With 7 matches being played and the two Manchester clubs continued in their winning ways.
Manchester C. 3 - 0 Stoke C.
Manchester City got 2013 off to the perfect start with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Stoke.
The champions kept up the pressure on neighbours Manchester United - 4-0 winners at Wigan - as they patiently broke down the visitors' stubborn defence to win thanks to goals from Pablo Zabaleta, Edin Dzeko and a Sergio Aguero penalty.
The only disappointment for manager Roberto Mancini was the loss of the Argentine striker with an apparent hamstring injury 15 minutes from the end.
Mancini's men were certainly good value for the three points with keeper Joe Hart a spectator for long periods. Stoke mustered a solitary shot in the first half as City tried to unpick the Premier League's meanest defence.
The home side had to wait until the 42nd minute before making the breakthrough. Zabaleta started and finished the move, combining with James Milner to beat Asmir Begovic from six yards after the Stoke keeper had saved the England midfielder's cross with his foot.
The hosts could have been ahead in the opening minute when Milner linked up with Aguero forcing Begovic into a smart save at his near post.
The Argentine came even closer on 33 minutes, hitting the upright with a flick header from Gareth Barry's cross.
Zabaleta's goal meant a change of tactics for Tony Pulis' men with the disappointing Kenwyne Jones taken off after just five minutes of the second half.
And the visitors' task was made even harder six minutes later when Dzeko made the most of a handling error by Begovic to tap in the home side's second. Aguero weaved his way into the Stoke box and stabbed a shot at the Stoke keeper who spilled the shot into the path of the Bosnian to tap in from two yards out.
The away side had a golden chance to make a swift reply but Jon Walters made a total hash of Cameron Jerome's neat flick to spoon his effort over the bar from just four yards out.
The game was made utterly safe on 74 minutes, Aguero scoring from the spot after Steven N'Zonzi clipped David Silva - although the initial challenge appeared to be just outside the box. The Argentine's penalty was close to Begovic but the Stoke keeper was unable to keep it out.
The spot-kick was Aguero's last act before he pulled up clutching his left hamstring to be replaced by countryman Carlos Tevez.
The home side looked like adding to their tally in the final stages although it was Stoke who came the closest, Joe Hart turning Glenn Whelan's drive onto his left-hand post to maintain a welcome clean sheet for the champions.
West Bromwich A. 1 - 2 Fulham
Fulham enjoyed the perfect start to 2013 after recording a first Premier League victory at The Hawthorns as Alex Kacaniklic's goal secured a 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion.
The impressive Dimitar Berbatov had given Fulham a first-half lead, but the muscular presence of Romelu Lukaku drew the hosts level early in the second period.
However, Kacaniklic rolled home the decisive goal just before the hour mark to hand Fulham only a second win in 13 games to lift Martin Jol's side away from the relegation places.
A New Year hangover seemed to be affecting both teams for much of the first half, with a lack of fluency to the game and neither goalkeeper troubled.
Gareth McAuley and Gabriel Tamas headed set-pieces wide for West Brom, while at the opposite end Berbatov and Giorgos Karagounis both fired over from outside the penalty area.
A rare moment of class produced Fulham's opener six minutes before half-time as Berbatov sent Ashkan Dejagah scampering down the right before the Bulgarian ambled into the box to sweep home his team-mate's return pass.
After a lacklustre first half, West Brom were a different team in the second period and were level within four minutes when Lukaku was left alone inside the six-yard box to turn home Billy Jones' low pass following clever work by the full-back.
Lukaku, who has impressed during his loan spell from Chelsea, almost gave West Brom the lead three minutes later when his thumping volley came back off the upright.
The Belgium international was in the thick of things again on 55 minutes as his shot was kept out by David Stockdale before James Morrison struck the rebound against the post and Chris Brunt saw his goalbound effort diverted clear by Aaron Hughes.
Yet the Baggies were floored by a sucker-punch on 58 minutes as the recalled Kacaniklic superbly controlled Bryan Ruiz's pass on the edge of the box before slotting a low shot past the stranded Ben Foster.
Steve Clarke's side took time to recover from that setback and turned to Peter Odemwingie and Shane Long for inspiration, with the latter's cross 15 minutes from time headed wide by Lukaku.
