Scott Murray's Blog, page 204
April 5, 2014
Chelsea v Stoke City as it happened | Scott Murray
Willian was the star turn as Chelsea regained top spot
7.20pm BST
A great day for everyone involved with Chelsea except ... no, Fernando will be happy that he and his team have leapfrogged Liverpool to regain top spot of the Premier League. Of course, he doesn't look too pleased as he wanders off, but I'm sure he's singing and dancing inside. Everyone else in blue is giving it plenty after a magnificent final hour's performance. So that's City and Chelsea winning today. Gauntlet down to Arsenal and Liverpool tomorrow, then ...
7.18pm BST
90 min: There will be two added minutes, but this game has long been over.
7.17pm BST
88 min: Luiz shapes to take the free kick. He's planning to shoot for goal, 40 yards out. Hazard trots back upfield and plays the ball out left, taking the decision out of his hands. A comic cut straight from the top drawer, though whether fall guy Luiz sees it that way is another matter. Proper Sideshow Bob stuff, with a bravura performance from Hazard in the Krusty role.
7.15pm BST
87 min: Wilson knocks over Torres, illegally, in the middle of the park. The crowd awwww, much as you would upon seeing a toddler's ice-cream fall out of the cone and onto the floor. This is getting out of hand now.
7.13pm BST
85 min: Cole's sporting a lovely new beard, by the way. He's too pretty and youthful of face to carry it off, in my book, but he looks happy enough with it on, so live and let live. "Has Ashley Cole grown a beard hoping that if Mourinho doesn't recognize him, he may pick him to play?" wonders Michael Hood. The plan's worked, then, hasn't it. Cole was in the area looking to get away a shot a minute or so ago, perhaps he's taking this stealth thing a wee bit too seriously.
7.09pm BST
82 min: Salah goes on a ball-glued-to-boot skedaddle down the middle of the park. It's an exhilarating experience, but just as it looks like a chance to shoot is going to present itself, he falls onto his face on the edge of the box. That could have been a ludicrous goal.
7.07pm BST
80 min: The insouciant genius Willian is replaced by Cole.
7.07pm BST
79 min: Now it's Luiz's turn to act up, going over the ball in a challenge with Pieters. Clumsy rather than malicious, though this is getting a bit spiky, so don't necessarily take my word for that.
7.06pm BST
78 min: Adam rakes his studs across Luiz's nipples. British football's value system being what it is, Adam takes genuine umbrage when Luiz asks the referee to brandish a yellow card. The referee reminds the pair that they're, legally at least, adults.
7.04pm BST
76 min: Torres embarks on a long skitter down the middle of the park. It nearly opens up for him. The Torres of old - the Torres of Liverpool - would have battered a shot towards one of the top corners upon reaching the edge of the area there. But this model hesitates, then drifts out to the left when the chance to shoot has gone. His attempt to find a team-mate with a pullback is best not mentioned, there's no need to belabour the point.
7.02pm BST
75 min: Chelsea, if you believe what Jose Mourinho comes out with in press conferences, have no chance of winning the title. Right you are! They're going top tonight having hardly broken sweat.
7.00pm BST
Willian is brilliant. He seems to operate on a different clock to everyone else, always with that extra couple of seconds to act and think. He dawdles down the inside-left channel, sizes up what's in front of him, and almost lazily lifts an unstoppable shot into the top right. That was placed perfectly rather than lashed at high speed. Brilliant.
6.58pm BST
71 min: Lampard, a booking waiting to happen, is replaced by Luiz.
6.58pm BST
70 min: To be fair to Stoke, they're putting together a few moves right now, albeit without causing Chelsea too much bother. Odemwingie sees a shot from the right wing deflected and ballooning out for a corner on the left. A quick low ball is fired into Arnautovic, racing into the area from the left, but he can't get a shot away.
6.56pm BST
68 min: Adam finds himself in space down the right. A cartoon villain, his low rake towards the bottom right is met with ironic cheers as Cech gathers the lame effort with a yawn. Arnautovic is less enamoured with what he sees, as he was in space at the far post. Stoke have been awful from the get-go, and Adam is simply adding some cartoon squiggles to the canvas.
6.54pm BST
67 min: Lampard flips Adam into the air like a fried egg, which must take some doing. How has he not been booked? Stoke lump forward, Matic playing safe and guiding out for a corner on the right. The set piece from Adam doesn't even beat the first man.
6.52pm BST
65 min: The Chelsea fans clearly want Torres to get on the scoresheet. He chases after a long hoick forward. He's nowhere near getting there first, but the Chelsea crowd coo and whoop anyway. This is like panto.
6.52pm BST
64 min: A long hoof upfield by Nzonzi. Arnautovic is clear in the Chelsea box, but lets the pass run under his boot. Anything solid on that, and Cech would have been set a real poser.
6.51pm BST
63 min: This is damage limitation for Stoke already, you feel. Chelsea shuttle the ball left to right, carving out a chance for Torres, ten yards out. He's faced with a tight angle, though, and his shot is deflected out for a corner by Wilson. Nothing comes from the set piece, other than three rugby points by Hazard, who converts from a position on the left.
6.49pm BST
You'll notice there's no "pen" in that scoreline. Lampard duffs a dismal effort just to Begovic's right. The keeper parries, but the ball clanks back into the middle, and Lampard can make good by slapping home the rebound!
6.48pm BST
60 min: Penalty to Chelsea! Salah bombs down the inside-left channel and into the area. Wilkinson comes in, and agricultural isn't the word for the challenge, a ludicrous lunge which sends Salah sailing along the turf on his teeth.
6.47pm BST
59 min: Hazard replaces Schurrle. Lampard, looking a bit knackered, clatters into Crouch. He really is testing the referee's patience, but isn't booked. Stoke lump a long ball upfield towards Crouch. Cech comes off his line and snaffles.
6.46pm BST
58 min: Adam guides a low left-to-right swinger along the corridor of uncertainty. It flies through the area and out of play on the right. The aim was almost perfect, but there was just too much juice on the delivery.
6.45pm BST
57 min: Pieters goes on a long ramble down the inside left. He's upended by a leggy Lampard, who should be booked, but the ref is in a generous mood this evening. A free kick for Stoke in a dangerous position, 35 yards out to the left.
6.42pm BST
55 min: This is pretty poor at the moment, truth be told. Chelsea are seeing the lion's share of the ball, but they're doing little with it. Stoke, for their part, can hardly string two passes together.
6.40pm BST
53 min: Whelan sticks a leg out, refusing to let Willian past. He's lucky that's not a booking. The fact the foul was near the centre circle, with Willian going across the field, probably saved the Stoke man there. Chelsea lump a long one forward, and Cahill nods it out well wide left of the goal.
6.39pm BST
52 min: Willian is superb. Out of nothing, and surrounded by Stoke players, he wins a corner down the left. Lampard takes. Bergovic snaffles. This half hasn't quite got going yet.
6.37pm BST
49 min: Now Adam stands on Schurrle's foot. The Chelsea man's in very real pain there, that was a real grinder. But in fairness to the often, eh, clumsy Adam, his boot slipped off the top of the ball and onto his opponent's foot. There seemed no ill intent. And after a wee rest, Schurrle is fine to continue.
6.35pm BST
48 min: All a bit scrappy at the restart.
6.34pm BST
And we're off again! Stoke are making changes. Wilkinson comes on for Cameron, while Palacios is hooked and replaced by Adam. Rather magnificently, Adam, who is back after a suspension for a stamp on Olivier Giroud of Arsenal, concedes a free kick within six seconds of the restart. What a player. What an entrance!
6.20pm BST
Half-time advertisement: Hey, we've all got to eat.
6.18pm BST
Torres brings down a long ball and flicks it wide right for Lampard, whose low shot isn't up to his usual standard. Willian drops a shoulder and bursts down the right, but his low fizzing cross isn't read by Torres, who is snoozing in the centre, the chance of a simple tap-in gone. And that's that for the first 45 minutes. The home side take a deserved lead into the break. But for half a yard, they'd be two up, and this would be as good as over. But as things stand, Stoke are still within touching distance. But their attacking players will have to turn up for the second half, because they did precious little up front during the first.
6.14pm BST
44 min: A subdued end to the half after that disallowed goal. It's eerily quiet right now.
6.12pm BST
41 min: Chelsea come straight back at Stoke, Lampard stroking the clearance out right towards Salah, who whips a cross onto Ivanovic's head, six yards out. Ivanovic thumps a header into the left-hand portion of the net, and races off to celebrate. But it's not 2-0, because the full back was half a yard offside. A brilliant decision by the linesman.
6.11pm BST
40 min: The Stamford Bridge pitch appears to be tipping up towards the Shed End right now. Stoke can't get out of their own area. A corner to Chelsea down the right after some good work between Schurrle down the wing. The corner's cleared, but ...
6.08pm BST
38 min: Chelsea are giving it the full
Barcelona
Bayern Munich
Stoke City right now. They spend the best part of two minutes stroking it around this way and that, in front of the opposition area. Eventually Schurrle gets fed up and drags a lame shot wide of the target. What a waste of a lot of pretty passing. How very Bayern Munich.
6.06pm BST
36 min: Chelsea have their tails up now, and the home support are giving it plenty at last. Cahill busies himself down the inside-right channel and forces a corner. Stoke clear with ease, but Stoke were looking fairly comfortable at the half-hour mark. One goal later, and the difference in mood is palpable.
6.05pm BST
34 min: Whelan is dispossessed by the busy Willian in the middle of the park. Willian quickly slides a pass out right for Salah, who has a clear run into the area. He should be looking at a second goal in two minutes, but a heavy touch allows Begovic to scamper off his line and smother the ball. What a chance!
6.03pm BST
Stamford Bridge was feeling a wee bit tense, but no longer! Matic bursts into the area from the left, reaches the byline, and pulls a low ball back for Salah who, cutting in from the right, hits a first-time blooter straight at Begovic. There's so much power in the ball that it clips past the keeper and flies into the top left. Power preferred to direction, there was no stopping that! Chelsea will be going top tonight if things stay like this!
6.01pm BST
30 min: Torres throws himself to the ground in the Stoke penalty area. The referee quite correctly isn't having a bar of it. He doesn't book the striker, though he probably should. Pity perhaps the dominant emotion there. Though to be fair to Torres, he isn't hiding today. He's been involved plenty, and this is how you get your luck to turn.
6.00pm BST
29 min: Lampard nearly breaks clear into the Stoke area down the inside left, but has to settle for a corner after Whelan sticks to his shoulder. The set piece is cleared easily enough by the visitors. Salah attempts to open Stoke up down the other wing, but Pieters forces him to run the ball out of play. On the touchline, Jose Mourinho is waving his arms about in semaphore shapes. He's either irritated with how his side are playing, or he's chartered a plane to fly overhead trailing a banner abusing Fernando Torres.
5.57pm BST
26 min: A Stoke free kick down the right, Odemwingie buying it off a rather clumsy Matic. Arnautovic sends the ball sailing towards the far post, where it's easily mopped up by the home side. Chelsea have been the better side so far, but Stoke have had chances to put the ball into the opposition area, and will be happy enough with the way this is panning out so far.
5.55pm BST
24 min: Salah skates down the right and slides the ball inside for Schurrle, who lays off for Lampard. The Chelsea midfielder aims low and hard for the bottom right, but Begovic is behind it. The keeper bowls the ball down the Stoke left, but Cameron soon loses the ball. Willian whips the ball to the far post, where Pieters attempts to chest down for his keeper. But it's not a very well executed chest-down, and Torres latches onto it. He's one on one with Begovic! But the keeper is brave, and quickly out at his feet. He smothers, taking a toe-end in the eye socket for his trouble. Brilliant keeping, and he'll be OK. But Torres should have done better there after pouncing on the chance so well.
5.52pm BST
22 min: This All-New Stoke certainly aren't afraid to knock it around. Here they string together 10, 15, maybe 20 passes in the middle of the park. They go absolutely nowhere, but if this sort of behaviour is good enough for Bayern Munich, it's good enough for Stoke.
5.50pm BST
20 min: Torres causes a little trouble on the edge of the Stoke box, laying off to Ivanovic, romping down the inside-right channel. Ivanovic attempts to sidefoot powerfully into the top left. Ambitious, shall we say, and leave it at that?
5.49pm BST
19 min: Willian is a magnificent player, the sort who causes trouble where o'er he roams. He sashays in from the left and sends a curler towards the top right. A slight deflection, and Begovic does awfully well to claw the ball out for a corner, from which Terry tries to convert with a header from 12 yards, only to fail.
5.48pm BST
17 min: NOSTALGIA CORNER. Let's go all the way back to March 2014! Title-chasing Arsenal were 3-0 down by this point.
5.47pm BST
16 min: Corner to Stoke down the right, after Cahill was forced to head a deep Arnautovic cross from the right over his own bar. Nothing comes of the set piece, but Stoke have responded well to that period of Chelsea pressure.
5.46pm BST
15 min: Stoke have been praised for their pretty passing of late, but they're clearly not afraid to mix it up a little. A hoof all the way from the 1980s lands on Crouch's head, 30 yards out, but Cahill is there to mop up.
5.44pm BST
13 min: Odemwingie wins a duel for a high ball with Azpilicueta and scampers away down the right. He cuts inside and has a shot, rather stupidly, from 30 yards. The ball dribbles into Cech's possession. Arnautovic was in acres of space to the left, and discusses the matter with Odemwingie in a full and frank fashion.
5.42pm BST
11 min: Schurrle spins down the inside-left channel before shuttling the ball across to Salah, who cuts in front he right and dribbles a poor shot straight at Begovic. Soon after, a corner for Chelsea, with Ivanovic slapping a fairly lame header wide left from close range. A player as good as Ivanovic should have done a whole lot better. He walks off pretending he's hurt his face, though it'll be his pride that's stinging after that. But this is good stuff from Chelsea.
5.40pm BST
9 min: Torres nearly answers all his critics - well, Mourinho - by lashing a low, hard drive inches left of goal from the left of the Stoke D. So close! Azpilicueta started that move by snapping at Whelan's heels and winning a ball he had no right to win. Chelsea are pressing hard.
5.38pm BST
8 min: A fairly subdued Stamford Bridge. Salah is then bowled over 35 yards from goal down the inside right. Ivanovic ludicrously attempts to whip an out-to-in curler into the top right. The ball, unsurprisingly, balloons high into the Shed End. What a waste. Terry, who had made his way into the box, expresses similar sentiments using his mouth.
