Rob Smyth's Blog, page 161
February 1, 2017
The Fiver | Heroic pettiness we would be proud to call our own
In today’s Fiver: Matty Taylor, ‘jaw tests’, Arsenal’s mental focus and more
To most, 31 January 2017 will go down as forgettable D-day. Even Jim White struggled to work himself to the cusp of orgasm over news that Omar Bogle had moved from Grimsby to Wigan for an undisclosed fee. But in Bristol, this particular deadline day will be remembered for a long time: it was the day he went from them to them. Or, to put it another way, Matty Taylor left Bristol Rovers to join Bristol City – and sparked an onslaught of heroic pettiness The Fiver would be proud to call its own.
Related: Premier League ins and outs from the transfer window – how did your club do?
Related: Hull City remain a club pockmarked by rancour under Allams’ ownership | David Conn
Continue reading...
Football transfer rumours: Wayne Rooney to reject China move?
Today’s fluff looks at what might have been
This is a Rumour Mill with a difference. The day after the day self-importantly known as Deadline Day is generally no time for fresh gossip. After all, even evil sleeps occasionally. So instead of drip-feeding you rumours of what might happen in the future, today’s Mill will give you rumours of what didn’t happen yesterday!
Yes, it really has come to this.
Related: Transfer window January 2017: every deal in Europe's top five leagues
Continue reading...January 29, 2017
In praise of David Coleman, Grandstand and a slower, more peaceful age | Rob Smyth
The past is a foreign country, and boy do we all need some escapism right now. From T2 Trainspotting to Twin Peaks, the 20th century is the place to be. This time it feels like more than just the usual nostalgia – more of a safe house, with a subtle infusion of melancholy, from the outright misery of contemporary society.
Sports fans of a certain age and disposition have never needed much excuse to do some mental time travel. The phrase “in my day”, never more powerful than when gruffly forced through a cloud of pipe smoke by Fred Trueman, is transferable to all sports. It feels particularly acute this weekend: it is the 10th anniversary of the final episode of Grandstand, the multi-sport extravaganza that was one of the BBC’s flagship shows for almost 50 years. It was as essential a part of the weekend as lie-ins, hangovers and a clock that seemed to be on fast-forward as Sunday progressed.
Related: David Coleman, voice of sport on television for almost 40 years, dies aged 87
Related: Game over for Grandstand
Continue reading...January 23, 2017
Senegal 2-2 Algeria: Africa Cup of Nations – as it happened
Algeria went out of the tournament without winning a game despite Islam Slimani’s two goals against a Senegal reserve side
8.52pm GMT
Peep peep! A much-fancied Algeria side go out of the Africa Cup of Nations at the group stage, without winning a game. They needed to beat Senegal and hope Zimbabwe won against Tunisia. Neither happened, so they are off to catch Flight DO1. Senegal, the group winners, will play Cameroon in the quarter-finals, and Tunisia will meet Burkina Faso. Thanks for your company, goodnight!
8.45pm GMT
88 min Mahrez misses an excellent chance to win it, sidefooting over with his right foot after a good return pass from Ghezzal.
8.43pm GMT
86 min “Evening Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “I don’t think the internet has reached Orkney yet. And even if it has, they’ll be too busy fishing and milking cows to notice. Said affectionately by a fellow Scot, of course. You know, just in case.”
8.42pm GMT
85 min Sow’s blocked shot breaks to Diame, whose well-struck volley from 25 yards is too close to Asselah.
8.40pm GMT
83 min Another Algeria substitution; Ghezzal replaces the impressive Hanni, who made Slimani’s first goal and should have made his third.
8.39pm GMT
83 min For a game that was rendered meaningless after 15 minutes this has been pretty enjoyable.
8.39pm GMT
81 min The two teams are running out of time if they want to score a winner, or start a brawl. It seems Slimani came off with an injury; his thigh is being strapped as he reclines on the bench.
8.38pm GMT
80 min Slimani’s tournament is over. He is replaced by Baghdad Bounedjah.
8.37pm GMT
79 min Algeria should just turn up for the quarter-final against Burkina Faso and then, when questioned, cite alternative facts that show they finished second in the group.
8.36pm GMT
78 min Another Senegal substitution: Idrissa Gueye of Everton replaces N’Diaye.
8.35pm GMT
77 min Slimani misses a golden chance for a hat-trick. He was put through by a cracking pass from Hanni and had lots of time to consider his shot as N’Diaye came out. He tried to sidefoot it into the far corner and put it a couple of yards wide.
8.33pm GMT
76 min “Seeing as how the high-flying Sadio Mané is being rested today and doesn’t have to play for his country again until Saturday 28 January,” says Peter Oh, “surely he will be allowed to hop on a plane back to Liverpool for the EFL Cup semi-final 2nd leg against Southampton on Wednesday 25 January before re-joining his Senegal teammates?”
Yes, Fifa are keen to do everything they can to bring the EFL Cup into the 21st century. I think their next plan is to make it a 48,128,256,512-team tournament.
8.32pm GMT
75 min Hanni’s ambitious long-range shot is fumbled by N’Diaye, who claims it at the second attempt under pressure from Slimani.
8.31pm GMT
74 min Diedhiou is booked for booting Mandi, who yelps with pain.
8.27pm GMT
70 min A Senegal change: Mbodji off, Famara Diedhiou on.
8.26pm GMT
69 min “The timing of this tournament is designed to prevent Liverpool from signing the second Salif Diao or the new El Hadji Diouf,” says Ian Copestake. “So for that I thank it.”
You need more empathy in your latte mate.
8.24pm GMT
67 min The game is starting to peter out now, though fisticuffs should not be completely ruled out. Slimani follows a backheader to the keeper N’Diaye, who claims it and then goes down laughably after the merest contact with Slimani.
8.23pm GMT
63 min Does anyone reading this live in Orkney?
8.20pm GMT
61 min Cadamuro, who was booked a moment ago, clatters Diop in the face with a leading arm. He’s pretty lucky to stay on the pitch.
8.18pm GMT
61 min Mahrez has been superb today, with some glorious touches. I wonder where he’ll be playing next season. He is good enough for any team in the world.
8.17pm GMT
60 min Zimbabwe have scored another goal against Tunisia, to reduce the deficit to 4-2.
8.17pm GMT
59 min “Marcellus would have voted for Obama - and made all his clan follow suit - but not Clinton,” says Charles Antaki. “Butch wouldn’t have voted at all. And we can hazard a fairly good guess at who the guys in the pawn shop would have favoured.”
So who voted for Pedro?
8.16pm GMT
58 min Sarr rolls over spectacularly and repeatedly after a foul by Cadamuro, who is booked. I think it was the fall rather than the foul that caused Sarr’s pain.-
8.14pm GMT
56 min “Evening Rob,” says David Horn. “Sorry to email in and all, with your Communication Vacuum Record only 40 minutes from completion ... but I’ve diligently used Apple-F (hipster CTRL-F) to search for Sadio Mané, and not found a mention. Assuming & hoping, on behalf of Liverpool (and Senegal!) fans, he’s being rested as Senegal top the group, rather than he’s broken his arm / leg. Right? Right!!”
He’s already scored two goals at each end; the reason you couldn’t find him is that I couldn’t be bothered to put the accent on the E.
8.12pm GMT
Sow makes a silk purse out of a half-chance to bring Senegal level straight away. A loose ball broke to him 20 yards from goal, and he blasted a low first-time shot across Asselah and into the corner. That’s an excellent goal.
8.11pm GMT
Slimani shanks Algeria into the lead. It was made by the superb Mahrez, who moved into the box on the right and teased a lofted pass to Slimani at the far post. He took it on his chest and then, as it bounced up awkwardly, inadvertently sliced a dismal looping shot beyond the reach of N’Diaye. N’Doye got back to hoof it clear off the bar but the ball had crossed the line.
8.08pm GMT
52 min I suppose this is good news for Leicester at least.
8.08pm GMT
50 min A chance for Senegal. Ciss fizzes a good pass along the line of the penalty area; Sarr arrives on the other side, opens up his body and sidefoots a few yards wide. It was a pretty unconvincing attempt.
8.03pm GMT
46 min Peep peep! Algeria begin the second half with nothing to play for except pride, and we know what Marsellus Wallace said about that.
8.01pm GMT
In happier news, we’re still on course for a record: the first Guardian liveblog with absolutely no emails. Don’t let me down now!
7.48pm GMT
That was a pretty miserable half for Algeria - not so much in this game but because Tunisia are 4-1 ahead against Zimbabwe, and that means Algeria will be on Flight DO1 tonight. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.
7.45pm GMT
45 min More goals in the other group match: it’s Zimbabwe 1-4 Tunisia.
7.44pm GMT
Senegal are level. Sarr’s cross is half cleared by the head of Mandi. It comes to Dop, backing up the play just outside the D, and he bobbles a volley through a posse of defenders and past the unsighted Asselah.
7.42pm GMT
40 min Ciss finds N’Diaye, who scoops a shot miles wide from the edge of the box.
7.40pm GMT
39 min Now Bentaleb is booked for a high tackle on Ciss. There is a bit more pushing and shoving. This match has encouraging potential for a brawl.
7.39pm GMT
39 min Ghoulam is booked for a cynical trip on Diame.
7.38pm GMT
38 min It’s now Zimbabwe 0-3 Tunisia, which means Algeria are definitely, absolutely, almost certainly out of the tournament.
7.37pm GMT
37 min Konate flicks a header over the bar from a right-wing corner. Asselah had it covered.
7.34pm GMT
32 min Mahrez almost scores a gorgeous goal. His extravagant flick near the halfway line sent two defenders off to the wrong fire and allowed Brahimi to move forward into space. He then returned the ball to Mahrez, who surged into the area and hit a right-footed shot that was blocked by the legs of the keeper N’Diaye.
7.31pm GMT
30 min Senegal have a free-kick 30 yards from goal. Sow slams it into the chest of Slimani, who is penalised for handball. That means another free-kick just outside the box. This one hits the legs of one the defenders in the wall, and after much consideration the referee decides not to penalise him for handball.
7.29pm GMT
29 min There have been a few, a-hem, zealous tackles in this game, and there’s another from Guedioura on Diop. You have to work quite hard to get booked in this tournament, and so far nobody has managed it.
7.28pm GMT
27 min Algeria are starting to enjoy themselves, playing with the freedom of the buggered. Mahrez dupes Ciss with a lovely, Waddleish piece of skill before his cross is crucially intercepted by Mbodji.
7.24pm GMT
23 min Goodnight Algeria: Tunisia now lead Zimbabwe 2-0, and are going through to the quarter-finals with Senegal.
7.22pm GMT
21 min Konate plays a nice, semi-disguised through pass to Sow. He tries to go round the outrushing keeper Asselah, who gets down smartly to his left to save. That was Senegal B’s best chance; Sow’s touch was too soft and that brought Asselah into the game.
7.19pm GMT
18 min Ciss jumps over a challenge from Meftah in the box, prompting a mini appeal for a penalty. I think Meftah aborted the challenge in time, and there weren’t any protests.
7.16pm GMT
15 min There wasn’t much in that shoving match and the players soon calmed down. Sarr seems okay.
7.15pm GMT
14 min Slimani fouls Sarr, and then Hanni treads on his ankle as he falls. I don’t know if it was deliberate but Sarr screamed in pain and now players on both sides are shoving each other.
