Liverpool kept the pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea by beating Merseyside rivals Everton 1-0 on Monday night.

Jurgen Klopp’s side left it late to record another win over their bitter rivals, with Sadio Mane reacting quickest to follow up Daniel Sturridge’s effort in the fourth minute of injury-time.

It was an important win for the Reds given that Antonio Conte’s Chelsea made it 11 wins on the spin after narrowly getting the better of Crystal Palace on Saturday, with Diego Costa’s 13th goal of the season enough to secure the three points.

On Sunday Liverpool were replaced by Manchester City in second after Pep Guardiola’s side made it back-to-back league wins by overcoming Arsenal, who themselves suffered a second league defeat in six days and slipped to fourth as a result.

Photo: Mark Leech

The Gunners are now under pressure from North London rivals Tottenham, who came from behind to beat Burnley 2-1, and Manchester United, who recorded a third straight win courtesy of a 2-0 success at West Brom.

Southampton ascended to seventh following a 3-1 win over Bournemouth, who themselves remain tenth, while Stoke missed the chance to get back into the top half when they threw away a two-goal lead to draw at home to champions Leicester.

At the bottom, David Moyes’ Sunderland picked up a vital 1-0 victory over Watford, who lost for the fourth consecutive time on the road, while West Ham and Middlesbrough also secured three points from their clashes against Hull and Swansea respectively.

In what was a fascinating weekend of action in England’s top-flight, here is What’s Hot and What’s Not from the final Premier League weekend before Christmas…

HOT – Sadio Mane and Liverpool

Photo: Simon Stacpoole / Offside.

They may have left it late, and were far from their best, but Liverpool picked up yet another Merseyside derby victory on Monday night.

Ronald Koeman’s Everton frustrated them for large periods of the first half but the Reds dominated the second, and got their reward four minutes into added time when Mane reacted quickest to Sturridge’s effort hitting the post.

That was the Senegalese international’s eighth goal of the season, two clear of Adam Lallana as Liverpool’s top-scorer, as he continues to prove his worth to the side, even more so in the absence of Philippe Coutinho.

Mane will be off to the African Cup of Nations next month and, with the way he has been playing ever since he arrived at Anfield, that will leave a huge void in the Liverpool starting eleven.

NOT – Arsenal

Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

Back-to-back league defeats, both of which coming after they scored the opening goal, has meant that it has been a miserable week for Arsenal.

The Gunners were bettered by Everton in midweek and then again by Manchester City on Sunday, as questions still remain about their mental block against the top sides.

Arsene Wenger’s side have won just one of their five games against the current top six, with a victory over league leaders Chelsea mixed in with draws against Tottenham and Manchester United, and defeats against Liverpool and now City.

The concern remains given that they took the lead at the Etihad Stadium, but were outdone by City’s intensity in the second half, just like they were at Goodison Park last week.

The Gunners are now nine points adrift of Chelsea at the top, and could now be in a fight with Spurs and United for a top four spot.

HOT – Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

Diego Costa netted again for Chelsea in their win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, but it was Man United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic who continued his remarkable run of form with a brace at West Brom.

The Swedish star has now netted ten times in his last nine games for the Red Devils, and has been a key part of their resurgence in recent weeks.

This is all after a barren spell which saw Ibrahimovic go six games without scoring, but now he looks back to the form we saw at the start of the campaign, where he scored five goals in his first five United matches.

He is one of the most in-form forwards in the division, and will be integral to United’s push for the top four over the coming weeks and months.

NOT – Watford

Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

They may be 12th in the Premier League and seven points clear of danger, but Watford’s recent run has been pretty poor.

Walter Mazzarri’s side have lost four of their last five league matches, and five of their last seven, which is a run that has dragged them down the table.

The big concern will be their away form, where they have lost their last four, conceding 12 and scoring just twice, but also the form of forward’s Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo must also worry the Vicarage Road faithful.

Deeney has not scored since their 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on October 1, while Ighalo has been in and out of the side due to his poor run of form in front of goal, with his last goal coming all the way back in their 4-2 victory over West Ham on September 10.

The Hornets still have a bit of a buffer to the relegation scrap, but a few more defeats over Christmas could see the London side plunged into the mire at the bottom.