Scott Murray's Blog, page 98

July 31, 2020

The Fiver | Something might have gone very, very, wrong with modern football

Everyone’s a cynic these days, but don’t let the miserable swines grind you down. It’s the FA Cup final on Saturday and it’s OK to get excited. It’s not a particularly fashionable viewpoint, granted, but to hell with the pinch-faced cognoscenti! The Fiver is already lost in a reverie of all those famous finals from the competition’s heyday, like when Sunderland beat Nasty Leeds 1-0, or Southampton beat Manchester United 1-0, or Ipswich beat Arsenal 1-0, or Spurs beat QPR 1-0, or Wimbledon beat Liverpool 1-0. Ah misty water-coloured memories of a time when the sun always shone, the whole nation watched on, and Rizla had a surprisingly strong brand presence on the pitchside hoardings.

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Published on July 31, 2020 08:09

July 30, 2020

Fulham 1-2 Cardiff (3-2 agg): Championship play-off semi-final – as it happened

Fulham will play west London neighbours Brentford at Wembley in Tuesday’s Championship play-off final

10.22pm BST

Nick Ames was at the Cottage tonight to witness Fulham squeak into the final. Here’s his report. Enjoy that one ... and thanks for reading this one. Nighty night!

10.21pm BST

Neil Harris looks to the future. “Since the moment I’ve come in the building, the players performances, the way they’ve improved ... I can’t be any prouder of the players, they’ve been class for me. Class. We’ve come up against a very talented Fulham side, and there are two very good sides in the final. What Fulham have done is score at the key moments. The start of the second half. The last kick of the game. And tonight just after we scored. So they’ve always found a way to wrestle that momentum. We just couldn’t find that moment, but the players have done me proud. They’ve done the fans proud too. We can compete with the top sides. We feel the capital city of Wales should have a team in the Premier League, but we have to earn the right to get there. I’m gutted, but we have to be even better next year.”

10.06pm BST

Scott Parker seems more relieved than happy. “The way the game panned out was not how I expected it. But a wounded animal who had nothing to lose put us under pressure. They put the ball in the box from all over the pitch, and we didn’t deal with that well enough. We didn’t put our stamp on the game. We were nervous. But we won the game over two legs, and did a good job away from home, so we move on and it’s up for grabs. Come the end of the game we’ve not totally folded. We are disappointed in our performance tonight, but Tuesday will be a different game and we need to stay bright and positive.”

9.57pm BST

Fulham defender Michael Hector adds: “We deserve to be there. We can’t wait. They’re a physical side. When you don’t take your chances, it’s going to be a tough night. They had nothing to lose. We got the job done, and that’s all that matters. At Wembley anything can happen, and we’re positive. It’s a shame Wembley won’t be full, but we’ll have to create our own atmosphere.”

9.55pm BST

Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney speaks. “We had the worst start you can think of. These 2-0 leads are a bit weird in the head, it feels comfortable but it’s not at the same time. We let ourselves down by not playing our usual game and inviting pressure. But we showed a different side to us in the second half, when our backs were against the wall. We got over the line. We’re going to need to dig in against a very good Brentford side. I think we deserve to be there, and Brentford do as well. It’ll be a good final.”

9.50pm BST

Fulham deserve huge credit for eventually stemming the Cardiff tide in that second half. An equaliser that would have taken the match to extra time looked inevitable for a while, such was the verve the Bluebirds played with after the restart. But the hosts held on. Deservedly so: they were the better team over the two legs. Next Tuesday’s Wembley showdown for a place in the Premier League promises to be a belter. Cardiff, when the pain subsides, should take heart from an excellent second-leg performance, and the knowledge that they’re going in the right direction under Neil Harris. There’s always next year.

9.46pm BST

That was Cardiff’s last chance! They were magnificent in that second half, but it wasn’t enough. Fulham dug in, and they’ll face their west London neighbours in Tuesday’s play-off final!

9.45pm BST

90 min +5: From the resulting free kick, hit long, Paterson heads down for Glatzel, who blazes over from 12 yards.

9.44pm BST

90 min +4: Onomah, rolling on the floor, holds onto the ball and refuses to let go. He’s rightly booked, though Bennett, who was trying to wrestle it off him, should walk for snidely pressing his boot on the prone Fulham player’s leg. That’s poor form.

9.42pm BST

90 min +3: A loose Ralls pass sails into the stand, Morrison unable to keep it in play. The big man looks pained and waves his arms about in despair.

9.41pm BST

90 min +2: The tension is palpable. Scott Parker paces up and down the touchline, chewing with Allardycian ferocity.

9.40pm BST

90 min +1: The first of five extra minutes passes by. Can Cardiff force extra time? They’ve scored six goals after the 90-minute mark this season, a total only bettered by Sheffield Wednesday’s eight.

9.39pm BST

90 min: Le Marchand comes on with a note for Cairney, who has a good old read before discarding it, the litterbug. Bryan makes way.

9.38pm BST

89 min: Fulham have established a semblance of control, just when they need it. Cardiff can’t keep hold of the ball in the opposition half.

9.36pm BST

87 min: Christie tries to float a Glenn Hoddle style chip over Smithies from a tight angle on the right. He doesn’t quite manage it.

9.35pm BST

86 min: Ralls swings the free kick into the box. Rodak punches confidently clear. Kamara breaks up the other end, but can’t quite burst clear. Still, the ball’s now up the other end, as the clock ticks on.

9.34pm BST

85 min: Hector and Paterson go up for a high ball, just to the left of the Fulham box. It looks like a fair 50-50 challenge, but the referee deems it a foul by Hector, as Paterson comes off worse. Hector is truly livid, not least because there’s real danger here.

9.32pm BST

83 min: Tomlin’s race is run. He sticks out a leg, hoping to gather a Bennett pass down the left wing. His hamstring immediately pings, and he’ll be replaced by Whyte. Poor Tomlin leaves the field close to tears. He’s made a huge difference since coming on.

9.30pm BST

82 min: Tomlin tries to release Glatzel down the middle with a gentle dink, but Ream reads the situation well and steps in to batter clear.

9.29pm BST

81 min: Cardiff replace Murphy with Paterson.

9.28pm BST

80 min: Christie twinkletoes his way in from the right, teasing Bennett before attempting a curler towards the top left. Bennett deflects out for a corner. Glatzel slaps the corner clear with a towering header.

9.27pm BST

78 min: Mendez-Laing makes good down the inside-left channel and sends a diagonal swerver wide right of the Fulham goal. I have no idea how the scoreline is still just 1-2. It could quite easily have been anything.

9.26pm BST

76 min: Fulham make a defensive change, sending on Odoi for Knockaert.

9.25pm BST

75 min: Kamara whips a glorious cross in from the left. Decordova-Reid stoops to head home from six yards, but Nelson, at full stretch, eyebrows a clearance away from the striker! That is quite astonishing. The resulting corner leads to nothing.

9.24pm BST

74 min: But one decent Fulham attack will end this. Knockaert and Christie combine neatly down the right. Christie tries to slam across for Kamara, but Nelson intercepts with his chest. Fulham want a penalty, but they’re not getting one.

9.22pm BST

73 min: No idea how that free kick didn’t result in a goal. On the touchline, Neil Harris holds his head in his hands. Nothing comes of the resulting corner. Fulham are clinging on.

9.21pm BST

72 min: Astonishing scenes from the Cardiff free kick out on the left! Mendez-Laing and Nelson can’t slam home amid a pinball melee. Rodak blocks well. Then tips over marvellously as Vaulks tries to lash home from an angle on the right.

9.19pm BST

71 min: The game restarts, but not before Cardiff replace Ward with Glatzel.

9.19pm BST

70 min: And that, my old MBM pals, is time for isotonic refreshment.

9.19pm BST

69 min: Murphy robs Christie down the left and is upended from behind by the embarrassed Fulham defender for his trouble. Christie goes into the book. It’s not certain that we’ll be ending this match with a full set of players.

9.17pm BST

68 min: Fulham have done very little in attack since the restart, but suddenly Kamara bursts into action. First he drops a shoulder to move in from the left and belts towards the bottom left. Smithies tips around the post. Then, after the corner, Kamara has another whack, curling confidently towards the same corner. It’s heading in, but Smithies fingertips onto the base of the post and away. What a pair of stunning saves to keep Cardiff in this semi-final!

9.16pm BST

66 min: BREAKING NEWS: Fulham successfully defend a long throw. Reed heads Vaulks’ fling clear with great ease.

9.14pm BST

65 min: Tomlin threatens to break clear down the left but the flag goes up for offside. Fulham are not playing with their usual confidence right now. Meanwhile here’s Jake Lynch: “Long throws into the mixer; biff-bang and it flies in. Wow, Cardiff are gonna be a real joy if they get to the Premier League aren’t they?” Well it’ll certainly be fun watching the likes of Chelsea and Everton try to defend against them.

9.13pm BST

63 min: After an elongated process of faffing, Fulham take the worst free kick in the entire history of association football. Onomah shapes to shoot, but then stutters incredibly obviously before stopping stock still. It’s not much of a dummy. After a Pinteresque beat, Cairney slips before making contact and floats a looper miles wide left. Oh dear. Fortunately there’s nobody here to see that.

9.10pm BST

61 min: Cairney launches a rare Fulham attack, drifting in from the left and driving towards the box. Ralls is forced to take a booking, chopping him down before he reaches shooting range. A free kick just to the left of centre, just outside the D.

9.08pm BST

60 min: Tomlin tries to spin and Zidane a shot towards the top right. But his effort is blocked and he’s handled in any case. Over 70 percent of the play during the last five minutes has taken place in Fulham’s final third.

9.08pm BST

58 min: Ralls wastes the free kick. But this is a very impressive start to the second half by Cardiff, who clearly don’t intend to die wondering. Rodak tries to take the sting out of the game by taking an age over a goal kick. He’s booked as a result. Fulham need to clear their heads quicksmart.

9.06pm BST

57 min: Cardiff are well on top here. Murphy makes his presence felt down the right by Bacuna. Bryan shoves him off the field and this is a free kick that’s basically a corner.

9.05pm BST

56 min: Mendez-Laing drives down the left in the style of Ted McMinn. He forces the ball across towards Tomlin, whose first-time shot from the edge of the box is blocked. Then another phase of attack as Murphy slips Bacuna into space down the right. Bacuna fizzes a ball across the face of the Fulham goal, and Ward is a toenail away from turning it in. So close!

9.02pm BST

54 min: Tomlin plays a cute pass round the corner for Mendez-Laing down the right. Christie slips under the resulting cross. The ball drops to Murphy on the penalty spot. He’s got time to take a touch, but doesn’t realise it, and sends a miserable first-time header softly into the arms of Rodak. What a chance that was! Fulham have been rattled by that super-early second-half Cardiff goal.

9.01pm BST

52 min: Now it’s Vaulks who goes into the referee’s notebook for hanging out a leg across Reed. Knockaert tries to catch Smithies out at the resulting free kick, but drags a long-range daisycutter wide right.

8.59pm BST

50 min: Decordova-Reid is booked for cheekily blocking Smithies’ drop kick. On the touchline, Scott Parker wears a worried frown. This is going to be some half of football.

8.58pm BST

48 min: How about that for a double substitution?! Those were the first touches by both Mendez-Laing and Tomlin. Fulham try to hit back within 24 seconds again, but Morrison manages to hook Christie’s right-wing cross clear.

8.56pm BST

Vaulks flings it long, into the mixer. Fulham once again fail to deal with it. Mendez-Laing, with his first touch, batters a header towards the top left. Rodak claws it out, but only to Tomlin, who sweeps in by the left-hand post!

8.55pm BST

46 min: Cardiff start the half on the front foot, swarming down the left and winning a throw deep in Fulham territory on the left. And from that ...

8.54pm BST

Cardiff get the second half underway. They need two goals, and hope Tomlin and Mendez-Laing will help get them. They replace Pack and Hoilett. Meanwhile there’s a swap for Fulham too, as Kamara replaces the injured Kebano.

8.40pm BST

Half-time entertainment.

8.38pm BST

Two early goals in the space of 24 seconds, followed by a whole lot of end-to-end fun. Fulham are three-quarters of the way there, but this isn’t over yet. The second half promises some magical entertainment. Stay with us, why don’t you. No flipping!

8.36pm BST

45 min +4: From the resulting free kick, Christie whacks from distance. Smithies parries to the right, where Knockaert lurks. Knockaert drops a shoulder and whips towards the top left. The effort deflects off a Cardiff defender. Nothing comes of the corner that follows.

8.35pm BST

45 min +3: Kenabo threatens to break clear down the left. Bacuna takes a handful of his shirt and is booked.

8.34pm BST

45 min +2: Smithies is forced into action again, racing from his box to blooter clear, with Onomah chasing after a long ball.