7.14pm GMT
13 min Almost a second for Algeria. Mahrez’s excellent corner from the right was flicked on by
Steve Bould
Hanni at the near post, and the stretching Mandi studded it wide at the far post. He was at full stretch and couldn’t quite get enough of his boot on the ball.
7.12pm GMT
Tunisia’s goal was scored by Naim Sliti, a deflected long-range strike. As it stands they will play Burkina Faso in the quarters.
7.11pm GMT
Algeria have taken the lead. Trouble is, so have Tunisia against Zimbabwe. It was a good goal from Algeria, with Slimani sidefooting Hanni’s terrific cross into the net on the volley. But they are out unless Zimbabwe win the other match.
7.08pm GMT
7 min A corner to Senegal on the right. Diop delivers and you’re one clears at the near post.
7.07pm GMT
6 min Algeria work up enough enthusiasm to cross the halfway line, and Hanni even gets into the box on the left before his cross is blocked.
7.03pm GMT
3 min Senegal’s B team may have nothing to play for but football itself, yet they have started with much greater confidence and urgency than Algeria.
7.01pm GMT
1 min Senegal make a flying start, with Sarr on the right of the box driving a vicious low ball right across the face of goal.
7.00pm GMT
1 min A grown man puts a whistle to his mouth, and a sporting contest thus commences. Senegal are in white, kicking from left to right; Algeria are in green.
7.00pm GMT
Just before we kick off, here’s some Senegalese porn.
6.51pm GMT
Do you have money to burn? If so, don’t burn it - do me a solid and click here instead.
6.51pm GMT
Senegal, who are guaranteed to top the group, have rested 10 players ahead of Saturday’s quarter-final against Cameroon. Kara Mbodji is the only player who survives from the win over Zimbabwe.
6.40pm GMT
This is tremendous PSV supporter and astonishing genius Michael van Gerwen parades his world title at the Philips Stadion.
6.30pm GMT
Some pre-match reading
Related: Hosts Gabon leave Africa Cup of Nations unbeaten but uninspiring
6.13pm GMT
Senegal (possible 3-4-3) K N’Diaye; Ciss, Mbodji, Z Toure; Diame, N’Doye, P N’Diaye, Diop; Konate, Sow, I Sarr.
Algeria (possible 4-2-3-1) Asselah; Meftah, Mandi, Cadamuro, Ghoulam; Bentaleb, Guédioura; Mahrez, Hanni, Brahimi; Slimani.
6.12pm GMT
Our main focus tonight will be Senegal v Algeria, though we’ll have goal updates from Tunisia v Zimbabwe. It’d be crude not to.
2.06pm GMT
Hello. The Senegal coach Aliou Cisse describes this match the African Clásico. But tonight, Matthew, Senegal and Algeria don’t meet as equals. Senegal, the team of the tournament so far, are already guaranteed to top Group B and play Cameroon in the quarter-finals. Algeria need snookers if they are to reach the last eight and play Burkina Faso.
Algeria were one of the favourites for this tournament, but thus far they have had a stinker: they drew 2-2 with Zimbabwe and lost the North African derby against Tunisia 2-1. That Tunisia defeat was especially costly; with head-to-head record being used to split teams who finish level, Tunisia need only a draw against Zimbabwe to put Algeria out.
Continue reading...January 22, 2017
Chelsea 2-0 Hull City: Premier League – as it happened
Chelsea moved eight points clear at the top after goals from Diego Costa and Gary Cahill saw off a strong challenge from Hull
6.58pm GMT
Related: Diego Costa on target as Chelsea extend lead to eight points with win over Hull
6.29pm GMT
Peep peep! Chelsea go eight points clear with a victory that was less comfortable than the scoreline suggests. They have now won 15 of their last 16 Premier League games. Hull have plenty of reasons to be optimistic, though their first thought will be for the welfare of Ryan Mason, who was taken to hospital after a horrible clash of heads with Gary Cahill. Thanks for your company; night.
6.24pm GMT
89 min Saying which, Clucas clips a good pass over the top to Niasse, whose brilliant shot on the turn is excellent saved by Courtois.
6.24pm GMT
89 min Hull were excellent for 81 minutes. There is a resignation about their play now though, and you can understand why.
6.21pm GMT
86 min Michy Batshuayi replaces Diego Costa, who started slowly before rumbling majestically into action just before half-time. He leaves to an extremely warm ovation from the Chelsea fans. When he is in the right mood, as he has been this season, he is a magnificent beast of a centre-forward.
6.19pm GMT
84 min Fabregas slides a fine pass through to Costa, whose low shot hits the leg of Jakupovic and deflects behind for a corner.
6.17pm GMT
82 min Chelsea are going eight points clear at the top. They have turned what was supposed to be the most exciting Premier League title race for 15 years into a procession.
6.16pm GMT
Fabregas wafts a curling free-kick into the six-yard box from the left, and Cahill stretches to head emphatically into the net. He had a run on his marker, Niasse I think, and finished with his usual authority.
6.15pm GMT
79 min Robertson’s deep cross is put behind for a corner by Alonso, who was under no pressure but could not be certain that there was nobody behind him. The corner is headed clear to Clucas, who mishits a volley into the ground. Chelsea break through Kante, who stabs a pass through to Willian on the left. Meyler fouls him. And from the free-kick...
6.13pm GMT
77 min Chelsea would not have expected this to quite such a Spandex-tight contest, yet their defending has been as solid as ever; most of Courtois’ work has been from distance.
6.11pm GMT
76 min “Hey Rob,” says JR in Illinois. “So you say Hull should have had a penalty? I saw it and thought the same thing until Donald Trump told me it was never a penalty. It sure is nice to finally have someone decide what’s a fact and what isn’t. (Oh God it’s only two effing days and I can’t effing take it.)”
I just wish you moaning cows would give a bigot a break every now and then. He’s the people’s president!
6.09pm GMT
75 min Hull’s final change: Diomande replaces the willing, if not always able, Hernandez.
6.09pm GMT
74 min Chelsea are hanging on a bit. Matic fouls Evandro, who takes the free-kick on the right wing. It’s rubbish and cleared by Kante.
6.07pm GMT
72 min “Are you sure Costa’s handsy celebration wasn’t the punchline to a joke?” asks Matt Dony. “A crab walks in to a bar. The bar man says, ‘Get out, you’re barred!’ The crab asks him why. The barman replies, ‘You were in here last night, giving it all that...’ (Cue chatty hand signals). It’d have them rolling in the aisles!”
He is renowned for his playful sense of humour so you’re probably right.
6.05pm GMT
71 min A double Chelsea change: Cesc Fabregas and Willian replace Eden Hazard and Pedro.
6.04pm GMT
69 min A fine through pass from Huddlestone is miscontrolled by the stretching Hernandez. Hull have been tantalisingly close to a clear chance on a few occasions.
6.02pm GMT
67 min Clucas just overhits an angled through pass to Niasse. This is stirring stuff from Hull, who deserve to be level on the balance of play.
6.00pm GMT
65 min Hull continue to have slightly the better of the second half, with Cahill miscontrolling the ball for a corner. It eventually breaks to Dawson, whose half-volley from a tight angle is pushed behind by Courtois. I don’t think it was going in but the keeper had to be sure.
5.59pm GMT
64 min Eden Hazard is limping after his ankle was bitten by David Meyler. Or maybe he trod on Hazard’s foot, it’s hard to be sure.
5.58pm GMT
61 min There has been enough in Hull’s recent performances, under both Mike Phelan and Marco Silva, to suggest they have a chance of survival. Mid-table teams like Bournemouth and Burnley aren’t safe yet, never mind those just outside the relegation places. Bournemouth might be worth a bet at 40/1.
5.55pm GMT
60 min David Luiz fouls Clucas off the ball, 30 yards from goal. Harry Maguire drives a feeble effort wide.
5.54pm GMT
59 min Oumar Niasse, on loan from Everton, replaces Davies. Presumably Hull will go to a back four now.
5.53pm GMT
57 min Curtis Davies is going off with a hamstring injury.
5.50pm GMT
56 min Another effort from Costa, a low left-footer that is comfortably held by Jakupovic.
5.49pm GMT
54 min Costa’s shot on the turn is crucially blocked by Dawson, throwing himself at the ball like John Terry. The resulting corner is half cleared to Costa, whose vicious volley is also blocked.
5.48pm GMT
53 min Meyler’s fierce low shot from distance is palmed away by Courtois, diving to his right. Hull have been excellent since half-time and deserve to be level.
5.46pm GMT
52 min Robertson is booked for a foul on the marauding Moses.
5.44pm GMT
49 min There’s a slightly strange atmosphere at Stamford Bridge, with an undercurrent of grumbling. Hull will hope to play on that - and they have just had a very good appeal for a penalty turned down by Neil Swarbrick. That was a clear penalty, a clumsy foul by Alonso on Hernandez. He was beaten to the ball on the edge of the area and kicked Hernandez’s heel.
5.43pm GMT
Ryan Mason taken to St Mary's Hospital in London & receiving treatment. Get well soon Sir!
5.40pm GMT
47 min “Dear Rob,” says Ursolin Waxoh. “Your reader Kelvin wonders how Marco Silva could have been sacked from Sporting Lisbon for refusing to wear the official club suit. Well, there’s more to the story. The real reason he was sacked was that his relationship with the club president had deteriorated, and Sporting was eager to lure manager Jorge Jesus away from city rivals Benfica. Which they did, to very little success thus far.”
You’ll never make it in journalism with such slavish adherence to the truth.
5.40pm GMT
46 min Hull begin the second half, kicking from right to left.
5.38pm GMT
Diego Costa celebrated that goal by using both hands to make the universal signal for “you talk too much”. I bet he knows the Chinese for it as well.
5.34pm GMT
“Hi Rob,” says Andrew Alger. “Re: Harry Maguire - he came through the youth ranks at Sheffield United before moving to Hull (was in the team that got to the final of the FA Youth Cup vs a Man Utd team including Pogba, Morrison and Lingard). If the Blades had kept hold of him, Kyle Walker, Kyle Naughton, Matt Lowton and / or Phil Jagielka, we might not have spent the last 6 years in League One (or maybe at least avoided conceding two goals at home to Gillingham yesterday).”
5.26pm GMT
That goal was only Chelsea’s second shot on target, a reflection of how well Hull have defended. But they now face the really hard part: trying to score an equaliser. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.
5.23pm GMT
Moses ran at Robertson and drove a low cross into the area. It beat everyone at the near post and Costa blasted it through Jakupovic from close range. Hull aren’t happy as they thought Hernandez was fouled by Cahill in the build-up. I’m not sure there was much of a case.
5.22pm GMT
Diego Costa gives Chelsea the lead in added time!
5.21pm GMT
45+6 min Chelsea enjoy a long spell of possession until Pedro eases the ball wide to Alonso, who sidefoots a lovely cross into the six-yard box. The stretching Kante just can’t get to the ball and the near post and Jakupovic snaffles it.
5.17pm GMT
45+2 min Davies, who has been booked, fouls Pedro just outside the area. Neil Swarbrick gives him a last warning.
5.15pm GMT
45 min There will be nine minutes of added time. The referee Neil Swarbrick clearly drinks Fanta.
5.14pm GMT
44 min Kante is booked for something or other.
5.14pm GMT
44 min The impressive Maguire storms forward again and hits a stinging, swirling 25-yard shot that is pushed behind by the diving Courtois.
