Jamie Vardy took sole ownership of first place in the Premier League scoring charts on Saturday, helping Leicester City leapfrog Arsenal to top spot in the division after beating Stoke City at the King Power Stadium.
The Foxes would have also welcomed seeing Manchester City held to a draw at West Ham, despite Sergio Aguero scoring twice for the visitors.
Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane also continued his momentum, netting a vital strike in the north London side's 3-1 win at Crystal Palace.
Odion Ighalo struck yet again for Watford as the Hornets saw off Newcastle United. The Nigerian centre-forward moved ahead of Leicester's Riyad Mahrez in the scoring charts, but he still trails Everton star Romelu Lukaku[1] and the lethal Vardy.
Here are the final scores from Saturday's fixtures:
| Home | Score | Away |
| Norwich City | 4-5 | Liverpool |
| Crystal Palace | 1-3 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Leicester City | 3-0 | Stoke City |
| Manchester United | 0-1 | Southampton |
| Sunderland | 1-1 | Bournemouth |
| Watford | 2-1 | Newcastle United |
| West Bromwich Albion | 0-0 | Aston Villa |
| West Ham United | 2-2 | Manchester City |
Sky Sports
Here's how those results have altered the standings:
| Position | Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal Difference | Points |
| 1 | Leicester City | 23 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 15 | 47 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 23 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 22 | 44 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 22 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 16 | 44 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 23 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 22 | 42 |
| 5 | Manchester United | 23 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 37 |
| 6 | West Ham United | 23 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 36 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 23 | 9 | 7 | 7 | -2 | 34 |
| 8 | Southampton | 23 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 33 |
| 9 | Stoke City | 23 | 9 | 6 | 8 | -1 | 33 |
| 10 | Watford | 23 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 32 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 23 | 9 | 4 | 10 | -3 | 31 |
| 12 | Everton | 22 | 6 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 29 |
| 13 | West Bromwich Albion | 23 | 7 | 7 | 9 | -8 | 28 |
| 14 | Chelsea | 22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | -3 | 25 |
| 15 | Bournemouth | 23 | 6 | 7 | 10 | -11 | 25 |
| 16 | Norwich City | 23 | 6 | 5 | 12 | -15 | 23 |
| 17 | Swansea City | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | -10 | 22 |
| 18 | Newcastle United | 23 | 5 | 6 | 12 | -16 | 21 |
| 19 | Sunderland | 23 | 5 | 4 | 14 | -18 | 19 |
| 20 | Aston Villa | 23 | 2 | 7 | 14 | -20 | 13 |
PremierLeague.com
Here's how the top-scorers table looks after Saturday's results:
| Position | Player | Club | Total |
| 1 | Jamie Vardy | Leicester City | 16 |
| 2 | Romelu Lukaku | Everton | 15 |
| 3 | Odion Ighalo | Watford | 14 |
| 4 | Riyad Mahrez | Leicester City | 13 |
| 5 | Harry Kane | Tottenham Hotspur | 13 |
| 6 | Olivier Giroud | Arsenal | 12 |
| 7 | Sergio Aguero | Manchester City | 12 |
| 8 | Jermain Defoe | Sunderland | 9 |
| 9 | Georginio Wijnaldum | Newcastle United | 9 |
| 10 | Diego Costa | Chelsea | 7 |
WhoScored.com
Jamie Vardy, 16 Goals
Vardy remains the scoring sensation of the Premier League. The one-time non-league player continues to run defences ragged with his electric pace and intelligent movement.
Vardy is at his best whenever he sprints off the flanks and splits scrambling centre-backs. He showcased that skill when he raced to connect with a Danny Drinkwater pass and eluded Potters' goalie Jack Butland to tap home in the second half.
The finish ended a rare barren spell for Vardy, according to Opta Joe:
10:17 - Jamie Vardy has ended his personal goal drought of 10 hours & 17 minutes without a goal in the Premier League. Bang.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 23, 2016[2]
Sergio Aguero, 12 Goals
As he so often is, Aguero was City's saving grace. The Citizens were typically calamitous at the back during the game at Upton Park, but found themselves bailed out by the brilliance of their prolific No. 10.
Aguero struck from the spot in the first half to even the score at 1-1 after Enner Valencia opened the scoring for the Hammers. Aguero pegged the home team back again after the break.
He combined brilliantly with substitute Kelechi Iheanacho to finish calmly and earn City an important, if undeserved, point.
Every time he got on the ball Aguero inspired fear in the opposition, per Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News:
Not just the @whufc_official players who panic when Kun is on the ball - you can feel it in the crowd as well #MCFC[3][4]
— Stuart Brennan (@StuBrennanMEN) January 23, 2016[5]
Aguero continues to be the division's most effective marksmen since he joined City, according to Squawka:
Sergio Aguero has 90 goals in the Premier League since joining Man City, at least 12 more than any other player. pic.twitter.com/TF26kDIvUh[6]
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 23, 2016[7]
Odion Ighalo, 14 Goals
As has been the case so often this season, Watford's double act of Ighalo and fellow striker Troy Deeney proved too much for a Premier League defence. Deeney worked hard to craft an opening his prolific team-mate was never going to waste.
Squawka detailed how the Deeney and Ighalo tandem is among the deadliest in England's top flight:
Most frequent assist to goal partnership in the Premier League this season: Deeney to Ighalo (6) Özil to Giroud (6) Deulofeu to Lukaku (6)
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 23, 2016[8]
Ighalo has taken the Premier League by storm during his debut season. The former Udinese man is mobile and powerful, but it's his sharp movement and innate ability to always work the goalkeeper that is really setting him apart.
Harry Kane, 13 Goals
Kane equalised Jan Vertonghen[9]'s first-half own goal with a true poacher's finish at Selhurst Park. Belgian attacking midfielder Nacer Chadli lifted a cross into the box and Kane rose first to deftly head home.
The 22-year-old England international has been in stellar form for Spurs, per Squawka:
Harry Kane has now scored 15 goals in his last 19 games across all competitions for Spurs. pic.twitter.com/87hdqf9f6w[10]
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 23, 2016[11]
With their No. 10 fit and firing, Spurs have the cutting edge they need to regularly turn their high energy and clever approach play into goals. It's a formula sure to take manager Mauricio Pochettino's men far this season.
Spurs have now opened up a five-point gap at the base of the top four. But it's the Foxes who continue to surprise, now three points clear at the top.
References
- ^ Romelu Lukaku (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ January 23, 2016 (twitter.com)
- ^ @whufc_official (twitter.com)
- ^ #MCFC (twitter.com)
- ^ January 23, 2016 (twitter.com)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/TF26kDIvUh (t.co)
- ^ January 23, 2016 (twitter.com)
- ^ January 23, 2016 (twitter.com)< /small>
- ^ Jan Vertonghen (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/87hdqf9f6w (t.co)
- ^ January 23, 2016 (twitter.com)
