Scott Murray's Blog, page 131

Liverpool 1-0 Brighton & Hove Albion: Premier League – as it happened

Liverpool laboured but Mo Salah’s 29th goal in 29 Anfield appearances was enough to see off a determined Brighton

7.53pm BST

And with that, this MBM reaches its natural end. A great day for Liverpool as they make it three wins from three, even if the performance was a little stodgy. A disappointing one for Brighton, but they’ll take great heart going forward from a fine performance. All that’s left is to point you in the direction of Paul Wilson, who was at Anfield. Here’s his report. Nighty night!

Related: Mohamed Salah strikes again as Liverpool edge past Brighton

7.51pm BST

Chris Hughton speaks! “I am proud but disappointed as well. You don’t get too many opportunities to get something from the game. We had chances, and I though we finished really strong. We won’t have many better opportunities. Most people would have expected Liverpool to push on, but we got stronger as the game went on. If we were a little more clinical we’d have got something. It was a poor goal, but it’s important to move on as quickly as possible. The team could have buckled but they didn’t. It’s a very difficult division, and we’ve been very good in our last two games, so it’s not a bad thing to be good against Manchester United and Liverpool! If we get that level of performance, we’ll be fine.”

7.43pm BST

Jurgen Klopp talks! “Sometimes it’s cool to get the three points when there’s a lot of areas for improvement. First half we did what we should have done, we were patient and scored a wonderful goal. Second half it was not ideal. I don’t really remember a big chance for us ... maybe at a corner? I can’t remember! That’s never a good sign! And so the game was still open, and our passing game was not good enough any more. And they had their chances on the counter attack. If they had scored the header at the end they would have deserved it. So I am very happy about the result. It is difficult against a really deep defending side. We have a lot of work to do. Some players were not fresh, so we will see how we line up next week at Leicester. Alisson is a massive signing for us. I don’t like the little chip [over Knockaert] but then again I have never had a Brazilian goalkeeper before! I am really not interested in the table, but we live on the planet so we know what happens. For tonight, it’s all good ... but there’s a lot of work to do.”

7.35pm BST

James Milner speaks to BT Sport: “They’re a good team, they showed that last week. They were full of confidence and difficult to break down. Obviously another clean sheet for us is pleasing. We know we can play better, but we got the result. The boys at the back, and the goalkeeper, is the reason we are getting the points. Top of the table isn’t a bad place to be, but there’s a lot for us to improve on.”

Virgil van Dijk chips in: “We knew Brighton would have confidence from last week, and we needed to make sure we were ready for battle. We didn’t play our best game but kept it tight. Everyone played their part.”

7.29pm BST

That result takes Liverpool to the top of the nascent Premier League table. Three wins out of three, and they’re a couple of points clear of Manchester City and Bournemouth. A perfect start to their campaign, though it was far from a perfect display today. They were gifted the winning goal, though Mo Salah took it exceptionally well. It was a rare misstep by Brighton, who harried Liverpool all evening, kept their shape, and grew into the game as Anfield got nervous. They should have equalised near the death, when Martin Montoya placed a cross on the head of Pascal Gross, six yards out, having taken Virgil van Dijk out of the game with his gorgeous delivery. But Alisson showed why Liverpool invested so much money in him, making the save that secured the win for his new team. Whether Gross should have allowed him to make it is another matter altogether. Liverpool walk off the pitch looking more relieved than jubilant, though if you want to do well in this division, you have to win ugly at times. Liverpool did that at Palace on Monday night; they’ve done it again today. Top of the league without playing particularly well: it’s a good sign. Brighton should be happy too once the sting of narrow defeat eases: they’ll be absolutely fine this season if they keep playing like they have done this past week.

7.22pm BST

Liverpool get the scrappy win. They’ve been well below par today. Brighton were excellent, and will think they deserved something from that game. Pascal Gross should perhaps have given them it ... but Alisson denied him with a save that goes some way to justifying those big bucks.

7.21pm BST

90 min +3: Sturridge shuffles down the right again, then rolls a pass inside for Salah, who sends another wild one over the bar.

7.19pm BST

90 min +2: Sturridge shuffles down the inside right and tries a curler towards the far corner. Nope.

7.19pm BST

90 min +1: There will be three added minutes. In the first, Stephens brings down Wijnaldum, 30 yards out. Henderson flings the ball into the mixer. Brighton clear.

7.18pm BST

90 min: Before the corner can be taken, Matip comes on for Alexander-Arnold. Gomez clears the corner. Brighton come back at Liverpool, Montoya curling another cross in from the right. Duffy tries to meet it this time, but ends up giving away a foul.

7.16pm BST

89 min: Montoya curls in from the right. It’s a brilliant cross which takes van Dijk out. Gross meets it and fires a header towards the top right. Alisson tips the ball round the post. What a save! Though Gross should have scored.

7.15pm BST

87 min: Wijnaldum back-flicks Salah’s corner by the near post. Duffy and Murray combine to clear the ball off Brighton’s line. Salah tries a shot from an ambitious angle on the right; the ball nestles high in the top-left corner of the Kop.

7.14pm BST

86 min: Milner finds Robertson down the inside-right channel with a fine floated pass. Robertson turns and lays the ball off for Alexander-Arnold, who shoots low and hard. His effort is deflected out for a corner on the right.

7.12pm BST

84 min: Firmino tries to open up Brighton with a saucy chip towards Salah down the left. Brighton continue to hold their shape. They’ve been extremely impressive in stopping Liverpool from doing their thing.

7.10pm BST

82 min: Robertson hares down the left and wins a corner. Liverpool take their sweet time to restart the game. The eventual corner is easily dealt with by Brighton. Anfield is a cauldron of bubbling nerves. Brighton are pushing them all the way here. They want something from this game.

7.09pm BST

80 min: Sturridge comes on for Mane, while Gross replaces Bissouma. And Liverpool are beginning to panic. Alisson nearly gifts the ball to Murray, and is thankful that Wijnaldum comes back to help him tidy up.

7.07pm BST

79 min: One corner leads to another, and there’s an almighty melee in the Liverpool box. The ball hits Propper’s leg and drops in the middle of a crowd of players from both sides. Henderson responds first and hoicks clear.

7.06pm BST

78 min: Locadia, chasing a long pass down the right, gets a spring on van Dijk. For a second it looks like he’ll break clear, but van Dijk sticks out a telescopic leg. He’s forced to concede a corner, though.

7.04pm BST

77 min: Alexander-Arnold is booked for tugging Locadia back on the halfway line. That’s his third booking in three matches so far this season.

7.03pm BST

76 min: Brighton make a double switch. March and Konckaert are replaced by Locadia and Jahanbakhsh.

7.03pm BST

75 min: Salah loops the free kick into the mixer. Mane goes up, but the ball’s knocked out for another corner. From that set piece, Salah is found in space twice on the left, both times by spectacular passes, from Henderson and Alexander-Arnold in turn. But he can’t do anything with either ball.

7.01pm BST

73 min: Robertson fires a cross into the Brighton box from the left. Duffy sticks out a leg and nearly steers it into the bottom-left corner of his own net. From the resulting corner, Milner’s cross hits Bissouma’s arm, and it’s a free kick out near the touchline.

7.00pm BST

72 min: Salah has a shot from distance. It hits Mane. It’s been that kind of match for Liverpool.

6.59pm BST

71 min: Firmino has woken up all right. He makes good towards the Brighton box and nearly releases Salah with a cute flick. But Brighton hold firm.

6.57pm BST

69 min: Firmino has been out of sorts, too. He picks up a bit, driving down the inside-right channel and eventually snatching at a shot that’s gathered by Ryan at the near post.

6.56pm BST

68 min: van Dijk leaves a backpass a little short. Knockaert races after it. Alisson comes out of his area and calmly chips the ball over Knockaert’s head then rolls a pass back to van Dijk. That was outrageous.

6.54pm BST

67 min: Liverpool make the first change of the afternoon: Keita, who has been quiet, is replaced by Henderson.

6.54pm BST

66 min: Bissouma batters the free kick straight at the Liverpool wall. It takes a huge deflection off Wijnaldum and out for a corner on the right. The set piece is hit deep, and Duffy climbs all over Alexander-Arnold. Free kick, and the pressure off the hosts.

6.52pm BST

65 min: Now it’s Gomez’s turn to play a loose pass in the midfield. It allows Brighton to build an attack. They ping it around. Propper tries to flick it past Milner, who handles. This is a free kick in a very dangerous position, just to the left of the D.

6.51pm BST

63 min: Liverpool are dominating possession, yet they aren’t playing with any discernible confidence. Mane clanks a simple pass down the left flank towards Robertson and out for a goal kick.

6.50pm BST

62 min: Milner’s in the wars right now. Montoya comes sliding in on him, and is reasonably fortunate to escape a yellow card.

6.49pm BST

61 min: Milner knocks the free kick left for Salah, who floats a cross onto Gomez’s head. Gomez flashes a header straight at Ryan.

6.48pm BST

60 min: Milner tries to flick a pass down the middle of the park. He’s cleaned out in spectacular style by Balogun, who is the first player in the book. That was an old-fashioned clatter! And this is a free kick, 35 yards out in a central position.

6.46pm BST

58 min: Alexander-Arnold wins a corner down the right. Milner takes. Duffy heads confidently clear. Then another phase, the ball finding the feet of Salah on the edge of the area. Salah scuffs a shot, and it grazes Duffy’s elbow. He claims for a penalty he’s never going to get.

6.44pm BST

57 min: Liverpool were hot favourites to win this match. But right now, if there’s another goal, it’s not totally clear who’ll be scoring it. Brighton are right in this game.

6.43pm BST

56 min: It’s end to end. March makes space down the left and reaches the byline. His low cross is well intercepted by Gomez. Salah tears off up the other end, down the right. He’s in acres, but attempts an early pass inside for Firmino and that one’s mopped up by Duffy.

6.42pm BST

54 min: Some space for Milner out on the right. He hooks deep. Too deep. Robertson tries to salvage the situation by sliding in from the left, but can only knock the ball out for a goal kick.

6.41pm BST

53 min: This half hasn’t really got going yet. Just how Brighton like it. The more the clock ticks on without change to the scoreline, the more edgy Liverpool and the home support will get.

6.40pm BST

51 min: Bissouma shanks high into the air, straight up into the clouds, a la Momo Sissoko years ago against Everton, inside his own area. Firmino is under it. Ryan comes off his line and clatters into Firmino. The keeper always gets those decisions, and it’s a free kick for Brighton. Firmino has to leave the field as his sock has been shredded. All slightly surreal.

6.37pm BST

49 min: And so there’s now a nervous atmosphere in Anfield, as Brighton begin to impose themselves. The home side suddenly look edgy. It’s not been their ideal start to the half.

6.36pm BST

48 min: Keita gives the ball away in the midfield. Knockaert makes off upfield. He feeds Murray down the right. Murray twists, turns and reaches the byline. He’s surrounded by red shirts, but is still able to pull the ball back for Knockaert, clear on the penalty spot. He surely must score, but shanks a dreadful first-time effort wide left. What a chance!

6.34pm BST

46 min: The music continues to play a full 23 seconds after the referee blows his whistle. The crowd cheer as it’s finally turned off.

6.32pm BST

And we’re off again! Liverpool get the ball rolling for the second half, in which they’ll be kicking towards the Kop, just as they like it. No changes.

6.28pm BST

Half-time listening.

Related: Mourinho vs the world and a book writers special – Football Weekly Extra

6.18pm BST

Nothing much happens in the added time. And that’s that for the first half. Brighton have caused Liverpool a few problems ... but they caused themselves a big one in the build-up to the goal. It’s not been a vintage Liverpool display; Brighton will therefore be hopeful of getting something out of this game in the second half.

6.15pm BST

45 min: Murray is down getting some treatment, having tweaked his knee. It looks like he’ll be OK to continue. And he’s up! There will be two minutes of added time.

6.14pm BST

44 min: Firmino flicks a ball down the left for Robertson, who can’t quite get past Montoya and into the box. Instead he returns the ball to Firmino, who sends a rising shot over the bar from the edge of the area.

6.12pm BST

42 min: Robertson gets fed up and goes on a skitter down the left touchline. He’s eventually forced to turn back, but the positive intent earns the popular left-back a warm round of applause from the Anfield regulars.

6.11pm BST

41 min: Liverpool pass it around the back for a very long time. It’s like it’s 1979 all over again.

6.10pm BST

39 min: Liverpool respond, Keita breaking down the right. He crosses. Some head tennis in the Brighton area. It’s become pretty scrappy all of a sudden.

6.07pm BST

37 min: March loops the corner into the mixer. Alisson comes off his line and punches clear confidently. But Brighton are beginning to carry a threat, and Bissouma dribbles with purpose down the left. He can’t quite get a shot away upon reaching the edge of the box. And he can’t find a team-mate with a pass. But the visitors are making a game of this. Anfield’s fallen quiet again as a result.

6.06pm BST

35 min: Knockaert and Bissouma combine nicely down the middle, and very nearly open Liverpool up. Alexander-Arnold is concerned enough to come across and whack the ball out for a corner.

6.05pm BST

34 min: Salah cuts inside from the right and slides Robertson in down the left with a fine diagonal pass. Robertson fires a cross in, low and hard. Mane dips, hoping to send a diving header goalwards. He can’t meet it cleanly, and Ryan gathers.

6.02pm BST

32 min: Brighton deal with the second one much more easily, March making off up the left and drawing a foul from Salah that relieves the pressure.

6.01pm BST

31 min: Milner slips a pass down the right for Alexander-Arnold, who wins a corner off March. Milner’s corner is half cleared, but he gets another go at crossing, and slips a pass in for Wijnaldum, who spins and looks to batter one into the bottom right from ten yards. Ryan turns it round the post for another corner.

6.00pm BST

29 min: Brighton stick just about everyone on the edge of the Liverpool box. Knockaert hits the free kick long. Duffy is sprung offside. On the touchline, Chris Hughton cuts a frustrated figure. But his team are still in this game.

5.58pm BST

28 min: Milner clatters into Montoya. A needless slide in the midfield. He’s very lucky to escape a booking.

5.56pm BST

26 min: Salah and Firmino nearly open Brighton up down the middle with a couple of quick flicks. Balogun shuts the door just in time.

5.55pm BST

25 min: What will doubly sicken Brighton is how they’d quietened Anfield with their early determined denial. And suddenly the place is bouncing again.

5.54pm BST

And from that Brighton free kick, Liverpool score! Balogun taps it to Bissouma who is immediately robbed by Milner. The ball’s slipped to Mane, then Firmino, then down the inside-right channel for Salah, who opens his body and sidefoots a superb shot into the bottom left. He passed that in. And Brighton, having started so well, are the architects of their own downfall.

5.52pm BST

22 min: Alexander-Arnold, out on the right, tries to find Salah on the edge of the box with a pass threaded through a thicket of players. Bissouma is there to intercept and draw a free kick from Milner.

5.50pm BST

20 min: They’ve showed some replays of that earlier penalty shout. Propper was waving his hands around in unnatural places; you’ve certainly seen penalties given for that. But this is where we are.

5.49pm BST

19 min: Salah chases a long pass down the left, reaches the byline, and fires low into the centre. Ryan gathers at his near post. Brighton are holding their shape very well; there’s not much space for Liverpool to work in.

5.49pm BST

18 min: Duffy’s loose header on the edge of his own box nearly drops to Salah and then Keita. Brighton get away with that one.

5.47pm BST

17 min: Salah spins into space down the right and lays off inside for Alexander-Arnold, who hits a first-time shot from distance. It takes an absurd deflection off a Brighton boot but sails safely into Ryan’s arms.

5.45pm BST

15 min: Alexander-Arnold takes a mean set piece, and here’s another. He aims a power curler towards the top right. Ryan is beaten, but the ball twangs off the top of the crossbar.

5.44pm BST

14 min: Keita is shoved over by Stephens as he dribbles down the inside-left channel. A free kick just outside the box.

5.44pm BST

12 min: Brighton have their tails up. March races after a long ball down the left. Alisson comes charging out of his box to intercept and makes a pig’s ear of the challenge. He misses the ball, but March then clumsily clanks it out for a goal kick with the net unguarded.

5.41pm BST

11 min: ... comes to nothing. A Robertson shot from the edge of the box hits Propper on the arm. Liverpool want a penalty, but Propper was turning and had no clue where the ball was, so the ref’s not having it.

5.41pm BST

10 min: Brighton commit men forward, but when their attack breaks down, Liverpool break upfield. Firmino bursts down the left and tries to fire a crossfield pass towards Mane on the right. It deflects out for a corner on the left, which ...

5.40pm BST

9 min: Robertson, out on the left, curls a cross to the near post. Firmino ghosts in from deep to head towards the bottom left. That’s a great run, and he’s met it well. But Ryan gets down to make a sensational stop, and Brighton clear their lines.

5.38pm BST

8 min: It’s high-tempo stuff. Not many passes sticking right now. Liverpool are dominating possession, but Brighton look, er, bright on the break. Murray and Knockaert have been lively.

5.36pm BST

6 min: Brighton haven’t come here to simply defend. Murray slips a pass down the right for Knockaert, who drops a shoulder to get past Robertson and curves a low shot towards the bottom right. Alisson is right behind it. A nice open feel to this game already.

5.35pm BST

5 min: Mane is inches away from giving Liverpool the lead. He rolls a pass down the right for Salah, who glides infield and cuts one back. It’s Mane on the end of it, and he sidefoots wide of the right-hand post with Ryan rooted to the spot.

5.34pm BST

4 min: Liverpool are pressing hard. Some exclusive breaking news there. Robertson and Keita momentarily give the Brighton back line a bit of a scare, but the visitors hold firm, Montoya eventually winning the ball back.

5.32pm BST

2 min: The sun’s streaming across the Anfield turf. A light breeze. Liverpool stroke it around awhile, so everyone gets a touch. Alexander-Arnold tries to get on the end of a speculative Firmino pass down the right, but there’s too much juice on the flick and it goes out for a goal kick.

5.31pm BST

And we’re off! Brighton get the party started. They’ll be kicking towards the Kop in the first half. They launch long, and pressure van Dijk into the concession of a throw. But nothing comes of it, Keita mopping up.

5.27pm BST

The teams are out! Liverpool will play in their famous red, Brighton in their beautiful blue and white stripes. A bouncing tail-end-of-afternoon-session atmosphere at Anfield. We’ll be off before you know it! In the meantime, here’s Matt Dony: “It says so much about the psychological impact that this Manchester City team have had on the league, that this suddenly seems like a ‘must win’ game for Liverpool. The third game of the season. It’s ridiculous to feel that pressure so early, but you just can’t see City dropping too many points. Taking advantage when they do feels incredibly important. Argh, I hate football!”

5.23pm BST

Jurgen Klopp talks! But not in the pre-match style. There’s a prerecorded chat on BT Sport, in which he says pretty much what you’d expect him to say about Liverpool’s designs on the league title. It’s hard, they’re not the best team, they have to get better, etc. He does compare Virgil van Dijk to “a really big car ... an SUV” though. Toot toot! Out of his way!

5.10pm BST

Chris Hughton speaks! “At the moment, this is probably the most difficult place to come in the country. So we will have to show a lot of the qualities we showed against Manchester United last week. Lewis Dunk got injured last week against and Leon Balogun came in and did a very good job. He’s experienced and wasn’t fazed by the situation, and I don’t expect him to be fazed today either. When you play the likes of Liverpool you have to have a strategy. It changes things. It’s a challenge but that’s what we’re here for. The stronger they get, you have to raise your levels yourself. The only way we can get anything today is to raise our level from our matches against Liverpool in the past.”

4.38pm BST

Liverpool name the same XI that started the game at Crystal Palace on Monday night. Even the bench is the same. How about that.

Brighton make two changes to the team sent out to beat Manchester United last Sunday. Central defender Lewis Dunk is injured and is replaced by Leon Balogun; Pascal Gross drops to the bench to make way for £15m midfielder Yves Bissouma, who starts in the blue-and-white of Albion for the first time.

4.32pm BST

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

Brighton & Hove Albion: Ryan, Montoya, Balogun, Duffy, Bong, Knockaert, Stephens, Propper, March, Bissouma, Murray.
Subs: Kayal, Locadia, Gross, Jahanbakhsh, Button, Suttner, Bernardo.

10.41am BST

Brighton had Liverpool’s number back in the early 1980s. In February 1983, Gerry Ryan and former Liverpool midfielder Jimmy Case scored the goals that secured a famous 2-1 victory at Anfield in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Phil Neal missed a penalty, as Liverpool’s 63-match unbeaten home run in the cups came to an end. Eleven months later, Ryan was on the scoresheet again in a 2-0 fourth-round win at the Goldstone Ground.

Those two seismic shocks - Liverpool were en route to the league title on both occasions, while Brighton were busy getting themselves relegated in 1983 and were a mid-table Second Division concern in 1984 - are well remembered. Perhaps not so famous is Brighton’s 1-0 win at Anfield in 1982, Andy Ritchie scoring the only goal. Kevin Sheedy came off the bench for Liverpool that day. I wonder what became of him?

