Rob Smyth's Blog, page 168
September 24, 2016
Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea: Premier League - as it happened
Mesut Ozil was magnificent and scored the third goal as Arsenal passed Chelsea to death in the first half at the Emirates
7.21pm BST
A terrific win for Arsenal, who overwhelmed an admittedly poor Chelsea with some lovely football in the first half. Mesut Ozil was wonderful, Alex Iwobi and Alexis were excellent too, and Mustafi and Koscielny looked solid at the back. It’s a very, very happy anniversary for Arsene Wenger – not just the result but the way it was achieved. Thanks for your company; goodnight.
7.17pm BST
90 min There will be three minutes of added time.
7.17pm BST
89 min Arsenal’s last league win over Chelsea was that hilarious 5-3 at Stamford Bridge in 2011.
7.14pm BST
86 min Luiz will definitely be the Bonucci in Conte’s back three. That long through pass to Batshuayi was so good.
7.13pm BST
85 min Pedro, on the left corner of the box, endangers the denizens of Holloway Road with an abysmal shot.
7.11pm BST
84 min David Luiz breaks up an Arsenal attack and plays a magnificent left-footed pass to put Batshuayi through on goal. He runs into the box before drilling it low towards goal; Cech spreads himself to deflect it for a corner. He should probably have scored.
7.10pm BST
83 min Costa is booked for dissent.
7.09pm BST
82 min Azpilicueta’s long-range shot is comfortably saved by Cech. It might have been going wide anyway. If so, Chelsea still haven’t had a shot on target in this game.
7.06pm BST
80 min Gibbs clears Alonso’s cross brilliantly under extreme pressure at the far post.
7.05pm BST
78 min Arsene Wenger makes his final change, with Olivier Giroud replacing the Duracell bunny named Alexis.
7.04pm BST
76 min “Conte is class,” says William Hargreaves. “A fantastic signing. Agreed he will need time. Maybe he’s been signed with a move towards a longer-term vision in mind? I think that frequently we don’t acknowledge the undoubted intelligence and skill within the plethora of talented managers in the PL. We’re all ‘Einsteins’, I suppose Mou would say.”
I hope so. The short-termism in football - and the media are as guilty as anyone here - is pathetic and damaging.
7.02pm BST
75 min Costa looks weary as he moves down the right. He has been Chelsea’s best player by a mile and can hold his head up high before he sticks it on an Arsenal defender in frustration.
7.01pm BST
73 min Costa robs Kosicelny on the halfway line, with Pedro picking up the loose ball and scooting towards goal. He’s quick but Bellerin is even quicker and makes a superb interception.
6.57pm BST
71 min Chelsea move the last two deckchairs on the Titanic: Willian and Hazard are replaced by Pedro and Michy Batshuayi.
6.56pm BST
70 min Arsenal bring on Kieran Gibbs for the excellent Iwobi.
6.56pm BST
6.55pm BST
69 min Courtois makes an excellent save with his right foot to deny Walcott, who beat Alonso after receiving Iwobi’s nice pass.
6.54pm BST
67 min Ivanovic, 30 yards from goal, mistakes himself for Peter Lorimer. Goal kick to Arsenal.
6.51pm BST
64 min Cahill, who has had a spectacular stinker, dithers again and hits a clearance against Walcott. It bounces across the idea and Cahill has to hoof it desperately out for a throw-in on the other side of the pitch. Chelsea have been awful.
6.50pm BST
63 min Antonio Conte is a fantastic manager, who has had instant success in the past. It’s not going to happen here. There’s a lot of work to do with this team, and he shouldn’t be judged or questioned until at least the middle of next season.
6.48pm BST
61 min Costa can’t get enough purchase on a header from Azpilicueta’s cross and it drifts harmlessly across the box. Chelsea haven’t had a shot on target.
6.47pm BST
60 min “That’s the thing with Ozil,” says Matt Dony. “He’s not ostentatiously skilful, he’s not a showboater, he’s not one of those dressing room ‘characters’. But he can do ridiculous things with a football. His highlights reel is a thing to behold. On form, he is an absolute pleasure to watch.”
He’s a sometimes inefficient genius. There has never been a player quite like him, and Sir Alex Ferguson’s nickname, ‘The Ghost’, is perfect. Crap first touch though.
6.46pm BST
58 min Arsenal are having a laugh, entirely at Chelsea’s expense. An incisive angled through pass from Ozil is too fast for Walcott to control and it runs through to Courtois.
6.43pm BST
56 min Arsenal showboat repeatedly during a promising attack: Ozil’s turn, then Sanchez’s scoop, then Iwobi’s dummy. It didn’t lead a goal or anything like that, but it looked nice. And a fourth goal is coming very soon.
6.42pm BST
55 min Chelsea make their first substitution: Alonso replaces Fabregas, whose performance was soundtracked by Brian Eno. That means Chelsea have switched to a 3-4-3 formation.
6.40pm BST
53 min That should have been 4-0. Iwobi, Ozil and especially Xhaka played nice passes to free Walcott on the right of the box. He had Sanchez in the middle but hopelessly overhit a lofted cross in his direction.
6.38pm BST
50 min Chelsea have had plenty of the ball since half-time, though they have produced the square root of naff all with it.
6.33pm BST
47 min “Arsenal are, in the vernacular of the modern youth, feeling themselves, and Chelsea don’t seem too happy about it,” says JR. “I sense a simmering anger emanating from them. Luiz has already looked like he was on the hunt a couple times. I figure he and Matic are the most likely red cards. I would say Costa was most likely but we all know he’s immune to appropriate punishment.”
Feeling themselves?
6.32pm BST
46 min Peep peep! Arsenal begin the second half, swaggering from right to left.
6.31pm BST
Time, time, time to understand the monster
The moral of the first month of the Premier League’s inaugural Superboss Season is surely that even great managers need time. Who knew?
6.23pm BST
“Even Conte’s hair looks cheesed off - it’s lost its bounce and wave,” says Charles Antaki “I wouldn’t be surprised if it refuses to come out for the second half.”
That’d be a neat variation on the half-time hairdryer
6.21pm BST
“Rob, watch that Ozil goal again,” says Sam Hankins. “He absolutely, deliberately bounced that ball off the pitch. Every move was intentional. Ozil is...is...Homeric!”
You might be right. After growing up watching players like Brian Kilcline and Gary Coatsworth, I just assumed it was luck. There are few players who could pull off such a thing but he is one of them. I remember one astonishingly clever piece of skill to earn a penalty against Bayern in 2013-14. A penalty he then missed meekly, but let’s not dwell on that.
6.19pm BST
Half-time reading
Related: Arsène Wenger: 20 years at Arsenal – an incredible journey of joy and frustration | Amy Lawrence
6.17pm BST
After three and a half years without a league goal against Chelsea, Arsenal scored three in a half. Arsenal were as excellent as Chelsea were inept. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.
6.16pm BST
45+1 min Fabregas’s free-kick from the left is punched meekly by Cech, and Hazard lashes a volley into the side-netting from a tight angle.
6.15pm BST
45 min What’s the Italian for ‘shambles’?
6.14pm BST
44 min David Luiz takes out his frustration on Alexis’s left leg, and is lucky not to be booked.
