Scott Murray's Blog, page 120

The Fiver | Occasional oblique references to the 90s – everyone's favourite decade

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To be fair, the Manchester United gig isn’t an easy one. Even the greats struggle. Louis van Gaal, the godfather of modern football, couldn’t make it work. José Mourinho, who won a couple of Big Cups where Big Cups are usually a pipe dream, wasn’t able to succeed. David Moyes, well there’s the rule of three in full effect. So it’d be a bit much to have a pop at Ole Gunnar Solksjær for United’s current malaise, especially as he’s only been in the job for two minutes. Still, after a blistering sequence of wins he’s now losing quite a lot of matches, and suddenly The Fiver can’t help thinking about the career arc of Frank O’Farrell. At least Ole hasn’t shipped five goals at Crystal Palace yet.

Related: Manchester United facing rebuilding job after Barcelona defeat, admits Solskjær

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‘This one means the most’: a journey through Tiger Woods's travails | Scott Murray

It has been hard to follow during his barren spell, not least because much of it could be viewed only through the fingers

Brexit, Trump, the hot priest in Fleabag, Israel, Messi, Ronaldo: there are plenty of hot-button topics guaranteed to spark friendly debate among the reasonable and well-meaning folk travelling together peacefully on the information superhighway. But few subjects have quite the polarising effect of Tiger Woods.

On one side of this divide Woods is regarded as perhaps the greatest athlete of all time, a star whose genius and dedication redefined his sport and whose recovery from ill health and raging against the dying of the light is a redemption tale sure to resonate through the ages. On the other are bloviators who take disproportionate offence at indiscretions which are none of their goddamn business and would do well to dial back the pious indignation quicksmart. Not that you will catch me taking sides.

Related: Tiger Woods’s peers all agree his return to the top is great for golf

1997: Masters The famous 12-stroke win over Tom Kite

Related: Will resurgent Tiger Woods beat Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 majors? | Ewan Murray

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ANA Inspiration 2019, final round – as it happened

Ko Jin-young wins her first major at Mission HillsSouth Korean holds off Lee Mi-hyang and Lexi Thompson

2.30am BST

So here’s the final leaderboard. Thanks for reading, and we hope to see you again on Thursday for the first day of the Masters! Nighty night.

-10: Ko
-7: Lee
-6: Thompson
-5: Ciganda, IK Kim
-4: J Korda, Kang, Gillman, HJ Kim, McDonald, Lee6

2.27am BST

Ko Jin-young was very much the worthy winner of the 2019 ANA Inspiration. Lee Mi-hyang, Lexi Thompson and Carlota Ciganda all asked a few questions to keep Ko on her toes, but the 23-year-old South Korean never looked like giving up her lead. The very minute Lee got close, Ko stepped on the accelerator and sped away again. Ko responded to a small wobble coming home by finishing with two birdies in the last three holes. That’s how you win a major. She was superb. And what a swing! Smooth enough to make Fred Couples look like Jim Furyk. But let’s spare a thought though for Kim In-kyung, who had hoped to banish the memory of that missed one-footer in 2012; she looked overcome by disappointment at the end. Another year, hopefully.

2.21am BST

The leap into Poppie’s Pond! Ko, smiling broadly now as she settles into her role as golf’s newest major champion, soaks up the cheers of the crowd. She says she’s waited “five years” to make the leap ... and in she goes! Just before jumping in, Ko’s caddy asks how deep it is. He finds out soon enough. Ko splashes around awhile in glee - albeit still rather stunned at the scale of her achievement - before getting out and getting into her champion’s robe.

2.11am BST

Ko Jin-young rolls in the birdie putt, and becomes the 2019 ANA Inspiration champion in style! She ends the week at -10, three clear of Lee Mi-hyang. Her first major title pocketed, she dissolves in tears of joy before being doused in water. Another dousing soon to come in Poppie’s Pond, but first she talks to NBC. “This will be a happy memory to me. Thank you to God, my parents and my grandfather.” More tears, Ko overcome with emotion. It’s a lovely moment. “It’s a great honour.” She goes off to check and sign her card, before taking the leap of her life into the famous pond!

2.06am BST

Before Ko’s big moment, Kim gets her business out of the way. She ends a disappointing day with a similarly deflating par. The demons of 2012 have yet to be totally banished. It just wasn’t her day today, her struggles symbolised by that ball presumably still stuck up a tree at 11. Poor Kim looks emotionally drained, a chance spurned to rewrite the narrative of that infamous missed tiddler. But she’s a proven major winner, and she’ll come again.

2.01am BST

Ko is 86 yards from the flag. Out comes the lob wedge. She sends her ball over the briny and screeching to a halt, pin high, 15 feet from the flag. She’ll have three putts for her first major championship!

1.59am BST

Ko is taking no chances. She lays up instead of taking on the green in two. No need. An 8-iron sets up a short approach over the water. Up on the green, Lee can’t make her birdie putt, and any chance to put pressure on the leader is gone. Kang takes two putts for birdie, and signs for a disappointing final round of 73. She’s -4. Lee tidies up to secure second spot. Over to Ko, who just has to calmly close this out.

-9: Ko (17)
-7: Lee (F)
-6: Thompson (F)

1.53am BST

Back on the tee, Ko has been made to wait while Lee searched out the officials. No matter. Still as calm as the water in Poppie’s Pond, she splits the fairway. Down the hole, Lee wedges in. It’s a decent shot, but not the wonderful one she desperately needs. She’ll have a birdie putt from 12 feet or so.

1.51am BST

Lee’s ball has nestled near a sprinkler head, and it’s affecting her stance. So she’s waiting for a ruling. It eventually comes. She takes her knee-high drop. Then nearly sends her second into the big bunkers further down the hole, but the ball just about makes it over, and eventually finds the centre of the fairway. Perfect, after a fashion. Her partner Danielle Kang, who has had an otherwise miserable day, crashes her second into the heart of the green, the ball eventually stopping just off the back, from where she’ll have a look at eagle from 15 feet.

1.45am BST

Ko’s faced with a glassy downhill putt, birdie far from a shoo-in. She tickles it down to the side of the hole, and knocks in the par putt. She’s so close to her first major now. Meanwhile up on the 18th green, Jeongeun Lee6 bumps in a chip from the back for eagle, and her fourth 71 of the week. That’s consistency, and the sixth Jeongeun Lee to play on the Korean Tour finishes the week at -4!

1.38am BST

Ko is up next on 17. She goes straight for the flag, and lands her ball 15 feet to the right. A birdie chance from there. She’s simply refusing to buckle! Kim finds the green too, but having shoved her tee shot well to the right, a long two-putt awaits. Meanwhile on the 18th, Lee sends her tee shot towards the bunkers down the right. The ball stays out of the sand, but snags in thick rough. She won’t be reaching the green in two.

1.35am BST

Lee opts to take the ridge out of the equation by chipping over it from the apron. But she can only clip the ball to six feet. The sort of putt she’d make more often than not, but these aren’t your usual circumstances. The pressure ratcheted up to 11, with Ko peering at her from a distance. And in goes the putt! That was immense. She walks off to the 18th, where she most likely needs to make birdie at least.

-9: Ko (16)
-7: Lee (17)

1.32am BST

Yes. Ko tickles in a left-to-right slider, and it’s a superb birdie in the circumstances. Textbook, under the most extreme pressure. She’s -9. Two clear again, she moves to the 17th tee, where she watches her closest challenger up on the green. Lee really needs to get down in two here.

1.30am BST

Lee has had a 15-minute wait on the 17th tee. I wonder what’s going through her mind? She aced this hole yesterday, and cavorted in a carefree manner. Her compatriot Kim Si-woo nearly recorded consecutive holes in one at the 16th at TPC San Antonio in the Valero Texas Open yesterday, pitching 12 inches from the flag a day after slam-dunking his tee shot straight in. But Lee isn’t getting anywhere near today. Her tee shot topples off the back of the green, and though she’ll be able to putt that one, there’s a big ridge to consider. It had just bunched up at the top. Could it be about to open out again?

1.26am BST

Ko splits the 16th with yet another gorgeous drive. A 9-iron into the green. Straight at the flag. The ball threatens to come to a screeching halt just by the cup, but bounces maybe six feet past instead. But that’s a lovely nerve-settling shot. Could a lovely nerve-settling birdie be coming up?

1.24am BST

Xiyu Lin of China hasn’t had the best of days. She’s three over for her round going up the last, and +1 overall. But she signs off with one of the shots of the week. She’s somehow found herself on the bridge crossing Poppie’s Pond. The pin is therefore tucked behind the bridge wall, and a nice ceramic plant pot. What on earth do you do? You bump the ball along the bridge, taking a left turn off the bank to the right of the green, and send it trickling down to a couple of feet! It’s an exquisitely judged and cleverly improvised chip that saves her par. What a way to go out! A huge smile plays across her face as the crowd go wild. That’s a moment to remember.

1.18am BST

Ko’s splash from sand is a little underheated. Her ball stops a good 15 feet short of the flag. Plenty of work to do. And the putt slips by the right of the cup. Bogey. But she’s still got sole ownership of the lead, because Lee’s putt drifts away to the right just as it looked like it was ready to drop. Birdie for Kim at 15 meanwhile, her first of the day. It’d be a long shot, but she’s not quite out of this yet!

-8: Ko (15)
-7: Lee (16)
-6: Thompson (F)
-5: Ciganda (F), Kim (15)

1.13am BST

Ko spends an age over club selection. She and her caddy appear to overthink it, resulting in her second slam-dunking in greenside sand. Meanwhile a hole ahead, Lee creams her second pin high, setting up a good look at birdie. Could this be a highly dramatic two-shot swing between these young South Korean stars?

1.08am BST

Two fuss-free putts for Ko at 14. Par. Meanwhile Lee nearly rakes in a long birdie effort on 15, but settles for a par. Both smash their next drives down the middle. This is it now, the business end.

-9: Ko (14)
-7: Lee (15)

1.03am BST

What were we worried about? Ko, who misclubbed on the 14th yesterday, slapping a wedge into the water, caresses an 8-iron pin high. She’ll have a look at birdie from 12 feet, and walks up to the green wearing a wide smile. But of course nothing’s certain yet. Leads at Mission Hills can disappear in short order: the aforementioned Ariya Jutanugarn, who bogeyed 16, 17 and 18 in 2016 to ship a lead in 2016, and Suzanne Pettersen, who bogeyed 15, doubled 16 and bogeyed 17 to lose the 2007 edition in heartbreaking style, having been four ahead with four to play.

12.59am BST

Ko clips a crisp chip towards the cup. It looks perfect in flight, but hops on past the hole and nestles by the apron. Her putt coming back is decent, but always staying on the high side. A second bogey of the day, and a pretty unfortunate one, since her drive only just snagged into the thicker stuff with the help of a miserable bounce right. But this is around the time things started going a little wrong for her yesterday, with double on 14 and bogey at 15. This tee shot coming up at the short par-three 14th is a big one all right.

-9: Ko (13)
-7: Lee (14)
-6: Thompson (F)

12.52am BST

If Ko’s going to open the door for anyone, it’ll have to happen soon. Could it happen here? Her second at 13, from the tight rough, squirts into more rough down the other side of the hole. That’ll be a tough up and down for par. Up on 14, Lee very nearly rolls a monster birdie effort across the par-three green and into the cup, but is happy enough to settle for par and remain at -7, three off the lead, alone in second.

12.49am BST

BREAKING NEWS: Ko misses a fairway! That’s very uncharacteristic behaviour. Her tee shot at 13 finds the second cut down the right, though she’s only a couple of yards off target. She’s been driving so sensationally well, this comes as some surprise. Her swing is so smooth. To paraphrase the great Alistair Cooke in the Observer years ago, writing about Julius Boros, she swings so smoothly and calmly that you sometimes have to wonder whether anything’s just happened.

12.45am BST

Short of 12 in two, Kim gets up and down well, but after those treetop shenanigans at the previous hole, her race is surely run. Her expression suggests she knows the jig is up. It’ll be heartbreaking if she never gets to right the wrongs of 2012. Maybe next year. Par for Ko. Lee is hanging in there, though, making her par putt at 13 to remain three off Ko’s lead. Meanwhile Ciganda can’t get anywhere near the hole with her long eagle effort at 18. Her second putt, from the fringe, is never dropping, and that’s a disappointing par at the end of a fine round of 68.

-10: Ko (12)
-7: Lee (13)
-6: Thompson (F)
-5: Ciganda (F)
-4: Gillman (F), Kim (12)

12.39am BST

Ciganda needs a birdie at least at 18. She whips a 3-wood into the middle of the fairway, then sends another well left of the flagstick and off the back of the green. It’s in Lexi County. Two putts far from a formality. Lee attacks the flag at 13 but a hot bounce takes her into the thick stuff at the back of the green. She thins her chip a little and it’ll be a tester for par from ten feet. Ko meanwhile finds yet another green in regulation, sending an easy iron over the flag at 12, the ball spinning back to 25 feet. There only looks like one winner right now ... but you know what major-championship golf is like. The back nine on Sunday is where it all happens.

12.33am BST

Kim is just off the back of 11, after crashing a fairway wood greenwards, then overcooking a wedge. She very nearly holes the chip coming back, but it’s just not her day. She looks utterly crestfallen as she walks off having made a double-bogey seven. Her playing partner Ko adds to her pain by making a fuss-free birdie. And if that’s not bad enough, Lee has birdied 12. It’s all gone horribly wrong for 2012’s nearly woman.

-10: Ko (11)
-7: Lee (12)
-6: Thompson (F)
-5: Ciganda (17)
-4: Gillman (F), Kang (12), Kim (11)

12.28am BST

IK Kim’s challenge could be coming to a sorry, surreal end at 11. She sends her drive into trees down the right, then her escape hits some overhanging branches ... and snags in a spaghetti knot of twigs, refusing to drop out of the tree and down! It’s easy to identify her ball, a sky-blue heart drawn around the manufacturer Titleist’s name. It wasn’t the greatest of shots, but still, that is rotten luck. First that one-in-a-million yip in 2012, and now this karmic outrage. Poor Kim. You begin to think she’s simply destined never to win this thing. Par is already a pipe dream here.

12.19am BST

Carlota Ciganda gets out of jail at the par-three 17th. At -5, she can’t afford any mistakes if she’s to post a score alongside Lexi Thompson, but takes a 9-iron instead of an 8-iron and comes up a full club short. Her long birdie putt isn’t all that, either, so she does very well to knock in the ten footer she leaves herself. A par, and what she’d pay for an eagle down the last.

12.17am BST

Charley Hull finishes with a birdie, and signs for a fine last-day 70. She ends up at -3, still looking for that maiden major title. It’ll come. She’s the best of British this weekend, five shots better off than Jodi Ewart Shadoff (+2) and eight clear of the reigning British Open champion Georgia Hall (+5).

12.11am BST

Another turn, and Ko’s birdie putt would drop. But it’s a couple of joules’ worth of energy short. No matter, she taps in for par, off the flagstick, and remains three clear of Thompson, Lee and Kim. If she closes this out, she’ll become the first winner of a major golf tournament to leave the flag in for all her putts. These new rules will become popular real fast.

12.07am BST

Lexi Thompson can’t make the birdie putt. She overhits it, through the left-to-right break, and sends it four feet past. Oops. But she nails the one coming back. Brilliant under pressure, though that’s just a par to finish with. Such a fine final-round 67 by the 2014 champ, and she’s the new clubhouse leader, but she’ll be depending on JY Ko to crumble, and there haven’t been any signs of her feeling the pressure yet. She’s swinging so smoothly, it’s like she’s hardly disturbing any of the air. She gracefully fires her second into the heart of the 10th, and leaves herself an uphill birdie putt from 20 feet.

-9: Ko (9)
-6: Thompson (F), Kim (9), Lee (10)
-5: Cigunda (16)
-4: Gillman (F), J Korda (13)

11.58pm BST

A garden variety par for the leader Ko at 9. She had half a chance of birdie from 20 feet, but prodded at the putt with a little uncertainty. She turns in 35. Then up on 18, Thompson prowls around her monster eagle putt, a 70-footer out of the fringe, over a hump, and turning right towards the hole. The line’s judged perfectly, the pace not quite so. It’s a decent effort, but not brilliant, and she’s left with a ten-footer for a birdie that could make all sorts of difference if Ko hits some turbulence coming home.

