Rob Smyth's Blog, page 132

April 19, 2019

Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Hard for Manchester City and Spurs to serve up another classic, Everton can cause trouble for Manchester United and Chelsea fans should lap up Eden Hazard

Before the run-in even started, Liverpool looked like they might be consumed by nerves during it, so tentative were their performances against Leicester, West Ham and Manchester United. But they battled hard to avoid disaster, and now that the run-in is actually under way, are playing like a team who expect to be champions, either riding their good form or maintaining the patience and composure necessary to force the issue. Against both Tottenham and Chelsea, they could easily have flapped in frantic, frenetic style, but instead were able to increase intensity without sacrificing control, which brought them the goals that they needed. Or, put another way, Cardiff are in deep, deep trouble. DH

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Published on April 19, 2019 00:27

April 18, 2019

Chelsea 4-3 Slavia Prague (agg: 5-3): Europa League quarter-final, second leg – as it happened

Pedro and Petr Sevick scored twice as Chelsea, who led 5-1 on aggregate after half an hour, stumbled into the semi-finals with a strange victory at Stamford Bridge

10.07pm BST

Here’s Dom Fifield’s report from Stamford Bridge, which is also my cue to say goodnight. Thanks for your company, goodnight!

10.05pm BST

Post-match interviews

Olivier Giroud

10.00pm BST

Arsenal have now conceded one goal in their last seven games. They’re in serious danger of getting a reputation for good defending.

9.59pm BST

“So all football is Leeds United vs VFB Stuttgart now?” says Niall Mullen. “Everyone has been saying that it was Cruyff who shaped modern European football but, as I think we all secretly knew, it was really Howard Wilkinson.”

9.56pm BST

The Europa League semi-finals are:

9.51pm BST

Peep peep! Chelsea are into the Europa League semi-finals. They made peculiarly hard work of it, having been 5-1 up on aggregate after half an hour of the second leg, but all’s well that ends well.

9.48pm BST

90 min Hudson-Odoi loses the ball in a dangerous area, but Kral shoots well over the bar on the turn. There will be three minutes of added discomfort for Chelsea.

9.47pm BST

89 min Stoch’s free-kick is blocked by Willian in the wall.

9.46pm BST

88 min David Luiz is penalised for handball this far outside the area. He mistimed his attempted header and punched the ball away, an action for which he is booked. More importantly, Slavia have a free-kick 18.0001 yards from goal.

9.45pm BST

87 min Sarri is waving his hands in frustration on the sideline. I think that had something to do with the substitution, though I’ve no idea what exactly it was that engaged his wick.

9.44pm BST

86 min This is a good spell of pressure for Slavia Prague. Meanwhile, Callum Hudson-Odoi replaces Pedro.

9.42pm BST

85 min Slavia Prague make their final change: Milan Skoda replaces the impressive Jaromir Zmrhal.

9.40pm BST

83 min Kepa is booked for timewasting. Oh, the ignominy.

9.40pm BST

82 min Stoch rifles a shot over the bar from 30 yards. Slavia are still the better team, though Chelsea look reasonably comfortable defensively.

9.39pm BST

9.37pm BST

80 min Arsenal, since you asked, are cruising into the semi-finals.

9.36pm BST

78 min The corner is headed away by Christensen.

9.35pm BST

77 min Deli’s long crossfield pass is headed behind for a corner by Emerson. Before it is taken, former Chelsea player Miroslav Stoch replaces Petr Sevcik, who scored two cracking goals just after half-time.

9.32pm BST

75 min Emerson is booked for flattening Kudela.

9.32pm BST

75 min Chelsea are starting to restore order and take control of the game again.

9.31pm BST

74 min Eintracht Frankfurt lead Benfica 2-0, so as things stand they are going through on away goals to face Chelsea.

9.30pm BST

73 min Kudela is booked for a hack at Willian.

9.27pm BST

70 min Another Chelsea change: Jorginho replaces Ross Barkley,.

9.27pm BST

69 min Kral’s long-range shot has the pace taken off it by a Chelsea defender and dribbles through to Kepa.

9.26pm BST

68 min Pedro drives a crossfield pass straight out of play. They’ve been dreadful in the second half. A stroll has turned into a stagger.

9.24pm BST

66 min “Right,” sniffs Matt Dony. “Stop the confident Liverpool talk/jinxing right now. And, I’m not sure I can fully explain the hilarity that is this week’s European football, but I’m inclined to blame Brexit. Or Trump. Or both. Either way, I’d love to see two all-English finals, but it’s also enormously entertaining to see SLAVIA make a good fist of it.”

9.23pm BST

65 min Willian comes on for Chelsea to replace Eden Hazard.

9.22pm BST

64 min Emerson wins a corner for Chelsea, who know that one more goal should end this surreal dream they’re having.

9.21pm BST

63 min Chelsea are struggling here. This is preposterous!

9.20pm BST

62 min: Sevcik misses a great chance for the hat-trick! It was beautifully worked down the left by Olayinka and then Zmrhal, who curled a glorious long pass between defenders and goalkeeper to find Sevcik at the far post. He had to take the shot on the run from 12 yards and made a total hash of it, screwing the ball backwards and falling over in the process.

9.16pm BST

57 min If anyone fancies enlightening me as what the flip has happened to European football in the last two days, feel free to email.

9.15pm BST

55 min “I suspect there will be at least one English side in Champions League final,” says Phil Podolsky. “Liverpool seems perfectly placed to exploit Barcelona’s defensive frailties, and has the second leg at Enfield. I’m more excited about the other one, Ajax youngsters v Spurs reserves. Anything could happen!”

Yep, I think Liverpool will ransack Barcelona.

9.14pm BST

Sevcik has scored an even better goal, a right-footed shot from 20 yards that roared across Kepa and into the far corner. All of a sudden, Slavia are only two goals away from the semi-finals!

9.13pm BST

What the hell!

9.12pm BST

54 min “Rob, Ian Burch has brought so many happy memories back,” says Stephen Pospisil. “Clive Walker’s thinning hair as he flew down the wing, and the man-mountain that was Micky Droy. European competition an impossible dream. Ron Harris playing up front at the back end of his career because the club had no other options. Happy days.”

9.12pm BST

53 min Soucek is booked for pulling back Barkley.

9.11pm BST

52 min Slavia make their first change, with Peter Olayinka replacing Lukas Masopust.

9.10pm BST

52 min It was a mistake from Kepa, who left too big a gap at the near post, but it was still a beautiful strike from Sevcik.

9.09pm BST

That’s a cracking strike. Sevcik moves infield from the right and crashes a low, left-footed shot from 18 yards that beats Kepa at the near post.

9.08pm BST

51 min Pedro almost gets his hat-trick. He was found by Hazard in the box, but tried to dribble past a defender and was dispossessed.

9.06pm BST

49 min Nothing to report in the second half so far.

9.03pm BST

46 min Peep peep! Chelsea begin the second half. Eden Hazard is still on, which might be asking for trouble.

9.00pm BST

“Rob,” says Ian Burch. “I seem to remember that Mr Bates wanted to introduce the electric fences after a full-scale riot when Sunderland knocked Chelsea out of a Milk Cup semi-final at the Bridge. Former Chelsea player Clive Walker raced through to score against his old club after being played onside by a mounted policeman on the pitch who was behind Chelsea’s back four at the time. God knows what VAR would have made of that.”

I hadn’t thought of that. Imagine VAR in English football in the 1980s! There would have been five riots per match. And you can imagine the equanimity with which Vinnie Jones, Dennis Wise and John Fashanu might have responded upon being informed that VAR had ruled out a last-minute winner for Wimbledon because of GBH on four opposition players in the build-up.

8.48pm BST

Half-time reading

8.48pm BST

Peep peep! Chelsea are strolling into the semi-finals of the Europa League. They have been far too good for a modest Slavia Prague, whose defending has been abysmal.

8.44pm BST

44 min Boril’s mishit cross almost sneaks over Kepa, who dances backwards to paw the ball down.

8.43pm BST

43 min Emerson’s shot hits Ngadeu and goes behind for a corner. He had so much space there.

8.41pm BST

39 min This is a bit boring now.

8.41pm BST

38 min Arsenal have scored in Naples, which means Napoli need four to go through. We really could end up with two all-English European finals this season. What a treat that would be. Just imagine the media circlejerk!

8.39pm BST

35 min “Evening Rob.” Says Simon McMahon. “I’ve been reading a lot of Greek myths recently (don’t ask). As floating brain in a jar Jonathan Wilson alluded to in the article I read earlier today, I think Pep must have angered the gods when he left Barcelona. And as for the darts, MVG is Zeus, which I think means that Phil Taylor was Cronus. And back to football, introducing Alex McLeish as Epimetheus.”

This is where I try to do a convincing lol, while quietly praying that nobody asks me to explain why I’m laughing, knowing that if they do I will soon be systematically exposed for the philistine I am.

8.36pm BST

34 min Kante is booked for something or other.

8.35pm BST

32 min “I have no interest in this game other than it’s very heartening to see both teams wearing normal kits, the ref wearing black and the keepers not decked out like that Mexican chap who used to design his own,” says David Johnson. “A bit of electric fencing at the Bridge and we could be back in the 80s. I know it never happened, but having been an away fan there many times, I so wish it had.”

8.32pm BST

31 min “Enjoy the darts, Rob!” honks Matt Dony.

8.31pm BST

29 min Arsenal went to Naples defending a 2-0 lead from the first leg. You won’t believe the score!

8.31pm BST

28 min The Slavia keeper Kolar does a Cruyff turn to beat Pedro. It’s not like his team have conceded enough goals already.

8.30pm BST

28 min “Hazard has to be one of the most resilient players out there,” says Paul. “Fouled constantly every game (3 times by my count already today). he just gets up and gets on with it. As a Chelsea fan, he will be sorely missed.”

Yeah, I always think when we discuss football’s hard men, we should include skilful, Chumbawamba players like Hazard, Maradona and Best.

8.28pm BST

Dear lord, another goal. Hazard releases Emerson, who slides a lovely low cross towards the near post. Giroud’s close-range shot is saved by Kolar, but Pedro shovels it in from six yards with his left foot.

8.27pm BST

Tomas Soucek gets an early consolation goal. It was a nice corner routine actually. Sevcik curled it out towards the penalty spot, where Soucek made a late run and planted an excellent header into the net.

8.26pm BST

25 min Deli almost scores at the right end. Zmrhal’s floated free-kick to the far post was met by Deli, whose powerful downward header was well saved by Kepa.

8.24pm BST

23 min Slavia have been neat and tidy in possession. Their defending, alas, has been on the abysmal side of lamentable.

8.23pm BST

21 min “Re: my cousin Francesco’s assessment of Kovacic in the 2nd minute,” writes Angelo Puglisi. “I’ve no idea what the point of Kovacic is anymore. I can’t remember the positive thing he contributed.”

8.22pm BST

20 min Kudela again leaves one on Hazard, who is again in a lot of pain. He wants to continue, and I’m sure he will, but Sarri would probably like to take him off for his own protection.

8.19pm BST

19 min That’s Giroud’s 10th goal in this season’s Europa League.

8.19pm BST

18 min “Ah, yes,” says Matt Dony. “Right. Apologies. Mind you, it does kind of underline my point. If SPARTA turned up and played an outlandish formation, that really would top last night for drama. As you were.”

8.19pm BST

This is so easy. Kante slides a fine angled pass to put Pedro through on goal. He could probably score himself but instead squares it for Giroud to slide into an empty net from 12 yards.

8.17pm BST

16 min A good effort from Zmrhal, who cracks a bouncing ball a few yards wide of the far post.

8.16pm BST

14 min So, Chelsea will play Benfica or Eintracht Frankfurt in the semis.

8.14pm BST

11 min There was nothing Deli could do about that goal, and there’s nothing he can do to stop it being replayed for LOLs and giggles until kingdom come.

8.12pm BST

It was made by Hazard, who scampered into the area, beat Ngadeu and slid the ball across to give Pedro an open goal from two yards. Somehow he managed to slap it onto the post, a quite ridiculous miss, but the ball rebounded off the face of Deli and into the net.

8.11pm BST

Chelsea double their lead with an absurd own goal.

8.10pm BST

9 min “Hi,” says Zdenek. “Re: Matt Dony’s email, the team playing Chelsea today is definitely not Sparta…”

Ach! I knew somebody would make that mistake tonight, though I wrongly assumed it would be. There’s still time I suppose.

8.09pm BST

8 min Hazard, who looks okay now, twists Kudela inside out on the left of the box before having a shot blocked. This is the thing with Hazard - if you’re going to kick him, you’d better make sure you put him out of the game because otherwise he’ll make it his night’s work to humiliate you.

8.07pm BST

That was a beautiful exhibition of one-touch football. Pedro cut infield from the right and played two one-twos, the first with Azpilicueta and the second with Giroud, before lifting the ball gently over Kolar. That was sheer delightful football.

8.06pm BST

Lovely goal! Lovely goal!

8.05pm BST

4 min Hazard is back on, though he is moving gingerly. He’ll hopefully be able to run it off.

8.04pm BST

3 min Hazard is down and in a lot of pain. Kudela stood on the back of his Achilles – I’m not sure whether it was deliberate, I suspect it was – and Hazard is struggling.

8.03pm BST

2 min “I would love it if Jorginho would come on for Kovacic and move Kante back so that the Italian could pass balls forward,” says Francesco Puglisi. “He is under-estimated and an excellent passer, so if Chelsea can allow him to play balls upfield, chances will come with that. Also, N’Golo Kante should play in a defensive role. His strength is when the OPPOSITION has the ball.”

I agree with most of that, but Sarri isn’t ever going to change his system. And, in fairness, it has been very successful for most of my career.

8.01pm BST

1 min Peep peep! Slavia Prague get the match underway. They are wearing red and white halves; Chelsea are in blue.

7.55pm BST

Chelsea are aiming to reach their first European semi-final in five years. The last time they did so was in the 2013-14 Champions League, when they were emphatically beaten by Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. They also won this competition in 2012-13.

7.51pm BST

“So,” says Matt Dony, “what could possibly happen tonight that would top last night? Sarri striding on to the pitch and flicking his fag butt at the ref over a decision? Hazard scoring nine? Sparta playing a 1-1-8 formation? Jorginho coming on and playing long balls forward? Literally anything could happen!”

That’s why we love this game! I’ll tell you one thing, though: if there are five goals in the first 21 minutes tonight, I’ll be logging off and watching the darts. I’m too old for that sort of “entertainment”.

7.11pm BST

Meanwhile, in Naples

7.09pm BST

I don’t actually know why Loftus-Cheek is not even on the bench, though I suspect he’s being rested for Sunday’s match against Burnley. A strange kind of compliment.

7.06pm BST

Pre-match reading

6.51pm BST

Maurizio Sarri has picked a pretty strong starting XI, although Ruben Loftus-Cheek is not even on the bench due to [REDACTED].