6.13pm BST
42 min “Well done Arsène for some nifty work in finding someone who looks exactly like Theo Walcott but who tracks back, tackles, wins balls, make timely decisions and scores,” says Charles Antaki. “I suppose the real Theo is bound and gagged somewhere deep in an Emirates broom-cupboard.”
6.11pm BST
Mesut Ozil settles the match before half-time. Ozil turned Kante exquisitely in his own half and loafed forward on a two-on-two break. He played it through to Sanchez on the right of the box, and he returned it with a chipped cross beyond the far post. Ozil watched it carefully onto his left foot, mishit his sidefoot volley completely - and saw it bounce over Courtois and in off the far post.
6.09pm BST
38 min Costa has been superb for Chelsea, one of the who looks affronted by the score and determined to do something about it. This is a fascinating game, because if Chelsea get one then the Arsenal team will become the Squeaky Bum Collective, yet if Arsenal score next they could administer serious pasting.
6.06pm BST
37 min Chelsea have given the ball away so often in their own half tonight, and Ivanovic does it again to start an Arsenal attack. Eventually, after neat footwork from Iwobi, Cazorla overhits his pass down the left to Monreal.
6.05pm BST
35 min “Says a lot about Ivanovic and Cahil when you make Luiz look solid,” sniffs Salman Majid.
6.05pm BST
34 min “You know how there’s an argument to be made that the most exciting Messi was Messi-with-the-long-hair - not because it was the best Messi, but because potential is always more tantalizing than the realization?” says Phil Podolsky. “Now taking this vague dictum and applying it to Cesc, adjusting for magnitude of talent, is almost too sad. A tired mercenary who’s still good at football, not something you’d invoke the word ‘frisson’ over. Whereas in 2005...”
He hasn’t been bad today. He’s been anonymous, which is worse in many ways.
6.03pm BST
33 min “Evening Rob,” says Andy Bradshaw. “I’m agog, agog I tell you, to see how Arsenal cock this up. I’m going for Costa ripping someone’s arm off & then using it to hit the winner in injury time after Walcott misses an open goal three times.”
In one sitting?
6.02pm BST
32 min Xhaka replaces Coquelin, who looks pretty sad as he hobbles down the tunnel.
6.00pm BST
30 min Sanchez tries to flip the free-kick over the wall, Koeman-style. Matic jumps and heads it behind for a corner, from which nothing happens. Coquelin is struggling after that thunderous block tackle with Kante and I think he’ll need to come off.
5.58pm BST
28 min Coquelin makes an excellent block tackle on the edge of the box as Kante tries to shoot. Arsenal break superbly and Ivanovic trips Iwobi in the D after a lovely one-two with Alexis. Ivanovic is booked.
5.56pm BST
25 min Bellerin’s stinging low shot is deflected behind by the stretching Cahill. One corner begets another but nothing comes of it, not even for those who waited.
5.54pm BST
24 min Chelsea have stirred. Hazard, who is especially busy, had a 16-yard shot blocked by Koscielny after good play from Costa and Willian.
5.53pm BST
22 min “It’s interesting the lack of hype around Iwobi... for my money, he is one of the most exciting young talents in years in England,” says Andrew Hurley. “A near perfect technique, stature and a rare awareness for someone of his age. Arsenal have a real gem here...”
I’ve only seen him in a few games but I agree. The big thing, as you say, is his awareness. That usually only comes with experience.
5.51pm BST
21 min Chelsea’s first chance. Hazard combines neatly with Costa before releasing Willian on the right of the box. He has time to take a touch before driving a crisp low shot just wide of the far post.
5.49pm BST
19 min Sanchez shuffles away from Ivanovic on the edge of the box before dragging a weak shot well wide of the far post.
5.48pm BST
18 min Chelsea have only two problems: they look terrible with the ball, and even worse without it.
5.45pm BST
That was glorious football. Iwobi and Ozil played a one-two-three just outside the box before Iwobi an angled through pass to Bellerin, who ran off the lazy Hazard and into the box. He fizzed it first time across the area to give Walcott a simple finish from eight yards. That was clean, quick and incisive, though Hazard was negligent in letting Bellerin go.
5.44pm BST
This is a sensational team goal!
5.42pm BST
Arsenal take the lead after a bad mistake from Gary Cahill. He dithered on the ball just inside his own half before shaping to pass it back to the keeper. As he did so Sanchez robbed him and ran clear before chipping the ball gently and sweetly over Courtois. That was a beautiful finish. Unlike the goal against Swansea, there was no suggestion of a foul there. Cahill just had a brainfade.
5.40pm BST
10 min Fabregas is penalised, though not booked, for a late tackle on Coquelin.
5.39pm BST
9 min Walcott zooms i to the area, where Cahill makes a good sliding tackle. Bellerin, backing up the play, rakes a shot that is defected behind for a corner. Nothing comes of it but this has been a fine start from Arsenal.
5.37pm BST
6 min Chelsea, in the parlance of our time, have parked the bus. They are defending deep and in numbers before springing on the counter-attack. There’s already a sense of inevitability about Arsenal having 81 per cent of the possession and losing 2-0.
5.35pm BST
4 min Cazorla’s swooshing 25-yarder is beaten away by the plunging Courtois, a comfortable save really. Chelsea break and Costa lumbers to the edge of the area before Koscielny trips him. Chelsea have a free-kick on the right edge of the area, but Willian overhits it. Costa’s every touch is being booed with gusto.
5.31pm BST
3 min As Darren Fletcher points out on BT Sport, these teams are both eight points behind City going into the game. That’s a lot against a team managed by Pep Guardiola. Wenger out! Conte out! Everyone out!
5.31pm BST
2 min “How Ivanovic keeps getting into the team after more than a year of bad games is beyond me,” says Salman Majid. “He’s slow, has the worst cross and can no longer defend properly.”
You should see his pass-completion stats though.
5.30pm BST
1 min Peep peep! Chelsea, in blue, kick off from right to left. Arsenal are in red and white.
5.27pm BST
Nineteen years ago this weekend...
5.11pm BST
An email! From William Hargreaves!
“Who’s to say it will only be ‘one last title under Wenger’, he says, looking around with a ‘well, what?’ look on his face?”
4.37pm BST
Arsenal (4-2-3-1) Cech; Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Cazorla, Coquelin; Walcott, Ozil, Iwobi; Alexis.
Substitutes: Ospina, Holding, Gibbs, Xhaka, Lucas, Giroud, Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1) Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, David Luiz, Azpilicueta; Kante; Willian, Fabregas, Matic, Hazard; Diego Costa.
Substitutes: Begovic, Pedro, Batshuayi, Chalobah, Oscar, Moses, Alonso.
12.52pm BST
Hello. Throughout Arsene Wenger’s time as manager, Arsenal v Chelsea has been a reliable mismatch. For the first eight years, Arsenal always beat Chelsea; for the last 12, since Wayne Bridge Night at Highbury, Chelsea have been specialists in Arsenal.
Even last season, when Chelsea were fifty shades of shambles, Arsenal lost home and away to them. They haven’t scored a single league goal against Chelsea in the last three seasons. But, as Johan Cruyff didn’t say, in every negative there is a positive. If Arsenal beat Chelsea today, it will empower them significantly and leave them with one fewer demon to exorcise if they are to win one last title under Wenger.