Related: Jürgen Klopp delighted with ‘sharper and fitter’ Roberto Firmino

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Wolves 1-1 Manchester City: Premier League – as it happened

The champions were held by enterprising Wolves in a wonderfully entertaining game at Molineux

3.02pm BST

And with that, this MBM reaches its natural end. All that’s left is to direct you to our match report from Stuart James at Molineux ... and remind you that the 3pms are under way, so open another tab for Barry Glendenning’s Clockwatch!

Related: Manchester City rely on Aymeric Laporte to share spoils with Wolves

2.59pm BST

Pep talks! “It was a good game. We conceded too many counter attacks. But we created a lot of chances. That is a good point. I compliment Wolves. It is difficult against a good team. We tried, we will improve, because defensively we were not solid. Every game we play we learn for the next one.” Guardiola was also asked whether he thought VAR should be introduced to the Premier League. “It is none of my business.” And was he complaining about the Wolves goal when he had a word with referee Martin Atkinson at the full-time whistle? “No. I was complimenting him on his game.”

2.48pm BST

Nuno speaks! “All the credit is for my players, the way they worked. We knew it was going to be tough, but we played in the shape and style we believed. The players supported each other, it was a very good game. We want to create an identity, you just have to go, no matter who you have in front of you. Recognise the strengths, take advantage of the weaknesses, and prepare yourself to compete. We did very well with the ball, with the amount of chances we created against Manchester City. But the result is not what we want. We want to win! Stay humble, stay humble. It’s just one point!”

2.42pm BST

A disappointed but sporting Kyle Walker talks. “I think we created a lot of chances to put more than one past them. But they’re a well-organised team. It’s going to be very difficult to come here, a lot of teams will come here and drop points. So full credit to them, they deserved the point. We’ve had enough chances. I’ve heard the ball went in off Boly’s hand, but it’s hard for the referees and we just had to go and get the equaliser, which we did. And we could have nicked it at the end. We know it’s going to be tough this season, we need to go again, and dust ourselves down.”

2.37pm BST

Wolves vice-captain Conor Coady speaks to Sky. “It was good. That’s what we’ve got to do in this division, we have to play really well. They’re a fantastic side, they move the ball fantastically well. But we stuck to our plan really well, showed we can play, and we had a few chances. I think a draw was a fair result. I though we deserved a goal, no matter how it went in, we’ll have to have a look back at it! They’re one of the best football clubs in the world, and we had a go at them. We’re very pleased.”

2.30pm BST

That’s Wolves’ second point of the new Premier League season, and a rare instance of dropped points for Manchester City. Controversy over the Wolves goal, of course - shades of offside and hand ball - and City hit the woodwork three times. The luck wasn’t with them today. And yet on balance, a draw seems the right result. City weren’t quite at their sparkling best, while Wolves announced themselves as a team to be taken very seriously with a resolute performance. They soaked up plenty of City pressure, and attacked the champions with style and purpose too, something not too many teams have managed of late. It was a wonderfully entertaining game. For differing reasons, neither side deserved to lose.

2.23pm BST

And that’s that! A draw, and a fair result. Pep embraces Nuno warmly. It’s no more than Wolves deserve.

2.22pm BST

90 min +5: Aguero takes, and sends the free kick towards the top left. Rui Patricio is beaten all ends up ... but the crossbar comes to Wolves’ rescue! The ball clips off the top of the frame, and out for a goal kick.

2.21pm BST

90 min +4: Sane embarks on a discombobulating dribble down the left, skipping past five challenges from a very tight spot! He lays off for Aguero, who is clipped on the ankle by Moutinho. This is a free kick in a very dangerous position, 25 yards out, just left of centre.

2.19pm BST

90 min +3: Sane crosses from the left. Mahrez heads harmlessly behind.

2.19pm BST

90 min +2: City ping it around the middle of the park again, but Wolves are holding their shape and there’s no way through.

2.17pm BST

90 min +1: Sane balloons the corner straight out of play. On the touchline, Pep frowns and crosses his arms very, very tightly.

2.17pm BST

90 min: Silva feeds Sane down the left. It’s a corner. There will be five minutes of added time.

2.16pm BST

89 min: Nothing comes of the set piece, but City can only half clear. Jota makes his way down the left and whips to the far post, where Doherty heads wide.

2.15pm BST

88 min: Traore again zips down the right, leaving Mendy behind again. He blasts low into the centre for Jimenez, but Kompany slides in to intercept and Laporte slashes out in a panic for a corner.

2.14pm BST

87 min: Traore goes on a power dribble down the right. He walks past Mendy and loops long. Jota chests down and tries to Le Tissier a spectacular shot across Ederson and into the top right. It’s over the bar, but not by much. A fine effort.

2.13pm BST

86 min: A long free kick is launched into the mixer by City. Kompany rises to win a header, but he’s been climbing on the back of an opponent. The resulting free kick is celebrated like a goal. Wolves fans desperate for their team to hold on for a point against the champions.

2.12pm BST

85 min: Jonny is replaced by Ruben Vinagre, while Raheem Sterling makes way for Riyad Mahrez.

2.10pm BST

84 min: Jonny’s up and about again. Sane’s corner leads to another, after which he’s bundled off the ball. He skips about in frustration.

2.09pm BST

82 min: Sterling probes down the right and wins a corner off Jonny, who immediately goes down with cramp. Wolves have worked hard this afternoon. Manchester City have worked them hard.

2.07pm BST

81 min: The game’s got a bit fragmented. Sane dribbles down a blind alley. Laporte launches one long that goes straight through to Rui Patricio.

2.06pm BST

79 min: Corner for Wolves out on the right. Moutinho’s delivery is headed away powerfully by Fernandinho.

2.04pm BST

77 min: City make a second change. Ilkay Gundogan is replaced by Leroy Sane.

2.03pm BST

76 min: City play keep-ball in the middle of the park. Then suddenly Mendy barrels down the left and whips a cross in. Jesus meets it six yards out, heading down powerfully. It looks a certain goal ... but Rui Patricio hacks clear with his feet. That’s some save.

2.00pm BST

74 min: A break in play. Doherty is down after accidentally clashing heads with Jesus. It looks as though he’ll be OK to continue.

1.58pm BST

72 min: Aguero spins down the inside-left channel and sends a snapshot towards the top right. It’s always going wide. And then Wolves make their first change of the afternoon, Helder Costa making way for Adama Traore.

1.57pm BST

70 min: Aguero goes over in the Wolves box, dribbling in from the left and feeling a brush on his shoulder from Moutinho. The referee isn’t interested.

1.56pm BST

Silva wins a free kick just to the right of the Wolves area. Gundogan whips a gorgeous ball to the far post, where Laporte steams in and powers a stunning header into the top left! There was no stopping that, it was a bullet! Laporte’s first goal for City draws the champions level!

1.55pm BST

67 min: A slo-o-o-ow replay of the Wolves goal suggests even more controversy. Moutinho’s cross brushed the head of Doherty, standing just in front of Boly. So Boly was possibly offside as well as using his arm.

1.53pm BST

66 min: Wolves launch a counter attack. Jota races down the left and should be clear on goal, but he miscontrols and is forced wide left, unable to shoot. Instead he waits, and pulls the ball back for Neves, who drags a shot wide left. This is a really entertaining game.

1.51pm BST

65 min: City are coming at Wolves in the relentless style. Silva dances down the left and reaches the byline, but can’t find anyone with his pullback. Then he tees up Gundogan on the edge of the box, but Gundogan’s low bobbler is swallowed by Rui Patricio.

1.50pm BST

63 min: From the corner, the ball pings around the Wolves box awhile. Rui Patricio eventually claims it to loud cheers. This could be a long half hour for Wolves.

1.49pm BST

62 min: A corner for City out on the right. Before it can be taken, Bernardo Silva is replaced by Gabriel Jesus.

1.48pm BST

61 min: A free kick for City out on the left. Bernardo Silva’s delivery is no good. But this is otherwise a fine response to falling behind from the champions.

1.47pm BST

59 min: City come straight back at Wolves. Sterling and David Silva bustle into the area down the right. A few flicks. Neves is right behind Silva as he goes over. Silva wants a penalty ... but he’s not getting one, having kicked his own heel while going over. Silva is beyond livid, sure he’s been barged in the back. He’s booked for complaining.

1.45pm BST

The corner’s worked back down the left flank to Moutinho, who curls a stunning ball to the far post. Boly flies low to meet it with his head and flicks it into the right-hand corner, Ederson rooted to the spot! The ball also flicked Boly’s arm, though that’s not been spotted by the ref ... or even any of the City players, who aren’t complaining.

1.43pm BST

56 min: Kompany and Laporte are snoozing, and allow Costa to barge clear down the inside-left channel. Costa is one on one with Ederson. He hesitates, and Ederson is able to turn his shot around the post for a corner. A chance spurned! But no matter, because ...

1.41pm BST

55 min: Fernandinho has a whack from distance. It’s deflected out for a corner on the left. Gundogan curls one into the box, but it’s easily headed clear by Coady.

1.41pm BST

54 min: City continue to ping it around. Jota again loses his rag and clatters Walker to the floor. Another free kick just outside the Wolves box, but City try a quick one that doesn’t come off.

1.39pm BST

52 min: Wolves can’t get a sniff of the ball. It’s all City. Laporte floats a pass down the inside-right channel, but it’s just a bit too long for David Silva.

1.36pm BST

50 min: More early second-half pressure from City. Aguero slips the ball to Sterling on the left edge of the Wolves box. Sterling drops a shoulder to cut inside, and curls a shot towards the top right. But it’s a wild one. “On a scale of one to Serge Aurier, how bad/hilarious was Mendy’s foul throw?” asks Adam Kline-Schoder. “Good to know that professional footballers are human too.”

1.35pm BST

48 min: The corner ends up at the feet of Walker, who shoots low and hard from distance. A second corner is the result. Kompany meets it at the far post, but his header is always going high and wide.

1.34pm BST

47 min: City stroke it around for a bit. Jota gets fed up and bowls Aguero over. A free kick, just outside the Wolves area to the right. Gundogan curls in. Coady heads over the bar to concede a corner; fine defending seeing the box was teeming with City players.

1.31pm BST

And we’re off again! No changes. City get the ball rolling for the second half. “Can I be proud of a team I do not support?” wonders Ian Copestake. “Is great to see Conor Coady, formerly (for want of a better word) groomed by Liverpool as the next Gerrard, throwing himself into that role with complete conviction.”

1.19pm BST

Half-time reading:

Related: Curious tale of Milan’s short-lived owner, a vulture fund and a barbecue

1.18pm BST

What’s Jonathan Wilson’s catchphrase again? Goals are over-rated? That’s as good a 45 minutes of goal-free football as you’re likely to see. Really not sure how it’s stayed this way, but here we are. See you soon for another fine 45?

1.17pm BST

45 min: Jimenez withdraws from a 50-50 in midfield with Mendy, and City are away on a quick-break. The ball’s shuttled to Bernardo Silva, who dribbles into the area from the right. He’s got Rui Patricio in his sights, but hesitates a little, and Coady is across quickly to scuff the ball away from danger.

1.16pm BST

44 min: Mendy takes another throw. The Wolves crowd give him pantomime pelters. Then Kompany gives the ball away with a loose pass out of defence ... but Jota can’t take advantage. Kompany has been very sloppy today; his passing has been all over the shop.

1.14pm BST

43 min: Costa barges Mendy off the ball, and breezes into the City area from the right. he cuts the ball back for Neves, who unleashes an instant low drive that’s blocked pretty much at source. Then there’s a throw to City out on the left. Mendy takes ... and steps a good yard infield while doing so. Foul throw. Not a great 60 seconds for the City left-back.

1.12pm BST

42 min: Coady is booked for coming through the back of Aguero. He can have no complaints about that one.

1.12pm BST

41 min: City come close again. David Silva slips a pass down the left for Mendy, who hammers a low ball across the face of goal. Rui Patricio parries, but only to Aguero, six yards out. Aguero scuffs his shot, the ball having snagged under his feet, and Rui Patricio smothers. How is this game goalless?

1.11pm BST

40 min: Jimenez has the ball on the edge of the City box. He can’t sort his feet out. City swarm him and the chance is gone.

1.09pm BST

38 min: And here come Wolves again, Costa winning a corner down the right off Kompany. City half-clear the set piece. Neves, out on the left, loops a diagonal ball towards Jimenez at the far post; he takes it down and tries to send a screamer across Ederson and into the top left. It’s wild. But at least Wolves are showing in attack again.

1.07pm BST

36 min: So having said all that, Wolves move into the City half, having pinged the ball back and forth in the middle for a while. Neves looks for the top-left corner from the best part of 30 yards. Full marks for ambition, if nothing else. Sterling goes up the other end and nearly breaks clear down the left, but Bennett does well to stay with him and, with help from Coady, Wolves clear.

1.05pm BST

35 min: Wolves haven’t spent much time in the City half lately. And after a lively start, the Molineux crowd has fallen quiet as a result. City might not have scored yet, but that’s their first job done.

1.03pm BST

33 min: Mendy puts his head down and drives along the left wing. His industry and power wins a corner. Gundogan’s delivery isn’t all that, and the ball’s headed clear by Boly. But there’s immediately another phase of attack, and Fernandinho whistles a low shot towards the bottom left. He drags it wide of the post.

1.01pm BST

31 min: David Silva slips a pass down the right and very nearly releases Aguero on goal. Jonny comes across to concede a corner. City over-elaborate and the ball is soon all the way back with Ederson.

1.00pm BST

29 min: City are beginning to ask some serious questions now. Aguero dances into the Wolves box from the right. He’s about to pull the trigger when Boly arrives and does just enough to put him off. Rui Patricio comes off his line to smother. Danger over. But the champions will likely be back soon enough: they’ve enjoyed over 80% possession in the last ten minutes.

12.58pm BST

28 min: Bernardo Silva goes on a dribble down the right. He’s brought down just outside the box by Jota. His namesake David takes the resulting set piece, but it doesn’t clear the first man. Uncharacteristically slack by the little magician.

12.57pm BST

26 min: The first lull of the match. Here’s Mac Millings to fill the void with a wonderful anecdote: “I’ll always have a soft spot for Wolves, on account of my dad’s brother having been on their books for a year or so, back in around 1960. It happens that a teenaged Alan Ball was there at the same time, and the usual story is that Wolves let him go because he was too small - and that’s true; but the more specific story, as related by Uncle Mac, is that Ball comes into the changing room from a meeting with Stan Cullis, and they’re all in the big bath after a reserve team win, and little Alan is sobbing. ‘What happened?’ they asked. ‘Well [sob, sob], the gaffer said I should pack up my stuff and get out of here. He said [sob, sniffle] that I should go and get a job at the Post Office, because I’ll never make it as a footballer.’ Oh, Stan!”

12.55pm BST

24 min: City are beginning to press harder now. That disallowed Wolves goal has inspired quite a response.

12.54pm BST

22 min: City hit the woodwork twice in two minutes! First Aguero sends a snapshot curling towards the bottom right. It clanks off the base of the post and away. Then Sterling chests down a loose pass, 25 yards from goal. He pearls a half-volley towards the top right. It’s flying in, a stunning effort ... but Rui Patricio fingertips it onto the corner of post and bar! That would have been a sensational goal. The save was pretty special, mind. Wonderful football all round!

12.51pm BST

20 min: Wolves have the ball in the net ... but it’s disallowed. Kompany, who has been uncertain, gives up possession in the midfield. Jota is tearing clear down the left. He enters the box and sends the ball across for Jimenez, who taps home. But he’s a few inches offside. Great break upfield, and a good decision from the ref.

12.49pm BST

18 min: Some confusion between Bennett and Coady allows Augero to slip the ball past them down the inside-left channel. Gundogan latches onto it, but miscontrols and it’s a goal kick. Wolves are getting repeatedly done down this side of the pitch. City are probing the flank with great interest.

12.47pm BST

16 min: It’s end-to-end entertainment all right. Gundogan has a shot from a tight angle on the left. Rui Patricio makes a meal of gathering it, but does so eventually. Then Wolves win a corner on the right. The ball drops to Neves, who has a habit of scoring from distance: all of his seven goals for Wolves have come from outside the box. He looks to send a power curler into the top right, but gets too much on it and it sails high and wide.

12.45pm BST

14 min: Fernandinho dangles out a leg to stop Jota bursting upfield. It’s just a foul and a taking-to, but the City midfielder is lucky to escape a yellow. On the touchline, Nuno wants to know why the player hasn’t been booked. There’s a full and frank exchange of views.

12.44pm BST

12 min: Jota scampers down the left and crosses low. Costa tries to slam home from ten yards, but can’t connect. The ball breaks to Jimenez, who tries to return the ball to Costa ... but he’s offside. That got the crowd going, and it’ll give Wolves confidence that City can be got at.

12.42pm BST

11 min: Kompany is again diddled on the turn, as Neves spins gracefully in the centre circle. The City captain drags him down, and is booked.

12.41pm BST

9 min: Kompany tugs the shirt of Jonny, who was threatening to spin him down the left. A free kick, and a chance to load the box. Neves sends a poor set piece straight down Ederson’s throat. Ederson then drop kicks the ball straight into Bennett’s backside. It’s a clumsy mistake, and for a second City are seriously on the retreat, but the ref blows up for a free kick. It’s not totally clear why. It was hardly this:

12.37pm BST

7 min: Sterling is zipping around in a very determined fashion. Again he whizzes down the inside-left channel, and nearly takes down a scooped Gundogan pass. Again, not quite. But Coady and Bennett were sleeping a little there, as Sterling nipped in between them.

12.36pm BST

6 min: Bernardo Silva drops deep down the right, cuts inside, and sends a high diagonal ball into the box with the intention of finding Sterling down the inside-left channel. Nearly, but Bennett rises to snuff out the move.

12.34pm BST

4 min: This game already has a nice, open, end-to-end feel. Sterling skedaddles in from the left, reaches the byline, and nearly flicks a pass to Aguero. Not quite, but Wolves hearts were in mouths for a split second there.

12.34pm BST

3 min: But Wolves make an early statement of their own, Neves making off down the left and whipping a deep cross that only just evades Doherty, coming in from the right. Moutinho tries to keep things going with a floated cross from the right, but Kompany deals with it easily enough.

12.32pm BST

2 min: It’s a cracking atmosphere at Molineux, even if the first couple of minutes see City hogging the ball.

12.31pm BST

And we’re off! Wolves get the party started. “There’s no limit to what Nuno can achieve with this Wolves team,” opines William Hargreaves. “No no, Nuno, no no limit.” I suppose somebody had to say it.

12.29pm BST

The teams are out! Wolves are in their famous old gold and black, while Manchester City wear their second-choice dark-blue with neon-lemon pinstripe. We’ll be off in a minute ... but just before the players get going, there’s a sweet moment when former Wolves goalkeeper Carl Ikeme takes to the pitch with his kids. He’s in full remission after being diagnosed with acute leukaemia, and Molineux rises as one to send him much love.

12.17pm BST

Pre-match photo op. The underpass near Molineux is decorated with heroes of a bygone age. Here are some fans taking the opportunity to be pictured with Billy Wright et al. It would also appear that, seeing Manchester City are in town, a performance-art homage to the cover of (What’s The Story) Morning Glory is taking place.

12.05pm BST

Nuno talks! “Everybody is looking forward to this, the fans, the team. It’s a good challenge for us. We want to keep doing the things that we do. We believe in the things we do, we train like this, we play like this. It doesn’t mean there can’t be other options, because there is a squad, and chances will come. We have to be better, clinical, manage better the games. We want to keep improving the team. But we have to recognise we are playing the best team in the Premier League, we have to adapt. We need focus.”

11.57am BST

Pep speaks! “My English is not good, because I didn’t complain about our physical condition, which is good, knowing the part of the season that we are in. My reflection in the press conference was we need more time and games to achieve our best condition, that is normal. We have played at a good level, but it is just two Premier League games. Wolves is an excellent team, what they achieved last season was outstanding. And the way they play is so attractive. They are well organised, Nuno is an excellent manager. Games against newly promoted teams are always tough.”

11.42am BST

“We don’t know how to play another way. We will not change because we want to build something. Adapt, of course, because you are facing a good team, but don’t change. When you build something you have to truly believe in what you’re doing.” Wolves coach Nuno, there. And he’s walking it like he talks it: he names an unchanged XI for the third match in a row. Adama Traore continues to wait for his full debut.

Pep Guardiola makes a couple of changes, though. John Stones and Gabriel Jesus drop out of the XI named against Huddersfield Town last week. They’re on the bench, making way for Kyle Walker and Raheem Sterling. The 19-year-old Aro Muric, freshly recalled from NAC Breda in the wake of Claudio Bravo’s injury, is the back-up keeper.

11.32am BST

Wolverhampton Wanderers: Rui Patricio, Bennett, Coady, Boly, Doherty, Neves, Joao Moutinho, Jonny, Jota, Jimenez, Helder Costa.
Subs: Gibbs-White, John Ruddy, Saiss, Ruben Vinagre, Hause, Leo Bonatini, Traore.

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Kompany, Laporte, Mendy, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Silva, Sterling, Aguero.
Subs: Stones, Delph, Sane, Mahrez, Otamendi, Gabriel Jesus, Muric.

10.38am BST

Two games in, and Manchester City are already top of the league again. Can anyone stop Pep Guardiola’s champions? As things stand, they’re on course for a 114-point haul.

