Relive a collection of top-flight thrillers thrown up by one of the most highly-anticipated days in the football calendar...
Manchester City 5-1 Hull City, 2008
The day that Phil Brown undermined a once-burgeoning career by humiliating his players, staff and club.
Trailing 4-0 to Manchester City at half time, Hull boss Brown absurdly strode out onto the pitch, parked his side in a circle in front of the away supporters and proceeded to lambast them.
Quite why Brown thought that the travelling fans would appreciate this wannabe-macho show of indignation is not quite clear.
Nor is how he reasoned that the façade would help his team get back into the game, which, we must believe, was his intention.
Needless to say, it didn’t work.
Indeed, George Boateng cited the damage done to the players as pivotal in their relegation to the Championship a full 17 months later.
Unlike Hull, Brown himself has never hit the same heights.
A bizarre episode.
Aston Villa 2-2 Arsenal, 2008
Remarkably, eight years ago Villa were the biggest threat to the Premier League’s established ‘top four’.
And on Boxing Day 2008, Martin O’Neill’s side hosted the team many suggested they were most likely to oust for a Champions League spot – Arsenal.
Villa took the game to Arsene Wenger’s side.
But despite O’Neill’s team hitting the woodwork three times in the first half, Arsenal scored either side of the break through Denilson and Robin van Persie, before the Dutchman struck the post himself.
A missed opportunity, surely, for Villa.
But after William Gallas’ foul on Gabriel Agbonlahor, Gareth Barry slammed home from the penalty spot in the 77th minute to offer the home fans some hope.
And the hosts’ perseverance was rewarded when Zat Knight dramatically equalised in added time.
Though normal service was resumed by the end of the season – with Villa finishing sixth – this Boxing Day beauty represents one of the league’s more famous underdog efforts.
Chelsea 4-4 Aston Villa, 2007
Rewind a year, and Villa were playing their part in another festive cracker, this time at Stamford Bridge.
Avram Grant had settled Chelsea somewhat after Jose Mourinho’s early-season departure, but his unbeaten home record was under threat when Shaun Maloney had the visitors in front inside a quarter of an hour.
Cue a crazy spell of seven goals in 47 minutes, spanning the final throwings of the opening period and the entirety of the second.
First, Maloney doubled Villa’s lead, via Petr Cech’s uncharacteristic error.
But a Zat Knight red card and Andrei Shevchenko penalty in first-half stoppage time ensured that, despite trailing 2-1, the Blues went into the break hopeful.
Shevchenko smashed in an equaliser in the 49th minute, before centre-half Alex continued a foray forward into the box and beat Scott Carson to hand the hosts the lead.
But 10-man Villa were not done yet.
Martin Laursen steered home an Ashley Young free-kick to make it 3-3, before Ricardo Carvalho was sent off for a two-footed lunge with little more than 10 minutes to play.
Are you keeping up?
Michael Ballack was the next man on the scoresheet, firing a 20-yard free kick into the corner with just three minutes left on the clock.
But the with the hosts desperately hanging on, Ashley Cole was adjudged to have blocked Gabby Agbonlahor’s headed effort on the line with his hand and was himself sent off, before Gareth Barry dispatched the resulting spot-kick to earn Villa a point.
Eight goals, three red cards and cold turkey sandwiches for dinner. What a day.
Sheffield Wednesday 3-3 Manchester United, 1992
Another ding-dong affair, defined by one of the Premier League’s all-time greats.
The first Premier League Boxing Day produced a timeless classic – described by Sir Alex Ferguson as “magnificent, the good old days are back” – as Sheffield Wednesday welcomed Manchester United to Hillsborough.
But the day belonged to Eric Cantona, who had debuted for United earlier that month.
With Wednesday 3-0 up – despite the visitors spurning several chances – the Frenchman made his first vital contribution in a United shirt, prompting – and sealing – a stirring comeback.
Driven on by Cantona, United pulled two goals back – both Brian McClair headers – before, in a chaotic finale, their new star pounced on a loose ball to make it 3-3.
The rousing rally was not only a pre-cursor to United’s habitual fightbacks under Ferguson, but thrust Cantona into the limelight.
His side did not look back, using the result as a springboard to claim the first Premier League title – and the club’s first in the league for 26 years.
Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool, 2013
Rarely, in recent times, have two heavyweights crossed paths on Boxing Day.
But in the 2013/14 season, Manchester City and Liverpool’s meeting at the Etihad Stadium, in hindsight, hugely influenced the title race.
Raheem Sterling – against his future employers – rounded Joe Hart, before standing aside to allow Philippe Coutinho to roll Brendan Rodgers’ side into the lead.
But by half time, City led 2-1, via Vincent Kompany and Alvaro Negredo – a lead that they would preserve.
The Reds were the victims of several poor refereeing decisions, as they threw all of their available attacking talent – Luis Suarez et al. – at Manuel Pellegrini’s team.
Joe Hart, too, played a vital role in his team’s win, earning particular praise from Pellegrini afterwards.
City beat Liverpool – who were only beaten by Chelsea from that point onwards – to the Premier League title by just two points, a gulf that the visitors would have overhauled with a draw in this one.
Rodgers said afterwards that defeat was “hard to take”.
Imagine how he felt in May.
