Scott Murray's Blog, page 119

May 4, 2019

Bournemouth 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur: Premier League – as it happened

Spurs were defeated on the road yet again, losing two men to red cards and eventually succumbing to Nathan Ake’s stoppage-time winner.

3.02pm BST

David Hytner’s match report has landed. And with that, this MBM whirrs to a close. Thanks for reading!

3.00pm BST

Mauricio Pochettino’s take: “We did not have too much luck. So we have to move on. For the first 40 minutes we played so well, creating chances. We did not score, sometimes football is like this, it is cruel. And we conceded in the last minutes. Two red cards made it difficult for the team, but we fought. We made the effort. But we are disappointed. Nothing to say, I respect the decision of the referee. You cannot change what happened. Unlucky for us, nothing to say. I don’t believe it has a big impact for Wednesday. We are third, we are competing for the top four, we are in the semi-finals of the Champions League. In the first game of the season, you would take the position we are in today. I am going to feel proud about our season. What will happen, will happen.”

2.44pm BST

Eddie Howe talks. “It was a tough game. I’ve played against nine men before, once at Burnley, and we nearly drew the game. It’s tough, they get into a good shape and there’s no space behind. They’re relying on counter attacks, and it’s all about your quality, and we had one moment of quality at the end. It’s a huge achievement for us to stay in the Premier League. The problem is, it gets boring, it gets seen to be par for the course. I think we are over-achieving. But we have some outstanding players at the same time. It’s going to be our biggest challenge to keep doing that. We want to keep our best players, and add the other way, rather than lose the nucleus that we have. It’s going to be a big summer.”

2.36pm BST

The match-winner Nathan Ake speaks: “When the opposition has two red cards, you are expected to win. We were sloppy. We didn’t create enough, so we are happy we scored in the last minute. To finish the season like this at home is very good.”

A beaming Mark Travers - the man of the match on debut! - adds: “It was an unbelievable day for me. To get the opportunity against a top side like Tottenham was unbelievable. I felt comfortable out there and enjoyed every minute. I’ll always remember my first save in the Premier League.”

2.31pm BST

Well that was eventful. Spurs had two players sent off. They could have ended the game with eight men. They conceded a last-minute winner. And to think for a while it looked like Bournemouth’s young keeper Mark Travers, making some fine early saves, would be the story. Football, huh. Bournemouth move up to 12th on 45 points. If they win their last game at Crystal Palace, they’ll beat their Premier League record points total of 46. Spurs meanwhile continue to sweat on Champions League qualification. On 70 points in third, they’ve still got four points over fifth-placed Arsenal and five over sixth-placed Manchester United ... but should those rivals win this weekend, the nerves will jangle next Sunday. Just the small matter of Ajax next!

2.24pm BST

Does anybody want to finish third or fourth?

2.24pm BST

90 min +5: ... Moura himself skies a bicycle kick over. Alli and Wilson had been wrestling. Alli wants a penalty, but he’s not getting one. He’s livid. It looked like some 50-50 nonsense, but who’d be a referee?

2.23pm BST

90 min +4: Moura skedaddles down the right and wins a corner. From which ...

2.21pm BST

90 min +3: It threatens to boil over. A full and frank philosophical dispute in the midfield between Lerma and Alli. A booking for both.

2.20pm BST

90 min +2: Bournemouth cavort in delight. That’s a sickener for Spurs. Wanyama is booked for a frustrated barge on Smith.

2.19pm BST

Heartbreak for the nine men, who have battled so hard! The corner’s swung into the mixer. Ake comes in behind Alli and Eriksen and blasts a header home from six yards! It hadn’t been coming ... but there it is.

2.18pm BST

90 min: Mousset dribbles his way down the left and earns a corner. Before it can be taken, the clock ticks over the 90 and there will be four added minutes.

2.17pm BST

89 min: Bournemouth finally pin Spurs back again. King works down the left to earn a corner. From the set piece, Mousset heads towards the bottom right but Rose hooks off the line. The ball’s bundled out for a corner on the right. From that one, there’s a scramble in the six-yard box, but again Spurs hold firm and clear their lines.

2.14pm BST

87 min: Bournemouth have run out of ideas, though. Spurs have been excellent in this second half, since going down to nine men. They’ve battled bravely, and played cleverly. It’s the away fans who are making the most noise as a result.

2.13pm BST

85 min: ... no, no fairytale. But in the circumstances, a point would be a fine result for Spurs, even though it wouldn’t guarantee them Champions League football next season. They’d be very close.

2.12pm BST

84 min: Moura tears past Simpson on the right and considers shooting from a tight angle. He decides to check back instead, looking to pull one back for Alli. He can’t find his team-mate. But Spurs come again through Moura, who again pulses down the flank, this time earning a corner off Cook. From which ...

2.10pm BST

82 min: Moussa Sissoko is replaced by Ben Davies. That looks like a precautionary measure, as Sissoko had recently gone over in a tangle with Lerma, the latter accidentally landing on his outstretched leg. Sissoko isn’t limping, but Spurs aren’t taking any chances with the man who kept his team in the Champions League semi after coming on last Tuesday against Ajax.

2.07pm BST

80 min: Space for Fraser out on the right. Fraser whips it in, and Mousset rises in a large gap between Trippier and Sissoko. He should do much better than flashing a header straight at Lloris.

2.06pm BST

79 min: BREAKING NEWS: Travers touches the ball. What a surreal debut he’s had.

2.05pm BST

77 min: Mousset’s first act is to flash a wild shot miles right of the goal. On the touchline, it’s Eddie Howe’s turn to look agitated. Mauricio Pochettino has long slipped into a resigned funk.

2.04pm BST

76 min: Jordan Ibe is replaced by Lys Mousset.

2.03pm BST

75 min: Lerma and Rose have a childish spat over possession of a dead ball. Tempers still on a hair-trigger, it would seem.

2.01pm BST

73 min: Bournemouth are beginning to push Spurs back now. They probe hither and yon. Suddenly Ibe strides in from the left and launches a diagonal riser towards the top right. Lloris is behind it all the way, parrying out for a goal kick that’s cleared easily enough.

1.59pm BST

71 min: Wilson busies himself in the middle of a penalty box melee. The ball breaks right to Clyne, who appears to have started goal-hanging in the playground style. Clyne spins and pulls a shot wide right from six yards.

1.58pm BST

70 min: Fraser crosses deep from the right. Lloris claims with ease, because there’s only Wilson in the box. Not entirely sure why Bournemouth aren’t throwing more men forward, given the circumstances.

1.56pm BST

69 min: Fraser glides in from the right and curls a cross onto the head of Clyne, who eyebrows a header wide left from 12 yards. Lloris hasn’t had that much to do since Spurs went down to nine men.

1.55pm BST

67 min: Wilson moves down the left flank and opens his body to shoot. He’s looking for the curler, but it’s deflected out for a corner, on the right this time. The set piece finds Smith 25 yards out. Smith shoots over wildly against his former club.

1.54pm BST

65 min: Another corner for Bournemouth on the left. Sissoko clanks this one clear. They’re holding out relatively comfortably at the moment, all told.

1.51pm BST

63 min: A corner for Bournemouth down the left. Lloris goes up to punch, and is bundled over by Simpson. A free kick, nothing more. The away fans amuse themselves with an ironic chant of “Off! Off! Off!” Very droll. Unless I’m misinterpreting it, and they want the out-of-form keeper to be subbed.

1.50pm BST

62 min: Have reports of Tottenham’s demise been exaggerated? The nine men enjoy a period of possession in the Bournemouth half. At one point, Alli very nearly finds space to shoot just inside the box. But he can’t quite get a shot away. So much for Travers’ busy debut.

1.49pm BST

60 min: More sterile possession for Bournemouth. Spurs will be happy enough with this. “A lot’s been said about the lack of depth in the Spurs squad this year,” begins Justin Kavanagh. “Maybe playing with diminishing numbers is Pochettino’s novel way of resting players ahead of the big game against Ajax without risking further injuries?” A cunning plan, though of course the poor buggers left out there for the second half will be doubly knackered after playing this half with only eight other team-mates. So it’s swings and roundabouts.

1.46pm BST

58 min: Fraser works away down the left again, a couple of times, but can’t find a team-mate with his final ball. It’s pretty much all Bournemouth now, as you’d expect.

1.45pm BST

56 min: Fraser has a lash at goal from a tight angle on the left. Lloris has it covered. A strange atmosphere at this game now. A mixture of testimonial, pre-season friendly, end-of-season irrelevance, 11-v-nine anticipation, and defiance. We ask again: who needs goals?

1.43pm BST

54 min: I mean, this is a preposterous performance from Spurs. They’re down to nine men, while Eric Dier escaped a second yellow not once but twice. On a related subject, here’s Dave Purcell: “Fairly new soccer fan here in the US. Adopted Spurs after liking how their guys played for England in the World Cup. Starting to understand this whole ‘Spursy’ thing. I live in Cincinnati, where our sports teams perennially suck. Have I signed up for a lifetime of more pain?”

1.41pm BST

52 min: Ake’s heavy touch in the middle of the park allows Moura to run at Bournemouth for a few seconds. But Lerma picks up possession and draws a foul from an irritated Alli. Shutting the gate after the horse has bolted, of course, but Alli can’t afford to lose the head here.

1.38pm BST

50 min: That’s beyond farcical. Spurs sent on Foyth partly because Alderweireld was on a yellow and, like Dier, couldn’t be risked. Foyth lasted 125 seconds!

1.37pm BST

48 min: Spurs should already have been down to nine men. Well, they are now! Foyth loses control of the ball and sticks out a leg. His studs crump onto the knee of Simpson, who falls to the floor in agony. It’s reckless rather than aggressive, but that’s enough for Craig Pawson, who flourishes his red card for the second time today!

1.34pm BST

46 min: Ibe skedaddles down the middle of the park and slips the ball to Lerma, who crosses for Fraser. The winger, his back to goal, attempts a Mark Hughesesque bicycle kick, but doesn’t connect.

1.33pm BST

And we’re off again! Bournemouth get the second half underway, against the ten men of Tottenham. Mauricio Pochettino has made two changes, hooking Toby Alderweireld and the hapless Eric Dier, sending on Juan Foyth and Victor Wanyama in their stead. “This performance by Craig Pawson must have folks wondering what game he’s watching. It also must have them wondering where Mark Clattenburg is. Well, I have the answer to that one! I just flipped on ESPN+ and lo and behold he is reffing the Guangzhou Evergrande v Beijing Sinobo Guoan game as we speak. Come back, Clatts!” JR in Illinois there. I’m not sure he really means it, though. He can’t really mean it.

1.27pm BST

Half-time news. Celtic are 45 minutes away from securing their eighth successive Scottish title. Michael Butler has the latest here!

1.19pm BST

No goals. But who needs goals? Debut keeper Mark Travers has made a series of excellent saves. He could have conceded an effort from the halfway line. Son Heung-min has been sent off, Eric Dier should have been, and Bournemouth should have had a penalty that wasn’t given. That’s all. More entertainment like this in the second half, please!

1.17pm BST

45 min +1: A couple of corners for Bournemouth out on the right. Simpson flashes a header straight at Lloris. Spurs desperately need the half-time whistle in order to regroup. On the touchline, Mauricio Pochettino seethes quietly. That’s the most dangerous sort of seethe, isn’t it. Pity the Spurs players for what they’re about to face.

1.16pm BST

45 min: Spurs really should be down to nine men. I have no idea how Dier is still on the pitch.

1.15pm BST

44 min: Spurs have been getting frustrated, and now Son, of all folk, boils over! He bustles with Lerma and Fraser down the left, but can’t break clear. He eventually loses control, and concedes a free kick. Lerma grabs the loose ball. Son swipes for it, then shoves Lerma in the face! He’s off! That is beyond stupid.

1.13pm BST

42 min: Wilson cutely turns away from a couple of white shirts out on the left. He feeds King, who bustles towards the byline and into the box. He looks for Wilson, who has continued his run towards the near post. Wilson prepares to take possession, but is swiped from behind by none other than Dier. That’s as clear a penalty as you’ll see, but the hapless referee gives nothing. Dear lord.

1.11pm BST

40 min: The resulting corner comes to nothing. Then in the midfield, Ake tries to break past Sissoko and is dragged back. The Spurs man is booked, to many a sarcastic cheer from the home faithful.

1.10pm BST

38 min: The ref’s having a shocker here, his noggin has gone completely. King is sent clear down the right, but can’t poke the ball past the advancing Lloris ... who then barges him over as the ball squirts out for a corner. That’s a fairly blatant check, and a more-than-fair shout for a penalty, but nothing’s forthcoming.

1.08pm BST

36 min: That looked like a red card. Dier clipped his man. Bournemouth’s mood sours further as Ibe prepares to race down the left with Spurs light at the back. Son is down injured, so the referee stops the game, performing the international mime for head injury. But Son’s clutching his chest!

1.07pm BST

34 min: Dier is robbed of possession, 25 yards from the Bournemouth goal. King races off with the ball. Dier gives hot pursuit, and slides in recklessly from behind. King goes over. Dier’s already been booked, and this looks like serious trouble for the Spurs midfielder ... but the referee doesn’t even give the foul! Bournemouth and their fans are beyond livid.

1.04pm BST

33 min: Yet another fine save by Travers! Rose whips a cross in from the left. Alli rises and slams a header goalwards. It’s straight at the keeper but travelling at speed, and still needs saving. It’s tipped over sensationally, and the dream debut continues.

1.02pm BST

32 min: Son makes a half-hearted request for a penalty as he tries to hook a Trippier pass down the right around Simpson. Nope.

1.02pm BST

31 min: King bursts down the right and nearly opens Spurs up, but is forced to check back. Then up the other end, Son wheechs down the inside left channel and from the left of the D, fires recklessly over the bar. He should have at least worked Travers.

1.00pm BST

29 min: Bournemouth calm it all down with some sterile possession in the middle of the park. They needed a break.

12.59pm BST

27 min: Son embarks on a baroque ramble down the right. He tinkles along the byline, then cuts back upfield and wanders around the box. There’s no gap to shoot through, and eventually he tries to tee up Rose on the penalty spot, but Fraser sticks out a boot to hook clear.

12.57pm BST

25 min: Rose hoicks a long pass down the left, and Moura is clear! So simple! Where on earth was the Bournemouth back line?! But no matter, because Moura slams his shot straight at Travers from a tight angle, and the keeper saves brilliantly with his feet! This is already quite the eventful debut.

12.54pm BST

24 min: Fraser floats the free kick into the mixer. King tries to flick a header on, but Moura clears. That delivery wasn’t up to much. A chance to work Lloris for the first time spurned.

12.53pm BST

23 min: Eriksen, who has been out of sorts so far this week, is robbed by King. The Bournemouth man zips away down the left, and is about to tear clear from Alderweireld when the defender cynically flips him over. That’s another booking for Spurs, and a chance to load the box for Bournemouth.

12.52pm BST

21 min: Spurs are beginning to dominate possession after a fairly equal start. It’s the away fans making the most noise right now.

12.51pm BST

19 min: The ball is flat. The ref wants a replacement ... but there isn’t one to hand. So for now, we continue with this flaccid orb. And Spurs nearly score with it! Sissoko makes his way down the right and passes infield for Moura. Simpson misses a chance to hack clear and Moura is away! He reaches the edge of the box and whistles a rising shot straight at Travers, who saves as he should, though it’s one for the showreel nevertheless. A spectacular looker, and that’ll further boost the young man’s confidence. The resulting corner comes to nothing.

12.47pm BST

17 min: Fraser crosses from the right but Alderweireld clears. Dier nearly slips Alli away down the left but Cook steps in. This is good high-speed fun, the ball pinballing around in fancy fashion.

12.45pm BST

15 min: Alli spins adroitly, away from Cook down the inside left. He opens his legs, moves into space, and hammers a rising shot towards the top left. Travers, at full stretch, tips the ball round the post. A fine effort with a save to match. The corner comes to nowt. It’s been an eventful first quarter of an hour in Mark Travers’ Premier League career.

12.43pm BST

13 min: There will be goals in this game, surely. It’s wide open. Trippier makes good down the right and curls a cross onto Moura’s head. Moura flicks a header wide left, but it wasn’t a million miles away from the top corner. Travers probably had it covered, to be fair.

12.42pm BST

12 min: Fraser drives at the Spurs defence. He’s upended by Dier, who is booked for his trouble. Fraser gets up and takes the resulting free kick himself, sending a weak effort wide right.

12.42pm BST

10 min: Travers gathers Son’s ball from the right. He blows out hard. That’ll calm him down after such a fright.

12.41pm BST

8 min: Bournemouth’s young keeper Mark Travers scored a goal from inside his own half on debut for Weymouth. He very nearly concedes a similar one on his debut for the Cherries! Lucas Moura robs Lerma on the halfway line and goes for goal, Travers having been caught wandering around miles outside his area. If it’s on target, it’s a goal, Travers never getting to it. But it’s not going to be a nightmare start to his Premier League career, as the ball drifts inches wide left. Phew.

12.38pm BST

7 min: Clyne plays a dangerous ball across the face of his own area, right to left. Cook does extremely well to block Son, who was threatening to latch onto the ball and run free down the inside left.

12.37pm BST

6 min: Another throw for Spurs out on the left, deep in Bournemouth’s half. Rose takes an age over it, then launches it back towards his fellow defenders. These throws will surely get better.

12.35pm BST

5 min: Ibe turns beautifully in the midfield and runs hard at the Spurs back line. He feeds Fraser on the right; the resulting cross is no use. But there was a lot of space for Bournemouth to work in there. It’ll give them heart going forward.

12.33pm BST

3 min: Eriksen nearly sets Alli clear with a raking pass down the inside-right channel, but Cook and Simpson are on hand to close the door. A nice open feel to this one already.

12.32pm BST

2 min: Son miskicks out on the Spurs left and nearly allows Lerma to sprint off with the ball. Instead it’s a throw to the hosts, from which Lerma loops a pass into the box intended for King. Sanchez gets in the road to snuff out the danger.

12.31pm BST

And we’re off! Spurs get the ball rolling. It’s sunny down south, but there’s a breeze whirling around. The visitors are quickly on the front foot, earning a throw deep in enemy territory on the left ... but Rose flings it straight out for a goal kick. Onwards and upwards.

12.28pm BST

The teams are out! Bournemouth in the shirts pictured previously, iconic Dickie Dowsett crest and all. Spurs are in their first-choice white, the famous cockerel on their breast. Anticipation crackles around Dean Court; we’ll be off in a minute or two!

12.18pm BST

Eddie Howe has his say. “We rate Mark Travers very highly. He’s a really great character, has a great attitude, is a great goalkeeper, has good potential. So we think this is an ideal game for him to show us what he is capable of. We are desperate to end on a high note, it’s been a strange season with ups and downs, so we’d like to end on a good note in front of our own supporters. We will get the very best Tottenham, so we have to be at our absolute best.”