We jest, of course we jest. But we’re not distorting reality by that much: City did rattle up 100 points last time round, after all, and having already swatted Chelsea, Arsenal and Huddersfield Town aside this season, appear to be in a familiar frame of mind. They’re not letting up. They’ll take some stopping.

Related: A trip down memory lane via Maine Road and Filbert Street | Scott Murray

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A trip down memory lane via Maine Road and Filbert Street | Scott Murray

This weekend’s fixtures are as much about the past as the present and Huddersfield against Cardiff is the most evocative of the lot

The haiku is generally considered the shortest form of poem in the world.

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Swansea City 2-2 Leeds United and more: Championship clockwatch – as it happened

A good night for Graham Potter, Marcelo Bielsa, Frank Lampard and Nigel Adkins ... but not so much for Steve McClaren.

10.24pm BST

Related: Andreas Weimann and Bristol City pile misery on Steve McClaren

9.57pm BST

And that’s the end of an entertaining night in the Championship, a division that promises to be very exciting and quite unpredictable this season. Hope you enjoyed the ride. Sweet dreams wherever you are, and don’t forget to say a prayer for poor old Steve McClaren. Nighty night!

9.53pm BST

Ben Fisher was at the Liberty tonight. Here’s our man’s take on an excellent game of football between two sides who will surely be in the mix for promotion this season.

Related: Pablo Hernández puts Leeds on top of table after draw with Swansea

9.49pm BST

Post-match pint. In order to celebrate / drown your sorrows.

9.45pm BST

And there’s no completed fightback for Rotherham. A much-needed three points for Nigel Adkins, who received some pelters upon going down at home to Blackburn.

9.44pm BST

Paul Hurst is still looking for his first win as Ipswich boss. But Frank Lampard has his second as Derby manager under his belt.

9.42pm BST

There goes Leeds’ 100 percent record under Marcelo Bielsa, but his team did extremely well to come back after a miserable start. Graham Potter will be very happy as well: his Swans already look an utterly different proposition to the miserable goal-shy version of last season. Stevie Wonder’s Uptight plays over the PA: the first line, “Baby, everything is all right” just about sums it up. Both sides will be happy with their performance, and the general direction in which they’re heading.

9.39pm BST

Rangers remain rooted to the bottom of the Championship. No points, and a negative goal difference of 11 after a mere four matches. This has not started well for Steve McClaren. Bristol City meanwhile go back down the M4 with their first three-point haul in the boot of the bus.

9.37pm BST

90 min +3: A corner for Leeds, deep into stoppage time. Hernandez takes it, from the left. McBurnie heads it powerfully clear, with blue shirts lurking, an intervention nearly as important as his goals.

9.35pm BST

90 min: Both sides have a chance to win it late at the Liberty! Celina tries to pass one into the bottom left from the edge of the box, but Peacock-Farrell’s trailing leg denies him. Then down the other end, Harrison is put through, but he hesitates fatally and the chance is gone!

9.34pm BST

The QPR fans were earlier telling the City supporters that their team is dreadful, on account of being just two goals up. Top-notch terrace patter. Anyway, this has sorted that little problem out. Andreas Weimann scores his second of the night. Oh Steve, Steve, Steve.

9.31pm BST

85 min: Both sets of fans are in good voice at the Liberty, with the home support singing their hymns and arias, while the visitors are marching on together. A result of both teams putting in a good performance. Hats off to Potter and Bielsa. Compare and contrast to Loftus Road, where QPR fans are giving Steve McClaren a full and frank critique of his managerial abilities. Oh Steve!

9.28pm BST

84 min: Graham Potter makes his last change. Joel Asoro comes on for Martin Olsson.

9.28pm BST

82 min: Saiz juggles the ball down the left, but can’t keep it in play with Swansea on the back foot and Harrison hoping for a cut-back. Leeds have been inconsistent tonight, but when they’ve been good, they’ve put on a fine show. Swansea look serious contenders for promotion too. The Championship is going to be some division this season!

9.25pm BST

It continues to be a really open, entertaining game at the Liberty. And just as I was typing that, Bamford spins van der Hoorn down the left and races into space. He curls low into the box. Rodon can’t intercept, the ball flying between his legs. Pablo Hernandez, once of Swansea, cuts in from the right and meets the cross first time, steering it into the bottom left. He starts to celebrate, then remembers he used to play for the Swans, so stops respectfully. But what a finish!

9.21pm BST

Jamie Proctor halves the arrears at the New York Stadium.

9.20pm BST

75 min: Leroy Fer, making his first start of the season, trots off to warm applause from the home fans. He’s replaced by Tom Carroll after a performance of perpetual motion.

9.19pm BST

Tom Lawrence buries a free kick into the top corner. It’s looking like Derby will beat Ipswich on their own turf for the first time in 11 attempts.

9.16pm BST

71 min: From the right, Douglas curls a long free kick to the far post. Harrison was preparing to head it back across goal, but the plan is scuppered by Fulton. Shame, because it looked as though a pretty training-ground move was in the process of unfolding. Not that Swansea fans will care a jot, of course.

9.14pm BST

68 min: Baker curls a low cross through the Swansea box from the right. Bamford isn’t a million miles away from it. Just before, there’s a wee lesson learned by young Jamie Shackleton, who thinks a ball down the right is going out of play for a throw, and turns his back on it, wandering off. But the spin keeps it in on the line, and serious embarrassment is avoided when Douglas mops up, because McBurnie was lurking.

9.11pm BST

A 25-yarder from Joe Ledley whistles into the top corner, and the deadlock is finally broken at Pride Park! Some relief in the pipeline for Frank Lampard, who lost the first home game of his managerial career 4-1 against Leeds.

9.09pm BST

65 min: ... then Leeds make their last, Patrick Bamford coming on for Kemar Roofe. You have to admire the boldness of Bielsa’s substitutions. He makes his decision, and doesn’t hang about.

9.08pm BST

64 min: Swansea make their first change of the night, as Jefferson Montero replaces the impressive Barrie McKay.

9.08pm BST

63 min: Fer and Celina combine as the pair drive down the centre of the pitch. The latter can’t quite set up the former for a shot ... but Leeds were nearly opened up yet again.

9.06pm BST

61 min: McBurnie is this close to his hat-trick. He wins a header on the edge of the Leeds box, knocking it down to McKay, who returns it to him along the inside-right channel. McBurnie’s in space, and threads a shot towards the bottom left. Peacock-Farrell fingertips around the post, and the corner comes to nothing.

9.04pm BST

59 min: A slight lull at the Liberty. It’s been like that pretty much from the get-go at Pride Park, so be thankful for small mercies.

9.02pm BST

56 min: Young Jamie Shackleton once again waltzes past Olsson as though he’s not there. This time he ripples the side netting with an ambitious shot from a tight angle on the right. Shackleton looks a player.

9.01pm BST

55 min: A free kick for Swansea, who have reestablished their dominance, out on the right. Celina curls it to the far post, where Fulton nearly flicks home. Leeds half clear. McKay, 25 yards out down the inside-left channel, hits a first-time sidefooted riser that only just curls wide of the top-right corner. That would have been a stunner. McKay really does look the business when he’s on song.

8.58pm BST

Jackson Irvine scores his second of the match. Fraizer Campbell with the assist. This could be a huge result for Nigel Adkins.

8.56pm BST

McKay zips down the left flank and stands one into the middle. It doesn’t quite find McBurnie. No matter! Swansea are soon coming back at Leeds down the same flank. Olsson makes the run this time, and hooks into the centre, where McBurnie rises high and plants a stunning header across Peacock-Farrell and into the top right!

8.55pm BST

Oh Steve! pt. II. Bristol City haven’t beaten Rangers since 1977. They’ll never have a better chance to break that sorry run. Andreas Weimann meets Niclas Eliasson’s cross and plants a header into the net.

8.53pm BST

48 min: Leeds are knocking it around in the higher tempo favoured by their new manager. Not to any great effect so far, but Swansea are no longer in charge as they were before the Leeds equaliser.

8.50pm BST

OK, we’re off again at the Liberty! Leeds have made another change; Bielsa isn’t afraid to make the big decisions. Ezgjan Alioski is replaced by Jack Harrison.

8.41pm BST

Half-time hot dog. Look at this little scamp go!

8.37pm BST

Derby County 0-0 Ipswich Town
QPR 0-1 Bristol City
Rotherham United 1-2 Hull City
Swansea City 1-1 Leeds United

8.35pm BST

The Tigers have turned it around against the Millers. Fraizer Campbell converts Eric Lichaj’s cross. As things stand, Hull have catapulted themselves out of the relegation places into mid-table ... for what any of that is worth, four games in.

8.32pm BST

45 min: Leeds were totally outplayed for 40 minutes. Now they’re pinging it around like they did against Southampton in 1972! Well, not quite. But they are stroking it about with great confidence now ... and any old excuse, eh?

8.30pm BST

Oh Steve!

8.29pm BST

42 min: Shackleton is only playing because Liam Cooper twanged his hamstring in the warm-up. He’s a central midfielder by trade, but can also put in a shift at right back ... which is something he’s doing in fine fashion tonight!

8.27pm BST

Utterly against the run of play, this. And it’s all down to 18-year-old Jamie Shackleton, who suddenly turns on the jets down the right, and burns past Olsson. He enters the box and fires a low ball along the corridor of uncertainty. Roofe can’t miss, sidefooting home from six yards!

8.25pm BST

39 min: Celina has been the star of the show so far. He dribbles across the front of the box, left to right, in the style of George Best. Upon reaching the right-hand edge of the D, he tries to float a chip over Peacock-Farrell, who is well off his line. Just a little too much on it, and it’s over the bar. But that was mighty fancy.

8.24pm BST

37 min: Baker is booked for a fairly agricultural lunge on Fer. Bielsa might be the aesthete’s aesthete, but his side are not afraid to put it about.

8.22pm BST

36 min: A couple of corners for Leeds, finally putting some pressure on the hosts. The second nearly catches Swansea cold: it’s played back up the left wing for Douglas, who whips into the penalty box from deep. Berardi meets it with a powerful header ... but not an accurate one.

8.21pm BST

34 min: Swansea remain in the ascendancy. Celina slashes a shot wide left from distance. A frustrated Ayling crumps McBurnie on the back of his noggin. For a second it looks as though there’ll be a good old-fashioned exchange of views between several players, but it all calms down quickly enough.

8.18pm BST

Jackson Irvine levels things up at the New York Stadium. Some respite for Nigel Adkins, who is already under pressure from Hull’s not particularly chuffed fans after a sluggish start to the season.

8.15pm BST

28 min: Bielsa makes an early tactical change, hooking the struggling Phillips - already booked and repeatedly stripped naked by Celina - for Baker.

8.14pm BST

27 min: Roofe upends van der Hoorn, who was striding out of defence with great pomp and purpose. He’s booked for that. Leeds look collectively frustrated.

8.12pm BST

Swansea have been utterly dominant, and this had been coming. Phillips gives up possession in the midfield. McKay dribbles with great purpose down the inside-left channel. He’s got the entire Leeds back line in panicked reverse. He slips the ball right to Celina, who immediately clips it back inside to McBurnie. The striker - a Leeds fan in his youth - takes a touch and fires it into the bottom left. That’s a lovely goal.

8.08pm BST

Ryan Manning crosses, and Richard Wood heads home. Rotherham have already beaten Ipswich and Wigan at home, in the Championship and League Cup respectively. They’ve started well if they’re to make it three wins from three.

8.04pm BST

18 min: ... and scuffs a pitiful pearoller into the arms of Mulder. Douglas has the self-awareness to let his head drop a bit in shame, and smile in a self-deprecating fashion.

8.03pm BST

17 min: Fulton clips Saiz’s ankle, 30 yards from the Swansea goal in the centre of the pitch. The first real chance for the visitors to craft something, and threaten Swansea’s goal. Douglas shapes to have an ambitious dig ...

8.02pm BST

15 min: No goals in any of the other games, either. No flipping!

8.01pm BST

14 min: Celina curls it in. Leeds can only half clear, and the ball falls to Olsson, who tries to shape a shot into the top left from the edge of the box. It’s high and not so handsome.

8.00pm BST

13 min: Celina has Phillips on toast down the right. He drops a shoulder and makes to scoot off again; Phillips tugs him back and is rightly booked as a result. A chance for Swansea to load the box.

7.57pm BST

11 min: Celina sends Roberts scampering down the right with a lovely ball slipped along the wing. Roberts is in acres, but his cutback, intended for McBurnie, is no good. Swansea have enjoyed much the better of it so far.

7.56pm BST

8 min: It’s very discombobulating watching Leeds United against a team playing in white. Now I know how Barcelona must have felt when Liverpool rocked up at the Nou Camp in the Uefa Cup all those years ago wearing crispy Real Madrid referencing tops.

7.53pm BST

6 min: Swansea are asserting some early dominance. Leeds are holding their shape well enough - the late replacement Shackleton has already made one confidence-building clearance - but they’re struggling to get out of their final third right now.

7.51pm BST

4 min: Swansea push Leeds back a little. McKay, who was excellent on the opening day of the season against Sheffield United, dances down the left and swings a ball in for Roberts, who fresh-air swipes on the penalty spot.

7.50pm BST

2 min: Both teams have started really brightly at the Liberty. Hernandez threatened to break clear in the very early stages for Leeds, while Rodon has embarked on a long Beckenbaueresque sashay down the middle. It’s nice and open.

7.47pm BST

A late change for Leeds. Liam Cooper has knacked himself in the warm-up, and Jamie Shackleton takes his place. Anyway, we’re off at the Liberty. And everywhere else, I should imagine, as we embark on this MBM-Clocko amalgam which will end up being something, one way or another.

7.45pm BST

Marcelo Bielsa talks! “Both Roofe and Bamford are options for number nine, but Roofe is in a good moment. Swansea are a very difficult test, they have very good players. Their style of play is attractive.” Bielsa was communicating in English, incidentally, asking questions of his interpreter rather than simply talking through him. His interpreter, who has been working with him since his days at Marseille, is by all accounts a French academic and world-renowned expert in USA-Cuba relations. This fact registers 11 out of 10 on the Bielsa-o-meter.

7.38pm BST

Graham Potter speaks! “Fer and Naughton both give us good experience. Leroy has been coming off the bench and helping us, and I thought it was the right time for him to start. It’s nice to have their know-how on the pitch. It’s slightly tactical but it freshens us up. We have to adapt, we have to have a plan. We’re looking forward to a test under the lights at the Liberty against a good team.”

7.33pm BST

Rotherham make just one change to the side that lost at Leeds on Saturday. Ryan Manning makes his full debut, replacing Sean Raggett. Under-fire Hull boss Nigel Adkins makes two swaps from the team booed off the park against Blackburn at the weekend. Reece Burke and Daniel Batty return from injury; Steven Kingsley is out.

7.29pm BST

Derby County make four changes to the team that went down 2-1 at Millwall last weekend. Craig Forsyth, George Evans, Mason Bennett and David Nugent are in; Scott Malone, Martyn Waghorn, Bradley Johnson and Florian Jozefzoon make way. Ipswich drew 1-1 with Aston Villa at the weekend with ten men; the dismissed Tayo Edun is replaced by Grant Ward.

7.22pm BST

QPR ring the changes after their 7-1 skelping at the Hawthorns. Angel Rangel makes his debut, while Alex Baptiste, Pawel Wszolek and Conor Washington also start. Osman Kakay, Jordan Cousins, Matt Smith and Joel Lynch miss out. Bristol City make two changes to the team that lost 2-0 at home to Middlesbrough. Korey Smith and Jamie Paterson are replaced by Matty Taylor and Niclas Eliasson.

7.15pm BST

Swansea City make two changes to the XI sent out for the goalless draw at Birmingham last Friday. Leroy Fer and Kyle Naughton come in; Tom Carroll and Joel Asoro step down. Leeds, flying high on confidence, name exactly the same team that beat Rotherham 2-0 at the weekend.

6.55pm BST

Derby County: Carson, Forsyth, Bryson, Tomori, Keogh, Mount, Lawrence, Evans, Bennett, Nugent, Bogle.
Ipswich Town: Bialkowski, Donacien, Nsiala, Chambers, Knudsen, Chalobah, Skuse, Nolan, Ward, Edwards, Harrison.

QPR: Ingram, Rangel, Leistner, Baptiste, Bidwell, Scowen, Luongo, Wszolek, Freeman, Eze, Washington.
Bristol City: Maenpaa, Pisano, Webster, Brownhill, Taylor, Weimann, Watkins, Kelly, Eliasson, Pack, Hunt.

6.25pm BST

Never mind the ongoing brilliance of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, the internal politics at Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United, the brave new world of Unai Emery’s Arsenal, or the competent defending of Jurgen Klopp’s LIverpool ... the story of the season so far has surely been told by Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United, where some sort of revolution appears to be taking place.

The former Argentina, Chile, Athletic Bilbao and Marseille coach has hit the ground running at Elland Road. It’s four wins out of four so far this season; can he make it five from five at Swansea City, who are freshly cashiered from the Premier League and have started confidently themselves under new man Graham Potter? It could be a very instructive evening in south Wales.

Derby County v Ipswich Town
Queens Park Rangers v Bristol City
Rotherham United v Hull City
Swansea City v Leeds United

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The Fiver | All the grace and style of one of Paul Scholes's trademark tackles

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It’s not exactly breaking news to report that all is not sunshine and light right now at Manchester United. On Sunday, while neighbours City sealed their sixth league title if the tone of the response to their sticking a few past crack 1920s outfit Huddersfield Town counts for anything, a travelling circus troupe currently trading under the United brand were going down at Brighton. United performed with all the joy of men who knew they had to travel back home on Southern Railway, and the mood wasn’t much better in the stands, where José Mourinho had a face on, and where Ed Woodward had a face on.

Related: Paul Pogba’s agent swipes at Scholes and adds to Manchester United chaos

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Chelsea 3-2 Arsenal: Premier League – as it happened

Marcos Alonso settled a thriller that gave us five goals, but could have produced many, many more

7.51pm BST

Dominic Fifield’s match report has landed! And that signals the end of this MBM report. It’s been quite a rollercoaster ride. Congratulations to Chelsea, commiserations to Arsenal. Hope you enjoy the rest of your Saturday night, whoever you support.

Related: Marcos Alonso strikes late as Chelsea beat Arsenal in five-goal thriller

Related: Maurizio Sarri emerges with points from new boys’ wild helter-skelter | Amy Lawrence

7.50pm BST

Maurizio Sarri speaks! “It was a wonderful game, a wonderful match. It was very hard for us, but we did well. We were in control of the match. We have to work, because in 15 minutes we conceded four or five opportunities, so we have to work.”

7.45pm BST

Unai Emery speaks to BT Sport. “The first half, we created good chances to score. For that I am happy. They had chances to score, and it was 2-0 for them, but our reaction was good. The half-time was good for us. We tried to gain control and create chances, but we did not keep possession. We had more chances, but we didn’t do it. We are playing with midfielders who are 19 and 22 years old, they will improve with experience.” Huge credit to Emery, who isn’t hiding from the media despite Arsenal’s tough start to the season. He could easily claim his English isn’t quite up to speed yet, and give the TV the big bodyswerve, but he comes out and communicates very well.

7.36pm BST

Eden Hazard is asked whether Maurizio Sarri should be given time to implement his ideas. His answer suggests nobody at Chelsea is hiding behind the age-old Transitional Season excuse. “In the Premier League we don’t have time. We just want to win game after game. But he is a good manager, like we had before. We just want to enjoy winning games.”

7.31pm BST

Chelsea were deserved winners of a very strange match indeed. They were the dominant force throughout, against a team whose defence can most charitably be described as a work in progress. They should have had a hatful. But then, so should Arsenal, whose performance was beyond erratic: as a creative force, there’s not much wrong with them. Despite being overrun for most of the game, Arsenal could have ended up, absurdly, as winners had they shown even basic competence in front of goal. Just one of those odd affairs. Given we’re so early into the reigns of both Maurizio Sarri and Unai Emery, it’s unfair to draw too many conclusions. Expect both teams to be put through some more defensive drills in training on Monday morning, though.

7.22pm BST

And that’s that. What a trip.

7.22pm BST

90 min +3: One last chance for Arsenal to launch a Hail Mary. Guendouzi sends it long. It’s intercepted, and Hazard and Giroud tear upfield, two on one. Hazard dribbles into the box, then lays off to Giroud on his left. Giroud’s desperate to score against his old club, but his low bang is smothered by Cech.

7.20pm BST

90 min +2: Kante bursts down the left and nearly opens Arsenal up. Not quite.

7.19pm BST

90 min +1: It’s gone scrappy, and Chelsea are more than happy as the clock ticks on.

7.18pm BST

90 min: Nearly! Ramsey latches onto a loose ball, bouncing to the right of the Chelsea D. He unleashes a screaming looper past Kepa and inches over the bar. There will be three added minutes.

7.17pm BST

89 min: Bellerin crosses deep from the right. Too deep. Time is seriously against Arsenal now. Is there one last twist to this berserk match?

7.16pm BST

87 min: Alonso embarks on basic run down the left. There’s nobody in red anywhere near him! Where is Bellerin (pt. XXXVIII)? Alonso reaches the byline, meanders into the box, and cuts back for Giroud, whose attempt to find the top left is denied by Cech.

