Rob Smyth's Blog, page 115

Juventus 2-3 Manchester United: 1999 Champions League semi-final – as it happened

United come from 2-0 down to reach first final since 1968Share your thoughts below or enjoy our other retro MBMs

9.35pm BST

Here’s Michael Walker’s report on an historic night in Turin. Thanks for your company, see you in Barcelona!

Related: United soar over final hurdle

9.34pm BST

Even Terry Venables, in the ITV studio, can’t contain his excitement: he rubs his hands together with unbridled glee, and looks like he’s about to belt out a few bars of “Glory Glory Man United”. It’s infectious stuff, and even though United have been the team everyone hates in the last five years, I suspect the manner of this victory will generate enormous goodwill around the country. (Except in Leeds, Liverpool, etc.)

9.33pm BST

Alex Ferguson is being interviewed on ITV

You can hear the players shouting in the background: “We’re fucking THERE! YES!”

9.33pm BST

United will play… Bayern Munich in the final. It has finished in Munich, with Bayern beating Dynamo Kiev 1-0 on the night and 4-3 on aggregate. The two teams met in the group stage, as you doubtless remember: 2-2 in Munich, 1-1 at Old Trafford. Two of the players who scored against Bayern, Scholes and Keane, will be suspended for the final.

9.30pm BST

It’s all over! Manchester United have kept their Treble dream alive with an astounding victory in Turin. They are the first team ever to put two Italian sides out of the European Cup in the same season, having seen off Inter in the quarter-finals, and their performance brooks not a solitary argument. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better display from an English team in Europe.\

9.29pm BST

90 min Two minutes of added time. Two minutes before Manchester United can celebrate reaching their first European Cup final for 31 years, and the first for any English team since readmission in 1990.

9.28pm BST

90 min “I’m totally absorbed in this game, which is a good job as I’m currently stuck in Maryland, on an exchange year,” says Chris Goater. “Americans just don’t get Soccarball. I have tried to get my mates Heather, Mike and Josh interested but their more interested in making a crappy documentary about local folklore. I keep telling them the real drama’s here, man!”

9.28pm BST

89 min Stam provides one last reminder of his excellence, jockeying Amoruso away from goal before blocking his shot.

9.27pm BST

88 min: Just wide from Beckham! What a goal that would have been. Irwin, who has quietly had a great game, beats Fonseca, Deschamps and Conte on the left before crossing towards Beckham on the edge of the area. He ignores the flying challenge of Davids and bullets a volley that bounces a couple of yards wide. As he runs back upfield, Beckham looks across at Davids and says simply, “Fucking wanker”. Davids had a lot to say before the game, not so much now.

9.26pm BST

87 min Juventus need to score twice in the space of three or four minutes. Normally I’d say there’s a very slight chance, but they look completely shot, mentally and physically. United have broken their will. Their new coach Carlo Ancelotti is chewing a piece of gum like he wants to crunch it into a million pieces.

9.25pm BST

86 min Zidane is very lucky not to be booked for a karate kick on Beckham. He was going for the ball, I think, but he ended up studding Beckham in the back as they challenged for Yorke’s crossfield pass.

9.24pm BST

Manchester United are so close to the European Cup final now! Cole, who has had a storming game, gets the goal he thoroughly deserves to give United a two-goal cushion. It all started with Schmeichel, who belted a goalkick into the night sky. Montero clodhopped it straight to Yorke, 35 yards out, and he headed straight for goal. Do not pass ‘Go’, do not collect £200. He danced between Montero and Ferrara, taking advantage of a generous ricochet, and then went round the goalkeeper Peruzzi. He tripped Yorke up as he stretched for the ball, but Cole followed up to slide it in from a tight angle. I cannot believe this: Manchester United, who have never won a match in Italy, have come from 2-0 down to lead Juventus in their own backyard!

9.22pm BST

83 min United waste the best part of a minute with a good spell of possession. Eventually Neville and Yorke combine nicely to find Cole, whose shot from the edge of the area is comfortably saved by the tumbling Peruzzi. Cole had Butt in so much space to his left but didn’t see him.

9.21pm BST

82 min: Yet another sniff for Inzaghi! Zidane, on the left, eased a pass into the area for Fonseca, whose cutback somehow escaped Inzaghi in the six-yard box. He lunged at the ball at the near post, under pressure from Stam and Schmeichel, and it beat the lot of them before running safely to Irwin. Eight minutes to go. This is almost too much to bear.

9.20pm BST

81 min Fonseca’s dangerous cross from the right is headed behind for a corner by Johnsen, a superb bit of defending. United break three-on-three from the corner before Keane is fouled by Montero. At least I thought he was; the referee disagreed.

9.19pm BST

80 min: Fonseca clears off the line with his first touch! Beckham’s deep corner was headed back towards goal by Yorke, and the substitute Fonseca hacked it behind for another corner.

9.19pm BST

80 min The tireless Beckham gives United a bit of a breather by winning a couple of corners down the right. Juventus make their final change, bringing on another forward, Daniel Fonseca, for the makeshift right-back Di Livio.

9.17pm BST

78 min The pressure is starting to mount. United have 12 minutes to survive. I swear the clock hasn’t moved for the last five minutes.

9.15pm BST

76 min: Now Scholes is out of the final! Manchester United will be without two of their best midfielders if they reach the final. Beckham made a vital, desperate interception in his own area to deny Conte a clear chance, but Juve kept the pressure on until Scholes won the ball off Davids.

It ran loose between Scholes and Deschamps, who both went in two-footed for the 50/50 – but it was Scholes who was penalised and booked by the referee Urs Meier. Scholes turns away in anguish and receives a sympathetic pat on the head from Keane. Scholes definitely took the ball, and he went into the tackle horizontally – unlike Deschamps, who went over the top of the ball.

9.15pm BST

75 min Cole and Ferrara almost come to blows! Ferrara ushered the ball through to the keeper and was challenged by Cole. The two went head to head and then Ferrara shoved his hand in Cole’s face. He should have been sent off in the first half, and I’m surprised he wasn’t booked for that.

9.13pm BST

74 min Keane wins a 50/50 ball with Davids on the right. The ball runs loose - so Keane wins another 50/50, this time with Deschamps, before being fouled. That’s a microcosm of the midfield battle in this game. I think Keane has outimmensed even Jaap Stam.

9.12pm BST

74 min “It’s crazy that the Bayern match is on at the same time as this game!” says Steve Pollard. “In future, Uefa should put the semis on separate days so we can watch both.”

9.12pm BST

73 min United have been wonderful tonight, yet they are still only one Juventus goal from heartbreak. If they don’t go through, they will be haunted forever by some of their near misses.

9.12pm BST

72 min Cole does Ferrara with a dummy on the halfway line, only to lose his footing as he tries to run onto the ball. Cole has had a sensational game. If this isn’t proof that he is good enough for international football, then I don’t know what is.

9.11pm BST

71 min: Irwin hits the post! United come this close to giving themselves a two-goal cushion. They kept the ball for a long time on the right-hand side before moving it all the way across the field to Irwin, 40 yards from goal. He moved forward, away from a half-arsed challenge by Deschamps, and fronted up Di Livio on the edge of the area.

Di Livio invited him to go inside, so Irwin did just that before driving an almost nonchalant low shot that beat Peruzzi and bounced off the inside of the far post. It rebounded all the way back across goal to Irwin, who put the second chance into the side netting from a tight angle.

9.08pm BST

68 min: Inzaghi almost gets in again! Ferrara drives a very long pass to the edge of the penalty area, where Johnsen and Neville leave the ball to each other. Inzaghi nips between them – but then he miscontrols the ball, and that allows Johnsen to recover and clear the ball off him for a goal-kick. It looks like Inzaghi had been penalised, possibly for handball when he tried to control that pass. Either way, it was another hairy moment for the United defence.

9.07pm BST

67 min Alex Ferguson makes his first substitution, with Paul Scholes replacing Jesper Blomqvist. He has put in a fair old shift, much of it defensively, and looks knackered. That should give United a bit more protection in the centre of midfield, with Butt now playing from the left.

9.06pm BST

66 min A reminder of Juventus’s menace. Zidane moves balletically away from Keane, Irwin and Butt before finding Conte. He stabs a through pass towards Amoruso, who controls the ball on the run and is about to shoot when Stam comes round the side to make another brilliant interception. He has been immense.

9.02pm BST

63 min Tonight’s lottery numbers have just flashed up at the bottom of the screen. Piss off our land! We don’t ask Dale Winton to tell us the score of Colchester v Man City on a Saturday night, do we.

9.01pm BST

62 min: Inzaghi has a goal disallowed! Jesper Blomqvist is the most relieved man in the entire known universe. After Stam headed the ball out to the edge of the area, Blomqvist dithered and was robbed by Deschamps. Conte picked up the loose ball and dragged a shot across the face of goal, where Inzaghi gleefully ran the ball into the net. He was miles offside and can have no complaints. Okay, should have no complaints. He’s currently giving the linesman an earful. It was a decent chance in the first place for Conte, but he slipped as he tried to shoot and that’s why it went off target.

9.00pm BST

61 min Beckham’s outswinging corner finds Yorke, whose header is comfortably held by Peruzzi.

9.00pm BST

60 min A clever reverse pass from Beckham almost puts Keane through on goal. Ferrara strains every sinew to divert the ball behind for a corner, at which point Keane kicks the ball against an advertising board and implores someone – not Beckham – to play the ball first time. I’m starting to get the impression that Roy Keane has quite high standards.

8.57pm BST

58 min Zidane is jeered by the home fans after driving a pass straight out of play. United have calmed things down after a slightly fraught start to the second half. They’re 32 minutes away from the greatest win of their club careers.

8.54pm BST

55 min: Cole misses a great chance! Neville drives a long ball towards the halfway line, where Yorke beats two defenders in the air and flicks it on to release Beckham. He gallops into space and coaxes a gorgeous pass around the defence towards Cole, who tries to control the ball on the stretch and watches in horror as it runs away from him and out for a goalkick. He should have belted that first time.

8.53pm BST

54 min It’s been a nervous start to the second half for United. Juventus are having much more of the ball than they did in the first half and are getting a lot of joy down their left through a combination of Zidane, Pessotto and Inzaghi.

8.52pm BST

53 min: Davids is out of the final! Davids, who has faded badly after a flying start, ploughs through Beckham and is booked. It’s his second yellow card of the knockout stages, so he’ll miss the final if Juve get there. Beckham waved an imaginary card to the referee, who was happy to oblige. In fairness, it was a bad tackle and a clear yellow card.

8.51pm BST

52 min: Fine save by Schmeichel! Zidane, who has been influential since half-time, turns Neville and plays the ball to Pessotto on the left. He curls a fine first-time pass around Beckham and Johnsen to find Inzaghi, whose first-time shot is kicked away at the near post by Schmeichel. I think Inzaghi was offside that time, but the flag didn’t go up so it would have counted.

8.50pm BST

50 min Zidane floats a cross into the middle, where Juventus have two against one. Thankfully for United, the one is the monumental Jaap Stam and he stops Amoruso’s flick-on reaching Inzaghi. Seconds later, Inzaghi is wrongly flagged offside after running onto Zidane’s excellent through pass. Schmeichel dived at his feet to save anyway.

8.47pm BST

47 min Butt slices a snap-volley well wide from 25 yards.

8.46pm BST

47 min Johnsen nicks the ball off Inzaghi and dances forward, beating Davids and Deschamps before laying the ball off. That’s a reflection of United’s sky-high confidence.

8.45pm BST

46 min Juventus have made two half-time changes: the centre-half Paolo Montero, who wasn’t fit to start, has replaced Mark Iuliano, who wasn’t fit for purpose in the first half. The other change is a striker, Nicola Amoruso, for the right-back Alessandro Birindelli. That means Angelo Di Livio goes to right-back and Zinedine Zidane drops into a diamond midfield.

8.41pm BST

Alex Ferguson is doing his usual half-time interview with Gary Newbon

“I’ve told the players to keep believing in themselves. The [Juventus] back four is very nervous. Our front players have been marvellous – the whole team has been first class. We’ve given away soft goals, we can’t afford to do it again. I just hope we show good concentration - and keep going for that third goal.”

8.31pm BST

Even by Manchester United’s melodramatic standards, that was astonishing. It was one of the best halves of European football we’ll ever see. It ends with United ahead on the away goals rule after a spectacular comeback from 2-0 down, sparked by a symbolic goal from their inspirational captain Roy Keane. But he has also been booked and will miss the final if United get there.

If United play in the second half as they did in the last 25 minutes of the first, they will get there. Their performance was quite glorious, and I’m quite sure all supporters of English football – especially those in Liverpool, Leeds, north London and the other half of Manchester – will wish them well for the second half.

8.31pm BST

45+1 min Blomqvist wins the ball with a beautiful, Giggs-like sliding tackle on Birindelli just inside his own half, and off United go again. His angled pass infield is dummied by Yorke and runs to Cole, who waits for Blomqvist to catch up with the play and frees him on the left. Blomqvist tries to complete the one-two-three with a first-time cross towards Cole at the near post, where Iuliano does extremely well to get in front of Cole and poke the ball to safety.

8.28pm BST

44 min The board goes up to signal one minute of added time. Both teams have certainly earned their half-time wellness juice.

8.28pm BST

43 min Conte slashes a volley wide from Di Livio’s cross. It wouldn’t have counted anyway as Inzaghi had been flagged offside.

8.26pm BST

42 min Deschamps takes a quick free-kick to Zidane, who is wrongly flagged offside. He would have been through on goal, although Stam might have got back to him.

8.24pm BST

40 min This game is already an all-time classic, and it’s not even half-time.

8.23pm BST

40 min “Breathless stuff this, Rob,” says Chris Wilkerson (10 years, 8 days). “Dad has said I can stay up past bedtime! YORKE! Wow!”

8.23pm BST

39 min: Yorke hits the post! Neville floats a long pass towards Blomqvist on the edge of the area. Birindelli heads it away but only to Yorke, 25 yards from goal. A brilliant first touch takes him away from Iuliano, then he pushes the ball into the area and drives a ferocious low shot that beats Peruzzi and smacks off the far post!

8.22pm BST

38 min: Good save by Schmeichel! Inzaghi almost completes a first-half hat-trick to put Juventus back in front. Di Livio, on the left, lofts an angled pass to Inzaghi in the area. He backs into Stam expertly, then wriggles away from him on the edge of the six-yard box and hits a low shot that is excellently blocked by Schmeichel. The ball comes back to Inzaghi, who screws it wide from a tight angle. The first chance was the big one.

8.22pm BST

38 min In the other semi-final, Mario Basler has given Bayern Munich the lead against Dynamo Kiev. Bayern now lead 4-3 on aggregate, and the away goals rule means that Kiev needs to score at least twice.

8.22pm BST

38 min Cole and Yorke have been unplayable in the last 20 minutes. The Juventus defenders cannot cope.

8.21pm BST

37 min United are all over Juventus now. Irwin feeds a pass into Cole, who turns superbly and hammers a snapshot that is held by the tumbling Peruzzi.

8.21pm BST

36 min “Hi Rob,” says Michael Minihan. “Is there a hint of male pattern baldness creeping in with Zinedine Zidane?”

A hint?! That’s like saying there’s a hint of saturated fat in a full English.

8.19pm BST

United are ahead in the tie! This is an extraordinary turnaround. They looked finished at 2-0 down, and now they are ahead on the away goals rule! Neville pinched the ball off Di Livio with disdainful ease - Juventus just can’t get out - and drove a long straight pass towards the edge of the area. Beckham headed it down to Cole, in a bit of space 30 yards from goal. He controlled the ball and curled a magnificent half-volleyed pass over the defence to Yorke, who flew at the ball like a superhero to slam a diving header past Peruzzi.

What a goal! The pass from Cole - it would be an insult to call it a cross – was glorious, taking four defenders out of the game, and the finish was emphatic. It’s Yorke’s first goal in a month and a half.