5.36pm BST
5 min: A free kick for Stoke, down the left. Arnautovic sends it towards the far post, where Crouch tries to guide the ball back into the middle, where Shawcross awaits. But Terry hacks clear. Chelsea didn't look fully happy under that ball, it has to be said. Some succour for the away team too, then.
5.35pm BST
3 min: Willian steals the ball off Pieters in the centre circle, and rolls a lovely pass down the inside-right channel for Torres. A confident Torres would have burst clear into the area, but he allowed himself to be muscled off his line by Wilson, and Begovic was able to come out and deal with the situation. So close to the first chance of the game, mind, and Torres should gain a little succour from his decent starting position, even if the run was lacking.
5.32pm BST
2 min: A scrappy start, but at least it allows both teams a few touches of the ball. Willian finally gets fed up with all the faffing around and goes on a determined skitter down the middle of the park. Nzonzi is having none of it, and upends up. A free kick, which Lampard swings aimlessly forward. The only way is up.
5.30pm BST
And we're off! Stoke get the ball rolling, and they're kicking towards the Matthew Harding Stand. "Do you think Mourinho could have instructed his players not to win the Premiership so that he can be proven to have been right?" wonders Robert Hagan. It's absurd enough to be a possibility. He really wants Mr Roman to dip into his pocket for a new striker or two, put it that way. Fernando Torres is certainly under the microscope today, with a gauntlet at his feet.
5.26pm BST
The teams are out! Chelsea - who can go top with a win here tonight - have determination writ large across each and every one of their coupons. And they're wearing their famous blue shirts, as you'd expect.
4.56pm BST
Fernando Torres, Nemanja Matic and Frank Lampard return while Mohamed Salah makes his first Chelsea start: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Lampard, Matic, Willian, Schurrle, Salah, Torres.
Subs: Cole, Luiz, Oscar, Hazard, Ba, Schwarzer, Kalas.
Stoke replace Stephen Ireland with Wilson Palacios: Begovic, Cameron, Wilson, Shawcross, Pieters, Odemwingie, Whelan, Palacios, Nzonzi, Arnautovic, Crouch.
Subs: Muniesa, Adam, Walters, Guidetti, Etherington, Wilkinson, Sorensen.
4.46pm BST
Chelsea-Stoke will always, to a certain generation of fan, stir memories of the 1972 League Cup final, and Stoke's only major trophy. Any old excuse for a trip down memory lane, eh kids. Here's Chelsea preparing for the big match, Peter Osgood getting his barnet trimmed by Vidal Sassoon, the society hairstylist and ardent Chelsea supporter.
4.30pm BST
You'd have had this game down as a home banker three weeks ago. Chelsea were looking good for the Premier League title, seven points clear of Liverpool and Arsenal at the top, nine ahead of Manchester City. But Jose Mourinho's side have gone through a strange and sticky patch since then. A loss at Aston Villa was followed by Champions League victory over Galatasaray and a 6-0 win over a circus troupe from Islington, but the Blues have since suffered back-to-back losses at Crystal Palace and Paris St-Germain, and now Mourinho's lip is permanently set in a disgusted Elvis curl. He's on record as expecting nothing of his team, if not even less, and takes every opportunity he can to call out his players as a complete and utter shower. Whether he truly believes this privately is another matter altogether, but this is where Chelsea are right now. They desperately need a result this evening to steady the rocking ship, and keep their title challenge on track.
Stoke, meanwhile, were all over the shop at the turn of the year. Between a 5-1 thumping at Newcastle on Boxing Day and a 1-0 loss at Sunderland at the end of January, the Potters lost six from eight, only winning once, and that against second-tier Leicester City to boot. But Mark Hughes's side are beginning to click. A win against Manchester United turned the tide, the start of a sequence which has seen them lose only once, narrowly at title favourites Manchester City. They're currently three wins on the bounce, a stunning 4-1 victory at Aston Villa the peak of this particular run. Having given Chelsea a run for their money in the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge, losing narrowly 1-0, and beating them 3-2 at the Britannia back in early December, Stoke won't be coming into this match bereft of all hope. Chelsea are still strong favourites, but they'll need to showcase some proper title-winning credentials today. This has the potential to be a very interesting match. It's on!
Continue reading...
Manchester City v Southampton as it happened | Scott Murray
City benefitted from a dubious offside decision, but took advantage of their good fortune like potential champions should
2.41pm BST
And that's that! Pochettino takes to the turf to wag his finger at Chris Foy, and well he might, for Saints were right in this game until the terrible offside decision that proved pivotal. But City scored two more after, and were deserved winners in the end. They move second, favourites for the Premier League, a point behind leaders Liverpool with a game in hand. Saints meanwhile will look to their excellent first-half display, and hope that the stricken Jay Rodriguez isn't as injured as he looked. They won't be getting their hands on the Georgi Kinkladze Salver this year, though.
2.39pm BST
90 min +3: And now Lallana tips over Zabaleta, but the resulting free kick, down the right, is wasted by Nasri, who rakes it out of play to the left of goal.
2.38pm BST
90 min +2: City finally take the corner, and do nothing with it.
2.38pm BST
90 min +1: There will be three added minutes. City win a corner down the right during the first.
2.37pm BST
90 min: Toure is in the wars right now. He comes together with Schneiderlin, and is very much second best. He'll be OK, but needs a moment of solitude in the centre circle.
2.36pm BST
89 min: Toure is in the hottest of hot funks, Ward-Prowse having planted his studs on his leg. The referee isn't going to show a red card, however, which is very much the outcome Toure is desirous of. Hence the funk. This entry is all over the shop, isn't it.
2.34pm BST
88 min: City are pushing forward constantly, looking for a fifth goal that would be grossly unfair on Southampton. They're not doing it with too much vigour, mind you, perhaps aware that a 4-1 victory is more than good enough in pursuit of their fourth title.
2.32pm BST
85 min: Kolarov whips a ball to the far post from the left. Navas pulls it back for Toure on the right-hand edge of the D. Toure sidefoots strongly towards the bottom left. It's going in, but the erratic Gazzaniga fingertips magnificently onto the left-hand post.
2.31pm BST
84 min: Nasri nearly finds Negredo with a low curler from the left, but Fonte slides in to poke out for a corner. Wanyama eyebrows the set piece away from danger.
2.29pm BST
82 min: Saints are all over the show now, a sorry state of affairs given their excellent first-half performance. Jovetic, down the inside left, rolls a pass through the centre to release Negredo. The striker batters a low shot straight at Gazzaniga, who saves well on the edge of his area.
2.28pm BST
So simple, and lovely to watch. Kompany slides a long roller down the right to let Navas scamper away. A first-time low ball into the centre isn't cut out by the hapless Gazzaniga, and Jovetic has an empty net to sidefoot into. City are going second, and ratcheting up their goal difference while they're at it!
2.26pm BST
80 min: Wanyama comes on for Cork. And did I mention that Gallagher had replaced Davis? We're all up to speed now, either way.
2.25pm BST
78 min: Toure, in one of the least surprising developments of the day, is booked for an egregious dive as he enters the Saints area down the left, attempting to buy something cheap off the nearby Lovren. He should be thoroughly ashamed with some of his antics today. Moments earlier, the best player on the field, and perhaps in the division, David Silva, makes way for Jovetic.
2.23pm BST
77 min: Lambert races after a long ball down the same right-hand channel, but can't quite reach it. If he had done - and he was wading through treacle over the last few strides of the chase - there were options in the middle.
2.22pm BST
75 min: Lallana springs Lambert clear into the City box with a clever reverse pass. Lambert is faced with a tight angle, down the right channel, and lashes a low shot across Hart and inches wide of the left-hand post. A decent chance, if not exactly a gimme. Saints needed that, if they were to retain hopes of an unlikely (and yet not totally undeserved) draw.
2.20pm BST
71 min: Silva, down the right, sends a diagonal ball upfield towards Negredo, the striker breaking clear down the left channel and making good for the area. He cuts to the left, allowing Fonte to come over and rather brilliantly dispossess him. "Has Jose Mourinho sent in his thoughts yet?" wonders Jason Murgatroyd re the City second. "He seems to have an opinion on everything else." Give him time, give him time.
2.15pm BST
69 min: Javi Garcia is booked for a fairly snide rake down the back of Lallana's leg. He seems personally affronted at the award of the yellow card, which shows admirable chutzpah if nothing else.
2.14pm BST
68 min: Silva dances down the right and slips the ball inside to Navas, who hits a first-time shot towards the bottom right. Gazzaniga gets down well to knee the ball away. A very decent save by a keeper who's had an otherwise shaky afternoon.
2.13pm BST
67 min: Wonderful work by Shaw down the left to escape from a three-man City committee. The ball's slipped down the wing for Lallana, who nutmegs Javi Garcia en route to winning a corner. Hart fists clear. Saints are enjoying most of the possession now, but they're not really bothering City at the business end of the field.
2.11pm BST
65 min: Dzeko is replaced by Negredo.
2.10pm BST
64 min: Lambert and Cork triangulate down the right, the former breaking into the box. He's got chance to shoot, but opts for a pullback instead. Too clever by half, though he wins a corner at least. He really should have tested Hart there. The first corner is cleared. The second is cleared by Toure. Saints will need to score soon if they're to jangle City's nerves, you would have thought.
2.08pm BST
61 min: A lull. "So two dodgy-sounding decisions and a nasty-looking injury to poor old Jay Rod have helped City on their way today but Saints will always have the last win at Maine Road to fall back on," writes Martin Hall. "That was a good day out, despite the soaking I received in the Gene Kelly Stand and the unwelcoming committee waiting for us outside the ground. Still, I quite like City on the whole and tipped them for the title at the start of the season so I'm prepared to let this one go."
2.06pm BST
58 min: This is all City now. Dzeko tears past Chambers down the left and batters a shot straight at Gazzaniga from a tight angle. The keeper parries. Dzeko balloons a second effort across the face of goal and out. What a waste. That second goal, and its consequences, have proved a real shame in terms of the spectacle, because this was an intriguing match, and it's over now. Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal fans may have trenchant opinions on it, too.
2.04pm BST
57 min: Silva is a stunning player. He slides a ball down the right channel to set Navas free in the area. Navas pulls a low ball back for Kolarov, bombing in from the left. The shot, from the edge of the box, is deflected over for a futile corner.
2.01pm BST
54 min: Saints look a little disjointed since the restart. Lambert attempts to slide a pass down the right channel for Lallana, but nothing's quite sticking for them at the minute. Toure goes on a wander down the left, then goes over easily in the box, Fonte brushing him from behind, but the ref's not falling for it.
1.58pm BST
52 min: Silva chases after the ball down the right. Shaw handles, but the City scamp makes off for the box anyway, and nearly breaks clear after a mazy run. When he scuttles down a cul-de-sac, the referee brings the play back for a rugby-style advantage. Nothing comes of the free kick.
1.56pm BST
49 min: On the touchline, Mauricio Pochettino is deep in discussion with the fourth official, throwing his arms around in a highly animated fashion. He's clearly not happy with that second goal. He'll be scarcely calmed down by the antics of Demichelis, who cynically blocks off Ward-Prowse under a high ball in the City area.
1.53pm BST
47 min: A fairly subdued start to the second half is enlivened by another comic cut from Gazzaniga, who dilly-dallies over a simple clearance, allowing Silva to close him down. That a panicked hack into the stand down the right ends up looking like a minor success speaks volumes of this incident. City make nothing of a throw deep into Saints territory.
1.51pm BST
And we're off again! City get the ball rolling, having made a change: Fernandinho off, Javi Garcia on.
1.50pm BST
So, on reflection, Saints have every right to let a few blasts of steam parp from the old lugs. That second goal really shouldn't have stood, though there are no excuses for letting in another deep into injury time. It looks to have put this game well beyond them. The latest on poor Jay Rodriguez, meanwhile, is that he hasn't been rushed off to hospital, and he's still in the Saints dressing room. Which may be a good sign. Here's hoping, anyway.
1.40pm BST
Actually, that second City goal ... Toure's slider down the channel was diverted by Dzeko en route, so it looks like Silva was indeed found in a fairly clear offside position, Shaw having long pushed up. Eeh, who'd be a referee or linesperson, eh? Not me, sir! Not me, ma'am!
1.36pm BST
Saints will feel slightly aggrieved at that. For 44 minutes, they were the better side. And then: Blam! Blam! Hats off to City, for this is what potential champions do. Saints will question the penalty decision and the offside on the second goal, mind, though the margins were so slight they're hardly the most disgraceful decisions you'll ever see.
1.35pm BST
Four minutes of injury time, due to the Rodriguez injury. And in the final one, a killer blow: Silva plays a delicious reverse ball down the left to release Kolarov, who whips a high ball into the centre. Gazzaniga flies off his line to punch clear, and misses, allowing Dzeko to deflect the ball into an empty net! What a turnaround this is!
1.32pm BST
From nothing, a brilliant goal! Toure slides a ball down the inside-left channel to release Silva into the area. He takes a touch and slides it into the centre, where Nasri is clear and able to sidefoot confidently under the desperate Gazzaniga and into the net. Shades of offside against Silva, but it was really, really close, with Shaw perhaps playing him on. Benefit of doubt to the attackers, and all that.
1.30pm BST
44 min: Schneiderlin looks to lift the ball over Fernandinho's head, with a view to making off after it, down the left wing. The City man sticks his arms out to make a fine save, and is booked to the surprise of absolutely nobody, least of all the player himself, who has the good grace to look sheepish as he takes his punishment.
1.29pm BST
42 min: Chambers romps with purpose down the right, and wins a corner off Nasri. The set piece is whipped straight through the six-yard box, where Toure takes a clean-air swipe. Schneiderlin doesn't have enough time to react, a couple of yards out, but what a half-chance! Saints recycle the ball from the left wing, nearly setting Lallana free in the centre with a sliderule pass down the channel, but City hack out for another Saints corner. Nothing comes of that, but the away side are in control right now.
1.25pm BST
39 min: A fair bit of tension inside this stadium now. Saints, the first ten minutes apart, have been nothing short of excellent. They really have been magnificent this season. Lallana and Davis combine down the right, the latter scooping a ball along the channel to release the former into the area. Lallana, one on one with Hart, was only just offside. City hearts were in mouths there.