Continue reading...
Manchester United v Leicester City: Premier League – as it happened
Paul Pogba scored his first goal for United, who thrashed the champions after Wayne Rooney was dropped to the bench
2.22pm BST
Peep peep! An excellent day for Manchester United, who end their disgraceful run of two consecutive league defeats with an emphatic win. The absence of Wayne Rooney made for a faster first-half performance, even if a half-time scoreline of 4-0 was a big lie. Paul Pogba had a fine game; Juan Mata and Ander Herrera were good too. Leicester look like a team whose collective unconscious has placed every last egg in the basket marked ‘Champions League’. Thanks for your company and abuse; bye.
Related: Manchester United thump Leicester after Chris Smalling sparks goal rush
2.19pm BST
90+1 min There will be three minutes of added time. “Your support is effing shit,” chant the Leicester fans, who invented cheering.
2.17pm BST
89 min Paul Pogba is Sky’s Man of the Match, and quite right too. He has given extremely good YouTube, especially in a scintillating five-minute period in the first half.
2.15pm BST
88 min Another United substitution: Ashley Young on, Juan Mata off after one of his better days at Old Trafford.
2.15pm BST
87 min “On the bright side, Rob, every time we’ve lost 4-1 this season before a Champions League game we’ve won said CL game 3-0,” says John Allen. “Claudio has a plan.”
2.13pm BST
85 min Ibrahimovic, loitering on the left side of the box, whips a curler too close to Zieler.
2.12pm BST
84 min Here’s Raymond Reardon. “Whatever meal has been served up by the combined recruiting of Ferguson, Moyes, LVG and Mourinho it is at least more palatable than the 12-year slow roast that Wenger has been trying to cook.”
Eat my short-termism.
2.11pm BST
83 min Wayne Rooney replaces Marcus Rashford, and will play out on the left of the front three.
2.10pm BST
82 min The cocky, impressive Gray runs at Blind and wins Leicester a corner. It’s cleared to Drinkwater, whose shot deflects behind for another corner. That is recycled to Gray, who beats Blind on the right and hits a beautiful ball right across the face of goal. He has been superb since coming on at half-time.
2.08pm BST
81 min: BREAKING NEWS: WAYNE ROONEY IS TAKING HIS TRACKY TOP OFF
2.07pm BST
80 min I’m afraid we’re having a few technical problems. In the last few minutes you’ve missed another fine effort by Gray that was superbly tipped round by the leaping De Gea, and the introduction of Michael Carrick for Jesse Lingard.
2.05pm BST
76 min Valencia’s vicious rising cross just evades Ibrahimovic, who attempted a high kick at the far post.
2.02pm BST
74 min Simpson is booked for tripping Rashford, whose blistering pace ensured he beat Simpson to a loose ball.
2.00pm BST
72 min Manchester United get a left-wing corner - and don’t score! It’s cleared to Herrera, who welts over from 25 yards.
1.58pm BST
70 min Despite his goal Rashford hasn’t had his best game today. He has tried a bit too hard, and his decision-making has been unusually poor. Has the bubble burst?
1.57pm BST
67 min After a fine run from Lingard on the right, Ibrahimovic’s precise, curling daisy-cutter from 20 yards is nicely tipped round by Zieler.
1.57pm BST
68 min King should have made it 4-2! He was unmarked 15 yards out when he received Schlupp’s cutback, but hit a tame first-time shot straight at De Gea. He had lots of time there.
1.54pm BST
65 min “In other crisis news,” says Ian Copestake, “it seems Mama Sakho has not learned his lesson and has been busy burning the midnight oil, a practice banned by UEFA.”
1.52pm BST
64 min After a terrific one-touch move on the right involving Pogba, Valencia and Mata, Valencia’s cutback is rifled over by Lingard on the edge of the box.
1.51pm BST
63 min Simpson’s cross flashes across the area to Fuchs, whose low shot is blocked by Herrera. This is Leicester’s best spell since the first goal.
1.49pm BST
61 min Claudio Ranieri makes his final substitution: Jeff Schlupp replaces Marc Albrighton, who will presumably be starting against Porto on Tuesday.
1.48pm BST
This is the goal of the day. Demarai Gray receives the ball on the left, runs infield past Lingard and hits an absolute screamer across De Gea and into the far corner from 25 yards. That was the dictionary definition of unsaveable.
1.43pm BST
55 min Ibrahimovic overelaborates in the box, but Mata picks up the loose ball and hits a first-time shot that is blocked by Morgan.
1.43pm BST
54 min Huth does extremely well to clear Pogba’s hanging cross under considerable pressure from Zlatan. It feels a bit low-key at the moment, on a mezzanine level between friendly and competitive match.
1.41pm BST
53 min I missed this from earlier. Zlatan treating banter with the contempt it deserves.
1.38pm BST
51 min “Mourinho’s term of endearment for Ranieri used to be ‘zero tituli’,” says Michael Garton. “What does he call him now?”
Uno titul
i
o? Claudio?
1.38pm BST
50 min Huth is booked for Huthing Pogba.
1.37pm BST
48 min It’ll be interesting to see whether United press for a huge victory or settle for this. Most teams declare these days, and preserve energy for upcoming fixtures, but a 6-0 or 7-0 win wold do so much for United’s fragile confidence. I’d go for it; they can play a different team in the Europa League on Thursday.
1.34pm BST
47 min “Did MU put something in the locker room water?” says Lorraine Berry. “Leicester’s defense looks drugged these past two corners.”
As if that would happen in a football m- oh.
1.33pm BST
46 min Leicester begin the second half, kicking from left to right.
1.33pm BST
Leicester have made two half-time substitutions: Andy King and Demarai Gray replace Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy. I assume he’s saving them for Porto on Tuesday.
1.32pm BST
“You’re wrong,” says Philip Brennan. “Utd have been that good. You just don’t know it.”
Cheers Einstein.
1.30pm BST
“Check me on this,” says Paul, “but I don’t recall United ever scoring from three corners in one half since shirts became sponsored. A first?”
They got two in the first few minutes against Leeds in 1995 but I can’t remember three, no.
1.20pm BST
Half-time teaser “The game has got slightly more interesting since I wondered this, but what’s the coat of arms that Mourinho has on his jacket?” asks Matt. “I’m really hoping it’s part of an Alan Partridge Tie and Blazer pocket set.”
I’m no fashion Einstein but it does look a bit like that.
1.20pm BST
Some half-time reading
Paul Doyle, great as ever. Is there a better football writer in England at the moment? Not for mine, Des.
Related: How football fans can deal with falling out of love with former icons | Paul Doyle
1.18pm BST
Wayne Rooney is dropped, and Manchester United lead the champions 4-0 at half-time. It makes for a great story, but the truth is United weren’t that good. They did play some nice stuff, Pogba in particular, and the pace of their play has been better. But three of the goals came from corners and Leicester have not defended well. Saint and Greavsie are nodding sagely. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.
1.17pm BST
45 min The start of Leicester’s title defence does resemble those of Blackburn 1995-96 and indeed Leeds 1992-93: still very good at home, but woeful away. They’ve conceded 10 goals in two and a half games.
