Scott Murray's Blog, page 137

Middlesbrough 0-1 Aston Villa: Championship play-off semi-final – as it happened

Mile Jedinak’s first-half goal gives Villa the advantage going into Tuesday’s second leg.

7.43pm BST

And here’s the view from the Riverside, where Louise Taylor was in attendance.

Related: Mile Jedinak soars to sink Boro and steer Aston Villa toward play-off final

7.12pm BST

Steve Bruce speaks: “We had to defend very well. We went too deep in the second half. But the resilience! The second half was very difficult but we kept a clean sheet, we’ve got an advantage, coming to Middlesbrough’s never easy, so we’ll take that and look forward to Tuesday. It’s a small advantage. It’s half time. They’ve got to come to our place, but we all know the Championship, how ridiculous it is!”

7.10pm BST

The seven-time champions of England take a precious lead back to Villa Park for the second leg on Tuesday!

7.09pm BST

90 min +6: Traore skips in from the left, but can’t fashion space to shoot. That allows Grealish to scamper up the other end, eating up what’s left of the clock.

7.08pm BST

90 min +5: Well that’s all the added time used up, but with Terry having gone down seeking treatment, there’s more!

7.07pm BST

90 min +4: ... Terry goes down holding his neep. The referee blows up, as he has to for a head injury. The Boro fans don’t like this one either, assuming he’s trying it on. You know how these things go.

7.06pm BST

90 min +3: A chance! The ball’s sent into the Villa box, and breaks to Fabio on the penalty spot. He slashes a shot towards the bottom right. It’s deflected out for a corner, from which ...

7.05pm BST

90 min +2: Downing attempts a shot from 25 yards. Bloody hell.

7.03pm BST

90 min +1: Boro have all the possession ... but it’s in the middle of the park. There’s no way through Villa.

7.02pm BST

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

7.02pm BST

89 min: Whelan comes on for Elmohamady. Downing immediately romps into space vacated by the left-back. He crosses. Bamford eyebrows the ball on. It drops to Friend, who waits for an age for the ball to drop - then smashes it high into the stand. Too much time to think.

7.00pm BST

87 min: Elmohamady looks to have pulled a hamstring. He’s holding the back of his right leg, grimacing, having pulled up abruptly in a chase with Fabio. Or is it cramp? The Boro fans think he’s trying it on, with a view to running down the clock. He gets some treatment on the pitch, before limping off.

6.58pm BST

85 min: Traore skedaddles down the left and loops inside for Bamford, but Terry steps in to clear. Boro have total territorial dominance right now ... but Villa are holding firm.

6.57pm BST

84 min: Fabio has been busy since coming on. He earns a bit of space on the right, and sends a screamer of a ball through the six-yard box. Johnstone deals with it well.

6.56pm BST

83 min: Jedinak clears that second one. Both sets of fans are feeling the tension at a nervous Riverside: the next ten minutes or so are crucial to the balance of this semi-final.

6.55pm BST

82 min: Bamford and Howson one-two down the left, forcing Terry to intercept and concede a corner. The set piece is met by Fabio, on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. Johnstone is forced to turn the ball round for another corner.

6.53pm BST

81 min: Grabban has been quiet. He’s replaced by Bjarnason.

6.52pm BST

80 min: Boro desperately need something to happen. But they’re up against it now. Villa have only conceded six goals in the last 15 minutes of all their matches in all competitions all season!

6.50pm BST

78 min: Traore turns on the jets and races past Snodgrass, who isn’t risking anything now he’s been booked. He earns a corner, from which Friend is penalised for grappling with Terry.

6.50pm BST

77 min: Downing lifts the free kick into the mixer. It hits Gibson, and harmlessly bounces through to Johnstone.

6.49pm BST

76 min: Snodgrass is booked for a fairly cynical check on Friend. It’ll be a free kick just to the left of the Villa box. But before it can be taken, on comes Bamford for the disappointing Assombalonga. Bamford’s arrival is met with great cheers.

6.47pm BST

75 min: Grealish dribbles with great intent down the middle of the park. He’s a very fine player to watch in full flight. He slips the ball to his left for Grabban, who sidefoots a lame first-time effort into Randolph’s arms from the edge of the box.

6.46pm BST

73 min: Howson crosses from the Boro left. Grabban volleys to the halfway line. Villa seem happy enough to let Boro come onto them, because they’re doing very little in the final third, and this scoreline will be more than acceptable for Bruce’s side going into the second leg.

6.44pm BST

72 min: Another cross by Fabio from the right, and again it’s easily snaffled by Johnstone.

6.43pm BST

71 min: Adomah is replaced by Kodjia. Formerly of Boro, the Villa man receives some warm applause as he departs.

6.42pm BST

69 min: Fabio crosses deep from the right. Johnstone rises to claim the ball, while Terry eases Assombalonga out of the road underneath. Boro make a half-arsed claim for a penalty, but that’s never going to happen.

6.40pm BST

68 min: A free kick for Boro out on the left and a chance to load the box. Which they do, but it’s a futile effort, because Besic blooters a wild free kick over everyone and out for a goal kick.

6.40pm BST

66 min: Howson and Besic one-two crisply down the middle of the park. It’s a lovely move, and Besic then slips the ball wide right for Fabio, who bursts into the box. Fabio might as well shoot, really, because there’s nobody bar the heavily marked Assombalonga in the middle, but he doesn’t fancy the tight angle and cuts it back instead. To nobody.

6.38pm BST

65 min: Ayala is replaced by Fabio. That was preposterous, really, it was obvious even to a quack watching on television that the player was in pain. I have no idea why Boro sent him back onto the field.

6.37pm BST

64 min: Ayala takes up possession 30 yards from his own goal. He’s in obvious distress, and it’s all he can do to swivel and hoick the ball straight out of play, lest he make some sort of dreadful mistake. He can’t put any weight on his leg.

6.35pm BST

62 min: He’s trying to continue, but it doesn’t look good. He grimaces in pain as he steps back onto the field, and immediately looks back to the bench with sad eyes. But for now, he limps on.

6.34pm BST

61 min: Ayala has injured himself in the process of stopping Grealish in his tracks. He’s hurt his knee, and looks in a lot of pain. For a second it looks like he won’t be able to continue, but eventually gets up, limps off, and is given a talking-to by Pulis on the sideline. He’ll try to continue.

6.33pm BST

59 min: Traore over-elaborates 30 yards from his own goal. He loses possession to Grealish, who should send a shot goalwards, but doesn’t. Ayala blocks him. Grabban has a whack as the ball runs loose, but Traore deals with that one. A rare second-half attack for Villa, and a let-off for Boro.

6.30pm BST

57 min: It comes to nothing. Boro have enjoyed the lion’s share of possession since the restart, but Villa look pretty comfortable.

6.29pm BST

56 min: Traore spins Hutton down the left. Hutton tries to drag him back. The whistle goes for a free kick, though as Traore had continued to run at, and get the better of, Snodgrass, Boro aren’t happy. Still, a set piece in Villa’s final third.

6.27pm BST

54 min: Boro continue to push Villa back. Downing shimmies along the right and wins a corner. He takes it himself, long. Ayala tries to guide a header goalwards, but it’s bundled clear. Besic probes down the right and curls towards the near post, where Shotton bundles out for a goal kick.

6.25pm BST

52 min: Howson runs at the Villa back line with great intent. It’s a determined run which gets the visitors looking concerned for the first time since the restart, but when he lays off to Besic, the thrust of the move dies. The ball’s recycled, but Villa have regrouped, and Assombalonga drags a fairly lame shot wide left from distance.

6.23pm BST

50 min: Traore bursts down the left, a fine run for a while, but it ends sadly with a heavy touch that forces him out of play for a goal kick. The Riverside is a bit subdued for the first time this evening.

6.21pm BST

49 min: Gibson is booked for a fairly agricultural lunge on Jedinak. He doesn’t bother complaining.

6.21pm BST

48 min: But otherwise, it’s been a slow start to the second half. Grealish tries to spark it into life with a run down the left, but he’s ushered out of play by Besic.

6.19pm BST

46 min: Friend immediately tears down the left wing. He goes nowhere, but that was hectic enough to suggest Mr Pulis has given his team a bit of a talking-to during the break.

6.17pm BST

And we’re off again! Middlesbrough get the party underway again, albeit after a false restart. No half-time changes. “Play offs should come with a government health warning,” writes the nanny state’s Simon McMahon. “After watching Dundee United bottle it at Livingston last night, was at Cowdenbeath, aka the Blue Brazil, today to see them preserve their league status with a crazy 3-2 victory over Cove Rangers. Shakespeare couldn’t script what happens in the play offs, and there’s more drama to come for sure.”

6.11pm BST

Half-time reading. There’s been some other meaningful end-of-season action today. In the League One play-offs, Scunthorpe forced a dramatic late draw with Rotherham. Meanwhile Tranmere Rovers are back in the Football League, despite having been reduced to ten men after a first-minute sending off in the National League promotion final against Boreham Wood. Barry Glendenning was at Wembley for that one.

6.03pm BST

And that’s that for the second half. Villa have the advantage thanks to Jedinak’s header; they’d be in total control had Randolph not made that wonder save from Snodgrass. Boro need something in the second half, or they’ll have a hell of a task turning this round at Villa Park.

6.02pm BST

45 min +1: Friend is booked for an out-of-control run and leap into Jedinak. That seemed a bit of an unnecessary and pointless challenge.

6.01pm BST

45 min: Traore dribbles in from the left and looks for the top-right corner of the Villa net. Not quite.

6.01pm BST

44 min: And then Snodgrass drops a shoulder to cut in from the right, curling towards the top left. It’s a wonderful shot, but Randolph stretches out and fingertips it onto the left-hand post. The ball rebounds away to safety. What a shot ... and an even better save! Happy birthday to the Boro keeper, then, 31 years old today.

5.59pm BST

43 min: Hourihane tries to release Adomah down the left. Ayala should tidy up, but he hesitates after intercepting and that allows Adomah to pick the ball up and consider a shot. He doesn’t have a go, but Villa stay on the attack, pressing Boro back.

5.57pm BST

41 min: Traore sees a shot from distance deflected out for a corner. Ayala flashes a header on target from the set piece, but Johnstone gathers. Good luck predicting who’ll score next, because both teams are doing their damndest.

5.55pm BST

39 min: Grealish embarks on another Gazza-style run, this time down the middle of the park from the halfway line. It’s a gravity-defying dribble, as he rides a couple of barges, and it showcases plenty of ball-glued-to-toe skill ... but the minute he enters the area, he’s blocked by Ayala before he can get a shot away. What a stunning run, though.

5.54pm BST

37 min: A cross curled into the Villa box from the left by Friend. Assombalonga stoops at the near post and tries to guide a header into the bottom left, but Johnstone drops to smother. Assombalonga has had three decent chances in the last six minutes. He should have done better with all of them.

5.53pm BST

36 min: Besic tees up Adam Clayton, 25 yards out. The ball sails off into the blood-red sky.

5.51pm BST

35 min: The first slight lull of the match. It’s been otherwise thoroughly entertaining, despite the high stakes, so let’s give the lads a break, they deserve it.

5.49pm BST

33 min: These teams are beginning to give up chances now. Howson dances through the middle of the park before sliding another fine pass down the inside-left channel for Assombalonga. This time the striker takes a touch before rippling the side netting from a tight-ish angle.

5.48pm BST

32 min: Adomah drops a shoulder to earn some space on the left, then whips high into the Boro box. Snodgrass rises over Friend, and should be planting his header on target, but over it goes from close range.

5.47pm BST

31 min: Howson, quarterbacking from deep, finds Assombalonga down the inside-left channel. The striker has a yard on Chester, but thrashes a wild shot high and left of the target when he really should have worked Johnstone.

5.45pm BST

29 min: As Terry continues to limp around, Traore wins a corner down the Boro right. The first corner leads to another, and then Hutton very nearly eyebrows one into the top left of his own goal. A third corner to come, this time from the left. And this time Hutton batters a clearing header off his own line, the corner having been swung in at pace by Traore.

5.43pm BST

27 min: Besic attempts to inject some life into Boro’s play, bursting down the inside-right channel but failing to find the nearby Assombalonga with a lay-off. Terry, chasing Besic, might have taken a knock or pulled something there. He’s hopping around a bit, anyway.

5.41pm BST

25 min: A stat on Sky which may give Boro pause: Villa are unbeaten this season after scoring the first goal.

5.40pm BST

23 min: Villa hit the right-hand corner deep. Terry rises at the far post, Randolph having been taken out of play, but can only bundle the ball wide left. Boro were living dangerously there, though, and Villa are very much on top now.

5.39pm BST

22 min: Traore slides in on Grealish. He catches the Villa man on the back of his leg. Accidental, but oof, ow, ooyah, etc. From the free kick, Jedinak’s backwards header threatens to loop into the top right. Randolph claims, but clatters into the post and drops the ball, out for a corner.

5.36pm BST

20 min: Grealish dribbles in from the left, Gazza style, but his shot from just inside the box isn’t up to the quality of the run. Randolph gathers the pea-roller.

5.36pm BST

19 min: Snodgrass falls over while dribbling down the right. He grabs the ball, wanting a free kick. But there was nothing wrong with the attention of Friend, and so that’s a free kick to Boro instead. There’s quite an edgy feel to this match; don’t be surprised if it boils over into a brouhaha at some point.

5.34pm BST

17 min: The Riverside took a while to process that goal, so absurdly simple it seemed. Boro try to respond immediately. A throw’s won deep in Villa territory down the left. Friend spends an age towelling off the ball to get extra purchase ... then flings it straight out of play for a goal kick.

5.32pm BST

Well this was simple! Adomah wins a corner for Villa down the left. Then Jedinak rises to meet Grealish’s corner at the left-hand corner of the six-yard box, guiding it into the bottom right. There’s nobody on the post, so in it flies!

5.30pm BST

13 min: Hourihane, who was pushing his luck in the first 30 seconds of this match, goes in the book. It’s for hanging an arm into the startled grid of Besic, as the pair contest a high ball. Terry critiques the referee’s work: he’s told in no uncertain terms to stop his yap.

5.29pm BST

12 min: Besic looks in the mood for this. Twice he runs at the Villa defence within the space of 20 seconds or so. On both occasions, the visitors look to be in a state of panic and only just manage to stop Besic in full flow from breaking through.

5.27pm BST

11 min: Shotton sends a Delap-style throw into the Villa box from the right. It’s half cleared, to Besic, who caresses a dipping screamer inches wide of the top-left corner. Le Tissier-esque. A pleasing 90s vibe to minute 11: one for the mums and dads.

5.25pm BST

10 min: The set piece is a waste of time.

5.25pm BST

9 min: But Boro respond to that period of pressure well, Besic dribbing at great speed down the inside-right channel. He’s crowded out of it before he can shoot. But they come again, Friend and Downing combining well to earn another corner, this time on the left.

5.23pm BST

7 min: Villa are beginning to dominate these early stages. Grealish is buzzing around with purpose. His prompting pushes Boro back. There’s a little space for Snodgrass on the edge of the box, but instead of shooting he tries to slide the ball forward for Grabban. Wrong decision. Boro intercept and clear their lines.

5.21pm BST

5 min: It’s high-octane stuff. And a little bit scrappy. Passing moves at a premium. A lot of tackles flying in. Howson crashes into Grealish, leaving the Villa man on the floor. No free kick. All very old-fashioned, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

5.19pm BST

3 min: ... Traore loops an obvious ball in from the right and it’s easily snaffled by Johnstone.

5.18pm BST

2 min: An ear-bothering noise at the Riverside. Howson bursts down the right and wins the first corner of the match. From which ...