Fulham were still a threat on the counter and could have had a penalty with 10 minutes to go when Ruiz was caught by Youssouf Mulumbu, but it mattered little as only a late Jones cross threatened to deny Jol a win against the club he represented during his playing career.
Swansea C. 2 - 2 Aston Villa
Danny Graham's injury-time strike broke Aston Villa's hearts to salvage a point for Swansea in a lively 2-2 draw.
After three successive defeats, the visitors seemed set for some rare Christmas joy as they hit back from conceding early on and Christian Benteke converted his spot-kick five minutes from the end to take the lead.
But in the closing stages of injury time, Michael Laudrup's men were rewarded after a barrage of attacks as Graham powered in from six yards to stun Paul Lambert's battlers.
Villa might be grateful for the point after enduring a torrid opening 20 minutes when they were blown away in every department, conceding early on and Michu twice hitting the post.
However, having climbed back off the canvas so impressively in the second half, this will feel like a loss as they remain perilously above the drop zone, two points above 18th-placed Southampton who have games in hand.
Few would have predicted the late drama though after a breath-taking and brutal start to this encounter as the hosts ripped through an edgy and limp Villa side.
Wayne Routledge had already wasted a golden opportunity, denied by the legs of keeper Brad Guzan when clean through, but the 27-year-old soon made amends on nine minutes with a cool finish.
Pablo Hernandez threaded the ball through from the halfway line and Routledge skipped around the keeper before tucking in the opener from a tight angle.
Arriving in Wales having conceded 15 times in three defeats over a miserable festive period, Villa's team was the youngest ever starting eleven in the Premier League - an average of 23 years and 119 days - and the nerves were all too evident.
Defenders Ciaran Clark and Chris Herd were dragged all over the place and with panic setting in, the hosts almost doubled the lead straight from the kick-off as top scorer Michu blasted against the left post.
The sea of white continued to roll forward and again Michu was cursing the woodwork after being set up by a flowing move involving Ashley Williams and Routledge on the left.
Signs that Swansea were taking their feet off the gas were slowly appearing, exemplified by Routledge's sloppy attempts at a double drag back inside his own box.
And after 43 minutes of being utterly outplayed and restricted to a pair of long-range efforts, the visitors secured a shock equaliser.
The damage was caused by Benteke as the industrious striker set up Andreas Weimann with a clever through-ball, leaving the lively Austrian winger to out-fox Williams and power the ball in under the arms of Michel Vorm.
Reinvigorated Villa continued their good work after the break with more verve and, more importantly, improved organisation at the back, while Benteke and Weimann proved a menace pushing forward.
It was enough for the increasingly concerned Laudrup to try to boost his spluttering midfield with the introduction of Nathan Dyer and Kemy Agustien, but his plan back-fired.
Dyer heroically headed Benteke's header off the line, only to clumsily hack down Weimann and give away a penalty seconds later.
Benteke hammered in his spot-kick (85) and three crucial points appeared to be heading to the west Midlands.
Back came Swansea with a late surge and after a goal-mouth scramble, Graham slammed the ball in to leave the hosts' bench jumping ecstatically, while Lambert watched on with his head in his hands.
Tottenham H. 3 - 1 Reading
Emmanuel Adebayor scored his first home Premier League goal of the season as Tottenham produced a dominant display to defeat Reading 3-1 at White Hart Lane.
Pavel Pogrebnyak had nodded Brian McDermott's men into a shock early lead, but from that point on the game was bossed by the hosts, who were swiftly back on terms thanks to Michael Dawson before taking the lead through Adebayor's excellent header early in the second half.
Andre Villas-Boas will be concerned by the fact that his side failed to put the game to bed earlier despite their clear superiority, with Reading close to snatching a leveller in the second period before substitute Clint Dempsey's deflected effort made the game safe 11 minutes from time.
Reading made a dream start as they took the lead with only four minutes on the clock when Ian Harte's superb free-kick from outside the box crashed off the crossbar with Hugo Lloris well beaten and Pogrebnyak reacted first to nod home into an empty net.
Spurs were stung and Adebayor nodded wide at the far post from the excellent Aaron Lennon's cross, before they restored parity almost immediately as skipper Dawson got ahead of Royals striker Pogrebnyak at the near post to glance home Gylfi Sigurdsson's corner from the left.