11.51pm BST

Lexi Thompson goes for broke at 18. She booms her drive down the track, then takes out the fairway wood. She’s going for it, over the water, in the hope of setting up an eagle putt and putting a little pressure on the leader. Well, she creams it over the briny and into the heart of the green, but it’s nowhere near the flag, and in fact topples off into the fringe at the back. She’ll have a long look at eagle; more realistically, it’ll be two putts for birdie, a 66, and the clubhouse lead at -7. A big moment in this championship coming up right now!

11.48pm BST

A sensational par save on 9 by MH Lee. Having sent her drive into trees down the left of the par five, then hoicked her second into thick nonsense down the right, she did extremely well to find the back apron with her third. Then she left an awful first putt ten feet short ... before sinking the par saver. Ice in the veins. She turns in 35, and remains in a tie for second, three off the pace set by JY Ko at -6.

11.44pm BST

Jessica Korda finished fourth here last year, one shot out of the play-off. She’s struggled with a forearm injury since, but she’s working her way back into some serious form. Last month she was seven back at the Founders with eight holes to play. She couldn’t quite seal the deal, but second place, after making two eagles and a couple of birdies in a closing surge, gave notice of her return. She’ll need something similar today, but birdies at 9 and 11 have given her an outside chance at least. She’s -4.

11.38pm BST

Ciganda can’t make her birdie putt on 14. Par. Thompson comes close at 17, but that’s a par as well. Kim nearly drains a 35-footer on 8, but nothing’s happening for the 36-hole leader today. Par. And finally Ko takes centre stage ... pulling her par putt left. She’s still got a healthy lead, but that’ll give the chasing pack succour.

-9: Ko (8)
-6: Thompson (17), Kim (8), Lee (8)
-5: Ciganda (14)

11.34pm BST

And a big chip coming up for Ko, who makes her first mistake of the round. She sends her tee shot at the par-three 8th to 15 feet, but it nestles in that thick stuff that surrounds these greens. This is a delicate shot out of the cabbage. But she puts the wedge away and opts to putt instead. The long grass snags it up, and she only gets the ball halfway to the hole. A crack of light opening for the rest of the field?

11.31pm BST

Thompson needs a strong finish if she’s to seriously worry Ko. She whip-cracks a strong iron into the centre of the par-three 17th, pin high ... but the ball rolls back down a gentle slope and the birdie putt will be a good 30 footer. Ciganda sets herself up nicely at the par-four 14th, taking an aggressive line over water, with the pin tucked right by the side of the drink. A couple of big putts coming up.

-10: Ko (7)
-6: Thompson (16), Kim (7), Lee (8)
-5: Ciganda (13)

11.27pm BST

Ko hits a birdie putt that rolls as smoothly as her swing ... but somehow it doesn’t turn to the right when expected and stays stubbornly on the lip. She remains at -8. Her partner Kim is forced to guide in a tricky right-to-left par saver; she’s clinging on at the moment. Thompson makes yet another birdie, at 16, and she charges into a share of second at -6! And a fine par for Lee at the par-three 8th: having once again found thick stuff around the green, she flops delicately to 18 inches and cleans up. She remains in the group and second.

11.22pm BST

Lee’s fast start is compromised by one poor approach shot at 7. She sends it into thick cabbage to the right of the green; shortsided, it’s all she can do to hack out into the centre of the dancefloor. She can’t roll in the long par saver, and suddenly Ko has a four-shot lead. Also, coming in the group behind Lee, she’s just made the 7th green in regulation, setting up a birdie chance from 25 feet. Another birdie for Lexi, though, at 15. It’s her fourth in six holes, and the 2014 champ will at this rate set a clubhouse target that will give Ko pause for thought over the closing stretch.

-10: Ko (6)
-6: Lee (7), Kim (6)
-5: Thompson (15), Ciganda (12)

11.16pm BST

Ko hasn’t made a single three-putt all week. The leader nearly puts an end to that proud record by whistling a 30-footer five feet past the hole on 6, but she knocks the one coming back straight into the centre of the cup. She remains at -10, and looks as cool as ice right now. No mean feat given the mercury is pushing 90 at Mission Hills.

11.14pm BST

Ciganda can’t afford a single slip-up, so you can understand her relieved smile as she gets up and down from sand at 12. That’s a great street-fighting, momentum-retaining par. She remains at -5. The 2011 champ Stacy Lewis birdies 9, but she’s only turning in level-par 36, another birdie at 1 being cancelled out by a double bogey at 6. Meanwhile Danielle Kang, who tied for second last week on tour and has added considerable length to her game after sessions with Butch Harmon, is very much going the wrong way. A birdie at 2, but then a triple bogey at 3 and another dropped shot at 6. She’s -2, having pretty much played her way out of contention.

11.10pm BST

Ko was out in 31 yesterday, and she looks in the mood to turn the screw again. A second birdie of the day, this time at 5, and she moves three clear at the top. A reminder again that she gave up most of a five-shot lead over the back nine yesterday, the wind is picking up, and the nerves that come with chasing a maiden major will be soon kicking in. But it’s looking ominous for the rest of the field right now, as she finds the centre of the water-guarded 6th in two smooth strikes. Elsewhere, another birdie for Ciganda, this time at 11, while Thompson bogeys 12 then bounces back immediately with birdie at 13.

-10: Ko (5)
-7: Lee (5)
-6: Kim (5)
-5: Ciganda (11)
-4: Gillman (F), Thompson (14), Kirk (7), Sharp (6)

11.00pm BST

Ariya Jutanugarn came close to winning this title in 2016. But she shipped a two-shot lead by bogeying the final three holes, and ended up fourth, behind eventual winner Lydia Ko. A collapse not entirely dissimilar to the one suffered by Adam Scott at the 2012 Open ... and just as Scott banished some demons by winning the next edition of the Masters, Jutanugarn also bounced back in style. She won the 2016 British Open, and has since added a second major to her portfolio, last year’s US Open. Currently the world number two, she’s done very little this week, ending well down the rankings at +5. But her big sister Moriya has done the business for the family Jutanugarn this time. A flawless final round of 67, with birdies at 2, 7, 8, 12 and 18, and she has an outside chance of a top-ten finish at -3.

10.50pm BST

But suddenly there’s a little bit of separation developing at the very top of the leaderboard. The overnight leader JY Ko birdies 2, then her playing partner IK Kim drops a shot at 3. Plenty of drama to come yet, we’re sure: Kim was three in the lead after 36 holes, while Ko had a five-shot advantage over the field at one point yesterday, before a double bogey and bogey brought her back to the pack. Not an ideal start for Kim, but despite her infamous travails here, she’s the only one of the three South Korean front-runners with major-winning experience to draw on.

-9: Ko (3)
-7: Lee (4)
-6: Kim (3)
-4: Gillman (F), Ciganda (9), Kirk (6), Sharp (5)

10.43pm BST

Kristen Gillman birdies the last! She does indeed sign for that 66, a score that’s only been bettered this week by IK Kim’s second-day 65. She’s set an early target at -4. What a prospect Gillman is. Incidentally, she won that World Amateur Team Championship alongside a certain Jennifer Kapcho, who hasn’t had a bad weekend herself. Still an amateur, she blitzed the field at Augusta National in the first ever Women’s Amateur tournament to be held at the venerable old Georgia course. Kapcho could sell her finish for a fair few dollars at the Masters next week: eagle at 13, followed by birdies at 15, 16 and 18. Five under for the last six. And her eagle putt at 15 was only a turn away from dropping too.

10.38pm BST

Lexi Thompson won this tournament in 2014, though she’s probably better known for the one that got away. Failure to replace her ball correctly in the third round cost Thompson a four-shot penalty in 2017, a punishment that was only enforced midway through the final round, an eagle-eyed TV-owning pedant having shopped her upon clocking a replay. Easy to forget Thompson’s immediate response to that sickening blow: two birdies in three holes that helped her into a play-off with So-yeon Ryu. Unfortunately for Thompson, Ryu is made of strong stuff as well, and she got up and down after nearly finding Poppie’s Pond to win the title with birdie at the first play-off hole. Anyway, that’s a long-winded way of saying that Lexi’s moxie is on display here again. Starting at -1 today, she was probably just that little bit too far out to win. But she’s giving it a go anyway: birdies at 1, 5, 10 and 11 have more than offset bogey at 3, and she’s currently in a tie for fourth at -4.

10.27pm BST

2018 was a great year for Kristen Gillman. As a 21-year-old amateur, she won her second US Amateur title, contributed a 5-0-0 record in the rout of GB & Ireland in the Curtis Cup, and won the World Amateur Team Championship for the USA. She’s since turned pro, and is currently putting together the round of the day so far. There have been birdies at 1, 2, 4, 11 and 15, and she’s now heading up the last. A birdie at the par-five finishing hole would see her round in 66, the early clubhouse leader at -4. A most acceptable beginning to life in the majors as a professional. More when we have it.

10.17pm BST

All of the groups have now gone out, the leader JY Ko and IK Kim teeing off a few minutes ago. So there’s already been plenty of leaderboard realignment. The most significant early move has been made by MH Lee, who finished strongly and spectacularly yesterday, holing-in-one at 17 and making birdie up the last. The 26-year-old from Seoul continues that upward momentum today in some style: birdies at 1 and 2 have brought her to -7, within a shot of JY Ko’s lead. Lee’s playing partner, the big-swinging Danielle Kang, has also birdied 2, moving to -6. And the Spaniard Carlota Ciganda, who has featured strongly in the majors of late, has birdied 1, 4 and now 8 to launch herself into the mix.

-8: Ko (1)
-7: Lee (2), Kim (1)
-6: Kang (2)
-4: Ciganda (8), Lin (5), Sharp (3), Lee6 (3)

10.07pm BST

Good evening everybody ... or good afternoon if you’re in Rancho Mirage in the Californian desert for the 48th staging of the Dinah Shore. Co-founded and hosted by the famous big-band singer, actor and television personality, this tournament has been variously known through the years as the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner’s Circle, the Colgate-Dinah Shore, the Nabisco Dinah Shore Invitational, the Nabisco Dinah Shore, the Nabisco Championship, the Kraft Nabisco Championship and now the ANA Inspiration. A bronze statue of Shore greets the players as they reach the 18th at Mission Hills. Who will leap into Poppie’s Pond under Dinah’s gaze today? Let’s set about finding out!

4.00pm BST

You’d need a heart of stone not to wish Kim In-Kyung all the best at Mission Hills this afternoon. Back in 2012, Kim left herself a one-foot putt for victory in the ANA Inspiration’s earlier guise, the Kraft Nabisco. A quick tap-in, and then she’d be taking the famous celebratory leap into Poppie’s Pond, before being awarded the Dinah Shore Trophy and draped in the Champions Robe.

Easy as you like. Only Kim - who had made a couple of fine birdie putts from 15 and 20 feet at 16 and 17 - allowed herself to be devoured by golf’s demons and yipped the tiddler. Her South Korean compatriot Sun-young Yoo won the resulting play-off at the first hole. Most of Kim’s demons were happily exorcised by her 2017 British Open win, a major finally landed. But one or two remain, because Mission Hills owes her a little something. If she prevails today, there’ll be wild and glorious scenes at Poppie’s Pond.

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Tottenham 2-0 Crystal Palace, Man City 2-0 Cardiff and more – as it happened

Spurs won the first match at their new stadium, while Manchester City reclaimed top spot in the Premier League.

12.33am BST

Related: ‘Tonight we touched glory’: Pochettino on Spurs’ perfect start at new stadium

Related: Three points, 773 urinals: Spurs play numbers game on and off the pitch | Barney Ronay

Related: Three points, 773 urinals: Spurs play numbers game on and off the pitch | Barney Ronay

10.08pm BST

And that’s your lot. It’s been a good night for Manchester City, a bad one for Manchester United as two of their rivals for a top-four spot won, and an historic evening for Spurs, who opened their new stadium and marked the start of a new era with a victory. Thanks for reading; nighty night!

10.06pm BST

David Hytner was at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to see Son Heung-min score the first-ever goal there. Here’s his verdict.

Related: Son Heung-min christens new stadium with first Spurs goal in win over Palace

9.59pm BST

Dominic Fifield was at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea eased the pressure on Maurizio Sarri with an easy win over Brighton. Here’s his take.

Related: Ruben Loftus-Cheek adds gloss as Chelsea make light work of Brighton

9.53pm BST

Jamie Jackson was at the Etihad to witness Manchester City glide back to the top of the Premier League. Here’s his report.

Related: Kevin De Bruyne slips into gear and drives Manchester City past Cardiff

9.41pm BST

So here are the Scottish Premiership full-times. Rangers’ victory means Celtic can’t win the title at the weekend now.
Aberdeen 3-1 Motherwell
Hibernian 0-0 Kilmarnock
Livingston 2-0 Hamilton Academical
Rangers 3-0 Hearts
St Johnstone 2-0 Dundee
St Mirren 0-2 Celtic

9.40pm BST

GOAL! Aberdeen 3-1 Motherwell (McGinn 90+7). A second for Niall McGinn, deep into injury time, confirms the win for the Dons.

9.39pm BST

FULL TIME: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Crystal Palace. Spurs are back in third, having won their first-ever match at their new stadium. They’re a point ahead of Arsenal on 64 points, though they’ve played a game more. It’s going to be a wild end to the season.

9.38pm BST

FULL TIME: Chelsea 3-0 Brighton & Hove Albion. The pressure on Maurizio Sarri eases as his team leapfrog Manchester United into fifth. On 63 points, they’re two clear of United, and level with fourth-placed Arsenal, but with an inferior goal difference.

9.36pm BST

FULL TIME: Manchester City 2-0 Cardiff City. Pep Guardiola’s side go back to the top of the Premier League, a point ahead of Liverpool with 80.

9.31pm BST

GOAL! St Mirren 0-2 Celtic (Christie 85). Deflected and in. Ryan Christie. Eight in a row gets ever closer.

9.30pm BST

Cardiff finally get out of their half ... and Oumar Niasse is sent clear, one on one, taking advantage of a slip by Kyle Walker! But Ederson makes himself big and denies the relegation-haunted Bluebirds a late consolation. “Looking at the sweep of that stand in the new stadium, it’s almost enough to put you in mind of another London ground,” opines Matt Dony. “Maybe it could be called the Em-ersatz Stadium.”

9.26pm BST

GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Crystal Palace (Eriksen 80). Christian Eriksen slams home from close range, and Spurs should make a winning start at their new pile. “I suspect Neil Warnock will be overjoyed to discover that Loftus-Cheek’s goal from Sunday has been chalked off,” writes Jamie Dury of the 9.07pm entry. Ahem. Yes. Thanks for the spot! I’ve changed that now.

9.23pm BST

GOAL! Livingston 2-0 Hamilton Academical (Halkett 79). Craig Halkett secures the points for the artists formerly known as Meadowbank Thistle.

9.20pm BST

Phil Foden gets ever closer to that first league goal for Manchester City. He hits the post, then is denied again by Neil Etheridge. Still just 2-0 to the hosts. And as ever when typing Foden’s name, I now can’t shake this earworm. The link’s long been established in my simple head, and I can’t break it.

9.15pm BST

GOAL! Aberdeen 2-1 Motherwell (McGinn 71). Open play, but the ball sits perfectly on the penalty spot, teed up, begging to be hit. Niall McGinn is there first to slam home.

9.09pm BST

The official attendance at High Road tonight: 59,315. So not quite a full house. “Given that pub quiz history-making is at stake, has Harry Kane attempted to claim the Heung-min Son goal?” wonders Peter Oh, because somebody had to say it.

9.07pm BST

GOAL! Chelsea 3-0 Brighton & Hove Albion (Loftus-Cheek 64). Ruben Loftus-Cheek scores his first goal since

December
the weekend (sorry), finding the top corner from distance, a peach every bit as sweet as the goal scored by Hazard a few minutes ago.

9.04pm BST

GOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion (Hazard 60). Eden Hazard is on the edge of the box, to the left of the D, surrounded by defenders. No matter! Hazard shuffles to make himself a little space and whips the ball into the far corner.