1.14pm BST
44 min “Ranieri er... Out?” says Gary Naylor.
He’s taken Leicester as far as he can!
1.13pm BST
43 min “Leicester in crisis! (you read it here first)” says David Wall. Mark Hughes is loosening his grip on the Premier League Crisis Baton as we speak.
1.12pm BST
Paul Pogba gets his first goal for Manchester United! It’s their third goal from a left-wing corner in this match. It was a nice outswinger from Blind to the near post, where Pogba outmuscled Fuchs and flicked a superb header into the far corner.
1.11pm BST
41 min Let’s be clear: it hasn’t been a 3-0 match. Leicester were the better team at 0-0. But it is 3-0 and that isn’t good news for Leicester or Wayne Rooney.
1.10pm BST
The kid gets his usual goal. It was terrible defending from Amartey. Blind took a smart quick corner, passing to the weirdly unmarked Mata at the near post. He helped it first time across the six-yard box and Rashford slid it in from a few years. Mata was Amartey’s man, and his ears are currently full.
1.07pm BST
This is a fine goal from Juan Mata. He started the move on the right, pushing the ball into Pogba, who dinked it first time to Lingard on the edge of the box. Lingard had a defender at his back and stabbed it first time into the path of Mata’s run. He allowed the ball to run across him and then drove a fine half-volley from 15 yards that swerved away from Zieler and into the far corner.
1.04pm BST
34 min Herrera plays a fine pass to Rashford, who runs menacingly at Huth before being robbed by the ever excellent Drinkwater.
1.01pm BST
31 min Another lovely first-time pass from Pogba frees Valencia on the right. Fuchs gets back well to block his cross.
1.00pm BST
30 min All of a sudden Pogba is playing like a lord. He hits a big, booming 30-yard shot towards the near post that Zieler can only beat behind for a corner.
12.59pm BST
29 min “You can see Mourinho has been drilling his team this week on both corners and free kicks,” says Sam Evans. “Defending is much improved & the goal was from a very well worked corner.”
12.58pm BST
27 min Ibrahimovic almost scores a memorable goal! After some quick one-touch passing, Pogba shaped to shoot from 25 yards and then dinked a gorgeous pass over the top of the defence for Ibrahimovic. He took it beautifully on the chest while turning towards goal at the same time, but then belted his volley over the bar from 10 yards. The first bit was the hardest bit; he did that beautifully, but despite his taekwondo legs he just couldn’t get over the volley.
12.56pm BST
26 min After a towering header from Pogba, Rashford tries an overhead kick from 15 yards that goes well over the bar.
12.56pm BST
25 min Rashford misses a great chance to make it 2-0! It was a scintillating counter-attack after a Leicester corner. Herrera played it down the left to Ibrahimovic, who flicked a great square pass to put Rashford clear on goal (think Cole for Giggs v Everton in 1995-96). Rashford’s first touch was imperfect, and his second blazed it high and wide on the half-volley.
12.54pm BST
24 min “Did Gary Neville literally say all that stuff about plates of food,” says Ian Copestake, “or were you just really, really hungry?”
To me the two are not mutually exclusive.
12.53pm BST
23 min That goal was very much against the run of play, though I doubt United will care. Smalling is captain today in the absence of Rooney.
12.52pm BST
The simplest of goals gives United the lead. Blind swung a deep corner from the left to the far post, where Smalling got free to head down and through the hands of Zieler from six yards.
12.49pm BST
19 min Leicester are the better team at the moment and look threatening on the counter-attack. Drinkwater is playing excellently with and without the ball.
12.47pm BST
16 min A mix-up between Bailly and Valencia gives Leicester a corner on the left. It’s beautifully worked between Albrighton, Mahrez and Fuchs, whose cut-back finds Drinkwater on the edge o the area. His fierce shot is blocked, Amartey’s follow-up is also blocked, and finally Huth blooters a bouncing ball into orbit from a tight angle just outside the six-yard box.
12.43pm BST
13 min Leicester are coming into game now. Drinkwater, Mahrez and Albrighton combine nicely before Bailly boots the clear in the United box.
12.41pm BST
10 min A promising move from Leicester. Albrighton robs Valencia on the edge of the area and gets a return pass from Vardy, but crosses too close to De Gea with Slimani free at the far post.
12.39pm BST
9 min Pogba plays a one-two with Lingard and finds Ibrahimovic, who fractionally overhits his through pass to Rashford.
12.37pm BST
7 min Mata plays a nice short pass to Valencia, whose cross is deflected behind for a corner. This is a chance for Mike Dean. Mata swings it under the bar and Zieler, once of United, punches clear. It’s dumped back into the box and headed up in the air towards Ibrahimovic, who volleys well wide of the far post from 12 yards. It was a very awkward ball to deal with, even for him.
12.36pm BST
6 min Referee Mike Dean penalises Simpson for an off-the ball block on the lively Rashford, who was running in behind him. Leicester have hardly had a kick so far, though they are one of the few teams in world football who are entirely comfortable without the oxygen of possession.
12.34pm BST
4 min Pogba plays a Hollywood pass to Valencia on the right. His cross is headed clear to Blind, who decides to try his luck from 25 yards. His luck was not in.
12.33pm BST
3 min It’s been a fast start from United, if not quite with the manic intensity we might have expected in the circumstances. No action of note.
12.30pm BST
1 min Manchester United kick off from left to right. They are in red, Leicester in blue.
12.30pm BST
Wayne Rooney looks very happy as he chats to Michael Carrick on the bench. As Graeme Souness on Sky, on some level there is probably some relief.
12.26pm BST
The players are in the tunnel. Daley Blind is again sporting the Johnny-Depp-in-Black-Mass look. This is a big game for both teams, and one of them could be reluctantly clutching the Premier League Crisis Baton™ by 3pm.
12.23pm BST
“Agree that Pogba has to be the furthest forward midfielder in a three - ideally with Carrick and Herrera behind,” says Kevin Wilson. “I suspect Mkhitaryan will be used like Mata and also Kagawa; out of position, wide on the right, not fully respected or appreciated by the manager.”
He’s the new Joe Cole!
12.19pm BST
“Rooney’s ‘deselection’,” says Phil Podolsky. “The second best piece of news for fans of truth and beauty in the last hour #topical.”
But the darts hasn’t started yet?
12.17pm BST
“You spend £500m and have a midfield of Mata, Pogba and Herrera?” says Stephen Lysaght. “That can’t be Rooney’s fault.”
Yes it is, and so is Brexit.
12.17pm BST
The thing with Pogba and Mkhitaryan is that Rob Smyth Understands (TM)* Pogba is at his best in a 4-3-3 and Mkhitaryan is best used as a No10 in a 4-2-3-1. So there has to be some kind of compromise. I suspect Mkhitaryan will eventually become a kind of false, floating, inverted 7.5 in a 4-3-3 formation.
* I don’t watch much of that foreign muck so there’s every chance I’m wrong.
12.14pm BST
This is possibly the greatest goal ever scored in this fixture. If it was Suarez and Messi rather than Heskey than Claridge, it would be legendary.
