Emmanuel Adebayor scored his fourth goal in five games as Tottenham edged out Manchester United at Old Trafford. The striker, who is enjoying a new lease of life under Tim Sherwood, headed home Christian Eriksen's cross 10 minutes before the break.
NEIL ASHTON at St Mary's: Jose Mourinho has told Juan Mata he can quit Chelsea after his furious reaction to his 53rd minute substitution during Chelsea's 3-0 thumping of Southampton.
JOHN EDWARDS at Anfield: Another exceptional finish from Luis Suarez and skipper Steven Gerrard back ahead of schedule. A happy New Year indeed.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set to be confirmed as the new manager of Cardiff City this week. He was at the Emirates with Vincent Tan's private plane.
Kevin Nolan could be stripped of the West Ham captaincy after he was sent off for lashing out at Fulham's Fernando Amorebieta during the Hammers' 2-1 loss.
And the Oscar for the best dive of New Year's Day goes to... Oscar. This is no prestigious prize, however. Rather, the Chelsea forward should be embarrassed by his feeble flop during the second half of his side's 3-0 win at Southampton. And Manchester United's Danny Welbeck was booked for simulation during the defeat to Spurs.
Nicklas Bendtner has been ruled out for 'weeks' after spraining his ankle in the aftermath of his last gasp strike for Arsenal against Cardiff on Saturday. The much-maligned Dane scored the opening goal for the Gunners before Theo Walcott added a second to ensure Arsene Wenger's side remain top of the Barclays Premier League.
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew fears Fabricio Coloccini could be out for up to six weeks with a knee injury sustained in the 1-0 loss at West Brom.
Chelsea pair Frank Lampard and Branislav Ivanovic will be out of action until the end of the month, manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed.
Dimitar Berbatov made a huge impact on his return to action, scoring the winner against 10-man West Ham.
Oussama Assaidi had put the Potters ahead four minutes into the second half before Leighton Baines equalised from the spot late on.
Manchester City produced another fine attacking display to see off the threat of a resurgent Swansea City in South Wales. The win sends Manuel Pellegrini's side top of the Premier League, for the time being at least.
NEIL ASHTON AT ST MARY'S: Oscar had been streaking clean through on goal when he flung himself to the ground as Southampton keeper Kelvin Davis came hurtling off his line in the 55th minute. Quite why he elected to leave a trailing leg in the path of the right arm of Davis instead of tapping Chelsea in front is a question that only Oscar will know the answer to.
Nicklas Bendtner and Theo Walcott struck late on to give Arsenal a crucial three points against Cardiff and keep them top of the Premier League.
Gabby Agbonlahor's goal eased the pressure on Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert as the visitors recorded their first win in six.
Saido Berahino scored a late penalty as West Brom overcame 10-man Newcastle United 1-0 at The Hawthorns.
An ill-tempered affair between Crystal Palace and Norwich City ended in a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park.
Famous footballers rang in the New Year in style - and then immediately took to Instagram to record the moment for posterity. Real Madrid stars Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo - the two most expensive players in the world - enjoyed the festivities with friends.
After 20 sessions and 16 days of top tungsten at Ally Pally, just two men remain to battle it out for the 2014 PDC World Darts Championship. Scotland's Peter Wright goes head to head with Michael van Gerwen on the grandest stage of them all for the Sid Waddell Trophy in front of over 2,500 spectators.
West Brom caretaker Keith Downing showed his faith in Nicolas Anelka by starting him against Newcastle after his controversial celebration.
Manchester City are considering a January fixture in the United Arab Emirates - despite a packed schedule of seven games this month.
PAUL NEWMAN IN SYDNEY: Scott Borthwick is poised to complete a remarkable journey from Durham to a Test debut at the SCG via grade cricket.
England and Australia sent a full complement of players and partners to Prime Minister Tony Abbott's Ashes reception at his Sydney residence on New Year's Day - and seemed to leave any tension at the crease.
People are calling this last game a dead rubber, but believe me - there's no such thing in Test cricket, and especially not in the Ashes.
Corey Anderson hit the fastest century in one-day international history as New Zealand piled up a mammoth 283 for four in just 21 overs.
How closely do the biggest sporting events match up with the most-read sport stories on our website over the past year? Here, are the top 10 articles on MailOnline in 2013
ASH WEDNESDAY: Seven subs is a luxury for top managers.... but all these big names on the bench is doing nothing for the Premier League
MARTIN KEOWN: In the squad we trust is the mantra now for Premier League bosses
Festive fixtures are a great indicator of who is equipped for the title
He's made millions from his book and gets £100,000 for public speaking. Fergie's a... Gold age pensioner
Sir Alex Ferguson always feared retirement
RICKY PONTING: England have forgotten how to win and their confidence seems shot to pieces
England had a great chance to make it 3-1
PETER WRIGHT EXCLUSIVE: My wife does my hair, it takes TWO HOURS every day...