5.13pm GMT
43 min Actually, having seen a couple of replays I don’t think Costa was offside, so that goal should probably have stood.
5.12pm GMT
41 min Costa has a goal disallowed for offside. It was the right decision, just about.
5.10pm GMT
40 min Hull are working so hard defensively and will be happy that Chelsea have created little in the way of clear chances. They are under so much pressure though.
5.07pm GMT
37 min Costa, who has been a bit rusty, runs the ball straight out of play.
5.06pm GMT
36 min There will be around ten minutes of added time, so the clock is a little deceptive.
5.02pm GMT
32 min Chelsea have a penalty appeal turned down when Elabdellaoui shoves Pedro over near the touchline. That was a risky challenge, because he certainly put hands on Pedro. It wasn’t the full Kyle Walker but he could easily have been penalised.
5.01pm GMT
31 min Hazard plays a one-two with Alonso on the left of the box but his cut-back is cleared. It’s all Chelsea now.
5.00pm GMT
30 min Chelsea work the ball from right to left, where Alonso’s cross is put behind for a corner. It’s played short and eventually comes to Alonso, whose 20-yard shot deflects off Dawson and loops awkwardly towards the top corner. Jakupovic shows good footwork to scamper across and tip it over.
4.57pm GMT
27 min I know very little about Harry Maguire but it’s nice to see an English centre-half with such enthusiasm and aptitude for running with the ball.
4.56pm GMT
26 min Davies is booked for a cynical foul on Kante to thwart a Chelsea break.
4.56pm GMT
26 min The centre-back Maguire goes on a mosey upfield, past both Cahill and Alonso before hitting a cross that is deflected into the side-netting at the near post. From the corner, Maguire heads straight at Courtois from 12 yards.
4.54pm GMT
25 min It can sometimes be hard to get any momentum after a long injury break, and that has been the case so far. Hull have had more of the ball since the restart.
4.52pm GMT
22 min “Reading Marco Silva’s Wikipedia page, it states that he was sacked by Sporting for not wearing the club’s official suit for a cup match,” says Kelvin. “This is despite him winning the club’s first trophy in SIX years. Just how daft is that?”
Quite. Even Jesus Gil would only have given a final warning for that. (Before sacking the manager a day later for not greeting him cheerily enough.)
4.51pm GMT
21 min Mason is applauded off by both sets of fans. He has an oxygen mask over his face but I think he’s conscious as he has one hand placed on his head. David Meyler comes on to replace him.
4.49pm GMT
20 min Mason is still being treated, seven minutes after the clash of heads. Now he is being strapped into a stretcher so that he can be taken off the field.
4.48pm GMT
18 min “Don’t officials play on until the putative offside player moves towards the ball?” asks Gary Naylor. “At which point, Koscielny gets his head near kicked off. So there’s at least a biggish grey area here. Or something. Gary Naylor (still upset about Clive Thomas in 1977).”
If that’s the case, the law is as an ass. He was offside, the end. Something not dissimilar happened with Claus Lundekvam at Aston Villa once.
4.47pm GMT
17 min Mason is receiving oxygen as he is eased very carefully onto a stretcher. Everything seems calm enough and there is no suggestion it is a medical emergency.
4.45pm GMT
16 min There’s a long delay while Mason is eased onto a stretcher. David Meyler is going to replace him.
4.43pm GMT
13 min There’s a horrible clash of heads between Gary Cahill and Ryan Mason, who were jumping for a cross from Pedro. Play is stopped immediately. I think they are both okay, though a stretcher is being brought on.
4.41pm GMT
10 min “Should Chelsea continue to rack up the points and put in performances in the same manner that they have since the Arsenal debacle, where do you think it will rank amongst their Premier League triumphs?” asks Matt Loten. “Mourinho’s original winning machine was as formidable as I’ve seen, but only really had to compete with an Arsenal side beginning to discard their Invincibles, and a United team which had yet to unlock the potential of Rooney and Ronaldo, replace Schmeichel, or assemble the Ferdinand/Vidic/Evra backline.”
Yes, if the season pans out as we expect I’d probably put them below 2004-06 and above 2009-10 and 2014-15. I take your point about Mourinho’s first team not having that much competition but they were terrifyingly good. If they’d had competition they would probably have got even more points.
4.39pm GMT
9 min A nice move from Hull. Huddlestone plays a crisp one-two with Hernandez and drags a tame left-footed shot wide from 20 yards. That came off the sour spot.
4.38pm GMT
8 min It was extremely harsh to sack Mike Phelan, who was doing a decent job at Hull. That said, Marco Silva’s managerial record is ridiculously impressive, so perhaps we’ll look back on it as a Adkins/Pochettino-style upgrade.
4.37pm GMT
7 min Dawson is about four hours late on Pedro near the halfway line and is booked.
4.34pm GMT
4 min Chelsea have started with breezy authority; Hazard looks particularly lively. We know what a great counter-attacking side they are but they probably don’t get enough credit for their plain old attacking.
4.33pm GMT
2 min “Fair point, Rob, re the offside penalty but earlier on the Arsenal had a good shout denied, so it’s swings and roundabouts, I guess,” says William Hargreaves. “Speaking of which, Xhaka and Coquelin could do to give up the playground antics, I think.”
I didn’t see the rest of the game so will take your word for it. I only turned over for the Burnley penalty, which prompted a weird outrage given how straightforward a decision it seemed to be. Tony Soprano thought he had it bad. What would he make of a post-Twitter society? He’d be lamenting the dignified masculinity of Austin Powers, never mind Gary Cooper.
4.31pm GMT
1 min Diego Costa stands alone in the centre circle. No man is an island, they say, but just look at him. What could it all mean, symbolically? That he’s going to kick off, that’s what. And he almost scores after 12 seconds! Courtois’ lump forward was headed clear by one of the Hull defenders to Costa, who took it on his chest and larruped a volley not far wide from 20 yards.
4.28pm GMT
“I think you’ll find it was the right decision, Rob, as in morally right,” says Phil Podolsky of Arsenal’s penalty. “As I’ve been saying for the last three to seven years, anyone whose humanity hasn’t been corroded beyond redemption by football tribalism just wants gramps Arsene to win the league one more time.”
Yes, amen to that. I desperately hope he wins a League, Premier or Champions, and retires on a high. Mind you, Spurs don’t make it easy for a boy to devote himself to one neutral’s favourite.
4.21pm GMT
Arsenal’s penalty
“Your mate/pal/peer Mike Butler reckons that the Arsenal penalty decision was spot on,” says Gerrard Catesby. “Why the disparity?”
4.09pm GMT
Sanchez scores a 98th-minute winner for Arsenal. The penalty was the wrong decision, so Burnley will be furious, but it is what it is. Arsenal move up to second and within five points of Chelsea.
Related: Arsenal v Burnley: Premier League – live!
4.08pm GMT
Now Arsenal have an injury-time penalty!
Related: Arsenal v Burnley: Premier League – live!
4.06pm GMT
The weekend just got even better for Chelsea: Burnley have equalised in injury time at the Emirates. If it stays 1-1, Chelsea will have the chance to go nine points clear at the top.
Related: Arsenal v Burnley: Premier League – live!
4.02pm GMT
“While I am a Chelsea supporter, I am truly amazed at how well Hull City have done given their unfortunate circumstances with the squad at the beginning of the season,” says Makhib Choudkhuri. “They aren’t out of trouble but still have a lot of hope. All things point to Chelsea winning but Hull may bite strongly! I’ll be very interested to see how Costa plays.”
3.37pm GMT
Chelsea (3-4-3) Courtois; Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Cahill; Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso; Pedro, Diego Costa, Hazard.
Substitutes: Begovic, Ake, Zouma, Chalobah, Fabregas, Willian, Batshuayi.
Hull (3-5-1-1) Jakupovic; Maguire, Dawson, Davies; Elabdellaoui, Mason, Huddlestone, Clucas, Robertson; Evandro; Hernandez.
Substitutes: Marshall, Meyler, Diomande, Maloney, Niasse, Tymon, Bowen.
3.34pm GMT
◾️ | New signings Evandro & Omar Elabdellaoui make their full @HullCity debuts whilst Robert Snodgrass misses out through injury #CHEHUL
1.40pm GMT
In the Abramovich years, Chelsea have made formidable front runners. Their three titles under Jose Mourinho were effectively won by February; and even when the title race went to the last day under Carlo Ancelotti in 2009-10, they nipped any drama in the bud by marmalising Wigan 8-0.
Now they are doing the same under Antonio Conte. There is so much talk these days of philosophy and tactics and projects and galacticoaches. Conte prefers points to Powerpoint; he cuts through all that stuff and prioritises the oldfangled approach of winning almost every bloody match you play.
Continue reading...Southampton 3-0 Leicester City: Premier League – as it happened
Southampton ended a run of four successive Premier League defeats with a comfortable victory over a dismal Leicester
1.52pm GMT
Peep peep! Southampton end a run of four straight league defeats with an easy victory over Leicester, who veered between apathetic and pathetic for most of the game. Thanks for your company; bye.
1.50pm GMT
90+2 min “Re: exciting title challenge by Leeds in 1999-2000,” says Admir Pajic. “They ended up 22 points behind Man United, closer to the 13th place than to the league title. Hardly a title challenge, let alone an exciting one.”
When Man Utd went to Elland Road in February, there were three points between the teams with 14 games remaining. So to me it was a title challenge for the first two-thirds of the season, and a very exciting one.
1.48pm GMT
90+1 min Schmeichel plunges to his right to palm away a long-range shot from Redmond.
1.47pm GMT
89 min “Yeah I meant as in a team with a coherent philosophy playing at the very top and winning titles,” says Phil Podolsky. “Didn’t make it clear.”
Ah yeah, fair point. There must have been a few of those with Madrid in the 1990s as well. And as for Internazionale...
1.46pm GMT
88 min A gorgeous cross from Ward-Prowse bounces between Long and Schmeichel on the six-yard line. Ward-Prowse’s delivery is consistently superb. I haven’t seen him enough to know about the other parts of his game but his delivery is international-class. Gareth Southgate is in the crowd today as well.
1.44pm GMT
88 min Southampton have been very good today and fully deserve their victory. They will move up to 11th in the table.
1.43pm GMT
87 min Dusan Tadic’s left foot went to Harvard.
1.42pm GMT
Tadic smashes a brilliant penalty into the top corner. Schmeichel went the right way but had no chance.
1.42pm GMT
The substitute Long is too quick for Morgan, who leans on him in the area. A clear penalty and a yellow card.
1.38pm GMT
82 min “People such as Petit and Overmars who moved to Barcelona in 2000 were definitely banking on the continuation of the Van Gaal era,” says Phil Podolsky, “as opposed to the farce that followed (and completely derailed both their careers).”
Had he not buggered off by the time they signed?
1.37pm GMT
81 min Leicester’s next six league games are very interesting: Burnley (A), Man Utd (H), Swansea (A), Liverpool (H), Hull (H) and Arsenal (A).
1.37pm GMT
80 min Shane Long replaces the goalscorer Jay Rodriguez for Southampton, who are cruising to victory.
1.33pm GMT
75 min Wes Morgan has an own goal disallowed for offside. He headed a Tadic free-kick into his own net under conspiderable pressure from Yoshida, who was deemed to be offside and interfering with Morgan’s decision-making equilibrium. I think Yoshida was level in fact, but there you go; I doubt it will change the result.
