Scott Murray's Blog, page 90

January 6, 2021

The Fiver | Manchester United, Manchester City and a guarantee to take to the bank

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It’s already been a good week for Manchester United, who won the Premier League on Monday night, we assume, if the way some folk are going on is anything to go by. But the new champions of England won’t want to stop there! They could take a step closer to trophy No 2 on Wednesday evening by booking a place in the final of the Milk Cup, which is scheduled to take place in April, and who knows, might even take place in April. It’ll certainly be played this season. Providing this season finishes. Which it will. Almost certainly. Probably. And that’s a Fiver guarantee you can take to the bank.

Related: Solskjær brushes off penalty complaints from Manchester United rivals

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Published on January 06, 2021 07:56

December 29, 2020

Brighton 0-1 Arsenal, West Brom 0-5 Leeds and more – as it happened

Arsenal carved out a victory at Brighton, while Leeds condemned Sam Allardyce to his worst home defeat as a manager

8.12pm GMT

Related: Lacazette sinks Brighton to deliver back-to-back wins for Arsenal

Related: Southampton share points after firing only blanks against West Ham

Related: Ben Mee rounds off Burnley's good day by piling pain on Sheffield United

Related: Thrilling Leeds put West Brom to the sword after Sawyers' slapstick own goal

8.00pm GMT

The classified check.

Related: Manchester United v Wolves: Premier League – live!

7.55pm GMT

A huge result for Burnley, who are beginning to disentangle themselves from bother at the bottom. They rise above Brighton into 16th, five points clear of the drop zone. The Blades look a beaten docket right now.

7.53pm GMT

So much for Arsenal getting dragged into a relegation battle. Not a banner evening for Big Sam.

Related: Arsenal 'absolutely' in the relegation mix this season, says Sam Allardyce

7.52pm GMT

Sam Allardyce walks off with a face on. Marcelo Bielsa has a passionate chat with Sammy Lee. It could have been ten.

7.50pm GMT

The scoreline tells the whole story. One of those.

7.48pm GMT

Saka, sitting in the stands at the Amex, looks pretty happy and relaxed now. Not least because he’s been named man of the match. All signs suggest there’s no serious damage to his ankle.

7.44pm GMT

Down at St Mary’s, Benrahma pokes an effort goalwards amid a scramble from six yards. McCarthy smothers at close range. Saints aren’t offering much up the other end. This one looks like ending goalless, having been a non-event pretty much from the get-go. Can anyone launch a smash and grab?

7.42pm GMT

Leeds have long been home and hosed, yet they still come at West Brom with extreme prejudice. Bamford sends a screamer over the bar from 12 yards. A couple of corners. Harrison whips a cross in from the right that somehow eludes four burgundy shirts. They are relentless.

7.38pm GMT

Saka, who set up Lacazette’s goal with his right-wing cross, does indeed have to go off. But he’s able to do so under his own steam, and doesn’t look in too much pain as he walks off the pitch.

7.34pm GMT

A worry for Arsenal at the Amex, where Saka has picked up an ankle injury and is rolling around on the turf in genuine distress. Hopefully that’s just the sting of impact and nothing more serious. Speaking of which ...

Talk about putting your body (and head) on the line

Don’t worry Che Adams is up and running again#PLonPrime #SOUWHU pic.twitter.com/GSW1OCzThg

7.32pm GMT

It’s not even news any more. Another glorious goal for Leeds United. Raphinha glides in gracefully from the right, reaches the edge of the D, and swishes a curler of great beauty into the top left. As things stand, this will be Sam Allardyce’s heaviest home defeat in the league. Forty-eight hours since the much-heralded tactical masterclass of Anfield, such a long time in football.

7.27pm GMT

FULL TIME: Birmingham City 0-4 Derby County. This was all over after the hosts suffered a two-minute defensive meltdown midway through the first half. Wayne Rooney strolls off like the proverbial cat, premium dairy product dripping off its whiskers. The Rams charge out of the relegation zone, leapfrogging rivals Nottingham Forest into 20th spot. Birmingham slip behind Coventry on goal difference, down to 18th.

7.23pm GMT

Mikel Arteta sends Lacazette on for Martinelli. A whole 36 seconds later, the sub sweeps a low right-wing cross fiercely into the bottom right from 12 yards. What an introduction!

7.22pm GMT

Brighton come back at Arsenal. Veltman bursts into the box down the right and creams a shot towards the bottom-right corner. Leno refuses to be beaten at his near post. And then ...

7.20pm GMT

Leeds continue to entertain at the Hawthorns. Meslier nearly gives a goal away by attempting to thread a pass through a thicket of players in his own six-yard box, then a few of his pals go up the other end, drawing pretty first-time triangles right to left, before the move breaks down with one elaborate flick too many. Who truthfully cares, though? Art for art’s sake, an aesthete’s delight. West Brom have no answer to this.

7.14pm GMT

There will be a fifth Premier League match tonight, kicking off at 8pm. The team news for that one is in. Rob Smyth - co-presenter of the new United Rewind podcast - is all over it.

Related: Manchester United v Wolves: Premier League – live!

7.11pm GMT

Aubameyang’s near miss appears to have given Arsenal a much-needed boost of confidence. Martinelli sashays in from the left and nearly plants an outrageous curler into the top right. It’s high and wide, but not by very much at all. Lovely stuff. They should get Charles Antaki (19.05) to do all of their half-time team-talks.

7.09pm GMT

GOAL! Birmingham City 0-4 Derby County (Knight 77). In the Championship, Derby continue to pile the misery on Blues. Kamil Jozwiak curls deep from the right. Jason Knight springs clear at the far post and meets the dropping ball to knock home.

7.07pm GMT

So having said that, Arsenal immediately launch their best attack of the evening so far. Saka makes good down the left and whips low towards the near post. Aubameyang opens his body and sidefoots towards the bottom left. Sanchez sticks out a foot to deny Arsenal’s first shot on target. Fine move, fine save, though Aubameyang should surely have scored.

7.05pm GMT

The four Premier League matches have restarted. It’s not long before Arsenal are faffing around in defence, and there’s a VAR check for a possible foul on Dunk, who is at the centre of a penalty-box brouhaha. Not sure what they’re looking for. It’s VAR, there’s no point trying to second-guess them. Anyway, nothing doing, but it’s not a confident start to the half by the Gunners, who have been skewered by Charles Antaki thus: “Apparently the mark of a top footballer is that time seems to slow down when they’re in control of the ball. In that case Arsenal’s midfield is a work of genius, inasmuch as time seems to be not so much standing still as going backwards when they’re in possession.” Ow.

6.58pm GMT

While we enjoy our half-time oranges, here’s Mary Waltz with a paean to Leeds United. “What to watch? Watch Arsenal or watch Leeds? I picked Leeds. It has been a glorious example of blitzkrieg offensive attack. It’s already 4-0 and at this rate seven or eight is a real possibility. Leeds are so relentless, Klopp should be embarrassed that Liverpool couldn’t do more. Poor Big Sam. Bielsa is basically showing him his era has passed into history.”

While everyone’s up on Leeds, please let me recommend a new definitive history of the club so damn enjoyable it’s almost as though the pages turn themselves: The Biography of Leeds United by Rob Bagchi, formerly of this parish. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll never before have seen a youthful Jack Charlton described as looking “like a Postcard Records bass player”. Has there been a better sports book all year? No.

6.51pm GMT

With half-an-hour remaining, it’s still 3-0 to Derby in the big midlands stramash. Meanwhile here’s some half-time Premier League analysis from Graeme Thorn: “I think Jurgen Klopp’s thoughts (18.37) are summed up by the first sentence of your update at 18.44: ‘That’s four shots on target and four goals.’ Liverpool managed one in the whole first half when West Brom couldn’t get out of their half, and not very many more after that.”

6.48pm GMT

6.47pm GMT

While Leeds are running rampant, Brighton, Arsenal, Southampton and West Ham are doing not very much. “The WBA v Leeds game is also a clash between ex-managers of England and Argentina, don’t forget,” begins Justin Kavanagh. “I think Big Sam might just want to lay back and think of England.” Probably best not to think too much more about that punchline.

6.44pm GMT

That’s four shots on target and four goals for Leeds. What a team they are. Mind you, West Brom have been beyond shambolic so far. Their magnificent efforts at Anfield the other night appear to have come at something of a cost. Oh Sam!

6.41pm GMT

This is way too easy. A long ball down the Leeds right. Bamford slips it inside for Rodrigo, who hammers towards the bottom right from the edge of the box. The ball takes a huge deflection off the unfortunate O’Shea, but when you attack relentlessly like this, you make your own luck!

6.37pm GMT

Another sensational goal! Harrison glides in from the left. He one-twos with Bamford on the edge of the box, before lifting an unstoppable shot into the top left! What a performance this is by Leeds! Penny for the thoughts of Sam Allardyce right now. Come to that, penny for the thoughts of Jurgen Klopp!

6.35pm GMT

A corner from the right. Up goes the Burnley captain Mee, to crash a header into the top left. Seconds after Brewster had one cleared off the line, too. It tends to go like that when you’re down.

6.33pm GMT

A ball swung into the mixer from the right. Bamford goes up. The ball’s half cleared. Alioski, racing in from the left, meets it first time and creams a rising diagonal shot into the top right. Once again, Johnstone had no chance, but this one was something special. Faint praise, I guess, but you’ll not see a better goal if you wait around for the rest of the year.

6.31pm GMT

So close to an opener between Burnley and Sheffield United at Turf Moor! Brewster and McGoldrick combine reasonably cutely down the left to force a corner for the visitors. From the set piece, Brewster heads goalwards from six yards. He doesn’t really catch it properly, but take nothing away from Brownhill, who takes guard on the line and stops the ball from crossing it with his shoulder. United want a penalty but they’re not getting it.

6.27pm GMT

Brighton are beginning to ask Arsenal a few questions. A corner, swung in from the right and dealt with - just about - by Bellerin with Jahanbakhsh lurking. Leno then juggles a backpass on his thighs before clearing with Mac Allister heaving into view, absurd levels of grace under pressure. Arsenal by contrast haven’t managed an effort on goal, on or off target.