7.14pm BST

86 min: Giroud flicks the ball down the inside-left channel to release Hazard into the area. He shoots low from a tight angle, but Cech is equal to it.

7.14pm BST

85 min: Bellerin makes a determined romp down the right wing, but Alonso refuses to let him glide inside.

7.11pm BST

83 min: Arsenal win a free kick out on the left, and parlay it into a corner on the right. That comes to nothing, and Hazard very nearly romps up the other end on the break. Arsenal are grateful to the promising young midfielder Guendouzi for putting a stop to his gallop.

7.10pm BST

Lacazette plays a poor backwards pass that puts Chelsea in. Hazard dribbles down the left, and makes it to the byline. He flicks low, towards the near post, where Alonso sidefoots powerfully past Cech! So simple. But what was Lacazette doing?

7.07pm BST

78 min: Mustafi is booked for coming through the back of Hazard. Then Pedro is sent skittering down the left. His cross finds the head of Kante, ten yards out. Kante flashes his header over the bar.

7.06pm BST

77 min: Ramsey, just inside the Chelsea box on the right, has a low diagonal whack at goal. Kepa fumbles, then recovers. Aubameyang, having gone for the loose ball, lightly clatters the keeper. Kepa is furious, but the striker had every right to go for that. The referee agrees. We play on.

7.05pm BST

76 min: Arsenal shift the ball right to left through Ramsey and Lacazette to Monreal, who has space in front of him as he enters the box. A heavy touch allows Azpilicueta to block. A chance gone.

7.03pm BST

75 min: Alexandre Lacazette comes on for Alex Iwobi. Chelsea make a change too: Olivier Giroud comes on to face his old club, Alvaro Morta making way.

7.01pm BST

73 min: Luiz sends the free kick up over the wall and back down towards the top-left corner. It’s punched clear with great purpose by Cech.

7.00pm BST

72 min: Torreira is booked for a cynical trip on Kovacic as the Croatian dribbles down the inside left. This is a free kick in a very dangerous position.

6.59pm BST

71 min: Chelsea have had 88 percent of the possession during the last five minutes. Right now, there’s only one team winning this. But we’ve been fooled by this game before.

6.58pm BST

70 min: Hazard spins down the left and zips clear of Bellerin. He reaches the byline and fizzes a low ball across the face of goal. There’s nobody in blue lurking to snaffle an easy goal.

6.57pm BST

68 min: Mesut Ozil is replaced by Aaron Ramsey. He takes an age to troop off.

6.55pm BST

67 min: Chelsea continue to ping it around. Azpilicueta curls in a cross from the right, but Morata can’t beat Ozil to the header at the far post.

6.54pm BST

65 min: Arsenal are being pinned back in their final third right now. Papastathopoulos has a couple of chances to clear, but his headers upfield aren’t particularly useful. Pedro has two digs from distance. Neither come off.

6.52pm BST

64 min: Corner for Chelsea on the left. The ball’s worked to Jorginho, who is in a ludicrous amount of space on the edge of the box. He takes a touch and shoots ... not particularly well, given the time he had. His shot, sent towards the bottom left, takes a wicked deflection but Cech is able to change direction and gather.

6.51pm BST

63 min: Chelsea ping it around patiently. Hazard suddenly slips a ball down the middle and Morata is free in the box! His low shot is blocked by Cech, and he’s offside anyway.

6.50pm BST

62 min: Some pinball in the Arsenal box. Azpilicueta can’t find anyone with a low cross; Pedro has a shot that’s immediately blocked.

6.49pm BST

61 min: A double substitution by Chelsea, as Willian and Ross Barkley are replaced by Eden Hazard and debutant Mateo Kovacic.

6.48pm BST

60 min: Iwobi bursts with great belief down the middle of the park ... then with options either side, plays a slide-rule pass out of play for a goal kick.

6.46pm BST

58 min: A loose backwards header in the midfield by Jorginho. Ozil latches onto it and helps it forward to Aubameyang, who scoots free of the last man and buries a shot into the bottom left. But the flag’s up, correctly; the striker needlessly went too early.

6.45pm BST

57 min: Pedro has a belt from the edge of the area. Papastathopoulos blocks, but Barkley picks up the loose ball, gently chips it down the inside-right channel, and chases after it himself. Breaking into the area, he sends a low diagonal shot towards the bottom left. Cech, at full stretch, fingertips round the post. That’s a glorious effort, and an even better save. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.

6.44pm BST

56 min: Morata wins a corner off Mustafi down the right. Willian hoicks it long, but nobody in a retro 80s blue shirt can get their head to it at the back stick.

6.42pm BST

54 min: Alonso and Willian try to open Arsenal up with some neat one-twos down the left. Not quite. “This is like watching an episode of Robot Wars,” opines Hubert O’Hearn. “Two mindless, defenceless, attacking machines absolutely bludgeoning one another. Can we get Dara O Briain on play-by-play please?”

6.41pm BST

52 min: Arsenal are caught out playing from the back. Pedro robs Mustafi and lays off for Kante, who has a shot from the edge of the box. Papastathopoulos blocks, then falls on the ball. Chelsea claim a hand ball and a penalty, but there’s no way they’re getting that: there was little contact with ball and arm, and there was no intent anyway.

6.39pm BST

51 min: Bellerin races down the right and loops a cross into the centre. Aubameyang and Monreal confuse each other as the ball drops towards them, level with the left-hand post. Chelsea are able to clear.

6.38pm BST

50 min: Guendouzi lofts a pass down the middle. More juice on it, and Aubameyang was tearing clear on goal. As it is, Luiz is able to intercept.

6.37pm BST

48 min: Barkley bustles out of a pocket on the left and makes off towards the Arsenal box. The ball’s rolled across to Pedro, to the right of the D; he attempts a curler into the top left. It’s high and wide. And this game is still as open as it was in the first half.

6.35pm BST

47 min: The ball’s launched long for Aubameyang, who dribbles past Luiz with great ease, then fires a low cross through the six-yard box. Ozil wasn’t far away from meeting that and running it into the net.

6.33pm BST

Right, we’re off again! Chelsea get the ball rolling for a half of football that can’t be more outré than the first 45. It simply can’t be. Surely? Anyway, Arsenal have made a change, bringing on Lucas Torreira for the trundling Granit Xhaka. Meanwhile here’s Kári Tulinius: “Smart people like to say that the World Cup is a lagging indicator, and no longer sets the tone for football globally. But this game is only a politically motivated pitch invasion and a rain-soaked president short of being as weird as the last World Cup final. Let’s hope this is a trend.”

6.25pm BST

Half-time listening:

6.19pm BST

How on earth do you parse all that information?! Chelsea could easily be leading 6-2. Arsenal, an absolute shambles at the back but in their element up front, probably should be leading 6-2. As it is, it’s merely 2-2. Merely 2-2! That was less a half of football, more a 47-minute hallucination.

6.17pm BST

45 min +1: This is getting really silly now. Bellerin feeds Mkhitaryan down the right. Mkhitaryan reaches the byline and cuts back ... whereupon Iwobi becomes the third Arsenal player to clank one over the bar from the penalty spot, missing an open goal!

6.16pm BST

45 min: There will be two added minutes of this first half. Can there be another 22?

6.15pm BST

44 min: Iwobi twists and turns down the left. He crosses low towards the near post. Aubameyang sends a first-time slapshot inches wide of the bottom left. Arsenal are utterly transformed! As are Chelsea. This half of football has been positively psychedelic.

6.14pm BST

43 min: Guendouzi cuts in from the left and forces Arrizabalaga to scrabble around by his right-hand post. It’s only fair to point out how poor Chelsea are defending now.

6.12pm BST

Bellerin slips in Mkhitaryan down the right. Mkhitaryan pulls a ball back. It’s Arsenal’s third gilt-edged chance from the penalty spot! And this one’s converted, Iwobi smashing the ball straight down the middle and high into the net. Arsenal are level!

6.11pm BST

40 min: Arsenal have visibly grown in confidence, though. An awful lot of pinging around in midfield. Then ...

6.10pm BST

38 min: This game is weird. Arsenal have been so bad at the back, yet they’re only a goal adrift of Chelsea and have missed two open goals. Kante goes romping down the right and lays off to Morata, whose curling effort from 20 yards, aimed for the top right, is tipped over spectacularly by Cech. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.

6.08pm BST

Monreal robs Willian 30 yards from goal. He feeds Iwobi, who drifts left before pulling a ball back for Mkhitaryan. He pearls a shot into the bottom left from the edge of the box, Arrizabalaga left with no chance!

6.06pm BST

36 min: Pedro tries to curl one into the bottom right from the edge of the box. Cech snaffles that one easily. Pedro had options either side then; it was maybe the wrong decision to shoot.

6.06pm BST

34 min: Willian is found in acres down the left again. Bellerin was running infield at the time. Willian wanders to the byline and cuts back for Kante, whose shot from the penalty spot is blocked. Arsenal’s right wing is being ripped to shreds. Bellerin is freestyling all over the place, and he’s not getting much support from Mkhitaryan further up the flank.

6.04pm BST

33 min: The thing is, Arsenal have been outplayed thoroughly, and yet should be level: they’ve carved out two magnificent chances. There’s not a lot wrong with them going forward, when they slip into attack mode. Unfortunately, they don’t just have one job.

6.03pm BST

32 min: Another absurd Arsenal miss! Ozil has a shot from the edge of the box. It’s blocked by Jorginho, but the rebound is worked wide left to Iwobi, who reaches the byline and pulls one back for Mkhitaryan. And it’s almost a facsimile copy of the Aubameyang miss, as he leans back and shins his shot over the bar. For goodness sake!

6.01pm BST

30 min: Bellerin runs the ball straight out of play as he makes his way down the right. In the dugout, Unai Emery is bent over staring at the floor. He snaps back up, but looks thoroughly disheartened right now.

5.59pm BST

28 min: Willian floats it towards the right-hand post. Alonso rises highest, but can’t find Morata with his knock-down. Every time Chelsea go forward, they look like scoring. Arsenal are a shell-shocked shambles right now.

5.58pm BST

27 min: Xhaka, who has a face on, is booked for a late slide on Pedro. Then Mustafi is late on Morata, though he’s not punished for that one. A lot of frustrated Arsenal players out there. Anyway, this is a free kick in the middle of the Arsenal half.

5.56pm BST

25 min: Willian is allowed an absurd amount of space in the midfield. Eventually Papastathopoulos steps in to dispossess him, but the Chelsea man was given far too much time to consider what to do there. Another second and he was setting Morata on his way again.

5.54pm BST

24 min: Willian dribbles down the middle, drawing three red shirts then flicking forward with a view to releasing Morata down the middle. Mustafi makes a last-ditch interception, or Chelsea were through on goal again.

5.53pm BST

22 min: Fifty-five seconds elapsed between Aubameyang’s dreadful miss and Morata’s goal. It’s a thin line between success and failure in the Premier League all right. Arsenal will need to take succour from the way they carved out that chance; there’s little else for them to feel good about right now.

5.52pm BST

Azpilicueta launches long down the right. One ball, and Morata is running at Mustafi, the only Arsenal defender still in the game! Where is the Arsenal defence?! Morata cuts inside, turning Mustafi and immediately slamming a low shot into the bottom right past the rooted Cech! So, so easy for Chelsea.

5.50pm BST

19 min: What a miss! Arsenal have a golden opportunity to equalise. Guendouzi cuts Chelsea’s back line to ribbons with a glorious pass down the inside-right channel. Bellerin is free. He reaches the byline and pulls one back for Aubameyang, who is free on the spot, Arrizabalaga out of the picture. But he casually flicks his shot over the bar! And what a costly error, because ...

5.48pm BST

17 min: Aubameyang goes racing down the right, enters the Chelsea box, and tries to beat Arrizabalaga at his near post. That’s not going to happen. The keeper claims. But that’s a bit better from Arsenal, whose best form of defence may well be attack today.

5.47pm BST

16 min: Willian slips a pass down the left for Alonso, who again has a start on Bellerin. Arsenal are very lucky that Alonso blooters a wild cross out of play on the right.

5.45pm BST

14 min: Arsenal are seriously rocking here. Willian, deep on the left, curls a diagonal pass towards Pedro, who nearly latches onto it just inside the box. Cech is out quickly to spot the danger. On the touchline, Unai Emery is doing quite a lot of hard frowning.

5.43pm BST

13 min: Arsenal are all over the shop! Luiz lifts a pass down the inside-left channel and releases Kante, who has nipped between Papastathopoulos and Mustafi. Kante reaches the area, checks, and tees up Barkley, who sends a looper over Cech from the edge of the box ... but just over the bar.

5.42pm BST

11 min: Not sure where Mustafi and Papastathopoulos were there either. The derby atmosphere in Stamford Bridge has now segued into Party Mode.

5.40pm BST

And this is the opening goal, very much with the run of play. Jorginho is deep inside his own half, and slides a pass down the left for Alonso, who is in acres on the wing! Bellerin away walkabout again. Alonso races towards the box and rolls a ball across for Pedro, who calmly sidefoots into the bottom right. Cech had no chance. Arsenal’s defending was pitiful.

5.39pm BST

8 min: But suddenly Arsenal break forward. Iwobi makes off down the left, and feeds Monreal on the overlap. Monreal whips low to the near post. Ozil meets the cross, opening his body and sidefooting towards the bottom right. Just wide. So close to the opening goal against the run of play!

5.38pm BST

7 min: Arsenal are struggling to keep hold of the ball in these early stages. Chelsea stroke it around in the speculative style. The derby atmosphere meanwhile keeps bubbling away.

5.37pm BST

5 min: Jorginho drops deep to quarterback. He wedges a chip down the inside-left channel. Bellerin has gone walkabout, and Barkley is in acres, romping towards the box! But Jorginho’s pass is a little bit too heavy, dropping in front of Barkley then spinning off for a goal kick. Lovely idea by the Italian playmaker; terrible defending by Bellerin.

5.34pm BST

4 min: Pedro sashays in from the right and looks to send a power curler into the top left. It’s high and wide, but not by much, and it elicits a few ooooooohs from the crowd.

5.34pm BST

3 min: Now it’s Luiz’s turn to have a whack from a long way out. He strides down the middle and larrups an effort over the bar from the best part of 35 yards. Full marks for ambition, if nothing else.

5.33pm BST

2 min: Apart from that speculative effort, there’s been no early drama. Chelsea stroke the ball around the back awhile, in order to reacquaint themselves with the old place.

5.32pm BST

30-odd seconds. Aubameyang has a dig from distance. He doesn’t get any power behind the shot, and the most expensive keeper in the world, Kepa Arrizabalaga, has an easy first save to make at his new home.

5.30pm BST

And we’re off! Arsenal get the ball rolling. “A key battle of styles will be Luiz-Guendouzi. Their hair, I mean. Who was it who said that football is a game that you play with your hair? Johan Coiffe?” Peter Oh, ladies and gentlemen. He’s here all week, try the Burton’s Fish & Chips.

5.27pm BST

The teams are out! Chelsea are in their famous blue shirts; Arsenal sport their iconic red tops with white sleeves. There’s a fantastic derby-day atmosphere at Stamford Bridge, as the Liquidator pours out of the stadium speakers. We’ll be off in a minute!

5.09pm BST

Pre-match repast pt. II. In lieu of Observer Food Monthly interviews with former Chelsea stars, here’s a picture of Maurizio Sarri sucking on a cigarette butt. It’s the taste!

4.55pm BST

Pre-match meal. Pie? Hotdog? Burger? Wagon Wheel? Or something else entirely? Tony Adams would plump, every time, for fish and chips. The real stuff, not the eye-watering baked snack produced by Burton’s and purchased in disproportionate quantities by a certain generation of football supporter. The Arsenal living legend talks to Observer Food Monthly.

Related: Tony Adams: ‘I put down alcohol. But I couldn’t put down fish and chips’

4.43pm BST

If it ain’t broke ... Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri names the same team he sent out at Huddersfield last week. If Olivier Giroud wants to match Cesc Fabregas’s feat of scoring Premier League goals for both sides in this fixture, he’ll have to come off the bench. He’s still not quite up to full match fitness after his lengthy World Cup adventure; the same applies to Eden Hazard and Mateo Kovačić, who also kick back in the dugout.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery makes two changes to the team named against Manchester City last weekend. Ainsley Maitland-Niles is injured, while Aaron Ramsey drops to the bench. In their place: Nacho Monreal and Alex Iwobi. Still no start for midfield dynamo Lucas Torreira.

Related: Lucas Torreira, the man from Fray Bentos, can beef up Arsenal’s midfield | Amy Lawrence

4.32pm BST

Chelsea: Arrizabalaga, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso, Kante, Jorginho, Barkley, Willian, Morata, Pedro.
Subs: Hazard, Caballero, Moses, Kovacic, Giroud, Zappacosta, Christensen.

Arsenal: Cech, Bellerin, Papastathopoulos, Mustafi, Monreal, Guendouzi, Xhaka, Mkhitaryan, Ozil, Iwobi, Aubameyang.
Subs: Elneny, Ramsey, Lacazette, Torreira, Lichtsteiner, Leno, Welbeck.

11.22am BST

Unai Emery’s deep-end introduction to English football continues at Stamford Bridge. For history is not on the new Arsenal manager’s side today. This is not a place Arsenal have enjoyed of late: Chelsea have beaten them on five of their last six visits. Throw in the fact that the Gunners have lost seven of their last eight away fixtures in the Premier League, and it would appear they’re preparing to enter the lion’s den this evening armed with neither whip nor chair.

Arsenal have kept clean sheets on their last two trips to Fulham Broadway, mind, in league and cup. They also enjoyed threatening spells against the champions Manchester City last weekend. And there’s a sense that this is something of a free hit for Emery, a game he’s not expected to win as it’s come so early in the cycle, before he’s had a chance for his methods to bear fruit.

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Cardiff City 0-0 Newcastle United: Premier League – as it happened

Cardiff frustrated Newcastle as Isaac Hayden was sent off and Kenedy missed a last-gasp penalty

3.08pm BST

And with that, this MBM powers down. A good point for both teams, though Newcastle came so close to snatching all three. Hope to see you again for tonight’s Chelsea-Arsenal game!

Related: Kenedy misses penalty for 10-man Newcastle in goalless draw at Cardiff

3.06pm BST

A much happier Neil Warnock speaks! “I think sometimes you don’t get what you deserved. But if that penalty went in, it would have been a double whammy. Kenedy shouldn’t have been on the pitch really. And the decision was borderline as well. But I was pleased with the lads, delighted with the fans, it’s good to be back at home. It was poetic justice, the miss, given the lad who was taking it. The least we deserved was a point. It was pleasing. I thought Hayden’s challenge was a red card. In fairness to the referee, I didn’t see Kenedy’s kick-out, I never saw it so you can’t complain. We’ve got to work hard on the training ground, we can do better in the last third.”

2.59pm BST

Rafa Benitez, not in the best of moods, talks to Sky Sports. “It was a difficult game. We had some problems in the right-back position. The designated penalty taker was Matt Ritchie, but he was not on the pitch, and Kenedy was second. I do not want to talk about the referee. I saw a lot of things, but I do not want to talk about the referee. It is a pity, but we were fighting with ten men, so we must be happy with a point. We have to move forward. We had to defend well, and take our chances, but we didn’t do it. The team got a point in a difficult situation.”

2.52pm BST

Ben Fisher was at the Cardiff City Stadium. He didn’t see any goals, but there was plenty to talk about in his match report nonetheless. Here’s his take.

Related: Kenedy misses penalty for 10-man Newcastle in goalless draw at Cardiff

2.45pm BST

Should Jonjo Shelvey have taken the ball off Kenedy for that late penalty, given how badly the Brazilian was playing, and how poor his free kick had been moments before? The two players certainly looked at each other. But on Sky, Craig Bellamy argues that Kenedy was almost certainly the designated penalty taker, and that Shelvey would have been risking the wrath of Rafa had he intervened; Bellamy recalls how he was once fined by Benitez for taking the ball off the named penalty taker while at Liverpool. The best laid plans, etc.

2.35pm BST

For a goalless draw, that was great fun. Cardiff were probably the better side; in Josh Murphy they certainly boasted the man of the match. And Newcastle were very fortunate to swerve two red cards in the first half, Kenedy kicking out, Javi Manquillo repeatedly tugging at Murphy’s shirt. But on the flip side, they held Cardiff at bay, keeping their shape for the most part, even when Isaac Hayden saw red. You could argue that Hayden was unlucky to see yellow, while Harry Arter could easily have walked. And they did come closest to scoring, earning a penalty kick, even if Kenedy wasted it. You can probably slice that little lot any way you want, but a draw seems fair enough, now it’s all come down. Both teams are now up and running in the 2018-19 Premier League, anyway, so everyone’s got something to take home with them.

2.28pm BST

And that’s the final act of the game! Both teams have their first point of the season. That was scrappy yet entertaining. Neil Warnock is all smiles; Rafa Benitez less so. But on balance, a deserved draw.

2.26pm BST

90 min +6: Kenedy sends the penalty straight at Etheridge! That’s awful! Cardiff will be happy he escaped that first-half red card now.

