on 15.5 points, followed by Praggnanandhaa on 15 points and Firouzja on 14.5 points, setting up a nail-biting conclusion to the tournament.
Assaubayeva seals women’s title
In the women’s competition, Bibisara Assaubayeva secured the Norway Chess Women 2026 title with a round to spare.
Assaubayeva drew her classical game against Anna Muzychuk, who later claimed the Armageddon win. However, the result was enough to guarantee Assaubayeva an unassailable lead at the top of the standings.
The only decisive classical result in the women’s event came from Zhu Jiner, who defeated Divya Deshmukh to move into second place.
Elsewhere, Humpy Koneru and Ju Wenjun drew their classical encounter before Ju Wenjun claimed the Armageddon victory.
After Round 9, Assaubayeva tops the women’s standings with 16.5 points, ahead of Zhu Jiner on 13 points and Anna Muzychuk on 12 points.
Praggnanandhaa wins Norway Chess 2026 title after stunning comeback
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