6.21pm GMT

It’s half-time in the Championship at St Andrew’s, where Derby lead hosts Birmingham 3-0. Derby could have scored one or two more; Blues are lucky to have nil. Meanwhile a few miles away at the Hawthorns: “Marcelo Bielsa is such a genius at getting buy-in that he’s even got West Brom players finishing off the moves - 12 vs 10 overload.” Put your hands together for Gary Naylor, ladies and gentlemen. He’s here all week. Try the balti pie.

6.17pm GMT

Not a great deal going on at the Amex between Brighton and Arsenal. Ditto Turf Moor in the big relegation six-pointer. Saints are dominating West Ham, however. They’ve already had a very aesthetically pleasing goal chalked off, and are refusing to let their visitors get out of their final third. An opener for Southampton seems just a matter of time.

6.14pm GMT

Big Sam’s still sulking. Shoulders hunched, chin on chest, arms tightly folded, ears emitting hot (albeit environmentally friendly) fuel.

6.12pm GMT

Sam Allardyce slams back into his seat in disgust, as his side concede an absurd goal. His defence snuff out a Leeds attack. Sawyers looks to play upfield, but decides to check and plays back blind towards Johnstone in goal. Except Johnstone isn’t in his goal, he’s inexplicably gone walkabout to the left of his six-yard box. In goes the ball, and gnash-gnash-gnash goes Big Sam’s jaw, the chewing gum in his mouth taking one hell of a pounding. A preposterous own-goal.

6.08pm GMT

Southampton 0-0 West Ham. Ings dances his way through the middle of the West Ham defence and slams the ball into the bottom-left corner. It’s a glorious goal ... or it would have been, had VAR not fingered an offside player earlier in the build-up. To be fair, the man was well off, but shame, shame, shame Ings’ sensational effort cannot stand.

6.05pm GMT

Southampton 0-0 West Ham. An early opportunity on the south coast as well. Romeu slips Adams free down the inside-left channel, but the striker dribbles a tame effort straight at Fabianski from six yards. Adams might have been offside, but that’s a poor miss even so.

6.04pm GMT

Burnley 0-0 Sheffield United. A very early chance at Turf Moor. Barnes has the ball at his feet on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. He surely has to score, but Ramsdale makes himself big and saves.

6.00pm GMT

Speaking of the Premier League, here comes everyone. They’ll be kicking off at the Amex, Turf Moor, St Mary’s and the Hawthorns any moment now!

5.58pm GMT

GOAL! Birmingham City 0-3 Derby County (Kazim-Richards 25). Another corner, another Blues farce. The ball’s whipped in from the right. Some bagatelle in the six-yard box. Etheridge all over the shop again. Colin Kazim-Richards pokes home from a yard or so, and for a second it looked like Rooney was going to break into a little jig. Good luck Premier League living up to this blistering start in the Championship!

5.54pm GMT

Turns out West Brom are making a change tonight after all. Kieran Gibbs has tweaked something in the warm-up, and has his place in the starting XI taken by Lee Peltier. Does the Big Sam honeymoon end like this?

5.50pm GMT

GOAL! Birmingham City 0-2 Derby County (Shinnie 17 pen). Graeme Shinnie becomes Derby’s joint top scorer this season with, eh, his second goal of the campaign. It’s blasted into the top-right corner from the penalty spot, after Harlee Dean slid in recklessly on Louis Sibley, who was going nowhere. Rooney was seething on the touchline a couple of minutes ago; now he’s all smiles.

5.48pm GMT

GOAL! Birmingham City 0-1 Derby County (Bielik 15). An early-ish goal at St Andrews, and a much-needed one for Wayne Rooney’s struggling side. Neil Etheridge fumbles a simple catch from a corner, and Krystian Bielik pokes home.

5.42pm GMT

Some good news at last for Sean Dyche. He’s spent most of the season so far bemoaning the lack of coin in the Turf Moor kitty. But look! Cavalry’s a-comin’! Could be an interesting January transfer window for the Clarets. File under: timely boost.

Related: US finance group ALK Capital closes in on Burnley takeover

5.25pm GMT

WBA v Leeds. No changes by either side, in the wake of West Brom’s heroic point at Anfield and United’s win over Burnley. If it ain’t broke, fixture pile-up schmixture pile-up, etc.

5.23pm GMT

Burnley v Sheffield United. The Blades are only able to name seven substitutes after “a number of positive coronavirus tests” at the club. However the starting XI is unaffected in the main: just the one change from the home defeat to Everton, with Oliver Burke replaced up front by Lys Mousset. Burnley also make just the solitary change, after losing at Leeds: Robbie Brady replaces Josh Benson.

5.21pm GMT

Southampton v West Ham: Ralph Hasenhuttl will be following this one at home, almost certainly an exercise in futility given the average performance of an Amazon Prime stream, as one of his family members has tested positive for Covid-19. He has made three changes to the side that drew 0-0 with Fulham: in come Moussa Djenepo, Oriol Romeu and Danny Ings; out go Shane Long, Stuart Armstrong and Ibrahima Diallo. The Hammers make five changes to the side that drew 2-2 at home with Brighton: Fabian Balbuena, Vladimir Coufal, Ben Johnson, Mark Noble and Jarrod Bowen make way for Craig Dawson, Ryan Fredericks, Andriy Yarmolenko, Manuel Lanzini and Pablo Fornals.

5.11pm GMT

Brighton v Arsenal: Arsenal make one change to the team named for the 3-1 victory over Chelsea. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang replaces Alexandre Lacazette. But it’s six changes for Brighton from the side that drew 2-2 at West Ham: Bernardo, Joel Veltman, Alexis Mac Allister, Pascal Gross, Davy Propper and Alireza Jahanbakhsh replace Ben White, Adam Lallana, Solly March, Leandro Trossard, Neal Maupay and Danny Welbeck.

5.06pm GMT

Brighton & Hove Albion: Sanchez, Webster, Dunk, Burn, Veltman, Bissouma, Propper, Bernardo, Gross, Mac Allister, Jahanbakhsh.
Subs: White, Connolly, Maupay, Trossard, Welbeck, March, Steele, Zeqiri, Molumby.
Arsenal: Leno, Bellerin, Holding, Pablo Mari, Tierney, Elneny, Xhaka, Saka, Smith-Rowe, Martinelli, Aubameyang.
Subs: Ceballos, Lacazette, Runarsson, Maitland-Niles, Cedric, Pepe, Mustafi, Willock, Nketiah.

Burnley: Pope, Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor, Brady, Brownhill, Westwood, Pieters, Wood, Barnes.
Subs: Peacock-Farrell, Stephens, Norris, Bardsley, Long, Dunne, Mancini, Benson, Mumbongo.
Sheffield United: Ramsdale, Basham, Egan, Robinson, Baldock, Ampadu, Osborn, Stevens, McGoldrick, Mousset, Brewster.
Subs: Fleck, Lowe, Burke, Norwood, Bogle, Verrips, Bryan.

11.44am GMT

It’s another chilly winter’s evening, but the hot festive fixtures just keep on coming! Here are the 6pm kick-offs in the Premier League:

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Published on December 29, 2020 12:18

December 18, 2020

The Fiver Christmas Awards 2020

Give the one you love something special this year: a free subscription to The Fiver. The gift that never starts giving

Welcome to the 2020 Fiver Christmas Awards. We’ve long lost count of how many times we’ve done this, so don’t be expecting us to furnish you with a number now. All we know is, it’s been too many. You know it too. But despite the grinding familiarity and futility of it all, despite the absolute state of 2020, we go again. It’s a time-honoured festive tradition, see, like crackers, carols and government U-turns. So here it is, merry Christmas, everybody’s trudging on. Charge your glass with a generous shot of your cheapest aftershave, top it up with a little turps, dig out the packet of tablets you should have taken for your bad back a few months ago but decided to save for the holidays, and sink into a gorgeous haze of delight, the better to deal with the next few minutes of existence. Enjoy, enjoy.

"Shilts, it made you that goal!"

Classic Gazza on @GMB this morning discussing Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand Of God' goal

To see further tributes from Paul Gascoigne and Peter Shilton watch the full video: https://t.co/RtcN5XfHmq pic.twitter.com/wHT5OAbeP9

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Published on December 18, 2020 04:30

December 14, 2020

The Fiver | Merci, gentleman Ged, et adieu

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Gérard Houllier never did win the league with his beloved Liverpool. Not technically. But he did win the FA Cup. And the League Cup. And lift Euro Vase after the Greatest European Final Ever. And the Super Cup and Charity Shield. And another League Cup. And he built a team that only required the addition of Xabi Alonso and Luis García, plus moving Jamie Carragher over a bit, there you go son, stand there, to win Big Cup in the Greatest European Final Ever II. And without his root-and-branch philosophical rebuild of the club, there’d have been no chance of Rafa going close, of Brenny going closer, of Jürgen going even closer before finally, at long last, getting there. Ged, who has died at the age of 73 after a heart operation, set Liverpool’s title ball rolling in the right direction again, all those years ago. History will mark his contribution. We’re chalking one up for him, put it that way.

Related: Gérard Houllier, former Liverpool and France manager, dies aged 73

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Published on December 14, 2020 08:56

December 11, 2020

Leeds United 1-2 West Ham: Premier League – as it happened

The Hammers rise to fifth spot in the Premier League after a deserved victory over Leeds at Elland Road

10.24pm GMT

Aaron Bower was at Elland Road, and his verdict has landed. You know the drill: clickity click! Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!

Related: Angelo Ogbonna rises to clinch West Ham comeback victory over Leeds

10.23pm GMT

David Moyes isn’t in a particularly good mood, despite the win, and it’s VAR to blame. “I was pleased ... I think you should talk about it, the penalty, there’s not much I can say, you might as well let the referees talk about it ... anyway, a great performance ... I thought we played really well against a good Leeds team ... but until we get the rule sorted out, I don’t think I’m going to be too happy ... it doesn’t really matter what I say, maybe there will be more influential managers who can make a difference ... you’re not discussing football any more, you’re discussing VAR decisions all the time ... you’re better asking me about the football ... Haller should have scored, but the outstanding player was the Leeds goalkeeper, who looks very impressive ... Benrahma did a lot of good things ... his contribution was very good ... set pieces are a big part of football, you try to score from them and not concede from them ... we’re in a good position but no more than that ... this group of players are capable.”

10.13pm GMT

Marcelo Bielsa’s take. “It was a fair defeat ... the type of game it was, it doesn’t surprise us ... we prepared to face a game with the characteristics the game had today, but they were superior ... we know about this problem [conceding from set pieces] and we are doing the necessary to try to correct it ... it is not sufficient but we have to insist so this problem is less influence on our games ... normally we deserve more goals than the ones we score ... there are segments of games where our performances have been positive, and segments where they haven’t.”