1.23pm BST
Rickie Lambert, the Matt Le Tissier de nos jours, never misses. And he doesn't miss, battering the ball into the inside of the right-hand side netting. Hart went the right way, but still had no chance. This game really is on! And Southampton deserve nothing less.
1.21pm BST
36 min: Penalty to Saints! Cork diddles down the left channel and drops a shoulder past Zabaleta, who sticks a leg out. There's contact this time, and the referee points at the spot!
1.21pm BST
35 min: A free kick to City, to the right of the Saints box. It was won by an outrageous dive by Toure, flopping to the ground over Lovren's static boot. Come on, man. The free kick is whipped to the far post, where justice is done: Dzeko meets the ball with his head, six yards out, and batters it with extreme prejudice goalwards. It's as powerful a header as you'll ever see - but it skims the bar and flies over! What a miss!
1.19pm BST
33 min: There's not a whole load going on at the moment, the mood slightly dampened after the break for Rodriguez's injury. City are beginning to impose themselves again, but it's all shots from the edge of the area, Silva and Nasri chancing their arms but getting nowhere.
1.17pm BST
31 min: Penalty shouts at both ends, and both of them are rubbish. Lallana trips over his own feet while trying to bust City open by chasing after his own backflick, then up the other end Nasri batters the ball straight into Lovren's trouser arrangement, before adding insult to injury by brazenly claiming for a spot kick. Nope!
1.16pm BST
30 min: It's very quiet at the City of Manchester Stadium. "A lot of empty seats today," notes Paul Jaines. "Seems it doesn't take long for fans to become blithely accustomed to challenging for the title." An expensive business, watching Premier League football, of course, and times are tough.
1.13pm BST
28 min: Ward-Prowse comes on for his fallen colleague, and immediately wins a free kick in a dangerous position down the left channel with a determined run. This could be interesting ... but it isn't. Saints load the box, but Lambert attempts to whip the ball straight into the bottom left, and Hart waves it past the post in the insouciant style.
1.12pm BST
26 min: Rodriguez is carted off on a stretcher, his legs bound together, to warm applause from every spectator in the ground. That could be the end of a young player's World Cup dream. Hopefully, somehow, that's not the case, and it looks worse than it actually is. God speed, Jay Rodriguez.
1.10pm BST
23 min: Ah hell, this doesn't look good for Jay Rodriguez. He goes up to control a high ball down the right wing, sticking his right leg out and then landing on it very awkwardly. His leg bends outwards, and the poor lad's holding his knee with both hands as he lands. The players instantly know that's the end of his contribution today, and the stretcher comes on. That could be a serious knee injury, if the way Rodriguez shakes his head is anything to go by.
1.08pm BST
22 min: City can hardly get the ball! They've put next to nothing together since Nasri's shot.
1.07pm BST
21 min: Shaw and Chambers are magnificent. They're causing all sorts of bother down either wing, their powerful and well-timed runs usually ending in crosses which the home side aren't totally comfortable in dealing with.
1.05pm BST
19 min: Chambers strides down the right and plants a cross onto Lallana's head. The midfielder, rushing into the area, meets the ball ten yards out, level with the right-hand post, but can't guide his header on goal, the ball floating high and wide left. But Saints are in the ascendency right now, and the home crowd are feeling strangely anxious, despite the scoreline. Title challenges for you, huh?
1.03pm BST
18 min: City don't look particularly sure of themselves. Shaw is in acres down the left, not for the first time today, but sees his low cross blocked by Kompany. Then Rodriguez tries to turn briskly, to the left of the City D, but can't get a snapshot away.
1.02pm BST
17 min: City finally come back at Saints, winning a free kick down the left, ten yards from the byline. Silva curls one into the Saints box, Zabaleta meeting it with his head, but banging the ball miles high and wide.
1.01pm BST
15 min: Lambert scoops a delightful ball down the inside-right channel for Lallana, who is clear in the area down the channel, but can't control the dropping ball, which bounces out of play. There was an equaliser on a plate there. Lallana holds his noggin in his palms, and well he might. On the balance of play, Saints should probably be level now! It's been an interesting start, that's for sure.
12.59pm BST
14 min: Another Saints corner, this time down the right, Demichelis making sure Davis doesn't get the better of him down that wing. Rodriguez meets the set piece with his head, eight yards out, but can't connect with any force and it slides off his eyebrows and away from danger. City's support has gone fairly quiet, in the knowledge that their team has inexplicably taken the collective foot off the gas after that superlative start.
12.58pm BST
12 min: From that second corner, Fonte clanks into Lambert in the area, the two team-mates cancelling each other out, a good chance sailing away towards the left wing. Shaw tries to get things going again with another phase, but his cross is aimless. But Saints are right back in this game now.
12.57pm BST
11 min: Rodriguez looks lively. He romps down the inside-left channel before sliding the ball out wide to Shaw, whose low ball into the box needs clanking out of play by Demichelis. The resulting corner causes a bit of bedlam in the box, Kompany forced to head out for another on the right-hand side.
12.55pm BST
9 min: As good a cross as you'll see all season from Rodriguez down the right, Saints finally showing something upfield. And they should probably be level, but Lambert, six yards out, mistimes his run and can't connect, the ball sailing over his head and out of play on the right. City were split apart there. Hope for the visitors, who have been holding on somewhat.
12.54pm BST
8 min: Dzeko is nearly sent clear on goal by a sliderule Fernandinho pass down the inside left. Fonte slides in to cut it out. Dzeko would have still been clear on goal, mind, as Fonte's clearance clanked off the unwitting Davis and back towards the Saints area, but the striker was too busy theatrically throwing his hands into the air in cod anguish, and can't respond to the stroke of luck. What buffoonery. Saints survive again, but they're rocking.
12.52pm BST
7 min: They're showing many a replay of this penalty decision. There was next to no contact, Dzeko flopping to the floor over Fonte's leg. But the defender was asking for trouble, and you can't blame the striker in looking for that. It's the way of a big, bad world.
12.51pm BST
5 min: These are nervous times for Saints. Gazzaniga takes far too long to put his foot through a clearance, and decides to chip the ball out of play down the City right instead. From the throw, Zabaleta reaches the byline and pulls the ball back to the penalty spot, where Nasri whips a first-time shot inches wide right of the goal. Gazzaniga was rooted to the spot there. This game could already be over.
12.49pm BST
As cool as you like, the ball is rolled into the bottom right by the side of Toure's foot. What a start for championship-chasing City!
12.48pm BST
3 min: ... City win a penalty! Chambers is caught upfield, allowing Dzeko to bomb into the box down the left. He twists past Fonte on the outside. Fonte hangs out a leg behind him, and Dzeko doesn't need asking twice to go over, despite minimal contact.
12.47pm BST
2 min: Lallana goes on a wander down the right, and is soon joined on the sortie by Chambers, the right-back showing early doors that Saints aren't just here to make up the numbers. However, it's not a very clever plan. Because City break upfield, and ...
12.46pm BST
And after a lusty rendition of Blue Moon, we're off! Saints get the ball rolling, and lose it soon enough.
12.42pm BST
The teams are out! City are in their famous powder blue ...
12.06pm BST
Manchester City name Aleksandar Kolarov instead of Gael Clichy: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Kolarov, Toure, Fernandinho, Jesus Navas, Silva, Nasri, Dzeko.
Subs: Richards, Lescott, Milner, Negredo, Javi Garcia, Pantilimon, Jovetic.
Southampton replace James Ward-Prowse with Morgan Schneiderlin, while Paulo Gazzaniga deputises for the injured Artur Boruc: Gazzaniga, Chambers, Lovren, Fonte, Shaw, Schneiderlin, Cork, Lallana, Steven Davis, Rodriguez, Lambert.
Subs: Wanyama, Ward-Prowse, Do Prado, Hooiveld, Gallagher, Cropper, Clyne.
12.04pm BST
Of course, if anyone bothered to think about things, the annual winner of this fixture would be awarded 12-month ownership of The Georgi Kinkladze Salver. For this is the signature moment of the City-Saints showdown ...
11.45am BST
Manchester City have won all but one of their league fixtures at home this season, averaging 2.79 points per game at the Etihad. Southampton beware: Manuel Pellegrini's side aren't the most generous of hosts.
Furthermore, with City fuelled by title fever, and Southampton snugly ensconced in the upper reaches of the mid-table, there should only be one result here. And yet Saints have good reason to think they might get a little something from their visit to the City of Manchester Stadium this lunchtime.
Continue reading...April 4, 2014
The Joy of Six: missed putts | Scott Murray
Given that the sole object of golf is to guide the dappled round thing into the little hole, it's almost absurd that nearly all of the game's most storied shots have nothing to do with that process whatsoever. It's all Ben Hogan's 1-iron at Merion this, Sandy Lyle's bunker shot at Augusta that, Gene Sarazen making himself heard around the world the other. Many memorable putts have been made, that said. Very many. But arguably the most memorable putts of all are the ones that weren't.
Continue reading...Football transfer rumours: Chelsea to ditch Torres and plan summer spree?
Chelsea are thinking about buying a whole new team, because it's a tactic that has served Tottenham Hotspur so well this season. They want to purchase Diego Costa, Mario Mandzukic, Luke Shaw, Barry Taylor, Radamel Falcao, Neville Hope, Adam Lallana, Edinson Cavani, Dennis Patterson, Bomber, Moxey and Oz.
Continue reading...April 2, 2014
Football transfer rumours: Real Madrid to make off with Luis Suárez?
You'll have noticed yesterday how April Fools' Day has been completely ruined by modern up-to-the-minute communication tools such as Twitter, Facebook and people's mouths, all of which facilitate the instant dissemination of information, rendering those cleverly spun confections about spaghetti trees, islands named after typefaces, and Bayern Munich being heads and shoulders above everyone else in Europe totally redundant pretty much from the moment the nonsense is unveiled. With the public's appetite for "Made-Up Stuff That Looks Like It Might Be True But On Closer Inspection Obviously Isn't" clearly diminished, today's papers have responded to demand by not bothering to think up any good football rumours.
Tottenham Hotspur, who you could be forgiven for thinking were 50% of the way through a systematic process of completely closing down as a going concern, if Sunday's half-arsed display at Anfield was anything to go by, aren't giving up association football after all, it seems. They're going to sell Younès Kaboul to Arsenal, and Hugo Lloris to Paris Saint-Germain or Atlético Madrid. Yes, that does rather make it sound like they're going through a systematic process of completely closing down as a going concern, but they'll be keeping hold of Erik Lamela, who definitely won't be quitting the club at the end of the season, and that suggests some sort of plan for the future.
March 29, 2014
Manchester United v Aston Villa as it happened
2.39pm GMT
And that's that! United take the three points, though they stay in seventh. Villa scuttle off, remaining in 12th for now. David Moyes walks off in the jaunty manner, stopping just before he disappears into the tunnel to applaud the Stetford End. Penny for the thoughts of the folk who chartered that plane for 100,000 of them?
2.36pm GMT
90 min +3: Lowton, who I may have forgotten to tell you came on for Albrighton, is booked for a late lunge on Janujaz.
2.36pm GMT
90 min +2: So that's two 4-1 defeats in a row for Villa, though this is a slightly misleading scoreline. United deserve to win on balance, but then if Benteke had remembered to pack his shooting boots, we could be looking at something very different. That's football for you.
2.35pm GMT
There will be three added minutes - and look what's happened in the first! Januzaj prods the ball past a despairing Delph down the left wing, and romps into space. He takes a touch and whips a mid-height ball towards the far post, where Hernandez sticks his boot up to guide home with force!
2.32pm GMT
90 min: Clark attempts to rake one home from the best part of 30 yards, but no no no.
2.32pm GMT
88 min: Clark is rightly booked for a late trip on Fellaini, who should be commended for his hilariously brazen cheek in springing up to complain to the referee in the most animated terms, as though common-or-garden clumsy challenges are simply beyond the pale in his book.
2.30pm GMT
85 min: Tonev has been lively since coming on. He cuts in from the left and looks to curl one into the top right from the edge of the area. He really isn't far away at all. "Last week, Simon McMahon's daughter's birthday, this week, Millings," notes Matt Dony. "It's all getting a bit CBeebies recently. Should we give them the bumps? Should we be making Mike the Knight themed cards?" I don't know what that is, but if you fancy making something with glitter and glue, feel free to send it in. I'll dig out the music from Vision On.
2.26pm GMT
83 min: United are more than happy to let the clock run down, something they're doing very professionally at the moment. A Villa goal in the next couple of minutes would give them pause, but the visitors aren't threatening right now. "Maybe the Glaziers can take a loan out against the club, the usual £1000 at 50,000% interest, and hire another plane for Tuesday," suggests the tinder-dry David Flynn. Very droll, but for God's sake be careful, don't be giving those clowns any ideas.
2.24pm GMT
80 min: Villa are imposing themselves on this match again, but United seem happy enough to sit back and let them enjoy possession in midfield, while shutting up shop nearer their own area. "Apotropaic (69 mins)?" splutters Simon McMahon. "I must admit I found myself a bit discombobulated when I read that. It would appear that Christopher Barnes is something of a bloviator."
2.22pm GMT
77 min: Benteke completes a hat-trick of misses, although this one was the hardest of all. Westwood, out on the left by the halfway line, rakes a spectacular diagonal ball into the area, where Benteke has run clear of the snoozing Buttner. Any connection sliding in and he's guiding that home from six yards, but his extended leg doesn't meet the dropping ball and the chance is gone. Strange as it may seem with United winning 3-1, had Benteke been on his game, Villa could be winning this match.
2.19pm GMT
76 min: Tonev wins a corner down the left. Vidic batters the set piece out for a corner on the other side. Vidic clears that one, too. They're going to miss him, aren't they?
2.19pm GMT
75 min: Rooney, with Bayern Munich surely in mind, is replaced by Hernandez.
2.18pm GMT
74 min: This is pretty much all United at the moment, with the home side attacking regularly, and with purpose, down both flanks. Clark makes a couple of last-ditch clearing headers. Tonev looks to release some pressure with a romp upfield, but balloons a long-distance effort miles over the bar.
2.15pm GMT
71 min: Agbonlahor is replaced by Tonev. Play restarts, and the game is nearly over, Rooney dancing in from the left after gloriously bringing down a long hoof with one featherlight touch, and shooting hard and low from 12 yards. But his shot is blocked, and Villa still retain a little hope.
