Scott Murray's Blog, page 109

December 16, 2019

Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton: Premier League – as it happened

Brighton dominated the M23 derby but were denied victory by a wonderful Wilfried Zaha goal.

9.59pm GMT

Our man Ed Aarons was at Selhurst Park tonight. Here’s his take. Click and enjoy. Thanks for reading this MBM!

9.51pm GMT

And now a word with Brighton scorer Neal Maupay. “We should have won the game. We played better than them. We had chances, we put pressure on them, they were struggling. They scored a nice goal, though. But it’s a bit disappointing to just have one point tonight. I know it means a lot to the fans, and to me as well. I was happy to score but unfortunately it was not enough. We had possession, a lot of chances, a lot of movement. It is enjoyable to play like that.”

9.48pm GMT

Wilfried Zaha, Palace’s goalscoring hero, speaks to Sky. “Today’s obviously a big game, and I’m just glad we got back in it. If you can’t win it, don’t lose it. So I’m glad we managed to get a point at least. I was glad I managed to get the goal for the team, because we worked so hard. We’ve got a good run going, and I’m glad we can carry it on. We barely had the ball, props to them, they did their job. I felt like we deserved a point.”

9.41pm GMT

The draw means Palace pass up the chance to join Manchester United and Sheffield United on 25 points. They’re now ninth, with 23, one place above Arsenal. Brighton sit in 13th, on 20 points, one ahead of Bournemouth and West Ham United. They’ll head home, back down the M23, thinking they should have really won by a couple of goals, a result that would have taken them into the top half above the aforementioned Arsenal. But this is where we all are.

9.38pm GMT

There’s just enough time for Zaha to send an effort towards the bottom left from the edge of the box. Ryan claims, and that’s that. The M23 derby ends all square, after a game not so much of two halves, but of seven and two ninths. Brighton were dominant for 70 minutes, Palace awful. But the hosts rallied in the latter stages, and tied it all up with a sensational goal. They’ll be the happier of the two sides, given the overall balance of play. But that’s derby football for you.

9.36pm GMT

90 min +3: Tomkins is down with cramp. Palace have done a lot of defending this evening.

9.35pm GMT

90 min +2: Some space for Montoya on the right. He clips into the box. Maupay sends an overhead kick inches wide of the top left.

9.34pm GMT

90 min +1: From the corner, Tomkins sends a lame header off target. Bernardo comes on for Gross.

9.34pm GMT

90 min: Zaha tricks his way past Webster on the left and tees up Meyer, who looks to have been brought down by Burn to the left of the D. But there’s to be no free kick. There will, however, be three added minutes, and a corner for Palace in the first of them, the result of another Zaha probe.

9.32pm GMT

89 min: Mooy tries to release Gross down the left, but the pass is too weighty. Goal kick. A sense now that Brighton, in total command for so long, just want to hear the final whistle.

9.31pm GMT

87 min: Zaha sashays in from the left and sends a long pass across the pitch towards Kelly, who takes a touch and enters the box. It’s a rare old chance, but Kelly, who has never scored in the Premier League, suffers a nosebleed and lashes horribly high and wide.

9.29pm GMT

86 min: Propper is booked for a cynical nudge on Zaha, as the Palace goalscorer was looking to make off down the left.

9.29pm GMT

85 min: Mooy hovers over a shooting opportunity from the edge of the Palace box, but Meyer challenges him at the last. The tension at Selhurst is palpable.

9.28pm GMT

84 min: Brighton make a conservative double switch. Off go Trossard and Bissouma, on come Alzate and Duffy.

9.27pm GMT

83 min: Montoya skips down the right and is hauled over by Zaha. A free kick and an opportunity to swing one into the box. Gross takes. It’s a lovely delivery, and headed over by Dunk from the edge of the six-yard box. He was trying to guide the ball into the top left; he should have got something on target.

9.24pm GMT

81 min: Ayew channels his inner Maradona and dribbles down the middle of the park, Brighton backtracking in a panic. He tries a curler towards the top right, but it’s always going over. Where on earth was this Crystal Palace for the first 70 minutes?

9.23pm GMT

79 min: Palace are up for this now. McCarthy goes over in the box, with Dunk at his back. The referee’s not interested in giving a penalty for that one, either, though again there looked to be contact.

9.22pm GMT

78 min: That’s woken Selhurst up. Brighton try to respond quickly, Maupay and Mooy combining down the right, briefly opening Palace up. Mooy crosses, but to nobody in particular.

9.21pm GMT

This had been coming, with Brighton suddenly sitting back. And they’ve been made to pay for their profligacy by Zaha, who drops a shoulder to cut in from the left, takes a touch back the other way, and whips an unstoppable effort into the top left! Brighton will wonder about this scoreline long and hard, given their dominance for most of the match. But here we are!

9.18pm GMT

74 min: Yep, they’ve finally risen from their slumber, an hour and ten minutes in to the match. Now Ayew races with purpose towards the Brighton box and slips a pass to Benteke on the edge of the area. Benteke can’t get a shot away. Zaha tries to keep things going, coming in from the left, then McCarthy tries an overhead kick from the middle of a muddle. Ryan claims.

9.17pm GMT

73 min: Hold on! Make that two. Benteke tussles with Dunk, spinning his man down the inside-right channel and slapping a shot towards the bottom right. That’s a highly decent effort, and one tipped round the post by Ryan. Nothing comes of the corner, but that’s so much better from Palace, who appear to have finally woken up.

9.15pm GMT

72 min: That was Palace’s first effort on target. Brighton have had ten.

9.14pm GMT

71 min: Palace hoick one hopefully into the Brighton mixer. Benteke wins a header well, but he’s too far out to seriously trouble Ryan, who claims easily.

9.14pm GMT

70 min: Mooy strides into a huge hole in the midfield. Palace look knackered. Mooy slips the ball wide left for Trossard, who takes a touch inside and fizzes a low shot towards goal. Guaita claims, eventually, after nearly spilling the ball at the feet of Montoya. It would have been a tap-in from a couple of yards.

9.11pm GMT

68 min: A Dann headed clearance is latched onto by Mooy, who very nearly releases Maupay into the box with a first-time pass. But the ball clips Maupay’s heel, and Palace escape. The hosts go up the other end, Zaha dribbling in from the left, only to have the ball taken from him by Montoya’s slide tackle. The resulting corner is a non-event, but that was much better from Palace, the new man Meyer injecting a bit of much-needed energy as he sent Zaha on his way.

9.09pm GMT

66 min: Milivojevic winds Propper with a good old-fashioned barge. While the Brighton midfielder catches his breath, Palace swap Kouyate for Meyer.

9.07pm GMT

64 min: Bissouma big-legs into a lot of space down the middle of the park. He whistles a daisycutter towards the bottom left from the best part of 30 yards. Guaita isn’t going to be beaten from there.

9.07pm GMT

63 min: Zaha curls a cross into the Brighton box from the left. Benteke competes but doesn’t get any purchase on his header. Brighton clear in the insouciant style. A little better from the hosts. Not much better, admittedly, but small acorns and all that.

9.05pm GMT

62 min: A short one this time, and Trossard drops a shoulder to skedaddle into the box along the byline. He can’t find a team-mate from a promising position, a sorry end to a clever run.

9.04pm GMT

61 min: Brighton’s corner isn’t all that, but Palace fail dismally to clear it anyway. Mooy and Gross combine down the left, the latter earning another corner.

9.03pm GMT

60 min: Gross is clattered by Tomkins out on the left. A free kick, and a change for Brighton to load the box. Gross takes himself, and swings in a dangerous one into the mixer. Tomkins does pretty well to eyebrow out for a corner, with three Brighton players in attendance.

9.02pm GMT

58 min: Palace are giving the ball away with metronomic regularity. A half-arsed Dann clearance flies straight to Propper, whose attempt to release Mooy down the right is deflected out for a corner. From the set piece, Propper spins on the penalty spot and loops a strange effort towards the top left. It should be easy pickings for Guaita, but the keeper drops it onto the crossbar and into the six-yard box. Maupay is lurking, but can’t get a shot away and the keeper eventually smothers.

9.00pm GMT

56 min: A deserved lead for Brighton. Palace can have no complaints. It’s been all Brighton since the restart, just as it was in the first half, that strange Benteke cross-cum-shot apart.

8.58pm GMT

It’s fair to say this had been coming. Trossard is found in acres of space down the right by a glorious Bissouma crossfield pass. Trossard cushions a first-time pass inside for Maupay, who takes a touch on the penalty spot and lashes a shot into the top right. What a beautiful goal that was.

8.56pm GMT

53 min: Mooy bustles in from the left. He slips the ball wide right to Montoya, who is in acres, and should probably do better than clanging a cross off the nearest Palace player and out for a corner. The resulting set piece comes to nothing.

8.55pm GMT

51 min: So having said that, Palace come close to opening the scoring! Benteke strides down the right and hooks in a vicious cross that deceives Ryan and nearly nestles in the top left, slamming off the left-hand post instead and away from danger! Not sure whether he meant that or not. If he did, hats off. It would have been some way to end his Selhurst Park drought, one that stretches back to April 2018.

8.53pm GMT

49 min: Palace’s passing game is shot. Ayew clips a simple ball out of play under no pressure whatsoever. They’re still having trouble getting out of their own half.

8.51pm GMT

47 min: Montoya makes off down the right and crosses deep. Trossard pulls the ball back from the other side. Kouyate chests down and clears. Brighton want a penalty for handball, but they’re never getting it. Not sure why they went so vocal for that one, yet didn’t make a sound when Riedewald clipped Montoya in the first half. People are strange.

8.48pm GMT

Here we go again! Palace get the second half underway. They need to get their gamefaces on, and quick. Brighton enjoyed 68 percent possession in the first half. Palace haven’t had an attempt at goal yet. They’ve made one change: midfielder James McCarthy on for left back Jairo Riedewald. It looks as though James McArthur will stand in at left back.

8.33pm GMT

Half-time entertainment. Does the Fiver count as entertainment? Probably not. Here it is anyway.

8.32pm GMT

An easy claim for Guaita, and that’s your lot for the first half. Brighton have been dominant, and should have had a penalty, but they’ll be happy enough with an impressive performance that lacks only a cutting edge. Palace need a rethink. Over to you, Roy.

8.30pm GMT

45 min: Ping, ping, pass, pass, pass, ping, pass, pass, passity, pass. Eventually Trossard strides down the left and purchases a cheap corner off Kelly. A chance to load the box in the one minute that’ll be added to this half.

8.29pm GMT

43 min: Tomkins launches long down the right. Benteke’s not there. He can’t be bothered to make the run. That sums up Palace, who have been utterly bereft of attacking nous so far this evening.

8.27pm GMT

41 min: It’s all Brighton. Just lacking the big idea. For a goalless game, this is absurdly lop-sided. Palace really need to hear the half-time whistle.

8.25pm GMT

39 min: Gross sends Trossard into a bit of space down the left. Trossard drops a shoulder to cut inside, then fizzes an inviting ball across the face of the Palace box. Montoya, coming in from the other flank, can’t control or get a shot away. Brighton are well on top.

8.23pm GMT

37 min: Palace are unable to get out of their own box right now. Brighton are running rings around them in the final third. But no killer final pass yet, so here we are, the game still goalless. The visitors much the better side though.

8.21pm GMT

35 min: But the first booking of the game isn’t long in coming, as Benteke sticks out a clumsy arm and slaps Dunk in his startled boat.

8.20pm GMT

34 min: Mooy slips Bissouma in down the right. The cutback is half-cleared by Dann. Propper has a belt from 25 yards. He catches it well, but that’s straight at Guaita. At the start of the move, Gross was whacked late by Kouyate. The referee waved play on, and the Palace man is fortunate not to go into the book when the game finally stops.

8.18pm GMT

33 min: With Brighton dominating possession, Selhurst has fallen uncharacteristically quiet. The away fans take the opportunity to belt out a couple of stanzas of Is This A Library? It’s still raining.

8.17pm GMT

31 min: Trossard exchanges crisp passes with Gross down the left, and zips into space. His cross is deflected and nearly catches out Guaita at his near post, but again the keeper does well with a testing ball, adjusting and claiming in the fuss-free fashion.

8.15pm GMT

29 min: A bit of space for Bissouma down the inside right. He lashes a fierce shot towards the bottom right from a very ambitious range. It nevertheless tests Guaita, who does well to gather without fuss as the ball skids across the wet turf.

8.14pm GMT

28 min: A lovely spin by Ayew, turning out of trouble and throwing three Brighton players off the scent. It’s on the halfway line, and the move breaks down the second he gives the ball to Benteke, but that piece of skill gave the home fans something to cheer. They’ve not had too much opportunity so far.

8.12pm GMT

26 min: Brighton are beginning to dominate this. They’re first to every loose ball, and the only team capable of stringing a few passes together right now. Propper, Mooy, Bissouma and Montoya are linking together nicely. On the touchline, Roy Hodgson looks a little concerned, and well he might.

8.09pm GMT

24 min: Brighton are encouraged by all that, though. They ping it around nicely. Then Mooy burns down the right and cuts one back for Propper, who lashes wildly over the bar from the edge of the D.

8.08pm GMT

22 min: VAR says no penalty. There’s no point asking why, they’re just making it up on the hoof. Has someone kept the receipt? Let’s go back to good old analogue football, none of this digital nonsense. Anyway, the resulting corner leads to Dunk sending a header, intended for the top right, straight into Guaita’s arms.

8.06pm GMT

20 min: Propper slides a lovely pass down the inside right channel. Montoya cuts in. Riedewald sticks out a leg and catches Montoya, who falls over but threads a shot towards the bottom right at the same time. Guaita tips the ball round the post for a corner. Montoya doesn’t claim a penalty, but he really should. VAR will take a look.

8.05pm GMT

19 min: Zaha turns on the jets and scoots down the left, Montoya very much on the back foot. He exchanges passes with McArthur, who just about executes an overly ambitious backheel, then loops a tame cross down Ryan’s throat.

8.02pm GMT

17 min: Montoya drives down the right and feeds Mooy, who is sent into a lot of space and should do better than battering his cross straight into Dann.

8.02pm GMT

16 min: Propper clatters into Zaha, seconds after McArthur bundled Bissouma to the floor. The referee waves play on both times, and that’s wound the crowd, already lively, up a little further.

8.00pm GMT

14 min: Palace batter it long. Benteke cushions a header down for Ayew, who nearly sets Kouyate clear down the inside-right channel. But his pass is too strong and Webster is able to intercept.

7.58pm GMT

12 min: Bissouma has a little nibble at Zaha’s heel. Zaha falls, and bounces straight back up. As he rises, he has a cheeky little swing back at Bissouma’s heel. Bissouma goes over but doesn’t make anything of it. Still, there’s a battle that might be worth keeping an eye on.

7.56pm GMT

10 min: It’s teeming down at Selhurst, but nothing puts a dampener on the fans, who are giving it plenty from all four corners of the atmospheric old stadium. A beautiful noise. Then a huge sarcastic cheer as Ryan, attempting to play out from the back, hoicks a simple pass into the stand. Hey, you’ve got to make your own entertainment sometimes. Not a great deal going on right now.

7.54pm GMT

8 min: Palace finally enjoy a little period of possession. Riedewald probes down the left, Ayew goes on a mission down the right. Eventually the ball’s switched back to Zaha, who in attempting his first dribble of the evening, runs the ball out of play for a goal kick. It’s not much, but that’s better from the hosts.

7.52pm GMT

6 min: Dunk slides a fine pass down the middle of the field, taking out half of the Palace team at a stroke and sending Mooy scampering goalwards. Mooy whistles a rising shot wide left. Not too far away from the top corner, that one. Brighton will be happy with the way they’ve taken control after that hectic opening.

7.50pm GMT

5 min: Brighton look the more composed in these early stages. Palace can’t keep hold of the ball at all. Gross wins a corner down the left and takes it himself. He goes long, and Guaita heads clear. Burn knocks the ball back into the mixer; Kelly heads that one away.

7.49pm GMT

3 min: Brighton calm themselves down a little, and put the first move of the match together. Mooy sets Montoya away on a dribble down the right. Montoya nearly gets past a dithering Riedewald, but the stand-in left back does just enough to eventually intercept and clear.

7.47pm GMT

2 min: Everyone snapping into tackles. Time on the ball a pipe dream. It’s frantic early doors.

7.45pm GMT

And we’re off! Brighton get the ball rolling. Incidentally, this isn’t just Roy Hodgson’s 100th game in charge of Palace; it’s the 100th match between these two rivals. For the record, the history is in Albion’s favour: they’ve racked up 39 wins compared to Palace’s 35, with 25 draws.

7.42pm GMT

The teams are out! There’s always a great atmosphere at Selhurst Park. But this is the derby, and an evening kick-off, so everyone, whether Eagle or Seagull, has had the opportunity to lubricate their lungs with a pre-match swallow. So, well, you can just imagine. A thundering sense of occasion! Palace will play in their red and blue stripes, while Brighton wear second-choice black. We’ll be off before you know it.

7.32pm GMT

Graham Potter talks to Sky Sports. “It’s same as normal, in how we attack and defend. But at the same time, we know it’s a derby game, we know the rivalry, we know the importance of it for both sets of supporters. So it’s about playing with the head, making good decisions and being brave.”

Roy’s response. “This is what they regard as one of their most important derbies, or the most important derby. So that of course plays a part. But it can’t affect you as a player or you as a coach in terms of preparation. But I can assure everybody that everyone is fully aware of their responsibility and fully aware of what this game means to people. That’s what derbies are about, that’s what these sort of matches should be bringing to the table, and we hope the fans can support their team in the right way.”

7.08pm GMT

It’s Roy Hodgson’s 100th game in charge of Palace. He makes three changes to the XI that drew 0-0 with Watford. Christian Benteke starts for the first time in four months up front, while at the back Scott Dann and Jairo Riedewald get the call. Jeffrey Schlupp, Gary Cahill and Andros Townsend, all injured, are the three who miss out.

It’s also Graham Potter’s first derby as Brighton boss. He makes two changes to the XI named for the 2-2 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Dale Stephens is suspended, so Yves Bissouma comes into midfield, while at right back Martin Montoya replaces Steven Alzate.

7.01pm GMT

Crystal Palace: Guaita, Kelly, Tomkins, Dann, Riedewald, Kouyate, Milivojevic, McArthur, Ayew, Benteke, Zaha.
Subs: Meyer, Hennessey, Wickham, McCarthy, Victor Camarasa, Woods, Mitchell.

Brighton & Hove Albion: Ryan, Montoya, Webster, Dunk, Burn, Propper, Bissouma, Mooy, Gross, Maupay, Trossard.
Subs: Duffy, Jahanbakhsh, Murray, Schelotto, Button, Bernardo, Alzate.

