Scott Murray's Blog, page 80

April 30, 2021

The Fiver | Household animals cutely peering out of domestic sanitary facilities

As a mere garden-variety email, The Fiver doesn’t technically qualify as a social media. Quibble over the strict definitions all you want, but we simply don’t tick all the boxes. For a start, people read, pay attention to and enjoy social media. Unlike social media, The Fiver cannot slake your thirst for pictures of household animals cutely peering out of domestic sanitary facilities. And there’s no point asking The Fiver to join in the latest late-night reach-around as you all applaud each other’s staggering genius, we’re halfway through this bottle of Fistfight for a start, plus the snooker’s on, and in any case there are plenty of comment writers, panel-show contestants and phone-in hosts out there who will happily field that sort of thing.

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Published on April 30, 2021 06:50

April 28, 2021

PSG 1-2 Manchester City: Champions League semi-final, first leg – as it happened

PSG took the lead but collapsed in the second half, as De Bruyne and Mahrez scored for City before Idrissa Gueye was sent off

Read David Hytner’s match report ‘No cheering’: City players were calm after win, says Guardiola Jamie Jackson’s player ratings from the semi-final first leg Donning a de-thinking cap: read Barney Ronay on Guardiola

12.31am BST

11.36pm BST

11.12pm BST

10.23pm BST

David Hytner’s match report is in. One click and you’re there. Thanks for reading this MBM. Sleep tight!

10.23pm BST

Pep Guardiola speaks. “We started well ... for a lot of our people it was the first time in the semi-finals so they wanted to do it well ... the last ten minutes of the first half was good, and the second half was excellent ... we scored two goals away and that is so important ... but we have a hard job to do in six days ... sometimes you need to be more relaxed, to be more ourselves ... sometimes you do not play free ... we changed the way we pressed, we were more aggressive ... we found the goals and could have scored another one, but I am satisfied with the performance ... we still have 90 minutes to beat them and against a team like PSG anything can happen ... I want us to be ourselves in the second leg.”

10.05pm BST

Kevin De Bruyne talks to BT Sport. “It was a game of two halves. We started well in the first ten minutes and had some control but they are an unbelievable team with great quality up front. it was a shame the way we conceded. After 25 minutes we changed our press and it became better, and the second half was much, much better. The way the first goal goes in was a bit lucky but we played football and yeah, we did well there. The first half we were too rushed, and that’s not the way we are set up as a team. In the second half we tried to find the spaces more patiently. The progression we made as a team was good. There is still a game to go, and we have to concentrate on that. We know there are moments when we will suffer, we know how good they are, but we know we have quality to play good in the second game.”

10.00pm BST

The weird thing was, both of City’s goals had an element of farce about them, PSG’s defence offering up huge gifts tied with pretty bows. Yet they were no more than City deserved for a sensational second-half performance; they turned their press up to 11, and barely allowed PSG’s midfield, never mind their dangerous front three, a kick. What threatened to become an evening to forget was transformed into one of the great European performances in City’s history. The same can be said for PSG, albeit in reverse. They’ll be happy to have limited the damage to 1-2, and will hope their superstars will do a number on City at the Etihad ... where they’ll need to score at least twice. A reminder: City have only conceded four goals in their entire run so far. It promises to be one hell of a second leg, with City so close to their first-ever European Cup / Champions League final!

9.53pm BST

What a second-half display by City, who have one foot in the Istanbul final!

9.52pm BST

90 min +4: De Bruyne has a chance to seriously riff on PSG’s pain, rasping a rising shot just over the bar from distance.

9.52pm BST

90 min +3: Mbappe chases after a long punt down the middle. Dias eases him off the ball, much to the PSG striker’s irritation. He’s not getting the free kick he wants.

9.51pm BST

90 min +2: City sit back and soak up what little PSG throw at them. They’re looking extremely comfortable as they run the clock down.

9.49pm BST

90 min: There will be four added minutes.

9.48pm BST

88 min: A spot of head tennis in the City box comes to nothing. One run from Mbappe apart, the hosts have offered nothing in attack since the break. City have pressed them into irrelevance.

9.47pm BST

86 min: De Bruyne stands on Danilo’s ankle, which turns a little. It’s only a yellow, though PSG want a red. Neymar and Mbappe are especially incensed, and though it’s probably the right decision - it’s not in the same ballpark as the Gueye challenge, as PSG are claiming - you’ve seen red cards shown for less. De Bruyne wisely keeps his counsel.

9.45pm BST

85 min: De Bruyne swings one in from the left. Bakker and Navas confuse each other, the ball sailing just wide right of an unguarded goal. So nearly a more farcical repeat of the equaliser.

9.43pm BST

84 min: Mahrez, out on the right, ripples the side netting. PSG are hanging on by their fingernails.

9.42pm BST

83 min: PSG up their efforts to stem the bleeding by replacing Paredes with Herrera. “Cracking game this! Wish we could have them every week,” writes Thomas Krantz. “Too soon?”

9.41pm BST

82 min: Rodri works his way down the right and stands one up in the middle for ... nobody. A quizzical look as he wonders where his team-mates were there.

9.40pm BST

81 min: This is all City. They could kill this tie tonight if they’re about their business.

9.39pm BST

79 min: Danilo comes on for Di Maria, as PSG try to shore things up and limit the damage tonight.

9.38pm BST

78 min: That was a proper potential leg-breaker of a challenge, though thankfully Gundogan, while in a lot of genuine pain, hasn’t suffered anything too serious and looks able to continue. PSG had lost the collective head, making quite a few petulant challenges, and that was the inevitable outcome.

9.36pm BST

76 min: Gueye slides in recklessly on Gundogan. Studs halfway up the leg. That’s a disgraceful challenge, and the referee doesn’t even wait for VAR. Out comes the red card, and the PSG midfielder can have no complaints whatsoever.

9.35pm BST

75 min: Mahrez crosses from the right. Foden eyebrows goalwards, his flashing header straight at Navas. City are scenting blood here. Another goal is far from a pipe dream, and if they get it, Istanbul will suddenly feel very close indeed.

9.33pm BST

74 min: By way of further illustration at PSG’s sudden disintegration, Neymar is booked for a sly nibble at Dias.

9.32pm BST

73 min: What a turnaround by City. PSG look ragged, and their heads must be addled. From being in control at the break, they’re all over the shop right now.

9.30pm BST

A long debate between De Bruyne and Mahrez. Who will take? De Bruyne, surely. Well, that’s PSG proved wrong, because Mahrez takes a surprise snap shot. His effort flies straight at the wall ... then straight through it! The wall opens up, Paredes and Kimpembe allowing the ball to whistle between them and into the bottom left! Navas is beyond livid with his defenders, and no wonder ... not that City care a jot!

9.28pm BST

70 min: Foden is bundled over by Paredes, and booked for his trouble. This is a free kick in a dangerous, central position, 25 yards out. “PSG are playing like Burnley, albeit with Kylian Mbappe instead of Jay Rodriguez,” argues Gary Naylor.

9.27pm BST

68 min: Neymar and Mbappe have done very little in the second half, and now it’s their turn to cut frustrated figures. Ah the twists and turns of top-class sport!

9.26pm BST

66 min: That’s no more than City deserve for their second-half performance ... and they’d been coming on strong during the final knockings of the first half, too. Credit to Walker, as well, who made that lung-bursting run to earn the corner that led to the equaliser. He won’t get an assist; will a moral one do?

9.24pm BST

The corner on the right is worked out to De Bruyne, deep on the left. He curls deep towards the far post. Nobody gets anything on it ... and the ball flies into the top right, Navas misjudging the situation and reacting far too late. City have their precious away goal!

9.22pm BST

63 min: De Bruyne wins the ball in the middle of the park and drives forward. Walker joins the attack from deep, pelting down the right at warp speed. He’s sent clear into the box, and pulls into the centre. There’s nobody to tap home, and PSG bundle out for a corner. From which ...

9.21pm BST

62 min: Zinchenko replaces Cancelo, who had looked lively since the restart but was on a booking.

9.20pm BST

61 min: A right-wing cross is headed half clear by Kimpembe. The ball drops to De Bruyne, who attempts a spectacular bicycle kick. De Bruyne catches it well, but the ball flies over the bar. So close to a goal for the ages.

9.18pm BST

59 min: ... and here they are, at it again, as Di Maria sashays away from his right-hand corner flag and pearls a pass down the wing for Mbappe. Once again, Ederson saves the day as a no-nonsense sweeper keeper.

9.17pm BST

57 min: That’ll have reminded City of how quickly PSG can hurt them, despite all their territory and possession. It was a rapier-thrust of an attack.

9.15pm BST

56 min: Neymar’s cute flick down the right takes three City men out of the game and sends Mbappe tearing down the right. Mbappe enters the box, drops a shoulder, and fires low across the face of goal. Verratti is inches away from doubling the lead with the tip of his toe, but the ball evades him. Nothing happens at the resulting corner.

9.12pm BST

54 min: Cancelo twists and turns his way down the left. He reaches the byline and dinks infield. An easy claim for Navas, but City continue to impress since the restart.

9.11pm BST

52 min: City have turned their press up to 11 since the restart, and PSG are struggling to get out of their final third. Promising signs for England’s champions-in-waiting, though City started the first half well too, and look how that panned out.

9.08pm BST

50 min: Cancelo is down and rolling around in some pain. Di Maria had a little nibble at him, but there didn’t seem too much in it. As Cancelo screams, referee Felix Brych strolls over and tells him to get up. He gets up.

9.07pm BST

48 min: De Bruyne grooves down the right and attempts a cross, only for the ball to hit Kimpembe and ricochet back off him and out for a corner. But this is a strong start to the second half by City, who will be very much desirous of a precious away goal.

9.05pm BST

47 min: Mahrez wins a free kick out on the right. De Bruyne takes it. Bakker, who had given it away, heads it clear.

9.05pm BST

46 min: Neymar has a bandage on his left elbow, a result of the set-to with Cancelo.

9.03pm BST

City get the second 45 underway. No changes.

9.01pm BST

Half-time postbag. “Guardiola’s going to have to say something pretty special to wake City from their slumber,” argues Colum Fordham. “Neymar and Co are bossing the match and will score more unless City pull their socks up. Foden showed his nerves when he could have scored with a more composed finish. I think City could use some of Aguero’s big match experience. Bring on the Trafford!”

On the subject of young goalkeeper James, here’s Matt Dony: “I hope Trafford’s nickname in the dressing room is Trad Brick. Niche reference!“ Ah, I remember the night Ronarid scored a hat-trick at Trad Brick. Salad days.

8.50pm BST

Half-time entertainment. Chelsea have one foot in the final after last night’s 1-1 draw in Spain, but ... well ... Real Madrid are Real Madrid. Jacob Steinberg reports.

8.47pm BST

Well that flew by ... and the whistle went as City were beginning to impose themselves on the match, finally. That’ll give Guardiola something to riff on during his half-time team-talk. Huge second half coming up. Don’t go anywhere ... like we need to tell you not to go anywhere.

8.45pm BST

45 min: There will be one added minute. Can we have one added hour?

8.45pm BST

44min: On the touchline, Pep throws his hands into the air in frustration. He’ll know his side have been second best so far; he’ll also know that, despite it all, they could easily had scored a couple of precious away goals. This tie is tantalisingly balanced.

8.44pm BST

42 min: Some space for Silva, out on the right. He rolls infield for Foden, who is free on the edge of the PSG box! He should really score, but shoots too close to Navas, who is able to parry the rising shot into the air, then claim.

8.42pm BST

41 min: Florenzi drops a shoulder to make some space in the City box on the right. He can’t quite get a shot away. Neymar comes racing in, hoping to slam home from six yards. He goes over, and wants a penalty, but neither ref nor VAR shows interest in giving it. If anything, his legs got tangled up with his team-mates, though City hearts were in mouths for a couple of seconds there.

8.40pm BST

40 min: Neymar is down again, having been tugged back by Foden then bodychecked by Cancelo. All hard but fair, though it looks as though Neymar hurt his elbow upon landing. Foden comes across to sportingly haul him back up. No hard feelings.

8.38pm BST

38 min: City slow things down with some sterile possession in the midfield. Then suddenly De Bruyne springs, driving down the left and crossing low. Bakker hacks out for a corner that’s punched clear with ease by Navas.

8.37pm BST

36 min: Neymar is absurdly good when he’s on song. Down near his own corner flag on the left, he hoicks a crossfield pass over his shoulder to release Florenzi into space on the right. Florenzi passes long in the hope of releasing Mbappe; City are glad to see Ederson race from his box and slice into the stand. There is surely no way that this game will end 1-0.

8.35pm BST

34 min: Verratti crosses from the right. Mbappe fails to trap the dropping ball; he’d otherwise be clear, 12 yards out. Instead he pulls back for Bekker, whose low drive is blocked. PSG come again, and now it’s Neymar’s turn to fail to control when in space in the City box. This is breathless stuff.

8.33pm BST

32 min: Navas plays a dreadful pass out from the back, allowing Foden to snaffle and make good down the left. He shovels a cross towards Mahrez, who, coming in from the other flank, tries to guide a header back into the top left. Marquinhos heads clear and Navas claims. That’ll give City some succour.

8.31pm BST

31 min: Cancelo earns the first yellow card of this semi-final with an agricultural lunge across Mbappe, who was planning to hare off down the right. City aren’t exactly flapping, but they’ve lost a little of their usual super-cool.

8.30pm BST

30 min: A free kick for City out on the right, and a chance to put some rare pressure on the Parisian defence. De Bruyne swings it in. It’s an easy punch clear for Navas.

8.28pm BST

28 min: Neymar whips this one in from the left. Paredes steers a fine header inches wide of the top-left corner. Had it been on target, Ederson wasn’t getting to that. City are all over the shop at the set pieces.

8.27pm BST

27 min: City aren’t dealing with these corners at all. Di Maria whips it in, perhaps looking to score directly. Ederson is forced to punch out for another corner ... though before it can be taken, VAR looks for something or other, only to find there’s nothing.

8.26pm BST

26 min: PSG stroke it around nicely again, Neymar and Di Maria at the heart of some very pretty patterns. Eventually the pressure earns another corner, out on the right.

8.25pm BST

24 min: A clearing header by Stones drops to Verratti, who should take a speculative first-time whack but doesn’t.

8.24pm BST

23 min: Neymar is down and unhappy, having been clipped by De Bruyne. Just a free kick, which seems about right.

8.22pm BST

21 min: ... and this is much better, as Cancelo, quarterbacking from a deep position on the left, rakes a glorious diagonal towards Silva, who meets the dropping ball on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. He nearly steers an improvised volley home from a tight angle, but Navas is positioned well to turn the ball out for a corner, from which nothing comes. This is a great match.

8.20pm BST

20 min: Mahrez has looked lively, though, and runs again down the right before cutting back for De Bruyne, whose wedge into the box is uncharacteristically aimless. Better from City, though.

8.19pm BST

19 min: Neymar strips Mahrez, who is happy to hear the whistle for a soft foul as the PSG striker makes off towards the goal with Mbappe by his side. The home team are playing with a swagger at the moment. Can City knock them off their stride?

8.18pm BST

17 min: That’s just the fourth goal City have conceded in this competition so far. What an expression of PSG’s potency: it took them just a quarter of an hour.

8.15pm BST

Di Maria whips a flat, vicious corner towards the near post. Marquinhos rises high and flicks a header into the top left. Ederson had absolutely no chance whatsoever. That had been coming.

8.14pm BST

14 min: PSG continue to push City back. Now it’s Di Maria’s turn to have a whack for distance. His shot is deflected out for a corner on the right.

8.13pm BST

13 min: Neymar hits the corner long, finding Mbappe at the far post. Mbappe can’t get a shot away, so pulls back for Florenzi, who shoots low and instigates a game of pinball. The ball breaks to Neymar, whose rising shot is tipped over by Ederson. City deal with the second corner easily enough.

8.12pm BST

12 min: A huge sigh of relief for City. Walker is good to continue, and he’s soon pressed into action again, Di Maria pressing down the left and winning the first corner of the match off the City right-back.

8.11pm BST

11 min: Paredes makes a couple of strong block tackles, first on Walker, then on Gundogan. He wins both, then is fouled by Walker, snapping back from behind. Just a free kick - though had we been an hour in, you wouldn’t be surprised to see a yellow. Walker perhaps gets away with it because he’s hurt himself while making the challenge.

8.09pm BST

9 min: An early pattern seems to be setting, City passing it around a lot, PSG happy to sit back and wait for the opportunity to ping a counter, something they’ve nearly done a couple of times now. Much as we expected, then.

8.07pm BST

7 min: Rodri is nearly caught snoozing in the centre circle again, as Neymar and Mbappe swarm. He clips the ball away to a team-mate just in time, but he could do with waking up.

8.06pm BST

5 min: Di Maria crosses from the PSG right, albeit to nobody. Silva sashays in from the City right, but can’t quite release De Bruyne into the box. This already has the whiff of freewheeling end-to-end entertainment.

8.04pm BST

4 min: Mahrez glides in from the right before slipping a ball down the channel for De Bruyne. For a second, it looks as though the City captain will get a shot away, but Marquinhos is over quickly to intercept. And so both teams have already bared their teeth. More of this, please!

8.03pm BST

2 min: An early warning sign for City, as Rodri loses possession cheaply in the centre circle, allowing Mbappe to step forward and feed Neymar down the inside-left. Neymar enters the box but his shot is half-blocked by Walker and fielded by Ederson.

8.01pm BST

1 min: A very early sortie for Mbappe down the left. He goes nowhere. “I see City have Trafford on the bench,” notes Robert Hanley. “What age is he?” I won’t insult anyone’s intelligence by needlessly finishing that off.

8.00pm BST

PSG kick off ... but only after the players take a knee of respect. There’s no room for racism. Kick it out.