10.05pm GMT

Aaron Cresswell speaks. “It’s similar to Manchester United in the amount of chances we created ... more than four or five clear-cut chances ... we couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net ... credit to the lads, we stuck together and got the three points ... set pieces are a massive part of our game and it’s worked again tonight ... we’re not getting complacent, it’s just 12 games in.”

10.02pm GMT

West Ham were good value for their win. They responded magnificently to falling behind to Klich’s early penalty, and were by far the better team thereafter. Both of their goals came from set pieces - nobody in the Premier League has scored more from dead-ball situations than their eight goals - but the manner of their victory shouldn’t be written off as one-dimensional. Fornals was an inch away from finishing a sweeping move, Balbuena hit the post, and Haller, who can’t buy a goal at present, nearly scored with a sensational overhead kick. Leeds were by contrast impotent for the most part, while leaving their usual huge spaces at the back. A few things for Bielsa to worry about. Moyes by contrast will be extremely pleased with the way this season has started.

9.54pm GMT

West Ham secure a deserved victory. They could have had a couple more goals. They’re becoming a very decent side under David Moyes, which their rise to fifth place illustrates. Meanwhile Leeds’ poor form at Elland Road continues; they remain in 14th spot.

9.52pm GMT

90 min +4: Erstwhile Leeds winger Snodgrass replaces Fornals.

9.51pm GMT

90 min +3: Fornals thinks about breaking down the right, but applies the brakes, doing the professional thing by hogging the ball awhile.

9.50pm GMT

90 min +2: Noble is booked for clattering Roberts. The free kick leads to a corner, which leads to nothing.

9.49pm GMT

90 min +1: Leeds should indeed save themselves, a few seconds into extra time. Ayling hooks in from the right, finding Rodrigo six yards out. He has to score, but slaps his header straight at a thankful Fabianski.

9.48pm GMT

90 min: Leeds have four extra minutes in which to save themselves.

9.47pm GMT

89 min: A Leeds corner comes to nothing. Fabianski hasn’t been seriously troubled for a long time now.

9.47pm GMT

88 min: Nothing comes of the resulting corner. But West Ham come back at Leeds, Ogbonna twisting down the right and crossing towards Balbuena at the near post. Balbuena flashes a header across Meslier and off the left-hand post. Leeds clear. How on earth are the hosts still in the game?

9.45pm GMT

87 min: Fornals crosses from the right. Haller, his back to goal, executes a lovely overhead kick, whipping it towards the bottom left. Meslier makes another fine save to deny the striker.

9.44pm GMT

85 min: London Buses dept. Having waited so long for the first, here comes the second West Ham substitution in 60 seconds. Johnson comes on for Bowen.

9.42pm GMT

84 min: Moyes opts to shore things up, replacing Benrahma with Noble. What West Ham have, West Ham will try to hold.

9.40pm GMT

82 min: Costa, perhaps mindful of his role in that goal, busies himself down the right. Shackleton is in space further forward, but he can’t be found. Leeds have been extremely impotent in attack during this second half.

9.38pm GMT

... and with good reason. Cresswell sends an outswinger towards the far post. Ogbonna rises highest and plants a fine header into the top right! Meslier had no chance. That had been coming.

9.37pm GMT

79 min: West Ham were so close on two separate occasions back there. Right now, if anyone’s going to find a winner, they’re the smart bet. And now Costa has wrestled Cresswell to the ground, just to the left of the box. Another free kick in a dangerous position, and Bielsa looks extremely concerned.

9.36pm GMT

77 min: A free kick for West Ham out on the right. Bowen swings it long. The ball loops over Cooper and Ayling, and finds Balbuena, six yards out. Balbuena crashes a brilliant header goalwards ... only for Meslier to stick out a strong arm and make an absurdly good reaction save! Phillips finishes the job by clearing the rebound with an overhead kick.

9.34pm GMT

75 min: West Ham are this close to taking the lead. Rice strides in from the left and rolls a diagonal pass towards Fornals, who is in a lot of space down the inside right. Cooper slides to intercept, but misses the ball entirely and Fornals finds himself free in the box! He sticks out a leg and guides the ball across Meslier ... but inches wide of the left-hand post. Lovely football from West Ham, though Cooper will be relieved to have got away with one.

9.32pm GMT

74 min: Bowen looks to curl one into the top left from a deep position on the right. It’s always heading high and wide. Meanwhile Bielsa makes his final change of the evening, replacing the inefficient Bamford with Roberts.

9.31pm GMT

72 min: Shackleton sends an absurd backpass back down the Leeds right. Haller is sniffing around, and it forces Meslier to race out of his area to hack clear. The young keeper does really well under intense pressure from the striker. He was put under needless pressure there.

9.28pm GMT

70 min: Ayling has a crack from distance. Fabianski opts to fingertip the low fizzer around his left-hand post. From the resulting corner, Klich batters a long-distance shot towards the bottom right. Fabianski claims without fuss.

9.27pm GMT

68 min: Cooper’s weak headed clearance finds the feet of Benrahma, who tries to dispatch a curler into the top right from 25 yards. Not quite. Always high and wide. Benrahma isn’t having the greatest of games, but he’s not afraid to keep showing, working and trying his best to work Meslier.

9.25pm GMT

67 min: Dallas curls a pass towards Raphinha, who is in acres down the right. Ogbonna does well to block his shot. Raphinha tries to trouble Leeds again, this time crossing for Bamford, who can only flash a header high into the stand behind.

9.23pm GMT

65 min: Benrahma goes direct for goal, trying to fox Meslier with a curler towards the top left, and gets it all wrong. A daft decision, given how much trouble the taller West Ham side are giving Leeds at set pieces ... and how good the Hammers are at them in general.

9.22pm GMT

64 min: Rodrigo clumsily barges into Soucek, who was going nowhere down the left. Suddenly it’s a free kick in a dangerous position, just to the left of the Leeds box.

9.21pm GMT

63 min: Benrahma dribbles infield from the left with purpose. He fashions space and time to shoot from the edge of the D, but larrups his effort miles over the bar.

9.19pm GMT

61 min: Ayling threatens to break down the right but he’s bundled over by Haller. This has become very bitty.

9.17pm GMT

59 min: Dallas wedges down the right, hoping to release Shackleton. Cresswell does extremely well to eyebrow the ball away from the Leeds youngster, who would have been through on goal otherwise.

9.16pm GMT

58 min: The lull continues. It had to happen at some point.

9.15pm GMT

56 min: Leeds slow it down in uncharacteristic fashion, stroking the ball around the midfield, perhaps with a view to taking a quick breather. It’s been the usual full-pelt Bielsa brouhaha, after all.

9.12pm GMT

54 min: Haller does better at the corner, sending a header goalwards from eight yards. Meslier tips over, then deals with the second corner.

9.11pm GMT

53 min: Bowen busies himself to the right of the Leeds goal. He cuts back from the byline and dinks infield for Haller, whose snapshot twangs off Cooper and out for a corner. The striker should have done better from six yards.

9.10pm GMT

51 min: Rice is allowed to stride down the middle of the park at pace. He goes on, and on, and on. Eventually, on the edge of the box, Phillips toes the ball away from Rice, just as the West Ham midfielder is preparing to shoot. Leeds’ midfield all but disappeared there. A worryingly huge gap in the centre of the park.

9.08pm GMT

49 min: Benrahma bursts past Phillips and sends Bowen free down the right. Bowen’s cross is easily handled by Meslier. West Ham also appear minded to go for the win. This could be another entertaining end-to-end half.

9.06pm GMT

47 min: Shackleton’s turn to show early. He skates in from the right and whistles a pass towards Bamford on the penalty spot. Bamford, his back to goal, spins and whips a shot wide left. Leeds have obviously been given the what-for by Bielsa during the break.

9.04pm GMT

46 min: Costa is immediately in the thick of it, his clever backheel finding Dallas, just to the left of the D. Dallas crosses long, hoping to find Bamford at the far post, but Fabianski claims.

9.03pm GMT

Leeds get the second half underway. Bielsa has made a double change, hooking his left wing of Alioski and Harrison, and sending on Costa and Shackleton.

8.53pm GMT

HALF-TIME ENTERTAINMENT brought to you by everyone’s favourite Evertonian, Mr Gary Naylor. “You know you’re getting old when you can see (in your mind’s eye) Frank Lampard dancing round that corner flag at Elland Road and remember the long flat journey home. Frank’s son is managing my team’s opponents tomorrow. Enjoy the time as it speeds by.”

8.47pm GMT

Leeds have enjoyed the lion’s share of possession; West Ham have had more efforts on goal. The scoreline seems about right.

8.46pm GMT

45 min +1: The corner’s worked back to Ayling, who launches a long-distance effort straight down Fabianski’s throat.

8.45pm GMT

45 min: Klich and Rodrigo combine crisply down the right to earn a corner. There will be plenty of time to take it, as two extra minutes will be added to the half.

8.44pm GMT

44 min: This high-octane half is now petering out.

8.43pm GMT

42 min: Rodrigo tiptoes along the left touchline and curls into the middle. Bamford and Ogbonna challenge for it on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. The ball brushes Ogbonna’s hand as he clears. Leeds make their claim, but the defender’s arm was right by his body, and VAR isn’t interested.

8.41pm GMT

40 min: Cresswell tugs away at Raphinha, out on the right. Another chance for Leeds to send the ball into the West Ham mixer. Raphinha takes himself. It’s half cleared, but only to Harrison out on the left. A cross is forthcoming this time, and Bamford heads weakly towards Fabianski.

8.39pm GMT

38 min: Rodrigo, Klich and Alioski paint some pretty triangles down the left but go nowhere in particular, eventually running the ball out of play for a goal kick. There had been one or two chances to whip in a cross, something Bamford is now pointing out to them.

8.37pm GMT

36 min: Balbuena bowls Alioski to the ground, out on the left flank. A chance for Leeds to line up on the edge of the box. The free kick’s looped in. Cooper’s header flies towards the top right. As Fabianski flicks it away, most likely for a corner, Harrison arrives on the scene, high-kicking away, and it’s a pressure-releasing foul.