3.52pm GMT

The M23. A high-speed vehicular highway in the United Kingdom opened in 1974 that runs north to south from the Surrey village of Hooley to Pease Pottage in West Sussex, with a spur at junction nine for Gatwick Airport. There are more lyrical and romantic names for a football derby, if we’re being honest with ourselves.

Still, what a rivalry! Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion have met on an irregular basis since their Southern League days in the early 20th century, though they only started truly locking horns in the 1970s, Malcolm Allison, Peter Taylor, Terry Venables, Alan Mullery, all that. There’s no love lost.

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on December 16, 2019 13:59

The Fiver | No involvement with the continent come the end of March

In just over a month, this shrivelled sack of an island, this miserable hovel for duped deplorables, this wee jobbie bobbing up and down near the Irish Sea, will leave the EU. But it goes without saying that The Fiver loves this country. Of course! What a glorious nation! And there would be nothing better than seeing our lads do a number on Johnny in Big Cup come May. Yay us! Morris dancing! Malnutrition! Commando magazine! Mark Francois! Do one, industry! OK, if we’re being honest with ourselves, The Fiver’s still not quite over last Thursday. Give us a little time, will you.

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on December 16, 2019 08:29

December 9, 2019

West Ham United 1-3 Arsenal: Premier League – as it happened

Arsenal snapped out of a funk to blow West Ham away with a nine-minute, three-goal salvo.

12.05am GMT

Nick Ames on Arsenal’s turnaround and what it all means ...

11.54pm GMT

A Ljungberg warning!

10.31pm GMT

That’s your lot, then, folks. Thanks for reading this MBM!

10.30pm GMT

Manuel Pellegrini’s version. “It was difficult to understand. We dominated the game for 60 minutes, and then we lost the game. Maybe we should have scored the second goal, it was so important. You must understand the boos, because in the last five games here we did not win. Of course we try to do it. I think we were the better team than Arsenal for 60 minutes, but fans cannot be happy. You cannot concede three goals in every game. Maybe we are not in our best moment, but we will continue fighting. I can fix it.” He’s then pressed by Sky on whether he’ll be given the chance to do so. “It does not depend on me,” is his sharp response, at which point he walks off.

10.23pm GMT

An extremely satisfied Freddie Ljungberg talks to Sky. “It means so much for the players, they have been living under enormous pressure for the last couple of weeks. We’ve seen that in their performances. But we believe in how we want to play football, and I could see around the hour mark that West Ham were starting to tire. We played it a bit crisper, a bit faster, and all of a sudden we sliced them open. The boys were amazing. They stepped up, quicker passing. You need to work hard, in attack and defence, and they did that today. It’s down to the players, I’m just there to guide them a little bit. We still have a lot to work on. We enjoy tonight and start working again tomorrow.”

10.08pm GMT

Our man Jacob Steinberg was at the London Stadium to witness that turnaround. Here’s his report.

10.04pm GMT

Arsenal celebrate a deserved win - eventually deserved - with wide smiles, backslaps and hugs. Freddie Ljungberg in the middle of it all. And no wonder, they’re back in the top half of the table, in ninth with 22 points, just two behind fifth-placed Manchester United. West Ham however remain in trouble, stuck in 16th place after taking 16 points from 16 games. They’re just one point above the dropzone, having lost seven of their last nine. Their next game is at Southampton on Saturday evening; Saints will leapfrog them if they win.

9.58pm GMT

Arsenal were awful for the first 59 minutes, then sensational for the following nine. Their three-goal second-half blast has lifted the mood around the club, while heaping further pressure on Manuel Pellegrini, who has the boos of the few Hammers fans left in the stadium ringing in his ears.

9.55pm GMT

90 min +5: “We are staying up!” chant some self-deprecating Arsenal supporters. Or are they merely baiting the remaining West Ham fans? It could be either or both, couldn’t it.

9.54pm GMT

90 min +4: Aubameyang dribbles down the inside left, checks back, makes space to shoot near the penalty spot, and watches his effort ping off the heel of Fredericks and over the bar. Nothing comes of the resulting corner. “Freddie deserves some big props for this turnaround,” writes Adrian Caddy. “We’d been crying out for Emery to pick a front three with Aubameyang in his best position flanked by Pepe and Martinelli. All three have delivered.”

9.53pm GMT

90 min +2: Arsenal ping it around, and their fans entertain themselves with some repetitive whoops of joy.

9.51pm GMT

90 min: Holland curls one into the Arsenal box from the right. It’s an inviting cross, and Chambers does very well to get in ahead of Haller. He takes a whack for his troubles. As he rolls around, it’s announced there will be seven added minutes.

9.48pm GMT

88 min: More seats flipping up in the stands. It’s the remaining Arsenal fans making all the noise. Pepe is replaced by Reiss Nelson, and receives both a warm ovation from his fans and a hug and a huge smile from Freddie Ljungberg.

9.46pm GMT

86 min: Matteo Guendouzi comes on in his place. “After the dismal performance in the first half I must confess that I was preparing a very snarky note to send out to slag the Gunners,” admits Mary Waltz. “I still have low expectations for Arsenal’s remainder of this season but for today they deserve an apology and a tip of the hat from me.”

9.45pm GMT

85 min: Xhaka falls to the turf again, still dizzy, and he’s going to have to go off. He walks off with a wry smile.

9.44pm GMT

83 min: Noble must have been taking notes from Xhaka earlier, because he plays a dismal hospital ball infield from the right, allowing Pepe to tear upfield with great intent. The West Ham captain is fortunate that Pepe’s control lets him down as he enters the area, allowing Balbuena to recover.

9.42pm GMT

82 min: Masuaku makes ground down the left and wedges a cute cross into the mixer, but Sokratis is on hand to clear, winning the battle with Antonio and Haller.

9.41pm GMT

80 min: Xhaka is good to continue. Quite a few seats are now flipped up, plenty of West Ham fans having seen enough.

9.40pm GMT

79 min: Xhaka takes a Masuaku crossfield pass flush in the grid. He’s flat on his back. The trainer comes on to run the rule over him. While we wait, Nathan Holland comes on for Robert Snodgrass.

9.38pm GMT

77 min: Pepe nutmegs Masuaku and enters the box on the right. Pepe goes over Masuaku’s leg, claiming a penalty. He was looking for it, and doesn’t get it.

9.35pm GMT

75 min: Speaking of Brazilians, Martinelli looks the real deal. He powers his way down the inside-right channel, winning a ball he really had no right to earn, and spins to set up Torreira, just inside the box. Torreira gives the ball a good old whack, and his effort is well blocked by Balbuena.

9.33pm GMT

73 min: West Ham can’t get the ball. Arsenal were barely capable of stringing two passes together for the first hour. Now they’re stroking it around with the insouciant arrogance of Brazil during the last ten minutes of the 1970 World Cup final.

9.32pm GMT

71 min: That nine-minute, three-goal Arsenal salvo has stunned West Ham. It could be the end of Manuel Pellegrini. Sebastian Heller comes on for Filipe Anderson. Will that substitution turn out to be one of the manager’s last decisions as West Ham boss?

9.30pm GMT

The scoring’s not over. Aubameyang backheels a pass down the right, releasing Pepe into a little bit of grass. Pepe checks and chips a delicate cross back towards the striker, who had kept moving. Aubameyang bicycle kicks into the bottom right. Martin got a hand on the shot, but couldn’t keep it out.

9.29pm GMT

68 min: Filipe Anderson dribbles down the left and loops a cross towards Fornals, who, falling backwards, can’t keep his header, intended for the top right, down. A real sense that the scoring isn’t over.

9.27pm GMT

Arsenal were a complete shambles less than ten minutes ago. Now they’re in the lead, and scoring magical goals! Aubameyang slips a pass wide right for Pepe, who shuffles into the box, makes a little bit of space away from Masuaku, and curls an unstoppable shot across Martin and into the top left! The keeper had absolutely no chance with that.

9.25pm GMT

65 min: Balbuena tears down the right, reaches the end of the road and stands one up into the box. Antonio goes over, unable to connect with his head. The West Ham fans want a penalty, but Antonio makes no claim whatsoever.

9.24pm GMT

63 min: That’s really rattled West Ham, who are struggling to clear their lines all of a sudden. Ozil plays a cute right-to-left chip for Martinelli, who can’t quite sort his feet out just inside the area. Had he managed it, he’d have been one on one with Martin.

9.23pm GMT

62 min: That was such a lovely, incisive move, and what a finish by Martinelli! That came out of nowhere, and suddenly the Gunners are pinging the ball around in a very pretty fashion. What a strange game football can be.

9.21pm GMT

Pulitzer, please! So having said Arsenal were doing nothing, they suddenly spring into life! Torreira slips a pass down the left for Kolasinac to stride onto. Kolasinac enters the box and pulls back for Martinelli, the young man slamming a glorious first-time shot into the bottom right!

9.19pm GMT

58 min: Arsenal are playing with an almost total lack of confidence. Aubameyang tears down the right and, upon reaching the byline, larrups a dismal cross miles into the sky and out of play on the other wing. The home fans enjoyed that very much.

9.18pm GMT

57 min: Snodgrass causes trouble down the right and cuts back for Rice, who shapes a lovely hard sidefoot towards the bottom right from 20 yards. Leno does extremely well to keep hold of the ball. Rice really struck that, it was a proper whistler.

9.16pm GMT

55 min: Xhaka plays a useless blind pass in from the right to nobody. That allows Snodgrass to zip down the inside-right channel and take a shot that clips off Kolasinac and loops over Leno, nearly dropping into the bottom left. Instead it’s a corner, and Xhaka repairs the damage, sort of, by jumping into a challenge for a high ball backwards, and somehow winning a goal kick. Xhaka really is very entertaining to watch, although I appreciate his unique appeal will be selective.

9.13pm GMT

53 min: Martinelli earns a corner with a determined run down the inside-right channel. Meeting the set piece, Torreira blooters over from an overly ambitious range. Here’s Dean Kinsella: “I’ve been watching top flight English football since Bertie Mee was the Arsenal manager and I’m pretty sure that was the worst half of a game I’ve seen them play in all those 50 or so years. And West Ham were only marginally better by dint of at least trying to play.”

9.12pm GMT

52 min: A minute of the warmest applause for West Ham fan Peter Taylor, who recently passed away.

9.11pm GMT

51 min: Nope, he can’t go on. He limps off, to be replaced by Arthur Masuaku. Ozil then takes the free kick, just to the right of the box. It’s easily slapped clear by Ogbonna. A very poor delivery.

9.10pm GMT

49 min: Pepe drops a shoulder to trick Cresswell, who looks like he’s tweaked something and doesn’t fancy a footrace down the right. So the full-back clatters the winger. Booked. But before any free kick can be taken, the West Ham physio comes on to check if Cresswell can continue.

9.07pm GMT

47 min: Snodgrass gets West Ham on the front foot early doors. He takes the set piece himself. Rice can’t get a header on target. The ball breaks to Noble, who lifts a wild shot miles over the bar. Aubameyang makes his way back upfield holding his head, looking a little woozy. Xhaka checks he’s good to continue. The striker says he’s fine, though he doesn’t look particularly happy.

9.05pm GMT

Right, back to the big game ... and West Ham get the ball rolling for the second half.

9.02pm GMT

[Taps mike, adopts thick Lancastrian burr] “Hey, does anybody remember Kettering Tyres?” Anyway, you requested adjudication on the Crown Paints / Candy thing. Here’s your answer. I mean, obviously.

8.52pm GMT

They can’t get it, but trot off down the tunnel looking fairly content. They’re 45 minutes away from a confidence-restoring win. Arsenal by contrast look miserable; they’ve been a lightweight non-event. “You know how we always used to get irritated by the ‘hey guys, remember Spangles?’ crowd who would forever be banging on about irrelevant minutiae from the 70s?” asks Tom Atkins, in the rhetorical style. “You always become the thing you hate the most. That said, Villa is Mita Copiers, Man City always Brother, and Ipswich obviously Fisons. I also think we need an adjudication on Crown Paints vs Candy for Liverpool.”

8.48pm GMT

45 min +3: It’s all West Ham, who are pressing for a second goal that would put the visitors in all sorts of bother.

8.47pm GMT

45 min +1: There will be five additional minutes, Tierney’s injury, VAR, all that. The first sees Aubameyang welt a shot miles over the bar from a very ambitious distance. Arsenal haven’t worked Martin at all.

8.46pm GMT

45 min: Snodgrass is blocked off by Kolasinac as he dribbles down the right. He wants a penalty, but he’s not getting it. It all looked a bit theatrical as he fell backwards, his spine arcing in the dramatic style.

8.44pm GMT

44 min: A bit of space for Pepe, who has been Arsenal’s liveliest player, despite Cresswell’s attention. He makes good down the right and crosses low. Martin, who hasn’t had much to do, gathers confidently.

8.43pm GMT

42 min: Torreira attempts a back-heel a couple of yards from his own box. He nearly lets Antonio in on goal, but gets away with it. That was ludicrous, and it’s no wonder Arsenal are shipping goals like they’re going out of fashion.

8.41pm GMT

40 min: This is preposterous. VAR takes nearly two minutes to work out whether Ogbonna had headed the ball onto his outstretched fist, en route to the goal via Maitland-Niles’ back. It was nowhere near, but it took them about 200 replays to decide. Anyway, it’s all good. Whither spontaneous joy?

8.39pm GMT

Cresswell wins a corner down the left. He hoicks it long. Some pinball. Noble takes a whack. More pinball. Rice flicks the ball towards Fornals, to the right of the six-yard box. He dinks it back in. Ogbonna wants it the most, and his desire wins out. His header, towards the top left, twangs off Maitland-Niles’ back and into the top right, past the wrong-footed Leno.

8.37pm GMT

36 min: Pepe’s down for a while. That was a rare old whack. Cresswell got the ball, but took his man on the follow-through. The landing looked ugly, with Pepe’s leg trapped, his knee twisting. But there’s good news, as Pepe slowly gathers himself and gets back on his feet. He’ll be good to continue ... and he glances towards Cresswell with great intensity. This might not be over.

8.35pm GMT

34 min: Antonio swerves his way down the left and has a batter from a tight angle. Leno does extremely well to save. Arsenal make their way up the other end through Pepe, who is unceremoniously stopped by an extremely robust challenge from Cresswell, sliding in from the left.

8.34pm GMT

33 min: Pepe dribbles with purpose down the right but can’t find anyone with his cutback. Aubameyang drops a shoulder out on the left, and stands one up for Ozil, who heads over harmlessly from six yards. He was leaning back to reach that, perhaps Pepe behind him would have been a better bet. I wonder if the flag might have gone up for offside had that flown in. VAR would certainly have taken a look.

8.32pm GMT

31 min: Tierney’s injury has disrupted whatever rhythm this game previously had. It’s all a bit scrappy. “Permit me to launch myself into Operation Showing Your Age.” Jump in, Mike Morris, the water’s lovely. “Everton shall forever be sponsored by NEC while Liverpool have to make do with Candy, for some reason. Man United’s eternal sponsor is Sharp, JVC for Arsenal, and Tottenham are sponsored by Holsten Pils. Now excuse me while I nostalgically yearn for football being four square passes, and then back to the goalie from the halfway line.”

8.29pm GMT

29 min: Tierney walks off, using that lovely yellow-and-black shirt as a sling. The poor lad’s replaced by Saed Kolasinac, who wasn’t even on the bench until Hector Bellerin pulled a hamstring in the warm-up.

8.28pm GMT

28 min: Tierney is down, having tussled with Antonio in the middle of a melee as Leno gathered. Nobody’s fault, just an accident as the pair locked arms. It appears the young full-back has popped his shoulder. That’s a sore one, and he’s not going to be able to continue.

8.26pm GMT

26 min: Snodgrass loops it long. Ogbonna rises to head at the far post, but can only send the ball backwards. It drops to Fornals, who opens his body for a sidefoot volley. His attempt is weak and dribbles into the arms of Leno.

8.25pm GMT

25 min: Snodgrass and Tierney battle down the West Ham right. Tierney clips his Scotland team-mate on the toe, and this is a free kick just to the right of the box. Snodgrass will take this himself.

8.24pm GMT

24 min: Snodgrass is booked for a fairly agricultural slide on Martinelli, who was hoping to skitter off up the left flank. Nope! Not allowed!

8.23pm GMT

22 min: Instead of hoicking the ball into the mixer, Noble plays it down the inside-right channel for Anderson to chase. Anderson can’t control, running the ball out of play. He tangles with Xhaka, coming in from the side, maybe a little behind. West Ham want the penalty, because there’s contact as the pair fall. They’re not getting it. VAR isn’t interested either, but you have seen them awarded. One of those.

8.21pm GMT

21 min: Torreira clatters into Snodgrass, the pair competing for a 50-50 out on the right. It’s a free kick for West Ham in a dangerous position. A chance to load the Arsenal box.

8.19pm GMT

19 min: Arsenal knock it around a bit. Aubameyang thinks he’s been blocked off illegally while pelting down the right, but the referee’s not having any of it, much to the home support’s amusement.

8.19pm GMT

17 min: West Ham are clearly minded to give Maitland-Niles, a late replacement for Bellerin, a workout. Most of their work is out on the left. Cresswell probes, and nearly breaks clear, but the defender sticks to his task and eventually wins out, with a little help from Pepe.

8.15pm GMT

15 min: Pepe tries to flick his way out of a tight spot out on the West Ham left. Cresswell’s not having it, blocks him, and wins a throw. From that, Anderson jigs into the box looking dangerous, but there’s one too many yellow shirt to beat, and eventually he dribbles into trouble.

8.14pm GMT

14 min: West Ham string together a few passes for the first time. It’s very easy on the eye, and the move ends with Cresswell nearly releasing Fornals down the left. Nearly, but not quite.

8.12pm GMT

12 min: Arsenal have enjoyed 85 percent of possession so far. West Ham seem fairly happy to sit back and keep their shape, hoping to nick the ball and hit the visitors on the break.

8.11pm GMT

10 min: A positive early touch by young Martinelli, who drops a shoulder and wins a corner on the left. Nothing comes of the set piece, but both teams look well up for attack.

8.10pm GMT

8 min: A decent run by Fornals down the left, though it comes to nought. West Ham look to be in a fairly positive mood. “For Everton, it has to be Hafnia,” argues Stephen Carr. “They made tinned meat.” Such a shame that wasn’t on their shirt during the Dogs of War era.

8.08pm GMT

6 min: West Ham spring to life, Noble and Anderson driving down the middle and setting up Antonio, who lashes high over the bar. Then they come again and force a corner down the right. Torreira is smacked upside the head and it’s a free kick, though Cresswell takes a shot anyway. Did he hit the post?! The camera didn’t track the ball, but there was an almighty thud. He gave it some welly. Anyway, it wouldn’t have counted so the point is moot.