7.57pm BST

The waiting is nearly over ... and the teams are out! Such a shame that the Parc des Princes isn’t packed to the rafters, fans making so much noise you’d swear Serge Blanco was once again romping around with a rooster on his chest, but it is what it is, we’re kind of used to it now, and in any case there’s still a little je ne sais quoi in the air. It’s the last four of the Champions League! The hosts in their traditional colours of dark blue, red and white, City in their famous sky blue. Not long now!

7.48pm BST

Pep Guardiola, relaxed and cheerful, talks to BT Sport. “I over-exaggerated, obviously this is not a friendly game! But the great, great players play with a responsibility, with pressure, like it’s a normal situation. Now we have a plan, like we do for every game, and we will try to be ourselves. If we win, we will have done well, if we don’t, it will be why did we not play with strikers?! We need a type of game with a lot of passes, with the quality to keep it in the right moment, and to defend and attack all together. We don’t want many transitions, because if we don’t finish ours, they can use theirs and they are so, so, so, so dangerous. PSG have to impose the game, especially in the French league; most are so deep they have to find a way to attack them. So they know how to do it. But at the same time, with the pace they have up front, they can punish you.”

7.31pm BST

Pre-match reading. Allow Jonathan Liew to whet the appetite.

The meeting of European football’s two great petrocarbon empires feels ostensibly like a moment for savage lament: to mourn football’s slow capitulation to capital and disdain for human rights, to curse the subversion of the game we all love to forces well beyond our control. Even so, this is a course of action that only really makes sense until about 7.59pm on Wednesday night, at which point all moral resistance feels queerly obsolescent. This fixture is an utter disgrace and I object to it in the strongest possible terms. Peep! Right: come on Neymar, get stuck in, son.

7.02pm BST

Manchester City make four changes from the XI sent out at Wembley to complete the League Cup quadruple on Sunday. Ederson, John Stones, Rodri and Bernardo Silva take the places of Zack Steffen, Aymeric Laporte, Fernandinho and Raheem Sterling, who all drop to the bench. Look at this another way, though, and City make just one change to the team that saw off Borussia Dortmund earlier this month. The only swap: Joao Cancelo for Oleksandr Zinchenko.

The big news for PSG: Kylian Mbappe is fit, having gone off injured in the final minutes of the 3-1 win at Metz last Saturday. Marquinhos also passed a late fitness test.

6.51pm BST

Paris Saint-Germain: Navas, Florenzi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Bakker, Paredes, Gueye, Di Maria, Verratti, Neymar, Mbappe.
Subs: Kehrer, Icardi, Rafinha, Danilo Pereira, Sergio Rico, Kean, Sarabia, Kurzawa, Ander Herrera, Diallo, Draxler, Dagba.

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Joao Cancelo, Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Mahrez, Foden.
Subs: Ake, Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Aguero, Zinchenko, Steffen, Laporte, Torres, Mendy, Fernandinho, Garcia, Trafford.

1.03pm BST

Paris Saint Germain and Manchester City are two of the biggest clubs in the world right now, and the two best teams in this year’s Champions League. This would have made one hell of a final; well, it might just make a semi-final for the ages too.

Both clubs are desperate to finally parlay their 21st-century domestic dominance into Champions League glory. PSG came up short last season, going down in the final to Bayern Munich, and would fancy a crack this year as big-game favourites, which they surely would be against either Chelsea or Real Madrid. City meanwhile need to get over that last-four hurdle for the first time; unlike, say, Reims, Partizan, Panathinaikos, Brugge and Malmo, they’ve yet to contest a European Cup final. That’s a state of affairs they’ll want to address sooner rather than later - and everyone’s said sorry, so let’s not belabour the point - before taking things from there.

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Published on April 28, 2021 14:23

The Fiver | Thinking about running very fast at John Stones from different angles

Manchester City have had an ambivalent relationship with Big Cup from the get-go. In 1968, Malcolm Allison announced City’s arrival on the continental stage with the smooth silver-tongued diplomacy for which he was long renowned. “I think a lot of these foreign people are cowards,” began what appeared to be a thick cloud of cigar smoke sporting an informally angled hat. “They play with a fear of defeat. I promise you that City will attack these people as they haven’t been attacked since the old Real Madrid!” Sure enough, City went out in the first round to Fenerbahce, and didn’t appear in the competition again for another 43 years. Oh Big Mal! How could you?

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Published on April 28, 2021 08:53

April 24, 2021

West Ham 0-1 Chelsea: Premier League – as it happened

Timo Werner scored the only goal of a tight match as Chelsea moved three points clear of the Hammers in the race for a top-four finish

7.55pm BST

Jacob Steinberg was our man at the London Stadium this evening. His report has landed, so get those fingers a-tapping. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!

7.54pm BST

David Moyes gives, under the circumstances, an impressively calm and considered verdict. “We were in it. I didn’t think we played particularly well, certainly in the first half, but we played much better in the second. We showed a bit of character and more desire and we affected them more. But the red card changes the last 10-15 minutes of the game when we were hoping to put them under more pressure. I am pleased the game didn’t get away from us, but we’re feeling a little bit unlucky that we didn’t do a little bit better. The red card is a decision made by someone who has never played the game. I don’t know where Balbuena is supposed to plant his foot. Then if they do think that, Coufal on Rudiger was a very similar challenge but they did nothing about it. So was there a consistent message to both of them? I don’t see how it’s a red card. He’s kicked through the ball, I don’t think for one moment there’s a bit of malice. I thought it was a rubbish decision. We would have had a chance to put them under pressure. We’ll go again, we’re in a decent position, and we’re right in the mix for some form of European football, and I’ll keep pushing to make that the Champions League if we can.”

7.43pm BST

A very content Thomas Tuchel speaks to Sky. “The boys are very happy. It was a great performance, an amazing result and a deserved win for us. The last half an hour was excellent, and the start of the match for a very long time was excellent, so very well deserved. It was very tough to play, but to hurt them with ball possession was hard. We had a good mix between passing and counter-pressing. It reminded me of the Atletico Madrid games, because they had the individual and physical quality to hurt you. Timo Werner could have made it more comfortable, but I am very happy because he played a very good match. He had one or two decisions where he was not precise enough but he had a very good game. We did not talk one word about Super League from Tuesday on. Everyone enjoyed the focus on just the game. I was confident. We have crucial matches in the Premier League, the Champions League and the FA Cup. We can win these matches and deliver. We can trust ourselves. I am happy we came up with an intense performance.” And as for the upcoming semi-final against Real Madrid? “Ha ha! Only easy matches coming up!”

7.34pm BST

Chelsea’s hero Timo Werner talks to Sky. “The second chance I had to score, but to come back slowly with one goal is enough. To score twice today may be too much for the beginning! No, joking. I am very happy that we won this game today, it’s very important in the race for the top four. After waiting for so long, it’s the best feeling to score the goal. It’s really important for me, and I am happy I am back on the scoresheet. It was a really big win, the draw against Brighton was hard for us. We have a lot of strong teams ahead of us, and a big game on Tuesday, so it was really important.”

7.23pm BST

There’s just enough time for Mount to Gazza his way down the left and stand one up for Abraham, who heads over from a couple of yards, and then the whistle goes. A huge smile plays across Thomas Tuchel’s face as his side go three points clear of West Ham in fourth place, while David Moyes storms off under a cloud. I suspect his post-match interview will be interesting, in the wake of Balbuena’s dismissal.

7.21pm BST

90 min +5: A booking for Kante now. Chelsea are not fussed.

7.21pm BST

90 min +4: Mendy is booked for taking a professional amount of time over the resulting goal kick. Meanwhile replays show Coufal hoicking clear under pressure from Rudiger, and his studs landing on the big defender’s thigh. Not a great deal of difference between that and the Balbuena challenge, other than the optics being a bit worse. Who’d be a referee, huh? Never mind a VAR operative.

7.20pm BST

90 min +3: ... and neither, as West Ham stream up the other end, is Benrahma’s long-distance effort.

7.19pm BST

90 min +2: The corner is no good.

7.18pm BST

90 min +1: Mount shoots again from distance, despite having Chilwell in acres on the left. A poor decision, though the shot’s deflected and he wins a corner instead.

7.17pm BST

90 min: There will be five extra minutes.

7.17pm BST

89 min: West Ham’s comeback attempt has been robbed of all momentum by that red card and the Chelsea substitutions.

7.15pm BST

87 min: Now Abraham comes on in slow-motion to replace Werner. Thomas Tuchel is simply pressing his opposite number’s buttons now.

7.15pm BST

86 min: Azpilicueta is replaced by James, and takes his sweet time over departing. When he leaves the field of play, David Moyes offers the Chelsea captain some beneficial advice. Azpilcueta juts out his chest in the classic hold-me-back style. He’s fortunate that someone indeed hauls him away from danger, because while Moyes is 57, with a good quarter of a century on the Chelsea man, you wouldn’t back against him in too many rumbles.

7.12pm BST

85 min: A free kick for Chelsea, the best part of 30 yards out. Mount takes and batters it straight into the wall. Full marks for vaulting ambition, if nothing else.

7.10pm BST

83 min: Johnson comes on for Fredericks. Despite it all, there’s still only one goal in this, and Moyes shouts on some instructions accordingly.

7.09pm BST

81 min: Yep, it’s red. It didn’t look like Balbuena meant it, but his action ultimately put Chilwell in danger. That’s unfortunate, but the referee had little option, though David Moyes certainly doesn’t see it that way. Happily Chilwell is fit to continue.

7.07pm BST

79 min: A VAR check as Balbuena punts clear, his studs then planting on the back of Chilwell’s leg as part of the follow-through. I don’t think it was intentional - and nobody on the pitch is annoyed - but Chilwell’s been hurt, it looks ugly, and there’s a case for saying it was dangerous play anyway. This could be a red card.

7.06pm BST

78 min: Werner snaffles a loose ball and makes it into the West Ham box down the left. He should be shooting, clean through, but hesitates and the chance is gone.

7.04pm BST

77 min: Nothing much happening on the pitch right now, so I can exclusively reveal that Sky Sports co-commentator Chris Coleman has a bad cold. He’s sniffing and snivelling away like a patron of Studio 54 in the late 70s. Someone please, give the poor man a hankie.

7.02pm BST

75 min: West Ham continue to press and harry, but Chelsea look fairly self-assured right now.

7.00pm BST

73 min: Chelsea make their first change. Pulisic makes way for Ziyech.

6.58pm BST

71 min: Fredericks spins Azpilicueta with absurd ease down the left. For a second it looks as though he’ll be romping clear, but Christensen has read the danger well and storms across to win not only the ball but a throw as well.

6.56pm BST

69 min: West Ham make a double change. Fornals and Noble are replaced by Lanzini and Benrahma. David Moyes has clearly decided to go for it.

6.54pm BST

67 min: Werner romps down the right, enters the box, doubles back a little, then spins and smashes a shot towards the bottom right. Fabianski parries well. A fine run by the Chelsea striker, who this season has so often made the difficult look easy and the easy absurdly difficult.

6.52pm BST

65 min: Pulisic dribbles elegantly down the middle, nearly opening West Ham up. He’d have probably found himself free on goal, had Kante opted to return a prompt for a one-two ... but the ball didn’t come back to the USA star, so the move fizzles out.

6.50pm BST

63 min: ... but so is Mount, who curls towards the top right from 25 yards. It requires Fabianski to extend fully, then smother a loose ball from the rebound, to deal with the danger.

6.49pm BST

62 min: Lingard is electric in full flow. He glides down the middle of the park, drawing a couple of men before flicking insouciantly towards Fornals to his left. Fornals has the opportunity to drive at a Chelsea defence that’s been pulled out of shape, but forgets to take the ball with him. West Ham are playing well.

6.48pm BST

60 min: Noble drives down the right and cuts back for Fredericks, who pelts hard towards goal. Christensen blocks bravely. Lingard picks up the rebound and loops a shot towards the top right. It only just sails wide. West Ham have responded really well to nearly going two down.

6.46pm BST

59 min: A West Ham free kick wide on the left. Everyone lines up on the edge of the box in expectation of the long cross. Lingard tries the old Gary McAllister trick, whipping straight for the bottom left. He doesn’t trick Mendy, who gathers a weakly hit shot with ease.

6.44pm BST

57 min: A couple of half-chances for West Ham in quick succession, as Fornals shoots from distance, then Bowen loses control of his feet when in possession 12 yards out. That escape up the other end might have woken the hosts from their slumber.

6.43pm BST

55 min: It should be two. Mount, just to the right of the D, sends a short-backlift shot towards the bottom left. Fabianski sticks out a strong arm to parry at full stretch. It’s a great save, but the ball drops to Werner, who simply has to sidefoot into an unguarded goal ... but opens his body and sends his effort bobbling apologetically wide right! That’s an awful miss. His play today otherwise has been fine. This match has been his up-and-down season in microcosm.

6.40pm BST

53 min: Chelsea wrest control and move play upfield. Mount makes ground down the right and crosses. Coufal hoicks clear. It’s a fairly undistinguished start to the second half, truth be told.

6.38pm BST

51 min: West Ham continue to press Chelsea high. The visitors can’t get out of their final third. It’s like the 10-15 minutes before the Werner goal again.

6.37pm BST

50 min: West Ham clip it around crisply, though they don’t really go anywhere in particular.

6.35pm BST

48 min: Mount spins Ogbonna and threatens to zip clear down the middle. Ogbonna does extremely well to extend a leg and respond with a last-ditch block to hook the ball away from the Chelsea midfielder.

6.33pm BST

46 min: West Ham are on the front foot quickly. Some space for Bowen down the right. He loops high into the centre. Mendy rises through the half-time bubbles to claim.

6.31pm BST

West Ham get the second half underway. No changes.

6.20pm BST

Half-time entertainment. Here comes Ringmaster Perez and the rest of the circus.

6.17pm BST

West Ham amble off in a mild funk, Timo Werner having instigated a fine smash and grab at the end of a half the hosts were beginning to dominate. It’s only Werner’s second goal in the last 23 Premier League matches. Some time to get it!

6.16pm BST

45 min: That was a really slick move from Chelsea, who rope-a-doped West Ham upfield, then delivered a rapier thrust. There will be one extra minute of this first half.

6.15pm BST

West Ham had been bossing it of late, but Chelsea sucker-punch them as Werner comes alive. And how! He battles Ogbonna in the centre of the park and spins, rolling a pass wide left for Pulisic, who shuttles on for Chilwell. The full back cuts back towards Werner, who having started the move, kept on trucking. He arrives in the box and slaps a confident sidefoot into the bottom right!

6.12pm BST

41 min: Lingard spins in the centre of the park and tears down the middle. He’s got options either side, with Fornals free down the left and Bowen in acres on the right. So Christensen does what he has to do, placing a cynical hand on both of Lingard’s shoulders, and taking a booking for the team.

6.10pm BST

40 min: West Ham have enjoyed 60 percent of possession since the half-hour mark, which is some old swing since 29 mins, when Chelsea were on 73 percent for the entire game.

6.09pm BST

39 min: That’s no good either. Even so, West Ham will be happy with this, pinning Chelsea back for the first time this evening. It’s a good period for the hosts.

6.08pm BST

38 min: But the hosts come again and win their third corner of the match, down the right. Bowen to take.

6.08pm BST

37 min: The resulting corner is a waste of time and energy.

6.07pm BST

36 min: The free kick’s flung into the mixer. After some head tennis, Soucek flicks goalwards, aiming for the bottom left. Azpilicueta chests down and bundles the ball out for a corner. Mr VAR checks for a penalty, because of course he does, a suggestion that Azpilicueta guided the ball onto his own arm. But no.

6.06pm BST

35 min: That might change now, as Werner slides in on the in-flight Lingard from behind. A booking, and a free kick out on the left. West Ham line up on the edge of the Chelsea box.

6.05pm BST

34 min: Noble shimmies down the middle before sending the ball wide right for Coufal, who shakes his hips before whipping a cross into the mixer. Chelsea deal with it well, though that was a nice build-up from West Ham, who have yet to make any attempt on goal whatsoever.

6.03pm BST

33 min: Rudiger channels his inner Beckenbauer and strides down the inside-left channel. He slips a pass wide left for Chilwell, whose dinked cross only just eludes Werner in the middle. Signs that after a quiet period, Chelsea are beginning to ask some questions again.

6.02pm BST

31 min: Mount meanders down the right and rolls infield for Werner, who has his back to goal. He spins and shoots, but it’s always going high and wide right. For a brief second there, West Ham were exposed.

6.01pm BST

30 min: Mount and Diop get involved in a petulant shoving match over a free kick in the middle of the park. It all calms down quickly enough. Nothing else is happening.

5.59pm BST

29 min: Chelsea have enjoyed 73 percent of the possession so far. They’ve done very little with it since those early exchanges.

5.58pm BST

28 min: A West Ham clearance nearly turns into a killer through ball, Bowen chasing it down the middle. He’d be free, had Mendy not spotted the danger early, racing from his box and heading clear.

5.56pm BST

26 min: Fredericks threatens to tear clear of Azpilicueta down the left, but the Chelsea captain sticks in a toe to deflect out for a corner. From the set piece, Chelsea threaten to break up the other end, but Mount runs down a dead end on the left wing.

5.54pm BST

24 min: Fourth and fifth are cancelling each other out right now.

5.52pm BST

22 min: It’s a non-event. Like West Ham before them, Chelsea must wait a little longer for their tenth goal of the season from a corner.

5.52pm BST

21 min: Werner dribbles back and forth across the front of the West Ham box. He works just enough space to shoot, and his low drive is deflected out for a corner on the right.

5.50pm BST

19 min: The game suddenly becomes extremely scrappy. Periods of possession longer than two seconds come at a premium right now.

5.48pm BST

17 min: Chelsea pass and probe, probe and pass. Finally Jorginho swings one in from the right. Werner rises but is beaten to the header by Balbuena.

5.46pm BST

15 min: Werner grooves his way down the right and pulls back for Pulisic, racing in to meet the low cross, 12 yards out. He sidefoots towards the bottom right, but not particularly powerfully, and it’s an easy claim for Fabianski.