Chelsea (4-3-3) Arrizabalaga; Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Christensen, Emerson; Kante, Kovacic, Barkley; Pedro, Giroud, Hazard.
Substitutes: Caballero, Cahill, Zappacosta, Jorginho, Willian, Hudson-Odoi, Higuain.

5.34pm BST

Hello. European quarter-finals come in all shapes, sizes and heart rates. After last night’s coronary-inducing melodrama at the Etihad Stadium, things should - should - be more sedate at Stamford Bridge this evening.

Although Slavia Prague are a useful side with an outstanding away record, logic suggests this will be a comfortable night for Chelsea. They lead 1-0 from the first leg in Prague, when Marcos Alonso’s late goal gave them a slightly flattering victory, and their home form has been excellent for most of the season.

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Published on April 18, 2019 14:07

April 17, 2019

Man City 4-3 Spurs (4-4 agg, Spurs win on away goals): Champions League – as it happened

There were five goals in the first 21 minutes - and the ending was even more dramatic as Spurs reached the Champions League semi-finals on a night of stratospheric drama

12.19am BST

10.37pm BST

That’s it for tonight’s blog. I’m off to... yep, watch the highlights of this match. Thanks for your company and emails, most of which I’ve not had chance to read yet. I’ll leave you with Danny Taylor’s report on the most dramatic game I’ve seen in many a decade. Goodnight!

10.32pm BST

From an English point of view, that match was the Champions League equivalent of the Premier League’s greatest game: Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle in 1995-96.

10.30pm BST

Here’s Mauricio Pochettino “Unbelievable. I am so happy, so proud of my players – they are heroes – and so happy for our fans. And now we have to come here again on Saturday! That is why we love football – anything can happen. We showed great personality; to score three goals here is not easy. I would like to congratulate Manchester City, who were fantastic, but I think our effort was massive too.

10.28pm BST

Here’s Daniel Taylor’s report from the Etihad Stadium

10.27pm BST

Here’s Pep “We scored a goal and VAR made the rest. [Was it the right decision? We’re talking inches here] The inches was the handball. That was inches. Our goal was offside, and that’s cruel. It is what it is. Llorente’s goal was handball. Maybe the referee didn’t see the right image; from another angle it’s handball.

“The first half was not normal. In the second half we created a lot of chances. They are a strong team and unfortunately we are not in the next stage. [The quadruple’s gone, Pep?] Yeah, it’s gone.”

10.21pm BST

“I feel for Sterling,” says Niall Mullen. “What a player he is.”

Yes. He will probably never have a greater high in his career than that third goal. Oh VAR, so much to answer for.

10.10pm BST

I’m going to attempt to have a comfort break, though in truth I’m not sure many of my functions are working right now. I’ll be back in two minutes with more reaction to whatever it is we’ve just witnessed.

10.08pm BST

“If Harry Kane had scored three goals over two legs to drag Spurs past Man City in a Champions League quarter-final, they’d be linking him to Real Madrid for €300m,” says Pascal Chan. “So Son is of course being linked to no one for nothing.”

He’d being linked to my heart, especially after that interview.

10.07pm BST

Guy Hornsby is alive! And speaking, sort of.

“Err.....”

10.06pm BST

Here’s Paul Griffin, capturing the moment

“AGÜER!-oh.”

10.06pm BST

My colleague Scott Murray, who MBMed Liverpool’s win in Porto, has come straight off that game to email a detailed appraisal of this remarkable match: “Fucking hell!”

10.04pm BST

Post-match interviews

Christian Eriksen “I’m the luckiest guy on the planet with that last goal being disallowed. The whole game was a rollercoaster – goals, goals, goals, goals, and drama everywhere. It was a fun game to play [Really?!].”

10.04pm BST

One bit of admin: Son will miss the first leg of the semi-final. Oh, and by the way, either Spurs or Ajax will play in the Champions League final.

10.00pm BST

That last Sterling goal. What happened was this: Eriksen tried to play his way out of trouble, which looked very silly when his pass back towards Davies ended up at the feet of Aguero. He found Sterling, who scored with indecent coolness. But it turned out there had been a touch off Bernardo Silva before the ball reached Aguero, and he was just offside.

9.58pm BST

Spurs will play Ajax in the Champions League semi-final. Ilkay Gundogan is in tears. Fernando Llorente is the greatest substitute in history. I can only talk in short sentences. Truly, I have never seen a game like that. It had four goals in the first 11 minutes - and the end of the match was even more dramatic!

9.56pm BST

Mauricio Pochettino is going mad on the touchline - almost as mad as Pep Guardiola did when Raheem Sterling scored the injury-time winner that was then ruled out by VAR.

9.56pm BST

It’s over, and it will never be the same again.

9.54pm BST

90+5 min It was the correct decision, but my lord, what a moment. I have never seen a football match like this, never in all my life.

9.53pm BST

It’s been disallowed for offside against Aguero in the build up! This is astonishing! There aren’t enough exclamation marks in the world!

9.53pm BST

I cannot take this. It could be disallowed.

9.52pm BST

There’s a VAR check for offside!

9.52pm BST

Raheem Sterling has done it!!!!!!

9.51pm BST

90+2 min Wanyama makes a great tackle on the marauding Sane, realises he has nothing left and hoofs the ball straight out of play in the City half.

9.49pm BST

90+1 min There are five minutes of added hope, misery, pain and joy.

9.49pm BST

90 min Spurs kill a bit of time before Rose is given offside. Spurs are going to make their last change - Davinson Sanchez replaces Danny Rose.

9.48pm BST

89 min De Bruyne’s high, hanging cross is well claimed by Lloris. Now, about that distinction between diminuendo and decrescendo.

9.46pm BST

88 min You’d expect City to get one more chance. This is pulsating stuff.

9.46pm BST

87 min Spurs have finally parked the bus.

9.45pm BST

86 min: Chance for Gundogan! Fernandinho drives a pass out to Sane, who stretches to head it into the area. Gundogan – just offside, I think, but not flagged – volleys over on the turn from four yards with his left foot. It was quite a hard chance, but a chance nonetheless.

9.44pm BST

85 min Eriksen tries to chip Ederson from the halfway line. Ederson chests it down with nonchalant disdain. Then Rose, already booked, is late on Fernandinho, but not so late as to merit a second yellow.

9.43pm BST

84 min OK, Spurs are playing 4-4-1-1. Eriksen behind the GOAT, with Son wide right, Rose wide left and Davies at left back.

9.42pm BST

83 min Leroy Sane replaces Benjamin Mendy. Just the facts, Jack.

9.42pm BST

83 min With Davies on, Spurs’ formation is now SOD TACTICS.

9.41pm BST

82 min Ben Davies on, Lucas Moura off. Just the facts, Jack. That’s all we’ve time for in this demented classic.

9.40pm BST

82 min “Has anybody checked on pre-match nerves’ Guy Hornsby recently?” asks Justin Kavanagh. “I think he might actually have been swallowed by the couch at this point, and will be found by a relative looking for change in future years.”

As soon as I extricate myself from the Llorente-shaped hole I’ve dug, I’ll go looking for him.

9.39pm BST

81 min I’m too old for this, and I don’t even support either team.

9.39pm BST

80 min Lloris makes a camera-friendly save from Aguero’s hopeful header.

9.38pm BST

80 min “When Spurs win this with human shipwreck Victor Wanyama as their central midfield and Fernando Llorente running in behind on the counter attack,” says Phil Cowen, “does it make tactics, preparation and football management as a whole officially redundant?”

Never mind tactics – we might as well just STOP FOOTBALL after this.

9.37pm BST

79 min A desperate long-range shot from Gundogan goes over the bar.

9.37pm BST

78 min It hit Kompany’s back, so on we go. It was a brilliant block from him.

9.36pm BST

77 min Now Spurs appeal for a penalty when Eriksen’s shot hits Kompany! City break and Wanyama is booked for fouling De Bruyne, but the Eriksen shot is being checked by VAR!

9.35pm BST

It’s the right decision, I think, but I don’t really know what to think after this football match.

9.34pm BST

That’s not a clear and obvious error. It may have brushed his arm but there’s no conclusive evidence.

9.34pm BST

It definitely hit Llorente’s hip. The issue is whether it hit his hand first - and, if it did, whether it was in an unnatural position.

9.33pm BST

A corner from the left skimmed off the head of Walker, hit Llorente and dribbled over the line. City thought it hit his hand. The referee is going to check the screen.

9.32pm BST

Fernando Llorente, the greatest substitution in football history, has put Spurs ahead on away goals! But it’s being checked for VAR!

9.31pm BST

72 min Spurs are having their best spell of the half, although that isn’t saying much. Son makes a fine run onto Trippier’s pass, and his speculative shot from a very tight angle is blocked by the outrushing Ederson. That leads to a corner, which leads to another when Ederson spills the ball over his shoulder.

9.30pm BST

71 min Fernandinho is going about his business as usual, breaking up play with sly fouls and timely tackles. He is so good at what he does.

9.28pm BST

68 min I’ll possibly regret this, but I’d go so far as to say that first-half substitution by Pochettino is one of the worst I’ve ever seen. I just cannot fathom it. It looked terrible on paper; it’s been even worse on the pitch.

9.27pm BST

67 min “De Bruyne is beyond brilliant,” says Andrew Hurley. “One of the best players I’ve seen in England in the past 25 years. But... what was Pep thinking leaving him on the bench in the first leg... for Mahrez?!”

You can’t explain tactics.

9.25pm BST

65 min This tie will be over very soon. City are overwhelming Spurs, who look shattered mentally and physically.

9.23pm BST

64 min “I was wondering how they could Spurs this up,” says Rachel Clifton. “Gah!”

It’s that substitution. There are parallels – in the substitution and the scoreline – with Gerard Houllier taking off Didi Hamann in Leverkusen 17 years ago.

9.21pm BST

63 min Right, you’ve had your fun: now here comes Fernandinho. He replaces the quiet David Silva.

9.21pm BST

62 min City have picked up where they left off before the fourth goal. It’s painfully one-sided at the moment.

9.20pm BST

61 min Lads...

9.19pm BST

De Bruyne, who has been beyond brilliant tonight, surges infield past Wanyama and then flicks a lovely pass back outside to release Aguero. He lets the ball run across his body in the area and scorches it past Lloris at the near post.

9.18pm BST

Yep, it was coming.

9.18pm BST

58 min A double chance for Spurs! First Son, played through by Lucas Moura, is tackled brilliantly by the last man Kompany; then a downward header from Llorente, that inspired substitution, is palmed away by Ederson!

9.15pm BST

56 min Gundogan’s free-kick is headed over at the near post by David Silva. It wasn’t much of a chance. Spurs look like a team who are waiting to concede. I love Mauricio Pochettino, but I fear he’s had a shocker here.

9.14pm BST

55 min Spurs should take Llorente off. It’s not his fault, but his introduction has changed this game completely. He’s currently playing as an auxillary left-back and has just flattened Bernardo Silva.

9.13pm BST

54 min: Brilliant save from Lloris! De Bruyne, found by Aguero on the edge of the box, arrowed a rising drive across goal that was beaten around the post by the flying Lloris. Rose was booked for a foul in the build-up.

9.12pm BST

53 min Spurs have been overrun ever since Sissoko went off, and at the moment a fourth City goal feels inevitable.

9.11pm BST

50 min: Vital save by Lloris! Sterling’s sidefoot from 10 yards is palmed away by Lloris, and Rose does unbelievably well to get in front of Bernardo Silva and put the loose ball behind. Bernardo Silva would have had an open goal. City wanted a penalty for a foul on Bernardo Silva but it looked fair enough from Rose. Spurs got the bonus of a goal-kick as well.

9.09pm BST

50 min I’m really not sure about that Spurs substitution. I know their options were limited but the game is far too quick for Llorente at the moment, and it has also meant moving most of their best attacking players into more defensive roles.

9.08pm BST

49 min De Bruyne cracks a powerful free-kick just over the bar. Lloris had it covered anyway.

9.07pm BST

48 min A nice lay-off from Aguero to De Bruyne, who is pulled back by Son just outside the D. Son is booked - he’ll miss the first leg of the semi-final if Spurs get there - and this is a big chance for City.

9.05pm BST

47 min I think Spurs have switched to 4-4-2, with Eriksen on the right of midfield, Son on the left and Alli alongside Wanyama.

9.05pm BST

47 min “I had around a dozen predictive scenarios for this game,” says Conor Clarke, “and they all happened in the first 20 minutes.”

9.04pm BST

46 min Peep peep! Spurs begin the second half.

8.53pm BST

“Spurs needed to score the third goal before half time,” says Krishnamoorthy. “Impossible to think that City won’t score one goal in 45 minutes.”

I’m not too hot on the Champions League regulations, but I think Spurs are allowed to score in the second half as well.

8.51pm BST

Half time chit chat

“The commentator on my stream likened Sterling’s opener to Messi’s first from last night, but for my money the comparison only serves to put Sterling’s perfectly good goal in perspective,” says Philip Podolsky. “It was a conventional goal-scoring opportunity compared to where Messi started his run - and took the shot - from.”

8.49pm BST

The first person to explain what the hell just happened wins a million retweets.

8.49pm BST

45+3 min Spurs are hanging on for half time. That change has not worked so far.

8.46pm BST

45+1 min There will be three minutes of Sissoko time.

8.46pm BST

45 min De Bruyne’s left-footed daisy cutter from 25 yards is comfortably saved by the falling Lloris. De Bruyne has been great.

8.45pm BST

44 min Spurs are actually playing a pretty narrow 4-1-2-2-1, with Wanyama in front of the back four, then Eriksen and Alli, then Lucas Moura and Son behind Llorente.

8.44pm BST

43 min Son almost gets his hat-trick! He beat Walker on the left of the box with a stepover and flashed a curling left-footed shot a couple of yards wide of the far post. He looks like he feels he can score from anywhere.

8.43pm BST

42 min Sterling slides a dangerous through pass to David Silva, who is about to shoot when the hitherto inept Trippier makes an excellent and vital tackle.

8.42pm BST

42 min Fernando Llorente comes on, which means both teams are now playing a 0-0-10.

8.41pm BST

41 min Sissoko is booked for limping off the wrong side of the pitch. Yes.

8.41pm BST

40 min Sissoko comes back on … and then goes down again. Yep, he’s going to come off, to actually be replaced by Fernando Llorente. A striker for a defensive midfielder when you’re hanging on for dear life. Has everyone lost the noggin?

8.39pm BST

39 min “Rob,” says Lord KIA, “this game is nothing but a ploy to make sure you get no room to breathe. It’s all so easy to see.”

Though not to breathe.

8.39pm BST

38 min Sod it, put Llorente on.

8.39pm BST

38 min Spurs have few midfield options on the bench – just the 18-year-old Oliver Skipp.

8.38pm BST

37 min A superb, sharp cut-back from De Bruyne finds Aguero, who takes a touch and slams a shot on the turn that is superbly blocked at the expense of a corner by Alderweireld. Before the corner can be taken, Sissoko needs more treatment. I think he’s done.