8.05pm GMT

4 min: It’s a quiet start, the crowd noise notwithstanding. “In reference to JVC being the Arsenal sponsor, as a younger football fan I always think of O2 as the quintessential Arsenal kit, when Thierry Henry used to tear teams apart,” writes Pat Smith Willocks. “Similarly, I think Carlsberg as the Liverpool kit, and Capital One for Sheffield United under Neil Warnock, featuring a young Phil Jagielka who has been my idol ever since.” It’s a good game, this. I’d plump for Hitachi for Liverpool, Crown Paints at a push, with Laver the timber merchant for the Blades. But then I’m getting on a bit.

8.02pm GMT

2 min: Arsenal stroke it around the back awhile, getting a feel of the ball. They go nowhere, but that’s not really the point, as they play the patient game, hoping to take some of the heat out of the stadium.

8.00pm GMT

Here we go, then! Arsenal get the ball rolling. “I am a Scot living in Canada and it’s the first I’d heard of a shoogly peg. I had to look it up. Love it. But surely the English have their own term for living precariously? Or they sure will pretty damn soon.” Topical satire’s Brian Cruickshank, there, ladies and gentlemen, with a little bit of politics. Speaking of which ... VOTE LABOUR. Or Green, SNP, Plaid, Lib Dem, etc.

7.57pm GMT

The teams are out! A derby atmosphere at the London Stadium. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes, and a rousing rendition of Bubbles. But before we begin, Hammers fan Ian Sargeant wishes to address the aforementioned old Too Good To Go Down saw. “They said that in 2002/3 when we had some real young stars (Cole, Carrick, Defoe, Johnson) along side the likes of James, Kanoute, di Canio and Sinclair. We also said it at a pre-season friendly v Wycombe the following term - all those bar Paolo were on the pitch and we went 2-0 down in 15 minutes.”

7.54pm GMT

A late change to the Arsenal team. Hector Bellerin tweaked a hamstring in the warm-up, and he’ll be replaced by Ainsley Maitland-Niles at right-back. Sead Kolasinac takes Maitland-Niles’ place on the bench.

7.46pm GMT

Manuel Pellegrini talks. “When Antonio played the last game against Chelsea, he was a very important striker for us with his power and speed. Unfortunately for him he had more pain and couldn’t play against Wolverhampton but now he is 100 percent fit. Here at home we have had one point from the last four, so we will try to win. I hope we can add three points. We can play better against big teams. We must look for the future.”

7.30pm GMT

West Ham United will be playing in their famous claret and blue. Plus the addition of some Rainbow Laces, in support of Stonewall’s campaign to make the game more inclusive for LGBT people.

7.14pm GMT

The pre-match thoughts of Freddie Ljungberg, who is talking a good attack-minded game. “There are a lot of games going on in December, so there is fatigue and stuff. We want to get a little energy into the team and shake things up a little bit. Martinelli has done really well in the Europa League, scoring goals for us. He works hard and is very quick, I think he will do really well. Pepe did really well in the second half in the last game. I want him to be who he is, go one against one, and be difficult to read. At the same time I want him to do his defensive work, that’s important playing away from home.”

7.10pm GMT

West Ham make one change to the team named for the defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Sebastien Haller drops to the bench, having scored just four times so far this season, and only one in his last 12. Michail Antonio returns to take his place.

The 18-year-old striker Gabriel Martinelli starts his first Premier League game for Arsenal. He replaces Alexandre Lacazette. That’s one of four changes to the side that went down at home to Brighton & Hove Albion. Calum Chambers and Kieran Tierney replace David Luiz and Sead Kolasinac at the back, while Nicolas Pepe takes Joe Willock’s spot.

7.01pm GMT

West Ham United: Martin, Fredericks, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Snodgrass, Noble, Rice, Fornals, Felipe Anderson, Antonio.
Subs: Zabaleta, Roberto, Sanchez, Haller, Diop, Masuaku, Holland.

Arsenal: Leno, Bellerin, Chambers, Papastathopoulos, Tierney, Torreira, Xhaka, Pepe, Ozil, Martinelli, Aubameyang.
Subs: Lacazette, Maitland-Niles, Luiz, Nelson, Martinez, Guendouzi, Saka.

6.16pm GMT

Welcome to the re-run of the 1980 FA Cup final. That’s how all the kids are styling this, right? Ah memories! Trevor Brooking’s header, Willie Young on Paul Allen, a nice big riff in Fever Pitch, all that. Nearly 40 years on, that remains West Ham’s last trophy. Since then, they’ve mainly spent their time packing their teams with top talent and finding themselves inexplicably involved in relegation battles.

The Hammers are in bother again. They’ve won just one of their last nine league matches, an eyebrow-raising victory at Chelsea a couple of Saturdays ago. It’s a dismal run that’s seen them plummet down the table. They’ve gone 3-0 down in their last two home fixtures. They’re just a single point better off than Southampton in the relegation spots, and look what a mess they’ve been.

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on December 09, 2019 14:31

The Fiver | It doesn’t bear thinking about, does it, Liverpool fans?

Depending on which way you look at things, it was either a good or bad weekend for Liverpool. Let’s start with events at the Scottish Tin Pot final, where Pope’s Newc O’Rangers thrashed the Queen’s Celtic by nil goals to one. Poor $tevie Mbe, standing there in the pouring rain, soaked to the bone, cursing Steve McClaren, unable to shelter under a brolly lest the tabloid press brands him a dry ponce. What must have been going through the poor man’s dripping noggin, history repeating itself as a furious South American striker ran around kicking people for no good reason while his team’s hopes of a title went up in smoke. At least he didn’t slip over in a puddle, eh ladies and gentlemen, am I right, etc.

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on December 09, 2019 08:51

December 7, 2019

Manchester City 1-2 Manchester United: Premier League – as it happened

United shocked their neighbours with some devastating early attacks, then held firm to register a victory that seriously compromises City’s title hopes.

8.51pm GMT

City are investigating ...

8.50pm GMT

Not a great day for Pep Guardiola.

8.09pm GMT

Barney Ronay on Marcus Rashford.

8.07pm GMT

David Hytner was our man at the Etihad. Here’s his take on a mesmerising match. Click and enjoy! And thanks for reading this MBM.

8.06pm GMT

A sullen but defiant Pep Guardiola talks. “They were clinical. I am more than happy with our performance. We created chances. In general, I am delighted and happy with the performance we play. The approach, and the way we play, I am delighted. No regrets. We play a good game. I like to watch my team play. I know who we are as a team. I am delighted to work with these guys. It’s unrealistic to think we can catch up, but we will continue. We are a fantastic team, we played so good.” And as for the racist abuse: “I support the club, we are going to work to avoid it happening again.”

7.58pm GMT

A thrilled Ole Gunnar Solskjaer speaks! “The start of the game we were exceptional. We should have been five up really. We played so well. We were playing the best team in the world, for me, and the best coach. Players were coming in every angle and we defended so well. We were brilliant in the first half hour. Some great, quick, attacking football. And we kept it well at times. So pleased with the boys, they deserved it. We got tired but they dug in and the mentality is strong. We believe in what we are doing. Results will turn doubters into believers.” He then describes the racist fool in the crowd as a “not so intelligent fellow” ... “I hope City and the authorities will deal with it, because he shouldn’t be watching football again, not live anyway. We have to stamp it out. It’s not acceptable.”

7.53pm GMT

Manchester City have released a statement. The club say they are “aware of a video circulating on social media which appears to show a supporter making racial gestures” during the match and are “working with Greater Manchester Police in order to help them identify any individuals concerned”. The full statement can be read here.

7.44pm GMT

Back to that miserable lighter-throwing episode. There are reports that some members of the crowd also made racist gestures towards a United player, and both clubs have been made aware of the incident. Such a depressing state of affairs. Kick It Out have issued a statement: “We have been inundated with reports of alleged racist abuse from a number of individuals during this evening’s Manchester derby. We will be contacting both clubs to offer our support and hope swift action is taken to identify the offenders.”

7.30pm GMT

Pep puts on his best gameface and congratulates Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, then the United players. But he’ll be churning inside. This is a huge blow to Manchester City’s title hopes, which are now hanging by a thread. They’re 14 points behind the leaders Liverpool. Leicester City have got three points on them as well, with a game in hand. But this isn’t just about the title race, because that was a statement of intent by Manchester United. They could easily have won by a couple more. They were devastating in attack in the first half; resolute in defence in the second. They’re not back yet ... but this performance is a sign that their under-fire manager may have what it takes to turn their situation around after all. They’re fifth, now just five points off fourth-placed Chelsea.

7.23pm GMT

United hang on! They win the derby and possibly put an end to City’s hopes of a third title in a row!

7.22pm GMT

90 min +4: Walker is booked for a wild scythe on Young. A free kick, which United take their sweet time over.

7.21pm GMT

90 min +3: United launch it back up the other end. The tension in the Etihad is palpable.

7.20pm GMT

90 min +2: Pereira shields the ball by the corner flag awhile. He’s eventually bundled off it, and City can launch it upfield.

7.19pm GMT

90 min +1: James rips upfield and, with City light at the back, slips Pereira clear down the left. Pereira shoots. It’s deflected. Corner.

7.18pm GMT

90 min: United have clearly decided to dig in. It’s going to be a long additional five minutes for them.

7.17pm GMT

89 min: Ashley Young comes on for Luke Shaw, who is completely spent. And then another change in short order, as Axel Tuanzebe replaces Jesse Lingard.

7.16pm GMT

87 min: It was a strong hand by De Gea, as Mahrez curled towards the bottom left. Additionally, Silva was an inch away from diverting the ball past the keeper with his toenail. United’s lead is suddenly hanging by a thread!

7.14pm GMT

86 min: Mahrez drives into the United box from the right. His low shot is parried wonderfully by De Gea. Suddenly United are rocking, and City sense blood!

7.13pm GMT

De Bruyne hooks on from the left. Shaw, under no pressure, panics and hacks out for a corner. The ball’s swung into a crowded box. Otamendi rises highest, powering through to blast a header home from close range. City’s comeback is on!

7.11pm GMT

83 min: Pereira makes off down the left, cuts back, then loops a clever ball into the City box. Lingard, rushing in, tries a first-time poke towards the bottom corner, but can’t quite get enough steer on the ball and it’s an easy gather for Ederson.

7.10pm GMT

81 min: Mahrez diddles Shaw down the right, but his stand-up for Sterling, in the middle, floats over his team-mate’s head. A lower ball, and that’d have been an easy tap-in. On the touchline, a dejected, frustrated Pep holds his head in his hands.

7.09pm GMT

80 min: Now Jesus clips McTominay, who is in the wars. He’ll be fine to continue, but takes the opportunity to roll around for a bit before the restart, eating up precious seconds.

7.08pm GMT

79 min: Walker lunges into the back of Fred, then De Bruyne is booked for a lunge on McTominay. City are still well in this game, with plenty of time still on the clock; they can’t afford to lose their composure.

7.06pm GMT

78 min: Rodri dribbles his way into the United box down the left ... then under pressure from Wan-Bissaka dances straight out of play.

7.05pm GMT

77 min: ... Maguire nearly tees up Jesus for a simple goal. His poor header falls to the striker, ten yards out, just to the left of goal. But Jesus, perhaps confused by the nearby Mahrez, dithers and can’t get a shot away.

7.04pm GMT

76 min: Angelino comes in from the left and has a whack. It’s wild, but blocked out for a corner by Wan-Bissaka. That corner leads to another corner, from which ...

7.03pm GMT

74 min: United make their first change, replacing Anthony Martial with Andreas Pereira. The midfielder is immediately in the action, first nearly releasing Lingard down the left, then cynically kicking Sterling’s heels as the City winger made off up the other end. Sterling springs up, looking for a rumble, but the ref gets in between the players and books Pereira.

7.01pm GMT

73 min: From the resulting corner, Silva tries to bundle home at the near post, but can only send the ball harmlessly wide right.

7.00pm GMT

72 min: City pin United back. They probe this way and that. Suddenly Mahrez bursts down the right and crosses. The ball clanks off Shaw’s arm and out for a corner, but again it’s no penalty, Shaw turning his back at close range, his arm right by his side.

6.58pm GMT

70 min: Sterling chases a De Bruyne pass down the right and topples over, with Maguire in hot pursuit. He wants a penalty, but there’s no contact and he’s not getting it. And to be fair, while VAR double-checks, Sterling trots back upfield, having perhaps thought twice about the claim.

6.57pm GMT

68 min: The corner can’t be taken, because a minority of City-supporting eejits launch a few cigarette lighters towards the United players preparing to take. One hits Fred on the back of the head. Ugly scenes. Fred looks like he’ll be fine, but really, what’s wrong with people?

6.55pm GMT

66 min: On the other hand, a successful United break would put this game to bed. James skitters towards the City box, straight down the middle, and slips the ball wide for Lingard, who hesitates before shooting. His eventual effort is parried round the post for a corner.

6.54pm GMT

65 min: Before the corner, Riyad Mahrez comes on for Bernardo Silva. The set piece ends up at the feet of Sterling, out on the left. He loops long for Mahrez at the far post. Mahrez can only guide the ball wide with a telescopic leg. City are getting closer to a goal that would change the mood utterly.

6.52pm GMT

64 min: A little time and space for Rodri on the edge of the United D. He takes a touch and launches one towards the top right. It’s a fine effort, matched for quality by De Gea’s save. The keeper fingertips the ball over the bar.

6.51pm GMT

63 min: James rips the ball off a snoozing Angelino, and tears towards the City box. He looks for Rashford and Martial with a square pass. The ball pinballs around and into Ederson’s arms, just as it looked as though Martial might toe-poke home.

6.50pm GMT

61 min: Sterling cuts in from the left, past a dithering Lindelof, and works himself some space to shoot. But he hesitates a little, allowing Wan-Bissaka to hassle him from behind. As Sterling sashays left to right without shooting, Wan-Bissaka toe-pokes the ball away from Sterling’s toe and out for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece.

6.48pm GMT

59 min: Stones gets up and hobbles off. He’s replaced by Nicolas Otamendi. This really hasn’t been City’s night so far.

6.46pm GMT

58 min: Fred hoists the free kick into the mixer. City clear for a throw. Before United can take it, attention must be paid to Stones, who is sat on the turf looking glum. This is the last thing City need.

6.45pm GMT

57 min: One corner leads to another, and suddenly Lingard is romping upfield on the counter. He’s making good down the left, and is upended by Walker. A free kick, and a chance for United to load the box.

6.44pm GMT

55 min: Wan-Bissaka and Fred faff about on the edge of their own box and gift De Bruyne possession. He bursts into the box down the inside-right channel, and looks odds on to score. But Lindelof slides in to deflect his shot over the bar. Corner.

6.43pm GMT

54 min: De Gea is booked for taking an absurd amount of time over a goal kick.

6.42pm GMT

53 min: Martial sprints upfield on the counter. It’s four on two! He’s got James in acres to his right, but opts to play in Rashford on the left instead. Rashford is up against Walker, who gets to the ball first then draws a foul. What a chance to extend United’s lead, and it’s been spurned.

6.40pm GMT

52 min: Here’s a stat and a half, courtesy of Sky. In the Premier League era, Manchester United have never lost after leading by two or more goals at half-time. Out of 170 games, they’ve gone on to win 167 of them and draw the other three. They’ll not want to lose this record to City.

6.38pm GMT

50 min: Rashford tries to get United going again, but it’s a one-man sortie down the left and he eventually runs out of road.

6.37pm GMT

48 min: This is much better from Angelino, who cuts back marvellously from a tight spot on the left, taking the three United players he’d drawn towards him out of the game. In the pocket of space that’s left, David Silva takes a touch and aims for the top right, but doesn’t get the required bend. Already this is much better from the champions.

6.36pm GMT

47 min: City pick up where they left off, pushing United deep. De Bruyne wastes little time in winning a corner down the right. All good and well, but when the ball finds its way to Angelino, 30 yards out, his overly ambitious larrup, sailing high into the stand, betrays City’s anxiety.

6.34pm GMT

City get the ball rolling for the second half. There have been no half-time changes. There doesn’t appear to be any change in Guardiola’s mood, either, as he’s still bending the fourth official’s ear. A very animated discussion. Let’s hope they can iron out their differences.

6.20pm GMT

Half-time reading. Just to put City’s current plight into proper context.

6.19pm GMT

For the first half hour, that was the best display of counter-attacking by Manchester United since the days of Andrei Kanchelskis. The last 15 minutes or so were all City’s, though, and that’ll give United pause. This is far from over.

6.18pm GMT

45 min +2: Walker cuts one back from the touchline, to the right of goal. Fred slides in and blocks out for a corner. City want a penalty, but Fred’s arm wasn’t in an unnatural position, and neither referee nor VAR is interested. Pep is once again livid.

6.16pm GMT

45 min: De Bruyne crosses from the right. David Silva nearly bundles in at the far post, but can’t hook the ball goalwards, and De Gea was on point anyway.

6.15pm GMT

44 min: City are completely on top. United can’t get out, and after 30 minutes of freewheeling around like they own the place, will now be desperate to hear the half-time whistle. Strange old game.

6.13pm GMT

43 min: David Silva wafts a dismal effort towards the top right. It’s weak, and easy pickings for De Gea.

6.12pm GMT

42 min: City are beginning to ask some questions. They’ve spent 50 percent of the last ten minutes in United’s final third. Lingard knocks Rodri to the ground, and it’s another free kick in a dangerous position.

6.10pm GMT

40 min: Sterling glides in from the left and is clumsily brought down by Wan-Bissaka, just outside the box. De Bruyne takes the free kick, and lofts it uncharacteristically over the bar, never troubling De Gea.

6.08pm GMT

38 min: City carve out their first gilt-edged chance of the match. De Bruyne, just to the right of the D, pitching wedges a delightful cross towards Jesus, who dives to meet it with his head on the penalty spot. He should at least get his header on target, but it sails harmlessly wide left. What a ball by De Bruyne, though, and a reminder that, for all their early sass, United haven’t got the win locked down yet.

6.06pm GMT

36 min: James rolls a cross along the corridor of uncertainty from the right. Had Martial really stretched for that, he’d have poked home. But as it is, the ball sails off out of play on the left. Another huge chance for United, who are ripping City’s back line apart with ease. Will they live to rue all these missed opportunities?

6.05pm GMT

35 min: De Bruyne finds Walker with a lovely sliderule pass down the right wing. Walker fizzes a low cross into the box but there’s nobody in blue taking a chance, and it’s an easy claim for De Gea.

6.04pm GMT

34 min: A bit of space for David Silva, 30 yards from goal. He’s inexplicably allowed to make it to the edge of the box, where he lashes a shot goalwards. Fortunately for United, it’s straight at De Gea.