2.12pm GMT
69 min: An instant impact by Januzaj, who sashays past four half-arsed challenges down the left, glides inside, and attempts a low curler towards the bottom right. It's a highly decent effort, but one gathered with ease by Guzan. "Should United win, that banner could prove one of the most expensive apotropaic devices in history," opines Christopher Barnes. "Can the fans afford another one on Tuesday?"
2.11pm GMT
68 min: Kagawa is replaced by Januzaj. Meanwhile Mac Millings, 67, has thought of a way to improve on the half-baked pun in the caption at the top of this report: "Replace Agbonlahor with Rehhagel, Johnston and two pictures of Phil, and you've Planes, Waynes and Otto Mo Neals. You're welcome." Let's laugh along politely, folks, it is his birthday after all.
2.10pm GMT
66 min: Villa are enjoying the lion's share of possession. Weimann rips down the right and fires a low ball towards the near post. Benteke takes a touch and looks to round Vidic, who falls and takes the striker with him. Benteke claims a penalty - and you've certainly seen them given for that - but Villa don't even get the corner. Benteke was the only Villa player to seriously claim for that, which was strange.
2.06pm GMT
63 min: Bertrand is booked for replicating Buttner's earlier coming together with Albrighton, using Young as his personal prop in this performance.
2.06pm GMT
61 min: Fellaini plants an elbow across the bridge of Vlaar's nose. This wasn't as malicious as that nonsense with Manchester City's Pablo Zabaleta on Tuesday night, but it was clumsy and worthy of a yellow. He really has to tidy himself up when making these aerial challenges.
2.04pm GMT
59 min: Old Trafford responds to that goal in a high-volume fashion. Villa aren't of a mind to give this up yet, though. A sortie down the right comes to nothing, then Benteke battles for a long ball down the inside left, only to bundle out for a goal kick. This match would get interesting if Villa snatch a goal back.
2.01pm GMT
Mata, down the inside-right channel, strokes a diagonal ball towards the other flank, where Fellaini is breaking into the box. Vlaar is forced to hook out on the left. From the throw, Buttner heads down the inside-left channel towards Fellaini, again in the area. There's a mild kerfuffle, and then the ball breaks to Mata, who sweeps a low shot into the bottom left past the flat-footed Guzan. Villa should be level, and suddenly United have a two-goal cushion.
1.59pm GMT
55 min: Weimann shaped to shoot, bombing down the inside right, only to connect face with turf instead of boot to ball. Fellaini was hovering behind him in a very suspicious fashion, but Villa don't get their free kick.
1.58pm GMT
53 min: Villa are pressing United back, though. Paul Lambert will have pointed out to his team that they were certainly not second best in the first half, even if the scoreline suggested otherwise, and they've responded with confidence. Albrighton wins a little space down the right and whips a stunning cross onto the head of Benteke, six yards out. And the striker misses another golden chance! He slaps his header over the bar from close range. On the touchline, Lambert is down on his haunches, staring at the ground, thoughts flying through his head that would be best described as Glaswegian.
1.55pm GMT
50 min: WHAT A MISS! Westwood, on the left-hand edge of the United box, chips a fantastic ball into the centre, splitting the home defence into a million pieces. Benteke, chesting down, is free, six yards from goal with only de Gea to beat. He swings his left peg at the ball - and takes a wild fresh-air swipe. Oh dear. He attempts to blast a second attempt goalwards, but Carrick is now in the environs, and hoicks out for a corner. From which nothing occurs. Villa should be level. That's an appalling miss from a highly talented player. They're always the worst, aren't they?
1.52pm GMT
49 min: A lull already! Dear me. At least it gives us the chance to plug our gallery of pretty pictures from this here match.
1.50pm GMT
47 min: United on the front foot in the early exchanges, though not to any great effect, Young and Kagawa's move down the right petering out quietly enough. "It's my birthday, but I won't reveal how old I am," chirps Mac Millings, 67. "And what better way to ring in another year spent among this embarrassment we call Humanity than by following the MBM while not watching the Big Match? Always the multitasker, I'm also taking care of my 2 year old, who spent the night puking on me and her mother. As if Mrs. Millings's indignity at sharing a bed with me wasn't enough. Moyes in, by the way - my opinion is as invalid as anyone else's."
1.48pm GMT
And we're off again! Villa will wonder how they lost that half of football, having looked lively in attack down both flanks. The final ball was perhaps lacking: David de Gea didn't have a lot to do, other than pick the ball from his net after Westwood's free kick. It shouldn't take too much of a twist of the proverbial spanner to get things working for them, as Westwood, Albrighton, Agbonlahor and Benteke have all looked in the mood. United have made a change, though: Carrick has come on for Rafael, which should see Carrick taking Jones's position, and the centre back moving to right back.
1.34pm GMT
Half-time advertisement:
1.33pm GMT
Mata was in the process of
taking a fresh-air swipe
at the ball
failing to execute a dragback when he was cleaned out by Bacuna, so he'll be quite happy with the way that panned out. And that's pretty much that for the opening 45. Fairly eventful, no? And that was just the action on the ground.
1.32pm GMT
Rooney nearly takes the net off the frame of the goal, his spot kick belted home at a fierce velocity, very much troubling the side netting on the right. Guzan went the right way, but had no chance: a better penalty you'll wait a while to see.
1.30pm GMT
44 min: PENALTY TO UNITED! Kagawa plays a diagonal ball into the area from the right. Mata, coming in from the other wing, is about to latch onto the ball and shoot from ten yards when Bacuna slides in from the right and upends him! It's as clear a penalty kick as you'll see, and probably should be a sending off as well. But it's only a yellow.
1.29pm GMT
43 min: Westwood wins the ball in the centre circle with a crunching tackle on Kagawa. He sprays a long ball down the left channel for Benteke, who brushes Vidic out of the way but can't get a shot off.
1.27pm GMT
41 min: Kagawa and Mata continue to combine well. They triangulate down the left, Kagawa eventually making it into the area. He's about to shoot when the impressive Clark, anticipating brilliantly, steps in to blooter clear. "When that plane flew past, did BT Sport show 23 pointless slow-motion replays of it in close up, as if to make a non-event seem dramatic?" wonders Stuart Goodacre. "They do for everything that happens on the pitch."
1.25pm GMT
38 min: Villa ping the ball around awhile, and eventually Albrighton wins a corner off Vidic down the right. United don't deal with the set piece particularly well, the ball floating through the six-yard box near to Benteke's eyebrows and away to the left wing, where Fellaini allows Vlaar (!) to turn him this way and that. The resulting cross is half-cleared, allowing Delph the time to lift another ball into the box from the right. But this one's overcooked, and the danger is gone. United are impressive up front, but very uncertain at the back.
1.22pm GMT
35 min: A lull. Which allows us to furnish you with a bit of extra information regarding Old Trafford's response to this bloody plane (pictured below, looking much as expected) here.
1.19pm GMT
33 min: Mata floats a delightful looping pass down the inside-right channel. He's this close to finding Kagawa, rushing into the area. But Guzan reads the danger well, and is off his line in the sprightly fashion to claim the ball. Great play all round. Mata has been pretty stodgy since his arrival from Chelsea, but he's looking on his game today. As is Kagawa. United's forward play has been pretty impressive so far.
1.16pm GMT
30 min: Albrighton, bombing down the inside right, is allowed to make his way across the face of the United box, then down the inside left to the byline, before chipping to the far post where Weimann can't retain possession. That was a magnificent dribble, though it should also be noted that the red carpet was rolled out: Fellaini's attempt to dispossess him was limp as you like.
1.13pm GMT
27 min: Kagawa is flipped into the air down the left. Free kick, ten yards from the byline. Rooney whips it into the Villa six-yard box, and Vidic is ready to slam a header home when Clark gets involved and guides it over the bar instead. Infuriatingly for United, they don't even get the corner, the referee deciding incorrectly that Vidic had got the last touch.
1.11pm GMT
25 min: A really open feel to this game. Villa don't appear to have lost the faith after being pegged back, with Benteke, Agbonlahor and Westwood making nuisances of themselves up front, and Rooney, Kagawa and Mata seeing plenty of the ball down the other end. "A low for football?" begins Matt Dony in response to the entry on 2 mins. "Yes, certainly. A low for MBM entries, though? I'm not so sure. It's up against some strong competition."
1.09pm GMT
22 min: Rooney looks to take a snapshot from the edge of the Villa box, but Clark gets in the way. Meanwhile, by all accounts, the much-rumoured second plane turned out to be trailing an advert for a certain bookmaking firm whose adverts over the past couple of years have ranged from the astonishingly unfunny to the tediously offensive. They're after some free publicity for their 6-1 offer on Alex Ferguson coming back. Suffice to say, if you want to place that bet, do it with Ladbrokes, Coral, Betfair, Bet365, SkyBet, Stan James, Betfred or Bwin.
1.07pm GMT
What a response from United, who have flooded forward down both wings since going behind. Kagawa sashays in from the left, and on the left-hand corner of the area, floats a delightful cross onto the head of Rooney, in the middle, ten yards out. Rooney guides a deft header into the bottom right, and United are level! A previously very quiet and pensive Old Trafford explodes into life. The noise is such that you couldn't hear a jet engine.
1.04pm GMT
18 min: And here's some real hurt on Villa, Rooney's knee banging into Guzan's noggin as the two contest a low cross from the right from Young. That was a decent move by United, and a completely accidental collision. Guzan looks like he'll be fine, and Rooney is sportingly apologetic.
1.03pm GMT
16 min: Buttner is booked for a late lunge across Albrighton, who did well to avoid injury by hurdling over the clumsy challenge. Albrighton gets up and whips a free kick into the area, where Clark clanks a header over the bar from eight yards. A real chance to put some real hurt on United.
1.01pm GMT
15 min: I'm probably being a wee bit unfair on both Westwood and De Gea, having seen that again. The keeper perhaps started out a step too far to his left, making it hard to get across, but the free kick was close enough to the left-hand post to be hellishly difficult to deal with.
12.59pm GMT
Westwood takes a couple of calm steps, and whips a wonderful free kick over the wall and into the top left! It's a fine strike, though De Gea got a hand to it, and is of sufficient quality that he might be annoyed not to have done better. That wasn't tight in the corner.
12.58pm GMT
12 min: Rafael is an increasingly clumsy liability. He clatters into the back of Agbonlahor, who is making good down the inside-left channel. That's a free kick, just to the left of the D, in a very dangerous position. And a booking for the full back, who will be treading on eggshells for the best part of 80 minutes. And in serious danger of a red card if his recent display against Liverpool is anything to go by, which it is.
12.56pm GMT
10 min: A free kick for United down the right. It's whipped into the area, where Rooney is lurking near the right-hand post, but the striker can't get anything on the ball. This is a bit of a non-event so far, both in the air and on the ground.
12.53pm GMT
8 min: Rafael clanks into Unidentified Villa Player down the left. Villa load the box and Westwood curls the free kick into the danger zone, but Vidic deals with easily enough.
12.51pm GMT
6 min: Still no shape to this game. "I peered out of my bathroom window and could see the plane over Old Trafford," reports Matthew Cobb. "But it's flying very high and the letters are very small. If you didn't know what it said, you wouldn't know. All seems a bit daft." Aye. You can at least hear the plane, though. As it hovers above the ground, there's a constant drone of waaaaaah-waaaaaah-waaaaaaah, which is appropriate enough.
12.49pm GMT
4 min: Not much happening on the pitch, mind you. Villa have started brightly enough, Benteke trying to get something going down the left with a fancy backheel, but none of his team-mates anticipates the flick. United can't keep hold of the ball at the moment.
12.48pm GMT
2 min: The plane is over Old Trafford, and is met by a wall of boos. A new low for the MBM, this entry. And indeed for modern football. The state of it.
12.46pm GMT
And we're off! Aston Villa set the ball rolling. They'll be kicking towards the Stretford End, in front of which they've won once in the last 31 years. Still, they'll be thinking if West Brom, Newcastle and Everton can cock a snook to the record books ...
12.45pm GMT
David Moyes takes the stage, and receives a very warm reception from the folk inside Old Trafford. It may well be that the majority of the United support, whatever they think about the state of the team at the moment, have decided that there are limits, and enough is, accordingly, enough.
12.38pm GMT
"I think these fans would have better spent their money by putting it into Darren Fletcher's charity," says David Moyes of the planned fly-by protest. He's more mildly amused than irritated, and is dealing with this whole business in a very dignified fashion. He's not the only one questioning how well these particular supporters have used their hard-earned cash. "I can't help but feel that for almost £1,000 the fans probably could have chipped in to get a considerably improved replacement for Fellaini," suggests Owen Parsons, cracking wise because someone had to. The teams will be out soon - kick off hasn't been delayed - and Manchester United will be wearing their famous red and white ...
12.19pm GMT
Relaxing pre-match spa treatment: Ladies and gentlemen, immerse yourselves in some calming jazz guitar, and let a few soothing vibraphone glissandos wash over you.
11.56am GMT
Manchester United welcome back Nemanja Vidic from suspension: De Gea, Da Silva, Jones, Vidic, Buttner, Fellaini, Fletcher, Kagawa, Mata, Young, Rooney.
Subs: Giggs, Hernandez, Carrick, Nani, Welbeck, Amos, Januzaj.
Aston Villa make two changes from the team that collapsed 4-1 at home to Stoke, with Ciaran Clark and Marc Albrighton replacing Nathan Baker and Karim El Ahmadi: Guzan, Bacuna, Vlaar, Clark, Bertrand, Albrighton, Westwood, Delph, Weimann, Benteke, Agbonlahor.
Subs: Bennett, Steer, Sylla, Tonev, Holt, Lowton, Robinson.
11.33am GMT
Much as it'd be lovely to avoid the subject altogether, we'll have to deal with it I suppose. A collection of Manchester United fans, suffering like no others have suffered before, having not seen their team lift major silverware for ten months, have decided to rent a plane, ordering it to fly over Old Trafford before kick off today, trailing a banner emblazoned with the slogan WRONG ONE: MOYES OUT. A second plane is rumoured to have been chartered for similar sloganeering purposes. Not sure what that one will be saying, but there's a fair chance it will read STOP BUGGERING AROUND IN THAT PLANE, COME HOME THIS INSTANT YOUNG MAN AND CLEAN YOUR ROOM, THEN STRAIGHT TO BED WITHOUT TEA, MUM. That it's come to this at a grand old club.