8.33pm BST

45 min +1: The first of five added minutes nearly brings Fulham a goal, as Cairney loops down the left wing for Knockaert, who tries to round Smithies on the outside. The keeper makes himself big and snaffles.

8.32pm BST

45 min: An absurd shoving match between Decordova-Reid and Nelson explodes out of thin air. Both consider escalating matters by throwing hands; both quickly catch themselves on and cool down.

8.30pm BST

43 min: ... then suddenly Murphy throws a couple of cute shapes out on the left and swings long for Hoilett, who can’t quite get the cross under control for a shot. That was lovely patient play by Cardiff, followed by some sublime skill out on the wing from Murphy.

8.28pm BST

42 min: Cardiff stroke it around the middle awhile, playing Fulham at their own game.

8.26pm BST

40 min: Reed tries to sidefoot into the bottom-right corner from the best part of 40 yards. Full marks for ambition, if nothing else.

8.25pm BST

38 min: Pack sprays a glorious left-to-right pass towards Bacuna, who fires through an empty Fulham box. Cardiff come again, Ward having a speculative pop from 30 yards. Nope. Cardiff are giving this a good go, though. A much better performance than Monday night’s effort already.

8.22pm BST

36 min: Morrison is booked for swinging an arm in Decordova-Reid’s face. The resulting free kick, out on the left, is a chance for Fulham to load the box. Bryan swings it in, and Nelson batters clear.

8.21pm BST

34 min: One corner leads to another, and the second’s a non-event. Cardiff try to counter in the basic fashion, hitting long for Ward, but the ball sails through harmlessly to Rodak. This match has a very pleasing basketball rhythm.

8.19pm BST

33 min: Cairney drifts in from the left and lays off to Knockaert, who drops a shoulder and curls powerfully towards the bottom left. Smithies does extremely well to turn around the post for a corner. What a save!

8.18pm BST

31 min: A potentially tie-saving tackle by Morrison, who keeps his team in it by poking the ball away from Decordova-Reid, nearly sent clear down the middle by Knockaert. Both teams are going full out for goals.

8.17pm BST

30 min: Christie opens his legs and tears down the right, reaching such speed that only Decordova-Reid can keep up in the middle. He can’t find the striker with his cross.

8.15pm BST

28 min: Vaulks swings another free kick into the Fulham box from the right. It’s claimed by Rodak. Kebano sashays down the left and cuts back for Christie, romping in from the other flank. Christie’s shot is blocked. This is great end-to-end entertainment!

8.14pm BST

27 min: Knockaert bustles down the right and wins a corner. The set piece leads to some pinball, and the ball drops to Onomah, in space just inside the box. He takes a whack towards the bottom right, and it looks like heading in, but the shot hits his own man Kebano! Heads are held in hands. A lucky break for Cardiff.

8.12pm BST

26 min: The game restarts, with everyone freshly hydrated. During the pause in play, Sky showed replays of the long throw that led to the corner that led to Cardiff’s goal. Vaulks had a foot in play when flinging it in. No doubt that’ll become a hot topic should Cardiff turn this around, but let’s not go there yet.

8.11pm BST

24 min: And that’s drinks!

8.10pm BST

23 min: Ralls knocks it long again. Cardiff are clearly working on Rodak’s nerves. The keeper stays on his line again, a good decision this time as he easily claims Morrison’s tame header.

8.09pm BST

22 min: Play restarts. Morrison is good to continue and is quickly back into the action. His busy work down the right allows Hoilett to drive up the wing again, and the winger is tripped by Bryan. Another set piece chance for Cardiff.

8.07pm BST

21 min: A long pause as ice is applied to Morrison’s neck. He’s clearly taken a sore one. A scrap of good news in that at least he doesn’t look dazed.

8.06pm BST

19 min: Ralls swings it long, hoping for a replay of the opening goal. But Rodak comes off his line this time, punching positively clear. He accidentally clashes with Morrison in mid-air, and play is stopped when the Cardiff defender lands awkwardly.

8.04pm BST

18 min: Hoilett dribbles with glue-on-boot brilliance down the right. He’s eventually sandwiched to the floor and this is a free kick for Cardiff just to the side of the Fulham box. Danger for Fulham, seeing Cardiff have scored 25 times from set pieces this season, plus another this evening.

8.03pm BST

16 min: Morrison quarterbacks a long diagonal pass towards Bennett on the left. The full back’s in acres, but Murphy had been holding Christie in the middle and a good situation for Cardiff goes up in needless smoke.

8.01pm BST

14 min: Fulham draw some pretty triangles down the left, Onomah at the centre of everything. Cardiff are struggling to get out of their final third right now.

7.59pm BST

13 min: Both players are fine to continue. What a body blow for Cardiff, who had their dream start ruined in a matter of seconds. Fulham rub it in by stroking the ball around in the calm style, forcing the visitors to do plenty of chasing on this extremely warm evening.

7.58pm BST

11 min: Nelson and Christie clash heads. Time for a breather, if nothing else. What a start to this match!

7.56pm BST

Fulham come straight back at Cardiff. Decordova-Reed is allowed to race freely down the right. He fires low into the centre, where Kebano flips into the bottom left!

7.55pm BST

The corner’s hit long. Rodak fails to come off his line. He claims he’s been impeded by Ward, but there’s not enough in the very mild grapple for position; the keeper should be stronger. Nelson rises highest, and slams a header into the top left! Game on! Except hold on, because ...

7.54pm BST

7 min: Vaulks gets another go. His bouncing bomb loops over Nelson and Rodak is forced to tip over the bar. And from the resulting corner ...

7.53pm BST

6 min: Vaulks launches a long throw into the Fulham mixer. It’s claimed by Rodak, but turns out it was a foul throw.

7.51pm BST

4 min: Cardiff try a couple of long passes, to no great effect. Both approaches have thus been laid out in plain sight already.

7.49pm BST

2 min: Cardiff won the toss, so they chose to turn Fulham around, meaning the hosts will attack the Hammersmith End in first half. Kebano heads in that very direction down the left, but is stopped in his tracks by Bacuna. The hosts then probe down the other flank through Monday’s hero Onomah. He lays off to Knockaert, who whistles a low shot towards the bottom right. It’s an easy gather for Smithies ... but a lively start by the hosts.

7.46pm BST

And we’re off! Fulham get the second leg underway, but not before all players take a knee of solidarity, respect and love. Black lives matter.

7.42pm BST

The teams are out! It’s a positively delightful summer’s evening by the side of the dirty old rolling river. Craven Cottage is one of the most picturesque grounds in the country at the worst of times, so it’s a sight for sore eyes tonight. Fulham wear their famous white shirts, while Cardiff wear first-choice Bluebird blue. It’s a rare old aesthetic treat. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes!

7.30pm BST

Scott Parker talks! “We have given ourselves a very good opportunity but it’s half time in the tie, and we understand that. We need to produce a performance and get the job done. We’re playing against a wounded animal in Cardiff, having lost at home, so the game will bring something different and we need to be ready. Cardiff haven’t got a lot to lose, so we need to stamp our authority on the game.” He also reports that the missing Mitrovic “just wasn’t quite ready” after some tests yesterday and this morning. “We need to go into the game with players who are fully fit,” he adds while scratching his face. A little treat there for body language experts and conspiracy theorists. (It’s a minor hamstring issue.)

7.11pm BST

Some pre-match fighting talk from Neil Harris. “We quickly got over the disappointment of the first leg, and conceding the second goal so late. We put positivity back into the group, showing the boys some clips where we were good, and where we can improve and combat Fulham’s strengths. Also some positivity about our away record. Since January we’ve won six of our away games and scored two goals on four occasions. We’ve been strong away from home, and we have to take solace in that tonight. As professional sportsmen, anything is possible, and the players have faith in each other. That gives us belief. Scoring the first goal will add to that belief.”

6.56pm BST

Still no Aleksandar Mitrovic for Fulham, not even on the bench. The Championship leading scorer remains too much of an injury risk for Scott Parker, who names an unchanged Fulham side from Monday night.

Cardiff boss Neil Harris makes three changes. Will Vaulks, Josh Murphy and Danny Ward come in for Lee Tomlin, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Robert Glatzel.

6.51pm BST

Fulham: Rodak, Hector, Kebano, Cairney, Ream, De Cordova-Reid, Reed, Christie, Bryan, Knockaert, Onomah.
Subs: Bettinelli, Odoi, Mawson, Le Marchand, Sessegnon, McDonald, Johansen, Cavaleiro, Kamara.

Cardiff City: Smithies, Bacuna, Morrison, Nelson, Bennett, Pack, Vaulks, Ralls, Murphy, Hoilett, Ward.
Subs: Etheridge, Sanderson, Bamba, Smith, Tomlin, Whyte, Mendez-Laing, Paterson, Glatzel.

6.02pm BST

So much for a South Walian stramash in the Championship play-off final. Brentford did for Swansea City last night, and now it looks like a London derby will be on the cards instead.

Fulham are two goals to the good after a dominating second-half performance at the Cardiff City Stadium on Monday evening. Josh Onomah scored a remarkable goal of Maradonaesque poise and technique, while Neeskens Kebano curled in a fine free kick, and now Scott Parker’s side are within touching distance of Tuesday’s final.

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Published on July 30, 2020 14:22

The Fiver | This already stellar month keeps getting better for Manchester City

The Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle United is … off.

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Published on July 30, 2020 07:56

July 27, 2020

Cardiff 0-2 Fulham: Championship play-off semi-final, first leg – as it happened

Josh Onomah and Neeskens Kebano were the heroes as Fulham outclassed Cardiff

10.14pm BST

Ben Fisher was at Cardiff City Stadium. Here’s his report. Enjoy that one ... and thanks for reading this one. Nighty night!

10.14pm BST

Neil Harris is not happy. “Up to the drinks break, we were miles the better team. Two great chances but the ball wouldn’t go in the net for some reason. Fulham grew into the game, and in the second half ... it’s a great goal, but we’ve got to defend better, so it’s frustrating. We huffed and puffed. The next goal was going to be vital. In the first 20 minutes, Tomlin goes across Hector, who steps across him and wipes him out. No foul. That one knocks past Morrison, who has nowhere to go. I said to the ref, what are you doing? He said: two wrongs don’t make a right. What does that mean? There’s no consistency. But it’s a great free kick. We go to Craven Cottage and have to be positive; the first goal will be key.”

10.04pm BST

Scott Parker’s verdict. “We’re very pleased with the result. We need to stay level, there’s still a lot of football to be played, although we’re in a fantastic position. We had to fix things a little bit in the second half, and we were outstanding. We had a real control and caused them a lot of problems. We were solid and I’m really happy. We tried to get players between the lines and it worked.”

9.50pm BST

A word with man-of-the-match Josh Onomah. “We started quite slowly, but second half we came out sharp. We were determined to score, and after the first few minutes we knew we were going to score. Thankfully I got that goal! I’ve been working on scoring, and tried to keep my composure. I rolled a couple of people and passed it in. Once I scored it lifted our spirits and we controlled the game from there. I’m looking forward to the next game, and hopefully a game after that. Morale is high.”

9.43pm BST

Scott Parker tries hard, really hard, to stop a huge smile playing across his face. But the Fulham manager can’t stop himself. He’s full of the joys of mid-summer as he embraces Josh Onomah, who scored one of the goals of the season tonight. Parker’s opposite number Neil Harris trudges off with a cloud hovering over his head. His team gave as good as they got in the first half, but were totally outclassed after the break. Unless they pull something outrageous out of the bag at Craven Cottage on Thursday, they’ll be playing Championship football again next season.

9.39pm BST

It’s a deserved victory for Fulham, who were by far the better side, scoring two quite magnificent goals. Mind you, the story could have been so different had Hector not sensationally denied Glatzel early on. The fine margins, huh. Fulham are hot favourites to make it to Wembley now.

9.37pm BST

90 min +3: Odoi replaces Fulham’s free-kick hero Kebano.

9.36pm BST

It’s a huge moment all right! Kebano shapes to send the free kick towards the top left, but adjusts his body position at the last and curls one over the wall and into the top right instead. A wonderful free kick! What a pair of goals Fulham have scored tonight.

9.35pm BST

90 min: Cairney turns on the jets and drives down the inside-right channel. He one-twos with Decordova-Reid but slams straight into Morrison. A free kick, just to the right of the D. Huge moment coming up.

9.33pm BST

88 min: Vaulks launches yet another long throw. Hector clears. Bacuna delivers from the right. The ball drops to Morrison, six yards out, but he can’t connect and it flies straight through to Rodak. That was a superb chance, carved out of next to nothing, but it fell to the wrong man.

9.30pm BST

86 min: More of the Fulham passing, and the relentless march of time.

9.28pm BST

84 min: Fulham stroke it around the middle of the park as the clock ticks on.