9.02pm BST

GOAL! St Johnstone 2-0 Dundee (Kennedy 60). Matty Kennedy doubles the Saints’ lead on the hour. Dundee’s losing streak looks set to reach six.

9.01pm BST

THE FIRST GOAL AT THE TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM! Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Crystal Palace (Son 55). Heung-Min Son will be the answer to that particular pub-quiz question. It’s his first goal in seven matches; well, he timed that perfectly, didn’t he?

8.55pm BST

Manchester City are looking for the third goal that’d put a win against Cardiff beyond all doubt. If there is any doubt. Phil Foden was very close to a debut goal, having been put through by Fernandinho, but he couldn’t slip the ball past Neil Etheridge. It’s still 2-0, but that’s more than enough to put City back at the top, a point ahead of Liverpool.

8.52pm BST

GOAL! Rangers 3-0 Hearts (Arfield 46). It’s all happening early doors in Scotland, as Scott Arfield slams home the rebound from a Jermaine Defoe header. “Livingston’s Almondvale Stadium is also known for sponsorship purposes as the Tony Macaroni Arena, and colloquially as the Spaghettihad,” reports Simon McMahon. “There’s no truth in the rumour that the team runs out to Life is a Minestrone by 10cc.”

8.49pm BST

GOAL! Livingston 1-0 Hamilton Academical (Hardie 46). Ryan Hardie opens the second-half scoring pretty much straight from the kick-off.

8.45pm BST

Half-time entertainment, courtesy of Duncan Edwards. “Great to hear Mike Sammes mentioned. His Music For Biscuits album is full of old jingles ripe for conversion to sludgy terrace chants. I’m obviously thinking Dulux Super 3 and for European nights Chocolate Vienna. Failing that, I’d venture we can update the ubiquitous When The Saints Go Marching In by dipping into Sammes’s fabulous hymns album Hymns a’ Swinging (with the Ted Taylor Organ Sound). Not least the flute and sitar-heavy Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken and the funky He Who Would Valiant Be.”

I like your judicious deployment of the word “obviously”. That’s a must-have album, not least because the cover appears to be a pastiche of the old Sainsbury’s Snax box. I’m off to do some Amazon shopping, back in a bit. If I miss any goals, I’m very sorry, but that’s just the way it’s got to be.

8.36pm BST

The Scottish Premiership half-times.
Aberdeen 1-1 Motherwell
Hibernian 0-0 Kilmarnock
Livingston 0-0 Hamilton Accies
Rangers 2-0 Hearts
St Johnstone 1-0 Dundee
St Mirren 0-1 Celtic

8.34pm BST

The Premier League half-times.
Chelsea 1-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
Manchester City 2-0 Cardiff City
Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Crystal Palace

8.31pm BST

GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Cardiff City (Sane 44). The champions have been piling forward without getting much reward ... until now. A cross from the right is chested down by Jesus, teeing up Leroy Sane, near the left-hand corner of the box. Sane lashes a shot through a crowded box and into the bottom right. If Cardiff were beginning to dream of keeping it tight and causing a shock, they’ve just been rudely woken up. “Surely Peters and Lee singing Welcome Home would have been the icing on the cake,” insists Lloyd Mills, building on the earlier late-70s light-entertainment theme.

8.26pm BST

GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Brighton (Giroud 38). So having said Chelsea were doing bugger all, they go ahead and score a couple of minutes later. Olivier Giroud has broken the deadlock, with a little help from debutant Callum Hudson-Odoi, who was involved in the build-up.

8.24pm BST

GOAL! Aberdeen 1-1 Motherwell (Hastie 36). Motherwell don’t much like Pittodrie, having lost on six of their last eight visits. But Jake Hastie springs the Aberdeen offside trap to level things up.

8.22pm BST

Chelsea aren’t doing very much against Brighton. Eden Hazard blooters a good chance over the bar when he surely had to hit the target at the very least.

8.20pm BST

Celtic are awarded a penalty at Paisley Park. Handball. Olivier Ntcham takes a stuttering run-up, in the style of his compatriot Paul Pogba ... and misses. “Spurs could keep the tradition and still name it after three famous Spurs players,” suggests Chucky. “White Vaart Kane.”

8.16pm BST

Harry Kane comes very close to scoring the first-ever goal at High Road. A free kick from 22 yards fizzes just past the post. So close to the fairytale the majority of Spurs fans would love to see written. There’s been a first yellow card, though, and it goes to Dele Alli for a poor challenge on Luka Milivojević.

8.12pm BST

GOAL! St Johnstone 1-0 Dundee (Hendry 16). Callum Hendry opens the scoring for Perth’s finest at McDiarmid Park. The division’s bottom club don’t look like snapping their five-game losing streak right now.

8.10pm BST

GOAL! Rangers 2-0 Hearts (Goldson 21). Connor Goldson quickly doubles Rangers’ lead with a header. “Great bit of reporting by Tom Bryant,” opines Peter Oh. “Barkley should be safe from any repercussions unless the splash of water put out Sarri’s pre-match cigarette in an unfortunate sizzle.”

8.09pm BST

GOAL! St Mirren 0-1 Celtic (Weah 15). The league leaders go ahead at St Mirren Park, Timothy Weah just about nudging the ball home. It’s a controversial one, though, the Buddies sure the whole of the ball didn’t cross the line. On the subject of dull stadium names, St Mirren Park doesn’t really cut it either, does it. Given their home town, they really missed a trick there.

8.04pm BST

GOAL! Rangers 1-0 Hearts (Defoe 16). Jermaine Defoe has already had one goal chalked off. This one counts, though, a rebound volleyed home.

8.01pm BST

It’s all City at the Etihad. They’ve just come very close to a second, after a series of corners. Discombobulated, Manga sliced a clearance straight to Jesus, who hoicked over the bar in sheer surprise, when it was surely easier to score. “Go on then, let’s get moving on the new name for the Spurs stadium,” begins Adam Hirst’s case study in causing trouble. “Bearing in mind the appearance of it, I’ll go for White PorceLane. Maybe they can get Armitage Shanks to sponsor the naming rights.” He’s here all week, folks.

Try the cheese
.

7.55pm BST

GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Cardiff City (De Bruyne 6). Kevin De Bruyne scores his second league goal of the season, finding the net from a tight angle. It should really be City’s second goal, because Gabriel Jesus failed to toe-poke into an empty net after 20 seconds. City will be top of the Premier League table tonight, I’ll be bound.

7.53pm BST

GOAL! Aberdeen 1-0 Motherwell (Lowe 4). Anyway, some football. The first goal of the evening goes to Max Lowe, who swings in a cross that ends up foxing the keeper and nestling in the net.

7.52pm BST

The official opening ceremony at High Road looked superb. A lot of fireworks fizzing around, and a bank of electronic signs flashing WELCOME HOME. It didn’t sound so good, though, as an ersatz version of Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur was belted out with some force by Wynne Evans, the guy from the Go Compare ads. They’d have been better off riffing on the signage and booking the Mike Sammes Singers. ♫ Welcome, welcome, welcome home to White Hart Lane ... ♫

7.40pm BST

Slapstick comedy corner. Our very own Tom Bryant is at Stamford Bridge this evening, and here’s his pre-match report. “Ross Barkley has been practising shots with Willian. He hit the ‘JT Captain, Leader, Legend’ banner and the post, before the sprinklers came on and soaked half the team. Could be a long night.” And there’s some who insist that Sarriball is boring.

7.35pm BST

Aberdeen: Lewis, Ball, Considine, McKenna, Lowe, Campbell, Ferguson, Shinnie, McLennan, Cosgrove, McGinn.
Subs: Wilson, Halford, Stewart, Gleeson, May, Devlin, Cerny.
Motherwell: Gillespie, Grimshaw, Aldred, Dunne, Tait, Campbell, McHugh, Turnbull, Hastie, Main, Ariyibi.
Subs: Hartley, Cadden, Frear, Ferguson, Sammon, Rodriguez, Johnson.

Hibernian: Marciano, Gray, Milligan, Hanlon, Stevenson, Slivka, Horgan, Mallan, Omeonga, Kamberi, McNulty.
Subs: Bartley, McGregor, Bogdan, Shaw, Fraser Murray, Mackie, Allan.
Kilmarnock: Bachmann, O’Donnell, Broadfoot, Findlay, Taylor, McKenzie, Dicker, Mulumbu, Jones, McAleny, Tshibola.
Subs: Millar, Bruce, MacDonald, Power, Waters, Burke, Kris Boyd.

7.27pm BST

You buy a bag of peanuts in this town, you get a song written about you. “I have always been OUTRAGED that Spurs fans have not yet adapted this ditty (to the tune of A Poco No) from a quite well-known 1941 film to pay tribute to one of their own,” thunders Ian Copestake, clearing his throat before belting out the following:

♫ There is a man - a certain man
And for the poor you may be sure
That he’ll do all he can!
Who is this one?
This fav’rite son?
Just by his action
Has a foot like a traction engine on the run?
Who loves to punt?
Enjoys a joke?
Who wouldn’t get a bit upset if he were really broke?
With wealth and fame
He’s still the same
I’ll bet you five you’re not alive if you don’t know his name!
What is his name? It’s Harry Kane! (Chorus: It’s Mister Kane!)
He doesn’t like that Mister, he likes good old Harry Kane! ♫

7.13pm BST

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium looks the business, doesn’t it? Picture that stand full of folk bouncing up and down after a last-minute Harry Kane winner! Shame about the name. I wonder why they didn’t go for New White Hart Lane? OK, so it’s not on White Hart Lane ... but then neither was White Hart Lane. Anyway, we digress.

7.01pm BST

Manchester City v Cardiff: Something’s in the air tonight, because here’s another youngster starting in the Premier League for the first time: Phil Foden. The 18-year-old midfielder is one of seven changes made by Pep Guardiola, with Danilo, John Stones, Fernandinho, Riyad Mahrez, Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus also in the starting XI. Cardiff boss Neil Warnock had threatened to play the under-23s tonight, but in fact makes just one change from the Chelsea game, Joe Ralls replacing Harry Arter.

6.58pm BST

Chelsea v Brighton: Callum Hudson-Odoi finally starts a Premier League game for Chelsea! He’s one of seven changes from Saturday’s spawny 2-1 win at Cardiff, with Eden Hazard and N’Golo Kante returning. Brighton meanwhile make four changes from their 1-0 loss at home to Southampton, welcoming back striker Florin Andone.

6.48pm BST

Chelsea: Arrizabalaga, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Luiz, Emerson Palmieri, Kante, Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek, Hudson-Odoi, Giroud, Hazard.
Subs: Rudiger, Barkley, Higuain, Caballero, Kovacic, Zappacosta, Willian.
Brighton & Hove Albion: Ryan, Saltor, Duffy, Dunk, Bong, Propper, Stephens, Bissouma, March, Andone, Jahanbakhsh. Subs: Kayal, Knockaert, Murray, Izquierdo, Button, Bernardo, Burn.

Manchester City: Ederson, Danilo, Stones, Laporte, Zinchenko, De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Foden, Mahrez, Gabriel Jesus, Sane.
Subs: Walker, Kompany, Sterling, Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Silva, Muric.
Cardiff City: Etheridge, Peltier, Morrison, Ecuele Manga, Bennett, Gunnarsson, Hoilett, Victor Camarasa, Ralls, Josh Murphy, Niasse.
Subs: Zohore, Reid, Bacuna, Cunningham, Mendez-Laing, Harris, Brian Murphy.

6.40pm BST

While we wait for the teamsheets to drop ... why not click on this time-lapse video showing the long road to completion for Tottenham’s new home?

4.41pm BST

It’s another big evening in the Premier League. Manchester City can reclaim top spot, Tottenham Hotspur are opening their brand-new stadium, Cardiff, Brighton and Crystal Palace continue their battle against the drop, and Chelsea fans continue their campaign against Sarriball. Here’s the card:

Chelsea v Brighton & Hove Albion
Manchester City v Cardiff City
Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace

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The Fiver | The Mike Dean Show

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Considering only two fixtures were played, Tuesday night was a highly instructive evening in the Premier League. Watford demonstrated the ability that could take them to a first FA Cup final since 1984. Wolves showcased the desire that could take them to a first FA Cup final since 1960. Fulham established yet again that it’s really not worth paying attention to a single word of all those pre-season predictions. And … what’s this? Ole out?!? That can’t be right. Not yet, give it a couple of weeks, will you. But Manchester United did prove that this managing lark isn’t quite as easy as their new boss had previously made it look, especially when the centre-back you’ve just sent on to shore things up throws himself into aerial challenges upside down. Oh Phil! How could you!

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

Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side lost at Molineux, just as they did in the FA Cup, thanks to an own goal from Chris Smalling and a Diogo Jota strike

Read Stuart James’s match report from MolineuxWe made it too easy for Wolves, says SolskjærFulham relegated after 4-1 defeat at Watford

11.21pm BST

Related: We made it too easy for Wolves, says Manchester United’s Solskjær

10.11pm BST

And that, my old MBM pals, is that. All that’s left is to usher you towards the verdict of our man at Molineux, Stuart James. Here’s his report: click, enjoy and maybe fill your boots below the line. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!

Related: Own goal costs dear as Wolves rip into Manchester United’s top-four bid

10.09pm BST

Ole’s take. “It was one of those days when we’ve done more than enough to score three or four goals, some great chances, but some fantastic saves by the keeper. Wolves deserve credit because they scored the goals and pounced on our mistakes, but I thought the lads played well today. We created chances, and with ten men as well. They scored on their first chance after the sending off, that’s about 25 minutes after the sending off. The boys have done exactly what they should do, but conceded goals from sloppy mistakes and we didn’t score ourselves. It happens, a couple of bad decisions, but that’s football. You want to trust them to play, and we did play some great football, but that’s a downside when you try to take too many risks. We did well at the start of the second half, Scotty had a great chance, a great save by the keeper again. I think he made four fantastic saves. So we’ve done enough to win but you don[t always get what you deserve. We knew we have to get 15 points probably to get top four, and we’ve still got six games to get those 15 points. We’ve just got to dust ourselves down. A disappointing result, but a very good performance.”

10.00pm BST

Nuno’s post-match verdict. “It was a good performance. Manchester United started better than us. We were having trouble getting our shape, and they had too much possession. Our team suffered and took a little time to react. The moment we readjusted was a fantastic reaction. We draw, then we managed better the game. And after the red card our task is not so difficult. Of course playing against Manchester United is always dangerous and difficult because they are such an amazing team, and that makes me proud, well done to the boys. Sometimes to bounce back is important and requires an extra effort, so I’m really pleased. If we prepare well for the opposition, we can fight any team. So now we’re going to do it, rest, then switch on and go again on Sunday.”

9.52pm BST

Our man Simon Burnton was at Vicarage Road to see Watford condemn Fulham to the Championship. Here’s his verdict.

Related: Fulham are relegated after Watford and Troy Deeney show no mercy

9.51pm BST

Man-of-the-match Diogo Jota speaks. “It is one more win. It doesn’t matter whether it’s against Manchester United, we have three more points. They started the game very intense, trying to provoke mistakes with balls over our back, and we conceded a goal. But we demonstrated to the people that we can make a comeback, and we are happy with that. We know top seven is one of the highest positions in the table, it is important to reach that place. But we are not obsessed. Every match is hard and we are going game by game. Now we are looking forward to the semi-final.”

9.47pm BST

Meanwhile at the other end, Manchester United’s bid for a top-four finish takes a serious blow. They remain in fifth place on 61 points, two behind Arsenal and level with Spurs, but having played a game more. Chelsea are on their shoulder, too, a point behind with a game in hand. It’s going to be some scrap for the two up-for-grabs Champions League slots. Wolves meanwhile stay in seventh, the Best of the Rest, on 47 points, one clear of eighth-placed Watford and three clear of Leicester in ninth.

9.44pm BST

So at the bottom of the Premier League table, Fulham now have that most unwelcome R printed next to their name. Like Huddersfield before them, they’ll be playing Championship football next season. They’rte 19th on 17 points, three ahead of the Terriers having played a game more, but 16 points adrift of 17th spot with only 15 points left to play for.

