Boxing Day is a traditional time when football fans flock to the grounds of their favorite teams.
But, just because it is Christmas, there is no guarantee that Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea will gift their supporters with victories.
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In fact, those veterans have been humbled over the years during the festive period.
Here are the biggest Boxing Day upsets during the Premier League era.
Coventry 3-2 Arsenal, 1999
The Gunners were unhappy with Gordon Strachan’s side in the 1999–2000 season.
Goals from Gary McAllister and Mustafa Hadji gave the Sky Blues a 2-0 lead that looked anything but Premier League challengers.
Freddy Ljungberg withdrew to Arsenal after the break, but Robbie Keane extended the lead to Coventry.
A late goal by Davar Sucker threatened to ruin the party, but Strachan’s side held on to the famous victory.
While Arsene Wenger’s side faltered in its quest for Premier League glory.
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Middlesbrough 3-1 Manchester United, 2002
When the apprentice (Steve McLaren) did better than his mentor, Sir Alex Ferguson.
With United going for the title, they were desperate to keep up the pace at the top.
But Borough was at large at Riverside Stadium, with Alain Bocic and Szilard Nemeth giving them a 2–0 lead.
Ryan Giggs pulled United back in it, but Josef-Dezire Job gave Shine a 3–1 win.
The defeat left the Red Devils behind Arsenal by seven points in the new year, but they will be crowned that champion.
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Bolton 4-3 Newcastle, 2003
Back in 2003, under the leadership of Alan Shearer, Newcastle United were in the race for a Champions League spot.
But, if they wanted him to be considered deserving of a spot, nothing short of a victory over Bolton’s threat would be worth it.
In a surprise game, it appeared that both sets of defenders had eaten too much turkey, scoring three goals in the first 10 minutes.
Michael Ricketts scored twice to give his team a 4–1 lead before Shola Amoebi and Alan Shearer sent the game to an entertaining finale.
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Charlton 4-2 Chelsea, 2003
Claudio Ranieri’s blues traveled to the valley with great expectations.
This was the first season Roman Abramovich owned, invested heavily, and they were desperate to break Arsenal and Manchester United’s hold at the top.
But a startling result from Charlton showed that there was still much work to be done.
After John Terry scored to cancel Hermann Herridarsen’s opening header, it appeared Chelsea would assert themselves over the opposition.
However, Addix had other ideas – running into a 4-1 lead with goals from Matt Holland, Jonathan Johansson and Jason Uel.
Eidur Gudjansen’s consolation came too late to escape Chelsea’s embarrassment.
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Chelsea 4-4 Aston Villa, 2007
At this point, Avram Grant had stabilized the ship after the departure of Jose Mourinho, once the title challengers to Chelsea were expected.
They welcomed the top six Aston Villa side to Stamford Bridge, but they really hoped to beat them.
The game was somewhat like a Christmas cracker – Villa were running into a 2-0 lead before going 2-0 up.
Brazilian Alex put Chelsea forward, only Martin Larsson responded quickly.
When Michael Ballack scored two minutes from time, it looked like the Blues had snatched the win.
I wish Gareth Barry would hit a late penalty and break the hearts of Chelsea fans.
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Sunderland 1-0 Man City, 2012
As the defending champions, Manchester City were once again vying for the top spot with rivals Manchester United.
They would eventually hand the title to their neighbours, with a loss to bogey team Sunderland at the Stadium of Light being one of six games they would lose along the way.
Former Manchester City winger Adam Johnson scored an over on his old team after scoring a goal from a long-range effort, leaving Joe Hart behind.
The city in front of the target was sad, and could not answer.
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Leicester 2-1 Man City, 2018
It is Pep Guardiola’s only defeat as Manchester City boss on Boxing Day.
The then defending champions had lost to Crystal Palace 3–2 days earlier, so the chimes in the armor were starting to show.
A win was needed to stay with Liverpool at the summit, and Bernardo Silva took them to a flier.
Mark Albrighton equalized for the home side, before Ricardo Pereira defended against muddy City with 10 minutes left to score.
However, a loss in the title race did not hurt City, as they had beaten the Reds by just one point that season.
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