5.45pm BST

14 min: Fredericks is sent scampering down the left at speed. He’s only got Bowen up with him, though, and he’s surrounded by four blue shirts. So Fredericks opts to go it alone instead. His shot from a tight angle is fierce, but always rising over the bar.

5.43pm BST

13 min: A free kick out on the West Ham right. Bowen swings it into the box. Soucek competes aerially with Christensen but loses out. Chelsea clear their lines. West Ham have worked their way into this match after a cold start.

5.42pm BST

11 min: West Ham win the first corner of the evening down the right. Bowen takes; Mendy claims easily. It’s slightly surprising that the delivery was so bad: no team has scored more goals from corners this season than West Ham (nine). That’s a record shared by Chelsea, by the way. Plenty of excitement to come this evening from the old set pieces, you’d imagine.

5.40pm BST

10 min: Up the other end, Mount makes himself some space for a shot just to the right of the D. Fabianski smothers, helped by the fact it was straight at him.

5.39pm BST

9 min: West Ham surround Chilwell in the centre circle to win the ball. Bowen tears forward with Lingard just to his left. He should release his team-mate, but delays the pass unnecessarily, and when it finally comes, Lingard is offside. A dangerous situation wasted.

5.37pm BST

7 min: West Ham steady the ship a little, in so much as their high press keeps Chelsea in their own half awhile. But the visitors are still hogging possession.

5.36pm BST

5 min: Azpilicueta tears down the right and crosses. The ball is spectacularly cleared by the horizontal Ogbonna. It’s a fast start by the visitors. West Ham have hardly had a touch during these opening exchanges.

5.34pm BST

4 min: Some space for Mount down the right. He cuts back from the byline and finds Werner, who aims a first-time riser towards the top left. Always wide and high, but it was a tricky chance and the build-up was swift and smooth.

5.32pm BST

2 min: A fairly quiet start on a sunny evening. Chelsea have seen more of the ball.

5.30pm BST

Chelsea get the ball rolling ... but only after everyone takes a knee of love, solidarity, fairness and respect. There’s no room for racism. Challenge it. Report it. Change it. Kick it out.

5.27pm BST

The teams are out! West Ham wear their claret , Chelsea their royal blue. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes, after a quick blow of those pretty bubbles.

5.16pm BST

Moyes has also been talking to Sky Sports. “We’ve got a tough game against a really tough side, but it’s a challenge and we’re going to try to take it on. We want to do well, but there was much more pressure last year than this. But we want to play well and finish on a high. We beat Chelsea here 3-2 last season, probably to stay up, so if we could do that again it’d be very good. Injuries are part and parcel of football at all clubs, but undoubtedly we’re short at this present time. Chelsea look as though they’re playing in a really good style, they’re in the semi-finals of the Champions League and the FA Cup final, they’re not only a top side but a top squad. They’re able to change their players around quite a bit and keep them fresh. But if we play them as well as we did last year, we’ll be happy.”

5.10pm BST

On the subject of super leagues ... West Ham boss David Moyes has been thinking.

5.08pm BST

Chelsea honeymooner Thomas Tuchel tells Sky how he put the Super League nonsense to the back of his mind. “We took the normal approach before the game. Me, personally, I switched off all internet around me, no news, no football after the Tuesday game. So totally normal approach. Business as usual. Big game coming up. It’s big but not decisive, and if you see the schedule we have, nothing is decided after this match. But we want the three points. We know how hard it is but we are prepared for that. We have a good record in away matches and we know we have to deliver a top performance.”

4.37pm BST

West Ham make two changes to the team that lost at Newcastle last weekend. Fabian Balbuena and Ryan Fredericks replace Ben Johnson and the suspended Craig Dawson.

Chelsea make six alterations to the team that drew listlessly with Brighton. Edouard Mendy, Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell, N’Golo Kante and Timo Werner replace Kepa, Kurt Zouma, Marcos Alonso, Reece James, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz.

4.32pm BST

West Ham United: Fabianski, Diop, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Coufal, Noble, Soucek, Fredericks, Fornals, Lingard, Bowen.
Subs: Yarmolenko, Benrahma, Lanzini, Alves, Johnson, Trott, Randolph, Odubeko, Coventry.

Chelsea: Mendy, Christensen, Thiago Silva, Rudiger, Azpilicueta, Kante, Jorginho, Chilwell, Mount, Pulisic, Werner.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Alonso, Abraham, Zouma, Hudson-Odoi, Ziyech, Gilmour, James, Havertz.

10.55am BST

Just six games of the season remaining, and a top-four finish within touching distance: it would be a huge match whoever was contesting it. But the participation of West Ham United adds a little extra spice. They were nobody’s pre-season pick for a run at the Champions League places, but look at where the rejuvenated David Moyes has got them. This is on!

They’re good enough to make it … but can they hold their nerve? Tonight’s opponents Chelsea have been around this particular block on many an occasion; this is virgin territory for the Hammers, whose previous high watermark in the top flight was third in pre-Champions League 1986. They lost their last fixture at Newcastle United, were beaten 3-0 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in December, and will be without the influential trio of Declan Rice, Michail Antonio and Craig Dawson this evening. On the other hand, Chelsea have a massive Champions League semi against Real Madrid coming up on Tuesday evening, and lost this fixture rather spectacularly last season. So good luck calling this. It’s on!

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Published on April 24, 2021 11:55

Liverpool 1-1 Newcastle United: Premier League – as it happened

Joe Willock equalised deep into injury time, edging Newcastle further away from trouble, as Liverpool’s top-four hopes took another late blow

2.53pm BST

No word from Steve Bruce, though you can probably guess his mood. But never mind! Andy Hunter was at Anfield, and his match report has landed. Get that finger a-clicking! Thanks for reading this MBM, and see you later hopefully for West Ham v Chelsea.

2.50pm BST

To further illustrate Klopp’s point, BT Sport offer up a pithy stat. Liverpool have had 146 attempts on goal at Anfield in 2021; they’ve scored four times. That’s a 2.7 percent conversion rate!

2.47pm BST

A glum but realistic Jurgen Klopp reacts. “I don’t think you can create much more chances, better chances. But we don’t finish the game off. We didn’t play enough. We have to keep going, keep playing. But we kept them alive. And they deserved the goal because they scored before. It is another one with the new rules, unlucky for Wilson but it is hand ball, and we don’t even take this present. We were lucky with that decision, but gave another chance away and it makes no sense. It’s really tough to take. Why it happened, I don’t know. How it looked, I saw: you just have to keep the ball. In a specific way, we don’t fight enough. We had 70 percent of the ball and should have 80, we created a lot of chances. So we had to create more and use them. But we don’t do that well at the moment. It feels like a defeat. But if you deserve it, you deserve it. I didn’t see us that we deserved today to play Champions League next year. But we will see what we can do. In a few days [laughs wearily] we will play Man United which will be a tough one as well. But we learn ... or we don’t play Champions League. That’s it.”

2.35pm BST

Liverpool move into sixth place, on 54 points. That’s one ahead of Spurs, but they’re still a point behind Chelsea and West Ham, who play out their extra game later this evening. Liverpool have now shipped four precious points late on in their last two games, and while their top-four hopes aren’t yet extinguished, this week has been a huge blow. And that’s before we even get to that ESL nonsense! Newcastle meanwhile consolidate 15th spot, on 36 points; they’re now nine clear of the dropzone, having played the same number of matches as 18th-placed Fulham. A great day for Steve Bruce, not so much for Jurgen Klopp.

2.31pm BST

That’s almost certainly put an end to Liverpool’s hopes of salvaging something from their season with a top-four finish. They couldn’t get that crucial second goal, despite carving out a plethora of opportunities, and Newcastle deservedly punished them. The hosts were even thrown a huge lifeline with a contentious late VAR decision that ruled out Wilson’s late goal, but couldn’t take advantage, and they were sent spinning with the last kick of the game. “I’m happy to help the team,” says the Newcastle hero Joe Willock. “Apart from the sloppy goal we gave away, the boys did well again. I’m just trying to give my best. I’m really enjoying my football at Newcastle. I’m not too sure about the VAR decision, but we didn’t lose confidence. It shows how much we’ve grown in the last two weeks. What we are showing on the pitch is brilliant and if it continues we are safe for sure.”

2.25pm BST

Liverpool had all those chances ... and now look! Willock celebrates wildly as Salah storms down the tunnel in despair. No more than both teams deserve, for wildly differing reasons.

2.24pm BST

What drama here! A simple long ball ins’t cleared. Gayle heads down into the path of Willock, whose shot is deflected past Alisson and into the corner!

2.23pm BST

90 min +4: That’s a huge decision, and one that could have saved Liverpool’s hopes of a top-four finish. It was probably the correct decision, but it’s so unfortunate for Newcastle.

2.22pm BST

VAR saves Liverpool! The ball sprung up off Alisson onto the top of Wilson’s arm. The goal’s chalked off!

2.21pm BST

This had been coming! Wilson is sent scampering down the middle! He beats Kabak and Alexander-Arnold and shoots at Alisson, who parries. The ball pings up towards Wilson, who bundles over!

2.19pm BST

90 min +1: Ritchie crosses from the left. Willock heads over from ten yards. Liverpool are hanging on here.

2.19pm BST

90 min: Murphy works his way down the right, reaches the byline, and stands one up for three team-mates in the middle. Fabinho flicks over for a corner, under severe pressure, and nothing comes from the set piece. There will be four added minutes.

2.18pm BST

89 min: Newcastle suddenly spring out from the back, with Saint-Maximin preparing to launch a speedy counter down the left. Fabinho comes across and executes the perfect cynical body-check. He happily takes the booking for the team. Newcastle, as you can imagine, are far from pleased.

2.16pm BST

88 min: Liverpool calm it down with some sterile possession.

2.15pm BST

87 min: Some nervous head tennis in the Liverpool box suggests the hosts know full well that this is not yet over.

2.15pm BST

86 min: Thing is, this surely can’t end 1-0, can it? So many opportunities, so many chances. Mainly for the hosts, but Newcastle have had their moments. Which way is this going, then?

2.13pm BST

85 min: Almiron makes way for Gayle, who famously did for Liverpool’s hopes in 2014 while at Crystal Palace. Those in the away end at Selhurst Park that day are permitted one large shudder.

2.12pm BST

84 min: Now it’s Almiron’s turn to go down with cramp. Bulk order of salt for St James’ Park, please!

2.11pm BST

82 min: Firmino barges his way through a couple of challenges down the inside-left channel, but his subsequent pass forward for Mane has too much juice, and Fernandez can shepherd it out for a goal kick.

2.09pm BST

81 min: ... Milner shoots again from distance, but Liverpool’s 21st attempt sails straight at Dubravka, who claims confidently.

2.09pm BST

80 min: Alexander-Arnold finds Mane down the left with a glorious rake. Mane shoots low, towards the bottom left. Dubravka palms wide. From the corner, Milner’s shot is deflected and loops out for a corner on the right. And from that ...

2.08pm BST

79 min: Milner, Firmino and Salah combine crisply to open up Newcastle down the right. Milner, in space just to the right of the six-yard box, chips delicately towards the far stick, but it’s a couple of inches too high for Mane, who can only eyebrow the ball away from goal.

2.05pm BST

77 min: Thiago, who has been excellent today, makes way for Jones.

2.04pm BST

75 min: Alexander-Arnold’s free kick pings off the wall and out for a corner. Roberson takes. Fernandez heads clear. Thiago meets the dropping ball on the edge of the D, cushioning it to Alexander-Arnold, who volleys a Le Tissieresque screamer inches wide of the top left. So close to a goal for the ages!

2.02pm BST

74 min: Longstaff plays a dismal pass out from the back. Mane intercepts and slips Salah into space down the right. Salah enters the box but only ruffles the side netting. Newcastle learn nothing, shipping possession cheaply again, and this time Thiago is barged over by Saint-Maximin. Free kick, in Alexander-Arnold Country, just to the left of centre, 25 yards out.

2.01pm BST

73 min: Fernandez goes down with cramp, then after a good old rub, gets back up again.

2.00pm BST

72 min: A lull! A lull? Yep, a lull. Strange times.

1.58pm BST

70 min: Ritchie shovels a pass down the left for Wilson, who is offside this time, but is clearly bothering the Liverpool back line.

1.58pm BST

69 min: Almiron threads a lovely pass down the right for Wilson, who takes his first run at the Liverpool defence. He spreads the play wide left for Ritchie, who can’t find anyone in the centre. Alexander-Arnold blocks and clears. But that’s better from Newcastle, who had gone quiet for a bit.

1.56pm BST

68 min: Salah plays a cute reverse pass down the right channel to release Milner, who should stride on and take a whack, but unselfishly opts for a quick return pass. The move breaks down and the Toon clear their lines.

1.55pm BST

66 min: Corner for Liverpool on the right. Alexander-Arnold takes. Dummett clears. At long last, this game has calmed down a bit. Meanwhile Jon Collin writes: “I applaud Mr Millings for playing fast and loose with the definition of ‘best XI’ in order to shoehorn Randi Q. Sexhair in there.”

1.53pm BST

65 min: Willock comes on for Clark, as Steve Bruce responds to his opposite number’s midfield-bolstering antics.

1.53pm BST

64 min: Robertson advances and whistles a low diagonal shot inches wide of Newcastle’s right-hand post.

1.52pm BST

63 min: Liverpool stroke it around, but without the speed and precision of the first half. “See, this is why you need the Super League,” begins Paul Griffin. “Libpool are dominating the game but not killing it off, and their wastefulness is risking John W Henry’s earnings before tax, interest, depreciation and amortisation. The boot room would surely have concurred.”

1.51pm BST

61 min: Shelvey plays a strange pass back to Dubravka from deep inside Liverpool’s half! The keeper struggles to control the bouncing ball, and is nearly robbed by Mane, but the bounce is kind to Newcastle and the ball deflects away to safety. That was all fairly odd. A weird decision by the Newcastle captain.

1.48pm BST

60 min: Callum Wilson, who led Everton a merry dance on Merseyside earlier this year, replaces Joelinton.

1.47pm BST

58 min: Jurgen Klopp decides to tighten things up a bit. Off goes Jota, who has been uncharacteristically profligate today. On comes former Newcastle midfielder James Milner.

1.45pm BST

57 min: And so it continues. Alexander-Arnold curls in from the right. The ball drops to Firmino, who creams one goalwards from a tight angle on the right. Dubravka parries well.

1.44pm BST

55 min: A simple ball down the middle, and Liverpool are exposed. Joelinton enters the area and blasts a low, hard shot straight at Alisson. This second half has picked up where the first half left off, open as you like, with a basketball rhythm.

1.41pm BST

53 min: Shelvey crosses from the right. Alexander-Arnold wins the aerial challenge, but bundles Joelinton over in doing so. Newcastle claim loudly for a penalty, but they’re never getting one for that.

1.39pm BST

51 min: Shelvey scoops a fine pass down the inside-right channel for Joelinton. He’s clear, but can’t reach the ball in time, Alisson coming out to smother at his feet and paw it away.

1.38pm BST

50 min: Some space for Saint-Maximin down the left, but there’s nobody infield to look for. He eventually runs out of road and whips into Alisson’s grateful arms.

1.36pm BST

48 min: Salah works his way infield from the right and feeds Firmino, who spins on the right-hand edge of the Newcastle D and shoots towards the bottom right. It’s an easy claim for Dubravka.

1.35pm BST

Newcastle get the second half underway. No changes. Meanwhile here’s Shaun Wilkinson: “In response to Digvijay Yadav, the first 4-3 was every bit as good as people say. The one in the following season, on the other hand, was a poor game. Liverpool went 3-0 up without breaking sweat, then decided the game was over and before you knew it, it was 3-3. 60 seconds of injury time went up on the board, but after 90 seconds, Liverpool scored and the ref blew for full-time as soon as Newcastle kicked off again. I’m not bitter though.” We were all getting ready for a third 4-3 in a row, too, but then Princess Diana died the night before and the match was postponed. When it was finally rescheduled a few months later, it was a tedious 1-0 win for Liverpool.

1.29pm BST

Some more half-time entertainment, courtesy of everyone’s favourite Saturday morning layabout, Mac Millings. “I’ve taken the best XI from these two sides, and turned them into a Liverpool-Newcastle anagram XI. I’ve no idea why. Bonus points if you can work out who’s who, or something.

1.24pm BST

Just like the Oscar Peterson Trio, we get requests. “For those of us too young to remember the 4-3, can you please confirm whether it is all that it’s cracked up to be or is it one of those games whose reputation is embellished by the passage of time?” asks Digvijay Yadav. Your wish is my command, Digvijay. So, for your entertainment and edification, there’s this ...

1.19pm BST

How is this only 1-0? There is no logical explanation. Liverpool have passed up an absurd number of chances ... but Newcastle could easily have notched two or three themselves. Great fun. More please!

1.17pm BST

45 min +1: Jota crosses from the left. Mane heads wide. This is getting old.

1.16pm BST

45 min: There will be two extra minutes. Time for six or seven more chances, then. “It says something about the nature of Liverpool’s season that I’m increasingly convinced Newcastle are going to equalise in the 85th minute, if not before,” sighs Tony Barr. “Probably Shelvey from 30 yards. I was going to make a reference to him shying away from crosses, but not sure how many Athletico Mince listeners are in today.”

1.15pm BST

44 min: Salah bustles down the middle and feeds Alexander-Arnold on the right. Alexander-Arnold whips a low cross towards Mane, who falls backwards as he sidefoots wide right from ten yards. Another fine chance goes begging.

1.12pm BST

42 min: This could quite feasibly be 4-3 already, you know.

1.12pm BST

40 min: The number of chances Liverpool have passed up is becoming preposterous. Salah, sent clear down the right by Alexander-Arnold, rolls infield to tee up Mane on the penalty spot. He’s one on one with Dubravka, and inexplicably gifts the keeper the ball as he tries to round him in super slo-mo.