1.30pm GMT
73 min Another Southampton substitution: Jordi Clasie replaces Hojbjerg, who had a very good game in everything but his finishing.
1.29pm GMT
72 min Leicester’s best chance of the match. A corner is half cleared to Musa, who puts in a great cross from the right. Huth makes a mess of a clear headed chance, diverting it back across the box to Morgan, who in turn hammers over from eight yards. They should both have scored. Leicester could be level!
1.28pm GMT
71 min Gray roars past Cedric, who makes a great recovery tackle to concede a corner. Gray has so much potential if he can sort out his decision-making.
1.27pm GMT
70 min “Morning Rob,” says Natasha. “There is a great story about Leeds-bound Seth Johnson’s agent telling him to sit tight and say nothing because the agent was going to try for 35 grand per week. And Peter Ridsdale opens the negotiations by saying “we are not paying anything more than 50k per week”
Peter Ridsdale must have had the best Egg Card in the world. That Leeds team is a great story in so many ways. Everything turned so rapidly to flip that it’s easy to forget their thrilling title challenge in 1999-2000 and their European Cup a year later. I think they were the last team of kids to challenge for the title, though Spurs are pretty young at the moment, which is one of the 48 million reasons to love them.
1.24pm GMT
66 min Cedric runs through a pitiful challenge from Fuchs and hits a shot against the arm of Huth. There are appeals for a penalty but Michael Oliver gives it not out. His arm was tight to his body, which is presumably why it wasn’t given.
1.20pm GMT
63 min Another Leicester change: Okazaki off, Ahmed Musa on.
1.19pm GMT
61 min Breaking news: Leicester are not too good to go down. They have been dismal today, as they are in most away games. They should stay up, but it will only be because of their home form.
1.18pm GMT
60 min An appalling square pass from Fuchs goes straight to Hojbjerg just outside the box. He moves towards Schmeichel and then mishits his shot wide of the far post. That was a sitter.
1.17pm GMT
60 min It’s been a scruffy second half so far, full of futile endeavour. Morgan and Vardy are just hinting at an imminent loss of rag.
1.15pm GMT
58 min Albrighton clatters a bouncing ball towards goal from 30 yards, and Forster saves comfortably to his left. I think it was going wide anyway.
1.13pm GMT
55 min Van Dijk walks slowly from the field, to be replaced by Jack Stephens. It’s a problem with his left ankle, so it’s hard to know at this stage what chance he has of making the Liverpool semi-final.
1.12pm GMT
54 min Van Dijk heads clear and then falls straight to his knees. I think he needs to go off. This is a bad blow for Southampton, who go to Anfield this week for their League Cup semi-final second leg. It might also be a blessing in a very good disguise: if he is out for a short time, the chances of him leaving in this transfer window will reduce.
1.10pm GMT
52 min “Trying to think of who has the most egregious example of turning up to a team that is not what they signed up for,” says Michael Hunt. “Thinking in terms of folk like Slimani, joining from a minor (?) European powerhouse to the recently successful, most popular club in the world only to battle it out at the bottom. But that’s too easy. Leicester were always a one off and no real idea how the sophomore season would go. Anyone who joined Chelsea or Man U in the past few seasons? Owen at a push for missing out on that night in Istanbul, but he did get a season in Madrid for all his misgivings so I don’t think that works. Also is “sold a pup” a real saying? Was just about to send and had doubts, I feel like purchasing a pup would improve most situations.”
There were a few who joined Leeds in the early 2000s who were sold a pup, even if they were rewarded handsomely at the same time. (And yes, yes it is a real saying.)
1.09pm GMT
51 min Van Dijk is struggling. It might be something he can run off but at the momet he is hobbling badly. It wasn’t a good tackle from Vardy, who might have been booked.
1.08pm GMT
49 min Gray races elegantly down the left and drags a cross towards Vardy. Van Dijk gets there first, class act that he is, and Vardy leaves a naughty one on him. Van Dijk needs treatment though he should be okay.
1.05pm GMT
48 min “Is N’Golo Kante really worth 30 points a season?” asks Daniel Friedman.
No. They’d be in a similar position with him in the team.
1.04pm GMT
47 min Hojbjerg almost makes it 3-0 at the start of the second half, screeching a shot wide from 17 yards after a cross from Tadic.
1.03pm GMT
46 min Leicester, who have returned to 4-4-2, begin the second half.
1.03pm GMT
Half-time substitution Marc Albrighton replaces Nampalys Mendy for Leicester.
12.47pm GMT
It’s deja vu all over again for Leicester, who have played poorly and deserve to trail a neat, purposeful Southampton. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.
12.45pm GMT
45 min Simpson has a brazen pull of Tadic’s shirt inside the box. Michael Oliver doesn’t give a penalty; Michael Dean would have done..
12.44pm GMT
44 min Yoshida strides out of the defence only to lose the ball to Ndidi. He slides it forward into the Yoshida-shaped gap for Vardy, but the right-back Cedric covers excellently.
12.41pm GMT
41 min Gray goes on another dangerous run infield from the left. This time he works a shooting position from 20 yards but screams it over the bar. He is so exciting to watch when he runs at players.
12.40pm GMT
The goal came from a free-kick near the halfway line on the left. Ward-Prowse’s delivery was superb, dipping into a really dangerous area. The under-pressure Huth could only head it across the box towards Rodriguez, who rattled it emphatically past Schmeichel from close range.
12.39pm GMT
Southampton double their lead!
12.37pm GMT
38 min Mendy and Hojbjerg collide nastily but seem to be okay.
12.37pm GMT
36 min Vardy guides a good header down to Gray on the left and hares into the box for the return. As if that’s coming: Gray has a wildly ambitious shot miles over the bar. You can tell Gray has a lot of talent but his decision-making is dreadful at the moment. That’s often the case with young players so it’s nothing to worry about.
12.35pm GMT
34 min Southampton have been better than Leicester and also hungrier. It’s all pretty apathetic from Leicester, though after last season they get a free pass forever.
12.33pm GMT
32 min “I wanted to send you a quick email to ask about your PAT testing,” writes Molly Trenton. “For safety and compliance purposes, PAT is normally carried out on business electrical appliances every 1-5 years. I’m sure I can help you with your PAT, and help you save money in the process. I’d love to have a chat, when would be the best time to call?”
It’s not gonna happen, Molly. The sooner you learn to deal with that, the better it’ll be for all of us.
12.32pm GMT
31 min Okazaki is fouled by Cedric just outside the D. Gray’s free-kick hits the shoulder of Hojbjerg and goes behind for a corner.
12.31pm GMT
28 min Southampton continue to control the game. Hojbjerg’s shot is kicked behind by Huth for a corner on the right. Tadic’s wicked inswinger clears everyone at the near post and bounces off the unsighted Huth at the far before landing safely. That could have gone anywhere.
12.28pm GMT
It was a neatly constructed goal. Cedric combined well with Redmond on the right before surging into the box and playing the ball back to Ward-Prowse, who scrunched a first-time curler across Schmeichel and into the corner. Schmeichel got a hand on it at full stretch but could only help it into the net.
12.27pm GMT
Southampton take the lead!
12.26pm GMT
24 min Hojbjerg plays a poor pass to Romeu on the halfway line that allows Leicester to break, but redeems his error by getting back to intercept Okazaki’s through pass to Gray. He was helped by a poorly weighted pass from Okazaki; had it been firmer Gray would probably have had a shot at goal.
12.25pm GMT
21 min “I remember Leeds winning the league more than once,” says Martin Ansell. “68/69 and 73/74 spring to mind as well as the Premiership.”
Oh come on, you know exactly what I meant: one-off champions in a particular era. Blackburn won the league in 1912 and 1914 as well, everyone knows that.
12.20pm GMT
19 min Tadic’s low pass from the left of the box goes all the way across to Redmond, who opens his body to sidefoot a first-time shot towards the near post. Schmeichel gets down smartly to tip it behind for a corner. Leicester break from the corner through Gray, who runs 60 yards before hitting a curling shot straight at Forster from the left side of the box. Vardy was in a lot of space on the other side of the area; Gray didn’t see/ignored him.
12.16pm GMT
16 min Ndidi wins the ball 30 yards out, chesting it up in the air before leathering a volley towards goal. He doesn’t connect properly and it bounces through to Forster.
12.14pm GMT
14 min Southampton’s full-backs are getting in some very dangerous positions, which was always a risk for Leicester with their diamond midfield.
I’ve only gone and done tactics!
12.13pm GMT
13 min Cedric curls in a fine cross from the right towards Rodriguez, who can’t get enough on his header because of the considerable presence of Morgan on the six-yard line. That was good defending, without which Southampton would be 1-0 ahead.
12.09pm GMT
9 min Bertrand gets into the box on the left and clips a cross back to Hojbjerg, who smashes it over the bar from 15 yards. It was a difficult chance as the ball bounced up awkwardly.
12.09pm GMT
8 min Southampton are starting to dominate the game. It’s the same old story for Leicester. Last season they took 39 points away from home; this season they have three.
12.06pm GMT
6 min Redmond misses a good chance to give Southampton the lead. Tadic has far too much space on the left and puts in a deep, swirling cross. Fuchs mistimes his jump and Redmond, who possibly expected Fuchs to clear, heads onto the roof of the net from eight yards.
12.04pm GMT
4 min Leicester are indeed playing a diamond midfield, as expected. I bring this information to you because bugger all else is happening.
12.02pm GMT
2 min Schmeichel gets in a bit of a mess when a deep cross is headed up in the air. Eventually he kicks the ball against Ward-Prowse and out for a goalkick.
12.00pm GMT
1 min Peep peep! Southampton, in red and white stripes, kick off from right to left. Leicester are in blue.
11.43am GMT
“Claude Puel and Southampton are still in course for the League Cup final,” says Yoann Lechenault. “But do you think a fifth consecutive loss today and an elimination against Liverpool could send send Puel away? Or is he here for the long haul?”
You’d like to think Southampton, who in many ways are the Premier League’s model club, have a bit more sanity and class than the instant-gratification eejits who run most clubs in this league, but it wouldn’t exactly be a JFK moment if he was sacked in the next few weeks.
11.13am GMT
Southampton (possible 4-3-3) Forster; Cedric, van Dijk, Yoshida, Bertrand; Hojbjerg, Romeu, Ward-Prowse; Redmond, Rodriguez, Tadic.
Substitutes: Taylor, Clasie, Long, Martina, Stephens, McQueen, Sims.
Leicester (possible 4-D-2) Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs; Ndidi, Drinkwater, Mendy; Okazaki; Vardy, Gray.
Substitutes: Zieler, Chilwell, Musa, King, Albrighton, Kapustka, Benalouane.
11.08am GMT
Hello. The English football massive are still in denial about Leicester being in a relegation battle. That is fair enough – they are the bloody champions, and this isn’t the 1930s – but they are starting to cut things a bit fine. Their abysmal away form, which echoes the, erm, difficult title defences of other one-off winners like Leeds in 1992-93 and Blackburn in 1995-96, is the worst in the league apart from Burnley and has left them languishing in 15th place.
With Swansea’s palpable improvement under Paul Clement and Sam Allardyce an antidote to relegation, there might soon be a new team in the bottom three alongside Sunderland and Hull. It could be Leicester - or even Southampton, who have lost their last four games and are in freeishfall.