9.27pm BST

82 min: Cairney slides in on a dozing Pack, a fine tackle that sets Kamara off down the left. Kamara returns the ball to Cairney, who hesitates fatally. A real chance to secure the first-leg win is spurned.

9.25pm BST

81 min: Knockaert is replaced by Kamara as Fulham make their first change of the evening.

9.24pm BST

80 min: Vaulks launches another throw into the box from the left. A half-cleared ball falls to Bacuna, who tries the spectacular from 25 yards. Nope.

9.22pm BST

78 min: Kebano sashays past Bacuna down the left and is hauled back. Yellow card, and a free kick just to the side of the Cardiff box. Reed hoicks a hopeless shot-cum-cross high over the crowded box and out for a goal kick. What a waste.

9.21pm BST

76 min: Bennett, clearly still a bit animated, bowls Decordova-Reid over in short order. Knockaert swings the resulting free kick straight down Smithies’ throat.

9.20pm BST

75 min: Onomah and Bennett tangle down the Fulham right. It briefly threatens to boil over, though Bennett’s the only one who looks a little bit intense when the referee gets involved. Almost total indifference from Onomah.

9.18pm BST

73 min: Vaulks sends a quick throw-in into the mixer from the left. Tomlin swivels and shoots from a tight angle. Rodak and Hector combine to block and hook clear. Better already from Cardiff.

9.16pm BST

72 min: Fulham won’t be taking that tactical switcheroo lightly. No team’s substitutes have scored more goals than Cardiff’s this season. Their collective tally is 19; West Brom and Millwall are next on the list with a mere 14.

9.14pm BST

70 min: The game restarts, Cardiff having made a triple substitution that refreshes their entire front line. Mendez-Laing, Hoilett and Glatzel are replaced by Murphy, Vaulks and Ward.

9.12pm BST

68 min: Kebano whips one towards the top left, but it’s always sailing wide and was covered by Smithies anyway. And that’s time for isotonic beverages.

9.12pm BST

67 min: Morrison’s loose pass from the back is jumped on by Decordova-Reid, who is unceremoniously barged to the floor by Ralls. A free kick 25 yards out, just to the left of centre.

9.10pm BST

66 min: Morrison clanks a header clear. But Fulham took their sweet time over those two corners, and the clock is their friend right now.

9.09pm BST

65 min: Fulham hit it long and win another corner, this time out on the right. And from this one ...

9.08pm BST

64 min: Fulham triangulate in a very pretty style down the inside-left channel, Reed, Cairney and Decordova-Reid all involved. They force a corner, from which ...

9.06pm BST

62 min: It’d also have beaten Cardiff at their game, unafraid as they are of sending it long when required. They haven’t got that side of things together at all this evening.

9.05pm BST

60 min: A long Ream pass down the middle. Onomah rises highest to cushion the ball down for Decordova-Reid, who from 25 yards sends a first-time screamer inches over the crossbar. That was caught so sweetly, and had it been a couple of inches lower, it’d have nestled into the top right, Smithies beaten all ends up. That would have been a picture-book goal.

9.03pm BST

58 min: Fulham are in complete control at the minute, looking very comfortable and assured. Cardiff may need to shake things up a wee bit, or this tie could soon run away from them.

9.02pm BST

56 min: Knockaert tries to score one of those long-range dippers Matthew Le Tissier used to specialise in during the mid-90s. He tries to send the ball arcing over Smithies from 30 yards, but it’s not close enough to the top-right corner and easy pickings for Smithies.

9.00pm BST

55 min: Fulham have only lost six points from winning positions all season. It’s a record that has only been equalled by the champions Leeds. Cardiff are in a little bother here.

8.59pm BST

54 min: The ref’s not really interested in this, either: Bacuna goes sliding in, studs up, on Bryan. There didn’t seem much need for it, and Bryan’s taken a sore one, but it’s just a free kick. Bacuna is fortunate to escape a booking there.

8.57pm BST

53 min: Knockaert gives Bennett a slap on the Adam’s apple as the pair tussle down the Fulham right. Bennett goes down in pain but neither ref nor linesman are interested.

8.56pm BST

51 min: Fulham have won five and drawn one of their previous six games without Mitrovic this season. Onomah’s genius will make it six from seven as things stand. Serious problems for Cardiff now, given Fulham’s fine home record.

8.55pm BST

This is sensational! Kebano dribbles down the left and crosses. It’s headed clear. Reed intercepts and lays off to Onomah, his back to goal, to the left of the D. Onomah spins Pack with ease, then slaloms, Maradona-style, between Morrison and Nelson and sidefoots into the bottom left having given Smithies the eyes! What an outrageously good goal.

8.52pm BST

48 min: Mendez-Laing backs himself in a footrace with Bryan down the right ... and loses it. He’s not been able to get into the game this evening at all.

8.51pm BST

46 min: Fulham start the half by quickly re-establishing their dominance of possession.

8.49pm BST

It’s the second half! Cardiff get the ball rolling again. No changes.

8.37pm BST

Half-time entertainment. Simon Burnton bravely rakes over the ashes of Watford’s relegation to the Championship. This one’s hot off the press; we’re so good to you.

8.34pm BST

Nothing comes of the resulting free kick. Fulham come again, and Cairney sends a curler towards the top left. It’s beaten Smithies but shaves the outside of the post. And that’s the end of the first quarter of this semi-final tie. It’s not been a bad match - it’s been reasonably open and both teams have gone close - but it’s not quite taken off yet. Still, that’s no reason to give up on us. No flipping!

8.30pm BST

45 min: And here comes the first yellow card of the evening, awarded when Hoilett slides across Christie and nicks him to the ground. It’s a foul for sure, but there was no aggression in the challenge and he was hardly out of control. But here we are.

8.29pm BST

44 min: Glatzel brings a long pass down near the Fulham box, but is penalised for sticking an arm across Ream. Now it’s Fulham’s turn to get a decision from an overly fussy ref.

8.28pm BST

42 min: Knockaert and Christie combine well down the right. A diagonal ball is scooped into the box for Knockaert to chase. He brings it down with his chest, but there’s a bit of shoulder in there too, and the referee decides it’s enough to award a free kick for handball. A bit generous to Cardiff, who were nearly prised open there.

8.26pm BST

41 min: ... as are the following two minutes.

8.24pm BST

39 min: The resulting corner is a non-event.

8.24pm BST

38 min: More space for Kenabo out on the left. Kebano swings it deep. Onomah, racing in at great speed and with great purpose from the right, connects with the dropping ball. But his volley is bravely blocked and turned round the post by Smithies.

8.22pm BST

36 min: Onomah romps down the middle of the park with options either side. He slips Kebano free down the left, but the resulting cross is aimless and easily cleared by Nelson. Fulham had Cardiff backpedalling in a panic there, and should have done much better, working Smithies at the very least.

8.20pm BST

35 min: Now it’s Cardiff’s turn for a period of sterile possession.

8.18pm BST

33 min: Tomlin faffs about near the centre circle and allows Kebano to tear off with the ball. The Fulham winger makes it to the edge of the box, a fine run that doesn’t end with a shot to match.

8.17pm BST

31 min: Hoilett nips in from the left, cleverly slipping between a couple of Fulham players, and feeds Tomlin, who plays a long pass first time down the same wing for Glatzel. The striker drops a shoulder to come infield and sends a tame effort into the arms of Rodak. That was a lovely move, though, and a textbook example of how dangerous Cardiff can be on the counter.

8.14pm BST

29 min: Fulham continue to stroke it around, but it’s all harmless stuff inside their own half.

8.13pm BST

27 min: Fulham have enjoyed 64 percent of possession during the last ten minutes. They haven’t really done a great deal with it, mind you.

8.11pm BST

26 min: The game restarts, and a refreshed Glatzel tries to spring Hoilett clear down the middle. Rodak is out to claim, and the flag goes up for offside anyway.

8.10pm BST

24 min: That, ladies and gentlemen, is drinks.

8.08pm BST

23 min: Bryan also looks fit to continue. We go again.

8.07pm BST

22 min: More injury worry for Fulham, as Bryan falls awkwardly on his right knee and looks in some distress. The physio puts in another shift.

8.07pm BST

20 min: Bacuna and Onomah battle hard for a loose ball down the Fulham left. A hard but fair tussle threatens momentarily to escalate into an earnest shoving match, but the temperature drops fairly quickly, neither player in the mood to do anything so stupid as getting themselves sent off. After the referee tells them what’s what, we play on.

8.04pm BST

18 min: Christie combines well with Decordova-Reid and curls in from the right. Nelson does extremely well to clear from a busy box.

8.02pm BST

16 min: And they nearly open Fulham up again, Tomlin making some space on the right with a cute backheel and spin - it’s not quite a Cruyff Turn - and dinking inside for Hoilett, who cushions a header down for Glatzel. The resulting whack goalwards is parried by Rodak. Cardiff are asking Fulham some serious questions here.

8.01pm BST

15 min: It’s been a confident start by Cardiff, who are rank bottom of all the fancy passing and possession stats this season, while Fulham are right up at the top. But they’re knocking it around in a very aesthetically pleasing style right now.

8.00pm BST

13 min: Suddenly the hosts pour forward. Bacuna sends a long-distance swerver towards the bottom right. Rodak stops, but the ball squirts to his right. It looks a nailed-on tap-in for Glatzel, rushing in to bundle home, but Hector somehow extends a telescopic leg to block on the line and then hook clear. That’s an outrageous last-ditch stop! How on earth was Glatzel denied there?

7.57pm BST

12 min: Cardiff string a few more passes around, this time in their own half. Fulham seem happy enough to let them do it.

7.57pm BST

10 min: Reed, moving much more naturally now, takes the corner from the left. It’s worked out to Bryan, who takes a dig from 25 yards. It’s going wide, but nearly finds the head of Decordova-Reid amid a melee. The flag goes up for penalty-box nonsense, and Cardiff are able to clear their lines.

7.55pm BST

9 min: But Fulham are beginning to find their range. Decordova-Reid whips into the box from the right. Bacuna is forced to slash wildly over his own bar under pressure from the lurking Kebano. Here comes the first corner of the tie.

7.54pm BST

8 min: Reed comes back on, sprinting ostentatiously. Fulham launch their first attack, Decordova-Reid taking a shot from a tight position to the left of the Cardiff box. It’s blocked. No real rhythm to this match yet.

7.52pm BST

6 min: Reed’s up and about again, though he’s testing the sore leg out with a few shuttle runs by the dugout.

7.50pm BST

5 min: This could be a big early blow for Fulham. The busy midfielder Reed is down holding his knee. A wee shake of the head as the physio comes on to take a look.

7.49pm BST

4 min: Cardiff continue to dominate the early stages. Fulham, who usually take the lion’s share of possession, are getting a small taste of their own medicine.

7.48pm BST

2 min: It’s been a busy start for Hector, who heads the set piece clear. Hoilett returns the ball with feeling, but his shot is blocked. He’s after a penalty for handball, but the referee shows no interest whatsoever.

7.47pm BST

1 min: A quick start by Cardiff, as Hector is hassled off the ball by Pack and Ralls. The hosts attack, Tomlin working hard out on the left. He’s bundled over by Hector, and it’s a chance for Cardiff to load the box at a free kick.

7.45pm BST

Here we go, then. Fulham get the first half of the first leg of the second Championship play-off semi-final underway. But not before the players take a knee of solidarity. Black lives matter.

7.42pm BST

No word from Neil Harris, happy to let his team do the talking. They take to the field in their famous blue shirts, while Fulham sport their equally classic white. A rousing version of Cwm Rhondda pours from the PA speakers. We’ll be off in a little while!

7.13pm BST

Scott Parker explains the absence of 26-goal Mitrovic ... sort of. “He has been a large part of what we have done this year, so it’s a big blow for us. He’s got a slight problem he’s picked up, and this is over two legs, it’s not going to be decided tonight, so we’ve had to make a calculated decision on getting him right and ready for Thursday. It’s too big a risk tonight for what he’s got. We adapted well [when he was recently suspended for three matches] and people stepped up. That’s going to be needed tonight. We’ve gone three games without him straight after lockdown, so hopefully we can do that again. We’ve come here to try to win.”

7.03pm BST

Cardiff boss Neil Harris is very much a disciple of the If It Ain’t Broke philosophy. The Bluebirds are three wins on the bounce right now, so he names the same XI that started the 3-0 win over Hull City.

Fulham make three changes to the team named for the 1-1 draw at in-form yet doomed Wigan Athletic. Cyrus Christie, Harrison Reed and Bobby De Cordova-Reid replace Denis Odoi, Harry Arter and Championship top-scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has picked up a knock and been given the night off as a precautionary measure. Ivan Cavaleiro remains hamstrung.

