Scott Murray's Blog, page 66

Brighton 1-1 Crystal Palace: Premier League – as it happened

Brighton were the better side, but Palace defended resolutely and came within three minutes of completing a classic smash and grab

2 min: A slow and scrappy start on the south coast.

1 min: Some late breaking pre-match admin: Rob Jones has replaced Jarred Gillett as tonight’s referee.

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The Fiver | An unpredictable stramash but an anti-climactic Premier League race

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It’s a big weekend in the Premier League, which is The Fiver’s stock opening gambit for very quiet Fridays. But to be fair, it is a big weekend in the Premier League, which is what The Fiver always says to justify trotting out its stock opening gambit for very quiet Fridays. Come the evening, towards the end of this, a very quiet Friday, Brighton host Crystal Palace in the latest edition of the A23 derby, one of only four synthetic confections from the 1970s to still retain cultural cachet in the 21st century, alongside Spangles, Monster Munch, and Son of my Father by Chicory Tip. Hey, does anybody remember, etc.

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Manchester United 1-0 Aston Villa: FA Cup third round – as it happened

Scott McTominay’s early header was enough to propel United into the fourth round, though Villa had two goals disallowed, one slightly contentiously

6 min: Rashford swans in from the left, drops a shoulder, then takes a shot. Luiz blocks. The ball breaks to McTominay, who whistles a low drive straight at Martinez. An easy gather for the Villa keeper.

4 min: Watkins races after a long pass down the right. He’s hoping to find Ings in the middle, but Varane gets in the road and refuses to budge. Villa have to turn tail. They come again, Mings crossing low from the left. An easy claim for De Gea, but this is a nice open start to the match.

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The Fiver | Arsenal, Newcastle and some proper old-school FA Cup embarrassment

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There’s a faint irony in Arsenal taking to the pitch in crisp, clean, pristine, freshly laundered, all-white shirts only to end up touching cloth. The 14-time FA Cup winners went out meekly and messily at the first hurdle last night, thoroughly outplayed by Nottingham Forest. Left-back Nuno Tavares delivered not so much a performance, more a dirty protest, misplacing passes and shanking balls to such an extent that, upon being hooked after a mere 34 minutes, he was forced to theatrically yank off his gloves to prove to his manager he still possessed some basic motor skills. He’ll have better days. They surely can’t get any worse.

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Chelsea 5-1 Chesterfield: FA Cup third round – as it happened

Chelsea sauntered into the fourth round, but Chesterfield put up a dignified fight and were rewarded with a fine consolation

2 min: Saul rakes a pass down the left to release Hudson-Odoi, who enters the box, contemplates shooting, but then pulls back for Kovacic, whose shot is deflected out for the first corner of the evening.

1 min: Chesterfield launch it long, and win a throw deep in Chelsea territory. King flings it into the box. Bettinelli gathers without fuss.

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Millwall 1-2 Crystal Palace: FA Cup third round – as it happened

Jack Butland gifted Millwall the lead, but Michael Olise’s brilliance dug Palace out of a hole in the second half

7 min: Hughes goes sliding in on Ojo. He gets the ball, but follows through, his studs crumping on Ojo’s leg. Fortunately Ojo isn’t hurt, but that wasn’t clever. You’ve seen players booked for much less. There’s even a case for a red. But here we are. No free kick.

6 min: Both teams snap into a few tackles. It’s pretty shapeless, as everyone finds their feet. The fans still give it everything, atmosphere beating product right now.

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Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham: Carabao Cup semi-final, first leg – as it happened

Chelsea took control of the semi-final with a commanding first-leg performance over a thoroughly listless Spurs

3 min: Chelsea probe down both flanks. Pass, pass, pass. Eventually Mount is teed up, 25 yards out, though his shot is blocked. Spurs have hardly taken a touch yet.

2 min: Free kick for Chelsea out on the right. Mount takes, but whips it over the head of every single player in the box. A fast start by the hosts, though.

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The Fiver | Fall-guys Leyton Orient are guaranteed to trend for the next fortnight

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The League Cup has always been a strange one. It’s got three handles for a start, and doesn’t have a lid you can wear as a hat. What’s the point, then? Well, it was conceived in the early 1960s by erstwhile Football League boss Alan Hardaker (Little England) in the petty hope of distracting clubs from the new-fangled European scene, a gambit which it would be fair to say had limited success. As a result, the competition has struggled somewhat for an identity ever since. Po’ League Cup! League Cup’s a-cold!

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The Fiver | Manchester United tribute act Manchester United are in a deep funk

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The Fiver was in a state of suspended animation during the Christmas break, a bit like Percy Pig but in reverse. But now we’re back, baby! And we’re back, baby, just in time to report that everything is pretty much exactly the same as it was before. Manchester City are still a shoo-in for the league. Norwich remain near-certainties to go down. And the stuff being served up at Old Trafford would make a Goodison season-ticket holder reconsider complaining about the fare Rafa’s slopping in front of them. Context, you see. There’s always somebody worse off than you.

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Football transfer rumours: Barcelona in for Dortmund’s Erling Haaland?

Today’s tell-all is only just limbering up

Day four of the new year, day two of the new Rumour Mill, and already the new Newcastle thing feels long in the tooth. Zenit St Petersburg striker Sardar Azmoun is the latest name on a shopping list that already features Lille defender Sven Botman, Atlético Madrid full-back Kieran Trippier, Everton’s Lucas Digne, Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, River Plate attacker Julián Álvarez, and south Devon utility man Thomas Cobley. We’re all going to have to get used to this quick-smart. It’s going to be a long month.

Meanwhile the fuss and furore over Romelu Lukaku’s love letter to Internazionale is giving cover to a couple of Chelsea defenders making a bolt for the door marked Do One. Andreas Christensen, out of contract in the summer, may leave for Barcelona in a cut-price deal, while Antonio Rüdiger is eyeing a move to Real Madrid but will consider Bayern Munich, PSG or Juventus should talks turn sour.

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