6.03pm GMT

33 min: Bernardo Silva cuts in from the right and has a dig from the edge of the box. His effort slaps McTominay in the chest. United clear. Sterling comes back at the visitors down the left, but he can’t get past Wan-Bissaka. Frowns on City faces right now.

6.02pm GMT

31 min: On the touchline, Pep Guardiola looks utterly stunned. And no wonder, his team are being ripped to shreds here. United could easily be five or six up! Higher up in the stand, a certain knight of the realm allows a warm smile of satisfaction to play across his face. And the United fans are extremely vocal in their support of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

6.00pm GMT

James and Martial combine at speed down the right. Martial spins on the edge of the area, just to the right of the D, and threads a shot into the bottom right, past the outstretched fingers of Ederson. To repeat: this is no more than United deserve. City need to wake up and quick.

5.58pm GMT

28 min: This is a quite sensational United performance. They look dangerous every time they cross the halfway line. City are a ragged rabble!

5.57pm GMT

27 min: United should be three or four goals up here. James makes good down the right and cuts back for Rashford, who tries to guide a curler into the top right. The ball clips the top of the bar with Ederson beaten all ends up.

5.56pm GMT

25 min: Martial is sent wheeching down the right. He knocks the ball towards Rashford, just inside the box, coming in from the left. Rashford has time to take a touch, but with Ederson off his line, attempts a first-touch curler around the keeper and into the bottom right. His effort is well wide.

5.55pm GMT

24 min: Guardiola has a full and frank exchange of views with the fourth official. Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva tries to repair the damage by dribbling down the right and entering the box. His shot is deflected out for a corner, from which nothing occurs.

5.53pm GMT

Rashford stutters, sends Ederson one way, then passes the ball into the bottom right. This goal had been coming. United deserve their lead.

5.52pm GMT

22 min: Bernardo Silva is also livid at the decision, and talks his way into the book.

5.51pm GMT

21 min: VAR intervenes, and it’s a penalty to United! Pep Guardiola is furious, but that was as clear a penalty as you’ll get. I have no idea why the referee said no in the first place.

5.51pm GMT

20 min: Rashford squeezes between Bernardo Silva and Stones, into the box down the inside left. He goes over. It looks like a penalty, Silva coming across Rashford, sticking out a leg, clipping his knee. But the referee’s not interested!

5.49pm GMT

18 min: Sterling wins a corner for City down the left. Nothing much happens, the ball sent sailing over everyone in the box. I suppose that qualifies as a lull, in the context of what’s gone before. This is non-stop fun.

5.47pm GMT

16 min: City are shipping a large number of good chances. James is sent scampering down the right by Rashford, and pulls back for Martial, who shoots towards the bottom right. Ederson saves well. He’s earned his money today already.

5.46pm GMT

14 min: United spring upfield from the Lindelof incident and nearly break clear. Fernandinho does well to intercept just as it looks like Martial will zip free down the right.

5.45pm GMT

13 min: Bernardo Silva is sprung down the inside right channel and cuts the ball back. There’s a scramble on the spot, Jesus sliding in, and the ball hits Lindelof’s arm. But the referee says it’s accidental, and VAR agrees. It looks like the correct decision, there was little Lindelof could do, the ball kicked up to his arm from close range as he challenged.

5.42pm GMT

11 min: “They will have to break out the oxygen tanks if this pace keeps up,” suggests Mary Waltz. “Electric.” It’s that, all right. City attempt to calm things down a little bit by passing and probing, probing and passing. They shift the ball this way and that, but United hold their shape and stay patient. Eventually the move peters out.

5.40pm GMT

9 min: This match is absurdly entertaining. Rashford slips a ball down the inside left for Lingard, who shoots at Ederson from a tight angle. Ederson kicks away brilliantly in the style popularised by the man between the sticks up the other end.

5.38pm GMT

8 min: Shaw swings a dangerous ball in from the left. Martial manages to handle with both hands in his attempt to chest down and turn on the penalty spot.

5.37pm GMT

7 min: More space for James down the right. His cutback flies behind Rashford and Martial. City counter, Sterling dribbling at great speed down the left and cutting back for David Silva, who squirts a low shot across the face of goal and wide right.

5.36pm GMT

6 min: Space for James out on the right. He chips a fine pass over the City back line in the hope of sending Martial clean through. Walker does exceptionally well to turn on the jets himself and get his body in between Martial and the ball. Danger over.

5.35pm GMT

4 min: David Silva nearly releases Sterling down the inside left. McTominay intercepts sensationally, springing up after sliding to trap, then hooking clear. City want a penalty but the ball hit the midfielder’s chest as he slid.

5.33pm GMT

3 min: City go straight up the other end and nearly score themselves, David Silva shooting from a tight angle on the left. His effort is blocked. This is very open. It certainly doesn’t look like a 0-0 in the making.

5.33pm GMT

2 min: But it’s United who have the first chance of the game, and they probably should have scored. Martial romps into City territory and then Fred slips James free on the right. James is in an absurd amount of space, but shoots straight at Ederson.

5.32pm GMT

1 min: A first touch for Harry Maguire, who having chosen red over blue this summer, gets pantomime pelters. And United struggle to get out of their final third in the opening exchanges, City stringing plenty of passes together as they briskly probe this way and that.

5.30pm GMT

A quick blast of Blue Moon ... and then we’re off! United get the ball rolling. “Call this a sheer gut shot, but I really like United’s chances in this match,” opines Hubert O’Hearn. “From a distance, I admire what Ole’s doing in building a squad with youth and I just think they’ll have a willingness to bleed on the pitch more than City who probably are more focused on Big Cup. I’m calling it 4-2 United. Onwards!”

5.28pm GMT

The teams are out! The greatest thing about derbies? Both sets of teams get to wear the colours that made them famous. You don’t need me to tell you, but just for the sake of completion: City are in sky blue, United in red. In the tunnel beforehand, David de Gea and David Silva enjoyed a nice friendly catch-up. All smiles. So much for the two teams being sworn enemies. A pow-wow that won’t shift the dial on the Roy Keane-o-meter very far. Anyway, there’s a derby-day atmosphere inside the Etihad, and it’ll only get louder when we kick off in a minute.

5.17pm GMT

Pep talks. “They have pace up front. So fast. They have a lot of quality, one against one. We know what they are going to try to do, so we have to try to control it. We will try to be clinical. It is special for our fans, but we have to be focused on what we are trying to do, we cannot be emotional. The battle will be with the players on the pitch, but of course our supporters will make it extra.”

5.08pm GMT

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer talks to Sky. “You want as many good players on the pitch as possible, especially when you play a fantastic team like Man City. We know we will have to play our best to have the chance of a result. Luke Shaw is ready. He’s trained really well, and hopefully we will see the best of him. We would like to keep the ball. If you let City have it too much, they can out-football any team, they can football you to death. We will have to be good in our pressing and our defensive shape, but we want to keep the ball as well. We want to attack quickly. We must be confident but also humble. We are playing a fantastic side on their own ground.”

4.55pm GMT

If the Manchester derby wasn’t big enough anyway, on its own merits, Liverpool have just won 3-0 at Bournemouth. The result puts them on 46 points, 11 clear of second-placed Leicester City, who go to midlands rivals Aston Villa tomorrow ... and 14 clear of defending champions Manchester City in third place. City need a result tonight. But then United have their own agenda, and three points would take them into fifth spot, a little closer to the Champions League places after Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat at Everton. Plenty up for grabs.

4.45pm GMT

A festive feel at the Etihad.
Blue Christmas, that’s the way you see it when you’re feeling blue
Blue Xmas, when you’re blue at Christmastime you see right through
All the waste, all the sham, all the haste
And plain old bad taste

4.34pm GMT

City make one change to the team that ran out easy winners at Burnley on Tuesday night. John Stones takes the place of Nicolas Otamendi.

United make two changes to the side who saw off Tottenham Hotspur and Jose Mourinho on Wednesday. Anthony Martial and Luke Shaw replace Mason Greenwood and Ashley Young.

4.32pm GMT

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Fernandinho, Jose Angelino, De Bruyne, Rodri, Silva, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus, Sterling.
Subs: Bravo, Gundogan, Mendy, Mahrez, Joao Cancelo, Otamendi, Foden.

Manchester United: de Gea, Wan Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, McTominay, Fred, James, Lingard, Rashford, Martial.
Subs: Mata, Andreas Pereira, Young, Romero, Greenwood, Tuanzebe, Williams.

12.51pm GMT

City have had the upper hand in the Manchester derby in recent years, there’s no denying it. They did the double over United in last year’s treble season. They’re on a current streak of three wins in a row at Old Trafford. They’ve recently dished out some memorable pastings: a 3-0, a 4-1, that 6-1. Tough times for United, traditionally the bosses of this rivalry, with 73 wins on the tally to City’s 53.

You’d expect title-chasing City to prevail again this evening. Especially as they’re coming off the back of that fine confidence-restoring performance at Burnley. United by comparison have only won nine of 22 matches in all competitions, and are still struggling for an identity under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on December 07, 2019 12:07

Everton 3-1 Chelsea: Premier League – as it happened

Duncan Ferguson’s first game in temporary charge ended with a morale-boosting win

2.50pm GMT

Andy Hunter was our man at the Goodison party. Here’s his report. Enjoy ... and thanks for reading this MBM.

2.49pm GMT

An unhappy Frank Lampard contemplates a third defeat in four matches. “We’ve given them three goals. When you give Everton a goal to hang onto, you give yourself a problem. The second and third goals were really poor. We have to do more than we did. Sometimes we matched them in workrate and intensity, but sometimes no. It’s going to be tough to come to Goodison and win like that. We can’t defend like that. If there’s ever a game that shows in one little package how far we still need to go, it’s that one.”

2.44pm GMT

Big Dunc, thrilled beyond words, speaks to BT Sport, and despite much prompting, declines the opportunity to put himself forward for the manager’s job on a full-time basis. “I’ve never felt anything like it in my life, the atmosphere was fantastic. We knew we had to sit tight and keep our shape, and play on the break. I thought our players were absolutely fantastic. What a fantastic result, eh? We really like Dominic Calvert-Lewin here, he’s always a threat. Richarlison as well. What a shift they put in. We’ll savour the moment, it’s three fantastic points. God almighty, I was kissing everybody! I’m here for Everton, I’m sure they’re out there looking for the right candidate, the best out there.”

2.33pm GMT

Outro music. “VAR is not my favourite thing either,” begins Peter Oh. “Here are a couple of additional lyrics I humbly submit for Mac Millings’ consideration:

Pause on the pitch while the clock keeps on ticking
Wait while the backroom refs do their mouse-clicking
Armpits, appendages, lines on the screen
These are among my least favourite things

2.31pm GMT

Chelsea dominated possession, but mistakes at the back were their undoing. Everton held firm under pressure, and took the chances that were gifted to them. A fighting performance, a deserved victory, and one that’s being celebrated to the Goodison rafters. Everton are up to 14th, at least for a couple of hours. Chelsea are stuck in fourth. Duncan Ferguson raises both arms in victory, and bumps fists with several delirious punters, before disappearing down the tunnel with a wide grin playing across his face. “Dunc’s come in, he knows this club, it’s in his heart,” says Theo Walcott. “The fans were fantastic. And this man here [two-goal hero Dominic Calvert-Lewin] was fantastic!” Calvert-Lewin adds: “Dunc has stuck by me, I’m happy to score the two goals, that was my way of trying to repay him.”

2.24pm GMT

And that’s it! Goodison roars with joy and relief as Everton pick up a crucial three points! They’re out of the relegation zone.

2.23pm GMT

90 min +6: Pulisic’s foul throw puts the tin lid on it for Chelsea.

2.23pm GMT

90 min +5: Kovacic and Batshuayi combine cutely down the right, but just as it looks as though Everton are opened up, the doors slam shut. A goal then would have made for an interesting final 90 seconds or so.

2.21pm GMT

90 min +3: Kovacic, who has been Chelsea’s best player today, shins the ball out of play under no pressure whatsoever. It’s been that sort of day for the visitors, basic mistakes obliterating quality.

2.20pm GMT

90 min +2: Hudson-Odio crosses from the right. Batshuayi can’t take the ball down from the sky. Pulisic snatches at a shot from the edge of the box. Chelsea don’t appear to have a dramatic comeback in them.

2.18pm GMT

90 min: There have been plenty of stoppages in this second half, so there will be six added minutes.

2.16pm GMT

89 min: Kovacic crosses deep from the right. Pulisic, coming in from the left, slaps a header straight at Pickford. He should have made the keeper work harder.

2.16pm GMT

87 min: Kepa was shaking his head in impotent anger after the third goal. He’s not happy with his team-mates. He’s got some nerve, given the hospital pass he gave Zouma, and the fact he was nutmegged by Calvert-Lewin.

2.14pm GMT

86 min: Walcott is forced to go off, having tweaked something while assisting in the third goal. He’s replaced by Bernard.

2.13pm GMT

85 min: Big Dunc hoisted another ballboy into the air while wheeling around in celebration. The feelgood factor has returned to Goodison Park!

2.12pm GMT

Another huge Chelsea cock-up at the back. Kepa plays a dismal pass towards Zouma. But not particularly near him. Walcott zips away with the ball down the right and feeds Calvert-Lewin, who shuttles the ball further infield for Davies. Davies can’t quite get a shot away, but the ball breaks to Calvert-Lewin, who pokes home through the hapless Kepa’s legs.

2.10pm GMT

82 min: And there’s more waiting around, as Digne finally succumbs to that groin strain. He limps off, and the old warhorse Leighton Baines comes on. Finally the corner’s taken ... and it really wasn’t worth waiting for.

2.09pm GMT

81 min: But before the corner can be taken, Batshuayi replaces James.

2.08pm GMT

80 min: Azpilicueta scampers into space down the left, found by a lovely Kovacic dink. He pulls back to Mount, whose snapshot is blocked by Holgate. Azpilicueta latches onto the rebound and sends a riser straight at Pickford from a tight angle. Pickford tips over.

2.07pm GMT

78 min: Christensen is afforded way too much time to shoot from 25 yards. He flashes a decent effort just wide of the bottom left, though Pickford had it covered. Goodison is a collective bag of nerves right now. Everton are so close to a precious three-point haul that would spring them clear of the relegation places.

2.05pm GMT

77 min: Digne whips in a cross from the left. Zouma clears. Calvert-Lewin has another go from the same flank. Too deep, and Walcott can’t recycle possession out on the other flank.

2.04pm GMT

75 min: Calvert-Lewin attempts to beat Kepa from the halfway line. Full marks for ambition, if nothing else. Meanwhile it looks as though Digne has run off his groin issue, while Abraham is up and about again too.

2.03pm GMT

74 min: Now Abraham is in the wars, having taken a whack while challenging Pickford and Keane for a long ball. He rolls off the pitch, clutching his back. The Chelsea doctors run onto the pitch to get to their man, attracting the ire of the Goodison faithful. Gotta love the festive panto.

2.01pm GMT

73 min: Digne looks to have picked up a strain while setting up that chance. He limps off holding his groin. But he limps back on, determined to run it off.

2.00pm GMT

72 min: Davies nearly makes an instant impact, but can’t quite get on the end of a Digne left-wing cross. He launches into a diving header, but doesn’t connect at all.

1.59pm GMT

71 min: Chelsea make their first change, too. Callum Hudson-Odoi comes on for Willian.

1.58pm GMT

70 min: Pulisic is stripped of possession by Sidibe, who then executes a perfect triple salchow to purchase a cheap free-kick. The board goes up. A row of 6.0s? Nope, it’s a substitution. Richarlison off, Tom Davies on.

1.56pm GMT

68 min: Zouma flicks Richarlison to the ground, and it’s a free kick out on the right. Schneiderlin lumps it in. Keane wins a header but sends the ball nowhere in particular. Chelsea clear their lines.

1.54pm GMT

66 min: Mount, Willian and Abraham link up on the edge of the Everton box, but can’t quite get a shot away. Chelsea are knocking at the door.

1.53pm GMT

64 min: Nearly a picture-book goal. Kovacic floats a pass down the inside-left channel. Kante, breaking into the box, cushions it down for Mount, who attempts to send a curler from the left of the D into the top right. He gets the swerve all wrong, sending it bending wide right. A shame, because that would have been a very pretty goal.

1.51pm GMT

63 min: Kovacic is permitted to dance his way down the inside-right channel. As he reaches the edge of the box, he launches a shot towards the top right. It’s wide and high, but not by great margins. Pickford probably had it covered, mind you.

1.50pm GMT

62 min: Chelsea waste the free kick. Walcott zips off up the other end, but disappears down a cul-de-sac. It’s a very open end-to-end match now. Great fun.

1.49pm GMT

61 min: Mount and Pulisic combine well down the left and nearly open Everton up. Keane stands firm. Chelsea switch wings, and Iwobi barges James to the ground. Clumsy and unnecessary. This is a free kick in a very dangerous position.

1.47pm GMT

59 min: Walcott scampers into acres of space down the right. He really should feed Richarlison on the penalty spot, but takes the shot on himself. Kepa refuses to be beaten at his near post, and parries well. More poor decision-making from Walcott.

1.46pm GMT

58 min: Willian grafts down the right and earns a corner off Digne. He takes it himself. Zouma wins a header but can’t guide it towards the goal. Eventually the flag goes up for offside. A real sense that the scoring is far from over, though.

1.44pm GMT

56 min: Sidibe steals the ball from Kovacic, out on the Everton right, and makes his way into the box. He feeds Calvert-Lewin, who can’t sort his feet out for a shot. The ball breaks to Schneiderlin, who tries a curler towards the top left. Miles off target.

1.43pm GMT

54 min: Both of those goals were pored over by VAR, for absolutely no reason whatsoever. There goes the atmosphere, the thrill of celebrating a goal. It’s not too late to unplug the box and take it back to the shop, you know. We can forget it ever happened.

1.41pm GMT

It was nearly 3-0; it’s now 2-1! Azpilicueta crosses from the left. Digne half clears. Kovacic, to the left of the D, meets the clearance with the inside of his right boot, steering a stunning first-time shot into the bottom left. What a strike!

1.39pm GMT

51 min: Richarlison shoots from a tight angle on the left. Kepa does very well to keep hold of the shot.

1.39pm GMT

50 min: Fine opportunism from Calvert-Lewin there. Utterly dreadful defending by Zouma. On the touchline, Big Dunc picks up the nearest ballboy and hugs the little lad with unbridled glee! Everyone loves ballboys these days, Jose Mourinho’s really started something.

1.37pm GMT

A dreadful shank on the edge of the Chelsea box by Zouma. The ball flies straight up in the air. Neither Zouma nor Christensen can deal with it when it falls. Calvert-Lewin nips in between them, turns and slips the ball past Kepa and into the bottom left!