2.25pm BST

90 min +5: Muto makes off down the left. He crosses. Morrison slides in, arms raised, and blocks. The referee points to the spot!

2.24pm BST

90 min +4: Zohore fouls Clark, then stands over the Newcastle player, delivering some beneficial advice. Lascelles comes in to shove Zohore away; everyone simmers down quickly enough, though.

2.22pm BST

90 min +3: Mendez-Laing drops a shoulder and skins Clark on the outside. But upon reaching the byline, his resulting cross is wild. A neat dribble, though.

2.22pm BST

90 min +2: So having said that, Newcastle faff about for a couple of minutes in the game-management style.

2.20pm BST

90 min: There will be six added minutes. Commendably, both teams are striving for the three points.

2.20pm BST

89 min: Nope! Shelvey allows Kenedy to have a go. Kenedy rattles the ball straight into the Cardiff wall. That was beyond hopeless. On the bench, Rafa sits back in his seat, adjusts his glasses, and descends into a quiet seethe.

2.18pm BST

88 min: Diame is clumsily bundled over on the edge of the Cardiff D. This is a free kick in a very dangerous position. Shelvey stands over it, licking his lips. Is this going to be a sensational smash and grab?

2.17pm BST

87 min: Mendez-Laing wins a corner for Cardiff down the left. The set piece drops to Zohore, on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. The striker can’t guide a header on target. Then second later, another chance for him as Arter flicks on down the inside-right. Zohore, not for the first time, gets in an awful tangle and can’t twist his body to get a proper header away.

2.15pm BST

86 min: Shelvey plays long down the middle, and finds Joselu on the edge of the box. Joselu takes a touch to the left, hoping to shoot, but once again a shot is not forthcoming.

2.15pm BST

85 min: From the throw, deep in Cardiff territory, Jacob Murphy crosses long. Kenedy tries to bring the ball down to shoot, but can’t get an effort away.

2.14pm BST

84 min: Shelvey sends the corner into the box. Bennett heads it straight back to him. Shelvey cuts inside and shoots; the ball’s deflected out for another corner. Shelvey sends that one into the mixer, and Bamba eyebrows it away for a throw.

2.12pm BST

83 min: Paterson comes on for Hoilett.

2.11pm BST

82 min: Jacob Murphy makes down the Newcastle right; his deep cross forces Morrison into conceding a corner on the other side. Before it can be taken, Hoilett needs some attention from the physio, and it looks as though he won’t be able to continue.

2.10pm BST

81 min: Diame, on the right-hand corner of the Cardiff box, has a speculative shot. Etheridge, who hasn’t had much to do this afternoon, gathers without fuss.

2.10pm BST

80 min: Joselu threatens to break upfield. Arter cynically brings him down with a fairly fierce swipe. That’s a yellow card. Shelvey wants a red to be shown, presumably arguing that Hayden’s challenge was no worse, and certainly less premeditated. But the referee’s never changing his mind.

2.07pm BST

78 min: And another change for the hosts, as the superb Josh Murphy is replaced by Mendez-Laing.

2.06pm BST

76 min: Arter unleashes a low drive from 25 yards. It’s always curling wide left, and Dubravka had it covered anyway. Cardiff then make their first sub of the day: Reid comes on for Camarasa, making his home debut after his big-money move from Bristol City.

2.04pm BST

74 min: Hoilett has a skitter down the right but upon reaching the byline sends a cross far too deep.

2.03pm BST

73 mins: That sending off has taken the sting out of this game, as Cardiff work out how best to leverage their one-man advantage, and Newcastle suss out their new defensive shape.

2.02pm BST

71 min: Newcastle make their final change: Jacob Murphy, twin brother of Cardiff man-of-the-match-so-far Josh, comes on for Ritchie. They’re only the second pair of twins to play in the same Premier League match against each other, after Will and Michael Keane competed for Hull and Burnley respectively in 2016.

2.00pm BST

69 min: If Newcastle consider that sending off a bit harsh, they may reflect on the ones they got away with in the first half: the two tugs of Manquillo and the kick-out by Kenedy.

1.57pm BST

67 min: The sub walks! He slides through the back of Murphy, and is shown red. His studs were showing, and he crumped them into the back of Murphy’s leg. It looked clumsy more than malicious, but the referee considered him out of control, and off he goes.

1.55pm BST

65 min: Newcastle make their second change: Muto comes on in place of Perez.

1.54pm BST

64 min: The corner is sent straight out of play for a goal kick. Shame, considering the quality of the build-up. Murphy has been excellent for Cardiff today.

1.54pm BST

63 min: Murphy plays a stunning pass down the inside-right channel, releasing Zohore on the turn. Zohore reaches the byline and fizzes a low cross, hoping to find Hoilett. Shelvey slides in to concede a corner, saving a certain tap-in.

1.51pm BST

62 min: Camarasa is booked for a cynical tug on Perez’s shoulder.

1.51pm BST

61 min: Hayden brings Hoilett down as the Cardiff winger cuts in from the left. Hoilett takes the free kick himself, and it’s abysmal: Cardiff have loaded the box, but the delivery is wafted straight down Dubravka’s throat.

1.50pm BST

60 min: Ritchie and Bennett compete under a long ball down the Newcastle left. Ritchie very nearly spins his opponent, hoping to get in on goal. But the bounce isn’t kind to him. Cardiff were nearly undone by a simple route-one launch there.

1.48pm BST

58 min: Murphy tears down the left yet again. Hayden appears more of a challenge than Manquillo, though, and this time it’s the Cardiff man who ends up dragging his opponent down in frustration as he loses a footrace.

1.46pm BST

56 min: Murphy comes in from the left and rolls a pass forward to Zohore, who tees up Ralls for a shot from distance. It’s blocked. But Cardiff are looking much more likely to break the deadlock than their visitors.

1.44pm BST

54 min: Hoilett drives down the right, then checks and passes back to Ralls, who whips a gorgeous cross into the box. Lascelles and Clark are split, and the ball drops onto the head of Zohore, six yards out. It’s a glorious chance, but his body shape is all out of whack, and he heads clumsily wide right.

1.43pm BST

53 min: A period of Newcastle possession, though it’s mainly Shelvey sitting deep, pinging passes left and right and receiving the ball back again. Nobody’s quite sure what to do.

1.41pm BST

51 min: Cardiff have certainly woken up. Hoilett takes a free kick out on the left which is only half cleared. Bennett then crosses for Bamba, who heads over at the far post. Newcastle by contrast look collectively dozy right now. They need to snap to it.

1.40pm BST

50 min: Hoilett nips in down the right as Newcastle faff around at the back. He cuts in from the wing and shoots early for the bottom left; Lascelles gets in the road.

1.39pm BST

49 min: Arter and Ritchie bang into each other in the midfield. It’s an accidental collision between two former Bournemouth team-mates, but Arter’s taken a whack to the head, and needs an ice-pack on his poor noggin. Happily, he’ll be OK to continue, by the looks of it.

1.37pm BST

47 min: This half hasn’t really started yet. “Eleven years on from that Liverpool side, the only really weak spots are Insua, Palletta and the re-animated corpse of property tycoon Fowler,” quips Paul Morris. “Considering the game took place a few days after a tense penalty shootout against Chelsea in the Champions League semi-finals, the selection doesn’t seem that egregious to me. Besides, I thought it was the actions of third-party player owners, superagent Kia Joorabchian and West Ham to bring Tevez (and, to a lesser extent, Mascherano) to London that were responsible for Sheffield United going down? Should make for some interesting quotes from Warnock when Jorge Mendes’ Contact Book finishes healthily above Cardiff this season.”

1.35pm BST

And we’re off again! Cardiff get the party restarted. Newcastle have made a change: the hapless Manquillo, who had been given the runaround by Murphy, could easily have picked up a second yellow card for pulling his tormentor back, and was eventually clattered by the same man, makes way for Hayden.

1.23pm BST

Half-time reading / Know Your Enemy dept. As Cardiff won promotion to the Premier League, Swansea were heading the other way. Here’s what the Swans were up to last night.

Related: Swansea’s on-form Erwin Mulder keeps out Birmingham for a draw

1.20pm BST

Dummett heads the corner over his own bar. Manquillo trots back on. And the second Cardiff corner comes to nothing. The players make for the changing rooms at the end of a half that started well but fizzled out a little. It’s fiercely competitive, though; here’s to a sharper second half!

1.18pm BST

45 min +2: Manquillo is up, but limping off the pitch. Hopefully that’s just a sore one, and the interval has come at the right time for him. But first Newcastle have a corner to defend.

1.16pm BST

45 min +1: Murphy slides in on Manquillo. That looked like a foul, but the referee’s giving nothing. Cardiff go upfield and win a corner on the right. But before that can be taken, Manquillo needs some treatment. He looks in some pain, clutching his left leg.

1.15pm BST

45 min: Shelvey gets a dipping free kick on target, but it’s all too measured and careful, and an easy one for Etheridge to gather. The Cardiff fans holler accordingly.

1.14pm BST

44 min: Kenedy drops a shoulder with a view to advancing down the inside-left channel. He’s cynically tripped by the outstretched leg of Bamba. A free kick, to the left of the D but a few yards back. Shelvey is behind it, his eyes lit up.

1.12pm BST

42 min: Manquillo has been caught again with a good portion of Murphy’s shirt in his desperate mitt. He’s already been booked, so really is chancing his arm with that tug. But he gets away with it.

1.10pm BST

40 min: And this is better from Newcastle! Shelvey, deep on the right, curls long for Perez, racing into the Cardiff box from the left. Perez sidefoots a shot goalwards, first time, but Etheridge is out quickly to narrow the angle and deny him. Lovely football all round.

1.09pm BST

38 min: But this is better from Cardiff! Bennett chases after a fine right-to-left diagonal ball from Ralls. Near the corner flag, he loops a cross into the mixer. Zohore, six yards out, heads down but wide right. Newcastle were opened up by an incisive Cardiff move there.

1.07pm BST

37 min: Ralls sends a gentle long ball into the Newcastle box. Morrison rises and heads weakly wide of the target. Both teams are beginning to lose their way.

1.04pm BST

35 min: More space for Murphy down the left. Time to shape a cross into the area. But it curls into the arms of an unchallenged Dubravka.

1.04pm BST

33 min: Kenedy has a wild kick at Camarasa’s standing leg as the pair tussle in the middle of the park. The referee sees nothing. But if he’d clocked that, Kenedy would be walking. The red mist inexplicably came down there.

1.02pm BST

32 min: Manquillo slips a ball down the right for Kenedy, who twists, turns and earns a corner off Arter. Kenedy might have had the last touch, though. Controversy ahoy if anything comes of this. But nothing comes of this.

1.00pm BST

30 min: Murphy tries the spectacular from the free kick out on the left. It’s spectacularly bad. Goal kick.

1.00pm BST

29 min: Ritchie picks the ball up deep, and dribbles with extreme prejudice at the Cardiff back line. His attempt to release Kenedy through the middle with a sliderule pass nearly comes off ... but not quite. Murphy goes up the other end, down the left, and is dragged back by Manquillo, who goes in the book for his sauce. Free kick!

12.57pm BST

27 min: Rafa is on the touchline, steam coming out of his lugs. It’s all over a disputed throw. Not a proportionate response, but he’s perhaps mainly irritated by Cardiff’s increasing dominance, and his team’s inability to get up the pitch.

12.56pm BST

25 min: Zohore wins a header on the edge of the Newcastle box. The ball drops to Camarasa, whose shot is dragged wide left. It wouldn’t have counted anyway, as Zohore was penalised, somewhat harshly, because Lascelles jumped clean over him and landed on his back. Not sure Zohore - who is proving a real handful - did much wrong there. But the pressure on Newcastle is released.

12.54pm BST

24 min: Ritchie bursts down the right and earns a corner off Bennett. Shelvey goes over to take, receiving a hot reception from the Cardiff faithful as he does so. His delivery is cleared by the first man, much to the amusement of the crowd.

12.53pm BST

23 min: Camarasa, making his Cardiff debut on loan from Real Betis, sprays a simple pass into the stand. It takes time to get used to new surroundings.

12.51pm BST

21 min: Cardiff are beginning to press Newcastle back. Arter is seeing a lot of the ball; Zohore continues to cause the Newcastle defenders much stress and heartache. A good spell for the home team.

12.50pm BST

19 min: Zohore makes an almighty nuisance of himself down the right. He combines with Arter, a couple of one-twos that have Newcastle backtracking in panic. Then Murphy springs him into the area with a clever pass rolled down the channel. Zohore’s bursting into the box, but upon reaching the byline can’t find Hoilett in the middle. That was a fine, flowing move, though.

12.47pm BST

17 min: It’s gone a bit scrappy, after those early flourishes. The game’s settled.

12.45pm BST

15 min: The first lull of the game, as Cardiff stroke the ball around awhile. They don’t go anywhere in particular, but a controlled period of possession is never to be sniffed at in this division.

12.43pm BST

13 min: Zohore is shoved to the floor by Lascelles, out on the Cardiff right. Yet another chance to cause Newcastle strife at a set piece. The box is loaded. Murphy curls the free kick in from deep; Diame once again clears with a powerful header.

12.42pm BST

11 min: Ritchie bustles down the inside-right channel, his hard work eventually releasing Perez into the area. Perez shoots from a tight angle. It’s a fierce low drive, but parried well by Etheridge. This is a lot of end-to-end fun.

12.41pm BST

10 min: Diame concedes a needless corner down the right. It’s met by Bamba, six yards out. He heads down, but not particularly powerfully, allowing Perez to stick out a leg to block. Not sure Dubravka would have saved otherwise. Newcastle hack clear.

12.39pm BST

8 min: Kenedy drops a shoulder and cuts in from the right. He slaps a shot goalwards, but it’s claimed easily enough by Etheridge. An open feel to this game, albeit a hectic one: players are snapping into tackles with great purpose.

12.38pm BST

7 min: Dubravka takes his own sweet time to kick clear. He’s half charged down by Zohore. On another day, that’s pinging into the net. As it is, the ball deflects away to the Cardiff left, where Shelvey is forced to concede a free kick. Bennett takes it, and sends it straight down Dubravka’s throat.

12.36pm BST

6 min: It’s a dreary day in Cardiff, drizzle in the air. That heatwave seems a long time ago now, doesn’t it.

12.35pm BST

4 min: ... and he’s a little unlucky, because replays suggest it was Bennett who took his own man out, as three players came together for a loose ball. Happily, Hoilett is fine to continue.

12.34pm BST

3 min: Bennett’s gentle curler is headed clear easily by Diame. Shelvey, formerly of Swansea City, is getting pantomime pelters every time he touches the ball. Ritchie also attracts the crowd’s ire as he clatters into Hoillet. He’s booked ...

12.32pm BST

2 min: Zohore chases after a long Arter pass down the right. He’s clumsily bundled over by Lascelles. A free kick, and an early chance for Cardiff to load the box.

12.31pm BST

And we’re off! Newcastle get the party started. There was a perfectly polite handshake between Warnock and Benitez before kick-off, incidentally. I wouldn’t describe it as warm, exactly, but there’s nothing wrong with that.

12.27pm BST

The teams are out! Cardiff are in their famous blue, thank goodness, while Newcastle sport those storied black-and-white stripes. It’s a gorgeous sight, a real old-school feel. This would have been one hell of a showdown in the 1920s. The home choir giving it plenty. “Deeply conflicted on this one,” admits Alun Pugh. “Grew up watching Cardiff from the Grange End. Had I not worked on the Scotswood Road in the 1990s, the double relegation of Sunderland FC would have been met with a shrug rather than unalloyed glee. Anyone else here see my first game at Ninian Park? Cardiff v Torpedo Moscow, Cup Winners Cup quarter final in 1968: 5p for a programme, GBH tackling and somebody pissing on your shoes in the crush.” I suppose on balance things have changed for the better ... but even so, that sounds marvellous. What happened in the match? Cardiff made it to the semis that year, I see.

12.15pm BST

Rafa talks! “These players were working in pre-season with us, and against Tottenham they did well, especially in the second half. And our new players need time to settle down. I am confident in them. I hope for the same reaction, work and team-spirit from last week because we created chances, that is how to win games. Playing away in the Premier League is always a tough test.”

12.13pm BST

Neil Warnock speaks to Sky. “Our home form is going to be crucial, as it was last year. Our fans have been fantastic and we will need them more than ever. We’re quite pleased with what we’ve done this week and we’re looking forward to it. Last week, if we took our chances, we’d have been in it. If we stay in the game today, we will have a chance.”

12.08pm BST

Newcastle’s No 9. Salomón Rondón is the latest man to wear one of the most famous shirts in football. It’s been pulled on by the likes of Hughie Gallagher, Jackie Milburn, Malcolm Macdonald, Les Ferdinand, Andy Cole and Alan Shearer. No pressure, then. He’s been talking to Louise Taylor.

Related: Salomón Rondón: ‘Asprilla told me Newcastle was a great city for my family’

11.54am BST

Cardiff are back in the big time. It’s only their second season in the top flight in the last 56 years. But the club have quite a history nonetheless. You don’t have to look very far.

11.42am BST

Cardiff make four changes to the team named at Bournemouth last weekend. Victor Camarasa, Josh Murphy, Kenneth Zohore and Harry Arter, making his debut for the Bluebirds after being ineligible for the trip to Dean Court, are in. Lee Peltier, Callum Paterson, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and £10m striker Bobby Reid make way.

Newcastle make just one change to their opening-day teamsheet. Javier Manquillo comes in for the injured DeAndre Yedlin.

11.32am BST

Cardiff City: Etheridge, Ecuele Manga, Bamba, Morrison, Bennett, Victor Camarasa, Josh Murphy, Arter, Ralls, Hoilett, Zohore.
Subs: Richards, Smithies, Paterson, Reid, Cunningham, Mendez-Laing, Madine.

Newcastle United: Dubravka, Manquillo, Lascelles, Clark, Dummett, Ritchie, Shelvey, Diame, Kenedy, Perez, Joselu.
Subs: Ki, Murphy, Rondon, Muto, Hayden, Fernandez, Darlow.

10.50am BST

Reina, Arbeloa, Insua, Paletta, Hyypia, Pennant, Alonso, Gonzalez, Sissoko, Fowler, Bellamy. Neil Warnock wasn’t happy with Rafa Benitez’s selection for a game at Fulham back in May 2007. Liverpool had the Champions League final on their mind, Fulham won the match, and Warnock’s Sheffield United eventually went down instead. Cue recriminations, threats of legal action, etc. But the hatchet has since been buried. “Everything has been said about that,” smiles Warnock. “We’ve met a few times since. Life is too short.”

In fact, we’ve got to the stage where Warnock is heaping praise on Benitez. “The one person Newcastle can’t afford to lose is Rafa,” says the Cardiff City manager ahead of today’s love-in. It is going to be a love-in, right?

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Real Madrid 2-4 Atlético Madrid (aet; 2-2 after 90 mins): Uefa Super Cup – as it happened

Diego Costa was the star as Atlético finally got the better of city rivals Real in European competition

10.48pm BST

And then Atletico come up to get their winners medals ... and lift the Super Cup! It’s the seventh trophy Atletico have won under Diego Simeone. Diego Godin hoists it into the sky, and the players do that bouncy thing while spitting out bits of shiny ticker tape. They’ve earned the right to party: a thoroughly deserved victory. Could this be the year they finally get that Champions League monkey off their backs? It’ll take a damn fine team to stop them. Congratulations to Atletico; commiserations to Real. If the European season continues in this fashion, we’re in for a good one. Nighty night, and sweet dreams!

Related: Diego Costa double helps Atlético beat Real Madrid 4-2 in Uefa Super Cup

10.42pm BST

It might only be the Super Cup, but this means something. Atletico have never got one over on Real in Europe; this is the first time they’ve come out on top. They celebrate accordingly ... while Real look grim to a man. They wanted this badly as well, but have come off second best in a European final, something that doesn’t happen to them all that often. Words will no doubt be written about the Cristiano Ronaldo shaped hole in their side, but they were simply outperformed tonight by one of the best teams in Europe. Real go up to get their silver medals hung round their necks. Quite a few whip the medal off immediately. They’re not used to this bit.

10.38pm BST

Quite a few Atletico players have a claim to be the man of the match. Diego Godin was imperious at the back; Angel Correa came on and proved a constant menace; Saul Niguez and Koke scored wonderful goals in extra time. But their star turn tonight was unquestionably Diego Costa, who scored a sensational opener, got Atletico back into the game, and hassled fellow panto villain Sergio Ramos all night with his relentless battling. He’s such an entertaining player to watch ... unless you happen to support the side he’s bothering, of course. But that’s football for you. He was magnificent tonight.

10.34pm BST

Atletico Madrid win the 2018 Super Cup! The Europa League champions maintain their 100 percent record in this competition. They were fully deserved winners of an excellent game of football!

10.32pm BST

ET 30 min +1: One corner leads to another. But Godin and Savic aren’t to be beaten.

10.31pm BST

ET 30 min: Modric has a frustrated blast from the edge of the area, just to the right of the D. His shot hits the back of Godin. Corner.

10.31pm BST

ET 29 min: Carvajal and Modric proble down the right, but there’s no gaps in the red line across the front of the Atletico box.

10.29pm BST

ET 28 min: Vitolo goes down with cramp. Then he gets up. The clock ticks on, Atletico’s friend.