9.42pm BST

Wolves were worthy winners of that one. United started marvellously, but seriously lost their way after conceding the equaliser. Wolves always looked dangerous on the counter thereafter; on another night, they may well have scored one or two more. United had chances of their own, of course, but on balance can’t really complain about the result. And hey, life could be a whole lot worse: Watford have beaten Fulham 4-1, confirming the Cottagers’ relegation.

9.39pm BST

That’s it all right! Wolves have become the first team to beat United having fallen behind for nearly four years! Molineux erupts in delight.

9.37pm BST

90 min +5: The corner’s pulled back towards Lingard, to the right of the D. He hesitates before wedging it in, by which point Wolves have pushed out and caught Pogba and Smalling offside. That’s surely it.

9.37pm BST

90 min +4: Can United salvage this? Jonny is booked for clipping Pereira down the right. A free kick. That’s hooked into the mixer, and leads to a corner.

9.36pm BST

90 min +3: Cavaleiro chases a long ball down the inside-right channel. Lindelof should intercept and clear, but allows himself to be shoulder barged off the ball. Cavaleiro is clear! He drifts into the area from the right and hammers a rising shot towards the top left. Just too high, as it clatters off the bar and away!

9.34pm BST

90 min +1: Nothing comes from the corner. There will be five added minutes. And then United nearly score an own goal again! Jonny bustles his way down the middle, then finds Jimenez to his right. Jimenez loses control in the box, the ball breaking to Lindelof, who prods a backpass towards Smalling Corner. Once again de Gea comes to the rescue and kicks clear.

9.32pm BST

90 min: Jonny races down the left and looks for Jimenez in the centre. His low cross is intercepted by Smalling, who nearly guides the ball into the bottom left for the second time tonight. He’s thankful to see de Gea at full stretch, turning the ball around the post.

9.31pm BST

89 min: United sniff about. No spaces. Suddenly Pogba slips a forward pass to Martial, who returns it instantly. Pogba drags his shot well wide right from 20 yards.

9.29pm BST

87 min: Wolves are hogging possession, making good use of their extra man as they knock the ball around. United can’t get a sniff as the clock ticks on.

9.28pm BST

86 min: Wolves’ most famous fan, Robert Plant, watches on from the Molineux stands. He looks content, unlike touchline prowler Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, whose brow is furrowed as he desperately tries to formulate a salvage plan.

9.26pm BST

84 min: Another change for both teams. Saiss takes the place of Neves, while Dalot makes way for Pereira.

9.24pm BST

82 min: Unlike Fulham, United aren’t doomed tonight quite yet. Still plenty of time to find an equaliser that will maintain a fine record of not losing any match in which they’ve scored the first goal since Swansea City turned them round in August 2015. That’s 78 games, 69 of which have been won, the other nine drawn.

9.22pm BST

80 min: It’s now 4-1 to Watford, Kiko with the latest goal on 75 minutes. Fulham are doomed.

9.22pm BST

79 min: United try to respond immediately, Martial bustling down the right and pulling one back for McTominay, whose shot towards the bottom left is deflected out for a corner. The resulting set piece comes to nothing.

9.20pm BST

Moutinho crosses into the mixer from the left. Jones goes up with Jimenez, and the ball squirts off Dendoncker, then Smalling, and dribbles into the bottom left! What a defensive shambles. Not sure what Jones was up to, he was practically upside down at one point. Scrappy as hell, but Wolves have the lead!

9.19pm BST

76 min: That’s Vinagre’s last act of the evening. He’s replaced by Jonny.

9.18pm BST

75 min: Vinagre rolls his foot over the ball and flicks it adroitly down the left flank for Cavaleiro, who runs into a dead end. That was lovely skill, though. They should name that trick the Vinagre Stroke.

9.16pm BST

74 min: There’s been another goal at Vicarage Road, and Fulham look doomed. Troy Deeney has made it 3-1 to Watford after 69 minutes of that match.

9.15pm BST

73 min: Both teams make a change. Jota makes way for Cavaleiro, while Lukaku is replaced by Martial.

9.15pm BST

72 min: Jota dribbles into the United area down the left and runs slap bang into Dalot. He wants a penalty but isn’t getting it. The correct decision. And it’s end to end, United winning a corner down the right, McTominay heading it harmlessly over the bar.

9.13pm BST

71 min: A goal from Watford midfielder Will Hughes on 63 minutes at Vicarage Road. Fulham are once again hovering over the relegation trapdoor.

9.13pm BST

70 min: McTominay takes, and hits long. Wolves struggle to clear, and Shaw cuts in from the left to make room for a shot. But his effort pinballs around a crowded box and comes back out. Dalot tries to rescue the situation with a cross from the right, but it’s way too deep. Goal kick.

9.11pm BST

69 min: United have steadied the ship since losing Young to that red card. They’re dominating possession. Dalot earns a corner down the right, United getting a fair amount of joy down that flank.

9.10pm BST

67 min: Pogba hooks a cross into the Wolves box from a deep position on the right. He’s looking for Lukaku but can only find Rui Patricio, who takes with great ease. But United soon come again, Dalot scampering into space down the right. He crosses low for Lukaku, eight yards out. He should be shooting on goal, but can’t control and Wolves are able to intercept the clumsy clank and clear.

9.07pm BST

65 min: The first change of the evening, as Phil Jones comes on for Fred.

9.06pm BST

64 min: United stroke it around the back awhile, in order to clear their heads and regroup. Job done, as they press Wolves back into their own half and quieten the crowd a little bit.

9.05pm BST

62 min: Molineux is bouncing, hopeful of victory now. Wolves are pressing United back. Jimenez has another wander down the right, but once again he overthinks the situation and plays a poor ball. Then a corner’s won on the other flank, but the set piece is a complete waste of time.

9.04pm BST

60 min: United heads are spinning. Lindelof tries to shepherd a ball back to de Gea, who slides but doesn’t smother, and it clanks away to Jimenez. Fortunately for the keeper, the angle’s too tight to contemplate a shot towards the unguarded net. Jimenez hesitates, and it’s fatal. United regroup and clear.

9.02pm BST

59 min: Jota felt that challenge, and needs a couple of minutes worth of attention from the physio. He’s up and about eventually.

9.01pm BST

57 min: Mike Dean becomes the first referee to reach 100 red cards, as Young overstretches at a loose ball and catches Jota on the ankle. Young won the ball, but the follow through was reckless, his studs crumping on Jota’s lower leg. That’s a second yellow, and could feasibly have been a straight red. Anyway, he’s off.

9.00pm BST

56 min: Pogba tries to find Lukaku in the box with a diagonal pass. It turns into a shot, sort of, that dribbles towards the bottom right. Rui Patricio gathers.

8.59pm BST

55 min: Lukaku glides down the left and crosses. Pogba flicks a header on, and McTominay stoops to flash a header goalwards. It’s straight at Rui Patricio, in slow motion. Boly clears. There have been some missed close-range headers this evening.

8.57pm BST

54 min: Lindelof steams into the centre circle to win a header, and misses it. Moutinho sends Jota away instead. The ball’s shipped left to Jimenez, who tries to return it to Jota in the middle, but overhits. Goal kick, and relief for United, who were short at the back.

8.56pm BST

53 min: Fred skies a strange backpass towards Smalling, who does very well to bring it down and clear under pressure from Jimenez. United look nervous at the back.

8.54pm BST

52 min: Young comes through the back of Jota, and goes in the book. He was lucky to escape a yellow card in the first half, but the referee’s patience has finally run out.

8.53pm BST

50 min: Vinagre beats Fred in a footrace down the left. A firm shoulder charge thrown in. He strides into space and whips a cross straight down the throat of de Gea. Good field position wasted there, because there was only one old gold shirt in the box. Easy for the keeper.

8.51pm BST

49 min: Vinagre clips Pogba to the ground, 30 yards out on the right. Young takes the free kick ... and once again he fails to beat the first man. That’s dismal. A fine chance to put pressure on Wolves spurned.

8.49pm BST

47 min: United stroke the ball around. Wolves hold their shape. So Fred decides to have a pop at goal from 25 yards. He sends a looping dipper towards the top left, but it’s always going wide of the post. Rui Patricio sees it out calmly.

8.47pm BST

Wolves get the second half underway. No changes. Before the teams kick into proper action, we’ve got just enough time to welcome Justin Kavanagh: “Dalot goes in the book for a cynical arm in Vinagre’s face, you say. Well, if United are getting chippy with assault thrown in, the Wolves man can’t be sour about it with a face like Vinagre’s. Sorry, I’ve already got my coat on.” He’s here all week, ladies and gentlemen, try the crispy bits.

8.39pm BST

Half-time entertainment. This is marvellous.

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8.32pm BST

That fair flew by. A half of two halves. United were utterly dominant early on; it was all Wolves thereafter. Can’t wait for the second half.

8.31pm BST

45 min +1: And so of course United nearly take the lead again, Pogba forcing the ball down the inside-right channel to release Lukaku, who whips a first-time shot across Rui Patricio and inches wide of the left-hand post.

8.31pm BST

45 min: A welcome period of sterile possession for United in midfield. They needed it; they’ve been rocking.

8.29pm BST

43 min: Moutinho’s looper instigates a game of head tennis in the United box. The visitors half clear. Neves returns the dropping ball, sending it arcing towards the top right. De Gea does extremely well to claim it under his crossbar, then make sure he doesn’t take it back over the line. Safe hands.

8.28pm BST

42 min: Now Dalot goes in the book for a cynical arm in Vinagre’s face, the Wolves man threatening to break clear down the left. A free kick in a dangerous position. Moutinho will take.

8.27pm BST

40 min: Coady shanks a backpass high into the sky. Pogba is lurking, and Rui Patricio does extremely well to improvise a clearing header. No way is this match going to end 1-1.

8.25pm BST

39 min: The resulting free kick is floated into the mixer. Doherty rises highest and heads wide left from six yards. A great chance spurned. Some rank headers this evening.

8.24pm BST

38 min: McTominay holds the ball up well down the left, and is yanked to the ground by Bennett. A free kick in a very dangerous position. But Young’s delivery is totally hopeless, failing to beat the first man, and suddenly Jota is tearing away from the packed box and up the other end! Shaw tries to stop him but fails, gives chase, and tugs him back. That’s his tenth booking of the season, and he’ll miss United’s upcoming matches against West Ham and Everton.

8.22pm BST

37 min: Fulham aren’t relegated yet! Ryan Babel (33 min) has equalised for the Cottagers against Watford.

8.21pm BST

35 min: Pogba faffs around out on the United right and is stripped by Jota, who immediately knocks the ball past Young and is tugged back by the shirt. Young should be booked, but for some reason Mike Dean can’t be bothered to do his thing. Which reminds me, Peter Littley sent this email a few minutes ago: “Doesn’t really matter what plans each team has made, with Mike Dean in charge the result is in his hands. Hope he’s swallowed the pea and stays well off stage.” Latest score: Littley 1-0 Dean.

8.19pm BST

33 min: United’s early confidence is kaput. They were purring nicely for the first 20 minutes of this game, but can hardly string two passes together at the moment. Now it’s Wolves who are first to everything. It’s been good fun from the first whistle.

8.17pm BST

31 min: Wolves are right in this game now. In fact, they should be in the lead. Doherty and Jimenez combine cutely down the right. Doherty reaches the byline and hooks back for Dendoncker, who should score, eight yards out, but leans back and lifts his shot miles over. To be fair, the ball might have bobbled just before he hit it, but still.

8.15pm BST

29 min: That equaliser has got Molineux bouncing. And now the hosts are seeing much more of the ball. A free kick on the halfway line is pumped upfield by Coady. Jimenez teases Shaw down the right, then rolls a pass across the face of the United box for Neves, who hoicks an awful shot miles over the bar, and wide right to boot. Neves has a good old shout, hollering into the sky in frustration. It was a decent chance to work de Gea.

8.13pm BST

27 min: If Fulham lose at Watford tonight, they’ll be relegated. And they’ve just fallen behind at Vicarage Road. Abdoulaye Doucoure with the opening goal after 23 minutes.

8.12pm BST

Fred dawdles, 25 yards from his own goal. Dendoncker slides in to dispossess him. Jimenez takes up possession and flicks a ball down the middle and into the box, where Jota is clean through and onside! He lifts a shot calmly over de Gea and the hosts, who have been outplayed up to this point, are level!

8.10pm BST

24 min: Vinagre skedaddles in from the left. He tries to slip in Jota down the channel, but the ball breaks off Boly, to Jimenez, free on the right. Jimenez flashes a shot high and wide from a tight angle. But no matter, because ...

8.08pm BST

22 min: United continue to dominate. They’re first to everything right now. McTominay is seeing a lot of the ball. Jose Mourinho, for all his faults, has an eye for a player.

8.06pm BST

20 min: Wolves win their first corner of the evening, Vinagre making ground down the left, his cross cut out by Smalling. Wolves load the box ... then Moutinho stubs his toe while taking the corner, the ball dribbling straight out of play. That’s a risible corner, registering 8/10 on the Aspas-o-meter.

8.04pm BST

19 min: It’s fair to say United deserved that early goal. They’ve been effervescent from the get-go. Wolves haven’t been able to hit their stride at all. They try to clear their heads by stringing a few passes together at the back. They don’t go anywhere, but that’s not the point.

8.03pm BST

17 min: How on earth are United not two up? First Shaw dribbles with purpose down the left and cuts back for Lukaku. But McTominay, perhaps still giddy, gets in the way of his own man. No matter, because Lukaku is soon chipping in a cross from the left, the ball dropping to Lingard, whose header towards the bottom left is well kept out by Rui Patricio. Like Lukaku earlier, he probably should have scored.

8.01pm BST

15 min: That’s McTominay’s first goal in a Manchester United shirt. He peeled off in celebration with a smile that would have lit up those Molineux friendlies during the Cullis era.

8.00pm BST

United find their feet! Shaw shuttles the ball infield from the left wing. Fred then moves it on to McTominay, to the right of the D. McTominay takes a touch and sends a diagonal fizzer towards the bottom left. Rui Patricio is at full stretch, but has no chance, the ball skidding off the wet turf at high speed and in! That’s a fine finish!

7.58pm BST

11 min: Dendoncker takes possession of a Neves pass in the centre circle and with one touch nips past two United players. He’s got a lot of space to romp into, but a rush of blood makes him play a pointless pass to Jota, who wasn’t expecting it, and United intercept. Neither team have found their feet yet.

7.55pm BST

10 min: The first corner of the night is won by United, thanks to good work from Lukaku down the left. The set piece is worked back to Pogba, who attempts to release Young into the box with a wedge down the inside-left channel. But the pass is too strong, Young can’t control, and the flag goes up for offside anyway.

7.54pm BST

9 min: The rain’s coming down in the midlands. Pogba falls over in the centre circle under no pressure whatsoever, allowing Neves to stride off with the ball. He slips a pass wide right for Jimenez, who enters the box but can’t get a shot away. Wolves should have done more with that situation.

7.53pm BST

7 min: But it was good build-up play by United, who will be encouraged by the ease with which they opened up the hosts. Now Pogba sends a pass wide left. Shaw tries to break clear but Lingard’s weak role in a one-two scuppers the plan.

7.51pm BST

5 min: United should be leading. Pogba rolls a pass wide right for Dalot, who crosses perfectly for Lukaku. He’s six yards out, the ball dropping for him to head home. He slams his effort straight at Rui Patricio, who parries well but really shouldn’t have the chance to save. That’s a poor miss. Wolves clear their lines.

7.49pm BST

4 min: Neves dribbles down the right, tight on the touchline. For a second he threatens to break free of Shaw but is forced to check back. Then McTominay attempts to power through the centre circle but he’s turned around as well. It’s a little bit scrappy, but very high paced.

7.47pm BST

2 min: Both teams take turns to get a feel of the ball. Wolves first, then United. Lindelof launches long in the hope of finding Lukaku, but the pass is no good and sails straight through to Rui Patricio.

7.46pm BST

And we’re off! Within ten seconds, Lingard is shooting goalwards after a dribble down the middle of the park, straight from kick-off. He sends a dribbler towards the bottom right from the edge of the box. Rui Patricio gathers without fuss. Talk about starting on the front foot!

