Christmas or, as its known in the Premier League, 'The Congested Christmas Period', can be a defining spell in a club's season.
If you're bottom at Christmas, for example, chances are you're going down. If you're top at Christmas, you're in the driving seat - unless, of course, you're Arsenal.
Here are the five most surprising Premier League stats we stumbled upon this Holiday season.
Drama Lallana
Liverpool's Adam Lallana has been involved in more goals than any other Premier League midfielder this season, scoring seven himself and assisting six.
The dynamic 28-year-old was embraced by his manager last night having sparked Liverpool's recovery at home to Stoke, and such is the consistency with which he's performing recently, some are suggesting the England national team should be 'built around him'. Quite why the English remain so keen to build a team of 11 around one man remains unclear, but Lallana is undoubtedly putting in a shift this season.
[Opta]
Bow down to your Kelechi
Nigerian wunderkind Kelechi Iheanacho has the best minutes-per-goal ratio of any player IN THE HISTORY of the Premier League (from players with a minimum of 10 goals). Iheanacho has scored every 96 minutes he's played in the Premier League, which perhaps begs the question as to why he hasn't been greeted with such fanfare as his young English adversary on the other side of Manchester.
Major shout out must also go to Kelechi's father, James Iheanacho, for bestowing upon him the fitting middle name of 'Promise'.
[Opta]
Stoke's historically bad record on cold, wet Tuesday nights
We've heard the question jokingly asked of Lionel Messi along with great teams from other sports. 'Yeah, but could they do it on a cold, rainy Tuesday/Wednesday night at Stoke?'
Turns out Stoke can't really do it on a cold, rainy Tuesday night - or indeed Tuesday nights of any climactic variety - away from Stoke. Indeed, accounting for Liverpool's 4-1 victory over the Potters last night, Stoke haven't won a top flight fixture away from home on a Tuesday in 110 years. 53 Tuesday away days have been and gone, and Stoke remain winless since 1906.
Turns out Stoke are no good on a cold Tuesday night at, well, anywhere... pic.twitter.com/bMOzN2zH20
— Alex Kay-Jelski (@AlexKayJelski) December 28, 2016
A fantastic stat, that, by Alex Kay-Jelski, sports editor of The Times in the UK.
Sorry to say again it's Moyeseh...
Oh dearie, dearie me.
This one, from Goal's Man United correspondent Kris Voakes (passed on by Rich Jolly of ESPN and The Guardian), says it all about Davey Moyes' red-and-white armies, and indeed his Everton sides' trips up the M62.
David Moyes, the former Man Utd manager who has lost more games at Old Trafford than he has won, 16-14, (thanks to @krisvoakes).
— Richard Jolly 🇺🇦 (@RichJolly) December 26, 2016
£100m for that? Well, yeah, actually
Per WhoScored.com, Paul Pogba has been the second most impressive new signing in the Premier League this season, unsurprisingly trailing the electric Sadio Mané.
Tallies of 49 shots, 44 dribbles, 30 key passes from open play and 1143 passes are each among the league's top 10 players. And while his five goals and four assists in all competitions hardly justifies a £100m price tag, it certainly ain't bad for a midfielder who is gradually establishing himself as a consistent and crucial performer for his new/old club.
All three of Pogba's Premier League assists this season have been put on a plate for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, so with the big Swede back firing on all cylinders, we can expect more.