SUNNI UPAL:Wright has revealed the secrets behind his hair do
Success, scandal, Murray's win at Wimbledon, Ainslie's heroics and magnificent McCoy's historic victory... the sporting year that was 2013
2014 sporting calendar
To celebrate the New Year, Sportsmail has produced this superb wallchart of the key events in 2014 - print it off and keep it.
Premier League half-term reports
Read how the 20 Premier League sides rate at the half-way stage of the season and who has been the star player
10 things we DON'T want to see in 2014
Friendship' scarves, potty-mouthed abuse of refs and players not celebrating against former clubs
Sportsmail's NFL regular-season awards: Can anyone beat Manning to the MVP? And which rookie has made the biggest impact?
Suarez's scoring heroics, Arsenal's impressive points haul and Newcastle's (lack of) English scorers... 2013 in numbers
Sportsmail looks back
BETTING SLIP
Liverpool to bounce back and United to sink Spurs - plus top tips and 2014 Premier League specials in our New Year gambling guide
TRANSFER GUIDE: All you need to know about YOUR club's plans for the January window
Simon Jones runs rule over each club's ambitions this January
ADRIAN DURHAM: Wilshere, Lukaku and Sterling among my top-six players so far this season, but which Premier League star takes the No 1 spot?
JAMIE REDKNAPP: Players swapping shirts at half-time is ridiculous (although I did once ask Zidane for his after the break...)
Redknapp has his say
Sports pictures of the year: Torres scratch shame, Kompany's punch to the nose, Ashes joy, Tuilagi's bunny ears gaffe and THAT tackle by North
Anelka could have honoured Mandela, but he chose Dieubonne... in a deliberate act that scars my country
ERIK BIELDERMAN, French football writer
JEFF POWELL: Mayweather tops my pound-for-pound list but where does Pacquiao fit in?
Cometh the New Year, cometh the rankings.
Are Liverpool just flat-track bullies? After being top at Christmas, Rodgers' side are fifth after two defeats...
Even Bob the Builder lasted longer at No 1
Cook is the right man to lead MY England team forward, says defiant coach Flower...
PAUL NEWMAN in defence of England's current captain
... No, it's time to ditch captain Cook after an Ashes debacle and give Broad the job
MIKE DICKSON believes it's time for Stuart Broad to step up
THE TOP SPIN
It could and should be curtains for Bresnan, Carberry and Panesar... and Bairstow already has Buttler breathing down his neck
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Every week we’ll name an XI of past and present footballers for you to guess what links them all. But there’s a twist – one player will always be the odd man out in the dressing room. We’ll start the New Year with a side of current Premier League players, lined up in a 4-4-2. Can you work out what the connection is between them, and who the misfit is and why?
David Luiz was in attendance at St Mary's as Chelsea played Southampton on Wednesday, even though Jose Mourinho said he might be in Portugal enjoying some time off.
With the Formula 1 season not resuming again until March, it is a time for the pedal to the metal drivers to take some well deserved time off for New Year. But not McLaren's Jenson Button...
Days after a life threatening skiing accident, Michael Schumacher's manager has said there has been no change in the German's condition.
Rory McIlroy and Caroline Wozniacki are engaged after the golfer proposed to the tennis ace in Sydney.
West Ham are ready to change their transfer policy and make an £8million move for Southampton striker Rickie Lambert in a bid to avoid relegation.
Andy Murray suffered a blow in his preparations for the Australian Open as he lost to Florian Mayer in the second round of the Qatar Open.
Ross Hutchins made his comeback from illness in Brisbane on Wednesday as he was reunited with long-standing doubles partner Colin Fleming.
Ian Rush admitted that if the Merseyside club don't make the top four this year then he could leave for £120million.
Jeff Schlupp's late strike rubber stamped a 3-1 win for league leaders Leicester at Millwall that extends the Foxes' run to four wins in a row. Anthony Knockaert gave the visitors the lead in only the sixth minute before David Nugent made it 2-0 just after the interval.
Charlie Austin's injury-time goal secured QPR's first win in four Sky Bet Championship matches. The striker, back in the team following a hamstring problem, headed in Danny Simpson's right-wing cross in the dying moments to beat lowly Doncaster 2-1.
Wigan's revival under Uwe Rosler continued when a second-half strike from Jean Beausejour sent in-form Derby crashing to defeat.
Nottingham Forest were denied a third successive victory as Reading levelled deep into stoppage time to snatch a 1-1 draw.
A dramatic 90th-minute equaliser from Johnnie Jackson rescued a point for Charlton at in-form Ipswich.
Bolton recovered from two first-half howlers from captain Zat Knight to draw 2-2 at home to Middlesbrough after David Ngog's last minute equaliser.