1.35pm GMT

47 min: Sigurdsson sends the ball into the Chelsea box. Calvert-

Lawton
Lewin rises highest and powers a header over the crossbar.

1.34pm GMT

46 min: Calvert-Lewin is clattered from behind by Zouma, as the two challenge for a high ball, and this is a free kick out on the right, a chance to load the box.

1.33pm GMT

Everton get the second half underway. No half-time changes by either side. “Has Tommy Lawton been reincarnated as a feisty Brazilian?” wonders Roy Allen. “Richarlison’s recent headers suggest it’s possible. Maybe.”

1.19pm GMT

Half-time entertainment. Other bluenoses are available.

1.17pm GMT

Nothing comes of the corner, and there’s that whistle. Chelsea have dominated possession, but Everton have the lead, and Big Dunc walks off down the tunnel looking fairly content. Frank Lampard not so much.

1.16pm GMT

45 min +1: In the first of two additional minutes, Walcott wins Everton’s first corner of the afternoon, out on the right. They take their sweet time over it. Having been under the cosh during the last ten minutes or so, they’ll be wanting to hear the half-time whistle.

1.15pm GMT

45 min: Digne’s undercoooked backpass nearly puts Everton in a world of pain, but Pickford races from his area to blooter clear with Abraham lurking.

1.13pm GMT

43 min: Mount takes the resulting free kick and hoicks the ball into a loaded box from the left. Schneiderlin does well to clear. Chelsea come straight back at Everton, Abraham and Willian combining down the inside-left channel and nearly working a shooting chance. But Everton swarm the pair and the ball clanks out for a goal kick.

1.12pm GMT

42 min: Chelsea press Everton back. Some pretty passing. The hosts get frustrated, and Richarlison snaps into a challenge, sliding into the back of Kovacic. He goes in the book.

1.10pm GMT

40 min: Pulisic reaches the byline on the left, and looks for Willian, six yards out. Sidibe does extremely well to ensure Willian isn’t teed up for a tap-in. Everton clear their lines.

1.09pm GMT

39 min: Walcott considers volleying a ball that’s dropping inside the Chelsea box. He changes his mind last minute, tries to round Azpilicueta, and runs the ball out of play for a goal kick. Not a masterclass in decision-making.

1.08pm GMT

37 min: Pulisic feeds Mount down the left. Mount can’t get a proper shot away, Holgate sliding in to block. It’s good end-to-end fun, this.

1.07pm GMT

36 min: A loose ball ricochets into Walcott’s path, down the inside-right channel. Walcott shoots, but his effort is easily blocked by Azpilicueta. A poor effort.

1.05pm GMT

35 min: Pulisic swings a ball into the Everton area from the left. Abraham can’t get enough purchase on his header, and Pickford plucks from the sky. He then creams a clearance down the left, nearly releasing Iwobi into acres of space. It doesn’t quite come off, but full marks for quick thinking.

1.04pm GMT

34 min: Boos ring around Goodison as former favourite Ross Barkley warms up on the touchline. It is panto season, after all.

1.03pm GMT

33 min: Chelsea should be level. Mount drops a shoulder to make a bit of space on the left. He curls a low ball through the six-yard box. Abraham slides in late, and can’t get a toe on the ball to poke home.

1.02pm GMT

32 min: More space for Willian down the right. He cuts the ball back for Abraham, but the pass is behind his team-mate and Everton can clear. Just as well, really, because the move started from a free kick awarded when Mount tripped over his own feet. Everton would have been within their rights to have a good old moan. But all’s fine.

1.00pm GMT

30 min: Willian dribbles powerfully out of the Chelsea box, threatening to launch a counter. Digne hauls him down cynically, and he’s in the book. He can have no complaints.

12.58pm GMT

28 min: A lull. It’s been a breezy match so far, though.

12.57pm GMT

26 min: The corner. Kovacic loops the ball into the box from the left. James attempts a fancy backheel, but the ball balloons high and wide right. Chelsea come again immediately, Willian diddling Digne down the right and whipping a low cross towards Abraham at the near post. The striker can only feather the ball across the face of goal, and Everton breathe again.

12.55pm GMT

25 min: Pulisic drives down the left and wins a corner off Keane. Before the set piece can be taken, Richarlison goes down, rubbing that sore shin. He grimaces hard. But the physio gives the bench the thumbs up, so looks like the goalscorer will be fine to continue.

12.53pm GMT

23 min: Zouma and Kovacic faff around at the back, nearly letting Richarlison in on goal. They just about get away with it. Everton’s pressing has been very effective so far.

12.51pm GMT

21 min: Mount threatens to break into the Everton box on the right. Richarlison stops his gallop with a firm challenge, but hurts himself in doing so. He’s up and about soon enough, but that looked a painful whack on the shin. “Because of (and despite) Everton’s scattergun supermarket-sweep player purchase policy, they do have some fine footballers,” suggests Matt Dony. “Clearly, they have been underperforming. I would suggest that a pretty sure fire way to guarantee players put in more effort is to stick Big Dunc in charge. I know I’d certainly try hard to keep on his good side.”

12.50pm GMT

19 min: Keane makes a royal hash of a clearance, gifting possession to Abraham, who exchanges passes with Willian. Chelsea should score, they’ve got a two on one, but Abraham and Willian overthink it, make way too many passes, and the chance to get a shot away is gone. A mess all round.

12.47pm GMT

17 min: Calvert-Lewin stands on Mount’s foot. He’s fortunate to escape a booking, though in fairness there aren’t too many Chelsea complaints.

12.47pm GMT

16 min: Everton open Chelsea up down the right again, Walcott slipping a pass down the channel for Calvert-Lewin. Simple as that. The striker strides into the box and smashes a shot straight at Kepa. A real chance to double Everton’s lead spurned.

12.44pm GMT

14 min: Mount earns Chelsea’s first corner of the afternoon, off Iwobi down the right. Willian takes. It’s easily cleared by Calvert-Lewin. Pickford hasn’t had a thing to do yet.

12.43pm GMT

13 min: Abraham flips a cute reverse pass down the inside left for Mount, who topples over. Mount wants a penalty, but the clip from Sidibe was minimal and outside the box anyway. The ref’s not interested.

12.41pm GMT

11 min: Azpilicueta clips Walcott out on the Everton right. The hosts load the box. Schneiderlin hoicks it into the mixer. Chelsea struggle to clear as the ball pings this way and that. Walcott takes up possession out on the right, and curls it low and hard towards the far post. Richarlison slides in, but can’t connect. Goal kick, but this is impressive stuff from Everton.

12.39pm GMT

9 min: Chelsea suddenly don’t look quite so confident. Everton are pressing them hard, and the home fans are enjoying themselves greatly. “Poor stuff from Big Dunc,” tut-tuts Gary Naylor. “He really should have had the shirt off and whirling around his head.”

12.38pm GMT

7 min: What a strange start to the match. Chelsea had looked assured and confident, Everton nervous and shaky. But that was a lovely flowing move upfield to shock Chelsea, Sigurdsson and Calvert-Lewin also involved. Goodison fair erupted when Richarlison scored. Big Dunc would have been proud to score that header himself.

12.36pm GMT

So having said that, the hosts take an early lead! Richarlison slips a pass wide right for Sidibe, who curls a glorious cross back into the middle. Richarlison had kept going, rises high, and plants a header to the left of Kepa and into the net! Duncan Ferguson races down the touchline with great feeling. What a start to the big man’s caretaker reign!

12.34pm GMT

4 min: Space for Willian down the right. He tees up James, who whips to the far post, hoping to find the head of Abraham. Not quite; the ball flies out for another goal kick. But this is a lively start by Chelsea.

12.33pm GMT

2 min: Christensen sprays a lovely pass wide left for Azpilicueta. Where’s Sidibe? Who knows. After his first-half horror show at Anfield, that’s a worrying early sign. Fortunately for Everton, the Chelsea captain rolls a poor pass, intended for Pulisic, out of play for a goal kick.

12.31pm GMT

It’s fourth versus 18th, and Chelsea get the ball rolling. A bit of early to and fro in the middle of the park.

12.29pm GMT

The teams are out! The Theme from Z-Cars blares out of the Goodison speakers, and there’s a cracking atmosphere at the old place. “When Evertonians have their blood up, there’s no better place to play football,” Duncan Ferguson says in his programme notes. A huge reception for the big man as he arrives fashionably late. We’ll be off in a minute.

12.20pm GMT

On the subject of Christmas ... our old pal Mac Millings really has excelled himself here.

You know Basham and Ansu
And Draxler, Eriksen
Coman and Kewell
Maradona, Lee Dixon
But Stuart McCall the most famous reindeer Fitz Hall?

Mou-dolph and Harry Kanedeer
Had a Dele Alli, Rose
Kanté, Firmino, Sané
Hughes, Wijnaldum, Salah (Mo)

12.11pm GMT

And now here’s Frank. “It’s a potentially more dangerous game for us. Whenever there’s a change there is often a bounce back. Factor in a club legend like Duncan Ferguson, and the way he played the game, I expect them to have a real go. It could be a tough match for us. We need to counter that with how we play, our aggression. We were really good against Villa, so I’ve given the players another chance to go, and expect more of the same from us.”

12.08pm GMT

A brief word with Big Dunc. “We’re going to be positive. Make sure everyone’s got a smile on their face. We’ve picked them up.” He’s suited and booted, so Paul Scholes will be happy.

12.00pm GMT

Blue Xmas. A couple of reminders that Christmas is coming. Here’s a chap in a bonny sweater ...

11.55am GMT

Everton will wear their famous blue shirts ...

11.36am GMT

Duncan Ferguson makes two changes to the Everton team battered at Anfield on Wednesday night. Theo Walcott and Morgan Schneiderlin come in for the injured Yerry Mina and the stood-down Tom Davies.

Chelsea are very much in if-it-ain’t-broke territory. Having beaten Aston Villa midweek, Frank Lampard names the same starting XI. Ross Barkley is back on the bench, though, just in time to revisit his alma mater.

11.32am GMT

Everton: Pickford, Sidibe, Holgate, Keane, Digne, Walcott, Schneiderlin, Sigurdsson, Iwobi, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin.
Subs: Baines, Tosun, Bernard, Stekelenburg, Davies, Kean, Niasse.

Chelsea: Arrizabalaga, James, Christensen, Zouma, Azpilicueta, Kante, Kovacic, Willian, Mount, Pulisic, Abraham.
Subs: Jorginho, Barkley, Caballero, Hudson-Odoi, Batshuayi, Tomori, Emerson Palmieri.

11.10am GMT

The post-Marco Silva era begins here. This week, Everton became the second big club in 12 months, after Manchester United, to jib off their manager in the immediate wake of Xherdan Shaqiri running rings around them. Oh Powercube! How could you. Anyway, Duncan Ferguson takes temporary control of the Toffees today, as Everton begin their desperate search for a result that would take this grand old institution, last relegated in 1951, out of the drop zone.

They’ll not be particularly pleased to welcome Chelsea this lunchtime, as the recent head-to-heads aren’t great. True, they did win this fixture 2-0 towards the end of last season, Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson scoring the goals. But that was against a Chelsea side in a hot funk during the dying days of the brief Maurizio Sarri regime. Before that, there were a couple of goalless draws. And before those, Chelsea won four in a row to the aggregate score of 12-1.

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on December 07, 2019 06:50

December 4, 2019

Liverpool 5-2 Everton: Premier League – as it happened

Divock Origi was Liverpool’s two-goal hero as Jurgen Klopp rang the changes to great effect in the Merseyside derby.

10.32pm GMT

A great night for Jurgen Klopp, then, as his surprise selections Divock Origi, Xherdan Shaqiri and Adam Lallana all performed excellently. Not such a good one for Marco Silva, who is under serious pressure now with his side in the relegation zone. “It was a tough night for us,” he says. “We cannot concede goals like we did at this level. We were not good enough.” Andy Hunter was at Anfield to witness a memorable Mersey derby. Here’s his report. Click and enjoy, and thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!

10.12pm GMT

As Anfield celebrates, Divock Origi speaks. “It’s a special game, and as a team we enjoyed it. We showed that we really enjoy to play for Liverpool. The manager showed us trust, and so it was important to get the three points. I think my first goal was important to break the game open, but the second one, technically, I enjoyed that one! We used the space well. We had wonderful service. We have a great team, and we have to be at our best. We try to push each other and enjoy. I’m grateful to be here.”

10.09pm GMT

A rollercoaster ride comes to an end. Liverpool remain eight points clear of second-placed Leicester City, while Everton slip into the relegation zone. Marco Silva warmly hugs Jurgen Klopp on the touchline. Is that his last act as manager at Goodison?

10.07pm GMT

90 min +2: Liverpool stroke it around as their fans question Everton’s 2020-21 status in song form.

10.07pm GMT

90 min +1: There will be three added minutes. This match can’t end soon enough for Marco Silva and Everton.

10.06pm GMT

Firmino, out on the left, turns Holgate inside out with a cute drop of the shoulder and a shuffle of the feet. He reaches the byline and pulls the ball back for Wijnaldum, who opens his body and sidefoots across Pickford and into the bottom right.

10.04pm GMT

88 min: A high ball falls towards Pickford on the edge of the box. It’s panto season, so Liverpool’s fans holler as it drops. Pickford, perhaps mindful of what happened at the Kop end last year, does extremely well to claim under pressure.

10.03pm GMT

87 min: Anfield is racked with collective tension. A goal for Everton now would really put the cat among the pigeons. Richarlison competes for a high ball in the Liverpool box, but is penalised for an overly aggressive nudge on Van Dijk.

10.02pm GMT

85 min: Nothing comes of the set piece. Liverpool go up the other end, Shaqiri releasing Mane. He rounds Pickford, but just as he’s preparing to roll home, he’s nudged in the back by Holgate, who nicks the ball away. What a chance spurned! Should it have been a penalty? It would have been a harsh decision. And then, immediately afterwards, Kean is sent clear down the middle! He must score, but slams his shot wide left from the edge of the box. It could have been 5-2, it could have been 4-3. This has been a very odd game.

10.00pm GMT

84 min: Henderson clanks into Sigurdsson and that’s a free kick 40 yards out. Before it’s taken, Joe Gomez comes on for Trent Alexander-Arnold. Everton load the box and Wijnaldum slices out for a corner.

9.58pm GMT

83 min: This is better, though. Digne bursts into space down the left and stands one up to the far post. There’s nobody in blue taking a chance, and Robertson can clear easily.

9.58pm GMT

82 min: Everton stroke it around the back for a bit, a state of affairs Liverpool are quite happy with. They’re going nowhere.

9.57pm GMT

80 min: Mane should have wrapped this match up, with a pretty bow. Henderson plays long for Mane, who takes the ball down on the edge of the D. Wijnaldum gets in his way a little, but even so, Mane should tuck the ball away. Instead he shoots inches wide of the bottom right. Will Liverpool live to regret that miss? There’s still time for Everton to get back into the game. A goal for the visitors and Anfield will get extremely nervous.

9.55pm GMT

79 min: Digne throws in from the left. Lovren goes up with Kean, who goes over, but it’s not a penalty. Everton keep pressing, though, Richarlison winning a corner out on the right. The set piece is a bit of a non-event.

9.53pm GMT

78 min: Shaqiri whips it in. Wijnaldum heads harmlessly into the Kop while looking for the top left.

9.52pm GMT

77 min: A couple of nice flicks by Shaqiri, then Mane bursts down the left. He’s blocked unfairly by Schneiderlin, and this is a free kick out on the wing, a chance to load the box.

9.51pm GMT

75 min: The match has started to drift. To be fair, the punters have already got good bang for their buck. “Living in deep, dark West Wales, my internet connection is exactly as good as you imagine it to be,” writes Amazon Prime customer Matt Dony. “It’s been nice to see what it would have been like to watch a live match through a ZX Spectrum.”

9.49pm GMT

73 min: Everton make their last change, replacing Tom Davies with Morgan Schneiderlin. Liverpool respond with a double swap of their own, sending on Jordan Henderson and Roberto Firmino in place of Adam Lallana and Divock Origi, the latter getting a particularly warm ovation for his evening’s work.

9.48pm GMT

71 min: Robertson fizzes a very inviting pass through the Everton box from the left. There’s nobody there to tap in. Had someone in red taken a gamble, Liverpool would have restored their three-goal lead.

9.45pm GMT

69 min: Shaqiri loops a pass down the inside left and nearly releases Mane, who is forced to check under pressure from Keane. Mane waits for the ball to drop so he can have a bash at goal from the edge of the box ... but it never does, not in an inviting way, anyway. Keane eases him out of the road.

9.42pm GMT

67 min: Davies slides in late on Alexander-Arnold, and is booked for his trouble.

9.40pm GMT

65 min: Davies has a lash from distance. Adrian is behind it all the way.

9.39pm GMT

63 min: All very scrappy, all of a sudden. Alexander-Arnold sticks out an arm in the middle of a melee. A deliberate handball? Not according to the referee. He’d have been walking if the decision went the other way.

9.36pm GMT

61 min: Moise Kean comes on for Dominic Calvert-Lewin. His very first act is to win a corner down the right. Sigurdsson takes, and Richarlison slaps a header straight at Adrian. A great chance. Either side of the keeper, and Everton would be right back in this.

9.35pm GMT

59 min: Alexander-Arnold goes tearing down the right. His cross is headed out weakly by Keane. Milner chests down and thinks about shooting. Instead he slips a ball down the right channel for Lallana, who spins, shoots over, and was offside anyway.

9.33pm GMT

57 min: Mane is bowled over in midfield by Keane and Davies. Keane is fairly fortunate not to see yellow for blootering the ball away in frustration. The resulting free kick, by Alexander-Arnold, sails harmlessly into the Kop.

9.32pm GMT

56 min: Origi makes good down the right and finds himself hauled down by Mina. A free kick just to the side of the box, near the byline. Shaqiri whips it in, but the referee blows up for an Everton free kick, the result of some pushing and shoving.

9.30pm GMT

55 min: Another corner for Liverpool out on the right. Alexander-Arnold takes this one, and it’s easily dealt with by the Everton defence. A fair chance the goal tally in this game won’t end at six.

9.30pm GMT

54 min: One corner leads to another. Shaqiri’s second effort is flicked across the face of goal, but Holgate is on point at the far post to clear with Origi and Wijnaldum lurking.

9.28pm GMT

53 min: Origi spins just inside the Everton box and shoots. It’s blocked instantly. The ball breaks to Milner who has another crack. This one’s deflected out to the right of goal for a corner. Shaqiri will take it, and send the ball into a crowded six-yard box.