12.14pm BST

A determined Mauricio Pochettino speaks to Sky Sports. “We know very well what we are playing for. It is important to win games. We are ready, today is an important day. Always I put out a strong team to play. Tottenham is a strong team. We will do our job with the right attitude. The most important game is today. Afterwards we will think about the second leg of the Champions League.”

12.11pm BST

It’s Bournemouth’s last home game of the season. So naturally they’ll be wearing next season’s kit for the first time today. It’s how clubs roll these days. And here it is, already flying off the shelves in the club shop.

11.54am BST

A word on Mark Travers. The young keeper gets his first run-out for the Cherries today. While this will be his Premier League debut, he’s already had a taste of international football, sort of, sitting on the bench for the Republic of Ireland in the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Gibraltar and Georgia. He’s also played for Weymouth on loan, marking his debut for the Southern Premier League side by scoring from inside his own half. And there’s you thinking David Beckham announced himself in style.

11.42am BST

Four changes to the Bournemouth XI that drew 3-3 with Southampton last week. The 19-year-old third-choice keeper Mark Travers makes his debut, Artur Boruc dropping to the bench. Chris Mepham also drops to the sub bench, while David Brooks and Ryan Gosling are injured. Jordan Ibe, Adam Smith and Ryan Fraser step up.

Spurs name a strong side, with just three changes to the team sent out for the first leg of the Champions League semi with Ajax. Jan Vertonghen is of course injured, while Victor Wanyama and Fernando Llorente drop to the bench. Eric Dier, Moussa Sissoko and Son Heung-min take their places.

11.32am BST

Bournemouth: Travers, Clyne, Steve Cook, Simpson, Smith, Ibe, Lerma, Ake, Fraser, King, Wilson.
Subs: Boruc, Mousset, Hyndman, Taylor, Mepham, Surridge, Ofoborh.

Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Trippier, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Rose, Dier, Sissoko, Alli, Eriksen, Son, Lucas Moura.
Subs: Janssen, Wanyama, Llorente, Foyth, Gazzaniga, Davies, Skipp.

1.23am BST

Tottenham Hotspur haven’t secured a top-four finish yet. They’re not necessarily in the best shape to make the Champions League final either. Still, what a difference five days could make. Son Heung-min will be back from suspension for Wednesday night’s semi-final second leg against Ajax ... but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Three points against Bournemouth this lunchtime will guarantee top-level continental football next season whatever happens in Amsterdam next week.

There are some issues here, however. Spurs might have beaten the Cherries 5-0 at Wembley back in October, but they’ve won just one of their last nine away matches. They’ve also lost four of their last five matches in all competitions, and the one victory during that miserable sequence was a late scrape against Brighton & Hove Albion, who, well, y’know. Spurs will take succour from the fact that Bournemouth have lost their last two at home – against Burnley and Fulham for goodness sake – and haven’t won at Dean Court since January. Then again, that was a 4-0 belting of Chelsea, so take care Tottenham.

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on May 04, 2019 07:02

April 30, 2019

Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Ajax: Champions League semi-final, first leg – as it happened

Spurs were outplayed as Ajax took a big step towards the final

Read Daniel Taylor’s match report Read David Hytner’s player ratings Barney Ronay on a brilliant night for Van de Beek Pochettino defends medical staff after Vertonghen injury

12.25am BST

Tottenham’s manager speaks!

12.07am BST

Barney Ronay on a brilliant night for Ajax:

10.36pm BST

A big setback for Spurs, then, but as their manager insists, it’s just 0-1 and they’re not out of it yet. See you here next Wednesday for the second leg in Amsterdam? Great news. In the meantime, here’s Daniel Taylor’s definitive match report. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!

10.33pm BST

Post-match press conferences. Streamed live, for your leisure and pleasure!

10.32pm BST

And here’s the verdict of Mauricio Pochettino. “We started not in a good way. My feeling is, they were more reactive, showed more energy, and it was difficult for us to play. Our lack of energy and our approach made it difficult. After we conceded, we started to build, Sissoko provided the team good energy. We started to play the way we wanted to play. In the second half we pushed them. We are still alive, we are only 1-0 down, we need to believe that we can go there and win. I cannot say the shape we started with was wrong, we did not have too many options. Of course I am not happy. Our lack of energy was the problem, we were a little bit sloppy, the shape was not why we conceded. Our approach wasn’t good. It is my responsibility always, because I am the manager. We must keep positive for the second leg.” No updates on Vertonghen.

10.27pm BST

A word with the Ajax match-winner Donny van de Beek. “For the first 30 minutes we player really good. After that, Tottenham changed something tactical and we had problems with that, but 1-0 is OK. Next week we have to finish it. I hope! The beginning was good and after we played not what we can. But we win, and we have to make a good plan for next week. We have to stay calm this week, because we play for the cup, we want to win that also, and then we play the second game. We can do better.”

10.18pm BST

More news on the stricken Jan Vertonghen. He’s still being assessed by the Spurs medical staff, but according to BT Sport no ambulance has been called, which is being taken as a good sign.

10.13pm BST

Christian Eriksen gives a full and frank appraisal of events. “We didn’t play our best at all. The first 20 minutes we were just ball-watchers. Against a team that likes possession, that’s a no-go. We have to change it up a lot for the next game. We made them look a lot better than they are. Of course they are a good side, but we helped them on their way. We gave them the feeling that they can control things. It was our fault. It didn’t matter what the system was, we were just second to every ball. It is far from what we know we can do. Nobody wanted to play the first half like we did. We need to step up. We are lucky they hit the post, because 2-0 would be a lot different next week. But hopefully we can turn things around in Amsterdam.”

10.02pm BST

A bad result for Spurs, extremely disappointing, though in truth it could have been worse. Ajax totally bossed the first half, Donny van de Beek sending Hugo Lloris off for the paper and slotting home, and could easily have gone in with a bigger lead. They nearly found that elusive second goal during a more equal second half, David Neres hitting the post having beaten a static Lloris. But one goal was enough for a first-leg advantage. Spurs never seriously troubled Andre Onana in the Ajax goal. On this evidence, turning this round in Amsterdam next week is a big ask. But never say never, because Son Heung-min will be back from suspension, and will pose Ajax some different problems. There’s always hope.

9.58pm BST

Ajax have the advantage going into next week’s second leg in Amsterdam!

9.57pm BST

90 min +2: Foyth fouls Tadic out on the left wing. A free kick. In the background, Pochettino’s shoulders slump. He knows the jig is up tonight. His team will have to win in Amsterdam if they’re to reach the final.

9.55pm BST

90 min +1: Onana eats up most of the first minute with a goal kick. The home fans howl with impotent rage, because the referee sees nothing wrong with the keeper’s carry-on.

9.55pm BST

90 min: Foyth does extremely well to reach the byline down the right and whip a ball through the box. It nearly finds Alli, just to the left of the D ... but not quite. There will be three added minutes.

9.54pm BST

89 min: On the touchline, Pochettino blows out hard. It’s been a long night. Spurs don’t look like salvaging it. Can they find something that would put a whole different spin on events?

9.51pm BST

87 min: Huntelaar comes on for Ziyech.

9.50pm BST

86 min: Ajax stroke the ball around a bit. No urgency, but then the clock is their friend.

9.49pm BST

84 min: Space for Sissoko on the right. His cross is decent, but Llorente doesn’t attack it. An easy one for Onana.

9.48pm BST

83 min: Onana is taking his sweet time over his goal kicks. It’s something of a surprise that the referee hasn’t had a word with him, never mind booking him. But he’s getting away with it, and the crowd’s temper is brittle as a result.

9.46pm BST

82 min: Spurs push forward through Eriksen, who can’t find a killer pass but lays off to Moura, who is clipped over by Ziyech. A free kick, 25 yards out, a little to the right of centre. Eriksen’s eyes light up. But no, he decides against a direct strike, and looks for Alderweireld at the far post. He finds his man, but the defender heads weakly over the bar.

9.44pm BST

80 min: Tottenham make their last throw of the dice, refreshing their full backs. Off come Trippier and Rose, on go Davies and Foyth.

9.43pm BST

78 min: Mazraoui powers his way down the right, tussling all the way with Eriksen to the edge of the box. He shuttles the ball inside for Tadic, who could shoot, but instead unselfishly offloads to Neres, in lots of space to his left. Neres looks for the bottom right, and beats Lloris but hits the bottom of the post. The ball bounces out and away. Spurs get away with a big one.

9.40pm BST

76 min: Eriksen works the ball left for Rose, who strides into the box and shoots. For a second, this looks extremely promising. But Veltman comes across and times his block perfectly. From the resulting corner, Eriksen balloons an awful effort miles over the bar.

9.39pm BST

74 min: It briefly threatens to kick off between Alli and Neres, a dispute over a throw near the halfway line for goodness sake. Pochettino is on hand to step in between the squabbling players and calm everything down in double-quick time.

9.37pm BST

73 min: Neres, out on the left, slips the ball inside for de Jong, who works it on to Tadic. Spurs just about keep the door shut. Ajax are showing signs of working their way back into their first-half groove.

9.36pm BST

71 min: Trippier plays a loose ball backwards and Tadic nips in. He’s dribbling towards the box with purpose. Trippier’s lucky that Alderweireld, Wanyama and Sissoko combine to close him down. For a split second there, another Ajax away goal looked on the cards.

9.35pm BST

70 min: Rose is again in an awful lot of space down the left. Sissoko spots him, and rakes a high crossfield pass towards him. Onana comes for everything, though, and here he is catching the high ball once more. He drops it, but only because Rose has clattered into him. Free kick. He’s fun to watch, Onana. An entertainer. A touch of the Grobbelaars about him.

9.33pm BST

69 min: Alli spreads a ball wide left to Rose, who is in acres. Rose for some reason attempts a first-time cross, instead of making his way into the box, and his ball doesn’t beat the first man. Blind heads clear, a dangerous situation wasted.

9.31pm BST

67 min: Sissoko barges Tagliafico in the back. The referee shoots him a try-it-on-once-more glance.

9.29pm BST

65 min: Ajax make their first change of the night. Schone is replaced by Mazraoui. Schone looks highly piqued at being hooked, but Ajax require a little boost in the midfield, and the decision’s been made.

9.28pm BST

63 min: Veltmen gifts Alli the ball out on the Spurs left, then hauls his man down in a panic. Booking. Eriksen whips the free kick into the box, low and hard. Llorente springs the Ajax line, but can’t connect with a flailing leg. Half a chance, that.

9.27pm BST

62 min: Moura slips away from a dithering de Jong, just to the right of the Ajax box. He looks for Llorente with his cross, but can’t quite find his man. Spurs are beginning to push Ajax back at long last.

9.25pm BST

61 min: Moura is blocked as he makes his way down the right at speed. Free kick, and another chance for Trippier to launch long into the box. Which he does, but Ajax have held an absurdly high line, and there’s nobody at all in the area. Up goes Onana, pluckety pluck.

9.23pm BST

59 min: Sissoko’s boot scrapes de Jong’s shin. It’s not the best challenge you’ll ever see, but the Spurs man gets away with it. Just a free kick in the midfield.

9.22pm BST

58 min: Eriksen sashays in from the left and causes some panic in the Ajax defence, nearly springing Llorente clear with a cute Cruyff-to-Haan-1971-style pass down the channel. But the door’s slammed shut just in time.

9.21pm BST

56 min: Moura makes his presence felt to the right of the Ajax D. The ball’s slipped wide to Trippier, who floats a cross to the back stick, where Alli rises highest. He should do much better than heading harmlessly over. Yet another thing to file under That’s Better, though.

9.20pm BST

55 min: Spurs are seeing more of the ball, too ... it’s just that they’re not doing a great deal with it. But this is a step up from their first-half performance. Having gone to a flat back four in the wake of Vertonghen’s departure, it’s amazing what an extra man in midfield can do.

9.17pm BST

53 min: Tottenham have been quicker into the tackle since the restart, and the crowd are responding in kind. Next step: give Onana some serious work to do. He’s had a very quiet night so far.

9.16pm BST

51 min: This is a really open game. A mistake by Sanchez allows Ziyech and Neres to bear down on the Spurs box. The ball breaks to Tadic on the penalty spot, but he can’t get a shot away. Rose slides in to hook the ball away from danger with Neres lurking.

9.15pm BST

50 min: Alli, Eriksen and Moura cause Ajax some problems on the edge of their box. The ball breaks back to Alli, in a little space down the inside left. The ball sits up nicely for a shot, which is whistled straight down Onana’s throat. The first shot in anger on target for Spurs.

9.13pm BST

48 min: Rose wins a corner down the left. The set piece eventually finds Llorente, who goes on another tricky dribble down that flank, then Trippier hooks a cross into the mixer. Onana comes through a bunch of players to pluck from the sky.

9.11pm BST

46 min: Almost immediately from kick-off, Llorente juggles the ball on the edge of the Ajax box but can’t quite get a shot away. For a second, there was a big gap in that Ajax defence. Then the visitors go up the other end, Tagliafico dragging a shot wide right from 25 yards.

9.09pm BST

We’re off again! Ajax keep Spurs waiting before rocking up fashionably late for the second half. Spurs get the ball rolling again. No half-time changes. A big 45 minutes lies ahead. A little bit more on Vertonghen: he’s in the medical room being assessed by doctors. Just before tonight’s tale unfolds ahead of us, here’s a brief blast of common sense from Hubert O’Hearn: “I wish there was a rule allowing for a 10-15 minute substitution to properly check a player for concussion, with no penalty to the team.”

9.02pm BST

An update on Jan Vertonghen. According to BT Sport, he’s “OK in the dressing room”, which is wonderful news given his woozy condition as he was helped from the pitch. “Spurs have too much invested in this game for the physios and coaching staff to make a rational decision about the health of an important player like Jan Vertonghen,” argues Preston Goulson from across the pond. “Take that decision out of their hands and put an independent official on the sidelines to make a clear-eyed assessment. It was a critical step that the NFL took several years ago, and it will be just as important in football. There have been too many Hugo Lloris/Jan Vertonghen situations already, and it’s unconscionable.”

8.53pm BST

There’s just enough time for Sissoko to slice a powerful shot wide right from 20 yards, and that’s that for the first half. Strangely, given all that had gone before, and Ajax’s almost total dominance, the half-time whistle came at the wrong moment for Spurs, who were finally beginning to ask a question or two. That may give them succour for the second half.

8.52pm BST

45 min +3: A free kick for Spurs out on the right. Trippier curls it towards Alderweireld on the penalty spot, clear in a big gap between Blind and de Ligt. Alderweireld tries to guide a looping header into the top right; had it been on target, it was in, because Onana was beaten. But it drifts just over the bar. Spurs finally showing in attack, and it’s all about high balls hoicked into the box. Ajax don’t look comfortable dealing with them.

8.50pm BST

45 min +2: A bit of head tennis in the Ajax box, resulting from a Rose throw from the left. For the first time tonight, Ajax look a little panicked, with Llorente and Alli lurking. But Spurs can’t get a header goalwards, and eventually a dreadful Trippier cross from the right releases the pressure.

8.48pm BST

45 min: Ziyech, Schone and de Jong flick the ball down the right in pretty triangles. Once again, Spurs are nearly opened up. They really need to get through to half-time without conceding a second. And there are still five minutes to go, a lengthy period of stoppage time the result of poor Vertonghen’s injury.

8.46pm BST

43 min: Hearts in Tottenham mouths as Neres is sent clear down the left. He’s clear of Sanchez, momentarily. But the big defender makes up the ground, causing Neres to question himself as he enters the box and lose the run of his feet. Over he goes. And then the flag goes up late for offside anyway.

8.45pm BST

42 min: Lucas Moura looks to be Tottenham’s best bet of getting back into this tonight. He dribbles with great purpose down the inside-left channel and enters the area. It’s a fine run, but Veltman comes in from behind and executes a perfectly timed tackle. No penalty. A corner, from which nothing comes.

8.44pm BST

41 min: Both teams are a little cold after the restart. Lucas Moura bursts down the inside-right channel and looks for a white shirt in the middle, but Onana snaffles. Then a free kick for Ajax, looped into the Spurs box; de Ligt back-flicks a header wide right.

8.42pm BST

39 min: No, this was obviously going to happen. Vertonghen appears incredibly unsteady, and he asks to come off. That immediately happens, with Sissoko coming on to take his place, Spurs shifting to a back four. Vertonghen makes to go down the tunnel, and then half-collapses. He’s caught by his concerned manager Pochettino. This is horrible to watch. He’s taken away looking very unsteady on his feet, down the tunnel, everyone’s thoughts with him.

8.40pm BST

37 min: Vertonghen finally gets a new pair of shirts and shorts. All the blood cleaned up. The referee double-checks with the Spurs bench that he’s been tested for concussion. The answer’s yes, and the player is eventually allowed back on. Here’s Ian Copestake: “Spurs are not so much all over the shop as standing outside said establishment waiting for the owner to arrive to open it up so they can start work.”

8.38pm BST

35 min: Vertonghen finally gets up. The poor lad’s face is in an awful state, but Spurs aren’t preparing a substitute. A new shirt and he’ll be back in a minute.

8.36pm BST

33 min: A long pause as Vertonghen is patched up. His top looks like Ajax’s home shirt right now. A broken nose, the result of nutting the back of his defensive partner’s head. Ooyah.

8.33pm BST

30 min: The first yellow card of the evening as Tagliafico dives in recklessly on Eriksen, who was making his way down the right. A free kick, and a rare chance to push Ajax back.

8.31pm BST

28 min: Lucas Moura probes down the right, but he runs into a cul-de-sac while looking for Trippier, who is nowhere nearby. Eventually he’s swarmed by Ajax shirts, and the ball’s back in Onana’s possession.

8.29pm BST

26 min: Spurs finally respond, Trippier swinging a free kick into the Ajax box from a deep position on the right. Llorente rises highest, but sends his header harmlessly wide right. A little better, though, and Spurs will take anything right now.

8.28pm BST

24 min: Spurs were opened up with indecent ease. Veltmen slips a pass inside from the left. Van de Beek dummies, allowing Tadic to ping the ball down the inside-left channel for ... van de Beek, who is clear, albeit facing Lloris from a tight angle. He should square for Neres to tap in; it would have been the rightful end to a glorious, fluid passing move. But he shoots instead, and Lloris saves. Spurs tidy up. That would have been as good a goal as you’ve seen for years.

8.25pm BST

22 min: Spurs wake up. Trippier is sent into space down the right by Eriksen ... but his cross is too long and easily mopped up by van de Beek. Near the centre circle, Rose and Veltman roll around on the floor in the agitated style, both accusing each other of roughhouse nonsense. When they get up, the ref tells them to stop being so bloody daft, grown men and all.

8.22pm BST

20 min: Spurs hack clear. But Ajax come back at them. Spurs hack clear again. Ajax come back once more. Spurs can’t hold onto the ball at all. Ajax have enjoyed 66% possession so far, playing like the home team. The stadium’s a lot quieter right now.