1.11pm BST

39 min: Incidentally, Jota and Murphy have fallen out, after toppling on top of each other, Jota standing on Murphy’s thigh, Murphy on Jota’s chest. The referee waves play on, but let’s keep an eye on this duel.

1.09pm BST

38 min: It’s end-to-end entertainment. Up one end, Firmino nearly gets a header on goal; up the other, Joelinton is denied a free run at Alisson by Alexander-Arnold’s telescopic leg. Then yet another chance for Jota, who one-twos with Firmino down the right before wafting a shot straight at the keeper. How on earth is this still only 1-0?

1.07pm BST

36 min: From a tight spot on the left, Firmino flicks a gorgeous ball down the middle to release Salah on goal. Salah never quite gets the ball under control, though he should still have scored. But he shoots straight at Dubravka, who nevertheless saves brilliantly. He shouldn’t have been given the chance.

1.06pm BST

35 min: Liverpool have had 83 percent possession during the last five minutes. And yet Newcastle look dangerous every time they nick the ball and attempt to break. Liverpool are in fear of Saint-Maximin, and who could ever blame them?

1.04pm BST

33 min: Jota, Mane and Thiago draw some pretty triangles down the middle. They nearly open Newcastle up, but the visitors hold firm. This is a lovely free-flowing game, both sides looking more than capable of troubling the other.

1.02pm BST

31 min: Saint-Maximin is basically unplayable when he gets going. Here he is, surrounded by four red shirts ... and he still wins the throw! He’s such an entertaining player. Liverpool are only just keeping him at arm’s length.

1.00pm BST

29 min: From 12 yards, Jota scuffs his third chance in quick succession wide left. What a chance to double Liverpool’s lead! It came about as Clark faffed around in the grand style while playing out from the back, gifting the hosts possession.

12.59pm BST

27 min: An awful lot of space for Salah down the right. He slides a pass inside for Mane, who spins and sends a diagonal low shot wide left. There’s a deflection, so it’s a corner, but thankfully nothing comes of that, because it looked like Mane was well offside in the build-up. No controversy here!

12.57pm BST

26 min: Saint-Maximin breezes forward again, with Joelinton and Almiron in attendance and Liverpool light at the back. But communication breaks down and everyone gets in each other’s way. The ball breaks through for Alisson to claim.

12.55pm BST

25 min: The ball hits Clark’s arm in the Newcastle box. Salah wants a penalty, but nobody else is particularly interested.

12.54pm BST

24 min: Another chance for Jota, who meets Mane’s left-wing cross with his shin, the ball sailing softly into Dubravka’s arms.

12.53pm BST

23 min: Thiago threads a forensic pass down the middle to find Salah on the edge of the Newcastle box. Salah tees up Jota, who blazes over the bar. That would have been a hell of a goal.

12.52pm BST

21 min: From the resulting corner, Clark heads the ball into the net. But he was one of three players offside, and one of the others had blocked Alisson illegally. This is impressive pressure from the visitors.

12.51pm BST

20 min: Shelvey shovels a long pass down the inside-left for Longstaff, who is clear on goal! But he can’t quite sort his feet, and though he gets a shot away, it’s parried well by Alisson.

12.50pm BST

19 min: Saint-Maximin is a constant threat. He drops a shoulder to ease past Salah down the left, then whistles in a dangerous cross. Kabak hacks clear. Newcastle have responded really well to going behind.

12.49pm BST

18 min: Kabak barrels into the back of Saint-Maximin. Just a garden-variety foul, nothing more, though Newcastle’s players take the opportunity to remind the ref that Kabak has already been booked, piling the pressure on the young defender. A fair chance we’ll see him walking at this rate.

12.48pm BST

16 min: Jurgen Klopp’s not happy. Jota took a forearm in the chops when coming second best in an aerial duel with Fernanedez. That was ... interesting. You could read that as accidental. You could also read it as needlessly aggressive. He’s booked for it, though Klopp wants red. VAR sticks with the onfield decision.

12.47pm BST

15 min: Some good news for Newcastle: Saint-Maximin looks to have run off that early knock. And here he is, flicked free down the right by Longstaff. Saint-Maximin cuts back. Fabinho intercepts, though he sends the ball back towards the goal. Fortunately for Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold is on the line to clear, and it turns out Saint-Maximin was offside anyway.

12.44pm BST

13 min: Alexander-Arnold, quarterbacking from a deep position on the right, curls towards Mane in the middle. Mane flicks over Dubravka, but only into the stand behind. Turns out he’s offside anyway, though Newcastle were worryingly open through the middle there.

12.42pm BST

11 min: Saint-Maximin limps off, then jogs back on. He’s not moving in his usual smooth style.

12.40pm BST

10 min: Saint-Maximin stays down awhile, having taken quite a whack. He gets up after some pressure, but he’s limping gingerly. He doesn’t look happy at all.

12.40pm BST

9 min: Saint-Maximin drops a shoulder to make some space down the middle. It’s a fine run, and he’s brought down in full flight by Kabak, who goes into the book and faces a testing afternoon now.

12.38pm BST

7 min: Liverpool get the ball back and continue to pass and probe. This is a lively start from the hosts, who have enjoyed 73 percent possession so far.

12.38pm BST

5 min: Newcastle try to respond immediately, Saint-Maximin testing Kabak down the left and earning a corner. Nothing comes of it, but there’s early promise of a cracking match. Robbie Fowler opened the scoring in 1996 at the same end, early doors. Just saying.

12.35pm BST

This is one hell of a finish. Mane sashays down the inside-left channel and dinks inside. Firmino challenges for a header six yards out, but Clark eyebrows it on. It drops to Salah, on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. He takes a gentle touch to trap, swivels Ritchie, and unleashes an unstoppable rising shot into the top right. Wow.

12.32pm BST

2 min: It’s a lovely sunny day at Anfield. Liverpool quickly establish a modicum of control, stroking it around the middle of the park, just so everyone can get an early feel.

12.31pm BST

1 min: In this first half, Newcastle are kicking towards a Kop stripped of a few of its banners, which have been returned to their owners as requested in the wake of The Nonsense.

12.30pm BST

Liverpool get the ball rolling ... but only after everyone takes a knee of love, solidarity, fairness and respect. There’s no room for racism. Challenge it. Report it. Change it. Kick it out.

12.27pm BST

The teams are out. It’s a classic old-school look, as Liverpool wear their storied red while Newcastle sport those famous black and white stripes. We’ll be off after a quick blast of You’ll Never Walk Alone.

12.19pm BST

Some transfer news to whet the appetite, courtesy of Fabrizio Romano. Here he goes!

12.16pm BST

BT have a word with Steve Bruce, smooth politician. “Whenever you come here, it’s in the air that it’s a big place. So it’s always going to be difficult. But if you’ve got something about you, you’ll enjoy taking it on. They’re still the champions, they’re a wonderful club, with history, it’s one of the big ones when you enjoy coming. I’m sure they’ve had a difficult week but they’ll want to put it behind them with a decent performance today. Just at the right time, we’ve got a few people back, which has certainly helped us, and in the last few weeks we’ve found that resilience you need when you’re up against it. Back-to-back wins have been vitally important to us. The return of Saint-Maximin and Wilson has given everyone a lift. The starting team have done very well of late, so I’ve kept to those who have done very well.”

12.06pm BST

Klopp, ever the professional, segues seamlessly into football chat. “Nobody can not talk about [the ESL], it feels like. But we are the department who has to play football as well, and that’s what we try to do today. If we don’t defend at the highest level, it will be really dumb [but] there is a moment now where the [attackers] are all fit so we have to give that a try. Milly played a lot of games. That’s the only change and the rest hopefully show some good football.”

11.55am BST

That interview was, naturally, followed by a long segment featuring three pundits discussing the matter in-depth while frowning earnestly. Meanwhile outside Anfield, fans applaud the team bus while demanding FSG do one ...

11.47am BST

Jurgen Klopp, talking to BT Sport, comes out swinging on the subject of the ESL fiasco. “It hurt a lot. The thing was, yes, our owners made a mistake. We said it often enough, they know it. What I didn’t like - and Leeds supporters were a good example, they’re not worse than others or better than others - it’s just that they went on us. We had nothing to do with that. We are just the faces of the club. Just as our supporters had nothing to do with that obviously, but other teams are saying: you were in that. No they were not. We were not. We had not even an idea, we didn’t even know about it, so we had nothing to do with that. It is really important we don’t forget that. It is constantly mentioned Liverpool Football Club; no it was not Liverpool Football Club, it was representatives of Liverpool Football Club, we have to make a difference, that’s really very important. I see the pictures of Arsenal and Chelsea, you all have to calm down, three journalists on Sky talking all day about it, it’s winding up people, we are still in a pandemic, people without facemasks shouting their opinion out, all the pundits have to calm down a little. Yes, nobody wanted it, definitely, but let’s deal with it and not constantly show: yes, we didn’t want it. It’s all clear now, and the people who made the decision learned the lesson, I am 100 percent sure. So just relax a little bit, because we have to carry on. And that’s what we try now.”

11.37am BST

Liverpool make one change to the team that drew at Leeds on Monday, and it’s an attacking one. Mohamed Salah takes the place of James Milner, which means the home side are really going for this, with all four of their big-name attackers starting. Nat Phillips is still injured, so Fabinho partners Ozan Kabak in the centre of defence.

Meanwhile it’s not often Steve Bruce has had the opportunity to hit the big If It Ain’t Broke button this season. He does so this morning, naming the same Newcastle XI who beat West Ham last weekend. Jonjo Shelvey returns to his old stomping ground as captain.

11.32am BST

Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Kabak, Robertson, Thiago, Wijnaldum, Salah, Jota, Mane, Firmino.
Subs: Milner, Keita, Adrian, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jones, Tsimikas, Shaqiri, Rhys Williams, Neco Williams.

Newcastle United: Dubravka, Murphy, Fernandez, Clark, Dummett, Ritchie, Sean Longstaff, Shelvey, Almiron, Saint-Maximin, Joelinton.
Subs: Carroll, Gayle, Wilson, Lewis, Hendrick, Krafth, Manquillo, Willock, Gillespie.

10.52am BST

This is one of those fixtures that needs no introduction. All you need is this …

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Published on April 24, 2021 06:53

April 23, 2021

Arsenal 0-1 Everton: Premier League – as it happened

Bernd Leno’s awful error decided a poor match, as fans gathered outside to protest Arsenal’s part in the Super League fiasco

10.26pm BST

Nick Ames was at the Emirates tonight. His report is in, so you know the drill: clickity click! Thanks for reading this report. Nighty night!

10.25pm BST

Mikel Arteta is livid. “There are certain things we cannot control. We can control the performance, I think we were the better team on the pitch. But there are certain decisions we cannot control and last week it was exactly the same thing. To disallow a goal 15 seconds before, eight or nine touches, I saw it ten times, I cannot see it. but you can draw the line however you want, how thick you want, I don’t get it. The lottery can be taken away, but they won’t. Zero control. There is an offside that is two metres offside that goes to a corner and they score from it. Somebody has to explain that. It’s an own goal, we know we have to do better. We were the better team and did not deserve to lose the game. We did not have enough threat to open them up and they were very well organised but when we had the penalty it wasn’t given. Our home form is terrible, unacceptable. We have to rest, analyse and focus. We know what the semi means for us, and the consequence it will have at the end of the season.”

10.13pm BST

Don Carlo talks to Sky. “It was a good, important result. We are still attached to the top of the table. It is what we needed. We had to keep fighting, the team played a good game. We had difficulties but tried to play all the time, we had opportunities and were good defensively. Honestly, it was a draw ... but it can happen. Against Spurs and Palace we deserved to win, but today we got the points. When you have options on the bench, it is better. It was important after five games without victory, so we will keep fighting. I always said the race will be decided at the last game, and it will be so.”

10.04pm BST

Everton defender Mason Holgate speaks to Sky. “It’s brilliant. Over the last few weeks we’ve been hit and miss with results and performances, so to see it come together today is massive with where we want to be at the end of the season. The three points are huge. Arsenal are one of the teams who want the same thing we do. But we have to consistently keep this form going on. It was the best-looking goal I’ve ever seen! It was all about fighting and digging deep. We didn’t look majorly threatening, but against Palace we had a lot of chances but didn’t score, so it’s massive for us.”

9.56pm BST

Everton have kept their top-four hopes alive in slightly farcical circumstances! It wasn’t a very good match at all, but Richarlison’s thrusting run was the difference, forcing Bernd Leno into a dreadful mistake. The Toffees stick on seventh-place Liverpool’s shoulder; they’re now on 52 points, one behind their city rivals, both teams with six matches left to play. Arsenal have played one more, and are stranded in ninth on 46 points. European football next season is almost certainly dependant on their winning the Europa League. So all is not yet lost.

9.52pm BST

There’s just time for a minor brouhaha as the hosts show their frustration, then the whistle goes. Everton win at Arsenal in the Premier League for the first time in 25 years!

9.50pm BST

90 min +3: Martinelli wriggles his way down the inside-left and from a thicket, fires a low shot goalwards. Pickford does extremely well to react to this unexpected turn of events. Brilliant reaction save! Corner.

9.49pm BST

90 min +2: Most of the first two are taken up with medical attention for Coleman, who was shoved to the ground and went down in the wholly professional clock-management style.

9.48pm BST

90 min: There will be four added minutes for Arsenal to save themselves. They needed seven against Fulham.

9.47pm BST

89 min: Mina comes on for Richarlison as Carlo Ancelotti showcases some old-school Italian tactical nous. Speaking of Everton’s Brazilian sort-of-match-winner, here’s Espen B: Maybe it’s not entirely in the spirit of today’s game, and maybe it has never been fully acceptable, but all I could think of watching Richarlison’s celebration, had he done that in the days of Chopper Harris or Tommy Smith, I assume he would have found his legs separated from the rest of his body. Is it wrong that I would have found it a little funny if one of the Arsenal players would have clobbered him?” Guardian disclaimer: we don’t like to see it, won’t somebody think of the kids, etc.

9.45pm BST

88 min: Arsenal keep stroking it around slowly, as the quips keep rolling in. “William coming on is more heart sinking than kitchen sinking,” suggests Matthew Stephens.

9.43pm BST

86 min: Rodriguez is replaced by Davies, as Everton look to keep hold of what they have. “Richarlson wasn’t doing a victory dance,” writes Mary Waltz. “He was imitating Leno’s footwork.” Ow.

9.42pm BST

84 min: The scorers the last time Everton won here, in 1996? Graham Stuart and Andrei Kanchelskis (with a little help from David Seaman). It was a 2-1 comeback victory, Ian Wright having given the Highbury hosts the half-time lead.

9.39pm BST

82 min: Arsenal have to throw the kitchen sink at it now. On comes Willian, as Chambers exits stage left.

9.38pm BST

80 min: If Everton hold on for this victory, it’ll be their first at this stadium, their first away at Arsenal since 1996, and their tenth win on the road this season. The last time they had an away record like that, they won the 1986-87 First Division.

9.36pm BST

78 min: There’s a long wait for VAR, of course there is, but Richarlison wasn’t offside earlier in the move. Poor Leno would have been hoping and praying for an out, but it wasn’t to be. That’s an awful mistake, and the blood drains from the poor guy’s face. Richarlison, it should be noted, celebrated as though he’d just beaten every man twice before curling home from 30 yards. But hey, a goal’s a goal’s a goal.

9.34pm BST

Richarlison dribbles down the right, sent clear by Allan, and reaches the byline. He fires low towards the near post. Leno goes down for an easy claim ... but takes his eye off the ball, which flies between his hands, then legs, then squirts into the net. Oh dear.

9.31pm BST

74 min: Arsenal make a double change. Pepe and Nketiah are replaced by Odegaard and Martinelli.

9.30pm BST

72 min: A couple of minutes ago, Partey took a shot so wild and high, I decided not to embarrass him by reporting it. That’s something I now regret, because now the structure and rhythm of this Charles Antaki zinger has been thoroughly compromised: “Good to see Thomas Partey coming to the aid of us all by trying to bring down the helicopter.” Sorry, Charles.

9.28pm BST

70 min: A quick throw down the right wing catches Everton asleep. Saka enters the box and looks for Nketiah at the near post. Pickford reads the danger well and steps in between the Arsenal men to catch the ball in his midriff.

9.26pm BST

69 min: Delph also has the wrong socks on. They’re blue and white, instead of white and blue, if that makes any sense. I can only report on what’s happening.

9.25pm BST

68 min: Delph’s very first act is to hang out a leg and clip Smith-Rowe. Yellow card.

9.23pm BST

67 min: Ceballos picks a Rodriguez pass in midfield and counters. He sends Pepe into space down the left. Pepe returns the pass, allowing Ceballos to cream one towards the top right from distance. It’s parried well by Pickford. Nothing comes from the resulting corner.

9.22pm BST

66 min: Gomes, who has done very little tonight, is replaced by Delph.

9.21pm BST

64 min: Saka sends the free kick into the mixer. The ball drops to Chambers, who from 12 yards hits a first-time volley down into the ground, and miles over the bar. Just a half-chance for a defender; it would have been a good one for one of Arsenal’s attackers.

9.20pm BST

63 min: The VAR check is over. Just a yellow. The fact that it wasn’t a particularly high slide tackle saved Holgate there. Pepe felt that, but after some attention he’s back up and about.

9.19pm BST

62 min: Sigurdsson clears the second corner. Arsenal have moved up a gear, though. Pepe comes straight back at them, down the left, and is scythed down by Holgate. Out comes the yellow, though VAR are going to check if it warranted more.

9.18pm BST

61 min: Arsenal keep the pressure up, though, winning a corner out on the right. Ceballos takes. The ball ends up with Xhaka out on the left. He crosses. Pepe tries to swivel a volley goalwards, but his effort is blocked. Another corner.