9.27pm GMT

52 min: Digne takes a good but not great free kick. It’s aimed towards the top right, but always a little high and wide. An interesting stat here: Everton have had nine attempts to Liverpool’s five.

9.27pm GMT

51 min: Robertson’s poor clearing header causes Van Dijk to uncharacteristically panic, needlessly knocking Calvert-Lewin to the ground under a high ball. A free kick just to the right of the D. A dangerous position. If Everton score the next goal, this really is game on.

9.25pm GMT

49 min: Iwobi and Sigurdsson combine well down the right. The ball’s hooked in for Richarlison, who can’t connect properly, and sends a header sailing harmlessly into the arms of Adrian. Anfield still nervous, bordering on silent.

9.22pm GMT

47 min: Anfield is a fairly pensive place at the moment. You wouldn’t know we were in the middle of a six-goal thriller. Or maybe that’s exactly why everyone’s so tense. Van Dijk doesn’t help matters by spraying a simple pass out of play on the left.

9.20pm GMT

Deep breath, then, because here we go again! Everton get the ball rolling again. Liverpool are kicking towards the Kop.

9.09pm GMT

Half-time entertainment. Like you weren’t already excited enough.

9.06pm GMT

Marco Silva goes off down the tunnel in a fury, waving his arms this way and that. Jurgen Klopp isn’t too happy either. On the balance of play, his side should be home and hosed already ... but this isn’t over by a long chalk. Not if those wild and wonderful 48 minutes were anything to go by!

9.05pm GMT

This is absurd! Bernard is fed down the left. He crosses towards Richarlison, who sends a diving header into the bottom right! Actually on second glance, it’s come off his shoulder, not that he cares too much. Everton are still in this! Just about.

9.03pm GMT

45 min +1: There will be three added minutes. Everton are desperate to hear the half-time whistle. The small margins, though. Had Lovren not slid in to feather that cross away from Calvert-Lewin, it’d be 3-2 and game on. As it is, Everton are in all sorts of bother now.

9.03pm GMT

Van Dijk heads the resulting corner clear. Mane scampers up the left, and sends Alexander-Arnold away down the wing. Liverpool are two on one, with Shaqiri free on the right. Alexander-Arnold bides his time, and eventually slips the ball right, not to Shaqiri, but to Mane, who had kept running. It’s a perfectly weighted pass, begging to be hit, and Mane sidefoots it into the bottom left from the edge of the box.

9.01pm GMT

44 min: Richarlison bustles into the Liverpool box on the right, and whips a lovely ball across the face of goal. Calvert-Lewin is waiting to run the ball home, but Lovren sticks out a leg to divert the ball away for a corner. A goal-saving intervention.

9.00pm GMT

43 min: Van Dijk looks long for Mane down the right, but there’s way too much juice on the ball, and it sails through to Pickford. Everton go up the other end, Bernard nearly sending Davies into the box with a cute flick down the left, but Alexander-Arnold toes the ball away just in time.

8.58pm GMT

41 min: Calvert-Lewin chases a lost cause down the right. Robertson clumsily barges him in the back, and this is a free kick just outside the box, right on the byline. A very dangerous position. Sigurdsson takes, and finds the head of Keane, six yards out, but the defender can’t guide home this time.

8.56pm GMT

40 min: Richarlison spins down the inside-left channel and slips a pass inside for Iwobi, who has a chance to shoot from the edge of the D. Iwobi hooks a strange effort wide left and high. Adrian had nothing to do.

8.55pm GMT

38 min: Wijnaldum juggles the ball down the right, setting Shaqiri off into space. Shaqiri plays Mane in on the overlap. Mane crosses low, forcing Pickford to parry away from goal and into the heart of the area. Fortunately the ball falls to a blue shirt and Everton can clear their lines. But that was risky.

8.53pm GMT

36 min: Everton’s heads have momentarily gone. They are all over the shop at the back. Milner floats a ball in from the left for Shaqiri, who is outjumped by Keane. Corner ... from which nothing happens.

8.52pm GMT

35 min: Everton make a tactical change. Djibril Sidibe is hooked, with Bernard coming on. Everton will play four at the back, with Mason Holgate taking the departed Sidibe’s slot out on the right.

8.50pm GMT

33 min: Keane clatters into Mane in the midfield. No yellow.

8.49pm GMT

This one came out of nowhere. Lovren pings a long pass down the middle. Origi takes it out of the sky with his right peg, then opens his body to sidefoot a lob past Pickford and into the net! Shades of Luis Suarez versus Newcastle. What a touch to kill that long ball!

8.47pm GMT

30 min: It’s getting a bit dirty. Richarlison is late on Shaqiri, studding his left ankle. He sees yellow. Like Alexander-Arnold before him, it could easily have been a red.

8.46pm GMT

29 min: Now Liverpool want a penalty, as Mane tumbles while chasing a pass down the inside-left channel. They’re not getting one. He clattered into Sidibe, but the defender took the ball cleanly, face on.

8.45pm GMT

27 min: Alexander-Arnold is booked, quite correctly, for a late stamp on Digne’s foot. Another referee might have brandished red. Liverpool’s young full-back needs to calm down quickly, or he’ll be the latest in a long line of players to take an early bath in this fixture.

8.43pm GMT

26 min: No penalty. Probably the correct decision, there didn’t seem much contact from behind. Either way, VAR isn’t interested.

8.43pm GMT

25 min: Liverpool play a high line. Iwobi busts it open with a pass down the right, releasing Calvert-Lewin on goal! The air is sucked out of Anfield. An equaliser looks on the cards ... until Calvert-Lewin falls just inside the box, Van Dijk pressurising him from behind. The ball squirts wide right of goal. Everton want a penalty. And there’s going to be a VAR check.

8.41pm GMT

23 min: Richarlison isn’t particularly happy as Alexander-Arnold lands on his leg, studs first. It looked like an accident, though Richarlison clearly doesn’t think it was. The referee gets in between the pair and calms everything down.

8.40pm GMT

22 min: That was very scrappy from Liverpool’s point of view. On the touchline, Jurgen Klopp looks furious. As he fumes, Lallana is stripped of possession while faffing about. Iwobi can’t quite feed Richarlison down the inside-right channel. Had he got the pass right, he’d have freed his team-mate into the box. Anfield is suddenly a very tense place.

8.38pm GMT

Everton work a short corner back up the right flank. Iwobi suddenly cruises into the area down the channel and feeds Keane, who breaks through a poor Lovren challenge and lifts the ball over Adrian and into the net. Game back on!

8.37pm GMT

20 min: A free kick for Everton out on the left. Digne’s delivery is no good, but Robertson slashes at a clearance wildly, and shanks the ball out for a corner on the right. From which ...

8.36pm GMT

19 min: Klopp’s team selection, eh. Everton try to bounce back quickly, winning a corner out on the left. Mina heads it well over the bar.

8.35pm GMT

Another stunner! Alexander-Arnold, deep on the right, sprays a widescreen pass to Mane out on the left. Mane drifts infield and slips a ball down the inside-left channel. Shaqiri, barrelling in, sticks out a leg and delicately guides the ball past the outrushing Pickford and into the empty net. What a goal that was.

8.33pm GMT

16 min: Robertson clips Davies from behind, then falls on his back. Davies isn’t happy at all, and springs up with a view to throwing hands. Robertson smiles malevolently, not wholly unlike the bit in Trainspotting where Renton gets whacked by a car and then grins at the driver through the windscreen.

8.31pm GMT

14 min: Lallana has a dig from 25 yards. His shot is wide left, and he’d used his arm while chesting the ball down anyway. Free kick.

8.30pm GMT

13 min: Everton are asking a couple of questions, though. Another game of bagatelle in the Liverpool box ends with Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin kind of getting in each other’s way, when a shot from 12 yards looked on. Eventually the ball’s shanked wide right. They too should have done much better. This is a nice, open, free-flowing match.

8.29pm GMT

11 min: Mane is sent clear down the inside left by another raking Van Dijk pass. He should at least get a shot on target, but checks back and shifts inside in order to get a better angle. He allows Mina to get back to block. Should have done much better.

8.27pm GMT

10 min: Iwobi strips Robertson of possession and drives down the inside-right channel. It’s a promising attack, but Milner comes from behind and a superb textbook sliding tackle stops Iwobi in his tracks.

8.26pm GMT

9 min: Lallana spins up and down the left touchline, nearly getting the better of Sidibe ... but not quite. Liverpool are looking sprightly, energised by that early boost.

8.24pm GMT

8 min: Keane flings a ball into the Liverpool area from the left. Adrian claims, then gets into a spat with Calvert-Lewin. Two grown men, and all. Van Dijk breaks it up with a smile.

8.24pm GMT

Last season’s hero is at it again! There’s a little bit of pinball in the Liverpool box, started by Richarlison. Robertson clears. Mane picks up possession out on the left, then plays one of the passes of the season, curling a perfectly weighted one to the feet of Origi, who doesn’t have to break stride to collect the ball and round Pickford in one smooth movement, before rolling into the net. That was a delight.

8.22pm GMT

5 min: Iwobi sends Calvert-Lewin scampering down the right wing, but the striker looked offside and the whistle goes anyway. Turns out Iwobi handled while chesting down.

8.21pm GMT

4 min: A scrappy passage of play in the middle of the park. Everton will be happy enough, especially as its quietened the home faithful a tad.

8.20pm GMT

2 min: Mane and Mina clashed heads when the Liverpool man headed over. Trainers on to look at them both. They’re good to go again. The Amazon picture shifts out of focus, art imitating real life.

8.18pm GMT

1 min: Origi has an early dribble into the Everton box, but it’s a dead end. Everton clear. Liverpool come straight back at them, Robertson tearing down the left after a long Van Dijk pass. He crosses for Mane, who heads over from 12 yards.

8.17pm GMT

And we’re off! Liverpool get the ball rolling, defending the Kop end in the first half, which is how they like it.

8.16pm GMT

Here come the teams! Some breaking news, and a Guardian world exclusive: Liverpool will play in red while Everton sport blue. Here’s another thing you don’t need me to tell you: there’s a cracking atmosphere in Anfield ahead of the Merseyside derby. You Never Walk Alone gets a belt out, while the Everton end sing in defiance. And finally all four corners of the ground give a round of applause for the continued bravery of the Hillsborough families. Justice for the 96. We’ll be off in a minute or two.

8.02pm GMT

Marco Silva talks! “It is a tough match. It is a special game for both teams and for the city. We should forget their position in the table and the record in the last 20 years; it is an opportunity. Just because they have changed players, they have not changed their DNA and will be a strong team for sure. I see a really strong side to play against. It is important we keep the good things we did against Leicester. Some of the other things we should improve, the way we managed the game. It is a challenge. I would like to see the same Everton I saw here last season.”

7.58pm GMT

Some pre-match jitters in the LFC fanbase. “The film critic Pauline Kael said that Brian de Palma films were so tense you wanted someone to hurry up and get killed so you could have a breather,” writes Ian Copestake. “I find myself almost feeling the same about the agonies one goes through watching Liverpool remain unbeaten. But please, not now! Not to them!”

Anthony O Connell adds: “That team Klopp has picked tonight is worrying. Very, very worrying. Lallana in central mid, too light. Origi a great sub, not a great starter.”

7.50pm GMT

Jurgen Klopp talks to Amazon Prime. “One change I had to make, the other four we wanted to. We did it because we can do it. I have said a lot of times we have the squad. It will be intense. It’s a very important game for both sides, but you try to fight as hard as you can for the three points. It’s all clear, it’s a very difficult game, I don’t care about the stats and history. It is nothing we think about.” He also praises Everton, their fans and representatives for their support over Hillsborough during recent trying times. “The people in the city stand together, we are 100 percent united.”

7.43pm GMT

Don’t forget, there are five other Premier League games taking place tonight. They’ve already kicked off. Simon Burnton has your back.

7.28pm GMT

Adrian talks to Amazon Prime. “It is my first derby with Liverpool. I hope we have a great night. I am really happy to be back, it is an opportunity for me, and I’ll try to give my best. We need some fresh legs as we have many games in front of us, a heavy schedule. We have quality enough to play any game with any kind of player, we have a big squad.”

Alex Iwobi’s making his first appearance in a Merseyside derby too, and he’s also been chatting to the new broadcaster on the scene. “I’m excited. I’m no stranger to a derby as I’m used to one in north London. We did very well at Leicester, there’s a lot of positives to take and bring into this game. The pressure’s on all of us, but that’s why we are professionals and we’ll do our best. We’re not afraid, we go out there to battle and do our best. If we get a result it’ll turn our season around.”

7.22pm GMT

Liverpool make five changes to the XI sent out against Brighton last Saturday. James Milner and Adam Lallana replace Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield. Adrian deputises for the suspended Alisson in goal. And up front, a couple of big and perhaps surprising calls, as Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi allow Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah to put their feet up on the bench. It’s the Powercube’s first start in the Premier League since January.

Everton name the same XI so unlucky to lose at Leicester. Another 5-4-1 it is, then.

7.19pm GMT

Liverpool: Adrian, Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, van Dijk, Robertson, Wijnaldum, Lallana, Milner, Shaqiri, Mane, Origi.
Subs: Keita, Firmino, Salah, Gomez, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Kelleher.

Everton: Pickford, Sidibe, Holgate, Mina, Keane, Digne, Iwobi, Davies, Sigurdsson, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin.
Subs: Baines, Walcott, Tosun, Schneiderlin, Bernard, Kean, Lossl.

7.12pm GMT

Two banners. Posted without comment.

6.22pm GMT

Everton haven’t had much luck in the Merseyside derby of late. It’s been 19 matches since they won one of them, when Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta saw off Mr Roy’s Reds in 2010. And it’s been 20 years since they won at Anfield, their last triumph in their old home courtesy of a Kevin Campbell goal. God speed, Toffees.

Liverpool are currently eight points clear at the top of the Premier League, while Everton hover just a couple above the relegation zone. So it’s not just the history books that Marco Silva’s side are up against; the current form book suggests only one likely result, too. But a quick flick through our third tome - the great big book of hoary old cliches - will tell you that form goes out of the window in a derby. So ...

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on December 04, 2019 15:12

The Fiver | The Merseyside derby and a festive panto from Manchester

In 1937, the world’s first-ever live football match was transmitted by the BBC’s Television Service. Arsenal – then the best team in the land (kids, ask granny) – faced Arsenal Reserves in a training match at Highbury, the only ground the Beeb could reach from their Alexandra Palace studio with their big roll of cable. Eighty-two years on, Amazon joined the fray, and history soon repeated itself. On Tuesday night – using exactly the same vintage BBC equipment, if the way The Fiver’s picture regularly slipped in and out of focus was any guide – the newest broadcaster on the scene also premiered with a dull training run-out. Manchester City’s gentle trot around Turf Moor made for viewing nearly as captivating as the eight hours of All or Nothing. Thanks, Jeff Bezos! More, please!

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on December 04, 2019 07:56

November 30, 2019

Southampton 2-1 Watford: Premier League – as it happened

Danny Ings and James Ward-Prowse scored the goals that transformed a desperate Southampton performance into a memorable win.

8.02pm GMT

And that, dear people, is your lot. Ben Fisher was our man at St Mary’s, and here’s his hot take on events near the Solent. Enjoy ... and thanks for reading this MBM.

8.01pm GMT

Some Watford reaction from Will Hughes: “If we’re going to have VAR, you need to take as long as you need to reach the correct decision. When you see Djenepo’s handball before their equaliser, it’s frustrating looking back on that. We were fairly comfortable at that point. If we got the second goal would have gone on to win the game.”

7.52pm GMT

Ralph Hasenhüttl: “Tons of weight have fallen off our shoulders. In the first half there was so much weight, we couldn’t move. The subs came in with fresh energy, and it was a completely different second half, we deserved to score. I am happy to take the three points, they give us a little lift.”

7.45pm GMT

7.43pm GMT

And now James Ward-Prowse. “We’ve taken another step in the right direction tonight. Over the years we’ve been successful because we do win our home games. We’ve got a great belief in what we’re doing. We’ve come out of a relegation struggle with three points. We could easily have gone downhill after the 9-0 against Leicester, but we’ve shown the togetherness you need to push forward.” He’s then given the official man-of-the-match award by Sky, but that’s nothing compared to the MBM version, right? Ings it is.

7.38pm GMT

A word with the man-of-the-match Danny Ings. “It’s massive. To go 1-0 down and come back to win like that shows the character of the lads. You can tell by the atmosphere, it was great at the end. It was thoroughly deserved. It was a great night for us. It was very, very important for us.”

7.29pm GMT

Not so much a game of two halves, more a game of three thirds. The first two belonged to Watford. They should have scored more than one goal; Southampton were nothing short of dreadful. But Ralph Hasenhüttl made a double change that changed the mood and shifted the momentum. Suddenly Saints looked dangerous every time they came forward, and got their reward with two late goals to turn defeat into glorious, pressure-relieving victory! So it’s Watford who end the day bottom, six points from safety. Southampton rise to 18th, a mere two points behind Everton, whose match at Leicester tomorrow suddenly takes on even more importance.

7.26pm GMT

Saints clear, and the place erupts in celebration of their first home win of the season!

7.25pm GMT

90 min +6: Nope, there’s time for another, as Capoue crosses from the right. It looks like creeping in over the keeper’s head! McCarthy is forced to tip over for a corner. From which ...

7.24pm GMT

90 min +5: Some head tennis in the Southampton box. The ball drops to Gray, on the edge of the box. He’s got time to shoot - not much, but just enough. However, he slices his effort well wide left. Watford’s last chance looks to have been spurned.

7.23pm GMT

90 min +3: Nothing comes of the corner. Sky have just shown some footage of Southampton’s equaliser, in which Djenepo, stooping mid dribble, keeps control with his hand. Had VAR seen it, the goal would probably have been ruled out. But VAR didn’t see it, and here we are.

7.21pm GMT

90 min +2: Watford pump it into the mixer. Saints blooter it back upfield. This is desperate stuff. Foster returns it, and Valery carelessly runs it out for a corner for Watford.

7.20pm GMT

90 min +1: Bednarek cynically knocks Masina over just as the Watford man was thinking about breaking. A free kick just inside the Saints area, and a chance to load the box.

7.19pm GMT

90 min: There will be six minutes of added time.

7.19pm GMT

89 min: Ings drives down the inside-left channel and nearly breaks into the box. Not quite. Collectively, Southampton have been a mixed bag tonight, and no mistake, but Ings has been their one constant all match. He’s been fantastic.

7.16pm GMT

87 min: Sarr goes scampering after a long ball down the left. Suddenly Stephens looks in control of himself, and draws a foul from the frustrated striker as he shepherds the ball away from danger. So much changed in the space of five minutes.