8.21pm BST

19 min: Neres is causing all manner of hassle. Now he’s dribbling his way down the right, and upended with too much force by Rose. This is effectively a corner out on the right. It’s hit long. Veltman attempts to head the ball back across the face of goal. Sanchez is forced to clank behind for another corner. From which ...

8.20pm BST

17 min: The VAR man had a quick look for possible offside, but no. The pause catches Spurs cold, because pretty much straight from the restart, van de Beek sends Neres away down the left. His low cross is hacked out for a corner that’s dealt with by Tottenham. But these are extremely worrying moments for Spurs, who are all over the shop here.

8.18pm BST

This had been coming. Neres makes his way down the left and cuts back. Ziyech, 25 yards out, slips a ball down the inside-right channel for van de Beek, who is clear! He sells Lloris several dummies, sits the keeper down, and slides the ball into the bottom left.

8.16pm BST

13 min: Tadic and Neres combine well down the left. The ball’s hooked back to Ziyech, who shoots from the edge of the box. The ball deflects wide left to Neres, who is in acres and free ... and fortunately for Spurs, a shade offside. Relief for Spurs, who are second best right now.

8.15pm BST

12 min: Trippier gives the ball away cheaply with an aimless lump up the right wing. Ajax are able to come straight back at Spurs, Tadic momentarily causing concern with a dribble across the front of the Spurs box. The home side clear.

8.13pm BST

10 min: Ajax are beginning to stroke the ball around in their trademark style. They’re dominating possession. All in the middle of the park right now, but Spurs will need to watch themselves here, the visitors making themselves increasingly comfortable.

8.11pm BST

8 min: Alderweireld passes long and Llorente brings the ball down well. He turns but can’t find a man. The big striker is putting himself about nicely during these opening exchanges.

8.09pm BST

6 min: Blind clatters into Moura, who was racing across the middle of the park. A bit later in the game, and that may well have been a booking, but the referee waves play on, as Llorente had possession and was moving forward. The attack comes to nothing, and Blind can count himself lucky that the clock’s only just started ticking.

8.07pm BST

5 min: Sanchez dawdles over a simple clearance, and is quickly stripped of possession by van de Beek, who drives down the right and wins the first corner of the match. The resulting set piece finds the same Ajax player on the edge of the Spurs box, but he can’t set himself properly and hoicks a wild effort miles over the bar.

8.05pm BST

3 min: Lloris had looked a little edgy waiting in the tunnel, and here he is shanking a clearance straight to Veltman, who has a run down the inside-right channel. He loses control soon enough, but that caused a sharp intake of breath in the stands.

8.04pm BST

2 min: Can something be elegantly scrappy? If so, this is it, as both teams take turns to stroke the ball around for a bit, slowly working themselves into the game.

8.03pm BST

And we’re off! Pochettino and ten Hag embrace by the touchline, then Ajax get the first leg of this Champions League semi-final underway. You can hardly hear yourself think. This is one hell of an atmosphere! “Hell of a tackle right after the Cruyff turn,” notes Matthew Drake. “Two footed, scissor motion, studs showing. Impressive!”

8.00pm BST

The teams are out. And what an atmosphere at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium! The Spurs marching in; the Wall of Sound turned up to 11. One louder. It’s electric. The place is bouncing. Hugo Lloris looks a tad pensive but Christian Eriksen and Fernando Llorente seem happy and relaxed. Speaking of relaxed, Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt, 19, wears the carefree expression of a man sauntering down the shops of a Sunday morning for a pint of milk and 20 Bensons. What an equilibrium! He’s 19! “Gah! I don’t know who to cheer for!” cripes-lummees Hubert O’Hearn. “Normally, I automatically cheer for any English side in any Cup. Yes, even the ones normally labelled ‘that lot’. But the Ajax story is so lovely, the name so brilliant in European football, the knowledge this wonderful squad will be ripped apart by transfer fee wolves in summer I – oh wait – yeah, I think I know who I’m cheering for. But if Spurs win, I won’t mind. Honest!”

7.45pm BST

Pre-match video entertainment pt. IV. Here comes Ian Gillan, bearing gifts: a Smoke on the Water earworm, and a discovery that suggests everything we know is wrong. “As a historically minded chap I wondered if you’d be interested in something I’ve noticed from the Ajax-Panathanaikos final. Cruyff battles to retain possession around the 36m 10sec mark on this video before executing a rather familiar move, fully three years before the 1974 World Cup. The commentator reacts with ... well, complete disinterest.” Classic continental insouciance. And that’s the space-time continuum jiggered.

7.30pm BST

Mauricio Pochettinho speaks! Tottenham’s main man looks as relaxed as ever, and explains how a few of his players are doing. “It was a cautious decision to not play Vertonghen against West Ham. Today he is in condition to play and it is good news for us. Sissoko is on the bench and may have been available to play from the beginning but it is good news, because we have struggled a little in the last few weeks so to have more options is good. He is a very important player for us who does a fantastic job. It’s good to have him on the bench. The way we plan to play, it’s important to have a player like Llorente in front, and he can provide the team with experience. We think he can be very important for the team.”

7.20pm BST

Pennant watch pt. II. This is what Hugo Lloris will be handing over during the pre-match niceties. One of the great crests, of course, which is why it’s so unsettling to see all that text crammed in above the poor cockerel’s noggin. That can’t be comfortable.

7.15pm BST

Pennant watch. Ajax will be playing in their change strip tonight, black shirts with gold epaulettes. Their first kit is of course a design classic, and the famous red vertical bar looks equally gorgeous on a heraldic pennon. You can’t go wrong. Although it’s a toss-up whether it’d look even better with the previous detailed, if old-fashioned, drawing of Ajax, rather than the 11-line modernist abstraction currently in use. Six and half-a-dozen, depending on mood.

7.04pm BST

Tottenham make four changes to the side that lost to West Ham on Saturday. Son Heung-min is suspended, while Eric Dier, Juan Foyth and Ben Davies drop to the bench. Taking their spots: Fernando Llorente, Victor Wanyama, Jan Vertonghen and Kieran Trippier. Moussa Sissoko is back, but his groin problem limits the midfielder to a place on the bench.

Ajax are at full strength, making just one change to the team that swatted aside Juventus recently. David Neres comes in for Kasper Dolberg.

6.52pm BST

Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Trippier, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose, Wanyama, Eriksen, Alli, Lucas Moura, Llorente.
Subs: Gazzaniga, Foyth, Walker-Peters, Davies, Dier, Skipp, Sissoko.

Ajax: Onana, Veltman, de Ligt, van de Beek, Neres, Tadic, Blind, Schone, de Jong, Ziyech, Tagliafico.
Subs: Varela, Sinkgraven, Huntelaar, Mazraoui, Magallan, Dolberg, de Wit.

6.45pm BST

Four members of Tottenham’s squad are formerly of Ajax: Toby Alderweireld (2008–13), Jan Vertonghen (2006–12), Davinson Sánchez (2016–17) and Christian Eriksen (2009–13). The last three joined directly, while Alderweireld came via Atletico Madrid and Southampton. Here’s how they all did in the famous red-and-white shirts ...

6.30pm BST

Pre-match video entertainment pt. III. Ajax will be pleased to be back in London, for they won their very first European Cup at Wembley in 1971. Dick van Dijk (not that one) scored early against Panathinaikos - coached by Ferenc Puskas! - then Johan Cruyff cutely set up Arie Haan for a late second. A 2-0 canter, after which Ajax took the big cup back home, whereupon Princess Irene stuffed her son Prince Carlos into it at a champagne reception. (You have to keep watching for a while to get to that bit.)

6.20pm BST

Pre-match video entertainment pt. II. Pochettino has suggested that Ajax have an unfair advantage tonight, given they’ve had a week off to prepare, while Spurs had to play West Ham at the weekend. His opposite number Erik ten Hag isn’t having it.

6.10pm BST

Pre-match video entertainment pt I. Here’s Mauricio Pochettino “living his dream” while Lucas Moura channels his inner Sister Sledge by suggesting Spurs will play “like a family” tonight.

3.06pm BST

In terms of European trophies, Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax have the upper hand over Tottenham Hotspur. Their four European Cups, one Uefa Cup, one Cup Winners Cup and two Super Cups beats two Uefa Cups and one Cup Winners Cup conclusively. But in the head-to-head, it’s Spurs who have the advantage. And how!

These two clubs have run into each other just once on the continent. That was in the first round of the 1981-82 Cup Winners Cup. In the first leg in Amsterdam, Glenn Hoddle, Mark Falco and Ricardo Villa scored the goals in a 3-1 win, Ajax’s sole strike courtesy of Søren Lerby. Falco scored again in the second leg, Tony Galvin and Ossie Ardiles with the others in a comfortable 3-0 win at White Hart Lane. A 6-1 aggregate victory that will give those who believe in historical precedent succour.

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on April 30, 2019 14:36

The Fiver | The cockerels are coming home to roost in a big way

“Not in the history of football can another story like Tottenham’s be repeated!” Mauricio Pochettino there, as the 10th-richest club in the world prepare for the semi-finals of Big Cup, a stage of the competition reached in the past by the likes of Hibernian, Young Boys, Rapid Vienna, Standard Liege, Dundee, Zurich, Vasas Gyor, Dukla Prague, Spartak Trnava, Legia Warsaw, Ujpest Dozsa, Derby County, Widzew Lodz, Bordeaux, Nantes, Dundee United and Tottenham. Yes, it’s a singular achievement all right, the like of which we’ll probably never see again.

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on April 30, 2019 07:50

April 27, 2019

Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Newcastle United: Premier League – as it happened

Pascal Gross scored Brighton’s first goal in over 12 hours, nudging the Seagulls closer to Premier League safety

7.56pm BST

So ultimately it was a banner day for Brighton. Another point clear of Cardiff, safety within reach, and a first goal in over 12 hours! Dominic Fifield was at the Amex, and his report has landed. So please click and enjoy. As for this MBM, thanks for reading!

7.55pm BST

And now Rafa: “The first half we had the control and moved the ball well. We had chances to score the second goal but didn’t do it. Brighton were aggressive and fighting to avoid relegation. In the end we have a point, but it’s a pity because we could have had three.”

7.48pm BST

Some words from Chris Hughton: “We’re hoping it’s a big point for us, but we have to think that Cardiff, who are a very spirited team, will think anything’s possible. The difference between first and second half was huge. I’m feeling better now than I did at half-time. We don’t know what difference that goal will make, but we hope it does make one. I don’t think we can afford to go to Arsenal thinking we don’t need anything. Our ambition will be to get something.”

7.36pm BST

Brighton’s goalscorer Pascal Gross speaks to BT Sport: “The first half was very disappointing. But we believed. I think we deserved a point in the end and maybe all three. We are a team, we have to stick together.”

Shane Duffy adds: “We weren’t happy with the way we played in the first half, but it shows the character in the squad, we never gave up and we’re happy with the point in the end. But there are two games still left and hopefully we can get some more points.”

7.29pm BST

Brighton didn’t do anything in the first half. But they deserved their equaliser with a much-improved second-half display. And this draw is probably enough to keep them up. Brighton finish their campaign by travelling to Arsenal and hosting Manchester City, so anything from those fixtures will be considered a bonus. However they’re four points ahead of Cardiff, who also have just two games left to play. Four points is unlikely to be enough for the Bluebirds, given that they’re 14 goals worse off than the Seagulls. So it’s wins against Palace and Manchester United or bust for them. As for Newcastle, they stay in 13th, a point behind Crystal Palace and four adrift of West Ham.

7.22pm BST

And that’s that! Brighton made up for an appalling first-half display by scoring their first goal in over 12 hours of football. It’ll almost certainly be enough to keep them in the Premier League, unless Cardiff can beat Crystal Palace and Manchester United in their final two games.

7.20pm BST

90 min +2: A bit of pinball in the midfield. Both teams look spent. They’ve both played one good half of football.

7.19pm BST

90 min +1: Whoosh! The first of three added minutes goes by before you notice it.

7.18pm BST

90 min: Gross hits the corner long. Too long. Bruno recycles on the other flank, and leaves it for Knockaert, who whips back towards the left-hand post. Dubravka flaps, and Murray need only nod home from a couple of yards! But he gets under it, and the ball flies over the bar! So close to the winner that would all but secure Brighton’s Premier League future!

7.17pm BST

89 min: Brighton press Newcastle back into their final third. A lot of passing, hither and yon. But they can’t find the final ball. Finally something happens, and March’s cross from the left is deflected out for a corner. From which ...

7.15pm BST

87 min: Manquillo loops a cross into the Brighton box from the right. Ryan does well to fingertip away from the lurking Muto. But the ball breaks to Kenedy out on the left. Actually, no matter, because Kenedy blooters miles over the bar in the daft style.

7.13pm BST

85 min: A corner for Brighton on the right now, the home side doing the majority of the pressing. Gross takes, and finds Duffy ten yards out, but the defender can’t connect with his header properly, and his weak slap is easily cleared by Newcastle. Half a chance, that.

7.12pm BST

84 min: The free kick’s a waste of time, despite Murray’s staunch efforts to compete.

7.11pm BST

83 min: Bernardo and March combine well down the left. Bernardo is sent scampering into space, and is taken down by Muto, who is booked. A free kick just to the left of the box.

7.08pm BST

81 min: For the record, the official time between Brighton’s goal and their previous effort was 12 hours and 15 minutes.

7.08pm BST

80 min: Atsu is replaced by Muto.

7.07pm BST

79 min: Bissouma is booked for a late one on Atsu. Ritchie floats a free kick into the box. Bissouma, under pressure, bundles out for a corner for Newcastle out on the right. Brighton deal with the set piece easily enough.

7.06pm BST

77 min: Brighton deserved that equaliser. They’ve been as impressive in this second half as they were abject in the first. The Amex responds accordingly. The place is bouncing. If one more goal comes along, London buses style, they’ll practically be safe!

7.05pm BST

It had been coming. Just a near-12-hour wait. But when it came, it was so simple. Stephens sprayed a fine diagonal pass to Bruno, who crossed from the right. Murray jumped above Schar on the penalty spot to win a flick-on header. Dubravka hesitated, and Gross nipped in between to head past him!

7.01pm BST

74 min: Ki comes on for Shelvey, who hands the captain’s armband to Dummett. For what that’s worth.

7.00pm BST

72 min: Bernardo curls one into the box from a deep position on the left. Murray, attempting to meet the cross with a header at the far post, is knocked in the back by Ritchie and goes over. He wants a penalty, but both referee and linesman consider him to have been legally eased out of the way. You’ve certainly seen them given.

6.58pm BST

71 min: March wins a corner down the left off Manquillo. From the set piece, Newcastle break upfield through Kenedy. They’re three on two, and make an awful balls of it, Kenedy trying to find Rondon with a right-to-left pass that sails harmlessly out of play for a goal kick.

6.57pm BST

69 min: Brighton are much improved in this second period. Murray turns into space, 25 yards out, and should take a whack. But he decides to attempt a threaded pass wide right for March, and it’s blocked and cleared. Newcastle are being pushed back now.

6.54pm BST

67 min: Shelvey is allowed to run towards the Brighton box unchallenged. The hosts are very lucky that his eventual shot is no good whatsoever.

6.54pm BST

66 min: Knockaert returns from suspension, replacing the practically invisible Izquierdo.

6.52pm BST

64 min: More March madness, as he curls in low from the right. Gross attempts a backflick, six yards out, and the ball nearly finds its way through to Murray at the far post. But Dubravka responds well by flopping on the ball. March has been superb since coming on at half-time.

6.51pm BST

63 min: Stephens loops a clever pass down the inside-left channel to release Murray. He’s called offside, incorrectly as he was being played on by Fernandez in the middle. A hair-trigger on the lino’s flag there.

6.49pm BST

61 min: ... Duffy sends a header well wide. OK, but this is much better.

6.48pm BST

60 min: March continues to light a fire under Brighton. He dribbles in from the right, space opening up in front of him. But not quite enough for a shot. But it’s got the home crowd’s tails up, and their shouts of “Albion Albion” spook Newcastle into conceding a needless corner out on the left. From which ...

6.47pm BST

58 min: Bruno makes a balls of a throw. Duffy, who had come all the way upfield with a view to contesting a high ball in the box, crouches and punches the ground in impotent frustration. Brighton are at least showing a little passion now, which of course should be a given, but after that first-half display, it’s baby steps.

6.45pm BST

57 min: March is making a bit of a difference. He twists and turns his way down the right, and nearly gets the better of Dummett. Not quite, but his efforts are greeted with a roar from the crowd, who have only been asking for their side to put their shoulders into it, nothing more.

6.43pm BST

55 min: Shelvey wedges softly down the inside-right channel to find Hayden in the Brighton box. Hayden wins a corner. Fernandez gets up to meet Ritchie’s delivery, but can’t get anything meaningful on it, and Brighton are able to clear their lines.

6.42pm BST

53 min: This is a little better from the home side, as March chases after a long ball down the right. He cuts inside and whips towards Murray, on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. Murray can’t shape his body to guide the header on target, and it sails wide right, but that’ll give Brighton a little hope of scoring that elusive goal.

6.39pm BST

51 min: Manquillo dances down the right and wins a corner off Izquierdo. Ritchie trots over to take it. He whips it low towards the near post. Hayden tries to flick it into the bottom right, but the effort’s blocked. He wants a penalty for handball off Stephens, but the players were too close together for the referee to be convinced.

6.37pm BST

49 min: After taking an age to get ready, Bissouma comes on for the hamstrung Kayal. Then Rondon is sent scampering down the inside right, Duffy having meekly given up possession in the midfield. He can’t get a shot away, Dunk sliding in to block.

6.35pm BST

47 min: Here’s something else Brighton could do without: a hamstring problem for Kayal. He was just trotting after Shelvey. On the touchline, his manager stares at him with laser-guided irritation. Meanwhile there’s a free kick for Brighton out on the left. Gross swings it in and Murray flicks a header wide right.

6.33pm BST

And we’re off again! Brighton get the second half underway. March replaces Andone. If they don’t score in the next 45 minutes, it’ll be seven league games without a goal and that’ll be an unwanted club record.

6.22pm BST

Half-time reading. Ed Aarons was at Craven Cottage to see Fulham do Brighton a massive favour. Here’s his report.

6.19pm BST

Brighton are one win away from near-guaranteed safety ... which makes their almost total lack of intensity bamboozling. They’ve been an indolent joke, and their irate fans boo them off. Newcastle lead thanks to a fine goal, albeit one scored unchallenged by a man with a jiggered hip.

6.15pm BST

45 min: Ritchie is booked for an overly enthusiastic challenge on Andone, made a couple of minutes ago. In between times, Newcastle were allowed to swan towards the half-time whistle by stroking the ball around the middle of the park quite a lot. Of course they were.