8.34pm GMT

34 min: Alioski is booked for a wholly unnecessary slide into the back of Bowen. He complains vociferously. Full marks for chutzpah.

8.33pm GMT

33 min: Raphinha makes his way down the right and stands one up to the far post. Rodrigo winds his neck back, preparing to meet the ball six yards out. Balbuena eyebrows out for a corner, just in time. Nothing comes of the resulting set piece.

8.32pm GMT

31 min: Benrahma is beginning to influence play. First he drops deep and nearly releases Fornals down the inside right. Then he comes again, opening his body and whipping a low shot towards the bottom right. The ball ripples the side netting. Not sure Meslier was getting to that, had it been on target.

8.30pm GMT

30 min: West Ham have now scored seven goals at set pieces this season. Only Chelsea, with eight, have more.

8.29pm GMT

28 min: In the centre circle, Benrahma escapes the attention of two Leeds players with a super-smart spin and flick. He bombs into space, but slips a pass down the left to nobody in particular. Leeds go up the other end, Rodrigo turning Ogbonna inside out down the inside-right channel, before slapping a shot straight at Fabianski. This is great fun.

8.27pm GMT

26 min: To belabour the point: West Ham certainly deserve to be level. They’ve been the better side so far on balance. Leeds look extremely open at the back.

8.26pm GMT

Coufal wins a corner off Harrison down the right. Bowen swings it in. It’s Soucek versus Dallas, six yards out, no other Leeds defenders in sight. Soucek rises highest and powers a header goalwards. It flies near Meslier, but the keeper’s going the wrong way, and can’t stick out a strong enough arm to stop it. West Ham deserve this equaliser.

8.24pm GMT

23 min: Banrahma has been fairly quiet so far, but he comes to life here, dropping a shoulder to sail past two Leeds players as he cuts in from the left. He attempts a curler towards the top right, but Ayling does well to block. Lovely run.

8.21pm GMT

21 min: So having said that, West Ham go up the other end, fashioning a half-chance for Bowen, who hoicks high over the bar from 20 yards. It’s great end-to-end fun, this match, just as we all expected.

8.21pm GMT

20 min: More space for Alioski down the left. This time his cross isn’t so accurate, and easily claimed by Fabianski. Leeds are beginning to impose themselves on West Ham for the first time since the early goal.

8.19pm GMT

18 min: Space for Alioski down the left. He gets his head up and passes his cross to Rodrigo, who lashes a first-time strike wide left from the edge of the box. A decent connection, but always sailing harmlessly off target.

8.17pm GMT

16 min: West Ham continue to dominate the early possession. It’s been a very decent start by David Moyes’ team, with one fairly obvious and reasonably major caveat. “Marcelo Bielsa is a finalist for Fifa’s best men’s coach award. I wonder if the prize is on his bucket list?” Peter Oh there, a man unwilling or perhaps simply unable to let the opportunity of a pun slip by.

8.15pm GMT

14 min: A long pass down the right for Bowen, who is dangerous at the best of times, but is being allowed an absurd amount of space out on his wing. Cooper gets over just in the nick of time to intercept, but Leeds need to get a grip on this. West Ham are finding plenty of joy down their right flank.

8.13pm GMT

12 min: Bowen makes his way down the right and clips one infield for Haller, who spins on the penalty spot and looks for the bottom-right corner. It’s another lame effort, this time with its minimal sting removed by Ayling. Meslier again gathers. But this has been a good response by West Ham to falling behind early doors.

8.11pm GMT

10 min: One corner leads to another, and from the second, Fornals jigs down the right touchline and stands one up for Haller in the middle. Haller, eight yards out, heads down. It’s a dismal effort, with any pace taken off by a deflection off Phillips. An easy gather from Meslier, who should really be picking the ball out of the back of his net.

8.09pm GMT

9 min: Bowen skips past Cooper down the right with the greatest of ease. Bowen makes off towards the byline, and looks for Haller in the middle, but Cooper has recovered well and toes the cross out for a corner.

8.08pm GMT

8 min: Some space for Klich down the right. He curls into the centre, hoping to find Rodrigo, who had got past the last West Ham defender. But Fabianski reads the danger well, and comes off his line to claim.

8.07pm GMT

You have to admire the stones on Klich. He carefully passes into the bottom right. Fabianski guessed correctly, but couldn’t reach the perfectly placed spot kick. Most folk would have put their laces through their second chance, wouldn’t they? As fine as the first attempt was foolish.

8.06pm GMT

5 min: Fabianski and Rice engage the referee in lengthy dialogue, a pantomime solely designed to ramp up the pressure on Klich, who will be feeling it after that farcical effort for sure.

8.05pm GMT

4 min: Klich takes one of the worst penalties you will ever see, trying to be too cute, rolling the ball towards the bottom left at snail’s pace. It’s an absurdly easy snaffle for Fabianski ... but the penalty will be retaken, because VAR shows Fabianski off his line before the kick was taken. Lucky, lucky, lucky Klich, who will get a second bite at the cherry.

8.03pm GMT

2 min: A high-paced if shapeless start ... and then suddenly Cooper slips a pass down the middle to release Bamford, who rounds Fabianski on the right and is brought down. Penalty, and a booking for the keeper, who has been saved by the double-jeopardy rule.

8.00pm GMT

West Ham get the party started ... but only after all players and staff take the knee. There’s no room for racism.

8.00pm GMT

No pre-match interview with Marcelo Bielsa. Does it matter? Not really. Bielsa is a man operating on a plane far above and beyond mere chat. Anyway, the teams are out, with Leeds in their famous Revie-selected white, while West Ham

sport their equally storied claret and blue
are in third-choice black for some unnecessary reason. [Aging traditionalist emits loud BAH!] We’ll be off in a minute.

7.44pm GMT

David Moyes, looking determined yet relaxed, speaks to Sky Sports. “The big incentive is to get back to winning ways ... we had a good performance last week for 60, 70 minutes of the game but we have to do it for longer ... we’ve been threatening to use Said [Benrahma] but the team have been playing very well ... we think he’s a player who is creative ... there will be lots of one-v-one duels tonight and we think Said is capable of beating people in those situations, so let’s hope he can show it.”

7.17pm GMT

♫ ♬ ♩ ♪ I’m dreaming of a Whites Christmas ... ♫ ♪ ♬ Still searching for a present for that Leeds fan in your life? There’s a new definitive history of the club so breezy and enjoyable it’s almost as though the pages turn themselves: The Biography of Leeds United by Rob Bagchi, formerly of this parish. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll never before have seen a youthful Jack Charlton described as looking “like a Postcard Records bass player”. Highly recommended.

7.05pm GMT

One change for Leeds United from the side named at Chelsea. Rodrigo comes in for the injured Robin Koch, with Luke Ayling expected to partner Liam Cooper in the centre of defence.

West Ham, who can go fifth tonight, make one change too, from the side sent out to face Manchester United. Said Benrahma steps up, with Arthur Masuaku missing out altogether following knee surgery.

7.01pm GMT

Leeds United: Meslier, Dallas, Ayling, Cooper, Alioski, Phillips, Raphinha, Rodrigo, Klich, Harrison, Bamford.
Subs: Poveda-Ocampo, Roberts, Casilla, Helder Costa, Hernandez, Struijk, Shackleton.

West Ham United: Fabianski, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Coufal, Soucek, Rice, Fornals, Bowen, Benrahma, Haller.
Subs: Lanzini, Snodgrass, Dawson, Noble, Fredericks, Johnson, Randolph.

4.35pm GMT

There’s no point trying to second-guess Leeds United. Going toe-to-toe with Manchester City and Arsenal. Admirable defeats against Liverpool and Chelsea. A second-half performance against Aston Villa that was as good as anything we’ve seen in this Premier League season so far. Consecutive 4-1 spankings against Leicester and Palace. They could win or lose this game by five tonight, or anything in between.

West Ham aren’t exactly predictable either. They were probably better in defeat against Manchester United last weekend than they were in victory over Aston Villa five days before. They’ve held Manchester City at home, trounced Wolves, tested Liverpool away, and recovered from three down with eight minutes to play at Spurs. They’ve also lost at home to Newcastle. They could win or lose this game by five tonight, or anything in between.

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Published on December 11, 2020 14:24

The Fiver | Another of his world-famous man-management masterclasses

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That risible scruffy indolent piece of work – you know the one – may be in the process of getting the back seat of his crumpled trousers handed to him in Brussels, but not all current British interaction with our continental cousins is a thoroughly avoidable embarrassment unfolding in real time and we’d all better get used to bread’n’spread for tea. Take our involvement in Big Vase, which last night was an across-the-board triumph. Leicester, Pope’s Newc O’Rangers and Arsenal all strolled to impressive victories, while the Queen’s Celtic won a five-goal thriller that, while too late to save their skin in Europe, should give the team a timely confidence boost as they prepare to reboot their 10-in-a-row challenge, and also gives Neil Lennon a stay of execution. Swings and roundabouts, then.

Related: Tottenham top group after Vinícius and Lo Celso take revenge on Antwerp

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Published on December 11, 2020 08:16

December 10, 2020

Europa League: Rangers, Arsenal, Spurs, Celtic and Leicester win – as it happened

It was a successful night for British clubs in the Europa League. Here’s how it all panned out

10.17pm GMT

That’s your lot, then. Thanks for reading this Europa League Clockwatch. Make sure to come back for our coverage of the draw for the Round of 32 on Monday. Nighty night!

Champions League

10.09pm GMT

Celtic put in their best performance of the season at Parkhead. Too late for Europe, but their confidence-boosting win over Lille might stand them in good stead domestically. Here’s Ewan Murray.

Related: David Turnbull's winner against Lille hands respite to Neil Lennon at Celtic

10.08pm GMT

Spurs ensured the glory of top spot in their group by beating Antwerp. Tumaini Carayol was our man at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and here’s his verdict.

Related: Tottenham top group after Vinícius and Lo Celso take revenge on Antwerp

10.06pm GMT

Some blessed relief for under-fire Mikel Arteta as Arsenal saw off Dundalk.

Related: Arsenal outgun Dundalk and Balogun's flourish sets seal on perfect group stage

10.05pm GMT

Here come the match reports on a successful night for British teams in the Europa League. First up Rangers, who were very impressive again as they beat Lech Poznan 2-0.