8.37pm BST

36 min I’m bored now.

8.36pm BST

35 min Sissoko is struggling. He tried to tackle De Bruyne, failed and started limping. It looks like it might be his groin, but he’s going to try to continue.

8.36pm BST

34 min “It’s all gone a bit flat, Rob,” says Charles Antaki. “Some football is happening, including what looks like defending.”

You’re hallucinating.

8.35pm BST

33 min “Yes well, it could be diminuendo,” says Geoff Wignall. “The usual distinction is that can happen anywhere, whereas a decrescendo necessarily follows a crescendo. The Oxford dictionary distinguishes them as getting quieter and getting softer respectively, or the other way about; I forget which and don’t understand the difference anyway.”

8.33pm BST

32 min It’s been a good spell for Spurs, which is to say that nothing has happened for the last few minutes.

8.32pm BST

31 min By the way, Scott Murray is following Porto v Liverpool. You will not believe the score!

8.31pm BST

30 min Spurs’ full-backs, Trippier and Rose, are both having a stinker. I’m not sure who started it, but you have to admire the solidarity of the other bloke.

8.30pm BST

29 min “Why can’t all football be like this, scripted in a Disney studio?” says Bill Hargreaves. “Somewhere, at the back of a dimly lit pub room, Paul Scholes has torn up half his betting slips.”

If he had, I’d like to see the other half.

8.29pm BST

28 min Spurs are trying to take some emotion out of the game, mainly by keeping the ball. And they were doing it well until Wanyama lumped a pass straight out of play.

8.27pm BST

26 min “Even Shay Given would stop eating at this!” says Holly McGuire.

8.26pm BST

25 min Son looks so sharp for Spurs. It’s a big call, I know, but I reckon there might be more goals in this.

8.24pm BST

23 min That was a deceptively good finish from Sterling, especially as it was with his weaker foot. This match is truly, madly, deeply ludicrous.

8.23pm BST

After 10 miserable, goalless minutes in this match, Sterling puts City level on aggregate. De Bruyne created it with a quite stunning low cross through the corridor of uncertainty. It missed everyone in the middle and rolled beyond the far post to Sterling, who placed it carefully into the net from a tight angle with his left foot.

8.22pm BST

The goal drought is over!

8.21pm BST

20 min “Diminuendo,” says Andy Sanders. “A diminuendo is the opposite of crescendo. I know there’s a football game on, but I think a lot of people would appreciate the update on this one, Rob.”

I said that! I said that in the preamble! At least I think I did! Also, this game cannot failed to diminuendo after that start.

8.20pm BST

19 min Mauricio Pochettino has just called Danny Rose over to give him some tactical advice, presumably along the lines of, “IF YOU LOT DON’T START DEFENDING PROPERLY I’LL STICK MY SHINY SHOE RIGHT YOU UP YOUR NEW STADIUM!”

8.19pm BST

18 min A surging run from Walker ends when he is chopped by Wanyama, 25 yards from goal. It’s a fair way to the right of centre, so you’d expect De Bruyne to cross rather than shoot. At least you would in a normal football match. In fact it’s taken by David Silva, who curls a fairly tame effort onto the roof of the net. Lloris had it covered.

8.18pm BST

17 min “This U-10 game is very entertaining,” says Rai Skrupskis. “When do the men’s teams start?”

To be fair, two of the goals – Sterling’s and Son’s second – were great, although it’s also true that all four goals were brought to you in association with shite defending.

8.16pm BST

16 min So, those away goals from Son have taken extra-time out of the equation. City now need to win by two goals or they will be out. A jaunty 9-7 victory should do it.

8.15pm BST

14 min This is absurd. City are already playing like there are two minutes remaining and they need a goal to save all humanity from extinction. The pace is astonishing.

8.14pm BST

12 min “Defending is overrated,” says Ruth Purdue. “Let’s go for a cricket score.”

2-2 is a cricket score, at least when England are playing Test cricket.

8.13pm BST

City are level on the night and only need two more goals to go through. Aguero played a good pass to release Bernardo Silva on the right side of the box. He tried to guide a left-footed shot into the far corner, and it took a huge deflection off Rose before bobbling miserably past Lloris at the near post.

8.12pm BST

What the hell is this?

8.11pm BST

It’s another brilliant goal! Laporte overran the ball on the halfway line - an egregious error - and was robbed by Moura. He charged forward and found Eriksen, who moved the ball to Son on the edge of the area. He cut inside on his right foot and flashed an unstoppable curling shot across Ederson and into the top corner. Pick that out!

8.10pm BST

I told you City would miss Fernandinho. This is astonishing!

8.09pm BST

What a start! Alli tried to play a cute little through pass to Eriksen that was intercepted. It came back to Son in the D, and he rifled a low shot that went straight through Ederson. That’s a goalkeeping error.

8.08pm BST

Spurs have the magical away goal!

8.07pm BST

6 min It was such an accomplished finish from Sterling - but Spurs’ defending was poor. Trippier showed him inside onto his right foot, and then Alderweireld seemed to move his head out of the way of the shot.

8.06pm BST

Oh my, that was a peach. De Bruyne cut infield from the right, played a give-and-go with Aguero and then moved the ball out to Sterling in space on the left. He moved into the area, came inside Trippier onto his right foot and placed a delicious curling shot right into the bottom corner. Great goal.

8.05pm BST

What a marvellous goal from Raheem Sterling!

8.04pm BST

4 min It’s been a frantic start from both teams. Spurs have certainly come to play.

8.03pm BST

3 min “I realise we should be past this by now,” says Zach Neeley, “but that’s a lot of price difference jumping out in those line-ups. I hope Spurs win, just rewards for Son and Pochettino (and I say that as an Arsenal fan).”

I’m sure everyone in the Gunners pub would heartily agree.

8.02pm BST

2 min Spurs are indeed playing a diamond in midfield - but it’s Eriksen, not Alli, who is lurking behind the strikers.

8.01pm BST

1 min Peep peep! City, in sky blue, get the match under way. Spurs are in their turquoise away strip.

7.59pm BST

The home fans get in the spirit by booing the Champions League anthem. The facial expressions of the players on both sides suggest are wobbling on the tightrope between ‘focussed’ and ‘secretly terrified’.

7.56pm BST

“I hate Tottenham,” high-fives Kieran Hardy. “I’m going to be watching because I know they will bottle it. Come on you Gunners!”

I’ll leave it the Spurs fans to point out on which night of the week Arsenal are playing.

7.55pm BST

You know things are hotting up when you start a Champions League match in daylight. Yeah: big night, this.

7.50pm BST

7.47pm BST

“What about Sterling for Player of the Year?” says Andrew Hurley. “Of all the top scorers, he is the only one (I think?) who doesn’t take penalties, he plays out wide and is not egotistical nor a diver like Salah. Has become very likable, and has had to deal with silly racist nonsense.”

Yes, pretty much everything about him is great. I suspect van Dijk will win the PFA award and Sterling the FWA version.

7.41pm BST

“Fernandinho on the bench?” sniffs Benjamin Park. “Is he injured? If not, that’s a big gamble. Case of Guardiola thinking too much?”

It sounds like he’s only fit enough for the bench. I can’t imagine any circumstances under which even Pep could think himself out of playing Fernandinho.

7.40pm BST

Twenty years ago today, Manchester City won 2-0 at Gillingham through goals from Terry Cooke and Kevin Horlock. They then beat Gillingham on penalties in the play-off final – Paul Dickov and all that – to earn promotion to the second tier of English football. For most of the 1990s, City were a bit of a shambles – but that often makes for the best stories, right?

In an attempt to assuage the horrors of 2019, I took a trip back in time recently to read Caught Beneath the Landslide by Tim Rich, the story of City in the 1990s. It’s such a good book – stylishly written and with a level of detail that made me inordinately happy.

7.35pm BST

“Evening Rob,” says Guy Hornsby. “Honestly I’m so nervous about this game, even my nerve endings have nerves tonight. I don’t think any self-respecting Spurs fan thinks we should win this, but I’m sure we could. Pep completely Pepped it up last week, but this is his A-Team, and it’s frighteningly classy. Obviously for us lot an early goal with City piling in as we seek the perfect counter would be utopia, but in a season where we lost to Burnley, feck knows what’ll happen. I’ll be watching from behind the sofa.”

I think you’ll score, especially now Fernandinho isn’t playing, but I’m still not sure that’ll be enough. I can see this being a deranged classic - maybe 4-2 City, or even 5-4, with all the goals coming from own goals.

7.35pm BST

An email! “I’m anticipating both teams being so undone by their own nerves that it will end up a 5-4 thriller,” says Edward Caffrey, “with all the goals coming from own goals.”

7.28pm BST

So Dele Alli starts for Spurs in a pretty attacking line-up. I suspect they’ll play a diamond in midfield, though it could be 4-2-3-1 or even who cares.

Fernandinho is only on the bench for Manchester City. I assume that’s a fitness issue, but either way it’s an issue for City because he is as good as anyone at stopping counter-attacks.

6.53pm BST

Manchester City (4-1-2-3) Ederson; Walker, Kompany, Laporte, Mendy; Gundogan; De Bruyne, D Silva; B Silva, Aguero, Sterling.
Substitutes: Muric, Stones, Sane, Fernandinho, Mahrez, Otamendi, Jesus.

Tottenham Hotspur (possible 4-D-2) Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Wanyama; Sissoko, Alli; Eriksen; Son, Lucas Moura.
Substitutes: Gazzaniga, Sanchez, Walker-Peters, Llorente, Foyth, Davies, Skipp.

6.41pm BST

Pre-match reading

2.46pm BST

Hello. It’s a reflection of Manchester City’s achievement and ambition that they could end this season by doing an anticlimactic Treble. They have invested so much in the Champions League – financially, emotionally, literally – that even a clean sweep of domestic trophies would not satisfy everyone.

This, thus, is a seriously big night, particularly for Pep Guardiola. Only three managers – Bob Paisley, Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane – have won the European Cup more often, yet it still feels like he has underachieved in this competition. He won it twice in his first three seasons at Barcelona. Since then his record - relative to his pitiless domestic dominance - has verged on the abysmal.

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Published on April 17, 2019 14:37

April 16, 2019

Barcelona 3-0 Manchester United: Champions League player ratings

Lionel Messi starred for Barcelona with more routine genius , while it was a difficult night for Jesse Lingard and Ashley Young

Marc-André ter Stegen 7 For 89 minutes he was an 11th outfield player – but then he made a beautiful save from Alexis.

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Published on April 16, 2019 14:24

April 14, 2019

Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea: Premier League – as it happened

An awesome goal from Mo Salah ensured an ultimately comfortable victory for Liverpool, who blew Chelsea away at the start of the second half

9.48pm BST

The best images from the weekend.

9.42pm BST

It was a decent strike, to be fair.

9.42pm BST

The player ratings are in.

6.38pm BST

Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea Our Anfield match report has landed, so I’ll leave you with that. Thanks for your company and emails. See you soon for the next instalment in this immense title race.

6.37pm BST

Post-match interviews

Jordan Henderson

6.31pm BST

Liverpool’s remaining games are Cardiff (A), Huddersfield (H), Newcastle (A) and Wolves (H). They should win all four; if they do, Manchester City will have no margin for error. There has never been such a relentless title race in English football.

6.22pm BST

Liverpool go back to the top of the table and get another tricky fixture out of the way. They blew Chelsea away at the start of the second half, when Sadio Mane and Mo Salah scored in the space of three minutes. Salah’s howitzer went into Anfield folklore even before it hit the net.

Chelsea did plenty of good things, but they picked the wrong team and then Eden Hazard missed two excellent chances to make it 2-1 and give Anfield the heebie-jeebies. It’s a big blow to their hopes of finishing in the top four.

6.19pm BST

90 min Three minutes.

6.18pm BST

89 min An electric bit of play from Mane, who roars past Christensen and smacks a rising shot that is pawed behind by Kepa. Before the corner is taken, Xherdan Shaqiri comes on to replace Mo Salah, whose memorable heatseeker ensured victory for Liverpool.

6.16pm BST

87 min Kepa comes out of his area to meet an up and under from van Dijk, makes a Horlicks of his attempted clearance under pressure from Mane, and is a bit fortunate to see the ball drift behind for a goalkick.

6.15pm BST

86 min Chelsea’s race is run. They have played better today than during those pitiful defeats at Spurs, Arsenal and Manchester City, but they couldn’t cope when Liverpool increased the tempo for 10 minutes at the start of the second half. That has been the difference.

6.13pm BST

84 min “That Salah goal,” says Niall Mullen, “reminded me of something.”

6.12pm BST

83 min Liverpool win a couple of corners in quick succession. They are very comfortable the noo.

6.09pm BST

81 min “All this talk of Liverpool fans being somehow different,” says Niall Mullen, “is not really dampening my sense of Liverpool exceptionalism.”

6.09pm BST

80 min A stinging shot on the turn by Firmino is well held by the diving Kepa. Chelsea scraper down the other end, where Hazard’s ball into the six-yard area is kicked behind by Alexander-Arnold.

6.07pm BST

78 min “The smiley was for you,” says Andrew Hurley, “to indicate I’m not irate!”

Ah, a-hem. Now, about those exclamation marks…

6.05pm BST

76 min A substitution apiece. Ross Barkley replaces the disappointing Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and James Milner comes on for the excellent Jordan Henderson.

6.04pm BST

74 min Liverpool are playing on the counter-attack now, which makes sense in the circumstances. Salah leads a four-on-three break and finds Henderson, whose cross from the byline is over the head of Mane at the far post.

6.02pm BST

71 min Alexander-Arnold, still on the left after taking a corner, Cruyff turns sweetly past Higuain before driving a low shot straight at Kepa. I have no idea what position he’ll end up in, because he has such ability. He’s almost too good to be a full-back, even in a post-Pep world.

6.00pm BST

70 min “Matt Dony not really on the point I think - United, Chelsea fans etc during their better years were nowhere near the righteous levels of Liverpool fans in their barren years,” says Andrew Hurley. “This feeling of being superior fans is unsettling, as it implies something not right to need to want to be seen by others in such a light. The question is though - why does it bother everyone else!?! :)”

I’ll tell you what bothers me: smileys.

5.58pm BST

69 min Hazard has been a constant menace since moving to the left. Who knew?

5.57pm BST

68 min Liverpool have started to calm the game down after that madcap 10 minutes, when they were almost too emotional to function.

5.56pm BST

67 min “David Dein, with the sentiments I expected in answer to Andrew Hurley’s question,” says Matt Dony. “It’s a line of reasoning I’ve heard a lot recently. I can only assume that no one remembers meeting a United fan during the peak Fergie years. ‘Insufferable’ barely scratches the surface. And, yes, I freely admit I will be a tiny, tiny bit smug if Liverpool win the league. But, no more so than, say, Chelsea fans who suddenly appeared during Jose’s first stint. Anyway, it’s all moot. Liverpool winning today will just make the final day, when City confirm the title, even more sickening.”