10.28pm BST

ET 27 min: Marcelo pearls a pacy cross into the Atletico box from the left. Ramos is haring into the area, hoping to get a head on it. Godin knocks it out for a corner. One corner leads to another, but nothing much comes of either of them.

10.27pm BST

ET 25 min: A free kick for Real out on the right. They load the box. Modric takes. Gimenez clears easily. Real look out of ideas.

10.25pm BST

ET 24 min: Carvajal crosses from the right. Godin clears. The ball drops to Modric on the edge of the area. It pinballs through a crowd but doesn’t deceive Oblak, who gathers on the line.

10.24pm BST

ET 22 min: Ramos is booked for a fairly blatant bodycheck on Saul Niguez.

10.23pm BST

ET 21 min: Another mistake by Varane, who is suffering a big World Cup hangover tonight, lets Vitolo in down the left. Carvajal does well to cover. Vitolo twists and turns in the area. He’s half clipped by Carvajal, but opts not to go down. He might have had a penalty there, you know.

10.22pm BST

ET 20 min: Partey slips a pass down the right for the ever-busy Correa. But the striker’s got no fuel in the tank, and opts to hold the ball up awhile instead, before blootering it off into space. He’s been excellent since coming on.

10.20pm BST

ET 19 min: Jose Maria Gimenez replaces the quite magnificent Diego Costa. In the battle of brilliant pantomime villains, he’s had the better of Sergio Ramos tonight. He leaves the pitch before he manages to get himself that second yellow card.

10.19pm BST

ET 18 min: Ramos clatters into the back of Correa, who makes sure to take a while to get back up. Ramos tries to pick him up a couple of times, but the striker isn’t having it.

10.18pm BST

ET 17 min: Diego Costa, on the right, crosses deep for Vitolo. He’s clear. He just needs to chest down softly to tee himself up for a shot ... but gets it all wrong. Varane closes him down.

10.17pm BST

And we’re off again! The final period of extra time begins. Can the European champions find the two goals they need to force a penalty shoot-out?

10.16pm BST

Well that double whammy came out of nowhere.

10.16pm BST

ET 15 min +3: Vitolo is booked for not retreating ten yards at a Real free kick. From the set piece, Correa robs Ceballos and Atletico break upfield! Correa slips the ball to Partey on his right: they’re both clear on goal! But Partey loses his balance as he bursts forward, performs a slapstick shuffle, then falls on his face! A comic moment.

10.13pm BST

ET 15 min +1: Carvajal and Costa roll off the pitch in a ball. Carvajal springs up with a view to throwing hands. Vitolo stands in between the pair to act as peacemaker. Costa is pressing buttons; Real are losing their heads in the wake of that quickfire double.

10.11pm BST

Costa barges Carvajal out of the way and makes off down the left. He cuts the ball back for Vitolo, who rolls it across the face of the box for Koke. Koke opens his body and sidefoots into the bottom-left corner. Another gorgeous finish!

10.08pm BST

ET 12 min: Toni Kroos is replaced by Borja Mayoral.

10.08pm BST

ET 11 min: Modric is booked for waving his arm in Lucas Hernandez’s face.

10.07pm BST

ET 10 min: That was a proper belter! Real look shocked; for the second time tonight, Varane has been caught snoozing, and cost his team a goal. It’s most unlike a wonderful defender.

10.05pm BST

What a sensational goal! Costa robs a sleepy Varane on the edge of the Real box. He slips the ball to Partey down the inside-left channel. Partey reaches the byline, and pulls the ball back to the penalty spot. Saul Niguez spins and sends a first-time left-foot shot into the top right, leaving Navas no chance!

10.03pm BST

ET 6 min: Carvajal earns another corner on the right. The ball’s worked to the other flank for Marcelo, who claps it clumsily out of play. It’s all Real, though they’re not getting anywhere near Oblak.

10.01pm BST

ET 5 min: Ceballos rolls an inviting ball down the left for Marcelo, who romps into space and earns a corner. From the set piece, the ball’s worked out to Carvajal, who sends a looping shot goalwards from 25 yards. It sails softly down Oblak’s throat.

9.59pm BST

ET 3 min: Real are pressing Atletico back. Lucaz Vazquez finds a bit of space down the right but his cross is headed firmly away from danger by Godin.

9.58pm BST

ET 2 min: Real ping it around quite a lot, but go absolutely nowhere. A little increase in tempo, though. “Daft mistake by Marcelo?” asks Peter Oh. “The face-buried-in-hands photo of him in your preamble was prophetic!”

9.57pm BST

And we’re off again! Real get the ball rolling for the first period of extra time. Both managers have already made three subs, but as in the World Cup, they are permitted one more in extra time. “Dundee United managed to find a winner, it’s 3-2 at Tannadice!” reports Simon McMahon. “Beat that, Super Cup.”

9.53pm BST

We’re this close to a sensational end to the game! Space for Bale down the left. He floats a cross into the box for Marcelo, who attempts to bicycle kick one into the net, in the style of the dear, departed Cristiano Ronaldo. He can only hoof the ball onto his own hand as he spins through the air. And that’s literally the last kick of the 90! We’re going to extra time! I hope these teams have some good isotonic bevvies, because everyone looked utterly spent during the last ten minutes.

9.50pm BST

90 min +2: These lads are kaput. Nobody will be looking forward to the upcoming 30 minutes of extra time.

9.49pm BST

90 min +1: Ceballos is booked for a late clip on Correa.

9.48pm BST

90 min: Thomas Lemar, who has been disappointing tonight, is replaced by Thomas Partey. There will be three minutes of added time.

9.48pm BST

89 min: Correa wins a long ball on the edge of the Real box. He nearly finds space to shoot, but lays it off to Costa on his inside. Costa has a window to shoot, but hesitates and a chance to win the cup with a hat-trick goal is gone.

9.45pm BST

88 min: Correa drops deep and slides a ball down the inside-right channel for Costa, who goes to early. The flag goes up for offside. A bit of patience there, and Real could have been in a lot of trouble.

9.44pm BST

86 min: These two teams already look knackered. Goodness knows what extra time will be like. Can somebody find a dramatic late winner?

9.42pm BST

84 min: Lucas Vazquez earns a corner on the right off his namesake Lucas Hernandez. The set piece comes to nothing, as Ramos is penalised for pushing.

9.41pm BST

83 min: Marcelo is bundled over, out on the Real left. A chance for Real to load the box. Before the free kick can be taken, Isco is replaced by Lucas Vazquez. Then the set piece is wasted.

9.39pm BST

81 min: That was a daft mistake by Marcelo, and now Atletico have their tails up! Juanfran nearly releases Costa down the right, but the flag goes up for offside. Neither team will fancy the prospect of extra time so early in the season; expect a hell-for-leather final ten minutes!

9.38pm BST

Make that two! Marcelo juggles the ball out on the Atletico right, trying to keep a ball in play. All he achieves is the gifting of the ball to Juanfran, who tears off towards the box. He cuts it back for Correa, who fizzes it low into the six-yard box, where Costa blasts home!

9.36pm BST

78 min: Juanfran tries to release Correa down the right. But his pass is a real clanker and that’s a goal kick. Atletico have had one shot on target since Costa’s 49-second goal.

9.33pm BST

76 min: Indeed no. He’s replaced by Dani Ceballos.

9.33pm BST

75 min: Casemiro goes down, feeling a leg. Not sure he’ll be able to continue.

9.31pm BST

73 min: Lemar has been quiet, but he picks up the ball deep and caresses it wide right for Juanfran, who finds Correa down the channel. Correa looks for Diego Costa in the middle with a low first-time cross. Navas gathers, but that was better by the Europa League champions.

9.30pm BST

72 min: Another change by Diego Simeone: Vitolo comes on for Rodri.

9.29pm BST

71 min: Bale romps right to left, a determined run that earns a corner. From the set piece, Varane tries to meet a cross first time and sidefoot home from the penalty spot. It’s heading goalwards, but blocked by Saul Niguez. Modric sends the loose ball miles over the bar.

9.27pm BST

69 min: A free kick for Atletico, 30 yards from the Real goal. Koke sends it into the mixer, but that’s not going to cause many problems. It’s easily cleared. Lucas Hernandez comes back at Real, crossing deep from the left. Too deep. Goal kick. Atletico haven’t really achieved much since going behind.

9.26pm BST

67 min: A bit of space for Bale down the left. He belts a low shot towards the near post. Oblak isn’t going to be beaten there, and parries.

9.24pm BST

65 min: Ramos and Costa battle for a ball down the Atletico right. Ramos slides in to concede a throw; Costa stands on the back of his neck as he runs and his opponent falls. Consider it performance art. The referee considers sending Costa off, by showing him a second yellow, but it looks as though Ramos has calmed the situation down. They are Spain colleagues, of course.

9.21pm BST

Ramos performs a little Pogba shuffle, before slotting the ball confidently into the bottom right. Textbook. The Real captain performs a big-leggy strut by way of celebration.

9.20pm BST

62 min: Bale earns a corner on the right. The set piece is sent long. Juanfran tries to head the ball away from Benzema, but handles instead. That was clumsy, and a no-brainer for the referee. Diego Costa is booked for arguing the toss.

9.19pm BST

61 min: Correa is booked for kneeing Casemiro in the coccyx. Ow! Meanwhile here’s Simon McMahon: “If the European Super Cup is lacking in atmosphere, I’m sure your other reader may be interested to know that in the Scottish Challenge Cup First Round (North), Dundee United are currently trailing 2-0 to St Johnstone under 21’s in front of one man and his dog at Tannadice. Where’s Russ Abbott when you need him?” The grass is always greener, isn’t it.

9.18pm BST

60 min: Bale has a bit of space in the middle of the park; he opens his legs and goes for it. At full pelt, he tries to drop a shoulder and make a fool of Godin. Bad idea: he’s clattered to the floor, and legally too. Oof.

9.16pm BST

58 min: Atletico make a change too. French World Cup hero Antoine Griezmann was beginning to toil, so he’s hooked in favour of Angel Correa.

9.15pm BST

57 min: This hasn’t been much of a spectacle since the restart. With this in mind, Real send on the best player of the 2018 World Cup. Here comes Luka Modric, in place of Marco Asensio.

9.14pm BST

56 min: Kroos handles as Juanfran tries to power down the right. It’s a free kick to Atletico, 30 yards from goal. Griezmann curls it in ... to nobody in particular. What a waste.

9.12pm BST

54 min: Marcelo is booked for coming through the back of Juanfran. He’s not happy about it, but it was clumsy enough.

9.10pm BST

52 min: Atletico enjoy their first prolonged period of possession of the match. They don’t do much with the ball, but it’s a marked change in tone to the first half.

9.08pm BST

50 min: Lemar goes over and has his hand accidentally trodden on by Casemiro. It’s a stinger, nothing more, but he needs a quick bit of attention before we restart. This half hasn’t got going yet.

9.07pm BST

49 min: It’s a slow, bitty match right now. Not much of an atmosphere with quite a few fans yet to retake their seats. Tum-te-tum.

9.05pm BST

47 min: Koke spins into space and flicks a ball forward for Griezmann, who nearly shuttles it down the inside-right channel to release Costa. But Varane steps in to cover.

9.03pm BST

And we’re off again! Real get the party restarted. No changes.

8.48pm BST

Half-time reading: Know your enemy.

Related: Eat, sleep and respect the ball: inside Barcelona’s modern La Masia | Jamie Fahey

8.46pm BST

And there it is! A decent half of football, considering the La Liga season hasn’t started yet. Real have had more possession, but on balance the scoreline seems about right. Nicely poised for the second half. Don’t go anywhere!

8.45pm BST

44 min: Real hog the ball but go nowhere in particular. A sense that everyone’s just waiting for the half-time whistle.

8.43pm BST

42 min: A wonderful Beckenbauer-style strut down the middle of the field by Rodri. He’s got Costa to his right, but hangs on to the ball too long and is eventually stripped of it. Youthful indecision, but for a while a showcase of the rangy midfielder’s great promise.

8.41pm BST

40 min: Bale sashays in from the right touchline and sends a screamer towards the bottom-right corner. It’s not far wide, though Oblak had it covered anyway. “One measure of how much or little a player is missed is whether there seem to gaps in the pitch which he would have occupied, but now look unpopulated,” writes Charles Antaki. “That doesn’t seem to be the case here - the Real players seem to be much closer to each other, and it would be hard to see where Ronaldo would actually squeeze in. (He would probably manage to find a way, it must be said.)”

8.39pm BST

39 min: Juanfran robs Casemiro to the right of the Real box. The ball breaks to Costa, who can’t get a shot away, but makes do with a corner. From the set piece, Godin heads tamely into the arms of Navas.

8.38pm BST

37 min: Real look much the more likely to score the next goal. Isco and Marcelo nearly combine down the left, but the one-two doesn’t quite come off.

8.37pm BST

35 min: Marcelo earns a corner down the left. Isco claims a foul on the edge of the area, but he’s not getting it. Real allow Atletico to burst upfield on the counter. Costa is about to bomb into space down the middle but has his heels clipped by Asensio. That’s the first yellow card of the evening.

8.35pm BST

34 min: Bale, in acres down the left, sends a cross into the centre. Asensio is free, just to the right of the D! But he takes far too long to tee himself up. He offloads to Benzema, but Atletico swarm and the chance is gone.

8.34pm BST

33 min: Atletico show in the Real half for the first time in a while. Costa and Koke flick the ball back and forth, sheer determination and physical presence nearly busting a hole down the middle of the Real defence. But Casemiro arrives to blooter clear, just as it looks like Koke might break through.

8.32pm BST

31 min: Real are beginning to purr now. An awful lot of possession. Their opponents can’t get a sniff, they’re second to everything. Bale and Carvajal combine down the right and nearly unpick Atletico. Not quite.

8.30pm BST

29 min: It’s nearly two goals in two minutes, as Asensio romps past Lemar down the left and cuts infield. He curls past Oblak, who is beaten, but the ball sails just wide of the right-hand post. That would have been a picture. Hats off to Casemiro for setting Asensio away, having broken up an Atletico attack.

8.28pm BST

It’s fair to say this had been coming. And it’s really simple. Bale turns on the jets down the right. He then sends a stunning deep cross to the far post, cutting out Oblak. Benzema’s there to head back across Oblak, desperately chasing the ball, and into the net. That’s some cross, and a fine finish. It takes something special to make a keeper like Oblak look totally impotent.

8.26pm BST

25 min: Marcelo cuts in from the left and sends a shot high over the bar from 25 yards. Real are beginning to dominate, though: just before that effort, Ramos sent a glorious crossfield pass, left to right, towards Benzema, who very nearly dribbled his way from the flank to the box in the style of Diego Maradona. Not quite, he was eventually crowded out. But that was some good football.

8.24pm BST

23 min: Casemiro is robbed 25 yards from his own goal by Griezmann. He’s very fortunate that the Atletico striker doesn’t manage to launch an attack. That was uncharacteristically sloppy by Real standards.

8.22pm BST

21 min: Now Lucas Hernandez and Bale come together. Bale holds his knee in some pain, Lucas having clattered him from behind. He gets up to continue, though only after a little bit of ginger hopping.

8.20pm BST

19 min: Ramos and Costa clash heads accidentally in the midfield, and both look to be in some pain. The magic sponge is applied, and they’ll be good to continue. But this is already shaping up to be quite the physical battle.

8.19pm BST

17 min: How on earth did Real fail to score here? Marcelo tricks his way past Juanfran on the left. His low fizzer towards the near post is flicked on neatly by Asensio, and rolls across the face of goal, a couple of yards out. Oblak gets a hand to it as it passes him, which is just enough to confuse Benzema, who isn’t in the right place to tap in. Atletico clear. So close to the equaliser.

8.16pm BST

16 min: A free kick for Atletico, just inside the Real half. Lemar tries to find Grizemann down the insid-right channel with what is clearly a training-ground routine, but overhits the pass and that’s a goal kick.

8.15pm BST

14 min: Bale earns a free kick out on the Real left, his skills too much for Koke. Real load the box. Kroos lumps it in, but it’s dealt with easily enough by Atletico. A really nice, open, end-to-end feel about this

glorified friendly
curtain-raiser to the European season.

8.14pm BST

13 min: Real are beginning to see more of the ball now. Pass, pass, pass. But suddenly Atletico intercept, and Koke very nearly sends Lemar clear down the right. Ramos intercepts brilliantly. He might be a saucy get sometimes, but what a defender.

8.12pm BST

12 min: Real win their first corner of the evening, as Asensio’s cross is blocked out of play. Marcelo takes it quickly ... too quickly. The European champions haven’t got going yet.

8.11pm BST

10 min: Kroos tries to set Bale off down the right, but the move is stopped thanks to a wonderful interception-stroke-tackle by Lucas.

8.10pm BST

8 min: Sergio Ramos goes up for a high ball, and his elbow crumps into Diego Costa’s eye socket. Not sure he needed to make that particular action with his arm in order to jump. Oh Sergio! The referee gives him a good talking-to, which suggests he at least had his suspicions. Ramos acts innocent. Say what you like about him, you know what you’re getting.

8.08pm BST

6 min: Real have hardly touched the ball. There’s another long ball played down the right for Costa. This time Varane’s over to head clear. He read the danger well there, albeit five minutes and 11 seconds too late.

8.05pm BST

4 min: And now Atletico win a corner down the right. Nothing comes of it, but Real really need to wake up.

8.04pm BST

2 min: Really not sure Navas should have been beaten from such a tight angle at his near post. Then again, Costa absolutely battered that shot past him. Varane certainly didn’t cover himself in glory either.

8.03pm BST

Costa flicks on Godin’s long pass, and chases after it himself, down the inside-right channel. He powers past Varane, who must still be dreaming of the World Cup. He’s faced with an exceptionally tight angle, but no matter: he lashes it past Navas, guarding the near post, and that’s the quickest-ever goal in the Super Cup!

8.01pm BST

And we’re off! Atletico get the match underway. It’s launched long, but Diego Costa can’t win the high ball. Godin has another long look for Costa, though. And ...

7.58pm BST

The teams are out! The European champions are in their world-famous meringue-white kit; the Europa League winners sport their mattress-matching red-and-white striped shirts and blue strides. It’s an aesthetic delight! The Lillekula Stadium roars in anticipation; we’ll be off in a minute.

7.52pm BST

A shot of Marcelo, outside the Real dressing room, geeing himself up for the match. And you thought this was just a meaningless, glorified pre-season friendly. He’s in the zone all right. Either that or he’s only just found out Ronaldo’s upped sticks for Turin.

7.42pm BST

This is what Real Madrid are missing now Cristiano Ronaldo has gone to Juventus. In his nine seasons at the club, he scored 450 goals. Not a bad return seeing he only made 438 appearances. His season hauls are frankly preposterous: 33, 53, 60, 55, 51, 61, 51, 42 and 44. He scored 44 hat-tricks, and won four Champions Leagues. To be fair, Gareth Bale isn’t too shabby a replacement. But even so, dearie me. A new era, scary and exciting for Real in equal measures, I’ll be bound. And we haven’t even mentioned Zinedine Zidane and Julen Lopetegui.

7.21pm BST

There’s a familiar look to Real Madrid, even if Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t around any more. All 11 of tonight’s starters played some part or other in Real’s 3-1 win over Liverpool in Kiev last May. Hopefully at some point we’ll get to see 18-year-old striker Vinicius Junior, newly purchased from Flamengo; he’s on the bench. Alvaro Odriozola, the defender bought from Real Sociedad, is sidelined with a groin injury, while former Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois is still resting after a hectic World Cup with Belgium.

Atletico thrust two of their new signings straight into action. Former Monaco winger Thomas Lemar, and Rodri, their new central midfielder from Villarreal, are in Diego Simeone’s starting XI.

7.05pm BST

Real Madrid: Navas, Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Kroos, Casemiro, Isco, Bale, Benzema, Asensio.
Subs: Casilla, Lunin, Nacho, Modric, Lucas, Llorente, Borja Mayoral, Ceballos, Valverde, Vinicius Junior, Reguilon, Sanchez.

Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Juanfran, Savic, Godin, Lucas, Lemar, Rodri, Saul, Koke, Costa, Griezmann.
Subs: Adan, Dos Santos, Filipe Luis, Arias, Thomas, Kalinic, Correa, Gelson Martins, Vitolo, Gimenez, Olabe del Amo.

7.02pm BST

Welcome to Tallinn, Estonia, and the first one-city showdown in Super Cup history! The European champions Real Madrid take on the Europa League winners Atlético Madrid ... and it’s fair to say history is on the side of Los Merengues.

Real have faced Atlético on five occasions in Europe. They’ve emerged victorious from them all. In 1958-59, Alfredo Di Stéfano and Ferenc Puskás scored the goals that saw off Enrique Collar and Atlético in a European Cup semi-final replay. Fifty-five years later, Diego Godín looked to have settled the 2014 final ... but Sergio Ramos popped up with a last-gasp equaliser, and Real romped to a 4-1 extra-time win.