5.17pm BST

And we’re off! Villa get the party started. Hourihane clatters into Clayton, and gets a good talking-to from the ref for sliding in studs showing, forcefully, not totally within reason. Had there been more than 15 seconds on the clock, that might have been a booking.

5.15pm BST

The teams are out! Boro are in their red shirts with famous white stripe, while Villa play in second-choice black. There’s a thundering atmosphere at the Riverside, ahead of this crucial match. And it’s been a tear-jerking one too: the popular Leo Percovich took to the centre circle to emotionally thank fans for their support in the wake of the recent tragic car accident that took the lives of the 50-year-old Uruguayan’s young daughters Antonella and Valentina. We’ll be off in a minute.

5.11pm BST

Tony Pulis speaks - and is asked about Boro’s record of only winning one game all season against teams who finished in the top six. “The game is the game, no two games are the same. We have to approach it in the right manner, make sure we do our best, and give everything. If we get the breaks, and things go our way, then fine. But if we don’t, we still have the second game to come. But the teams we have played recently - the Derbys, the Bristol Citys, the Millwalls - they’ve all been up there. We’ve won those games.”

5.08pm BST

Steve Bruce speaks! “People hit form and people drop out of form a little bit. Rotating in recent weeks has enabled me to make sure everybody is ready if needed. That’s been vitally important. We’ve cemented our place in the play-offs for a long time, so it’s enabled me to do that. But the team I have picked today are the ones that have predominantly got us into this position. I think it’s only fair that they’re the ones to try and take us a little bit further. No doubt Tony has sprinkled a little bit of his magic, and they’re the in-form team of the division. We’re two really good teams who have been competing against each other so it should be the makings of a classic game!”

4.55pm BST

The winners of this tie will face either Derby County or Fulham in the Wembley final in a fortnight’s time. The Cottagers have been everybody’s favourites to get through the other semi, though the odds on the Rams springing a surprise at the expense of the current hipsters’ choice have shortened considerably in the wake of their hard-fought victory in the first leg at Pride Park last night. Nick Miller was there to report on proceedings.

Related: Cameron Jerome header gives Derby slender advantage over Fulham

4.45pm BST

Pre-match reading: Our very own Louise Taylor previews the big game, on a day when Leo Percovich, Boro’s former goalkeeping coach, returns to the Riverside in poignant circumstances.

Related: Middlesbrough v Aston Villa given added poignancy by Percovich return

4.30pm BST

Tony Pulis always said he would name the same XI that started Boro’s last game, the 2-2 draw at Ipswich. And he’s done exactly that. It means Patrick Bamford, whose last-minute equaliser in that match was his 13th goal of the season, stays on the bench.

Steve Bruce rings the changes, having named an experimental Villa side for the 1-0 defeat at Millwall. Mark Bunn, Josh Onomah, Scott Hogan and Jonathan Kodjia drop to the bench, while James Bree and Henri Lansbury miss out altogether. In come Sam Johnstone, Ahmed Elmohamady, John Terry, Robert Snodgrass, Jack Grealish and Lewis Grabban.

4.27pm BST

Middlesbrough: Randolph, Shotton, Ayala, Gibson, Friend, Howson, Clayton, Besic, Traore, Assombalonga, Downing.
Subs: Konstantopoulos, Da Silva, Leadbitter, Bamford, Cranie, Fry, Harrison.

Aston Villa: Johnstone, Elmohamady, Chester, Terry, Hutton, Jedinak, Snodgrass, Hourihane, Grealish, Adomah, Grabban.
Subs: Samba, Whelan, Hogan, Onomah, Bjarnason, Kodjia, Bunn.

11.49am BST

In January 1950, legendary inside-forward Wilf Mannion inspired Middlesbrough to a 3-0 FA Cup victory over Aston Villa. The tie had gone to a second replay, at neutral Elland Road, which meant the teams would play each other on five occasions that season. For the record, Villa had the better of it in the League, winning 4-0 at Villa Park just five days later.

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Chelsea 1-1 Huddersfield, Spurs 1-0 Newcastle and more: Premier League clockwatch – as it happened

Huddersfield are safe after earning a precious point at Chelsea, while Spurs are now guaranteed Champions League football next season.

10.17pm BST

And finally, Dominic Fifield was at Stamford Bridge to see Huddersfield rather magnificently retain their Premier League status ... and deliver a serious blow to Chelsea’s hopes of a top-four finish.

Related: Laurent Depoitre seals safety for Huddersfield and dents Chelsea’s hopes

10.14pm BST

Leicester City saw off Arsenal at home ... but then again who doesn’t these days? Stuart James saw the Gunners lose their seventh straight match on the road, a record that stretches back to the miserable mid-60s days of Billy Wright.

Related: Jamie Vardy on the spot for Leicester win over 10-man Arsenal

10.12pm BST

Harry Kane secured Champions League football for Spurs next season ... and kept on Mo Salah’s tail in the race to be the top Premier League scorer of this campaign. David Hytner witnessed that one.

Related: Harry Kane purges Spurs of Champions League nerves with win over Newcastle

10.11pm BST

And here come the reports! Jamie Jackson was at the Etihand to see Manchester City rewrite the record books ...

Related: Manchester City shatter Premier League records in win over Brighton

10.09pm BST

And now it’s the turn of the astonishing David Wagner. “To be honest I don’t think my English is good enough to find the words to describe what the players have done over the whole season. Tonight we have seen everything that counts for us: effort, attitude and togetherness. If you have the passion, desire and spirit you can compete. We had luck today, there is no doubt. But if a group of players deserved it, it’s this group. We have had some big dips, but we’ve always been able to come back. We have done it ourselves. It is so important for me that we were not relying on others. I have not enough English vocabulary to describe how I feel.” Oh I think you do. As eloquent a tribute as his players could wish for.

10.02pm BST

Huddersfield keeper Jonas Lossl has been named man of the match at Stamford Bridge. And no wonder: his fingertip save from Andreas Christensen during the closing stages was one of the stops of the season. It’s kept his team in the division. “The feeling is overwhelming right now. It’s what we’ve fought for. To finish here like this, against these teams, City and Chelsea, is unbelievable. Mentally, it was tough. Chelsea need it, but we fought, we fought like we never did before.”

9.58pm BST

A bit more on Hibs. Their defeat in the Edinburgh derby means they’ll almost certainly finish fourth ... unless they can beat third-placed Rangers by six goals at Easter Road on Sunday. Well, there’s always hope. A perhaps more realistic route into the Europa League is offered by Celtic, who will open the door for Hibs if they beat Motherwell in the Scottish Cup final. Aberdeen’s place in the competition next season has been confirmed.

9.55pm BST

Harry Kane’s goal has ensured Spurs will play in next season’s Champions League! They’re not guaranteed third spot yet ... they’ll need to beat Leicester on Sunday to make sure of that ... but they’re very much unlikely to care right now. Another European adventure awaits a club on the up!

9.53pm BST

So that was already the most goals in a Premier League season (105) ... and now City have registered the most wins (31) and points (97) too. A lot of records nabbed off Chelsea, there.

9.48pm BST

Leicester are guaranteed to finish ninth, unless Newcastle do something very strange at Wembley in the next few minutes. Arsenal are going to end Arsene Wenger’s final season in sixth. They ended Bruce Rioch’s only season in fifth, so it’s come full circle, almost, kind of.

9.44pm BST

Hearts take the spoils in the Edinburgh derby, and Hibs will almost certainly end the season in fourth place.

9.43pm BST

... but anyway, that point for Huddersfield at Stamford Bridge means Chelsea are really up against it now if they want to play Champions League football next season. They’ll need to win at Newcastle on Sunday, and hope Liverpool lose for the first time at Anfield in the league all season, to Brighton & Hove Albion. None of it’s beyond the realms, but Liverpool now have the draw in their back pocket. Still, the jig isn’t yet up ... even though a few Chelsea faces, such as Giroud and Azpilicueta, suggest they think it might be.

9.40pm BST

Town make it to the line! Survival! Another magnificent point on the road, and they’ll be staying in the Premier League! They cavort in glee, and no wonder: the pre-season favourites for relegation have survived with a game to spare! And at the home of the deposed champions, to boot!

9.38pm BST

Oh Arsenal! One last chance for an away point at Huddersfield on Sunday, then.

9.36pm BST

Hogg goes down with cramp, eating up a few seconds before springing up again. Giroud nearly makes himself some space in the Huddersfield box, but Jorgensen stands firm. There are two minutes of stoppage time between Town and Premier League survival!

9.35pm BST

Fernandinho scores number 105 of City’s remarkable season!

9.33pm BST

More pinball in the Huddersfield box. Giroud tries to sidefoot the ball acrobatically home from eight yards, but sends it bouncing harmlessly wide right. There will be six minutes of added time! Which is about right, given all the subs, plus goals, plus faffing about. But that’s going to seem like an age for Huddersfield. Chelsea have a new spring in their step!

9.31pm BST

Morata, just inside the box on the left, unleashes a whistling shot goalwards. Lossl parries it clear with strong hands. Then Willian has a go. It pinballs around, then dribbles through to the keeper. One minute left, plus stoppages of course.

9.30pm BST

Huddersfield can almost touch safety. But they’re beginning to shank and scuff clearances they were earlier putting their foot through. Hazard releases a little pressure on the visitors by dragging a shot wide from distance. Lossl is booked for faffing around to an absurd degree when taking the goal kick that restarts the game. There are now three minutes to go.

9.28pm BST

There are five minutes to go. Huddersfield hook Smith, who takes an age to leave the field of play. Willian comes across and tries to shove him off. Predictably, there’s a brief but frank exchange of views. There are now four minutes to go ... though you can surely expect plenty of stoppages, especially after that brouhaha.

9.26pm BST

Huddersfield might have been pressed back for most of this game. But they’ve rarely looked ragged. Until now, that is. Hazard very nearly sashays his way through the middle towards goal. But he’s crowded out at the last. Then a corner, from which there’s a ludicrous cartoon scramble just in front of the Huddersfield goal. Rudiger and Hazard whiff shots from close range. Then the ball rears up, allowing Christensen to guide a clever header towards the top left from the middle of the melee. But Lossl somehow fingertips it onto the post, and his team-mates hack clear! That was absurd!

9.23pm BST

Arsenal’s 0% away record in 2018 could remain in tact, then.

9.22pm BST

Huddersfield are now playing with all 11 men camped in their final third. Most of the Chelsea lads are in there too. There’s no release valve. The home side are utterly dominant in terms of possession and territory ... though they’re not doing a whole lot to force Lossl into emergency action. Quite a few balls being pumped towards Giroud. Will the tactic force a crack in the Huddersfield wall?

9.18pm BST

The ball is coming back at Huddersfield with monotonous regularity now. During the last ten minutes, nearly half of the game has been played in Town’s final third! The final quarter of an hour will seem like a year to the visiting fans. Can their heroes hold on for the point that will guarantee their Premier League survival?

9.15pm BST

That goal of Harry Kane’s is his 28th of the season, by the way. He’s just three behind Mo Salah (31) in the race to end the campaign as 2017-18’s leading scorer.

9.13pm BST

The game at Stamford Bridge has that ludicrous, delightful, zany end-of-season feel. It’s a triumph of chaos over order, as Chelsea throw the kitchen sink at Town. Chelsea are press, press, pressing Huddersfield back, as the visitors desperately try to hold onto the point that will preserve their Premier League status. They’re vulnerable on the break, though, and once again Billing nearly releases Pritchard into acres ... and once again, Kante’s the man who snuffs out some serious danger!

9.10pm BST

Hearts regain the lead in the Embra rammy, and Hibs’ hopes of a second or third-place finish look to be seriously receding.

9.09pm BST

It’s that man again ... and it’s a significant goal, because as things stand, Spurs will be guaranteed Champions League football next season!

9.08pm BST

Ten-man Arsenal equalise at the King Power, and the chance of a first away point for the Gunners in the calendar year of 2018 is a live one!

9.06pm BST

Scrub all that! Chelsea equalise, and in the most farcical way possible! Jorgensen hoicks clear from his own six-yard line ... and blooters the ball straight into Alonso’s startled face. The ball rebounds into the bottom right, Lossl with no hope of reacting to the dreadful stroke of luck! That is beyond bizarre - and it could have huge implications at both the top and bottom of the table!

9.04pm BST

Hazard is on now, too, at the expense of Pedro. As things stand, Huddersfield are safe; Swansea City are as good as down, unless they beat Stoke at the weekend, Southampton lose to Manchester City, and there’s a ten-goal swing in the goal difference; and Chelsea will find it almost impossible to catch Liverpool or Spurs in the top four.

9.01pm BST

Chelsea have to go for it now. Accordingly, they’ve brought on Giroud in place of Zappacosta. The rest of this match could well be a case of attack versus defence. Not that Huddersfield are sitting deep at all costs: Billing nearly releases the Huddersfield sub Pritchard with a long pass, but is denied by the indefatigable Kante.

8.58pm BST

Stevenson, dribbling down the inside left, is clipped to the floor by Adao. The referee points to the spot, and Kamberi levels it up!

8.54pm BST

Well this wasn’t in the script. Willian is robbed in the middle of the park. Mooy hoicks a first-time ball down the middle, and suddenly Depoitre is racing clear of Rudiger! Caballero comes out from his area and clatters into the striker. It’s a fair 50-50 ... but the keeper comes off worst, falling over as Depoitre barges past, then toeing calmly into the empty net! Huddersfield can really sense survival now! Chelsea’s Champions League dream is hanging by a thread. They’ve got most of the half to sort it out, though.

8.51pm BST

Chelsea have started the second half against Huddersfield in lively fashion ... and Rudiger has missed another wonderful chance. Willian curls in a delicious free kick from the right, and watches in horror as the big defender clanks a header over from six yards. Willian puts his head in his hands in theatrical irritation.

8.49pm BST

It’s now half-time in the 8pm Premier League kick-offs. City are 2-1 up on Brighton, while Spurs versus Newcastle remains goalless.

8.46pm BST

Those two Manchester City goals have been hugely significant. They mean Pep Guardiola’s astonishing team have broken the Premier League record for most goals in a season. Their tally now stands at 104, beating the previous mark of 103 set by Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea in 2009-10. Congratulations - again - to Manchester City!

8.43pm BST

Not a whole load to report in Scotland. Celtic are being held goalless at half-time by Killie, while Hearts go in leading Hibs by that Lafferty strike. As things stand, Hibs’ hopes of pipping Rangers or Aberdeen to third spot look as good as over. A frustrating end to a decent season?

8.40pm BST

The champions take the lead again at the Etihad, Bernardo Silva guiding home Sane cross.

8.38pm BST

Newcastle are giving a good account of themselves against Tottenham. They’re holding their hosts after 35 minutes of goalless action at Wembley. Meanwhile it’s half-time at the King Power, where Leicester lead ten-man Arsenal by the single goal.

8.35pm BST

It’s half-time at Stamford Bridge. The whistle goes as Willian runs over to take a corner. But he doesn’t get there in time. Chelsea are collectively incandescent with rage, Azpilicueta and Fabregas taking turns to get right up in the referee’s face as they make their displeasure known. Both are fortunate Lee Mason is in a good mood, because you’ve seen players booked for similar displays of pique. Anyway, it’s 0-0.

8.29pm BST

So having said that, Chelsea very nearly take the lead! Morata is sent free down the inside-left channel by Kante’s superb reverse pass. He rounds Lossl on the outside. He could go over the sprawling keeper in search of a penalty, but stays honest. Only problem is, he’s sent so far left the angle’s suddenly extremely prohibitive. It’s all Morata can do to chip across the face of goal ... and there’s nobody in blue nearby to run the ball home. That’s a fine move by Chelsea, though, and full marks to Morata for staying on his feet in the sporting fashion.