7.45pm BST

The teams are out! Wolves are in their classic old gold, while United sport their famous red. It’s one of the great sights in football. Squint slightly and pretend you’re watching the two glamour teams of the 1950s: Billy Wright, satin shirt shimmering under the lights, leading his men against the Busby Babes. Drizzle coming down. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the touchline kicking a ball; you know full well the player inside is busting to play. We’ll be off in a minute!

7.38pm BST

Ole speaks. “Wolves are well organised, they counter quickly, they have some individual quality. The two up front work as a pair really well. The three in midfield have all the passing range you can ask for. They have the fitness, they run about the pitch and are solid at the back with their size and pace. They’ve drilled this system for quite a while. It’s important for us to start the game well, to get on the front foot and play with more tempo and urgency, rather than the slow game we played last time.”

7.37pm BST

Nuno talks. “We must bounce back from the last performance at Burnley. We want to play better. We have to bounce back immediately and raise our standards again. We have to be more compact and when we have the ball we have to provoke more, create more, produce chances. This is a different game [to their FA Cup victory over United]. It’s a new challenge, let’s go game by game.”

6.57pm BST

Wolves make four changes to the side named for the defeat at Burnley last weekend. Jonny, Romain Saiss, Ivan Cavaleiro and Adama Traore all drop to the bench, with Ryan Bennett, Matt Doherty, Ruben Vinagre and Raul Jimenez taking their spots.

Manchester United make six changes to the team that beat Watford on Saturday. Stepping up: Victor Lindelof, Fred, Scott McTominay, Diogo Dalot, Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard. Standing down: Phil Jones, Juan Mata, Nemanja Matic, Ander Herrera, Anthony Martial and an injured Marcus Rashford.

6.47pm BST

Wolverhampton Wanderers: Rui Patricio, Bennett, Coady, Boly, Doherty, Dendoncker, Neves, Moutinho, Vinagre, Jimenez, Jota.
Subs: Cavaleiro, Costa, Gibbs-White, Jonny, Ruddy, Saiss, Traore.

Manchester United: de Gea, Young, Smalling, Lindelof, Shaw, Fred, McTominay, Pogba, Dalot, Lukaku, Lingard.
Subs: Jones, Mata, Martial, Andreas Pereira, Rojo, Romero, Matic.

3.26pm BST

Wolverhampton Wanderers have enjoyed playing Manchester United this season. Back in September, they came away from Old Trafford with a deserved 1-1 draw, Fred and Joao Moutinho exchanging goals, Adama Traore going close twice late on. Then a couple of weeks ago, Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota fired Wolves into the semi-finals of the FA Cup at Molineux at United’s expense. Can they do it again, and beat the Reds twice in the same season for the first time since 1980?

They don’t come into this match in particularly good nick. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side sit seventh in the Premier League table, the Best of the Rest, but they’ve only won once in the league in the last two months, and that against Cardiff City. They’re coming off the back of a lame 2-0 defeat at Burnley. And they’ll surely have one eye on this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final with Watford. It’s only natural if they don’t approach this game with 100 percent vigour.

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The Fiver | Staring at the referee with the intensity of a thousand Will Selfs

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On Sunday, begins The Fiver on a slow Tuesday afternoon, Cardiff City’s bid to avoid relegation was dealt an unfortunate and unjust blow. Chelsea skipper César Azpilicueta put the ball in their net while loitering in an extravagantly offside position, and amazingly the goal was allowed to stand, because linesman Eddie Smart was playing peek-a-boo with Willian while referee Craig Pawson was up the other end doing donuts in his clown’s car. To be fair, the donuts were well skill, leaving perfect, circular skidmarks, no mean feat in a collapsing jalopy with square wheels. But failing to spot the offside had severe implications in the battle to avoid the drop. Honk!

Related: David Squires on … Liverpool, Spurs, Solskjær and Warnock

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West Ham United 0-2 Everton: Premier League – as it happened

The abject Irons had no answer for effervescent Everton in this mid-table clash at the London Stadium.

7.55pm GMT

All that remains is to point you in the direction of Nick Ames’ report from the London Stadium. Clickity click, be about your business! Thanks for reading this MBM. Enjoy the rest of your Saturday night!

Related: Kurt Zouma and Bernard punish sloppy West Ham as Everton ease to victory

7.54pm GMT

A much happier Marco Silva. “We are really satisfied. I am proud of what we did this afternoon. Congratulations to our players. To our fans also, for supporting the team. We played well against a team with quality, their last few games at home, their form was really good. We showed our desire, and the way to achieve the win; 2-0 at half-time was a good result for them, not for us, because the chances we created we could have scored three, four or five.”

7.48pm GMT

A grim-faced Manuel Pellegrini talks to BT Sport. “It was very disappointing. Without any doubt that was the worst performance of the year. You can win and you can lose, but not in the way we did today, without fighting, without making one chance. It was impossible to make two passes in a row. If you review our performance, all of us were making mistakes. We have conceded too many goals at set pieces. We didn’t jump. All the players had a bad day.”

7.35pm GMT

Everton’s Seamus Coleman talks. “Our problem this season is that we put on a good performance then next week don’t build on it. So that was something we wanted to do today. We’ve not started the season well, the middle season wasn’t great, but we want to finish strong, keep aiming for that seventh place. We did that today and we’ll keep building.”

7.25pm GMT

Factor in Burnley’s earlier 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, and it’s been a great day for Everton in the chase for best-of-rest seventh place. (Yeah I know.) They’re up to ninth, on 43 points, one behind Wolves in seventh. West Ham meanwhile drop into the bottom half, on 42 points, four clear of Bournemouth in 12th. It’s a tight league within a league alright.

7.21pm GMT

West Ham depart to loud boos. They’re lucky most of their fans have already left, or the noise would have sent the roof spiralling somewhere near the Westfield shops. Everton were very impressive, though. They’re beginning to look like a team under Marco Silva.

7.19pm GMT

90 min +2: On the touchline, Manuel Pellegrini wears a look that redefines pensive. And well he might, because his team have been awful this evening. A defensive dog’s dinner, and not a whole lot tastier in attack.

7.17pm GMT

90 min +1: Zabaleta crosses from the right. Keane flicks clear. Cresswell crosses from the left. Keane flicks clear.

7.16pm GMT

90 min: Walcott comes on for Richarlison. There will be a minimum of three extra minutes.

7.16pm GMT

89 min: Tosun flicks a cute backward header down the right to release Richarlison, then gets the ball back. He bursts into the box and is bundled over by Ogbonna. The referee whistles, and the Everton fans celebrate the award of a penalty ... which it would have been, had the flag not gone up for an offside on Tosun.

7.14pm GMT

88 min: Calvert-Lewin yields to Tosun.

7.13pm GMT

87 min: Bernard sends Digne off down the left. His low cross leads to yet another corner. Hernandez, of all people, clears with a header.

7.12pm GMT

86 min: A lot of empty seats in the London Stadium now, as disgruntled Hammers chip off home in a hot funk.

7.11pm GMT

85 min: Davies comes on for Sigurdsson.

7.10pm GMT

83 min: Digne takes the corner. Richarlison, storming in from deep, meets it with a power header, and nearly breaks the crossbar into a thousand matchsticks! Pow! Right in the kisser. He probably should have scored, tell the truth. But he really put the nut on that!

7.08pm GMT

82 min: Sigurdsson sashays into acres down the left. He slips a pass inside for Calvert-Lewin, on the left-hand edge of the D. Calvert-Lewin looks for the top left, but his shot is blocked out for yet another Everton corner.

7.07pm GMT

80 min: Not much occurs at the corner.

7.07pm GMT

79 min: Gomes pings a wonderful pass down the right for Coleman, who cuts back towards Bernard. The Brazilian can’t get a shot away, so slides the ball to the left for Digne, who looks to tee up Calvert-Lewin in the middle for a tap-in. Zabaleta sticks out a boot to concede a corner and avert at goal.

7.04pm GMT

77 min: Antonio dribbles with purpose down the left, but soon becomes another West Ham victim of Everton’s swarm. Everton’s workrate has been extremely impressive tonight.

7.02pm GMT

75 min: Keane beckenbauers his way down the right wing, then drills a gorgeous pass down the channel to release Calvert-Lewin, who strides into the area and lashes towards the top right. The ball flies nowhere near the top right. Ambitious. It would have been spectacular.

7.00pm GMT

74 min: ... no result. Think of it as an indicative corner.

6.59pm GMT

73 min: Calvert-Lewin is slipped into a little space down the inside-left channel by Sigurdsson. The young striker shoots from a tight angle, and gets nowhere near the goal. Everton are soon coming at West Ham again, Richarlison making ground down the right after a misplaced pass by Diangana and winning a corner. From which ...

6.57pm GMT

71 min: A little time and space for Lanzini. He swerves and sends Keane away for the paper. Keane runs smack into Gueye, and once Lanzini has given up possession on the edge of the box instead of shooting, the play’s stopped so the doc can take a gander at Keane’s sore face.

6.55pm GMT

69 min: Passes at a premium right now. This is like watching a broken pinball machine.

6.54pm GMT

67 min: Arnautovic, who started brightly then faded spectacularly, is hooked. Diangana comes on in his place. The crowd didn’t seem particularly pleased with Arnautovic’s contribution this evening, if the boos upon his departure are anything to go by.

6.51pm GMT

65 min: Sigurdsson gets up to take the resulting free kick, and sends a witless high ball into the West Ham box. Easy for Fabianski, even with the box loaded with players.

6.50pm GMT

64 min: Rice is booked for a cynical drag-back on Sigurdsson.

6.50pm GMT

63 min: Hernandez takes up possession in the centre circle. He’s swarmed by Everton shirts, and Gueye walks off with the ball. Another example of the differences in intensity that have cost West Ham so dear this evening.

6.48pm GMT

61 min: Richarlison drops a shoulder, drifting in from the right. He makes enough room for a shot from 20 yards, but only sends a dribbler towards the bottom right, where Fabianski gathers.

6.47pm GMT

60 min: But only just, because West Ham are coming at Everton again, and Digne is forced to concede another corner out on the right. Snodgrass takes, looking for Ogbonna. But Everton clear and suddenly break upfield. It’s three on one! Calvert-Lewin has options either side, but he’s held up well by Ogbonna. Eventually the ball’s slipped left for Bernard. His cross finds Richarlison, ten yards out, but he can’t power a header on target.

6.44pm GMT

58 min: Antonio glides down the right and threatens to hook in a cross. He settles for a corner. Snodgrass takes long. The ball ends up on the other flank, Cresswell hooking long as well. Pickford just about manages to claw the ball away from the top right, Everton clearing their lines.

6.43pm GMT

56 min: Much better from West Ham, at long last, as Rice and Snodgrass shuttle the ball down the inside-left channel, releasing Cresswell. He’s got men to find in the middle, but the flag springs up for offside. It was a poor decision, and West Ham are understandably aggrieved.

6.42pm GMT

55 min: Arnautovic fails to clear a Bernard cross and concedes a corner on the right. From the set piece, Gomes sends a pearler goalwards from the edge of the box. It’s blocked. Keane returns it and another corner’s won with a deflection. Nothing much happens from the second corner.

6.40pm GMT

53 min: Now a free kick out on the West Ham right. The hosts load the Everton box again. Lanzini taps to Snodgrass, and the faffing allows an Evertonian to close down the space and block the free kick the second it flies off Lanzini’s boot. What an absurd carry-on. Why not just put it straight in? West Ham’s lack of urgency in microcosm.

6.38pm GMT

51 min: Cresswell launches long for Hernandez, but the ball sails through to Pickford. West Ham come again, Zabaleta powering down the right. Gueye clears when Zabaleta miscontrols, but that rare burst of home-team energy earns a roar from the West Ham faithful.

6.36pm GMT

49 min: A free kick for West Ham out on the left, and everyone lines up on the edge of the Everton box. Snodgrass hoicks it into the area, and Calvert-Lewin clears. West Ham are desperate for something - even a shoddy scramble - that might whip up a bit of atmosphere. That wasn’t it.

6.35pm GMT

47 min: Everton are again on the front foot. Bernard makes some ground down the left, though his cross is easily snaffled by Fabianski. The London Stadium has fallen eerily quiet.

6.33pm GMT

Everton get the second half underway. West Ham have made a couple of changes, with Hernandez and Antonio replacing Perez and Obiang. The mood continues to sour, however, as Lanzini knocks the ball out for a throw while trying to pass to Zabaleta, no more than a yard away.

6.20pm GMT

Half-time news service. In case you missed the big story from this afternoon’s 3pm kick-offs, Huddersfield Town have been relegated. Breaking news, but not really much of a shock.

Related: Huddersfield relegated after Milivojevic puts Crystal Palace on way to win

6.18pm GMT

... nothing occurs. The half-time whistle goes, and the hosts are sent packing with boos ringing in their ears. They have been as utterly woeful as Everton have been sharp and effervescent, and can count themselves extremely fortunate to be only two goals down. If Fabianski had forgotten to pack his gloves, the half-time scoreline could have been anything.

6.16pm GMT

45 min: A gift for West Ham, as Keane miscontrols a simple ball down the West Ham right and concedes a corner. Keane makes up for his error by heading the set piece clear, but the ball’s soon pelted back into the mixer, and Digne is forced to knock behind for another corner. From which ...

6.14pm GMT

43 min: So that leads to a free kick out on the left. West Ham load the box. Snodgrass hoicks it long, into an area where there are six Everton players and no West Ham ones. The crowd react much as you’d expect. This is an almost perfectly dreadful 45 minutes of football from West Ham.

6.13pm GMT

42 min: Richarlison slips as he goes to challenge Lanzini. It’s a foul, nothing more, but the ref books him. For a second, it looks as though Richarlison is going to lose the head completely, but to his credit he checks himself before his mouth gets him into further trouble.

6.12pm GMT

41 min: West Ham haven’t made Pickford break sweat yet. Arnautovic tries to beat him from distance out on the left, but the shot’s always sailing wide, and Pickford gathers easily enough. Then Snodgrass takes a speculative look from 25 yards, but that’s whistling away to the right.

6.10pm GMT

39 min: Gomes strides down the middle, then slips Richarlison free to his right. It’s a slightly heavy pass, pushing his team-mate a little wide. Richarlison still gets a shot on target, from a tight angle, but Fabianski is able to kick clear.

6.08pm GMT

37 min: Snodgrass intercepts a Bernard pass down the Everton left. He rolls the ball back towards Fabianski ... and Richarlison is this close to intercepting. Fabianski manages to belt clear in time. The home crowd soundtrack this shambles with loud booing.

6.06pm GMT

35 min: Everton are brimful of confidence, as you’d expect after the opening 33 minutes of this match. They ping it around in pretty triangles, just because they can. West Ham are getting a bit of a chasing here. They need to snap out of their torpor, quicksmart.

6.04pm GMT

This was so easy. Too easy. Coleman and Richarlison one-two down the right, with West Ham dozing as they have been since 5.31pm. Coleman’s clear! That simple. He’s able to play a simple pass across the front of the six-yard box, giving Bernard a tap-in. This is no more than Everton deserve. It’s no more than West Ham deserve too.

6.02pm GMT

32 min: Bernard races down the left and whips a cross down the corridor of uncertainty. For once, Everton shirts don’t outnumber the West Ham ones, and Ogbonna is able to acrobatically head clear. But was it worth the bother? Because ...

6.01pm GMT

31 min: The resulting free kick is a chance for Everton to load the box, but Diop is bowled to the ground in the middle of a melee and the pressure on the hosts is released.

6.00pm GMT

30 min: Richarlison makes good down the inside-right channel and is upended by a robust tackle from Rice, who is a little fortunate to get away with just a lecture.

5.59pm GMT

28 min: Lots of space for Bernard down the left. He’s got Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin to look for in the middle, but manages to find West Ham’s only defender. Ogbonna is able to whack clear, and Everton continue to pass up opportunities to increase their lead. Here’s Ian Sargeant: “West Ham fan at the game here. Can the clocks go forward now so we’ve got less of this to sit through please?”

