Manchester City returned to the summit of the Premier League standings, edging past Southampton 1-0 thanks to Erling Haaland’s early strike. Haaland netted his 11th league goal of the season just five minutes into the match, but despite multiple chances, City couldn’t add to their tally. Strong defensive work from Southampton held City to a narrow win, extending the champions’ unbeaten league run to 32 games. Now, City are just six weeks away from achieving an unbeaten year since their last defeat to Aston Villa on December 6.

Meanwhile, Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi marked his return to Goodison Park by scoring for Fulham in a 1-1 draw against Everton. Iwobi, who showed respect to Everton fans by keeping his celebration muted, found the net in the 61st minute after Emile Smith Rowe’s skilful solo run. Despite Iwobi’s strike putting Fulham in the lead, Everton’s substitute Beto netted a dramatic equalizer in stoppage time from Ashley Young’s cutback. The result extends Everton’s unbeaten streak to five games, leaving them 15th with nine points. Fulham moved to 10th with 12 points, snapping their two-match losing streak.