8.26pm BST

Huddersfield are still holding their own at Stamford Bridge. The place has gone rather quiet, the away section excepted, as the majority within contemplate a season in the Europa League. That’s what they’ll most likely face in 2018-19 if they can’t break the Terriers down this evening.

8.24pm BST

Well that lead didn’t last long. Ulloa scores his first goal since rejoining the Seagulls. A confident display from Brighton will send a shiver down the collective spine of Liverpool, who need to beat them on the final day at Anfield to make sure of Champions League football next season. (Or beat Real Madrid on May 26, but you know what I mean.)

8.21pm BST

The champions open the scoring at the Etihad, courtesy of Danilo. Here’s the full back’s previous Premier League strike, for your pleasure.

8.18pm BST

First blood in the Embra derby to Hearts, as Kyle Lafferty takes advantage of some dozy Hibs defending to burst into the box on the right and hammer home, low and hard. A minute before, Naismith looked to have been bundled over in the box by Ambrose. That penalty claim doesn’t sting so much for the home fans now.

8.14pm BST

Some tomfoolery now. Hogg slides in on Willian, winning the ball but knocking the winger to the floor too. The referee doesn’t mind the challenge. Willian does, and rolls around in the irritated fashion. The Huddersfield fans give the Chelsea man the bird ... then parp in delight as Willian, up and about again, rakes a dreadful crossfield pass into the stand. Still over seven months until Christmas, so enjoy these rare springtime pantomime scraps when they’re on offer.

8.08pm BST

Chelsea continue to press Huddersfield back. They’re dominating the play, as you’d imagine. But Lossl has had very little to do in goal so far. Chelsea keep trying to jink their way through the middle, and the Huddersfield back line isn’t having a bar of it.

8.07pm BST

More on the good news regarding Sir Alex Ferguson. A report from our man Jamie Jackson.

Related: Sir Alex Ferguson out of intensive care after surgery, say Manchester United

8.05pm BST

Arsenal’s quite extraordinary away record in 2018 looks good for a while yet. That’s because they’re a goal down at the King Power ... and young defender Konstantinos Mavropanos has been sent off for a last-man challenge on Iheanacho too. Wenger out, etc.

7.59pm BST

Back at Stamford Bridge, Azpilicueta heads down from a Chelsea corner. Rudiger simply has to follow it into the bottom-left corner from a couple of yards, but somehow manages to shank it off target. That’s a lot of wild nonsense, and he holds his head accordingly.

7.58pm BST

A dreadful waste of a free kick by Hibs in the Edinburgh derby. It’s just outside the box, to the right of the D. Allan shifts the ball left ... or at least he tries to, getting the simplest of passes caught under his feet. McGinn is forced to adjust his position before shooting, and fires miles wide right. On the touchline, Neil Lennon reacts pretty much as you’d expect him to, dancing a little dance to a jazz piece played in the keys of F and C. That’s a hot kind of music. All very entertaining.

7.52pm BST

A quiet start at Chelsea. Fabregas found Alonso down the left with a glorious pass, but the rampaging full-back’s shot from a tight angle was parried well by Lossl.

7.49pm BST

Meanwhile before the action begins, some wonderful news just announced by Manchester United: Sir Alex Ferguson “no longer needs intensive care and will continue rehabilitation as an in-patient.” Magnificent. The world of football finally exhales in relief. Here’s to the great man’s continued rehabilitation.

Related: The Joy of Six: Sir Alex Ferguson | Scott Murray

7.46pm BST

The teams are out for the 7.45pm kick-offs! A rare old atmosphere at Tynecastle, as you’d expect ... and the one at Stamford Bridge isn’t too bad either. Chelsea are desperate for the win that would put some serious pressure on Liverpool in the race for the top four, while Huddersfield are one point away from staying in the division. Both managers seemed well up for it in the pre-match interviews, yet quite relaxed to boot. It should be a fascinating evening.

7.36pm BST

Heart of Midlothian: McLaughlin, Michael Smith, Hughes, Berra, Mitchell, Cochrane, Adao, Amankwaa, Naismith, Milinkovic, Lafferty.
Subs: Jack Hamilton, Cowie, Callachan, Moore, Henderson, McDonald, Chris Hamilton.

Hibernian: Marciano, Ambrose, McGregor, Hanlon, Boyle, Scott Allan, Whittaker, McGinn, Stevenson, Barker, Kamberi.
Subs: Swanson, Maclaren, Bell, Bartley, Slivka, McGeouch, Shaw.

7.28pm BST

Celtic: Bain, Hendry, Simunovic, Ajer, Miller, Brown, McGregor, Forrest, Armstrong, Roberts, Sinclair.
Subs: Rogic, Ntcham, De Vries, Henderson, Tierney, Johnston, Eboue.

Kilmarnock: MacDonald, O’Donnell, Scott Boyd, Findlay, Taylor, Dicker, Mulumbu, Tshibola, Kiltie, Brophy, Erwin.
Subs: Fasan, Burke, Greer, Simpson, Kris Boyd, Wilson, Cameron.

7.14pm BST

Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Trippier, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Davies, Sissoko, Wanyama, Eriksen, Alli, Son, Kane.
Subs: Rose, Alderweireld, Lamela, Vorm, Llorente, Foyth, Lucas Moura.

Newcastle United: Dubravka, Yedlin, Lascelles, Lejeune, Dummett, Diame, Shelvey, Ritchie, Perez, Kenedy, Gayle. Subs: Murphy, Hayden, Manquillo, Joselu, Merino, Haidara, Darlow.

7.08pm BST

Manchester City: Bravo, Danilo, Kompany, Laporte, Zinchenko, Toure, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus, Sane.
Subs: De Bruyne, Mendy, Adarabioyo, Ederson, Nmecha, Foden, Diaz.

Brighton & Hove Albion: Ryan, Bruno, Duffy, Dunk, Bong, Gross, Stephens, Propper, Knockaert, Ulloa, Izquierdo.
Subs: Kayal, Murray, Goldson, March, Schelotto, Locadia, Krul.

7.02pm BST

Chelsea: Caballero, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger, Zappacosta, Fabregas, Kante, Alonso, Willian, Pedro, Morata.
Subs: Barkley, Hazard, Bakayoko, Moses, Giroud, Cahill, Eduardo.

Huddersfield Town: Lossl, Smith, Jorgensen, Schindler, Kongolo, Lowe, Billing, Hogg, Mooy, van La Parra, Depoitre.
Subs: Malone, Coleman, Pritchard, Ince, Quaner, Mounie, Hadergjonaj.

6.54pm BST

Leicester City: Jakupovic, Simpson, Morgan, Maguire, Fuchs, Mahrez, Choudhury, Adrien Silva, Diabate, Vardy, Iheanacho.
Subs: Gray, Hamer, Dragovic, Iborra, Benalouane, Thomas, Barnes.

Arsenal: Cech, Maitland-Niles, Holding, Mavropanos, Kolasinac, Iwobi, Xhaka, Ramsey, Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang, Welbeck.
Subs: Mertesacker, Ospina, Mustafi, Nelson, Nketiah, Osei-Tutu, Willock.

11.45am BST

There’s some big Premier League action on the card tonight:

Chelsea v Huddersfield Town (7.45pm)
Leicester City v Arsenal (7.45pm)
Manchester City v Brighton & Hove Albion (8pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United (8pm)

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The Fiver | Spinning off into hyperspace in flames

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The Fiver, five-star to the very core of its being, spends more time than is technically necessary on TripAdvisor, leaving ill-tempered, hot-faced, disproportionate reviews of hotels in the wake of stays deemed unsatisfactory to our exacting standards. Perhaps there had been a long queue at check-in. Maybe the complimentary toiletries were not produced using natural oils and perfumes by an artisan apothecary. Or perhaps the minibar was all out of fun-size bottles of Fistfight, the 73.8% ABV turps-flavoured reality suppressor that can just about be soaked up in the morning by a pyramid of half-cooked hash browns so you can get back on the road having finally finished your crying.

Related: Southampton make Twitter dig at Swansea hotel that cancelled their stay

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Arsenal 1-3 Chelsea: 2018 Women's FA Cup final, as it happened

Ramona Bachmann and Fran Kirby scored that goals that secured Chelsea’s second FA Cup.

7.45pm BST

Anyway, that’s your lot for this MBM, because Suzanne Wrack was at Wembley ... and her big verdict is in! Enjoy, enjoy. Congratulations to Chelsea, commiserations to Arsenal, and good evening to you all.

Related: Ramona Bachmann at the double as Chelsea seal FA Cup triumph over Arsenal

7.42pm BST

Gabby Logan has just made a magnificent Bachmann-Kirby Overdrive pun on the BBC. That knocks Gary Lineker’s wordplay into a cocked hat. It’s got to be worth some sort of award. Is there not a Pulitzer category for this sort of thing?

7.38pm BST

The prize-giving ceremony. Arsenal go up to collect their runner-up medals. Grim faces, understandably. And then it’s the turn of Chelsea, led by their captain Katie Chapman, who has now won this competition an astonishing ten times! The entire squad congregates. Chapman hoists the silverware, with the help of Maren Mjelde! These remarkable women celebrate, and Wembley erupts!

7.33pm BST

Fran Kirby speaks! “We were disappointed that we let them get the goal, so luckily I managed to score straight after. I had a feeling that we were going to win. Individual awards were great, but the main ones are what you win with your team. That’s more important to me.”

7.32pm BST

The brilliant Bachmann, the official player of the match, is beside herself with joy. “It’s an amazing feeling. Every footballer dreams to one day play at Wembley, and to win feels amazing! I haven’t scored that much this year: it’s not important when you have Fran to your side, who scores all the time! It doesn’t matter who scores, though it was an amazing feeling to score in front of so many people!”

7.27pm BST

Chelsea race to their fans, in full-on Cavort Mode! They’ve won their club’s second FA Cup; Arsenal are stuck on 14. Ramona Bachmann scored two wonderful goals after the break; then Fran Kirby added a brilliant third, just when it looked as though Arsenal might hustle their way back into the match thanks to Vivianne Miedema’s strike. They were by far the better side today ... and they’re applauded by a deflated but sporting Arsenal.

7.24pm BST

Chelsea deservedly win the 2018 FA Women’s Cup! The Ramona Bachmann final. What a second-half performance!

7.23pm BST

90 min +4: Kirby, who has been quite superb this evening, second only to her team-mate Bachmann, dribbles to the corner and earns another time-management corner.

7.22pm BST

90 min +3: Chelsea pin Arsenal back in their final third. Time marches on.

7.21pm BST

90 min +2: Kirby slaloms in from the left, evading three challenges in ball-glued-to-boot style. That’s a showstopping display of skill. Shame about the following overhit pass to Cuthbert, who would have been free down the middle otherwise. Instead she’s pushed out to the right, where the attack fizzles out, not that it really matters now.

7.20pm BST

90 min +1: The resulting corner comes to nothing, as the first of five extra minutes elapses.

7.19pm BST

90 min: Aluko flashes down the right and sends a rising shot towards the top right. It’s a fine effort, tipped around the post in slightly uncertain fashion by van Veenendaal.

7.18pm BST

89 min: O’Reilly curls a ball into the Chelsea box from the right, but nobody in red can get anywhere near. Kirby goes up the other end, but over-elaborates with Aluko down the right. A highly entertaining second half is petering out. By way of illustration, on the BBC, Jonathan Pearce is riffing on vegetable soup.

7.15pm BST

87 min: It’s all scrappy. Chelsea are more than happy with this state of affairs. Arsenal can’t get anything going in attack, and time is not their friend.

7.13pm BST

85 min: Bachmann, the two-goal Chelsea hero, is replaced by Aluko. Cuthbert sends a screamer inches wide of the left-hand post from 25 yards.

7.12pm BST

84 min: A double switch for Arsenal, as Mitchell and Evans are replaced by Carter and McCabe.

7.11pm BST

82 min: Cuthbert runs hard at Mitchell, who has been targeted relentlessly by Chelsea down the right today. Cuthbert spins adroitly and breaks clear into the box, but the angle she faces is tight and she can’t find a team-mate with a cross.

7.10pm BST

80 min: O’Reilly scraps with Eriksson as she tries to make her way into the Chelsea box from the right. She tumbles to the ground and claims a penalty, but it looked like a 50-50 challenge that was outside the box anyway. The referee waves play on.

7.07pm BST

78 min: Arsenal look visibly deflated. No wonder, having fought their way back into the match. Kirby simply wasn’t having any of it. What a response!

7.06pm BST

... Kirby comes again, picking up a pass from Blundell on the right. She cuts inside, nips past a flailing Quinn, and curls hard into the bottom left! Chelsea’s star has restored her team’s two goal lead within three minutes!

7.04pm BST

76 min: Chelsea try to respond through Kirby, who dribbles hard down the inside-left channel. But Arsenal slam the door shut. Never mind, though, because ...

7.03pm BST

75 min: Spence, spent, is replaced by Cuthbert.

7.03pm BST

Mead dribbles brilliantly along the byline to the left of the Chelsea goal. She pulls the ball back for Miedema, who whips a first-time shot into the bottom right! That came out of nothing, and this isn’t over yet!

7.01pm BST

72 min: Spence strips Nobbs in the centre circle and races towards the Arsenal box. For a second, this looks dangerous, but Spence seems to lose a little confidence as she nears the box, and instead of shooting - it would have been a glorious solo goal - she hesitates and loses possession.

7.00pm BST

71 min: A period of possession for Arsenal in the midfield. But there’s a sense that Chelsea are happy to let them have it. Arsenal aren’t doing anything to launch an attack.

6.58pm BST

70 min: Chelsea make their first swap. Andersson is replaced by Thorisdottir.

6.58pm BST

69 min: Bright strokes a glorious ball down the right to release Spence. But the flag goes up for offside, and Arsenal breathe again.

6.56pm BST

67 min: Kirby and Ji are close to opening up Arsenal down the left, but the final pass goes wrong. Arsenal look defeated at the moment. Can the 14-time winners find the extra gear they need to mount a comeback?

6.54pm BST

65 min: Today’s attendance at Wembley is a very impressive 45,423. That’s a record for a Women’s FA Cup final! This is a sport finally getting the credit and respect it deserves. Ramona Bachmann has delivered a performance to match.

6.52pm BST

63 min: Arsenal make the first change of the evening. Janssen is replaced by the more attack-minded O’Reilly.

6.52pm BST

62 min: Williamson brings down Spence, to the left of the Arsenal box. Eriksson whips the free kick high and hard to the far post. Mjelde rises and plants a header towards the top right. Van Veenendaal claims well. Arsenal are seriously rocking here.

6.50pm BST

This is sensational. Bachmann, floating on air, drops a shoulder to lay waste Mitchell down the right. She regally enters the box, and curls towards the top left. The ball takes a deflection off Quinn en route to the corner, but take nothing away from the run and shot. The Matthews cup final ... the Gerrard cup final ... the Bachmann cup final.

6.48pm BST

59 min: Space for Spence down the right. She hooks into the Chelsea box, looking for Kirby, but Williamson clears. This is a crucial period for Arsenal: another goal for Chelsea now, and cup number 15 might begin to look like a pipe dream.

6.46pm BST

58 min: Bachmann looks positively buoyed by her goal. She floats down the right imperiously, exchanging passes with Kirby and nearly breaking into the Arsenal box. Not quite this time.

6.45pm BST

56 min: A burst of quality here, though, as Little dribbles down the inside-right channel before slipping a pass inside for Miedema. She’s got time and space, but opts not to hit with her left, checking inside instead. Chapman slides in and blocks the danger. For the first time in the match, Chelsea looked seriously open at the back there.