5: Barcelona, Milan
4: REAL MADRID
3: Liverpool
2: Ajax, Anderlecht, Valencia, Juventus, ATLÉTICO MADRID
1: Sevilla, Porto, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Dynamo Kyiv, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Aberdeen, Steaua București, Mechelen, Parma, Lazio, Galatasaray, Zenit Saint Petersburg

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The Fiver | Making Jacob Rees-Mogg look like Ernest Hemingway

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We’ll be straight with you. The Fiver never thought we’d ever have reason to use the phrase “the European glory days of Gordon Strachan” in any context outside of the 1983 Cup Winners’ Cup final, not once, not ever. Certainly not when it came to the wee man’s years in management. No Martin O’Neill he, never mind Big Jock. But then Brendan Rodgers came along, and here we all are. Admittedly, under the yoke of King Brenny, the Queen’s Celtic have never suffered the humiliation of a five-goal slapping by the flat hand of the Slovakian giants Artmedia Bratislava. Then again, they’ve never given Milan or Barcelona a run for their money in the last 16 either, which is something Gordy can put on his Euro Glory CV, below the Aberdeen entry but well above the bit about Leeds losing home and away to a Pope’s O’Rangers team featuring Pieter Huistra and Dale Gordon.

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US PGA Championship 2018: second round – as it happened

Brooks Koepka and Charl Schwartzel shot record-equalling 63s ... and then a storm turned up
Official live leaderboard from Bellerive

11.43pm BST

PLAY SUSPENDED FOR THE DAY: The storms aren’t going to clear ... or at least not in time for it to be worth warming up and going out again before sundown. So the rest of the second round will be completed tomorrow morning: that’s at 7am in St Louis, 1pm in the UK. We’ll be here for that, bright-eyed and bushy tailed as ever. You know us. As for the third round, that’ll be played in groups of three, with a split-tee start, beginning approximately 30 minutes after the end of the second round. The PGA approximate that the third-round tee times will be between 11.15am and 1.15pm (5.15pm and 7.15pm UK time). So it’ll be a long one ... but a good one. Hope to see you for a bumper Moving Day. Wherever you are: stay safe from the storm. Sweet dreams and nighty night!

Related: Gary Woodland leads home charge as storms halt US PGA second round

10.30pm BST

PLAY SUSPENDED: The PGA of America are still monitoring conditions. They’ll update us again at 5.30pm local time; that’s just under 40 minutes from now. While we’re kicking our heels ... compare and contrast.

10.20pm BST

The latest from the PGA: Play remains suspended, but there will be another update at 4.45pm local time ... which is 25 minutes away. Fingers crossed.

9.45pm BST

PLAY SUSPENDED: Thunderstorm heading to Bellerive. Before the weather klaxon sounded, Rickie Fowler managed to make his birdie putt at 10. So as everyone troops back to the safety of the locker room, here’s how the top of the leaderboard looks:

-10: Woodland (F)
-9: Kisner (F)
-8: Koepka (F)
-7: D Johnson (F), Schwartzel (F), Pieters (F), Fowler (10)
-6: Stone (F)
-5: Scott (F), Molinari (F), Cantlay (F), Rahm (F), Kokrak (F), Horschel (10*), Perez (9)

9.41pm BST

PLAY HAS BEEN SUSPENDED. There’s heavy rain coming to Bellerive, but more importantly, some electrical activity. So the hooter has gone, and the players are heading back to the clubhouse. That’s an awful shame. Hopefully the storm will pass soon enough; more when we have it.

9.32pm BST

Rickie Fowler reached the turn in 34. He’s just slammed his second at 10 to five feet. Take nothing for granted: he’s missed one that length already today, and spurned a birdie chance from ten feet at 9. But that should take him to -7. Meanwhile the 2016 US Open runner-up is going very well: Shane Lowry has birdied 12, 13 and 17, playing the back nine in 32 strokes. He’s -4.

9.28pm BST

Tiger takes an iron for safety off the tee at 7 ... then sends his ball into the bunker down the right of the fairway. His second is whistled straight at the flag, but stops short of the green. Nevertheless he very nearly chips in for another birdie. Par will suffice. Meanwhile Yuta Ikeda of Japan is going well. He nearly holes out from the fairway at 18, but makes do with kicking in for his second birdie of the day instead. He’s -4. And some good news of Danny Willett, who has struggled with form an injury since winning the 2016 Masters: birdies at 3, 7 and 8 today, and he’s level par, currently on course to survive the cut.

9.22pm BST

PAR FOR TONY FINAU!!! He makes his first par of the day at 10, sinking a 20-footer to do so. I thought that was going to turn left at the very last, but it held its line. Happy for him, but that quite special run is over, which is kind of deflating. I wonder if anyone has ever gone 18 holes without a single par? A bizarro Faldo? Even Maurice Flitcroft made par at 14 on his way to shooting 121 at Formby in the 1976 Open qualifiers.

9.12pm BST

Tiger takes too much sand, and his ball only just squeaks out of the bunker. He’s left with a 25-footer from the fringe to save his par ... and it was one of those that was always going in. The crowd go wild, and that’s a real momentum saver. He stays at -3. Pars for JT and Rory as well, but all the energy is being generated by the senior member of this group. What a putt!

9.06pm BST

Tiger’s tee shot at the par-three 6th plonks in a bunker to the left of the green. Better left than right; just ask poor old Tony Finau. JT toys with the water but he’s pin high, 20 feet left of the flag. And Rory, not high on confidence, finds the green. But he’s a long, long way away, back right when the flag’s nearer front left. But Rickie Fowler reaches -6 for the first time this week: he birdies the long par-five 8th, and here’s a chance to bung the leaderboard up ... with all-new info!

-10: Woodland (F)
-9: Kisner (F)
-8: Koepka (F)
-7: D Johnson (F), Schwartzel (F), Pieters (F)
-6: Stone (F), Fowler (8)

9.00pm BST

Tiger makes that birdie! It’s never missing the cup. He really does have his gameface on today. He’s up to -3 already. Par for Justin Thomas: he remains at -2. And it’s a fifth par out of five for Rory, who trudges off, his dreams of a third PGA title drifting further away from his reach, bit by bit. Meanwhile Billy Horschel joins Rickie Fowler and Pat Perez as the best-placed players out on the course right now. They’re all at -5; Horschel’s most recent birdie comes at 17.

8.57pm BST

Tiger is cooking. Both literally - the sweat is pouring off him at humid Bellerive - and metaphorically - because he splits the fairway at 5 and sends a short iron to six feet. He’ll have a look at another birdie. Meanwhile more news of Tony Finau. We last left him having birdied holes 1 through 5. That was followed by a triple-bogey six at the par-three 6th, the punishment for dunking his tee shot in the briny. Then birdies at 7 and 8, followed by bogey at 9. He’s turned in 32 strokes, and has yet to par a hole! This is turning out to be quite the round. Can he get all the way round without a par?! I’m going to cry when he makes one, as he inevitably must. Anyway, he’s +1, and missing the cut as things stand.

8.50pm BST

Lefty finally makes a birdie putt. Typical golf: having seen several well-struck putts slip past, this one bobbles off the fringe at 6 then performs the full 360 before dropping into the cup. But he’s closer to safety at +2, and the crowd rejoice accordingly. His playing partner Jason Day can’t get up and down from sand, though, and he’s another big name going nowhere fast right now: birdies at 3 and 5, but bogeys at 2 and 6 have stymied him.

8.45pm BST

Meanwhile it’s a fifth par in a row for Rory, who just can’t get going. He’s still level par and beginning to look seriously frustrated. See also: Rickie Fowler, who remains beached at -5: he’s just tickled a birdie tiddler wide right of the cup on 7, a very timid push ensuring the ball was never dropping.

8.40pm BST

Phil Mickelson, who shot a three-over 73 yesterday, needs something to happen. The cut’s still projected at level par. But nothing’s happening. Pars all the way, birdie chances sliding past the cup. The latest at 5; he’s got the mother of all hangdog expressions right now. There’s a much better vibe surrounding his old sparring partner Tiger Woods, who very nearly chips in from the fringe at 4. He thought that was dropping, and shaped to punch the air, but had to pull back at the last moment. Frustrating, but he’s playing well ... the odd wild drive apart. He really does need to leave that big stick in his locker.

8.35pm BST

None of the late starters are making much of a run towards the top of the leaderboard. Yet. Rickie Fowler, the best placed, is level par through 6 and remains at -5. Pat Perez we’ve discussed. Rafa Cabrera Bello, who was leading this tournament in its infancy, has birdied 11, 13 and 14 today; but he’s still only -3. In lieu of any big changes, here’s a reminder of the toppermost of the poppermost:

-10: Woodland (F)
-9: Kisner (F)
-8: Koepka (F)
-7: D Johnson (F), Schwartzel (F), Pieters (F)
-6: Stone (F)
-5: Scott (F), Molinari (F), Cantlay (F), Rahm (F), Kokrak (F), Fowler (6), Perez (5)

8.27pm BST

Justin Thomas is furthest from the pin at 3. His 12-footer is never dropping. Rory is six feet away, but lets his birdie putt slide on the right. Tiger, though, makes no mistake from four feet, and that’s back-to-back birdies. He’s -2, and on the charge. And here’s an

interesting
jaw-dropping stat, courtesy of US broadcaster TNT: it’s the players who are most under par in the majors since 1997, before today. The minimum requirement is seven rounds.

-86: Woods
-27: Spieth
-11: Day
-5: McIlroy
-3: Koepka

8.21pm BST

Birdies for Tiger and JT on 2. They move to -1 and -2 respectively. No such luck for Rory, who is stuck on level par. All three pepper the flag at the par-three 3rd, though. Tiger’s gone particularly close, sending the galleries into raptures. Meanwhile Billy Horschel is going well: the 2014 FedEx Cup winner his birdied 11, 12 and 14 to move to -4 for the tournament.

8.17pm BST

Ben Kern, of Tuscon, Arizona, works in golf-club management. Unlike many of the club pros competing here this week, he’s never played on the Web.com tour, never mind the PGA Tour. But he qualified for this event after finishing in the top ten of the PGA Professional Championship. And as things stand, he’s the only PGA member who’ll be making it through to the weekend. He needed a birdie on the last to give himself a chance, and seized the day by firing his approach ten feet from the flag and rattling the putt straight into the cup. A 69 to go with the 71 he shot yesterday, and he’s level par, currently just inside the cut line and hoping the scoring isn’t too crazy this afternoon.

8.07pm BST

Pat Perez finished in a tie for sixth at the 2005 PGA. But since then, not much. Until the last couple of years, as the freewheeling, hot-tempered Arizonian bloomed late. A top-20 finish at last year’s Masters, then a tie for 17th at this year’s Open represents consistency of sorts. He shot 67 yesterday, and has opened up with birdies at 1 and 3 today. He’s -5.

Related: Anger drives Pat Perez to new heights half a lifetime after taming Tiger | Andy Bull

8.02pm BST

Rory needs it to be one of those days. But it could be one of those days. He finds the fringe at 1, and curls a fine right-to-left putt towards the cup. But it shaves the right side. No idea how that didn’t drop. A dimple away. He looks sick. Workaday pars meanwhile for Tiger and JT. Nobody gets the fast start they desired.

8.00pm BST

Belated news of Tommy Fleetwood. The Southport superstar and US Open runner-up was in real danger of missing the cut, having at one point slipped to +2. But birdies at 2, 8 and 9 dragged him above the waterline at the very last minute. He’s -1 going into the weekend, having posted 69-70.

7.57pm BST

Tony Finau’s start yesterday was nothing short of abysmal. He was +5 through his first eight holes, and ended up with a 74. But he’s nothing short of sensational today! He’s torn out of the blocks in simply preposterous fashion! Five holes played, five birdies! All of a sudden, he’s -1 for the tournament. The quiet giant from Utah has finished in the top ten at the first three majors this year. A clean sweep seemed totally out of the question yesterday lunchtime. It’s not so fanciful now. What a start!

7.52pm BST

Here comes the afternoon marquee group! The reigning champion Justin Thomas shot 69 yesterday; his opening tee shot finds a bunker down the left of 1. Rory McIlroy’s up next: the 2012 and 2014 winner’s drive rolls off the right of the fairway and into the first cut. And finally Tiger Woods, the PGA winner in 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007. He finds the fairway. Rory and Tiger start the day at level par after 70s yesterday. All three need to get a wriggle on, if they’re to seriously feature at the weekend; go backwards and the cut looms.

7.47pm BST

Rickie Fowler was a shot off the lead when the cockerel crowed this morning. By the time he teed it up, Gary Woodland had shot 66 and Fowler was five behind. And that’s where he still is after three holes: an opening bogey has been cancelled out by a 20-foot left-to-right curler for birdie at 3. He’s -5. Meanwhile birdies for Austin Cook at 11 and 14: he’s -5. The 27-year-old from Arkansas is enjoying a decent maiden season in the majors: a top-30 finish at Carnoustie and now this fine showing.

7.41pm BST

Jason Kokrak only made it into the field when Lee Westwood dropped out. He’s grabbed his opportunity with both hands: a 68 yesterday followed by a 67 today. He’s handily placed at -5. The 33-year-old Canadian hasn’t much of a record in the majors - his best finish was a tie for 33rd in this tournament last year at Quail Hollow - so this is a fine opportunity to right that wrong.

7.34pm BST

As things stand right now ... and with the afternoon starters expected to enjoy conditions as much as the morning wave ... a few big names will be going home. The cut’s currently sending everyone over par to the airport, and is unlikely to move out. Certainly off: the current Masters champion Patrick Reed (+3 after 36 holes), the 1991 PGA winner John Daly (+3), the 2013 champ Jason Dufner (+4), the two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson (+8) and Paul Casey (+8). In the clubhouse hoping the cut somehow moves out a shot: Matt Kuchar and Sergio Garcia, both at +1. If Sergio’s fate is sealed, he’ll have missed the cut in all four majors this year, an abysmal state of affairs. Oh Sergio!

7.24pm BST

Thomas Pieters has been flawless today. Starting at 10, he parred every hole on the back nine, before turning loose thereafter: birdies at 1, 4, 7 and 8 have led to a 66 that sits alongside his opening-day 67 very prettily. He’s in that group at -7, well placed for Moving Day.

7.17pm BST

Schwartzel sends his second to 15 feet ... then watches a 62 slip through his fingers as his putt only just fails to drop. Still, a 63’s not a bad consolation prize. That’s the 35th time a 63 has been posted in a major, and the third time this year. Before Schwartzel and Koepka today? Tommy Fleetwood on the final day at Shinnecock Hills. The 2011 Masters champ ends the second round at -7.

-10: Woodland (F)
-9: Kisner (F)
-8: Koepka (F)
-7: D Johnson (F), Schwartzel (F), Pieters (17*)
-6: Stone (F)

7.09pm BST

Charl Schwartzel is currently coming up the 9th, his final hole today. If he makes par, he’ll become the 16th man to shoot 63 at a PGA. If he birdies, he’ll break the tournament record and become only the second man in history to card 62 in a major, after Branden Grace at Birkdale last year. He’s sent his drive 300 yards down the fairway; up and down from 150 yards or so, and he’s making some history here.

7.06pm BST

Thanks to Michael! A word, then, on Brooks Koepka’s 63. That equals the best round at a PGA. It’s been posted on 14 previous occasions: Bruce Crampton (Firestone 1975), Ray Floyd (Southern Hills 1982), Gary Player (Shoal Creek 1984), Vijay Singh (Inverness 1993), Michael Bradley (Riviera 1995), Brad Faxon (Riviera 1995), Jose Maria Olazabal (Valhalla 2000), Mark O’Meara (Atlanta 2001), Thomas Bjorn (Baltusrol 2005), Tiger Woods (Southern Hills 2007), Steve Stricker (Atlanta 2011), Jason Dufner (Oak Hill 2013), Hiroshi Iwata (Whistling Straits 2015) and Robert Streb (Baltusrol 2016).

Koepka may or may not be interested to know that only Floyd (1982), Tiger (2007) and Dufner (2013) went on to win.

6.58pm BST

So the marquee group of Spieth, Rahm and Rose tee off on their final hole of their second round at the 9th. Rahm finds the left bunker 146 yards out, Spieth and Rose 20 yards further back but safely on the fairway – the Englishman is about 168 yards out but needs another 10 for the uphill … it’s a poor shot, off the back of the green and he’ll have a tough up and down to save par. Hands on hips, Rose is seething. He composes himself though and tickles a low chip down the hill for a makeable par putt. He makes it, and finishes -4.

Spieth makes lighter work of his second shot and is on the dancefloor. Rahm has a tricky shot from the bunker around the corner – and lands it just inside Spieth’s ball! It’s a shootout then, Spieth can only manage par and signs for a 66, on -3. Rahm has got a read then but he never really hit it, and will stay at -5, five shots off the lead.

6.46pm BST

Koepka and DJ finish their respective rounds, signing for 63 (!!!) and 66 respectively, two and three shots of the lead at present. The two are very good friends, they are right in it here.

6.43pm BST

Ooooo, penalty shot for Rahm on the 8th. His drive found the long grass on the left edge of the fairway. There was no official to mark his ball and in trying to find it, he inadvertently stepped on it. The Spaniard calls across a marshall, explained that he didn’t actually move the ball but admitted that he did definitely touch it with his foot. Rahm is slightly aggrieved that there was nobody to mark it, but accepts the one-shot penalty after taking a drop. He hacks it out the rough, stiffs a beautiful iron from 58 yards to within eight feet and will have that for par. Three fist pumps later, the par is in the bag, and he bounds of the 8th green with a spring in his step. Excellent save with the penalty.

Spieth meanwhile, splashes out of the bunker and will have a birdie attempt, while Rose is going for eagle from 32ft. Ooooo, it just comes up short and a wry smile breaks across the Englishman’s face, his arms raised high to the heavens in disbelief. He taps in for birdie – back at -4 – but should have given that one a chance. Spieth makes his birdie – he’s -3.

6.34pm BST

Kisner is playing one of the rounds of his life, hitting 84.6% of fairways and 82.3% of greens. No surprise to see him leading now, but a sloppy third shot on the 8th means he’s scrambling to make par. Woodland has a chance to tie things up then, and he makes his birdie! We’re all square at the top, then!

-10: Woodland (17*), Kisner (17*)
-8: Koepka (63)
-7: D Johnson (66), Schwartzel (16*)

6.27pm BST

Koepka keeps pace and is now outright third behind Kisner and Woodland after birdieing the long par-five 8th, sinking a five-footer. He’s reached the green in two on his final hole, so could well end up -9 in the clubhouse.

6.23pm BST

Speaking of NBA stars, Steph Curry shot a 1-over 71 on Thursday in the first round of the Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic. 71. Let that sink in for a minute.

No question. 71 from Steph today is awesome, but not surprising. Guy has serious game! @andre may wanna start asking for more strokes... https://t.co/nxNLyTAA03

Are you kidding me?! @StephenCurry30 is knocking down pins at the @EllieMaeClassic. pic.twitter.com/4NQEHqSHg2

6.20pm BST

Spieth plays to the middle of the 7th fairway off the tee, but puts way too much backspin on his approach and it rolls back off the front of the green. Rose, in the bunker again, duffs one out about 50 yards. He’s livid! Rahm is the only one of our marquee group that hits a

decent
brilliant shot, he lands his approach to within three feet. Tweet tweet, birdie time. He’s got it and the Spaniard is down to -5. He’s bogey free today, and looking in tip-top nick. Spieth makes his par, but Rose slips back to -3 with a bogey. That’s the score he started the day on.

Kisner is one hole ahead of this group, and a birdie on the 7th from 11ft has given him the outright lead. He’s -10 now, with Woodland only able to par the same hole.

6.10pm BST

Andre Iguodala, NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, is making a guest appearance in the commentary box. He favours the three wood off the tee, just like Tiger. The two are good friends. Find a pal that looks at you the same way Tiger looks at Andre. Those kicks, too! Woof.

Perfect day... @PGATOUR pic.twitter.com/e80NODJetJ

6.04pm BST

Thanks Scott. Spieth is scrambling alright, and he’s got another birdie chance at the par-three 6th. It’s a long-one down the hill, he pushes it left and makes his par, as does Rahm. Rose splashes into the bunker on the left but gets up and down for his par to stay at -5. Tidy.

5.57pm BST

Jordan Spieth thinks his second into 5 has been held up by the wind, and complains loudly to his caddie accordingly. But he’s wrong: the ball lands six feet from the cup! In goes the birdie putt, and he’s -2, that career-slam dream not over this year yet! Meanwhile it’s just a birdie for DJ on 8, but he’ll take it, because that gives him a share of second with Brooks Koepka at -7.

And with that, I’m off to eat a bowl of Hamburger Helper, the only MSG-flavored foodstuff to be marketed by a talking golf glove. We’ll meet again soon, but for now I give way to your friend and mine Michael Butler!

5.50pm BST

Bogey for Emiliano Grillo at 16. As he slips to -4, Francesco Molinari passes him the other way with birdie on 7. The Open champ returns to -5. Meanwhile an eagle chance for Dustin Johnson on the monster par-five 8th: after a 340-yard drive, he’s crashed his second from 257 yards to 18 feet. This could potentially cause a bit of fuss near the top of the leader board.

5.45pm BST

Brandon Stone, out first thing this morning, is back in the clubhouse. The Scottish Open champion has signed for a two-under 68, which pairs very nicely with yesterday’s 66. He’s -6, in a rich vein of form right now, and will very much be looking forward to the weekend, with plenty of time to rest until he goes out tomorrow. He’ll be teeing it up reasonably late you’d think.