10.43am GMT
Rob will be here shortly with the build-up and team news before the midday kick-off. In the meantime, here is Paul Doyle’s preview:
Southampton dominated proceedings against Leicester when these sides met in October but had to settle for a 0-0 draw because of poor finishing, a recurring problem this season. Claudio Ranieri’s side need to do better this time in order to hoist themselves further clear of the relegation zone and they may be helped by Southampton preparing for their EFL Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool on Wednesday.
Kick-off Sunday midday
Continue reading...January 21, 2017
Manchester City 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur: Premier League – as it happened
City slaughtered Spurs, led 2-0 - but only ended up with a point after a highly controversial late twist
Daniel Taylor’s match report7.51pm GMT
Related: Son Heung-min strikes to salvage draw for Tottenham at Manchester City
7.24pm GMT
An enormously entertaining game comes to an end. Manchester City leave the field with all kinds of moral victories but only one point. They were superb, with De Bruyne giving a performance of Iniestian perfection. Spurs were overwhelmed for much of the game but showed impressive resilience to come from 2-0 down. They were still bloody lucky though, particularly when Kyle Walker got away with a clear foul in his own area just a minute before Son’s equaliser. Thanks for your company; goodnight.
7.20pm GMT
90+1 min Gorgeous play from De Bruyne, who stretches to kill a difficult pass on the right and then surges past Dier into the box. He crosses to the near post, where Wanyama stretches to kick the ball onto Delph and away. That was brilliant from Wanyama and from De Bruyne, who has played gloriously throughout this match. There have been some really good performances but De Bruyne is the Man of the Match by a mile.
7.18pm GMT
90 min David Silva is replaced by Fabian Delph. A like-for-like substitution. There will be four minutes of added time.
7.17pm GMT
89 min Son skips Otamendi down the left, and Sane gets back to buy some time with an important tackle to concede a throw-in.
7.16pm GMT
87 min Aguerrrrrrrooooooo’s shot from pretty much that position is kicked away by Lloris, but he was offside anyway.
7.15pm GMT
87 min The makeshift centre-half Wanyama is booked for a foul on Aguero. Talking of which...
“Rob, in case you get bored again in the second half, and not to be pedantic in any way, but your readers would want to know that since Agüero is a Spanish name and not Germanic, that diacritic you were enjoying in Agüero is a diaeresis, not an umlaut,” says Alastair Binnie. “How do I know? I’m married to Zoë.”
7.13pm GMT
84 min John Stones is on for Gael Clichy.
7.12pm GMT
Bloody hell. He has made a dramatic start to his City career and seemed to have given them the lead when he turned in De Bruyne’s cross shot at the far post. He wheeled away on a lap of honour only to realise the flag was up; it was the right decision. Poor old Pep was mid-celebration when he realised, and fell straight to his knees in frustration. What a match this has been!
7.11pm GMT
82 min Here comes City’s new Brazilian teenager Gabriel Jesus, in place of Raheem Sterling. He is straight into the match, first crossing along the face of goal and then looping a header just over the bar!
7.08pm GMT
80 min Spurs could nick this. Zabaleta makes a great tackle in the box on Rose and concedes a corner.
7.08pm GMT
79 min Sissoko replaces Dembele for Spurs.
7.08pm GMT
78 min To compound City’s radge, Kane may have been offside as well. It was very tight. But the big issue is Walker’s clear foul on Sterling, which should have been a penalty and a red card. City should be 3-1 up against 10 men; instead they are drawing 2-2 against 11.
7.07pm GMT
Pep Guardiola will go mad, and he has every right to go mad. The goal was beautifully constructed by Spurs though. Eriksen played it into to Kane, who flicked it across the box to Son, and he dragged a precise shot across Bravo and into the far corner!
7.06pm GMT
Moments after that penalty appeal, Son makes it 2-2!
7.05pm GMT
76 min Sterling bursts through on goal, one on one against Lloris. Walker shoves him in the back and an off-balance Sterling stabs his shot straight at Lloris. That looked a clear penalty, and Pep Guardiola is doing his nut on the touchline. It was almost comically brazen from Walker, the kind of thing you do in the school playground when a kid you don’t like is about to shoot.
7.04pm GMT
75 min Sane slips cleverly away from Walker in the box but his cut-back is cleared.
7.02pm GMT
74 min I’d love to know what diet Rose and Walker are on. They are relentlessness personified, an absolutely brilliant part of attacking full-backs who have been Spurs’ biggest attacking threat today.
7.02pm GMT
73 min “Spurs may have six midfielders,” says Dom Thomas, “but Pep still winning the full back deployment race.”
He would have killed to coach Clayton Blackmore. And imagine what he’d have done with Terry Phelan.
7.01pm GMT
72 min Spurs are dominating possession now, human nature being what it is. City look pretty comfortable at the back, however, and at the moment they look more likely to score on the break.
6.58pm GMT
69 min It’s hard to see this ending 2-1, such is the renewed purpose of Spurs’ attacking and particularly City’s menace on the counter-attack.
6.57pm GMT
66 min “And it’s Sané, not Sane,” says Ivor Smith. “Can’t you find that one either?”
6.54pm GMT
64 min This is bad news for Spurs: Toby Alderweireld is going off with what looks like a hamstring injury. Jan Vertonghen is out as well, and Wimmer has gone off today, so Harry Winks is coming on. That means Wanyama will have to play at centre-back with Dier. Pep Guardiola must be extremely envious: Spurs have six central midfielders on the pitch now.
6.52pm GMT
62 min De Bruyne, who has had an outstanding game in the centre of midfield, plays a fine through pass to Sterling. He flicks the ball beyond Rose and then goes down in the box. I thought it was a penalty at first; Andre Marriner disagreed, and replays showed it was an exceptional hook tackle from Rose.
6.51pm GMT
61 min Son is a bit fortunate to avoid a yellow card for kicking the ball away.
6.49pm GMT
60 min That was Spurs’ first shot on target. They look so much sharper in attack now. Kane, onside as City push up in hope rather than expectation, just fails to reach Alli’s through ball.
6.47pm GMT
Now then! Spurs are back in it. Walker’s outstanding cross from the right nicks off the head of the stretching Otamendi, and Alli reacts to head emphatically past Bravo. That’s a fine goal.
6.46pm GMT
56 min Spurs are attacking with the urgency of the affronted, and must now be regretting their relative passivity in the first half.
6.45pm GMT
55 min This has been a great day for City and an even better one for Chelsea, who are now surely the 2016-17 champions. They have turned a six-horse race into a procession.
6.43pm GMT
It’s so rare to see Lloris make mistakes but he has been at fault for both goals today. Sterling on the right mishit a cross that was too close to Lloris, but he spilled it straight at the feet of De Bruyne and he tapped it in from six yards.
6.42pm GMT
City go 2-0 up after a dreadful mistake from Lloris!
6.40pm GMT
52 min Alli is fouled by Otamendi, who then stops him taking a quick free-kick. Alli shoves him over and is booked; Otamendi gets a yellow card as well.
6.39pm GMT
After all that great football, City take the lead with a scruffy goal. De Bruyne, just inside his own half, spotted Sane’s run and drove a fine angled pass over the top. It bounced up on the edge of the box, where Lloris had come out to sweeper-keep. He launched into a diving header that hit the outstretched hand of Sane and bounced back towards goal, allowing Sane to walk the ball into the net. Lloris mistimed his header, which flew off the side of his head and hit Sane as a result; had he connected properly he would have cleared it. Howard Webb, on BT Sport, says Sane should not have been penalised for that handball as he was so close to Lloris and knew bugger all about it.
6.37pm GMT
City finally take the lead!
6.35pm GMT
47 min “Is there some unknown force at work here?” says Benjamin Park. “How do City keep missing these chances? I’m starting to think this is all just a cosmic event, and that it is scientifically impossible for them to score.”
Fortunately Brian Cox has just popped up on my Snapchat, so I’ll ask him if he’s heard owt.
6.34pm GMT
46 min City begin the second half, kicking from right to left.
6.32pm GMT
Spurs have made a half-time substitution, with Son replacing Kevin Wimmer. So Dier will go to centre-back and Spurs will switch from a 4-1-4-1 to a 4-2-3-1. And I’m boring myself.
6.31pm GMT
“Wotcha, Rob,” chirps Mac Millings. “Emailing you from a robotics competition my son is competing in, here in deepest South Carolina - the first State, you will recall, to secede from the Union in the lead-up to the American Civil War, and soon to hold a referendum to change its name to Utrumpia. Probably. Tried to avoid the inauguration, but that’s hard when it’s being live-puked out of the many widescreen TVs haunting every corner of my workplace.”
Look, it was just locker-room banter.
6.30pm GMT
“Hi Rob,” says Sam Critchley, “If it didn’t have the two dots it would be pronounced Ag-ero, as opposed to Ag-wero. So the ü is important, but I can never find it on the keyboard and end up copy-pasting it from the internet (in this case your min-by-min), which often means the typeface gets changed.”
Indeed. In reports and features Agüero would always take an umlaut, but the minute-by-minutes are so frenetic and instant that there isn’t really time for diacritics. It’s not ideal but it beats the alternative.
6.19pm GMT
Half-time reading
Related: Ryan Fraser: ‘I can’t believe how similar Eddie Howe and Pep Guardiola are’
6.18pm GMT
City have demolished Spurs 0-0. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.
6.16pm GMT
45+2 min Kane dupes Kolarov, who takes a yellow card for the cause.
6.16pm GMT
45+1 min There will be two minutes of added diacritic banter. Spurs really need their half-time Gatorade chaser.
6.15pm GMT
45 min “Surely the Güardian Style Güide, no?” says Colin Máckáy.
6.14pm GMT
44 min Yaya Toure’s low cross is desperately half-cleared to Sterling, whose shot is blocked with similar desperation. Then Sterling goes over in the box after a struggle with Wanyama. Andre Marriner isn’t interested.
6.13pm GMT
43 min I don’t think Spurs have been too bad in possession; they’ve just been a bit overwhelmed by City’s quality and intensity. Some of their defending has been less than utopian, however.
6.12pm GMT
40 min This just in for Ivor Smith, editor of the Guardian Style Guide. “His name is Agüero, not Aguero.”
6.09pm GMT
39 min How’s this for Total Football? Bravo drives a pass over the top to Otamendi, who breaks down the right and puts in a cross that deflects onto the roof of the net. The longer this goes on, the more you feel a Spurs victory is inevitable. City have been almost embarrassingly dominant.
6.08pm GMT
38 min Another chance for City! Aguero beats Alderweireld to a long pass forward, then beats him again before hitting a left-footed shot from a narrow angle that is turned round by Lloris.
6.08pm GMT
37 min Beautiful play from City. Aguero evades a series of tackles in the D and plays it to De Bruyne on the right of the box. He stands up a cross to the far post, where Aguero arrives to head towards goal. Lloris makes a comfortable if dramatic save.
6.07pm GMT
36 min “Evening Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “Big day for The Donald yesterday. Wonder if he set aside his teetotal-ry and ended up like the guy in Limmy’s ‘Smart Casual’ sketch? One of my favourites.”
That clip is brilliant. It’s also one of the few that are safe to publish on an MBM. I think the Vine where he kills his da might be my favourite.