6.44pm BST

54 min: Chapman swings one in from the right, forcing Arsenal to concede a corner. The set piece doesn’t lead to much. The game’s got a little scrappy since the goal, with both teams reassessing their positions. A lot of loose passes.

6.42pm BST

53 min: Chapman and van de Donk get involved in a shoving match out on the Chelsea right. Chapman’s boot looked a bit high, and Mitchell gets involved as well. It’s all something and nothing, and tempers soon cool.

6.40pm BST

52 min: But Arsenal aren’t taking this lying down. Mead works herself a little space down the inside-right channel, and gets her side’s first shot on target. Low and hard, towards the bottom right. Lindahl saves, but makes a meal of it, forcing Bright to knock the rebound out for a corner. The set piece is easily dealt with by Chelsea, but that’s much better from Arsenal.

6.39pm BST

50 min: It’s fair to say Chelsea have upped the tempo, then. Kirby and Bachmann have been buzzing relentlessly since the restart.

6.38pm BST

This is a brilliant goal! Ji, deep on the right, slips a ball inside for Bachmann, who one-twos crisply with Kirby and enters the box. Then she pearls an unstoppable rising shot into the top-right corner. What a finish! Van Veenendaal got a fingertip to it, but could do nothing to stop the shot, such was its vicious power. That’s some finish!

6.35pm BST

47 min: Bachmann slides a pass down the middle of the park, to see if Kirby can beat Mitchell in a foot race. Mitchell wins that one, and she had to because Arsenal were light at the back.

6.34pm BST

And we’re off again! Arsenal get the ball rolling once more. There have been no half-time substitutions. According to Karen Carney, Chelsea’s injured winger, the Blues have been told in no uncertain terms to up the tempo. Let’s see.

6.21pm BST

Half-time scores: Away from Wembley, Everton and Southampton are playing in the men’s Premier League. That game’s goalless at the break too, but those desirous of more detail could do worse than clicking here:

Related: Everton v Southampton: Premier League – live!

6.18pm BST

The pre-match favourites Chelsea have been the better side. But van Veenendaal hasn’t had too much serious work to do. Both sides will be relatively content, if not deliriously happy.

6.16pm BST

44 min: Ji has woken up, though. The hero of 2015 sends a rasping shot inches over the bar from 20 yards, having been set up by Bachmann.

6.15pm BST

43 min: Ji batters the free kick witlessly into the wall. She picks up the rebound, and her second attempt is much better, a curler towards the bottom right. But there’s no pace on the shot, and van Veenendaal is able to smother it easily enough.

6.14pm BST

42 min: Kirby jolts the game into life with the bolt of electricity it surely needs. She embarks on a George Best-style left-to-right dribble, at great speed. She nearly breaks into the box, but is forced to check and lay off to Ji. Chelsea suddenly appear to be going nowhere, so it’s pretty daft of Janssen to clatter into Ji. Free kick, just to the right of the D, and a booking for the Arsenal midfielder.

6.13pm BST

40 min: Williamson tries to release Nobbs down the right, but that long pass flies out for a goal kick too. The teams are beginning to cancel each other out.

6.11pm BST

38 min: Bright, sitting deep on the right, looks to release Kirby down the left with a quarterback rake. Too far. Goal kick. “Is BBC commentator Jonathan Pearce always as bad as this?” wonders Charles Antaki. “This is not so much a description of the game as a series of ruminations about his travel arrangements, the amusing idiosyncrasies of his fellow-commentator, and, occasionally, a meditation on a player’s history touched off by something that has actually happened on the pitch.” He’s just spent a couple of minutes reminiscing about a visit to Wembley for a Schoolboy international during the early 1970s. I quite like meandering jazz pieces like that, but each to their own I guess.

6.09pm BST

36 min: See 34 min. Arsenal are struggling to hold onto possession and offering next to nothing in attack. Chelsea are hogging the ball ... and offering next to nothing in attack. It’s a very strange way for the game to have suddenly settled, given the entertaining opening exchanges.

6.07pm BST

34 min: More Chelsea dominance in the middle of the park. Still nothing much doing up front. The game has settled into a pattern of defence versus sort-of-attack.

6.04pm BST

32 min: Chelsea continue to dominate the midfield. But they’ve yet to make van Veenendaal work. Chapman drives down the left then pulls back for Kirby, who nearly executes a cute one-two with Blundell. If the return pass had been any good, Kirby would have been one on one with the Arsenal keeper. But van Veenendaal remains untested.

6.02pm BST

30 min: Chelsea knock it around the middle of the park awhile, then burst quickly down the right. Blundell races into space, and floats what momentarily looks like a dangerous cross into the middle, but eventually settles on the roof of the net.

6.00pm BST

28 min: A brief pause followed by a slight lull, the result of Spence having taken a whack. She’s good to continue. The crowd entertain themselves with a Mexican wave. Hey, if it was good enough for the Azteca locals at the 1986 World Cup, it’s good enough for us.

5.58pm BST

26 min: Kirby dances down the inside-left channel and smacks goalwards from the edge of the box. It’s another fantastic run, with the Arsenal back line retreating in panic and confusion, but the shot’s straight at van Veenendaal, who snaffles.

5.57pm BST

25 min: Eriksson hoicks it long. Bright tries to rise at the far post, but the delivery is overcooked. Goal kick.

5.56pm BST

24 min: Bachmann goes into overdrive down the right. She’s cynically tugged back by Mitchell, who really should be booked. Two hands pulling away at her arm! But the referee stops at a stern talking-to. Lucky Mitchell. But it’s a free kick in a very dangerous position, to the right of the Arsenal box.

5.55pm BST

22 min: ... and Chelsea finally clear their lines. This is a good response by Arsenal to that period of Chelsea pressure. This looks to be a nicely balanced final: both teams have had their chances to open the scoring.

5.53pm BST

21 min: ... Arsenal nearly score. Cutting in from the left, Miedema jinks her way past Spence and looks for the top right. The ball’s deflected off Blundell and threatens to fly into the top left. Not quite: another corner. And Chelsea can’t get out. A third corner comes along soon enough ...

5.52pm BST

20 min: Nobbs races down the right into space. Her cross doesn’t find a team-mate, but Little picks up possession on the other flank, cuts inside, and nearly floats a cross onto Miedema’s head. It’s eyebrowed out for a corner, from which ...

5.51pm BST

19 min: The first lull of the match. The players have earned it: it’s been a high-octane start.

5.49pm BST

17 min: This is very open, and there’s a sense that a goal might be along sooner rather than later. It nearly comes here, as Andersson curls a ball into the Arsenal box from the left. Nobody in red deals with it, allowing Kirby to take it down, 12 yards out, a little to the right. Kirby drops a shoulder to shift the ball left, but can’t get a shot away as Arsenal finally close her down. That’s a good chance to bother van Veenendaal spurned.

5.48pm BST

16 min: A free kick for Arsenal wide on the left. Nobbs floats it diagonally into the mixer. Quinn rises highest at the far post, but can’t keep her header on target. It flies harmlessly over.

5.47pm BST

14 min: Bright makes a misjudgement under a long pass down the Arsenal left and allows Mead to skitter down the flank. Fortunately for Chelsea, Mjelde comes across to cover and put a stop to Mead’s gallop.

5.45pm BST

13 min: Mitchell looks much more confident in attack. She powers up the left and drifts inside, but that thin Chelsea blue line is strung across the pitch, and there’s nobody in red offering themselves. No pass on, she’s forced to turn back. But if nothing else, it’s a release from that period of Chelsea pressure.

5.43pm BST

11 min: Chelsea are beginning to push Arsenal back. Kirby has another run down the left, though she can’t quite make it through the back line. Never mind, she has another go, chasing after a long ball down the same flank. Williamson should get to it first, but Kirby is persistent ... and very fast. She nips in ahead, but can’t quite sort her feet out to shoot, and Williamson recovers to usher her away.

5.42pm BST

9 min: Ki slips a pass down the inside-right channel for Bachmann, who spins around Mitchell and breaks free into the box. She’s one on one with van Veenendaal, albeit facing a tight angle, and drags her shot across the face of goal and out for a goal kick. What a turn, though! That sent Mitchell spinning.

5.40pm BST

8 min: The in-form Kirby goes on a Garrinchaesque run down the inside-left channel. She makes it into the Arsenal area but finds herself surrounded by red shirts. She attempts to shoot through the thicket of players but the ball balloons out for a corner, which comes to nothing. The first sight of Kirby in full flight. It’ll give Arsenal pause.

5.39pm BST

7 min: Miedema gegenpresses Blundell and very nearly exposes Chelsea down the left. The final ball’s again lacking as Chelsea, playing five across the back, regroup quickly enough.

5.37pm BST

5 min: Spence probes down the Chelsea left a couple of times. Once again, a busy run ends with a cross that flies straight to the opposition. But both teams have come out of the blocks with attacking intent. It’s been a brisk start to the final.

5.35pm BST

3 min: Mead zips down the Arsenal left with extreme prejudice. She turns Blundell and Bright this way and that, and enters the box, a dexterous and determined dribble. But her cross inside is aimless and hacked clear by Chelsea.

5.33pm BST

And we’re off! Chelsea get the party started. A huge roar as the match gets underway. Chelsea stroke it about the back for a while, then Bright launches it forward. Arsenal return it quickly; Bright knocks it out of play with Miedema and Mead buzzing around. A busy but undramatic start for the Chelsea defender.

5.31pm BST

The teams are out! Arsenal are in their famous red shirts with white sleeves, while Chelsea play in their storied blue. A cracking atmosphere at Wembley as the pre-match pleasantries take place. Plenty of wide smiles as the excitement ratchets up. The heavily pregnant Emma Hayes has asked her assistant Paul Green to lead the team out, while she sits on the bench. Green sports an orange rose, grown in Hayes’ own garden. All of her players were gifted one today, as a gesture of love and solidarity. Arsenal have some nice red ones going on, so everyone’s happy. Time for motivational huddles. “I’ve really become a tremendous fan of women’s football, particularly after reading Carrie Dunn’s fine book The Roar of the Lionesses,” writes Hubert O’Hearn, who can speak for me on this subject. “Anyone who finds the men jaded, a bit spoiled or so forth should read Carrie’s book. All athletes everywhere say that they compete for the love of the game. The women footballers really mean it. Very, very few of their associated men’s clubs (Arsenal and Chelsea being two exceptions) treat their women’s sides at all well. I applaud these players’ devotion, skill and attitude. Let’s hope for a cracking great final!” Yep. And anyone yet to read Carrie’s superb book should get on it immediately, if not sooner. Anyway, we’ll be off in a minute!

5.20pm BST

Arsenal boss Joe Montemurro talks! “Obviously our tradition as cup specialists is there - thanks for the pressure! - but cup finals are cup finals, and it’s on the day. We’ve been part of many fantastic events, and hopefully this is another one. Chelsea are a very good side, with cover and power all over the pitch, and whatever starting XI they put out is very strong. Some of the best players in the world are out there on show, and it’s going to be an amazing event.”

5.19pm BST

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes - expecting twins this month, so she won’t be leading her team out - speaks! “This is what we work hard for, when you’re freezing cold in January and you don’t want to come out training. I’m proud of the players, and equally to think we’re playing in front of a record crowd, which importantly shows the growth of the game. Our side is experienced and accustomed to high-level games on a regular basis, both internationally and at club level. But it counts for nothing in a single game. It’s whoever shows up on the day.”

5.10pm BST

Arsenal have a couple of erstwhile final goalscorers in their ranks too. Jordan Nobbs found the net in their 2013 victory over Bristol Academy, and is the heartbeat of the side today. Danielle Carter scored the winner against Chelsea three years later, though she’s only on the bench this afternoon, with Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead getting the nod up front.

5.08pm BST

Anyway, here we are 12 months down the line, and Chelsea build their midfield around Katie Chapman, who is making her 11th appearance in an FA Cup final. She’s alongside the South Korean international Ji So-yun, who scored the winner in the 2015 final against Notts County.

5.00pm BST

For those of you who need reminding, here’s what happened this time last year. The 2017 final between Manchester City and Birmingham City was highly memorable - the Citizens became the first club to hold all of English football’s major trophies, the WSL, League Cup and FA Cup, at the same time - if not particularly dramatic. The game was as good as over after 32 minutes, thanks in no small part to the force of nature that is Lucy Bronze. She was outstanding. You can relive how Bronze and Manchester City stormed Wembley here:

Related: Women's FA Cup final: Birmingham City 1-4 Manchester City – as it happened

4.50pm BST

A 40,000-plus crowd is expected at Wembley this afternoon, while the game is the subject of a live telecast on the British Broadcasting Corporation’s flagship channel, BBC One. This is arguably the highest profile the Women’s FA Cup final has had to date, and the big game has been previewed by our own Louise Taylor:

Related: Women’s FA Cup final: Arsenal out to show they are back against Chelsea

4.40pm BST

Arsenal: Van Veenendaal, Evans, Williamson, Quinn, Mitchell, Janssen, Van de Donk, Little, Nobbs, Mead, Miedema.
Subs: Moorhouse, Samuelsson, McCabe, O’Reilly, Carter.

Chelsea: Lindahl, Bright, Mjelde, Eriksson, Blundell, Ji, Chapman, Andersson, Spence, Kirby, Bachmann.
Subs: Telford, Thorisdottir, Flaherty, Aluko, Cuthbert.

11.33am BST

Arsenal are synonymous with the Women’s FA Cup. More so than Southampton, who monopolised the tournament during its Seventies infancy; more so than Doncaster Belles, who took over as stars of the show in the Eighties. The Gunners only won their first FA Cup in 1993, but since then it’s been total domination: to date, they’ve lifted the trophy 14 times. Take a look at the roll of honour!

14: Arsenal
8: Southampton
6: Doncaster Belles
2: Everton, Croydon, Fulham, Millwall
1: Fodens, QPR, St Helens, Lowestoft, Howbury Grange, Friends of Fulham, Norwich, Charlton Athletic, Birmingham City, Chelsea, Manchester City

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Stoke City 1-2 Crystal Palace: Premier League – as it happened

Palace’s second-half comeback condemned Stoke to relegation.

3.13pm BST

And that’s your lot. Commiserations to Stoke City, whose ten-year stay in the Premier League ended this afternoon. The last time they slipped out of the top flight, in the mid Eighties, it took them 23 years to get back. Here’s wishing them a speedier recovery this time round. Meanwhile congratulations to Crystal Palace, who have stayed up with ease, no mean feat after their appalling start to the season. That seven-game losing streak seems an awfully long time ago now!

3.10pm BST

And now a downbeat Paul Lambert. “It’s a tough afternoon, and I feel for everybody connected with the club. The season starts in July, August. You find yourself sleepwalking into situations, and we just never had enough. We just fell short. I came here in January. We tried to identify and rectify what was going wrong, and I can’t fault anyone’s effort, but we didn’t have enough up front and that eventually caught up with us. This is a brilliant football club. It will be difficult, but we have to man up. It is tough at the minute, but the club is in a good position to rebuild. We’ll sit down and regroup, it’s in really good hands, with a marvellous support base. It’s an opportunity to rebuild.”

3.01pm BST

Roy Hodgson reflects on Palace’s survival and Stoke’s demise. “The players deserve all the credit. They came out of the blocks, and asked a lot of questions of our back four. They stopped us playing football. I’m proud in the second half we showed more courage and got the ball down better. Perhaps their taking the lead meant they had something to hold onto and so they dropped deeper. But I’m proud of my team’s performance, not just today but over the whole of the season. I feel a lot of sympathy and empathy for Stoke, it’s a very tough day, so any joy I feel is measured by looking at the faces of those players who gave everything they could give. But they came across a team who were not prepared to lie down. It’s nice to get over 40 points, and we’ll try to get a place in the top ten, but if they can’t do it they won’t get any criticisms from me!”