9.17pm BST

60 min: Pepe drops a shoulder to make some space out on the left. Coleman for once isn’t tight. He flashes a cross through the six-yard box, but there’s nobody there to poke home.

9.16pm BST

59 min: Saka works his way down the right and lays off to Chambers, who fires low. Holgate sticks out a leg and nearly deflects the ball into the top right. Not sure Pickford was getting to that. Just the side netting, and nothing comes of the resulting corner.

9.15pm BST

58 min: Or perhaps it never went away. Your poor desensitised MBM reporter.

9.14pm BST

57 min: That copter’s back.

9.13pm BST

56 min: Allan is booked for a tug on Saka. He’s not happy about it.

9.12pm BST

55 min: Richarlison sashays down the right and cuts back. The ball flicks the arm of Mari. A huge scream for a penalty kick. Everton aren’t getting one. Neither side deserves to be winning right now, so all of this is about right. Correct answer, just not sure of the working-out.

9.11pm BST

53 min: The old VAR rulers have been whipped out, and Pepe has been caught offside earlier in the move. That’s an equally ridiculous decision, with barely a millimetre in it, but this is the New Football, and here we are.

9.09pm BST

52 min: This is as soft as kittens. Richarlison brushes Ceballos’s shin. The midfielder goes down after a fashion. There’s been contact, so ... but ... well ... y’know. Penalty it is, though.

9.08pm BST

50 min: There’s been a bit of excitement online, where Spotify co-founder and Arsenal fan Daniel Ek has announced his desire to purchase the club off Kroenke et al. Good luck to everyone, though a gentle reminder that, whoever they are, capitalists gonna do capitalism.

9.05pm BST

49 min: ... some needless pushing. Free kick, pressure off.

9.05pm BST

48 min: A corner on the right leads to a corner on the left. Then from that ...

9.04pm BST

47 min: Richarlison slips Coleman into space down the inside-right channel. Coleman cuts back for Sigurdsson, who aims for the bottom right. Holding gets in the road to deflect out for a corner.

9.03pm BST

46 min: ... Chambers tries to rescue Saka’s poor delivery but only clatters Richarlison. Free kick, pressure off.

9.02pm BST

Arsenal get the second half underway. No changes. After 20 seconds of the restart, Xhaka wins a corner down the left. And from that ...

8.50pm BST

Half-time protest.

8.46pm BST

It’s eighth versus ninth, so we shouldn’t be too surprised.

8.45pm BST

45 min: Mercifully, there will be only one extra minute added to this uneventful half.

8.44pm BST

44 min: A long ball down the left, intended for Pepe, flies harmlessly out of play. The horror, the horror.

8.43pm BST

43 min: The coppercopter still hovers above. Perhaps they think that effigy of Stan Kroenke is an actual statue, about to be toppled. That seems to be the sort of thing that triggers them. On that subject, here’s Gary Naylor: “We need the helicopter to land and the Sky Strikers to leap out and dance in a tribute to that scene in Apocalypse Now. It would liven it up a bit.”

8.41pm BST

41 min: Digne scoops witlessly into the wall. Danger over.

8.40pm BST

40 min: Partey hangs out a leg and brings down Rodriguez, just to the right of the D. He wants to watch himself, having just been booked. The look in his eyes suggests he fears the worst, but the referee takes pity. Just the free kick.

8.39pm BST

39 min: Sigurdsson flips it over the wall and back down towards the top-left. It clips the top of the bar. Leno had it covered.

8.38pm BST

38 min: Richarlison turns on the jets and makes down the middle with purpose. He’s cynically clanked to the floor by Partey, who is booked. It’s a free kick in a central position, 25 yards out.

8.38pm BST

37 min: Gomes has an opportunity to release Calvert-Lewin down the inside-right channel, but his pass is dreadful and easily picked off by Mari. That’s this match in microcosm. A couple of promising situations leading to naff all.

8.35pm BST

35 min: The corner isn’t very good, but it’s only half cleared, and picked up by Rodriguez, in the box on the right. He tries to make some space for a shot, but can only manufacture a dribble that’s easily dealt with.

8.34pm BST

34 min: Gomes gets fed up with the nonsense and takes a whack from distance. It’s not very good, but it pings off Partey and out for a corner on the left.

8.33pm BST

33 min: The midfield muddle continues. There’s little time or space on offer, just about everyone in the middle third.

8.31pm BST

31 min: More sterile Arsenal possession. Neither team are quite on it.

8.30pm BST

29 min: So having said that, something happens! Everton suddenly up the tempo, and Richarlison, sent into the box by Allan’s clever pass down the channel, switches feet and creams a shot from an angle on the right. Leno parries, and is fortunate that the ball evades Calvert-Lewin, who would have tapped home with his head had he arrived a nanosecond later.

8.28pm BST

28 min: The motorik rumble of that helicopter appears to have put all 22 players into a trance. Nothing’s happening.

8.27pm BST

26 min: Mari is down having taken a whack in the face during an aerial 50-50 with Calvert-Lewin. An unwelcome prod in the eye, but totally accidental, and happily the Arsenal defender recovers quickly and is up and about again.

8.25pm BST

24 min: Up the other end, there a minute pocket of space in the Everton box for Nketiah to spin and shoot. His effort is blocked and dribbles through to Pickford. It’s getting a bit scrappy now.

8.24pm BST

23 min: Sigurdsson, Digne and Rodriguez flick some pretty passes down the left. For a second, it looks like Rodriguez has sent Sigurdsson clear into the box, but the Iceland international doesn’t trust himself and checks back. Digne eventually runs the ball out for a goal kick.

8.22pm BST

22 min: Everton step up their press and the hosts don’t deal with it particularly well. They’re a little bit panicky at the back before Xhaka blooters clear.

8.20pm BST

20 min: Arsenal continue to stroke it around without carrying too much threat. Some habits are hard to break.

8.18pm BST

18 min: A snapshot from Saka, cutting in from the right, flies straight at Pickford, who handles well.

8.18pm BST

17 min: Helicopters make their noise overhead. The polis checking on the protest no doubt.

8.16pm BST

15 min: More space for Digne down the left. His cross takes a big deflection off Holding and travels at speed towards goal. Leno is forced to shift his feet quickly before dropping and smothering. An unconventional save in odd circumstances.

8.14pm BST

14 min: Arsenal are dominating possession, without doing too much in Everton’s final third.

8.13pm BST

12 min: And this is Digne crossing from the left towards Calvert-Lewin again. This time he finds his man, Calvert-Lewin almost Keith Houchen horizontal as he heads powerfully wide left. Had that been on target, the net would have been given a good old bulge.

8.12pm BST

11 min: It’s Pepe versus Coleman again. Pepe gets the better of the defender, but hesitates before delivering his cross, allowing Coleman to hassle him again. So much so, in fact, that Pepe rolls a dismal low cross straight at Gomes, who mops up.

8.10pm BST

9 min: Pepe swans down the left with great intent and no little ball skill ... but eventually runs out of road, with Coleman sticking to him like glue, and Allan turning up to help, snaffling the ball away. Fine defending by the Everton captain.

8.07pm BST

7 min: Calvert-Lewin battles down the right and earns a free kick. A chance for Everton to load the Arsenal box. Sigurdsson sends it in. The Arsenal defence allows the ball to bounce, but with Godfrey sniffing around, Holding takes charge to chest the ball carefully back to Leno.

8.06pm BST

6 min: The protesting Arsenal fans outside are making themselves heard. The match has been lit on a brief but intense firework display. Bang, bang, crack, blast, bang. Quite the Arsenal arsenal.

8.04pm BST

4 min: Digne curls one in from the left, looking for Calvert-Lewin. Not quite, but this has been a lovely fast start to this match.

8.03pm BST

2 min: But this is better from Chambers up the other end. He swings a cross in from the right, and Nketiah is able to attack it, six yards out. Sadly for Arsenal, he doesn’t connect properly. A corner is eventually won, and it’s wasted, but on balance that’s a pretty decent start for the Gunners. Had Chambers’ cross been a couple of inches lower, there’s a fair chance Nketiah would have powered that home.

8.02pm BST

1 min: Some early work for Leno, who has to turn on the jets to scramble clear after being given something of a hospital pass by Chambers. That’ll have helped the keeper get into Match Mode quicksmart.

8.00pm BST

Everton get the ball rolling ... but only after everyone takes a knee of love, solidarity, fairness and respect. There’s no room for racism. Challenge it. Report it. Change it. Kick it out.

7.58pm BST

The teams are out! Arsenal wear their Herbert Chapman approved red shirts with white sleeves, while Everton sport their famous royal blue. “If Arsenal fans do get their Arsenal back, will they give Highbury as the return address?” wonders art-deco aficionado and MBM troublemaker Ian Copestake. We’ll be off in a minute.

7.47pm BST

As the away manager, Carlo Ancelotti is able to concentrate on football matters. “Our squad is much better than the last game we have played. I hope this game can go well. I think it’s time to win! It’s time to win. But I have picked a team with a lot of quality, and I hope we can show that quality on the pitch.”

7.45pm BST

Mikel Arteta is interviewed by Sky as the protests continue outside. “We hear them. We know what they think. But our responsibility, our role, our commitment should be on that pitch, trying to win the match, and that’s it. It doesn’t help when your own fans are saying loud and clear that they are not happy with something, but our job is to win the football match, and when that happens, everything is better, so that is our way to contribute in the best possible way.”

7.43pm BST

But never mind all that, because here’s Charles Antaki to pour oil over troubled waters. “Ah! The comforts of looking forward to a somnolent evening of two pleasingly traditional clubs playing out a (less pleasingly) meaningless mid-table fixture. Yes, I know about Arsenal’s involvement in the recent unpleasantness; but let us draw at least a temporary veil over that while the lads go about their business to the distant traditional shouts of Sack the Board.” Tell you what, it’s going to be strange going back to the sports-centre squeaky-shoe ambience of the empty Emirates after hearing fans giving “We want our Arsenal back” plenty outside.

7.39pm BST

Tonight’s protest in numbers.

7.29pm BST

A bit more on the old protests. There were plenty of anti-Kroenke banners, plus an effigy of the Arsenal owner hung from a lamppost. One protester fell off the roof of the box office, and was taken away on a stretcher after hurting his face, but there were no other reported incidents. A group of bobbies milled about, although they didn’t appear too energised. Plans to block both team buses were nixed as Arsenal arrived earlier than normal, while Everton crossed a bridge on the opposite side of the stadium. Anyway, solidarity to one and all, salary caps now, enforce 50+1, etc.

7.11pm BST

Arsenal were seconds away from losing at home to Fulham for the first time in their history last weekend, so six changes seem about right. In come Bernd Leno, Calum Chambers, Pablo Mari, Thomas Partey, Nicolas Pepe and Eddie Nketiah. Mat Ryan, Hector Bellerin, Gabriel, Mohamed Elneny and Gabriel Martinelli drop to the bench, while Alexandre Lacazette is ill.

Everton make three changes to the team that drew 2-2 with Spurs this time last week. Seamus Coleman, Andre Gomes and Dominic Calvert-Lewin take the places of the benched Tom Davies and Alex Iwobi, and Michael Keane, who is missing altogether. Injured? We’ll find out soon enough, although he was hapless enough last Friday at Goodison to warrant being dropped.

7.02pm BST

Arsenal: Leno, Chambers, Holding, Pablo Mari, Xhaka, Partey, Ceballos, Pepe, Smith-Rowe, Saka, Nketiah.
Subs: Bellerin, Gabriel, Odegaard, Willian, Cedric, Nelson, Elneny, Ryan, Martinelli.

Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Godfrey, Holgate, Digne, Rodriguez, Allan, Andre Gomes, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin, Sigurdsson.
Subs: Delph, King, Mina, Iwobi, Nkounkou, Bernard, Davies, Olsen, Broadhead.

7.01pm BST

Some pre-team-news news: Arsenal fans have gathered outside the stadium to protest peacefully against the club’s role in the risible European Super League fiasco. In particular, they’re giving owner Stan Kroenke the good old what-for.

11.16am BST

There are a few pointers which suggest Arsenal are favourites tonight for the win that would see them leapfrog opponents Everton into eighth place in the Premier League table. They’re unbeaten in their last 24 home league games against Everton. They’ve only lost two of their last 12 in all competitions, winning half a dozen, while Everton have taken just three points from their last 15, and haven’t won in six. This will be the 200th top-flight meeting between these famous old clubs, and the Gunners have won one in every two, give or take a fraction, the highest total of any team against another. They’re good for this.

On the other hand, you could argue that this is Everton’s moment. They won 2-1 at Goodison back in December, so have a chance to complete their first league double against the Arsenal since 1986. They may welcome back Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Meanwhile Arsenal will be without Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, David Luiz, Kieran Tierney and possibly Martin Odegaard. Also, Everton’s incentive to win is surely a little greater; they’re still just about within realistic reach of the top four, if they can summon a strong finish, while Arsenal are surely already out of it, even if they prevail tonight.

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Published on April 23, 2021 14:26

April 21, 2021

Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Southampton: Premier League – as it happened

Spurs came from behind to give interim boss Ryan Mason the perfect start to his young managerial career

9.09pm BST

David Hytner was our man in N17. Here’s his report. Night!

7.59pm BST

Man-of-the-match Gareth Bale talks to Sky, and makes sure to give the interim boss his due. “They came at us and pushed hard in the first half. Obviously we’ve only had a couple of days with the new manager to work on a couple of things. At half-time we had a good chat, a few things we could improve slightly, and we controlled the game in the second half and deserved victory. We had a few positional issues and needed to be more patient on the ball. Obviously it was a very good team-talk at half time, and we came out in the second half to play well. Some minor teething issues, but we continue to improve, we’ve got a cup final at the weekend, a few days to work, and we go from there.”

7.54pm BST

After a hell of a week, it’s a near-perfect evening for Spurs. They’ve turned around a half-time deficit for the first time this season, both Bale and Son scored ahead of the League Cup final, and the interim boss Ryan Mason is off to a fast start. Saints were the better side in the first half, but so poor in the second they deserved nothing. Spurs leapfrog Liverpool into sixth, while Saints remain in 14th.

7.52pm BST

90 min +6: Moura trots down the right and runs down the clock.

7.51pm BST

90 min +5: Dier is booked for overdoing the clock management.

7.50pm BST

90 min +4: Saints aren’t doing anything to make Spurs nervous.

7.49pm BST

90 min +3: Saints knock it around the back but can’t get through the Spurs press. The clock ticks on, as they faff around at the wrong end of the pitch.

7.48pm BST

90 min +2: Saints have now dropped 21 points from winning positions this season, the worst record in the division.

7.47pm BST

90 min +1: There will be six added minutes. On the touchline, Ralph Hasenhuttl shakes his head in a mixture of disbelief and frustration. He can have no complaints about this. His team have failed to come out for the second half.

7.46pm BST

Son gives McCarthy the look, sending the keeper the wrong way before belting into the bottom right! He gets his fifth goal against Saints this season after all!

7.45pm BST

88 min: But they’re getting one anyway! That’s because during the very same stramash, Djnepo slides in on Reguilon, on the edge of the box. The ref books him and awards a free kick ... but that’s right on the white line, and VAR upgrades to a spot kick!

7.44pm BST

86 min: Son releases Lamela down the left wing. Lamela earns a corner. Son curls it into the mixer. Spurs want a penalty, claiming Adams headed the ball onto the hand of Vestergaard. They’re not getting that.

7.40pm BST

84 min: Saints need some extra threat up front - they’ve been extremely blunt since the departure of Ings - and so Tella makes way for Redmond.

7.39pm BST

83 min: Bale is replaced by Bergwijn.

7.38pm BST

81 min: Spurs still look the more likely, though now they’re cutting frustrated figures in the wake of that disallowed goal. Still plenty of time for the winner that would spring them ahead of Liverpool in sixth place on goal difference.

7.35pm BST

79 min: Lo Celso is replaced by Lamela.

7.35pm BST

78 min: Some space for Bale down the right. His cross causes some brief bedlam in the Saints area, but Son and Moura get in each other’s way and the chance is gone.

7.33pm BST

76 min: Son’s fifth goal against Saints this season is chalked off. It looked the correct decision; Moura was plumb in line, bang slap in McCarthy’s road. It’s unfortunate for Son, who finished a fine flowing move marvellously, but them’s the breaks.

7.32pm BST

75 min: VAR wants a look at this, though. There’s a possibility that Moura, in an offside position, was in McCarthy’s line of sight as Son took his shot. This might be disallowed, you know.

7.31pm BST

Lo Celso drops a shoulder to make space in the middle. He slips wide left for Reguilon, who enters the box and rolls infield for Son. The striker opens his body and sidefoots crisply into the bottom left! Lovely flowing move.

7.29pm BST

73 min: Winks comes on for Ndombele.

7.29pm BST

71 min: Saints draw a little sting from the game, slowing things down. A wise move; they’ve been rocking since the equaliser and could do with regrouping. “OK, I’m being honest,” begins N17 denizen Dom. “We’re sluggish and low on tempo, bereft of ideas, low on confidence, but you know WHATEVER, I’m pretty sure there were a few forward passes in that first half. PLUS Bale started AND scored! TBH after the departure of the Soccer Sauron, watching a re-enactment of Pieter Breguel’s Triumph of Death soundtracked by Joy Division on the pitch would seem like Germany plugging seven gaols past Brazil. So relative to the last 17 months, this is like Brazil 70, Ajax 74, Milan of the 80s, peak-Barca, really, you name it and take your pick. MASON IN!!!” Sheer poetry. Seems Mourinho can inspire great art after all.

7.25pm BST

69 min: Now it’s Southampton who are struggling to get out of their final third. Seems like this lad Mason has got some half-time chops!

7.24pm BST

67 min: Djnepo comes on for the ever-disappointing Walcott.