Second-half goals from Connor Wickham and Chris Maguire gave struggling Sheffield Wednesday a winning start to the new year.
Defender Stephen Ward rescued a point for Brighton with an 89th-minute leveller to deny Bournemouth a third consecutive away league victory in a 1-1 draw.
Battling Barnsley might still be seeking their first win since the return of manager Danny Wilson but they fought hard to earn a point at Birmingham.
Tom Cairney made Leeds rue the day they released him for being too small as the midfielder plotted their downfall.
Danny Ings' double helped Burnley back into the top two of the Championship after their 3-2 victory over Huddersfield.
NEIL ASHTON: Having seven substitutes in each team is a luxury for managers at the top end of the table and they can feed their faces on all that talent. As for the standard, it does nothing for the league itself. What is the motivation for players to play football elsewhere when they can get a few games here and there at City or Liverpool?
PETE JENSON: Cristiano Ronaldo - the man who scored more goals than anyone in 2013 - will take on the player who scored the second most, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, in Real Madrid's first game of the year on Thursday.
Sir Alex Ferguson always feared retirement. ‘I have been on the train for so long that when I get off it, I am scared my body will shut down,’ he once said.
Shinji Kagawa might be without a goal for Manchester United this season but the midfielder showed he still knows where the goal is on a recent visit to his native Japan - by scoring against 55 children.
Benoit Assou-Ekotto was at the centre of another French race storm after it emerged that he had invited Dieudonne M'bala M'bala to a game at Tottenham.
Inter Milan star Fredy Guarin has cast fresh doubt over his future in Italy by admitting Jose Mourinho is the best manager there is.
Georgios Samaras has emerged as a shock transfer target for Spanish title contenders Atletico Madrid. He is out of contract in the summer.
Man United scouts have again been in attendance at Dundee United's fixtures as they continue to monitor Ryan Gauld, Andy Robertson and John Souttar.
Analyst Dave McDonough, who worked under Rafael Benitez at Liverpool, is the man who has given West Brom's managerial search a Spanish twist.
Chelsea have finally captured the signature of 18-year-old wonderkid Bertrand Traore on a four-and-a-half year deal.
In his debut Footballers' Football Column the 42-year-old talks about his desire to manage in England and says he would not be daunted by a job in the Premier League. He also says he hopes he will not be compared to his former Wednesday teammate Paolo Di Canio following his unsuccessful spell at Sunderland.
Two defeats on the bounce have hit Liverpool hard but they should get back on track against Hull while Arsenal can stay top. Find out who else we're tipping and take a look at our 2014 Premier League specials in our New Year betting guide.
Ashley Young has warned the rest of the Barclays Premier League that Manchester United are showing the spirit of champions once again.
After a fine festive period, the Manchester City players trained ahead of a trip to Swansea on New Years Day knowing a win will put them top of the table, momentarily at least.
Football supporters can own a chunk of Tom Huddlestone's hair after the club began an auction for a piece of his bushy barnet on Ebay.
Tottenham have told Inter Milan, Juventus and Roma that Erik Lamela will not be available on loan this month.
Crystal Palace want to re-sign Wilfried Zaha on loan until the end of the season but their hopes are being threatened by Premier League red tape.
Sam Allardyce has reinforced West Ham's bid for Barclays Premier League survival by agreeing a deal for experienced Everton's John Heitinga.
Steven Taylor is ready to leave Newcastle to restart his career. He has not figured since being sent off against Manchester City in August.
Besiktas want to sign Joleon Lescott, 31, from Manchester City. He is out of contract in summer, but Manuel Pellegrini said no players will be leaving.
The third round of the FA Cup has always been a special part of the football season. The first Golden Years of 2014 features some glorious pictures from this stage of the competition. Nick Metcalfe has once again been searching through the archives.
What better way to bring in the new year than playing a few tunes on your guitar? That's what Lionel Messi was up to as he chilled with girlfriend Antonella Roccuzzo.
Man United fear their search for a new left back may prove fruitless, with Everton and Southampton keen to hang on to Leighton Baines and Luke Shaw.
Romelu Lukaku has urged his Everton team-mates to develop a ruthless streak and told them the reward will be a place in next season's Champions' League.
Manuel Pellegrini believes English football hasn't seen the best of him or his team. The Chilean has been Manchester City manager for just six months.
Deep down, England will know it's going to be hard to avoid the whitewash now. They had a great chance to make it 3-1 in Melbourne, but it was almost as if they had forgotten how to win. Their confidence just seemed shot to pieces. It's amazing, really, when you think where they were a few months ago.
PAUL NEWMAN: Gary Ballance and Scott Borthwick look certain to join Ben Stokes as the first young cricketers to benefit from England's 'new era' by playing in the final Test of this torturous tour in Sydney.