8.18pm BST

33 min: KEANE IS OUT OF THE FINAL! If United do make it to Barcelona next month, they will be without their best player. Keane has been booked for a foul on Zidane. Blomqvist, just inside the Juventus half, played a slow square pass that Keane miscontrolled on the run. He tried to win it back with a lunging tackle, but Zidane got to the ball first and Keane brought him down. The yellow card was out straight away, and Keane accepted it without complaint.

He saved his tongue for Blomqvist, waving his hands and shouting “Pass the fucking ball!” Blomqvist would be well advised not to point out that pass the ball is precisely what he did. I suppose what Keane meant was ‘pass the effing ball properly’, forward and/or with pace, not slow and sideways.

8.17pm BST

31 min The TV camera zooms in on Didier Deschamps, who looks absolutely shattered already. He’s carrying plenty of water right now, most of it sweat.

8.15pm BST

30 min: Stam heads off the line! Zidane meanders down the left, away from Butt, and lobs a cross towards the penalty spot. Schmeichel comes but is beaten to the ball by Conte, whose header goes miles in the air and is about to dip into the net when Stam appears from nowhere to clear with his granite bonce.

8.13pm BST

29 min There’s a good example: Davids tries to find Inzaghi on the halfway line, Stam bounces him off the ball and United come again. Irwin’s long ball down the left is headed on by Yorke to Cole on the edge of the area. He returns it to Yorke, who drives well wide from 25 yards. It was another good link up from United’s front pair, who look as telepathic as at any point since that blizzard of goals at the start of the year.

8.12pm BST

28 min According to a graphic on ITV, United have had 62 per cent of possession in this game. I’ve no idea how they work that stuff out but I bet it’s a long time since any team has had that much of the ball away to Juventus. At the start it was a mixed blessing, because their passing was ponderous and Juventus were deadly on the counter. But in the last 10 minutes United have been relentless, with Keane’s progressive passing setting the agenda. I can’t believe I’m typing this but Juventus, the ultimate power team of the last few years, are struggling to live with United’s tempo. They can’t get out of their own half.

8.10pm BST

25 min This is European football.

8.09pm BST

The captain Roy Keane has dragged United back into the game! Beckham fizzed the corner to the near post, where Keane arrived late to flick an emphatic header into the far corner. He got between Pessotto and Zidane, who ended up his backside, and flashed it past Peruzzi. There’s no celebration from Keane: he points to Beckham, acknowledging the quality of the corner, and runs straight back to the halfway line to get on with business.

8.08pm BST

24 min United move the ball smoothly from right to left, where Cole wins a corner.

8.08pm BST

23 min “I’m watching this in The Dickens Inn in Philadelphia, Rob, and the mood is glum right now,” says Justin Kavanagh. “Although Andy from Norn Iron is wearing his “lucky jumper” (a red and black hoop Denis the Menace affair), it certainly isn’t working for United tonight. There we were dreaming of a Treble. Football, eh! It always kills the hope in you.”

8.07pm BST

22 min: Juventus should be down to 10 men! Ferrara has got away with a blatant professional foul on Yorke. It all stemmed from a Schmeichel goalkick, which was headed on by Butt on the edge of the centre circle. Iuliano misjudged the bounce of the ball, which allowed Yorke to slip past him and through on goal. He then cut across the covering Ferrara in the D, only to be dragged down by the shoulder!

United might still have scored through Beckham, whose shot from the edge of the area was blocked, and then Cole was given offside. Replays confirm it was a clear foul by Ferrara, although it was definitely outside the area. That’s scandalous refereeing.

8.05pm BST

20 min Beckham is brought down on the right wing by Di Livio; the free-kick is headed away by Deschamps. This is a decent little spell for United, whose passing is quicker and more rhythmic.

8.03pm BST

19 min That’s a little better from United. Blomqvist plays a clever reverse pass to release Irwin on the left. His low pass infield is dummied by Yorke and runs on to Cole, who lobs it back towards Yorke in the area. He takes it down on the chest but slices a volley high and wide. It was a tight angle and he was off balance. But the build-up play was encouraging.

8.02pm BST

18 min Davids, who has made another dominant start, yelps with pain after a late tackle from Keane. The referee Urs Meier has a word with Keane, who is one of the many players on a yellow card. If he is booked tonight he will miss the final should United produce a miracle.

8.01pm BST

17 min Nothing much is happening. United have at least restored a bit of order defensively.

8.00pm BST

16 min You have to wonder whether Alex Ferguson will ever win the European Cup. United have improved enormously since returning to the competition in 1996, but the final hurdle looks as insurmountable as ever. In fact, it could be a long while before any English team wins it.

7.59pm BST

15 min Butt plays a ball towards Yorke, who dithers and is robbed contemptuously by Iuliano. As in the first leg, Yorke and Cole are really struggling; the ball isn’t sticking at all.

7.59pm BST

15 min “Spare a thought for my brother Andrew,” says Jim Danson, “whose missing this game because he’s on a geography field trip in North Wales.”

7.59pm BST

14 min On the touchline, Ferguson looks relatively calm, chewing on gum and saying something to his No2 Steve McClaren “If he pulls this one out,” says Ron Atkinson on ITV Sport, “it’ll be the greatest achievement since he’s been at United.”

7.57pm BST

13 min “Well, that’s it,” said Jeff Black. “I’m going to switch over and watch Brookside.”

The Naked Chef is on BBC2, I’ve heard good things about that.

7.56pm BST

12 min Juventus have played United like a fiddle: sit deep, wait as long as it takes to win possession and then strike like a cobra.

7.56pm BST

Oh lord. Alex Ferguson’s European dream has gone up in smoke. The first goal may have been avoidable, but this was desperately unfortunate. Di Livio and Davids combined to find Pessotto, who eased a pass into Inzaghi on the left edge of the area. He waited until he felt Stam behind him, then shifted the ball down the line and hit a speculative cross-shot that took a wicked deflection off Stam and spun over the head of Peter Schmeichel. The bounce was a freak of physics. I don’t think it was on target before it hit Stam, but Inzaghi will claim it.

7.55pm BST

10 min I suppose Manchester United had to score anyway. The difference is that a 1-1 draw would take the tie to extra-time, whereas a 1-0 win would have put them through.

7.54pm BST

9 min Birindelli drives a long pass towards Inzaghi, who wrestles with the last man Johnsen and then falls over. The referee isn’t interested. But Juventus look so dangerous on the break.

7.52pm BST

8 min An immediate response from United. Keane chips a cute ball down the line for the overlapping Neville, who lobs it first time across the penalty area. Cole, 12 yards from goal, connects well with an overhead kick but hits it straight at Peruzzi.

7.51pm BST

It’s an even better start now! Filippo Inzaghi has given Juventus the lead from the corner. Zidane took it short to Di Livio, received the return and curled a wicked first-time cross into the six-yard area. Inzaghi was the only Juventus player in there, but he got away from Neville at the far post to volley in from two yards.

Neville’s defending was less than ideal. He was thrown by a sudden movement from Inzaghi and ended up trying to manhandle him, like a bouncer bundling somebody out the back door of a nightclub. He wasn’t even looking at the ball as it flashed across the face of goal onto Inzaghi’s right foot.

7.50pm BST

6 min Davids shields the ball from Keane near the halfway line, then suddenly opens United up with a marvellous pass down the inside-left channel. Beckham slides in ahead of Pessotto to concede a corner. This is a strong start from Juventus.

7.49pm BST

5 min The decidedly uncrowded Zidane has time to drive a long, angled pass over the defence. For a second it looks like Inzaghi is through, but Stam shows good pace to catch him up and put the ball out of play. Moments like that are exactly the reason United bought Stam, who is arguably the best one-v-one defender in the world.

7.49pm BST

4 min The early signs are that United have no special plan to deal with what Ferguson called “the Zidane thing” in the build-up. He is playing in the hole between the defence and midfield, and it looks like United are planning to crowd him rather than man-mark him.

7.48pm BST

4 min “I’m just about to finish college, the world is my oyster, everything seems rosy,” says Matt Dony. “Maybe my band will get the record deal we deserve. (Otherwise, I’ll probably end up as a boring, bitter middle-aged grump. Urgh.) The world is full of opportunity. I don’t even mind seeing United do well (although, they stand no chance tonight), because I’ve got a good feeling about Liverpool over the next few seasons. Next year will be our season.”

It’ll be Sean Dundee’s season. You heard it here last.

7.48pm BST

3 min A frantic start, although United have seen plenty of the ball. Zidane plays a first-time through ball towards Conte, and Schmeichel rushes from his line to claim.

7.46pm BST

2 min “Great pre-match tune featuring Ian Brown,” says Peter Oh. “Do you reckon that the Stone Roses will ever reform?”

No chance. They’ve got far too much class to go down that desperate road.

7.45pm BST

1 min Peep peep! United kick off from right to left as displayed by the Independent Television cameras. Drink!

7.37pm BST

There’s quite a din in Turin. The atmosphere is smoky, primal – and, even on a television screen, pretty damned intimidating. This is it.

7.34pm BST

Alex Ferguson is radiating calm during his pre-match interview on ITV. He looks excited but relaxed, with a half-smile on his face as he considers the match. “It’s a massive game and I feel good about it. I think we have a very good chance. It’s gonna be a tough game, we’re aware of that. They’ll start 100 miles an hour, they’ll try to finish us off in the first 30 minutes. We’ve got to make sure we’re ready for that, and counter-attack with real purpose. It’s gonna be a great night I hope.”

7.27pm BST

Pre-match mood music

7.19pm BST

“Hi Rob,” says Sean Doyle. “I’ve lost a lot of money this week betting on the weather but after Juve’s performance in the first leg I’m confident that my ridiculously large bet on a comfortable home win will turn my luck around.”

Come on: how much, and what odds.

7.18pm BST

Edgar Davids, Juve’s Dutch pitbull, was in bullish mood earlier in the week.

United are supposed to have the best midfield in the world but we had the better of them at Old Trafford. We were like a steam train, overrunning them. I felt sick to my stomach when Giggs equalised for them. The longer I was out there, looking at opponents who had been described as such big stars, the more I realised what was in it for us. I have no fears any more. I want to get at them again.

Related: A pony-tailed peril who has no fear

7.12pm BST

Twelve men, some angrier than others, are on a yellow card and will miss the final if they are booked tonight: Irwin, Johnsen, Keane, Scholes, Phil Neville, Conte, Deschamps, Davids, Di Livio, Zidane, Montero and Peruzzi. It was on this ground that Paul Gascoigne started shedding them during and after the Italia 90 semi-final.

7.00pm BST

There’s no Ryan Giggs, not even on the bench. Ferguson has decided to keep United’s width and replace him with Jesper Blomqvist rather than Paul Scholes. That’s one of two changes fron the first leg. The other was widely predicted: Nicky Butt replaces Scholes in central midfield, where United were outnumbered in the first half at Old Trafford.

Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole return to the starting line-up after being on the bench or in the stands for the last two games. They haven’t scored in over a month, and Yorke in particular had a beast in the first leg, but Ferguson was always likely to trust them in such a big game. They’ve scored 10 between them in this season’s competition, the same as the entire Juventus squad.

7.30pm BST

The sixth best team in Italy are also the most feared in Europe. Juventus may have taken most of the Serie A season off, but they still have an aura the size of a continent. If you don’t believe me, here’s Exhibit A: Gary Neville’s face when Juventus sneaked into the quarter-finals after drawing their first five group games.

Juve were still scary when they were crap. On current form, they’re terrifying. They took the leaders Lazio apart in Rome at the weekend, and they were awesome for the first hour of their 1-1 draw at Old Trafford two weeks ago. “We’ll score over there,” said a combative Ferguson after that game, and United will have to: if it ends 0-0, Juventus go through on away goals.

Related: Giggs throws United lifeline

Related: Giggs to sit out United's big night

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From the archive: Rob Smyth on why Euro 96 was overrated

ITV will show all of England’s games again this summer, with every other match available on demand. As Rob Smyth wrote in 2007, highlights may be few and far between

This article was originally published in July 2007

Tunnel vision is one of the most important qualities in a sportsman, but it is less commendable in spectators. Otherwise you end up with a distorted reality, like Euro 96. In the collective English psyche it was the summer when football came home, when the Three Lions roared and Britannia seeped Cool from every pore. In truth, it was none of the above.

Related: On Second Thoughts: Italia 90 | Rob Smyth

Related: My favourite game: Uruguay v Ghana, World Cup 2010 quarter-final | John Brewin

Continue reading...

England v Germany: Euro 96 semi-final – as it happened

Our new retro MBM feature continues with an epic occasion at Wembley. Spoiler: he misses

10.12pm GMT

There’s not much left to say. It wasn’t an epic match - but it was an epic occasion, and we’ll be talking about that first period of extra-time forever. In the end, just as at Italia 90, it ended in the cruellest possible way.

For the last two and a half weeks, England’s euphoric Euro 96 campaign has been our entire world. And like that, it’s gone.

10.07pm GMT

Terry Venables runs straight over to Gareth Southgate, whose life has just taken the most horrible turn. Jurgen Klinsmann also limps over to console him - and then Tony Adams drags him over to start a lap of honour before beckoning the rest of the England team to join them. There are no tears, as far as I can tell, but a few of the players are close. A lot of them look in shock.

10.05pm GMT

It’s over. Moller smashes his penalty down the middle and then mimicks Gascoigne’s peacock celebration. England are out in the most heartbreaking circumstances, again.

10.05pm GMT

KOPKE SAVES FROM SOUTHGATE! Germany 5-5 England It was a tame penalty, and Kopke pushed it away as he dived to his right. Now Germany are one kick away from putting England out of Euro 96.

10.04pm GMT

It’s Gareth Southgate in fact...

10.04pm GMT

KUNTZ SCORES! Germany 5-5 England An unbelievable penalty from Kuntz, who clips it high into the net. Now it’s sudden death. Who’s next for England? It can’t be Ince, surely. You’d have to think it’ll be McManaman or Anderton.

10.03pm GMT

SHERINGHAM SCORES! Germany 4-5 England Sheringham curls it into the top corner as well! If Stefan Kuntz doesn’t score, Germany are out.

10.03pm GMT

ZIEGE SCORES! Germany 4-4 England Yet another great penalty. Seaman went the right way but it was right in the corner. The standard is stratospheric.

10.02pm GMT

GASCOIGNE SCORES! Germany 3-4 England A majestic penalty from Gascoigne, steered into the top corner. He celebrates with a peacock pose and tries to whip the crowd up even more.

10.02pm GMT

REUTER SCORES! Germany 3-3 England Seaman got hands on that! He’s furious with himself for not saving it.

10.01pm GMT

PEARCE SCORES! Germany 2-3 England Pearce completes the exorcism of 1990, sending Kopke the wrong way. This time he celebrates with a modest thumbs up rather than the full Psycho of Saturday.

10.00pm GMT

And now it’s Stuart Pearce...

10.00pm GMT

STRUNZ SCORES! Germany 2-2 England Strunz, who came on right at the end of extra-time, places a brilliant penalty into the top-left corner.

9.59pm GMT

PLATT SCORES! Germany 1-2 England I was worried about Platt but he has tucked his penalty away, just as he did in Turin six years ago. Kopke went the right way, diving to his left, but the ball had too much height for him to reach. Good penalty.

9.59pm GMT

HASSLER SCORES! Germany 1-1 England A terrific penalty, dragged right into the bottom corner. Seaman went the right way but had no chance.

9.58pm GMT

SHEARER SCORES! Germany 0-1 England

Nerveless stuff from Shearer, who curls it high to the right. Paul Ince, by the way, can’t watch. He is sitting down in the centre circle, looking away from goal. He looks like he’s about to vomit.

9.57pm GMT

England will go first, as they did on Saturday.

9.57pm GMT

“Hi Rob,” says Ruth Purdue. “Hope you’re well. What is England’s record with penalty shoot-outs?”

They’ve won one and lost one. Germany/West Germany have won three and lost one. Of course, those records include the Italia 90 semi-final, when Pearce and Chris Waddle missed and England were beaten.