7.23pm BST

66 min: Saints are visibly deflated, and suddenly look extremely porous at the back. Lo Celso hooks the ball away from a dithering Bednarek on the edge of the six-yard box. As it rolls across the face of goal, only the sharp instincts of Salisu denies Bale an easy tap-in.

7.22pm BST

65 min: Bale has scored in every game he’s played against Southampton since leaving the south coast as a young man. Good to see him celebrating his excellent goal, rather than going through the Preposterous Theatrical Show of Respect.

7.19pm BST

63 min: Spurs are reenergised, Son nearly opening Saints up with an adroit dribble down the middle. He’s crowded out of it eventually, but this is much, much better from the hosts.

7.19pm BST

62 min: Tella tries to hit back by dribbling into the box from the left. He falls backwards, claiming a tug on his shirt by Bale. Neither referee nor VAR is interested. It was a bit of a saucy claim; there didn’t seem to be much contact at all.

7.17pm BST

Ndombele drives down the inside left. He slips a diagonal pass into Moura, on the penalty spot. Moura’s shot is blocked by Salisu, the ball breaking to Bale, to the right of goal. Bale takes a touch and curls an exquisite shot into the top left! McCarthy had no chance.

7.14pm BST

59 min: The Saints physio sets about taping an ice pack on Ings’ thigh. The departure of Southampton’s star striker will give Spurs some much-needed succour. Armstrong moves up front, in the pocket behind Adams.

7.13pm BST

57 min: That’s an expensive effort for Saints, because Ings has pulled something while slapping that effort on goal. A rueful shake of the head, and he’s replaced by Diallo.

7.12pm BST

56 min: A lot of space for Walker-Peters down the right. His cross eventually finds Ings, on the edge of the D. He whistles a shot goalwards, but it’s easy pickings for Lloris.

7.11pm BST

54 min: Bale drifts infield from the right before sending a wild swerving shot goalwards. McCarthy does well to keep an eye on it, claiming easily enough. That’s Tottenham’s first effort on target this evening.

7.09pm BST

53 min: Space for Adams down the right. He crosses towards Tella on the other wing. Tella rolls infield for Armstrong, who can’t quite work space to shoot. A couple of nice one-touch moves from both sides, there.

7.08pm BST

51 min: Moura fires a pass down the inside-left channel. Bale elegantly cushions it first time back towards Son, whose shot from the edge of the box is blocked. That was a glorious little flick by Bale, who still has it, baby.

7.05pm BST

49 min: Moura is good to continue. The match starts up again at a slow pace. No notable upturn in the Tottenham tempo as yet.

7.04pm BST

47 min: Moura is down having been barged by Ward-Prowse. He may have twisted his knee, his left leg having been planted during the challenge. All accidental. He gets some running repairs from the physio, and graciously accepts Ward-Prowse’s hand of apology.

7.01pm BST

Spurs get the ball rolling again. They’ve been behind at half-time in six other games this season. They’ve gone on to lose them all. They’re the only side in the division not to turn a single one of these situations into at least a point. Can interim coach Ryan Mason buck this sorry trend? No changes yet.

6.50pm BST

Half-time task. Sign up for the Fiver. It’s free, and worth every penny. Be about your business!

6.47pm BST

Saints thoroughly deserve their lead. Spurs have been a collective non-event. The most important half-time team-talk of Ryan Mason’s managerial career is coming up!

6.46pm BST

45 min +1: Aurier crosses deep from the right. Son, on the corner of the six-yard box, sends it across the front of the goal. Moura leans back and converts in the rugby style. That should have been buried ... not that Spurs deserve to be level.

6.45pm BST

45 min: Reguilon tears down the left and tries to cross low. Ings, tracking back, blocks out for a corner. Bale’s delivery momentarily causes consternation for Saints, pinballing around their six-yard box, but finally drops to Adams, who hoicks clear.

6.44pm BST

44 min: Ndombele picks up the first booking of the evening for a cynical clip on the back of Adams’ boot.

6.43pm BST

43 min: A long pass down the middle. Walcott extends a leg and nearly diverts the dropping ball past Lloris, but doesn’t get quite enough on it.

6.41pm BST

41 min: Son’s free kick doesn’t beat the first man. This has been a miserable performance from the hosts so far. McCarthy has had next to nothing to do.

6.40pm BST

40 min: ... blooters it witlessly into the wall. Saints half clear, but Walcott is penalised for toe-poking the ball off Lo Celso’s toe. A chance for Spurs to load the box again.

6.39pm BST

39 min: But there’s some relief as Son makes his way down the inside-left channel, and purchases a free kick from the unnecessarily aggressive Armstrong. Dier takes the free kick and ...

6.38pm BST

38 min: From the corner, Saints work the corner hither and yon. Eventually Tella shoots from the edge of the D. The sting’s taken out of the shot by a deflection, and dribbles through to Lloris. Spurs are living extremely dangerously at the moment.

6.37pm BST

37 min: Ings and Armstrong bully the Spurs midfield out of it, and suddenly there’s a lot of space for Walcott down the middle. He takes a whack from distance. The ball deflects off Alderweireld and out for another corner on the left.

6.36pm BST

36 min: Somewhere in the multiverse, Saints are now three up. Accordingly, they’re stroking it around with confidence right now. Spurs by contrast have been slow and sloppy.

6.34pm BST

34 min: Some good news for the home side: Saints have shipped 18 points from winning positions this season. So hope springs eternal. Only two clubs have a worse record, having dropped 20: Brighton and ... Spurs.

6.32pm BST

32 min: A pensive look washes across Ryan Mason’s face. His managerial honeymoon comes to an end after half an hour. It’s tough at the top.

6.31pm BST

Ward-Prowse curls the corner towards Ings, on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. Ings eyebrows a superb header across Lloris and into the bottom right. What a finish! Lloris was at full stretch but couldn’t reach it. That’s six in six for Ings against Spurs.

6.30pm BST

29 min: Walcott slips Ings into space down the right. A first-time delivery would have found Adams in the middle, but he checks, and though his eventual long chip finds Armstrong on the left, the chance to work Lloris is gone. But never mind! A corner is won, and from that ...

6.28pm BST

28 min: Moura drives dangerously down the middle and slips a ball wide left for Reguilon, who wins a corner. A much-needed injection of pace from Moura; Spurs have been extremely ponderous so far. They fall back into old habits with the corner, which is a complete waste of time.

6.26pm BST

26 min: Tella makes his way down the left and wins a corner off Aurier. Ward-Prowse swings it in, forcing Lloris to punch over the bar under pressure from Salisu. The whistle goes for the free kick goalkeepers always get in such circumstances, whether fouled or not.

6.25pm BST

25 min: Adams drifts in from the right only to be stopped unceremoniously vby Ndombele. He performs the classic shin-clutching roll, but the referee isn’t interested in punishing the Spurs midfielder. Play continues.

6.23pm BST

23 min: Nearly half of the match so far - 47 percent - has been played in Tottenham’s final third. Spurs try to buck the trend as Reguilon advances down the left, but his cross is no good and Salisu sweeps clear.

6.21pm BST

21 min: On the touchline, Ralph Hasenhuttl cuts a frustrated figure. He may be wondering why his team aren’t a goal or two to the good. They’ve certainly been the better side so far.

6.20pm BST

19 min: Armstrong tries to hook something goalwards from 25 yards, under severe pressure. It sails harmlessly over the bar.

6.18pm BST

18 min: Salisu clatters into Bale, who falls dramatically to the floor and holds his foot, grimacing theatrically. There was very little in that challenge, though. Bale gets up sheepishly and we play on.

6.16pm BST

16 min: Lo Celso has been highly visible so far, for better or worse. Here he is taking a snapshot at goal from the right-hand corner of the box. It’s easily blocked.

6.15pm BST

15 min: Lo Celso ships possession in the middle of the park, allowing Armstrong to charge upfield again. The Saints man nearly releases Tella down the left, but once again his final pass isn’t up to the standard of his power-dribble.

6.13pm BST

13 min: Lloris makes his second big save of the match. A long ball down the inside-right channel evades the lunge of Reguilon, and Walker-Peters is clear in the box! He can’t sort his feet out, though, and the effort he eventually shovels goalwards is smothered by the Spurs keeper. Saints could, arguably should, be two goals up already.

6.12pm BST

12 min: Moura spins into some space down the inside-right channel. He’s got options either side, but decides to have a dig himself, and why not. He pulls his low shot across goal and well wide left. Saints go up the other end, Ings nearly finding Adams clear in the middle with a long diagonal pass from the right. Dier steps in to intercept.

6.10pm BST

10 min: Salisu should clear a long ball down the right, but lets it sail through to Bale, who tees up Lo Celso in the box. Lo Celso opens his body and tries to curl carefully into the top left, but it’s always going wide.

6.09pm BST

9 min: Bale tries to get Spurs going by turning on the jets down the right, but his pass forward for Lo Celso lack accuracy and Saints clear. A little better from the hosts, who have been super-quiet so far.

6.08pm BST

7 min: A couple of determined sashays up the middle of the park by Armstrong. He’s a fantastic midfielder. He nearly releases Ings with a pass down the inside-left channel, but there’s just a little bit too much energy on it. Elegant running, though.

6.05pm BST

5 min: Walcott and Walker-Peters combine down the right but neither are able to get a cross in. Spurs are struggling to get out of their final third at the minute.

6.04pm BST

4 min: From the corner, Bednarek flashes a header across goal. The ball’s deflected out for a second corner, but nothing comes of that one. A strong start by Saints, who will be smarting after failing to turn up for their cup semi last weekend.

6.03pm BST

2 min: An early free kick for Saints out on the left, Lo Celso rather carelessly bundling over Ward-Prowse. The Saints captain gets up and slips a pass down the left for Tella, who whips inside for Salisu. His header is parried by Lloris, who follows up by making a second save from Adams, who really should have scored from the rebound. Corner’s a-coming.

6.00pm BST

Saints get the ball rolling ... but only after everyone takes a knee of love, solidarity and fairness. There’s no room for racism. Challenge it. Report it. Change it. Kick it out.

5.58pm BST

No word from Ralph Hasenhuttl, but never mind, because kick-off is close and the teams are out! Spurs are in their famous lilywhite, while Saints wear their first-choice red with white sash. We’ll be off in a minute or two!

5.50pm BST

Ryan Mason, who at 29 is about to become the youngest manager in Premier League history, football having been invented in 1992, speaks to Sky. “We’re prepared and looking forward to the match. We’re looking for some energy, some fight, and most importantly some freedom. The lads have been excellent in training for the last couple of days, and I think they’re looking forward to the match as much as I am. I feel this is the right team to win the match tonight.” Mason also reports on Harry Kane’s fitness ahead of the League Cup final on Sunday - “it’s a day-by-day thing” - and straight-bats the European Super League nonsense: “It’s difficult for me to comment because my main focus has been totally invested in this game and on the players.” Freedom, eh? A pointed remark from the squad to their old boss, perhaps.

5.22pm BST

Outside the ground, a number of Spurs fans have gathered to give chairman Daniel Levy and owners Enic the what-for. A peaceful but forceful protest against that goddamn dirty rotten no-good European Super League. Preach on, sisters and brothers. Exactly what kind of response were the Shamed Six expecting, do you think? You really have to wonder sometimes, don’t you.

5.12pm BST

Three changes to Jose Mourinho’s last Tottenham Hotspur XI, who drew 2-2 at Everton last Friday. Giovani Lo Celso, Lucas Moura and Gareth Bale are named in Ryan Mason’s first starting selection; Moussa Sissoko drops to the bench, while Joe Rodon and Harry Kane miss out altogether.

Ralph Hasenhuttl makes five changes to the side named at Wembley for the FA Cup semi-final defeat by Leicester. Alex McCarthy, Mohammed Salisu, Theo Walcott, Nathan Tella and Che Adams are in; Fraser Forster, Moussa Djnepo, Ibrahima Diallo and Nathan Redmond drop to the bench, while Ryan Bertrand is absent.

5.02pm BST

Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Aurier, Alderweireld, Dier, Reguilon, Lo Celso, Hojbjerg, Ndombele, Lucas Moura, Son, Bale.
Subs: Sanchez, Winks, Lamela, Hart, Sissoko, Alli, Bergwijn, Tanganga, Vinicius.

Southampton: McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Vestergaard, Salisu, Walcott, Ward-Prowse, Armstrong, Tella, Adams, Ings.
Subs: Stephens, Redmond, Djenepo, Minamino, Diallo, N’Lundulu, Forster, Ferry, Jankewitz.

3.09pm BST

God knows everyone involved with football is in a strange mood right now. But even without this whole super-league fiasco, these two teams would be going into this match in something of a daze. Spurs have just sacked Jose Mourinho and put a 29-year-old former player in charge, less than a week ahead of the League Cup final. Saints meanwhile are coming off the back of their no-show in the FA Cup semi, and, with relegation a fate unlikely to befall them, face an elongated diminuendo to their season. So it all feels a bit other-worldly.

Spurs will be confident of winning this one and keeping alive their hopes of qualification for next year’s Champions League. They won 5-2 at St Mary’s earlier in the season, Son Heung-min scoring four, while Saints have lost nine of their past ten games away to Tottenham. The visitors have lost 11 of their last 14 Premier League games this season, and have a worse record in the calendar year of 2021 than the already relegated Sheffield United.

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Published on April 21, 2021 13:09

The Fiver | The €$£ and why you have to enjoy the little victories while you can

After three days of his boorish nonsense, the world of football is back to where it was before The Man started throwing his weight around like a great big ignorant greedy fat get. He and his pals – those self-appointed blue-sky thinkers and over-promoted white-collar yes-men, turbojobbies one and all – have been firmly put back in their box. For a month or two at least. Let’s face it, we’re not totally guaranteed to have heard the end of this, they’ll be up to no good again the minute we take our eye off the ball and give them an inch. But still, with Atlético and both Milan clubs following the shamed English sextet out of the €$£, you have to enjoy the little victories while you can. So: yay. A reserved, qualified, no exclamation-mark yay.

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Published on April 21, 2021 07:57

April 17, 2021

Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City: FA Cup semi-final – as it happened

Hakim Ziyech sent Chelsea to the final and ended Manchester City’s quadruple dream

9.37pm BST

“What can I say? When you have two and half days to recover and you play away and you have to travel on the train for three hours,” Guardiola said. “But don’t say we don’t pay attention. A team that arrives in the final stages of this competition couldn’t say that. This team won four Carabao Cups so just say we lost the game. But it’s a poor argument. You wouldn’t get to semi-finals of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup if we’re not paying attention. We always play to win and congratulations to Chelsea.”

7.52pm BST

Jacob Steinberg was our man at Wembley. His words have landed gracefully on to the page below, so please click and enjoy. Many thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!

7.48pm BST

Pep’s view. “We played a good last 15 minutes ... in the beginning we struggled to find our place in the pockets ... congratulations to Chelsea ... it was a tight game ... we didn’t create enough ... the second half was much better but we conceded a goal ... we reacted really well ... the margins are so tight ... in general we controlled it well ... in the second half we were much more aggressive, though we didn’t create many clear chances.” He also reports that it “doesn’t look good” for the injured Kevin De Bruyne, who “has pain”, though he doesn’t know anything for sure and will find out more tomorrow.

7.44pm BST

A slightly downbeat Fernandinho speaks to the BBC. “Obviously we wanted to win the game and go through to the final ... they started better than us but we got control of the game ... but we didn’t find the net ... FA Cup semi-finals are always tight and are decided on details ... they were better ... congratulations to them ... it was a tight match ... [the League Cup final] will be important for the fans and they will be able to come to the stadium ... another final for us is important for us as players and human beings, and it is always special to come back for a final.”

7.31pm BST

Chelsea celebrate a deserved victory. They’re in the final for the fourth time in five seasons! What a record they’ve got in this famous old competition. They were the better team this evening from the off; City were strangely undercooked. “Everybody is happy, we did a good job, especially in the first half,” man-of-the-match Hakim Ziyech tells the BBC. “I still have a lot to work on, but I think I’m on a good way. We know what we are still playing for, and all the ways are open, we are very excited.”

7.26pm BST

Chelsea make it to the 2021 FA Cup final, where they’ll play either Leicester City or Southampton! There will be no quadruple for Manchester City.

7.25pm BST

90 min +5: City try to deliver the ball back into the area, but Dias clatters Zouma and that’s another opportunity for Chelsea to showcase their clock-management skills. Dias is booked.

7.24pm BST

90 min +4: Corner for City. It’s hit long from the right. Rodri wins a header at the far stick. Kepa saves, though he drops the ball, forcing Zouma to batter it clear.

7.24pm BST

90 min +3: Pulisic is sent clear down the left. He cuts infield, beats a couple of men, then plants a shot on the turn into the bottom left. He hasn’t sealed the deal for Chelsea, though, because the flag goes up correctly for offside. He’d started his run too early.

7.22pm BST

90 min +2: Laporte is booked for a clumsy barge into the back of Azpilicueta, who was quite happy to encourage the contact. The Chelsea captain goes down, eating up another minute.

7.21pm BST

90 min +1: City have the ball, but they’re not being allowed to do anything with it. Chelsea keep closing those gaps.

7.20pm BST

90 min: Azpilicueta is booked for a series of garden-variety fouls. There will be five additional minutes.

7.19pm BST

89 min: Chelsea are pressing and harrying, just as they’ve done from the get-go. City can’t get upfield at the minute.

7.18pm BST

88 min: Silva finally trudges off the stage, his departure having eaten up plenty of precious time.

7.18pm BST

87 min: Silva can’t continue. He’ll be replaced with Zouma, though he’s still down on the turf getting treatment at the moment. He looks in genuine pain, to be fair, though City fans can be excused for suspecting a little professionalism at play too.

7.15pm BST

85 min: Silva goes down holding his back again. The clock ticks on.

7.15pm BST

84 min: A huge chance for City! Gundogan crosses from the right. Jesus chests down but he’s under extreme pressure from James, so can’t spin and shoot from six yards. He lays off to Sterling, who leans back and blazes wildly over the bar. Ah, the flag goes up anyway. It would have been offside, Jesus having gone too early. Still, a miss is a miss.