6.05pm GMT
34 min City break three on two but Aguero dithers and then plays a terrible pass to De Bruyne. The ball comes back to Clichy on the left, who swings in a deep cross. Sane gets in front of Rose, stoops forward and heads wide of the far post. He should have scored. Everyone talks about City’s defence, and that’s fair enough, but missed chances have been such a theme of their season.
6.02pm GMT
31 min Spurs have their best spell of possession in the match, which gives their defence a timely breather. Rose’s sharp cross from the left is well cleared by Otamendi, and then Wanyama clatters a bouncing ball miles over the bar from long range.
5.58pm GMT
27 min Dier loses the ball in a dangerous position - Spurs have done that a few times today - and De Bruyne surges into the box on the right. He is caught in two minds and eventually screws an inviting but futile low ball that drifts a few yards wide of the far post.
5.57pm GMT
26 min Spurs have moved Dier into midfield so that they can match City’s 4-1-4-1 formation. Sometimes, tactics can be so hot.
5.54pm GMT
24 min “Love that goal from Terry Phelan,” begins James Crane, “although - whilst ever so slightly random - my favourite moment of his career will always be the look on this coupon after Ray Houghton’s goal against Italy in WC94 - specifically the absolute refusal to crack a smile whilst surrounded by faces of pure elation.”
Maybe he was still worrying about whether he was wearing the correct kit.
5.53pm GMT
23 min City are doing to Spurs what Spurs did to them at White Hart Lane in October. The only difference is that Spurs were 1-0 up at this stage.
5.52pm GMT
21 min Harry Kane has just had his first touch of the match. Seriously.
5.51pm GMT
20 min Silva has fair too much room 25 yards out. It would be rude not to shoot, and he’s a polite young fella, so he drives a bobbling shot towards the far corner. Lloris gets down to his left to make a fine save, tipping it round for a corner. City almost score from the corner as well. De Bruyne clips it deliberately back to Zabaleta on the edge of the box, and he rifles a left-footed shot this far wide of the far post with Lloris motionless. This is exhilarating stuff from City.
5.48pm GMT
17 min City have been terrific so far. That’s all.
5.45pm GMT
15 min “Would love to be watching,” says Rachel Clifton, “but will have to rely on your updates as heading to the Women’s March in NYC. Love trumps hate etc.”
On that subject, sort of, some of these responses to Limmy are inadvertent comedy gold.
5.45pm GMT
14 min De Bruyne clips an angled free-kick over the defence for Otamendi, whose cushioned volley across the six-yard box is desperately cleared by Alderweireld. On reflection, Otamendi should probably have gone for goal himself.
5.43pm GMT
13 min Dier is booked for pulling back Aguero. Spurs are rattled.
5.43pm GMT
12 min City press Spurs high up again. Wimmer fouls Zabaleta just outside the area; play goes on and Aguero drives just over the bar. Wimmer is booked when the ball goes dead.
5.42pm GMT
11 min Alderweireld makes a sensational goal-saving challenge to deny ... Zabaleta?! De Bruyne and Aguero combined on the edge of the box before the ball was slipped behind the defence. Zabaleta had followed the play and was through, but Alderweireld came round the side to make a wonderful tackle.
5.39pm GMT
10 min Spurs look just slightly unsettled by City’s pressing and intensity. City will certainly be happier with the first 10 minutes.
5.38pm GMT
7 min Sterling makes a fine run infield onto a good pass from De Bruyne. Rose jockeys him all the way from right to left, an excellent piece of defending, though Sterling will probably regret not taking an early shot when he had the chance.
5.36pm GMT
6 min It’s been a lively start from both sides, especially City. Otamendi misinterprets the can-do mood and shots from 40 yards. Don’t ever do that again, Nicolas.
5.33pm GMT
3 min Alderweireld drives a crossfield pass towards Rose on the left. Zabaleta slips, which allows Rose to burst into the box. His first touch is heavy and his second, a cut-back from the byline, hits Otamendi and deflects to safety. Then Wanyama falls over and grabs the ball. Andre Marriner gives a free-kick but not a yellow card.
5.31pm GMT
2 min “Was Zabaleta always played by Mark Strong?” asks Michael Hunt.
No, only since 2014. Stanley Tucci played him before then.
5.30pm GMT
1 min Peep peep! Spurs, in white, kick off from right to left. City are in sky blue. This has to be a great game, right?
5.12pm GMT
There will be some great players on the pitch today. But none of them will top this goal from Terry Phelan in this fixture 24 years ago.
5.12pm GMT
“Afternoon Rob,” says Gene Mackie. “Pep appears to have gone for an all-out attack, given that a collection of concrete posts could have done a better job against Everton than his back five. I feel Sane and Sterling could do a good job pinning the Spurs defence back, especially considering the not-very-mobile Wimmer in the back three. That said, Kane and Alli must be looking at the Toure-Otamendi-Kolarov triangle and licking their lips.”
Indeed. Optimism is a dangerous game these days but this could - could - be the game of the season.
4.39pm GMT
Manchester City (4-1-4-1) Bravo; Zabaleta, Otamendi, Kolarov, Clichy; Toure; Sane, De Bruyne, Silva, Sterling; Aguero.
Substitutes: Caballero, Kompany, Fernando, Nolito, Delph, Stones, Jesus
Tottenham Hotspur (3-4-2-1) Lloris; Dier, Alderweireld, Wimmer; Walker, Wanyama, Dembele, Rose; Eriksen, Alli; Kane.
Substitutes: Vorm, Trippier, Davies, Carter-Vickers, Winks, Sissoko, Son.
8.34pm GMT
Hello. Manchester City might be level on points with Spurs this evening, yet at the moment the two teams feel worlds apart. Spurs are a feelgood coming-of-age-film disguised as a football team, and have won their last seven games; City were walloped at Everton last week and are in danger of finishing outside the top four for the first time since 2010, with Pep Guardiola under pressure like never before. The turning point in their season so far was defeat at White Hart Lane in October; they will hope that a win today might have the opposite effect.
Kick off is at 5.30pm.
Continue reading...Liverpool 2-3 Swansea City: Premier League – as it happened
Swansea won a league match at Anfield for the first time in their history, with all five goals coming during a breathless second half
2.59pm GMT
Related: Gylfi Sigurdsson and Swansea stun Liverpool in five-goal thriller at Anfield
2.27pm GMT
That is probably the end of Liverpool’s title challenge, but really today is about Swansea. They were outstanding, superbly organised by Paul Clement, and won it through two goals from Fernando Llorente and another from Gylfi Sigurdsson. Llorente’s second was a mighty header.
Liverpool played some fine attacking football but a Matip-less defence let them down again. Thanks for your company; see you later for Manchester City v Spurs. Until then, you can join Nick Miller for all the news from the 3pm fixtures.
Related: Clockwatch: Crystal Palace v Everton, Real Madrid v Málaga – live!
2.23pm GMT
Swansea win a league game at Anfield for the first time in their history! Better still, it takes them out of the relegation zone. What a match!
2.22pm GMT
90+6 min Milner’s cross is too close to Fabianski, who claims calmly and confidently.
2.21pm GMT
90+4 min Fulton replaces Fer, and Joel Matip comes on for Wijnaldum. He has gone straight up front. Liverpool have dropped a lot of points in Matip’s absence this season, and will wonder how different today might have been had Fifa and Cameroon not played silly buggers.
2.20pm GMT
90+3 min Leroy Fer has gone down and is being booed. He has signalled that he needs to come off. I thought Swansea had used all three subs but they haven’t, and Jay Fulton is going to replace him.
2.18pm GMT
90 min There will be five minutes of added time. Swansea will jump from 20th to 17th if they hang on.
2.17pm GMT
90 min Fer is booked for diving, a good decision from Mr Kevin Friend.
2.16pm GMT
87 min “Is this Tom Carroll’s best performance for Spurs?” arfs Conor Clarke. He looks a proper footballer, and a massive bargain at around £4.5m.
2.14pm GMT
86 min A double chance for Liverpool to equalise! Lalllana’s deflected cross hits the top of the bar and is kept in play by Sturridge. He hooks it back into the area, where Lallana loops a header over the bar from eight yards!
2.12pm GMT
85 min Swansea make their final change: Borja Baston replaces Fernando Llorente, who scored Swansea’s first two goals, the second a thunderous homage to Mick Harford.
2.11pm GMT
82 min Swansea, as you probably know, have never won a league game at Anfield. They’ve only ever drawn three.
2.09pm GMT
81 min Lovren takes matters into his hands, walloping a vicious shot towards goal from 30 yards. Fabianski arches his back to tip it over. Fortunately for him it was central, because either side would have made it very difficult to save.
2.07pm GMT
79 min A Swansea substitution: Angel Rangel replaces Martin Olsson.
2.06pm GMT
77 min Milner’s corner from the right is headed down by Lovren to Origi, whose smart shot on the turn is kicked away by Fabianski.
2.05pm GMT
76 min Lallana’s volleyed cross towards Sturridge is cleared by a combination of Fabianski and Mawson, and then Sturridge appeals for a penalty when his cross hits the arm of Sigurdsson. It wasn’t a penalty.
2.03pm GMT
75 min “You drinking?” says Carlos Tighe. “Liverpool got tackled by Klavin, 2-0 is a dangerous scoreline (it was 2-1 at the time). Has it come to this? Booze needed to suffer through the greatest league in the world?”
2.03pm GMT
The goal was made by Tom Carroll, who picked up a loose ball 25 yards out and ran at the heart of the defence faster than you could say ‘low centre of gravity’. He got past Lovren before Klavan’s desperate tackle diverted the ball across the box to Sigurdsson, who stretched to clip it past Mignolet and into the net!
2.01pm GMT
Words fail me. Swansea are back in front!
1.59pm GMT
73 min Amid the excitement, Divock Origi has come on for Liverpool, I think in place of Can.
1.58pm GMT
Wijnaldum acrobatically controlled a high pass down the left before lifting a cross to Firmino near the penalty spot. He wore it on the chest as he backpedalled, and then quickly adjusted his body to thrash a half-volley wide into the corner with his left foot. Brilliant.
1.56pm GMT
Roberto Firmino equalises with a glorious goal!
1.56pm GMT
68 min Firmino and Lallana combine on the left to win a corner. Milner’s inswinger is cleared via the noggin of Fernandez.
1.54pm GMT
66 min Swansea almost score again from a set piece! Sigurdsson’s corner from the right was curled towards the near post, where Mawson headed it across goal. Fernandez was a bit slow to follow it in and the ball drifted tantalisingly wide of the far post.
1.52pm GMT
64 min “Growing up in deep, dark Wales in the 80s, I hitched my wagon to Liverpool, and it’s stayed there ever since,” says Matt Dony. “Being Welsh, though (and not from Cardiff) I’m always happy to see Swansea do well. Except now. And, in honesty, they should have taken something from the reverse fixture earlier in the season. Frustrating clashes of loyalties. Nice to see Lorentz doing well, though. Wasn’t long ago he grabbed a World Cup winners’ medal and had his pick of clubs.”
Indeed. Swansea have a few players – him, Sigurdsson and Carroll in particular – who are far too good for a relegation battle, and they look superbly coached.
1.51pm GMT
63 min The game has resumed the pattern of the first half, though there is greater urgency to Liverpool’s passing. A draw here is no good really; they have to win. I think they will: 2-0 is a dangerous lead in the unequal world of modern football.
