The Premier League has published the shortlists for December’s Player and Manager of the Month awards.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin led the scoring charts for Leeds United, netting a league-high six goals across five games. His return included strikes in wins over Chelsea and Crystal Palace and helped Leeds record draws with Liverpool, Brentford and Sunderland as the club climbed away from the relegation zone.

Manchester City provide three nominees. Rayan Cherki recorded four assists and a goal while helping City to five victories. Phil Foden contributed four goals and an assist. Erling Haaland, September’s Player of the Month, produced five goals and three assists in December as he bids to become a two-time winner.

Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitiké matched Haaland with five goals, scoring in victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion and registering a brace in a busy draw with Leeds.

Aston Villa have two forwards in contention. Morgan Rogers finished December with four goals while Ollie Watkins reached five during a winning run that extended to 11 games before a defeat to Arsenal.

Fulham winger Harry Wilson enjoyed a strong month, scoring twice against Burnley and Crystal Palace and supplying four assists as the Cottagers emerged as European hopefuls.

On the managerial side, Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta navigated a defensive injury crisis to deliver five wins from six games, extending Arsenal’s lead at the top. Arteta met Aston Villa’s Unai Emery twice in December, with the spoils ultimately shared. Emery’s side also beat Chelsea and Manchester United and recorded a win against Arsenal.

Leeds went undefeated under Daniel Farke during a month that included fixtures against Chelsea and Liverpool, where a new formation produced a crucial unbeaten run. Pep Guardiola closed the year with five wins from five as Manchester City finished December in strong form.

The shortlists follow a season that has already seen recent monthly honours awarded to Jack Grealish (Everton) in August, Erling Haaland (Man City) in September, Bryan Mbeumo (Man Utd) in October and Igor Thiago (Brentford) in November. Managerial winners this season include Arne Slot, Oliver Glasner, Ruben Amorim and Enzo Maresca.

Alisson heads into Thursday’s meeting with Leeds United needing a single Premier League clean sheet to reach 100. The Liverpool goalkeeper has established himself at Anfield and currently sits on 99 clean sheets from 242 Premier League appearances. While Kepa has struggled under the weight of that reputation, Alisson has flourished at Anfield. Widely hailed as one of the world’s best goalkeepers during his Liverpool tenure and currently sits on 99 clean sheets from 242 Premier League appearances.

Only one other Liverpool goalkeeper has reached the 100-mark in the Premier League era. Pepe Reina finished his time at the club with 136 clean sheets in 297 outings. In the broader Premier League context the list of goalkeepers with 100 or more clean sheets includes Petr Čech (202 in 443 appearances), David James (169 in 572), Mark Schwarzer (152 in 514), David De Gea (147 in 415), David Seaman (141 in 344) and Nigel Martyn (137 in 372), among others.

In Liverpool’s longer history four other players have reached 100 league clean sheets for the club. Ray Clemence and Bruce Grobbelaar join Reina in that group, and Elisha Scott was the first to reach the mark during his second stint at the club from 1919–34.

For Alisson the milestone would be significant, but league points may take priority. “It would be a welcome milestone for Alisson, but the Brazilian stopper may see more value in three points against Leeds,” the briefing noted. Recent Premier League results have given Liverpool an opportunity to consolidate their place in the top four. Arne Slot’s side head into the game sitting fourth, seven points behind Aston Villa and two ahead of both Chelsea and Manchester United, having played one game fewer than all three of those teams.

*Accurate as of Jan 1. 2026.

The Boxing Day sequence leaves Fantasy Premier League managers choosing carefully ahead of Gameweek 18. Several goalkeeper and outfield options stand out given the fixtures and recent form.

Alisson Becker (£5.4m) remains a contender despite Liverpool not keeping many clean sheets this season; Wolverhampton Wanderers have scored only nine times in 19 games. Caoimhín Kelleher (£4.5m) is an alternative after Bournemouth were held by Everton and Chelsea earlier this month, and Burnley conceded just once in their most recent match. Bernd Leno (£4.9m) is an attractive differential for Fulham at home against West Ham United.

Joško Gvardiol (£6.0m) is recommended as Manchester City aim to extend a run of successive clean sheets against Nottingham Forest, and his attacking output offers additional upside. James Tarkowski (£5.5m) could provide value for Everton against Burnley, who are among the lowest scorers in the division. Piero Hincapié (£5.5m) has been collecting points in Gabriel’s absence and should feature this week.

On the attacking side, Morgan Rogers (£7.2m) is under-selected by FPL managers and could offer an edge given his role in a high-performing team. Mason Mount (£5.9m) is a budget midfield option to consider while Bruno Fernandes will miss out on Boxing Day through injury, placing creative responsibility elsewhere. Anthony Gordon (£7.3m) arrives off recent double-figure hauls for Newcastle United and poses a direct threat to Manchester United.

Erling Haaland (£15.1m) remains the premium forward for many squads, having scored almost half of his team’s goals and ranking behind only Phil Foden for current form; 74.1% of FPL players own him. Hugo Ekitiké (£8.9m) has been scoring regularly and benefits from Alexander Isak being out injured. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.8m) is the budget forward option after 22 points across the last two gameweeks and a favourable match-up with Sunderland.

The GW18 deadline for FPL is at 6:30 p.m. GMT (1:30 p.m. ET, 1.:30 a.m. PT) on Friday, Dec. 26.