12.12pm BST
“More than Rooney being dropped, I was surprised to see Carrick left out,” says Kari Tulinius. “You’d think against a team like Leicester Mourinho would want someone at the back of midfield who can control the game and rarely if ever gives the ball away. One of the best decisions Ferguson ever made was to build the last great team he put together around Carrick and Scholes. Maybe Carrick just doesn’t have the stamina anymore to start two fixtures in a row.”
Yes, me too. He is 35 now, but then he’s always been quite an economical footballer. I expected a 4-3-3 today, with Carrick instead of Lingard and Mata on the right.
12.09pm BST
Now that the deRooneyisation of Manchester United has begun, here’s the next question: how do you get Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the same team in a satisfactory manner?
12.03pm BST
If you have Sky Sports, put it on: Graeme Souness and Gary Neville in particular are in magnificent form, currently discussing how mollycoddled footballers have become. It’s belting television. “Their agents tell them how great they are all day. They don’t tell them the truth.”
The match won’t be as good as this.
11.58am BST
An email! “There’s no point in even doing this minute by minute now,” says David Flynn, “not until we work out which players are which meals.”
If he mentioned a dog’s dinner it might have narrowed it down.
11.49am BST
Gary Neville is in majestic form this morning
“The last 10 transfer windows have been overseen by four different managers, so what you’ve got is four different managers’ players. You’ve got a plate with bolognese, a chicken tikka masala, a roast dinner and loads of curry and gravy thrown over the top - individually they’re quite nice but together... Jose Mourinho’s got to find which bits of that plate he doesn’t like. That’ll take time. It’s ridiculous to criticise him after five or six games.”
11.46am BST
More from Gary Neville
“Can this team win the league? The distraction of Wayne Rooney has gone today. The excuses are over. Let’s look at the rest and see whether they’re good enough to win the league, because that’s the big issue here, not Wayne Rooney.”
11.42am BST
Gary Neville on Rooney
“In some ways, it’s become a distraction and that’s not good. It’s the right decision to leave him out today. He’s entering a period of his career where he needs to be managed towards the end of his career - it happened at this club with Robson, Giggs, Scholes. He can have the same end to his career where he plays 25/30 games a season and still contribute. He can play in a Europa League game and Zlatan can play on a Sunday. He has to accept that.
11.37am BST
Mourinho on dropping Rooney
“I knew the question would come, but I think the question should be that we have two young English players in the starting line-up. Lingard and Rashford are quick, the game is going to be intense and fast; we need fast players around Zlatan today. The last thing I want to do as a manager is hurt players or create negative situations - in a normal country with a normal media I would say, ‘23 players, lost of matches to play, fresh people, we have another match on Thursday’. It is just a normal decision.”
11.32am BST
Manchester United (4-2-3-1) De Gea; Valencia, Bailly, Smalling, Blind; Herrera, Pogba; Lingard, Mata, Rashford, Ibrahimovic.
Substitutes: Romero, Rojo, Fosu-Mensah, Carrick, Fellaini, Young, Rooney.
Leicester City (4-4-2) Zieler; Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs; Mahrez, Drinkwater, Amartey, Albrighton; Slimani, Vardy.
Substitutes: Hernández, King, Hamer, Schlupp, Okazaki, Gray, Ulloa.
12.24pm BST
Hello and welcome to
exclusively
live coverage of the champions’ visit to Old Trafford. Nobody has really talked about Leicester this season, such has been the focus of the teams holding the Premier League Crisis Baton. Leicester sit in 11th, having lost both away games, United are in seventh after consecutive defeats, and the whole word is waiting to find out whether Wayne Rooney has been dropped. Team news should arrive at 11.30am.
(And if you’re one of those old-fashioned types who is into actual football rather than news and speculation, kick-off is at 12.30pm.)
Continue reading...September 21, 2016
The Knowledge: your football questions answered – as it happened!
The south-coast team with six England captain and the team that finished second six years in a row and more featured in our first live edition of the Knowledge
2.51pm BST
There’s only so much Knowledge a man can take in a single day, so we’re going to wrap up the blog now. Thanks for your questions and answers throughout, and if you need another fix, there’s a 15-year Knowledge Archive that you can peruse here.
The Knowledge returns to the usual format a week today. It includes the story of the Northwich fan who had two pints and a pie before a match - and ended up playing in an emergency.
2.41pm BST
“What’s been the biggest increase in a club’s average attendance over the course of consecutive football seasons?” asked Ronan Brennan. “Or the biggest decrease?
Castleton Gabriels, now renamed Rochdale Town, finished bottom of the North West Counties League for three consecutive seasons between 2004 and 2007,” says Chris Goodall. “Their average crowds for the three seasons were 37, 175(!) and 37. That second season was actually the worst performance-wise, with only two wins. So why the amazing 473% spike in their average crowds? Because of a single match on September 17th 2005: Castleton Gabriels vs. FC United of Manchester, attendance 2,473. The moral of the story - when you hear someone talking about the “average” of a set of numbers, check carefully for outliers.”
2.38pm BST
“RE: Longest throw-ins, I believe this technically belongs to a teacher, Danny Brooks,” writes
Danny Brooks
ollib. “He hasn’t done it in a professional game, of course, but his technique (front-flipping before releasing the ball) is entirely ‘legal’ within the definitions of the game as the ball never touches the ground and comes from behind his head.”
2.35pm BST
“There were seven England captains in that Southampton team,” says Basile Bailey. “You missed Mark Wright.”
Ah, but Wright wasn’t an England captain at the time, whereas the other six were. From memory, Wright didn’t captain England until the 3-1 win over the Soviet Union on 21 May 1991
2.33pm BST
“You asked about lower-league internationals,” says Paul Clark. “Nathanial Jarvis plays for Hungerford Town in the National League South and Antigua and Barbuda. He helped them get promotion from the Southern League last season, so was playing 7th-tier football.”
2.29pm BST
“With Jake Livermore, Tom Huddlestone and Ryan Mason all in Hull City’s current starting XI (and Michael Dawson when he’s back from injury), the Tigers could field four former Spurs players when they play each other this season. Has any side had four (or more) players playing against a former club?” asks Ollie Davis.
“You have raised the issue of derby games being moved for TV/police,” writes Graham Nine. “The last time Norwich hosted Ipswich at 3pm on a Saturday was 19 February 1983, an FA Cup fifth-round tie (all hail Keith Bertschin!). The following 21 derby games at Norwich have been played ‘out-of-hours’, so to speak. Can anyone beat this?”
@TheKnowledge_GU Have any records been kept regarding the length of throw-ins? Can anyone tell me who took the longest ever legal throw-in?
2.26pm BST
“Has a non-British referee ever officiated a league 1/premier league game?” asks @languagecaster.
2.18pm BST
“What’s been the biggest increase in a club’s average attendance over the course of consecutive football seasons?” asked Ronan Brennan. “Or the biggest decrease?
“Surely RB Leipzig have to be close to getting this honour,” writes Carl O’Reilly. “Just looking at their Wiki page you can see the dramatic increase, from 2,150 in 2009-10 to 29,441 last season.”
2.15pm BST
This question is from Turlough Kelly. “Is Graham Gartland of Drogheda United the only player ever to miss twice in the same penalty shoot-out? (Drogheda Utd vs. IK Start, Uefa Cup 2006).”