5.55pm BST

66 min Liverpool make a substitution, with Gio Wijnaldum replacing Naby Keita.

5.55pm BST

65 min Salah draws a decent save from Kepa with a drive towards the near post.

5.54pm BST

64 min “In answer to David Dein, just this,” begins Hubert O’Hearn. “Piers Morgan. Now, you were saying something about insufferable fans?”

Just let me go and get the popcorn.

5.53pm BST

63 min It’s all Chelsea at the moment. What a strange game. If Chelsea get one, it will be squeaky-bum time in excelsis.

5.52pm BST

62 min “If Liverpool do win the league opposition fans are convinced that we are going to be a nightmare,” says Niall Mullen. “I will be a nightmare. I’m gonna come around all your houses, steal your shoes and make you sit an exam for which you’re completely unprepared.”

5.51pm BST

61 min After a cagey first half, this is turning into a slugfest. Azpilicueta breaks into the area and slides a ball right across the six-yard box. It was begging to be finished.

5.50pm BST

60 min: Another great chance for Hazard! Willian had loads of space on the right and curled a superb ball into the middle. Hazard got behind the defence and dragged a first-time shot that was smartly saved by the diving Alisson. He didn’t quite get hold of it, though it was a difficult ball to take first time because it bounced just in front of him.

5.48pm BST

59 min: Hazard hits the post! A Chelsea corner was cleared to the halfway line, where Emerson drove a speculative ball back over the top. Hazard, who was just onside, took the ball down beautifully on the run and slipped it through the outrushing Alisson’s legs – but it bounced off the face of the near post.

5.46pm BST

59 min “As a Gooner I can tell you why so many, myself included, do not want Liverpool to win the league,” says David Dein. “I have nothing but the utmost respect for the club’s achievements, they were absolutely fantastic throughout the 70s and 80s. An absolute joy to watch. Their fanbase, however, are insufferable. The idea of millions of gloating Scousers with zero sense of perspective does not bear thinking about. Come on Chelsea!”

5.45pm BST

57 min Firmino almost comes to the party, cracking a superb low shot just wide from 20 yards.

5.45pm BST

56 min Gonzalo Higuain replaces Callum Hudson-Odoi for Chelsea. It’s a change that needed to be made about eight minutes ago.

5.44pm BST

55 min It’s probably fair to surmise that Jurgen Klopp gave good half-time teamtalk, because Liverpool have been electric in the second half.

5.43pm BST

What a goal! What an effing goal! Van Dijk drives a pass out to Salah on the right. He controls it, cuts infield and arrows a spectacular shot from 25 yards that explodes past Kepa and into the top corner.

5.42pm BST

Mo Salah has scored an absolute screamer!!

5.41pm BST

53 min Jordan Henderson has had a very good few weeks since his change of role, and that was a glorious cross.

5.40pm BST

What a good goal that was. Salah played a one-two with Firmino, ignored a woolly tackle from Emerson and found Henderson in the area. He danced around the outside and stood up a gorgeous cross to the far post. It was a certain goal even before it reached the head of Mane, and he nodded it into an open net from four yards.

5.39pm BST

It’s been coming!

5.39pm BST

50 min Chelsea are struggling to get out of their half. If I was Maurizio Sarri – spoiler: I’m not – I would hook Hudson-Odoi, who has been peripheral at best, and bring on a striker so that Hazard can move out to the left.

5.37pm BST

49 min A long throw is headed clear to the edge of the area, where Keita sends a volley into orbit. Liverpool have started the second half well, though.

5.36pm BST

48 min Deep down, Liverpool know a draw today isn’t enough. One way or another, this is going to be a tumultuous 45 minutes.

5.35pm BST

47 min “Why do so many people want Liverpool NOT to win the league?” says Andrew Hurley. “(When you consider they are against a moneybags outfit, it’s interesting.)”

I suspect a lot of people still haven’t got over the 1980s.

5.33pm BST

46 min Peep peep! Chelsea begin the second half.

5.19pm BST

Half-time reading

Related: Tommy Smith obituary

5.18pm BST

Peep peep! Chelsea will be the happier team after a first half of few chances. The best was probably Mo Salah’s early volley, which he hit too close to Kepa. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.

5.16pm BST

45+1 min Three minutes of added time.

5.16pm BST

45 min A wicked inswinging free-kick from Alexander-Arnold on the left is touched towards goal by Firmino, and Kepa saves with his feet. It wouldn’t have counted as Firmino was fractionally offside. But it was a stunning ball in from Alexander-Arnold.

5.14pm BST

44 min Mane scampers past Azpilicueta, who pulls him back and is booked.

5.11pm BST

41 min “Hi Rob,” says Lee Madden. “It’s easy to see what Chelsea’s game plan is here - hold Liverpool at arm’s length and hit them on the counter. The thing is, is this really much different to what Conte did in away games last year? They’ve played well, but this is not an approach likely to be successful over the whole game. Liverpool have too much quality up front and you’d expect them to take one of the two or three chances their wide forwards will get...”

5.10pm BST

40 min Rudiger is helped from the field, unable to put any weight on his left leg. Christensen replaces him.

5.09pm BST

39 min Rudiger is down again, and it looks like he’ll need to go off. Andreas Christensen is getting ready.

5.09pm BST

38 min Saying which, Mane almost gives Liverpool the lead. Salah scurried infield from the right and stabbed a good pass towards Mane, who whipped a first-time shot wide of the near post from 12 yards. It was a decent chance, but he couldn’t wrap his foot around the ball sufficiently to curl it inside the near post.

5.08pm BST

37 min Liverpool’s attacking play has been a bit ponderous, certainly by their standards. Chelsea have been fairly comfortable defensively.

5.06pm BST

36 min Liverpool are going to need yet another late winner, aren’t they?

5.04pm BST

34 min Another dangerous counter-attack from Chelsea comes to nothing. This time Loftus-Cheek takes too long and loses the ball in the D.

5.03pm BST

32 min A brilliant piece of play from Salah, who gives Emerson twisted blood before his cross is headed away at the near post by David Luiz.

5.02pm BST

30 min Willian wastes a good chance for Chelsea. He led a counter-attack after being found by a fantastic pass from David Luiz (I think he meant it), and ran all the way to the edge of the area before dancing across the line of the 18-yard box and slashing a shot wide of goal. He had Hazard alongside him and should probably have passed it.

5.00pm BST

29 min This is a good spell for Liverpool, with Chelsea pinned back in their own half for the last few minutes.

4.57pm BST

26 min Lovely play from Liverpool. Fabinho clips a pass forward to Salah, who nods it down perfectly for the supporting Henderson on the edge of the box. He lashes a shot across goal that hits the outstretched leg of David Luiz and goes behind for a corner.

4.55pm BST

24 min Chelsea are having an even share of the game now. It’s all a bit cagey, as if each team is waiting for the other to blink.

4.53pm BST

23 min It looks like Rudiger will be able to continue.

4.52pm BST

22 min “It was a brief touch, but I’m pretty sure Luiz caught Salah right above the ankle...looked painful!” says Henry Flory. “Granted, the way he flopped to the ground didn’t help his case…”

Ah, I didn’t see that. I thought it was a dive, but my eyesight isn’t what it was.

4.52pm BST

21 min Rudiger is in a lot of pain. He fell awkwardly after an accidental collision with Mane, and the physios are on.

4.51pm BST

20 min A chance for Chelsea. Hazard twists Matic one way and then the other on the left side of the box, but his left-footed shot is meek and Alisson makes a comfortable save.

4.50pm BST

19 min Alexander-Arnold drills a spectacular crossfield pass to Keita, who moves infield from the left but crosses too close to Kepa.

4.49pm BST

18 min Hazard is getting increasingly frustrated with some strong challanges from the Liverpool defenders, and probably from having to play as a false nine again.

4.47pm BST

17 min Salah plays a one-two with Firmino and hits a first-time shot that is well blocked by David Luiz.

4.46pm BST

16 min Liverpool are controlling the game, with Fabinho getting on the ball a lot in midfield.

4.45pm BST

15 min Salah might face a retrospective ban for that dive, which would be a bad blow to Liverpool’s title hopes.

4.44pm BST

14 min Salah tries to dance around David Luiz on the byline and falls over. It was a clear dive and Michael Oliver wasn’t interested.

4.43pm BST

13 min “Hi Rob,” says Phil Grey. “I’ve been a Man City fan since the early 70s and still remember the trauma of the 76-77 season vividly. The difference this time round is that I’ve felt a lot more stressed during Liverpool’s games than City’s games for the last couple of months. It’s like I feel less able to influence their results with my will power.”

4.43pm BST

12 min Hudson-Odoi’s overhit cross is punched away by the flying Alisson.

4.41pm BST

10 min Hazard turns on the halfway line and scurries towards the Liverpool area. Fabinho wins the ball with an excellent challenge but follows through into Hazard, who is limping heavily. He should be able to run it off.

4.39pm BST

9 min “Klopp’s boundless enthusiasm means, in the Football/Fast Show world, he’d be Brilliant Kid,” says Matt Dony. “Although, he’d probably say ‘Cool’, instead.”

Pep Guardiola would be a shoo-in for Competitive Dad.

4.37pm BST

7 min It’s been an excellent start from Liverpool, who are giving Chelsea barely a split-second on the ball.

4.36pm BST

6 min The first chance for Liverpool. Mane’s floated cross clears a posse of players in the middle and drops nicely at the far post for Salah, who shins a volley straight at Kepa from eight yards.

4.34pm BST

4 min “So many narratives to choose from will be penned today, from redemption to bottling, to the corporate guff of ‘this means more’,” writes Geoffrey Woade. “It’s like a game of fiction written by John Barth.”

4.33pm BST

3 min It’s been a frantic start, with Liverpool successfully pressing Chelsea high up the pitch on a couple of occasions.

4.32pm BST

2 min “Hi Rob,” writes Tim Collins. “As a Chelsea fan, I’ve been frustrated by Sarri’s predictable lineups, stubbornness to switch out key personnel and laboured style of play. However, fair play to him; he’s managed to keep the group together and weathered the Kepa storm. He’s also put up with fan mutiny and kept us in with a shout of a top-four finish. Great to see him starting Hudson-Odoi and Loftus-Cheek today. I’d happily get behind the manager if he introduces more academy players and promotes a more swashbuckling style of play.”

I wondered whether he might have been, a-hem, advised to play Loftus-Cheek and Hudson-Odoi. Either way, I like him and think he deserves better than some of the crap that has been thrown at him in the past few months. In ma opinion, there’s no point giving a job to someone like Sarri unless you are going to give him an absolute minimum of two years.

4.30pm BST

1 min Peep peep! Liverpool, in red, get the match under way. Chelsea are in blue.

4.29pm BST

The players emerge to the stirring sound of You’ll Never Walk Alone. That’s followed by perfect silence to mark the 30th anniversary, tomorrow, of the Hillsborough disaster.

4.20pm BST

“Well,” says Bill Hargreaves. “Drama. Once again, at the business end, the football season seems to have been penned by Shakespeare in terms of characters and drama. I think that Pep and Klopp would have fitted right into the court of Elizabeth I, goosing around with Edmund Blackadder and chums. Neil Warnock, however, I see as a managerial Unlucky Alf, although I realise that the bard didn’t scribe the ‘Fast Show’. He would’ve if he could’ve.”

There are some people - though not me - who would suggest Neil Warnock is a different Fast Show character.

4.16pm BST

.@ChelseaFC paid their respects to the 96 children, women and men who lost their lives at Hillsborough by laying a wreath at the memorial earlier today on behalf of the club. pic.twitter.com/9MHjOQCoaP

4.00pm BST

Crystal Palace 1-3 Manchester City A ninth consecutive Premier League win puts City back on top, at least for a couple of hours. Liverpool need to win - not just to go top of the league tonight, but to realistically stay in the title race. If they draw, it’s probably over.

3.54pm BST

Panic over for Manchester City: Gabriel Jesus has scored a third goal, although he was fractionally offside.

3.48pm BST

Crikey, Luka Milivojevic has scored for Palace at Selhurst Park, so Manchester City lead 2-1 with nine minutes remaining.

3.42pm BST

Some pre-match reading

3.36pm BST

It looks like Eden Hazard will play as a false nine for Chelsea, with Gonzalo Higuain on the bench. No surprises in the Liverpool team.

Liverpool (4-3-3) Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Keita; Salah, Firmino, Mane.
Substitutes: Mignolet, Lovren, Wijnaldum, Milner, Sturridge, Shaqiri, Origi.

3.30pm BST

Manchester City are making light work of a tricky game at Selhurst Park. They now lead 2-0, with both goals from Raheem Sterling, although there are unconfirmed reports that Crystal Palace have had a kick.

3.08pm BST

Manchester City battered Crystal Palace in the first half at Selhurst Park. But they only scored once, so there is still scope for Roy Hodgson to do his beloved Liverpool another favour. You can follow the match with Ben Fisher.

2.43pm BST

Hello. Liverpool have been carrying the weight of history on their back all season, but it will be especially heavy today. As well as the ongoing story of their attempt to win a first title since 1990, the arrival of Chelsea will trigger traumatic memories of the day in 2014 when Dame Fortune hoofed Steven Gerrard squarely in the hopes and dreams.

It’s impossible to escape the context of that game five years ago, when Liverpool lost their best chance to win a Premier League title. But whether it actually means anything is open to debate. This is a different Liverpool team – the only survivor from that match in their starting XI is likely to be Mo Salah, and he was playing for Chelsea back then. And while this is Liverpool’s toughest remaining fixture, they will rightly expect to win it.

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Published on April 14, 2019 10:38

Wigan Athletic 1-1 Norwich City: Championship – as it happened

Teemu Pukki’s masterful late finish earned the leaders Norwich a point in an excellent game after the precocious Reece James had given struggling Wigan a shock lead

2.28pm BST

2.02pm BST

The goalscorers speak after the game

Reece James “Anyone can beat anyone in the Championship, which is why it’s good to play in. I just had to stay cool with the penalty and not let anything affect my focus. We’ve always had confidence but the results haven’t gone our way. We need to keep fighting and pick up more points against Leeds.

1.59pm BST

Teemu Pukki’s expert late equaliser means Norwich need six points from four games to secure promotion. Wigan should be fine if they play like that for the rest of the season.

1.58pm BST

Peep peep! An excellent game ends with both sides taking a deserved point.

1.57pm BST

90+8 min And they almost get another! Pukki moves left and picks out a good pass to Stiepermann, who shoots through a crowded area and straight at Walton.

1.57pm BST

90+7 min We’re deep into Farke Time, where Norwich have scored so many goals this season.

1.55pm BST

90+5 min At the other end, Pukki’s shot on the turn flies wide of the near post. There must have been a touch off a Wigan defender because a corner has been given. It’s headed away by Dunkley.

1.54pm BST

90+4 min: Clarke has a goal disallowed for offside! It’s the right decision, though it was very close as he ran onto James’s inswinging free-kick to head past Krul from six yards.