2.53pm BST

Our man Nick Miller was at the Bet 365 Stadium this afternoon. Here’s his report on the shattering of dreams in the Potteries.

Related: Stoke relegated from Premier League after Van Aanholt strikes for Crystal Palace

2.48pm BST

There’s nice.

Normally I like to celebrate when I score but I’d like to apologise to Stoke City and their fans, I wish my goal didn’t relegate you, but you’ll be back soon! Great club with great fans

2.42pm BST

Ryan Shawcross reflects. “It didn’t happen over one game. We’ve not been good enough all season. The fans were brilliant, even at the end. They were still cheering us on, which shows their dedication. We’ve had a right go, but for whatever reason we’ve not got the goals we needed and that’s cost us. The last goal was my fault, and I hold my hands up. But we will be back. The club have got a lot of big decisions to make. If we keep our players - and we’ve got a good manager - we’ll be back and hopefully will come back strong.”

2.39pm BST

So to confirm, Stoke are the first team to be relegated from the Premier League this season. Bottom club West Brom can still save themselves, though they’ll need to start by beating high-flying Tottenham in the 3pm kick-offs.

Related: West Brom v Tottenham, Bournemouth v Swansea and more: clockwatch – live!

2.31pm BST

Roy Hodgson, who has experienced some tough times of his own over the years, makes sure not to rub it in when he shakes hands with Paul Lambert. A grim, apologetic face as he offers commiserations to his opposite number. It’s a small thing, but a classy touch, especially as Palace have completed their own escape today. Jack Butland is in floods of tears as he claps the Stoke support, who never stopped believing ... well, for 86 minutes, anyway. The bittersweet love is returned by a large crowd who have stayed behind to thank their team, despite it all. Xherdan Shaqiri, who had given Stoke hope with his first-half free kick, simply looks stunned.

2.26pm BST

That’s it, all over for Stoke City. They’re relegated after a ten-year stay in the Premier League. Crystal Palace’s win ensures the survival of the south Londonders.

2.25pm BST

90 min +4: Shaqiri makes a little space down the left for a cross. Shawcross, desperate to make amends, sends a header softly over the bar.

2.24pm BST

90 min +3: Benteke twists and turns in the Stoke box, but can’t shoot or win a penalty.

2.24pm BST

90 min +2: Palace play the corner backwards, then hold onto the ball awhile. Their fans give it the olé!s, which is really adding insult to injury.

2.21pm BST

90 min +1: Benteke barrels down the left and earns a corner off Bauer.

2.21pm BST

90 min: Five extra minutes. Five minutes to save Stoke City’s Premier League life.

2.20pm BST

89 min: Shaqiri is booked for an appalling rake down the back of Loftus-Cheek’s leg. He should be sent packing. Loftus-Cheek is in a lot of pain.

2.19pm BST

88 min: That goal will also confirm Palace’s continued membership of the Premier League. Townsend is repalced by Schlupp. The Stoke fans are beginning to make their way home, the jig nearly up.

2.18pm BST

Benteke plays the ball wide right for Zaha, who looks to deliver it back into the centre for Van Aanholt. Shawcross tries to intercept ... and manages only to take the pace off the ball and tee it up for Van Aanholt. The Palace defender takes a stride and slams the ball under Butland and into the net. Is it the goal that relegates Stoke City after their ten-year stay in the Premier League?

2.16pm BST

85 min: Pieters is booked for an earlier tug on Zaha. Then Sobhi twists, turns and earns Stoke’s first corner down the left. But the set piece is wasted. And then ...

2.15pm BST

84 min: Townsend and Zaha exchange crisp passes down the right, before releasing Loftus-Cheek, who tries the spectacular from a tight angle. Nope! Zaha was free in the middle, too, waiting for a tap-in.

2.14pm BST

83 min: Townsend dribbles with purpose down the left and earns Palace’s sixth corner of the afternoon off Allen. Nothing much comes of the set piece. Ndiaye then clatters into Loftus-Cheek. You usually see yellows for that leg-hanging clumsiness: he’s very lucky to still be on the park.

2.12pm BST

81 min: Ndiaye is booked for a late tackle on Townsend.

2.11pm BST

80 min: Benteke, dropping deep down the left, tries to return the favour. He’s close to finding Zaha with a fine diagonal pass. But there’s a little too much power in the pass, and it flies through to Butland.

2.09pm BST

79 min: Zaha finds Benteke inside the box from the right. Benteke can’t control, but the ball nearly squirms into the bottom right anyway. Stoke are living very dangerously now.

2.09pm BST

77 min: Campbell comes on for Johnson. An attacking substitution for Stoke, but within seconds they’re nearly losing, as Townsend breaks down the left and pulls the ball back for Zaha, who must surely bury it from the penalty spot. But he leans back and balloons a wild one deep into the stand. Stoke could see ten years of Premier League life flash before their eyes then.

2.07pm BST

76 min: Sakho plays an awful ball out of defence, allowing Ndiaye to intercept and attempt to slip Shaqiri free. Shaqiri is dozily flagged offside.

2.05pm BST

75 min: Townsend crosses low from the left. Benteke gets ahead of Pieters, but instead of flinging himself for the cross, opts to flop to the floor instead, looking for the penalty. The referee isn’t having it.

2.04pm BST

74 min: A free kick for Stoke out on the left. The home heroes load the box. Shaqiri hoicks long. Allen, of all people, rises highest to win a header at the far post. But he can only send it harmlessly over the bar.

2.03pm BST

72 min: Stoke’s nerves are beginning to betray them. From the Palace corner, the ball is worked to Zaha, 25 yards out down the right. Pieters comes through him. Free kick. Milivojevic curls deep. Tomkins should plant his head on the ball, on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box, but Diouf does just enough to put him off.

2.01pm BST

70 min: Stoke won’t be relegated if this match ends in a draw ... but they’ll be in all sorts of trouble, with Championship football next season more than likely. Accordingly, they press forwards. Shaqiri tries to find Zouma in the Palace box with a ball from the right. Nothing doing. Palace break, and they’re two on two! Fortunately for Stoke, Townsend overplays a bit, and nobody gets a shot away. But they do earn a corner on the right.

1.59pm BST

Stoke ship yet another lead! Zaha romps through the middle of the park. He slips the ball to his left for Loftus-Cheek, who shuttles it on further. McArthur, on the overlap, slides the ball across Butland and into the bottom right! It had been coming.

1.57pm BST

67 min: Sobhi comes on for Crouch.

1.57pm BST

65 min: Milivojevic tries to get his head onto the free kick, but nothing significant occurs. Pieters clatters Zaha. Nerves are jangling now. This is all very edgy.

1.54pm BST

63 min: Bauer is booked for a fairly basic challenge on Zaha. Before the free kick can be taken, Benteke comes on for Cabaye, and there’s some playground shoving on the edge of the Stoke area. Johnson, 33, and Tomkins, 29, are booked.

1.53pm BST

61 min: Palace push Stoke back. But suddenly Stoke break out. Allen rolls a fine pass down the right to release Shaqiri into acres of space. The ball’s rolled inside for Diouf, who should power clear but can’t sort his feet out. Then Crouch tries to take up possession on the edge of the area, but he goes over instead of getting a shot away. What a chance to put some daylight between themselves and Palace!

1.51pm BST

60 min: Milivojevic chips the free kick over the Stoke back line, but Tomkins, coming in from the left, can’t stop the ball from going out for a goal kick.

1.50pm BST

59 min: Palace are well on top now. They’ve enjoyed 76% possession during the last ten minutes. Shawcross comes through the back of Townsend, 30 yards from the Stoke goal. Free kick, and a chance for Palace to load the box.

1.49pm BST

57 min: Zaha turns crisply down the left and slips a pass down the wing for Townsend. Townsend flashes the ball across the face of goal, where Zaha and Loftus-Cheek look to poke home, but the winger had gone early and is rightly flagged for offside. A totally unnecessary mistake, and Palace are currently burning chances to get back into this match.

1.46pm BST

56 min: ... a short-corner routine goes badly wrong. Van Aanholt tries to rescue the situation with a shot from distance, but his effort flies miles over the bar.

1.45pm BST

55 min: Milivojevic has a dig from 25 yards. The ball’s deflected wide left for a corner. From which ...

1.45pm BST

54 min: Shaqiri makes to chip the ball past Milivojevic, who raises an arm to block it. The Palace midfielder is booked for deliberate handball.

1.43pm BST

53 min: Allen tries to release Shaqiri down the right, but there’s too much juice on the ball.

1.43pm BST

51 min: We go again. Sakho and Crouch tussle under a high ball. Crouch is penalised for being overly aggressive. He’s got Sakho’s face in his hand at one point, as he shoves him backwards to the ground. He’s very lucky not to see yellow. Some referees, on a hair-trigger, might even have flashed red. An unnecessary risk, given the predicament his team is in.

1.41pm BST

50 min: So much for that lively start: Zouma spends a couple of minutes getting treatment.

1.40pm BST

48 min: Palace string together some pretty triangles in the middle of the park. Suddenly Cabaye slips one down the left channel for Loftus-Cheek, whose shot from the edge of the area is stopped by a sliding Pieters. The ball ricochets off Loftus-Cheek and out for a goal kick; it hasn’t been his day so far. But Palace nearly sliced Stoke open there. A lively start to the half.

1.38pm BST

47 min: Shawcross lifts the ball long. Crouch, on the edge of the D, heads on to Diouf, who has his back to goal but a chance to flick Shaqiri free to his right. The flick doesn’t quite come off, but that was a sweet move, proof that long-ball football can be beautiful too. It would have been a fine goal.

1.35pm BST

We’re off again! Stoke get the party restarted. No half-time changes.

1.24pm BST

Half-time reading: It’s the Women’s FA Cup Final later today. We’ll be covering it here, so get up to speed with Louise Taylor’s preview of the big Wembley showdown between Chelsea and cup specialists Arsenal. See you at 5.30pm for that one!

Related: Women’s FA Cup final: Arsenal out to show they are back against Chelsea

1.21pm BST

Stoke haven’t been particularly coherent. But Xherdan Shaqiri, with a little help from Ruben Loftus-Cheek, has given them a precious half-time lead. As things stand, their survival bid remains a live prospect!

1.19pm BST

45 min +4: Ndiaye’s back up.

1.18pm BST

45 min +2: Zaha dribbles down the left, momentarily bothering Stoke. Then Kelly tries to find someone in the middle from a position out right. Ndiaye sticks out a leg to block and takes a sore whack. He’s down getting treatment.

1.16pm BST

45 min +1: That goal has given Stoke a huge lift, as you’d expect. Pieters launches into the Palace box. Shawcross is causing the visitors concern. Hennessey just about deals with the situation.

1.16pm BST

45 min: Loftus-Cheek played a big part in Palace’s downfall there. He tries to make amends immediately, chesting down a Townsend cross from the right. But he can’t sort his feet out, ten yards from goal, and Stoke clear. There will be four added minutes of this intriguing half.

1.15pm BST

44 min: Stoke haven’t been very good. But that was a delicious free kick. And the stadium explodes into life! Shaqiri and Lambert cavort on the touchline accordingly.

1.14pm BST

Shaqiri curls the free kick into the top right! The ball took a little deflection off the eyebrows of Loftus-Cheek, sending it right into the corner. Hennessey would have had little chance of saving Shaqiri’s effort anyway, but that deflection definitely took it out of his reach!

1.12pm BST

42 min: Loftus-Cheek tries to break upfield from deep. Allen robs him and feeds Shaqiri, who is upended by Loftus-Cheek. A free kick, just to the right of the Palace D. One for Shaqiri, who springs up in excitable fashion with a view to taking the set piece.

1.10pm BST

40 min: Ward, injured earlier, can’t continue. Kelly comes on as he limps off.

1.09pm BST

38 min: Ward dallies over a throw. Oh, it’s not Palace’s! He takes his own sweet time to give the ball back to Bauer, who has steam coming out of his ears. Palace are pressing Stoke’s buttons this afternoon. The crowd respond accordingly. Magnificent pantomime.

1.06pm BST

36 min: After Zaha is bollocked by the referee for moaning about the minor incident with Johnson, Palace work their corner in from the left. Cabaye tries to fire a spectacular one into the top right from the left of the D. The effort just about stays inside the stadium.

1.05pm BST

35 min: Zaha, fuelled by righteous ire, swans past Shawcross in the middle of the park. He slides a pass down the inside-left channel for Townsend, who very nearly breaks clear on goal, but makes do with winning a corner off Zouma.

1.04pm BST

34 min: Zaha threatens to burst down the inside-left channel, but Johnson eases him off the ball. Zaha sits on the turf, glowering. Johnson wanders off.

1.03pm BST

32 min: Palace work the ball to the right wing. A cross. Cabaye loops a header goalwards from the edge of the box, but it flies harmlessly over and Butland has it covered anyway.

1.02pm BST

31 min: ... Van Aanholt volleys from the edge of the area. Johnson closes him down. His block leads to another corner on the left.

1.01pm BST

30 min: Stoke press Palace back a little. Johnson nearly finds Diouf in the middle from the right. Pieters crosses from the left, but Crouch heads across goal instead of going for it. Palace then break up the other end and earn a corner. From which ...

12.59pm BST

29 min: Pieters is back up. But this stuttering action isn’t helping Stoke, who need to keep press, press, pressing in search of that precious win. Johnson tries to get things going again with a run down the right, but his cross towards Crouch is easily cleared.

12.57pm BST

27 min: This is stop-start. Now Pieters is down, having taken a whack on the kneecap from McArthur, who was attempting to boot the ball at the time. Ooyah, oof. A sore one.

12.56pm BST

26 min: Ward’s back on. Loud boos as he takes possession of the ball, then offloads it. But he’s moving a bit gingerly at the moment.

12.55pm BST

25 min: Ward is down getting some treatment. The crowd think he’s trying it on, of course they do, but close-ups suggest the full-back is struggling a bit. He limps off with the physio, and for now Palace are down to ten men.

12.54pm BST

24 min: That move has given Stoke succour. Shaqiri spreads the play to the left. Bauer hoicks a cross into the mixer. Crouch rises with Hennessey, and fouls the keeper, but for the first time in the match, Palace are looking a little unsettled.

12.53pm BST

22 min: Stoke finally put something together, and it’s the best chance of the game. Shaqiri opens his legs and romps down the right. He curls into the centre, finding Diouf six yards out. Diouf tries to guide a downward header into the bottom left, and though it bounces wide it’s not too far away. Some promise for the desperate hosts.

12.50pm BST

20 min: It continues to be scrappy. Stoke can’t get anything going at all. Pieters rakes a long pass forward out for a goal kick. That was nowhere near a team-mate. The stadium has fallen a little quiet.

12.48pm BST

17 min: On the touchline, Lambert loses his rag over a throw-in near the halfway line. Passions are running high. Stoke are a collective study in agitation right now.

12.46pm BST

15 min: Palace start stroking it about patiently. They’re slowly beginning to dictate terms, some control amid the mayhem. The ball’s worked to Zaha on the right. Zaha fires across goal and left of the target. Not far away.

12.44pm BST

13 min: Now Cabaye stays down after being clipped by Crouch. The big man offers a hand of friendship, but an irritated Cabaye refuses it. The Stoke faithful give him the bird. A pattern developing here.