6.14pm BST

43 min: A relegation battle. How to approach it? The clue is in the name. Newcastle have been given the run of the gaff. Brighton are barely scrapping at all.

6.12pm BST

41 min: Shelvey has all the time in the world to think about a cross from the right. He overcooks it and misses Rondon by a mile, and that’s a goal kick. But what on earth are Brighton doing? No challenges, no pressing, they’re wandering around in a trance. The mood in the Amex isn’t great as a result.

6.09pm BST

39 min: Shelvey has a pop from distance. Nope.

6.08pm BST

38 min: Atsu drives down the right and nearly makes it all the way into the box. Manquillo was tearing alongside him on the overlap, free as a bird, Izquierdo having made no effort to track back. But the pass didn’t come. Atsu loses control and Brighton clear.

6.07pm BST

36 min: The Newcastle fans start shouting “ole!” as their team knock it around with a yawn in midfield. It’s fair to say that Brighton are not deploying the high press. In fact, they’re standing around doing bugger all, and the fans are getting pretty agitated. Schar nearly takes advantage by waltzing down the inside-right channel and into the box, but loses his balance as he tries to sort his feet out to shoot, and Ryan is able to snaffle.

6.04pm BST

34 min: A corner for Brighton down the right. Gross takes, and within seconds it’s all the way back at the feet of Ryan. The home crowd groan in irritation.

6.03pm BST

33 min: Perez can’t continue. The goalscorer limps off down the tunnel, his side still giving him gyp. Kenedy takes his place.

6.03pm BST

32 min: Bruno takes his own sweet time over a throw, and the home fans holler for him to get a shift on. They’re desperate for something, anything to happen. Nothing’s happening.

6.01pm BST

30 min: The match has gone saggy and shapeless, with next to nothing by way of intensity being shown by the home side. This is preposterous, given the situation they find themselves in. Newcastle are perfectly happy with this state of affairs.

6.00pm BST

28 min: Brighton haven’t won a single game at home this season in which they’ve fallen behind. Seven losses and two draws. They’d take a draw right now for a precious extra point over Cardiff, but they look both impotent and inept in attack right now. It’s not looking good at the moment.

5.57pm BST

26 min: The resulting free kick is whipped into the mixer by Gross. Brighton have a couple of men caught offside, and the pressure on Newcastle is released.

5.56pm BST

25 min: A corner for Newcastle comes to nothing, allowing Brighton to escape up the other end. Andone whistles down the right and is upended unceremoniously by Dummett, who becomes the second player to go into the referee’s notebook.

5.55pm BST

23 min: Newcastle have quietened the home fans, just what you want in the early stages of an away performance. The tension is palpable. A very real threat of relegation hanging in the air. That allows the Toon fans to trot out the Mike Ashley songbook, loud and clear for everyone’s entertainment.

5.53pm BST

21 min: That goal is great news for Cardiff City. A Newcastle win here would throw them a lifeline. But here’s a stroke of luck for Brighton, as Bruno accidentally clips Rondon’s heel as the latter chases a long pass into the box. The referee isn’t interested, though, and waves play on. Brighton may have got away with one there.

5.51pm BST

20 min: Brighton’s defending there was non-existent. Not sure why Dummett was able to make so much ground down the left, given all the time in the world to size up his cross. Perez didn’t celebrate the goal too much, as he still looks to be in plenty of pain.

5.49pm BST

Perez will be feeling OK right now! And this is a lovely team goal. Dummett is allowed to stroll down the left. He sends a ball across to Rondon at the far post. Rondon chests the ball down for Perez, who is just inside the area ... and belts the ball into the top right! Ryan had no chance.

5.47pm BST

17 min: Brighton are sitting back deep, happy to let Newcastle stroke it around. The home crowd are quiet and pensive as a result.

5.46pm BST

15 min: Perez gets up, trots off the field, then comes back on. But he’s not moving smoothly at all, and still holding that side, grimacing in pain. In that sense, it doesn’t look as though he’s going to be able to continue, but there’s no movement on the Newcastle bench so we’ll see.

5.44pm BST

13 min: Perez is down, his ribs still troubling him. On comes the trainer.

5.42pm BST

11 min: Andone is booked for a robust challenge on Atsu. He appeared to stand quite heavily on Atsu’s foot. He claims it was accidental, and indeed looked a clumsy attacker’s tackle rather than anything else. But the yellow card comes out.

5.39pm BST

9 min: A nice end-to-end feel to this already. Brighton get on the front foot again, winning a corner down the left. That set piece leads to another on the right. The ball swirls around in the wind before dropping near the penalty spot, but Rondon is first to the loose ball and hooks away.

5.38pm BST

7 min: Newcastle respond with no less than three attacks of their own. First there’s space for Shelvey down the right, but his cross can’t find Rondon in the middle. Then Atsu has a dribble down the inside-left channel, but he can’t quite get a shot away. Finally Perez takes a turn down the same channel, and he gets as far as the box before being fairly checked by Duffy. He gets up holding his ribs.

5.36pm BST

5 min: What a fiasco, though. Such a good position from which to test Dubravka. Brighton come again, Murray slipping a pass down the right for Andone. but Ritchie isn’t giving up an inch and the Brighton attacker is forced to turn tail.

5.34pm BST

3 min: Gross and Bernardo tap the free kick to each other, back and forth, before the ball’s rolled square across the face of the penalty box to ... absolutely nobody. Time to go back to the drawing board, and chop it up into little splinters. Best not to overthink, and to try a direct shot on goal next time.

5.32pm BST

2 min: Hayden clumsily bundles Murray to the ground, just to the left of the D. A very promising position for a free kick.

5.32pm BST

And we’re off! Newcastle get the ball rolling and pump it forward. Brighton send it back upfield. Murray nearly closes down a lumbering Dubravka, Shane Long style, but there’s to be no seven-second goal for him. The keeper hacks clear just in time. Still, full marks for effort.

5.28pm BST

The teams are out! Brighton will play in their blue and white vertical stripes, while Newcastle wear their Ginola-Ferdinand-era horizontal blue and burgundy rugby pastiche. We’ll be off in a minute!

5.18pm BST

Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez talks! “We will try to do our best, we have to win. We are professionals and will try to finish as high as we can in the table. This league is quite difficult. When you have two or three games against the top six, you can lose confidence. But we reacted well and now we are in a good position.”

5.13pm BST

Brighton boss Chris Hughton speaks! “This is our best opportunity. It would certainly make life easier if we got a result today. It’s a test and a challenge of our desire to stay in this division. Unfortunately for us, we’ve picked our most disappointing part of the season at the wrong time, but we can only deal with facts, and we have an opportunity today for some points that would be very welcome. We’re on the back of two performances at the stadiums of clubs who are having outstanding seasons [Wolves and Spurs] so there’s a good feel from that. The next step now is to do what we’ve found difficult today, and that’s scoring goals.”

5.04pm BST

A huge pre-match boost for Brighton at Craven Cottage! Fulham have beaten Cardiff City 1-0 thanks to Ryan Babel’s 79th-minute curler from 25 yards. Junior Hoilett hit the bar for the Bluebirds and Sean Morrison missed a point-blank header during a desperate closing heave, but it wasn’t enough. It’s three Premier League wins on the bounce for Fulham, for the first time since 2012, but it’s seriously bad news for Cardiff. Should Brighton win tonight, they’ll be six clear of Cardiff with two games left apiece. Cardiff have the easier fixtures - Crystal Palace at home and Manchester United away, while Brighton have to travel to Arsenal and host Manchester City - but six points would almost certainly not be enough, as they’d also need to make up a 15-goal deficit. In other words, should Brighton win tonight, they’re as good as safe.

4.42pm BST

Brighton make four changes to the team named for the narrow loss at Spurs on Tuesday evening. Martin Montoya, Yves Bissouma, Jurgen Locadia and Alireza Jahanbakhsh make way for Bruno, Baram Kayal, Glenn Murray and Jose Izqueirdo. Anthony Knockaert is available again after a three-match suspension.

Newcastle make three changes to the team that saw off Southampton 3-1 last Sunday. Jamaal Lascelles is ill, Miguel Almiron is hamstrung and out for the rest of the season, and Ki Sung-yueng drops to the bench. Federico Fernandez, Jonjo Shelvey and Christian Atsu take their places.

4.32pm BST

Brighton & Hove Albion: Ryan, Bruno, Duffy, Dunk, Bernardo, Gross, Stephens, Kayal, Andone, Murray, Izquierdo.
Subs: Bong, Bissouma, Locadia, Knockaert, March, Button, Burn.

Newcastle United: Dubravka, Manquillo, Schar, Fernandez, Dummett, Ritchie, Perez, Shelvey, Hayden, Atsu, Rondon.
Subs: Ki, Diame, Muto, Kenedy, Yedlin, Barreca, Darlow.

11.29am BST

Brighton & Hove Albion are in some serious bother. They’ve not scored a goal in the Premier League since March 9, when Anthony Knockaert sent a screamer into the top-left corner of Crystal Palace’s net to win the M23 derby. This impotent seven-game carry-on has sent them clattering down the table, and now they’re just three points above the last relegation place. Their next two matches are against Arsenal and Manchester City; realistically you’d think they need to get something here this evening. Finding the net would be a start.

There’s always hope in football, though. Brighton have a decent recent record against tonight’s opponents Newcastle United. They beat Rafa Benitez’s side earlier in the campaign, 1-0 at St James’ Park, and won this fixture last season. That one ended 1-0 too. Throw in a 0-0 up north last season, and Brighton have reason to be optimistic. Especially as Newcastle, having won their last two, are nice and safe in mid-table now, dreaming of the summer break. Either way, this doesn’t scream goalfest, but you never know. It’s on!

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on April 27, 2019 11:56

Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 West Ham United: Premier League – as it happened

Michail Antonio scored the first away goal at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, dealing a blow to the hosts’ hopes of a top-four finish

2.59pm BST

And that brings this MBM to an end. All that’s left is to direct you towards David Hytner’s match report, briskly dispatched from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and freshly landed at Guardian Towers. Enjoy, enjoy. And thanks for reading this report!

2.57pm BST

Manuel Pellegrini has his say. “We played a good game, we defended well, we attacked well. We need to play as a big team, to go to every stadium to try to win the game. Tottenham is our major rival and our fans must be very happy.”

2.48pm BST

Mauricio Pochettino’s verdict. “I am very disappointed. We all feel disappointed. It was tough, we knew it was going to be tough. They arrived in a very good condition, fresh, but for us the situation was completely different. But I have nothing to say, and we need to move on. It is tough to prepare a semi-final against a very good team like Ajax who arrive in a good condition, it is going to be difficult. The result today was no good for us, but to be doing this is unbelievable.”

2.34pm BST

Match-winner Michail Antonio speaks! “It’s beautiful. We’ve come here, put ourselves in history, and it’s only right that West Ham did it. It’s a big rivalry, West Ham and Tottenham go way back, so to be the first team to come here and win is a great achievement. We’re loving it, and the fans are loving it. We just want to keep going for the last few games of the season. I wasn’t aware [that he was the first player to score an away goal at the new stadium] but that’s another little mark in history, and I love it!”

2.26pm BST

West Ham celebrate their victory in expansive style, and who can blame them? They deserved to win on their second-half performance alone. The better team since the restart, they scored a fine goal, plaudits going both to the scorer Michail Antonio and Marco Arnautovic with the assist. And they had other chances too, as Spurs chased the game in the late stages. They consolidate 11th place, moving four points clear of Crystal Palace. Spurs meanwhile are still in the driving seat for Champions League qualification, but Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United all have opportunities to close in on them tomorrow afternoon. It’s going to be a nail-biting end to their season, and that’s without factoring in their big semi-final clash with Ajax!

2.22pm BST

West Ham, who were the first team to beat Arsenal at the Emirates, repeat the trick at Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium!

2.21pm BST

90 min +4: Spurs so nearly equalise! Foyth dances down the right and loops a cross to Janssen, who heads powerfully towards goal. But Balbuena hooks off the line and clears! Eriksen delivers the ball back into the box from the left, but Fabianksi claims!

2.19pm BST

90 min +3: Llorente heads on a high ball sent down the middle. It nearly drops to Son on the penalty spot. It breaks left to Janssen, who shoots towards the bottom right, an easy snaffle for Fabianski.

2.18pm BST

90 min +2: Lucas works hard out on the West Ham left to eat up some more time.

2.17pm BST

90 min +1: Whoosh! There goes the first of four added minutes.

2.17pm BST

90 min: This is some end to this fine game. Llorente dribbles away on the left and sends a ball across the face of goal, but Janssen can’t get anywhere close to poke home. Then Janssen has a dig from a tight angle on the left, but Fabianski deals with it easily. Finally Antonio bombs down the centre, and is about to shoot from just inside the box when Sanchez eases him off the ball with a well-timed shoulder charge. Totally legal, quite wonderful defending.

2.15pm BST

88 min: This is a wild end to this match. Anderson skedaddles down the left into acres, but can’t find anyone in the centre. Then up the other end, Eriksen floats a pass down the inside-left for Janssen, but there’s too much on the ball and it goes out for a goal kick.

2.14pm BST

87 min: The corner comes to nothing. Diop should have scored. A shame for the big defender, as he’d made quite the run.

2.13pm BST

86 min: West Ham push the clock management too far, as Fredericks is booked for taking his sweet time over a throw. And then Diop nearly scores a sensational goal, picking up the ball to the left of the centre circle, nutmegging Sanchez, and bursting clear down the middle! Having Beckenbauered his way to the edge of the box, he gets a nose bleed and takes his shot far too early. His low effort, towards the bottom left, is turned round the post by Lloris.

2.11pm BST

85 min: And now the West Ham captain makes way for Ogbonna. The clock ticks on, West Ham’s friend right now.

2.11pm BST

84 min: Eriksen crosses from the left for Llorente, who can’t connect at the far post. Then Alli makes way for Wanyama.

2.10pm BST

83 min: Spurs clear the second West Ham corner. After a fashion. They haven’t looked secure at the back at any point this afternoon.

2.09pm BST

82 min: The corner’s half cleared, but Spurs can’t get out. Another corner is earned, this time on the left. “Am I dreaming or doesn’t anyone want to claim a top four placing other than Liverpool and Manchester City?” wonders Marzi De Santi. If Manchester United and Chelsea serve up a goalless draw tomorrow, you could well be onto something.

2.08pm BST

81 min: Diop launches a long, long ball down the inside right. Antonio romps after it and hammers a shot towards the bottom right. Lloris tips it round for a corner.

2.06pm BST

80 min: From a position to the left of the D, Arnautovic whips a curler towards the top right. Lloris meets it and snaffles well. That’ll be Arnautovic’s last act. He’s tweaked his hamstring and is replaced by Perez.

2.04pm BST

78 min: West Ham clear the corner easily enough, and are soon on the counter. Felipe Anderson and Antonio combine down the right, but Eriksen backtracks to put a stop to their gallop.

2.03pm BST

77 min: The newly rediscovered Janssen comes on for Rose. His very first act is to win a corner down the left.

2.02pm BST

76 min: Snodgrass, on a yellow, is replaced by Obiang.

2.01pm BST

74 min: Alli tries his best to put a stop to that notion, bustling through the centre of the West Ham defence. But he can’t get anything meaningful away, and the ball balloons into the hands of Fabianski. The Spurs crowd now pensive.

2.00pm BST

73 min: Something else for Spurs fans to consider: West Ham were the first team to win away at the Emirates. They’re now roughly 20 minutes away from completing a double that would propel their fans into a state of high amusement.

1.57pm BST

71 min: Eriksen plays a cute reverse pass down the inside-left channel, releasing Llorente into the area. Llorente drops a shoulder to glide past Fredericks, and shapes to shot, but the flag springs up for offside. It’s the correct decision.

1.56pm BST

69 min: Arnautovic has been excellent since the restart. He powers down the right and earns a throw deep in Tottenham territory off Alderweireld. Spurs manage to keep the door shut, but for a second they were fearing the quick one-two. Suddenly a top-four finish doesn’t quite look the shoo-in it once did.

1.54pm BST

West Ham become the first away side to score at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium! And it’s a belter! Arnautovic, tight on the right, dinks a curler towards Antonio, who chests down and barges into the box down the inside-right channel, past Sanchez, and lashes a shot past Lloris! That was a clever assist, and an even better finish.

1.52pm BST

66 min: The first change of the day, as Lucas Moura is replaced by Fernando Llorente.

1.51pm BST

65 min: A bit of space down the left for Felipe Anderson. He does nothing creative in it. Good luck predicting who’ll score the first goal in this match, though. Both teams are going for it. There will be a first goal, won’t there? It’ll be very odd if this ends goalless. This match has been a blast.

1.50pm BST

63 min: Arnautovic powers his way down the right and looks to be unfairly impeded by Sanchez. But there’s no free kick. He continues to battle, and battle hard, but eventually loses out to a combination of Sanchez and Davies. Some good old-fashioned derby football, right there.

1.48pm BST

61 min: The corner is a complete waste of time. Antonio really should have laid off much earlier back there, to either Felipe Anderson or Arnautovic. Spurs were in a whole world of bother, light of defenders.

1.47pm BST

60 min: Eriksen batters it witlessly into the wall. Most uncharacteristic. West Ham pile forward on the counter, Antonio dribbling with great intent down the right. He drifts into the box and looks to shoot, but is closed down. The ball breaks to Felipe Anderson, whose shot is deflected over for a corner.

1.45pm BST

59 min: The Spurs revival continues, as Rose races down the left only to be stopped unfairly by Balbuena. This is a free kick, just to the left of the D, and Eriksen is over it. Danger for West Ham.

1.44pm BST

57 min: Alli’s cameo has given Spurs a boost. First Alli makes good down the right again, but can’t find a team-mate with his cross. Eriksen then has a go down the same flank. His cross is no good either. Then Davies dances down the inside-left and nearly makes it all the way through, zipping past three challenges. The ball breaks right to Son, who tries to take a touch inside and shoot. But he runs into Masuaka instead. He wants a penalty but the defender had done nothing wrong. No dice.

1.42pm BST

55 min: West Ham’s brisk start to this second half has done for the Wall of Sound. I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles fills the airwaves. Alli tries to turn up the volume of his own fans by skipping down the right and standing one up for Dier in the middle, but Balbuena gets in the way to head clear.

1.40pm BST

53 min: The set piece drops to the feet of Diop at the far post. Spurs don’t deal with the situation very well, and are very fortunate that Diop takes a wild air-swipe at the ball. West Ham are getting closer and closer to scoring the first away goal at this new stadium.

1.38pm BST

52 min: Spurs look a little rattled at West Ham’s performance since the restart. Sanchez needlessly bundles over Anderson down the left. A free kick and a chance to load the box.

1.37pm BST

50 min: West Ham have come out on the front foot. Fabianski launches long down the right. Arnautovic brings it down gracefully, killing a high ball dead and spinning around in one stylish twirl, Cruyff and Le Tissier rolled into one. He nearly Le Tissiers the ball into the net from 25 yards, too, but Lloris does extremely well to gather. That would have been such a goal.