6.53pm BST

Cardiff City: Smithies, Bacuna, Morrison, Nelson, Bennett, Pack, Ralls, Tomlin, Mendez-Laing, Hoilett, Glatzel.
Subs: Etheridge, Sanderson, Flint, Bamba, Smith, Vaulks, Murphy, Paterson, Ward.

Fulham: Rodak, Hector, Kebano, Cairney, Ream, Cordova-Reid, Reed, Christie, Bryan, Knockaert, Onomah.
Subs: Bettinelli, Mawson, Sessegnon, Odoi, Le Marchand, McDonald, Johansen, Kamara, Jasper.

6.10pm BST

The Championship play-offs have a distinctly Cymraeg flavour this season. Swansea are already halfway to the final, having beaten Brentford 1-0 in the first leg of their semi last night. Now it’s their old pals Cardiff’s turn, as the Bluebirds attempt to get a result against Fulham that makes the prospect of an historic South Walian stramash at Wembley that little more likely.

The only problem for Cardiff is that Fulham are one of the form sides in the country right now. Scott Parker’s team have won five and drawn two of their last seven games. The Cottagers ended the season in fourth, one win shy of automatic promotion - and that end-of-season streak included a 2-0 victory over the Bluebirds. They also earned a draw at the Cardiff City Stadium back in August when down to ten men.

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Published on July 27, 2020 14:14

Premier League 2019-20 review: players of the season

We select a few contenders for the Premier League’s player of the season – and invite you to have your say

Welcome to theguardian.com review of the 2019-20 Premier League season. We have nominated some contenders for this category but this is just to get the discussion going: offer your suggestions below the line …

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Published on July 27, 2020 01:00

July 22, 2020

Liverpool 5-3 Chelsea: Premier League – as it happened

The champions finally get to lift their league trophy at Anfield after an eight-goal thriller

Read Andy Hunter’s match report

11.19pm BST

Let’s leave the world, European and new Premier League champions to their celebrations. It’ll be a night to remember. Andy Hunter was at the ground, and here’s his report on the eight-goal thriller Liverpool and Chelsea served up. Thanks for reading the MBM. Nighty night ... and congratulations to Liverpool!

11.14pm BST

Here’s the captain Jordan Henderson. “We’ve been waiting a long time. The build-up, walking up there, was amazing. The lads deserved their moment tonight. Thankfully the families were up there watching it, which was a big thing for us as a team. It’s been an amazing season, and to crown it off like that was really special. After last season, getting 97 points but not winning it was hard to take. But then we reacted by winning the Champions League, and this season we knew we had unfinished business. I’m so thankful that I’m part of this club and part of this team that’s managed to get the Premier League after 30 years. The Premier League’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid. We can enjoy tonight, but next season’s going to be a big challenge for us.”

11.10pm BST

Then a message for the supporters - and it’s quite the message. “What can I say? If you don’t see that we do it for you, I can’t help you! Five years ago I asked you to change from doubters to believers, and you did it! You made us happen. Really, thank you very much. We all should celebrate together, at home. Be safe, drink what you want, but you have to prepare for a party in I don’t know when, when this bullshit virus is gone! Then we will have a party all together! Make sure you are ready then! Thank you very much.” It’s going to be some night, that, isn’t it.

11.06pm BST

“We are champions of England, Europe and the world. I know how it sounds but that’s the truth!” More from Klopp. “I couldn’t be more proud. I’m usually not the sort of person who needs pictures, as long as I can remember it. But I will have a picture with all four trophies. That doesn’t happen too often! So we should make sure we have this picture. But we can improve, we have to, the others will not sleep. No guarantees, but we will try!”

11.01pm BST

Klopp’s back! “That’s how life is, you make the best of what you can. Everything would be better with fans, I know that, but a few months ago we might not play football. If it was perfect the stadium would be full but we cannot change it. But we have tried to make it clear to the people that we do it for them. We celebrate here alone but only for the moment, and everybody celebrates at home.”

10.58pm BST

Jurgen Klopp comes across to talk to Kelly Cates, Sky Sports anchor and Kenny Dalglish’s daughter. But then You’ll Never Walk Alone blasts out of the PA, and he’s desperate to go back and join his team for an emotional singalong of the club anthem. Up in the stand, Dalglish and Ian Rush sway in unison. A few happy tears falling on Merseyside, across the country, and around the world right now, you can be sure of that..

10.55pm BST

Adam Lallana didn’t get on tonight to make his sentimental goodbyes to Anfield. But this is a lovely touch, as he’s the player who takes one handle of the trophy to raise it into the sky as Klopp takes the other. Not such a bad way to take your leave after all. The players then descend to pitch level, and quickly get stuck into the champagne as they bounce about with their shiny new toy. These are lovely scenes. Worth waiting three decades for!

10.51pm BST

The Liverpool squad jig in anticipation as Jordan Henderson slowly climbs the staircase. He embraces Dalglish, the joy sparkling in the old legend’s eyes. He hangs his medal around his neck, carefully takes the trophy from its plinth, goes to face the squad, teases them with his trademark soft-shoe shuffle, then spins and cries in delight as he raises the Premier League trophy! Down comes the ticker tape and glitter, up go some spectacular fireworks. After 30 years, they’re back. Number 19. Doubters into believers, just as Klopp promised!

10.47pm BST

Here comes Minamino, who has also won the Austrian league this season with Red Bull Salzburg! That’s quite the double. He’s flanked by Matip and Shaqiri. Young Neco Williams becomes only the fifth Welsh player to win the Premier League. Then Curtis Jones, who only qualified for his medal tonight. And so there’s just one more player to come. Here’s the captain ...

10.44pm BST

Then the squad come up, one by one, to receive their medals. Alisson. Adrian. Van Dijk. Firmino, with Champions 19/20 shirt on backwards and a pair of Rubber Soul era Beatles sunglasses on. Fabinho. Wijnaldum, who takes a selfie with King Kenny. Mane, striking a pose. Keita throws some shapes. Gomez with a Champions scarf. Origi mooches up quietly. Oxlade-Chamberlain bites his medal. The local hero Alexander-Arnold, already with most of the big medals at the age of 21. Robertson giving Milner a hug. Lallana, who didn’t get on today but doesn’t seem that fussed right now, smiling broadly. Lovren and his best mate Salah, both with red tints to their hair. There’ll be more...

10.37pm BST

The house lights go down ... then red beams glitter in the dark across the Kop. The Premier League trophy, bedecked in red ribbons, is placed on a podium by Sir Kenny Dalglish, the last manager to bring the title to Anfield. The new man, Jurgen Klopp, bounds up the steps, jumping with glee, to receive his medal. Then his backroom staff, followed by the squad members who don’t qualify for a medal: Caoimhin Kelleher, Andy Lonergan and Harvey Elliot, whose time will surely come. Who needs base metal? They’re all delighted!

10.29pm BST

While we wait for the big presentation ... here’s Andy Hunter’s match report.

10.27pm BST

A quick reminder of the last time Liverpool won the championship ...

10.18pm BST

They’re currently dressing up Anfield for the trophy presentation. A podium has been erected in the middle of the Kop, the beating heart of this famous old stadium. Plenty of project managers doing their thing right now. A lot of busy bustle.

10.10pm BST

A magnificent night’s entertainment comes to an end. Well, not quite. Liverpool will be taking receipt of their shiny new trophy soon. A 30-year wait ends in 20 minutes or so. Chelsea meanwhile stay in fourth, and need a point against Wolves on Sunday to guarantee Champions League football next season.

10.08pm BST

90 min +4: Some head tennis in the Chelsea half. Everyone’s freewheeling towards the final whistle.

10.06pm BST

90 min +3: More fireworks.

10.06pm BST

90 min +2: Robertson curls the free kick across the face of the Chelsea goal. Kepa leaves it to Zouma, who leaves it to Kepa. Van Dijk, ghosting in at the far post, tries to steer home from a tight angle but it’s always sailing over the bar.

10.04pm BST

90 min +1: Origi dribbles with poise and purpose down the left. He’s clumsily bowled over by James, and this is a free kick just to the left of the Chelsea box. Up come Liverpool’s big lads.

10.03pm BST

90 min: The free kick is a complete non-event. There will be five added minutes.

10.03pm BST

89 min: Milner barges Abraham off the ball down the Chelsea right. It looks a decent shoulder challenge, but the referee awards a free kick. Chelsea load the box again.

10.02pm BST

88 min: Emerson comes on for Alonso.

10.02pm BST

87 min: Liverpool replace Firmino and Mane with Minamino and Origi. That means we won’t see a sentimental Anfield farewell from Lallana. The way this game has gone, there can be no risk of a grand gesture.

10.00pm BST

85 min: This should be over now. It’s not, though, is it. Not yet.

9.59pm BST

James whips the ball in. Liverpool clear, and break upfield. Mane slips Robertson away down the left. Robertson backs himself in a footrace with Jorginho, smacking the ball up the wing and chasing after it. He looks up and crosses deep. Jones lets the ball sail through to the better-positioned Oxlade-Chamberlain, who roofs home from ten yards.

9.57pm BST

83 min: Gomez is booked for lunging in on the sensational Pulisic. A free kick out on the left. Chelsea load the box. James will take.

9.56pm BST

82 min: Oxlade-Chamberlain romps after a loose ball down the right. Kepa comes to the edge of his area to block, then claim. Outside, the fireworks start again. That’ll help settle Liverpool’s nerves, which have been on edge for 20 minutes now.

9.54pm BST

80 min: Chelsea continue to look for the equaliser. Azpilicueta has a dig from 25 yards but slashes it so wide left the ball flies out for a throw. On the touchline, a huge smile plays across Frank Lampard’s face. He’s having a much better time than Klopp right now.

9.52pm BST

79 min: Salah, who has burned through a fair number of chances this evening, is replaced by Oxlade-Chamberlain.

9.52pm BST

77 min: Salah forces another corner, but this one floats straight over the box and Chelsea are able to launch a counter. Liverpool regroup, but Chelsea pin them back and probe. The visitors are asking a lot of questions here.

9.50pm BST

76 min: Robertson crosses long from the left. Rudiger doesn’t know what’s around him, and is forced to sidefoot out for a cheap Liverpool corner. Alexander-Arnold walks across slowly to take. He tries a cute short routine with Milner, but it doesn’t come off. Liverpool have lost all rhythm.

9.49pm BST

74 min: On the touchline, Klopp wears a wry grin. He quite clearly can’t believe what’s going on here. Hey, it was always going to be a surreal evening, one way or another.

9.47pm BST

Van Dijk and Gomez crash into each other, allowing Hudson-Odoi to zip down the right. He dinks into the middle. Pulisic brings the ball down with his back to goal, takes his time to turn, and lashes a superb shot into the top right! A great comeback is on!

9.45pm BST

72 min: Mane should tear clear down the inside-left channel, but loses control of his legs and somehow tackles himself, allowing Zouma to ping clear.

9.45pm BST

71 min: Hudson-Odoi scampers into space down the right. Alonso is completely free in the middle, but Alexander-Arnold reads the cross that’s intended for him and whacks clear. Chelsea are pushing for a third, and if they get it, this could get extremely interesting.

9.43pm BST

69 min: Alisson restarts the game with a goal kick.

9.42pm BST

68 min: Pulisic - a player Klopp wanted to sign - skates down the left again and sends a rising shot towards the top left. It’s a wee bit too high, and Alisson had it covered anyway. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is drinks.

9.41pm BST

67 min: Liverpool make a double change. Keita and Wijnaldum off, Milner and Jones on. That’s a fifth appearance of the season for Jones, who now qualifies for a Premier League winner’s medal.

9.40pm BST

65 min: Outside the stadium, a spectacular firework display begins. Time for another reminder that this particular match isn’t over yet.

9.38pm BST

64 min: Pulisic should have another. He’s sent clear down the middle, James finding him with a curler from the right, Gomez playing him onside. But he snatches at his shot and the ball dribbles harmlessly wide left.

9.37pm BST

63 min: Hudson-Odoi, not wanting to be left out, shrugs Keita off in the middle of the park and sets Chelsea on the attack again. Nothing comes of this particular move, but this is quite the first impression by the three substitutes.

9.35pm BST

Pulisic sashays down the inside-left channel, beating three men in the old-fashioned winger style. He breaks into the box and tees up Abraham, who slides home from six yards. What a run by the young American ... and what an instant impact by the subs!

9.34pm BST

60 min: Pulisic is quickly into the game, taking down a long ball brilliantly. He’s forced to check back this time, but he quickly comes again, and ...

9.33pm BST

58 min: The corner’s taken. Then ball hits the ref, so play is stopped. Before it can start again, Chelsea make a triple sub, replacing their entire front line. Giroud, Mount and Willian make way for Abraham, Hudson-Odoi and Pulisic.

