The bizarre day of Premier League football: 28th December, 2014

28th December 2014. Sunday. Last before the New Year. A day when Premier League football was laced with upsets.

The top three teams of the Premier League, namely Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United, all drew games they were almost sure of winning. But this, ladies and gentleman is the Premier League. A league where nothing is a given. Nothing can be assumed.

Instance One: Southampton 1-1 Chelsea

Chelsea will be disappointed at going back with only one point. These are the games that make a differnce at the top of the table. Southampton will be content, if not happy, with this point. The early Mane goal was cancelled out by Eden Hazard’s, taking the match to a draw.

This result could prove vital in Southampton’s final standings; it gives Koeman's troops the confidence that they managed to avoid being beaten by the current league leaders. It means that they are now fourth in the table.

Instance Two: Manchester City 2-2 Burnley

Burnley held on to a brilliantly fought out draw at the Etihad. The title holders were leading 2-0 in the first half and the odds would have been very high for City to hold on to if not build on this lead. But Sean Dyche's men had other plans.

Counter-attacks with speed and the brilliance of Ings and Barnes meant City were in for a shock. Taking advantage of two defensive lapses, Burnley drew level at 2-2. City players looked shell shocked at the end of it, and Etihad was shocked too.

This result means that Manchester City could not capitalise on Chelsea's earlier draw. Burnley should be very proud of today's performance. Maybe this could be the turnaround result for them? Maybe this could give them the momentum and belief to move out of the relegation zone.

Instance Three: Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Manchester United

Manchester United travelled to North London for an encounter with Tottenham Hotspur. Just two days ago they thrashed a sorry Newcastle outfit 3-1 at Old Trafford, and they were favourites if not almost certainly expected to win this fixture.

But Van Gaal was yet to taste the last bit of Premier League surprise of 2014. It was a match of two halves. The first half saw Manchester United dominate and create chances aplenty, yet fail to convert any of them. The final score was 0-0.

With this result both teams retain their current unbeaten streaks. But Van Gaal must be disappointed with his team for not having gotten a single goal despite that dominant first half display.

All the respective managers are complaining about fixtures, “conspiracies” and sub-par performances. I would just say: such is the Premier League. The three top teams of the league surrender points in their own unusual ways, and that’s par for the course.

This is the league where teams play two games in three days in the last week of the year, a time when all other major football leagues are off. It’s no surprise that there are bizarre days like these.