9.54pm GMT

Some England players look more relaxed than others. Shearer looks fine, Gascoigne is chatting away with Venables. It looks like he’s demonstrating what happened with that agonising near miss in the first period of extra time. Jamie Redknapp, most of the back-up players in fact, look relieved that they won’t be facing the firing squad.

9.54pm GMT

We know four of the England penalty takers: Shearer, Platt, Pearce and Gascoigne, in that order, all scored against Spain. Robbie Fowler was down for the other one on Saturday. I suppose the man he replaced, Teddy Sheringham, will take the fifth tonight.

9.53pm GMT

For the second time in five days, England’s hopes and dreams depend on a penalty shoot-out. It’s a great way to win a game, let’s just say that.

9.52pm GMT

120 min Dieter Eilts, who has had an amazing game defensively, makes one last intervention. A bouncing ball from the right kicked up towards Platt, who improvised a neat, speculative header over the defence. Anderton was just about to reach it in the area when Eilts came across to thigh the ball away and run it to safety. The whistle had gone for offside against Anderton, but nobody knew that at the time.

9.52pm GMT

119 min It’s a poor corner, cleared at the near post.

9.51pm GMT

119 min England get a very generous corner on the right. Platt was already apologising to his team-mates for cocking things up when the decision went in England’s favour. Matthias Sammer asks the referee what the feck is going on. We’ll never hear the end of it if England score from this. Before the corner is taken, Thomas Strunz replaces the injured Freund.

9.50pm GMT

118 min Both teams are still trying to win this. Kuntz’s reverse pass from the right just runs away from the unmarked Bode in the area.

9.48pm GMT

116 min Another German injury! It’s Freund who is struggling now, after a challenge from Anderton. He’s stretchered off, so Germany will be down to 10 men until they can sort a replacement.

9.47pm GMT

115 min: CHANCE FOR McMANAMAN! Sammer, deep inside the England half, gave the ball away for one of the few times tonight and England charged forward on the counter-attack. Gascoigne, McManaman and Shearer combined before Shearer guided a through pass down the inside-right channel.

McManaman got to it first on the edge of the area, just ahead of Eilts, but his first touch took him slightly away from goal. The angle was tight and he could only hit a weary low shot that was easily held by the tumbling Kopke. The break was so fast that McManaman had no support, so he had to go for goal.

9.46pm GMT

114 min: INCE HEADS OFF THE LINE! I think Seaman had it covered, but Ince didn’t take any chances. Moller’s deep corner from the left was pulled down on the thigh by the substitute Bode, who hooked it back towards goal on the turn. Ince, standing in front of Seaman in the six-yard box, used his loaf to get the ball clear.

9.45pm GMT

113 min Compared to the first half, the second period of extra-time has been an oasis of calm. I wouldn’t say either side has settled for penalties, but they look like they have accepted it’s the likeliest scenario.

9.43pm GMT

110 min Another Germany substitution: the limping Thomas Helmer is replaced by the utility player Marco Bode. Germany have had such bad luck with injuries throughout this tournament, and now they have two players - Reuter and Moller - suspended from the final should they get there.

9.39pm GMT

107 min Southgate plays a nervous, underhit pass across the face of the England area. For a split-second it looks like Kuntz is going to get there first and move through on goal - but then Adams throws himself at the ball to boot it clear.

9.39pm GMT

107 min: ZIEGE MISSES AN EXCELLENT CHANCE! Dear lord, make it stop. This is too much to bear. Ziege, this strutting left-back from Bayern, zips infield and finds Moller in the D. He controls the ball and plays a return pass to Ziege, who gets on the inside of Southgate but pokes the ball wide of the far post from 10 yards. That was another great chance.

9.38pm GMT

106 min England begin the second period of extra time. This is it: 15 minutes to score a Golden Goal or it will be penalties, just as it was at Italia 90.

9.37pm GMT

Still no sign of any England substitutions. I’d be really tempted to introduce the youthful dynamism of Robbie Fowler or maybe Steve Stone. It would give the crowd a lift as well.

9.37pm GMT

Half time in extra time: Germany 1-1 England That was one of the great periods of extra time.

9.35pm GMT

105 min Shearer runs Babbel down the right – it’s been a brilliant contest between those two - and crosses low. Sammer’s clearance comes to Anderton, who drags a volley well wide from 25 yards.

9.34pm GMT

104 min Another fine interception from Adams, who has been immense. England race down the other end, where McManaman’s curling cross is again just in front of the stretching Gascoigne in the six-yard box. That was nowhere near as close as the earlier chance. Gascoigne’s fitness was criticised earlier in the tournament but he looks England’s liveliest player at the moment.

9.32pm GMT

102 min A couple of uneventful minutes. It’s as if both teams are having an unspoken timeout after that astonishing start to extra-time.

9.31pm GMT

101 min “Hi Rob,” says George Wright. “I’m only 12 and yet to get any sense of perspective, which I’m sure will come any day now. It’s so tense that I’ve already cried once and I spent the break before extra-time playing an aggressive game of wall-ie in my friend’s back yard to let off some steam.”

9.30pm GMT

100 min I’ve never seen anything like these last few minutes, never in all ma puff. Replays show what happened with Gascoigne’s chance. He was in front of Sammer and Freund – but then he half stopped, because he thought Kopke was going to get a touch on the ball. Had he kept going he would have run the bal into the net, and he’d probably still be celebrating in the dentist’s chair come the new millennium.

9.29pm GMT

99 min: HOW DID GASCOIGNE NOT SCORE THERE?! Gascoigne is a stud’s length away from winning the match! He started the move by winning the ball off Hassler on the England left. Anderton then gave it to Sheringham, who drove a crossfield pass towards Shearer on the right of the area. He pulled away from Babbel, watched the ball onto his right foot and belted a volley back across goal. It bobbled past the diving Kopke in the six-yard box, leaving Gascoigne in front of an open goal – but somehow he missed the ball as he lunged with his left foot. I have no idea what happened. It was an open goal, and he seemed certain to score. Gascoigne ended up in the net, face down. If only the ball was with him. Nobody scripts this stuff, nobody.

9.28pm GMT

97 min Germany burst forward again. Hassler finds Moller, whose cross is brilliantly headed away by … McManaman. This is incredible. A chess match has suddenly morphed into basketball.

9.28pm GMT

97 min Having seen a replay, I think that probably was a foul by Kuntz, who dragged Southgate out of the way as the corner came in. It was still a brave decision from Sandor Puhl, because I don’t think anyone spotted it at the time. Kuntz’s lack of complaint probably tells a story.

9.27pm GMT

97 min: KUNTZ HAS A GOAL DISALLOWED! I thought England were out of Euro 96. Moller’s inswinging corner from the left was headed into the top corner by Kuntz, despite Gascoigne attempting to punch it clear on the line. Time stood still … until everyone realised the referee had blown for a foul by Kuntz on Southgate. That looks really soft to me - I don’t think Luntz did anything wrong. “The country’s pulse rate,” says Barry Davies, “must be beyond natural science.”

9.27pm GMT

96 min: GOOD SAVE BY SEAMAN! This is heart-stopping stuff. Moller gets a lucky ricochet off Ince in his own half and surges into a very big gap. It’s a three-on-three break, with the central player Adams trying to hold things up for as long as possible. Eventually Moller gets to within 25 yards of goal and hammers a rising drive that Seaman tips acrobatically over the bar.

9.26pm GMT

95 min And now Anderton’s snapshot is blocked by Babbel. So much for the Golden Goal promoting caution. Both teams are swinging haymakers all over the place.

9.24pm GMT

94 min Now Germany threaten to win it! Eilts, on the left wing, stabs a pass inside to the marauding Helmer. He looks up and absolutely leathers a cross that flashes across the six-yard box, just in front of Kuntz.

9.24pm GMT

93 min: ANDERTON HITS THE POST!!!! England were this close to winning the match after just 80 seconds of extra time. Platt played an excellent pass infield to find McManaman in space on the right of the area. His pull-back was missed by the diving Kopke and reached the unmarked Anderton, who screwed it off the near post and back into the arms of Kopke! That is unbelievable.

The ball from McManaman was slightly behind Anderton, which is why he hit it onto the post rather than into the net. But had he put it in front of Anderton, Kopke would have got to it. Sammer punches the air in the direction of the linesman – he was busy appealing for offside against McManaman, which is why Anderton had so much space in the middle.

9.22pm GMT

92 min During the break before extra-time, the BBC panel suggested bringing on Les Ferdinand for Sheringham, who hasn’t had a great night. I’d go for Robbie Fowler, who would love an opportunity for glory like this.

9.21pm GMT

91 min Germany begin the first period of extra-time. Still no substitutions from Terry Venables.

9.19pm GMT

The players of both sides take a quick break on the field. Paul Ince and David Platt are having a pretty lively exchange of views; not sure what that’s about, but Ian Walker seems to find it amusing enough.

9.15pm GMT

Extra time, the Golden Goal, maybe penalties. It was always going to come to this, wasn’t it.

9.14pm GMT

90+1 min Platt’s snapshot from 20 yards is deflected behind for a corner. I’d like to see the line of the ball before it hit the German defender, because it looked like he caught it sweetly.

9.14pm GMT

90 min Ince gives a nation of 48 million people a collective coronary by losing the ball to Moller on the halfway line. It’s okay, it’s okay: Germany break two on three but Kuntz overhits his return pass to Moller.

9.13pm GMT

89 min Oh lord, they’re singing Rule Britannia.

9.11pm GMT

88 min “On the odd occasion you see Gazza in full flight don’t you wonder what might have been?” says Niall Mullen. “As the most talented English player I’ve ever seen (admittedly I am only 19) I can’t help but feel that, apart from a purple patch at Lazio, his has been a tale of unfulfilled potential.”

He might fulfil it in the next five days. I know what you mean, though: although there have been regular moments of genius, he’s never been quite the same player since that cruciate injury in 1991.

9.10pm GMT

87 min The pace is still frantic – the second half has flown by – but both teams look like they are starting to get their heads round the idea of extra-time.

9.09pm GMT

85 min “If it does go to penalties,” says Simon McMahon. “I hope for England’s sake Uri Geller hasn’t used up all his mind- and ball-bending powers on Gary McAllister.”

He’s still claiming that, is he? Mind you, it was utterly weird.

9.07pm GMT

84 min There are audible groans from the England fans as Sheringham, who has struggled tonight, plays the ball all the way back to Pearce. That’s the first bit of dissent all night, I think.

9.06pm GMT

82 min Ince, who is really on one now, takes the ball off Gascoigne and finds his Sheringham on the left. He cuts infield and plays a give-and-go with Gascoigne before being dispossessed in the area by Eilts “yet again”, as Barry Davies puts it. Eilts’ engine and positional awareness are quite something.

9.05pm GMT

81 min It’s been a good second half, much better than the first. Yet it’s still been a game of few clear chances. Kopke has had only one fairly difficult save to make, Seaman none.

9.03pm GMT

79 min: MOLLER IS OUT OF THE FINAL! At this rate, Germany will need to play a back-up goalkeeper outfield if they get to the final. I feel a bit sorry for Moller on this occasion. He was caught by the studs of Ince a split-second after he hit a chest/volley over the bar from 25 yards, and was on the floor holding his foot when Pearce tried to drag him up by the arm. Moller lashed out with a closed fist in Pearce’s general direction, and although he didn’t really make contact, Sandor Puhl decided to book him.

Sammer and Pearce then had a full and frank exchange of wagged fingers. I’m pretty sure Pearce’s gesture was well-intentioned, but those block tackles can bloody hurt so you can understand why Moller didn’t appreciate it.

9.01pm GMT

77 min The first substitution: Thomas Hassler, one of the survivors of 1990, replaces Mehmet Scholl.

8.59pm GMT

76 min There’s an exquisite tension around Wembley. The Golden Goal doesn’t come into play until extra-time, but we’re getting to the stage where one false move could be fatal for either side.

8.59pm GMT

75 min “Watching this while on a ‘team-building week away with colleagues,” says Bernard. “Mostly down caves by day, but finished early today but ate dinner quickly to nab the best seats in front of the TV in the hotel, which is ironically very German for an Englishman, an Irishman and an Italian In good spirits and loving the English fan’s humour. Surprised that no one has mentioned the large banner displayed by a group of women in the crowd, proclaiming ‘English girls prefer Seaman to Flowers’! The BBC cut away from it as soon as it was legible.”

I blame the Girlie Show. And yes, I do watch it religiously.

8.57pm GMT

73 min Gascoigne is booked – but don’t worry, he’s not on a yellow card this time. It was an naive lunge at Kuntz on the left-wing, and the referee had no real choice.

8.56pm GMT

72 min England try the Spurs corner again; this time Sheringham’s shot is blocked by the sliding Moller. For a split-second it looked like Sheringham had the run on him.

8.56pm GMT

72 min “Hello Rob!” says Phil West. “I’m a 35-year-old on holiday in Blighty from Istanbul with his wife and young child - and we’re staying with a friend in Sunderland. All of the blokes, and a couple of the ladies, are glued to the box. We remember 1970 and 1990 and after the Holland game we were pretty hopeful, but the longer this game goes on we know it’s going to penalties isn’t it? We’ve started a wager on who’s going to miss the final penalty. I’ve got Gascoigne based on the logic that he’s been so good all tournament. What do you think?”

Not sure why but I’ve never trusted Platt on penalties. If it does go to penalties, and he’s still on the pitch, I’d be worried about him. The tournament is due a Golden Goal, though - we haven’t had one in three games so far.

8.55pm GMT

71 min Gascoigne is flying now. He harasses Scholl into an error just inside the German half and surges into space. Sammer makes a good tackle from behind, but Gascoigne keeps going as the ball runs to Anderton. He plays a through pass towards Gascoigne, and Helmer stretches desperately to divert the ball behind for a corner.

Gascoigne was this close to being through on Kopke. He smiles broadly anyway, looking for Eilts or anyone else to make eye contact and share his sheer enjoyment of association football. There’s a break in play while Helmer receives treatment; he might have pulled something in stretching to make that clearance.

8.53pm GMT

69 min Gascoigne, in the centre circle, drives a pass towards Shearer on the edge of the box. The last man Babbel gets there first, cocks up his attempted clearance but recovers calmly to make a vital tackle. Shearer would have been through on goal.

8.52pm GMT

68 min This is another good spell for England, with Germany struggling to get out of their own half.

8.51pm GMT

67 min The camera cuts to Pele in the crowd. His face is obscured by a bloke in front, who yawns for the entire duration of his unexpected television appearance.

8.50pm GMT

66 min Shearer cuts inside Babbel on the left and curls a dangerous cross that is brilliantly headed away by the flying Eilts, appearing in between Platt and Sheringham. England, as Barry Davies observes on the BBC, are asking more of the questions at the moment.

8.48pm GMT

64 min Gascoigne uses his strength and skill to wriggle away from Moller and Fruend on the edge of the area. Then he stabs the ball one side of Ziege, runs round the other and strains every sinew to stand up a fine cross. Helmer heads it clear. After an iffy start, Gascoigne has played really well in the second half. The same could be said of the whole team.

8.46pm GMT

62 min Sammer, boxed in by the left edge of the German area, drives a long pass right across the penalty box to Scholl on the other side of the field. His confidence and calmness are unreal.

8.43pm GMT

60 min McManaman has moved to the right, swapping wings with Anderton. England have slowed down a little after that flying start to the second half.

8.43pm GMT

59 min: HELMER MISSES AN EXCELLENT CHANCE! Bloody hell, England dodged a bullet there. Germany kept the ball for 30 seconds or so before opening England up with a quick, zig-zag passing move: Ziege infield to Scholl, who moved it back outside to Eilts on the left wing. A smart first touch took him away from Platt, who committed himself, and with his second he pulled the ball back into a dangerous area. Kuntz ignored the ball at the near post so that it could run on to Helmer, who swept a first-time shot over the bar from 12 yards. That was a really good move. Helmer is the left-sided centre-back but he has been getting forward all night in open play.