9.31pm BST

57 min: Wijnaldum strips the ball from a dithering Alonso. Salah takes over and drives towards goal. He’s one on one with Kepa, but hesitates, allowing Zouma to block his eventual shot. The ball balloons out for a corner.

9.30pm BST

56 min: Rudiger quarterbacks from deep and tries to release Willian, but there’s too much juice on the pass and it sails straight through to Alisson.

9.29pm BST

Liverpool continue to probe patiently. Then suddenly they spring to life, Gomes slipping a pass down the right for Alexander-Arnold, who delivers a can’t miss cross onto the head of Firmino. He makes no mistake. Bang, into the top left from close range. In the final home match of the season, Firmino gets his first league goal of the season at Anfield. His first here since March 2019.

9.27pm BST

52 min: Some pinball in the Chelsea box. The ball falls to Robertson on the left. He creams a low cross towards Firmino, who is waiting to tap in. Rudiger scoops away for a corner, a goal-saving intervention. The corner’s cut back to Salah, who whistles a shot straight at Kepa.

9.25pm BST

51 min: Salah is sent clear down the middle, Rudiger left in the dust. He draws Kepa but then attempts a strange curler with the outside of his left boot, and sends the ball miles wide left. It was so far off target it nearly found Mane, rushing in from the wing. Goal kick.

9.24pm BST

49 min: Liverpool knock it around the middle for a while. No rush. Peter Oh has a question about Jordan Henderson’s technique: “Do you think he will lift the Premier League trophy in the same unorthodox base-forward way he did the Champions League trophy last year? Or will he adopt a more traditional straight-up hoist this time around?” Providing his knee is up to it, expect to see his fast tippy-toe jig again, which in an ideal world would be soundtracked by a Looney Tunes xylophone trill.

9.21pm BST

47 min: James curls one in from the right. He had space and time, but the cross is no good, and Van Dijk intercepts.

9.18pm BST

Liverpool get the second half underway. No changes.

9.06pm BST

Half-time entertainment from the Guardian archive.

9.05pm BST

Well, that took over 20 minutes to get going. But when it finally did, it really really did. It’s all set up for an entertaining second half. Classic, please!

9.04pm BST

Mount dinks a cross from the left. It pings off Alexander-Arnold and falls to Willian, who shoots hard at goal from ten yards. Alisson pulls off a fine reaction save, but the ball drops to Giroud, who forces the ball over the line from close range. This isn’t over yet!

9.02pm BST

45 min +2: Firmino robs a dawdling Kovacic, who is very fortunate that the Brazilian scuffs a pass intended to release Keita down the middle.

9.01pm BST

45 min: That’s the tenth goal Chelsea have conceded from a corner this season. Only Norwich City (12) have a worse record.

9.00pm BST

Alexander-Arnold, deep on the right, swings a spectacular ball towards Salah, rushing into the area from the left. He traps and wins a corner off Rudiger. Robertson lashes the set piece towards the near post. It hits the swinging arm of Kovacic. Chelsea stop, waiting for the inevitable award of a penalty. Liverpool don’t stop. Wijnaldum skelps the loose ball into the top left. Chelsea are undone at a corner yet again.

8.57pm BST

42 min: Willian slips Mount into space down the left. Giroud is free in the middle, but Mount’s cross is woefully overhit. Goal kick.

8.55pm BST

40 min: James swings one in from the right. Giroud knocks a gentle header into the arms of Alisson.

8.54pm BST

39 min: Frank Lampard wasn’t happy with the award of that free kick, and he had a point. It didn’t look like much of a foul, and Mane certainly made the most of it. But here we are.

8.54pm BST

After an interminable wait, Alexander-Arnold steps up and replicates the stunning free kick he scored against Crystal Palace. It’s whipped up over the wall and into the top-right corner. Kepa was rooted to the spot. Again, he had no chance with that.

8.52pm BST

36 min: Mane dribbles elegantly down the middle but has the ball toe-poked away from him by Kovacic. There’s a little contact, so Mane takes the opportunity to go over. It’s a free kick, 30 yards out in a central position. Chelsea aren’t happy about its award.

8.50pm BST

34 min: Liverpool calm everything down again with some metronomic passing.

8.49pm BST

32 min: James, deep on the right, rolls a diagonal pass towards Mount, who scoots clear from the centre circle and slots the ball under Alisson. The flag’s gone up for offside, though, correctly so, Van Dijk having craftily stepped up just before Mount made his run. VAR checks unnecessarily, because they’ve bought the equipment now and lost the receipt.

8.47pm BST

31 min: Salah swans past Rudiger down the right, and tries to poke home at the near post from a tight angle. The ball’s deflected out for a corner, which is hit long. Wijnaldum, on the left-hand edge of the six-yard box, peels off but heads weakly into Kepa’s arms.

8.45pm BST

29 min: Liverpool are beginning to ping it around with great confidence now. Mane is nearly sent clear down the middle by Wijnaldum’s chip, but crashes into Azpilicueta. He wants a spot kick, but the ref’s not interested in this one either.

8.44pm BST

27 min: On Sky, Tyler and Carragher are taking turns to riff on Kepa’s pain. He’s not had a good season, but you can’t blame him for Keita’s strike, which was a successful fusion of art and uber-violence. Here’s Sanchit Sabhlok: “I’m a Manchester United fan and I gotta admit I was extremely pleased with this Liverpool team winning the title! They’re a fun lot to watch and I wish them no harm. And now if they can repay that goodwill back by beating Chelsea, that’d be great thank you very much.”

8.41pm BST

25 min: That was an absolute pearler, giving Kepa no chance whatsoever. The ball whipped around the back of the net in a very aesthetically pleasing style, too, although Chelsea fans may not have appreciated the effect.

8.39pm BST

Out of nothing ... wow! Keita and Wijnaldum combine to strip Willian of the ball, 30 yards from the Chelsea goal. Keita takes over and strides towards the box, unleashing a rising shot into the top right. That’s a pure belter. Time to celebrate with drinks.

8.37pm BST

22 min: It’s one for the purists.

8.36pm BST

20 min: It’s not quite taken off yet, this match. Here’s Ian Copestake: “Am listening in tribute to the last time we won the equivalent of this title by following on the wireless at my folks’ home on the Wirral. I feel like a kid again.” Hope it makes for more entertaining listening than viewing. Plenty of time for excitement to build yet.

8.34pm BST

18 min: Keita spins in midfield to leave Azpilicueta in his wake. He makes it to the edge of the box, but can’t decide between shooting and laying off to Mane, and so achieves neither. But what an elegant turn to begin the run.

8.32pm BST

16 min: James is allowed to advance down the inside-right channel. As he reaches the edge of the box, he attempts to plonk one into the top right. It’s a decent effort, but always sailing a little high and wide, and Alisson had it covered anyway.

8.29pm BST

14 min: Salah dribbles with purpose down the inside-right channel. He goes for a one-two with Wijnaldum but can’t pick up the return as he runs slap-bang into Rudiger. He wants a penalty but he’s not getting one. The defender was entitled to stand his ground.

8.27pm BST

12 min: Liverpool respond with some possession football of their own. Other than the Mount chance, very little has happened so far.

8.25pm BST

10 min: Chelsea are enjoying the lion’s share of possession right now. It’s a confident start by the visitors.

8.23pm BST

8 min: Chelsea should be leading. Willian gets a yard on Robertson down the right, but checks and pulls back for James, who swings one in. Mount, six yards out, heads over. Giroud would have planted that into the net, surely.

8.22pm BST

6 min: Tyler, warming to his theme, is now chortling away about the 2014 Demba Ba game. Co-commentator Jamie Carragher falls conspicuously silent, assumed fuming.

8.19pm BST

4 min: Chelsea are kicking towards the Kop in this first half. Willian tries to chest down on the edge of the Liverpool box, but can only send the ball rolling harmlessly out for a goal kick. Chelsea come again, through Willian again, the Brazilian (and former Liverpool transfer target) dribbling with purpose down the inside left. Not quite, but it’s a nice positive start by Chelsea, too.

8.17pm BST

2 min: A high-paced start by Liverpool, who may want to make a statement after their scatty defeat at Arsenal. Firmino and Salah combine 30 yards from goal, the latter then trying to release Mane down the centre. Zouma intercepts.

8.15pm BST

Chelsea get the ball rolling ... but only after both teams take a knee of solidarity and love. Black lives matter.

8.15pm BST

Here come the teams! Chelsea, wearing their lovely new 60s-throwback blue shirts, form a guard of honour for the new champions. Liverpool wear their early-80s retro pinstripe at Anfield for the last time. On Sky, Martin Tyler suggests that it’s Liverpool who should be forming a guard of honour for Chelsea, on account of the victory over Manchester City at Stamford Bridge that secured the Reds the title. He’s just deliberately pushing buttons there, isn’t he. Anyway, no need to rise to it. We’ll be off in a minute, after a quick blast of the best song from Carousel.

8.09pm BST

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson won’t play tonight on account of his knee problem, but he’ll be centre stage for the trophy lift. “The minute you won it, you dream what it’s going to be like when you lift it. It’s going to be very different and unique of course, without the fans, but it’ll still be special. It’s an unbelievable achievement, and I can’t wait to lift the trophy. But I know the lads’ mentality and their main priority tonight is to get the three points.”

8.06pm BST

Jurgen Klopp is asked whether he’s looking forward to the trophy presentation. “A lot! It looks great. But between now and then there’s a game to play, and that’s why we are here. Obviously Frank liked the last game a lot, there are not plenty of changes! Same system, same line-up, a good team we face tonight.”

Meanwhile Frank Lampard is quizzed on the importance of a good result for Chelsea tonight in the race for the Champions League spots. “We know the situation. We can’t worry what’s going on in Manchester, or what happens at the weekend. We can control ourselves, though it’s going to be a really tough game. We know how good they are, that’s why they’re lifting the trophy. We’ll have to be at our best.”

8.02pm BST

Kevin McManus would have been on the Kop tonight in normal circumstances ... but he’s riding sublime upon the seraph-wings of ecstasy nonetheless. “As a lifelong Red and Kop season-ticket holder of 40 years, I’m gutted that I can’t celebrate the title win and end of the 30-year wait at the ground. It would have been a memorable night. It’s made even worse for me by the fact that I live within walking distance of Anfield so could easily walk to the ground to celebrate outside, and at least feel close to it even if I couldn’t take up my normal seat on the Kop. But obviously I’m going to heed the words of Klopp and enjoy the game and celebrate from home. It won’t be anything like actually being there, but you know what? We did it and me and all the other fans have had plenty of great nights during the Klopp reign, so let’s just enjoy it and savour a historic moment.”

7.53pm BST

It’s all over at Old Trafford, where Manchester United and West Ham United have drawn 1-1. A good result for Chelsea, even if United leapfrog them into third place on goal difference. Chelsea can regain their position by simply drawing their game in hand tonight; should they do that, they’ll be assured of Champions League football next season. Leicester will be reasonably happy with all of this too. It’s going to be quite a ride come Sunday.

7.25pm BST

The 2019-20 Premier League champions make one change to the team that lost 2-1 at Arsenal last week. Naby Keita takes the place of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who drops to the bench. Adam Lallana is also among the subs, hoping to get one last run-out at Anfield.

Chelsea also make just one change in the wake of their FA Cup semi-final victory over Manchester United. Kepa returns in goal, replacing Willy Caballero.

7.16pm BST

Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson, Keita, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Salah, Firmino, Mane.
Subs: Lovren, Milner, Adrian, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Minamino, Lallana, Shaqiri, Origi, Jones.

Chelsea: Arrizabalaga, Azpilicueta, Zouma, Rudiger, James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso, Willian, Mount, Giroud.
Subs: Christensen, Abraham, Pedro, Loftus-Cheek, Caballero, Hudson-Odoi, Pulisic, Tomori, Emerson Palmieri.

2.05pm BST

When Liverpool clinched the 1963-64 First Division title by beating Arsenal 5-0 at Anfield, captain Ron Yeats led his men on a lap of honour. He was waving the Football League trophy ... or at least a papier-mâché version of it. You see, depending on whose story you believe, previous champions Everton either offered to courier the real thing across the city for their neighbours’ big day, only to be refused permission by prissy League mandarins, or flatly refused to hand it over, instead sending it back to the League’s HQ in Lytham St Annes, an official and deliberately laborious process which ensured the champions-elect wouldn’t get it in time. Either way, someone, somewhere was magnificently petty in the old-school pompous style, and you simply have to laugh. Life’s too short to get mad about this sort of stuff.