He might be the only professional player to do so - can anyone help, etc - but it has certainly happened at a lower level. This comes from the Knowledge in 2008: The world record for the worst-ever penalty shoot-out, however, is quite predictably held by a pair of English sides. In January 1998 Under-10 sides Mickleover Lightning Blue Sox and Chellaston Boys faced off in the Derby Community Cup. The game finished 1-1 and the Blue Sox won 2-1 on penalties, though not until a remarkable 66 penalties had been taken. Thanks to Paul Haynes for that one.
2.08pm BST
1 - Last Saturday, Sevilla fielded a starting XI without any Spanish players for the first time for any team in La Liga history. When was the first time the equivalent was done in England, Italy and Germany? (And when was the first time not a single local player played for the duration of the game, even as a sub?)
(Chelsea were the first English team to field an XI without any British players, at Southampton on Boxing Day 1999. Not sure if there was an Englishman-free team before that.)
2.04pm BST
“This one’s been nagging me for a while, and I’m finally getting round to sending it in,”wrote David Christie. “Barry Robson and Willo Flood dished out uncompromising tackles together at Aberdeen from 2013-16, but had previously played together at Middlesbrough (2010-11), Celtic (2009-10) and Dundee United (2007-08: Willo was there on loan). How unusual is it for a pair of players to find themselves teammates at four (or more) different clubs?”
“Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Maxwell played together at Ajax, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain,” says Stephan Wijnan. “So that’s four clubs, and they won the league at each. Maybe Man Utd should buy Maxwell this winter.”
2.03pm BST
“I already know the answer to this, but wanted to test the knowledge of the readers/the researchers,” says Dan Seppings. “Which player has scored the most top-flight goals in England without scoring a top-flight hat trick? Prizes for getting the answer right include immense self-satisfaction and a virtual slap on the back from me.”
(Ryan Giggs?)
1.27pm BST
Thanks again for all your questions and answers; it’s time for a quick lunch break. I’ll leave you with some classic Knowledge from the archive, and a few more questions. See you soon!
Related: The Knowledge | Footballers playing under the influence | Barry Glendenning and John Ashdown
Related: Using crocodiles as a hooligan deterrent
Related: Has a referee ever changed his mind about a red card (redux)? | The Knowledge
Related: How did Alan Hansen get that scar?
1.26pm BST
“I recall being a wee whippersnapper, sometime in the early 2000s and watching BBC Final Score,” says Andy Sanders. “The presenter was talking about a striker north of the border in the Scottish second or third division, and he asked Mark Lawrenson
“Do you you know what incredible milestone he will reach if he scores today?”
1.05pm BST
“Has a goalkeeper ever scored at the finals of an international tournament?” asked Ronan Brennan.
“Didn’t a Portuguese goalkeeper score one recently..” says h1NTERland. “Err.. by recently I mean in the past 10 years or so? Can’t remember his name either! Think it was a penalty.”
1.00pm BST
“In 1982, a First Division side had six past and future England captains in the same team. Which team was this?”asked one knowledge-hungry reader whose name we’d inexplicably lost under a mountain of Knowledge emails, back in February 2003.
This one’s a doddle. Mick Channon, Dave Watson, Peter Shilton, Kevin Keegan, Mick Mills and Alan Ball all played for Southampton during the calendar year of 1982.
12.53pm BST
“This question has been bugging me for years,” scratches Alex Russell. “Who was the first player to ever get booked or sent off for diving? I’ve been told from an unreliable source that it is Colin Hendry, is this true?”
(I know Roy Keane was given a second yellow by his old mate David Elleray for supposedly diving over Colin Hendry at Blackburn in August 1995, but I’ve no idea about whether Hendry did the same, or whether he was the first. Great question though. Can anyone help? Was Franny Lee ever punished for his gravity issues? I assume it wasn’t a bookable offence then because, as my colleague Tom Davies says, foreigners hadn’t been invented then so diving wasn’t an issue.)
12.49pm BST
Tonight, ITV1, 10.40pm
12.47pm BST
@TheKnowledge_GU Arsenal started with three players with double-barrelled surnames last night against Forest. This a record?
Bloody gentrification.
12.44pm BST
“Is it true that Matthew Le Tissier only won the Southampton Player of the Season award on three occasions?” asks Paul Blades. “I’d have expected him to win it 15 years in a row!”
(It is indeed. He won it in 1989-90, when he was also the PFA Young Player of the Year, and then in consecutive seasons from 1993-95 during his imperial phase under Alan Ball.)
12.38pm BST
“What’s been the biggest increase in a club’s average attendance over the course of consecutive football seasons?” asked Ronan Brennan. “Or the biggest decrease?
“I would imagine that Chorley have a good shout for the highest percentage change,” says Gary Fairclough. “At the end of (yet) another disappointing Northern Premier League First Division North campaign in 2009/10 they had averaged a paltry 271 fans per game. That summer everything changed, the appointment of ex-Blackburn favourite Garry Flitcroft brought in a sudden boost of interest (including more fans being at a meet-the-manager event than had been at most games the season before). At the end of the following season with promotion in the bag Chorley had averaged 756, an increase of almost 280%. This may have been helped by the Blackburn/Venkys fallout causing a few Rovers fans to look elsewhere for football entertainment!”
12.31pm BST
“Which manager has had the most individual spells at the same club,” asked Elliot Leaver.
“Since I am not satisfied with the answer given, I bring to you a more precise one,” sys Bách Hoàng. “Lê Thụy Hải, one of the greatest managers in the history of Vietnam football, has had a total of six stints in the capacity of manager in Bình Dương Football Club and won three national championships with the team. Interestingly, in the last two stints he acted as Technical Director because he has not fulfilled coaching requirements (doesn’t even bother to take part in licensing course), which are newly adopted by AFC since 2011. Bình Dương appointed another man as manager but Lê Thụy Hải is still de facto manager.”
12.28pm BST
“How many players have broken their leg taking a penalty” asks Adeshr. “I seem to recall this happening to Colin Cooper at Middlesbrough, but can’t confirm it anywhere on the web. Can anyone confirm this is true and if anyone else has ever broken their leg taking a penalty?”
No idea about that but Cesc Fabregas broke his leg just before he scored a penalty against Barcelona in 2010. And Tony Cascarino was fortunate that he didn’t break his entire body when he kicked the ground while taking his penalty against Romania at Italia 90.
12.27pm BST
“Back in 1986, Watford played Arsenal home and away on 31 March and 1 April and beat them twice,” says Simon Shannon.
Indeed, and if you include the previous weekend both teams played three league matches in four days. I suppose they all drank Carling Black Label back then though.
12.20pm BST
“Which game has been televised the most in the Premier league era and which fixture has the longest televised streak?” asks ID4812499.
(I’d imagine the first answer is Liverpool v Manchester United – I think all bar four have been televised, the most recent in 2004. The longest streak is possibly Man Utd v Arsenal. I think the last time that wasn’t televised, in the Premier League, was November 1996. Somebody should write a book about that rivalry.)
12.10pm BST
“I was chatting in work to a colleague about José Mourinho’s imminent return to Stamford Bridge this season and it got me thinking – which manager has had the most individual spells at the same club?” wrote Elliot Leaver.