8.39pm GMT

55 min Sheringham is dropping deeper and deeper in an attempt to get in the game. Now he appears in the right-back position, flicking a pass into Ince on the halfway line. Ziege slips, which allows Ince to move within 25 yards of goal before cracking a shot over the bar. Ince is starting to dominate the midfield.

8.36pm GMT

53 min Now it’s Germany’s turn. Moller breaks dangerously into space from the halfway line, but Adams holds him up long enough for Ince to make a good recovery tackle. This is a cracking game now.

8.36pm GMT

52 min Germany are being pinned back for the first time in the match. McManaman goes on a nice run down the left, his best of the match so far, before crossing too close to Kopke.

8.34pm GMT

50 min England have been a lot better on the ball since half-time – quicker, more precise and with much greater purpose. Their aggression without the ball has been much more controlled as well, as Ince demonstrates by appearing from nowhere to pick Scholl’s pocket and start another counter-attack.

8.32pm GMT

48 min A fine sliding tackle by Sammer on McManaman sparks a German break. An even better sliding tackle at the other end of the pitch, from Adams on Moller, ends it. Adams points theatrically at the ball as it goes out for a throw-in. He’s having a brilliant game.

8.32pm GMT

47 min “I think people are getting swept up in the emotion of this too much, of football coming home,” says Neil Connolly. “England were poor in two group games, lucky against Spain and they haven’t been great tonight. They’re not a patch on the teams from ‘90 or ‘86.”

Those teams had a few iffy performances as well, don’t forget – Portugal, Morocco, Ireland, Cameroon.

8.30pm GMT

46 min: REUTER IS OUT OF THE FINAL! He’s been booked for pulling back McManaman, who was breaking down the left. It was his second yellow card of the tournament, and a simple decision for the referee Sandor Puhl.

8.29pm GMT

46 min The players are back on, and England begin the second half.

8.23pm GMT

A couple of excellent points from the BBC1 panel. Ruud Gullit says England scored too early, while jimmy Hill says they’ve been too hyper.

8.16pm GMT

Half time: Germany 1-1 England There’s nothing it in terms of goals or clear chances – one apiece on both counts – but Germany have been much the more relaxed, confident side. It really is just another game to these people. They’re animals.

8.14pm GMT

45 min Saying which: Scholl slithers through the midfield, away from Platt and Ince before hitting a shot that is blocked on the edge of the area by Adams.

8.13pm GMT

44 min Out of nothing, England have upped the tempo and are ending the half really strongly. Ince is starting to win more loose balls in midfield.

8.13pm GMT

43 min: JUST WIDE FROM SHEARER! England almost go back in front with an immense header from Shearer. Platt combines well on the right with Anderton, who controls the ball deftly on the run and floats a cross back towards the penalty spot. Shearer, arriving late in the box, leaps imperiously to thump a header that swerves just wide of the far post. Kopke was scrambling across his line, though I’m not certain he’d have got there.

As the ball flew wide, Shearer shouted “BAAAA-STARD!”, a bit like Francis Begbie as he set about a hotel room in his white socks at the end of Trainspotting. For extra clarification, Shearer then screamed “Fuck off!” to everyone and no one. He put the same feeling into the header.

8.11pm GMT

42 min Now Shearer is penalised for elbowing Babbel.

8.11pm GMT

41 min Seaman makes a routine catch from Ziege’s looping header.

8.10pm GMT

40 min Reuter is flattened again, this time by an aerial challenge from Pearce. That was overzealous at best, and a number of German players run over to ask the referee what the flip is going on. As in almost every game at this tournament, England really need the half-time whistle. They’re in danger of losing the head.

8.09pm GMT

39 min Gascoigne tries to get England going with a hyper-aggressive tackle that sends Reuter up in the air. A bit like Gary Charles in 1991, except this time he took the ball cleanly. But all England have at the moment is physical aggression. They can’t get their passing game going at all. If Jamie Redknapp was fit he would surely come on for David Platt at half-time.

8.07pm GMT

38 min Shearer fouls Kopke, then tells him to get up. As with Freund, Kopke did make the most of it, but it was a foul. England are getting a bit frustrated with the German players - and, I suspect, with themselves.

8.06pm GMT

37 min “If there was technology to correct offside decisions,” says Niall Mullen, “then England might already be out after Julio Salinas’ goal was disallowed on Saturday.”

Good point. That was a much worse decision.

8.05pm GMT

36 min Sammer swaggers away from Gascoigne in the centre circle to start another Germany move. Eventually Kuntz wafts high over the bar from 25 yards. But that was another lovely piece of play from Sammer, who is running the game.

8.04pm GMT

35 min “Have you mentioned Mcmanaman yet?” says David Gilbert. “Is he even playing?”

He hasn’t done much, although the same could be said of all England’s attacking players apart from Shearer and to a lesser extent Anderton.

8.03pm GMT

34 min Sheringham gingerly feels his teeth after wearing the arm of Helmer in his face. It wasn’t deliberate. For a second it looked like Sheringham was going to do some impromptu dentristry, but he seems to be fine.

8.02pm GMT

33 min Scholl drags a shot well wide from 20 yards after a good run through the midfield. Gascoigne has words with him afterwards, though I’ve no idea why. Scholl walks away like he hasn’t heard him. England’s sporadic attempts to bully Germany have generally been ignored.

8.02pm GMT

33 min Ince fouls Freund, who makes the most of it with an elaborate fall. It was a foul, though, and Ince was a bit churlish to ignore Freund’s offer of a handshake.

8.01pm GMT

31 min: OFF THE LINE BY REUTER! Having scored from the old Arsenal near-post corner, England almost do so again from the Spurs near-post corner. This time the same personnel were involved. Anderton curled it towards the edge of the area, where Sheringham twisted his body to crack a shot towards goal. Reuter, who was just starting to come off his position at the near post, booted it clear. I don’t think Kopke would have saved that. Sheringham did really well to get that on the target as the ball was slightly behind him.

8.00pm GMT

30 min Southgate, on the right, lofts an excellent pass into the area for Anderton. His cross is put behind for a corner by Eilts, who has already made a number of important interceptions.

7.57pm GMT

27 min Oof. Adams, the last man, gives the ball straight to Moller on the halfway line - but he redeems his error with a fine lunging tackle. Had he not made that, Moller would probably have been through. I don’t think Pearce or Southgate would have been able to get round. England’s tactics are fascinating, because Adams is the only real centre-half. Although they are tucking in at times, Pearce and Southgate are playing much wider than I expected.

7.55pm GMT

25 min That’s a bit better from England. Platt plays a crisp return pass to Anderton, who dumps a cross into the area from the right. Shearer, running from centre to left, heads over on the stretch from 12 yards. It was an extremely difficult chance, even for a demented goalhungry monster like Shearer.

7.53pm GMT

24 min “Do you think it might be worth thinking about looking into some form of technology for those offside decisions?” says Chris Drew.

I can’t see that ever happening to be honest. And actually, nobody in the England team complained about the goal; it was a really tight decision.

7.53pm GMT

23 min The crowd try to rouse the team with a chorus of Football’s Coming Home. Although they have been solid defensively (apart from Pearce’s loss of concentration for the goal), England look so flustered in possession. Can we not knock it?

7.51pm GMT

22 min Sammer, who is nominally a sweeper, is dictating the game. The problem for England is that he appears in so many different positions – behind the midfield one minute, in front of them the next, then on the right wing. He’s single-handedly reviving the sweeper role.

7.50pm GMT

21 min I thought the goal might spark England’s attack into life. It hasn’t yet; Germany are comfortably the better side at the moment. It’s far too early to panic, so that’s exactly what I’m doing.

7.48pm GMT

18 min England have been scruffy in possession so far, and the goal ultimately came from Platt, under no pressure, overrunning the ball near the halfway line.

7.46pm GMT

17 min Hang on, replays show that Helmer was offside when he made the goal! It was a tough one for the linesman, because Helmer was moving away from goal at the time, but he was definitely beyond the defence when Moller played that return pass to him. Pearce was leading the appeals for offside, in fact, which might be why he defended a little dopily when the cross came in.

7.45pm GMT

No, it can’t be this straightforward: Germany have equalised with their first chance! It was a very well-worked goal. Reuter, just past the halfway line, moseyed infield from the right and played a square pass to Helmer. He surged into the space, clipped a pass infield to Moller on the edge of the D and kept running. Moller held off Adams and then Gascoigne before playing a nice reverse pass to Helmer – that’s the centre-back, by the way - on the left side of the area. He turned and hit a speculative low cross that was slid into the net from close range by Kuntz. He came on the blindside of Pearce, who was running in the wrong direction when Kuntz appeared from nowhere to score. Seaman had no chance.

7.44pm GMT

14 min “Did 2Pac have this match in mind when he penned ‘How Do U Want It’?” cheers Ian Copestake. “Like this, 2 mate, like this!”

7.42pm GMT

13 min It’s an odd thing to say about a team that’s 1-0 up, but England haven’t really settled. They’ve been passive since going ahead. That’s human nature, I suppose, but it means they haven’t yet got their passing game going.

7.40pm GMT

11 min Scholl is late on Pearce, who turns round with gritted-teeth intent before deciding better of it.

7.39pm GMT

10 min That’s a bit more penetrative from Germany. A classy one-touch move, from right to left, ends with Southgate clearing Ziege’s cross.

7.38pm GMT

9 min Germany have dominated possession since the goal, with Sammer involved in everything, but so far all their work has been done in deeper positions.

7.38pm GMT

8 min A thumping man-and-ball challenge from Gascoigne on Reuter. There’s a whiff of 1991 about his frantic start, although his tackles have been more controlled. He hasn’t yet maimed anyone, or himself.

7.35pm GMT

6 min Gazza – come on, we’re all friends here – beats Helmer and Sammer on the right edge of the area with some lovely footwork, but his cross to Platt is overhit.

7.35pm GMT

5 min Gascoigne takes a blundering shortcut through the back of Sammer, an overzealous rather than malicious tackle. Sammer accepts the apology.

7.34pm GMT

4 min “Hi Rob,” says Luke Richardson. “I am 19, high on 4-1 and I think we’ll remember these barmy nights for a long time. It seems odd to think of an epic occasion in such a compact tournament. It already seems like it’s been on longer than it has and I think that sense of it being the summer of Euro 96 rather than a few short weeks will linger. They couldn’t. Could they?”

Of course they bloody could! Whether they will…

7.33pm GMT

4 min It can’t be this straightforward. Can it?

7.32pm GMT

England take the lead from the corner! It was the simplest goal, the old Arsenal near-post routine, but with Tony Adams playing the role of Steve Bould. Gascoigne’s flighted corner skimmed off his head at the near post, and the unmarked Shearer – the unmarked Shearer! - headed it through the legs of Kopke. It’s his fifth goal of the tournament. There was nothing Kopke could do about that – but he was still at fault for the goal, as it was his typically ostentatious punch that led to the corner. Who cares: England are ahead!

7.31pm GMT

2 min: Kopke saves from Ince! Pearce’s deep cross from the left is headed out by Ziege and bounces up towards Ince, 35 yards from goal. He chests the ball up in the air, runs onto it and pings a dipping volley that is punched over the bar by the flying Kopke. It was a fairly straightforward save – most keepers would have caught it – but a cracking effort nonetheless. And it’s got the crowd going again, which is just what England wanted.

7.30pm GMT

1 min Germany kick off, from left to right as we watch on the office TV. Whatever happens in the next couple of hours will live with us until we’re old and doddery.

7.27pm GMT

“As regards schoolboy humour evinced from a German surname,” says Ian Copestake, “the English should take a hard look at their goalkeeper before casting nasturtiums.”

7.26pm GMT

“Let’s hope there is now respect for the German anthem,” says Barry Davies, who hasn’t even finished his sentence when the boos start. It’s not as bad as I feared - a few whistles rather than a wall of wewonthewar noise - but it’s still a bit depressing. “Those who felt it necessary to whistle,” says Davies, “we can leave to their own ignorance.”

7.25pm GMT

The players stroll onto the field, ready for the anthems. England’s is to be sung by 80s crooner Paul Young... whose microphone isn’t working. Not that it matters: most of the studio are belting it out, Tony Adams with particular gusto.

7.20pm GMT

England have four players on a yellow card: Adams, Southgate, Shearer and Sheringham. Germany have five: Moller, Sammer, Reuter, Ziege, Kuntz.

7.18pm GMT

“Before your anglophone readers get too carried away with Kuntz,” says Peter Oh. “The pronunciation of the German forward’s name is actually more like that of American thriller novelist Dean Koontz than the ubiquitous British insult. Sorry to ruin it for everyone. By the way, Koontz launched a new book last year (1995) called Intensity. No, it is not about Stuart Pearce trying to get in his German opponents’ heads.”

7.17pm GMT

Des Lynam handed over to Barry Davies for the build-up about 10 minutes. Davies has said almost nothing. He’s just letting the atmosphere sing for itself: first Three Lions, then You’ll Never Walk Alone and now, erm, We Will Rock You. There really is an exultant atmosphere at Wembley.

7.09pm GMT

The Beeb have a heavyweight punditry panel. Jimmy Hill, who has his England bowtie on, Ruud Gullit and Alan Hansen. “I think it’s 50/50,” says Hill, and on balance I’d agree. Two minutes ago I was 100 per cent sure England would lose. Now I’m 100 per cent sure they’ll win. It’s coming home! Possibly.

7.08pm GMT

The BBC coverage, pushed back because of extra time in the Czech Republic, is underway. “Hello again, glad you’ve tuned in,” says Des. “You’ve obviously heard there’s a football match on tonight.”

7.00pm GMT

“Hi Rob,” says Niall Mullen. “Small point but I wonder if England will miss Redknapp. He looked really calm & composed (not to mention preternaturally handsome) when he came on against Scotland. I’m not sure if England have anyone else with that sort of control in midfield. Anyway what a glorious evening for football and come on Germany (unless Fowler gets a run).”

Yeah, had he been fit I think he’d have started ahead of Platt tonight, and against Spain as well. He’s another one, like Phil Neville, whose time will come.

6.51pm GMT

Germany are technically the home side, so England will be playing in their change strip tonight: it’s indigo blue, according to Umbro, but it looks grey to everyone else. I’m not even going to attempt to describe David Seaman’s goalkeeping top.

6.46pm GMT

First things first: it wasn’t a bluff, there’s no Jurgen Klinsmann for Germany. That’s an almighty boost to England.

Right, Terry Venables makes one change from the win over Spain. Paul Ince, who was missed so badly on Saturday, returns from suspension to replace the newly suspended Gary Neville. The only slight surprise is the inclusion of David Platt ahead of Phil Neville, who most expected to be chosen to replace his brother.

6.43pm GMT

The Czech Republic are in the Euro 96 final! Their fairytale will continue at Wembley on Sunday! They’ve just beaten France 6-5 on penalties at Old Trafford after a forgettable 0-0 draw. Miroslav Kadlec roofed the winning penalty after Reynald Pedros’s tame penalty was saved. Poor bloke. The Czech Republic are one game away from an astonishing success. But you can’t escape the fact that England would be happy to play them in the final.

6.21pm GMT

It was always going to come to this. Come on, did you really think football would be allowed to come home without first getting past the Germans? They’re the Keyser Soze of world football: nine of the last 12 major tournaments involving European teams have been won by the Germans or the team that put them out. And it’ll probably be 10 out of 13 come Sunday evening.

Whoever wins at Wembley will go into the final as decent favourites against either France or the Czech Republic. That game is heading for a penalty shoot-out: it’s 0-0 at Old Trafford with a few minutes of extra-time remaining. I was going to say it’s been a stinker, but that would be overly generous.

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Cricket quiz: the 2005 Ashes

It was 15 years ago but can you recall the details of that glorious summer for English cricket?

More quizzes: globetrotting footballers, La Liga in the 1990s

Who took the first wicket of the series?