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Published on July 22, 2020 15:19

The Fiver | An abstract world of potential and possibility in the Premier League

The ££££$$€£$£$$€€99p€$$£££est prize in sport is up for grabs on Wednesday evening: automatic promotion to the Premier League! It’s something that’s also quite valuable in the more abstract world of potential and possibility, guaranteeing the victors the chance next season to either surprisingly top the table after three games before being relegated in last place with a pathetic whimper, or be thoroughly patronised for doing significantly better than all the predictions which had you to go straight back down, having been written by folk who hadn’t seen you play since 1991 and simply assumed you were still managed by Dave Bassett.

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Published on July 22, 2020 07:56

July 21, 2020

Watford 0-4 Manchester City: Premier League – as it happened

City strolled to victory as relegation-threatened Watford’s goal difference took a costly battering

12.53am BST

8.16pm BST

David Hytner was at Vicarage Road to see Raheem Sterling put Watford to the sword yet again. Here’s his report. Thanks for reading this MBM!

8.15pm BST

Watford keeper Ben Foster speaks. “I don’t think we helped ourselves. It’s a case of confidence at the minute, it’s so crazy low. I don’t know why that is. You get in a state of trying to minimise the damage, but it’s such a dangerous way to approach games. But they’re Man City, they’re very, very good. We’re well versed in what goes on at this club, it is what it is, you honestly get used to it in football nowadays, nothing ever seems to shock, you’ve just got to roll with the punches. You can’t blame anyone else for our own performances, we’ve got to look at ourselves. We’ve got a massive game on Sunday, and that’s all we’ve got to look at now.”

7.57pm BST

Manchester City are now on 78 points with one game to play. They’re 15 shy of the new champions Liverpool, who have two matches still to go. But yes, of course this match was really about the other end of the table. Watford remain in 17th on 34 points, three ahead of Aston Villa and Bournemouth. But their goal difference has taken a hit, and now all three of the relegation scrappers are on minus 27 goals. Should Villa beat Arsenal later tonight, Watford will be shunted into the relegation places. Regarding that match, Paul Doyle, like a pint of plain, is your only man.

7.54pm BST

Put another way, over the last 13 meetings it’s now Manchester City 50-6 Watford.

7.53pm BST

90 min +5: Cancelo crosses from the right. Jesus rises. He plants a header into the top right, Foster rooted to the spot. But he’s offside, so up goes the flag. You never know, those millimetres could make all the difference to Watford if the relegation places end up being decided on goal difference.

7.50pm BST

90 min +3: City stroke it around as Watford chase shadows. Just like it’s been since the get-go.

7.49pm BST

90 min +1: Hughes is booked for cynically hauling back a marauding Foden.

7.49pm BST

90 min: There will be four added minutes. They’ll feel like 44 to Watford.

7.46pm BST

88 min: De Bruyne scoops a pass down the left to release Zinchenko into the box. But Zinchenko has needlessly gone too early, and up goes the offside flag.

7.44pm BST

87 min: Masina comes on for Pereyra.

7.42pm BST

85 min: Cleverley hacks De Bruyne’s free kick clear.

7.42pm BST

84 min: Sarr barges into the back of Jesus, who was thinking about causing bother down the left. Free kick.

7.39pm BST

82 min: Chalobah comes on for Doucoure.

7.39pm BST

81 min: Foden taps the free kick to De Bruyne, who dribbles into the box before spraying a pass wide to Mahrez, who can’t get a shot away. Too clever by half, and Watford clear.

7.38pm BST

80 min: Foden knocks the ball past Mariappa and wins the footrace. Mariappa is forced to drag him back just before he enters the box. A free kick to the left of the area, and a booking for the cynical challenge.

7.36pm BST

78 min: Mariappa’s clearance breaks to Welbeck, who tears forward, past a static City defence. He draws Ederson but takes a heavy touch and the chance of a consolation - and a precious boost to the goal difference - is gone.

7.34pm BST

76 min: Foden tries to whistle one into the top left from distance. Not quite. City are toying with Watford here. “Any chance that Watford will ask Pearson back to take charge of their last fixture?” wonders Simon McMahon.

7.32pm BST

75 min: Zinchenko bustles down the left. The ball breaks to Foden, whose snapshot may or may not have hit an arm. City don’t really appeal; Watford appear to be past caring.

7.31pm BST

74 min: Laporte, still buzzing from his first Premier League goal since the final day at Brighton last season, is replaced by Stones.

7.30pm BST

72 min: The match restarts. De Bruyne swings one in from the left. Jesus can’t quite reach it at the far post. This is going to be a long final period for the beleaguered hosts.

7.29pm BST

70 min: Welbeck comes on for Deeney. Rodri clips a long pass down the right to release Jesus, who lobs Foster but watches his effort bounce agonisingly wide right. And that’s drinks. Hemlock shakes for the hosts.

7.26pm BST

68 min: Watford’s goal-difference advantage over Aston Villa has now been wiped out. Should Villa beat Arsenal tonight, the Hornets will drop into the relegation zone.

7.25pm BST

De Bruyne swings a free kick into the Watford box from the right. Laporte makes a run from an onside position and, unchallenged at the far post, heads down and into the right-hand side of the net. Easy as that.

7.22pm BST

64 min: Sterling’s not getting his hat-trick goal at all. He’s one of two City players replaced, Walker being the other. On come Mahrez - another player who loves to fill his boots against Watford - and Zinchenko.

7.21pm BST

De Bruyne slides a pass down the inside right. Sterling is sent clear on goal. He draws Foster, who makes another good block ... but while Sterling’s not getting his hat-trick goal yet, the ball pings left to Foden, who taps home from six yards into an unguarded net.

7.19pm BST

61 min: De Bruyne gets up and takes it himself, arcing a shot towards the top left. Foster leans back and tips over, another fine save. He’s kept the score down this evening ... and he plucks the corner from the air to boot.

7.18pm BST

60 min: A better couple of minutes for Watford, who draw the sting from the game with a few passes across the back. But then suddenly De Bruyne takes control and drives down the middle, before being clipped from behind by Cleverley. A free kick 25 yards out, just to the right of centre.

7.15pm BST

58 min: Foster takes the best part of 20 seconds to launch a drop kick upfield. It’s already come to this for Watford, who have been chasing shadows since the get-go.

7.14pm BST

56 min: Sarr goes racing clear down the right, haring after a long Mariappa pass. But the flag goes up for offside. Absolutely nothing is coming off for Watford, though at least the scoreboard isn’t spinning wildly out of control. Small mercies.

7.12pm BST

55 min: Rodri floats a ball down the inside-right channel. Sterling takes a touch inside, but is halted by Kiko. Sterling makes another claim for hand-ball, but the referee’s even less interested this time.

7.11pm BST

54 min: Watford have now successfully completed their 56th pass.

7.11pm BST

52 min: Cancelo jigs down the left touchline, leaving three opponents in his wake. He cuts into the box, and there are options infield, but decides to go for the spectacular. His attempt to curl past Foster and score in the top-right corner, from a tight angle, is high, wide and wild.

7.08pm BST

51 min: On the touchline, Hayden Mullins looks extremely concerned, as well he might. City are utterly dominant and pressing hard for a third. And here’s a damning stat flashed up by Sky Sports. Rodri has made 65 passes so far. That’s ten more than Watford.

7.06pm BST

49 min: They’ve just shown replays of the Bernardo shot and resulting hand ball. It’s Mariappa, who had his hands in an unnatural position ... he’s almost making a diving save as he goes to ground, moving his arms towards the ball ... but VAR is in a generous mood. City aren’t making a huge thing of it, to be fair.

7.05pm BST

47 min: City aren’t messing about here. Sterling looks to whistle one into the top right, but Foster sticks out a strong hand.

7.04pm BST

46 min: City should be three up. An incredibly poor Pereyra backpass is intercepted by Jesus, who skitters clear. He shoots straight at Foster when he really should score. Bernardo has a whack from the rebound, and claims his shot is blocked by a Watford hand, but the ref isn’t interested.

7.02pm BST

Watford get the second half underway. No changes at the break.

6.51pm BST

Half-time entertainment.

6.49pm BST

It’ll take something special to stop City taking all three points from here. Watford’s attention may turn to their goal difference: should it take a second-half hit, a win for Aston Villa against Arsenal later on would push them into the relegation zone.

6.48pm BST

45 min +2: A Watford free kick out on the left. Hughes swings it into the mixer. Dawson gets ahead of Laporte and tries to bundle home. The ball clanks off him and into the arms of Ederson. That would have made a huge difference going into the half-time break. It would also have been the scruffiest goal of the season. Watford would happily take it.

6.46pm BST

45 min: Rodri slips a ball down the inside-left channel for Bernardo, who crosses towards De Bruyne at the near post. De Bruyne tries to flick into the top left, but he’s got no time for any backlift and can only prod wide.

6.44pm BST

43 min: That’s seven goals for Sterling in his last three starts against Watford ... and counting. We’re moving out of the realms of Decent Scoring Run and into Inexplicable Vendetta.

6.42pm BST

Sterling aims for the top left. Foster guesses correctly and as he dives, sticks a hand into the air, making a quite sensational stop. But when your luck’s out, it’s out. Sterling’s the first to react, reaching the rebound first and calmly slotting into the bottom right. Such a shame for Foster, who had made a quite outstanding penalty save, but the scoreline doesn’t flatter City at all.

6.40pm BST

39 min: Foden dispossess Cleverley in the middle of the park and drives forward. He shifts the ball right to Sterling, who sashays into the area. As he glides right to left, Hughes comes in and clips him to the floor. A no-brainer of a decision.

6.38pm BST

38 min: Dawson launches long for Sarr down the right. But Sarr isn’t there. Watford are finding it hellishly difficult to string anything together up front.

6.37pm BST

36 min: Foden dribbles Gazza-style into the Watford box from the left. He’s barged clumsily by Cleverley, but decides to stay on his feet and wins a corner instead. He was within his rights to go down, so hats off to him for honesty. Nothing comes of the corner, though.

6.35pm BST

35 min: Doucoure bustles towards the City box, but never looks in total control. City swarm him and flood upfield. Foden thinks about having a whack from distance but decides against it, and the attack eventually peters out.

6.34pm BST

33 min: De Bruyne nearly takes possession of a loose ball in the centre circle. Had he managed to nick it, he’d have been away, clear on goal. But fortunately for Watford, he doesn’t quite make it.

6.32pm BST

Walker curls in from the right. His ball threads between two Watford men and drops at the feet of Sterling, in the box, just inside the area. Sterling takes a touch and lashes an unstoppable riser into the top left. Foster had no chance whatsoever. The sweetest of screamers!

6.30pm BST

29 min: De Bruyne’s dead-ball delivery has been strangely off so far, and this one’s no exception. He’ll surely find his range soon.

6.29pm BST

28 min: Sterling has a look down the right this time, and nearly zips past Kiko. The full back, who had a hell of a time at West Ham last Friday, manages to stick by him and concedes a corner. The ball’s worked back to Foden, who has a crack. Blocked. Then Sterling goes back to his beat on the left, and is unceremoniously stopped by Doucoure. Free kick.

6.28pm BST

27 min: Some welcome respite for Watford as Deeney and Pereyra graft down the left, gaining some rare territory in the City half. Cleverley tries to send a spectacular curler into the top right, but it’s always flying high and wide. But it’s an effort on goal, if not on target. Small acorns, and all that.

6.26pm BST

26 min: Sterling nutmegs Mariappa and forces Hughes into the concession of yet another corner. De Bruyne’s long delivery from the left is headed out weakly to the right of goal by Rodri.

6.24pm BST

24 min: We go again, everyone refreshed.

6.23pm BST

22 min: Cancelo and Foden have shots blocked amid a penalty-box ruckus. De Bruyne delivers another non-event of a corner. And that’s drinks!

6.22pm BST

21 min: But then it was still 0-0 at this point in last season’s FA Cup final, and look what ended up happening there.

6.21pm BST

19 min: Watford were five down by this point at the Etihad last September. David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva and Nicolas Otamendi, since you ask. Final score: 8-0. So this is a most welcome positive trend.

6.18pm BST

17 min: City have enjoyed 83 percent possession so far. This is relentless. Sterling and De Bruyne combine down the left, the latter winning a corner off Hughes. Nothing comes of the set piece, but a City opener is beginning to feel nothing more than a matter of time.

6.16pm BST

15 min: Foden drives at great speed down the right. He swans into the box and looks for Jesus at the near post, but Dawson is on hand to deflect out for a corner. De Bruyne’s corner is uncharacteristically dismal and easily cleared by the first man.

6.14pm BST

13 min: City continue to press and pass, pass and press. Watford are just about holding their shape. This could be a long 90 minutes for the relegation-haunted hosts.

6.13pm BST

11 min: What a save by Foster! Rodri takes a whack from distance, looking for the top left. But the ball balloons off the back of Jesus and moves right. It’s looping into the corner, but Foster extends himself to tip over. Nothing comes of the corner.