1.35pm BST

49 min: But West Ham have Spurs pinned back, and Noble draws a foul from an impatient Eriksen out near the left-hand corner flag. Another poor delivery by Snodgrass, and Son clears with ease.

1.34pm BST

48 min: The corner’s half cleared. Arnautovic has a dig from distance. Another deflection, another corner. Snodgrass will take this one from the left ... and fails to beat the first man.

1.33pm BST

47 min: Noble creams a glorious pass down the right to send Arnautovic barrelling into space. The striker cuts inside then lays off to Fredericks, romping in from behind. Fredericks blasts a shot goalwards from the edge of the box. It’s deflected. Corner.

1.32pm BST

And we’re off again! West Ham, having kept Spurs waiting, finally turn up and get the ball rolling again. No half-time changes. Spurs will be attacking their Wall of Sound in this second half.

1.18pm BST

Half-time entertainment. Some good news for Spurs fans. Possibly.

1.17pm BST

There’s just enough time for Anderson to take a shot towards the bottom right of the Spurs goal. It instead hits the right of Alderweireld’s bottom, and nearly pings off into the other side of the goal. Lloris does extremely well to react, change direction and smother. And that’s that, the end of a very entertaining first half. More of this, please, only with added goals if possible.

1.15pm BST

44 min: Alli threatens to dribble through the middle of the West Ham defence. Balbuena brushes him from behind, and he goes down. It should be a free kick, just outside the area, but the referee reckons there wasn’t enough contact. The ball breaks wide right to Foyth, who leathers a diagonal shot wide left.

1.13pm BST

42 min: Masuaka whips a cross in from the left. Lloris punches clear powerfully with Arnautovic in close attendance. Up the other end, Son leaves one on Snodgrass, and gets away with it, much to the disgust of the game’s only booked player.

1.11pm BST

40 min: Noble stands still with the ball at his feet for what feels like a minute. Alli barges him off it and waltzes away. No foul. Then the ball’s passed back to Lloris, who freezes, and is nearly closed down by Arnautovic. He kicks away just in time. For a minute back there, this match turned into a work by Gilbert and George.

1.09pm BST

38 min: Foyth makes his way down the right, drifts inside and clips a ball forward for Son, who finds himself in Eriksen Country, on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. Like his team-mate 60 seconds beforehand, Son’s shot is blocked by the alert Fabianski ... and the flag goes up for offside anyway.

1.08pm BST

37 min: Lucas Moura has been Tottenham’s best player today. He turns on the jets mid-dribble and makes it to the byline to the right of goal. His pullback takes a deflection, a clearance is blocked by Son, and the ball falls to the feet of Eriksen, on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. Eriksen tries to lift the ball over Fabianski, but the keeper has read the danger well and spreads to block. It’s the closest either team has come to opening the scoring.

1.05pm BST

35 min: Son dribbles daintily down the centre, but just as it looks as though he’s opened West Ham up, a heavy touch puts a stop to his grand idea. Both teams are really going for this, it’s slightly odd that the keepers haven’t had more work to do.

1.04pm BST

34 min: Antonio sashays past a couple of half-arsed Spurs challenges, deep on the right, then knocks a diagonal pass towards Felipe Anderson, in acres on the left. He should be sending his team-mate clear, but there’s too much juice on the ball and it flies harmlessly through to Lloris.

1.02pm BST

32 min: A long ball down the middle nearly exposes the Spurs defence, but with Antonio and Arnautovic lurking on the edge of the box, Sanchez steps in to tidy up.

1.00pm BST

30 min: This match is being played at 100mph. It’s like watching USSR v Belgium at the 1986 World Cup.

12.58pm BST

28 min: Alli dinks a fine pass down the left to release Son into the box. For a split second, it looks as though Son might have space for a shot from a tight angle, but Diop is across quickly to stick on his man, and usher him away from danger. Fine defending.

12.56pm BST

26 min: The first booking of the game is earned by Snodgrass, who slides in on Lucas Moura. It wasn’t nasty, but it was mistimed and late, and a little from behind. He can’t complain.

12.55pm BST

25 min: Son dribbles towards the West Ham box, from left to right, and drops a shoulder. His dig is deflected out for a corner on the right. Nothing much comes of it. But Spurs are soon coming back at the visitors, Lucas Moura opening up down the inside right and creaming a low diagonal drive inches wide of the left-hand post. That really was very close. Not sure Fabianski was getting any fingers to that had it been on target.

12.53pm BST

23 min: It’s developing into a fine end-to-end duel. Rose nearly breaks clear into the West Ham box down the left, but runs the ball out of play with a clumsy touch. Then Antonio lashes over from 25 yards. A goal’s coming soon, surely. But at what end?

12.52pm BST

21 min: Everything and everyone pinging around in the pinball style. Both teams are going for this. It’s making for a very lively spectacle.

12.50pm BST

19 min: West Ham spring back into action. Fredericks makes his way down the right and sends a low fizzer wide of goal. Lloris tips it round anyway to concede a needless corner. Snodgrass takes; Antonio slaps a header wide right from close range. Then seconds later, the Hammers are coming at Spurs again, Felipe Anderson skittering down the left at pace. Spurs are light at the back, so it’s something of a disappointment for West Ham when he hoicks a lame shot straight into Lloris’s arms. Arnautovic was free on the penalty spot, and reacts as you’d imagine he would.

12.48pm BST

17 min: Space for Rose down the left. He hoicks a cross into the West Ham box from deep. The wind converts it into a looping shot, and for a second it looks like beating Fabianski, retreating in panic, and dropping into the top right. But it sails wide right, the keeper escorting the ball out of play, having rediscovered his bearings in time.

12.46pm BST

15 min: Dier and Moura one-two their way down the middle. It’s looking promising until Diop steps up to intercept. This is a nice open, flowing game. Though most of the flowing is being done by Spurs. After that brief flurry at the start, West Ham are second best right now.

12.44pm BST

13 min: Eriksen juggles the ball down the left and lifts a pass forward for Alli. He’s away down the left too! He enters the box and looks to curl one into the top right, but doesn’t get enough elevation on the shot and it’s blocked by Fredericks. West Ham are looking vulnerable on this flank.

12.43pm BST

11 min: Spurs are beginning to assert themselves after a slow-ish start. Moura is at the heart of everything. He twists and turns in the centre circle and lays off to Alli, who slips a pass down the inside left for Son. The striker’s away! He romps into the box and looks for the bottom left, his options limited by Balbuena to his right. Fabianski gets down very well to smother. That’s his 137th save of the season, the best of the Premier League. (For the record, Cardiff’s Neil Etheridge, with 126, is next on the list.)

12.39pm BST

9 min: Lucas Moura glides in from the left then picks up speed, dribbling hard at Rice, who doesn’t move. Slam. That’s a blatant body check and a free kick 35 yards out. Eriksen floats the set piece into the box. It’s only half cleared, and Moura very nearly sends Son clear with a cute slide-rule pass down the inside-right channel. It’s intercepted by Diop.

12.37pm BST

7 min: Alderweireld quarterbacks from deep. He sprays a ball down the middle for Son, but the striker wanted it out on the right, and the pass flies harmlessly through to Fabianski.

12.35pm BST

5 min: Finally Spurs get going. Son looks for his 21st goal of the season, chasing a bouncing ball down the inside-right channel. The ball sits up invitingly, and Son gives it a rare old lash, but it’s wild and high. That’ll have got the juices flowing at least.

12.34pm BST

4 min: The noise in this stadium is magnificent. Both sets of fans giving it plenty in the early moments. West Ham appear to have come out with a view to throwing the kitchen sink at Spurs, they’re sharp in the tackle and committing plenty of men forward. It’s a high-octane start, and the hosts haven’t had much of a chance to get anything together so far.

12.32pm BST

2 min: Mind you, Declan Rice does his level best to give West Ham a flying start. Snodgrass made good down the left, causing Spurs a bit of bother. The ball breaks back to Rice, 25 yards out, and he sends a screamer inches over the bar. That one caused a collective sharp intake of breath. It was close!

12.31pm BST

And we’re off! The hosts get the party started. It’s been a week for quick goals: Southampton striker Shane Long’s seven-second wonder at Watford in midweek, Naby Keita’s comparatively slothful 15-second effort for Liverpool against Huddersfield Town last night. But the first 60 seconds have passed here, and neither net has billowed yet. Come on folks, people have paid good money for this.

12.28pm BST

The teams are out! Tottenham Hotspur wear their famous lilywhite, daring to do. West Ham meanwhile sport their storied claret and blue. It’s a purist’s dream. As is quickly becoming custom, there’s a belting atmosphere at the New White Hart Lane (they really should call it High Road) though to be fair there’s always a hubbub whenever these two meet. We’ll be off in two shakes of a lamb’s tail!

12.16pm BST

It’s Charity Day at Spurs. The club are helping to raise funds for Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice. Players are warming up in these shirts, while yesterday Mauricio Pochettino visited the charity’s new hospice building.

11.55am BST

Mauricio Pochettino talks! “I am only thinking of today. This is the most important game, we do not think of the next one. I have picked the best players available to win. I have told the players the most important game is today, we have to be sure we are going to compete in our best way. Of course we cannot avoid risk, we are in the middle of the fight for the top four and the Champions League. But today Vertonghen is out of the squad, he has big fatigue and today would be a massive risk to play with him. But we rotate because I think the best starting XI is the one we have today. We know this is a derby, and means more than a game. They are a very good team and we must be focused. It is going to be tough.”

11.46am BST

Manuel Pellegrini speaks! “We want and need to finish with a competitive team and more points. We must finish in the best way. We are conceding too many goals, but I am happy with the way we played the last two games and hopefully we can win this game. I am confident that if we repeat the game we played at Manchester United, we can win today. Spurs have a very strong squad, and must try to qualify for the Champions League, so I am sure their mind is just on this game.”

11.42am BST

Spurs make four changes to the XI named for the 1-0 win over Brighton. Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, Juan Foyth and Ben Davies replace Kieran Tripper, Victor Wanyama, Fernando Llorente and Jan Vertonghen, who has picked up an injury.

West Ham swap out two players from the XI selected for the 2-2 draw with Leicester City. Ryan Fredericks and Issa Diop replace Pablo Zabaleta and Angelo Ogbonna. Jack Wilshere’s comeback from injury continues with a place on the bench.

11.31am BST

Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Davies, Foyth, Dier, Alli, Rose, Eriksen, Son, Lucas Moura.
Subs: Trippier, Janssen, Wanyama, Walker-Peters, Llorente, Gazzaniga, Skipp.

West Ham United: Fabianski, Fredericks, Balbuena, Diop, Masuaku, Rice, Antonio, Noble, Snodgrass, Felipe Anderson, Arnautovic.
Subs: Zabaleta, Adrian, Obiang, Hernandez, Wilshere, Ogbonna, Lucas Perez.

11.10am BST

West Ham United have lost three of their last four matches, haven’t won in five, and have already been beaten by Tottenham Hotspur twice this season, in the League (0-1) and League Cup (1-3). While the Hammers mooch around in mid-table, Spurs sit third, have a fair chance of winning the Champions League, and have a record in their fancy new stadium of P4 W4 F8 A0. If recent form is anything to go by, this should be a home banker.

Football’s never that cut and dried, though, is it? Spurs have only won three of their last nine home games against West Ham, who would be delighted to become the first club to leave High Road (they really should call it that) with a goal or two or point or three. The hosts will understandably have one eye on their Champions League semi-final with Ajax on Tuesday evening. And they struggled to break down Brighton & Hove Albion midweek, requiring a late, late Christian Eriksen superstrike to squeak past. So it’s far from a pipe dream for the Hammers.

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on April 27, 2019 06:59

April 23, 2019

Tottenham 1-0 Brighton: Premier League – as it happened

Spurs strengthened their top-four position after eventually beating a Brighton side that defended for their lives

Read David Hytner’s report on Spurs’ win Long scores after 7.69 secs in Southampton’s draw at Watford

10.16pm BST

Meanwhile David Hytner was at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for this one. His report has landed, and that’s my cue to say goodnight. Thanks for reading this MBM!

10.14pm BST

You might recall Southampton’s Shane Long scoring after eight seconds. Actually, 7.69 to be precise. Dominic Fifield was there to witness Premier League history, and here’s his report of a match bookended by drama.

10.13pm BST

Poch talks! “It was a massive victory for us. We need to congratulate our players for a massive effort, after three games against Manchester City. It was a tough game against difficult opposition. It was difficult, we needed fresh legs, it was hard to find the space for the last pass when they sat so deep. Christian’s goal was amazing. I always had hope, even in 88 minutes. Maybe the next action, the next action! The three points puts us in a very good position in the table, it is up to us now. I am so happy. We have three games left in the season, and are in the semi-finals of the Champions League.”

10.05pm BST

Chris Hughton speaks. “We’ve gone through a difficult period, and asked for a response from the lads. And we had that. I can’t fault their efforts and what they tried to do. Spurs had chances, but clear chances were minimal. I thought we defended really well. If we managed the game a little better in the final period, and made better decisions on the ball, we’d have got a result. I genuinely felt we were going to hold out. The changing room is down because of the manner, because it was so late. That can take a fair bit out of the players.”

9.58pm BST

A grim-faced Lewis Dunk - the man of the match - talks. “It was shattering, gutting. The last two games we have put everything into it, and that’s what we’ve got to do if we want to stay in this league. We blocked everything and headed everything away, but that one shot flew in. We’ve got to take the positives, we have become hard to beat. Right now it’s gutting, but there are more positives than negatives and we’ve got to take those into our home game with Newcastle. We’re still in a good position, it’s in our hands.”

9.52pm BST

The match-winner Christian Eriksen speaks! “I had a few warm-up shots before the first one, and I had the confidence to go again. I hit it really well and it flew in. Confidence is good, but it’s difficult to play against ten or 11 men in their own box. We saw the results the other day, so we needed to put the pressure on. It was a tough and long game. We got a win, there was no option. We need to focus on the Premier League and keep our spot. I really like the new stadium, it’s given everyone at the club a big boost.”

9.42pm BST

As the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium erupts in celebration, Lewis Dunk sinks to his knees. Brighton put in a shift tonight all right. They rode their luck at times, but on the whole theirs was a fine defensive display against one of the best teams in Europe. Possibly the soon-to-be champions of Europe. It looked like they were on for a priceless point. But Christian Eriksen had other ideas ... and the talent to turn them into reality. What a goal he scored! Brighton couldn’t do anything to stop it. And so they remain in 17th spot, three points ahead of Cardiff City and with a far superior goal difference ... but with a much tougher run-in. Spurs meanwhile consolidate third place: with 70 points, they’re three clear of Chelsea, four clear of Arsenal and six clear of Manchester United ... though the latter two clubs have one game in hand. The business end of the season, how it ebbs and flows.

9.36pm BST

What a precious point it would have been for Brighton. What a precious three points for Tottenham. And it’s now 68 Premier League matches without a goalless draw for Spurs.

9.35pm BST

90 min +2: March jigs in from the right wing, beating a couple of Spurs lunges and aiming for the bottom right. His shot fizzes wide of the post, but not by far. On the touchline, Chris Hughton looks distraught, as you might imagine.

9.33pm BST

90 min: That got the Wall of Sound banging! Foyth comes on for Son. There will be four minutes of added time.

9.32pm BST

And when it came, it was so simple! Eriksen drops a shoulder to drift in from the right. From 25 yards, he whistles a low heatseeker into the bottom right! Ryan, at full stretch, had no chance! Duffy and Dunk, who have been excellent tonight, look on the verge of tears. Can you blame them?

9.30pm BST

87 min: Alderweireld gives the ball away needlessly, and suddenly Murray is able to whip a pass up the left, sending Kayal into acres of space. He curls towards the top right. Wild and high.

9.29pm BST

87 min: Gross lashes the ball up the right wing. It rolls slowly into the Spurs half. There’s nobody there but Lloris. Brighton are so close to a precious point, you can’t blame them for sitting back.

9.28pm BST

86 min: Bissouma is replaced by Kayal.

9.27pm BST

85 min: Trippier bundles Locadia to the floor. A free kick out on the left, and a chance for Brighton to load the Spurs box. But Gross’s delivery is sloppy and there goes that opportunity.

9.26pm BST

84 min: Eriksen cuts in from the right and shoots low. Ryan saves well at his near post. Trippier then crosses deep from the right. Rose goes up, falls over, and claims a penalty, but he’s never getting it. Plenty of tension in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

9.24pm BST

82 min: Wanyama is replaced by Davies.

9.24pm BST

81 min: Murray attempts to score from 35 yards. Nope.

9.22pm BST

80 min: For the first time in 20 months, Vincent Janssen takes to the pitch in a Spurs shirt. He replaces Moura and is welcomed back warmly.

9.21pm BST

78 min: In the last five minutes, a grand total of 0% of the play has taken place in Tottenham’s final third. But suddenly Brighton snap that trend, Bissouma nearly bustling clear down the inside-left channel. He’d have been through had Murray not got in the way and involved from an offside position. Up goes the flag, much to Tottenham’s relief.

9.19pm BST

77 min: Alderweireld, to the right of the D, drops a shoulder and shoots towards the top left. A deflection sends the ball dropping to Alli at the far post, but he can’t keep his snap header down.

9.18pm BST

75 min: It’s all happening. March replaces Jahanbakhsh. Moura, to the left of goal, heads back for Alli who leans back and blasts over. Duffy is fortunate not to concede a penalty as he clatters into Alli with the ball sailing into the sky. Then Bernardo is booked for a late lunge on Moura. The resulting free kick, out on the right, finds Son in a bit of space but he can’t get a meaningful effort away. Breathless.

9.16pm BST

73 min: Is it simply not Tottenham’s night? Trippier wins a corner on the right. The ball’s worked back to Eriksen, who slips a pass down the inside right for Alderweireld. The big defender spins and crashes a low shot off the bottom of the right hand post. The ball’s beaten Ryan, but instead of rolling in, spins across the face of goal and clear!

9.14pm BST

71 min: With Ricky Villa in the crowd, Son does his best to recreate his famous 1981 FA Cup winning goal. A meander down the inside-left channel, some fine close control on display. But Dunk slides in to deny him, just as it was threatening to open up.

9.12pm BST

70 min: Jahanbakhsh strokes a long pass down the right wing, releasing the pressure on Brighton. If Murray had any pace, he’d have been away. As it is, Vertonghen strides over to snatch back possession. Spurs were light at the back there, though.

9.11pm BST

68 min: From a central position, Eriksen floats a cross wide left to Rose, who heads across into the mixer. Brighton manage to clear just as Son and Llorente’s eyes were lighting up.

9.09pm BST

66 min: Rose glides in from the left and sends a zipping, swerving, rising shot towards the top left from 25 yards. It’s a fine strike, and it’s parried well, then claimed, by Ryan. That’s lovely football all round, a fierce shot and equally spectacular save.