5.37pm BST

It took all that time for Justin Rose to finally make it to -5; it’s taken one hole for him to slip back. His tee shot found sand down the left of the long par-four 4th; his second was swallowed up by another bunker, guarding the green front left. He can’t get up and down, and he’s back to -4. Still only five shots back, of course.

5.32pm BST

Gary Woodland slips back into a share with Kevin Kisner. His drive down 4 finds the rough on the right, and though he manages to make the green, he’s a long way from the flag. Three putts were almost inevitable. Bogey, and he’s -9 again. Emiliano Grillo makes another birdie, this time at 14, and he joins the ever-expanding group at -5. Francesco Molinari drops back, though; bogey at 5 sends him down to -4. Zach Johnson birdies 3; namesake Dustin birdies 7, his fourth in five holes. And it’s three birdies in a row for Charl Schwartzel: that’s five in six! This is quite the leaderboard. Goodness knows what awaits us when the afternoon wave come out.

-9: Woodland (13*), Kisner (13*)
-7: Koepka (14*)
-6: Stone (17*), D Johnson (16*), Z Johnson (12*), Schwartzel (12)
-5: Scott (15*), Grillo (14), Rose (12*), Fowler

5.20pm BST

There’s some absurd scoring going on right now. Ted Potter Jr. has just holed out from the fairway at 14 for eagle: that follows birdies at 3, 11 and 12. After a 74 yesterday, the 34-year-old Floridian - who has only made the cut once in seven attempts in the majors, at the 2012 Open - rises to -1. Meanwhile another birdie for Justin Rose, this time at the short par-three 3rd, taking an aggressive line at a flag near the water on the right, and reaping the reward for a perfectly executed shot. He’s -5. His playing partner Jon Rahm gets to -4 after landing his tee shot pin high, ten feet from the flag. And Adam Scott birdies 6: he’s -5 for both round and tournament.

5.14pm BST

Dustin Johnson has just pressed on the accelerator! Birdies at 3, 4 and 5, and suddenly the world number-one is right back in the mix. His namesake Zach birdies 1 to return to -5 as well. And back-to-back birdies for Charl Schwartzel at 10 and 11 - that’s four in five holes - has the former Masters champ enter the fray too. This is turning into quite a championship already, with a couple of solid Tour players up top, hoping to make their breakthrough, hunted down by quite a few major winners!

-10: Woodland (12*)
-9: Kisner (12*)
-7: Koepka (13*)
-6: Stone (16*)
-5: D Johnson (14*), Molinari (13*), Schwartzel (11), Z Johnson (10*), Fowler

5.07pm BST

Gary Woodland completes his overtaking manoeuvre on Kevin Kisner. He sends his tee shot at the par-three 3rd to four feet, and strokes the birdie putt into the cup. There’s some low scoring out there today, further evidenced by Andrew Landry: this year’s Texas Open champion has just made four birdies in a row between 13 and 16; throw in another at 11 and he’s risen to -2 for the championship after a 73 yesterday. Meanwhile birdie for Justin Rose at 2, and he’s back to -4. He’s been unable to get any lower this week: a short par three coming up!

5.01pm BST

That lead is held jointly by Gary Woodland and Kevin Kisner, the former making birdie at 2 to grab a share. A wee bit back down the leader board, Emiliano Grillo is quietly making a move. The 25-year-old Argentinian has long been tipped for big things, but his record in the majors lately has been little short of appalling: he hasn’t made a single cut since the 2017 Masters. But he’s just birdied 7, 8, 11 and 13, and unless he’s got a very special meltdown heading his way, he’ll be here for the weekend. He’s -4.

-9: Woodland (11*), Kisner (11*)
-7: Koepka (12*)
-6: Stone (16*)
-5: Molinari (12*), Fowler
-4: Grillo (13), D Johnson (13*), Scott (13*), Schwartzel (10), Cantlay (10), Z Johnson (9*), Kokrak (8*), Niemann (8*)

4.54pm BST

The double US Open champion Brooks Koepka makes it three birdies in a row: 1, 2, 3. That’s six in the last nine holes, and this 28-year-old Floridian is going to rack up a fair few majors if he can avoid injury. He’s got the necessary length, his short game is tight, he battles, and rarely seems flustered. Koepka, Spieth, DJ, JT, Fowler, Reed ... Europe have got a job on their hands at this upcoming Ryder Cup, haven’t they. Anyway, Koepka is -7 now, two off the lead.

4.48pm BST

Russell Henley is fighting hardest to avoid missing the cut. A miserable 74 yesterday, but birdies at 5, 7, 9 and now 14 have catapulted him up the standings to level par. Tommy Fleetwood might yet save himself too: a birdie at 2 brings him back to +1, just above the current projected cut line, whatever illustrative purpose that might serve. But big Chris Wood is going the wrong way, and quickly: bogey at 1, followed by a double at 4, and he’s slipped to +4. A disappointing showing after a decent Open Championship.

4.36pm BST

Kevin Kisner birdies 18! He’s played the back-nine holes in 29 strokes, and hits the turn leading the 100th PGA Championship! Up ahead, Brooks Koepka and Francesco Molinari both birdie 1. And back down 18, Rose overshoots the green with his approach, and can only flop back up the hill onto the fringe. His attempt to save par bobbles, and that’s a bogey that drops him to -3. He looks highly irritated, having changed his mind about which club to use from the fairway; that’s cost him. Spieth however wedges to 15 feet; he’ll have a look at birdie. But he can’t make it, his putt drifting off to the left. He remains at -1, eight off the lead.

-9: Kisner (9*)
-8: Woodland (9*)
-6: Stone (14*)
-5: Koepka (10*), Molinari (10*), Fowler

4.30pm BST

Bubba Watson is seriously struggling as well. He played the back-nine holes in 38 today, turning after a double at 18. Throw in another bogey at 2, and he’s +4 for his round and the championship. The 2010 runner-up looks like he’s off home early. The 2013 winner Jason Dufner is in bother too: he’s currently +3 and needs something along the closing stretch. The Masters champion Patrick Reed is certainly fighting for his weekend participation: birdie at 1 has bumped him up to +2, and at least he’s heading in the right direction.

4.25pm BST

Tommy Fleetwood’s hope of a maiden major this season is beginning to look like a pipe dream. A double-bogey at 18 - the result of driving into thick rough, then taking three putts - has been followed by another dropped shot at 1. He’s +2 for the tournament, and as things stand, missing the cut by one stroke. A long way to go before we know too much more about that, of course. Meanwhile Dustin is going backwards again: bogey at 2, and he’s -2. His brief co-leadership of this tournament yesterday suddenly feels a long time ago.

4.21pm BST

Bogey for Francesco Molinari at 18; he’s turning in 33, and back to -4. Back-to-back birdies for Patrick Cantlay, at 7 and 8; he’s -4 too. Birdies at 7 and 8 bring Charl Schwartzel up to -3. And smiles all round on the 18th tee, as Justin Rose mishits, but somehow sends his ball down the centre of the fairway anyway. “That’s a pretty miss, isn’t it?” Rose quips, after dropping his club mid-swing, to much laughter from the gallery. Now, can he take advantage of that stroke of luck?

4.16pm BST

The 17th continues to stage some top action. First up, Spieth lands his approach six feet past the flag and nearly spins it back into the cup. Instead it goes six feet past. But in goes the saver. He’s 23 from 25 inside ten feet, and remains -1. Rahm meanwhile leaves a chip well short, but rattles in the 25-footer he’d left himself. Finally a birdie to break the run of pars! He’s -3. And Rose’s second takes a hot bounce through the green and nearly rolls into the hazard at the back. But it stops, and he gets up and down for a birdie that brings him back to -4.

4.11pm BST

This may explain the momentary rage that descended upon the normally calm Jordan Spieth: in the group ahead, Gary Woodland made eagle at 17! He creamed his second from 260 yards to five feet, and tidied up for his reward. His playing partner Kevin Kisner made birdie. So that’s created a bit of separation at the top. Brandon Stone is trying to keep on the leaders’ tail with birdie at 4.

-8: Woodland (8*), Kisner (8*)
-6: Stone (13*)
-5: Molinari (8*), Fowler
-4: Scott (10*), Koepka (9*), Cantlay (8), Z Johnson (7*), Niemann (5*)

4.06pm BST

A rare display of Spiethian funk! His drive went into the hazard, but not quite into the water. It’s snagged in a thick bush. So he goes to great effort to pick it out ... then spins through 180 degrees and pitches it baseball style into the drink! It’s wet now. Once the red mist disperses, he drops and hits three down the fairway. He’ll need to get up and down from distance with his wedge. That’s something he couldn’t manage yesterday.

4.01pm BST

Just like yesterday, Spieth sends his drive at 17 into the creek running down the right of the fairway. That’s a clumsy error after making birdie at the previous hole. Up ahead, Brooks Koepka makes his third birdie of the day. He’s right in the mix now at -4. Dustin Johnson birdies 18, cancelling out the bogey he made at 15. He’s still -3. And belated news of Tyrrell Hatton, who birdied 7 and turned in 32 strokes; he’s -2.

3.57pm BST

Jordan Spieth finally gets into red numbers! He fizzes an iron straight at the flag at the long par-three 16th, and rolls in the straight 15-footer he’d left himself. That’s only the second birdie of the day on this hole: the first was made by Brandon Stone, who had hit an almost identical tee shot. Spieth is -1, and for the first time this week will be thinking about launching a challenge for that career-slam-completing major. Jon Rahm very nearly curls in a 30-footer for his birdie, but yet another par will have to do. He is beginning to look frustrated, having hit a few decent putts without enjoying any luck. Meanwhile another birdie for the Chilean prodigy Joaquin Miemann, this time at 13. He’s -4.

3.47pm BST

Rahm nearly holes out from the bunker at the front of the green; par will do after that drive, though. Yet another par. He’s -2. Rose is in cabbage to the right of the green; he chunks his chip and is left with a 15-footer for par. Nope. He’s back to -3. And Spieth rolls his putt straight at the flag ... but doesn’t give it enough juice. He draws his putter back, high into the air, miming to whack the ball off the green in frustration. He earns a laugh from the gallery, then taps in for his par. He stays at level par. Meanwhile Kevin Kisner, in the group before, had birdied the hole ... and hit the front on his own as a result. Birdie for Zach Johnson at 14. And another for Adam Scott on 18; he turns in 31, and with that long putter hot for once, is now a serious contender.

-7: Kisner (7*)
-6: Woodland (6*)
-5: Stone (11*), Molinari (7*), Z Johnson (5*), Fowler
-4: Scott (9*)

3.41pm BST

Turns out Spieth doesn’t have to craft the ball right to left as much as Tiger did yesterday. He’s got an opening in front of him, and a fairly straight line to the green from 220 yards. That’s a stroke of luck, and he’s a past master at (a) taking advantage of good breaks, and (b) getting himself out of trouble with his outrageous talent. He lashes a long iron straight into the heart of the green, and leaves his ball pin high, 12 feet from the flag! That is so sweet. Spieth’s wholesome apple-pie image sometimes obscures the fact that this is how Seve used to carry on: driving like a lunatic yet somehow manufacturing escape after escape. He’s so entertaining to follow. Rahm meanwhile can only flash out into greenside sand, while Rose misses the green from the centre of the fairway. So Spieth, whose drive was by some distance the worst, is the only one in the group with a chance of birdie. That’s golf!

3.33pm BST

Spieth and Rahm spray wild drives down the left of 15. Trouble there: that’s where Tiger tried yesterday to recreate Bubba Watson’s outrageous Masters-winning hook from the trees ... and failed. Elsewhere, Matt Wallace birdies 18 to hit the turn in 31 strokes; he’s zipped up the standings to -3. Adam Scott has added to those early birdies at 11 and 13 with another at 17: he’s -3. The 19-year-old superstar-in-making Joaquin Niemann follows yesterday’s fine 68 with birdie at 11: he’s -3. And beware Brooks Koepka, lurking, waiting to pounce from the pack. He’s birdied 13 and 15 to move to -3. At this rate there’ll be more top-of-the-leaderboard action soon, I’ll be bound.

3.28pm BST

Jordan Spieth pulls at a straight uphill 15-foot birdie putt on 14. He lets his head drop as a chance to get into red figures for the first time in this championship is spurned. Jon Rahm faces a similar putt, with maybe a little right-to-left movement. He leaves it high on the right and it’s been all pars today for the 23-year-old Spaniard. But Justin Rose teases in a right-to-left birdie curler from nine-and-a-half feet. That’s 18 out of 19 from inside ten feet this week, a fairly big reason why he’s now -4, just a couple off the lead! Meanwhile Brandon Stone makes his second bogey of the week, at 1, and suddenly the top of the leaderboard looks a little different:

-6: Woodland (5*), Kisner (5*)
-5: Stone (10*), Molinari (6*), Fowler
-4: Rose (5*), Z Johnson (4*)

3.20pm BST

Gary Woodland makes his first bogey of the championship since the opening hole yesterday. A three-putt bogey at 14 drops him back into a share of the lead at -6 with Brandon Stone and Kevin Kisner.

3.15pm BST

The new Open champion keeps on keepin’ on! Francesco Molinari birdies 14 to rise to -5, a shot off Gary Woodland’s lead. Meanwhile the morning marquee group of Spieth, Rahm and Rose are steadily making their way along the back nine; Spieth’s birdie at 11 apart, it’s been an uneventful string of pars.

3.11pm BST

Another birdie for Kevin Kisner. This one comes at 13, his third in four holes. He’s -6, tied for second with Brandon Stone, a shot behind Gary Woodland. Kisner is a fine example of the thin line between bridesmaid and bride at top-level professional sport. In a parallel universe somewhere, he’s won the play-off at the 2015 Players, beaten Bubba Watson in the final of this year’s WGC Match Play, and held onto his 54-hole leads at last year’s PGA and this year’s Open. That’d be a serious haul. It wouldn’t take much more. But as it is, after a series of near misses, the resilient but luckless 34-year-old South Carolinian has to make do with wins at the 2015 RSM Classic and the 2017 Dean & DeLuca Invitational. Yes, it’s a thin line all right. If he finally lands a big one this week, you can’t say he hasn’t been knocking on the door.

-7: Woodland (4*)
-6: Stone (9*), Kisner (4*)
-5: Fowler
-4: Molinari (4*), Z Johnson (2*)

3.02pm BST

Everyone’s favourite golfing hothead, Tyrrell Hatton, is all smiles this morning. Birdies at 1 and 3, and the entertaining heart-on-sleeve Englishman, who tied for 10th in the 2016 PGA at Baltusrol, rises to -1. Hatton’s also got a top-five finish at the Open on his CV, when everyone was playing in a different tournament to Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson at Troon in 2016, and a sixth-place at this year’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills. It’s only a matter of time before he gets seriously involved at the business end of a major. There’ll be some fine drama when he does.

2.52pm BST

Zach Johnson is out, and he’s immediately bogeyed 10, the result of sending his drive into the thick stuff down the left. He slips to -3. We’ve not been going long, but already this leaderboard has a radically different look to it.

-7: Woodland (3*)
-6: Stone (8*)
-5: Kisner (3*), Fowler
-4: Molinari (4*)
-3: D Johnson (5*), Leishman (4*), Rose (2*), Z Johnson (1*), Pieters (1*), Cook, Poulter, Perez, Day, Gat, Cink, Schniederjans

2.48pm BST

Brandon Stone waited seven holes for his first birdie today. So of course he makes another at the following one. He picks up a stroke at the long par-five 17th: he’s a shot off the lead! Meanwhile the first eagle of the week has been made by Satoshi Kodaira. A two at the driveable par-four 11th. There were no eagles yesterday, the first time a day’s gone by at the PGA without one since 1983. Kodaira, having finally made one, naturally bogeyed the holes before and after. But that, ladies and gentlemen, is golf.

2.45pm BST

Plenty of positive scoring this morning. Beautiful conditions and a receptive course. The 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel birdies 1 and 2 to move to -2. The 2013 Masters winner Adam Scott birdies 11 and 13 to rise to -2. Another birdie for 2012 Players champion Matt Kuchar, this time at 14. He’s -2 as well. And on 11, the 2015 Masters champ Jordan Spieth wedges to six feet and makes his birdie to move back to level par. He’s now made 18 of his 20 putts this week from inside ten feet.

2.41pm BST

Another birdie for Francesco Molinari! This time at 12. The Open champ moves alongside Zach Johnson in a tie for fifth at -4. Meanwhile Marc Leishman, who has come close in a couple of Masters and three Opens, looks to make a mark on the PGA: birdie at 13 and he’s in the group at -3.

2.34pm BST

But it’s all happening at the very top! Kevin Kisner, who came so close at Quail Hollow last year, and went even closer at this year’s Open, opens with birdies at 10 and 11. Brandon Stone breaks his run of pars with birdie at 16. And the overnight leader Gary Woodland is out, and he’s birdied 11 as well. All of which means ...

-7: Woodland (2*)
-5: Stone (7*), Kisner (2*), Fowler
-4: Z Johnson

2.31pm BST

Our featured group this morning stars Jon Rahm (-2), Justin Rose (-3) and career-slam-chasing Jordan Spieth (+1). It’s a horror start for Rahm, in the blood-curdling movie sense: he flays his opening drive miles into the trees down the right. His ball ends up on the fairway. But how? By clanking off some poor punter’s head, that’s how! The poor chap is splayed out on the ground, having a towel pressed to his bleeding head, by the time Rahm arrives on the scene. Looking extremely embarrassed and very apologetic, Rahm signs a glove, and crouches awhile to offer the man some support. “I hope you have a good round!” smiles the man, which is awfully nice of him. It’s a sweet scene, and one which earns Rahm some warm applause. Rahm seems a little shaken by events, and leaves his approach well short, then chips to 15 feet. He finally gathers himself by knocking in the par saver to stay at -3. Rose pars without fuss, while Spieth gets up and down from a bunker to save his par too. Stuff happening everywhere except on the scoreboards.

2.24pm BST

Brandon Stone is now level par for his round through 14, his first five holes. He remains at -4, a couple off Gary Woodland’s first-round lead. Matt Kuchar birdies 11 and 12 to undo the damage he did coming home with those bogeys at 15 and 17 last night. But it’s a fast start by Matt Wallace of west London (but schooled in Alabama). The 28-year-old Englishman is making his PGA Championship debut this week, but he’s won twice this season on the European Tour already, in India and Germany. He’s birdied 11, 13 and 14 to move to -2.

2.15pm BST

Only five players have ever done the Open-PGA double in the same year. Sir Walter was the first: Hagen did it in 1924. Seventy years later, Nick Price matched the feat. Padraig Harrington won them back-to-back in 2008. Rory McIlroy achieved it as well in 2014. And of course Tiger’s done it twice, in 2000 and 2006. What price Francesco Molinari joining that elite group? He was slow out of the blocks yesterday, +3 through the first six holes, a right old Claret Jug hangover. But five birdies after that gave him a fine opening round of 68. And he’s opened today with birdie at 10. Don’t rule the in-form 35-year-old out: he’s -3. Italy waited a long time for its first major championship; do the buses in Turin behave like the ones in London?

2.06pm BST

It’s going to be another warm day at Bellerive. Sunny, some clouds, with temperatures over 90 degrees come the afternoon. Not much in the way of wind. But there are worries that some thunder and lightning may arrive mid-to-late afternoon. Fingers crossed that’s not the case. The good news is that the weekend is set fair: slightly lower temperatures, but plenty of sun, and no storms a-comin’.

2.00pm BST

Kyle Stanley was sniffing around the leaders midway through his round yesterday. The 30-year-old from Washington state made it up to -3 at one point, but dropped a stroke on his way home. He’s continued that slide today: bogeys at 1 and 2 have sent him clattering down the standings, back to level par.

1.53pm BST

Here we go then, my old

Building and Loan
golf pals. It’s the second round of the final major of the year. Are you already getting that bittersweet yearning as you contemplate all those months before the Masters comes round again, even though we’ve still got another three days of hot PGA action ahead of us? Yes, us too. It’s like the last week of the World Cup all over again. Anyway, some early news: there is no early news to speak of. Brandon Stone, Mr 60, is out and about, having teed off in the very first group starting at 10 this morning. He’s level par through his first four holes, and at -4 remains two shots off Gary Woodland’s lead. Dustin Johnson’s up with the lark too: he’s parred 10 and stays at -3.

8.12am BST

Preambles are so Thursday. Let’s get straight down to business instead. Here’s the top of the leader board ...

-6: Woodland
-5: Fowler
-4: Stone, Z Johnson
-3: Cook, Poulter, Perez, Day, Gay, Cink, Schniederjans, D Johnson, Kisner, Rose, Pieters
-2: Fox, Horschel, Matsuyama, Ikeda, Simpson, Grace, Fisher, Korhonen, Stanley, Leishman, Molinari, Cantlay, Rahm, Kokrak, Niemann, Kirk, Putnam
Assorted others: Thomas (-1), Fleetwood (-1), Koepka (-1), McIlroy (E), Woods (E), Watson (E), Garcia (E), Spieth (+1), Reed (+2), Mickelson (+3)

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