Matthew Hoggard

Steve Harmison

Andrew Flintoff

Simon Jones

Which England substitute caught Ricky Ponting in the second innings at Lord’s?

John Francis

Trevor Penney

Gary Pratt

James Hildreth

Who was in the England squad for four of the five matches without playing in the series?

James Anderson

Chris Tremlett

Jon Lewis

Gareth Batty

England famously smashed 407 in 79.2 overs on the first day of the second Test at Edgbaston. How many sixes did they hit?

6

8

10

12

The substitute Gary Pratt famously ran out Ricky Ponting in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge. Who was the other Australian batsman involved in that fateful run?

Justin Langer

Matthew Hayden

Damien Martyn

Michael Clarke

Which Australian batsman said: "I knew I’d hit rock bottom when one night I rolled over in bed to give my wife Mel a kiss goodnight and all I saw was Freddie Bloody Flintoff"?

Damien Martyn

Simon Katich

Adam Gilchrist

Michael Clarke

Who topped the bowling averages with one wicket at an average of 9?

Simon Katich

Paul Collingwood

Ricky Ponting

Ian Bell

Who took the best bowling figures in an innings during the series?

Simon Jones

Andrew Flintoff

Glenn McGrath

Shane Warne

Which brand of mints did Marcus Trescothick suck to help shine the ball?

Murray Mints

Fox’s Glacier Mints

Trebor Extra Strong Mints

Polo Mints

Who was the only player to score two centuries in the series?

Kevin Pietersen

Ricky Ponting

Justin Langer

Andrew Strauss

1 and above.

Don't worry. It was 15 years ago.

2 and above.

Don't worry. It was 15 years ago.

3 and above.

Ah well. Don't worry. It was 15 years ago.

4 and above.

Ah well. Don't worry. It was 15 years ago.

5 and above.

A fine score. Well played.

6 and above.

A fine score. Well played.

7 and above.

That is a superb score. Well played.

8 and above.

That is a superb score. Raise your bat to the crowd in celebration.

9 and above.

That is a superb score. Raise your bat to the crowd in celebration.

0 and above.

Don't worry. It was 15 years ago.

10 and above.

That is a superb score. Raise your bat to the crowd in celebration.

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Football quiz: La Liga in the 1990s

How much do you remember about a time when Ronaldo, Romário, Rivaldo and Bebeto graced La Liga?

Which side broke the duopoly of Barcelona and Real Madrid by winning the title in 1995-96?

Valencia

Deportivo La Coruña

Atlético Madrid

Real Sociedad

How many consecutive league titles did Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona Dream Team win at the start of the decade?

Two

Three

Four

Five

Barcelona beat Real Madrid 5-0 in 1993-94; Real beat Barcelona 5-0 the following season. Who was on the winning side in both games?

Luis Enrique

Mikel Lasa

Luis Figo

Michael Laudrup

Which other team beat Barcelona 5-0 in the 1994-95 season?

Tenerife

Racing Santander

Oviedo

Real Zaragoza

Deportivo La Coruña missed out on their first league title in 1993-94 when Miroslav Djukic had a last-minute penalty saved in their final game against Valencia. Who was the goalkeeper?

José González

Santiago Cañizares

José Molina

Andoni Zubizarreta

How many goals did Ronaldo score in all competitions during his only season at Barcelona?

43

47

51

55

Which Spanish club did Rivaldo play for before joining Barcelona?

Deportivo La Coruña

Sevilla

Real Betis

Valencia

Abel Resino went 1,275 minutes without conceding a goal during the 1990-91 season. Who did he play for?

Osasuna

Atlético Madrid

Athletic Bilbao

Real Sociedad

Which Brazilian won the Pichichi Trophy for the league’s leading scorer in 1992-93?

Romário

Bebeto

João Paulo

Müller

Which club denied Real Madrid the title by beating them on the final day in two consecutive seasons?

Osasuna

Oviedo

Sevilla

Tenerife

2 and above.

Mala suerte

3 and above.

Mala suerte

4 and above.

Mala suerte

5 and above.

¡Muy bien!

6 and above.

¡Muy bien!

7 and above.

¡Muy bien!

8 and above.

¡Muy bien!

9 and above.

¡Excelente!

10 and above.

¡Excelente!

0 and above.

Mala suerte

1 and above.

Mala suerte

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Sportless TV goes all nostalgic on a truly surreal Saturday | Rob Smyth

Sport on television has been reduced to a diet of archive footage or repeats of Mrs Brown’s Boys

So, the show doesn’t have to go on after all. Most elite sport in the UK has been postponed because of coronavirus but there are two shows in 21st-century sport – one at the stadiums, one on the TV – and the latter is going to continue in the form of wall-to-wall nostalgia. There is endless airtime to be filled: Sky Sports have nine channels, BT Sport three, Eurosport two, and there are also the traditional sport slots on free-to-air TV.

The announcement that the BBC would replace Match of the Day with an old episode of Mrs Brown’s Boys achieved the impossible: it managed to unite social media. Admittedly the common reactions were contempt or disgust but it was still an achievement of sorts. Many appealed for the BBC to show a classic MotD episode instead; others suggested Test Card F would be a preferable alternative to the slapstick travails of Agnes Brown.

Related: BT Sport and Sky not offering refunds to customers despite football suspension

Related: Coronavirus and sport – a list of the major cancellations

Related: Sport's role as the great distraction reluctantly cancelled but it will be back | Barney Ronay

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Liverpool 2-3 Atlético Madrid (agg: 2-4): Champions League last 16 second leg – as it happened

The holders went out of the Champions League despite dominating the whole match, with Atlético coming from 2-0 down in extra time to stun Anfield

1.13am GMT

Related: 'We will not blame Adrián', says Klopp after Liverpool's Champions League exit

1.12am GMT

Related: Atlético complete Anfield heist as Klopp runs out of miracle nights

12.24am GMT

Related: Liverpool 2-3 Atlético Madrid: Champions League player ratings

10.57pm GMT

That’s it for tonight’s blog. I’ll leave you with our match report from Anfield. Thanks for your company - bye.

Related: Llorente and Atlético Madrid stun Anfield to knock Liverpool out

10.53pm GMT

Here’s Jordan Henderson

“I thought the performance overall was very good, but we’re disappointed with the goals we conceded. You need to be fully focussed at all times, we’ve seen that over the years. We created so many chances to score. We’ve got to take it on the chin.”

10.47pm GMT

Related: Juventus defender Daniele Rugani tests positive for coronavirus

10.46pm GMT

Here’s Kieran Trippier

“We needed to stay strong defensively, keep our shape, and try to frustrate them as much as we could. We kept on going and we got the win. Liverpool are very strong at home – we knew that – but we knew we’d get our chances if we broke the first press. It was about being clinical in that moment, and we sure were tonight.

10.43pm GMT

“You have to give Atlético some credit,” says Juan Antonio Escudero. “Tough side. And no shenanigans.”

Yeah, they were pretty well behaved. They did so well to stay in the tie when they were being battered.

10.39pm GMT

“Your comments today,” says K A Tsokos. “Please look up the meaning of the word ‘hybris’.”

I would do but I threw my dictionary out of the window in a huff when Morata scored.

10.38pm GMT

Football, effing hell. Liverpool slaughtered Atletico Madrid for 95 minutes, playing with awesome relentlessness, and finally went ahead in the tie through Roberto Firmino’s goal at the start of extra time. But a desperate mistake from Adrian led to Marcos Llorente’s first goal, which put Atletico ahead on away goals, and they grabbed two more in a surreal end to the tie.

They barely had an attack in normal time. But their defensive resilience was extraordinary, because that Liverpool performance would have beaten many teams by five or six. If ever there was a team in the image of their manager...

10.32pm GMT

That’s it! Liverpool are out of the Champions League after an extraordinary period of extra-time at Anfield.

10.32pm GMT

Diego Simeone is off down the touchline, spreading his arms wide to the adoring Atletico fans. This is one of the greatest nights in their history. Morata ran onto a return pass from Llorente, surged into the area and curled a low shot past Adrian at the near post.

10.31pm GMT

That’s it!

10.30pm GMT

120 min Two minutes.

10.29pm GMT

119 min Alexander-Arnold brattishly shoves over Morata, who gets up and goes head to head with Alexander-Arnold. Both are booked. It’s a slightly undignified end to Liverpool’s reign as European champions, though you can understand why their collective noggin has gone.

10.28pm GMT

118 min “Hardly matters does it?” says Des Platt. “Competition is going nowhere except possibly behind closed doors which is meaningless.”

With that kind of positive spin, you should be in politics.

10.27pm GMT

117 min Minamino’s cross is headed up in the air by van Dijk and palmed away by Oblak, who is fouled needlessly by Milner in the process. Liverpool’s heads have gone.

10.26pm GMT

116 min Van Dijk is playing centre forward now. Origi wins a corner and takes it short to Milner, whose cross is nutted away by Saul.

10.26pm GMT

115 min Mane curls well wide from 25 yards. Liverpool have been too impatient since Atletico’s first goal. For the 97 minutes before that, they were astonishingly good.

10.25pm GMT

115 min Liverpool can’t get any momentum. The subdued atmosphere can’t help, but it’s understandable in the circumstances.

10.23pm GMT

113 min Liverpool’s last change: Minamino for Firmino.

10.23pm GMT

Related: Neymar scores to help PSG past Dortmund and into quarter-finals

10.22pm GMT

113 min “It’s Wednesday, Rob,” says Niall Fogarty. “It’s Wednesday.”

It’ll be Thursday by the time this goes to penalties!

10.22pm GMT

112 min An ill-conceived shot from Origi, on the left of the area, goes well wide of the near post.

10.21pm GMT

111 min The Anfield atmosphere is as dreadful as it was brilliant earlier in the game, though that will change if they get one. I think everyone, including the Liverpool players, is slightly in shock.

10.20pm GMT

110 min Another corner to Liverpool. Alexander-Arnold’s booming curler goes out of play and then swerves back onto the field.

10.19pm GMT

109 min “A couple more goals,” says Bill Hargreaves, “and this most definitely won’t go to penalties.”

10.19pm GMT

109 min Mane goes down in the area, but the referee isn’t interested. He’s wagged his finger a lot tonight.

10.18pm GMT

108 min Liverpool must be winning about 17-0 on Expected Goals.

10.17pm GMT

107 min Mane’s dangerous low cross is pushed away by Oblak. Atletico have now parked a fleet of buses in their own area.

10.16pm GMT

106 min Liverpool kick off the second half of extra time. I can’t quite believe this is happening.

10.15pm GMT

Atletico make a change as well: Gimenez for Correa.

10.15pm GMT

A double change for Liverpool: Origi and Fabinho replace Wijnaldum and Henderson.

10.14pm GMT

Liverpool could still do this. Two goals in 15 minutes is not beyond them.

10.13pm GMT

This is staggering. Liverpool absolutely battered Atletico for 97 minutes. And then Alexander-Arnold passed the ball back to Adrian.

10.12pm GMT

105+2 min That second Llorente goal means the tie can no longer go to penalties.

10.12pm GMT

Now Liverpool need two goals or they are out. Atletico broke down the right through Morata, who clipped the ball infield to find Llorente 25 yards from goal. He ran at the backpedalling Gomez, moved the ball away from Henderson on the edge of the D and curled another precise right-footed shot that dipped under the dive of Adrian. He might have done better with that as well, though I’d like to see it again.

10.10pm GMT

What on earth is happening?

10.07pm GMT

103 min Alvaro Morata replaces Joao Felix for Atletico.

10.07pm GMT

102 min “No Rob it wasn’t going to pens after Liverpool scored their 2nd on the night,” says Niall Fogarty.

Fair point. It was all so frantic, from one goal to the next, that I forgot what day it was.

10.06pm GMT

101 min Some news from Italy. This match might be the last football we see for a while.

Juventus confirm Daniele Rugani has tested positive for COVID-19 https://t.co/xTS2Qh8swv

10.04pm GMT

100 min Liverpool dust themselves off and go again. Henderson’s chipped cross is headed to the edge of the area, where Salah volleys over.

10.03pm GMT

98 min That Llorente goal means the tie can’t go to penalties. As things stand, Atletico are going through on the away goals rule.

10.03pm GMT

Alexander-Arnold played the ball back to Adrian, who kicked it straight to Joao Felix 40 yards form goal. He played a simple reverse pass to Llorente on the edge of the area, and he curled a precise low shot into the far corner. Oh my. Adrian might have saved the shot had he not slipped as he tried to move across his line. But the real howler was the clearance to Joao Felix.

10.01pm GMT

Atletico have scored after a howler from Adrian! They’re ahead on away goals.

10.00pm GMT

This team are just awesome, utterly relentless. Wijnaldum charged down the right and hammered a cross towards Firmno 10 yards from goal. His superb downward header beat the diving Oblak and hit the inside of the far post, but the ball rebounded perfectly for Firmino to cushion a volley into the open net. It’s his first goal at Anfield all season.

9.58pm GMT

Roberto Firmino scores at Anfield!

9.58pm GMT

92 min: More chances for Liverpool! Wijnaldum’s drive is pushed away by the plunging Oblak, a fine save down to his right. The ball comes back to Wijnaldum, who stands up a cross towards Firmino on the six-yard line, but he can’t quite get over the ball and it skims off his head and away from goal.

9.55pm GMT

91 min Peep peep! Atletico begin extra time, having made another change: Vrsaljko on for Trippier, who is presumably knackered, at right back.

9.50pm GMT

Despite some ferocious attacking from Liverpool, the tie is going to extra time. See you soon.

9.50pm GMT

SAUL NIGUEZ HAS A GOAL DISALLOWED! It will be checked. He was a million miles offside, in fact, before he headed it superbly into the top corner. Simeone and half the Atletico bench were on the pitch.

9.49pm GMT

90+2 min Alexander-Arnold concedes a silly free-kick, 30 yards from goal on the left. This will be the last attack of normal time.

9.47pm GMT

90+1 min Oblak makes a comfortable save from Salah’s snap volley.

9.46pm GMT

90 min We’re a couple of minutes away from extra time.

9.45pm GMT

88 min Alexander-Arnold’s shot is desperately blocked by Saul Niguez. This is an unreal onslaught from Liverpool, and moments later Mane puts another overhead kick over the bar. That was a tougher chance than the first.

9.44pm GMT

87 min Salah comes this close to putting Liverpool through. He beat three players as he zipped infield from the right and then smashed a rising drive that beat Oblak but just cleared the crossbar.

9.43pm GMT

86 min Whatever happens, Liverpool have been immense tonight.

9.42pm GMT

85 min Yet another chance for Liverpool. Milner stands up a cross from the left to Wijnaldum at the far post. He heads it back across the area to Mane, whose spectacular overhead kick flashes over the bar.

9.41pm GMT

84 min Liverpool are just relentless. It’s quite something to watch. Wijnaldum’s vicious shot, from a ridiculous angle, is slapped away by a startled Oblak.

9.38pm GMT

82 min James Milner replaces Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has been terrific.

9.38pm GMT

81 min A brilliant corner from Liverpool. Alexander-Arnold takes it short, gets it back and then hammers a sharp pass towards the unmarked Robertson in the D. He charges onto the ball - but then slashes it over the bar. That was a decent chance.

9.36pm GMT

79 min Saul Niguez’s snap volley from 30 yards goes approximately 30 yards wide.

9.35pm GMT

78 min More superb play from Partey, who beats two players near the halfway line and draws a foul from Firmino. He’s majestic.

9.34pm GMT

77 min A little bit of possession for Atletico, who were in urgent need of a beeather. An away goal now would be devastating, although they still don’t really look like scoring.

9.33pm GMT

75 min Thomas Partey has had a brilliant game for Atletico. He’s been their most composed player in possession by a distance, and he’s probably been their best ballwinner as well.

9.30pm GMT

74 min The diminutive Correa tries to pick a fight with van Dijk, who looks him down and further down with contempt.