1.52pm BST

90+2 min A fine run from Byrne earns Wigan a corner. It’s swung out towards Olsson, who makes a mess of a decent headed chance 10 yards from goal. He was unmarked but got under the ball and headed it straight up in the air.

1.51pm BST

90+1 min Vrancic’s volley from 15 yards is blocked by Dunkley. Wigan are hanging on desperately.

1.50pm BST

90 min Vrancic dances past two players and crosses low towards the near post, where Olsson stretches to make a vital interception. There will be eight added minutes because of the various injuries.

1.49pm BST

88 min Danny Fox goes off injured for Wigan, to be replaced by Jonas Olsson.

1.45pm BST

85 min Suddenly it’s all Norwich. Hernandez wins a corner down the right. It goes all the way across to Vrancic, whose curling shot from the left corner of the box takes a deflection and spins just wide of the far post.

1.43pm BST

82 min James is booked for a foul on someone or other.

1.43pm BST

McLean picked up a loose ball just past the halfway line, surged forward and played an angled pass through to Pukki, who’d made an excellent run from centre to left to lose Dunkley. He moved into the area, opened his body up and steered a gentle curling shot along the floor and into the far corner. That is such a classy finish.

1.41pm BST

A masterful finish from Teemu Pukki brings Norwich level!

1.38pm BST

78 min Morsy’s long-range shot deflects off Aarons for a corner. Evans’ inswinger is cleared.

1.37pm BST

77 min Emi Buendia has had another brilliant game for Norwich.

1.37pm BST

76 min A triple change for Norwich: Jordan Rhodes, Mario Vrancic and Moritz Leitner replace Tom Trybull, Jamal Lewis and Todd Cantwell.

1.35pm BST

75 min James strolls imperiously past McLean and plays the ball square to Robinson, who cuts infield and drills a shot wide from the edge of the area.

1.34pm BST

74 min Wigan were hanging on for the first 20 minutes of the second half. Since then, however, they have looked very comfortable.

1.32pm BST

73 min A double change for Wigan: Nick Powell and Josh Windass replace Gavin Massey and the excellent Kal Naismith.

1.31pm BST

72 min Godfrey overruns the ball and ploughs zestily through Byrne. He’s a bit fortunate not to get booked for that.

1.31pm BST

71 min “Hi Rob,” writes Håkan Burden. “When it comes to the definition of unnatural positions, I honestly can’t see how the hands can stay tucked to your body when jumping. If we were monkeys we could keep our balance with our tails, but we’re not and flail pathetically with our arms to not topple over. My guess is that if the interpretation of the law remains as is, we’ll see defenders adopting some quite unnatural ways of jumping next season.”

I agree. If you attempt to block a shot, as Godfrey did, you will naturally flail your arms. If you change the wording to something like ‘gaining an unfair advantage’, there would be scope to use more common sense.

1.29pm BST

69 min James curls the free-kick just over the bar, though Krul had it covered.

1.28pm BST

68 min Zimmermann is booked for flattening Massey 20 yards from goal.

1.27pm BST

67 min After a difficult spell, Wigan are again looking threatening on the counter-attack. It’s a fascinating game.

1.25pm BST

65 min Norwich appeal for a penalty when Pukki goes over after a challenge from Morsy. The referee waves play on, and Wigan almost score seconds later! It was a brilliant counter-attack, started by a long run from Naismith. He then pushed the ball through to Clarke, who nutmegged Godfrey and tried to chip Krul from close range. Krul got a slight touch on the ball and it drifted agonisingly wide of the far post.

1.23pm BST

63 min Robinson zips infield from the left, plays a nice one-two with Evans - but then sidefoots high and wide from 25 yards.

1.22pm BST

63 min I wonder whether Wigan’s energetic performance in the first half has taken too much out of them.

1.21pm BST

61 min Wigan are struggling to get out of their half. Cantwell beats two players on the right of the box and cuts the ball back to Pukki, who miskicks at the near post. He tried to turn it towards goal but instead kicked it against his standing foot.

1.19pm BST

59 min Norwich have been miles better since half-time.

1.18pm BST

58 min: Another good save from Walton! Pukki chests the ball off to Stiepermann, who plays a nice return pass down the side of the defence. Pukki moves onto it and hits a crisp left-footed shot across goal that is palmed away by the plunging Walton. From the resulting corner, the stretching Godfrey heads high over the bar.

1.16pm BST

56 min Hernandez dives in the Wigan area. The referee doesn’t buy it.

1.15pm BST

55 min Evans is going to try to run off the injury. The game is starting to get pretty feisty now, and Aarons squares up to James after a foul in midfield.

1.14pm BST

53 min “Afternoon Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “That was the clearest penalty I’ve seen since Dave Jones handled against Scotland in 1977. Don’t need VAR for those.”

1.13pm BST

52 min Evans is down after a challenge from Trybull. It was a fair tackle, but Evans is struggling.

1.10pm BST

50 min Oof. James surges forward from the centre circle and hits a scorching long-range drive that just clears the crossbar. Krul was at full stretch but didn’t get a touch.

1.08pm BST

49 min Norwich have started the second half with much greater intensity. Hernandez takes Lewis’s low cross in his stride and hits a superb snapshot that is beaten away by the diving Walton. Fine save, that, especially as he was unsighted.

1.04pm BST

46 min Peep peep! Wigan begin the second half.

1.02pm BST

If you’re into the whole Premier League thing...

12.57pm BST

“The current interpretation of the handball rule is ruining football,” says Dan C. “It’s like a Random Penalty Generator, roll a double six and your luck is in.”

Agreed. It’s a mess. Interestingly, the pundits on Sky Sports think it wouldn’t have been given had the referee seen the deflection off Godfrey’s leg. But his hand was still in an unnatural position, and I thought that meant a penalty these days.

12.53pm BST

“Oh yeah, meant to add what a crap penalty call that was,” says JR. “Total guess. And a wrong guess. Terrible.”

Really? I thought it was a clear penalty in accordance with the current interpretation of the law, even if that law is an ass. They need to address that or there will be 500 penalties with VAR next season.

12.52pm BST

“Hey Rob,” says JR in Illinois. “I have a friend who told me the other day that the Sopranos is terrible even though he’s never really watched it. Though I liked Deadwood more, Sopranos is surely a top 5 TV show, innit? Maybe not coincidentally this friend also recently confided that he doesn’t believe man landed on the moon. Perhaps I should look into some different friends, eh?”

Top five!!! It’s the greatest thing in the history of humankind. Anyone who says otherwise just doesn’t hate themself enough.

12.49pm BST

Some half-time reading

12.48pm BST

Wigan have been the better team in a game of few chances and lead through Reece James’ penalty. Norwich haven’t really got going, though much of that is down to Wigan’s relentless pressing. See you soon for the second half.

12.46pm BST

Reece James, the teenager on loan from Chelsea, scores with an accomplished, almost nonchalant penalty. He placed it into the bottom-left corner, and although Krul went the right way he couldn’t get there.

12.45pm BST

44 min Godfrey is a bit unlucky, because he blocked the ball with his leg and it deflected onto his arm. In 2019, however, that’s a clear penalty. Trybull is booked for dissent.

12.45pm BST

44 min Morsy’s shot is blocked by the outstretched arm of Godfrey, and Wigan have a penalty.

12.44pm BST

42 min Naismith takes a return pass from Robinson on the left, moves infield and hits a good shot from 20 yards that takes a deflection off McLean and flies just wide of the far post. Krul probably had it covered, though.

12.42pm BST

40 min Hernandez moves confidently infield from the left, only to drag a pitiful shot well wide from 20 yards.

12.41pm BST

39 min: Good save from Krul! Robinson’s cross from the left was headed towards goal from 12 yards by the diving Evans, and Krol plunged to his left to make a fairly comfortable stop.

12.38pm BST

36 min Stiepermann’s deflected cross from the left flashes straight past Pukki in the six-yard box. At first it looked like a bad miss, but I think Pukki was unsighted and then couldn’t move his body quickly enough to connect with a ball that came to him at an awkward height.

12.35pm BST

33 min Norwich are struggling to get their passing game going. Wigan have been excellent without hte ball, harassing Norwich high up the pitch, though whether they can sustain such intensity for 90 minutes is debatable.

12.33pm BST

32 min Massey is booked for a foul on McLean.

12.32pm BST

31 min “Hi Rob,” says Kevin Ryan. “As it’s a bit slow there do you recall a Zimmerman as one of Ernie Bilko’s platoon In The Phil Silvers show. If I remember rightly he was a little bloke with a Tintin-like tuft of hair on his nut. Shows my age, I guess. Brilliant show though, years ahead of its time and the writing still stands up to this today.”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen that. There are only so many hours in the day, and most of mine are spent watching the Sopranos or the Big Lebowski on loop.

12.31pm BST

30 min The corner is cleared to Robinson, who shoots over the bar from 35 yards.

12.31pm BST

29 min Morsy curls a very long pass to the lone striker Clarke, who muscles Godfrey aside and hits a shot that is deflected over the bar by Zimmermann. James will take it...

12.30pm BST

28 min James’ deep, inswinging free-kick is headed wide by Clarke, clambering over Lewis at the far post. It was a half chance.

12.28pm BST

27 min Free-kick to Wigan on the left.

12.28pm BST

27 min Throw-in to Wigan on the left.

12.26pm BST

25 min Evans tries to chip Krul from 25 yards but gets far too much on it.

12.25pm BST

25 min A long ball forward from McLean is spilled by Walton, who recovers to claim the loose ball in front of Hernandez.

12.24pm BST

23 min Morsy shoots well wide from distance. Wigan will be happy with the way this game is going, however; they have Norwich’s equals so far.

12.21pm BST

20 min Good play from Massey, who skips past Zimmermann down the right and moves into the area before sidefooting a low ball right across the face of goal.

12.18pm BST

17 min Lewis plays a good pass down the left to Hernandez, whose attempted reverse pass is intercepted by Dunkley. Ordinarily I would give such an incident time of day in a live blog, but I have to type something and that’s the most notable action of the last few minutes.

12.15pm BST

14 min Cantwell wins a corner for Norwich, who are attacking the Carrow Road End. Stiepermann’s inswinger is headed away by Clarke.

12.13pm BST

12 min After a sluggish start, Norwich are slowly finding their pass-and-move groove. So far it’s been a pleasant but unexciting game.

12.11pm BST

9 min Wigan continue to dominate possession in the early stages. It’s a bright, open game.

12.07pm BST

5 min: Robinson makes a goal-saving block! Hernandez moved infield from the left and played a slick one-two-three with Cantwell, who miscontrolled the ball in the area. It ran onto Pukki, whose shot on the turn from five yards would have gone in but for Robinson’s block.

12.03pm BST

3 min Wigan have started brightly. They have a good record at home, although the extent of their home advantage today is debatable – all the noise is coming from the Norwich fans.

12.01pm BST

1 min Peep peep! Norwich, in their green change strip, get the match under way. Wigna are wearing blue and white.

11.57am BST

The marvellous Emi Buendia is still suspended for Norwich, who haven’t won a league game without him this season. Yet.

11.45am BST

Norwich have subsidised travel for 5,300 of their supporters, which is a fine gesture that should make for a cracking atmosphere today.

11.06am BST

Wigan (4-2-3-1) Walton; Byrne, Dunkley, Fox, Robinson; Morsy, James; Massey, L Evans, Naismith; Clarke.
Substitutes: O Evans, Olsson, Kipre, Gibson, Windasss, Powell, Garner.

Norwich (4-2-3-1) Krul; Aarons, Zimmermann, Godfrey, Lewis; Trybull, McLean; Cantwell, Stiepermann, Hernandez; Pukki.
Substitutes: McGovern, Klose, Hanley, Vrancic, Leitner, Srbeny, Rhodes.

10.45am BST

Morning. Norwich are nearly there. They need seven points from the last five matches to guarantee promotion, and their form should make it a formality. Their winning run ended in that madcap draw against Reading in the week, when they lost it, won it and finally drew it, but a run of 25 points from nine games is promotion form and then some.

When these teams met at Carrow Road at the end of September, Wigan were fifth and Norwich 12th. Now it’s 1st v 21st, with Wigan fighting for survival. Their 1-0 defeat at Carrow Road was the start of a long, miserable run of four wins in 32 games. Even allowing for their decent home form, it would be a big surprise if they made it five in 33 today.

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Published on April 14, 2019 06:02

April 13, 2019

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

Two Paul Pogba penalties gave Manchester United a tense victory against an excellent West Ham in a match that was a great advert for VAR

7.59pm BST

7.22pm BST

Peep peep! A tense but vital win for Manchester United, who move above Arsenal in the table. Two penalties from Paul Pogba settled a very match, though West Ham deserved at least a point and maybe three.

7.19pm BST

90+3 min West Ham are struggling to create anything in injury time, with Manchester United working very hard off the ball.

7.17pm BST

90 min There will be five minutes of added time.

7.14pm BST

88 min An accidental elbow from Rice catches Jones, who has blood streaming from a cut above his right eye. United have used all their substitutes so he is being patched up like Basil Fawlty for the last few minutes.

7.12pm BST

86 min Fredericks wins another corner for West Ham, who keep coming back for more.

7.11pm BST

84 min Anderson’s low cross is touched off by Antonio for Diangana, whose snapshot is blocked. West Ham probably deserve to win this game, never mind draw it.

7.10pm BST

83 min “That was very witty from Jason Brady,” says Adam Roberts. “I’ll have to miss the rest of the game as I’m off to hospital to have my sides sewn back together.”

Can’t they do the operation on your sofa, eh?

7.07pm BST

Pogba scores emphatically, whacking it into the bottom-left corner.

7.06pm BST

79 min A long ball forward from Pogba somehow finds its way through to Martial, who moves into the area and is about to shoot when he is taken out by Fredericks. That was a clear penalty, and Fredericks is booked.

7.06pm BST

78 min: What a save from De Gea! Antonio got in front of Lingard to head towards goal from six yards, and as the ball bounced up De Gea leapt to his right to make a spectacular, sinew-straining save. He just got enough of his fingertips on the ball to divert it over the bar.

7.04pm BST

77 min: Antonio hits the bar! What an effort that was. He rumbled away from Fred and Jones on the edge of the area before hitting a brilliant rising drive with his left foot that beat De Gea and thundered off the bar. The rebound came to Felipe Anderson, who cut inside and drove a low shot that was comfortably saved by De Gea.

7.02pm BST

76 min A West Ham change: Ryan Fredericks replaces Pablo Zabaleta.

7.01pm BST

75 min A double change for Manchester United. Andreas Pereira and the 17-year-old Mason Greenwood replace Romelu Lukaku and Marcos Rojo. Don’t ask me what formation they are playing now, for I haven’t got a clue. But let me start by saying, it’s not 4-4-2.

6.59pm BST

72 min Javier Hernandez is applauded off the field by both sets of fans. Michail Antonio replaces him.