12.43pm BST

12 min: Palace are taking their time over throw-ins, trying to take the sting out of Stoke’s early play. A ploy straight out of the Mourinho-at-Anfield ‘14 playbook. Clever Roy. The crowd don’t like it much.

12.41pm BST

10 min: Townsend zips down the right and cuts into the centre. He shoots low for the goal, from the edge of the Stoke box, but his effort is blocked bravely by Pieters. Both teams are attacking with purpose, though Palace’s moves look a little more measured, smoother, less hysterical.

12.39pm BST

9 min: Bauer powers down the left and reaches the byline. He looks for Crouch in the middle, but his low cross is snaffled by Hennessey.

12.39pm BST

8 min: Bauer races down the right, after a long ball. For a second, it looks like he’ll reach it, and move menacingly towards goal, but he can’t quite reach. Then Palace go straight up the other end, Loftus-Cheek drifting in from the left and curling a magnificent effort inches wide of the top-right corner. That would have been a picture-book goal ... but not quite.

12.37pm BST

6 min: Allen bursts down the Stoke left. He’s dispossessed. Zaha races along the Palace right, to little effect. We’re up to 110mph.

12.34pm BST

4 min: Butland blooters long. Crouch rises above Tomkins, and concedes a free kick. This is all very intense. Shapeless and unpredictable, with passes at a premium. It’s like a Champions League semi-final.

12.32pm BST

2 min: And now Crouch is caught offside, chasing a Diouf flick-on. This is being played at 100mph at the moment. What a hectic, end-to-end start. What an atmosphere!

12.31pm BST

And we’re off! Palace get the ball rolling. Or, more accurately, bouncing around hysterically in the middle of the park. But then some order, as Townsend breaks down the left and feeds Loftus-Cheek on his inside. Loftus-Cheek tries to feed the ball forward down the channel for Zaha, but the pass is too strong. Goal kick.

12.29pm BST

The teams are out! Stoke City are in their famous red-and-white stripes, while Palace play in their black change strip. It’s a sunny day in the Potteries; the atmosphere at the Bet 365 Stadium is blistering. As it almost always is, rain or shine, mid-table irrelevance or relegation battle. Two clubs with supporters who really know how to whip up a beautiful noise. This is magnificent. A quick blast of Delilah and then we’ll be off!

12.25pm BST

Some pre-match praise for the Hodge, courtesy of Felix Wood. “Palace under Hodgson have become good to watch and have pulled themselves out of free-fall, with an injury list that others would have hidden behind. I hope that posterity remembers Hodgson not as the man who had Kane on corner duty but as someone who consistently made small clubs and unfashionable players punch above their weight. And also for any young players coming through, Zaha and Loftus-Cheek’s experience this season will attest to the fact that a team that will play you and a manager that will allow you to achieve is better than being squashed at one of the mega-clubs.”

12.15pm BST

Paul Lambert talks! “We have to try and win, throw everything at it. We have 90 minutes to do it, so we can’t go at it from the off, but the intent is there. We can’t attack for 90 minutes, it’s impossible. But if we win today, we’re right back in it. We’ve lacked in forward areas, that’s evident, we don’t have the personnel. But hopefully someone will create something and we’ll get a goal. Palace won’t take their foot off the gas, we have to be ready for that, and be on the front foot. The crowd will be right for us, and drive us on. We just need a break, and play well to win.”

11.59am BST

Roy Hodgson speaks to Sky. “I hope we have the same mindset we’ve had all season. I’m really hoping it won’t change at all. We want to play as well as we possibly can to the end of the season, not least because of the integrity of the league, and it’s a mistake when teams switch off. We’re not going to switch off. If we lose, it’s because Stoke will have played better than us. When you play against a team that is going to be as motivated and fired up as they’re going to be, it’s always going to be a problem for you. What’s more, they have very good players. We have prepared the players, but now it’s all about the actors on the field. We’re aware it’s last-chance saloon time for Stoke.”

11.38am BST

If It Ain’t Broke I: Stoke City earned a commendable point at Liverpool this time last weekend, so the one and only change to their starting XI is enforced. The injured Bruno Martins Indi is replaced by Glen Johnson.

If It Ain’t Broke II: Crystal Palace won 5-0 last weekend. They’ve named the same team.

11.32am BST

Stoke City: Butland, Johnson, Shawcross, Zouma, Pieters, Shaqiri, Allen, Ndiaye, Bauer, Diouf, Crouch.
Subs: Ireland, Adam, Cameron, Fletcher, Haugaard, Sobhi, Campbell.

Crystal Palace: Hennessey, Ward, Tomkins, Sakho, Van Aanholt, McArthur, Milivojevic, Cabaye, Loftus-Cheek, Townsend, Zaha.
Subs: Sorloth, Lee, Schlupp, Cavalieri, Benteke, Wan Bissaka, Kelly.

1.19pm BST

If Stoke City win their last two games of the season, there’s a reasonable chance of their staying up. It’s not beyond the realms: they just need two from Southampton, Swansea, Huddersfield and West Ham to end the season in miserable fashion, while winning their own matches today against Crystal Palace and next weekend at Swansea.

On the face of it, far from an impossible dream. The only small problem: they’ve only won one of their last 18 games, and only scored four times in their last eight. Gritty points at Anfield are all good and well, but now they’ve got to start winning.

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It was a good week for Bayern Munich and Roma in Big Cup. In as much as they both played well, anyway, but this is what happens when you faff around half-asleep for most of the first leg. And so instead it’s going to be a repeat of the 1981 final between Real Madrid and Liverpool, which is good news for the Reds if you believe in omens. Something to do with a royal wedding, the nationalities of the four semi-finalists, and a pattern of previous winners when the year ends in eight. Oh we don’t know. Give it another week and someone will have come up with some convoluted gibberish involving the Pope, the president and a couple of characters from Coronation Street. He will be no match for that old Albert Tatlock voodoo.

Related: Only one thing seems certain for Real Madrid v Liverpool – it will be chaos | Jonathan Wilson

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Football transfer rumours: Christian Eriksen and N'Golo Kanté to PSG?

Today’s rumours can relax now

It’s a relatively quiet day for rumours, which is probably just as well after those Champions League semi-finals wreaked havoc with the heart and nervous system. No great dramas or shocks to report this morning, thankfully. Here follows the relaxing gossip-based equivalent of a freshly drawn bubble bath, mug of herbal tea, a CD containing the atmospheric sounds of the pan pipes, and 14kg of valium.

Darren Moore’s Pardew-shaming two-win, two-draw stint at caretaker manager of West Bromwich Albion may not be enough to land him the job full time. The club are thinking about asking Brentford boss Dean Smith to take over, and they’ve got designs on Leicester assistant Michael Appleton as well.

Related: Steven Gerrard and Rangers: a needless punt for such a dysfunctional club | Ewan Murray

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Real Madrid 2-2 Bayern Munich (agg: 4-3): Champions League semi-final – as it happened

Bayern were brilliant, but ultimately undone by Sven Ulreich’s awful mistake ... and so resolute Real Madrid made it to yet another Champions League final.

1.19am BST

Related: Zinedine Zidane: it was better for Real Madrid to suffer in win over Bayern

10.08pm BST

And now, the pièce de résistance ... Sid Lowe’s verdict! Enjoy, enjoy ... and please join us again tomorrow night as Jurgen Klopp’s unpredictable but entertaining Liverpool take on Roma as they try to join Real Madrid in the final of the 2018 Champions League. If the match in the Stadio Olimpico is half as good as the one we’ve witnessed at the Bernabéu tonight, we’ll be in for a cracker. Nighty night!

Related: Real Madrid resist Bayern Munich onslaught after Ulreich’s horror error

10.04pm BST

Bayern were the better side tonight, but that’s the way the cookie sometimes crumbles in Europe. Hey, just ask Leeds or Manchester United. If the naked eye isn’t good enough for you, the stats tell the story: Bayern enjoyed 57% possession, and had 20 attempts on goal compared to Real’s nine. But Real fought tooth and nail in defence, and grabbed the gift they were presented with 21 seconds into the second half with both hands. They’ve passed a couple of fairly thorough examinations by Juventus and Bayern, who threw everything at them; they’ll take some stopping in the final.

9.47pm BST

Real celebrate in front of their fans, as you’d expect them to, though it’s not a full-on cavort. They’re tired, they know they were pushed to the absolute limit tonight ... and of course they’re getting used to this. This will be their 16th final, their third in a row, and their fourth in the last five seasons. It’s some record: not quite up there with the achievements of 1956-1960, but not far off, and in the modern era to boot. Bayern threw everything at them tonight, but they did what great champions teams do: hung in, fought hard, and found a way to get the result they needed despite not being at their best. They’re now 90 minutes away from becoming European champions for the 13th time!

9.42pm BST

Several Bayern players instantly dissolve into tears. And no wonder. They were brilliant tonight, but two slapstick mistakes over the piece have cost them a place in the final. Meanwhile Real’s dream of three in a row is alive and well! The final in Kyiv on May 26 will be contested by Real Madrid and Roma ... or Real Madrid and Liverpool! We’ll know the exact details in 24 hours or so.

9.39pm BST

Hummels sends a hail mary into the box that Muller very nearly meets on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. But it’s all over! Real are in the final again!

9.36pm BST

90 min +4: Real earn a corner down the right. The Bernabeu celebrates wildly, as the clock trundles towards the end of added time.

9.36pm BST

90 min +3: Javi Martinez flicks an inventive pass down the left to release Hummels into the box! Instead of shooting, he looks to turn the ball inside for Lewandowski. But the ball takes a deflection which allows Navas to snaffle.

9.35pm BST

90 min +2: From the corner, Hummels wins a free header six yards out! But he sends his downwards effort inches wide of the right-hand post. So close to Kiev! But so far!

9.34pm BST

90 min +1: Navas eventually gets up. Then there’s some head tennis in the Real area that leads to a corner on the left.

9.33pm BST

90 min: Thiago hangs the ball up. Navas comes out and punches away for a throw, under pressure from Lewandowski. Navas stays down. There will be five minutes of added time!

9.32pm BST

89 min: Muller goes on a power dribble down the inside-left channel. He cuts inside and is cynically clipped by Casemiro, who is booked. A free kick, 35 yards out. A chance to load the box. Too far out to shoot directly, surely.

9.31pm BST

88 min: Asensio is replaced by Nacho. Asensio takes his leave in the professional style, even stopping mid-meander to roll down his socks and sort out his shinpads. Then he spins to say goodbye, applauding every corner of the stadium before he departs. The clock ticks on. He’s cheeky, but polite.

9.29pm BST

86 min: Ronaldo spins on a sixpence and flicks a gorgeous ball through a gap between three red shirts, sending Bale clear down the left! Bale’s free in the area, but takes a heavy touch allowing Ulreich to save. And he’s marginally offside anyway.

9.26pm BST

84 min: A pause in play as Asensio receives treatment for some leg issue or other. James is replaced by Javi Rodriguez.

9.25pm BST

82 min: Ribery races down the left and feeds the relentless Alaba on the overlap. Alaba’s low cross evades Muller and Lewandowski in the middle. Real hack clear. Bayern have been brilliant tonight, two rushes of blood at the start of the second half excepted.

9.23pm BST

80 min: The corner on the left comes to nothing. But this is good pressure from Bayern, who are doing all they can to find the goal that would knock the holders out and send the German champs to the final. The Bernabeu is accordingly tense.

9.22pm BST

79 min: Thiago strips the ball from Modric and sends Alaba away down the left. The resulting cross is met by Muller, who heads down to the bottom right. Navas turns it around the post in slightly uncertain fashion. The corner on the right leads to a corner on the left.

9.21pm BST

78 min: Ronaldo dribbles with great purpose down the right, but is stopped in his tracks by Sule, just before he’s got a chance to break into the box and shoot. Corner, which is worked to Marcelo out on the left. Marcelo is in a lot of space, but his cross is way too deep and wild. Another goal kick.

9.20pm BST

77 min: This match is beautifully poised. One more goal for Bayern, and the reigning champions will be out. One more for Real, and it’s surely all over. Ronaldo bursts down the left and feeds Bale, who looks to have done enough to earn a corner, but Bayern get the decision. Goal kick.

9.18pm BST

75 min: Tolisso is replaced by Wagner. And Bayern continue to push, Alaba crossing from the left for James, who tries to force the ball into the bottom left from the middle of a thicket of players. Navas claims.

9.17pm BST

74 min: Alaba romps down the left yet again. He crosses deep. Muller heads down, and Tolisso smacks goalwards. Navas, who has been superb, parries strongly.

9.15pm BST

73 min: Benzema and Kovacic are replaced by Bale and Casemiro.

9.14pm BST

71 min: Kovacic is inches away from sending Ronaldo clear into the box with a sliderule pass down the inside-right channel. Not quite. Hummels intercepts just in time.

9.13pm BST

69 min: Lewandowski wins a bouncing ball in the centre circle and sends Ribery skating down the left. Real are very light at the back, and Muller is clear in the middle! Ribery can’t find him with a pass, though, shepherded down the wing by Lucas Vazquez. That’s excellent defending. Top notch. Bayern would surely be leading now had the Real right-back not stuck tight to his man there.

9.10pm BST

67 min: From a corner on the left, Marcelo is shaping to shoot when another ball appears on the pitch. Not sure who threw that on, but it’s put a stop to Real’s attack. Is Diego Simeone in the house? Bayern batter the dropped-ball restart miles upfield, much to the annoyance of the home support.

9.08pm BST

65 min: Lucas Vazquez is booked for blocking an in-flight Alaba.

9.07pm BST

64 min: This is no more than Bayern deserve on the balance of play. Their response to conceding 21 seconds after the restart, and in such ridiculous circumstances, has been magnificent. One more goal, and they’ll be in Kiev! Those Ronaldo misses look a bit more important, all of a sudden.

9.06pm BST

Bayern are back in this! Sule makes good down the right. He fires into the centre. James smacks a shot low and hard, towards the bottom right. Navas parries, but James is first to the rebound, and slams it home from a tight angle. It’s back on!

9.04pm BST

62 min: Modric is booked for a late clip on Tolisso’s ankles.

9.03pm BST

60 min: Bayern, having recovered from the shock of that farcical goal, are giving this their best shot. It’s now or never. Thiago and Lewandowski take turns to shoot from the edge of the Real box, the hosts pressed back and momentarily unable to escape. But somehow Real hold firm under pinball pressure.

9.01pm BST

58 min: Alaba bursts down the left yet again; he has been magnificent tonight. He earns a corner off Modric. Muller flicks the set piece on at the near post, but neither Tolisso nor Lewandowski are able to force the ball home amid a melee. Muller gets involved himself, but eventually Real clear.

8.59pm BST

57 min: ... nothing much occurs.

8.59pm BST

56 min: Bayern aren’t giving up, though. James curls a cross into the Real box from the left. Varane slices hysterically behind for a corner. From which ...

8.58pm BST

54 min: Modric tries to curl one into the bottom left from a position out on the right. He’s inches wide. Then Real come again. First Ronaldo is a toenail away from sticking a telescopic leg on a right-wing Asensio cross, then he misses an even bigger sitter, Kovacic curling in from the left, CR7 blasting 200FTUP from 6YDS. Real so close to putting this tie to bed.

8.55pm BST

52 min: Lewandowski is barged in the back by Ramos as the pair contest a high ball in the Real area. The referee decides the touch Ramos got on the ball was enough to save Real, but it was a heavy challenge, and you’ve seen penalty kicks given for less. It’s a corner, though, from which Lewandowski can’t get any power on a goalwards header.

8.54pm BST

51 min: Alaba cuts in from the left and unleashes a pearler. It takes a deflection off Varane, and looks to be heading into the left-hand portion of the net, but Navas somehow reads the deflection and turns the ball away for a corner. That one comes to nothing, but what a save!