7.14pm GMT

85 min: Watford had so many chances to put this one to bed. And now they’re the ones who’ll be bottom of the Premier League tonight, six adrift of safety. In the dugout, Quique Sánchez Flores wears the look of a condemned man. His second coming at Vicarage Road isn’t going to plan at all.

7.13pm GMT

The free kick was worth waiting for! Ward-Prowse whips a Beckhamesque effort into the top left. Right in the corner! Foster can’t keep it out, at full stretch, the ball always bending away from him. That was perfectly placed, and sent whistling in at speed to boot. St Mary’s, so quiet for so long, is buzzing now!

7.11pm GMT

82 min: Before the free kick can be taken, Femenia is replaced by Foulquier.

7.10pm GMT

81 min: Hojbjerg dribbles down the inside left. Capoue sticks out a tired leg and brings the Saints captain down just outside the box. Close enough that Saints claim a penalty, but they’re not getting it, and rightly so.

7.09pm GMT

80 min: Suddenly it’s all Saints. They’ve been so much better since the double substitution. Big credit to Ralph Hasenhüttl.

7.08pm GMT

This had been coming. Djenepo dribbles with purpose down the right, sashays past Holebas and from the byline pulls back to Ings, who bundles in from the middle of a melee by the right-hand post. St Mary’s erupts!

7.07pm GMT

77 min: It’s end to end. Saar bombs down the inside-right but he’s hustled out of it by Bertrand. Saints go up the other end. Ward-Prowse curls a deep cross in from the right. Ings, at the far post, hooks it back to Long, who bobbles the ball towards the bottom left. But Cathcart hooks it off the line!

7.04pm GMT

76 min: Southampton’s final roll of the dice: Cedric is replaced by Valery.

7.03pm GMT

74 min: Hughes goes off ... slo-o-o-o-ooooowly ... to be replaced by Chalobah. Djenepo gives him a wee shove in the back to hurry him up. And why not.

7.02pm GMT

73 min: Nothing comes of the corner.

7.02pm GMT

72 min: But the troubles at the back aren’t going away. Stephens plays a sloppy pass out of defence, allowing Hughes to take up possession. He feeds Gray down the left. Gray tries to tee up Saar in the middle, but Bednarek arrives to deflect the ball out for a corner.

7.00pm GMT

70 min: Djenepo wins a corner down the right. Nothing comes of it, but team and crowd are finally energised. Saints have finally turned up, just over an hour into the match.

6.59pm GMT

69 min: VAR say

relax
no penalty.

6.58pm GMT

68 min: Some good work by Ings out on the left. The ball’s hooked to Long, who scoops a shot towards the top right. It’s going to waft into the net, but Foster gets a fingertip on it, diverting the ball onto the crossbar. Watford half-clear. Cedric fires the ball back into the box from the right. Djenepo goes over near Capoue. He wants a penalty! VAR check.

6.56pm GMT

67 min: And that’s Deulofeu’s last contribution this evening. He’s replaced by Gray, and takes his gloves off in a stroppy fashion as he walks off, the great diva.

6.55pm GMT

66 min: Hughes sends Deulofeu scampering free down the left. Sarr’s in the middle, waiting for the delivery that could put Saints in all sorts of trouble, but turns out Deulofeu is a couple of inches offside.

6.54pm GMT

64 min: And suddenly it’s Watford who are looking a little nervous. Foster dithers over a clearance, the ball at his feet. He slips, and Ings looks to benefit. Foster sticks out an arm to impede the striker, but Ings falls onto Foster’s back, so Watford get the decision, even though Saints scream for a penalty.

6.53pm GMT

63 min: But this is much better! Djenepo reaches the byline down the right and fizzes a cross that Long contests. The ball breaks to Boufal, just inside the area on the left. His shot is blocked out for a corner. Ward-Prowse’s dead-ball delivery hasn’t been great this evening, and this one goes straight into Foster’s arms. An improvement.

6.51pm GMT

61 min: On this showing, you have to wonder how Southampton gave Arsenal so much trouble last weekend. Ah but hold on.

6.49pm GMT

60 min: Ward-Prowse blooters the free kick straight into Capoue’s coupon. The Watford captain is flat on his back. The referee stops play so he can be revived and assessed. Looks like he’s good to continue.

6.47pm GMT

59 min: The corner leads to another corner that comes to nothing, but Long is already putting himself about. And suddenly there’s a little surge of Saints energy, as Djenepo dribbles straight at Mariappa, draing a foul just outside the Watford area. A good position, this.

6.46pm GMT

57 min: Before the set piece can be taken, Saints make a double switch. Redmond and Obafemi are hooked, Boufal and Long coming on in their stead. Redmond looks a tad affronted at the decision, but off he trots.

6.45pm GMT

56 min: Ings presses the Watford defence, a one-man show. He wins a corner off Mariappa, something out of nothing. He’s been feeding on scraps, poor chap.

6.43pm GMT

54 min: Not that Ward-Prowse’s proud industry has stopped the Saints faithful from giving their team pelters. They’ve been abysmal so far, and it would appear patience has finally run dry. Matters aren’t helped when Sarr fizzes a shot towards the top right from distance - it flies inches over - nor when the same player nearly bustles Stephens out of the road for another strike on goal. Stephens stands firm this time.

6.41pm GMT

52 min: Ward-Prowse gifts possession to Sarr in midfield. Sarr tears off up the other end. Southampton’s captain is fortunate that Sarr suddenly becomes indecisive, with Deulofeu in space to his right. He’s allowed to redeem himself by snapping back at Sarr and regaining the ball, just as it looked as though Southampton would be opened up again.

6.39pm GMT

50 min: There’s an air of weary resignation around St Mary’s right now. Southampton are doing nothing; their fans are deflated. Someone’s got to get the wheel turning again, and quick. As things stand, Saints will be bottom tonight, five points adrift of 17th-placed Everton.

6.37pm GMT

48 min: Redmond goes on a purposeful run down the left but can’t find anyone with his cutback. Then as Watford clear, he’s booked for standing on Femenia’s foot.

6.35pm GMT

46 min: Capoue dithers over an opportunity to shoot at the Southampton goal from the edge of the box. The defenders do nothing to resolve the situation whatsoever, and are fortunate their striker Ings is wily enough to track back and block. Danger over.

6.33pm GMT

Watford get the ball rolling again. No half-time changes.

6.22pm GMT

Half-time reading. The Euro 2020 draw has been made. Never mind who England and Wales have got; Group F has Germany, France and reigning champions Portugal in it! Now that’s a good old-fashioned group of death.

6.19pm GMT

And that’s the end of the first half. Saints are booed off. They’ve been nervous, tentative and at times downright rank bad. Watford have been the more dangerous side, and could easily be further ahead. It’s going to be a big second half for both teams. Can Saints relocate their mojo? Can Watford hang on? A season-shaping 45 minutes coming up.

6.17pm GMT

45 min: Space for Ings inside the Watford area on the left. His cross is plucked from the sky by Foster. Suddenly Southampton have remembered how to play. Just a shame for them that there are only two additional minutes to be played before the break.

6.16pm GMT

44 min: And after all that’s gone before, Saints are an inch or two away from a sensational equaliser! Cedric drags a low cross into the Watford box from the right. Ward-Prowse meets it with a clever backflick, guiding the ball towards the bottom left. Foster scrambles across in a panic, and he’s not getting there in time. But the ball bobbles just wide.

6.15pm GMT

43 min: The tension in St Mary’s is palpable as last man Stephens dithers over a backpass to McCarthy with Sarr breathing down his neck. Saints clear their lines just in time.

6.13pm GMT

41 min: Stephens makes another error under a long ball, and is lucky that Deulofeu’s touch lets him down again as he scarpers clear down the left. This is a risible defensive display by Southampton. But they’ve somehow kept Watford to the single goal, and there’ll be a chance to regroup coming up at half-time. A big few minutes coming up.

6.11pm GMT

40 min: Some good work between Hojbjerg and Bertrand down the left. Corner. Again Ward-Prowse’s delivery is nonsense, but the ball’s recycled down the left for Redmond, who isn’t too far away with a cute curler meant for the top-right corner. Just over. And that’s better from the Saints.

6.10pm GMT

38 min: Djenepo gives up possession easily and suddenly Deulofeu is scuttling with menace down the left, Saints extremely light at the back. Sarr is in the middle, one on one with Bednarek. A better pass from Deulofeu, and he’d be through on goal. But no. Saints are giving up a number of chances here. They’ll be most grateful they’re not playing Leicester.

6.07pm GMT

36 min: Holebas is up and about again. The break in play for his treatment leads to a lull.

6.05pm GMT

34 min: A break in play as Ward-Prowse and Holebas collide and roll about injured. Holebas appears to have come off worse; he looks genuinely pained, while Ward-Prowse springs back up again quickly.

6.04pm GMT

32 min: Hughes dinks a pass down the right to release Deulofeu. Where’s Bertrand? Deulofeu would be in on goal, but takes a poor touch to the right. So instead of shooting he crosses towards Sarr. McCarthy does well to tip the cross away from the striker, who was preparing to bundle the ball home. The resulting corner comes to nothing. Watford could be out of sight, three goals clear, quite easily. The small margins.

6.01pm GMT

30 min: Hughes swings the free kick deep. Sarr, brimful with confidence, meets the dropping ball and sends a volley towards the bottom left. McCarthy does extremely well to save the day by sticking out a strong leg. So close to a second for the Hornets.

6.00pm GMT

29 min: Saints faff about with the ball in the midfield, and allow Deulofeu, Sarr and Hughes to make merry down the left flank. They earn a cheap foul, and here’s another chance to load the Saints box and kick off some trouble for the home side.

5.59pm GMT

27 min: Redmond races down the left into a bit of space. But there are five Watford defenders lined up across the front of the box, and it’s hard to pick a pass. Eventually the ball’s scooped towards Ings, who sends a looping header straight at Foster. The Watford keeper hasn’t had to make a serious intervention yet.

5.57pm GMT

25 min: Southampton do not like playing at St Mary’s, do they. Yes, I miss the Dell too. Saints try to bounce back immediately, forcing a corner down the left, but Ward-Prowse can’t beat the first man when taking the set piece.

5.56pm GMT

Yep, a jittery shambles all right. Femenia lumps the ball down the right for Sarr. Stephens should intercept, but only manages to help the ball into the path of Sarr, allowing Watford’s new striker to advance clear on goal. He draws McCarthy and lashes the ball past him. A smattering of boos from the home fans.

5.54pm GMT

22 min: McCarthy diddles the pressing Deulofeu with a cute change of feet ... then the cheers turn to jeers as he passes the ball straight out of play, nowhere near his full-back Cedric. Saints are a jittery shambles at the back, though the team are enjoying the bulk of possession, twice as much as their opponents. So it’s swings and roundabouts.

5.52pm GMT

21 min: ... Doucoure sends a soft header into the arms of McCarthy.

5.51pm GMT

20 min: Sarr turns Cedric this way and that, and earns himself a corner. From which ...

5.50pm GMT

18 min: Ward-Prowse, out on the right, plays a crossfield ball towards absolutely nobody. As it flies into the stand, the away fans cheer sarcastically, while the home support begins to grumble, curse, eff and jeff.

5.48pm GMT

17 min: Cedric looks long for Ings. The striker flicks a header on, but neither Redmond nor Obafemi are on the same wavelength, and there goes possession.

5.47pm GMT

15 min: Deulofeu swings it in. Saints half clear. Watford come back at the hosts through Holebas on the left. There’s a game of head tennis in the box, and then Femenia shoots wide from the penalty spot. The flag had gone up for offside anyway, but Saints were all over the shop there.

5.45pm GMT

14 min: Sarr is blocked by Bednarek has he attempts to scoot down the right wing. A free kick, and a chance for Watford to load the box.

5.44pm GMT

13 min: Saints press Watford hard. Hojberg wins possession and slips Redmond away down the left. The flag goes up for offside, a hair-trigger decision. Redmond looked on, just, and would have been making his way towards the Watford area with extreme prejudice.

5.43pm GMT

12 min: Cedric plays long down the inside-right channel, looking for Ings. It’s not a bad idea, but Foster is out quickly and claims on the edge of his box.

5.41pm GMT

10 min: Saints knock it around the back awhile, establishing a semblance of control.

5.40pm GMT

8 min: Redmond drives in from the left and rides a half-hearted Capoue challenge. When he reaches the edge of the D, he sends a powerful curler towards the top right. A highly decent effort, but one anticipated by Foster, who gathers without fuss.

5.39pm GMT

7 min: Masina slides in recklessly on Obafemi. Referee Michael Oliver keeps his cards in his pocket, but lectures the Watford defender with great feeling. Next one yellow.

5.38pm GMT

6 min: McCarthy plays a loose pass out to Cedric, who should nevertheless take up possession but lets the ball run out of play. A chance for Watford to fling the ball into the box from the throw. They don’t take it, but that’s not the point: Saints are looking extremely shaky at the back, their collective lack of confidence writ large.

5.35pm GMT

4 min: Hojbjerg is much more assured up the other end, chesting down a loose ball on the edge of the Watford box and lashing a Le Tissieresque rasper just over the bar. It could easily be 1-1 already.

5.34pm GMT

2 min: Saints nearly shoot themselves in the foot early doors. Cedric passes back down his right flank to Hojbjerg, who plays a blind pass inside ... straight to Sarr! The striker tears into a huge hole in the middle of the Saints defence, but shoots straight at McCarthy from the edge of the box. What a let-off for Southampton, whose home form is appalling.

5.31pm GMT

And we’re off! Saints get the ball rolling. The ball’s launched long by Stephens, then shanked straight out of play by Mariappa. The only way is up.

5.27pm GMT

The teams are out! Southampton are in their red and white stripes, while Watford play in second-choice blue. We’ll be off at a shivering St Mary’s before you know it! A quick reminder that the draw for Euro 2020 will be made while this game is on. You can keep an eye on that with Will Unwin’s live blog. But don’t go leaving us for good, now. Promise?

Related: Euro 2020 draw – live!

5.19pm GMT

Quique Sánchez Flores speaks! “It is very similar to our match at Norwich. Both teams with necessities. We need to win. We will try to repeat the good performances away against Tottenham and Norwich, when we were focused and concentrating well. We will try to be quicker than Southampton and more clinical in the last third.”

5.16pm GMT

The Tonight Show with Ralph Hasenhüttl: “The most positive thing about the 2-2 draw at Arsenal was that we were on the front foot and really aggressive. It was an OK game for us. Today will be different, Watford will not build up so much from the ground, so more long balls. But we have shown we can handle this. We are conceding early goals at home and it makes things difficult. We have to change this behaviour. This is our goal for today: start in a different way. Every Premier League game is difficult, but we have a chance to take points against opponents who are near to us in the table. It is an important period of the season, and the last game against Arsenal was a small step in the right direction.”

4.37pm GMT

One change to the Southampton team named at Arsenal last week. The injured Stuart Armstrong (hamstring) is replaced by Moussa Djenepo. Sofiane Boufal is on the bench, despite stubbing a big toe on his kitchen table at home.

Watford make two changes to the side that went down hard against Burnley. Andre Gray and the injured Craig Dawson are replaced by record signing Ismaila Sarr and Adam Masina.

4.31pm GMT

Southampton: McCarthy, Cedric, Stephens, Bednarek, Bertrand, Djenepo, Ward-Prowse, Hojbjerg, Redmond, Ings, Obafemi.
Subs: Yoshida, Long, Adams, Romeu, Boufal, Gunn, Valery.

Watford: Foster, Femenia, Mariappa, Cathcart, Masina, Holebas, Doucoure, Capoue, Hughes, Deulofeu, Sarr.
Subs: Gomes, Deeney, Chalobah, Gray, Quina, Foulquier, Pereyra.

11.06pm GMT

Anyone up for a relegation six-pointer? Good, good, just as well, because the bottom two face off at St Mary’s this evening, and whoever loses this will find themselves careering hysterically towards the slough of despond.

A draw’s no good for either team, we know this much already. Watford are bottom, five points adrift of safety already, while Saints are just one place and point better off. The Hornets have only won one game in the league this season; Southampton have managed to double that tally, but then Watford haven’t lost one of their home fixtures 9-0. So it’s swings and roundabouts.

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on November 30, 2019 12:02

Newcastle United 2-2 Manchester City: Premier League – as it happened

Kevin De Bruyne looked to have secured all three points with a late screamer, before Jonjo Shelvey countered with a stunner of his own

2.54pm GMT

No interview with Pep, who is presumably fuming. Never mind, because Louise Taylor’s report has landed. Here’s her verdict; click and enjoy. And thanks for reading this MBM.

2.47pm GMT

Steve Bruce talks to BT Sport. “We were terrific in their work and attitude. It’s always going to be difficult. And you need your keeper to make a few saves. And then you need that resilience, because the way they move the ball, they’re a fantastic team. The defensive organisation is key. We’d love to be a bit more fancy going the other way, but for what we’ve got at the moment, it suits us. The front three, even though they don’t score, they carry a threat. We have to be better and more clinical, but we’ve scored a couple of wonderful goals. We’ve now got a big game against Sheffield United, so we’ll get ready for that.”

2.32pm GMT

Newcastle move up to 12th place, on 16 points, and are now six unbeaten at St James’ Park. Whisper it, but the initially unpopular Steve Bruce is doing a fine job. He’ll be winning the Toon Army over at this rate. City meanwhile move into second, ahead of Leicester on goal difference. But they’ll be back down to third tomorrow if Leicester City avoid defeat at home to Everton ... and more importantly, they only managed to close the gap on leaders Liverpool by one point. Should Liverpool beat Brighton at Anfield later this afternoon, that gap will be 11 points. No wonder Pep Guardiola disappeared down the tunnel quicksmart, with a look of concern on his face.

2.28pm GMT

Jonjo Shelvey, who has just done his old club a favour, speaks to BT Sport: “We thought we deserved a point. They keep the ball so well and move it about, but a point is probably a fair result in the end. Against them, it’s always going to be difficult. We needed to bounce back after Monday night, and to give a good account of ourselves shows we’ve got a bit of spirit about us. I might be a hero in Liverpool right now! But no, this is about us, and we need to get as many points on the board as possible to guarantee safety at this football club.”

2.24pm GMT

Newcastle hang on! And what a finish that was! Kevin De Bruyne looked to have won all three points for the champions with a wonder strike ... only for Jonjo Shelvey to equalise with a sensational effort of his own. And so City move into second place, eight behind Liverpool ... but the leaders can build on their lead this afternoon if they beat Brighton. Not that anything in this league is certain.

2.22pm GMT

90 min +4: De Bruyne nearly breaks clear down the left, but Fernandez holds firm. Newcastle are hanging on.

2.21pm GMT

90 min +3: City can’t get anything going, and time is running out.

