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.

Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has been clear about perspective ahead of the meeting with Arsenal, saying the Gunners must remember who they are up against and that Liverpool will approach the fixture as part of a longer restoration.

Szoboszlai, who has played in a number of different roles for Arne Slot during 2025–26, spoke to Sky Sports. Both sides enter the match under immense pressure: Arsenal are aiming to assert themselves as the dominant force in English football, while Liverpool are trying to reassert authority after a miserable run of form between September and November that all but ended their chances of retaining the title.

“It’s a long way,” Szoboszlai said. “The Premier League is not easy and you don’t win it by January, I don’t think so [playing against the champions]. They are playing against the champions. They know as well, they are one of the favourites and an unbelievable team with unbelievable players.

“They can’t forget about [Manchester] City and [Aston] Villa, they are doing really well. No, we don’t play against the champions; they are playing against the champions.”

The league table makes Liverpool’s immediate priorities plain. Slot’s team have played one game fewer than those around them and sit fourth, nine points adrift of Aston Villa but just one ahead of fifth-placed Brentford. Sunderland, in 10th, are only four points away from Liverpool.

Szoboszlai acknowledged the change in context for Liverpool and underlined a refusal to look too far ahead.

“It’s crazy because if I go back to last year, by February we were 10 points clear and I was still saying we have not won it yet,” he said. “But inside, I was like, this is the chance.

“Now probably, because we are so many points behind, we can’t think long term. Dream, we can talk about it, but we have to think game by game and have to perform to show we can even be in the top four. We need things to go our way, why not?

“Last year when the manager came in, no one was thinking we had a chance to win it, but then we started very well and we kept on going.

“If you asked anybody, they wouldn’t think we could win and the chances were small. Now, we started good and the luck was on our side, but it showed we are ready again. Sometimes comes a little hit and you don’t react as you should, you saw it last season with City .

“Now you have to realise what you are aiming for. Game by game as we cannot look long term.

“It’s very tough, but different at other teams. It is what you want, actually. This is why you come here and play for the biggest clubs in the world, for the pressure. Whether you are winning or losing. We have to handle this.

“It is not my job to say it [what Liverpool need to fix]. We have so many people in the club to find solutions and they will, I’m pretty sure. Every player has a couple things that they are thinking, but they will keep it to themselves. We are going to grow as a group because we are Liverpool, we are the champions of England.”

Thursday’s meeting between Arsenal and Liverpool is the season’s second encounter between two title contenders. Liverpool’s narrow win over Arsenal in August felt like a statement; now the midweek affair arrives with Arsenal aiming to maintain their unbeaten home record and Liverpool trying to avoid embarrassment.

There are clear reasons Arsenal start as favourites. Nobody has beaten the Gunners on home soil this season and Arsenal’s momentum has been reinforced by summer recruitment. Liverpool’s squad, meanwhile, arrived after an extraordinary £446 million summer spend but remains inconsistent.

Left-back: Bukayo Saka v Milos Kerkez

Few arrivals have disappointed as much as Milos Kerkez. Tipped as the heir to Andy Robertson, the 22-year-old has produced erratic performances and his outing against Arsenal in August stands out as one of his best. Saka has not exploded for truly elite numbers this season — four goals and three assists — but his speed and technique still present a significant threat. With Jurriën Timber providing overlap, Arsenal’s right flank could expose Kerkez’s aggression and inconsistency in duels.

Midfield: Declan Rice v Ryan Gravenberch

Declan Rice continues to underline his importance, scoring twice against Bournemouth and matching Saka’s Premier League totals for goals and assists this season. Stopping Rice would be key to unlocking Arsenal, but few have managed it so far. Ryan Gravenberch has faced criticism in a holding role but has contributed six Premier League goal contributions and has been shouldering heavy responsibility. He will need support from Curtis Jones or Alexis Mac Allister to limit Rice and curb Martin Ødegaard’s creative influence.

Attack: Florian Wirtz v Martín Zubimendi

Wirtz’s position may depend on Hugo Ekitiké’s availability after the French striker missed the draw at Fulham with a minor injury. Even when starting from the left he drifts centrally, as when he scored at Craven Cottage from an inside-right position. Two goals and an assist in the last four matches show improvement, and alongside Ekitiké he has been Liverpool’s most reliable attacking outlet of late. Countering him will fall to the defensive midfielder Arsenal pursued in 2024, Martín Zubimendi, who has adapted quickly and become a steady presence in the holding role.