8.52pm BST

49 min: Benzema bursts down the left and falls over in the box. He’s on a hat-trick, but doesn’t bother to claim for a penalty.

8.51pm BST

47 min: That was Sunday league stuff. I have no idea what Ulreich was attempting there. That’s a moment that will haunt him for a long time unless Bayern can score twice in the next 43 minutes plus stoppages. We can’t have extra time now.

8.50pm BST

This is a complete nonsense! Tolisso, deep in the right-back position, turns and plays a blind pass towards his keeper. Benzema is lurking, though. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Ulreich has a brain freeze, thinking about handling, then sliding and fresh-air kicking. He lets the ball sail straight through him! Benzema rounds the stricken keeper and rolls into the empty net!

8.47pm BST

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

8.34pm BST

Half-time reading: Nervous, Liverpool fans? This probably won’t help.

Related: Stadio Olimpico will be an inferno: everyone here believes Roma can do it | Vincent Candela

8.33pm BST

And that’s the end of an exhilarating half of football. This semi-final is still very much in the balance. One more Bayern goal, and we’ll be heading to extra time. But as things stand, it’s Real who are going through to the final in Kiev on May 26.

8.32pm BST

45 min +1: Kimmich crosses from the right. Marcelo jumps to block. The ball hits his hand, but there was no intent, though Bayern think otherwise. Lewandowski forces a corner, which comes to nothing.

8.31pm BST

45 min: Tolisso gets a little bit more time and space, just outside the Real area. He sends a short-backlift curler inches wide of the top-right corner. For a second, that appeared to be flying into the net. Navas was concerned, that’s for sure, scampering across. Not sure he’d have got there had it been on target.

8.29pm BST

44 min: Alaba causes more bother down the left. He’s bundled over by Lucas Vasquez, and wants a free kick in a very dangerous position, but he’s not going to get it. A strange decision.

8.27pm BST

42 min: A pocket of space for the wily Tolisso in the middle of the Real half. He instantly rolls a pass down the right, in the hope of releasing Muller into the area. Just a bit too much on it. Real were wide open there.

8.26pm BST

40 min: Muller and Lewandowski very nearly one-two their way into the Real box, with some crisp and inventive passing down the middle. Not quite. Here, is that the time already? Where did it all go? The clock is whirring round even more quickly than everyone’s legs.

8.24pm BST

39 min: Ronaldo has done very little tonight ... so now he nearly scores. Of course he does. He dribbles in from the right and curls an effort towards the bottom right. Ulreich does very well to turn it around the post. From the corner, hit long, Ramos clanks a header into the side netting. This is relentless entertainment.

8.23pm BST

37 min: Possession is at a premium right now. You could say it’s gone a bit scrappy, but brilliant flicks are so nearly coming off, while the pressing is relentless and impressive.

8.20pm BST

35 min: Space for Vazquez down the Real right. He curls inside, looking for the head of Ronaldo. Hummels gets in the way to blast a header clear. This is magnificent end-to-end fun.

8.19pm BST

33 min: Bayern come so close to the second away goal they need! Lewandowski is sent scampering into the area down the left by Hummels. His shot from a tight angle balloons to the far post. Muller wins a header, the ball dropping to James, who must surely score, but leans back and sends a wild one miles over the bar from close range. Wow. Someone’s going to score another goal tonight, surely. But good luck predicting who’s next.

8.18pm BST

32 min: Ribery dribbles down the left, fast and fancy. He thinks about curling one into the bottom right as he enters the area, but lays off to Muller instead, who spins and tries to thread one into the same corner. Navas is wise to his game.

8.16pm BST

31 min: Benzema and Modric combine down the inside-right channel again. Modric then very nearly threads a pass through for Ronaldo, but Sule intercepts. That was close. Real are beginning to launch attacks with more regularity.

8.15pm BST

29 min: Ronaldo drops a little deep before slipping a pass down the left to spring Marcelo into the box. Marcelo is one on one with Ulreich, but decides to pull one back instead of shooting. That allows Sule to hack out for a corner. A fine attack, and fine defending. The corner’s taken, this time causing Bayern some in-air panic, but eventually the trouble is cleared.

8.13pm BST

27 min: Varane and Ramos overplay at the back, as Real opt to make Bayern chase. As Muller and Lewandowski close in on Varane, the Bernabeu groans in dismay. It’s OK, but the anxiety of the home support was clear then. Real are in the box seat, but this is far from over.

8.10pm BST

25 min: The first lull of the evening. It’s been value for money so far, to be fair.

8.09pm BST

23 min: Ronaldo has done very little so far. He cuts in from the right and shanks a dreadful effort high into the top-left corner of the stand behind the goal. Consider it a range-finder.

8.07pm BST

22 min: James draws three white shirts and slips a pass down the left for Alaba, who is in acres. Alaba’s deep cross causes all sorts of mayhem, and Real are forced to hack out for a corner under intense pressure from Lewandowski. The set piece causes Real some more aerial consternation but Navas eventually plucks the ball from the sky.

8.06pm BST

20 min: Ribery slips a clever pass down the inside left to find Muller in the Real area. Muller spins and fires a low cross through a busy box. Nobody in red can get anywhere near it. But this has been a very impressive attacking performance from Bayern so far. Real don’t look comfortable at all.

8.04pm BST

19 min: Bayern are first to most of the loose balls right now. Tolisso has a crack from distance but his effort is blocked at source.

8.03pm BST

17 min: Tolisso slips a delightful ball down the middle to find Lewandowski in space on the edge of the Real box. The striker turns and stumbles under pressure from Varane. He claims a penalty but it’s a good challenge.

8.01pm BST

16 min: Modric and Benzema back-heel and flick their way down the inside-right channel. It’s very pretty. And it very nearly opens Bayern up, but the flag goes up as Benzema bursts clear into the box.

8.00pm BST

14 min: Bayern earn a corner down the left. It doesn’t come to much. But it also doesn’t feel like this game will end 1-1. Neither defence is looking particularly happy with life at present.

7.59pm BST

13 min: Conceding doesn’t make a huge difference to Bayern; they still needed another goal anyway. So they still have their tails up. Lewandowski and Muller take turns with the ball at their feet in the Real area, but neither can work space or time for a shot.

7.57pm BST

Real under Zidane always find a way, so they say. And after a dreadful start, they suddenly spring to life. This was so simple, too, as Kovacic sends Marcelo jinking down the left; Marcelo whips long and finds Benzema, unmarked at the far post. Benzema heads into the top right, a chance he was never passing up. What a start to this game!

7.55pm BST

10 min: Real pass it around the middle for a while, in order to clear their heads a bit. A smart move. It’s their first period of sustained possession.

7.54pm BST

8 min: Alaba and Ribery take turns to nearly dribble clear down the left. Real look very nervous at the back. No wonder after that start, the Juve game, etc.

7.52pm BST

7 min: Modric is stopped in his tracks, 40 yards from the Bayern goal, a little to the right. A free kick, and one that’s taken cleverly, sending Kroos romping into space down the inside-right channel when everyone was expecting the ball to be swung into the mixer. Kroos whips a low centre towards Benzema, who hits a first-time shot wide right of goal from close range. A decent response by the reigning champs.

7.50pm BST

5 min: Well that’s quietened the Bernabeu, which took a collective swallow of air when that goal went in. Bayern are now just one goal away from the final, though as things stand they’re going out on the away-goals rule.

7.49pm BST

We’ve not been going long, but this had been coming. Muller crosses from the right. Ramos and Varane look at each other instead of clearing. The ball clanks off Ramos, and drops to Kimmich, who is on the right-hand edge of the six-yard box. Kimmich opens his body and confidently strokes the ball into the bottom left. What a start by the visitors!

7.48pm BST

2 min: James curls the free kick into the mixer. Navas punches clear. But Bayern are quickly coming back at Real, Alaba again making ground down the left, reaching the byline. He’s got Lewandowski on the penalty spot, but elects to batter the ball straight at Navas instead of cutting it back. The keeper gathers.

7.46pm BST

And we’re off! Real get the ball rolling. Ramos immediately launches it long, conceding possession. Bayern take the opportunity to stroke it around the back a bit. Then Alaba bursts down the left and is upended by Lucas Vazquez. An early chance to load the Real box.

7.42pm BST

The teams are out! Real are in their world-famous meringue-white clobber, while Bayern sport their equally storied red. A magical atmosphere at the Bernabeu, as you’d expect ahead of a Champions League semi-final between clubs with 17 European Cups between them. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes, once hands have been shaken, pennants exchanged, coins tossed, and Zadok the Priest defiled.

7.40pm BST

The attitude of the managers in yesterday’s press conference reflected Real’s advantageous position. Jupp Heynckes was bullish: “We know what the atmosphere is like in the Bernabeu, but I’ve got a lot of international players with a lot of experience. We have come to Madrid to take our chances seriously.” Zinedine Zidane by contrast was a picture of tranquility: “We don’t need to change much.” A reminder of how this tie is poised: Real lead 2-1, so the bottom line for Bayern is that they need to score a couple of away goals of their own. If they find the net early on, this could be highly entertaining, given the way the Real-Juve game panned out.

7.30pm BST

Pre-match observations from the Guardian’s electronic mailbag. “I don’t think Real will be bullied by Bayern’s front men like they were by Juve,” writes John McEnerney. “One reason: the Bayern strikers don’t have a nasty one in their ranks like Mandžukić, and the gatekeeper to Real’s fortress, Ramos, is back to marshal the back four and rally the troops.”

“Expect Bayern to be aggressive from the start,” counters krishnamoorthy. “Sitting back won’t help. Predicting a 1-2 scoreline and the winner from Lewadowski.” Extra time and penalty kicks it is, then. I do hope these lads haven’t used up all their energy already.

7.05pm BST

While we wait for the big kick-off ... here’s our man in Madrid, Sid Lowe, with his preview of the match.

Related: Jupp Heynckes denies Real Madrid ‘complex’ but calls for Bayern ‘efficiency’ | Sid Lowe

6.57pm BST

Real Madrid: Navas, Lucas, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Asensio, Kovacic, Modric, Kroos, Benzema, Ronaldo.
Subs: Casilla, Nacho, Bale, Casemiro, Hernandez, Borja Mayoral, Ceballos.

Bayern Munich: Ulreich, Kimmich, Hummels, Sule, Alaba, Tolisso, Thiago, Muller, Rodriguez, Ribery, Lewandowski.
Subs: Starke, Wagner, Javi Martinez, Rafinha, Lukas, Rudy, Dorsch.

6.54pm BST

Real Madrid make three changes to the side named in Germany last week. Dani Carvajal and Isco are injured, while Casemiro drops to the bench. Stepping up: Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio and Mateo Kovačić.

Bayern Munich make four changes to their team from last week’s starting XI. Arjen Robben and Jérôme Boateng are injured, while Javi Martínez and Rafinha drop to the bench. Thiago Alcántara, Niklas Süle, Corentin Tolisso and David Alaba take their places.

3.11pm BST

Real Madrid are so close to their third consecutive appearance in the Champions League final. The reigning European champs are 2-1 up after the first leg of this semi-final tie, having seen off an uncharacteristically sloppy Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena last week. They’re 90 minutes away from the showpiece in Kiev, and 180 away from becoming the first team to complete a European Cup hat-trick since ... Bayern Munich in 1976.

They will be confident enough of making it. That’ll be because they’ve won their last six matches against Bayern, while only two teams in Champions League history have overhauled a first-leg home defeat in the knockout stage: Ajax against Panathinaikos in the 1995/96 semis, and Internazionale against Bayern in the 2010/11 round of 16. History, recent and otherwise, is on their side.

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The Fiver | Don’t bother sending us your observations on corporate law

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It was a good weekend for Pope’s O’Rangers, in so much as there were 37 minutes plus stoppages still to play when Callum McGregor put the Queen’s Celtic five goals up on Sunday. By holding out for the remainder of the match, the Light Blues ensured they didn’t suffer a record Old Firm battering of Hampden In The Sun proportions, or worse, and that’s got to be worth something, surely. So well done, everyone! But that’s not stopped Graeme Murty getting the sack. Poor Graeme. It doesn’t seem long ago that his team took the lead against the Bhoys a couple of times at Ibrox, and people wondered whether they were finally on the right road again, for the first time since someone accidentally ticked the wrong box when applying for a Post Office savings book, or whatever it was that happened. But no, the Queen’s Celtic ended up winning that one as well, and now here we all are. Oh Graeme! Uh-oh O’Rangers!

Related: Graeme Murty leaves role as Rangers interim manager

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Swansea City 0-1 Chelsea: Premier League – as it happened

Cesc Fabregas scored early as Chelsea kept up their Champions League chase and Swansea’s relegation fears deepened.

7.53pm BST

Stuart James was at the Liberty, and here’s his report:

Related: Cesc Fàbregas Chelsea goal leaves Swansea sweating over survival

7.51pm BST

Antonio Conte speaks! “It was a good win. If we want to keep hope of a place in the Champions League, we have to win every game. Today, it wasn’t easy. They are fighting to avoid relegation, and in England every game you must be prepared to fight. We could have been more clinical and killed the game, but it can happen. The only way to put pressure on Tottenham was to win the game.”

7.41pm BST

Carlos Carvahal speaks! “We played against a strong team. And we played them like a strong team. After putting more players in attack, we started to cause them problems. And we should have had a penalty in my opinion. In general we played with quality, our emotional control was high and we tried to move the ball right and left. It is not easy against Chelsea, they are very strong and physical. We deserved a little more, but our performance gives us confidence. The most important thing is the score, but the way we tried to win is important also. We are in a good position still. We have things in our hand. We must continue to do what we did today, and we will cause problems to the teams in our last three games.”

7.37pm BST

Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas are interviewed by BT Sport. Cahill: “It was tough. They needed a result and pushed hard at the end. They made it difficult. But we needed it, dug in, and got the result. We’ve done our job, and now we will try to win every game this season, and see where it leaves us.”

Fabregas: “We started well and were quite comfortable. We should have controlled the last few minutes better, but everyone is fighting for their lives and every game is a final. We have to show our pride and put pressure on [Liverpool and Spurs]. In football, anything can happen, and so if it happens, we must be there to take advantage.”

7.29pm BST

Here’s how it affects the teams. Bottom first. Swansea remain in 17th position, but they’re now only a point above Southampton, who beat Bournemouth earlier today. Stoke, who earned a fine point at Liverpool, are a further three points back, and they’ve played a game more. West Brom also won today, at Newcastle, to keep their slim hopes of a miraculous escape alive. Misery for the Swans.

Chelsea will be cock-a-hoop, though. Their third Premier League win on the bounce has moved them to within two points of fourth-placed Tottenham, though Spurs have a game in hand. Liverpool could also be overhauled: they’re six clear of Chelsea, but have played a game more, and the two sides meet at Stamford Bridge next weekend. Liverpool have 17 goals on Chelsea, though, so chances are they’ll need to drop points at home to Brighton in the last game of the season if Conte’s men are to leapfrog Klopp’s. But a top-four finish is a realistic prospect now: they’re putting the pressure on Spurs and Liverpool.

7.22pm BST

And that’s that! Chelsea close the gap on Tottenham and Liverpool in the race for the Champions League. Swansea meanwhile are looking over their shoulder, with Southampton now just one point behind.

7.21pm BST

90 min +4: Cahill wants Ayew sent off; the Swansea striker barged into Cahill with some passion. But the referee does nothing.

7.21pm BST

90 min +3: Cahill goes down in an off-the-ball incident with Jordan Ayew. Then gets up and instigates a shoving match.