7.12pm BST

82 min: Rodri has a whack from distance, but it dribbles through to Kepa.

7.12pm BST

81 min: That double substitution is a clear sign that Chelsea have decided to batten down the hatches. A big ten-minute game of attack versus defence coming up.

7.11pm BST

79 min: Foden whips the corner in. Azpilicueta heads clear, albeit without much power. The ball appears to brush his arm as he heads down. City loudly claim a penalty, but neither referee nor VAR shows interest. Doing nothing this time is the correct decision: Azpilcueta’s arm was down by his side, and it’s not clear the ball made contact anyway.

7.09pm BST

78 min: Chilwell is forced to eyebrow a cross out for a corner with Sterling lurking behind. Before the set piece can be taken, Chelsea replace Werner and Ziyech with Havertz and Emerson.

7.08pm BST

76 min: The free kick leads to some head tennis in the Chelsea box. Chelsea struggle to clear. Gundogan tries to replicate the Zidane volley of the 2002 Champions League final, but miscues. Chelsea break upfield through Werner, who embarks on a solo run that ends in an easy-enough claim for Steffen. This is on a knife-edge.

7.07pm BST

75 min: Jesus tries to bring down a cross from the right but can’t control. Jorginho romps away, though City come straight back, Foden winning a free kick out on the right.

7.04pm BST

73 min: Sterling has time on the edge of the Chelsea box, with Cancelo romping down the inside-right channel on the overlap. Sterling tries to release his team-mate, but clanks a woeful pass straight out for a goal kick. Cancelo had no chance of reaching that. City just aren’t clicking up front.

7.03pm BST

72 min: Corner for Chelsea down the left. Rudiger goes up for it, but Rodri clears. Both teams are pressing for the crucial next goal.

7.01pm BST

70 min: Pulisic, who scored early in last season’s final, before a hamstring injury (and Arsenal) ruined his day, comes on for Mount.

7.00pm BST

69 min: Some space for Foden down the right. He earns a corner. Foden swings it in himself, long. At the far stick, Rodri heads back across the face of goal. Dias, six yards out, heads over the bar. What a chance!

6.59pm BST

67 min: Fernandinho has been booked retrospectively, for pestering poor Mount yet again. It’s now safe to say he’s done more than enough to get himself sent off, but this is the reality.

6.56pm BST

65 min: A free kick for City out on the right. They load the box. Gundogan takes, and clumps it over everyone. It’s been that sort of day so far for City. Not an ideal start for the sub.

6.54pm BST

64 min: Torres, who has been extremely quiet, is replaced by Gundogan.

6.53pm BST

63 min: Sterling goes up with Rudiger and the pair clash heads. On comes the man with the magic sponge.

6.52pm BST

61 min: Chelsea are first to everything again. City need to snap out of their funk, and quick, because we’re over an hour in now, and Kepa has had nothing of note to do.

6.50pm BST

59 min: Chelsea should be two up. A simple long ball down the middle finds Ziyech free! He’s one on one with the keeper, but allows Steffen to block. Steffen was caught in no-man’s land for the goal, but he’s made up for that error here. A crucial save!

6.48pm BST

57 min: And with one rapier thrust, the quadruple is under serious threat. Chelsea deserve their lead on balance. Can City, without their main playmaker, respond?

6.47pm BST

Chilwell sends Werner romping down the left. Werner enters the box and rolls the ball inside, past an on-walkabout Steffen, for Ziyech to slam home. That’s pretty much the same goal that was chalked off in the first half, only this time Werner remained onside!

6.45pm BST

54 min: Sterling briefly threatens to dribble clear down the inside-left channel, but Azpilicueta does well to toe-poke the ball away from danger. Then Chelsea go up the other end, and ...

6.43pm BST

53 min: A lot of good players on show here, but they’re doing very little. In the meantime, Scott Blair would like to take issue with the description of Mike Dean as “increasingly preposterous ... Scansion is an odd thing, but I’ve now got this comprehensively stuck in my head, so cheers for that.”

6.41pm BST

51 min: Foden worms his way down the right and chips towards Jesus at the far post. Jesus heads back across goal, hoping to find Sterling, but the ball deflects off James and into the arms of Kepa.

6.40pm BST

50 min: A lull. It’s fair to say this cup semi hasn’t got going.

6.38pm BST

48 min: City are taking no risks. De Bruyne limps off, with a concerned look on his face, and is replaced by Foden.

6.38pm BST

47 min: De Bruyne is down, having turned his ankle a little when trying to beat Kante to a loose ball.

6.37pm BST

46 min: City are quickly on the front foot, Torres crossing from the right to nobody in particular. But that’s already better.

6.35pm BST

City get the second half underway. No changes, though let’s see if City have been given a rocket and go about their business a little more urgently.

6.25pm BST

Half-time entertainment.

6.21pm BST

There’s just enough time for another comic turn from the increasingly preposterous Mike Dean. City win a corner, the clock having already ticked past one added minute. Dean waits for the best part of 30 seconds for De Bruyne to take it, then immediately blows for half-time when he does. De Bruyne is beyond livid. What a circus act, and let’s not forget that Fernandinho can count himself lucky not to have been at least booked, perhaps sent off. Anyway, Chelsea have been the better side, though neither keeper has had any serious work to do.

6.18pm BST

45 min: There will be one of your finest minutes added to the end of this half.

6.17pm BST

44 min: So having said that, City push Chelsea back for the first time this evening, Torres and De Bruyne combining down the right to win a corner. The ball’s worked to the left wing, where the unusually quiet Sterling whips to the far post. Fernandinho eyebrows a poor header well wide.

6.15pm BST

42 min: City continue to toil up front. On this subject, here’s Paul Ruffley: “Either Fernandinho (preferably, given he’s heading for a red card) or Rodri need to be replaced by Gundogan or maybe even Foden. De Bruyne can’t be the whole of the attacking midfield.”

6.13pm BST

41 min: De Bruyne misplaces a pass. Chelsea have rattled City a fair bit here.

6.11pm BST

39 min: It’s all a bit scrappy now.

6.10pm BST

37 min: A little bit of City possession in the Chelsea half. This sort of thing usually isn’t worth reporting when City are playing, but this is where we are. “What has Mason Mount done to Fernandinho?” wonders Adam Roberts, “and what does he have to do to get booked?”

6.09pm BST

35 min: Fernandinho barrels down the middle, only to be brought down from behind by James, who gets both man and ball. That’s a booking, fair enough, though Chelsea are understandably irritated given what the victim of this incident has got away with earlier. Mike Dean, right there.

6.06pm BST

34 min: ... the ball is shuttled back to James, who sends a first-time shot well wide left. Chelsea have looked by far the more likely here.

6.05pm BST

33 min: Ziyech slides a ball down the right for Werner to chase. For a second, it looks as though Werner will tear clear of Laporte, but the defender stays on his shoulder and slide-blocks the ball out for a corner. From which ...

6.04pm BST

32 min: Ziyech clips an in-flight De Bruyne from behind. You’d imagine there’d be a booking for that, too, but Mike Dean has clearly decided to play it supercool today.

6.02pm BST

30 min: Fernandinho escapes censure yet again, despite having clipped Mount’s ankle. Given the dubious nature of his earlier tussle with the same player, he’s really pushing his luck here. On another day, with another ref in charge, he could easily be walking.

6.01pm BST

29 min: Fernandinho slides in recklessly on Mount, who evades the challenge and races off upfield. Nothing comes of the attack, but surely the referee will book the City midfielder when there’s a break in play.

6.00pm BST

28 min: The first lull of the game, as Chelsea faff around over a throw.

5.59pm BST

26 min: This is good stuff from Chelsea, who are pressing City all over the pitch, and in the manic fashion to boot. Whatever happens today, you can be sure it’s going to be an interesting title race next season. Chelsea have the air of a team going places ... though surely City can’t continue to be this passive all afternoon.

5.57pm BST

24 min: Kante channels his inner Beckenbauer, sashaying down the middle. He’s less evading challenges, more ignoring them. Eventually he runs out of road and tries to release Werner with a little poke-through but Dias funnels the ball back to Steffen, who clears.

5.55pm BST

22 min: Chelsea suddenly spring forward, Mount slipping Chilwell into room down the left. The resulting cross is deflected away from danger by Laporte. On the City bench, Pep Guardiola wears a pensive frown. His side have been second best so far.

5.54pm BST

21 min: Chelsea are knocking it around with great confidence. Some very attractive football. City are being played at their own game here, regularly hassled off the ball in short order, then forced to chase around hither and yon.

5.52pm BST

19 min: Ziyech plays James in down the right. He loops long, over everyone in the City defence, and the ball drops to Chilwell, who bobbles a weak volley wide left. That was a very good chance, and Chilwell’s grimace speaks volumes.

5.51pm BST

17 min: Replays show a coming together between Mount and Fernandinho, the latter nearly planting his boot on the prone Chelsea man’s face. The referee Mike Dean got a good view of it, and decided it was not deliberate, but Mount certainly wasn’t so sure, and he’s lucky no obvious contact was made. You’ve seen red cards flashed for less.

5.48pm BST

15 min: Chelsea are happy to sit back and wait for the opportunity to break. They do so here, Kante intercepting and releasing Ziyech down the left. Werner nearly gets on the end of the eventual half-cross, half-shot, but he’s crowded out.

5.46pm BST

14 min: City reestablish a little of the old order with some sterile possession in the middle of the park. Pass, pass, passity pass. Bump that percentage share back up.

5.44pm BST

12 min: Chelsea have enjoyed 65 percent of possession so far. It’s not often City are on the wrong side of this particular metric, but there it is.

5.43pm BST

10 min: A poor moment for Aziplicueta, who gifts Rodri possession and sends Jesus tearing away down the left, leaving the Chelsea man for dust. There’s nobody to find in the middle, though, and so Jesus tries a curler into the top right. It’s an easy claim for Kepa.

5.41pm BST

9 min: But it’s not all good news for Chelsea, because Silva is down and feeling the small of his back. He’s frowning quite a lot, which is never a good sign, but for now he’s fine to continue.

5.40pm BST

8 min: Werner feeds a pass down the inside-right for James, whose shot-cum-cross is palmed away from danger by Steffen. This is a very bright start by Chelsea.

5.39pm BST

7 min: Chelsea run the same play, only this time it’s Chilwell swinging one into the box, hopefully for Ziyech. Laporte is forced to concede a corner. Nothing comes of that, but Chelsea may be onto something here.

5.38pm BST

6 min: Chilwell hoicks a first-time ball down the left to release Werner, who rolls infield, past Laporte’s desperate lunge, and tees up Ziyech. He slots into the bottom left, but the flag goes up for offside. It’s the correct decision.

5.37pm BST

4 min: Dias tries to release Torres down the right with a long pass. Torres is forced to turn tail by Chilwell. It’s a fairly quiet start, with City gently probing.

5.35pm BST

2 min: City continue to knock it around. Chelsea finally get it back when Torres clatters into Chilwell needlessly.

5.33pm BST

14 seconds: City, having hared out of the blocks and pressed hard, win the ball and start stroking it around.

5.32pm BST

Chelsea get the ball rolling ... but only after the players take a knee of solidarity and love. There’s no room for racism. Challenge it. Report it. Change it. Kick it out.

5.30pm BST

Here come the teams! Both teams sport their first-choice clobber, so it’s a story of the blues: Chelsea royal, City sky. We’ll be off soon, after a minute of silence in memory of Prince Philip.

5.27pm BST

Not a pre-match peep from Thomas Tuchel. That may be down to the BBC showcasing a pre-recorded interview with the Chelsea boss. The big takeaway from that? He’s in a very chipper mood. All smiles.

5.10pm BST

Pep talks to the BBC. “It’s the semi-final of the FA Cup, the most traditional competition in the world, so it’s a pleasure to be here, an honour. The players are in a very good mood. The Champions League is an important competition and we have struggled to break that bridge of the quarter-finals but we did it. There is no time to enjoy the good moments, there is always the next one, and we are here. It will be an incredible, tough game, Chelsea are one of the best sides in Europe, no doubt about that. Thomas Tuchel is an excellent manager and it will be a tough, tough game.”

4.58pm BST

Fancy some pre-match reading in lieu of a programme to idly flick through? Jacob Steinberg is your only man.

4.54pm BST

Good news for Manchester City too. Their defence of the Women’s FA Cup got off to a flyer with an 8-0 win against Aston Villa. Chloe Kelly was the hat-trick hero of that one. The men will be hoping that augurs well for their game, although an eight-goal margin of victory against parsimonious Chelsea is probably pushing it.

4.49pm BST

There has already been some good news for Chelsea today. Fellow top-four hopefuls West Ham went down 3-2 at Newcastle this lunchtime. Louise Taylor was at St James’ Park to witness a thriller.

4.43pm BST

Chelsea make three changes to the side that lost 1-0 against Porto during the week. Kepa Arrizabalaga gets his customary cup run-out as Edouard Mendy is rested, while Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner take the places of Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz, who drop to the bench. Mateo Kovacic has a hamstring issue, while Andreas Christensen has a muscle injury.

Manchester City change eight of the starting XI sent out for the 2-1 win at Borussia Dortmund. They too have a bespoke cup keeper, Zack Steffen replacing Ederson. Elsewhere, Joao Cancelo, Aymeric Laporte, Benjamin Mendy, Fernandinho, Ferran Torres, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus take the place of Kyle Walker, John Stones, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden. All eight of those replaced drop to the bench. Sergio Aguero is out altogether for the third match running.

4.33pm BST

Chelsea: Kepa, Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Rudiger, James, Jorginho, Kante, Chilwell, Ziyech, Werner, Mount.
Subs: Caballero, Alonso, Emerson, Zouma, Gilmour, Havertz, Hudson-Odoi, Pulisic, Giroud.

Manchester City: Steffen, Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Mendy, Rodrigo, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Torres, Sterling, Jesus.
Subs: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Ake, Gundogan, Zinchenko, Bernardo, Mahrez, Foden.

1.53pm BST

This is only the second time Chelsea have faced Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals. City won the first meeting, back in 2013, Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero giving Roberto Mancini’s side a two-goal lead, Demba Ba pulling one back for Rafa Benitez’s men, City in the end hanging on. City went on to lose to Wigan in the final, but let’s not reopen old wounds.

Nevertheless, history is very much City’s friend here. That semi-final win was one of four victories over Chelsea in six FA Cup ties. The Citizens have also got the upper hand over the Pensioners at the new Wembley, unbeaten in three, winning the 2013 semi, the 2018 Community Shield and the 2019 League Cup final, and yes those old nicknames are indeed rarely used these days.

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Published on April 17, 2021 11:52

April 16, 2021

Everton 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur: Premier League – as it happened

An entertaining to-and-fro game ended in a draw that ultimately satisfied neither party in the chase for a Champions League place

12.12am BST

10.30pm BST

Andy Hunter was at Goodison tonight, and his verdict is in. Click below for his report ... and thanks for reading this one. Nighty night!

10.29pm BST

Carlo Ancelotti finally gets his turn to speak to Sky. “We should have won. We played a good game. It was maybe the best game we played at home this season. We were unlucky and we made mistakes, and when you make them against Harry Kane you are condemned. It is a disappointing result but not a disappointing performance so we have more difficulties to reach Europe but we have to keep fighting. If we play like we did tonight we still have possibilities. We pressed well and were aggressive. We had a lot of opportunities. We still have possibilities. I am sure. I am convinced.”

10.22pm BST

And he’s given the opportunity to respond to that Paul Pogba interview. “I would like to say that I couldn’t care less with what he says. I couldn’t care less. Not interested. At all.”

10.19pm BST

As for the rest of the performance, Jose? “It was a game against two teams with lots of similarities. We are very similar teams in many aspects. Teams are capable of scoring goals, and that concede two. both teams tried to win it. It was probably a fair result. It was not easy to keep the ball due to pressing.” He’s then asked about the Everton penalty decision. After a four-second pause, a knowing smile. “I am not going to comment. I just laugh. You know this silly smile.”

10.15pm BST

Jose Mourinho reports on Harry Kane. “I think it’s too early to say something. For him to leave the pitch at 2-2 with a couple of minutes to go, he obviously felt something. But let me be optimistic and believe that he has time to recover. Let’s see. Let me be optimistic and believe that it is nothing serious. It is obvious he is a very important player for us, that is more than obvious. But I cannot say much. I cannot speculate or help in speculation.”

10.13pm BST

Kane really did go over on that ankle. Fingers crossed it’s not too bad. Some better news for the Spurs striker: his two-goal haul today has taken him into seventh place in the all-time Premier League top scorers list. His total of 164 is only bettered by Alan Shearer (260), Wayne Rooney (208), Andy Cole (187), Sergio Aguero (181), Frank Lampard (177) and Thierry Henry (175). Yes, I’m aware that football wasn’t invented with the advent of the Premier League in 1992. I think someone wrote a book about that once.

10.07pm BST

A clearly disappointed Eric Dier speaks. “First half we did well, we started well and got our goal. We conceded a poor goal, we’re disappointed with both goals, both cutbacks, we need to do better in these areas. I feel that 2-2 was fair, they had a few good chances at the end. We gave away possession a bit too easily. In general we need to keep the ball better and play better. At times we were a bit too hesitant in possession. We played the three at the back well, we were offensive and aggressive, we did quite well in that formation. It’s always worrying when you see Harry Kane limping because he doesn’t fall over easily. It’s obviously early days to say how bad it is, but he’s a tough boy and will do as good as he can to be ready [for the final]. We need to finish as strongly as we can, we owe it to the fans, it’s about pride.”

10.01pm BST

That result keeps Spurs in seventh on 50 points, and Everton in eighth with 49. Spurs have played 32 matches, but everyone else in the hunt for a European place has played just 31. With Manchester City and Manchester United seemingly a shoo-in for the top two spots, you’d expect positions three and four to be decided by Leicester (56 pts), West Ham (55), Chelsea (54) and Liverpool (52) ... though nobody at Spurs or Everton will be giving up the chase quite yet.