“Two Croatian managers and rivals - Miroslav Blažević and late Tomislav Ivić - had four spells each at two biggest Croatian clubs and bitterest rivals Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split respectively,” says Admir Pajiæ. “Blažević was in charge at Dinamo Zagreb between 1980 and 1983, between 1986 and 1988, between 1992 and 1995 and, finally, in their successful 2002-03 campaign. What might sound even more impressive and present a new challenge for the Knowledge readers, Blažević has managed the same club under three different names (today’s GNK Dinamo Zagreb were known as “Dinamo Zagreb” in Blažević’s first, second and fourth spell while during the war in ex-Yugoslavia it had been renamed at first to “HAŠK Građanski” and then to “Croatia Zagreb” which coincided with Blažević’s third spell).
12.03pm BST
“So Liverpool recently signed Alex Manninger, 14 years after he left Arsenal,” noted Michael Britton. “Is this the longest break a player has had in between Premier League stints?”
“Yes. Alex Manninger’s 14-year break – 15 if you count his loan spell at Fiorentina – is comfortably the longest in Premier League history,” says Chris Goodall. “But Manninger is yet to don the gloves for Liverpool and looks a long shot to do so this season, so the award for the longest break between Premier League appearances is still up for grabs. Glen Little can claim 11 years between bursting onto the scene with Crystal Palace and shuffling back onto the scene with Reading, but he ruined it with a four-game loan spell at Bolton in the middle.
11.59am BST
“Which player has won the European Cup with the most teams?”
(This is Clarence Seedorf I think - Ajax, Madrid and Milan)
11.55am BST
“Plymouth finished second in Division Three South in 1921-22,” writes Sean DeLoughry. “With only one team promoted they stayed put. They repeated the achievement in 1922-23. And 23-4. And 24-5, 25-6 and 26-7. Six times runners-up, six times missed out on promotion.”
11.52am BST
“Close-but-no-cigar award surely goes to Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final,” says Kevin Dennehy. “He conceded the penalty that Zidane scored, then scored Italy’s goal 10 minutes later. He was then instrumental in having Zizou sent off before scoring a goal in the penalty shoot out. The occasion itself, the World Cup final, the biggest game in any player’s career makes it worthy of a mention.”
It’s all about you, isn’t it Marco?
11.50am BST
“Not quite meeting the full criteria of the question, but worth mentioning anyway, is Jonathan Walters’ triple-fail for Stoke verus Chelsea in 2013,” says Nathan Eaton. “He scored two own-goals and missed a penalty. The only example of a player scoring a hat-trick of own goals that I’m aware of is Stan van den Buys who put three past his own keeper while playing for Germinal Ekeren (now Germinal Beerschott) vs Anderlecht in 1995.”
So what do we call the Chris Nicholl?
11.47am BST
Thanks for all your questions and answers. Opta stats confirm there is a 0.00 per cent chance we’ll be able to answer them all, but we’ll do as many as we can before the nervous breakdown begins.
11.46am BST
“You previously asked about teams having to wear other teams’ shirts,” recalls Peter Newbitt. “A few weeks ago I went to see Clapton FC host Eton Manor FC at the magnificently named Old Spotted Dog Ground. When Eton Manor ran out on to the pitch, to my surprise I noticed they appeared to be sponsored by Air Asia; quite a coup for a team in the Essex Senior League. On closer inspection it became apparent they were in fact playing in QPR’s third shirt from the 2012-13 season. Anyone know why?”
11.36am BST
“Has a goalkeeper ever scored at the finals of an international tournament?” asked Ronan Brennan.
“Obvious choice,” says Arraiga2. “Jose Luis Chilavert hit the bar in 2002 for Paraguay, and scored a penalty at the 1997 Copa America.” He hit the bar at the World Cup?
11.33am BST
“Very pointless question that I thought to myself the other day, that may be unanswerable/pointless…” says Steve Kellett. “What’s the most amount of consecutive games played by an outfield player without taking a throw in? Would be interesting to know if anyone has a clue!”
Would it, though? Would it really be interesting? I consider myself a tolerant person but this is deviancy on a sickening scale.
11.31am BST
“Don’t know if you ever answered this one, but has anyone the ‘anti-hat trick’ (an own goal, conceding a penalty and getting sent off in the same match)?” asks dfic1999.
In the absence of answers, I’m going to do the politician’s trick of answering a completely different question. Manchester City’s Michael Ball produced an ignoble hat-trick in the derby of 2006-07: he stamped on Cristiano Ronaldo’s chest (later receiving a three-match ban), conceded the matchwinning penalty, and then dived for a penalty that Darius Vassell missed.
11.28am BST
“Has a goalkeeper ever scored at the finals of an international tournament?” asks Ronan Brennan.
“What’s been the biggest increase in a club’s season average attendance over the course of consecutive football seasons?” asks Ronan Brennan (the same). Or the biggest decrease? Could it be Coventry - whose average attendance dropped from 11k in 2012/13 to 2.3k in 2013/14 representing an 80% decrease season-on-season (according to this link)?
11.19am BST
“Who were the last British football club to play a friendly in South America?” asked Sameoldcabbage.
“Surely,” says ID643432, “the last British club to play a friendly in South America would have been Exeter, when they played a Fluminense XI in July 2014?”
11.17am BST
We have our first digital fistfight of the day. Does Middlesbrough’s team against Fulham in 2006, which included England-born future Scotland international James Morrison, count as an all-English XI? “I set the question,” says Kontiki, “and I’m declaring that still valid.”
Dan Lucas, who suggested an alternative answer, might disagree. I can tell you, I wouldn’t want to be around when this all kicks off!
11.13am BST
“I seem to remember reading about a match in the 1980s in the Conference where one side (I believe it may have been Northwich Victoria) turned up with only 8 fit players and appealed to their spectators if anyone wished to have a gam,” says Warwick Bassett. “Apparently they didn’t do badly, managing a 1-1 draw.Are there any more details about this and have any other clubs called on the services on their fans to bolster the playing numbers?”
Does anyone know anything about this story? Anyone? Anyone? In the meantime, here’s the old one about Harry Redknapp playing a West Ham fan in a pre-season friendly.
11.13am BST
“Is it my imagination,” begins Elliot Jacobs, “or did Man Utd’s home kit shorts used to be black, as standard?”
They certainly wore black shorts with the red shirt quite a bit in the late 1970s and the early 1980s, but I think that was away from home against teams with white shorts - like when they lost 6-0 at Ipswich and Gary Bailey saved three penalties. I might be wrong but I think the home shorts were always white.
11.06am BST
“Good morning from beautiful and sunny Spain!” writes David. “My question is as follows: In our local team (Atlético de Monzón), currently playing at Regional Preferente (5th level, although it can be compared to Northern League in England), appears an Andorran international; Marcio Vieira. Do you know of any other player who is currently playing at an International level which is in such a low division?”
We have (sort of) covered this in previous, non-live editions of The Knowledge. Click here and also to receive relevant information. But do let us know if you can think of an international playing at a lower level.
11.03am BST
Adeshr has seen Dan Lucas’s answer (10.49am) and raised it. “Last top flight club to start with an all-English XI: Fulham 1-0 Middlesbrough - 7 May 2006. Steve McClaren’s farewell before he became England managers. “All 16 of Boro’s player including subs were English. In fact 15 of the 16 were born within 30 miles of the Riverside ground. Also the Boro Man of the Match was awarded to ‘the whole team’.”