9.29pm GMT

73 min “To those pondering where they might have seen Diego Simeone’s hairdo before,” begins Christian Svanes Kolding, “might I beseech them to examine photos of Tom Waits early in his career?”

9.28pm GMT

72 min The corner is headed away at the near post.

9.28pm GMT

71 min Oxlade-Chamberlain surges down the right to win a corner. Liverpool are having one of their irresistible spells.

9.27pm GMT

70 min Oblak has made a lot of saves in this match, at least six or seven, although they have all been good rather than great.

9.26pm GMT

69 min Talking of which: Alexander-Arnold swishes a cracking shot from 30 yards that is palmed away by Oblak, diving to his right. The ball rebounds to the other full-back, Robertson, whose shot is vitally blocked by Trippier.

9.25pm GMT

68 min A wicked inswinging corner from Alexander-Arnold is dropped behind him by Oblak, who is glad to see Lodi lump the ball clear. Alexander-Arnold’s ball-striking is just incredible.

9.24pm GMT

66 min: Robertson hits the bar! I thought that was in. Salah twisted outside Lodi out on the right side of the area and hit a deflected cross-shot into the middle. Robertson got in front of Tripper on the six-yard line, but his header smacked off the crossbar. Having got to the ball, he probably should have scored.

9.20pm GMT

64 min Atletico have been a bit better since the substitution. They’ve had shots on goal and everything.

9.20pm GMT

63 min Saul Niguez tries to score from 60 yards. He spotted Adrian on the edge of the penalty area and had a pop with his left foot. It drifted a few yards wide; I suspect Adrian would have got back in time anyway.

9.18pm GMT

61 min: Adrian makes a double save! Joao Felix’s low, long-range shot was fumbled dismally by Adrian, but he made up for his mistake by charging across the area to sprawl at the feet of Correa. The second save was excellent.

9.17pm GMT

60 min: Firmino misses a great chance! Alexander-Arnold’s curling free-kick from the right beat Oblak and reached Firmino beyond the far post. He mistimed a half-volley at goal, however, and Oblak was able to palm the ball away. Firmino shouldn’t have given him a chance.

9.16pm GMT

59 min A relatively quiet few minutes. It does feel like a second Liverpool goal is coming, though.

9.13pm GMT

56 min Correa has moved up front for Atletico, so they are still playing 4-4-2. Joao Felix hits a tame shot straight at Adrian from 25 yards.

9.12pm GMT

55 min Atletico make their first change: the midfielder Marcos Llorente replaces Diego Costa, who shakes his head in disgust and then hoofs something as he leaves the field. He’s fuming. He’s also done bugger all.

9.11pm GMT

54 min Atletico look like they’re playing for penalties, already. Oxlade-Chamberlain hits a crisp low drive from 30 yards that is palmed behind at full stretch by Oblak. The conditions certainly favour long-range shooting.

9.09pm GMT

53 min Liverpool’s relentlessness is starting to wear Atletico down. Salah fizzes a great pass infield to Oxlade-Chamberlain, who lifts a hopeful shot over the bar from the right side of the box. He should have crossed it.

9.08pm GMT

52 min Atletico can’t keep the ball for more than a few seconds. Diego Costa, bless him, has been useless.

9.07pm GMT

51 min “Hi Rob,” says Scott Oliver. “The hipsters and Hispanists will be aware that Atlético are known as los colchoneros, ‘the mattress makers’. They perhaps don’t realise this is because the city’s production of mattresses has increased by 843% since Simeone became El Gafferísimo, on account of him scattering them around the training ground for the three-times-a-week simulation sessions.”

I don’t think they’ve been too bad tonight, yet.

9.07pm GMT

50 min Oblak makes a good save from Mane, although the flag had gone up.

9.05pm GMT

48 min Wijnaldum sprays an outstanding long pass to Salah, who has too much pace for Lodi and charges into the area on the right. He tries to curl the ball into the far corner but his shot is too close to Oblak, who saves comfortably.

9.03pm GMT

47 min “It’s bothered me since the first leg whose hair do Simone’s reminds me of,” says Charles Antaki. “He seems to have lopped two inches off the top, but still I think it’s Eraserhead from the eponymous David Lynch film. Dark, brooding, utterly bleak, with a hint of malevolent comedy. The film’s not bad either.”

9.02pm GMT

46 min Peep peep! Liverpool begin the second half. It’s still pouring down at Anfield.

8.58pm GMT

“Well,” says Matt Dony, “the first half was Quite Annoying.”

8.51pm GMT

“Wijnaldum and the Spanish,” says Robin Michael Thompson. “I don’t think Wijnaldum has ever forgiven the foul on Salah in the 1919 final.”

He’s got a long memory.

8.50pm GMT

Atletico almost made it to half-time with their unique combination of heroic defending and brazen snidery. But Gini Wijnaldum’s excellent header has brought Liverpool level in the tie, and they’ll be attacking the Kop in the second half.

Atletico need a goal. If they get one, they might sneak through. If not, no chance.

8.46pm GMT

Peep peep! The corner was overhit by Alexander-Arnold.

8.46pm GMT

45+1 min One minute of added time. Liverpool have a corner...

8.45pm GMT

44 min Just in case you’d forgotten, Wijnaldum scored twice against Barcelona in the semi-final last year.

8.45pm GMT

That is a terrific header. The move started when Salah played a simple ball to the underlapping Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right. He curled an excellent cross on the turn towards the penalty spot, where Wijnaldum was waiting. He slammed a header into the ground that zipped off the wet turf and into the far corner, past the diving Oblak. The power and especially the placement were perfect.

8.43pm GMT

Gini Wijnaldum does it again!

8.42pm GMT

42 min Oxlade-Chamberlain curls well wide from long range. It was the wrong option, poorly executed. But apart from that...

8.42pm GMT

41 min Robertson and especially Alexander-Arnold have been a constant threat, arguably Liverpool’s best attackers. Alexander-Arnold hits Felix with a fair, man-and-ball tackle and then shouts in his face. This match is one false move away from a brawl.

8.39pm GMT

40 min Felipe and Savic make two brilliant defensive headers in the space of 30 seconds. Atletico could really use the half-time whistle.

8.39pm GMT

39 min “Can we gush about Thomas in that Atleti midfield?” says Ruth Purdue. “What a superb box to box midfielder he is!”

I think he’s brilliant. He’s been doing gruntwork tonight but there’s so much more to his game. I read somewhere that his release clause is really low, something like 50m euros. I would love him at United.

8.38pm GMT

38 min Atletico appeal unsuccessfully for a yellow card when Henderson fouls Correa. It’s getting very niggly. Just before that, there was a slight shoving match on the line before a Liverpool corner was taken.

8.37pm GMT

36 min: Good save from Oblak! Liverpool are starting to put Atletico under pressure. Alexander-Arnold’s wicked, bouncing cross from the right is missed by the stretching Firmino at the near post and palmed away by Oblak. He did really well because he had to change direction when Firmino didn’t get the expected touch.

8.35pm GMT

34 min Salah shoves Lodi off the ball on the right, scurries infield and flicks a pass with the outside of the foot to the unmarked Mane in the D. His low first-time shot is straight at Oblak, who spills it but is able to grab it at the second attempt. Mane’s shot lacked power and accuracy; he probably had time for an extra touch.

8.33pm GMT

33 min “Evening Rob,” says Matt Turland. “Is there a team more love/hate than Atletico under Simeone? And by that, I mean, I love watching them for the wonderful way they defend as one, as a single entity. And yet, at the same time, I hate them for all their sh*thousing and all that jazz. Love. Hate.”

8.32pm GMT

32 min A cross from the left is headed behind by van Dijk. This has been a crap game, in terms of conventional entertainment, but it’s thoroughly compelling.

8.30pm GMT

30 min Liverpool are starting to get a bit frustrated with Atletico’s experience. Henderson goes through the back of Felix, a silly tackle that allows Atletico to waste another 20 or 30 seconds.

8.29pm GMT

There’s been a goal in Paris...

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8.28pm GMT

28 min A few of you have asked about the handball appeal in the 20th minute. The updated law says that extra leeway will be given to defenders when the ball ricochets onto the hand, which is exactly what happened. It’s different if you’re the attacking team. Had an identical incident led to a goal, it would have been disallowed.

8.26pm GMT

26 min A corner is headed away to Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right. His very deep cross is nodded back across goal by van Dijk, and Costa does well to smuggle the ball behind for another corner.

8.25pm GMT

25 min Liverpool have so far been unable to put Atletico under sustained pressure - partly because of the excellence of the defending, partly because of the stop-start nature of the game. I still think Liverpool will be too good, but it could be a long night.

8.24pm GMT

24 min “Evening Rob,” says Matt Emerson. “I know you say the Diego Costa looks old, but I suspect he’s always been like that. There’s probably photos of him as a particularly grizzled baby looking like Clyde out of the Anthill Mob (one for the teenagers, that).”

8.23pm GMT

22 min There’s a bit of needle when Alexander-Arnold is penalised for a high challenge. Then Diego Costa throws the ball away and escapes a booking. The snideometer has been switched on in the last few minutes.

8.21pm GMT

20 min A couple of corners in quick succession for Liverpool. The second is headed towards goal by Mane and hits an Atletico player, prompting an unsuccessful appeal for handball. It did hit the hand but only after a deflection off Lodi’s head.

8.19pm GMT

19 min Atletico will be pretty happy so far. Although Liverpool have dominated, Oblak has only had one vaguely difficult save to make.

8.17pm GMT

18 min Atletico win a corner on the left. Koke wanders over at his leisure to take it. Eventually he curls it flat and hard towards the near post, where Felipe flashes a header just wide. That could easily have gone past Adrian and into the net.

8.16pm GMT

17 min Atletico are defending so deep, with the front two of Joao Felix and Diego Costa often only 30 yards from their own goal.

8.14pm GMT

15 min “Hi Rob,” says Peter Oh. “Re: 10 min. I’m somewhat disappointed that Diego Costa hasn’t been sent off yet but I do feel some empathy for his...oldness. Ok, I’m done with empathy now. Attack!!!”

8.14pm GMT

14 min Oxlade-Chamberlain’s fierce low drive, through a crowded area, is palmed away by the diving Oblak. He got a bit lucky, Oblak, as he could easily have pushed it straight to a Liverpool player.

8.12pm GMT

11 min A cross is headed out to Henderson, whose mishit shot from 25 yards goes well wide. It hasn’t quite been the ferocious start I expected from Liverpool, although they only need one goal to level the tie.

8.10pm GMT

10 min Salah curls over the bar from the edge of the area. It was a typical effort: he received the ball from Mane, cut inside Saul Niguez and tried to curl it into the far top corner.

8.09pm GMT

10 min Joao Felix looks really bright whenever Atletico do have the ball. Diego Costa looks ... old.

8.09pm GMT

9 min After a short free-kick, Partey drives a long, angled pass over the Liverpool defence. Trippier gets round the back but has to stretch to reach the ball and his attempted volley across goal goes into the side netting. Adrian had it covered.

8.06pm GMT

6 min Atletico are taking plenty of time over any throw-ins, a tactic that is booed every time by the Liverpool fans. The atmosphere is marvellously hostile.

8.05pm GMT

5 min The first half-chance for Liverpool. Alexander-Arnold’s cross, from a narrow position on the right, is flicked towards goal by the head of Wijnaldum. Oblak moves smartly across his line to make a comfortable save.

8.04pm GMT

4 min Lots of early posssession for Liverpool, the first 13 seconds aside. Atletico always knew it was going to be like this.

8.02pm GMT

2 min “‘Quite annoying’,” says Matt Dony. “Yes, Jürgen. If there’s one phrase that sums up playing a Diego Simeone team, especially one with a lead to defend, it’s ‘quite annoying’. Don’t get me wrong, I love Simeone, but I’m not expecting this match to be anything other than quite annoying. And, obviously, by ‘quite annoying’, we all mean ‘absolutely flipping infuriating, frustrating and maddening’!”

8.01pm GMT

13 seconds: Costa hits the side netting! That was half a chance. He ran onto a nice through pass from Joao Felix, rumbled to the edge of the area and hit a low shot that Adrian ushered into the side netting. He was under pressure from Gomez (I think); otherwise it would have been a clear chance.

8.00pm GMT

1 min Atletico, in black, are booed as they kick off from left to right. Liverpool are in red.

7.57pm GMT

The players emerge from the tunnel on a wild night at Anfield. It’s wet, windy and bloody loud. Adrian looks a little pensive; this is a huge night for him.

7.47pm GMT

Related: PSG v Borussia Dortmund: Champions League last 16 second leg – live!

7.47pm GMT

If you loved Italia 90, you’ll really love this

Here it is. Our preview episode for Vincerà! - The story of Italia '90 podcast. Join host .@thatmarkgodfrey @simon22ph and @PeteDavies2006 to talk about the 1990 World Cup, their respective books and, of course, the 24-part series.https://t.co/B7SfuQi3xE

7.46pm GMT

Jurgen Klopp speaks “It’s a complex thing tonight. We need a complete performance. We know Atletico can be quite annoying, we can be annoying as well in a different way, so it’s a good fit for Diego Costa. We have to keep calm and play our football.”

7.44pm GMT

Pre-match entertainment

Train Guy...Orange Polo Neck pic.twitter.com/gINdbgcY7v

7.25pm GMT

“Fabinho had looked a little off his feed and strangely tentative on it following his return from injury,” says Ian Copestake. “Chambo definitely deserves his start after his last game. He’s also the only one who can score from outside a box otherwise brimful with Madridistas.”

The tempo in the first 20 minutes is going to be quite something.

7.24pm GMT

Liverpool are aiming to win the European Cup for the seventh time, and to retain it for the first time since 1978. I’m not sure that will be possible, mind you: it looks increasingly likely that the coronavirus will stop the 2019-20 season from being completed.

Related: Coronavirus Q&A: latest on Premier League, Euro 2020 and the Olympics

7.04pm GMT

Pre-match reading

Related: Jürgen Klopp warns Liverpool not to fall for Atlético Madrid's tricks

Related: Klopp casts off Liverpool shackles and demands bravery in ‘fight to the end’

Related: Atlético braced for noisy night at Anfield before going behind closed doors | Sid Lowe

6.57pm GMT

Tonight’s other Champions League match is a cracker, and Paul Doyle is all over it.

Related: PSG v Borussia Dortmund: Champions League last 16 second leg – live!

6.45pm GMT

There’s one slight surprise in the Liverpool team, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain preferred to Fabinho. Atletico’s starting XI includes Kieran Trippier and the popular, equable Diego Costa. Popcorn, please!

Liverpool (4-3-3) Adrian; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane.
Substitutes: Lonergan, Fabinho, Milner, Minamino, Lallana, Origi, Matip.

6.45pm GMT

The pyrotechnics have begun in the streets around Anfield …

4.54pm GMT

Hello and welcome to live coverage of Liverpool’s attack versus Atletico Madrid’s defence. That, all things being equal, is how tonight’s match will pan out. Atletico won the first leg 1-0, the ideal score to set up a night of tension, drama and one-way traffic at Anfield.

Liverpool are the best team in Europe but Atletico are probably the best party-poopers in Europe. They will have not a solitary qualm about defending deep, wasting time, playing on the break and bantering Liverpool off for 90 minutes with you-know-what. If Atletico score one goal, Liverpool will need to get three against an accomplished and extremely experienced (sic) defence.

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The Fiver | The best manager in the world … at expectation management

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The Fiver was never entirely confident that the professional matrimony of José Mourinho and Daniel Levy would reach its silver jubilee. But we thought it would take more than a few months for things to turn so sour. José is already wearing his third-season coupon, the permanently affronted puss of a man waiting for a P45 so that he can go off and find his true calling within the nihilism community. Whether it’s in cup competitions or in the manager’s job itself, José doesn’t hang around long these days. The Special One is dead, long live the Do One.

Related: All players on Leipzig bench would play in my Spurs team, says José Mourinho

Continue reading...