Related: Europa League: Rangers power past Lech Poznan to take top spot in group

10.01pm GMT

The seeded teams ahead of the Round of 32 draw on Monday: Roma, Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Rangers, PSV, Napoli, Leicester, Milan, Villarreal, Spurs, Dinamo Zagreb, Hoffenheim, Manchester United, Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk, Ajax.

They’ll all draw one of this unseeded lot: Young Boys, Molde, Slavia Prague, Benfica, Granada, Real Sociedad, Braga, Lille, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Antwerp, Wolfsberger, Red Star Belgrade, Krasnodar, Red Bull Salzburg, Dynamo Kyiv, Olympiacos.

9.55pm GMT

This was over a long time ago. Leicester ease past AEK to ensure they top the group and avoid the big boys in next week’s draw.

9.54pm GMT

They had to work for it, but Spurs secure the win they needed to top their group and join the seeds in Monday’s draw.

9.53pm GMT

Too little, too late for Celtic in Europe, but they take their leave of the continental stage with a valedictory win. That’ll release some of the pressure on Neil Lennon and give the Bhoys a bhoost ahead of some crucial domestic fixtures.

9.51pm GMT

Leicester 2-0 AEK. Leicester spurn another chance to gild the lily. Justin romps down the right and crosses for Barnes, 12 yards out. Barnes creams his volley over the bar. But again, no matter: Leicester are a couple of added minutes away from securing top spot.

9.50pm GMT

Spurs 2-0 Antwerp. Kane wants a goal. To this end, he twists and turns down the inside-left channel, carving out a chance on the corner of the six-yard box. But he slips at the vital moment. Falling, he still manages to improvise a diagonal prod, but the ball squirts wide right of goal. No matter, really, because Spurs are home and hosed.

9.48pm GMT

Leicester 2-0 AEK. The Foxes break, three on one. Perez zips down the right and slips the ball inside for Praet, who is teed up on the penalty spot. All he has to do is sweep home ... but a miraculous last-ditch saving tackle by Galanopoulous saves the day for AEK! That really should have been the cherry on the cake, but what an interception!

9.43pm GMT

Leicester 2-0 AEK. Leicester have been on easy street since that early double, but they were nearly facing a nervous ending here. Oliveira races into the box down the left and makes a mug of Morgan, but having turned his man, lashes wildly over from the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. He should at the very least have worked Ward in the Leicester goal.

9.39pm GMT

Celtic 3-2 Lille. Celtic’s aforementioned defensive woes surface again, their back line split in two with great ease, Lihadji released into the box down the middle. He has to score, but takes a fresh-air swipe at the rolling ball, allowing Hazard in the Celtic goal to clear. What a let-off.

9.37pm GMT

Celtic 3-2 Lille. “Celtic have looked half decent tonight, with Turnbull, Soro and Henderson in particular staking a claim,” writes Simon McMahon. “Despite only managing a single point in the group before tonight, Celtic have actually led in four of the matches. Take away the 75 goals they’ve conceded and they’re in a pretty strong position.”

9.35pm GMT

Spurs 2-0 Antwerp. So Mourinho has used up all of his subs. Dele Alli, having realised he’s not going to get a run-out, follows Winks down the tunnel. A few man-management tasks await Jose, by the looks of things.

9.33pm GMT

Celtic may get that feelgood win after all! Ajer twists and turns down the right, reaching the byline and pulling back for Turnbull, who rifles low and hard into the net from 12 yards! A lovely run by Ajer and a fine crisp finish too.

9.31pm GMT

Spurs look to have secured top spot in Group J! Sissoko wins a turnover in the centre circle. He slips forward for Kane, who shuttles the ball on to Lo Celso, releasing him down the inside-right. Lo Celso, who has been Tottenham’s star turn tonight, draws the keeper and eases a chip over him and into the net.

9.29pm GMT

A free kick for Lille out on the right. The ever-impressive Yazici curls it in. Celtic only half clear. The ball drops to Weah, just inside the box, a little left of centre. He pearls a volley into the bottom left, and Celtic’s hopes of a little confidence booster as they leave the European stage take a huge knock.

9.26pm GMT

Leicester 2-0 AEK. So having said that, Barnes springs into life and embarks on a power skitter down the left, cutting infield and lashing a low diagonal shot inches wide of the bottom right. Applause from Rodgers. That would have been a lovely goal.

9.25pm GMT

Leicester 2-0 AEK. Nothing much going on at the King Power, and Brendan Rodgers will be more than happy about it. The Foxes are comfortably holding on to top spot in Group G.

9.24pm GMT

Spurs 1-0 Antwerp. Harry Winks was also substituted as Mourinho made a triple change. Tanguy Ndombele took his place. Winks wasn’t happy at all, and went straight down the tunnel with a face on.

9.21pm GMT

Spurs 1-0 Antwerp. Bale and Vinicius, their work done, are replaced by Kane and Son. Spurs have a couple of big away days coming up in the next seven days - at Palace and then Liverpool - but first things first. Spurs hadn’t been playing well before the goal, and Mourinho had clearly decided enough was enough. A sure sign that he’s taking the Europa League very seriously, and wants seeding in Monday’s draw at all costs.

9.18pm GMT

Spurs get some reward from the situation, though! Bale takes the free kick, 30 yards out, and whips a sensational effort over the wall and towards the top right. Beiranvand does magnificently to divert the fierce goalbound shot onto the post, but the ball bounces back across the face of goal, and it’s a simple tap-in for Vinicius! Spurs will now top the group if things stay the same.

9.16pm GMT

Spurs 0-0 Antwerp. Visiting defender Seck is already on a yellow, and shoves an in-flight Moura in the back. Spurs want a second yellow. The referee isn’t interested, but does show Jose Mourinho one, for complaining a little too loudly about it.

9.14pm GMT

Spurs 0-0 Antwerp. Other than that, very little has occurred in N17 since the restart. The Belgians will be more than happy with the way this is going right now.

9.11pm GMT

Spurs 0-0 Antwerp. Visiting keeper Beiranvand takes it to the edge with the ball at his feet, dropping a shoulder and dribbling around the charging Vinicius before clearing. Nerves of steel.

9.08pm GMT

Celtic 2-1 Lille. The visitors start the second half on the front foot. Yazici goes on a hell of a dribble down the inside-right channel, eating up much of the pitch and making it into the box. He can’t quite fashion enough space to get a proper shot away, which is kind of sad given the brilliance of the run. Celtic fans are unlikely to care too much about aesthetic beauty in this particular instance.

9.04pm GMT

The games restart in Glasgow, Leicester and London. Big second halves coming up for Leicester and Spurs, who will be hoping to top their respective groups and earn seeding in the draw for the Round of 256 or whatever the field’s been pared down to. That’s Leicester’s to lose; Spurs still have some work to do. Celtic meanwhile are simply playing for pride, and a wee boost ahead of a crucial domestic period that could define their season.

8.54pm GMT

Half-time entertainment. Of sorts.

Related: The Fiver | Trashing the art created out of thin air by improvisational geniuses

8.48pm GMT

As things stand, Leicester will go through as group winners, but Spurs won’t be seeded in next Monday’s draw. Antwerp are in the box seat in Group J.

8.45pm GMT

Spurs 0-0 Antwerp. Beiranvand makes yet another big save, denying Vinicius, who was free down the inside-left channel and should really have scored. The keeper smothers his chip, and takes a whack in the fruit bowl for his trouble. He’ll be fine to continue once the sting subsides and the inventory has been completed to his satisfaction.

8.42pm GMT

Leicester 2-0 AEK. ... while things are gently ticking over in the midlands.

8.41pm GMT

Celtic 2-1 Lille. Meanwhile it’s all quiet in Glasgow ...

8.39pm GMT

Spurs 0-0 Antwerp. Spurs are finally baring their teeth. Moura drives hard down the inside-right channel and flicks forward for Bale, who dribbles past two defenders, draws the keeper, but can’t find a white shirt in the middle with his flick from the byline.

8.37pm GMT

Spurs 0-0 Antwerp. A glorious run in from the left by Lo Celso, featuring a dazzling array of shimmies, shakes, shoulder drops, dummies and feints. He ends with a curler towards the top right. Beiranvand again saves the day, this time with a full-stretch fingertip save. That would have been some goal.

8.36pm GMT

Spurs 0-0 Antwerp. I knew that would do it. Spurs nearly take the lead, Lo Celso scampering into acres down the left and looking for Vinicius, all alone in the middle. The pass isn’t perfect, and it allows the keeper Beiranvand to hare out and slide clear. The ball breaks to Doherty, but he’s swarmed by red shirts before he can even think about dispatching the ball into the unguarded net from 40 yards.

8.32pm GMT

Spurs 0-0 Antwerp. I haven’t described much action from this match, have I? Well, there’s a reason for that.

8.31pm GMT

Celtic 2-1 Lille. That’s some way for McGregor to atone for the error that led to Lille’s equaliser. Meanwhile poor Frimpong can’t continue, and he’s replaced by Henderson.

8.29pm GMT

It’s all happening at Parkhead! Frimpong dribbles with purpose into the box from the right. He’s unceremoniously clipped. A sore one, and he has to pop to the bench to get some treatment. Meanwhile McGregor slots the penalty that’s awarded into the bottom right!

8.27pm GMT

Well that didn’t last long. An awful mishit backpass by McGregor is intercepted by Yazici, who drives down the left and rolls across for Jonathan Ikone, who can’t miss from six yards.

8.23pm GMT

Neil Lennon needs some good news as well, and here it comes! A corner out on the left. It’s sent to the near post, and met by Christopher Jullien, who runs an elaborate route to escape his marker and glances home cleverly with a cute back-header.

8.22pm GMT

Spurs 0-0 Antwerp. Ah here’s some good news. Tanganga’s injury wasn’t as serious as it initially looked, and the promising young defender is good to continue.

8.20pm GMT

Celtic 0-0 Lille. The French side nearly take the lead, Yazici taking a free kick just to the left of the D and whistling it towards the top-left corner. Not sure Conor Hazard in the Celtic goal had that covered, but thankfully for Neil Lennon’s side, the ball clears the crossbar. Just.

8.18pm GMT

Spurs 0-0 Antwerp. Worrying scenes as poor Japhet Tanganga goes down clutching his shoulder. He stays down. The physios are on, and taking a long, hard look.

8.17pm GMT

This could be a long night for AEK. Barnes cuts in from the left and tries a curler towards the top right. The ball takes a twang off the hapless Svamas and diverts towards the top left, leaving the keeper no chance.