1.48pm GMT
60 min Llorente is fouled near the halfway line by the last man Klavan, who has already been booked. I think a second yellow card would have been harsh as he couldn’t really get out of the way.
1.46pm GMT
59 min “On the train up to enjoy/endure an evening in the away end at the Etihad; how has Tom Carroll done in his first 45 minutes as a permanent Swansea player?” says Richard Coopey. “He was always popular at Spurs, and a neat and tidy player, but he never seemed to kick on and was rather usurped by Harry Winks. The move to Swansea seemed to be one of those transfers that suited all three parties.”
He’s been excellent – diligent defensively, comfortable on the ball, hit the post in the first half and produced that brilliant cross for the second.
1.46pm GMT
58 min Henderson’s scuffed long-range shot is easily held by the plunging Fabianski.
1.44pm GMT
56 min A Liverpool substitution: Daniel Sturridge replaces Philippe Coutinho.
1.43pm GMT
What a second half this has been! It’s another fine header, this time from Firmino to bring Liverpool back in the game. Milner swung a big, dipping inswinger from the left towards the far post, where Firmino eased Olsson aside and planted a superb header wide of Fabianski.
1.42pm GMT
54 min “Do you think Coutinho is that good?” says Gary Naylor. “I’m not Opta statted-up, but I feel that he does something extraordinary about once every five matches or so and silences the grumbles about inconsistency and output just as they start to build. It’s like these re-runs of Top of the Pops on BBC 4 - there’s good stuff in most shows, but, though you’re watching Echo and the Bunnymen or Japan, but you’re only ever three minutes away from Modern Romance or Kajagoogoo.”
I think he’s better than that, though you probably see more of him than I do. To me he’s a poor man’s Iniesta, which is a pretty good thing to be.
1.41pm GMT
What a marvellous goal that was. Olsson broke down the left and flicked the ball to the overlapping Carroll. As the ball bounced up he bulleted a left-footed cross into the area, and Llorente towered above the defenders to thump a header under Mignolet from 10 yards. The cross was outstanding; the header was even better. As Peter Drury says on BT Sport, that was a John Toshack header.
1.39pm GMT
Oh my goodness! This is an immense header from Llorente, and Swansea are 2-0 up!
1.38pm GMT
51 min A chance for Liverpool. They win the ball high up the pitch and break five on three. Firmino finds Wijnaldum, who plays an angled pass to Coutinho on the left of the box. He has the option of a shot but squares it across the box and Swansea clear. Coutinho should have done better there.
1.35pm GMT
49 min “I’m watching from the West Wing of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington D.C. with Donald,” says Paul Griffin. “He’s a big, big Swansea fan. He says they’re a great, great team. Terrific. Liverpool? Sad!”
1.35pm GMT
Sigurdsson’s deep outswinger was headed down towards the six-yard line by Fernandez. There was a bit of a scramble until the ball broke to Llorente, who stabbed it through the legs of Wijnaldum and into the net!
1.34pm GMT
47 min It’s been a flying start to the second half - but by Swansea, not Liverpool. Lovren’s nervous header gives them a corner on the right, to be taken by Sigurdsson - and it leads to a goal!
1.32pm GMT
46 min Peep peep! Swansea begin the second half. Jurgen Klopp came out early on his own, the face well and truly on.
1.17pm GMT
Today’s half-time reading comes from our nostalgia correspondent Steven Pye
Related: Graham Taylor's greatest season: when Watford finished runners-up in 1982-83
1.17pm GMT
Well played Swansea. They did a textbook defensive number on Liverpool for most of that half, and came closest to scoring when Tom Carroll hit the post, and as such deserve plenty of borderline-patronising praise. You’d still expect Liverpool to win but it’s not going to come easily. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.
1.15pm GMT
44 min The atmosphere at Anfield is not the best. That’s often the case with early kick-offs, and the pre-match assumption of a routine victory probably hasn’t helped.
1.13pm GMT
43 min “Currently following from a barbershop in Sumatra,” says Gerald Donovan. “The smock thing they make you wear has a transparent window around the lap so people like me can look at our phones and continue to avoid human interaction, even while getting a haircut.”
The internet is a diabolical beast that has led us to Trump and Brexit and Honey D, but I think this is fair enough: there ain’t no small talk as painful as barbershop small talk.
1.12pm GMT
41 min Lallana’s inswinging cross from the left skims off the head of the leaping Firmino at the far post and drifts well wide. The cross was too high for him.
1.10pm GMT
40 min Swansea look extremely well coached, certainly in defence, and they have look increasingly comfortable as the half has progressed.
1.09pm GMT
39 min “I’m something of a Sigurdsson ill-wisher, purely cause I want Eidur to maintain his tenuous grasp on the Iceland’s all time greatest title,” says Phil Podolsky. “Though six decent years at Chelsea, some of them as a regular starter, plus three years of benchwarming for Barcelona, are hard to beat.”
But what about Arnar Gunnlaugsson?
1.08pm GMT
37 min Sigurdsson curls a long free-kick into the Liverpool area. It drops for Naughton on the left of the box, but he can’t control his attempted half-volley across the area and it flies over the bar.
1.06pm GMT
36 min Klavan is booked for bumping Olsson to the ground.
1.06pm GMT
35 min “Proud to say I’m missing the match today because I’m in DC on the women’s march,” says Tim Daw. “Keeps footy in perspective.”
1.04pm GMT
33 min Mawson makes a great block to deny Firmino. Coutinho robbed Naughton just outside the box and weighted a soft angled pass for Firmino to shoot first time. He did, low and hard, and Mawson threw himself in the way. That was superb defending.
1.02pm GMT
31 min Liverpool are having a slightly dry spell in front of goal, with only two in their last four and a bit games. They still look bright and breezy going forward, mind, so I doubt there’s much to worry about - especially as they now have their house genius Coutinho back.
12.58pm GMT
27 min Milner coaxes a fine inswinging cross from the left that just evades the leaping Firmino. Liverpool are starting to get a little frustrated.
12.57pm GMT
27 min “How about Joanne as an English alternative to Yuhan?” says John Palethorpe (and a few others).
Ah yes, of course. It’s a winner!
12.55pm GMT
25 min “Admittedly I am on the hippie trail in Pai, northern Thailand in a reggae bar,” says Jeremy Dresner. “That said, the Swansea English central midfield duo of no24 Cork and no42 Carroll are merging into two barely distinguishable white dots flying and flitting around each other.”
12.54pm GMT
24 min For all Liverpool’s possession, and the increasing influence of the marvellous Coutinho, Fabianski hasn’t really had anything to do.
12.53pm GMT
23 min “Since you asked, I’m in a hospital at Shanghai, reading your MBM while watching over my wife and my new born baby girl,” says Peng M. “Her first name will be Yuhan, any English name you can recommend that has similar pronunciation?”
Ah, that’s lovely – congratulations to the three of you! As for similar English names, I’m drawing a blank. Anyone else?
12.51pm GMT
20 min Gylfi Sigurdsson makes the world a better place. There’s an understated class to everything he does.
12.50pm GMT
19 min Carroll hits the post for Swansea! That came out of nothing. Sigurdsson, surrounded by defenders on the left, played a classy little pass to usher Carroll into the box. He tried to sidefoot his shot across goal, and it took a slight deflection off Lovren before hitting the outside of the near post.
12.49pm GMT
18 min The current workload of the Swansea defenders must surely be breaking some health & safety regulations.
12.47pm GMT
17 min Lovely football from Liverpool. Firmino beats Mawson on the right without touching the ball and stands the ball up for Lallana, who smashes an elegant overhead kick over the bar.
12.46pm GMT
16 min Swansea cross the halfway line and are almost punished for such naked ambition. Liverpool break through Coutinho, who plays a fine reverse pass to Lallana on the left. He overhits his cross out of play.
12.45pm GMT
15 min The Liverpool pressure is incessant. Swansea’s defensive unit are shuffling from side to side in sync, trying to plug any gaps, but this is surely only going to end one way.
12.41pm GMT
11 min Anyone out there?
12.40pm GMT
9 min The first chance for Liverpool. Clyne on the right plays the ball back to Henderson, who smashes a superb outswinging cross into the area. Can arrives late and heads it wide from 10 yards. He probably should have scored; had he done so there would have been controversy as he was in an offside position.
12.38pm GMT
7 min Swansea have defended well so far, but they surely can’t do this for 90 minutes. They had nine outfield players behind the ball most of the time, sometimes all ten.
12.35pm GMT
4 min In a surprising development, Liverpool have had almost all of the ball in the first few minutes. This could be a long day for Swansea.
12.31pm GMT
2 min The camera angle at the new Anfield isn’t the best, is it. From 300 miles away, it just doesn’t feel like Anfield. Won’t somebody think of the couch potatoes!
12.31pm GMT
1 min Peep peep! Liverpool, in red, kick off from right to left. Swansea are in white.
12.20pm GMT
“Well, I’ve had about enough of this small town filled with morons and half wits; dolts, dunces, dullards and dumbbells... and you... you chowder-head yokel, you blithering hayseed. You’ve had enough of me?”
RIP Miguel Ferrer, who played the magnificent Albert Rosenfield in Twin Peaks.
12.17pm GMT
Joel Matip is on the bench for Liverpool after Fifa acknowledged that a grown man should be allowed to decide whether he’d like to represent his country or not. Jurgen Klopp said the decision came too late for him to play today, as Liverpool had already done their preparation.
12.10pm GMT
Blast from the past
There’s much to like from this clip of Liverpool 2-2 Swansea in 1981-82, not least Graeme Souness’s intervention after the last goal.
11.45am GMT
Liverpool (4-3-3) Mignolet; Clyne, Lovren, Klavan, Milner; Can, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Lallana, Firmino, Coutinho.
Substitutes: Karius, Sturridge, Moreno, Lucas, Origi, Matip, Woodburn.
Swansea (4-2-3-1) Fabianski, Naughton, Fernandez, Mawson, Olsson; Carroll, Cork; Routledge, Sigurdsson, Fer; Llorente.
Substitutes: Nordfeldt, Rangel, Amat, Fulton, Dyer, Borja, McBurnie.
8.08pm GMT
Hello. Insert Donald Trump joke here. This should be the calm before the Anfield storm for Liverpool: their next three Premier League home games are against Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal, and may determine whether they win their first league title since 1990.
Chelsea’s remorseless front-running means that Liverpool have almost no margin for error. This season they have dropped as many points against teams in the bottom half of the table as those in the top. That will not stand, man, not if they want to win the title. If they fail to win today against Swansea - who incidentally are the only team outside the top four to take points off Chelsea - they will almost certainly be nine or 10 points off the lead by tomorrow evening.
Continue reading...January 20, 2017
Ivory Coast 2-2 DR Congo: Afcon 2017 – as it happened
The reigning champions twice came from behind to draw a terrific match against the group leaders DR Congo
5.53pm GMT
That was a superb match, with Ivory Coast showing their class after an abysmal start to the game and DR Congo reinforcing their status as dangerous outsiders. Both teams are still on course for the last 16, though the Ivory Coast in particular are cutting it a bit fine. Thanks for your company; night!
5.52pm GMT
Peep peep!
5.51pm GMT
90+2 min Kalou has a brilliant goal disallowed for offside! It was the right decision, just about. It was also an outstanding volley from Kalou to adroitly convert a long, curling free-kick from a deep position on the right.