9.08pm BST

65 min: Trippier wants a free kick just to the right of the Brighton box, his cross hitting the flailing arm of Bissouma. But it’s just a corner, which is wasted. Brighton are struggling to escape their final third.

9.07pm BST

64 min: Andone irritates Tottenham’s support for the last time this evening, taking an age to leave the pitch as he’s hooked in favour of Murray. Clock management in full effect.

9.06pm BST

63 min: Spurs are getting a little edgy. Eriksen has plenty of time and space down the right, but sends the ball straight at Ryan from a long way out. Was he shooting? Or looking for Son? Either way, it wasn’t much good.

9.03pm BST

61 min: Trippier slides a pass down the inside right for Son, who nearly dances clear along the byline but is denied by a splendid last-gasp tackle by Bissouma. The resulting corner is hit too long, and is a complete waste of time. Brighton, obviously, are more than happy to waste time. A point would be so precious.

9.02pm BST

59 min: A little bit of space for Son, who cuts in from the right and attempts to curl a Knockaertian screamer into the top left. Not far away, a fine effort, yet always going a touch high and wide. Ryan had it covered.

9.00pm BST

57 min: Eriksen chips a cross gracefully from the left, but there’s nobody making a run in the Brighton box and Ryan can watch the ball sail out for another of those sonically experimental goal kicks.

8.57pm BST

55 min: Spurs are beginning to push Brighton back. Rose crosses from the left. Moura can’t leap high enough to connect. Brighton clear ... but there’s no way out and Spurs are quickly coming back at them. Wanyama relieves the pressure by snatching at a shot from 25 yards, the ball spinning harmlessly wide. On the touchline, Pochettino shouts at his men to calm down. No need to panic yet.

8.56pm BST

53 min: Son and Alli work hard down the inside left, their toil eventually rewarded when the ball breaks to Eriksen. He curls a low cross to the far post, where Moura should be, but isn’t. He gesticulates at his team-mate in animated fashion, as that would have been a fine chance for a more alert player. But instead, it’s a goal kick ... and you’ve got to admire Ryan’s sheer nerve.

8.54pm BST

51 min: Now Rose hoicks behind for a goal kick. Ryan, time, whistles, rage, etc. You know how it goes. On the Spurs bench, several highly irritated members of staff perform the watch-tapping mime.

8.52pm BST

50 min: Eriksen thumps the ball over the bar from 25 yards. Ryan had it covered all the way. The Wall of Sound erupts in whistling fury as the keeper takes an age over the restart.

8.51pm BST

49 min: Rose makes off down the left and wins a corner for Spurs. Rose takes himself, pulling the ball back for Trippier, who wanted to shoot first time but was closed down. David Beckham and Paul Scholes used to make that look so easy. It’s not so easy, though, to be fair.

8.50pm BST

47 min: Gross hits a diagonal free kick, left to right. Duffy springs the Spurs trap and has a free header ... but it’s from a tight angle and flies straight at a grateful Lloris.

8.49pm BST

46 min: Bernardo goes on a Beckenbaueresque sashay down the middle. He nearly breaks free into acres of space, so Eriksen cynically tugs him back. As the London-based midfielder is booked, the Brighton fans chant “You dirty northern bastard.” Wonderfully dry.

8.47pm BST

Here we go, then, the second half. Brighton get the game restarted. They haven’t hooked the tightrope-walking Andone. Spurs will be shooting towards the Wall of Sound.

8.41pm BST

Half-time entertainment.

8.34pm BST

Spurs haven’t had a goalless draw in the league for 67 matches. Well, they don’t know what they’ve been missing, because that was a lot of fun. More please!

8.33pm BST

45 min: Spurs so nearly take the lead in the final minute of the half! Trippier wedges a fine pass down the right. Alli takes it down sensationally, killing the ball dropping over his shoulder, then whips an instant shot goalwards. Ryan gets a hand to it. Duffy then blocks on the line. Ryan turns and falls on the ball just as Llorente was shaping to poke the rebound home.

8.30pm BST

44 min: Spurs pass it around prettily, but pointlessly. On that subject, here’s Dom Salmon: “While I salute any excuse to spin Spike’s Q theme tune genius, does this presage another Spurs game of 110% possession, 249 shots, none on target and the last five minutes is just Poch and the team advancing towards the sideline steadicam man chanting ‘What are we going to do now?’”

8.28pm BST

42 min: Now Andone barges Vertonghen out of the road, operating on the borders of legality. He’s contributing to the entertainment all right, but for how much longer?

8.26pm BST

40 min: Moura drifts in from the left and has a blast. It’s straight at Ryan, who snaffles. This is a magnificently entertaining match, never mind the scoreline.

8.25pm BST

38 min: Or maybe he’ll become the matchwinner for Brighton instead! First up, Wanyama shoots. It’s charged down, and suddenly Andone is rushing down the left wing unchallenged! He makes it all the way to the Spurs box, where he’s denied by a last-ditch pincer movement between Trippier and Alderweireld and a fine tackle by Rose. Then there’s another phase of attack, Jahanbakhsh making good down the right and whipping a low cross through the six-yard box. Andone is a toenail away from poking that one home! He’s a busy boy, Andone.

8.22pm BST

36 min: Andone is pushing his luck. First he receives a booking for repeated fouling, the latest a swipe at Rose. Then, less than a minute later, he goes in hard on Trippier. The referee awards the free kick, but there’s no second yellow. Andone can consider himself fortunate. The noggin gone, there’s a fair chance he’ll be hooked at half-time.

8.20pm BST

34 min: Spurs come so close! Moura is found in space in the box to the left of goal. He fires a low cross towards Alli, who is waiting to tap home from a couple of yards. But Dunk, facing his own goal and running back at pace, somehow hooks away just in time. That was a lovely flowing move by Spurs, and excellent defending.

8.19pm BST

33 min: Alli, quarterbacking from a deep position down the inside-left channel, flicks a pass down the middle intended for Son. Dunk stands firm and shepherds the ball through to Ryan. There are muted claims for a penalty kick, but it looked a fair challenge and Son doesn’t make too much of it.

8.17pm BST

32 min: Montoya fouls Moura out on the left. No card, though you’ve seen them given. Trippier takes the set piece, and hangs it up high, allowing Ryan to pluck the ball from the air without fuss, despite the loaded box. A bit of a waste.

8.16pm BST

30 min: See 28 minutes, except substitute Vertonghen for Eriksen. It’s a bit early for Spurs to be launching desperate howitzers from long range.

8.14pm BST

28 min: Vertonghen has a dig from the best part of 30 yards. He was looking for the top right of the goal; the ball nestles in the top right of the stand behind. A rush of blood.

8.12pm BST

26 min: Son goes on a run down the right. He briefly threatens to open Brighton up, but eventually runs out of space. Here’s Peter Oh: “Under normal circumstances I’d be a disinterested neutral for this one, but with Brighton being Man City’s opponent on the last day of the season I’m eager to see if they could at all be counted on to chip a few points off Guardiola’s juggernaut, if necessary. Goodness knows that Liverpool can’t expect to get any help from the red side of Manchester tomorrow.”

8.11pm BST

24 min: Bissouma bowls Wanyama to the ground, 30 yards out. It’s a free kick, though Brighton don’t think so. But as they’re arguing with the ref, Son takes it quickly, slipping Lucas Moura free down the inside-right channel. Brighton are extremely fortunate that Bernardo was still switched on and concentrating, because he gets in a last-ditch block, allowing Brighton to clear their lines.

8.09pm BST

22 min: Brighton win another corner down the left, and once again Spurs don’t look totally comfortable in dealing with it. Lloris eventually punches clear, but there were green shirts sniffing around, and big gaps in the Spurs defence.

8.08pm BST

20 min: ... a comical melee develops in the Brighton six-yard box. Eriksen’s free kick instigates a free-for-all in front of goal. All that’s missing is a big cloud with OOYAH, OOF and BIFF written on it, and fists and boots sticking out. Llorente’s snap shot is blocked by a prone Wanyama. Ryan gets a hand to it, and Bernardo finally hooks clear. Action that would be perfectly soundtracked by the theme from Q.

8.04pm BST

19 min: Eriksen shoots from distance. It’s deflected out for a corner, and from that Rose is bundled over by Locadia. Free kick just to the left of the Brighton box. From which ...

8.04pm BST

17 min: Gross hits the corner long from the left. Vertonghen heads it behind with Dunk lurking. Gross hits another corner, this time from the right. It’s easily cleared. Brighton are asking a couple of questions at set pieces, though.

8.02pm BST

16 min: Before the corner can be taken, Alli goes down, having landed awkwardly on his knee while trying to head Gross’s free kick clear. He grimaces quite a lot, but gets up soon enough and looks fine to continue.

8.01pm BST

15 min: Gross takes, whipping the ball into the mixer. Wanyama is taking no chances, surrounded by green shirts. He hoicks the ball over his own crossbar, a hoof that took some nerve. Corner for Brighton.

7.59pm BST

14 min: A free kick for Brighton, reward for their first real sortie into Spurs territory. It’s out on the right, and it’s a chance for Brighton to hover on the edge of the box en masse.

7.58pm BST

13 min: There’s another former Spurs hero sitting in the stand tonight in Ledley King. Penny for his thoughts right now, because that super-fast Saints goal has beaten his Premier League record, made after 9.9 seconds of a game against Bradford City in 2000.

7.56pm BST

11 min: Another goal kick is eked out for all it’s worth by Ryan. The referee’s onto him, and ushers him to speed up. The crowd whistle accordingly, in the pantomime style.

7.55pm BST

10 min: Ryan takes his own sweet time over a goal kick. It’s going to be like that, is it.

7.55pm BST

8 min: A bit of space for Eriksen down the inside-right channel. He has a diagonal dig. Alli tries to flick the ball on at the far post, but doesn’t connect and the shot flies wide left.

7.54pm BST

7 min: A nice gentle start to the game. Brighton are sitting deep, Spurs probing this way and that.

7.53pm BST

5 min: Spurs continue to dominate possession. The noise coming from that Dortmund-style wall is extremely impressive. A rare old atmosphere here.

7.52pm BST

3 min: The first corner of the game, won by Rose out on the left, comes to nothing. But it’s all Spurs in these early exchanges.

7.51pm BST

8 seconds: Elsewhere, Watford are entertaining Southampton. And making them feel very much at home, because Shane Long has scored the fastest goal in Premier League history! Eight seconds!

7.50pm BST

And we’re off! Soon enough, a free kick for Spurs, just to the right of the D. Trippier swings it into the mixer. Vertonghen heads harmlessly over the bar.

7.49pm BST

The teams are out! Spurs wear their famous lilywhite, while Brighton sport their second-choice green. Both of these clubs have lovely, simple, iconic crests. A cracking atmosphere at the new stadium. We’ll be off in a minute!

7.41pm BST

Mauricio Pochettino speaks to Sky Sports. “For me this is a must-win game. It is so important. It will be tough because Brighton is a good team and they need points for survival. We need to be strong. The three points means a lot for us and we must make sure to fight. Anything can happen, we must be focused. Our performance must be perfect.”

Chris Hughton adds: “We’re going to need to be defensive and we’ll have to work incredibly hard. Look at the team they’ve put out: any thought that they were going to rest a few players is certainly not the case. With the ability they have got, you can’t be open. We haven’t been a good enough team to play that way.”

7.31pm BST

Last Wednesday’s epic wasn’t the first famous Spurs victory over Manchester City, of course. Who could forget one of the greatest FA Cup finals of all time, the 1981 replay? Today’s visiting manager, Chris Hughton, played left-back for Tottenham in that final, and tonight he’s been reunited with a couple of other stars from that team, posing for photographs with Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa. All three men looking very handsome. City and Arsenal fans may demur, but there was something special about that replay: the sensational goals, the gorgeous kits, the rolling noise, the fuzzy colours under the lights, John Motson. Peak FA Cup.

7.15pm BST

A quick peek inside the dressing room at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. A lovely calm environment with plenty of subtle lighting. They’ve really done a proper job with this new place, haven’t they. Next season hopefully they’ll have shirts that don’t look like they’ve been accidentally put on a hot cycle with the socks, and aesthetically it’ll be pretty much perfect.

7.00pm BST

Plenty of changes from the weekend. Spurs make five swaps in the wake of their 1-0 loss at Manchester City. Hugo Lloris, Kieran Trippier, Danny Rose, Victor Wanyama and Fernando Llorente return. Paulo Gazzaniga, Davison Sanchez, Eric Dier, Ben Davies and Juan Foyth drop to the bench.

Brighton meanwhile make six changes to the team named for the 0-0 at Wolves. Martin Montoya, Bernardo, Yves Bissouma, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Jurgen Locadia and Florin Andone are in; Bruno, Gaetan Bong, Solly March, Davy Propper, Jose Izquierdo and Glenn Murray are out.

6.47pm BST

Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose, Eriksen, Wanyama, Alli, Lucas Moura, Llorente, Son.
Subs: Sanchez, Janssen, Dier, Foyth, Gazzaniga, Davies, Skipp.

Brighton & Hove Albion: Ryan, Montoya, Dunk, Duffy, Bernardo, Bissouma, Stephens, Gross, Jahanbakhsh, Andone, Locadia.
Subs: Bong, Kayal, Balogun, Murray, March, Button, Burn.

5.34pm BST

Life was good for Brighton & Hove Albion one Saturday lunchtime in early March. Anthony Knockaert cut in from the right and sent a screamer into the top-left corner of Crystal Palace’s net, Brighton’s arch rivals were vanquished, and the Seagulls moved into the relative comfort of 15th place, five points clear of the relegation zone with a game in hand over 18th-placed Cardiff City.

It all seems a long time ago now. Brighton went on to lose their following four league games. Three of those four defeats were at home, against teams from the bottom half of the division. They didn’t score a single goal. So in that respect, snapping that losing streak with a 0-0 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday was something of a boost.

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on April 23, 2019 14:16

The Fiver | A can-kicking, makeshift, off-the-cuff approach to long-term success

The Scottish FA is great. Really great. It’s simply the best, perhaps the main reason Shortbread McFiver has turned out to be the well-adjusted figure we know and love today. In 1950, the SFA declined to send the national side to the World Cup in Brazil despite having qualified, because they’d failed to beat England in the Home Internationals. In 1954 it agreed to send players to Switzerland, though only 13 of them to save cash, and none from O’Rangers because they were on a trip to the USA! USA!! USA!!! dancing for coin. Uruguay beat Scotland 7-0. In 1958, Matt Busby was recovering from Munich so they got the trainer from Clyde to fill in for the greatest manager of his era. The Scots lost two of their three games and were knocked out in short order, though at least nobody back home saw how it happened because the SFA was worried about attendances at junior level so banned all televised coverage. Good old SFA! And to think its pièce de résistance was still 20 years away.

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on April 23, 2019 07:50

April 18, 2019

Napoli 0-1 Arsenal (agg: 0-3_: Europa League quarter-final, second leg – as it happened

Arsenal breezed into the semi-finals of the Europa League thanks to Alexandre Lacazette’s first-half free kick.

10.19pm BST

Amy Lawrence was at the Stadio San Paolo tonight. Her report has just landed, and here it is. Enjoy! Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!

10.07pm BST

Laurent Koscielny: “We came here with ambition, we wanted to win, to score some goals. We did it, and kept a clean sheet as well, which is important for the confidence. It is important for the rest of the season. We are happy with qualification for the semi-final. Napoli have played in the Champions League this season, they are a good team, but we did a job on them at home. We fought together, it is good for the team.”

Alexandre Lacazette: “I have been practising that free kick in training. My team-mates believe in me, and I’m happy I scored it tonight.”

10.04pm BST

Arsenal’s opponent in the semis will be Valencia, who have beaten Villarreal 2-0 (agg: 5-1). Meanwhile pity poor Rob ‘Fingers’ Smyth, who has had quite a goalfest to report on tonight, straight off the back of last night’s lunacy at the Etihad: Chelsea made heavy work of Slavia Prague, beating them 4-3; that’s a 5-3 win for Maurizio Sarri’s side on aggregate. Smyth’s keyboard must be ground to dust. Chelsea will face Eintracht Frankfurt, who saw off Benfica 2-0 tonight, winning on away goals after a 4-4 aggregate draw. An all-England final in Azerbaijan is on!

9.54pm BST

Nothing happens in added-on time, and that’s just fine by Arsenal! They did a number on Napoli tonight and thoroughly deserve to progress to the semi-finals of the Europa League!

9.51pm BST

90 min: A yellow card for Callejon, who takes a wild swipe at Kolasinac’s ankles. There will be three more minutes of this.

9.49pm BST

88 min: The clock ticks on. Everyone wants to go home.

9.47pm BST

86 min: Incidentally, Elneny came on for Xhaka a few minutes ago.

9.46pm BST

85 min: Another Napoli corner. They’ve won enough of them, but none of them have bothered Cech. This one doesn’t either, Koulibaly’s header flashing well wide left.

9.45pm BST

83 min: Iwobi romps down the left and finds Aubameyang just inside. Mkhitaryan is free in the box, but Aubameyang can’t see him. He plays the ball back to Iwobi, who curls powerfully round Meret and off the inside of the post, his shot clattering back into the keeper. But it’s immaterial, because the flag’s gone up for offside.

9.43pm BST

82 min: Napoli win a corner but it’s a waste of time. “By Steven Hallett’s reckoning, if Arsenal move to the South Sandwich Islands (7610 miles) they’ll win the World Cup, Wimbledon, the Stanley Cup, the Masters, and Six Nations, and much more besides,” suggests Andrew Benton. “Do balls spin the opposite way in the Southern hemisphere?”

9.42pm BST

80 min: So having said that, Rui crosses from the left. Koscielny fresh-air swipes at his clearance, and Monreal, surprised and facing the wrong way, absolutely welts the ball straight at Cech. Anywhere else, and that was a farcical own goal, but the keeper is able to catch and spare his colleague’s blushes.

9.40pm BST

79 min: There really isn’t much going on. This has been an extremely impressive performance from Arsenal, who have been the bosses of Napoli pretty much from the off.

9.38pm BST

77 min: Torreira is down having taken a whack upside the head. Ooyah oof.

9.37pm BST

76 min: Rui reaches the byline down the left but his cross is too long. He’s been effective since coming on.

9.36pm BST

74 min: Cech is booked for time-wasting, which seems a bit unnecessary given the state of the tie.

9.35pm BST

73 min: Rui doesn’t take too long to get involved. He strides down the left and rolls a cross in to the feet of Milik, who should slam home from close range but instead overruns the ball, which clanks off his ankle and harmlessly away.

