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During the hectic Christmas schedule, while other European leagues enjoyed a much-needed break, the Premier League commenced as usual in England - with some sides also playing two or three matches in quick succession.
With the festive period now past us, it's time to take a look at players who performed well for their respective clubs during the month of December:
#5 Ederson Moraes (Manchester City)
With Pep Guardiola's team not showing any signs of stopping, everyone deserves a place on this list. With Raheem Sterling, David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne running rampant across defences, the goalkeeper was a surprise addition to the list.
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Ederson joined Manchester City after the failure of a signing that was Claudio Bravo. With a €40 million transfer tag, people expected him to be an immediate success. With City undefeated in the league, having kept 10 clean sheets, it is fair to say that Ederson has settled into the team and the league very well.
With City barely dropping points, and the month of December consisting of more fixtures than any other month, it was time for the young Brazilian to show his class. Having kept 4 clean sheets in the 7 games played across all competitions in December, along with a penalty save against Palace, the keeper has risen to the challenge.
With Guardiola's team looking formidable, his reflexes, ball passing and composure between the sticks have made him a player to watch out in the future.
#4 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Mohamed Salah looks like a bargain for Liverpool at €42 million, given his exploits in the league. With 17 goals and 7 assists in 22 Premier League games, the Egyptian has indeed set the league on fire.
A player signed on the back of tremendous form with Italian giants Roma, the player has continued his exploits in front of the goal, forming a formidable partnership with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
Since the start of the season, Salah has picked up pace, both in his game and in a literal sense, and to the delight of fans and fantasy league players, he doesn't seem to know how to stop.
With 5 goals and 3 assists in December, that included a crucial goal against Arsenal and a match-winning brace against Leicester City, business was as usual for the Egyptian magician even when games came in quick succession.
With a Liverpool team that does not know how to stop scoring, choosing Salah was difficult, but the magic that comes with the humble nature of the player as he destroys opponents, helped him make the cut.
#3 Jesse Lingard (Manchester United)
Jesse Lingard is a having a great season since he was shifted into the no-10 position by Mourinho since November, and the lad looks indispensable to the squad now.
With the poor form of his team-mates and the squad-rotation by the manager, giving the local boy some game time to prove himself, Lingard seems to have embraced the opportunity and cemented his position.
The start of the season saw the player being used as a substitute in the dying minutes of the game and people started to doubt his quality. This changed when he started at Watford and gave an impressive performance, with a goal to show for his efforts.
Soon, he became a regular in the squad and his brace against Arsenal was enough to silence his haters. In the 7 games that were played in December, Lingard scored 5 times and assisted once, claiming the Player of the Month award from the club.
While his stats may not be as impressive as some other midfielders in the league, the fact that the player came into the team when it lacked creativity and made the efforts to turn things around by making tireless runs, linking play and scoring crucial goals, as seen by his last-minute equalizer against Burnley, is reason enough to put him on the list.
#2 Marcos Alonso (Chelsea)
Chelsea had a successful December, winning 5 and losing 2 games of the 7 played. With the team playing quality football, it was difficult to shortlist players based on their individual performances.
With Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas running the midfield, and Pedro contributing to the team's goal tally, it was a surprise to prioritise Marcos Alonso's performance over those of his team-mates.
However, the defender has scored 2 times, assisted once and helped keep 4 clean sheets in the 7 games that he played in December. With such impressive stats and game-play, it was not very difficult to place Alonso this high on the list.
When Chelsea had lacked form, Alonso still had some exceptionally good performances to his name and now with the team performing so good, he rarely fails to impress. A threat going forward with his overlaps, link-up play and crosses, Alonso is equally efficient at tracking back, man marking and breaking play of opponents.
Alonso seems to have it all for a wing-back. With a good part of the season still left and Chelsea in contention for silverware other than just the league, fans who voted for Alonso as the Player of the Month for the club can expect Alonso to churn some more good performances.
#1 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
With 8 goals, an assist in December and the European Golden-Boot to sum up an impressive year of individual brilliance, Harry Kane tops the list. The 24-year-old has been in remarkable form since his debut in the Premier League, and this season seems no exception.
With 18 goals in the league, that include 3 hat-tricks and 5 braces, it was not a difficult choice to put Harry Kane on the top. The striker started the season without scoring a goal in August - a jinx that has continued since his first season in top-flight football - but soon made up the gap by scoring braces and goals on weekly braces.
With his impressive partnerships with Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-min reaping rewards for the club, the overall improvement in the striker's game sense is remarkable.
From holding up play, pin-point diagonal crosses, quick one-two during counter attacks and clinical finishing in front of the goal, Harry Kane delivers it all. While the race for the Premier League top-scorer is very tight, it is not new to Harry Kane, who looks to his retain the title as the Golden-Boot winner for the third year running.