6.58pm BST

71 min Diangana skins Rojo and forces Lingard to concede a corner. Snodgrass’s inswinger is headed behind by Smalling for another corner, this time on the left. Snodgrass’s outswinger is headed on Felipe Anderson at the near post, and Jones stretches around Balbuena in the six-yard box to make a brilliant interception.

6.56pm BST

70 min A cracking long-range shot from Rice is well blocked by Rojo.

6.56pm BST

69 min Martial runs the ball out of play. He’s had a minor stinker today.

6.55pm BST

68 min “Adam Roberts says he is watching the game ‘from my couch in Cayman’,” says Jason Brady. “Probably enjoying a prawn sandwich while he’s at it. Typical Man U supporter.”

To be fair to Adam, they are no trains from the Cayman Islands to Old Trafford this weekend.

6.54pm BST

67 min Rojo’s low drive from 25 yards is comfortably saved by Fabianski. It was a good strike but nowhere near the corner.

6.52pm BST

64 min Manchester United have looked much better since Rashford came on, partly because their tempo has increased. Their attacking in the first 55 minutes was strangely ponderous.

6.50pm BST

63 min A game of head tennis in the West Ham box ends with Rashford heading over from six yards. He should have scored, though he has at least given United a bit of attacking intent since coming on. West Ham would have gone postal had he scored, because there were three or four United players offside in the build-up.

Meanwhile, Grady Diangana has come on for Lanzini.

6.49pm BST

62 min Pogba’s low cross is dummied cleverly by Rashford at the near post, and Zabaleta gets in front of Lingard to make a vital clearance.

6.48pm BST

60 min Lanzini has pulled a groin muscle and needs to come off. That’s a real shame for a player who has had so many injury problems.

6.46pm BST

58 min: Fine save from Fabianski! Smalling slid a good pass down the inside-right channel to Rashford, who had no support so decided to smack a first-time shot across goal from a tight angle. He caught it beautifully, but Fabianski got down very smartly to save with his right hand.

6.44pm BST

57 min West Ham will rarely have a better chance to win at Old Trafford. They are much the better team at the moment.

6.42pm BST

56 min Marcus Rashford comes on to replace the disappointing Juan Mata. I’d be tempted to bring on McTominay as well to give them more energy in midfield.

6.41pm BST

55 min “Good morning Rob, good morning everyone,” says Adam Roberts. “Nice to resurrect our relationship where I sit on my couch in Cayman and you sit on your keyboard wherever you are in the UK. It was a moral penalty - ultra cynical from Snodgrass whose reaction was ‘Yes, I fouled him but I made sure I did it outside the box’. We are living in strange times where Jones is the best defender on the pitch and Lukaku is United’s most creative player. I miss Chicharito.”

6.41pm BST

54 min The corner is cleared to Zabaleta, whose left-footed volley from 25 yards is comfortably held by the diving De Gea.

6.40pm BST

53 min Felipe Anderson scoots away from the increasingly inept Rojo to win a corner.

6.38pm BST

51 min It’s been all West Ham since half-time, and the crowd are getting restless.

6.37pm BST

De Gea’s loose throw out was intercepted by Rice, and moments later West Ham were level. The ball was moved to the left, where Lanzini coaxed a superb inswinging cross to the far post. Felipe Anderson, who was left alone by Rojo, stretched to force the ball through De Gea from close range.

6.36pm BST

A deserved equaliser for West Ham!

6.33pm BST

46 min Peep peep! Manchester United begin the second half and almost score after 16 seconds. Lingard plays a neat through pass to Martial, who tries to lay the ball off to Lukaku and loses it.

6.27pm BST

VAR department

“Nicola Berti was definitely off, Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “Don’t need VAR for that.”

6.26pm BST

The more you see the Manchester United penalty, the more it looks like the wrong decision. I thought Snodgrass went through Mata, but replays suggest it was just a legitimate shoulder barge. The collision sent Mata up in the air, which also made it look worse than it was.

6.17pm BST

Half-time reading

6.16pm BST

Peep peep! Manchester United lead through Paul Pogba’s debatable penalty, though they flattered to deceive for much of the half. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.

6.14pm BST

44 min Felipe Anderson swaggers infield from the right and drills a low cross that is kicked away by the stretching De Gea. West Ham are a bit unfortunate to be behind. They’ve had an even share of this half, and had an early Felipe Anderson goal wrongly disallowed.

6.13pm BST

43 min A West Ham corner is half cleared and comes to Felipe Anderson, who thrashes wide of the near post from the left side of the box. That was a chance.

6.12pm BST

42 min “I must say, and I don’t wish to jinx him, Phil Jones been absolutely magnificent thus far,” says Duncan Edwards. “He’s used his positioning, reflexes, and concentration to snuff out several dangerous situations. On the other hand what the flip is Martial’s problem. An energetic and dazzling show today and he’d be brimming with confidence for the Camp Nou. Instead he’s taking Pogba’s lead and pratting about taking too many touches.”

He’s not a killer, that’s his problem, and I’m not sure you can be a great player unless you are.

6.11pm BST

40 min Martial plays a neat reverse pass to Lukaku, whose shot from 20 yards deflects wide off Ogbonna. Mata’s outswinging corner is headed over from 12 yards by the unmarked Smalling, who should have done better.

6.10pm BST

39 min Lingard, incidentally, has been really poor since his return from injury. He’s a deceptively important player and United could do with him at his best in Barcelona.

6.09pm BST

38 min A superb flick from Lukaku finds Lingard, who tries to go past Ogbonna in the area and loses the ball. Ogbonna then squares up to Lingard, accusing him of diving, and Lingard is pulled away from trouble by Lukaku.

6.06pm BST

36 min Mata walks past Lanzini on the right and curls a deep, inswinging cross that is knocked over the bar from a very acute angle by Martial.

6.05pm BST

35 min “Mate, I have actually watched every minute of every professional game of football around the globe in the last five years,” says Ian Copestake. “I am now insane.”

6.04pm BST

34 min Mata is booked for a late tackle on Noble.

6.03pm BST

32 min This is a breezy, fun game, which almost has the feel of a last-day-of the-season match.

6.02pm BST

30 min If I was king, I would use VAR just for offsides. There’s a definite right and wrong in those cases, and it wouldn’t delay the game for long. You could have given the West Ham goal earlier in the game within 30 seconds.

6.00pm BST

29 min “Do the people that say we have the worst referees actually watch any of the other leagues? I’ve seen a lot of errors in Bundesliga and La Liga, even with VAR being used. Don’t get me wrong, there have been some shocking decisions made by Premier League referees, but the amount of moaning is unbearable.”

Yes, I love it when football folk say with absolute certainty that something is the best or worst in the world. Watched every minute of every professional game of football around the globe in the last five years, have you?

5.59pm BST

28 min Another good run down the left from Lukaku. This time he drills a flat pass to Dalot on the other side of the penalty area; he comes back onto his left foot and shoots miles wide.

5.57pm BST

27 min Lukaku breaks down the left and plays a careful pass back to Pogba, whose shot from the edge of the area is blocked by Balbuena.

5.53pm BST

24 min Lanzini’s free-kick hits the top of the wall and goes behind for a corner. Snodgrass’s outswinger from the left hits the unsighted Dalot and flies over his own bar for another corner. Snodgrass’s second corner is flicked on by Felipe Anderson at the near post and flashes right across the face of goal. That was crying out for someone to arrive at the far post and roof one from two yards.

5.53pm BST

23 min Pogba is penalised for a high foot 25 yards from goal. West Ham have a few good free-kick takers; Anderson, Lanzini and Snodgrass are all around the ball.

5.52pm BST

22 min “Yet more incompetent refereeing,” says Keith Sanderson.

5.50pm BST

20 min There were two issues with the penalty decision - whether it was a foul and whether it was in the area. Both were debatable, but I reckon it was the right decision. West Ham are hacked off, though, not least because they were robbed earlier with Felipe Anderson’s offside goal.

5.49pm BST

Pogba scores! There was no slow run-up this time; he moved straight up to the ball and belted it into the net.

5.48pm BST

17 min Snodgrass is penalised for a challenge on Mata right on the edge of the area. It was clumsy, and on balance I think it was a penalty because he upended Mata without taking the ball.

5.46pm BST

16 min Lovely move from Manchester United. Fred sprays a fine pass out to Lukaku on the right. He plays an angled pass back infield for Lingard, whose low ball flashes across the face of goal.

5.45pm BST

14 min West Ham have been the better side so far and look lively on the break.

5.42pm BST

11 min Manchester United look flat and a bit sluggish.

5.41pm BST

10 min: Felipe Anderson has a goal wrongly disallowed for offside! Masuaku’s cross from the left was headed down by Hernandez, and when the ball bounced up Anderson finished acrobatically from six yards. He looked offside and was flagged offside - but replays show the right-back Dalot was playing him on.

5.39pm BST

9 min West Ham are playing with Snodgrass in the centre - partly to defend against Pogba - and Lanzini on the right.

5.37pm BST

7 min It’s been an open start to the game, although neither side has created anything worth shouting about in an internet liveblog.

5.35pm BST

4 min Dalot’s cross deflects behind for the first corner. Mata’s inswinger is half cleared to Fred, whose crisp shot from 20 yards is blocked.

5.33pm BST

3 min A slow start to the game. Paul Pogba is, as expected, playing a bit deeper for United alongside Fred.

5.30pm BST

1 min Peep peep! West Ham, in their light grey third strip, get the match under way. United are in red.

5.27pm BST

The players emerge from the tunnel on a chilly Manchester evening. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, looking as happy as ever, high-fives Fred the Red.

5.10pm BST

Manuel Pellegrini explains Arnautovic’s absence “Marko was sick during the week so he was not 100 per cent to play this game.”

4.49pm BST

The 3pm kick-offs are coming to an end, and it’s been another bad day for Neil Warnock’s blood pressure

4.49pm BST

This is the best thing you’ll read on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Wrote about why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a good choice as United manager, and also about why it probably won't work. https://t.co/4q5byI1m0X

4.39pm BST

Pre-match reading

4.37pm BST

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has rested three important players – Lindelof, Rashford and McTominay – ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Barcelona. Marko Arnautovic doesn’t even make the bench for West Ham.

Manchester United (4-2-3-1) De Gea; Dalot, Smalling, Jones, Rojo; Fred, Pogba; Lingard, Mata, Martial; Lukaku.
Substitutes: Romero, Lindelof, Rashford, Pereira, McTominay, Greenwood, Darmian.

4.22pm BST

Good afternoon. Let’s proceed to Sunday 18 February 1990. That was the day Manchester United won 3-2 at Newcastle in a brilliant FA Cup fifth-round match. After the game, they were drawn to play away to Sheffield United in the quarter-finals, and the BBC’s Gerald Sinstadt asked two the goalscorers, Brian McClair and Danny Wallace what they made of the draw.

“It’s another away tie,” said Wallace, “so we’re very happy with that.” It was a striking comment, given the established concept of home advantage in association football. But at that stage, Alex Ferguson’s United hadn’t won at Old Trafford in over three months, so Wallace’s comment was understandable.

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Published on April 13, 2019 11:59

Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Huddersfield Town: Premier League – as it happened

Lucas Moura’s storming hat-trick gave an under-strength Spurs an easy win over relegated Huddersfield

2.37pm BST

That’s it for today’s blog. I’ll leave you with David Hytner’s report. Bye!

2.36pm BST

Lucas Moura speaks “It’s a special day for me – my first hat-trick in Europe. I’m so happy. I have to say thank you to God, to my team-mates. My son is my best gift, so today is a special day and I will never forget it. It’s my job to help my team, to score some goals, and I think I did very well today. It was a good performance from everyone.”

2.27pm BST

2.25pm BST

Lucas Moura will remember this day for many a decade. His finishing was savage and has ensured - not that there was much doubt - that he will start at Manchester City on Wednesday.

2.24pm BST

Some of the biggest cheers of the day came after the final whistle, when Lucas Moura brought his young son onto the field to have a kickabout with the match ball. Ah, that’s lovely.

2.22pm BST

Peep peep! Spurs move back to third with the easiest of victories. Lucas Moura scored a high-class hat-trick, with three emphatic finishes, after Victor Wanyama opened the scoring.

2.20pm BST

Son burst forward from midfield and eased a pass through the inside-right channel towards Lucas Moura. He scooted into the area and then, from a very tight angle, lashed a brilliant first-time finish across Hamer and into the top corner. Have that!

2.19pm BST

Lucas Moura completes his hat-trick with another storming finish!

2.17pm BST

90 min Three minutes of added time.

2.16pm BST

The move started with Walker-Peters, who skedaddled around in midfield before playing a nice pass down the right to Eriksen. He looked up and clipped an admirably precise cross to Lucas Moura, who controlled the ball smartly on the run and stretched to crack it past Hamer from 12 yards. He enjoyed it, too, and celebrated with a somersault.

2.14pm BST

Lucas Moura finishes things off with a lovely goal.

2.13pm BST

86 min Spurs make their final change, with the adorable Heung-Min Son replacing the limping Fernando Llorente.

2.12pm BST

85 min “I fear that a part of you died covering this match,” says Ian Copestake. “But hey, on the bright side, it’s Man Utd v West Ham later!”

2.11pm BST

84 min Another Spurs change - Danny Rose replaces Jan Vertonghen.

2.10pm BST

82 min Aaron Mooy replaces Stankovic for Huddersfield, who are having their best spell of the match by a distance.

2.09pm BST

81 min: Eriksen hits the post! The ensuing Huddersfield corner leads to a devastating break from Spurs, four on two at one point. Eventually Walker-Peters finds Eriksen, whose shot takes a deflection off Lowe and hits the near post. It comes back to Eriksen, and his follow-up shot is brilliantly blocked by the sliding Kachunga.

2.07pm BST

80 min: Bacuna hits the bar! It was a fine, curling free-kick from 30 yards. Lloris moved smartly across his line but then made a mess of his attempted catch and ended up shovelling the ball onto the bar.

2.05pm BST

78 min “Fernando Llorente may be a dodgy substitute for Harry Kane,” says Gustav Björklund, “but he is a looker isn’t he?”

Are you suggesting Harold is not?

2.04pm BST

76 min Good play from Grant, who bursts down the left, cuts inside Sanchez and thrashes over the bar. He could have gone down under Sanchez’s challenge; had he done so, Huddersfield would have had a decent penalty appeal.

2.02pm BST

75 min Vertonghen is booked for this or that, I’m not sure which.

2.02pm BST

74 min That should have been 2-1. Hogg clipped a superb pass over the Spurs defence for Mounie, whose curling header went just wide of the far post. He tried to loop it into the corner and got just too much on the header.

2.01pm BST

74 min A Spurs change: Oliver Skipp replaces Moussa Sissoko.

2.00pm BST

73 min Walker-Peters’ cross is volleyed back across goal by Davies. I’m not sure whether it was meant as a shot or a cross, but it served neither purpose and Huddersfield cleared.