Arsenal v Manchester City as it happened
Arsenal were outplayed in the first half, but came back strong in the second to stay in the title race
7.23pm GMT
And that's that! A result that's more than fair, City the best team in the first half, Arsenal the bosses of the second. It's a scoreline that does City more favours than Arsenal, who remain five points off the lead. City stay in third, but it's still all in their hands. So Arsenal still haven't beaten any of the title contenders at the business end of this season - but they're still in the hunt for the big prize. What a run-in this promises to be. Over to Liverpool tomorrow.
7.21pm GMT
90 min +2: City have a rare romp upfield. Fernandinho has a hoick from nearly 30 yards. It's over the bar. Then Negredo battles with Mertesacker down the inside left, chasing a long ball, and nearly chips Szczesny from a tight angle! But it's out for a goal kick. This is the second of three added minutes, by the way.
7.20pm GMT
90 min +1: Corner to Arsenal down the right. Cazorla whips it in. Oxlade-Chamberlain can't quite get a shot away at the far post, and the ball clanks back into the arms of Hart after a quick game of pinball.
7.19pm GMT
90 min: Gibbs strides down the left at high pace, then loops a cross to the far post. If Oxlade-Chamberlain was eight feet tall, we'd have had a winner. Arsenal are much the stronger side here. They clearly don't fancy letting go of their title dreams.
7.18pm GMT
89 min: Javi Garcia is booked for hanging out a leg as Cazorla scoots past him, City having been shocked by Arsenal's tempo as they take a quick free kick out on the right. Cazorla takes the free kick himself, curling one towards the left-hand post. Hart punches upfield with purpose. Arsenal are finishing strongly.
7.16pm GMT
87 min: Milner floats an appalling free kick into the Arsenal area, a ball that begs for Szczesny to come and pluck it out of the sky. The keeper does not disappoint.
7.15pm GMT
86 min: Rosicky lays off uselessly in the centre circle, gifting possession to Silva. He races after the tittering City midfielder and hacks him down. He's not booked, which is ludicrous, really. This'll be a free kick to City, one that will allow them to load the box.
7.13pm GMT
85 min: Each team makes a change, City replacing Dzeko and sending on Negredo, Arsenal swapping Giroud for Sanogo.
7.13pm GMT
83 min: The inherent dangers of holding onto a Good Point nearly become apparent as Oxlade-Chamberlain threatens to burn past Milner down the right. Luckily for Milner, the Ox takes the touch of a randy bull, and hammers the ball so far ahead of him that he can't keep it in play. But there was an opportunity there to deliver something dangerous into the centre.
7.11pm GMT
82 min: City sitting back a little now, allowing Arsenal a lot of ball in the middle of the field. Are they happy to hold onto what they've got? Positively Moyesian in approach.
7.09pm GMT
80 min: Nasri, to comic whistling, boos and jeers, is replaced by Javi Garcia.
7.08pm GMT
79 min: A throw of the dice by Wenger, who removes Podolski and fills the vacant space with Oxlade-Chamberlain.
7.07pm GMT
78 min: Giroud chests a long ball down for Rosicky, who returns it immediately. Giroud takes a little touch past Demichelis, diddling the defender marvellously, but then drags a weak shot wide right of the target from 20 yards. A dismal end to a lovely showcase of skill. "The 38th minute's Ian Copestake is right," confirms Mac Millings. "It IS my birthday today. And I think I'm 42, although 67 feels closer to the truth. Did the Emirates crowd do anything on the 67th minute to mark my big day? I believe the plan was not to acknowledge my existence at all. Seems about right."
7.05pm GMT
75 min: It's not clear how City haven't gone ahead here. The ball's worked into the Arsenal area from the right, whereupon the players stand around like PlayStation figures do when both users have dropped their controllers, or are too blitzed on pot to do anything constructive. Eventually, in a strange slo-mo sequence, Toure tries to hammer home from an angle on the left, but Szczesny smothers. From the resulting corner on the left, Toure slaps a header wide at the far post.
7.01pm GMT
72 min: Free kick for Arsenal down the right, just inside the City area. Cazorla curls it into the area, where Giroud rises above everyone else, only to head weakly wide left. He puts his head in his hands, which given the sheer scope and ambition of his quiff, is a lot of head for those hands to get round.
7.00pm GMT
71 min: A corner for City down the right, which comes to nothing. Not sure why I mention it, really. One for the completists.
6.59pm GMT
70 min: Arteta faffs around in the middle of the park, and then loses the ball to Nasri. City are threatening to break upfield, five on two, so Arteta pulls his opponent back. The referee awards a free kick, but no booking, which was kind of strange.
6.57pm GMT
68 min: Nasri twists, turns, dances, jigs, performs the mashed potato, etc., down the left. He eventually tries to dink a cross into the centre for Dzeko, but slices the ball out of play. The former Arsenal midfielder was given an awful lot of time to fashion something then.
6.56pm GMT
67 min: Arsenal have had 55% of the possession since the restart, quite a turnaround from the chasing they were given in the first half.
6.55pm GMT
65 min: Milner comes on for Navas. His first touch is to escape clear down the inside-right channel, where he can't get a shot away but wins a corner. He was offside as he received Fernandinho's sliderule pass. Nothing comes of the resulting set piece, which for those of you who get fed up of manufactured controversy, is probably just as well.
6.53pm GMT
64 min: This is a brilliant game now. Arsenal go down the other end, Flamini bursting into the City area down the right and lashing goalwards from a tight angle. His rising effort clears the bar, though not by much. Good luck in guessing which way this is going to go.
6.53pm GMT
63 min: City, having rocked a little after that goal, are right back in this now. Fernandinho launches a rasping riser from 25 yards. It's going over, but Szczesny can't take the risk and tips over. The corner's cleared.
6.51pm GMT
62 min: Podolski and Navas come together down the City right. A free kick in a very dangerous position, level with the edge of the six-yard box out on the wing. Nasri loops it out to Silva, standing on the edge of the area to the left of the D. Silva creams a volley towards the top right, and it's whistling home, but it hits an Arsenal back and the home side clear.
6.49pm GMT
60 min: Podolski should have put Arsenal ahead. He's sprung clear into the area down the left, an Arteta flick falling to his feet after rebounding off Kompany's arse. But with only Hart to beat, he hits the ball straight at the keeper. A slightly tight angle, but not good enough. The resulting corner isn't much of a consolation, what with it being wasted.
6.48pm GMT
59 min: Arsenal are knocking it around with more confidence now. They're not quite stroking it around in the classical style - Mertesacker just ballooned upfield the sort of clearance that's not been seen round these parts since the George Graham era - but City aren't bossing possession as they were.
6.46pm GMT
56 min: A free kick for City down the right. It's in a dangerous position, but is totally wasted, Dzeko putting himself about in the area in a clumsy style. The pressure's off Arsenal, in more ways than one. They've looked a yard sharper since the restart, and are visibly buoyed by the equaliser. A proper atmosphere in the Emirates now all right!
6.44pm GMT
54 min: That's a lovely moment for Flamini, who was the unfortunate scorer of that last-minute own goal against Swansea during the week. And it's one that's rocked City back, for Sagna was in acres down the right there, and fired a low cross straight through the six-yard box! A single tap, and that would be a two-goal turnaround in a matter of minutes! But City escape. They need to clear their heads.
6.42pm GMT
Cazorla has a dig from distance. Hart hacks clear with his feet. The effort gives Arsenal a lift, and soon Podolski is whipping in a cross from the left. The ball should be cleared, but Flamini is left clear eight yards out, and he contorts his body to guide a waist-high shot into the right-hand side of the net! It's on again for Arsenal!
6.41pm GMT
52 min: Navas tears down the right, stealing past Gibbs on the outside, then firing a low ball into the centre. Szczesny goes low to smother, but only clanks the ball onto Dzeko's shins. The ball should ping into the net, but somehow spins wide right of the target. That should have been 0-2. Then, up the other end ...
6.39pm GMT
50 min: Cazorla and Flamini combine well in the middle to advance into City territory, the latter shuttling the ball wide left for Gibbs. But the full back trots into a dead end, and is forced to turn back. Arsenal come again, Rosicky taking a few steps towards the City area down the right, then slashing a fairly mundane effort wide right. City look super-solid at the back, Arsenal visibly wilting whenever they get near the opposition area.
6.37pm GMT
48 min: Not the greatest atmosphere at the Emirates, to be honest. A sense of resignation already. But Arsenal have started the half brightly, with Giroud threatening to break clear into the area down the right channel. Kompany holds strong, though, and eventually prises the ball away.
6.35pm GMT
47 min: Gibbs makes a nuisance of himself down the left and wins a corner. Cazorla whips a disappointing cross straight down a very happy Hart's throat.
6.34pm GMT
And we're off again! No changes made by either side. Yet Arsenal need to make changes. If only in their mental approach. City get the ball rolling. If they make it through this second half unscathed, they'll have taken a big step towards the title, you'd have thought.
6.20pm GMT
Half-time
advertisement
entertainment: In case you missed it during the week, here's Rob Smyth reliving the 1990 World Cup semi-final between England and West Germany, for no other reason than it was quite fun to do so.
6.19pm GMT
And that's that for the first half. City deservedly go in leading, though Arsenal have at least shown some fight. This could be an intriguing second half ... unless City score the first goal in it.
6.16pm GMT
45 min: Arteta writhes around on the floor after being kicked on the boot by Silva as he lumps a clearance upfield. Silva's booked for the late, and totally needless, challenge. "Re 5.50pm and the George Harrison reference, it was in 1963 that the Beatles released Not A Second Time, which would seem quite an apt sentiment for Monsieur Wenger after the reverse fixture this year," writes
Mark
Lewisohn
Charles Morgan. "The following track on the album was Money (Thats What I Want)." Lucky I wrote 1963 and not 1964, by the looks of it, because otherwise one of you would be flicking through the track listing of Beatles For Sale, and not getting much further than the second track.
6.14pm GMT
42 min: Rosicky is booked for leaving a boot in on Clichy as the two contest a ball down the Arsenal right. He can't really moan, although that was one that looked worse than it was, and while Demichelis tries to make something more of it, rushing over for a trenchant chat with Rosicky, leading with his titties in the do-ya-want-some style, Clichy doesn't press the issue and a yellow's deemed suitable punishment.
6.10pm GMT
38 min: Arsenal have got back into this game pretty well, so City decide to remind them who's the current boss of who. A period of sustained possession in the Arsenal half, with the ball pinged around in the progressive manner. No chances carved out, but the home support is getting tense and nervous again. Meanwhile, some clique-based admin from MBM regular Ian Copestake. "Amid all of this Premiership title race excitement one important factor seems to have been overlooked by everyone," he says. "Namely that it is Mac Millings' birthday today! He's only 42!" Only 42? We had him pegged down as a spry 67 in this afternoon's United-Villa report, when he was banging on about it to all who'd listen.
6.06pm GMT
35 min: Podolski romps into space down the left and whips a ball into the centre looking for the run of Giroud. But Demichelis - who has his critics, but has been fantastic so far this afternoon - slides in to guide the ball out of play on the left, with the French striker lurking behind him, hoping to sidefoot home. The corner comes to naught.
6.05pm GMT
33 min: Giroud looks to break into the Arsenal area down the left, but is upended legally by Kompany. The City defender goes in the book nevertheless, because earlier in the move he cynically bodychecked Arteta as the Arsenal midfielder attempted to round him and make off into space down the left. He can't complain about that one. Giroud has a moan, though, rolling around the floor, but he's got no cause to berate the ref.
6.01pm GMT
31 min: A pointless booking picked up by Toure, who grabs Rosicky by the shoulder as the Arsenal man was trotting through a light-blue thicket in the middle of the park. Not a whole lot of common sense on display there.
6.00pm GMT
30 min: Gibbs intercepts well as Silva is close to releasing Zabaleta into the area yet again down the right. But he gives the ball away almost immediately to Nasri, who looks to thread one into the bottom left from the edge of the box. Szczesny gathers without too much fuss.
5.58pm GMT
28 min: Fernandinho wins a corner for City, a low shot deflected out left. From the set piece, a little head tennis in the Arsenal area. Giroud breaks out to relieve pressure, and wins a free kick from Nasri, whose illegal charge is met with pantomime boos from the home support.
5.57pm GMT
26 min: Cazorla's seeing an awful lot of the ball in the middle of the City half, looking to dictate play, passing this way and that, jinking here and there. Problem is, he's not got too many options going forward. The latest, an attempted one-two with Giroud just in front of the D, doesn't come off. A decent response to going behind, though.
5.56pm GMT
25 min: Cazorla slaloms in from the left and very nearly releases Flamini, marauding down the righ channel, into the area with a clever through ball. But Demichelis is on his game right now, and steps in to block the pass. This is better from Arsenal.
5.55pm GMT
23 min: Giroud attempts to score from the halfway line. No Beckham/Alonso/Rooney he, the effort sails left of target and doesn't even reach the byline anyway, Hart gathering with ease. But perhaps Arsenal have decided that they may as well go down in flames rather than die wondering. Their attacking already seems sharper, their moves forward made with a little more purpose.
5.53pm GMT
22 min: Flamini puts the ball in the City net! But it won't count. Podolski curls one into the area from the left, and Flamini, on the stretch coming in from the right and level with the far post, batters the ball into the ground, sending it looping up diagonally over Hart and into the left-hand side of the net! But it won't count, as both Flamini and Giroud were miles offside, Demichelis having stepped up smartly.
5.51pm GMT
21 min: A cross from Navas from the right. Szczesny tips it away from danger, but in a very uncertain fashion. He dropped an easy gather from Nasri on the left just before the goal, too. He's not a confident keeper right now. "Nearly 20 minutes in and it's 1-0," notes Colt Kennedy. "See, Arsenal are improving!"
5.50pm GMT
This had been coming. Although not down the left flank. Silva trots down the inside-right channel, then slides it out left to Dzeko, who steps into the area and blooters a stunning shot onto the left-hand post, halfway up, Szczesny beaten all ends up. The ball pings to the right, where Silva, following up, can screw a sidefoot into the bottom right. On the touchline, Arsene Wenger shakes his barnet like George Harrison circa 1963, then runs his fingers through it in frustration.
5.47pm GMT
16 min: Giroud does wonderfully well to stick out a leg and trap a long pass down the left, but his good work is wasted as he lays off to Podolski, who slaps a cross straight into Kompany's mush.