9.34pm BST

71 min: Mario Rui comes on for Ghoulam. “Perhaps it is just Arsenal’s away form in England,” argues Steven Hallett. “By this logic, if all away games were played at least 1283.5 miles away (according to Google, the distance from Napoli to London) then they would win the league. With this in mind, Arsenal need to move to Gibraltar. This way they can still be in the Premier League being members of an English territory, but also not suffer from the pandemonium that they suffer in the five-mile to less than 1283.5-mile range when playing away. Done. Next I’m off to sort out Man U. Saving Real Madrid for next week.”

9.33pm BST

69 min: Iwobi comes on for Lacazette. Here’s Matthew Turner: “Just to repeat and amplify Mac Millings’ confusion, Napoli can be quite a dangerous team and are known for scoring some nice goals. Arsenal are a team that are, uh ... not known for stopping other teams from scoring goals. What gives?”

9.30pm BST

67 min: Koulibaly goes up for a header in the Arsenal box. Sokratis clears. Koulibaly falls over, and Koscielny accidentally stands on his head. Koulibaly springs up, furious, and takes Sokratis to task for it. Sokratis tries to calm Koulibaly down. He eventually manages it, but it takes a while.

9.28pm BST

65 min: Napoli take a few shots from various angles. None hit the target.

9.27pm BST

63 min: Insigne has positioned himself on the touchline, arms crossed tightly, watching the action. He is fuming. As for Younes ... well now I can’t stop thinking about Stan Ogden. I can’t help it.

9.24pm BST

61 min: That’s Insigne’s last contribution of the evening. He leaves in high dudgeon, hooked for Amin Younes.

9.22pm BST

60 min: A long pass down the inside-left channel for Insigne to chase. He gets ahead of Maitland-Niles and scoots into the box, but his chest-down and poke goalwards is as weak as milky tea. Cech slakes his thirst. “From what I understand, if Millings’ pockets are deep enough, a scudetto shouldn’t be a problem,” claims Matt Dony. “And the look on Ronaldo’s fizzog as Watford climbed above Juve in the league would be worth every dirty penny.”

9.20pm BST

58 min: Lacazette threatens to break clear down the inside-left channel. Chiriches extends a leg and concedes a corner. The ball’s hit deep towards Aubameyang, who slaps a weak shot towards the bottom right from a tight angle. Meret makes a nine-course tasting menu of kicking it clear. That was all very strange, performed at slow motion by both players. It’s almost as though this second half has already turned into a de facto training session.

9.18pm BST

56 min: Maitland-Niles rather needlessly puts a Callejon right-wing cross out for a corner. The ball’s worked back up the left to Zielinski, who plays a diagonal ball towards Koulibaly at the far post. Koulibaly heads across the face of goal for Mertens, who chests the ball over the line, but Koulibaly was a mile offside, and the flag goes up accordingly. Napoli don’t bother to argue the toss.

9.16pm BST

55 min: Arsenal seem happy to sit back and let Napoli pass it around. Because the Gunners are holding their shape, while the hosts are going nowhere.

9.15pm BST

53 min: Insigne is working hard down this left flank, but nothing’s coming off for him. He’s nearly found by Ruiz after making a very clever run, but Maitland-Niles cuts the ball out. Then Insigne crosses deep for Milik, but that’s easy pickings for Cech.

9.13pm BST

51 min: Aubameyang threatens to burst down the left but decides to stop and showboat instead. Think an extremely diluted version of Jim Baxter at Wembley in 1967.

9.11pm BST

49 min: The resulting corner leads to nothing. Meanwhile “what’s happening here?” is a question that Mac Millings finds himself asking a lot. And he’s asking it again, right here, right now. “What’s happening here? My heavenly Hornets gave Arsenal a right ten-man, 0-1 chasing the other day. The Gunners were awful. Do you think the Pozzo family could pull a few strings, and get Watford into Serie A? Because we’re not winning the Premier League any time ever, but I’d settle for a scudetto or two.”

9.10pm BST

48 min: This is pretty much all over, but it should be really all over now. Lacazette sends Mkhitaryan into space down the right. Mkhitaryan rolls a pass into the centre for Aubameyang, who only has Meret to beat. And he doesn’t. He slams his shot too close to the keeper, who saves spectacularly well, but should never have been given the chance to do so. What a chance to put Arsenal, already a speck on the horizon, totally out of sight.

9.09pm BST

47 min: Insigne powers his way down the left and cuts a ball abck for Ruiz, who lashes a wild effort miles over the bar. But that was as good an attack as Napoli have launched this evening. Arsenal won’t want to give them a sniff.

9.07pm BST

And we’re off again! Arsenal get the second half underway. They’ve made no changes. But Napoli have replaced Nikola Maksimovic with Dries Mertens. Will it be enough? Simon McMahon suggests not: “I think Napoli will need to get Maradona into that No.10 shirt for the second half to have any chance of progressing from this tie.”

8.57pm BST

Half-time task. It only takes three or four seconds, so why not sign up for this?

8.53pm BST

There’s just enough time for Kolasinac and Callejon to come together as the pair chase a ball down the middle towards the Arsenal box. There is a bit of contact, a nudge from behind by Kolasinac, and Callejon makes the most of it. But the referee isn’t interested. The whistle goes. Callejon and Koulibaly get up in the referee’s grille and instigate a robust exchange of views. Napoli’s heads have gone; Arsenal walk off contentedly.

8.50pm BST

45 min +3: Napoli have a throw deep in Arsenal territory. Koscielny stalls them by taking off a boot and putting it back on again. The hosts are livid with the brazen timewasting. A frustrated Allan then runs the ball out of play down the right.

8.48pm BST

45 min +2: Zielinksi shoots. Deflection. Corner. The ball bounces around in the Arsenal box, and rears up on Lacazette. Napoli demand a penalty for handball, but they’re not getting one.

8.48pm BST

45 min +1: There will be four added minutes, a result of Ramsey’s hamstring injury. What Napoli would give to grab something back before half-time. Three second-half goals would still be a tall order, but four seems a pipe dream.

8.46pm BST

45 min: From the left-hand side of his box, Cech clanks a dismal drop kick straight to Zielinski in the centre circle. Zielinski tries to return it into the goal, which is momentarily unguarded. Zielinski doesn’t catch it properly, and Cech can gather. Then he offers the hand of apology to his team-mates.

8.44pm BST

43 min: Napoli’s frustration is betrayed by Insigne, who tries to handle his way past a midfield challenge then, when the whistle goes for a free kick, blooters the ball away in extreme annoyance. A booking is inevitable.

8.44pm BST

42 min: Insigne dribbles down the left and loops long for Callejon, who tries to letissier a smooth volley from the edge of the box. He slices it well wide.

8.42pm BST

41 min: A high ball into the Arsenal box from the left. Callejon tries to guide a header goalwards but it’s always flying miles over the bar. Napoli, that one counter attack apart, have been dismal. Cech has had next to nothing to do.

8.41pm BST

39 min: Space for Lacazette down the left. He curls a low pass towards Aubameyang at the far post. Aubameyang can’t quite connect. The ball nearly nestles in the far corner anyway, but squeaks past the post. Aubameyang smiles and raises a thumb to his partner. Arsenal are enjoying themselves.

8.40pm BST

38 min: The stadium - which is far from full - has just about fallen silent. You could hear Arsenal’s players whoop in delight as they cavorted in celebration of Lacazette’s free kick. Napoli seem stunned. Kolasinac nearly bursts past Callejon down the left but commits a stupid foul and the pressure’s off the hosts.

8.38pm BST

Lacazette gets up and takes it himself. And what a hit! He whips it round the wall and into the top right. But what was Meret doing? His feet were planted, he made no effort whatsoever to dive for the ball. Completely flummoxed! He was leaning the other way, and couldn’t check his momentum. Arsenal have their away goal, and now Napoli need four!

8.37pm BST

35 min: Mkhitaryan’s first act is to set Lacazette running towards the Napoli box. The striker’s upended by Zielinski. A free kick in a central position, 25 yards out.

8.36pm BST

34 min: Ramsey is the picture of frustration as he limps off. Mkhitaryan, who won this competition a couple of years ago with Manchester United, comes on to make his 50th appearance for Arsenal. To be fair, that’s not a bad deputy to bring on.

8.34pm BST

32 min: Ramsey sits down. He’s just challenged Zielinski for a waist-high bouncing ball, and pulled up holding his left hamstring. This doesn’t look good for Arsenal’s main man.

8.32pm BST

30 min: This is good fun. Lacazette dribbles into the Napoli box from the left and is dispossessed. Allan drives up the other end but is checked by Maitland-Niles. Arsenal counter the counter, Ramsey teeing up Aubameyang to the right of the D. The striker hits a first-time volley that he doesn’t quite catch with enough power, and it sails straight down Meret’s throat.

8.30pm BST

28 min: Koscielny is lumbering deep, playing everyone on as Zielinski sends a cross in from the left. The ball drops to Milik, who has to at least get his header on target, but in attempting to plant it into the top left, sends it miserably wide. Napoli are beginning to ask questions, though.

8.28pm BST

26 min: Xhaka tries to go past Zielinksi and is blocked for his trouble. A clash of knees which requires him to roll about a bit. He’ll be good to go in a few seconds. And indeed he’s up again. Moving on.

8.26pm BST

24 min: Major Ancelotti’s army nearly reap the benefit of all that marching up and down the square. Their first period of possession in Arsenal’s half. And then Insigne dinks a cute ball down the inside-left channel, releasing Milik into the area. Milik dinks delicately over Cech and into the net, but he’s rightly flagged for offside. Still, what a finish.

8.24pm BST

22 min: The first lull of the match as Kolasinac goes down requiring a soaking from the magic sponge. He’s soon up and about again. “There’s something pleasingly military about Carlo Ancellotti in the technical area,” opines Charles Antaki. “He looks like a major called out of the officers’ mess to cast his eye over a bunch of adjutants making too much noise on the parade ground.”

8.21pm BST

20 min: This is a lovely open game, and goodness knows who’s going to score first. Callejon makes a nuisance of himself down the inside-right channel and very nearly threads a pass to Insigne on the edge of the box. But Arsenal clear.

8.20pm BST

18 min: And then it’s Arsenal racing up the other end! Aubameyang zips down the right wing, with Napoli very light at the back. He hooks low towards the centre, in the hope of setting up Lacazette for a tap-in, but Maksimovic is on hand to block the cross. Napoli clear their lines.

8.19pm BST

17 min: Good work by Kolasinac down the left to win a corner. Torreira takes long, but Ruiz robs Aubameyang and suddenly Napoli are racing upfield on the break! Koulibaly, on the left, sprays a fine diagonal pass towards Callejon, who enters the Arsenal box and batters towards the bottom right. Cech does very well to kick it out for a corner, from which nothing happens.

8.17pm BST

15 min: Ghoulam launches a monster throw down the left flank. It nearly releases Insigne, who tries to diddle Maitland-Niles with a gorgeous spin, but the Arsenal man reads the situation and doesn’t buy the dummy.

8.15pm BST

13 min: Napoli have yet to put a coherent attack together. Already they look a bit nervous. The crowd certainly sound edgy. It’s a bit early to start panicking. “Wholeheartedly agree about the new badge not having quite the impact of the old,” begins Dan Fermi. “As I recall, it was revamped because no one owned the copyright on it, and of course in these heady days, that would be missing a trick. To be fair, though, the old one was a bit tricky to draw on one’s bag when one was a schoolboy.”

8.13pm BST

11 min: This is all Arsenal. Kolasinac is sent into space down the left by Ramsey’s cute flick. He powers down the flank but overruns the ball into touch. Arsenal keep threatening to get in behind Napoli, but the final pass has been lacking so far. All very promising for the Gunners.

8.11pm BST

9 min: Xhaka and Lacazette combine well down the inside-left channel, nearly opening Napoli up. Not quite. Then another phase of attack, as Ramsey chases a long ball down the inside-left channel. He clatters into Maksimovic and demands a penalty, but he’s not getting it. It would have been very soft, though there was a little contact after Ramsey had miscontrolled the ball. Ramsey’s not happy.

8.09pm BST

8 min: Xhaka delivers with plenty of whip, causing Meret to panic and punch clear. The ball lands at the feet of Ramsey, who shoots through a thicket. The effort deflects harmlessly wide right; goal kick. But Arsenal have started strongly here, and are pressing Napoli back. A lot of whistling.

8.08pm BST

7 min: Maitland-Niles probes down the right, checks back, and is upended clumsily by Ghoulam. A free kick that’s basically a corner. From which ...

8.07pm BST

5 min: Ramsey has a little dribble across the front of the Napoli box. He doesn’t manage to get a shot away, but it’s enough to irritate the crowd, who are now aware that Arsenal are here and will be making life as difficult as possible for the hosts. Meanwhile Anita Mulinder thinks we should give Sokratis the benefit of the doubt with his choice of bevvy. “He needs something stronger to wash the kettlebell down with.” She’s here all week, ladies and gentlemen. Try the thin pizza.

8.04pm BST

3 min: Arsenal touch the ball! And win a free kick out on the left. Xhaka hoicks it high towards the far post, and Kolasinac manages to hook it back into the middle from the byline to the right of goal. But Koulibaly is positioned perfectly to clear. A brisk start!

8.03pm BST

2 min: Arsenal haven’t touched the ball yet. They’re playing in red shorts and frankly it looks wrong.

8.02pm BST

And we’re off! Within 20 seconds, Zielinksi is romping down the left. He pulls a ball back for Insigne, who tries to feed Callejon down the right instead of shooting. A heavy pass results in a goal kick. Napoli with the desire they need to show this evening, early doors.

8.01pm BST

The teams are out! Napoli are in their blue shirts, ruined by over elaborate patterns and a neon-green trim. They’re an appalling mess, to be honest, a horrible sickly reminder of all those garish 1990s change shirts. Such a shame because their kit is usually a peach. Anyway, there’s a rare old atmosphere in the Stadio San Paolo, like that’s breaking news. A sea of flags. Noise. We’ll be off in a minute! “Put Sokratis’s choice of beverage aside for a moment,” insists Brian Russell. “What on earth are those brown slip-on shoes doing in his cubby hole? That’s the real story.” I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt and suggest they’re old-gold loafers. That sounds a little bit better, doesn’t it.

7.37pm BST

Unai Emery speaks. He wanted to score more goals last week, but it was also important not to concede an away goal, and they managed that. They want to score today, to win today. They are ready for anything that can happen. They are going to use their heart, but also their head.

7.33pm BST

A brief peek inside the Arsenal sanctum. As you can see, they’ll be playing in their famous first-choice shirts tonight. Everyone apart from Sokratis has some bottles of pink isotonic bevvy lined up. Sokratis has two red cans to get through instead. Not sure what’s in them. Coke comes in a red can. So does McEwan’s Export. Perhaps it’s McEwan’s Export. Laurent Koscielny has a nice enough pennant to hand over, but you can only prise so much gravitas out of that badge. Such a shame they got rid of 1949’s Victoria Concordia Crescit number, but I suppose I’m behind the times. Speaking of which, the dressing room has that sparse but fully functional feel of a 1960s municipal building about it, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I’ll level with you, kick-off can’t come soon enough.

7.07pm BST

Napoli boss Carlo Ancelotti has made three changes to the team named for the first leg. Former Tottenham defender Vlad Chiriches comes in along with Faouzi Ghoulam and Arkadiusz Milik. Dropping to the bench: Mario Rui, Dries Mertens and Elseid Hysaj.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery makes just one change from the first leg. Mesut Ozil drops to the bench, making way for the much more defensive-minded Granit Xhaka.

7.01pm BST

Napoli: Meret, Maksimovic, Chiriches, Koulibaly, Ghoulam, Callejon, Allan, Fabian, Zielinski, Milik, Insigne.
Subs: Ospina, Malcuit, Rui, Verdi, Mertens, Hysaj, Younes.

Arsenal: Cech, Papastathopoulos, Koscielny, Monreal, Maitland-Niles, Torreira, Xhaka, Kolasinac, Ramsey, Lacazette, Aubameyang.
Subs: Leno, Elneny, Mkhitaryan, Ozil, Iwobi, Mustafi, Guendouzi.

3.06pm BST

For those of you fond of a correct-score prediction ... here are the results of all the previous matches played between these two clubs.

Arsenal 2-0 Napoli (1 Oct 2013)
Napoli 2-0 Arsenal (11 Dec 2013)
Arsenal 2-0 Napoli (11 April 2019)

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on April 18, 2019 14:19

The Fiver | The vibe of Brazil v Uruguay at the 1950 World Cup: the Etihadaço

If managing Manchester United is hard, something we scientifically proved beyond all doubt yesterday by equating Ole Gunnar Solskjær with Frank O’Farrell on the basis of five results, then managing Manchester City is all but impossible. Even the greats struggle. Howard Kendall, who turned relegation-haunted Everton into the best team of the mid-80s, couldn’t see how to make the job work. Sven-Göran Eriksson, who inspired Lazio to their first Serie A title for 27 years, had no routemap to revival. Kevin Keegan … and there’s the rule of three working its rhythmic magic again.

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on April 18, 2019 08:15

April 17, 2019

Porto 1-4 Liverpool (agg 1-6): Champions League quarter-final – as it happened

Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino enjoyed themselves at the Estádio do Dragão for the second year in a row, as Liverpool booked a semi-final with Barcelona.

11.03pm BST

10.27pm BST

And that’s your lot. Liverpool were forced to battle awhile against Porto, but held firm and eventually won comfortably. They’ll face Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Champions League in a fortnight’s time, the first leg at Camp Nou, while Tottenham Hotspur will take on Ajax in the other semi. Whatever happens, it looks like we’ll get quite a final. But first things first, and Andy Hunter’s report of tonight’s game is below: enjoy! Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!

10.24pm BST

And now it’s the turn of Jurgen Klopp. “We have played better this season but it was very difficult. We knew it before that it would be a proper whirlwind here, and that’s what they did. They played in only one direction, long balls behind, they got the momentum and we had no rhythm. We defended very well in the last third, but when we had the ball we didn’t play enough. But we had our moments. We scored a goal, we had another really big chance. The finishes they had were not too good. In the second half their energy dropped and so we cold control the game more and score the goals. We have more experience now. It was a difficult game so it is all good. We are the only team who was in the semi last year that is there this year. It will be the first time for me that I’ve played Barcelona, so I am looking forward to that!”

10.09pm BST

Sadio Mane: “To be honest the beginning was tough. The team spirit was great, and we never gave up. But we pushed hard and created chances and we deserved to win. To be honest I thought I was offside, and I was surprised. But it was an important goal and we’ve qualified for the semis. We did it!”

Jordan Henderson: “It was tough. The lads dug in really well. It was difficult in the first half. We knew going forward we could score. I thought Sadio’s goal was onside, I was right in line with it, though I think I was the only one who thought that! I don’t think Shaq did. It gave us a real boost coming into half time. When I came on I tried to keep the ball and be sensible, but Joe made a great run to take the defender again, and I saw Bobby and Sadio in the middle. We believe we can remain unbeaten, but we have to work hard. We give everything and we try to be horrible to play against. Tonight’s scoreline flattered us a bit, and Porto’s crowd was amazing , so you’ve got to give some credit to them as well.”

