Scott Murray's Blog, page 69

Brighton 0-0 Leeds: Premier League – as it happened

Brighton created plenty of chances, but a lack of cutting edge cost them yet again, the same old story at the Amex

2 min: It’s cold and windy in East Sussex. Lamptey bursts into a couple of runs down the right, but both are stopped pretty much the moment they start. Still, a statement of intent from Brighton’s exciting live-wire.

Brighton get the ball rolling ... but only after the players take the knee. The gesture is met with warm applause from all four corners of the stadium. There’s no room for racism.

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Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle: Premier League – as it happened

Bukayo Saka was the star turn as Arsenal saw off bottom-placed Newcastle

3 min: It’s super-cold at the Emirates, though the rain is clearing up. “Seeing how Tavarez deals with Saint-Maximin barrelling through will be instructive, if not always pretty,” suggests Charles Antaki. “Generous of Arteta to select him after his performance last week, so long as we don’t decode ‘if he’d tried, play him again’ as meaning ‘Tierney’s not quite fit enough, sadly’.”

1 min: Joelinton barges his way down the left and seriously troubles White, nearly breaking into the box along the byline. White eventually wins the battle, but only just. Goal kick, but that’s a statement of intent from the goal-shy Newcastle striker.

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Liverpool 4-0 Arsenal: Premier League – as it happened

Liverpool ended Arsenal’s ten-game unbeaten run with a masterclass in pressing

Liverpool get the match started ... but only after everyone takes the knee. There’s no room for racism.

Before kick-off, there’s some warm applause in memory of Louis Bimpson, who played for Liverpool during their dismal Fifties, but still scored 39 goals. Bimpson, who also played for Blackburn Rovers, Bournemouth, Rochdale and Wigan, died earlier this week at the age of 92.

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Leicester City 0-3 Chelsea: Premier League – as it happened

Chelsea scored three and had another three disallowed as they saw off dismal Leicester with contemptuous ease

4 min: Former Leicester full back Chilwell has been getting the bird from the get-go. He nearly delivers the ultimate retort, sent free down the inside left by Jorginho’s quick free kick. He’s got the beating of Albrighton, enters the box ... and pings a rising shot off the top of the crossbar. He probably should have scored. The home fans give him some more abuse.

2 min: Leicester have started with a notice of intent, Vardy closing down Chalobah, then pressuring Mendy as he receives a panicked backpass. Then Evans clatters into Havertz, a calling card right there. A free kick, nothing more.

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Wales 1-1 Belgium, Netherlands 2-0 Norway: World Cup qualifying – as it happened

Wales secured seeding for the play-offs, while two late goals assured the Netherlands of their spot in Qatar

Some great news for Holland and Norway, as Fatos Bećiraj gives Montenegro the early lead in the other important Group G game. A huge gap appeared in the middle of the Turkey back line, not for the first time in this qualification campaign, and Bećiraj was able to steer into the bottom left without too much bother.

No super-early goals in any of tonight’s seven games. In Rotterdam, the big winner-takes-all game between the Netherlands and Norway begins with some gentle probing by both sides. Everyone getting a nice feel of the ball.

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The Fiver | History repeating itself in more ways than one for Italy

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It was a good evening for the home nations. England fired up the old vidiprinter to tap out some brackets in San Marino, scoring 12 (TWELVE) good goals and being allowed to keep 10 (TEN) of them. Scotland, in an even more impressive display, scored twice against a proper team. But perhaps most entertaining of all was Norn Iron’s goalless draw with the champions of Europe, the initially supercool Roberto Mancini morphing into a fascinating stop-motion study of the Kübler-Ross model of grief, as the realisation that Italy were making an awful balls of Human Rights World Cup qualification yet again spread slowly across his face.

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San Marino 0-10 England: World Cup 2022 qualifier – as it happened

Harry Kane scored four as England clocked up double figures for the first time since 1964 to secure their place at the 2022 World Cup

The teams are out! The anthems play. England are in first-choice white, while San Marino wear a gorgeous one-off kit of orange, white and red, celebrating 90 years of the San Marino FA, and the country’s old flag. The fog that was hanging around for most of the day has thankfully lifted, though apparently one of the floodlights is only working at a quarter of its capacity, so it’s swings and roundabouts. We’ll be off in a minute!

This match is as jeopardy-free as it’s possible for competitive football to get. San Marino are the lowest-ranked country in the European qualifiers. They’ve lost all nine of their Group I fixtures, shipping 36 goals and scoring just the one. They’ve played England on seven previous occasions, England winning by a cumulative score of 42-1. But hey, San Marino will always have Davide Gualtieri and those seven seconds. Everything’s relative, so in the grand scheme of things, we can probably chalk this rivalry up as a draw.

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The Fiver | Dean Smith and the ‘massive hardcore’ of Norwich supporters

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Norwich City get promoted to, and relegated from, the Premier League quite a lot. We would describe them as a yo-yo club, but that suggests a level of dynamism signally lacking. Their antics are less yo and yo, more a long slow circular grind, like an aged dog preparing to lie down in front of the fire at night, or the old well-Brexit Anglia logo. Norwich need snapping out of it, some Quiz of the Week energy, and yes The Fiver is aware these golden-age-of-ITV references are extremely unlikely to land with anyone under the age of 50, but this is who we are, and if the Canaries are allowed to plough the same rut year after interminable year, then The Fiver should get a free pass too.

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World Cup qualifying clockwatch: Wales 5-1 Belarus and more – as it happened

Wales thrashed Belarus in Cardiff to increase their chances of a home tie in the play-offs, while Belgium and world champions France booked their places in Qatar

Wales have been warming up in t-shirts supporting David Brooks and Dan Barden. The Bournemouth midfielder and Livingston goalkeeper are both currently undergoing treatment for cancer. The FAW have joined Tenovus Cancer Care to raise awareness of the charity and its support line. Best wishes to David and Dan.

Wales boss Rob Page speaks to Sky Sports. “We knew there would be a strong possibility that we’d get that play-off place, so we didn’t celebrate it. The plan is to finish second. It could go down to goal difference, so it’s all out for a win tonight. Gareth Bale has done really well to get himself fit, and will get his 100th cap. But our full focus is on the three points, we can celebrate that afterwards. It’s game on.”

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England 5-0 Albania: World Cup qualifying – as it happened

Harry Kane scored a perfect first-half hat-trick as England all but booked their place in Qatar

The teams are out! England wear second-choice blue, while Albania sport their change strip of white. A rare old roar meets the players as they troop out of the tunnel. We’ll be off once the crowd rudely boo the Albanian national anthem. Yep, there they go. Where are our manners? “For God himself proclaim’d / Nations of the earth will be extinguished / And yet Albania will live / For thee, for thee, we fight.” Off in a couple of minutes!

Roy Keane brings more light entertainment to LWT. “Harry Kane has to liven up. He’s got to look at himself and say: get over these disappointments. Listen, he plays for Spurs, he should be used to disappointment. It’s not as if they win stuff.” More comedy up next, with the latest episode of Mind Your Language.

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