1.59pm BST

71 min Yet another chance for Llorente! He moved onto Eriksen’s pass, shifted the ball to the side and hit a low shot that was blocked.

1.55pm BST

65 min Llorente flicks an accomplished header just wide of the far post from Davies’s cross. He could have had four today.

1.55pm BST

69 min A Huddersfield change: Durm is replaced by Steve Mounie.

1.54pm BST

66 min Bacuna is booked for a foul on Sissoko.

1.50pm BST

64 min Lucas Moura goes on a fine run from the left before hitting a low shot from the edge of the area that is comfortably saved by Hamer. He has been by far the liveliest player on the pitch today.

1.47pm BST

61 min Foyth is booked for a robust challenge on Grant.

1.45pm BST

60 min I can’t recall Huddersfield having a proper attack in this half. It’s like a training session - attack and defence, invasion and repulsion.

1.43pm BST

56 min Wanyama is okay to continue.

1.42pm BST

55 min Wanyama is in pain after a challenge from Kachunga, who seemed to stand on his ankle.

1.41pm BST

54 min Davies drills well wide from the edge of the area.

1.40pm BST

54 min “Conjunctivitis, popularly known as ‘Madras Eye’ in the city of Madras (now Chennai), was common during my school days about two decades back,” writs Balaji. “If a cricket match suddenly looked interesting, all it took for us is to apply little Vicks vapour in our eyes, make it reddish and take leave on the pretext of conjunctivitis! Given that the infection is infectious, the teachers would refuse to entertain us for more than few seconds and sanction leave instantaneously.”

That reminds me of a kid I knew who chopped his arm off so he could get out of home economics.

1.37pm BST

51 min The game is being played almost exclusively in the Huddersfield half.

1.35pm BST

47 min: Llorente hits the bar! It was a lovely piece of play. Foyth clipped an excellent pass over the defence for Llorente, who controlled the ball deftly and swivelled to hit a volley that beat Hamer and smacked off the bar. That would have been such a classy goal.

1.32pm BST

46 min Peep peep! Huddersfield begin the second half.

1.29pm BST

“This game is so boring that I have to reply to the green tea comment,” says Robin Pratt. “Conjunctivitis is often an infection that usually requires antibiotic drops. Green teabags placed on the closed eyes is an alternative. Llorente could do with this to improve his shooting, perhaps.”

1.17pm BST

Half-time reading

1.17pm BST

Peep peep! Spurs are enjoying a stroll in the sunshine. Victor Wanyama and Lucas Moura scored two good goals in the space of three minutes, and you’d expect more in the second half.

1.15pm BST

45 min Lowe is booked for a nasty tackle on Walker-Peters.

1.14pm BST

44 min “Surely this is a chance for Llorente to do that untypical thing, and score a goal?” says Charles Antaki. “I haven’t paid much attention to his career since he wasn’t scoring for the national team way back when, but he seems a game fellow and deserves a decent end to his career. (Please don’t tell me he’s still only 28.)”

He’s 27 next week.

1.12pm BST

42 min I’ve seen friendly matches with greater intensity. I suppose it’s understandable, given the circumstances of both clubs. But I doubt this will be a contender when we published 101 Great MBMs.

1.09pm BST

39 min Another chance for Llorente, who flicks a good header just wide of the far post from Eriksen’s free-kick.

1.07pm BST

37 min “This being a kindly corner of the internet (apart from the pricks), you will no doubt have received suggested treatments to pass on to your pink eye reader,” says Ian Copestake. “I read that green tea is good for it. Obviously I wondered how drinking it could possibly help but my thinking about this case had become very uptight. You pop the pink eyes into the tea.”

1.06pm BST

36 min Llorente wriggles away from Schindler in the box before hitting a low left-footed shot that is blocked by the falling Hadergjonaj. I think that was going in.

1.05pm BST

36 min Spurs keep the ball for about four days before Schindler makes a good tackle on Eriksen.

1.04pm BST

34 min “Copestake’s comment (there’s a title for a weekly column, if ever there was one) is a little chicken-and-eggy, I fear,” says Bill Hargreaves. “I suspect that mankind’s predilection for prediction, chancing the odds, okay I’ll say it: superstition, was there before the board of ethics in gambling institutions began to wonder how to tap into it. I know this because I read it in my tea leaves.”

1.03pm BST

33 min I suspect both teams would happily call the game off now - Huddersfield to avoid further punishment, Spurs to rest up before their trip to Manchester.

1.00pm BST

30 min Great chance for Huddersfield. Kachunga’s outswinging corner from the right is volleyed just wide by Stankovic, who was unmarked eight yards from goal. He should have scored.

12.59pm BST

29 min “Nice and sunny here in the Alps but I’m getting fed up with this ‘Spursy’ thing,” says Andrew Pearson. “Historically, true, but for the last four or five seasons (more?) they have been consistently high in the league and done well in Europe. Not won anything, I’ll admit, but not too prone to strange lapses these days. ‘Spursy’ is as much a cliche as saying they’re a one man team. Just lazy and – what’s more – inaccurate. OMG don’t lose to Huddersfield ...”

They are still quite accident-prone, I think. But maybe we see it more with Spurs because we look for it.

12.57pm BST

This is a fine goal. Sissoko storms forward from the halfway line and flicks a nice pass to Lucas Moura on the right side of the area. He takes the shot first time, walloping it across Hamer and into the net.

12.56pm BST

Pick that out!

12.55pm BST

Davies played a low pass into Llorente, who miscontrolled it on the edge of the area. The ball ran onto Wanyama, who nicked it past the sliding Kongolo and moved smoothly round Hamer to score. Nicely done.

12.54pm BST

That’s more like it.

12.53pm BST

23 min It’s all very muted. You’d still expect Spurs to win comfortably but so far they haven’t created any clear chances.

12.49pm BST

20 min Lord, this is dull.

12.48pm BST

18 min “I will reply to Copestake’s comment (12th min),” says Gordon Pittendrigh, “once I have done my coupon and worked out my yankee for Newbury.”

12.46pm BST

17 min Spurs have been a bit sloppy in the final third, possibly because of the assumption of almost everyone in the ground that they only need to turn up to ensure victory.

12.45pm BST

15 min “Hi Rob,” says Hubert O’Hearn. “I’ll be squinting at today’s matches and MBM, not out of disdain, rather both my dog Stella and I have come down with pink eye of all things. What next? Scurvy? Gout? The vapours? In any event, under quarantine and waiting for a bucket of laudanum laced leeches to arrive. Ah well, watch the world through rose-coloured glasses. Back to the football. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned BTL in some article or another a prediction. What would be the Spursiest thing Spurs could do on the run-in? On that basis, I figure Tottenham’s finest will knock City out of both Big Cup and the league title while winning neither for themselves. One Champions League win later, I’m starting to like the odds. Thoughts?”

I can’t see it. They might go through on Wednesday but there’s no way they’ll win both. But that’s just, like, my opinion, man.

12.43pm BST

13 min Davies’s deep cross is headed back across goal by Walker-Peters and glanced wide by the stretching Llorente. He couldn’t quite get over the ball. Spurs have had 90 per cent (N-I-N-E-T-Y) of the possession so far.

12.41pm BST

12 min “If I gave a solitary fudge I would try and work out why people want to predict the outcome of a game,” says Ian Copestake. “It is almost as if the gambling industry now sits inside people’s’ heads working the cogs.”

Literally.

12.40pm BST

11 min Huddersfield almost pay the price for crossing the halfway line. They lost the ball, allowing Eriksen to lead a good Spurs break that ended with Wanyama drilling a low shot just wide from 25 yards.

12.38pm BST

9 min “So Pochettino is concentrating on the Champions League,” says Steve Waterhouse. “Yep, that’s where Spurs are now.”

Trophies are overrated.

12.37pm BST

7 min Spurs are having heaps of possession, though almost all of it has been in front of Huddersfield. Lucas Moura looks very sharp.

12.35pm BST

5 min “Rob can you tell us about Harry Winks’ injury...” says Adam McCulloch. “A bit of a mystery there, how long is he out for? Also, Lamela is injured... you said he’s playing earlier. Re your preamble, seems to me this is not about rotation but whoever is fit has to play. Worrying.”

With Lamela, I was talking about general squad depth rather than the specific team for today. As for Winks, I went clubbing with him last night and he reckons he might be fit for Wednesday.

12.34pm BST

4 min That might have been a penalty to Spurs. Hamer dropped the ball, panicked and had a quick tug of Lucas Moura’s shirt. Liverpool were given a penalty at Fulham recently for a very similar incident. This time Moura stayed on his feet; had he dived, a penalty would probably have been given.

12.33pm BST

3 min A deft touch from Llorente finds Lucas Moura, who scoots forward before being fouled in the D by Hogg. This is a chance for Eriksen ... and he smacks it into the wall.

12.31pm BST

2 min “Rob!” says Benjamin Oates. “If that team is gonna be Huddersfield’s starting XI (plus Dwight Gayle) next season, they’ll likely end up doing a Sunderland and go down into League 1! Even the awful, awful Derby team of 07/08 would’ve got a draw against them.”

You’re just being silly now.

12.30pm BST

1 min Peep peep! Spurs get the match under way.

12.22pm BST

Spurs look a safe bet to finish the top four of the Premier League. Four of their last six games are at home, all against teams outside the top six. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all have tougher run-ins.

12.12pm BST

“What chance an upset?” says Bill Hargreaves. “Not a lot, I’d guess.”

Lads, it’s Tottenham.

12.09pm BST

“So, Spurs are playing three centre halves plus two fullbacks against Huddersfield?” sniffs John Tumbridge. “Plus two defensive midfielders? the cupboard is quite bare now that Spurs really need some depth.”

I think that’s slightly harsh – the full-backs will play like wingers, pretty much, and they do have a lot of attacking players missing. A reserve (sic) front three of Lucas Moura, Llorente and Lamela is decent, though I suppose ideally they’d like one more quality attacking player.

11.45am BST

“Has Jan Siewert basically decided to demote the entire Danish contingent?” asks Anders Vad Bruun. “Not that long ago that Zanka, Lössl and Billing were regulars in the starting eleven. Now it seems as if they can’t get a game. Has he dropped all the players that are likely to leave in the summer?”

It looks that way, which makes sense I suppose, even if it is a slightly sad ending for Lossl in particular.

11.38am BST

Pre-match business

11.35am BST

Mauricio Pochettino has made seven changes from the team that beat Manchester City on Tuesday. The survivors are Lloris, Vertonghen, Sissoko and Eriksen.

11.34am BST

Tottenham Hotspur (3-4-2-1) Lloris; Foyth, Sanchez, Vertonghen; Walker-Peters, Sissoko, Wanyama, Davies; Eriksen, Lucas Moura; Llorente.
Substitutes: Gazzaniga, Trippier, Rose, Alderweireld, Marsh, Skipp, Son.

Huddersfield Town (4-2-3-1) Hamer; Hadergjonaj, Schindler, Kongolo, Durm; Hogg, Stankovic; Kachunga, Bacuna, Lowe; Grant.
Substitutes: Coleman, Smith, Zanka, Mooy, Williams, Pritchard, Mounie.

9.44am BST

Good morning. Three years ago, on a Friday evening in September, there was a big countdown clock at the bottom of the screen on Sky Sports News The event for which the world was waiting? The team news for Everton v Crystal Palace. Yep.

It was an exemplary satire of a sport that has completely lost its noggin. But today, and I feel slightly unclean typing this, the team news might genuinely be the most interesting thing about Spurs v Huddersfield.

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Published on April 13, 2019 06:37

April 9, 2019

The Joy of Six: Barcelona v Manchester United

From the majesty of Atkinson’s cup specialists to the might of Cruyff’s dream team, six epic battles between these Euro giants

Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson brought glory and trophies to Manchester United on an industrial scale, yet they never had an Old Trafford European night such as this. Ron Atkinson’s cup specialists overcame a 2-0 first-leg deficit to overwhelm a Barcelona side that included Diego Maradona and Bernd Schuster. United’s three goals, two from Bryan Robson and one from Frank Stapleton, were scored from a combined distance of around six yards, an apt reflection of a night on which they stormed the Barcelona goal like it was a medieval fortress. Barcelona, used to a slower pace domestically, simply could not cope with United’s top-gear football.

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Published on April 09, 2019 01:00

April 6, 2019

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

Gabriel Jesus’s early goal, created majestically by Kevin De Bruyne, settled an uneventful semi-final in which both sides struggled to create clear chances

7.40pm BST

Manchester City 1-0 Brighton I’ll leave you with Danny Taylor’s match report from Wembley. Thanks for your company, goodnight!

7.28pm BST

Here’s Raheem Sterling

“Brighton played brilliantly. They caused us problems from set-pieces and stayed in the game, but it shows the spirit we have to get through a difficult game. We have some huge games to come but the next one on Tuesday is all that matters at the moment.

7.25pm BST

More hot MBM action!

7.22pm BST

Peep peep! Manchester City are into the FA Cup final for the first time since 2013! Gabriel Jesus’s brilliant fourth-minute goal decided an uneventful semi-final in which City were nowhere near their best. Brighton played admirably without the ball but were unable to lay a glove on City. It might have been different had Kyle Walker been sent off in the first half. He wasn’t and City rarely looked like losing their lead.

7.21pm BST

90+2 min Knockaert’s free-kick is headed away and City break down the right through Jesus. He lofts a fine pass over the defence to Sterling, whose excellent left-footed volley is well saved by Ryan.

7.20pm BST

90+1 min Fernandinho commits a brainless foul on Duffy, 25 yards from goal. This is Brighton’s chance...

7.19pm BST

90 min Three minutes.

7.17pm BST

88 min Brighton are running out of time. They have, in the parlance of our time, done themselves proud today, but they just haven’t been able to create any clear chances.

7.15pm BST

87 min Danilo, a scorer of great goals, thrashes a storming shot just over the bar from 25 yards.

7.14pm BST

86 min Izquierdo shapes a nice curler towards goal from 20 yards, and Ederson flies across his line to make a comfortable save. That’s only the fifth shot on target of the match.

7.13pm BST

85 min Duffy is flattened in the D outside the City area. Anthony Taylor waves play on.

7.13pm BST

84 min Knockaert makes a brilliant 40-yard run towards his own goal to steal the ball and start a Brighton attack. It comes to nothing, but Knockaert has played admirably all day.

7.11pm BST

83 min “Hi Rob,” says David Hopkins. “My dad wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t drop Alan Hinton into the best crossers riff. Apparently he could drop it on any spot at will. There’s a goal against Spurs I think where Willie Carlin scores a header from a Hinton cross while being marked by two defenders a foot taller than him.”

7.10pm BST

82 min Brighton make their third change, with Jurgen Locadia replacing the impressive Bissouma.

7.10pm BST

81 min The admirable, Tigger-ish Knockaert wins a corner for Brighton. It’s headed away by Stones.

7.08pm BST

79 min Another change for City: John Stones replaces Benjamin Mendy, who looked pretty good and provided a few reminders of his exceptional crossing ability.