7.18pm BST

90 min +2: As does the second. This game is petering out.

7.18pm BST

90 min +1: The first of three added minutes passes without too much drama.

7.17pm BST

90 min: Andrew Ayew and Routledge combine well down the inside-left channel. Routledge has the ball at his feet inside the area. He slams towards the bottom left, but doesn’t catch it properly and Courtois gathers with confidence. Swansea are certainly giving it a go during these closing minutes, but they look so blunt up front.

7.16pm BST

88 min: Carroll latches onto a poor Cahill headed clearance. From the left of the D, he sidefoots hard towards the bottom right. But it’s always curling a couple of inches wide. A lot of heads in hands around the Liberty, though, because for a split second that looked like it might go in.

7.14pm BST

87 min: Mawson gives the ball to Willian on the halfway line. Chelsea are three on three. Mawson gets back to pester Willian and ruin Chelsea’s rhythm. The ball’s spread to Pedro on the left, but he’s offside.

7.13pm BST

86 min: Dyer reaches the byline out on the right. His deep cross very nearly finds Routledge, but Moses wins the aerial battle. Swansea come again, Mawson sending a daisycutter goalwards from wide on the left. Courtois’s handling is impeccable.

7.11pm BST

85 min: Morata comes on for Giroud.

7.10pm BST

83 min: Moses bursts down the right and very nearly finds Giroud, six yards out. But Fabianski claims well.

7.08pm BST

81 min: And then Olsson is replaced by Routledge. Swansea are going all-out attack now.

7.07pm BST

80 min: Fabregas and Hazard are exchanged for Pedro and Willian.

7.07pm BST

78 min: Naughton has a lash from distance. Courtois gathers. Then Swansea come again. Cahill slides in on Dyer, just inside the Chelsea box. It’s perfectly timed, though Swansea wanted a penalty. But Cahill got the ball.

7.04pm BST

77 min: Swansea may have decided to go for it now. Andre Ayew drops a shoulder, cuts in from the right, and sends a curler towards the top left. If that was on target, it was in ... but it doesn’t curl back enough.

7.03pm BST

76 min: Carroll spins into space down the right and crosses deep. Olsson, coming in from the other side, shoots low, but Azpilicueta is there to block.

7.01pm BST

74 min: Chelsea go down the other end and nearly wrap it up. Hazard and Fabregas cause bother down the inside-right channel. The ball squirts to Moses, six yards out. He tries to guide it into the bottom right, but it spins violently wide of the right-hand post and out for a goal kick. All in slow motion. How did that stay out?

7.00pm BST

72 min: Dyer one-twos with Carroll down the right, then bursts into the Chelsea box. He fires low across the face of goal; Azpilicueta slides the ball out for a corner on the right. From the set piece, Courtois flaps. Jordan Ayew tries to eyebrow a header over a melee and into the net ... but sends it over the bar.

6.58pm BST

71 min: Emerson goes on a marathon run from the left wing, inside his own half, to the right of the Swansea D. He shoots towards the bottom right. Fabianski smothers.

6.57pm BST

69 min: Azpilicueta, dropping deep down the right, curls a perfect cross onto the head of Hazard, who is lurking on the penalty spot. Hazard flashes a header straight at Fabianski. He was offside anyway, which is just as well: that would have gone down as a bad miss, so sweet was the cross.

6.55pm BST

68 min: Bakayoko drags a wild shot left of the target from 20 yards.

6.54pm BST

67 min: Giroud, Fabregas and Hazard make their way upfield at speed, raking long-range diagonal passes to each other as they zig-zag towards the Swansea box. But Naughton does very well to hold Hazard up down the left.

6.51pm BST

65 min: A free kick for Swansea out on the left. Ki swings it long towards Dyer, who is being marked by the significantly larger Giroud. The outcome is pretty much as you’d expect.

6.50pm BST

64 min: Swansea make their second change: Carroll comes on for Roberts.

6.49pm BST

62 min: Azpilicueta flicks a lovely reverse pass down the right to release Fabregas into a lot of space. Fabregas has time to consider his options, but inexplicably blooters his cross straight at van der Hoorn. Swansea clear their lines.

6.47pm BST

60 min: A poor pass out to Rudiger from Courtois forces the defender to hack into the stand in a panic. Good pressing by Swansea. It leads to nought, but it’s another small example of the hosts’ renewed energy and determination. Courtois still hasn’t had a save of note to make, mind.

6.44pm BST

58 min: The first change of the evening is made by Swansea City. King is replaced by Dyer.

6.44pm BST

57 min: Hazard dawdles down the left before flicking the ball inside for Emerson, who lashes a shot-cum-cross straight at Fabianski.

6.42pm BST

55 min: Chelsea finally get the ball back and nearly punish Swansea on a quick break. Hazard slips the ball wide right for Moses, who tries to roll the ball inside for the adventurous Azpilicueta in the centre. The pass is intercepted. So nearly number two, though.

6.41pm BST

54 min: A good period of possession for Swansea. They don’t really trouble Chelsea with it, but it’s a confidence builder, perhaps. They’ve been a lot quicker in their actions since the restart.

6.40pm BST

52 min: Emerson makes good down the left and stands one up in the middle. Mawson heads clear under pressure from a couple of blue shirts. This is a good end-to-end game, all of a sudden.

6.39pm BST

51 min: This is much better from Swansea. Olsson hugs the touchline on the left, then whips high and hard into the Chelsea area. Jordan Ayew gets a head to it. His powerful effort flicks off Rudiger. The referee misses the deflection, so it’s a goal kick.

6.37pm BST

50 min: Hazard runs at speed towards the Swansea back line. He lays off to Giroud, expecting a crisp clipped return as he breaks into the box. But Giroud lazily wafts his leg at the ball, sending it sailing gently towards Fabianski. Swansea were light at the back there; Giroud should have been a lot more businesslike.

6.35pm BST

48 min: Ki slides the free kick down the right for Clucas, who aims a cross deep for Mawson. But there’s some shoving the box, and the whistle peeps.

6.34pm BST

47 min: Bakayoko sticks a leg across Jordan Ayew. A free kick out on the right, and a chance for Swansea to load the box.

6.32pm BST

It’s the second half! Swansea get the party started again. No changes.

6.19pm BST

Half-time reading:

Related: When women were forced to choose between faith and football | Shireen Ahmed

6.17pm BST

As things stand, Champions League football is a very real prospect for Chelsea again next season. Championship football could be Swansea’s fate, unless they get their act together.

6.16pm BST

45 min: Olsson breaks down the left. Had he lifted his head to take a look around, he’d have spotted Clucas tearing free down the middle, screaming for the ball. But he didn’t. Eventually it comes, but far too late, and Bakayoko comes across to cover and hack clear. That’s a real chance spurned. Chelsea were wide open for a while there.

6.14pm BST

44 min: Swansea stroke it around the back awhile, and Chelsea are quite happy to let them do it, because they’re going nowhere. “Jon Moss has certainly made a few odd decisions,” begins Matt Dony, “but they have helped and hindered both sides, so kind of evened out. Maybe he’s a Karma Chameleon.”

6.12pm BST

42 min: It is tipping down in Swansea, by the way. Stair rods.

6.11pm BST

41 min: Swansea pin Chelsea back for the first time in the match, though they can’t work a route into the box. Andre Ayew dribbles with some purpose down the right. Then Ki tries to bustle through the middle. Nothing doing. Chelsea’s shape isn’t shifting.

6.10pm BST

39 min: Olsson wins another free kick of Moses down the left. There wasn’t a lot in that. Moses will probably need to watch himself, even though he’s done very little wrong. The solid-looking Emerson sends the set piece away from danger.

6.08pm BST

37 min: Clucas is fortunate to escape yellow - by the standards of the Ayew and Moses bookings - for a late clip on Moses. I can’t imagine either team will be particularly happy with the referee’s eccentric performance so far. It’s been a proper free-form jazz piece by Jon Moss.

6.06pm BST

35 min: Fabergas is a cut above everyone else on the pitch today. He’s running the show in the middle of the park. He’s inches away from releasing Hazard down the left with a beautiful long pass, but last man van der Hoorn intercepts.

6.04pm BST

33 min: Fabregas floats a pass forward for Giroud, who cushions a header down towards Hazard on the Swansea penalty spot. Hazard’s shot is blocked, and it turns out Giroud was offside anyway, but not by very much at all. Still, a correct decision, so credit where it’s due.

6.01pm BST

31 min: The referee is all over the place. Now he books Moses for a clip on Olsson, who was dribbling his way down the Swansea left. It was a free kick, but no more than that. Ki curls the set piece straight at Courtois.

6.00pm BST

29 min: Hazard releases the ever-excellent Moses down the right. Moses threads a glorious ball across the face of goal. Naughton opts to let it go, instead of trying to hack it clear. Somehow it evades all the blue shirts in the box.

5.58pm BST

27 min: Thing is, Swansea can’t afford to have decisions like that go the wrong way. Chelsea have otherwise been in complete control of this match, every inch the sort of side who should be in the Champions League next season. Swansea need every little thing they can get.

5.57pm BST

25 min: Andre Ayew dribbles down the middle of the park, and is clipped by Kante, just outside the area. The referee Jon Moss gives a free kick to Chelsea! That’s one of the daftest decisions you’ll see in a good while. On the bench, Carlos Carvahal guffaws incredulously. The crowd meantime accuse Moss of onanist tendencies in song. That was preposterous.

5.54pm BST

23 min: King has a speculative effort from 20 yards, having cut in from the left. It’s not much cop. Something is better than nothing, though. Swansea haven’t really troubled Chelsea at all.

5.53pm BST

21 min: Chelsea play some delightfully crisp triangles up the pitch. The majority of the team are involved. Swansea are mesmerised. Eventually Fabregas bursts into the area from the right, causing all sorts of bother. Mawson hacks at the ball, and slices it backwards, over Fabianski and nearly into his own net. The ball shaves the crossbar. The corner comes to nothing.

5.49pm BST

19 min: A loose pass by Cahill gives Clucas the chance to run at the Chelsea defence. Ki gets involved too. But neither can get a shot away, and Kante arrives to put a stop to the nonsense.

5.48pm BST

18 min: Hazard floats the corner into the mixer. Giroud eyebrows it on. Rudiger, running in at the far post, only just fails to make contact. Anything on that, and it was 0-2, but Swansea breathe again.

5.47pm BST

17 min: Moses romps into the Swansea box from the right, past Olsson with ease. He curls towards the top left. It’s going in, until Mawson gets his body in the way. The ball’s deflected out for a corner on the left.

5.45pm BST

15 min: Andre Ayew clatters into Emerson down the Chelsea left. It looks like a garden-variety foul, but the referee brandishes yellow. The home fans, already simmering, are now on a rolling boil.

5.44pm BST

14 min: Olsson swings a deep cross into the Chelsea box from the left. Roberts is coming in from the other wing, hoping to meet it with his head. Emerson does very well to ensure Roberts’ plan comes to nought.

5.43pm BST

12 min: Moses skedaddles down the right and rolls the ball inside for Hazard, who might have troubled Fabianski from 12 yards had he not slipped on the slippery, rain-soaked pitch. There’s a nice open feel to this game, which will probably benefit the visitors more than the hosts.

5.41pm BST

10 min: Jordan Ayew and Mawson exchange crisp passes on the edge of the Chelsea box. Bakayoko steps in to clear but slams into Mawson’s ankle. It’s a rash challenge, so close to his own goal, but the referee doesn’t think it’s a free kick. The home fans are not impressed.

5.39pm BST

8 min: Swansea, to their credit, have responded to falling behind by buzzing around with great purpose. They’re seeing plenty of the ball, if nothing else. Roberts makes a bit of space down the right but his centre doesn’t go anywhere near a teammate.

5.37pm BST

6 min: Swansea were sliced open with ridiculous ease there. The home fans try to lift their team with a loyal roar, but this could be a long afternoon for the Swans.

5.35pm BST

Loose control from King in the middle of the park is pounced on by Hazard. He bursts down the middle, and lays off to Fabregas, just to the right of the D. Fabregas opens his body, and curls a delicious first-time shot into the top left. Fabianski had no chance! What a start by Chelsea!

5.32pm BST

2 min: A fine atmosphere at the Liberty. No wonder, with so much on the line. Ki looks to break down the right and is upended by Bakayoko. An early chance to swing one into the Chelsea box and see what the travelling defence is made of. But the set piece is an aimless waste of time. The ball’s soon in the arms of Courtois.

5.31pm BST

And we’re off! Chelsea get the ball rolling, as the home fans belt out their hymns and arias.

5.30pm BST

The teams are out! Swansea are in their pristine white, Chelsea their famous blue. We’ll be off in a minute. Before kick off, the Liberty paid its respect to Roy Bentley, who died last week. Bentley’s goals fired Chelsea to their first-ever league title, back in 1955, and he went on to manage Swansea in the late 1960s and early 1970s. A fond farewell to the last surviving member of England’s 1950 World Cup squad. RIP.

5.19pm BST

Carlos Carvahal is asked by BT Sport, admittedly during a feature recorded before today’s results, if Swansea will stay up. “Yes.”

5.11pm BST

Antonio Conte speaks! “We have to try to win every game. This is the only hope to take a place in the Champions League. We have to start today, and that won’t be easy against Swansea. We want to finish our season in the top four. Giroud and Morata are in good form. I’ve decided to try with Ollie today, but we will see how he does in the game.”

5.09pm BST

If Swansea weren’t already feeling the pressure, the results from the 3pm kick-offs will have really given them the fear. West Brom won at Newcastle, while Southampton beat Bournemouth in the big south-coast derby. Throw in Stoke’s point at Anfield in the lunchtime match and the climate is closing in on the Swans. They go into this game five clear of West Brom, three clear of Stoke and just a point clear of the Saints. They really could do with something from this match to lift the mood around the place. Of course after today they’ll still have a game in hand over West Brom and Stoke, and have yet to welcome Stoke and Saints to the Liberty. But you can’t be taking any chances. It’s a big ask to get something out of in-form Champions League chasers Chelsea, though. It could be a nervy evening for the hosts.

Related: Southampton 2-1 Bournemouth, Huddersfield 0-2 Everton and more – live!

4.41pm BST

Swansea, without a win in six, make two changes to the team hammered at champions Manchester City last weekend. Tom Carroll drops to the bench, while Federico Fernandez misses out with a knee injury. Taking their places: Sam Clucas and Connor Roberts. Renato Sanches returns to the squad for the first time in three hamstrung months.

Chelsea are on a three-match winning streak, so they don’t mess about with the formula too much. Cup goalkeeper Willy Caballero makes way for regular netminder Thibaut Courtois, while Tiemoue Bakayoko takes Willian’s place.

4.33pm BST

Swansea City: Fabianski, Naughton, van der Hoorn, Roberts, Mawson, Olsson, Andre Ayew, King, Ki, Clucas, Jordan Ayew.
Subs: Britton, Dyer, Nordfeldt, Carroll, Routledge, Rangel, Sanches.

Chelsea: Courtois, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Rudiger, Moses, Fabregas, Kante, Bakayoko, Emerson, Hazard, Giroud.
Subs: Caballero, Barkley, Morata, Pedro, Zappacosta, Willian, Christensen.

3.37pm BST

We’re not quite at the stage of the season where everything is on the line. But it’s close enough to make little or no difference. Tonight at the Liberty, Swansea City go in search of three points they so badly need in their battle against relegation. Their opponents Chelsea meanwhile are desperate for victory themselves, to maintain their hope of Champions League football next season. It’s all set up rather deliciously ... especially in the wake of Liverpool’s failure to see off Stoke City earlier this afternoon. It’s on!

Kick off: 5.30pm BST.

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