Scott Murray's Blog, page 13

Crystal Palace 0-1 Liverpool: Premier League – as it happened

Arne Slot’s side ground out a victory at Selhurst Park to stay clear at the top of the Premier League

2 min: What a start that would have been for Palace. Brentfordesque. The move started by Lerma winning a 50-50 with Gravenberch in the midfield. Liverpool breathe again.

21 seconds: Crystal Palace have the ball in the net! Wharton slips a pass down the inside-right channel for Sarr, who rolls into the centre for Nketiah. The striker lifts the ball over Alisson and in! But the flag goes up. He’s gone too soon.

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Ferencvaros 1-2 Tottenham: Europa League – as it happened

A youthful Tottenham team survived an early scare to prevail in Budapest

3 min: Porro’s first act is to miscontrol in his own area. Then he concedes the first corner of the evening. Abu Fani sends the set piece to the near post, where Bissouma clears. A slightly nervous start by the visitors.

2 min: Gray is playing at centre back this evening, incidentally. Porro at right back.

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Arsenal 2-0 Paris Saint-Germain: Champions League – as it happened

Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka led Arsenal to a no-fuss victory over toothless PSG

PSG kick off. The 3,000-strong away end have their back in the noisy style.

The teams are out. Arsenal in their famous red and white, PSG in first-choice blue. A crackling atmosphere in north London, despite the rain falling with extreme prejudice. We’ll be off in a minute, once fists have been bumped, coins are tossed, and Bukayo Saka takes receipt of the best pennant.

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Chelsea 5-0 Barrow, Manchester City 2-1 Watford, and more: Carabao Cup – as it happened

It wasn’t a banner night for cup drama, never mind shocks

Keeper Jonathan Bond dithers when he should launch a ball passed back to him. Jack Grealish steps in and tees up Jeremy Doku, who sorts his feet on the edge of the D and slots into the bottom left. Memories of this already.

Chelsea 0-0 Barrow. A lively start for the fourth-division visitors, who are on the front foot early doors. A long throw-in from the left is allowed to bounce all the way through a crowded Chelsea box.

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Tottenham 3-1 Brentford, Liverpool 3-0 Bournemouth and more: football clockwatch – as it happened

Spurs conceded after 23 seconds but bounced back for a much-needed win, while Liverpool eased past Bournemouth after an early scare of their own

That result means Chelsea go second, for a couple of hours at least. West Ham have lost their first three home matches of the season for the first time in their 129-year history.

FULL TIME: West Ham United 0-3 Chelsea. Julen Lopetegui hasn’t had much of a honeymoon period in his new job as Hammers coach, if at all. His team have been thoroughly outclassed by in-form Chelsea, who are in no way flattered by this scoreline. It could have been more. David Tindall lays out the details in minute-by-minute style as the hosts are booed off.

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Manchester City 0-0 Inter: Champions League – as it happened

İlkay Gündoğan missed a couple of late chances, but otherwise Inter kept City quiet

6 min: Some room for Taremi down the left. He ventures into the City half, then switches play to Thuram on the right. Thuram reaches the edge of the box and rifles a low drive straight at Ederson, who claims. An early warning that while City will have the lion’s share of possession, Inter will have something to say on the counter.

4 min: De Bruyne slips Grealish into space down the left. Grealish spins into the box and rolls across for De Bruyne, who is denied a shot on goal by Bastoni, who extends a leg and hooks clear just in time.

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Young Boys 0-3 Aston Villa: Champions League – as it happened

Villa’s first game in Europe’s premier competition for 41 years ended in comprehensive victory

2 min: Two early observations. The pitch is plastic. Villa’s kit is extremely reminiscent of Beckham-era Manchester United. Think Sharp Digital and you’ll be whisked back to 2000 in a nanosecond.

Young Boys get the ball rolling. A cracking atmosphere at the Wankdorf Stadium. Our man on the spot, Ben Fisher, reports that Villa’s fans are “in good voice, determined to savour the occasion.” Meanwhile Karen Asad writes: “Always had sympathy for underdogs like Young Boys in the Champions League, but after reading Jonathan Liew’s piece on how these teams are actually monsters devouring their domestic competition, that’s done and dusted.”

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USA win Solheim Cup 2024: final-day singles – as it happened

It was closer than many expected at the start of the day, but the USA held firm as Europe threatened a comeback, Lilia Vu emerging as the hero who regained the cup for the hosts

Megan Khang is good for her birdie on 1, and it’s enough to win the opening hole for the USA. The first splash of red on the board. But there’s also a first splash of blue, as Charley Hull does a classic matchplay number on Nelly Korda at 2. Korda clips her second to four feet, but Hull, using a combination of backstop and backspin, responds by guiding her approach to three feet. Korda, who must have thought the hole was in the bag, misses her putt. Hull tidies up and it’s not taken long for Singles Sunday to get going. Not long at all.

1UP Hull v Korda (2)

Pedersen v Khang 1UP (1)

Hall v Alison Lee

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Solheim Cup golf 2024: USA lead Europe 10-6 before final day – as it happened

Europe rallied late but will need a big swing in their favour in Sunday’s singles with USA leading 10-6

The anchor match is out and about. Anna Nordqvist tees off and immediately looks at her partner with concern. Where did that ball go? She lost it in the sun. No worries, it’s straight down the middle. Nordqvist was serenaded with a chorus of “We love you Anna, we do, oh Anna we love you!” but that’s nothing compared to the mighty roars ringing in Lilia Vu’s ears as she splits the fairway. It’s all happening, then!

Lexi Thompson and Maja Stark take turns to send average approaches into 1. Thompson on the fringe front right, from where Lauren Coughlin will give Georgia Hall a read, because Europe’s ball is in the road, ten feet further up.

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Solheim Cup 2024: day one – as it happened

A dominant USA took a 6-2 lead over Europe on the first day in Virginia with Nelly Korda in outstanding form

This morning’s final foursomes match turns up for work. Carlota Ciganda, Europe’s hero last time round, looks well up for the battle. So too does the US’s second rookie, Sarah Schmelzel, who dances her way out of the tunnel and onto the tee. No obvious sign of nerves there. Hey, it helps when the world number two, Lilia Vu, has your back. Ciganda smiles wryly as she carves her opening drive into thick nonsense down the right. Vu, who came so close to retaining her British Open title last month, flirts with a fairway bunker but finds the short stuff. Everyone up and running now!

Match three is out. Emily Pedersen finds the first cut down the left, as does Ally Ewing. Up on the green, Celine Boutier makes up for finding the sand by draining a 25-footer to save par. Lauren Coughlin has a 15-footer to win the hole, but races her birdie putt three feet past. It’s not conceded, but Rose Zhang tidies up, then mimes a slam dunk by way of celebration. A huge smile as she leaves the grene.

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