5.56pm GMT

26 min: This match is ludicrously open. Calvert-Lewin cuts in from the left and flashes an ambitious shot well off target. Up the other end, Arnautovic - who looks like West Ham’s best chance of making something happen this evening - heads down for Zabaleta, who slices a shot wide right from the edge of the box.

5.55pm GMT

24 min: West Ham continue to struggle to string two passes together. The patrons are fuming. More pressure, more misplaced passes. It’s a vicious circle when things start going wrong.

5.54pm GMT

22 min: Gueye swerves in from the left, but blooters over in a wild way. It doesn’t matter, as there had been a foul in the build-up. Meanwhile in the technical area, Marco Silva gets in a technical discussion with the fourth official, claiming Calvert-Lewin had been bundled over by Ogbonna when trying to convert Richarlison’s low cross back there. But he’s given short shrift, and understandably so. It wasn’t a penalty.

5.52pm GMT

20 min: On the touchline, Manuel Pellegrini looks furious, and no wonder, because his players are performing like they’ve been on the pipe. Another cross trundles through their six-yard box, this time from Richarlison on the right. Calvert-Lewin lunges at the near post but can’t connect.

5.50pm GMT

18 min: West Ham finally put something together in attack, Arnautovic sending a cute reverse pass down the right for Zabaleta, who races towards the Everton box and pulls one back for Lanzini. He’s got time to shoot, from a central position in the edge of the box. But he faffs, lets the ball clank between his legs, and Everton are able to break. For a second it looks as though Sigurdsson is going to get a shot away up the other end, but West Ham are spared that particular indignity.

5.47pm GMT

16 min: West Ham are an absolute shambles at the back. Bernard is fed into acres out on the left. He rolls the ball across the face of goal. Neither Calvert-Lewin nor Richarlison can extend a toe to poke home. And that’s all they had to do, because the West Ham defenders were spinning like tops, and Fabianski missed the ball altogether.

5.46pm GMT

14 min: Arnautovic tries to launch an attack up the other end, and for a second threatens to break clear into the box. But he falls over, perhaps out of karmic duty, because 1-1 on the balance of play so far would be a complete outrage!

5.45pm GMT

13 min: Fabianski is the hero for the fourth time in about 75 seconds as he does just enough to put off Calvert-Lewin, the pair competing for a high cross from the right. Calvert-Lewin wasn’t far away from dinking a header over the keeper and into the net, but Fabianski stood tall.

5.43pm GMT

12 min: Everton are this close to a sensational goal. Richarlison turns adroitly down the right and slips in Calvert-Lewin, who hammers a shot at Fabianski from a tight angle. The keeper does well to parry. That would have been very pretty. Sigurdsson tries to knock in the rebound. Fabianski then saves again. Then Digne drifts in from the left and curls for the bottom right. Fabianski tips that one away too!

5.40pm GMT

10 min: And here’s Gueye romping down the left! He earns a corner, Everton’s third already, after a long dribble. Keane wins an easy header, but fortunately for West Ham there’s no direction on it and Ogbonna can clear at the second time of asking.

5.39pm GMT

9 min: Have West Ham been on the London gin? They’re all over the shop at the moment. Now it’s Bernard’s turn to skedaddle down the left. He drops a shoulder to cut inside, and shapes to shoot. He’s just about closed down, just in time.

5.38pm GMT

8 min: Nothing comes from the corner. West Ham really did get away with one there. Sigurdsson was guilty of overthinking that a little.

5.37pm GMT

7 min: That’s quietened the home crowd. But there are soon mutterings as Everton are attacking five on three! Gomes slips Sigurdsson into the area down the left. Sigurdsson surely must shoot, but opts to return the ball towards Gomes. The ball’s deflected out for a corner on the left.

5.35pm GMT

Sigurdsson floats the corner into the box. Zouma rises, eight yards out. He beats Diop to the ball, rising highest and heading down, the ball bouncing back up and into the top right. So simple! That’s a fine header, but weak defending by Diop, who did next to nothing.

5.34pm GMT

4 min: Gueye slips a lovely ball down the right for Richarlison, who earns a corner off Cresswell. From which ...

5.32pm GMT

2 min: Ogbonna launches long for Arnautovic, but there’s too much oomph on the ball and it sails through to Pickford. Both sides just putting out feelers early doors.

5.31pm GMT

And we’re off! West Ham get the ball rolling. But it’s Everton on the front foot quickly, Calvert-Lewin romping down the left. He’s forced to check back by Zabaleta, though, and eventually Rice, one of England’s men of the moment, intercepts to settle the hosts down.

5.30pm GMT

The teams are out! A fine post-afternoon-in-pub atmosphere at the London Stadium. Bubbles fading in the spring sun. West Ham are in their famous claret, while Everton sport their storied blue. A classic aesthetic. Shades of the Swinging Sixties. We’ll be off in a sec!

5.23pm GMT

No pre-match interview with Manuel Pellegrini. Marco Silva doesn’t say too much either. “It is really important to find some consistency. The second half against Chelsea was a good sign.” So there you have it. Tiger Woods has just beaten Rory McIlroy 2&1 in the last 16 of the WGC-Dell Match Play, by the way. The Masters just a fortnight away! But we digress.

4.58pm GMT

The Premier League launches its No Room for Racism campaign this weekend. The two captains will also wear armbands celebrating 25 years of Kick It Out, English football’s equality and inclusion organisation.

4.38pm GMT

West Ham make three changes to the XI named against Huddersfield a fortnight ago. Mark Noble and Michail Antonio drop to the bench, while Felipe Anderson misses out altogether. Pedro Obiang, Robert Snodgrass and Lucas Perez take their places.

Everton make just one enforced change to the side that beat Chelsea two weeks past. Kurt Zouma comes in for the hamstrung Yerry Mina.

4.32pm GMT

West Ham United: Fabianski, Zabaleta, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Rice, Snodgrass, Obiang, Lanzini, Arnautovic, Lucas Perez.
Subs: Balbuena, Adrian, Noble, Hernandez, Masuaku, Antonio, Diangana.

Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Keane, Zouma, Digne, Gueye, Andre Gomes, Richarlison, Sigurdsson, Bernard, Calvert-Lewin.
Subs: Baines, Jagielka, Walcott, Tosun, Stekelenburg, Davies, Lookman.

6.04pm GMT

There are usually goals whenever these famous old clubs play each other. West Ham won the last two meetings 3-1; Everton triumphed 4-0 in the one before that. Then in the one before that ... well, it ended 0-0. But to be fair, that was one of only two goalless draws between this pair in the last 30 years.

So there you have it! Latter-season mid-table non-event? I don’t think so! Especially as a seventh-place finish, the Best of the Rest now supposedly being a thing, is a very real possibility for both clubs, one which would augur well for next season after a campaign of disappointment and underachievement. A Saturday night spectacular? Yes please! It’s on!

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Fulham 0-2 Manchester City: Premier League – as it happened

City pressed hard, Fulham crumbled, and the champions returned to the top of the Premier League table.

3.03pm GMT

All that remains is to guide you in the direction of Jacob Steinberg’s match report. Here it is, clickity click, be about your business. Thanks for reading!

Related: Sergio Agüero ensures Manchester City return to top with win at Fulham

3.01pm GMT

Pep talks! “Our first 15-20 minutes was one of our best of the season. We started after the international break with incredible spirit, we scored one goal and could have scored more. Fulham has quality players but we controlled them. An incredible result for us. We did what we should do. Some players were tired but they will come back up to their rhythm. Playing away after the break is always difficult, the players reacted very well. The guys who didn’t play today have a big chance on Wednesday to play. We are not going to win the Premier League with 11 players, or reach the finals or semis of other competitions. Forget about it. Liverpool and Manchester City have done incredible all season and deserve all the credit, but one will not be happy at the end. The numbers are incredible. Enjoy the moment and dream to win another game and another game. Against Cardiff we will be with our people, and good memories of Bernard.”

2.48pm GMT

Scott Parker’s verdict. “It was a tough day. From the outset we knew the challenge ahead. On the day it proved that. We had a little bit of a nervous start and it would be a tough mountain to climb. We showed some bits at times, but against a world-class side it’s not enough really. Our mistakes came from pressure, they put you in those scenarios. But the way we play is not going to change. Mistakes happen. And we had some good spells. But it was a difficult afternoon. I do feel there have been some improvements. I have no doubt given time we can turn things around.”

2.40pm GMT

And now the Fulham perspective courtesy of Cyrus Christie. “It’s always tough when you play a team of that calibre. You can’t give them a sniff, and we gave them two goals with two bad passes. They were clinical. We made it too easy for them. We made it hard for ourselves. But we didn’t test their keeper, there was no end product, Ederson didn’t have to make a save. We’re disappointed by that. When the second goal went in, that stopped the momentum we were building up. We’ve got six games left, mathematically we’re still in it, so we need to keep our heads high, keep pushing, and hopefully we can pick up the results we need.”

2.36pm GMT

Kyle Walker is asked whether City, who have now won seven on the bounce, are slipping into top gear at exactly the right time. “I think we’ve done well all season. Obviously we had the little blip, but hopefully that’s behind us. Apart from that, we’ve done remarkably well, we’re in all competitions, so we’re still fighting. We just need to take each game as it comes, and pick up victories in each one.”

2.31pm GMT

City celebrate the result with their fans, though it’s bittersweet. They wear red-and-black 1969 FA Cup final scarves in memory of Bernard Halford, their former secretary and life president who passed away this week. Pep Guardiola’s team were sensational in the opening exchanges of this match, sending Fulham heads spinning like a teenager after two cans of Special Brew. The game was pretty much settled from the get-go, City pressing the home side’s tissue-strength defence into the mistakes that led to both goals. The hosts offered nothing in attack. The difference between the reigning champions and a side that only came up from the play-offs laid bare. City are now favourites for the title, while Fulham are almost certain to go back down.

2.22pm GMT

Fulham have given both Chelsea and Liverpool a hard game at Craven Cottage of late. They didn’t provide any resistance to Manchester City, though, Pep Guardiola’s champions strutting and sashaying to the easiest 2-0 win you’ll ever see. City go top, a point ahead of Liverpool with seven games to go. It’s in their hands. Fulham aren’t down yet, but it’s just a matter of time.

2.20pm GMT

90 min +2: Schurrle sprays a lovely pass wide right for Christie, but the resulting cross doesn’t trouble City at all. Fulham have been inept in defence today, and not a whole lot better in attack.

2.18pm GMT

90 min: Anguissa barrels down the left, a fine run that takes three City players to stop. There will be four added minutes.

2.16pm GMT

88 min: Sterling shoots wildly over, and that’s his last contribution to this match. He’s replaced by Mahrez. Fulham meanwhile make their last change, sending on McDonald for Babel. So the Dutch winger couldn’t do his former club a favour today, as it turns out.

2.16pm GMT

2.15pm GMT

87 min: Schurrle whips a low inswinger into the box. The ball bagatelles its way through to Ederson. That could have gone anywhere.

2.14pm GMT

86 min: Babel is brought down again, this time by Sterling out on the left. The Fulham fans want Sterling booked, but a harsh word from the ref is all that happens.

2.13pm GMT

84 min: Gundogan has a lash from distance. That effort, miles over the bar, is currently flying over nearby Twickenham, which seems apt.

2.11pm GMT

83 min: Bryan crosses deep from the left. Christie rises at the far post and heads back across goal. Kebano sends a meek header wide left. That was a decent half-chance, as good as Fulham have managed all afternoon. If they had any hope of scrambling an unlikely draw, that one had to go in.

2.10pm GMT

82 min: Babel is bowled over by Otamendi and it’s a free kick out on the left. Fulham line up on the edge of the City box. Nothing much comes of the set piece, floated and wasted.

2.08pm GMT

80 min: ... City fly up the other end, Sterling feeding Walker down the inside-right channel. The full back slams a shot, intended for the top right, off the post and away.

2.07pm GMT

79 min: Le Marchand flies at David Silva and will be booked. But only after ...

2.06pm GMT

77 min: Walker slams a clearance straight into Schurrle’s coupon. Ooyah, oof, that was flush. He’s up and about soon enough.

2.04pm GMT

75 min: De Bruyne makes way for Fernandinho as City look to ease to the line.

2.02pm GMT

74 min: Schurrle has the chance to send Babel tearing down the right, but decides to purchase a cheap free kick from Zinchenko instead. A chance to load the box. The free kick’s hooped into the mixer, and flies off Otamendi for Fulham’s first corner of the m... ah hold on, someone’s caught offside.

2.00pm GMT

72 min: Bryan threatens to scoot clear down the left but Walker slams the door. Then Christie hooks in a cross from the right, but it’s easily plucked out of the sky by Ederson. A little better from Fulham, not that they’re asking any serious questions.

1.58pm GMT

70 min: Fulham’s captain Cairney is replaced by Schurrle, who returns after a lengthy battle with a virus.

1.57pm GMT

69 min: Le Marchand opts against a simple clearance and instead chooses to tee up Sterling. Fulham’s defence is a circus troupe. Sterling can’t get a meaningful shot away. Let’s call it an indicative shot.

1.54pm GMT

67 min: Christie goes in the book for an unnecessary clatter on David Silva. A little bit of frustration perhaps. Christie had clearly decided that Silva wasn’t getting past, no matter what.

1.53pm GMT

66 min: Sterling is sent clear down the right by a lovely threaded Walker pass. Sterling should really do better than just winning a corner. But a corner’s a corner. And that leads to a second corner, which is eyebrowed clear by Christie.

1.52pm GMT

65 min: Fosu-Mensah is good to continue. Meanwhile in other Fulham personnel news, Ayite is replaced by Kebano.

1.51pm GMT

64 min: Anyway, Fosu-Menssah had fouled Sterling while hurting himself, so it’s a free kick out on the left. De Bruyne swings it in, and Rico flaps it away under pressure from Otamendi.

1.50pm GMT

63 min: Fosu-Mensah is down, receiving an accidental clack on his ankle while tackling Sterling. Fulham will presumably be hoping this time is not added on at the end.

1.49pm GMT

61 min: Once again Fulham fail to clear their lines, and Sterling is able to scamper in from the left and send a shot towards the bottom right. Rico gets a strong hand on the ball, and Bernardo Silva isn’t able to turn home the rebound. A third goal seems merely a matter of time.

1.48pm GMT

59 min: Rico rolls a pass out for Anguissa, who clearly doesn’t want it and plays a first-time pass back to Fosu-Mensah. It zips out for a corner. Oh dear. If City score from this, it’ll be an unwelcome hat-trick of own-foot-shooting misery. But the corner’s hit long and straight out for a goal kick. Blessed relief for Fulham’s hapless defence.

1.46pm GMT

58 min: Aguero takes a couple of glances towards the bench, and is eventually hooked for Jesus. He’s not limping, so hopefully nothing serious, but this is obviously a precautionary measure.

1.45pm GMT

57 min: Some Fulham pressure! Sessegnon gets the better of Walker down the left. His cross ends up at the feet of Anguissa, 20 yards out. He can’t get a shot away. The ball’s shifted wide left to Cairney, whose cross nearly finds Babel, Ederson punching away. And the flag goes up anyway.

1.42pm GMT

55 min: City are beginning to impose themselves again. It’s defence versus attack, in the training-ground style.

1.41pm GMT

53 min: Suddenly Bernardo Silva rolls a pass down the right, allowing De Bruyne to win a corner off Chambers. It’s 8-0 in terms of corners now. Anguissa heads clear, but De Bruyne is soon bursting down the right again. He cuts back and tees up Otamendi, who skies a shot that’s now sailing over Hammersmith.

1.39pm GMT

51 min: This isn’t exactly high-octane stuff. City have slipped into this-game-is-surely-won mode, while Fulham, despite seeing a bit more of the ball, aren’t doing anything to knock them out of their breezy stride. Craven Cottage is very quiet. You can almost hear the dirty old river rolling.

1.37pm GMT

49 min: Fulham are seeing plenty of the ball in these early second-half exchanges, though they’re doing little with it. Baby steps. If only they’d started the match like this, Scott Parker will surely be thinking.

1.35pm GMT

47 min: A neat burst from deep by Sessegnon, putting City on the back foot. That allows Bryan to make good down the left, but with men in the box, he flays a miserable cross deep into the stand behind the goal. It’s been a tough afternoon for poor Bryan.

