Liverpool seal Christmas No.1 spot as Tottenham run riot

Rampant Liverpool beat Bournemouth 3-0 to lock down the Christmas number one spot ahead of Saturday's Manchester derby as Jose Mourinho's Tottenham blitzed Burnley 5-0 to climb to fifth in table.

Interim boss Duncan Ferguson lifted Everton's spirits, condemning Chelsea to their third Premier League defeat in four matches while bottom club Watford battled to a goalless draw against Crystal Palace.

Liverpool took advantage of playing before their closest rivals to widen the gulf at the top of the table to 11 points, meaning they cannot be caught by December 25.

Jurgen Klopp, mindful of a fixture pile-up for his side, made seven changes from the 5-2 midweek victory against Everton, with Sadio Mane dropping to the bench and Alisson Becker back in goal following suspension.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain opened the scoring for the European champions in the 35th minute after poking home Jordan Henderson's long ball, moments after Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake left the pitch injured.

Liverpool made it 2-0 just before the break when Naby Keita played a fine one-two with Mohamed Salah and finished from close range, with Keita turning provider for Salah in the 54th minute.

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"This was just an incredible experience for me, one no one can take away from me. You saw on the touchline how enthusiastic I was. It's one game, it's one result."