5.46pm GMT
14 min: City up the other end again. They've certainly decided to concentrate on this right flank, and are flicking the ball around that area accordingly. Silva is seeing a lot of the ball down there, Navas and Zabaleta not shy to join in. Arsenal don't give up a chance this time, but they really do look nervous at the back. Still, they're not three goals down, and they've still got 11 men on the pitch, so this start qualifies as a roaring success in the context of recent big-club match-ups.
5.43pm GMT
11 min: A bit better from Arsenal, Flamini sliding the ball wide right for Rosicky, whose cross towards Giroud at the far post is a little too deep. But they're coming back at City with another phase. Rosicky picks up the ball down the inside-left channel, latching onto a lovely Cazorla sliderule pass, and enters the box. He brushes past Zabaleta and falls to the ground. The crowd think the ref has pointed to the spot, and cheer accordingly, but it's a goal kick. And a good decision, Rosicky rather going over his own feet, although if he'd hung one of them out he could have bought a cheeky one off the City full back, who was hanging a leg out.
5.40pm GMT
10 min: Navas has a dig from 25 yards out, down the inside-right channel. Nope! High as you like, but not even worth three rugby points, hoicked off to the right of the target too.
5.40pm GMT
9 min: Arsenal can't hold onto the ball at all. City are knocking it hither and yon, totally dominant in the midfield. They've enjoying 67% of the possession so far. "Wenger said this week he regrets not signing Yaya Toure in 2003, though the transfer apparently fell through due to the Ivorian's passport problems," says Philip Podolsky. "He could sure use him in this team, though had Yaya signed for Arsenal in 2003, he'd surely be off to Barcelona circa 2008. Bit ironic that, innit."
5.38pm GMT
8 min: More space and time gifted to City down their right flank! Where is Gibbs? What is Podolski up to? Navas sashays down the wing and pulls one back into the centre. Again, City don't capitalise, but they're running the show down this side of the pitch. The home fans have fallen quiet very quickly.
5.37pm GMT
7 min: Zabaleta is once again afforded the entire right flank to gambol around in. This isn't very promising for the home side. He fires another cross into the centre, which is dealt with easily enough by Vermaelen, but Arsenal can't keep on like this.
5.35pm GMT
5 min: A corner for Arsenal down the right, Arteta and Cazorla working well down that flank. But such is their level of confidence at the moment, all it results in is a City break upfield, Silva and Nasri over-elaborating when they were three on two. The home crowd is very nervous, no wonder after the stresses of the last week against Chelsea and Swansea, I guess.
5.34pm GMT
3 min: City are on the front foot right from the off, all right! First Zabaleta races into the box down the right, free, Arsenal having popped back to the changing rooms. Luckily for the home side, Zabaleta opts to pull the ball back instead of shooting, as he was within his rights to do, and the chance is gone. Then in the very next phase of play, Navas tries a curler from the right-hand side of the D and only just sends the shot wide of the top-left corner! Arsenal with their usual slow start.
5.32pm GMT
2 min: Zabaleta goes on an early saunter down the right, winning a throw off Gibbs. Navas takes up possession from the throw, and whips a ball into the centre for Dzeko, but the striker can't get on the end of a dangerous cross. Arsenal faff around a bit at the back, and then Szczesny slices a simple kick out of play in a manner most nervous. City are on the front foot, right from the off.
5.31pm GMT
And we're off! Arsenal get the ball rolling, amid a cracking atmosphere at Ashburton Grove. For some reason the referee isn't happy, though, and they have to perform the ceremony twice. Just like this crazy Premier League season ... it's on!
5.29pm GMT
The teams are out! The Arsenal are in their grand old red shirts with white sleeves ...
4.56pm GMT
Arsenal select Lukas Podolski over Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Arteta, Flamini, Rosicky, Cazorla, Podolski, Giroud.
Subs: Fabianski, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sanogo, Jenkinson, Kallstrom, Bellerin, Gnabry.
Manchester City name an unchanged side following their success in the Manchester derby: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy, Toure, Fernandinho, Jesus Navas, Silva, Nasri, Dzeko.
Subs: Pantilimon, Lescott, Milner, Negredo, Kolarov, Javi Garcia, Jovetic.
4.52pm GMT
If Arsenal and City need any further encouragement to seize the day, here it is: the leaders Chelsea have just lost 1-0 at Crystal Palace! The top of the table could concertina this weekend like an old tin can. Arsenal can get right back into this title race - while a City win will take them top tonight! What a Premier League season this is turning out to be!
4.30pm GMT
It's now or never for Arsenal. A defeat tonight against Manchester City, and the title will begin to seem like a pipe dream. OK, given the way they were systematically stripped of their dignity last weekend at Chelsea, the title may already seem like a pipe dream. But it's been easy to forget, while everyone at Arsenal's in a hot funk, that the team's run-in is kind. This is not over quite yet. And a win tonight would see them suddenly back within realistic striking distance of tonight's opponents, as well as leaders Chelsea and second-placed Liverpool.
Problem is, Arsenal have been awful in the matches against the other title challengers this season. They lost 6-3 at City, of course, 5-1 at Liverpool, and last week were humiliated 6-0 at Stamford Bridge, a nadir of a woeful season during which they've seemed hell bent on drilling deeper and deeper and down. And with City turning up tonight in upbeat mood, having just thumped Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford, nervous Arsenal have every right to be worried that the last rites of their title tilt may be read out this evening.
Arsenal v Manchester City as it happened | Scott Murray
Arsenal were outplayed in the first half, but came back strong in the second to stay in the title race
7.23pm GMT
And that's that! A result that's more than fair, City the best team in the first half, Arsenal the bosses of the second. It's a scoreline that does City more favours than Arsenal, who remain five points off the lead. City stay in third, but it's still all in their hands. So Arsenal still haven't beaten any of the title contenders at the business end of this season - but they're still in the hunt for the big prize. What a run-in this promises to be. Over to Liverpool tomorrow.
7.21pm GMT
90 min +2: City have a rare romp upfield. Fernandinho has a hoick from nearly 30 yards. It's over the bar. Then Negredo battles with Mertesacker down the inside left, chasing a long ball, and nearly chips Szczesny from a tight angle! But it's out for a goal kick. This is the second of three added minutes, by the way.
7.20pm GMT
90 min +1: Corner to Arsenal down the right. Cazorla whips it in. Oxlade-Chamberlain can't quite get a shot away at the far post, and the ball clanks back into the arms of Hart after a quick game of pinball.
7.19pm GMT
90 min: Gibbs strides down the left at high pace, then loops a cross to the far post. If Oxlade-Chamberlain was eight feet tall, we'd have had a winner. Arsenal are much the stronger side here. They clearly don't fancy letting go of their title dreams.
7.18pm GMT
89 min: Javi Garcia is booked for hanging out a leg as Cazorla scoots past him, City having been shocked by Arsenal's tempo as they take a quick free kick out on the right. Cazorla takes the free kick himself, curling one towards the left-hand post. Hart punches upfield with purpose. Arsenal are finishing strongly.
7.16pm GMT
87 min: Milner floats an appalling free kick into the Arsenal area, a ball that begs for Szczesny to come and pluck it out of the sky. The keeper does not disappoint.
7.15pm GMT
86 min: Rosicky lays off uselessly in the centre circle, gifting possession to Silva. He races after the tittering City midfielder and hacks him down. He's not booked, which is ludicrous, really. This'll be a free kick to City, one that will allow them to load the box.
7.13pm GMT
85 min: Each team makes a change, City replacing Dzeko and sending on Negredo, Arsenal swapping Giroud for Sanogo.
7.13pm GMT
83 min: The inherent dangers of holding onto a Good Point nearly become apparent as Oxlade-Chamberlain threatens to burn past Milner down the right. Luckily for Milner, the Ox takes the touch of a randy bull, and hammers the ball so far ahead of him that he can't keep it in play. But there was an opportunity there to deliver something dangerous into the centre.
7.11pm GMT
82 min: City sitting back a little now, allowing Arsenal a lot of ball in the middle of the field. Are they happy to hold onto what they've got? Positively Moyesian in approach.
7.09pm GMT
80 min: Nasri, to comic whistling, boos and jeers, is replaced by Javi Garcia.
7.08pm GMT
79 min: A throw of the dice by Wenger, who removes Podolski and fills the vacant space with Oxlade-Chamberlain.
7.07pm GMT
78 min: Giroud chests a long ball down for Rosicky, who returns it immediately. Giroud takes a little touch past Demichelis, diddling the defender marvellously, but then drags a weak shot wide right of the target from 20 yards. A dismal end to a lovely showcase of skill. "The 38th minute's Ian Copestake is right," confirms Mac Millings. "It IS my birthday today. And I think I'm 42, although 67 feels closer to the truth. Did the Emirates crowd do anything on the 67th minute to mark my big day? I believe the plan was not to acknowledge my existence at all. Seems about right."
7.05pm GMT
75 min: It's not clear how City haven't gone ahead here. The ball's worked into the Arsenal area from the right, whereupon the players stand around like PlayStation figures do when both users have dropped their controllers, or are too blitzed on pot to do anything constructive. Eventually, in a strange slo-mo sequence, Toure tries to hammer home from an angle on the left, but Szczesny smothers. From the resulting corner on the left, Toure slaps a header wide at the far post.
7.01pm GMT
72 min: Free kick for Arsenal down the right, just inside the City area. Cazorla curls it into the area, where Giroud rises above everyone else, only to head weakly wide left. He puts his head in his hands, which given the sheer scope and ambition of his quiff, is a lot of head for those hands to get round.
7.00pm GMT
71 min: A corner for City down the right, which comes to nothing. Not sure why I mention it, really. One for the completists.
6.59pm GMT
70 min: Arteta faffs around in the middle of the park, and then loses the ball to Nasri. City are threatening to break upfield, five on two, so Arteta pulls his opponent back. The referee awards a free kick, but no booking, which was kind of strange.
6.57pm GMT
68 min: Nasri twists, turns, dances, jigs, performs the mashed potato, etc., down the left. He eventually tries to dink a cross into the centre for Dzeko, but slices the ball out of play. The former Arsenal midfielder was given an awful lot of time to fashion something then.
6.56pm GMT
67 min: Arsenal have had 55% of the possession since the restart, quite a turnaround from the chasing they were given in the first half.
6.55pm GMT
65 min: Milner comes on for Navas. His first touch is to escape clear down the inside-right channel, where he can't get a shot away but wins a corner. He was offside as he received Fernandinho's sliderule pass. Nothing comes of the resulting set piece, which for those of you who get fed up of manufactured controversy, is probably just as well.
6.53pm GMT
64 min: This is a brilliant game now. Arsenal go down the other end, Flamini bursting into the City area down the right and lashing goalwards from a tight angle. His rising effort clears the bar, though not by much. Good luck in guessing which way this is going to go.
6.53pm GMT
63 min: City, having rocked a little after that goal, are right back in this now. Fernandinho launches a rasping riser from 25 yards. It's going over, but Szczesny can't take the risk and tips over. The corner's cleared.
6.51pm GMT
62 min: Podolski and Navas come together down the City right. A free kick in a very dangerous position, level with the edge of the six-yard box out on the wing. Nasri loops it out to Silva, standing on the edge of the area to the left of the D. Silva creams a volley towards the top right, and it's whistling home, but it hits an Arsenal back and the home side clear.
6.49pm GMT
60 min: Podolski should have put Arsenal ahead. He's sprung clear into the area down the left, an Arteta flick falling to his feet after rebounding off Kompany's arse. But with only Hart to beat, he hits the ball straight at the keeper. A slightly tight angle, but not good enough. The resulting corner isn't much of a consolation, what with it being wasted.
6.48pm GMT
59 min: Arsenal are knocking it around with more confidence now. They're not quite stroking it around in the classical style - Mertesacker just ballooned upfield the sort of clearance that's not been seen round these parts since the George Graham era - but City aren't bossing possession as they were.
6.46pm GMT
56 min: A free kick for City down the right. It's in a dangerous position, but is totally wasted, Dzeko putting himself about in the area in a clumsy style. The pressure's off Arsenal, in more ways than one. They've looked a yard sharper since the restart, and are visibly buoyed by the equaliser. A proper atmosphere in the Emirates now all right!
6.44pm GMT
54 min: That's a lovely moment for Flamini, who was the unfortunate scorer of that last-minute own goal against Swansea during the week. And it's one that's rocked City back, for Sagna was in acres down the right there, and fired a low cross straight through the six-yard box! A single tap, and that would be a two-goal turnaround in a matter of minutes! But City escape. They need to clear their heads.
6.42pm GMT
Cazorla has a dig from distance. Hart hacks clear with his feet. The effort gives Arsenal a lift, and soon Podolski is whipping in a cross from the left. The ball should be cleared, but Flamini is left clear eight yards out, and he contorts his body to guide a waist-high shot into the right-hand side of the net! It's on again for Arsenal!
6.41pm GMT
52 min: Navas tears down the right, stealing past Gibbs on the outside, then firing a low ball into the centre. Szczesny goes low to smother, but only clanks the ball onto Dzeko's shins. The ball should ping into the net, but somehow spins wide right of the target. That should have been 0-2. Then, up the other end ...
6.39pm GMT
50 min: Cazorla and Flamini combine well in the middle to advance into City territory, the latter shuttling the ball wide left for Gibbs. But the full back trots into a dead end, and is forced to turn back. Arsenal come again, Rosicky taking a few steps towards the City area down the right, then slashing a fairly mundane effort wide right. City look super-solid at the back, Arsenal visibly wilting whenever they get near the opposition area.
6.37pm GMT
48 min: Not the greatest atmosphere at the Emirates, to be honest. A sense of resignation already. But Arsenal have started the half brightly, with Giroud threatening to break clear into the area down the right channel. Kompany holds strong, though, and eventually prises the ball away.
6.35pm GMT
47 min: Gibbs makes a nuisance of himself down the left and wins a corner. Cazorla whips a disappointing cross straight down a very happy Hart's throat.
6.34pm GMT
And we're off again! No changes made by either side. Yet Arsenal need to make changes. If only in their mental approach. City get the ball rolling. If they make it through this second half unscathed, they'll have taken a big step towards the title, you'd have thought.
6.20pm GMT
Half-time
advertisement
entertainment: In case you missed it during the week, here's Rob Smyth reliving the 1990 World Cup semi-final between England and West Germany, for no other reason than it was quite fun to do so.
6.19pm GMT
And that's that for the first half. City deservedly go in leading, though Arsenal have at least shown some fight. This could be an intriguing second half ... unless City score the first goal in it.