6.11pm BST

10 min: A couple of City mistakes. First Ederson’s poor kick gifts Watford a throw deep on the right. Mariappa flings it into the mixer, and Cancelo duffs his clearance. The ball drops to Hughes, just inside the box, but his first-time slapshot is pulled miles wide right.

6.10pm BST

9 min: City continue to mesmerise Watford with their metronomic passing. Suddenly Bernardo bursts down the left and whips infield, but not with any great accuracy. The first sign of the visitors shifting up a gear or two.

6.08pm BST

8 min: More pretty City triangles. No great drama unfolding yet.

6.07pm BST

6 min: Sarr is Watford’s biggest hope today, you’d have thought, having ripped Liverpool to shreds in that famous 3-0 win before lockdown. He tears down the right after a long Doucoure pass, and very nearly gets the better of Cancelo, but the City defender digs deep to stick on the pacy winger’s shoulder and runs him out of play. Goal kick.

6.05pm BST

4 min: Kabasele blooters long, in the hope of releasing Pereyra down the left, but it’s an easy mop-up job for Walker. A kick’s a kick, though, as City continue to dominate. Watford can take heart from the fact that Arsenal were teased like this for the first ten minutes of the FA Cup semi-final last weekend, and look how that turned out.

6.03pm BST

2 min: It’s a lovely summer afternoon. How lovely it’ll continue to be for Watford is a moot point, if the very early signs are anything to go by. City don’t appear in the mood to give the ball away at all. Watford have barely had a kick, Dawson excepted, the defender hacking Cancelo’s cross away after the full-back one-twoed with Sterling.

6.00pm BST

Here we go, then! City get the ball rolling ... but only after the players take a knee. Black lives matter.

5.55pm BST

The teams are out! Watford in yellow and black halves, City in their new sky-blue mosaic. We’ll be off in a few minutes. Nervous, Watford fans? Here’s Mac Millings: “‘Email Scott with your thoughts’, it says. My thoughts? Here are my thoughts. The inside of my stomach’s rippling like the back of a Vicarage Road net with City-based PTSD. Thoughts? My club sacked their manager with two games to go in a relegation dogfight. My thoughts? Last two games: MCFC 14, WFC 0. My thoughts? It’s fine, I’m fine, everything’s fine.”

5.47pm BST

Pep’s turn. “We will try to play good. We have to do our job. We need to be ourselves, and try to do our game. It doesn’t matter who is going to play now, because we have two weeks until we play Real Madrid, so training will be fundamental.”

5.39pm BST

Hayden Mullins talks to Sky. “The players are ready, confident and know their jobs. We’re hoping they’ll give a good account of themselves. It’s been a couple of days when all the eyes have been on us, but all the players have prepared really well. I expect a professional, hard-working, confident performance, and one in which we believe in what we are doing. Hopefully we can have a positive result. We respect the opposition, but we are looking for a balanced performance, a defensive one but hopefully we can get up the pitch and attack ourselves.”

5.18pm BST

Hayden Mullins, Watford’s interim head coach in the wake of Nigel Pearson’s surprise departure, makes two changes to the XI thumped at West Ham. Adrian Mariappa and Roberto Pereyra return, while Adam Masina and Danny Welbeck drop to the bench.

Pep Guardiola swaps four players out of the team that lost the FA Cup semi-final to Arsenal. Benjamin Mendy, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez and David Silva drop to the bench, with Joao Cancelo, Rodri, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva taking their places.

5.15pm BST

Watford: Foster, Mariappa, Kabasele, Dawson, Femenia, Cleverley, Doucoure, Hughes, Sarr, Deeney, Pereyra.
Subs: Gomes, Welbeck, Masina, Chalobah, Cathcart, Joao Pedro, Gray, Quina, Pussetto.

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Eric Garcia, Laporte, Joao Cancelo, De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Foden, Gabriel Jesus, Sterling.
Subs: Stones, Gundogan, Zinchenko, Silva, Mendy, Fernandinho, Mahrez, Otamendi, Carson.

3.14pm BST

The battle to avoid the drop could be over in five hours or so. Should now-managerless Watford earn a point against Manchester City this teatime, Bournemouth’s relegation will be confirmed. Aston Villa would then need to secure at least a draw against Arsenal later this evening, or they’ll be gone as well. If Watford win, Villa will need to beat the Gunners to retain any slim hope of staying alive.

But Bournemouth and Villa shouldn’t fret too much just yet. Manchester City have won their last 12 matches against Watford, rattling up an aggregate score of 46 goals to six. They beat the Hornets 8-0 back in September, and who could forget the 6-0 debacle that was last season’s FA Cup final? Watford haven’t beaten City in 17 games, a miserable run that stretches all the way back to March 1989, when Iwan Roberts pinged a header past a wandering Andy Dibble at Vicarage Road.

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Published on July 21, 2020 12:16

The Fiver | A root-and-branch reappraisal of David Moyes at Manchester United

A couple of weeks ago, the upcoming Manchester United versus West Ham fixture looked like a biggie, with serious consequences a-go-go. But times change real fast these days, and there’s less than nothing riding on it now. West Ham are realistically if not mathematically safe, in that they’re realistically mathematically safe, while Manchester United without question will be playing Big Cup football next season, on account of Brendan Rodgers being currently 359 degrees through one of those end-of-season flat spins he launches into whenever he’s not working in a one-horse town. They’re done deals.

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Published on July 21, 2020 07:56

July 18, 2020

Arsenal 2-0 Manchester City: FA Cup semi-final – as it happened

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice as the Gunners knocked out the holders to book a place in the final

10.18pm BST

Barney Ronay was at Wembley. Here’s his report. Enjoy that one ... and thanks for reading this one. Nighty night!

10.17pm BST

Pep fronts up. “We didn’t play good. Our only regret is that we didn’t play the first half like we did the second. We didn’t play good on a day when we had to. We started low. The way you have to play these games, we were not ready. They defended deep, but defended well. It happened against Liverpool as well. We knew it, but we weren’t good. We wanted to be in the final to stay in rhythm [for the Champions League] but we missed this chance.”

10.09pm BST

A word with Mikel Arteta. “I am extremely happy and glad for our players. I am sad we can’t enjoy this moment with our fans. You have to try to give your best, take your opportunities and put every body on the line. For me they are the best team in Europe, the way they play, but we did our job. There is a great chemistry between our players and they deserved it. I wasn’t on the pitch, so congratulations!”

9.57pm BST

A word with the magnificent David Luiz. “It was a great result against one of the best teams in the world. We did that because we were humble, we understood the way we had to play, we took our opportunities to score, and we were mature to understand what level we are in this process. We are in a good process with an amazing coach who wants to bring us the best football, but it is not zero to 100. We have to understand that day by day. We are improving and I am happy for the team, who deserve it. The team understand the modern football where everybody has to defend, has to fight, to have spirit, to play every ball 100 percent. The City team is miles in front of us, but we were humble and we deserved it.” He then acknowledges - very politely, with no hint of aggression - that a lot of people criticise him for his mistakes, and it’s clear that it sometimes stings. Well, he deserves all the plaudits he’ll get for tonight’s performance. He was a rock.

9.48pm BST

Arsenal celebrate as City slink off. Pep Guardiola’s side - who dominated possession but rarely found a way through - can concentrate on the Champions League. Arsenal meanwhile look forward to another final against one of their great historic rivals in this competition, either Chelsea or Manchester United. Every single player in red was magnificent tonight. The defence really dug in. Special mention should go to David Luiz, who gets plenty of pelters for his off-days, so fair’s fair when he delivers. Kieran Tierney caught the eye, yet again, taking a crucial role in both of the goals. And that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang isn’t half bad, is he. To think he missed the easiest of the three chances laid on for him!

9.43pm BST

The holders are out, the apprentice having beaten his old boss. Arsenal are worthy winners, and are now three from three in FA Cup semi-finals against Manchester City. They’ve won all three as underdogs. This might be the sweetest yet, with a sense that something is happening under their new manager Mikel Arteta.

9.41pm BST

90 min +6: Arsenal have done a proper number on City here. They’re 60 seconds away from their 21st FA Cup final.

9.40pm BST

90 min +5: Mendy sends a low cross in from the left at speed. Martinez punches unconvincingly, but it doesn’t fly towards a blue shirt and Arsenal get away with it. It’s not been City’s night at all ... but Arsenal fully deserve the win they’re so very close to securing.

9.38pm BST

90 min +4: And so Arsenal carefully, and stubbornly, waste a fair few seconds faffing around in that corner.

9.37pm BST

90 min +3: Willock, chasing a long ball, purchases a cheap free kick off an extremely frustrated Laoporte, deep in City territory on the right.

9.36pm BST

90 min +1: Maitland-Niles intercepts and blooters upfield in the hope of releasing Aubameyang, who is on a hat-trick. Too much juice. Straight through to Ederson.

9.35pm BST

90 min: De Bruyne clumsily clatters into Maitland-Niles, who goes down for his free kick, and takes his own sweet time to get back up. A masterclass in clock management. But Arsenal aren’t there yet. There will be seven minutes of added time!

9.33pm BST

88 min: Changes all round. City replace Silva with Fernandinho, while Arsenal are forced to replace the stricken Mustafi, limping off with what looks like an unfortunate muscle injury, with Holding. Kolasinac also comes on, for Ceballos.

9.32pm BST

87 min: Aubameyang is down too, though it looks as though he’s just having a rest. Yep, he’s back up again. He can kick back with cigars and brandy later. He’ll have deserved them.

9.30pm BST

85 min: Mustafi goes down screaming in a footrace with Sterling down the City left. He was falling of his own accord, and then Sterling accidentally landed on his foot. On comes the trainer.

9.29pm BST

83 min: Laporte’s last shot was dismal. This one, though ... wow! He takes a touch, 30 yards out, just to the left of centre, and pearls a fierce curler towards the top right. Martinez is beaten all ends up, and the ball is travelling, baby. But it whistles a millimetre wide right of the post, and Arsenal breathe again. Pep can’t believe what he’s just seen. A realisation washes across his face: this might not be City’s day.

9.25pm BST

81 min: It’s attack versus defence now. Defence is currently winning.

9.24pm BST

79 min: Laporte shoots from distance. It nearly clears the stand behind the goal. No need for this sort of desperation yet.

9.23pm BST

78 min: Another Arsenal change, as Lacazette is replaced by Torreira.

9.22pm BST

77 min: Rodri loops in from the left. Foden wins a header, but it’s a weak one and Tierney is able to clear Arsenal’s lines.

9.21pm BST

75 min: City continue to probe, this way and that. But there’s no way through. Sterling heads for the byline to the left, but runs the ball out of play, Bellerin refusing to give an inch. He screams at the referee in frustration, but it’s a goal kick.

9.18pm BST

73 min: Another glorious goal by Arsenal, and a real sucker punch, because it had been all City in the second half. Sterling tries to hit back immediately, jinking down the left and shooting from a tight angle, but Luiz flies across to bravely block.

9.17pm BST

Kieran Tierney is some player. His pass started the move for the first goal; now he’s heavily involved in the second. He plays a long pass up the left from deep. Pepe holds it up on the halfway line, and rolls it back. Tierney, tight on the touchline, slides another long ball forward to release Aubameyang, who is clear, played miles onside by Mendy in the middle. Aubameyang reaches the box, draws Ederson, and slots between his legs.

9.15pm BST

70 min: The game restarts, and Arsenal are once again forced right back. Rodri swings in from the right, a ball that earns another corner. But De Bruyne’s delivery is no good, and Arsenal go up the other end ...

9.14pm BST

68 min: That’s drinks!

9.12pm BST

67 min: Foden’s very first act is to win a corner down the right off Maitland-Niles. The set piece is worked long to Mendy, on the far side. He hooks it back, and De Bruyne is free, just to the right of goal! He could shoot, but opts to fire into the six-yard box instead, where Silva tries to poke home, but under pressure from Xhaka, diverts the ball wide instead.

9.10pm BST

66 min: City make their first changes. Foden and Rodri come on for Mahrez and Gundogan.

9.10pm BST

64 min: It’s certainly not a clear and obvious error, so on we go. City take the corner. Luiz misses his header on the edge of the six-yard box, and the ball smacks a surprised Sterling straight on the beak. It wafts softly into the grateful arms of Martinez.

9.08pm BST

63 min: Sterling dribbles with purpose down the left and into the box. Mustafi sticks out a leg and guides the ball out of play ... though he takes plenty of man afterwards. Sterling is livid, right up in the ref’s grille, and VAR will take a look at it. It looks a well-timed challenge.

9.06pm BST

61 min: De Bruyne gets the free kick up over the wall and back down, but the ball flies wide left and ripples only the side netting. Martinez may well have had that covered anyway. But it’s as close as City have come.

9.05pm BST

60 min: Luiz comes through the back of Jesus, just to the left of the Arsenal D, and this is a free kick in a very dangerous position.

