Blackburn (1st; 54pts; +32) - Rovers complete 2027 in a dominating manner with six wins from six games and welcome the New Year sitting top of the league. Their achievement is even more remarkable for they have played four contenders this month and came victorious in all those clashes!
Player of the month: Luca Boccaccini (ST) 8.28
0 Current first team injuries.
Newcastle (2nd; 51pts; +68) - five wins from five games for the Magpies and they keep their incredible 100% record this season. Although they drop the top position because of Club World Cup duty.
Player of the month: Diego Escudero (AMRL) 8.68
0 Current first team injuries.
Leeds (3rd; 44pts; +28) - decent return in December for Leeds - they are unable to keep the tempo of those above them but 13 points out of 18 on offer are enough to climb above Manchester United.
Player of the month: Phillip Foose (DC) 8.20
2 Current first team injuries:
Diego Herrera (ST) - 4-9 days (torn hamstring)
Alejandro Boyaro (MC) - 6-7 weeks (torn hamstring)
Manchester United (4th; 43pts; +28) - the Red Devils had a flat tyre this month with three straight defeats to Blackburn, Everton and Leeds and now need to look over their shoulder instead of upwards.
Player of the month: Kôtarô Kawaguchi (DC/DM/MC) 8.18
2 Current first team injuries:
Almamy Traoré (AMR/ST) - 4-5 weeks (hip injury)
Gabriel López (MC) - 3-5 weeks (torm hamstring)
Liverpool (5th; 39pts; +17) - the Reds had a hectic schedule with seven league games this month. They achieved six wins in them and only a defeat to high-flying Blackburn denied them perfect record. Nevertheless they close 2027 in style and return in contention for top four.
Player of the month: Juan Gabriel Travieso (DC) 8.06
1 Current first team injury:
Bruma (MR/AMRL) - 3-4 weeks (fractured wrist)
Chelsea (7th; 32pts; +14) - the Blues conclude an unimpressive 2027 with just 10 points from 18 possible which means they slide even lower in the league table. Failure to win any significant games has been the major disappointment for their fans.
Player of the month: Murat Erdil (MC) 8.10
1 Current first team injury:
Willis Davis (DC) - 9-21 days (torn hamstring)
Other teams to watch:
Manchester City (6th) - the Citizens are still hanging in the outskirts of top four contenders and will definitely play some role in European qualification fight.
Arsenal (8th) - the Gunners are working their way up the table and may still mount a challenge for Europe.
Swansea (15th) - the Swans improve dramatically in December to grab three wins and move out of the bottom three.
Crewe Alexandra (16th) - Crewe fail to build up their decent form and are just two points above the drop.
Middlesbrough (17th) - Boro achieve a vital win in December and somehow sit above the line.
Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa occupy the bottom three. The Black Cats changed managers but that doesn't stop their slide and they drop below the line for the first month since the start of the season. Crystal Palace only pick one win and are three points away from safety. Aston Villa register a win and a draw but only have five points and could probably start thinking about Championship football next term.