6.16pm GMT
45 min: Arteta writhes around on the floor after being kicked on the boot by Silva as he lumps a clearance upfield. Silva's booked for the late, and totally needless, challenge. "Re 5.50pm and the George Harrison reference, it was in 1963 that the Beatles released Not A Second Time, which would seem quite an apt sentiment for Monsieur Wenger after the reverse fixture this year," writes
Mark
Lewisohn
Charles Morgan. "The following track on the album was Money (Thats What I Want)." Lucky I wrote 1963 and not 1964, by the looks of it, because otherwise one of you would be flicking through the track listing of Beatles For Sale, and not getting much further than the second track.
6.14pm GMT
42 min: Rosicky is booked for leaving a boot in on Clichy as the two contest a ball down the Arsenal right. He can't really moan, although that was one that looked worse than it was, and while Demichelis tries to make something more of it, rushing over for a trenchant chat with Rosicky, leading with his titties in the do-ya-want-some style, Clichy doesn't press the issue and a yellow's deemed suitable punishment.
6.10pm GMT
38 min: Arsenal have got back into this game pretty well, so City decide to remind them who's the current boss of who. A period of sustained possession in the Arsenal half, with the ball pinged around in the progressive manner. No chances carved out, but the home support is getting tense and nervous again. Meanwhile, some clique-based admin from MBM regular Ian Copestake. "Amid all of this Premiership title race excitement one important factor seems to have been overlooked by everyone," he says. "Namely that it is Mac Millings' birthday today! He's only 42!" Only 42? We had him pegged down as a spry 67 in this afternoon's United-Villa report, when he was banging on about it to all who'd listen.
6.06pm GMT
35 min: Podolski romps into space down the left and whips a ball into the centre looking for the run of Giroud. But Demichelis - who has his critics, but has been fantastic so far this afternoon - slides in to guide the ball out of play on the left, with the French striker lurking behind him, hoping to sidefoot home. The corner comes to naught.
6.05pm GMT
33 min: Giroud looks to break into the Arsenal area down the left, but is upended legally by Kompany. The City defender goes in the book nevertheless, because earlier in the move he cynically bodychecked Arteta as the Arsenal midfielder attempted to round him and make off into space down the left. He can't complain about that one. Giroud has a moan, though, rolling around the floor, but he's got no cause to berate the ref.
6.01pm GMT
31 min: A pointless booking picked up by Toure, who grabs Rosicky by the shoulder as the Arsenal man was trotting through a light-blue thicket in the middle of the park. Not a whole lot of common sense on display there.
6.00pm GMT
30 min: Gibbs intercepts well as Silva is close to releasing Zabaleta into the area yet again down the right. But he gives the ball away almost immediately to Nasri, who looks to thread one into the bottom left from the edge of the box. Szczesny gathers without too much fuss.
5.58pm GMT
28 min: Fernandinho wins a corner for City, a low shot deflected out left. From the set piece, a little head tennis in the Arsenal area. Giroud breaks out to relieve pressure, and wins a free kick from Nasri, whose illegal charge is met with pantomime boos from the home support.
5.57pm GMT
26 min: Cazorla's seeing an awful lot of the ball in the middle of the City half, looking to dictate play, passing this way and that, jinking here and there. Problem is, he's not got too many options going forward. The latest, an attempted one-two with Giroud just in front of the D, doesn't come off. A decent response to going behind, though.
5.56pm GMT
25 min: Cazorla slaloms in from the left and very nearly releases Flamini, marauding down the righ channel, into the area with a clever through ball. But Demichelis is on his game right now, and steps in to block the pass. This is better from Arsenal.
5.55pm GMT
23 min: Giroud attempts to score from the halfway line. No Beckham/Alonso/Rooney he, the effort sails left of target and doesn't even reach the byline anyway, Hart gathering with ease. But perhaps Arsenal have decided that they may as well go down in flames rather than die wondering. Their attacking already seems sharper, their moves forward made with a little more purpose.
5.53pm GMT
22 min: Flamini puts the ball in the City net! But it won't count. Podolski curls one into the area from the left, and Flamini, on the stretch coming in from the right and level with the far post, batters the ball into the ground, sending it looping up diagonally over Hart and into the left-hand side of the net! But it won't count, as both Flamini and Giroud were miles offside, Demichelis having stepped up smartly.
5.51pm GMT
21 min: A cross from Navas from the right. Szczesny tips it away from danger, but in a very uncertain fashion. He dropped an easy gather from Nasri on the left just before the goal, too. He's not a confident keeper right now. "Nearly 20 minutes in and it's 1-0," notes Colt Kennedy. "See, Arsenal are improving!"
5.50pm GMT
This had been coming. Although not down the left flank. Silva trots down the inside-right channel, then slides it out left to Dzeko, who steps into the area and blooters a stunning shot onto the left-hand post, halfway up, Szczesny beaten all ends up. The ball pings to the right, where Silva, following up, can screw a sidefoot into the bottom right. On the touchline, Arsene Wenger shakes his barnet like George Harrison circa 1963, then runs his fingers through it in frustration.
5.47pm GMT
16 min: Giroud does wonderfully well to stick out a leg and trap a long pass down the left, but his good work is wasted as he lays off to Podolski, who slaps a cross straight into Kompany's mush.
5.46pm GMT
14 min: City up the other end again. They've certainly decided to concentrate on this right flank, and are flicking the ball around that area accordingly. Silva is seeing a lot of the ball down there, Navas and Zabaleta not shy to join in. Arsenal don't give up a chance this time, but they really do look nervous at the back. Still, they're not three goals down, and they've still got 11 men on the pitch, so this start qualifies as a roaring success in the context of recent big-club match-ups.
5.43pm GMT
11 min: A bit better from Arsenal, Flamini sliding the ball wide right for Rosicky, whose cross towards Giroud at the far post is a little too deep. But they're coming back at City with another phase. Rosicky picks up the ball down the inside-left channel, latching onto a lovely Cazorla sliderule pass, and enters the box. He brushes past Zabaleta and falls to the ground. The crowd think the ref has pointed to the spot, and cheer accordingly, but it's a goal kick. And a good decision, Rosicky rather going over his own feet, although if he'd hung one of them out he could have bought a cheeky one off the City full back, who was hanging a leg out.
5.40pm GMT
10 min: Navas has a dig from 25 yards out, down the inside-right channel. Nope! High as you like, but not even worth three rugby points, hoicked off to the right of the target too.
5.40pm GMT
9 min: Arsenal can't hold onto the ball at all. City are knocking it hither and yon, totally dominant in the midfield. They've enjoying 67% of the possession so far. "Wenger said this week he regrets not signing Yaya Toure in 2003, though the transfer apparently fell through due to the Ivorian's passport problems," says Philip Podolsky. "He could sure use him in this team, though had Yaya signed for Arsenal in 2003, he'd surely be off to Barcelona circa 2008. Bit ironic that, innit."
5.38pm GMT
8 min: More space and time gifted to City down their right flank! Where is Gibbs? What is Podolski up to? Navas sashays down the wing and pulls one back into the centre. Again, City don't capitalise, but they're running the show down this side of the pitch. The home fans have fallen quiet very quickly.
5.37pm GMT
7 min: Zabaleta is once again afforded the entire right flank to gambol around in. This isn't very promising for the home side. He fires another cross into the centre, which is dealt with easily enough by Vermaelen, but Arsenal can't keep on like this.
5.35pm GMT
5 min: A corner for Arsenal down the right, Arteta and Cazorla working well down that flank. But such is their level of confidence at the moment, all it results in is a City break upfield, Silva and Nasri over-elaborating when they were three on two. The home crowd is very nervous, no wonder after the stresses of the last week against Chelsea and Swansea, I guess.
5.34pm GMT
3 min: City are on the front foot right from the off, all right! First Zabaleta races into the box down the right, free, Arsenal having popped back to the changing rooms. Luckily for the home side, Zabaleta opts to pull the ball back instead of shooting, as he was within his rights to do, and the chance is gone. Then in the very next phase of play, Navas tries a curler from the right-hand side of the D and only just sends the shot wide of the top-left corner! Arsenal with their usual slow start.
5.32pm GMT
2 min: Zabaleta goes on an early saunter down the right, winning a throw off Gibbs. Navas takes up possession from the throw, and whips a ball into the centre for Dzeko, but the striker can't get on the end of a dangerous cross. Arsenal faff around a bit at the back, and then Szczesny slices a simple kick out of play in a manner most nervous. City are on the front foot, right from the off.
5.31pm GMT
And we're off! Arsenal get the ball rolling, amid a cracking atmosphere at Ashburton Grove. For some reason the referee isn't happy, though, and they have to perform the ceremony twice. Just like this crazy Premier League season ... it's on!
5.29pm GMT
The teams are out! The Arsenal are in their grand old red shirts with white sleeves ...
4.56pm GMT
Arsenal select Lukas Podolski over Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Arteta, Flamini, Rosicky, Cazorla, Podolski, Giroud.
Subs: Fabianski, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sanogo, Jenkinson, Kallstrom, Bellerin, Gnabry.
Manchester City name an unchanged side following their success in the Manchester derby: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy, Toure, Fernandinho, Jesus Navas, Silva, Nasri, Dzeko.
Subs: Pantilimon, Lescott, Milner, Negredo, Kolarov, Javi Garcia, Jovetic.
4.52pm GMT
If Arsenal and City need any further encouragement to seize the day, here it is: the leaders Chelsea have just lost 1-0 at Crystal Palace! The top of the table could concertina this weekend like an old tin can. Arsenal can get right back into this title race - while a City win will take them top tonight! What a Premier League season this is turning out to be!
4.30pm GMT
It's now or never for Arsenal. A defeat tonight against Manchester City, and the title will begin to seem like a pipe dream. OK, given the way they were systematically stripped of their dignity last weekend at Chelsea, the title may already seem like a pipe dream. But it's been easy to forget, while everyone at Arsenal's in a hot funk, that the team's run-in is kind. This is not over quite yet. And a win tonight would see them suddenly back within realistic striking distance of tonight's opponents, as well as leaders Chelsea and second-placed Liverpool.
Problem is, Arsenal have been awful in the matches against the other title challengers this season. They lost 6-3 at City, of course, 5-1 at Liverpool, and last week were humiliated 6-0 at Stamford Bridge, a nadir of a woeful season during which they've seemed hell bent on drilling deeper and deeper and down. And with City turning up tonight in upbeat mood, having just thumped Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford, nervous Arsenal have every right to be worried that the last rites of their title tilt may be read out this evening.
Manchester United v Aston Villa as it happened | Scott Murray
2.39pm GMT
And that's that! United take the three points, though they stay in seventh. Villa scuttle off, remaining in 12th for now. David Moyes walks off in the jaunty manner, stopping just before he disappears into the tunnel to applaud the Stetford End. Penny for the thoughts of the folk who chartered that plane for 100,000 of them?
2.36pm GMT
90 min +3: Lowton, who I may have forgotten to tell you came on for Albrighton, is booked for a late lunge on Janujaz.
2.36pm GMT
90 min +2: So that's two 4-1 defeats in a row for Villa, though this is a slightly misleading scoreline. United deserve to win on balance, but then if Benteke had remembered to pack his shooting boots, we could be looking at something very different. That's football for you.
2.35pm GMT
There will be three added minutes - and look what's happened in the first! Januzaj prods the ball past a despairing Delph down the left wing, and romps into space. He takes a touch and whips a mid-height ball towards the far post, where Hernandez sticks his boot up to guide home with force!
2.32pm GMT
90 min: Clark attempts to rake one home from the best part of 30 yards, but no no no.
2.32pm GMT
88 min: Clark is rightly booked for a late trip on Fellaini, who should be commended for his hilariously brazen cheek in springing up to complain to the referee in the most animated terms, as though common-or-garden clumsy challenges are simply beyond the pale in his book.
2.30pm GMT
85 min: Tonev has been lively since coming on. He cuts in from the left and looks to curl one into the top right from the edge of the area. He really isn't far away at all. "Last week, Simon McMahon's daughter's birthday, this week, Millings," notes Matt Dony. "It's all getting a bit CBeebies recently. Should we give them the bumps? Should we be making Mike the Knight themed cards?" I don't know what that is, but if you fancy making something with glitter and glue, feel free to send it in. I'll dig out the music from Vision On.
2.26pm GMT
83 min: United are more than happy to let the clock run down, something they're doing very professionally at the moment. A Villa goal in the next couple of minutes would give them pause, but the visitors aren't threatening right now. "Maybe the Glaziers can take a loan out against the club, the usual £1000 at 50,000% interest, and hire another plane for Tuesday," suggests the tinder-dry David Flynn. Very droll, but for God's sake be careful, don't be giving those clowns any ideas.
2.24pm GMT
80 min: Villa are imposing themselves on this match again, but United seem happy enough to sit back and let them enjoy possession in midfield, while shutting up shop nearer their own area. "Apotropaic (69 mins)?" splutters Simon McMahon. "I must admit I found myself a bit discombobulated when I read that. It would appear that Christopher Barnes is something of a bloviator."
2.22pm GMT
77 min: Benteke completes a hat-trick of misses, although this one was the hardest of all. Westwood, out on the left by the halfway line, rakes a spectacular diagonal ball into the area, where Benteke has run clear of the snoozing Buttner. Any connection sliding in and he's guiding that home from six yards, but his extended leg doesn't meet the dropping ball and the chance is gone. Strange as it may seem with United winning 3-1, had Benteke been on his game, Villa could be winning this match.
2.19pm GMT
76 min: Tonev wins a corner down the left. Vidic batters the set piece out for a corner on the other side. Vidic clears that one, too. They're going to miss him, aren't they?
2.19pm GMT
75 min: Rooney, with Bayern Munich surely in mind, is replaced by Hernandez.
2.18pm GMT
74 min: This is pretty much all United at the moment, with the home side attacking regularly, and with purpose, down both flanks. Clark makes a couple of last-ditch clearing headers. Tonev looks to release some pressure with a romp upfield, but balloons a long-distance effort miles over the bar.
2.15pm GMT
71 min: Agbonlahor is replaced by Tonev. Play restarts, and the game is nearly over, Rooney dancing in from the left after gloriously bringing down a long hoof with one featherlight touch, and shooting hard and low from 12 yards. But his shot is blocked, and Villa still retain a little hope.
