The seventeenth round of the English Premier League season got underway with Tuesday Dec 12’s matches where Burnley hosted Stoke City at Turf Moor with the visitors looking to bounce back after the weekend’s heavy defeat, whilst the hosts were looking to pressure those above them to get into the European places, and Burnley clinched a hard fought 1-nil victory courtesy of a late edge of the box strike from substitute Ashley Barnes that lifted them above Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs and into fourth and into the Champions League places, before those teams play on Wednesday night.
Also on Tuesday Dec 12, Crystal Palace entertained Watford at Selhurst Park and, after Watford had taken an early 3rd minute lead through Daryl Janmaat that put them in control of the game, the game turned in the last 5 minutes when Watford’s Tom Cleverley was red carded for a second yellow card in the 87th minute, and Palace utilised the advantage to score an equaliser from Bakary Sako in the 89th minute, before good work from Wilfried Zaha resulted in a cross for a strike from around the penalty spot from James McArthur for a 2-1 victory that lifted them out of the relegation places for the first time this season.