8.15pm GMT

On his own penalty spot, Svamas of AEK takes a wild hack at a dropping ball, connecting only with fresh air. Under’s eyes light up, and he lashes a first-time shot into the top right. Unstoppable and opportunistic.

8.12pm GMT

Celtic 0-0 Lille. At Parkhead, the hosts are on their worst run of form since the days before Jock Stein. They’re already out, of course, but could do with a result, mainly to regain some of that misplaced confidence, although a response to Rangers looking highly competent earlier on against Lech Poznan would help. No sign of a valedictory performance yet, with Lille more than holding their own.

8.09pm GMT

Leicester 0-0 AEK. Tielemans drags a shot wide left from distance. Not a great deal going on at the King Power, but it’s early days.

8.07pm GMT

Spurs 0-0 Antwerp. A corner for the hosts out on the left. Bale flashes a header wide right from eight yards. He should have done better, and holds his head in his hands accordingly.

8.06pm GMT

An appropriately slow start to an evening of limited jeopardy. Buta of Antwerp is sent scampering free down the left at New White Hart Lane, but the flag goes up for offside.

8.02pm GMT

After a moment of silence in honour of the legendary Paolo Rossi, the games in Glasgow, London and Leicester get underway.

Related: The Champions League last 16 is set and a tribute to Paolo Rossi – Football Weekly Extra

7.56pm GMT

Yep, the 8pm kick-offs are indeed ahoy. Yo ho ho. As Barry disappears into the London night, cackling, let’s remind ourselves of the state of play in the groups featuring Leicester City, Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur...

Group G: Leicester are through and will top the group with a win, or if they match what Braga do. Braga are through and will top the group if they win and Leicester do not, or if they draw and Leicester lose. Zorya Luhansk and AEK Athens are eliminated.

7.49pm GMT

Our 8pm kick-offs are very much ahoy! Scott Murray will be keeping tabs on them for you. Enjoy.

7.48pm GMT

Arsenal made it six wins from six in the group stages on a night in Dublin that several academy graduates got a chance to impress against game Dundalk.

7.47pm GMT

Cedric Itton and Ianis Hagi got the goals that secured victory for Rangers and guarantees they’ll go through to the knockout stages as group winners.

7.45pm GMT

Dundalk 2-4 Arsenal: From a free-kick arced into the Dundalk penalty area, Calum Chambers manages to scramble the ball into the net, but is flagged for offside. It would have been a nice way to mark his return from injury after the best part of a year, but he’ll be pleased just to have got 90 minutes of first team action under his belt without major incident.

7.38pm GMT

Sean Hoare pulls a goal back for Dundalk, rising to flick a whipped free-kick from the right in at the near post with his head. Or possibly his shoulder.

7.36pm GMT

Dundalk 1-4 Arsenal: Aged 18, Miguel Azeez, an Arsenal player since the age of five, comes on for his senior debut. He replaces Joe Willock.

7.34pm GMT

Nicolas Pepe plays Balogun in on goal with a perfectly weighted pass into his path. The substitute sends a curling shot around Rogers with a fine finish.

7.30pm GMT

Lech Poznan 0-2 Rangers: Full of confidence after his Puskas Goal of the Year contender, Hagi cuts inside from the left, gets the ball on to his right foot and unleashes a rasping shot that brings a good save out of Filip Bednarek.

7.27pm GMT

Rangers win a free-kick about 40 yards from the Lech Poznan goal. The ball’s floated into the penalty area, where Connor Goldson rise to send a header arcing over Poznan goalkeeper Bednarek. It hits the underside of the cross-bar, bounces downwards on to the line and back up again. Ianis Hagi is on hand to head it home from all of one centimetre out. Goldson is taking the credit, but it’s Hagi’s goal.

7.21pm GMT

In the Dundalk penalty area just outside the six-yard box, Balogan chests down the ball with his back to goal and plays it short to Willock. He takes it away from a defender with a neat first touch before smashing it past Gary Rogers.

7.17pm GMT

Dundalk 1-2 Arsenal: Arsenal win a free-kick just outside the “Dundalk penalty area, well left. Cedric stings the palms of Dundalk goalkeeper Gary Rogers, who is forced to save the follow-up with substitute Folarin Balogan – on for Eddie Nketiah – lurking. Nketiah was not best pleased at being taken off by his manager Mikel Arteta.

7.14pm GMT

Lech Poznan 0-1 Rangers: Standard Liege have retaken the lead against Benfica. As things stand, Rangers will be sauntering into the knockout stages as group winners.

7.10pm GMT

Lech Poznan 0-1 Rangers: Rangers central defender Leon Balogan gets booked for a shove in the back on Mikael Ishak.

7.09pm GMT

Lech Poznan 0-1 Rangers: Rangers have a free-kick just outside their own penalty area to defend. Tymoteusz Puchacz hits the target but it’s a relatively straightforward save for Jon McLaughlin.

7.07pm GMT

Dundalk 1-2 Arsenal: David McMillan pulled his hamstring in that counter-attack and is forced off to be replaced by Daniel Kelly. Sean Gannon also makes way for John Mountney.

7.06pm GMT

Dundalk 1-2 Arsenal: Michael Duffy attacks on the counter for Dundalk, gadding down the inside left at top speed. He cuts inside and squares the ball for David McMillan who is up in support, but his pass goes just behind the striker.

7.02pm GMT

Dundalk 1-2 Arsenal: Dundalk play the ball out of defence but lose it on the edge of the final third. Arsenal get it upfield and Emile Smith Rowe tries to get in behind Sean Gannon, only to be relieved of possession.

7.01pm GMT

Celtic: Hazard, Duffy, Jullien, Ajer, Frimpong, McGregor, Soro, Turnbull, Laxalt, Elyounoussi, Klimala.
Subs: Barkas, Taylor, Brown, Griffiths, Ajeti, Rogic, Edouard, Bain, Henderson, Harper, Welsh.
Lille: Maignan, Niasse, Fonte, Djalo, Bradaric, Ikone, Soumare, Xeka, Weah, David, Yazici.
Subs: Karnezis, Botman, Bamba, Yilmaz, Sanches, Lihadji, Andre, Mandava, Chevalier, Innocenti.

Leicester City: Ward, Justin, Fofana, Evans, Thomas, Praet, Ndidi, Tielemans, Under, Barnes, Iheanacho.
Subs: Schmeichel, Morgan, Vardy, Albrighton, Perez, Choudhury, Mendy, Fuchs, Jakupovic.
AEK Athens: Tsintotas, Hnid, Svarnas, Nedelcearu, Vasilantonopoulos, Mandalos, Andre Simoes, Krsticic, Mitaj, Garcia, Ansarifard.
Subs: Albanis, Laci, Tankovic, Oliveira, Galanopoulos, Shakhov, Athanasiadis, Sabanadzovic, Ioannis Sardelis, Christopoulos, Macheras, Theocharis.

6.58pm GMT

Play resumes: They’ve kicked off for the second half in Dublin and seconds later, Rangers and Lech Poznan follow suit in Poland.

6.57pm GMT

A life in pictures: Paolo Rossi https://t.co/fh6XpI3Crj

6.50pm GMT

6.44pm GMT

Lech Poznan 0-1 Rangers: Cedric Itten’s third goal of the season for Rangers separates the sides in Poland at the break.

6.42pm GMT

Dundalk 1-2 Arsenal: Callum Chambers gets in a crucial block to deflect a Darragh Leahy shot over the bar when a goal looked certain. Nothing comes from the corner and it’s half-time in Dublin.

6.40pm GMT

Lech Poznan 0-1 Rangers: A good chance goes begging for Rangers, when Ianis Hagi gets the ball stuck under his feet after being put in behind the Pozan defence. He manages to get a shot away eventually, but doesn’t trouble Poznan goalkeeper Filip Bednarek.

6.35pm GMT

Dundalk 1-2 Arsenal: Fairly comfortable evenings so far for both Arsenal and Rangers, with the former winning a corner in Dublin. Nicolas Pepe sends the ball deep and Mustafi heads it back across the penalty area. Dundalk clear.

6.28pm GMT

Swiss striker Cedric Itten roofs the ball at the near post, having danced past a defender who was expecting him to cut inside. Rangers are ahead!

6.27pm GMT

Dundalk 1-2 Arsenal: Arsenal’s Joe Willock gets himself a booking for catching Dundalk’s |David McMillan with a trailing hand as he dribbled past him. It was a total accident and seemed a little over-zealous on the part of the referee.

6.25pm GMT

Top Irish football newshound Daniel McDonnell tweets:

Dundalk v Arsenal.

The last time a Premier League side played a competitive game in Dublin, some bloke called Harry Kane came off the bench to score his first goal for Spurs. No pressure on the young Arsenal subs. pic.twitter.com/aVGzOBzINK

6.24pm GMT

Elsewhere in Group B: Rapid Vienna trail Norwegian side Molde, in a game they need to win if they are to entertain any hopes of going through to the knockout stages.

6.19pm GMT

C’mon the Town! Jordan Flores cuts inside from the right, plays a give-and-go with Michael Duffy on thre edge of the penalty area, picks up the inch-perfect return pass and and spanks a rising diagonal shot past Runar Runarsson in the Arsenal goal.

6.17pm GMT

Dundalk 0-2 Arsenal: Nicolas Pepe looks accusingly at the pitch after sending a shot high over the ball. Given the state of the playting surface, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say the ball took a bobble just before he hit it.

6.16pm GMT

Have that! Mohamed Elneny smashes one into the top right-hand corner from about 35 yards out, his shot arrowing past the outstretched fingers of Gary Rogers and scorshing into the stanchion. That’s Elneny’s first goal in three years and only his third for Arsenal, but it was an absolute screamer.

6.13pm GMT

Lech Poznan 0-0 Rangers: Lech Poznan miss a sitter, Lubomir Satka rising unmarked to meet a perfect cross from the right, only to head the ball over the cross-bar.

6.10pm GMT

Lech Poznan 0-0 Rangers: It remains scoreless in Poland, but in Group D’s other game, Standard Liege have gone ahead against Benfica. That’s good news for Rangers, who only have to match the Portuguese side’s result to top the group.

6.09pm GMT

Nketiah is put in behind the Dundalk defence and lifts the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper Rogers with a neat little flick. That makes him Arsenal’s top goalscorer this season, despite his limited opportunities.