9.59pm BST

Liverpool celebrate but not in a particularly expressive manner. They did their job calmly and professionally, and their post-match antics reflect that. Porto gave it their all tonight, but never seriously worked Alisson. Liverpool defended with great vigour, and up the other end, the style of Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino told in the end. VAR did its job too. And there was more evidence of Jordan Henderson’s increasingly fine late-season form. This was the place to be tonight, right?

9.52pm BST

Liverpool will play Barcelona in the semi-final of the Champions League! They were made to work for this tonight, as Porto really came at them. But they soaked up all the pressure and eventually eased clear. It promises to be one heck of a semi-final!

9.50pm BST

90 min: There will be two added minutes. Liverpool are flicking it around in the insouciant style. Porto just want it over.

9.48pm BST

88 min: Salah wangs it miles over the bar and wide to boot. Perhaps he should have left it to all-new Henderson.

9.47pm BST

87 min: Gomez is bundled over, 30 yards out. A free kick, just to the right of centre. Salah fancies it.

9.46pm BST

86 min: Henderson chips a sensational ball down the right to release Firmino into acres. Firmino checks and lays off to Salah, who runs down a blind alley. Henderson’s late-season form is becoming increasingly eye-catching.

9.44pm BST

Milner whips the corner in with pace. Mane flicks in at the near post, teeing up an unmarked van Dijk, six yards out. The big defender heads down and in.

9.43pm BST

83 min: Salah, out on the right, curls a fine cross towards the back post where Milner lurks. Fernando does well to get in the road and head behind for a corner. From which ...

9.42pm BST

82 min: A mistake by the understandably rusty Gomez allows Soares a run on goal. From the edge of the box, he toe-pokes a strange effort just wide of the bottom left. Not sure Alisson was getting there had it been on target.

9.41pm BST

81 min: Porto make the last change of their Champions League campaign: Bruno Costa for Yacine Brahimi.

9.41pm BST

80 min: Liverpool’s travelling supporters are making one hell of a racket now. Si senor.

9.39pm BST

79 min: The excellent Jesus Corona makes way for Fernando.

9.38pm BST

The all-new Jordan Henderson sets up yet another goal, gliding down the right and curling in for Firmino to head down and past Casillas. He couldn’t miss; that was on a plate. Jordan Henderson, though. He’s been all over Porto since coming on, and should have had one assist already.

9.37pm BST

76 min: Brahimi goes over in the Liverpool box while dribbling in from the right. Milner hadn’t made a challenge, though, and replays clearly show Brahimi going down under his own steam, in order to avoid a collision rather than a dive.

9.35pm BST

74 min: Given that comedic miss, I wonder if Liverpool nerves would seriously start to jangle if Porto were to get another? Van Dijk is forced to belt the ball behind for a goal kick under pressure in a footrace with Soares. From the corner, Felipe wins a header amid a melee, but can’t send it goalwards.

9.34pm BST

73 min: A bad minute for Mane is completed as he takes Henderson’s defence-splitting pass down the middle wonderfully well at full tilt. He’s clear. He enters the box, rounds Casillas on the right, and ... slices wide right with the net gaping! Salah, who was in attendance hoping for the lay-off, holds his head in his hands. And no wonder. What a miss!

9.32pm BST

72 min: The Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson comes on for Andy Robertson. Mane has a dribble towards the Porto box, and has Salah clear down the right. But he doesn’t find his team-mate, and is stripped of possession.

9.31pm BST

71 min: That’s got the home fans going again. It’s almost certainly too little, too late for the Portuguese champions, but what a header.

9.29pm BST

A corner for Porto out on the left. It’s swung in. Militao rises on the penalty spot and blasts a simply unstoppable downward header into the bottom right. Porto now just need four more to make the semis.

9.28pm BST

67 min: That was some pass by Alexander-Arnold, who has some vision for a full back. The mind of a midfielder. It was his last touch, as he’s replaced by Joe Gomez, who returns from injury after five months.

9.26pm BST

Firmino wins a ball deep in his own half, and sends Liverpool on the break. Alexander-Arnold, out on the right, threads a diagonal ball to Salah down the inside-left channel. The ball is perfectly weighted, evading the desperate telescopic slide of Filipe. Salah is free. He draws Casillas and slams the ball past the keeper and into the net.

9.24pm BST

64 min: Liverpool take a little of the sting out of the game by passing it back and forth around the back. An ersatz nod to the late Seventies.

9.23pm BST

62 min: A free kick for Porto out on the right. Corona curls it in. It’s eyebrowed on by Herrera to Telles, who shanks over the bar. The flag didn’t go up, but four Porto players were alone in the box and I suspect a couple may have been marginally offside. But of course it doesn’t matter, a great chance having been wantonly wasted.

9.21pm BST

60 min: It’s end-to-end nonsense now. Marega works hard down the right but can’t quite find Soares in the middle. A better ball, though, and Liverpool were wide open. Then Firmino dribbles away from danger and very nearly releases Salah down the right, but Danilo intercepts just in time.

9.20pm BST

59 min: Mane sashays down the inside-right channel and one-twos with Firmino. He reaches the byline and wedges one back into the centre for Salah, but Felipe is on hand to intercept and clear.

9.18pm BST

58 min: Herrera, cutting in from the left, has a belt at goal from 25 yards. He gets plenty behind it, but Alisson is positioned perfectly to snaffle it gently in his midriff. Liverpool go up the other end, Milner working his way down the left. But his cross sails harmlessly out for a goal kick, with options in the middle.

9.17pm BST

57 min: It’s stopped raining. Mane dribbles down the right and crosses for Salah, who tries to guide a long-range header into the top left. It’s no good.

9.16pm BST

56 min: Telles again with a wild ball whistled out for a goal kick. Another waste, as he had time and space down the left and players in the box.

9.15pm BST

54 min: Herrera makes good down the right and crosses for Soares, who gets in ahead of Alexander-Arnold on the penalty spot but clanks his header well wide right. Porto have had their chances tonight, but have hardly worked Alisson at all.

9.14pm BST

53 min: Fabinho clips Danilo out on the Porto left. A chance for Porto to line up in front of the Liverpool box. Telles hoicks an appalling free kick straight out of play for a goal kick.

9.11pm BST

51 min: Porto’s corner is a complete waste of time. The Liverpool fans are making most of the noise right now. The home support understandably subdued. A goal would change everything.

9.10pm BST

50 min: The corner’s hit long from the left. Firmino tries to hook it back into the centre, but Porto clear. Corona dances down the right, teasing Milner with many stepovers. He crosses, forcing Matip to head behind under pressure from Marega.

9.09pm BST

49 min: Danilo plays a poor backwards header towards Casillas. Salah latches onto it, romping down the left. He’s got Mane and Firmino clear in the middle, but his cross doesn’t beat the first man. He’ll have to settle for a corner.

9.08pm BST

47 min: Porto need four goals, so you can understand their throwing an extra striker on. An early goal or two and you never know. Soares is quickly into the action, as he tries to chest down a fierce cross into the Liverpool box from the left. He can’t get it under control and Liverpool clear their lines.

9.06pm BST

Liverpool get the second half underway. Two half-time changes. The hosts have sent on Francisco Soares in place of Otavio, while Liverpool have replaced Divock Origi with Roberto Firmino.

8.54pm BST

Half-time entertainment. On the off-chance you don’t know what’s been happening at the Etihad, you’d better have a look at this.

8.51pm BST

There’s just time for Alexander-Arnold to turn cutely between Brahimi and Herrera, running clear down the right. Milner hangs out a leg to meet his low whipped cross, and the ball screws across Casillas and inches wide of the bottom left. Had that been on target, the keeper wasn’t getting to it. And that’s that for the first 45. Porto have been the better team, but Liverpool have defended with resilience and caught them on the break. Mane’s goal means Porto have to score four in the second half if they’re to get through.

8.49pm BST

45 min: Origi doesn’t turn on the jets when the ball’s loose down the Liverpool left, and Casillas is able to race out of his box and clear just in time. That was all a bit strange. Not sure why Origi didn’t really throw himself into that situation.

8.48pm BST

44 min: Marega barges his way towards the Liverpool box and causes momentary panic. Van Dijk and Robertson make a meal of clearing, the former kicking the ball up onto the latter’s upper arm. Porto want VAR to award a penalty, because the ref’s not going to. But Robertson’s arm looked in a natural position, and there’s nothing doing.

8.44pm BST

42 min: Liverpool are winning a lot of scrappy 50-50 challenges right now. It’s irritating the hell out of the home support, who whistle each one with great feeling and passion. The rain continues to fall.

8.42pm BST

40 min: Corona repeats his run of 33 seconds, racing in from the right, past Robertson, and looking to curl one into the bottom corner this time. Alisson has it covered.

8.41pm BST

39 min: For the first time this evening, Liverpool have gained a modicum of control. Porto aren’t really going anywhere right now. The busy Militao whips in another cross from the right, but it’s easily cleared by van Dijk.

8.39pm BST

37 min: Pepe is booked for clattering into Origi, who was attempting to turn into space in the centre circle. It was a fierce charge, a rutting stag making no attempt to play the ball. He has no reason to complain, but you know how Pantomime Pepe rolls. We’ll miss him when he’s gone.

8.37pm BST

35 min: It’s all a little bit scrappy right now. Liverpool will be more than happy with that, an away goal in the bag, the crowd quietened down a little, the clock on their side.

8.35pm BST

33 min: Militao is down, getting a bit of medical attention having been accidentally clacked in the mush by Mane. But he’s up again quickly enough, he’ll be fine to continue. Meanwhile the rain continues to lash down.

8.34pm BST

31 min: Robertson fouls Militao out on the right. A chance for Porto to load the box. Which they do, but Danilo’s delivery isn’t all that, hung high in the sky, and Alisson can pluck it down with ease.

8.32pm BST

29 min: It had been all Porto, as well. The hosts try to equalise immediately, Brahimi sending a fierce volley goalwards, latching onto a right-wing cross while racing in from the left. He connects well, but it’s straight at Alisson who gathers without fuss.

8.31pm BST

But it’s checked by VAR, and eventually given! Mane looked a mile offside to the naked eye, as Salah clips a diagonal ball, left to right, through a thicket to set Mane up by the right-hand post. Mane stuck a leg out and poked home ... and in fact he’d timed his run to perfection! Porto now need four goals to progress.

8.29pm BST

26 min: This is end-to-end mayhem. First Herrera is sent clean through on goal. He’s one on one with Alisson, but takes his own sweet time to sort his feet out. And then van Dijk comes from behind, from nowhere, and nicks the ball off his toe! What in intervention! Then Liverpool go straight up the other end and putt the ball in the net, Robertson and Salah combining down the left, and squaring for Mane who pokes into an empty net! But the referee says it’s offside.

8.28pm BST

25 min: Corona has a shot from 25 yards. He’s closed down by his own man, the ball deflecting towards Brahimi, just inside the Liverpool box. The flag goes up for offside, much to Liverpool’s relief.

8.26pm BST

23 min: Corona is causing Liverpool all sorts of bother down the left. He shimmies and shakes just inside the box, but can’t get a shot away. Alisson eventually gathers.

8.25pm BST

22 min: Another chance for Marega, the ball deflecting down the Porto inside-right channel and fortuitously dropping to the big striker. He takes it first time, but snatches at his shot from just inside the box, sending the ball rolling apologetically towards Alisson. Not entirely sure how Liverpool are holding on here, though despite Porto’s total domination they haven’t seriously worked Allison yet.

8.23pm BST

20 min: Now Pepe clatters into Salah in the centre circle. All this nonsense gives Liverpool a much-needed chance to catch their breath. “Corona sounds like he should have a decent head on him,” quips light entertainment’s Matt Dony. “I’m here all week. Try the bacalhau.”

8.21pm BST

18 min: Liverpool can’t get out of their final third. Salah hacks a clearance upfield but it just comes straight back. Militao eases the pressure by blootering wildly over from the best part of 30 yards. Full marks for ambition, if nothing else.

8.20pm BST

17 min: Marega wins a physical battle against van Dijk, who looks out of sorts so far. That allows Porto to win a corner off Matip. The set piece leads to Marega teeing up Pepe for a shot, 20 yards out. It’s blocked out for another corner on the left.

8.18pm BST

15 min: Liverpool are living dangerously right now. Brahimi sends another cross in from the left. The ball drops to Marega on the penalty spot. He sends a first-time volley screeching just wide of the bottom left.

8.17pm BST

14 min: Corona has Matip on toast out on the left. He reaches the byline and clips a cross into the centre. Van Dijk should head clear, but misses the ball, allowing a startled Marega to improvise a header in short order. It flashes wide right.

8.16pm BST

13 min: A little bit of space for Salah out on the right. He looks to nudge the ball inside, surely with a view to launching one towards the top left like he did against Chelsea last weekend. But he takes a heavy touch and Porto are able to clear their lines. A real first-goal-wins sense to this game right now.

8.14pm BST

11 min: The set piece causes Liverpool more grief. Marega can’t get enough purchase on a header from eight yards, and he eyebrows it out to the left for a goal kick. But Pepe wasn’t far off connecting to the inadvertent flick-on at the far post. Liverpool are holding on a bit here.

8.13pm BST

10 min: Corona makes good down the left and feathers a cross into the Liverpool box. Herrera, coming in from deep, winds his neck back with a view to crashing a header home. Robertson does very well to get in the road and flick the ball behind for a corner.

8.11pm BST

8 min: Brahimi races towards the Liverpool box, sashaying in from the right. He has a whack from distance, but the shot goes well wide left. This is all Porto in the early stages.

8.10pm BST

6 min: Another big Milner tackle, this time on Corona, this time illegal. A free kick for Porto in the middle of the park. The set piece is hooked into the mixer, and Marega spins on the penalty spot and sends a low shot towards the bottom left. Alisson has it covered, and the flag went up for offside anyway. But Porto are causing Liverpool some early concern.

8.08pm BST

5 min: Liverpool have been a bit passive in these early exchanges. Milner slides in on Marega - a legal crunch, even if the player and his fans don’t like it - sending a signal to his team-mates to get their gamefaces on and quick.

8.07pm BST

4 min: This is quite a hectic start. Marega, who missed a couple of big chances at Anfield last week, drives at the Liverpool back four. He’s not really afforded much room to get a shot away, though, and the ball eventually squirms through to Alisson.

8.05pm BST

2 min: Alisson shanks a kick upfield and is very fortunate to see the ball make its way to Origi out on the left. Liverpool’s surprise selection tries to tear past Militao, and does indeed get past, but he’s penalised for tugging his opponent’s shoulder.

8.04pm BST

33 sec: Corona nearly provides Porto with a sensational start! He glides in from the right, waltzes past Robertson and van Dijk, and curls powerfully across Alisson and towards the top-left corner. It flies inches over the bar. Had that been on target, Alisson was beaten! But Liverpool survive an early scare.

8.02pm BST

And we’re off! The hosts get the party started, as blistering noise ricochets off all four walls of the Estadio do Dragao. A reminder that Liverpool go into the tie 2-0 up, though this is far from done and dusted, as the following stat illustrates: Porto are the only club left in the competition with a 100 percent home record. Here we go, then!

8.00pm BST

The teams are out! Porto are in their blue-and-white shirts, while Liverpool wear red. A wild atmosphere in the dragon’s den. The home side didn’t do an awful lot of warming up, at least not out on the pitch, where the rain continues to stream down. Liverpool will be more accustomed to the conditions, then, if nothing else. We’ll be off soon, so no doubt you’ll be feeling that pre-match tingle of excitement, maybe even a jangle of the old nerves. “As a Liverpool fan, here’s three reasons to be fearful about tonight,” begins Aidan O’Keefe on this very subject. “1: The rain. 2: VAR. 3: The fact everyone reckons this is a done deal. Far from it; 2-0 flattered the ‘Pool in a big way last week. I’ve a bad feeling about this. Porto v Ajax just might be the Big Cup Final 2019.”

7.50pm BST

A serious Jurgen Klopp speaks. “There’s no issue with Firmino. I am just respecting the fantastic form Divock Origi has been in for weeks and months, and bringing in fresh legs. That is all. It’s the same thing we do in midfield, because we expect a very intense game. We expect a hard-fighting Porto side, so we need to be ready for that. Of course Bobby is ready, it’s not a rest, it’s bringing in Div with his speed. We must play a normal game. We are not long enough in the business to come here and control or manage the result. When we are at our best, it could be really uncomfortable for Porto, so we want to win here. We don’t want to concede, we want to score, we want to create. In their stadium, with their crowd, of course it will be different and we have to make sure it has no influence.”

7.36pm BST

Weather report. It is absolutely tipping down in Portugal. The weather is positively epic. English. Lancastrian. Biblical. Look at this!

7.20pm BST

For You Blue. Spotted at the Estadio do Dragao, the fab back four. They’ve been much more solid since bringing in Ringo for Dejan ‘Pete Best’ Lovren.

7.10pm BST

Porto make three changes to the team sent out at Anfield last week. Yacine Brahimi, Pepe and captain Hector Herrera return to the starting XI, while Maxi Pereira, Oliver Torres and Francisco Soares drop to the bench.

Liverpool make four changes to last week’s starting line-up. Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino drop to the bench, while Dejan Lovren is ill. Georginio Wijnaldum, Andy Robertson, Joel Matip and Divock Origi take their places.

7.06pm BST

Porto: Casillas, Eder Militao, Pepe, Felipe, Alex Telles, Otavio, Danilo Pereira, Herrera, Corona, Marega, Brahimi.
Subs: Vana, Maxi Pereira, Costa, Torres, Andre Pereira, Tiquinho Soares, Fernando.

Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson, Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Milner, Salah, Origi, Mane.
Subs: Mignolet, Keita, Firmino, Gomez, Henderson, Sturridge, Shaqiri.

2.41pm BST

Porto have never beaten Liverpool. The two clubs first met in the quarter-finals of the old Uefa Cup in 2001. After a goalless draw in Oporto, Gerard Houllier’s side won 2-0 at Anfield thanks to Michael Owen and Danny Murphy, and went on to win the cup. In the group stage of the 2007/08 Champions League, the teams drew in Portugal again, and Liverpool won at home again, Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Peter Crouch in the goals. And then there was last year’s round-of-16 thumping: Sadio Mane the hat-trick hero of a 5-0 win at the Estádio do Dragão, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino also getting on the scoresheet.

Porto will need to snap that sequence quicksmart if they’re to progress to a semi-final against Barcelona. They’re 2-0 down from the first leg at Anfield, Naby Keita and Firmino doing the damage this time. Liverpool have their opponents exactly where they want them: Porto have to attack, and at some point will surely leave themselves vulnerable to the counter, at which their opponents excel.

View more on Scott Murray's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on April 17, 2019 14:27

← Previous 1 2 … 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 … 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.