EPL Winners and Losers After Sunday's 2020 Week 23 Premier League Results

Liverpool increased their cushion at the Premier League summit to 16 points after beating Manchester United 2-0 at Anfield on Sunday to notch their 13th consecutive top-fight victory in Week 23.

Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah provided the goals as Liverpool extended their Premier League unbeaten run to 39 matches, increasing the gap after Manchester City drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Leicester City failed to move back level on points with the Citizens after they recorded their second loss in as many league outings with a 2-1 defeat at Burnley.

Harvey Barnes put the Foxes ahead at Turf Moor, but Chris Wood and Ashley Westwood completed a much-needed turnaround for the hosts with a pair of second-half goals.

Week 23 Results

Watford 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Arsenal 1-1 Sheffield United

Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Aston Villa

Manchester City 2-2 Crystal Palace

Norwich City 1-0 Bournemouth

Southampton 2-3 Wolverhampton Wanderers

West Ham United 1-1 Everton

Newcastle United 1-0 Chelsea

Burnley 2-1 Leicester City

Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United

Winner: Virgil van Dijk

Van Dijk gave the kind of leader's display one has come to expect of the £75 million signing at Anfield and was effective influencing matters at both ends of the pitch.

United markers Fred and Brandon Williams were left in the 6'4" Dutchman's wake when he rose to drive in a 14th-minute header from Trent Alexander-Arnold's corner (UK and U.S. viewers only):

It was far from the only telling contribution he made on the day, per Statman Dave:

Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren are each nearing returns to full fitness, though Van Dijk's budding partnership with England's Joe Gomez has meant their injuries haven't had as dire an impact, per the Telegraph's Sam Dean:

Liverpool's defence had a slightly easier time thanks to the absence of injured Marcus Rashford, though there's every reason to expect the Red Devils may have came up blank regardless.

The £75 million man continues to prove his transfer fee—at the time a record figure for a defender—was well worth the money, dazzling in one of the biggest occasions to remind the world of his quality in all areas.

Loser: Brendan Rodgers' Foxes

On a day when former employers Liverpool ascended to new heights, Brendan Rodgers' recent struggles at Leicester continued with a frustrating second league defeat in succession.

Sean Dyche got the better of his managerial counterpart at Turf Moor, though the comeback was a rare achievement for the Clarets:

Jamie Vardy has now failed to score in two successive Premier League appearances—his joint-longest drought in the competition so far this season—and will cop some of the blame for their loss.

Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope deserved credit for his penalty save from Vardy, one of numerous impressive stops he made on the day, per Sky Sports Statto:

Leicester's hopes of finishing second in the table have suffered another setback as they remain three points below City, with the Foxes having now failed to win in three games across all competitions.

Winner: Anfield 

Another day, another step closer to history for a Liverpool lineup that's become used to record-breaking talk in recent seasons, not least of which thanks to their imperious form at home.

The Reds are now unbeaten at Anfield in 52 Premier League games—Crystal Palace were the last English side to take three points from the Reds on their own soil in April 2017.

Anfield was in particularly strong voice for the visit of fierce rivals United, with Klopp revelling among the fans in high spirits at full-time, via Soccer AM:

Fortress-like home form tends to be a trait that rings common among title-winning teams, and Liverpool's domestic dominance suggests they have that box ticked.

Loser: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had an unpleasant first trip to Anfield as United manager, which was made all the more torturous by wonders of how the match might have turned out had Rashford been playing.

The decision to play his striker in the FA Cup third-round replay at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday encountered scrutiny, and Solskjaer said prior to kick-off his star would be out for some time:

The Times' Henry Winter later reported Rashford's injury was in fact significantly worse than his manager let on:

It doesn't bode well for United to be quite so reliant on a 22-year-old academy graduate, and despite Anthony Martial's best efforts, the team didn't pose nearly the same threat without him.

Solskjaer's tactical nous will undergo a stiff examination as he seeks to find solutions outside his go-to talisman, with the Norwegian facing a pressurised end-of-season run-in.