6.07pm GMT

Dundalk 0-0 Arsenal: Eddie Nketiah wins a free-kick for Arsenal just to the left of the Dundalk penalty area. Andrew Boyle was the offender, his tug on the Aersenal man’s shirt earning him a yellow card. Cedric whips the ball towards the near post, where Darragh Leahy puts it out for a throw-in down by the corner.

6.04pm GMT

Elsewhere in the Europa League: In Group A, CSKA Sofia have taken an early lead against Italian side Roma, with Thiago Rodrigues getting on the scoresheet.

6.02pm GMT

Lech Poznan 0-0 Rangers: Pedro Tiba brings a smart save out of Jon McLaughlin in the Rangers goal with a shot from distance.

6.00pm GMT

Dundalk 0-0 Arsenal: Ashley Maitland Niles tries to knock the ball across the face of goal for Eddie Nketiah, having got on the end of a cross from the right. Dundalk goalkeeper Gary Rogers does enough to ensure the ball doesn’t bounce kindly for the striker and the Irish side clear their lines.

5.59pm GMT

Calum Chambers: The right back makes his first start for Arsenal in 348 days, having spent lockdown doing physiotherapy remotely as he recovered from a cruciate injury.

5.57pm GMT

Dundalk kick off in Dublin. The pitch in the Aviva is like a cabbage field, having hosted a rugby match recently. Play is also underway in Poznan, where the pitch looks in far better nick, western Poland not being a rugby stronghold.

5.56pm GMT

A minute’s silence: All Europa League games tonight will be preceded by a minute’s silence for the late, great Paolo Rossi, who has died. Rest in peace, Paolo.

5.52pm GMT

Not long now: Kick-off in Dublin and Poznan is just a few moments away and the teams are out on their respective pitches.

5.50pm GMT

Dundalk: This is the Irish team’s final game of the season and 14 of their players will be out of contract at the final whistle and have no idea whether or not they’ll be offered new ones for next season. Such is the parlous state of the finances of clubs in the League of Ireland.

In another far from ideal situation, their manager Flippo Giovagnoli has not been allowed to sit in the dug-out during their Europa League matches, because he doesn’t have a Uefa Pro licence. It is a state of affairs, he says, which has made his job “impossible”.

5.12pm GMT

Lech Poznan: Bednarek, Butko, Satka, Crnomarkovic, Puchacz, Skoras, Pedro Tiba, Muhar, Kaminski, Marchwinski, Ishsk

Subs: Bakowski, Malenica, Kravets, Sykora, Ramirez, Dejewski, Moder, Awwad, Niewadomski, Czerwiski, Sobol, Borowski

5.00pm GMT

Dundalk: Rogers, Hoare, Boyle, Cleary, Gannon, Shields, Flores, Leahy, McEleney, Duffy, McMillan.

Subs: Corcoran, Wynne, Gartland, Mountney, Sloggett, McCarey, Colovic, Dummigan, Kelly.

4.55pm GMT

Group B: Arsenal are through as group winners. Molde will go through if they avoid defeat, or if they score in a one-goal loss. Rapid will go through if they win either 1-0 or by a margin of two goals of more. Dundalk are eliminated.

4.54pm GMT

4.54pm GMT

*Group winners

4.03pm GMT

You join us for the final round of fixtures in the Europa League group games, with 18 teams (or 26 if you include the eight dropping down from the Champions League) already assured of places in the knockout stages.

Of the teams from the UK and Ireland who are involved, Leicester City, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Rangers have already qualified for the last 32, while the jig is already up for Dundalk and Celtic, whose hopes of joining them went up in smoke two weeks ago.

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Published on December 10, 2020 14:17

The Fiver | Trashing the art created out of thin air by improvisational geniuses

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Every generation comes up with a few new ideas that change the world and move things forward: the wheel, the steam engine, the printing press, this hot new “Dixieland jass”. Play it to The Fiver! Play it! But the innovations being made by this current generation are ballsing everything up big style. In January, Brexit will make 1970s Poland look like an episode of Supermarket Sweep. Digital streaming means the Original Dixieland Jass Band now only get paid 0.0000000000000000000001p per riff. Daily satirical emails are not as good as serious reportage. And then there’s VAR. We really have jiggered the entire effing lot, haven’t we. Planet’s gone. Well done, kids!

Related: Liverpool controversially denied late winner by VAR in draw with Midtjylland

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Published on December 10, 2020 07:56

December 9, 2020

Manchester City 3-0 Marseille: Champions League – as it happened

City eased past a toothless Marseille to finish their Group C campaign in style

10.09pm GMT

No sign of Pep ... but Jamie Jackson’s report has landed. And here it is! Thanks for reading. Nighty night.

Related: Sergio Agüero returns to help Manchester City end Marseille's hopes

10.07pm GMT

Bernardo Silva’s verdict. “It was a good game ... we knew we had already qualified, but it is always good to finish with a good win ... we are happy ... it is a good start for us, we are into the last 16 and our goal is to do better than we did for the last three seasons ... everyone knows how important Sergio Aguero is for us, one of the best players to ever play for this club, and it’s good to have him back ... for a few games we have been winning and when you are winning it is always easy to go to the next, to the next, and win again, and win again, so we just want it to keep going ... we want to do well against Man United and keep winning.”

9.58pm GMT

City finish Group C top with 16 points. Porto, the only team to take points off them, are second with 13, after beating ten-man Olympiacos 2-0 in Greece. Olympiacos will play in the Europa League come the new year; they end up with three points, just like Marseille, but edge it on the head-to-head.

9.56pm GMT

City finish Group C in style. They didn’t need to shift out of third gear during that second half to romp past Marseille. A message sent around Europe that they mean business. Marseille were very poor, mind you, and crash out of Europe altogether.

9.54pm GMT

90 min +2: As does the second. As has most of the match, to be honest.

9.53pm GMT

90 min +1: The first of three added minutes elapses without incident.

9.53pm GMT

Torres again down the right. He hits a low cross-cum-shot. Mandanda gets down to parry with a strong arm ... but the ball balloons up and hits his team-mate Alvaro in the chest. The unlucky ricochet tees up Sterling, who can’t miss from two yards.

9.51pm GMT

89 min: Torres turns the engines on again, reaching the byline on the right and chipping into the centre. A melee is about to break out when the flag goes up. Torres is adjudged to have run the ball out of play. An incorrect decision, but no matter, because City soon come again and ...

9.49pm GMT

87 min: Foden does. He whips over the wall and is this close to finding the top-right corner. Inches wide.

9.48pm GMT

86 min: Torres turns on the jets and races inside from the right. He’s bundled over by a combination of Strootman and Nagatomo, just to the right of the D. Foden’s eyes light up. So do Sterling’s. Who’ll win the battle?

9.46pm GMT

85 min: Matchday six in the group stages, huh.

9.45pm GMT

83 min: Marseille knock it around the back for a bit, showing surprisingly little urgency. Maybe they want to concentrate on the league.

9.42pm GMT

81 min: Porto are now 2-0 up at Olympiacos. The Greeks will nevertheless be heading to the Europa League, unless Marseille can find two goals in the last few minutes.

9.41pm GMT

79 min: From the corner, Sterling skedaddles infield, left to right, and sends a daisycutter straight at Mandanda.

9.40pm GMT

78 min: Torres romps down the right and chips into the centre, hoping to tee up Aguero. Balerdi gets in the road to concede a corner.

9.39pm GMT

Foden takes. Nathan Ake meets the corner six yards out. He bangs a header downwards, straight at Mandanda, who does well to parry, but can only tee up the poacher supreme, Aguero. City’s star striker pokes the loose ball into the bottom right. Marseille’s goose looks cooked.

9.37pm GMT

76 min: Aguero tries to release Sterling down the middle. Alvaro sticks out a telescopic leg to poke out for a corner, just in time.

9.36pm GMT

75 min: Andre Villas-Boas makes his last roll of the dice. A triple change, using up all his substitute options. Gueye, Thauvin and Germain are replaced by Strootman, Benedetto and Marley Ake.

9.34pm GMT

73 min: Marseille continue to hog the ball to very little effect. They’ve no options in the final third, unwilling to risk too many men upfield.

9.32pm GMT

71 min: Marseille have enjoyed 62 percent of possession during the last 15 minutes. Much good it’s done them: Steffen has had nothing whatsoever to do.

9.31pm GMT

69 min: Marseille commit a few men forward for the first time in a while. Rongier, meeting a right-wing cross, elects to eyebrow towards Sanson on the left wing instead of taking the ball down and having a pop. Very strange.

9.28pm GMT

67 min: Meanwhile Marseille make a double change. Cuisance and Rongier come on for Kamara and Payet.

9.28pm GMT

66 min: Aguero is back! He comes on for Mahrez.

9.27pm GMT

65 min: Mahrez considers taking up possession of a loose ball to the right of the D. Walker gives him the call to leave well alone, and steams in from nowhere to send an absolute screamer towards the bottom right. Mandanda does extremely well to react and parry clear. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.

9.25pm GMT

64 min: Laporte clatters into Payet as the Marseille man tries to power down the right. He’s slightly fortunate not to go into the book.

9.24pm GMT

63 min: Marseille continue to struggle to get out of their own half. They’re preparing changes.

9.22pm GMT

61 min: Mahrez drives in from the right and takes a shot. Blocked. City are coming at Marseille from all angles.

9.21pm GMT

59 min: City are getting closer and closer to a second, as Marseille commit more men upfield. They snaffle the ball and shuttle it forward for Foden, who has a dig from the edge of the box. Straight at Mandanda.

9.20pm GMT

58 min: Torres works his way down the left and loops long. Mahrez, on the other flank, heads back into the centre. Foden, arriving just in time, sidefoots wide right. That would have been a picture.

9.19pm GMT

57 min: Sakai whistles a lovely long pass down the right for Thauvin, who reaches the byline and cuts back into the middle. But there’s nobody in dark blue in the six-yard box, and Stones is able to clear.

9.17pm GMT

55 min: Sterling, Mahrez and Silva race towards the Marseille backline with extreme prejudice. They’re three on two, in full flight. Pick the right passes, and City are in. Sterling slips right for Mahrez, who rolls down the channel for Silva. But the final ball is a bit too heavy, pushing Silva too wide, and he can’t do anything from a tight angle. Shame, because that was a lovely high-velocity attack.