Real Madrid 2-0 Barcelona: La Liga - as it happened

Vinicius Jr. and the substitute Mariano Diaz scored late goals to give Real a deserved victory in el clásico - and put them back on top of La Liga

10.07pm GMT

Sid Lowe’s match report has landed so I’ll leave you with that. Thanks for your company - goodnight!

Related: Vinícius Júnior and Mariano put Real Madrid top with Barcelona win

9.52pm GMT

Real go back to the top of the table with an ultimately deserved victory in the clasico. It’s the first time they’ve beaten Barcelona in La Liga since 2016.

9.51pm GMT

That’s quite an introduction. It was all Mariano’s own work. He ran to receive a long throw down the right, then let the ball run past him and sped away from his marker Umtiti. Mariano kept going, all the way into the area, and screwed a shot over ter Stegen from a tight angle. I think he mishit the shot, but who cares: he’s in tears of joy!

9.50pm GMT

Mariano scores immediately to seal victory for Madrid!

9.49pm GMT

90+1 min The superb Benzema is replaced by Mariano Diaz.

9.49pm GMT

90+1 min Three minutes of added time. Barcelona win a free-kick on the left; ter Stegen comes forward, but Messi curls it straight into Courtois’ hands.

9.48pm GMT

90 min Casemiro has had a marvellous game against Messi, giving him no space at all.

9.47pm GMT

89 min Ramos’s free-kick hits the wall.

9.46pm GMT

88 min Busquets fouls Lucas in the D. Sergio Ramos is over the ball.

9.46pm GMT

87 min “As a proud Dane I need to point out that Braithwaite made his debut against Eibar a week ago,” says Rikke Slot Johnsen. “He replaced Griezman for the last 18 minutes and was involved in the to last Barca goals. I know the signing was a surprise in many ways, but of course we wish him det best!”

Oh lord. I resign.

9.44pm GMT

86 min Lucas Vazquez replaces Fede Valverde. Incidentally, the Madrid goal may go down as a Pique own goal; I’m not certain Vinicius Jr’s shot was on target.

9.43pm GMT

85 min Messi is booked for a petulant hack at Casemiro.

9.42pm GMT

84 min The relentlessly positive Vinicius Jr. produces a brilliant bit of skill to beat three Barcelona players just inside the area, and ter Stegen flies out to dive at his feet and push the ball away.

9.41pm GMT

83 min: Excellent chance for Barcelona! Messi’s free-kick from the left is headed wide at the near post by the unmarked Pique. That was a superb chance. He completely mistimed his header and the ball went well wide.

9.38pm GMT

81 min A double change for Barcelona: Ansu Fati and Rakitic replace Arthur and Griezmann.

9.36pm GMT

79 min Modric replaces Isco for Real Madrid.

9.36pm GMT

78 min Vinicius Jr. is off target with a flick behind his standing leg, although Carvajal had been flagged offside just before that.

9.34pm GMT

77 min It started slowly, but this is pulsating stuff now.

9.33pm GMT

75 min Messi scampers onto de Jong’s pass, and for a split-second it looks like he’s going to clear on goal. But Marcelo strains desperately to stay with him and makes a vital tackle in the D. When the danger is fully over, Marcelo celebrates by punching the air to the Real fans!

9.31pm GMT

74 min If it stays like this Real will go back to the top of La Liga, a point ahead of Barcelona.

9.30pm GMT

Vinicius Jr. has given Real the lead! It was made by Kroos, who slid a lovely pass down the inside-left channel that took out two defenders and found Vinicius Jr. in space. He moved into the area, opened his body and sidefooted a shot that took a big deflection off the sliding Pique and beat ter Stegen at the near post.

9.29pm GMT

Real are ahead!

9.28pm GMT

70 min Braithwaite almost scores immediately! Semedo, in his own half, curled a superb long pass around the defence towards Braithwaite. He bounced Varane (I think) off the ball just outside the area and poked a shot that was blocked by Courtois, with Ramos (I think) completing the clearance in the six-yard box.

9.27pm GMT

69 min Of all the gin joints in all the world, Martin Braithwaite had to make his Barcelona debut in the Bernabeu. He has come on to replace Arturo Vidal.

9.26pm GMT

69 min ter Stegen makes a fine save with his feet from Sergio Ramos, although he was miles offside and it wouldn’t have counted.

9.24pm GMT

67 min “The Booze XI are managed by Dick Advocaat, I presume?” says Sean Clayton.

9.23pm GMT

65 min It was Arthur who caught him, in fact, but Vinicius had already played the ball across the area and I don’t think that was a penalty.

9.22pm GMT

64 min Real appeal unsuccessfully for a penalty when Vinicius goes over under a challenge from Pique (I think). We haven’t seen a replay yet.

9.21pm GMT

63 min: Another chance for Real! That was brilliant play from Carvajal. He charged through the inside-left channel, cut back on his right foot and clipped a lovely angled pass to find Benzema in space in the area. He watched the ball carefully onto his right foot... and then volleyed it over the bar.

9.20pm GMT

61 min: Pique clears off the line! Real are really pressing now. Carvajal does really well to stand up a cross from the byline. Isco strains his neck muscles to plan a downward header that beats the diving ter Stegen and is blocked on the line by the backpedalling Pique.

9.17pm GMT

60 min Benzema is having a terrific game for Real. Vinicius has also been a big threat, even if his decision-making hasn’t always been great.

9.16pm GMT

58 min “Enjoying the not-so-classic (as of yet) clásico?” asks Oliver Stewart, I presume rhetorically. “I’d like to submit Bacardi Sagna as a much-needed defensive addition to the Booze XI.”

I want Marc-Andre turps Stegen in goal.

9.14pm GMT

56 min: Excellent save from ter Stegen! Real took a short corner on the left, with Kroos and Marceloa moving the ball to Isco on the edge of the area. He bent a right-footed curler towards the far top corner, and ter Stegen leapt to his left to flap it behind. Barcelona were asleep at a corner, again.

9.10pm GMT

53 min Real break through Benzema, who finds Vinicius on the left wing. He runs at Semedo, beating him on the left of the area, but his cutback is intercepted by the well-positioned Pique at the near post.

9.08pm GMT

51 min Lots of Barcelona possession at the start of the second half. Madrid look content to play on the counter-attack.

9.05pm GMT

48 min Messi plays a give-and-go with de Jong, moves into the area and hits a shot that is blocked. The ball rebounds to Alba, who wins a corner on the left.

9.04pm GMT

47 min “I had a couple too many last night, and am feeling a little tender today, so I made you a Booze XI,” says Mac Millings. “Fun Fact: it says here that the author of ‘The Name of the Rose’ was a marauding, box-to-box midfielder in his youth.

9.03pm GMT

46 min Peep peep!

9.00pm GMT

Half-time reading

Related: Virtuoso cup final display suggests future is Phil Foden-coloured | Barney Ronay

Related: Aston Villa take seat at top table but leave with worry they'll never belong | Jonathan Liew

8.51pm GMT

“I take your point but from what I have seen of Barca this year their midfield creativity has been poor & Messi has had to do the job,” says Mike Nagle. “I think Eriksen would have been a good creator for Messi & co.”

They already have loads of central midfielders, and I don’t think he’s enough of an upgrade to justify buying him. He would have been a computer-game signing for Barcelona, I think.

8.47pm GMT

Peep peep! No goals, but the match improved after a really scruffy start. Thibaut Courtois made an excellent save from Arthur and a decent save one from Lionel Messi. At the other end, Madrid got into some good positions only to pick the wrong option.

8.46pm GMT

44 min The last time both clasicos finished goalless in the same league season was ... never, as far as I can tell.. There were consecutive goalless draws in 1973 but they spanned the 1972-73 and 1973-74 seasons.

8.42pm GMT

42 min “Arthur is meh (in my opinion) and Modric is getting on,” says Christopher Faherty. “Isco is also meh. I’m not sure Eriksen is good enough for either of them but there’s a logic to the suggestion.”

I take your point, I just don’t think that position is a priority for either team.

8.42pm GMT

41 min It’s all happening now. At the other end, Vinicius underhits a cutback to Isco in the area. That was a decent chance as well.

8.41pm GMT

40 min Semedo beats Ramos on the right, surges into the area and cuts the ball back for Vidal. His shot from the edge of the area is really well blocked by Carvajal.

8.40pm GMT

38 min Messi misses a decent chance. He beat Varane to a bouncing ball on the edge of the area and hammered it towards goal, but the shot was nowhere near the corner and Courtois was able to beat it away.

8.39pm GMT

37 min Vinicius Jr. leads a Real break, charging down the inside-left channel. He gets to the edge of the area but then picks the wrong option, lofting a tame curling shot straight at ter Stegen. He should have tried to take on Pique or find a teammate.

8.36pm GMT

35 min “Is Tony Pulis in charge of Barca?” says Stephen Carr. “Workmanlike doesn’t even come close...”

8.36pm GMT

34 min: Good save from Courtois! Barcelona almost stole the lead on the break. Griezmann, on the halfway line, played a pass infield from the left to Arthur, who charged away from Kroos and kept going, all the way into the area with Varane and Ramos nowhere to be seen. Arthur tried to shape the ball into the far corner, but Courtois stayed big and diverted it wide of the far post.

8.33pm GMT

33 min Alba, who was harshly booked earlier, gets away with a dodgy tackle on Valverde. The referee didn’t give a free-kick; had he done so, Alba might have walked.

8.31pm GMT

30 min Courtois makes a comfortable save from Messi. It was good play from Barcelona, with Arthur, Vidal and Griezmann combining well before Messi clipped a low right-footed shot from 15 yards that was held by the crouching Courtois.

8.30pm GMT

30 min “Given their respective problems I don’t quite understand why either of these sides did not try to sign Eriksen,” says Mike Nagle. “Any thoughts?”

As much as I love Eriksen, I’m not sure either team needs another midfield schemer, do they? It’s in wide positions and/or up front that they are a bit short.

8.30pm GMT

29 min Some more nice play from Madrid. Vinicius drives a low cross from the right to Benzema, who lovingly tees up Kroos for a first-time shot from 25 yards. It whistles over the bar.

8.29pm GMT

28 min Messi is starting to threaten. He plays a one-two with Griezmann and tries to scurry into the area, with Casemiro doing well to track him all the way.

8.27pm GMT

27 min Valverde’s superb cross from the right flashes across the six-yard line, just in front of Benzema.

8.27pm GMT

26 min “Regarding Brathwaite, even as a Barca fan I find the whole deal stinks but I think we’ll keep him next year and then he either gets loaned out or moved on the following summer, presumably back to the lower trenches of La Liga,” says Simon Emmett. “I just feel the whole rule needs reviewing, as if I was a Leganes fan I’d be livid! More worrying for me though is Barca’s ongoing recruitment strategy – I’m not sure what we’re up to! I can’t wait for the new president and the return of Xavi, hopefully all by 2021!”

8.26pm GMT

25 min Messi is dropping deeper in an attempt to make the play. There aren’t that many mobile players around him, although the return of his beloved Jordi Alba gives him a few more options.

8.24pm GMT

23 min The last few minutes have been a bit better. It’s still pretty cagey, though, and the first goal feels really important.

8.23pm GMT

21 min Lovely play from Barcelona. Alba, found by Messi on the left side of the area, fizzes a low pass towards Griezmann near the penalty spot. He takes the shot first time but sweeps it high over the bar.

8.21pm GMT

20 min Courtois is almost dispossessed by Griezmann. He gets away with it and Real scoot down the other end, where Marcelo’s low cross is pushed away by the diving ter Stegen. Marcelo should have cut it back to Isco, who was unmarked 10 yards from goal.

8.20pm GMT

20 min “As you point out, pouring down here in Madrid - first rain in weeks and weeks,” says John Alford. “Watching in a bar with some Spanish mates - curiously subdued atmosphere - nobody is expecting RM to do anything! ‘Bring on Bale’, cue howls of derision.”

8.20pm GMT

19 min Carvajal and Alba have a bit of a slanging match and are both booked. Carvajal can have no complaints, as he pushed Alba. I’m not sure what Alba did wrong though.

8.19pm GMT

18 min Griezmann plays a good one-two with de Jong and surges into the area before being crowded out by Varane and Ramos.

8.17pm GMT

17 min “Hi Rob,” says Kishalay Banerjee. “Regarding Barcelona’s signing of Braithwaite, it is hard to see him staying at Camp Nou after this season, even if he performs decently. What happens next for such ‘emergency signings’ who are then left on the bench? I don’t imagine his stock will be particularly high among other clubs, despite having Barcelona on his CV.”

Yes, good point. I don’t blame Braithwaite – how do you turn down Barcelona – but the whole thing stinks.

8.16pm GMT

16 min The clasico used to be the best game in the world, but the first game this season ended 0-0 and so far this has been poor. What happened to this thing?

8.16pm GMT

15 min Good play from Vinicius, who cuts back inside Semedo and tees up Kroos on the edge of the area. He curls a first-time shot high and wide.

8.14pm GMT

14 min “Bale’s situation is complex and perplexing,” says Matt Dony. “As a Welshman, however, and given his injury history over recent seasons, I’m happy to see him spend as much time on the Real bench as possible. Ideally, just give him a few games at the end of the season to ease himself into form ready to storm the Euros.”

Good luck with that. The Euros are going to be cancelled, aren’t they?

8.13pm GMT

12 min Vinicius Jr. beats Semedo with ease but overhits his cross. It hasn’t been the greatest start to the game.

8.12pm GMT

11 min It’s absolutely pouring down at the Bernabeu. Slide tackles please!

8.11pm GMT

10 min Vinicius Jr. is booked for a foul on Semedo.

8.09pm GMT

8 min “Hi Rob,” says Alex Netherton. “Do you mind giving the MBM to a better writer? Cheers.”

I’d love to. Missing bloody Last Tango in Halifax for this.

8.07pm GMT

6 min Barcelona have had most of the ball in the early minutes, although Madrid have won the only corners. A cross from Vinicius Jr. is put behind for their third. It’s played short to Marcelo, whose cross is headed away to the edge of the area by Semedo. The backpedalling Benzema volleys high over the bar.

8.05pm GMT

4 min It’s pouring down in Madrid. The formations, are far as I can see, are 4-4-2 for Barcelona (Vidal right, de Jong left) and a loose 4-1-4-1 for Madrid, with Isco pushing up to support Benzema when they have the ball.

8.02pm GMT

2 min Isco wins an early corner for Madrid, though nothing comes of it. It looks like he’s playing in a central position, with Valverde on the right.

8.01pm GMT

1 min Peep peep! Madrid kick off from left to right as I watch.

8.00pm GMT

The captains, Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi, embrace at the coin toss. It’s time for another clasico.

7.53pm GMT

“If the emergency signing is only on the bench,” says Justin Horton, “how much of an emergency can it have been?”

It was mes que un emergencia.

7.43pm GMT

Tacticswatch Arturo Vidal played on the right in a 4-3-3 against Napoli in the week. I suspect that’s what will happen here, though Barcelona could also play a diamond midfield. It looks like the usual 4-3-3 for Real, with Isco roaming from the right wing.

7.29pm GMT

“Bale again on the bench,” says Peter Van. “What’s your take on Bale’s woes? He was hired as Real’s successor to Ronaldo; those are impossible shoes to fill, but Bale certainly seemed to have the potential to be a superstar. But his last couple of seasons have been a disaster. Is it just a mental block? Injury problems? Is it, as they seem to believe in Spain, that he just doesn’t care that much?”

It’s probably a bit of everything. The last two years have been terrible, as you say, and I’ve no idea why he didn’t leave last summer. But I suspect history will be kinder to his overall Real career.

7.20pm GMT

Great #ElClásico G⚽ALS #2: Diego Maradona!! pic.twitter.com/rQ2OaZdBoj

7.15pm GMT

Pre-match reading

Related: Real Madrid embattled before clásico but Barcelona are barely better | Sid Lowe

6.57pm GMT

Two changes apiece. Marcelo and Toni Kroos return for Real, with Ferland Mendy and Luka Modric dropped. Jordi Alba and Arthur are back for Barcelona in place of Junior Firpo and Ivan Rakitic. The new signing Martin Braithwaite is on the bench.