2.12pm GMT
69 min: An instant impact by Januzaj, who sashays past four half-arsed challenges down the left, glides inside, and attempts a low curler towards the bottom right. It's a highly decent effort, but one gathered with ease by Guzan. "Should United win, that banner could prove one of the most expensive apotropaic devices in history," opines Christopher Barnes. "Can the fans afford another one on Tuesday?"
2.11pm GMT
68 min: Kagawa is replaced by Januzaj. Meanwhile Mac Millings, 67, has thought of a way to improve on the half-baked pun in the caption at the top of this report: "Replace Agbonlahor with Rehhagel, Johnston and two pictures of Phil, and you've Planes, Waynes and Otto Mo Neals. You're welcome." Let's laugh along politely, folks, it is his birthday after all.
2.10pm GMT
66 min: Villa are enjoying the lion's share of possession. Weimann rips down the right and fires a low ball towards the near post. Benteke takes a touch and looks to round Vidic, who falls and takes the striker with him. Benteke claims a penalty - and you've certainly seen them given for that - but Villa don't even get the corner. Benteke was the only Villa player to seriously claim for that, which was strange.
2.06pm GMT
63 min: Bertrand is booked for replicating Buttner's earlier coming together with Albrighton, using Young as his personal prop in this performance.
2.06pm GMT
61 min: Fellaini plants an elbow across the bridge of Vlaar's nose. This wasn't as malicious as that nonsense with Manchester City's Pablo Zabaleta on Tuesday night, but it was clumsy and worthy of a yellow. He really has to tidy himself up when making these aerial challenges.
2.04pm GMT
59 min: Old Trafford responds to that goal in a high-volume fashion. Villa aren't of a mind to give this up yet, though. A sortie down the right comes to nothing, then Benteke battles for a long ball down the inside left, only to bundle out for a goal kick. This match would get interesting if Villa snatch a goal back.
2.01pm GMT
Mata, down the inside-right channel, strokes a diagonal ball towards the other flank, where Fellaini is breaking into the box. Vlaar is forced to hook out on the left. From the throw, Buttner heads down the inside-left channel towards Fellaini, again in the area. There's a mild kerfuffle, and then the ball breaks to Mata, who sweeps a low shot into the bottom left past the flat-footed Guzan. Villa should be level, and suddenly United have a two-goal cushion.
1.59pm GMT
55 min: Weimann shaped to shoot, bombing down the inside right, only to connect face with turf instead of boot to ball. Fellaini was hovering behind him in a very suspicious fashion, but Villa don't get their free kick.
1.58pm GMT
53 min: Villa are pressing United back, though. Paul Lambert will have pointed out to his team that they were certainly not second best in the first half, even if the scoreline suggested otherwise, and they've responded with confidence. Albrighton wins a little space down the right and whips a stunning cross onto the head of Benteke, six yards out. And the striker misses another golden chance! He slaps his header over the bar from close range. On the touchline, Lambert is down on his haunches, staring at the ground, thoughts flying through his head that would be best described as Glaswegian.
1.55pm GMT
50 min: WHAT A MISS! Westwood, on the left-hand edge of the United box, chips a fantastic ball into the centre, splitting the home defence into a million pieces. Benteke, chesting down, is free, six yards from goal with only de Gea to beat. He swings his left peg at the ball - and takes a wild fresh-air swipe. Oh dear. He attempts to blast a second attempt goalwards, but Carrick is now in the environs, and hoicks out for a corner. From which nothing occurs. Villa should be level. That's an appalling miss from a highly talented player. They're always the worst, aren't they?
1.52pm GMT
49 min: A lull already! Dear me. At least it gives us the chance to plug our gallery of pretty pictures from this here match.
1.50pm GMT
47 min: United on the front foot in the early exchanges, though not to any great effect, Young and Kagawa's move down the right petering out quietly enough. "It's my birthday, but I won't reveal how old I am," chirps Mac Millings, 67. "And what better way to ring in another year spent among this embarrassment we call Humanity than by following the MBM while not watching the Big Match? Always the multitasker, I'm also taking care of my 2 year old, who spent the night puking on me and her mother. As if Mrs. Millings's indignity at sharing a bed with me wasn't enough. Moyes in, by the way - my opinion is as invalid as anyone else's."
1.48pm GMT
And we're off again! Villa will wonder how they lost that half of football, having looked lively in attack down both flanks. The final ball was perhaps lacking: David de Gea didn't have a lot to do, other than pick the ball from his net after Westwood's free kick. It shouldn't take too much of a twist of the proverbial spanner to get things working for them, as Westwood, Albrighton, Agbonlahor and Benteke have all looked in the mood. United have made a change, though: Carrick has come on for Rafael, which should see Carrick taking Jones's position, and the centre back moving to right back.
1.34pm GMT
Half-time advertisement:
1.33pm GMT
Mata was in the process of
taking a fresh-air swipe
at the ball
failing to execute a dragback when he was cleaned out by Bacuna, so he'll be quite happy with the way that panned out. And that's pretty much that for the opening 45. Fairly eventful, no? And that was just the action on the ground.
1.32pm GMT
Rooney nearly takes the net off the frame of the goal, his spot kick belted home at a fierce velocity, very much troubling the side netting on the right. Guzan went the right way, but had no chance: a better penalty you'll wait a while to see.
1.30pm GMT
44 min: PENALTY TO UNITED! Kagawa plays a diagonal ball into the area from the right. Mata, coming in from the other wing, is about to latch onto the ball and shoot from ten yards when Bacuna slides in from the right and upends him! It's as clear a penalty kick as you'll see, and probably should be a sending off as well. But it's only a yellow.
1.29pm GMT
43 min: Westwood wins the ball in the centre circle with a crunching tackle on Kagawa. He sprays a long ball down the left channel for Benteke, who brushes Vidic out of the way but can't get a shot off.
1.27pm GMT
41 min: Kagawa and Mata continue to combine well. They triangulate down the left, Kagawa eventually making it into the area. He's about to shoot when the impressive Clark, anticipating brilliantly, steps in to blooter clear. "When that plane flew past, did BT Sport show 23 pointless slow-motion replays of it in close up, as if to make a non-event seem dramatic?" wonders Stuart Goodacre. "They do for everything that happens on the pitch."
1.25pm GMT
38 min: Villa ping the ball around awhile, and eventually Albrighton wins a corner off Vidic down the right. United don't deal with the set piece particularly well, the ball floating through the six-yard box near to Benteke's eyebrows and away to the left wing, where Fellaini allows Vlaar (!) to turn him this way and that. The resulting cross is half-cleared, allowing Delph the time to lift another ball into the box from the right. But this one's overcooked, and the danger is gone. United are impressive up front, but very uncertain at the back.
1.22pm GMT
35 min: A lull. Which allows us to furnish you with a bit of extra information regarding Old Trafford's response to this bloody plane (pictured below, looking much as expected) here.
1.19pm GMT
33 min: Mata floats a delightful looping pass down the inside-right channel. He's this close to finding Kagawa, rushing into the area. But Guzan reads the danger well, and is off his line in the sprightly fashion to claim the ball. Great play all round. Mata has been pretty stodgy since his arrival from Chelsea, but he's looking on his game today. As is Kagawa. United's forward play has been pretty impressive so far.
1.16pm GMT
30 min: Albrighton, bombing down the inside right, is allowed to make his way across the face of the United box, then down the inside left to the byline, before chipping to the far post where Weimann can't retain possession. That was a magnificent dribble, though it should also be noted that the red carpet was rolled out: Fellaini's attempt to dispossess him was limp as you like.
1.13pm GMT
27 min: Kagawa is flipped into the air down the left. Free kick, ten yards from the byline. Rooney whips it into the Villa six-yard box, and Vidic is ready to slam a header home when Clark gets involved and guides it over the bar instead. Infuriatingly for United, they don't even get the corner, the referee deciding incorrectly that Vidic had got the last touch.
1.11pm GMT
25 min: A really open feel to this game. Villa don't appear to have lost the faith after being pegged back, with Benteke, Agbonlahor and Westwood making nuisances of themselves up front, and Rooney, Kagawa and Mata seeing plenty of the ball down the other end. "A low for football?" begins Matt Dony in response to the entry on 2 mins. "Yes, certainly. A low for MBM entries, though? I'm not so sure. It's up against some strong competition."
1.09pm GMT
22 min: Rooney looks to take a snapshot from the edge of the Villa box, but Clark gets in the way. Meanwhile, by all accounts, the much-rumoured second plane turned out to be trailing an advert for a certain bookmaking firm whose adverts over the past couple of years have ranged from the astonishingly unfunny to the tediously offensive. They're after some free publicity for their 6-1 offer on Alex Ferguson coming back. Suffice to say, if you want to place that bet, do it with Ladbrokes, Coral, Betfair, Bet365, SkyBet, Stan James, Betfred or Bwin.
1.07pm GMT
What a response from United, who have flooded forward down both wings since going behind. Kagawa sashays in from the left, and on the left-hand corner of the area, floats a delightful cross onto the head of Rooney, in the middle, ten yards out. Rooney guides a deft header into the bottom right, and United are level! A previously very quiet and pensive Old Trafford explodes into life. The noise is such that you couldn't hear a jet engine.
1.04pm GMT
18 min: And here's some real hurt on Villa, Rooney's knee banging into Guzan's noggin as the two contest a low cross from the right from Young. That was a decent move by United, and a completely accidental collision. Guzan looks like he'll be fine, and Rooney is sportingly apologetic.
1.03pm GMT
16 min: Buttner is booked for a late lunge across Albrighton, who did well to avoid injury by hurdling over the clumsy challenge. Albrighton gets up and whips a free kick into the area, where Clark clanks a header over the bar from eight yards. A real chance to put some real hurt on United.
1.01pm GMT
15 min: I'm probably being a wee bit unfair on both Westwood and De Gea, having seen that again. The keeper perhaps started out a step too far to his left, making it hard to get across, but the free kick was close enough to the left-hand post to be hellishly difficult to deal with.
12.59pm GMT
Westwood takes a couple of calm steps, and whips a wonderful free kick over the wall and into the top left! It's a fine strike, though De Gea got a hand to it, and is of sufficient quality that he might be annoyed not to have done better. That wasn't tight in the corner.
12.58pm GMT
12 min: Rafael is an increasingly clumsy liability. He clatters into the back of Agbonlahor, who is making good down the inside-left channel. That's a free kick, just to the left of the D, in a very dangerous position. And a booking for the full back, who will be treading on eggshells for the best part of 80 minutes. And in serious danger of a red card if his recent display against Liverpool is anything to go by, which it is.
12.56pm GMT
10 min: A free kick for United down the right. It's whipped into the area, where Rooney is lurking near the right-hand post, but the striker can't get anything on the ball. This is a bit of a non-event so far, both in the air and on the ground.
12.53pm GMT
8 min: Rafael clanks into Unidentified Villa Player down the left. Villa load the box and Westwood curls the free kick into the danger zone, but Vidic deals with easily enough.
12.51pm GMT
6 min: Still no shape to this game. "I peered out of my bathroom window and could see the plane over Old Trafford," reports Matthew Cobb. "But it's flying very high and the letters are very small. If you didn't know what it said, you wouldn't know. All seems a bit daft." Aye. You can at least hear the plane, though. As it hovers above the ground, there's a constant drone of waaaaaah-waaaaaah-waaaaaaah, which is appropriate enough.
12.49pm GMT
4 min: Not much happening on the pitch, mind you. Villa have started brightly enough, Benteke trying to get something going down the left with a fancy backheel, but none of his team-mates anticipates the flick. United can't keep hold of the ball at the moment.
12.48pm GMT
2 min: The plane is over Old Trafford, and is met by a wall of boos. A new low for the MBM, this entry. And indeed for modern football. The state of it.
12.46pm GMT
And we're off! Aston Villa set the ball rolling. They'll be kicking towards the Stretford End, in front of which they've won once in the last 31 years. Still, they'll be thinking if West Brom, Newcastle and Everton can cock a snook to the record books ...
12.45pm GMT
David Moyes takes the stage, and receives a very warm reception from the folk inside Old Trafford. It may well be that the majority of the United support, whatever they think about the state of the team at the moment, have decided that there are limits, and enough is, accordingly, enough.
12.38pm GMT
"I think these fans would have better spent their money by putting it into Darren Fletcher's charity," says David Moyes of the planned fly-by protest. He's more mildly amused than irritated, and is dealing with this whole business in a very dignified fashion. He's not the only one questioning how well these particular supporters have used their hard-earned cash. "I can't help but feel that for almost £1,000 the fans probably could have chipped in to get a considerably improved replacement for Fellaini," suggests Owen Parsons, cracking wise because someone had to. The teams will be out soon - kick off hasn't been delayed - and Manchester United will be wearing their famous red and white ...
12.19pm GMT
Relaxing pre-match spa treatment: Ladies and gentlemen, immerse yourselves in some calming jazz guitar, and let a few soothing vibraphone glissandos wash over you.
11.56am GMT
Manchester United welcome back Nemanja Vidic from suspension: De Gea, Da Silva, Jones, Vidic, Buttner, Fellaini, Fletcher, Kagawa, Mata, Young, Rooney.
Subs: Giggs, Hernandez, Carrick, Nani, Welbeck, Amos, Januzaj.
Aston Villa make two changes from the team that collapsed 4-1 at home to Stoke, with Ciaran Clark and Marc Albrighton replacing Nathan Baker and Karim El Ahmadi: Guzan, Bacuna, Vlaar, Clark, Bertrand, Albrighton, Westwood, Delph, Weimann, Benteke, Agbonlahor.
Subs: Bennett, Steer, Sylla, Tonev, Holt, Lowton, Robinson.
11.33am GMT
Much as it'd be lovely to avoid the subject altogether, we'll have to deal with it I suppose. A collection of Manchester United fans, suffering like no others have suffered before, having not seen their team lift major silverware for ten months, have decided to rent a plane, ordering it to fly over Old Trafford before kick off today, trailing a banner emblazoned with the slogan WRONG ONE: MOYES OUT. A second plane is rumoured to have been chartered for similar sloganeering purposes. Not sure what that one will be saying, but there's a fair chance it will read STOP BUGGERING AROUND IN THAT PLANE, COME HOME THIS INSTANT YOUNG MAN AND CLEAN YOUR ROOM, THEN STRAIGHT TO BED WITHOUT TEA, MUM. That it's come to this at a grand old club.
Scott Murray's Blog
- Scott Murray's profile
- 3 followers