9.14pm GMT

53 min: You could cut diamonds with the frown atop Villas-Boas’s boat.

9.13pm GMT

51 min: Marseille have to go for it now if they’re to have any chance of Europa League action in the new year. Payet causes a bit of bother down the right, Balerdi rippling the side netting with a snapshot.

9.12pm GMT

49 min: On the touchline, Andre Villas-Boas throws a full tantrum after the goal. He’s fuming. His players were late out from the dressing room just before the restart; they were still metaphorically in there as City romped through them with ease.

9.10pm GMT

That might be academic now. Silva slips wide right for Mahrez, who drives infield. He’s about to flick down the inside-right channel to release Torres, when the backtracking Germain does the work for him with a toe-poke. Torres fires the ball home from six yards. Easy as that.

9.09pm GMT

47 min: A reminder that Marseille have to better Olympiacos’s result against Porto if they’re to reach the Europa League. Olympiacos would go through on the head-to-head if the Group C stragglers end on the same number of points.

9.06pm GMT

City get the second half underway. They’ve made a substitution at the break, their second of the evening: Sterling comes on for Gundogan. No word as to whether it’s an enforced change or a tactical one.

8.50pm GMT

Half-time entertainment. City fans may well enjoy listening to this.

Related: Manchester United tumble out of the Champions League – Football Weekly

8.49pm GMT

Foden tries to squeeze a shot home from a tight angle on the left. Easy for Mandanda, and that’s it for the first 45. Not much of a game, if we’re being honest with ourselves ... but Marseille won’t give two hoots. Porto are winning 1-0 at Olympiacos. If both Group C matches finish like this, Marseille qualify for the knockout stage of the Europa League at the Greek club’s expense.

8.45pm GMT

45 min: Marseille are giving as good as they’re getting now. In fact they’re the better side as the half draws to a close. They’ll be sorry to hear the whistle, which is coming in two minutes’ time.

8.43pm GMT

43 min: Gueye chests the ball down to break into the box on the right, past Laporte. His powerful shot from a tight angle is well turned around the corner by Steffen. Nothing comes of the set piece.

8.42pm GMT

42 min: City can only half-clear the corner. Sanson, to the left of the D, pulls a volley wide left of goal. This is much better from Marseille.

8.41pm GMT

41 min: Thauvin opens up his legs down the right and fizzes low towards the near post. Stones slides in to concede a corner, with Germain behind him waiting to bash home from six yards.

8.39pm GMT

39 min: Gueye is booked for cynically tugging at Gundogan as City poured forward with Marseille light at the back.

8.38pm GMT

37 min: Looking back, we probably oversold this in the preamble.

8.35pm GMT

35 min: Had the officials at the Midtjylland-Liverpool game been in charge here instead, we’d still be checking VAR for Payet’s ‘goal’.

8.34pm GMT

33 min: Mahrez dashes across the face of the Marseille box, right to left, before spinning and pulling a low shot wide right.

8.33pm GMT

32 min: Payet, buoyed by that finish, tries to loft the ball over Steffen from 40 yards. Steffen claims a flat, weak delivery. Had Payet caught that properly, the keeper, near the edge of his box, would have been in serious trouble.

8.31pm GMT

30 min: Marseille put the ball in the City net! Sanson rolls a cute pass down the inside-right channel for Payet, who is clear in the box! He takes a touch then caresses a shot with the outside of his right boot, across Steffen and into the bottom left! But the flag goes up, correctly, for offside.

8.29pm GMT

28 min: Stones finally turns up for his shift.

8.28pm GMT

27 min: Yep, Garcia hobbles off ... but Stones isn’t ready to come on yet. The ten men of City allow Marseille their first serious period of possession in enemy territory, amd for a second it looks like Thauvin is going to get the better of Ake down the right and breeze into space. Not quite.

8.25pm GMT

25 min: Garcia is down with some sort of ailment. His left leg is being manipulated by the physio. Stones prepares to get a rare run-out.

8.24pm GMT

24 min: Foden takes a smack from 25 yards. It flies 25 yards over.

8.24pm GMT

23 min: City have enjoyed 70 percent possession so far. Marseille are really struggling to get out of their final third, never mind their half. But they’ve limited City to a couple of half-chances, so Andre Villas-Boas will be happy enough with his game-plan so far.

8.22pm GMT

22 min: This match has gone off the simmer. It was never on the boil.

8.21pm GMT

20 min: Foden busies himself down the left. He’s tugged back by Sanson, who is slightly fortunate not to go in the book. There’s no real jeopardy here tonight, though, so the referee is disinclined to whip out the cards for the sake of it.

8.18pm GMT

18 min: Walker reaches a ball he’d no right to keep in play down the right. He wins a corner with a whipped cross from the byline. Nothing comes of the corner, but Marseille can’t get out of their final third, and nearly pay when Gundogan and Laporte one-two down the inside left. Gundogan, hoping to break clear into the box, takes a heavy touch and runs the ball out for a goal kick.

8.17pm GMT

16 min: Marseille look a wee bit more comfortable now. Mahrez probes down the right but Balerdi isn’t having any of it, taking the ball off him and sauntering away.

8.15pm GMT

14 min: Payet slips a pass down the right for Sakai, whose delivery is poor and blocked. But Marseille come again. Payet whips in from the wing and finds Germain, six yards out. Only problem is, Germain wasn’t expecting the cross to get as far as him, passing Laporte and Garcia. But that’s what it did. The ball slaps artlessly off his noggin and out for a goal kick.

8.13pm GMT

12 min: Gundogan curls a beaut in from the right. Laporte meets it, diving in, eight yards out, and eyebrows gracefully towards the top left. It’d have gone in, were it not for a little nick off Alvaro. City don’t get the corner they deserve.

8.12pm GMT

11 min: Silva shimmies down the right and is unceremoniously upended by Germain. Free kick, out by the touchline, and a chance to pack the box. Up come Laporte, Ake and Garcia.

8.10pm GMT

10 min: It’s all City in the early stages. Marseille are showing very little in attack and looking a little nervous at the back.

8.09pm GMT

8 min: Mandanda stars again, literally this time, star-jumping to block Mahrez, who had been put through down the inside-right channel by Silva. Mahrez’s shot deflects over the bar, and nothing comes from the corner.

8.08pm GMT

6 min: Mandanda, the ball at his feet, sells Torres, closing him down at speed, a wild dummy. A smooth turn, danger averted, the ball cleared. Such lovely skill from the keeper. When this sort of thing goes wrong, it goes wrong badly, and everyone piles on, so fair’s fair.

8.05pm GMT

5 min: Foden again makes a nuisance of himself out on the left, nearly finding Torres on the edge of the six-yard box. Marseille do well to swarm the striker just before he can get his shot away, and clear.

8.05pm GMT

4 min: Sanson and former Newcastle star Thauvin combine well down the right, the erstwhile Toon man attempting an ambitious whip across Steffen and into the top left. Steffen is wise to his game and claims with ease.

8.03pm GMT

2 min: It was a slightly harsh hand-ball shout against Silva, the ball having been headed clear onto his arm, which wasn’t dangling around in a crazy way.

8.02pm GMT

Marseille get the party started ... but only after everyone takes a knee of solidarity. There’s no room for racism. City are quickly on the attack, Foden crossing from the left, Silva handling six yards out. Peep!

8.00pm GMT

VAR Is Ruining Football (pt XXVII in an ongoing series). A series of absurdly pedantic video reviews meant the Midtjylland-Liverpool match over-ran by 17 hours, banjaxing the build-up to this match on BT Sport 2. They probably did record an interview with Pep Guardiola, but there’s no time to show it. Say what you like about the banality of pre-match pressers, they still beat watching confused footballers standing stock still for minutes on end while faceless bureaucrats toil away in search of reasons to undo their good work and spoil everyone’s fun. Anyway, we’ll be off at the Etihad in a minute, City in their famous blue, Marseille in second-choice dark blue.

7.10pm GMT

Manchester City make nine changes to the team sent out to beat Fulham last Saturday. Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez are the only players to retain their places. Aymeric Laporte returns after five games out, while Sergio Aguero makes the bench after a three-match absence with a knee problem. The US goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who has already pulled on a shirt for City this season in the League Cup against Bournemouth and Burnley, makes his Champions League bow.

7.04pm GMT

Manchester City: Steffen, Walker, Garcia, Laporte, Ake, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, Foden, Torres.
Subs: Stones, Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Aguero, De Bruyne, Mendy, Joao Cancelo, Carson, Nmecha, Doyle, Palmer, Bernabe.

Marseille: Mandanda, Sakai, Alvaro, Balerdi, Nagatomo, Sanson, Kamara, Gueye, Thauvin, Germain, Payet.
Subs: Vanni, Strootman, Benedetto, Luis Henrique, Caleta-Car, Pele, Cuisance, Rongier, Ake, Khaoui, Perrin.

3.31pm GMT

This isn’t quite a dead rubber, but it’s a fixture gasping for air. Manchester City are already through, guaranteed winners of Group C, while Marseille are out. The French team still have a chance of making the knockout stage of the Europa League, however, and they’ll do that if they better Olympiacos’s result at home to Porto. A big ask, even if Pep Guardiola is likely to rotate his team ahead of Saturday evening’s crucial Manchester derby. We’ll not insult your intelligence by bigging this one up any further. Having said that: it’s on!

Kick off: 8pm GMT.

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Published on December 09, 2020 14:26

The Fiver | Cashiered into Big Vase where they'll find old pal José Mourinho

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It’s hard to know what to make of Manchester United right now. Last weekend, they were beyond abysmal for an hour at West Ham, two-pass moves at a premium, yet by the final whistle Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s free-form jazz collective were stroking the ball around like Brazil at the Azteca. Against Basaksehir a fortnight ago, they wowed the continent with some old-fashioned United swagger, going three goals up in short swashbuckling order, before briefly threatening to fritter away that lead in a blind panic, which they would almost certainly have done were it not for the sturdiness of the Old Trafford woodwork. And then there’s Tuesday night in Leipzig, where, if you try to blot Harry Maguire and David de Gea out of your mind, United looked nearly as competent and only a little more skittish than the team they’d confidently swept aside by five goals just over a month ago. There’s no point asking us. All The Fiver knows is this isn’t normal behaviour.

Related: Solskjær says Manchester United 'didn't turn up' before Champions League exit

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Published on December 09, 2020 08:18

Scott Murray's Blog

Scott Murray
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