Real Madrid (4-3-3) Courtois; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Valverde, Casemiro, Kroos; Isco, Benzema, Vinicius Jr.
Substitutes: Areola, Militao, Modric, Bale, Lucas Vazquez, Mendy, Mariano.

5.53pm GMT

Hello and welcome to live coverage of Real Madrid v Barcelona in La Liga. El Clasico may not have the glamour or quality of its recent golden age, but the stakes are as high as ever. One of these teams will win La Liga this season, and tonight’s result may ultimately decide which one.

Barcelona are two points clear of Real with 13 games to go. This match, in all probability, is Madrid’s season entire. They are out of the Copa del Rey and almost certainly on their way out of the Champions League. They had regrouped impressively under Zinedine Zidane, having had such a desperate 2018-19, but defeats to Levante and Manchester City in the past week have set them back a long way.

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Watford 3-0 Liverpool: Premier League – as it happened

Ismaila Sarr scored twice and made the third for Troy Deeney as Watford produced a superb performance to end Liverpool’s long unbeaten run

7.29pm GMT

Sachin Nakrani’s match report has landed, so I’ll leave you with that. Thanks for your company - goodnight.

Related: Watford’s Sarr blitzes Liverpool to end dream of matching Invincibles

7.29pm GMT

Jurgen Klopp shakes hands with all the Watford players before leaving the field. You’d have to be desperately one-eyed to begrudge Watford that victory. They were the better team throughout and got their rewards in the second half. Ismaila Sarr scored two quickfire goals, the second a beauty, and set up the third for Troy Deeney.

7.26pm GMT

Liverpool’s winning run ends at a record-equalling 18 games, and their unbeaten run at 44. They are still going to win the league at a canter, and that’s all that really matters. The real significance of this result is at the bottom, where Watford jump out of the relegation places. They were simply brilliant, with and without the ball, and look far too something to go down.

7.25pm GMT

Peep peep! Watford complete a slightly surreal but thoroughly deserved victory over Liverpool. Three-nil!

7.22pm GMT

90+1 min Four minutes of added time. Liverpool are about to lose a Premier League game for the first time in 422 days.

7.21pm GMT

90 min It’s just one defeat, let’s not over-reac- oh. “I’ll be surprised if Lovren ever plays another game for Liverpool,” says Rolf Wilhelm. “Milner is a much better option for centre-back, or any of the kids.”

7.20pm GMT

89 min van Dijk wafts a shot over the bar from 30 yards. Before play resumes, the excellent Abdoulaye Doucoure - who made the first goal - is replaced by NathanIel Chalobah.

7.19pm GMT

88 min “Hey Rob,” says J.R. in Illinois. “It’s very unfair for Liverpool’s undefeated season to end this way. I mean, to make the players wear 40-pound costumes as they walked out onto the field has obviously fatigued them something terrible.”

7.17pm GMT

86 min Watford’s fans are getting greedy: they are now desperate not just for victory but also a clean sheet. Whatever happens in the last few minutes, they’ll talk about this night forever.

7.16pm GMT

85 min Jordan Henderson has been Liverpool’s player of the match.

7.14pm GMT

84 min Robertson, the only Liverpool outfield player who has performed to his usual standard, picks out Lallana. His shot is blocked.

7.14pm GMT

83 min Had Sarr scored it would have gone to VAR for a possible offside. It was very tight, not that it matters now.

7.13pm GMT

82 min Sarr misses a brilliant chance to score a legendary hat-trick! He was put through by Capoue and curled just wide of the far post. It’s his last touch: he leaves the field to a standing ovation, and a brollocking for Alexander-Arnold for not rushing straight off the field. Ignacio Pussetto replaces him.

7.12pm GMT

80 min A 3-0 win would take Watford out of the relegation zone, ahead of Bournemouth on goal difference. It’s deliciously tight down there.

7.09pm GMT

79 min Liverpool make their last change, with Roberto Firmino replaced by Takumi Minamino.

7.08pm GMT

77 min Watford have been fantastic tonight. There has been so much to admire: the work rate, spirit, defensive organisation and most of all their controlled, purposeful attacking.

7.07pm GMT

76 min Mane gets away with a little kick at Masina, who had shepherded the ball out of play.

7.06pm GMT

75 min “Troy Deeney,” says Graham Fulcher, “is an Arsenal legend. I never thought I would write that and be happy about it.”

7.04pm GMT

Even Nigel Pearson is shaking his head in disbelief. Alexander-Arnold’s short backpass was intercepted by Sarr, who went round Alisson. The angle was too tight so he turned back, looked up and fed Deeney, who sidefooted the ball calmly over the head of van Dijk on the line.

7.03pm GMT

I say. It’s Watford 3 (THREE), Liverpool 0 (NIL)!

7.02pm GMT

72 min It’s all Liverpool now, although Watford’s defensive organisation remains very impressive.

7.01pm GMT

71 min Liverpool are now playing 4-2-4: Origi left, Mane right, Salah and Firmino up front.

7.01pm GMT

70 min “As all any Arsenal have now is our past,” says Andrew Hurley, “here’s hoping Watford can preserve our two unbeaten records!”

6.59pm GMT

69 min Liverpool are starting to put Watford under serious pressure for the first time in the match. Alexander-Arnold’s whipped free-kick from the right is headed away by Cathcart.

6.57pm GMT

66 min: Lallana hits the post! It was a beautiful effort. A headed clearance came to him 25 yards out, left of centre; he chested the ball down, waited for it to bounce and cut across a left-footed shot that hit the outside of the far post. Foster was beaten.

6.56pm GMT

65 min Divock Origi replaces the disappointing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

6.55pm GMT

64 min Almost a third goal! After a lazy Liverpool clearance, Hughes’s first-time shot hits his team-mate Sarr in the six-yard box. That might have been going in.

6.54pm GMT

61 min Adam Lallana comes on to replace Wijnaldum.

6.52pm GMT

That was a lovely finish. Deeney, on halfway by the right touchline, curled a speculative pass around the defence, and all of a sudden Sarr was away. He had too much pace for van Dijk and Lovren and was calm enough to flip the ball gently over the outrushing Alisson. What a fine goal.

6.50pm GMT

Ismaila Sarr gets his second!

6.49pm GMT

58 min Robertson’s excellent cross into the six-yard box is put behind by Cathcart. Liverpool have an affronted look on their collective coupon, which is possibly bad news for Watford.

6.47pm GMT

56 min It’s probably no coincidence that Ismaila Sarr has been injured for most of Watford’s poor recent run. He was brilliant during their excellent start under Nigel Pearson, and has been a pain in Liverpool’s derriere tonight.

6.45pm GMT

It came from a long throw on the left. Deeney allowed it to bounce through to Doucoure, who chested it down on the run and knocked the ball across the six-yard box. Sarr reacted quickest, getting in front of Robertson to poke the ball into the net.

6.44pm GMT

Watford take the lead!

6.43pm GMT

53 min Liverpool have their first shot on target. Van Dijk slides an excellent pass down the inside-left channel to Robertson, whose shot is beaten away at the near post by Foster.

6.42pm GMT

52 min Liverpool have attacked with greater urgency since half-time.

6.40pm GMT

50 min As you were: the full-backs have returned to their usual positions. Bit weird.

6.39pm GMT

49 min Salah’s long-range shot is headed away by Kabasele.

6.38pm GMT

47 min Liverpool have switched their full-backs at half-time, with Robertson on the right and Alexander-Arnold on the left. Very interesting.

6.38pm GMT

46 min Sarr forces a save from Alisson in the first minute of the second half. Pereyra played a nice through ball to Sarr, who took the shot first time from the edge of the D. It was well struck but straight at Alisson, who pushed it over the bar.

6.36pm GMT

46 min Peep peep!

6.36pm GMT

Liverpool were out early for the second half, which hints at a not inconsiderable brollocking from Jurgen Klopp.

6.34pm GMT

“Sorry if you’ve been deluged with emails saying we (LFC) are missing Hendo,” says Simon Breed. “But boy are we missing Hendo’s drive and follow ups...”

6.23pm GMT

Half-time reading

Related: Football League: Leaders West Brom slump against Wigan after Leeds win

6.22pm GMT

Peep peep! No goals, and no shots on target until that Deeney opportunity a moment ago. A sluggish Liverpool haven’t really troubled a resilient Watford defence, and the only other incident of note was a nasty-looking knee injury to Gerard Deulofeu. See you in 15 minutes for the second half.

6.22pm GMT

45+5 min Deeney was being wrestled by Lovren in the penalty area just before that chance, but Michael Oliver and VAR weren’t interested. That could easily have been given.

6.21pm GMT

45+5 min Deeney misses an excellent chance! Alisson dropped a bouncing ball at the feet of Deeney, who turned and chipped towards goal. Alisson recovered to save, and Deeney’s follow-up was shepherded wide by van Dijk.

6.15pm GMT

45 min Five added minutes because of the Deulofeu injury.

6.14pm GMT

44 min Wijnaldum reacts aggressively after a foul from Hughes. It looked a bit of a snide one from Hughes, so you can understand why Wijnaldum was so hacked off.

6.13pm GMT

43 min After a confident run, Sarr shoots high over from the edge of the box.

6.12pm GMT

43 min “A grim XI there, Millings,” says Matt Dony. “Presumably, Troy ‘Dead’ Parrott was left out on account of the fact that he may not actually exist beyond the fevered imagination of Spurs fans and journalists.”

6.11pm GMT

42 min Deeney is lucky not to be booked for a late tackle on Alexander-Arnold.

6.10pm GMT

41 min This performance isn’t going to do much for Liverpool’s xG.

6.08pm GMT

38 min “I think Liverpool are running on fumes at the moment,” says Rick Harris. “ They know they’ve won the league so in the players’ minds there is less mental urgency than was there earlier in the season. They’ve come close to defeat recently against teams in the relegation battle or mid-table and seemed to find it very hard to raise their game after the winter break in the CL against Atletico. I think neutral and Liverpool fans are hoping they can eclipse the Invincibles and stay unbeaten the whole season, but they could just get unlucky.”

6.06pm GMT

37 min Deulofeu is finally stretchered off, with Pereyra replacing him.

6.03pm GMT

34 min Roberto Pereyra is getting ready to replace Deulofeu, who is going to be stretchered off. The poor bloke is in all sorts of distress.

6.03pm GMT

32 min Deulofeu is down, holding his knee, after being eased to the floor by van Dijk. No foul was given, but Michael Oliver stopped play when he realised that Deulofeu was in a lot of pain. His foot got stuck as he fell and he twisted his knee. This doesn’t look good.

5.59pm GMT

29 min Wijnaldum, facing his own goal, hacks the ball clear under pressure from Doucoure. Watford continue to make life difficult for Liverpool, which will make their eventual defeat all the more frustrating.

5.58pm GMT

27 min “Is it just me or does Klopp overplay his front three?” says Zafar Sobhan. “He does such a good job of rotating elsewhere; his overuse of his forward line is baffling to me. It won’t matter this year - except maybe in Europe - but in past years they have been susceptible to injury and fatigue in the run in.”

I used to think that as well, but it doesn’t seem to do much harm. They seem immune to fatigue.

5.54pm GMT

24 min Nothing much to report. Watford have done pretty well so far, and have certainly had the better opportunities.

5.50pm GMT

20 min A Liverpool corner is half-cleared to Oxlade-Chamberlain. He lifts a speculative pass over the outrushing defence that eventually reaches Salah, and he spanks a right-footed half-volley into the side netting. It was a pretty difficult chance.

5.48pm GMT

18 min Lovren hammers a brilliant crossfield pass to Robertson, who tries to run Sarr inside the area and is doggedly dispossessed.

5.47pm GMT

18 min Oxlade-Chamberlain’s pass towards Robertson goes straight out of play. Liverpool are not on their game, at least not yet.

5.46pm GMT

16 min Nothing happens from the corner.

5.45pm GMT

15 min Deulofeu plays a one-two with Deeney and picks out an excellent cutback to Doucoure, whose first-time shot is blocked almost disdainfully by van Dijk. Corner to Watford.

5.44pm GMT

14 min Watford are playing like the away side, allowing Liverpool to have the ball and then springing forward in numbers when they win it. Liverpool’s passing has been a bit slow by their standards.

5.42pm GMT

12 min “I take it Mac Millings’ Death XI play their home matches at Croak Park?” says Peter Oh. “And there’s no room in the squad for Virgil Van Dijd, Jordan Enderson, and No Mo’ Salah?”

Well this is cheery. No Mo!

5.41pm GMT

11 min Wijnaldum is this close to being robbed by Hughes in his own area. Watford are a threat going forward.

5.41pm GMT

10 min A much better effort from Deulofeu. He runs at Alexander-Arnold on the edge of the box, cuts inside and whips a curling shot towards the far corner that goes just over the bar. I’m not sure Alisson had that one covered.

5.39pm GMT

8 min “Sitting in theology seminar reading MBM, hoping not to be caught,” writes YOU THERE I KNOW YOU’RE READING THE MBM ARE MY SEMINARS THAT BLOODY BORING. “But I don’t think the Reds need a prayer from me to spank Watford, god bless their yellow hearts. Onward Liverpool!!”

I think this will be a tough game for Liverpool, and they’ll win 3-1.

5.38pm GMT

7 min Liverpool enjoy an extended spell of possession. Eventually Alexander-Arnold lofts an excellent pass to Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right side of the box. He is held up but returns the ball to Alexander-Arnold, whose cross goes out of play. I think he was pushed but nothing was given.

5.34pm GMT

5 min Deulofeu cuts infield from the left and hit a low shot that goes a few yards wide of the near post. Alisson had it covered.

5.33pm GMT

4 min A quiet start. Has Jurgen Klopp taken Liverpool as far as he can?

5.30pm GMT

1 min Peep peep! Liverpool kick off from left to right as I watch. They are in red; Watford are sporting yellow.

5.29pm GMT

Young Watford fan sat in front of the press box literally jumped out of his seat and punched the air when it was announced Dejan Lovren is starting for Liverpool today.

5.28pm GMT

The players emerge from the tunnel on a chilly evening in Watford. Let’s watch some football.

5.22pm GMT

“I don’t want to bore you with my whole train of thought,” says Mac Millings. “But I was going to do a Leap Year XI, and then the afternoon results came in, and Watford are playing Liverpool, and I ended up doing a Death one instead. Don’t worry, I’m fine, and everything is going to be fine:

5.19pm GMT

If Liverpool win tonight, they will set a new record for consecutive victories in the top flight: 19.

5.06pm GMT

Related: Chelsea snatch point from Bournemouth thanks to Marcos Alonso double

4.44pm GMT

Pre-match reading

Related: Winning mentality the key for Liverpool, says Jürgen Klopp

Related: Watford v Liverpool: match preview

4.35pm GMT

Related: Bournemouth v Chelsea, West Ham v Southampton and more – live!

4.34pm GMT

Watford (4-2-3-1) Foster; Kiko Femenia, Kabasele, Cathcart, Masina; Hughes, Capoue; Sarr, Doucoure, Deulofeu; Deeney.
Substitutes: Gomes, Dawson, Chalobah, Pussetto, Pereyra, Welbeck, Gray.

Liverpool (4-3-3) Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, van Dijk, Robertson; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Fabinho, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane.
Substitutes: Adrian, Matip, Hoever, Lallana, Jones, Minamino, Origi.

4.27pm GMT

Hello and welcome to live coverage of Watford v Liverpool from Vicarage Road. Even allowing for the received wisdom that football is a funny old game, it would be seriously bizarre if Liverpool were denied their first title for 30 years because of a pandemic.

If the coronavirus does not end the season early, Liverpool need 12 points from their last 11 games to clinch their first Premier League title. They could still do it at Everton on 16 March, the third of those 11 games, should Manchester City drop points in the meantime. For the time being, their focus is on beating Watford and extending their lead to 25 points. Yawn, meh, 25 points.

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