When England lost all 10 second-innings wickets for 114 on Saturday, comparisons were made with the darkest hours of Ashes contests in the 1990s.
MIKE DICKSON: Graeme Swann was right about one point when quitting this Ashes - sometimes it's better to admit it when you are no longer up to the job.
PAUL NEWMAN IN SYDNEY: It is quite extraordinary that Alastair Cook's position as England captain should even be a subject for debate.
CHARLES SALE: The England Test team at least demonstrated more team unity on New Year's Eve than the dysfunctional 2006-07 side.
SUNNI UPAL: On the eve of the biggest match of his life - the World Darts Championship final at Alexandra Palace - Peter Wright has revealed the secrets behind his striking hair do. Snakebite will play Michael van Gerwen in the showpiece finale on New Year's Day.
Sam Warburton and Leigh Halfpenny have boosted their image as two of the world's most feared rugby players by becoming skinheads.
Cometh the New Year, cometh the rankings. The most intense argument centres upon Manny Pacquiao and his rightful place in that listing.
Each day, MailOnline's sports picture editor will select his favourite snaps from around the world in the past 24 hours. On New Year's Day, we've got a some brutal boxing action, a soaring ski jump and England cricket players... skipping.
Anderson Silva faces up to nine months on the sidelines after breaking his leg in two places during his defeat to Chris Weidman on Saturday.
Andy Murray raced to victory in his first singles match of the 2014 ATP season as he beat world No 2129 Mousa Zayed in just 37 minutes.
The unrest in Welsh rugby has erupted into full-scale civil war, as the WRU signalled their readiness to form new teams to replace existing regions.
Amir Khan has signed a contract to fight Floyd Mayweather Jnr but is waiting for the American superstar to put pen to paper for their mega-fight on May 3.
Jacques Kallis finished a winner in his final Test as South Africa beat India by 10 wickets to take the best-of-two series 1-0 in Durban.
The spot where Formula One legend Michael Schumacher is believed to have suffered a horrific fall while skiing off-piste has been revealed.
As the year draws to a close, Sportsmail takes a look back at the highs and lows and the tos and the fros from the 2013 sporting calendar with a month-by-month review of the most memorable moments. December was when the world of sport paid tribute to the late Nelson Mandela and Andy Murray was voted Sports Personality of the Year.
As the year draws to a close, Sportsmail takes a look back at the highs and lows and the tos and the fros from the 2013 sporting calendar with a month-by-month review of the most memorable moments.
In October Gus Poyet took the reigns at Sunderland, Adnan Januzaj struck twice on his full debut, Sir Alex Ferguson released his autobiography.
As the year draws to a close, Sportsmail takes a look back at the highs and lows and the tos and the fros from the 2013 sporting calendar with a month-by-month review of the most memorable moments.
As the year draws to a close, Sportsmail takes a look back at the highs and lows and the tos and the fros from the 2013 sporting calendar.
As the year draws to a close, Sportsmail takes a look back at the highs and lows and the tos and the fros from the 2013 sporting calendar.
March saw Rory McIlroy walk off the course at the Honda Classic citing 'toothache' before issuing an apology and Wales beat England to claim the Six Nations.
Sportsmail takes a look back at the highs and lows from 2013. In January, Lance Armstrong was stripped of his Tour de France titles after admitting doping.
September was when Gareth Bale became the world's most expensive footballer when joining Real Madrid from Tottenham.
As the year draws to a close, Sportsmail takes a look back at the highs and lows and the tos and the fros from the 2013 sporting calendar.
April saw Luis Suarez suspended for 10 games for attempting to bite Branislav Ivanovic and rugby romeo Danny Cipriani get hit by a bus.
February saw paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius sensationally arrested under suspicion of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
JONATHAN McEVOY: It was the year one of our chaps finally won Wimbledon. The year a British sailor triumphed in the oldest international sporting event in the world. The year an indestructible jockey hit 4,000 winners. The year a matchstick athlete ran into the pages of history. The year an Englishman made the Tour de France his own.
Keep track of all the latest transfers this January with our club-by-club guide...
The best and worst, the beautiful and brutal, the naughty and nasty - MailOnline brings you the finest sporting pictures of 2013.
The 12th January window is sure to spring up one or two surprises, with clubs acting hastily to reverse poor form or strengthen their title quest.
A few shirts I collected in my career are in a cupboard, but you must finish the job, then swap shirts. Anything else just looks ridiculous.
Sportsmail has produced this superb wallchart of the key events in 2014 - print it off today so your can count down to your favourite moments.
These six players don't always grab the headlines, others may have scored more, others might actually be better but I'm sticking with these guys.
Sportsmail gives you the lowdown on the best emerging talent breaking through at football clubs throughout the league.
Liverpool: top of the tree on Christmas Day, fifth by New Year's Day. Even Bob the Builder spent longer as Christmas No 1.
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Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group
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