7.07pm BST

79 min Brighton are hanging on now. Jesus plays a square pass to Sterling, who drills a low shot from 20 yards that is bravely blocked by the sliding Dunk.

7.06pm BST

78 min ... And Bernardo will clear it.

7.06pm BST

77 min Mendy’s superb cross is headed behind for a corner by the stretching Dunk. Gundogan will take it...

7.05pm BST

76 min That’s a good example of City’s effective cynicism. Andone, inside his own half, turned back inside Mendy, who pulled his shirt to stop play. Free-kick, no yellow card and City can regroup.

7.04pm BST

75 min Brighton can’t get out of their half.

7.03pm BST

74 min City have controlled the game since Fernandinho came on. He’s a remarkable player, the cynical genius of English football.

7.00pm BST

72 min Dunk is booked for hoofing Bernardo Silva.

6.58pm BST

70 min A second City goal is in the post. They have improved markedly and Brighton are struggling to get the ball. Laporte generously returns to them with a wild shot from long range. It also allows Brighton to make another change, with Jose Izquierdo replacing Jahanbakhsh.

6.57pm BST

69 min “Hi again Rob,” says Geoff Wignall. “Just to clarify the figures I gave for Beckham’s crosses, I was generous enough to consider anything a teammate could realistically challenge for as successfully finding a teammate. That obviously exaggerates the implied success rate. Anyway better to my mind were John Robertson (before your time?) and Dennis Wise. Wise? Oh yes. Retreating further into the mists of time, Siddons and Aston. Being less parochial, Donatello and Figo. That’s not a very long list but then I’m more of a cricket and rugby person.”

I agree that Wise was an excellent crosser of the ball, particularly set pieces, but he didn’t have anything like Beckham’s range. (In my opinion, etc.) In fact, nobody did. (In my opinion, etc.)

6.56pm BST

68 min City have had greater control of the game in the last few minutes, though they are still unusually sluggish in possession.

6.55pm BST

67 min “I respect and admire 99% of everything Pep is about,” says Hubert O’Hearn. “But. That 1% is the same rage I had at Mourinho for clearly managing his players to saw off the ankles of any opposition player who is making a decent run. If say Southampton had a similar policy yesterday, instead of a memorable 60-yard run and shoot goal, Mo Salah would have been scraped off the turf in a body bag. Come on Brighton, hope you receive justice!”

I think you got the wrong memo, Hubert.

6.53pm BST

66 min Brighton make their first change, with Florin Andone replacing Glenn Murray.

6.53pm BST

65 min City make their second chance, with Fernandinho replacing Kevin de Bruyne.

6.52pm BST

64 min: Good save from Ryan! Sterling struck a disguised curling shot towards goal from 20 yards, and it would have nestled in the bottom corner but for that pesky Ryan, who flew to his right to palm it away.

6.51pm BST

62 min Chris Hughton will be starting to consider his options on the bench, particularly Locadia and Andone. Brighton have played superbly - but only in the first two-thirds of the field.

6.49pm BST

61 min Gundogan hooks a good left-footed shot towards goal from 20 yards that is comfortably held by Ryan.

6.48pm BST

60 min “Instituting a salary cap is much easier within national confines but football, unlike American sportsballs, is an international game,” says Phil Podolsky. “Also, the real problem is obviously capitalism. To sign off on a less self-important note, I wish BBC would just let Yaya Toure speak French. He’s an intelligent guy but you wouldn’t know he played in England for over half a decade from his stabs at punditry.”

6.46pm BST

58 min City calm things down with an extended spell of possession. Sterling and Bernardo have switched wings, by the way.

6.45pm BST

56 min “Manchester City finished the half with 2/3 possession, and twice as many fouls as their opponent,” says Steve Forstneger. “This is a trend throughout the season. Against Fulham, they had 2/3 possession and committed 3x as many fouls. For all its supposed beauty, it’s a cynical style of play.”

Next you’ll be telling me Barcelona aren’t more than a club.

6.43pm BST

54 min: So close to a Brighton equaliser! Knockaert’s inswinging corner was right on top of Emerson, who missed with his attempted punch. Duffy headed the ball down into the six-yard box, and Murray was about to score when Laporte appeared to slice the ball over his own crossbar.

6.41pm BST

53 min Brighton are dominating possssion at the moment, and Propper skedaddles down the right to win a corner.

6.40pm BST

53 min “Rob,” says Duncan Edwards. “I feel Beckham was revolutionary in that he dispensed with the notion that a winger must win beat his man and get to the byline before delivering crosses. All he needed was a yard of space to wreak precision havoc. The two goals he set up for Dwight Yorke against Inter being classic examples. In each case Beckham delivered first time balls on a plate just begging to be gobbled up. Eat crap Simeone!”

There was another absurd cross for Andy Cole in the same game.

6.40pm BST

52 min Knockaert’s curling free-kick is headed away by De Bruyne.

6.39pm BST

51 min Danilo is booked for a foul on Jahanbakhsh, although it looked like a dive. Brighton have a free-kick on the left wing, 25 yards from goal...

6.39pm BST

51 min “Brighton supporter here, but I’m glad Walker is still on,” writes

Francis Lee
Paul Thompson. “Yes, strictly according to the rules he should be off, but no harm was done in that clash, and Jahanbakhsh had just pushed him over. Keep 22 players on the pitch if possible, that’s what I want. Anyway, Brighton don’t need the extra man ... we almost had a shot on target you know?”

6.38pm BST

50 min City are nowhere near their best going forward. Brighton have a chance in this match - not a huge chance, not even a small one, but a bigger one than they had after four minutes.

6.36pm BST

49 min “Why?” says Chris Tavernos. “So a blatant dive is described as clever by Danny Mills but a stamp and a handbags head shake is a stonewall red?”

File under Modern Football.

6.36pm BST

48 min Knockaert, who has been Brighton’s liveliest attacker, goes on a nice run infield before being smoothly dispossessed by Laporte.

6.34pm BST

47 min “Beckham’s crossing looked better than it was because there were always three, and often four, men in the box to get on the end of a ball hit into ‘good areas’,” says Gary Naylor. “Extraordinary how that side got so many men forward. Best crosser I’ve ever seen is Dave Thomas of QPR and, later, Everton. He played high passes.”

I know what you mean about Beckham and United, but...

6.34pm BST

46 min Peep peep! City begin the second half. Danilo has replaced Kyle Walker at half-time.

6.21pm BST

Half-time reading

6.20pm BST

“Ah, yes,” says Matt Dony. “Good point. Come on, Brighton. I was behind you all the way...”

6.19pm BST

Peep peep! That’s the end of a slightly strange half. When Gabriel Jesus scored in the fourth minute from a devastating cross by Kevin de Bruyne, it looked like Brighton would be overwhelmed. But they played admirably thereafter and were City’s equals for the rest of a largely chanceless half. Though they are a goal down, they could be a man up: Kyle Walker should probably have been sent off for dragging his head down Alireza Jahanbakhsh’s face.

You’d expect City to do the necessary in the second half, especially after Pep gives them the special hairdryer, but Brighton still have hope, and that’s all anyone ever asked for.

6.15pm BST

44 min De Bruyne’s corner from the right falls nicely for Gundogan, who mis-hits his attempted cross-shot into the ground and away to safety.

6.14pm BST

42 min “As much as we all love an underdog story, and the romance of the cup and all, I’m fully behind City,” says Matt Dony, who rumour has it may have a place for Liverpool Football Club in his heart.. “The more games they have to play, the better.”

You realise the cup final will be played after the league season has finished?

6.12pm BST

40 min Bernardo Silva’s long-range shot is headed away by the flying Lewis Dunk. “He loves it, doesn’t he?” says Martin Keown, recognising a kindred spirit. Actually, replays show he cleared it with his shoulder, not his head, but the point stands: when it comes to defending, Dunk does indeed love it.

6.08pm BST

35 min “Hi Rob,” says Geoff Wignall. “I’m sorry, but no. No, no, no, no. Beckham’s best crosses might have been (among) the best ever but calling him the best crosser of the ball is to discount all the attempts that didn’t beat the first defender. Being sad that way I once kept count over five matches. 40% hit or were collected by the first defender, more than 60% failed to find a teammate. This included set pieces.”

Those percentages are low for failed crosses, aren’t they? He’s the best crosser I’ve ever seen, anyway, which isn’t entirely the same as saying he’s the best of all time.

6.06pm BST

34 min The more you see the Walker incident, the more it becomes clear that he should have been sent off. Don’t get me wrong - in a sane world, that would never be a red card, but the law is the law. Another triumph for VAR.

6.05pm BST

33 min The VAR review has found Walker innocent, You could argue he’s a bit lucky there, because he did drag his head down Jahanbakhsh’s face and in the modern game that could be construed as violent conduct. As Martin Keown says on BBC, Jahanbakhsh did Walker a favour by not falling over and rolling round like he’d been maimed.

6.03pm BST

32 min Both players are booked, but VAR is checking for a red card, presumably against Walker.

6.02pm BST

32 min Walker goes head to head with Jahanbakhsh and drags his head down Jahanbakhsh’s face. This could be one for VAR.

Walker was annoyed because Jahanbakhsh stood on his thigh, probably accidentally, after they wrestled for the ball on the byline.

6.01pm BST

31 min “Salary cap would lead to an exodus,” says Gavin Reddin. “I’m sorry to say this, but City are so good they are boring. We just have to wait until Guardiola leaves!”

6.00pm BST

30 min Gundogan’s stinging long-range volley is blocked by Stephens.

5.58pm BST

27 min De Bruyne’s corner is headed clear by Stephens.

5.57pm BST

27 min De Bruyne wins a corner for City, who have been quiet as an attacking force in the last 15 minutes.

5.55pm BST

25 min There’s an unscheduled drinks break while Kyle Walker receives treatment. Danilo is warming up, just in case.

5.54pm BST

23 min Brighton have recovered well after that torrid start. It would have been easy to throw the towel in when Gabriel Jesus scored.

5.52pm BST

22 min Gundogan fires a crisp pass out to Sterling on the left. He moves it back inside to the underlapping David Silva, whose cut-back is claimed by Ryan.

5.51pm BST

20 min Stephens is having a fine game for Brighton in front of the back four, both with and without the ball. He plays a good pass to start a move which ends with Propper dragging a nothing shot wide from 20 yards.

5.49pm BST

19 min “Salary cap?” says Zach Neeley. “Eliminate the fee system and let players either be traded or wait till they’re free agents? Obviously I’m American and our sports have our own major problems, but don’t gotta be this way.”

Forget it, Zach. It’s Chinatown.

5.48pm BST

18 min Knockaert’s outswinging corner misses everyone and is retrieved by Dunk, whose cross on the turn flies wide of the near post.

5.48pm BST

17 min Stephens drives a fine crossfield pass to Knockaert, whose cross is shanked behind by Otamendi. Set pieces are Brighton’s main hope, and this is their first corner...

5.47pm BST

15 min Brighton have had a bit more of the ball in the last few minutes. Nothing particularly incisive, but it beats chasing City shadows.

5.45pm BST

13 min Brighton’s only chance is to stay within a goal of City and hope - to borrow Steve Coppell’s perfect quote about Crystal Palace’s semi-final win over Liverpool in 1990 - that “human nature takes over” in the last 20 minutes.

5.43pm BST

11 min City have had 81 per cent of the possession. It’s quite sad to watch in some ways, because I’m not sure football should be quite so undemocratic. Whaddya gonna do?

5.40pm BST

8 min That assist from De Bruyne gets better every time you see it. He is surely one of the greatest crossers of the ball we’ve ever seen. He’s certainly the closest I’ve seen to the best of them all, David Beckham.

5.39pm BST

7 min Knockaert steals the ball off Sterling and surges past the halfway line, but before he knows it he is surrounded by City players. For a team that have played about 500 games this season, their work-rate without the ball is scary.

5.37pm BST

5 min “Not to pour water on Pep saying he’s never had an easy semi-final,” says Freddy Oliver, “but his side did manage to overcome Burton 10-0 in a semi a couple of months ago.”

Are you suggesting that 99.9 per cent of manager interviews are a complete waste of everyone’s time because of a culture that punishes them if they tell the truth?

5.36pm BST

It’s a marvellous goal from City. Laporte drives a long crossfield pass to Bernardo Silva, who cushions it inside to De Bruyne. He curls a wicked cross in between the defenders and keeper which bounces up perfectly for Jesus to fling himself forward and head into the net from six yards. It was a stunning, Beckham-like ball from De Bruyne.

5.34pm BST

That was fun while it lasted.

5.33pm BST

3 min City have made a very fast start. Sterling plays a one-two with David Silva on the left side of the area before his cross is cleared by Duffy. Or Dunk. I’m not sure which one it was. They’re basically the same person anyway.

5.32pm BST

1 min De Bruyne wins City’s first corner after 36 seconds. It’s half cleared to Mendy, whose cross is headed away.

5.31pm BST

1 min Peep peep! Brighton kick off from left to right. They are in their home strip of blue-and-white stripes; City are in their very very very very dark blue away strip.

5.29pm BST

If you’re into the whole Bundesliga thing, you can follow Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund with Nick Miller.

5.28pm BST

The players emerge from the tunnel to the familiar sound of Oh, Michael van Gerwen by the White Stripes. The Brighton supporters in particular are creating a cracking atmosphere.

5.24pm BST

Tell us about the quadruple, Pep! Can you do it, Pep? Can you? “I’m here in front of you today. The rest of the season is a fantasy. We have to try to beat Brighton to get to the final. The Champions League game against Spurs was not a factor in the team selection – this is a semi-final, and I’ve never had an easy semi-final in my career.”

5.22pm BST

Chris Hughton speaks! “It’s probably more in the last week that I’ve realised what it means to this football club. We still need league points, and that’s my priority, but all the excitement has drummed home just what today means. It’s incredibly hard for anybody to contain Manchester City. In my opinion there’s only one way you can play against them – you have to be disciplined and you have to have a certain percentage of the ball.”

4.51pm BST

Pre-match reading

4.35pm BST

Sergio Aguero has not recovered from injury, so Gabriel Jesus starts in attack for City. Glenn Murray starts for Brighton.

Manchester City (4-3-3) Ederson; Walker, Otamendi, Laporte, Mendy; De Bruyne, Gundogan, D Silva; B Silva, Jesus, Sterling.
Substitutes: Muric, Danilo, Stones, Fernandinho, Sane, Foden, Mahrez.

4.22pm BST

One last push. One last push in the next few weeks to achieve something unique in the history of football. Yep, Brighton are two games away from doing the Single, and becoming the first Brighton team to win a major cup competition. (No, the Sussex Royal Ulster Charity Cup wins of 1960 and 1961 doesn’t count.)

That’s the good news. The bad news is that we’re all going to die eventually. Oh, and that the first of those two games is against Pep Guardiola’s remarkable Manchester City, a team that have scored 61 goals in cup competitions alone this season.

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Published on April 06, 2019 11:40

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