9.55pm BST

That’s it! A draw that’s probably about right ... but not much good for either team as they chase a top-four finish. And there’s concern for Harry Kane, who limps off to the dressing room with the League Cup final just a week away.

9.54pm BST

90 min +3: Rodriguez tries to thread a shot goalwards through a thicket of white shirts. It’s always heading wide left. He grimaces, Everton’s last chance to secure a precious win surely gone.

9.53pm BST

90 min +2: Kane has taken a whack on his right ankle. Or is it the top of his foot? Richarlison landed on it during that melee at the corner. He limps off gingerly, replaced by Alli.

9.52pm BST

90 min +1: Corner for Everton down the left. Rodriguez swings it in. Rodon has a handful of Keane’s shirt, but the referee isn’t interested in giving a dramatic penalty.

9.51pm BST

90 min: This game was awful for the first 26 minutes. It’s been wonderful fun ever since. Such a shame there will only be three extra minutes. Can’t we have 33 instead?

9.49pm BST

89 min: Rodriguez and Digne combine to win a corner down the left. Keane comes up with a view to finding redemption for his mistakes by scoring the winner, but only succeeds in giving away a needless free kick.

9.48pm BST

88 min: Rodriguez hits a long diagonal towards Digne out on the left. Digne hooks back, hoping to find Richarlison in the middle, but Aurier and Sissoko are both quickly onto the cross and combine to clear.

9.47pm BST

86 min: Spurs, having sensed Everton taking control during the last few minutes, slow the pace down. Given they also need the win, and with time running out, it’s a dangerous gambit, but needs must.

9.45pm BST

84 min: Coleman has a go from the best part of 30 yards. He drags it miles wide left and has the good grace to look bashful. But Everton quickly come again. Rodriguez slips a ball down the inside-right channel for King, whose first-time low shot is kicked clear by Lloris. The ball breaks to Richarlison, who tries to power into an unguarded goal, but leans back and blazes over.

9.43pm BST

83 min: Everton replace Davies with King.

9.42pm BST

82 min: Lamela nearly breaks clear down the middle with a determined power dribble. He loses control at the last, the ball squirting through to Lloris.

9.42pm BST

81 min: A draw’s no good to either side, really. Both teams will surely go for the win. So it’s worth pointing out that no team has dropped more points in the final ten minutes of matches this season. They’ve shipped 11; the next worst offenders are Liverpool and Brighton with eight.

9.40pm BST

80 min: Some room for Kane, sent running towards the Everton box down the left by Son. He cuts inside and goes for the bottom left, the ball ricocheting between Godfrey’s legs and into Pickford’s grateful arms.

9.39pm BST

78 min: A little bit of space opens up for Davies now, 25 yards from the Spurs goal, but he elects not to shoot and the chance to put Lloris to work is gone. “I swear Everton is cursed,” writes Mary Waltz. “A ball off the backside straight to Kane and a goal. Arrrggghhh!!!”

9.36pm BST

76 min: Space for Lamela to run into down the middle. Keane backs off and backs off, inviting Lamela to shoot. Which he does, albeit deep into the stand. Spurs look the more likely right now.

9.35pm BST

74 min: Replays show that, after the free kick on 70 minutes, Coleman and Rodon exchanged philosophical positions in the full and frank style. No idea what that was about, but the Everton captain went looking for his man and wasn’t happy at all.

9.32pm BST

72 min: Yep, pretty much anything. Moura wedges in from the left. Kane helps the ball on with a deft header that loops towards the top right, beats the fully-extended Pickford, but bruises the outside of the post. Goal kick. Good luck guessing how this is going to end!

9.31pm BST

70 min: Coleman hares down the right and is stopped by Moura and Sissoko. Illegally, it turns out. Sigurdsson whips the free kick straight into Lloris’s hands. Anything could happen here.

9.30pm BST

Another Everton defensive calamity! Lamela crosses from the right. Keane’s clearing header smacks Godfrey on the seat of his pants and rebounds to Kane, who larrups a first-time effort into the top left! Some finish, but dearie me. Keane is having a nightmare.

9.28pm BST

66 min: Tell you what, that Sigurdsson strike had certain similarities with one of the most famous goals ever scored at Goodison: János Farkas of Hungary against Brazil at the 1966 World Cup. OK, OK, different corner, but allow us a little leeway, there’s a very similar feel to the goal, nonetheless.

9.24pm BST

64 min: Spurs respond by making a double change. Lamela and Moura come on for Ndombele and Reguilon, the latter angrily throwing his jacket down in disgust as he takes his seat on the bench.

9.23pm BST

This is a marvellous goal. Coleman immediately gets involved, one-twoing with Richarlison at speed down the right, and pulling back low and hard for Sigurdsson. The Iceland international rushes into the box and meets the cross first time, opening his body and sidefooting powerfully into the left-hand side of the net. That is an absolute peach of a goal. What a move! What a finish!

9.21pm BST

61 min: Iwobi is replaced by the aforementioned Coleman.

9.20pm BST

60 min: A ball is shovelled straight down the middle of the park by the quarterbacking Rodriguez. Richarlison is free! He slots into the bottom left, but the flag goes up and the whistle blows. He was yards offside.

9.19pm BST

59 min: A slight lull, during which Everton prepare to send on their captain Seamus Coleman.

9.18pm BST

57 min: Spurs go close twice in the space of a minute. First Ndombele has a whack from 20 yards. His effort is deflected and balloons over the stranded Pickford, but just over te bar. And then from the corner, Alderweireld heads powerfully towards the top right. It’s just wide, shaving the outside of the post. Pickford probably had that covered, but he was scrambling.

9.16pm BST

55 min: Reguilon cuts in from the left and bombs down the channel. He makes up a good 40 yards in the blink of an eye, before being clattered fairly by Davies’ sliding tackle. That was a barnstorming run. Reguilon’s great to watch when he gets a head of steam.

9.14pm BST

54 min: Godfrey chests the ball down, 30 yards from the Spurs goal. It drops almost perfectly for a spectacular Le Tissieresque volley ... but not quite. Godfrey attempts it anyway, and it’s blocked with ease. Full marks for ambition, though.

9.13pm BST

52 min: Son has been quiet so far. But this is wonderful, as he drops a shoulder to waltz past Keane down the left. That’s far too easy; Keane’s not having the best of games so far. Son tries to trick Pickford at his near post from a tight angle. The keeper parries and pushes around the post. The corner leads to some pinball, with Everton’s defence at sixes and sevens, but nothing breaks for Spurs and eventually the hosts clear.

9.10pm BST

50 min: So having said that, here come Spurs! Some space for Kane down the left. He slips in Dier on his outside. Dier stands one up to the far post, where Digne is forced to head over his own bar. Nothing comes of the corner, but this is much better from Spurs, who have woken up after a long period half-asleep.

9.08pm BST

48 min: Rodriguez takes. Rodon clanks it out. Take two. Rodriguez takes again. Richarlison wins a header, but flashes it miles over the bar. Still, the home side will be happy with how the second period has begun; they’re in the ascendency, just as they were before the break.

9.07pm BST

47 min: Everton settle into the half quickly, keeping hold of the ball, knocking it hither and yon. Eventually a corner’s won down the left.

9.05pm BST

Everton get the second half underway. No changes.

9.02pm BST

During the half-time break, Jamie Redknapp ran the penalty incident on Sky’s super-slow-mo kit. Reguilon did indeed clip Rodriguez, very gently, a step or so before the Everton man went down. A soft one, but fair nonetheless. It was also instructive that Reguilon made no effort whatsoever to plead his innocence with the ref, merely hanging his head in sorrow.

8.53pm BST

Half-time penalty patter.

“That’s VAR done right. After numerous showings you can’t tell definitively either way. So the ref’s decision stands. There should be no complaints, but there will be” - Joe Worrall.

8.50pm BST

For the best part of half an hour, this was a thundering non-event. Then Spurs took the lead through Harry Kane, before conceding a controversial penalty a couple of minutes later. Gylfi Sigurdsson equalised, after which Everton ran the show. They’ll be slightly sad to hear the half-time whistle, but the break’s come at exactly the right moment for Spurs, who need to regroup and rethink.

8.49pm BST

45 min +2: Richarlison is sent on a power dribble down the inside-left, another clever pass by Rodriguez. Rodon and Alderweireld close the door. Richarlison goes over, in some pain having turned his ankle. Best get some ice on that during the break.

8.47pm BST

45 min +1: A free kick for Everton out on the left. Rodriguez swings it in deep. Rodon opts not to engage, allowing Godfrey to steal in at the back stick. Spurs are extremely fortunate that the ball doesn’t arrive at perfect height for Godfrey, who can’t keep his header down. Close, though.

8.46pm BST

45 min: There will be a minimum of three extra first-half minutes.

8.45pm BST

44 min: Harry Kane is now joint-seventh all-time leading scorer in the Premier League, alongside Robbie Fowler on 163 goals. Yes, yes, there was plenty of football before 1992, but there’s nothing much going on at the minute, so there you are.

8.42pm BST

42 min: Richarlison tries a curler towards the top right again. This one’s deflected out for a corner. Richarlison meets the outswinging corner and attempts a header towards the top left. Lloris gathers that one easily enough.

8.41pm BST

40 min: They’ve replayed the penalty incident again. It’s really difficult to spot whether Reguilon made contact or not. Expect to hear more of this, depending on tonight’s result.

8.40pm BST

38 min: Now there’s some room for Rodriguez down the middle. He’s found just inside the box, and smashes his shot straight at Lloris. Either side, and that was surely a goal. Spurs are suddenly all over the place, while Everton are first to everything.

8.39pm BST

37 min: Rodriguez sends a speculative effort towards the bottom left from distance. Lloris saves. Everton come straight back at them, Dier’s poor clearance intercepted by Sigurdsson, Iwobi having a bash from just inside the box. Spurs survive.

8.37pm BST

36 min: Kane tries to beat Pickford from the halfway line. It’s always flying wide right, but there’s respect for your England team-mates for you.

8.35pm BST

34 min: Everton have their tails up now. Richarlison is shoved over by Hojbjerg, just to the left of the Spurs D. Free kick for the hosts in a very dangerous position. Sigurdsson looks for the top-left corner, but only smashes a witless effort straight into the wall.

8.34pm BST

32 min: Well it didn’t take long for the hosts to get back into that ... although there’s a suggestion the penalty was very soft. Did Rodriguez kick the floor? Or did his movement instigate the contact? Difficult to say, even on repeated viewing, which may explain VAR’s reluctance to get involved. Clear and obvious error, all that.

8.33pm BST

Sigurdsson gives Lloris the eyes. He slots into the bottom right as the keeper dives the other way.

8.32pm BST

30 min: A chance for Everton to get straight back into it! Sigurdsson crosses low from the left. Rodriguez prepares to trap and shoot, but Reguilon clips him from behind and the ref points straight to the spot.

8.31pm BST

29 min: Spurs had done nothing in attack until then. But that’s Harry Kane for you.

8.28pm BST

Out of nothing! Ndombele crosses from the left. Keane goes up to head clear, but can only gently eyebrow the ball, which continues on its way. It drops at the feet of Kane, eight yards out, totally unmarked! Kane takes a careful touch, swivels and dispatches a crisp shot into the bottom left, Pickford stranded and with no chance.

8.27pm BST

26 min: Now Aurier tugs Digne’s shirt from behind. A little nibble at the ankle too? Hard to tell. Either way, this is a duel to keep an eye on.

8.26pm BST

24 min: Aurier is down holding his shin, having been clattered by Digne. Play stops as he gets some attention. When the sting of impact subsides, the Spurs full back is good to go again.

8.24pm BST

22 min: The first decent move of the match, as Rodriguez finds a yard down the middle and slips a pass down the inside-left channel to release Richarlison. The striker takes a touch, opens his body, and curls towards the bottom right. Lloris is down to parry clear. Lovely pass, decent shot, fine save. Great football all round, and the first serious work either keeper has had to do.

8.22pm BST

21 min: Yep, play stops and Davies goes in the referee’s notebook. One each now.

8.21pm BST

20 min: Davies slides in late on Ndombele. The ref waves play on. Spurs go nowhere. I wonder whether Davies will be booked when play finally stops? Spurs would have preferred the free kick, given how it all panned out.

8.20pm BST

18 min: Godfrey sticks an arm across Sissoko’s neck as the pair tussle down the Spurs left. A garden-variety foul, nothing more, though the volume of Sissoko’s yell encouraged Kane to have a word with the referee. It’s all a bit of an over-reaction; Michael Oliver isn’t interested in escalating things, and we play on.

8.18pm BST

16 min: This has been a total non-event so far. Perhaps understandably so, with the stakes so high; the loser tonight can surely forget about any top-four finish. Both teams carefully sounding each other out.

8.15pm BST

14 min: Everton are enjoying the lion’s share of possession, though they’re doing very little with it. Spurs seem quite happy to sit back and let them be about their business.

8.14pm BST

12 min: Richarlison executes a couple of cute rollovers and dragbacks to wriggle out of a tight spot on the left. It’s lovely skill, but he then sends a crossfield diagonal to nobody in particular, and the ball dribbles out for a goal kick.

8.12pm BST

11 min: Davies tries to send Iwobi clear down the right. A fizzed pass would do it, but he scoops a gentle one upfield instead, and Reguilon is able to come across and smother his opponent.

8.11pm BST

9 min: Two-pass sequences are at a premium right now. In the dugout, Jose keeps his head down, scribbling in a notebook. Maybe he’s finally started on that novel. And why not, might as well fill the time during these uneventful early exchanges.

8.09pm BST

7 min: The first booking of the evening as Hojbjerg cynically cuddles Sigurdsson as the Everton man threatened to break into space down the inside-left. Just the 83 minutes on a booking remain for the combative midfielder.

8.07pm BST

6 min: It’s been a high-octane start, without too much in the way of quality or drama so far.

8.06pm BST

5 min: Sigurdsson attempts an ambitious curler towards the top right of Lloris’s goal. The ball nestles in the top corner of the Park End Stand.

8.05pm BST

4 min: A couple of neat and determined combinations between Digne and Richarlison down the left. Nothing comes of them, but the pair look in a lively mood.

8.03pm BST

2 min: Spurs do indeed load the box, but dearie me, what a waste of effort, as Reguilon clanks a dismal free kick over everyone’s head and harmlessly out for a goal kick.

8.02pm BST

1 min: Spurs are on the front foot immediately, Son barging his way down the right. He’s eventually bowled over by Davies, and this is an early opportunity for Spurs to load the box.

8.01pm BST

First up, a period of silence in memory of Prince Phillip. Then Spurs get the ball rolling, but only after the players take a knee of solidarity and love. There’s no room for racism. Challenge it. Report it. Change it. Kick it out.

7.58pm BST

A siren sounds, the theme to Z Cars fills the air, and the teams take to the pitch. Everton are in their famous royal blue, Spurs wear their equally storied lilywhite. Mourinho and Ancelotti embrace warmly. We’ll be off in a minute!

7.46pm BST

Don Carlo speaks to Sky. “The presence of Jordan Pickford and Allan gives us more power. Andre Gomes trained with the team but he was not so comfortable and I prefer to wait a little bit to be ready for the next game. Seamus Coleman played really hard against Brighton and so I wanted to get some fresh legs. We are in a fight like Tottenham and other teams, we need to get results. It is a really important game, but so are the other games we have to play. It will not be the last chance. But it will be important to win and I hope we understand this.”

7.39pm BST

Jose Mourinho talks to Sky. “I am just looking for tonight. I am not thinking about the League Cup final. We have to try the maximum number of points in the Premier League and see where we end. Next week after Southampton we will think about the final. The objective is to win this game. It is not to defend anything, that is not the point. We are going to try to be aggressive and intense and leave our most prolific attacking players in a situation where they don’t have to think too much about defensive organisation and to give them some freedom to try to hurt.”

7.27pm BST

Incidentally, tonight’s MBM is brought to you by ...

7.10pm BST

Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti makes three changes to the side that was slightly fortunate to get away with a goalless draw at Brighton. Jordan Pickford returns in goal, replacing Robin Olsen, while Allan and Alex Iwobi take the places of the benched Seamus Coleman and the injured Yerry Mina.

Spurs supremo Jose Mourinho makes two changes to the starting XI named for the ultimately comprehensive home loss to Manchester United. Moussa Sissoko and Toby Alderweireld step up, while Giovani Lo Celso and Lucas Moura drop to the bench.

7.02pm BST

Everton: Pickford, Holgate, Keane, Godfrey, Digne, Allan, Davies, Rodriguez, Iwobi, Sigurdsson, Richarlison.
Subs: King, Nkounkou, Coleman, Virginia, Olsen, Broadhead, John, Price, Welch.

Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Dier, Alderweireld, Rodon, Aurier, Ndombele, Hojbjerg, Sissoko, Reguilon, Son, Kane.
Subs: Sanchez, Winks, Bale, Lamela, Hart, Lo Celso, Alli, Tanganga, Lucas Moura.

5.48pm BST

Everton and Tottenham aren’t quite yet drinking in the last-chance saloon … but it’s getting close to time and the landlord doesn’t seem much in the mood for a lock-in. Win this match tonight – a draw isn’t really much good for anyone – and you’ll still have a shot of making the top four. Lose, though, and you’ll probably – probably – find yourself too far behind, with too many other teams ahead of you, and too few games left.

Hopefully this state of affairs will guarantee a rollercoaster rumble, another all-or-nothing slugfest like that FA Cup game here a couple of months ago. Or maybe Spurs will nick an early goal, allowing Jose to park his Fun Bus against a side who have been struggling to find the net at home, Everton having scored just four goals in their last six matches at Goodison, four in their last seven overall.

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Published on April 16, 2021 14:30

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