The first half continued with consistent pressure from Spurs, but they were unable to find a way past the impressive Adam Federici in the Royals goal, with many of their attempts coming from range, typified by a blistering long-range drive from Mousa Dembele which was narrowly wide as he burst clear despite his shirt being pulled by Jem Karacan.
Jermain Defoe then turned Mikele Leigertwood inside and out before firing in a powerful shot which whistled inches past the post, with the England striker going close again as half-time approached, but his second shot from outside the box lacked power and was gathered by Federici, who had to be alert moments later to gather another effort from distance by Dembele at the second attempt.
Jobi McAnuff blazed over the bar on a very rare foray forward for Reading before Federici was called into action once again, plunging low to his left to turn away a deflected effort from Sandro which clipped Sigurdsson on its way towards the goal.
The second half commenced in the same manner with which the first ended, Federici diving away to his left to comfortably gather a curling effort from Defoe, but the Royals keeper was powerless to keep out a towering header from Adebayor after Lennon took on Harte and clipped over a delightful cross in the 51st minute.
Reading were offering nothing as an attacking threat and Spurs nearly made it 3-1 when Lennon burst clear and saw his initial shot blocked before being fed by Adebayor, only for Alex Pearce to make a vital interception. The winger was at the centre of yet another attack with the game into its final third, cutting a low cross into the area which Defoe could only fire wide, with Sigurdsson well-placed behind the striker.
Spurs were almost made to pay for their profligacy in front of goal as Pogrebnyak burst into the area and forced Lloris to forego his role of virtual spectator with a low save with the Royals forward then heading the follow-up narrowly wide of the target.
Jimmy Kebe was also inches away from levelling in the 75th minute, only to be denied by an excellent last-ditch tackle from Kyle Walker, with Pearce's header from the resulting corner heading towards goal only to be unwittingly deflected wide by Pogrebnyak with Dawson and Lloris in close attendance.
The increasing nerves among the home supporters were eased in the 79th minute when substitute Dempsey, who had only been on the field for four minutes, struck a shot from outside the box which took a wicked deflection off the leg of Leigertwood and looped over the unfortunate Federici, who reserved his best save for last as he tipped away Scott Parker pile-driver.
West Ham U. 2 - 1 Norwich C
West Ham United ended a run of four Premier League games without a win after a series of controversial refereeing decisions helped them to a 2-1 victory over Norwich City at Upton Park.
The hosts took the lead through a third-minute Mark Noble penalty that was awarded by referee Mark Clattenburg for Ryan Bennett's negligible pull on Winston Reid.
They doubled their lead 23 minutes later through Joey O'Brien's opportunist close-range strike, despite the fact that Norwich's Alexander Tettey was grounded in the build-up with a head injury.
Russell Martin handed Norwich last-gasp hope with an injury-time consolation, but they couldn't force an equaliser and have now lost their last four league games.
The result sees Sam Allardyce's side leapfrog Norwich into 11th place, with Chris Hughton's out-of-form team now 12th.
The hosts were given a perfect start by Clattenburg, whose decision to penalise Bennett for tussling with Reid allowed Noble to send Mark Bunn the wrong way with a well-struck right-foot shot.
Although they then took control of the game, they were lucky to stay ahead when, after a rare foray forward, Norwich's Robert Snodgrass struck the foot of the post with a sublime free-kick from 25 yards.
The visitors then had another refereeing decision go against them when a penalty appeal was waved away, despite a clear handball in the West Ham box from Reid.
And they then fell 2-0 behind, once again in controversial circumstances. With Tettey down on the floor, Sebastien Bassong failed to fully clear Noble's near-post cross and O'Brien sidefooted home the rebound.
The goal sapped Norwich's confidence and West Ham took complete control of the game, with only Mark Bunn keeping the score at 2-0 courtesy of fine saves from Matt Taylor and Jack Collison.
However, the visitors improved markedly after the break and both teams created numerous half-chances as the tempo increased and the game opened up.
Substitute Elliott Bennett delivered a superb cross for Martin to sweep home at the near post in injury time, but West Ham held on for a deserved and much-needed victory.