1.34pm GMT

Fulham get the second half underway. Possession is squandered immediately. City knock it around. Otamendi eventually miscues and gifts Fulham a throw, which gives the home wags something new to cheer about.

1.20pm GMT

Half-time entertainment. City are heading back to the top, but the Premier League title race isn’t quite over yet. Although most of our scribes have a good idea who’s going to prevail. Here’s how they see things developing along the final stretch.

Related: Football’s final furlong: our writers predict how the season will finish

1.17pm GMT

Fulham have been given a dreadful chasing by City, though both goals are results of their own mistakes. As things stand - and those things are extremely unlikely to change - City are heading back to the top of the Premier League.

1.16pm GMT

45 min: Bryan nearly makes up for his role in the second goal. Sessegnon is sent scampering down the left, and pulls one back for Bryan, who sends a shot-cum-cross whistling across Ederson’s goal, inches wide of the bottom right. That would have put a different complexion on things, albeit only slightly.

1.14pm GMT

44 min: Bernardo Silva toys with Bryan down the right, then cuts back for Gundogan, who sends a diagonal screamer towards the top left. It’s always curling away from goal, though Rico was at full stretch, unsure.

1.13pm GMT

43 min: It’s a lovely peaceful spring day down by the river. You can hear a pin drop right now. Fulham’s spirit is broken.

1.13pm GMT

42 min: Gundogan is brought down 25 yards from the Fulham goal. Quite a few City players fancy this free kick. But it’s De Bruyne who takes it. He bashes a shot that hits his own man Otamendi, who tries to rescue the situation by getting involved with Rico as the keeper makes a meal of gathering the ball. Rico wins, eventually.

1.11pm GMT

40 min: This is like a training session now. Fulham spent £100m in the summer!

1.09pm GMT

38 min: David Silva puts the ball in the net, after Augero and Sterling combine down the inside-left channel and tee him up. But Sterling falls foul of a micro-offside decision, and the flag goes up.

1.07pm GMT

36 min: The next corner is sent wide by Otamendi. City don’t really care. Another one will be along soon enough.

1.06pm GMT

35 min: Another corner for City, their sixth of the game, won by De Bruyne out on the right. Gundogan takes. It’s not very good. Sterling then hoicks a cross in from the left, forcing Chambers to bundle out in a panic at the far post. There was no need for that. Fulham are a complete shambles at the back, like that’s breaking news.

1.04pm GMT

33 min: Chambers bursts suddenly down the left, barging his way past a couple of challenges then slipping the ball forward for Sessegnon, who enters the box and whips a low cross towards Babel at the far post. But Ederson, guarding his near post, reads the play well, getting down to punch the ball away from danger.

1.02pm GMT

30 min: City should have a penalty here. Sterling dribbles into the box from the left, and is shaping to shoot when Fosu-Mensah comes in from the back, clatters him over, then takes a smidgen of the ball. The referee considers that enough to wave play on, but Sterling is livid, and rightfully so.

1.01pm GMT

29 min: Bryan holds his hand up in apology, as well he might. That’s really taken the wind out of the Craven Cottage sail, with Fulham having worked so hard to get back into it. Silence, apart from the celebrating City section.

12.59pm GMT

Just as Fulham were getting something of a foothold in the game, Bryan loses the plot. He’s trying to pass backwards to Christie, but stubs his toe. The ball only squirts to Bernardo Silva, who immediately feeds Aguero down the inside-right. He bustles into the box, and lifts a shot over Rico and into the net.

12.56pm GMT

25 min: But you can’t keep City down too long. Sterling skedaddles down the left and deliberately nutmegs Chambers, rolling a ball across the face of the Fulham goal. The home defence stands as one, frozen in fear, until Le Marchand snaps out of it and hacks away. What a player Sterling is.

12.55pm GMT

24 min: In fact, Fulham have enjoyed 52% of possession during the last ten minutes. That’ll give them some much needed succour after a harrowing start.

12.54pm GMT

22 min: A rare period of possession for Fulham, and suddenly Sessegnon has a chance to blooter a shot from 25 yards. It’s blocked, and City clear their lines, but that’s much better from Fulham, whose heads appear to have stopped spinning at 78rpm.

12.52pm GMT

20 min: After an age, Cairney takes the free kick and whips it high towards the far post, where Babel rises highest. The ball skims off the top of his bright-red head and out for a goal kick. The flag would have gone up for offside anyway. Idle chatter, incidentally, concerning a couple of City players who had drifted offside and were in Rico’s road while Bernardo Silva was in the business of scoring ... but the replays look inconclusive. Not sure they were in the way at all.

12.49pm GMT

18 min: But it’s still only 0-1, and Fulham have a chance to get an effort on goal, because Cairney glides in from the left and is upended by Otamendi just outside the City box on the left.

12.48pm GMT

16 min: This is a rout in all but scoreline. City have enjoyed 80% of the possession. Sterling and Bernardo Silva smash shots goalwards, amid a melee in the Fulham box. Both are blocked. Then De Bruyne bursts through the middle. He should score but slams his shot straight at Rico. Fulham string a couple of passes together and the home fans holler some self-aware olés. You’ve got to get your kicks somehow.

12.45pm GMT

14 min: Sterling dribbles in from the left, and lays off to Gundogan, who batters a low fizzer goalwards. Rico does well to parry, though the ricochet only just evades the lurking Aguero. Then another phase of City attack, Walker crossing from the right, Rico plucking the ball from the sky to gallows-humour cheers from the home fans.

12.43pm GMT

12 min: Bernardo Silva dawdles down the right and whips in a low cross. Chambers does pretty well to knock it behind from a corner. Nothing comes of that set piece, but Fulham are getting a right chasing here. Since kick-off, 64% of the play has taken place in their final third. 64%!

12.41pm GMT

10 min: The corner from the right is met by Sterling, whose shot is deflected out for another corner. Laporte heads this next one wide right. Fulham breathe again, albeit sharply and shallowly.

12.40pm GMT

9 min: Now it’s Cairney’s turn to play a troublesome ball across the face of his own box. Anguissa was looking the other way, and that allows Sterling to nip in and get a shot away. It’s blocked out for a corner, and from the set piece, the ball’s worked to De Bruyne, to the left of the D. He loops a shot towards the top right, and it’s dipping in. Rico does extremely well to tip over the bar. Another corner.

12.38pm GMT

7 min: Fulham had started nervously, and their worst fears have been realised. That was an awful ball inside by Fosu-Mensah ... and he’s just given it away again! That allows City to flood forward, but Sterling and Aguero can’t quite get their act together to get a shot away from the edge of the box.

12.36pm GMT

Fosu-Mensah plays a dreadful square ball in from the right, across the face of his own area, looking for Cairney. Bernardo Silva takes up possession, sashays in from the right, and plants a glorious, unstoppable low shot into the bottom left. City off to a flyer!

12.35pm GMT

4 min: Rico shanks a dreadful clearance upfield. Not very far upfield. It allows City to come rushing back at his box en masse, Aguero and Walker one-twoing down the right, teeing up the striker for a shot. Fosu-Mensah blocks, and hacks clear.

12.33pm GMT

3 min: Bernardo Silva dribbles his way down the right and wins the first corner of the afternoon. De Bruyne to take. Babel heads it clear. Zinchenko tries to return it with great force and feeling, but the shot is blocked and Fulham clear their lines.

12.32pm GMT

1 min: A shaky start for Ederson, who races out of his box to clear a long Le Marchand hoof, and takes a fresh-air swipe. Had the flag not gone up for offside, Babel would have been in. Nobody’s immune to nerves, not even the champions.

12.31pm GMT

City get the ball rolling! Whereupon they stroke it about a bit.

12.30pm GMT

The teams are out. Fulham are in their famous old white and black, while Manchester City wear a change strip of dark blue with fancy pinstripe. A fine atmosphere at the Cottage, and we’ll be off before you know it! “While on the face of it Man City are good at football, on the not face of it they have their season’s losses to mediocre sides,” notes Ian Copestake. “I welcome fellow Liverpool supporters to grasp at this particular straw.”

12.29pm GMT

The Premier League launch their No Room for Racism initiative this weekend. Meanwhile the players have been warming up in Kick It Out shirts. The two captains will also wear Kick It Out armbands.

12.04pm GMT

#STOPTHEGREED. Craven Cottage may be the prettiest ground in the Premier League, and well worth a visit, but prices starting at £55? It’s a big ask. Protesters are leafleting outside the ground today, and will make their point again on 55 minutes. Incidentally, the best available price on a 5-5 draw is a miserly 200-1. Is there no end to the gouging?

11.50am GMT

Pep also talks. “In this division we are second. You select thinking about the next game, you forget what you have to do today. I am pretty sure against Cardiff we are going to make some changes. The schedule and fixtures we have this month, we have a lot of games, so everybody must be involved.”

11.49am GMT

Scott Parker explains the absence of his main man Aleksandar Mitrović. “Mitro has been struggling with a slight problem for the last couple of weeks. He’s come back from international duty and he’s not ready to play today. So we’re looking to get him some treatment.”

11.40am GMT

Fulham make three changes to the team named for the narrow loss to Liverpool a fortnight ago. Cyrus Christie, Maxime Le Marchand and Ryan Sessegnon come in for Tim Ream, Jean Seri and Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Manchester City name four changes to the side selected for the narrow victory at Swansea City in the FA Cup a couple of weeks back. Alexander Zinchenko, Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling replace Fabian Delph, Riyad Mahrez, Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus.

11.31am GMT

Fulham: Sergio Rico, Fosu-Mensah, Chambers, Christie, Bryan, Cairney, Le Marchand, Zambo, Ayite, Ryan Sessegnon, Babel.
Subs: Odoi, McDonald, Kebano, Schurrle, Vietto, Ramirez, Steven Sessegnon.

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Otamendi, Laporte, Zinchenko, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Silva, Bernardo Silva, Aguero, Sterling.
Subs: Danilo, Stones, Sane, Fernandinho, Mahrez, Gabriel Jesus, Muric.

5.38pm GMT

It’s difficult to see anything other than a Manchester City victory here. There’s probably no need to hammer home the point, but let’s get the mallet out anyway and rat-a-tat-tat.

City are the reigning English champions, with the destination of this year’s title in their own hands. Fulham are in 19th place in the Premier League, 13 points and 17 goals from safety.

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Montenegro 1-5 England: Euro 2020 qualifier – as it happened

England hit five in consecutive qualifying matches as Ross Barkley scored twice, but the win was marred by alleged racial abuse from home fans

12.27am GMT

Related: Callum Hudson-Odoi dazzles in the limelight on his first England start

Related: ‘Best way to silence the haters’ – Sterling condemns racist abuse in Montenegro

Related: Montenegro 1-5 England: player ratings from the Euro 2020 qualifier

Related: England put five past Montenegro but win marred by racial abuse from stands

11.37pm GMT

Here are some more quotes from Sterling and Callum Hudson-Odoi on the racist abuse that has soured England’s win:

“You’ve got to really do something that’s going to make them think twice. If their team can’t play with fans, it’s going to be difficult for them,” Sterling told Sky Sports.

10.32pm GMT

Raheem Sterling has said he received racial abuse from home supporters during the game. “Best way to silence the haters (and yeah I mean racists) #2019 #getsomeeducation” Sterling tweeted shortly after the match.

The forward also addressed the issue in a TV interview after the game, calling for stadium closures as punishment for racial abuse. “Banning one or two people doesn’t achieve anything,” Sterling said.

Best way to silence the haters (and yeah I mean racists) #2019 #getsomeeducation pic.twitter.com/ohhkOJtdey

10.08pm GMT

The alleged racial abuse towards Raheem Sterling and Danny Rose has obviously soured the mood. The good news is, Gareth Southgate has their back, which will hopefully allow both players to still enjoy the fruits of their talent. This was a fine win. England were superb to a man, and deservedly top the Group A table after scoring five goals in consecutive matches for the first time in nearly 35 years. Daniel Taylor reports from Montenegro ...

Related: Ross Barkley hits double as England blast five past Montenegro

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9.58pm GMT

Southgate moves on to the performance. “I am really pleased. The game was a simple one, in that our wingers were productive. Callum Hudson-Odoi showed what he’s shown us all week. The team, to recover from going behind, showed some good character. It was a good test.”

9.55pm GMT

More on Raheem Sterling’s ear-cupping celebration. There are accusations that Sterling was the target of some racist chanting, and that Danny Rose was also abused towards the end of the game. Gareth Southgate explains: “I definitely heard some abuse of Danny Rose when he got booked at the end of the game. There is no doubt in my mind that that happened. We’ll make sure that it’s reported officially, it’s not acceptable. I’m not sure yet about Raheem. I had a quick chat with Danny because I heard what had happened there. I’ve not had chance to speak with Raheem. Whatever’s happened, we’ll report. I don’t want to speculate yet, but I know what I heard. We’ll definitely deal with it in the right way, and we’ve got to make sure we support our players.”

9.47pm GMT

Elsewhere in Europe tonight ... some news that may give Ajax’s Champions League dream a little boost.

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9.45pm GMT

Two-goal hero Ross Barkley speaks! “It was a great night for myself, and a great result coming away from home. We showed character and put in a positive performance.”

Callum Hudson-Odoi, now the second youngest competitive starter for England after Wayne Rooney, adds: “Hopefully I did well. It’s not about me, it’s a team performance and we did well today. I made a mistake for the first goal, but we reacted positively. And if you make a mistake, you keep going. I’ll keep working hard in training, and hope to get a start for Chelsea.”

9.42pm GMT

England were superb. This young team were asked a serious question, falling behind early in the first half, and they responded with panache. Ross Barkley, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Raheem Sterling were extremely impressive, though everyone contributed to a fine performance. It’s the first time England have scored five goals in consecutive matches since 1984, when Bobby Robson’s side beat Finland 5-0 and Turkey 8-0 in qualification for Mexico 86. The result puts England in control of Group A already, top with six points and a goal difference of +9. They’re four points clear of Bulgaria, who drew 1-1 in Kosovo tonight.

9.36pm GMT

And that’s that! Savic is pictured in animated discussion with Gareth Southgate and Harry Kane. He doesn’t look particularly happy. But England will be very pleased with their evening’s work. There’s a lot of promise in this side, isn’t there.

9.36pm GMT

90 min +3: Not sure Henderson did much wrong there. Rose clearly thinks so, as he slides in harshly on the aforementioned Boljevic. A little retribution? It threatens to kick off again, but doesn’t.

9.35pm GMT

90 min +2: Henderson and Boljevic are booked, after Vukcevic yanks the England vice-captain’s shirt, then flicks his ear. The pair go nose-to-nose and the ref books the wrong Montenegro player.

9.32pm GMT

90 min: There will be three added minutes. The full-time whistle can’t come soon enough for Montenegro.

9.31pm GMT

89 min: Ward-Prowse harries well on the edge of the Petkovic, winning a ball he had no right to win. He lays off to Wilson, who shuttles the ball further right for Sterling. A cross flashes across the face of goal, but there’s nobody there to tap it home.

9.30pm GMT

88 min: Henderson has been very neat and tidy since coming on. He combines well with Sterling down the left, then slips a pass down the channel for Rose, whose cross isn’t all that.

9.28pm GMT

87 min: Ward-Prowse glides down the right and slips a pass inside for Wilson, who earns a corner off Savic. Fine combination play by the two subs. Ward-Prowse takes the corner himself, but it’s easily cleared.

9.26pm GMT

85 min: England stroke it around, some textbook game management.

9.24pm GMT

83 min: ... then Callum Wilson replaces Harry Kane, who hands the captain’s armband to Jordan Henderson.

9.24pm GMT

82 min: Sterling celebrated by cupping his ears at the crowd, a gesture that didn’t go down all that well. Not sure what sort of sorry abuse he’s been copping. We may hear more of this. Anyway, James Ward-Prowse comes on for Ross Barkley ...

9.23pm GMT

Kane pressures Tomasevic into gifting Sterling possession, just to the right of the penalty box. Sterling drops a shoulder but can’t get a shot away. No matter! He’s coming straight back at the hosts. Henderson plays a lovely pass down the inside-right channel to release Sterling, who cuts inside past Stojkovic and slips the ball under Petkovic and home. A lovely calm finish by the in-form Manchester City star.