5.48pm GMT
90+1 min There will be three added minutes.
5.48pm GMT
90 min Another corner to the Ivory Coast on the right. Kessie’s low outswinger is flicked imaginatively behind his standing leg by Aurier at the near post, and Matampi makes a comfortable save.
5.47pm GMT
89 min Zaha skips down the right and drags a low cross to Kalou, whose first-time shot is deflected behind for a corner. Kessie’s corner is cleared.
5.45pm GMT
87 min What a chance for Aurier! Kessie’s inswinging corner from the left found him unmarked at the near post, but he mistimed his header across goal and Zaha couldn’t force it in. Aurier should have scored.
5.44pm GMT
86 min The tireless Kessie breaks down the left to win a corner for the Ivory Coast. The pressure is relentless.
5.42pm GMT
84 min Another long-range blast from Serey Die is blocked. DR Congo look absolutely shattered now; they don’t even have the energy to try to counter-attack.
5.40pm GMT
82 min The Ivory Coast get a free-kick 30 yards out. Kalou hits a feeble effort a few yards wide.
5.36pm GMT
79 min Mubele earns DR Congo a breather with a comical dive. During the break in play, Jonathan Bolingi replaces the superb Kabananga.
5.35pm GMT
77 min Zaha’s mishit cross from the left sneaks over Matampi and just clears the crossbar.
5.33pm GMT
77 min An Ivory Coast substitution: Salomon Kalou replaces the excellent Gradel.
5.33pm GMT
76 min DR Congo are starting to look tired, with an Ivory Coast winner looking increasingly likely.
5.31pm GMT
73 min Gradel’s set-pieces have caused trouble all day, and this time he hits a dipping right-wing corner that flashes across the box off the head of Aurier.
5.30pm GMT
72 min A double substitution for DR Congo: Youssouf Mulumbu and Remi Mulumba replace Maghoma and Ikoko. Mulumba plays for Ajaccio, once the club of Cyrille Makanaky and Carlos Kaiser.
5.27pm GMT
69 min A draw would still leave Ivory Coast in a bit of trouble, depending on the result tonight, but one point is better than none. Obviously.
5.25pm GMT
It might have been 3-1; instead it’s 2-2. The captain Serey Die surges forward from midfield before hitting a 20-yard shot that takes a big deflection off Tisserand and wrongfoots the keeper Matampi.
5.24pm GMT
66 min Another chance for Ivory Coast! Ikoko played a curling pass down the right towards Mubele that was hopelessly misread by Kanon. That allowed Mubele to scoot into the area on the right. He had Mbokani waiting for a tap-in at the far post, but the ball took a nasty bounce and Mubele sliced his cross into the hands of Gbohouo.
5.22pm GMT
65 min The first yellow card of the match goes to Franck Kessie for a foul on Mbemba.
5.19pm GMT
61 min The influential Gradel plays a good square pass to find Doukoure in space 30 yards from goal. He gets it out of his feet and hits a deflected low shot that is palmed away by the diving Matampi.
5.14pm GMT
55 min Mubele almost makes it 3-1 with a sensational solo goal. He retrieved a nothing ball on the right before turning infield and muscling past Kanon and Gradel. That took him into the box, where he swerved away from Kessie and struck a rising drive from a narrow angle that rippled the side netting.
5.11pm GMT
52 min DR Congo are content to sit deep and counter-attack, an approach that has worked pretty well so far. The Ivory Coast have created very little in open play.
5.07pm GMT
48 min What a chance for the substitute Deli! Gradel curled in a superb free-kick from the right; Deli got to it first, in plenty of space 10 yards from goal, and flicked a downward header just wide of the far post. He should probably have scored.
5.05pm GMT
48 min You have to work hard to get booked in this match. Kabananga does his best with a cynical tug on Zaha, but the referee keeps his yellow card untouched.
5.02pm GMT
46 min DR Congo begin the second half, kicking from right to left. Ivory Coast have made a half-time substitution, with Simon Deli on for Adama Traore.
4.54pm GMT
Related: The Joy of Six: epic football goalmouth scrambles | Michael Butler
4.48pm GMT
That was lots of fun, for neutrals and DR Congo fans anyway. Ivory Coast are 45 minutes away from a major problem. See you soon for the second half.
4.46pm GMT
45 min A superb bit of sweeper-keeping from Gbohouo, who charges 35 yards from his goal to clear a dangerous through ball towards Kabananga.
4.44pm GMT
42 min Gradel is clattered by Ikoko, who might have been booked for that. Ivory Coast have been much better in the second half of this first half. They will hope to buOH MY EFFING LORD DONALD TRUMP IS ACTUALLY THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT.
4.41pm GMT
41 min Aurier curls a 25-yard free-kick straight at Matampi. It was well struck but too straight.
4.41pm GMT
40 min Zaha surges at Issama, who produces an excellent sliding tackle. He has defended very well.
4.39pm GMT
39 min If Ivory Coast lose today they wouldn’t be out of the competition, but it would leave them in considerable trouble - especially if Togo beat Morocco tonight.
4.36pm GMT
35 min This has turned into a terrific game. Ivory Coast are in Big Ron’s wide awake club now, attacking with an urgency that borders on desperation.
4.34pm GMT
33 min “I don’t want to distract you from the game,” says Charles Antaki, “but you should know that in a dramatic development, Donald Trump has renounced the office of president in favour of Elvis Presley, who has emerged from a space vehicle that has just landed in front of the White House.”
Next you’ll be telling me Leicester won the Premier League last year.
4.32pm GMT
30 min Gradel’s deep cross drops over the head of Issama to Zaha, who is slightly unsighted and miscontrols the ball out of play. That was an opportunity for the Ivory Coast.
4.30pm GMT
DR Congo are back in front! Not even Quasimodo predicted this! Tisserand starts the move by pinging a flat crossfield ball to Mubele on the right, a really superb pass. He runs at Traore before teasing a delightful cross beyond the far post, where Kabananga is criminally unmarked and rises to head firmly past Gbohouo.
4.28pm GMT
27 min “Out of curiosity,” says Prancing Hog, “are you watching this game live from Stade d’Oyem?” I wish, Prancing, I wish.
4.27pm GMT
This is an excellent spell for the Ivory Coast, who have come to life after an abysmal start - and now they are level! Gradel curls a left-wing corner towards the near post, where Bony rises emphatically to power a header across goal and into the net.
4.25pm GMT
24 min Gradel’s cross is dropped by Matampi at the feet of Bony, but he doesn’t react quickly enough and Matampi claims it at the second attempt.
4.23pm GMT
22 min Bony misses a good chance to make it 1-1. Aurier, lurking near the halfway line on the right, curled a superb high pass over the defence to put Bony clear on goal. He had to take it first time just inside the box, and tried to lob his header over the keeper Matampi. He got the length right but not the line, and it drifted wide of the near post.
4.22pm GMT
22 min There is something uniquely beautiful about goals like Kebano’s, half-volleys that barely leave the floor as they whistle past the keeper. Here’s the masterpiece of the genre:
4.21pm GMT
21 min “You’re not alone, Rob,” says TM Abdelhamid. “This match is of particular interest here as Egypt might very well play either of the two teams should the Pharaohs play their next couple of games way better than they did their opener against Mali. Theoretically this is the Elephants’ game, but the Leopards are not going to let go of their initial group lead that easily.”
4.19pm GMT
19 min As good as DR Congo have been, Ivory Coast look like they couldn’t give a flying one! The lack of urgency and competence is almost startling.
4.17pm GMT
18 min Some nice footwork from the lively Mubele, who is booted up in the air by Doukoure for his impudence. That might have been a yellow card.
4.17pm GMT
17 min “This game promises to be much better than Trump’s swearing in,” says Jamie Hitchen. “My money is on DRC to win the tournament and I expect them to win today. Decent players in most positions, plenty of goals in the team (they scored a lot of goals in qualifying for Afcon 2017) and they are world-ranked 49th.”
They have been excellent so far - hungry, organised and full of menace on the counter-attack.
4.14pm GMT
14 min DR Congo have been much the better side so far. Ivory Coast seem to be suffering from the same inertia that was evident in their first game.
4.12pm GMT
That really was a superb goal. A longish throw from the left was well controlled by Kabananga in the box. He flicked the ball back to Kebano, who arrived late in the box and then, as it bounced, belted it across Gbohouo and into the far corner.
4.10pm GMT
What a strike! Neeskens Kebano of Fulham scorches a half-volley into the far corner to give DR Congo the lead!
4.09pm GMT
9 min Mubele wins the first corner of the match with a decisive run down the left. The DR Congo corner is a poor one and volleyed away by Bony.
4.08pm GMT
8 min “Here with you mate!” writes my good friend Prancing Hog. “What’s your prediction for the game? The Elephants’ forward line should be too good to take them thru. 2-0 is how I predict this match going.”
I think Congo might sneak this 1-0. But, strictly between us, I’ve not a clue what I’m talking about.
4.07pm GMT
7 min Zaha overhits a cross straight out of play. He was lively in the first game, when he was surprisingly substituted, and you can already see that he is trying to make something happen.
4.06pm GMT
6 min It’s been a really sleepy start to the game, as it was when the Ivory Coast drew their opening match with Togo. Whatever happened to the fast start?
4.04pm GMT
3 min DR Congo have started confidently and with most of the possession, albeit all in non-dangerous areas.
4.00pm GMT
1 min Peep peep! The Ivory Coast kick off from right to left. They are in orange and green; DR Congo are wearing white.
3.56pm GMT
Anyone out there? Come on, this has got to be more uplifting than the Trump liveblog.
3.20pm GMT
Ivory Coast (4-3-3) Gbohouo; Aurier, Kanon, Bailly, Traore; Doukoure, Kessie, Serey Die; Zaha, Bony, Gradel.
DR Congo (4-2-3-1) Matampi; Bope, Issama, Ikoko, Tisserand; Maghoma, Mbemba; Kabananga, Kebano, Mubele; Mbokani.
11.57am GMT
Hello. You spend years building up to something and it’s over in a trice. Enough about the teenage boy’s preferred rite of passage, because the same rules apply to international tournaments. All that planning, all those spreadsheets, and for half the teams it’s over before you can say ‘knockout football’.
The second round of group games is when flip gets real, and it becomes apparent which sides are likely to progress. It was fine for the Ivory Coast to start the defence of their title with a tedious 0-0 draw with Togo, but if they fail to beat DR Congo today they will be in not insignificant danger of going home in a few days’ time. DR Congo top the group after a win over Morocco in their first game; another would ensure their quarter-final place.
Related: Afcon 2017: Sadio Mané’s ‘gift from God’ heightens expectations on Senegal | Jonathan Wilson
Continue reading...The Fiver | The special cheese lounge at Spurs
In today’s Fiver: gastrofooty, David Moyes’ rallying cry and a funk in France
The Fiver have been clean 28 days, six hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. That’s how long it’s been since we ate our last bit of ill-smelling cheese. It was one bite too many and prompted a sickening Twin Peaks-themed dream in which we looked in the mirror, saw Brian Kilcline staring back, and could not stop shouting “How’s Granny Fiver?” All of which makes it a particularly sadistic decision by The Man to ask us to write about the special cheese lounge at Spurs’ new stadium!
Related: Big cheeses: Tottenham’s new stadium to give half-time snacks fancy flavour
Continue reading...Rob Smyth's Blog
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