Wigan Athletic 0 - 4 Manchester U.
Manchester United started the New Year much as they ended 2012 with a clinical 4-0 win over Wigan at the DW Stadium that maintained their seven-point lead at the top of the Barclays Premier League.
Javier Hernandez returned to the side after a brief rest with a couple of goals and Robin van Persie was also on target twice in a comfortable victory over the struggling Latics.
United thought they had broken the deadlock in the 11th minute when Hernandez broke and fired past Ali Al Habsi, but the Mexico striker was correctly adjudged to be offside.
Wigan took 20 minutes to secure their first clear sight of goal but Jean Beausejour made a real hash of an inviting cross that dropped at his feet and fired high, wide and not very handsome.
Soon after, a van Persie free-kick caused havoc in the box, but Wigan managed to clear after an Al Habsi fumble, and Tom Cleverley had an effort blocked by Ivan Ramis as United upped the tempo.
But the goal they had been threatening came on 35 minutes when Patrice Evra forced Al Habsi into a decent save, after a complete mis-kick on his first attempt, and Hernandez pounced to convert the rebound.
It was 2-0 two minutes before the break with Van Persie on target for the 15th time in the league this season, Hernandez making the most of a bit of fortune to play in the Dutchman, who cut inside Ramis and curled past Al Habsi.
Edgy home fans would have expected a response from their team after half-time, but it proved anything but as they spent long spells camped in their own half, some awful passing giving United the chance to sit on their advantage and play keep-ball.
Despite that, United almost allowed Wigan back into the game just before the hour when Arouna Kone converted a Franco di Santo cross-shot at the back post but, like Hernandez earlier on, he was also flagged for offside - this time far less clear-cut.
Hernandez lobbed just over the bar after Al Habsi had a rush of blood to the head, but it was game over on 63 when Van Persie's free-kick fell to him 12 yards out and he smashed home his second goal of the afternoon.
Chris Smalling might have been a touch lucky to avoid being sent off, not long after coming on as a sub, for pulling down Kone and Jordi Gomez curled the resulting free-kick inches wide.
But United still had time for a fourth goal two minutes from time when Van Persie matched Hernandez's double after horrible defending let sub Danny Welbeck in to set him up for a tap-in that rounded off one of their simpler wins of the season.
Southampton 1 - 1 Arsenal
Theo Walcott was unable to inspire Arsenal to victory on his return to Southampton on New Year's Day as they had to settle for a 1-1 draw.
The England international made his first appearance at St Mary's since leaving in 2006 but he, and fellow former Saint Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, had to make do with a point.
Southampton, now out of the relegation zone, took a deserved lead in the first half through Gaston Ramirez and matched their visitors for most of the contest.
But Arsene Wenger's frustrated Arsenal, who dropped points in the race for the UEFA Champions League, levelled before half-time when Brazilian forward Guly turned Walcott's free-kick into his own goal.
Much of the build-up to Tuesday's game surrounded graduates of Southampton's fabled Academy.
Both Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain started at the place they once called home, while speculation was rife that Luke Shaw, the latest star off the production line, could soon follow them to Emirates Stadium.
Clear-cut opportunities were in short supply in the first half and the opening goal came in the 34th minute thanks to shambolic defending rather than any moment of genius.
Arsenal failed on a number of occasions to clear the ball and, after seeing a shot blocked, Jason Puncheon pulled back for Ramirez to fire home just inside the 18-yard box.
The lead lasted just seven minutes, though, as Puncheon gave away a free-kick wide on the left.
Walcott swung it in and Guly directed past his own goalkeeper at the near post to send the 3,141 visiting fans into raptures.
Arsenal thought they had a second before the break as Walcott found a way past Artur Boruc, only for it to be chalked off for offside.
The home side responded well when the teams re-emerged for the second half, with a Rickie Lambert header across the six yard box just evading his team-mates.
Both managers made changes in a bid to find a winner, with Mikel Arteta coming close with a fierce 25-yard strike.
Wojciech Szczesny parried a late Puncheon strike and Maya Yoshida cleared a later cross as the match ended level, propelling Saints out of the drop zone.
The premier League will continue next week because of the FA Cup beginning on Saturday the 5th of January 2013.
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