9.20pm GMT

79 min: So much for the scary atmosphere in Montenegro. England have almost silenced the home support. A few whistles as they stroke it around, nothing more. “I have to say that for the last decade or so a scoreline like this would bore me, because I would know that there was no way we would replicate it when it matters,” writes Steve Scott. “Now I believe that come next year (or come June) we are in with a shot to win which somehow makes watching these matches exciting.”

9.19pm GMT

77 min: It’s all gone Training Session. England happy to sit back, with Montenegro going nowhere in particular.

9.17pm GMT

75 min: Jankovic takes, aiming for the far post. Keane is forced to head behind for a corner. Nothing much happens at the set piece.

9.16pm GMT

74 min: Before the free kick can be taken, Jovovic replaces Simic.

9.15pm GMT

73 min: Stojkovic threatens to burst down the right and is clipped from behind by Rose. A cynical one, and Rose is fortunate not to go in the book. But it’s a free kick in a dangerous spot. A chance for Montenegro to load the box.

9.14pm GMT

Ivanic strides through the centre circle. Henderson sticks a toe in to nick the ball from him. Barkley takes up possession and immediately sends Sterling scampering free down the right. Sterling would be within his rights to shoot, but Kane’s free in the middle, and so he rolls a perfect pass to his captain, who opens his body and flicks a left-footed shot into the bottom left. Game over. England have been excellent.

9.12pm GMT

70 min: The Montenegro goalscorer Vesovic is replaced by Boljevic.

9.11pm GMT

69 min: ITV transmit super-slow-mo footage of Harry Kane effing and jeffing at the referee. Marvellous. A literal WTF moment.

9.09pm GMT

67 min: Mugosa blooters the free kick witlessly into the wall. Danger over.

9.08pm GMT

66 min: Vesovic is bundled over clumsily by Sterling, while going nowhere down the inside-left channel. A free kick 25 yards out. Danger for England.

9.06pm GMT

64 min: Dele Alli’s race is run. Freshly returned from injury, Gareth Southgate is using him sparingly, and once again he’s replaced after an hour of hard work. Jordan Henderson comes on in his place.

9.04pm GMT

63 min: Sterling steps on the gas and dribbles his way into the Montenegro box from the right. For a split second it looks as though he’s going to go all the way, but the door slams shut just before he can take a shot. What an exhilarating run, though.

9.03pm GMT

61 min: Beciraj won his 61st cap tonight, a joint record for Montenegro. But his big evening ends early, as he’s replaced by Jankovic.

9.02pm GMT

This is brilliant wingplay from Sterling, who twists and turns, shimmies and shakes, and reaches the byline to the right of the goal. He cuts the ball back for Barkley on the penalty spot. Barkley meets it first time and powers a shot into the top left. Never missing! What a night Barkley is having: two goals and an assist in the last 30 minutes of play!

9.00pm GMT

58 min: Vesovic considers belting a shot goalwards from 25 yards out, but hesitates in front of the bouncing ball and the chance is gone.

8.58pm GMT

56 min: England take the sting out of the game by stroking it around the back for a while. All very professional. “A penny for Chelsea hierarchy’s thoughts,” begins Kelechi Dennar. “This kind of public showcasing of Hudson-Odoi’s talent pushes him closer to the exit door.”

8.57pm GMT

54 min: Rose fannies around on the Montenegro left, allowing Beciraj to dribble his way into the area. Rose has another chance to clear, but faffs again, and Ivanic strips him, finding Beciraj on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. For a second it looks like an equaliser is inevitable, but Beciraj can’t quite sort his feet out and slams his shot wide left. England - and in particular Rose - got away with one there.

8.56pm GMT

53 min: Barkley’s second attempt is no good, but at least it meets the referee’s stringent processes. That’s what top-level professional sport is all about. Nothing off the cuff, please!

8.55pm GMT

52 min: Sterling dribbles down the inside-right channel and is bowled over. A free kick and a chance to load the box. Barkley takes it quickly, and is booked by the referee for ignoring the order to wait for the whistle. The importance of administration, folks.

8.53pm GMT

51 min: Kane, quarterbacking from deep, sends a pass wide left for Hudson-Odoi, who beats his man by moving inside with his first touch. Sensational! He George Bests his way across the face of the area, left to right, then shoots for the bottom right. A deflection takes his shot over the bar, and the resulting corner is a non-event.

8.52pm GMT

49 min: Hudson-Odoi, out on the left, scoops a cross to the far post. It drops at the feet of Sterling who, surprised the ball got past Savic, hoicks wildly over the bar from a tight angle.

8.50pm GMT

48 min: Ivanic meets a dropping ball to the right of the D. He’s not got much time, so snatches at his shot, ballooning an effort intended for the top left miles over the bar.

8.49pm GMT

47 min: A smidgen of space for Sterling, found out on the right by the quietly effective Rice. He whips a high ball to the near post, where Petkovic gathers with safe hands.

8.48pm GMT

England get the second half underway. They pass it around awhile. Then Barkley and Vesovic get in a tangle, and both briefly consider throwing hands, but thankfully think better of it. That would have been an explosive start to the half.

8.36pm GMT

Half-time entertainment. To think there’s more than Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jadon Sancho in the pipeline. Here’s our man Stuart James on the under-21s.

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8.33pm GMT

... nothing occurs. England come from behind to go in at the break ahead. It’s been an all-action debut so far from Callum Hudson-Odoi, while Ross Barkley has made one and scored one. England still high on life.

8.31pm GMT

45 min: Mugosa flicks a lovely pass down the left to release Ivanic into space. Ivanic cuts back for Beciraj, who opens his body and shapes a shot towards the top left from the edge of the area. It’s deflected out for a corner, from which ...

8.29pm GMT

43 min: Montenegro ping the ball around in pretty triangles down the left, Vesovic hovering dangerously. But Walker and Keane make sure there are no holes he can squeeze through. Eventually a pass is chipped down the channel, but Ivanic can’t get on the end of it and Pickford gathers.

8.27pm GMT

41 min: This has been a fine response by England to falling behind. They looked shocked for a couple of minutes, but gathered themselves magnificently. Another step in this promising young side’s development.

8.25pm GMT

Callum Hudson-Odoi is 18 years old. He’s yet to start in the Premier League for his club. But he’s already an England sensation! He takes up possession on the left, then swans past Ivanic as though he’s not there. He shoots towards the bottom right, but Barkley sticks out a leg to divert the ball straight past Petkovic. No fairytale goal for Hudson-Odoi, but this is more than enough. He’s 18!

8.23pm GMT

37 min: More probing down the left from Hudson-Odoi, who is effervescent going forward. He slips a clever diagonal pass through the eye of a needle for Alli, who tries to trap and turn on the edge of the box. Nope. Montenegro clear.

8.21pm GMT

35 min: Sheer brilliance from Hudson-Odoi, who rips past two men on the left and reaches the byline, scooping a cross towards Sterling at the far post. Sterling should go for goal but opts to look for Kane to his left instead. He can’t do that. The ball breaks back to him, and he tries to squeeze a shot into the bottom right, but there are too many bodies in the way.

8.19pm GMT

33 min: Mugosa lashes at a bouncing ball, nearly 30 yards out on the left. He really catches it, and Pickford does extremely well to gather the dipping screamer before it Le Tissiers its way into the bottom left. That would have been some goal.

8.18pm GMT

32 min: That was a glorious free kick by Barkley, who is having a very good international week. He’s seized the chance offered by the injury to Eric Dier at Wembley on Friday evening. Finally coming good on all that promise?

8.16pm GMT

Walker is upended by Tomasevic out on the right. A free kick in a very dangerous area. Barkley takes and swings it to the far post, where Keane rises and plants a firm header back across Petkovic and into the bottom right. So simple! England are level, and Keane makes up for his role in the Montenegro goal. It’s his first for England.

8.14pm GMT

28 min: England have enjoyed 68% of possession so far, and that stat will have been even higher in the opening exchanges. But look at the scoreline. Montenegro seem quite content to sit back and wait for an opportunity to break.

8.12pm GMT

26 min: Vesovic is sent scampering into acres down the left. He looks for Beciraj in the middle, but the ball’s backed clear. Walker gives Hudson-Odoi some beneficial advice in the passionate style. The young forward isn’t tracking back all the time, leaving the right-back exposed.

8.11pm GMT

25 min: England aren’t quite as dominant now. Montenegro are winning more of the 50-50 challenges, and have renewed confidence in their ability to ping a few passes around.

8.10pm GMT

23 min: A little bit of space opens up down the inside-left channel again for Montenegro. Vukcevic can’t quite control. Had he gathered the ball, he’d have been romping towards the England box.

8.08pm GMT

21 min: Hudson-Odoi lost his man while Montenegro were building up to their goal, but while his defensive inexperience showed, he’s looking good up the other end. A fine run down the right is followed by an excellent looping cross towards Kane at the far post. Kane’s winding his neck back to head home, but in steps Simic to concede a corner at the very last second. The set piece comes to nought.

8.06pm GMT

19 min: The stadium is bouncing now. That goal came out of the blue. England look collectively shocked, though problems here are nothing new.

8.04pm GMT

Montenegro finally string a few passes together ... and in their first attack, open England up! A long ball down the left. It’s not cleared by England, and Beciraj cushions the ball into the path of Vesovic, who glides inside, bursts past a half-challenge by Keane, benefits from a ricochet, and curls a glorious shot past Pickford and into the top right! That’s a fine finish, but poor from Keane.

8.01pm GMT

16 min: Rose turns on the jets and nearly bursts past Stojkovic on the left. It’s a fine run, but one that ends with his carelessly running the ball out of play. He had three white shirts in the middle to aim for, too.

7.59pm GMT

14 min: Montenegro are struggling to retain the ball. England are hogging the thing. Right now it’s England versus two banks of four. The hosts keep their shape, if nothing else.

7.58pm GMT

12 min: But England are immediately coming back at Montenegro. Sterling garrinchas his way down the inside-right channel, diddling three players with a wonderful dribble, then chipping into the centre towards Alli. A couple of red shirts get in the way, and they’re both bundled over by Alli, who can’t quite get to the ball. A free kick, and the pressure’s off the hosts. But that was lovely play from this confident English team.

7.56pm GMT

11 min: A free kick for England out on the left. A little too far out for Barkley to consider shooting. Instead, he floats it towards Maguire by the right-hand post. Tomasevic is forced to head behind for a corner, a set piece that leads to nothing.

7.55pm GMT

9 min: The home fans are making plenty of noise, but it’s not the intimidating atmosphere of a few years ago. To be fair, the match hasn’t been particularly rousing yet. Vukcevic goes off to get a sore hand attended to. The qualified medical doctors pour some water on it. Maybe they’re hoping he grows more fingers. He comes back on.

7.52pm GMT

7 min: Barkley takes. Maguire rises highest, but slaps a miserable header over from eight yards. He was doing a bit of saucy shoving in any case.

7.52pm GMT

6 min: Hudson-Odoi looks lively. He makes a step’s worth of space down the right, enough to whip a cross in towards Barkley. Savic is forced to bundle the ball behind for a corner on the right.

7.50pm GMT

4 min: Kane’s already dropping deep, as he loves to do. He sprays a diagonal pass, left to right for Hudson-Odoi, but there’s no space for the young man to work. England are seeing a lot of the ball, but Montenegro are holding their shape. Nothing open in the final third.

7.47pm GMT

2 min: A period of sterile English possession is met by a cacophony of whistles. Everyone finding their feet right now.

7.46pm GMT

And we’re off! The hosts get proceedings underway. A little head tennis in midfield, then Tomasevic launches long down the middle. Maguire strides up and deals with the situation comfortably.

7.43pm GMT

The teams are out! England wear their famous white shirts. Montenegro are in the colours of Melchester Rovers. The compact stadium isn’t full, but there’s a cracking atmosphere as you would expect. The home fans waving a Scottish saltire by way of bait. The Montenegro anthem is scary, a soviet-style soundscape that gets right up in your grille, no messing. We’ll be off in a minute! “Are you sure it’s light petting that’s not allowed (7.11pm) as that wee Scottish terrier on the forbidden items sign can’t be that heavy surely?” Paul Fox, ladies and gentlemen. He’s here all week! Try the kačamak with cheese.

7.33pm GMT

Gareth Southgate speaks to Independent Television. “Jordan had a slight issue during the week, so we thought we’d bring him to the bench. Jadon has had a lot of football. Callum is fresh, so we thought we’d freshen it up. But both of them are absolutely ready to play. Declan and Callum are both composed, have technical ability, and the mentality. So it’s a really good challenge for them and the rest of the team. What I’ve seen from Ross over the last 12 months is a real improvement in his play between our box and halfway. He’s a lot more consistent and secure in his build-up play. We want him to drive with the ball and do the things that make him a special player. We’ve got to be adaptable, every challenge is a different one and we have to embrace that. I’m looking forward to seeing how we cope tonight. There are things we won’t be able to control: the atmosphere, and maybe decisions will go against us. It’s how we respond.”

7.20pm GMT

More pre-match entertainment. Here’s our very own Sachin Nakrani on the young man of the moment, Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Related: Callum Hudson-Odoi unfazed at making big step up for England

7.15pm GMT

Schadenfreude Corner: Max and the pals discuss, among many other things, Scotland. Oh Eck!

Related: Trouble for Scotland, joy for England and Wales hang on – Football Weekly

7.11pm GMT

And no heavy petting, either. Their gaff, their rules.

7.01pm GMT

6.58pm GMT

Bringing this all back to the Premier League rumour mill, as we surely must ... Chelsea fans can be forgiven for fretting even more over the long-term future of Callum Hudson-Odoi. Their 18-year-old forward makes his first competitive start for England tonight; he’s not yet ticked off that box in the Premier League for his club. One for Maurizio Sarri to ponder as those links to Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United and Liverpool refuse to go away.

6.53pm GMT

As for the hosts ... Montenegro’s star man, Stevan Jovetić of Monaco, is missing through injury. But another former Manchester City player, defender Stefan Savic, has passed a fitness test.

6.50pm GMT

A tight squeeze in the Podgorica City Stadium dressing room. Just about enough room to hang the shirts, not quite enough to proudly display the commemorative pennant Harry Kane will be handing over before kick-off. Never mind, it all helps with team bonding.

6.38pm GMT

Gareth Southgate hands full debuts to Declan Rice and Callum Hudson-Odoi. They take the places of Jordan Henderson and Jadon Sancho, neither of whom are 100 percent after their runs out at Wembley. Danny Rose meanwhile comes in for Ben Chilwell.

6.32pm GMT

Montenegro: Petkovic, Stojkovic, Savic, Simic, Tomasevic, Marusic, Ivanic, Vukcevic, Vesovic, Beciraj, Mugosa.
Subs: Mijatovic, Ljuljanovic, Boljevic, Kopitovic, Bakic, Jankovic, Djordjevic, Jovetic, Kajevic, Kosovic, Scekic, Radunovic.

England: Pickford, Walker, Maguire, Keane, Rose, Barkley, Rice, Alli, Sterling, Kane, Hudson-Odoi.
Subs: Heaton, Butland, Trippier, Henderson, Tarkowski, Chilwell, Ward-Prowse, Sancho, Wilson.

2.55pm GMT

England are high on life at the moment. They were sensational against the Czech Republic on Friday night. Raheem Sterling proved he’s as dangerous as anyone in the world right now, Jadon Sancho, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chilwell promised a bright future, while the likes of Harry Kane, Jordan Henderson, Ross Barkley and Harry Maguire were quietly and impressively dependable. Yay life!

But Montenegro have historically given England problems. The two countries have met on four previous occasions, and drawn three times. England won the other one, 4-1 at Wembley in 2013, but the Podgorica City Stadium hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the three lions. In a qualifier for Euro 2012, Wayne Rooney was sent off in a 2-2 draw, England giving up a two-goal lead. Then in the qualifiers for Brasil 2014, the English again let slip an advantage in a 1-1 draw marred by unsavoury off-field nonsense. More on that here, courtesy of our very own Dominic Fifield ...

Related: England ready to deal with fiery atmosphere in Montenegro

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