2.21pm GMT

90 min +2: De Bruyne glides in from the left and curls a glorious cross towards Sterling, in space just to the right of goal in the box. Sterling shoots, but doesn’t really catch it. Dubravka gathers brilliantly, with Silva waiting to tap anything loose into the net. What a chance!

2.19pm GMT

90 min +1: The first of four added minutes goes by without incident.

2.19pm GMT

90 min: Two sensational goals. City need to go again for a winner. De Bruyne hooks a free kick into the box from the left. It’s sent out for a throw on the right. In the stand, a Newcastle fan in a Peaky Blinders cap refuses to hand the ball back to City in the pantomime style. Eventually he flings it back into the field of play, and sits down looking extremely pleased with his afternoon’s work.

2.17pm GMT

No, Newcastle aren’t spent at all! And anything Kevin De Bruyne can do, Jonjo Shelvey can match! Atsu pulls the free kick back to Shelvey, 25 yards out, just to the right of centre. Shelvey keeps his head down, and launches a stunning first-time shot into the top left! Ederson had no chance whatsoever!

2.15pm GMT

87 min: Or do they? Manquillo romps down the right and is cynically barged to the floor by Fernandinho, already on a yellow. No second card, but it is a free kick, just to the right of the area.

2.14pm GMT

86 min: Mendy wins a corner off Manquillo down the left. De Bruyne takes. The ball drops to Fernandinho, on the edge of the area. He whistles a volley inches over the bar. Newcastle, having fought so hard for so long, suddenly look spent.

2.13pm GMT

84 min: Pep immediately goes into keep-what-we-have mode. Rodri comes on for Jesus.

2.12pm GMT

83 min: Newcastle will argue that Gayle was shoved to the floor by Bernardo Silva in the build-up. They might have a point; they might not. One of those, really. Either way, take nothing from the strike. What a goal by De Bruyne! City’s star man stepping up to the plate, just when things were getting a little desperate. Seems it’s not only Liverpool who can pop up with the important late goals!

2.10pm GMT

What a goal this is! De Bruyne chests down a clearing header, lets the ball drop, and launches a heatseeker into the top left from the edge of the box! That was an absolute stunner! Kompanyesque!

2.09pm GMT

81 min: Saint-Maximin has hurt himself with that gymnastic display. He’s replaced by Atsu.

2.08pm GMT

79 min: Shelvey loops a long ball down the inside left. Saint-Maximin goes haring after it. He’s in a footrace with Walker, who heads back to Ederson and shoulder-charges Saint-Maximin off the ball. Saint-Maximin executes an Olympic-standard quadruple roll, but he’s not getting the penalty he wants.

2.06pm GMT

77 min: Foden tees up De Bruyne, 25 yards out. De Bruyne drops a shoulder and shoots, but Clark throws his body in the road and that’s a corner. Stones meets the corner but stumbles in doing so, the ball harmlessly clanking out for a goal kick.

2.04pm GMT

75 min: Almiron knocks the ball past Mendy and tears off after it. He’s cynically charged out of play by Mendy, who isn’t looking at the ball at all. But Newcastle don’t get the decision, and soon Sterling is running at them down the left. He wins a corner, which thankfully for those who get easily bored by confected controversy, comes to nothing.

2.01pm GMT

73 min: Manquillo is booked for taking his own sweet time over a throw.

2.01pm GMT

72 min: Walker storms down the right and hooks into the box for Foden, who mistimes a downward header from eight yards. Newcastle hack clear. City come again, and after some bagatelle on the edge of the box, the ball breaks to Bernardo Silva, free on the penalty spot! Silva drags his first-time shot wide right, a dismal effort.

1.58pm GMT

70 min: Pep has seen enough. He makes a double sub, taking off Riyad Mahrez and David Silva and sending on Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden. Newcastle meanwhile swap Joelinton for Dwight Gayle.

1.57pm GMT

68 min: They’re stepping it up now. A few passes pinged around. Silva suddenly slips a pass down the inside left to release Jesus into the box. Jesus should score, but Dubravka shapes like a star and blocks brilliantly. De Bruyne follows up, smashing the rebound goalwards, but that one’s stopped by the keeper too! The resulting corner comes to nothing, and Newcastle breathe again.

1.55pm GMT

67 min: Much better from City, as Walker finds De Bruyne down the right. He storms towards the byline and bashes across the face of goal, where Jesus lurks. But Dubravka kicks clear. The closest the champions have come to opening Newcastle up in quite a while.

1.54pm GMT

66 min: Saint-Maximin drops a shoulder and makes his way past Walker on the left. He crosses low, hoping to find Joelinton, but Fernandinho is well placed and not having it.

1.53pm GMT

65 min: Jesus and Sterling one-two cutely down the middle, and nearly open up Newcastle just inside the box. But Manquillo slides in to block, and the ball rolls harmlessly through to Dubravka.

1.52pm GMT

64 min: Mendy, out on the left, blooters a cross out of play on the right, with plenty of City players standing in threatening positions in the box. On the touchline, Guardiola prowls around, a frown creasing his brow. Plenty to think about here. Dubravka hasn’t had too many saves to make today.

1.51pm GMT

62 min: Manquillo drives down a cul-de-sac on the right. It had been a promising attack, with Almiron in close attendance, but City close it down. Newcastle are predominantly a defensive concern today, but they’re looking to attack wherever possible.

1.48pm GMT

60 min: “Come on City,” their fans chant. They know their side, already trailing Liverpool by nine points, can’t afford to drop a couple more today.

1.47pm GMT

58 min: Almiron drives in from the right and tries a curler towards the top left. Miles off. A desperate attempt, in more ways than one. He’s yet to score for Newcastle; there’s a big weight on his shoulders.

1.46pm GMT

57 min: Silva dribbles down the inside left, reaches the byline, and stands one up to the far post. Jesus tries to bundle it in, but he can’t quite reach it. Goal kick, though Dubravka was worried for a second there.

1.44pm GMT

56 min: Sterling dribbles down the left with great panache, but he’s crowded out, and the ball squirts through to Dubravka.

1.43pm GMT

55 min: De Bruyne eases infield from the left, and batters a rising shot towards the top right. Had it been on target, the net was coming off the frame of the goal, and the goal of the season competition would be over. As it was, a fine effort jets high and wide, but not by much at all.

1.42pm GMT

54 min: Shelvey drags an overly ambitious free kick wide left. Ederson yawns.

1.42pm GMT

53 min: Fernandez channels his inner Franz, stepping up from the back in an extremely statesmanlike style. A sensational Beckenbaueresque run, and suddenly Newcastle are on the break! Fernandez makes it past a few challenges, enters the City half, and rolls a ball down the middle for Joelinton, who is cynically brought down by Fernandinho before he can power towards goal. Fernandinho is booked, and it’s a free kick in a central position, 30 yards out.

1.40pm GMT

51 min: De Bruyne glides down the right and nearly finds Jesus in the middle. Just a corner. From the set piece, Mendy crashes a shot goalwards. It pinballs around, and slaps a Newcastle player on the arm. City claim for a penalty but they’re never getting one for that.

1.38pm GMT

50 min: Saint-Maximin raises the volume again, skipping down the left in a very elegant fashion. He crosses to nobody in particular. Mercurial doesn’t begin to cover it.

1.37pm GMT

49 min: Walker slides a pass down the right channel for Jesus, who threatens to spin Dummett on the edge of the box. But before he can execute the skill, the flag goes up. He’d come back from an offside position.

1.36pm GMT

47 min: Newcastle appear to be similarly minded, though. Almiron busies himself down the right, flicking the ball from a tight spot to Joelinton with no little skill. The move peters out and that’ll be a goal kick, but the hosts have now made a statement of intent too.

1.34pm GMT

City - kept waiting on the pitch awhile by the hosts - finally get the second half underway. Neither side have made a half-time change. While City were left hanging around, Pep took the opportunity to remind David Silva to raise the tempo. City were uncharacteristically ponderous in the first half. And Mendy’s on the charge immediately, racing down the left and whipping in a cross. No success this time, but there’s a statement of intent.

1.19pm GMT

Half-time entertainment ... courtesy of Sunderland’s favourite son. You’re welcome.

1.18pm GMT

De Bruyne shoots from the edge of the box. The ball’s blocked, and loops into the air. Dubravka plucks it from the sky, and that’s your lot for the first half. The hosts troop off, pleased with their work. City look a little pensive. No doubt they’ll come out flying in 15 minutes.

1.16pm GMT

45 min: Hayden crosses from a deep position on the right. Stones’ clearing header is dreadful, falling straight to Almiron, just inside the box on the left. Almiron, yet to score for his new club, drops a shoulder, shifts the ball to the right ... but instead of shooting, loses control haplessly. Confidence in short supply.

1.14pm GMT

43 min: Shelvey wins a 50-50 ball in the centre circle and feeds Joelinton, who hooks wide left for Almiron. A lot of grass ahead of him. Almiron looks up, sees there’s nobody in the box for him to find, and sends the ball in there anyway. A waste of a decent position. Very poor.

1.12pm GMT

42 min: Mahrez makes himself a bit of space on the right, but his chipped cross has way too much weight, and sails over the heads of everyone in the box. In the dugout, Pep looks pained as he gulps enigmatically on a bottle of water.

1.11pm GMT

40 min: It’s attack versus defence again. Sterling sails down the left, cuts infield and crosses. Clark clears with a textbook diving header. Keith Houchen would be proud. But Joelinton, the only Newcastle player upfield, can’t hold the ball up to bring a team-mate into play. The ball’s coming straight back at the hosts, again and again.

1.09pm GMT

38 min: Gundogan attempts to release Jesus down the inside-right channel with an incisive diagonal pass. But the ball’s too heavy, and sails out for a goal kick. Gundogan claims for a deflection and a corner, but the flag’s gone up for offside anyway. A little bit of City frustration leaking out.

1.07pm GMT

36 min: Saint-Maximin zips down the right wing. A few tricks in the hope of getting past Mendy and Fernandinho. They don’t quite come off, but the Toon Army were off their seats there. He’s a born entertainer.

1.05pm GMT

35 min: City are pressing Newcastle back again. Sterling, Mendy, Jesus and Silva are causing all manner of bother down the left channel. Newcastle hold their shape, just about, but some last-ditch clearances are being made as City ping it around in the assured style.

1.04pm GMT

33 min: Mendy races down the left and gives the ball to Sterling, who shimmies along the edge of the box, left to right, before launching a shot goalwards. Dubravka parries and, after a fan-worrying fashion, smothers.

1.02pm GMT

31 min: Silva has a shot from the edge of the box. Blocked. Newcastle stream up the other end, Saint-Maximin leading the charge. He feeds Almiron, who can’t pick a pass. The move breaks down. City are still on top, and look the more likely to score next. But Newcastle are playing with verve and confidence on the occasions they go forward, too.

12.59pm GMT

29 min: City attempt to reassert their authority, Jesus scuttling down the right and fizzing a low cross into the mixer. There’s nobody in blue waiting to prod home, though, and Clark is able to clear.

12.58pm GMT

27 min: Shelvey swings a cross in from the right. Hayden challenges for the ball, forcing Stones to slash it out hysterically for a corner. Nothing comes from the set piece, but Newcastle have their tails up now.

12.57pm GMT

This is a lovely goal. Willems rolls a pass down the inside-left channel for Almiron, who flicks it back to the left-back. Willems takes a touch inside, and threads a lovely curling shot into the bottom right! Ederson, at full stretch, had no chance. And that’s Almiron’s first assist in a Toon shirt!

12.55pm GMT

24 min: Saint-Maximin bursts past a couple of City shirts and is cynically clipped by Gundogan. The midfielder is booked, his fifth yellow card of the season, and he’ll be suspended for the visit to Burnley.

12.53pm GMT

The pressure on Newcastle finally tells. A bit of pinball in the box, instigated by Sterling and Silva bustling down the inside left. Silva falls, but manages to guide the ball to Sterling with a cute flick of his heel, some class amid the melee. Sterling is suddenly free in a pocket of space on the penalty spot, and slams an unstoppable effort into the bottom right.

12.51pm GMT

20 min: Newcastle load the box. Shelvey tries to catch Ederson off guard, whipping a low curler towards the bottom left. It’s always heading wide, and the keeper would have had it covered anyway.

12.50pm GMT

19 min: Dummett hoicks a pass down the left for Saint-Maximin. Ederson comes haring out of his box and heads out for a throw. He only just made it before the Newcastle man. Perfectly timed, but there would have been a few City hearts in mouths there. From the throw, De Bruyne clips Saint-Maximin, and this will be a free kick in a dangerous position, just to the left of the box. Shelvey’s eyes light up.

12.48pm GMT

18 min: De Bruyne slips a ball down the inside-right channel and into the box. Jesus reaches it, to the right of the goal, and backflicks in the hope of teeing up Mahrez. Not quite, but it’s a corner. And that corner leads to another, which leads to Fernandinho heading over the bar. A good chance that, and not too far away.

12.47pm GMT

16 min: Almiron strides out of defence with purpose, channelling his inner Beckenbauer as he sways up the middle, ignoring challenges, into a pocket of space. City are light at the back, but get away with it as Almiron asks too much of Joelinton with a pass down the right. Fernandinho refuses to be beaten for pace.

12.44pm GMT

14 min: City ping it about metronomically, almost lulling Newcastle into a false sense of security as they make no attempt to go anywhere. But suddenly they turn it up a bit, De Bruyne striding down the right and whipping a low ball along the corridor of uncertainty. Dummett is forced to hack behind for a corner. Stones heads the set piece weakly wide right.

12.42pm GMT

12 min: Newcastle have only enjoyed 18 percent possession so far. It could be a long day ... although they haven’t been tested seriously at the back yet, and they’ve had a couple of sorties upfield. Steve Bruce will be happy enough with this start.

12.41pm GMT

10 min: Saint-Maximin sashays down the left at great speed, gliding infield and teeing up Almiron, 25 yards out. Almiron considers a shot, but instead switches to Manquillo on the right wing. Bad choice, as it turns out, because Manquillo blams a lumpen cross through the box and away from danger.

12.39pm GMT

8 min: Joelinton nicks the ball off a dawdling Fernandinho, out on the right. He looks to scoop a pass across to Saint-Maximin, but Mendy gets in the road. Just as well, because Newcastle would have been off there. This is much better from the hosts.

12.37pm GMT

7 min: The volume in St James’ Park suddenly cranks up to 11, as Saint-Maximin is sent scampering into some space down the left. He’s exciting to watch. He drifts infield and takes Newcastle’s first shot in anger. Actually it’s not so much angry as a bit miffed; he sends a pea-roller towards the bottom left, and it’s easily gathered by Ederson.

12.36pm GMT

6 min: Silva and Jesus nearly open up Newcastle down the inside-left channel, but Clark intervenes to hook clear.

12.35pm GMT

5 min: Gundogan takes a speculative whack from 25 yards. It bobbles through to Dubravka. City aren’t exactly rampant ... yet ... but they are well on top.

12.35pm GMT

4 min: Newcastle have hardly touched the ball. Mahrez drops a shoulder and nearly skates past Willems, but the defender stands firm. Saint-Maximin tries to dribble away from Newcastle’s final third but is abruptly stripped of possession. It’s tough for the hosts right now.

12.33pm GMT

2 min: De Bruyne sprays an outside-of-the-boot pass towards Mendy on the left touchline. Glorious ... or nearly glorious. Mendy can’t quite keep it in play. Had he done so, he’d have been haring off into acres of space.

12.31pm GMT

And we’re off! Newcastle get the ball rolling on a cold day in the north. The ball’s launched long. Saint-Maximin can’t get on the end of it, and City are in possession almost immediately. A long ball for Mahrez, but he’s offside. The clock ticks past 24 seconds without a goal being scored this time.

12.29pm GMT

Howay the lads / here come the teams. Newcastle are in their famous black and white stripes, while City sport their equally storied sky blue. Everyone very pretty. A quick blast of the theme to the greatest movie ever made (hey, it’s St Andrew’s Day after all) and we’ll be off in a minute.

12.19pm GMT

A relaxed and cheery Pep Guardiola speaks to BT Sport. “Everyone remembers last season!” he laughs. “You have to remember the days we won! The year before we won 1-0, last year we lost, so... it’s a mythic English stadium with history. We know it.” As for the continued absence of Sergio Aguero, will Gabriel Jesus step up to the plate? “Sure. He will be judged for the goals, but we know him, it’s three seasons we’ve had together, we don’t have any doubt about him.”

12.15pm GMT

Pre-match pint, anyone? We can nip across the road to The Strawberry. There’s time.

12.10pm GMT

Steve Bruce speaks, ahead of his very first encounter with a Pep Guardiola team. “It’s quite remarkable what Manchester City have done,” he tells BT Sport. “At the head of it, Pep is someone we all strive to be. We played very well at West Ham and against Bournemouth at home, and we were a touch disappointed with how we played against Aston Villa. But we’re at home, and our home form, very quietly, has stacked up. So let’s hope we can play well on the day. We’re going to have to. And defend well, against one of the great teams. A lot’s been said about our investing a lot of money in our top three. But they are young, and coming to terms with playing in England. I’m sure they’ll turn it round. But for me it’s all about the team, so whoever scores, great if a defender scores. But there are times you want your strikers to take an opportunity, so let’s hope today is one of those days.”

11.38am GMT

Newcastle make just the one change to the XI named for the 2-0 loss at Aston Villa last Monday. DeAndre Yedlin succumbs to a hip injury and is replaced by Javier Manquillo.

Manchester City swap five players out of the team that drew 1-1 with Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday evening. Angelino, Nicolas Otamendi, Joao Cancelo, Rodri and Bernardo Silva drop to the bench, to be replaced by Kyle Walker, John Stones, Benjamin Mendy, David Silva and Riyad Mahrez.

11.32am GMT

Newcastle United: Dubravka, Manquillo, Fernandez, Clark, Dummett, Willems, Almiron, Shelvey, Hayden, Saint-Maximin, Joelinton.
Subs: Schar, Gayle, Krafth, Darlow, Atsu, Sean Longstaff, Matthew Longstaff.

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Fernandinho, Mendy, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Silva, Mahrez, Gabriel Jesus, Sterling.
Subs: Bravo, Jose Angelino, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo, Otamendi, Foden.

10.48pm GMT

Welcome to the rerun of the 1955 FA Cup and 1976 League Cup finals. That’s what this is all about, kids, yes?

There is the small matter of the corresponding fixture last season, of course. Newcastle conceded a goal after just 24 seconds, yet bounced back in the second half to register a surprise 2-1 victory that nearly cost City the title. Nearly. Nearly ... but not quite.

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on November 30, 2019 06:54

← Previous 1 2 … 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 … 233 234 Next →

Scott Murray's Blog

Scott Murray's profile
3 followers

Scott Murray isn't a Goodreads Author (yet), but they do have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from their feed.