9.04pm BST

59 min: Much less nonsense this time, and Arsenal deal with this one easily enough.

9.03pm BST

58 min: De Bruyne nearly bursts clear into the box down the right, but is forced to settle for a corner. From the set piece, a comic-book cloud of nonsense erupts, with boots and fists sticking out of it. The ball pinballs around awhile, then squirts out of the melee and inches wide right. Another corner coming up.

9.01pm BST

56 min: Gundogan makes good down the middle and sprays a pass wide right for the increasingly influential Mahrez. The cross that follows is cleared easily enough, but Arsenal aren’t playing with quite the same confidence right now, sitting back and asking for trouble.

8.59pm BST

54 min: Mahrez drops a shoulder to sashay into the box from the right, sailing past Maitland-Niles with ease. He tries to catch out Martinez at his near post, shooting for the bottom right, but the keeper reads the intention well and snaffles with a strong hand.

8.58pm BST

53 min: Arsenal show in the City half for the first time since the restart, Maitland-Niles getting the better of Walker down the left. But having done the hard work, he hoicks hopelessly over everyone in the box and towards the opposite flank, which is totally unpopulated.

8.56pm BST

52 min: Mahrez crosses deep from the right. Mendy, out on the left-hand edge of the box, tries an ambitious screaming volley. He connects pretty well, but it’s straight at Martinez and gathered without drama.

8.56pm BST

51 min: De Bruyne was uncharacteristically ineffective in the first half, but he’s been everywhere since the restart. Now he’s sent into the Arsenal box on the right by Mahrez, but his low fizzing cross isn’t quite accurate enough. This is much better from City, though.

8.54pm BST

49 min: Sterling misses another chance, though only by the width of a cigarette paper. De Bruyne floats down the left, sent free by Silva. He looks up and rolls a ball into the box, perfectly teed up for Sterling on the penalty spot. Sterling sends a first-time shot whistling millimetres wide of the bottom right. Martinez was never getting there.

8.52pm BST

48 min: ... Sterling blooters miles over the bar from 12 yards. He had enough time and space to do better.

8.51pm BST

47 min: The second half starts like the first, with City hogging possession and on the attack. Mahrez makes his way down the right and wins a corner. From which ...

8.50pm BST

Arsenal get the ball rolling for the second half. No changes by either manager. Pep sent City out early, incidentally, with a flea in their ear I’ll be bound.

8.46pm BST

A reminder that should this game end in a draw, we’ll be going to extra time and penalties if needs be. Both managers can make five subs during the regulation 90 minutes, in a maximum of three batches. If we go to extra time, they’ll be allowed a sixth.

8.37pm BST

Half-time entertainment. The winner of this semi will go on to play either Chelsea or Manchester United, who face off tomorrow evening. Ahead of the big match, Frank Lampard has been at the old mind games.

8.34pm BST

City flew out of the blocks, but Arsenal found their feet quickly and very much deserve their lead. They could easily have notched a couple more, as well. Plenty of work for Pep Guardiola to do at half-time; he’s currently being out-thought by protege.

8.32pm BST

45 min: City earn another corner out on the right. Arsenal half clear, but De Bruyne slaps a shot goalwards. It’s straight into the ground, though, and loops gently into the air. Sterling tries to help it on with a flicked header, but it’s well over the bar and he was offside anyway.

8.31pm BST

44 min: Xhaka thinks about shooting from distance, but opts instead to release Maitland-Niles down the left. Maitland-Niles tries to catch Ederson out with a shot towards the near post from a tight angle, but the keeper handles calmly.

8.30pm BST

43 min: Silva, Mendy and De Bruyne paint some smooth triangles down the left, but then they get a little jagged, rather like the mosaic pattern on their shirt. The move breaks down. Nothing’s coming off for the cup holders at the moment.

8.28pm BST

41 min: The second corner’s not so good. It’s not often you get to think this, so we may as well take the opportunity when it comes: Manchester City could do with hearing the half-time whistle.

8.27pm BST

40 min: A City corner on the right. And it’s a complete non-event, Luiz clearing easily. Arsenal break at speed, Bellerin crossing deep from the right towards Aubameyang. Garcia is forced to head behind for a corner, from which Mustafi flashes a header towards the top left. Ederson reacts well to tip over the bar. He needed to intervene.

8.26pm BST

38 min: Martinez and Xhaka pass it around the back, taking things right to the brink. Twice Sterling nearly intercepts, but eventually the ball’s calmly looped out to the left, allowing Tierney to burst up the wing, beating the City press. He should be released with a crisp one-two, but Maitland-Niles misplaces the return. That’d have been quite something had it ended in a goal.

8.24pm BST

36 min: Arsenal’s confidence has blossomed, and now they’re stroking it around in the expansive style. Now it’s City’s turn to chase shadows. You don’t see this too often. Maitland-Niles and Tierney take turns to make dangerous runs down the left, but neither can find a killer pass at the end of them.

8.21pm BST

34 min: Arsenal win more midfield ball. Pepe is sent striding down the left. He hooks towards the near post, where Ederson claims. The keeper had to make that, because behind him, Lacazette was ahead of Mendy and waiting to tap in. This is extremely impressive from Arsenal.

8.19pm BST

32 min: On the touchline, Pep’s anger has mellowed into concern. Arsenal are playing City at their own hard-pressing game, just as they did against Liverpool during the week. The plan’s working again. Currently.

8.18pm BST

30 min: Ederson shanks a dismal clearance straight to Ceballos, who pings forward to Aubameyang. The goalscorer tries to tee up Pepe, but gets it all wrong and City are able to swarm and clear. Somewhere, in a parallel universe, Arsenal have scored three.

8.16pm BST

28 min: As a result, City snap into every challenge again, back to their first-ten-minute selves. Mendy strips Mustafi down the left and pulls one back, only for the ball to be hacked clear. Then Bellerin plays a dreadful blind pass in from the left. The ball flies straight to Sterling, who tees De Bruyne up for a daisycutter. Xhaka bravely throws himself in front of the piledriver, and Arsenal clear yet again.

8.14pm BST

26 min: Pep isn’t happy. He’s got the funk. During the break, with steam parping out of every facial aperture, he claps his hands hard and loud, right under the collective nose of his team. A demand that City wake up. They started brilliantly, but have allowed Arsenal to come straight back at them in style.

8.11pm BST

24 min: Mustafi stands on the back of Silva’s heel. That’s very clumsy, and looks awful, but there’s a suggestion he slipped, and it certainly wasn’t intentional. No punishment, other than a free kick that comes to nothing, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is drinks.

8.09pm BST

22 min: Another loose pass upfield by Laporte, who slaps the ball straight at Aubameyang. The City defender is fortunate that the ball gets stuck under the striker’s feet and he can’t advance as he’d like towards the area.

8.08pm BST

20 min: Typical of the brilliant but enigmatic Aubameyang to miss the easy chance and convert the difficult one. Such a fine finish ... and what a pitch-length team move, the ball played out from the back, left to right then back again. Wow.

8.06pm BST

Or it may not! Tierney slips a ball inside from a tight spot on the left. Lacazette shuttles it towards Bellerin on the right, who further shifts it wide to Pepe. Pepe curls a cross towards the far post, where Aubameyang sticks out a right leg and adroitly steers a sensational volley across Ederson, off the base of the right-hand post, and in!

8.04pm BST

16 min: Arsenal should be leading! Luiz intercepts a really poor Laporte clearance, chesting down to stride into space and firing an instant low pass down the middle. Aubameyang is clear! But he opts for power instead of placement, and it’s straight at Ederson, who parries clear. That could prove a huge miss.

8.01pm BST

14 min: Ceballos dinks cutely down the inside-right channel, releasing Lacazette, who rounds Ederson on the outside before walking the ball into the net. But the flag had gone up for offside. VAR checks, just in case, because they’ve paid for the kit and they might as well stick their neb in, but it was clearly the correct decision. Still, that’ll give Arsenal some hope after a difficult start.

7.59pm BST

12 min: Pepe tries to find Aubameyang with a long hoick down the left, but it’s easy meat for Garcia and City start with the passing again. Arsenal are really struggling to get out of their own half.

7.58pm BST

10 min: Arsenal are under the cosh already. First Mustafi is robbed inside his own box by Sterling on the left. He’s very fortunate that Xhaka comes across to blast away from danger just as Sterling was shaping to shoot. Then De Bruyne dinks one in from the left. Mahrez heads back across the face of goal, Xhaka again hooking clear with the danger signs flashing. City have enjoyed 83 percent of possession so far. But then Arsenal started like this against Liverpool midweek, and look what happened there.

7.56pm BST

8 min: Mahrez is sent scampering into space down the right. For a second it looks as though he’s going to race clear, but Tierney and Maitland-Niles stay on his shoulder and combine to bundle out for a corner, from which nothing occurs.

7.54pm BST

6 min: The numbers on the back of the new City shirt are long and tall and thin, in the old-school Italian style. Very classy, very pretty. City look good. Arsenal have a lovely new shirt of their own to come; just not today.

7.51pm BST

4 min: Ceballos is stripped by a combination of Jesus and Silva, 25 yards from his own box. The ball’s sent towards Sterling on the left. He reaches the box and fires low and hard into the middle. Tierney does extremely well to hook out for a corner, while under severe pressure. Nothing comes of the set piece. City were nearly off to a dream start, Arsenal the one they’ll have been fearing.

7.49pm BST

2 min: City are wearing their new shirt, inspired by the famous mosaics located in the creative hub of Manchester’s Northern Quarter, it says here. They’re quickly on the front foot, Mendy and Sterling probing down the left, De Bruyne then trying to release Sterling down the middle with a longer pass. Arsenal haven’t had a sniff yet. Early days, early days.

7.47pm BST

Manchester City kick off ... but only after all the players take a knee of solidarity, fairness and love. Black lives matter.

7.45pm BST

The teams are out. Arsenal are in their famous red shirts with white sleeves; City wear their equally renowned sky blue. Both sides passionately hoping they’ll be back here in a fortnight for the most surreal FA Cup final in the grand old tournament’s history. We’ll be off in a minute!

7.38pm BST

Mikel Arteta speaks to BT Sport ... “It was a really nice victory [Liverpool] against the best team in the PL. It gave us good confidence, the sort you need against a team like City. I can imagine how City will play, but we will have to be at our best.”

... and so does his former boss Pep. “They are more solid at the back now, and have always had quality in the middle. What I am most impressed about is that they have a good team spirit, I see everybody follow the manager, everyone is committed. And you see it. The FA Cup, you know better than me how beautiful the tradition. Unfortunately there are no people, but we are here.”

7.28pm BST

No fans at Wembley today, of course. Not allowed. That hasn’t stopped this Manchester City supporter coming down to stand outside the ground and swing like a mother. Not sure what sweet notes are pouring out of his horn like honey. Odds on it’s Blue Moon, though perhaps it’s something similarly apt by Trane or the Prez.

7.00pm BST

Arsenal make five changes to the team sent out to shock Liverpool 2-1 on Wednesday night. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Dani Ceballos, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Shkodran Mustafi and Hector Bellerin replace Reiss Nelson, Bukayo Saka, Lucas Torreira, Rob Holding and Cedric Soares.

It’s five changes for City too, from the team that beat Bournemouth 2-1. Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez, Aymeric Laporte and Eric Garcia replace Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Fernandinho, John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi.

6.49pm BST

Arsenal: Martinez, Mustafi, Luiz, Tierney, Bellerin, Ceballos, Xhaka, Maitland-Niles, Pepe, Lacazette, Aubameyang.
Subs: Macey, Holding, Sokratis, Kolasinac, Torreira, Smith, Willock, Nelson, Saka.

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Garcia, Laporte, Mendy, Gundogan, D Silva, De Bruyne, Mahrez, Jesus, Sterling.
Subs: Carson, Stones, Zinchenko, B Silva, Rodrigo, Fernandinho, Cancelo, Otamendi, Foden.

1.21pm BST

This will be the third time Arsenal and Manchester City have duked it out in the FA Cup semi-finals. City, pretty much the finished article, are strong favourites to beat the Gunners, who are not, not yet. But history - plus Arsenal’s staunch display against the new champions Liverpool the other night - suggest all is not lost.

City were favourites three years ago, too, and on that April 2017 day at Wembley, set about showing why. They had a goal incorrectly disallowed. They were controversially denied a strong penalty appeal. They hit the woodwork twice. Sergio Aguero made the breakthrough, but Arsenal stayed in touch, Nacho Monreal forced an equaliser, and Alexis Sanchez prodded a winner in extra-time. Pep Guardiola ended the season trophy-less for the first time in his career. What a fraud! He’ll never win anything at City, on a wet night in etc., and so forth, and so on.

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Published on July 18, 2020 14:18

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