Ah, innocent times. How could we have known that the nucleus of that young team would go on to win the 2010 World Cup for Sir Steve, with Sir David Wheather belting the winner in the final for 10-man England after Sir Lee Cattermole was sent off for eating Xavi.
10.58am BST
“Does a bite count as a fight?” says Liam Ferry. It’ll do. “If so, Luis Suarez scored a goal, assisted a goal and fought/bit Branislav Ivanović (AND conceded a penalty through handball) in that famous match.”
10.57am BST
“Geremi (once of Chelsea and Real Madrid) has more appearances for his national team, Cameroon, than any club he played for,” says tommy87. “Is this unique?”
Didn’t Rigobert Song do it as well, or was that just league games?
10.55am BST
“Why does nobody understand Stephan Wijnen’s question?” says promisinglight. “It clearly states ‘championship match’, i.e. the fixture in which one of the teams was crowned champions?”
Oh, erm. Oh. Somebody’s getting a P45 for that, probably me. And the question’s still open in that case.
10.52am BST
“The suggestion that Wayne Rooney can convert from being a top-class striker to a top-class midfielder good enough to play for Man Utd and England seems unlikely to me,” says Jez Norgan, “so can anybody think of past examples of a striker doing this that show it is actually possible?”
There have been a few just at United, like Paul Scholes and Brian McClair, but they did it in their 20s. Generally those who have done it in their thirties, certainly in England, have been wingers like John Barnes and Ryan Giggs. Mark Hughes and Michael Owen both played central midfield later in their career, though probably not to England-captain standard.
10.49am BST
“Who were the last top flight club to start with an all-English XI?” asked Kontiki. “I know Burnley got 10 out of 11 a couple of years ago (goddamn you Scott Arfield).”
“You have to go right back to 27 February 1999 for this one I think,” says our own Dan Lucas. “Aston Villa’s line-up against Coventry: Michael Oakes, Alan Wright, Gareth Southgate, Steve Watson, Riccardo Scimeca, Ian Taylor, Paul Merson, Simon Grayson, Lee Hendrie, Dion Dublin, Julian Joachim. John Gregory’s Brave Lads got stuffed 4-1 at home.”
10.46am BST
“In round 3 of the Dutch Eredivisie, PEC Zwolle vs. PSV was played,” asked Stephan Wijnen. “This fixture was also played in the last (34th) round of last season, in which match PSV became the Dutch champions. So there were only two rounds inbetween these matches. Is this a record for a championship match to be played again in the next season in the same stadium (supercup matches, friendlies, etc. excluded, so only league matches)?”
“One very recent example is Stoke v Liverpool,” says Blaynos. “Stoke won 6-1 at the Britannia on the final day of the 2014/15 season, and then Liverpool beat them 1-0 away to kick off the following campaign.”
10.45am BST
“I’ve tried to get an answer to this a few times but with no luck,” says Jezzan. “Why was the 1966 World Cup played so late in the summer? Seems to be a complete outlier to all the other finals.”
“Oxford recently beat Swindon Town in League 1 to make it six wins in a row against their nearest and fiercest rivals,” says Pianni. “I was wondering which team had the best record against their local rivals, both in total and in terms of the largest winning streak?”
10.40am BST
“When was the last time the Manchester derby was played at 3pm on a Saturday?” wonders Chris Sloley.
Our own Niall McVeigh answered this one. “The last one to kick-off at that time on a Saturday was more recent than you might expect – it took place on 10 September 2005. As you will all be aware, this was also the last day the Guardian appeared in full broadsheet glory, before the size was changed. The game finished 1-1, man of the match Joey Barton cancelling out Ruud van Nistelrooy’s opener. With United facing a Champions League trip to Villarreal on the following Wednesday, that weekend saw a different north-west derby televised – Bolton’s 0-0 draw with Blackburn.
10.38am BST
“In round 3 of the Dutch Eredivisie, PEC Zwolle vs. PSV was played,” says Stephan Wijnen. “This fixture was also played in the last (34th) round of last season, in which match PSV became the Dutch champions. So there were only two rounds inbetween these matches. Is this a record for a championship match to be played again in the next season in the same stadium (supercup matches, friendlies, etc. excluded, so only league matches)?”
I can do this one. Me sir! It’s not a record. I’m sure there are other examples but – as detailed in a previous knowledge – a number of teams in the English top-flight played back-to-back fixtures over the Christmas period of 1963. There were some pretty interesting results, too.
10.37am BST
If you have answers to any of these, please knowledge@theguardian.com or rob.smyth@theguardian.com, tweet @TheKnowledge_GU or post BTL
“Morning Rob,” says Kontiki. “Who were the last top flight club to start with an all-English XI? I know Burnley got 10 out of 11 a couple of years ago (goddamn you Scott Arfield).”
10.32am BST
We’ll answer as many of your questions as we can, though I suspect we won’t get through all of them. Brexit has hit resources everywhere, even at The Knowledge. We’re down to our last 84 researchers for heaven’s sake!
10.27am BST
“The 2016 DFL-Supercup win puts the number of countries that Carlo Ancelotti has won a domestic trophy to five (Italy, England, France, Spain, Germany). Not counting continental or intercontinental club competitions, has any coach won a domestic trophy in more countries” asks Chai.
“By my reckoning, the late Croatian master of strategy Tomislav Ivic won domestic trophies in seven different countries,” begins Darren Beach. “He won national championships in Yugoslavia with Hajduk Split (1973-74, 74-75, and 78-79), in the Netherlands with Ajax (1976-77), in Belgium with Anderlecht (1980-81), in Greece with Panathinaikos (1985-86) and in Portugal with Porto (1987-88). He also played a significant part in Marseille’s French title in 1991-92, managing them until October of that season. Oh, and he also won domestic cups in Yugoslavia and in Portugal for good measure. In addition, he also won Spain’s Copa del Rey in 1990-91 with Atlético Madrid - in spite of Jesús Gil’s revolving door approach to hiring coaches - and in his twilight years he led Al-Ittihad to a Saudi Crown Prince Cup triumph in 2003-04 to round off a pretty decent career in coaching.”
10.57am BST
Hello and welcome to our first live edition of The Knowledge. Remember the date: 21 September 2016. This is the day the world changed. We’ll be doing our bit to help you through a working Wednesday, and to reduce the national productivity, by answering as many of your football questions as we can. Or just cutting and pasting the answers from your emails.
What have you – yes, you; I’m talking to you – wanted to know about football? We have a team of flunkies waiting to do the necessary researc, and readers can also help out by sharing the gift of Knowledge.
Continue reading...September 18, 2016
Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Sunderland: Premier League – as it happened
Harry Kane scored the winner but picked up an injury late on and Adnan Januzaj was sent off for Sunderland as Spurs climbed to third despite the best efforts of Jordan Pickford
7.03pm BST
Related: Harry Kane capitalises on Tottenham’s pressure to see off Sunderland
6.23pm BST
Spurs could and probably should have won that by five goals or more, but they will be happy enough with the points and a goal for Harry Kane; less so with injuries to Kane, Dier and Dembele. Thanks for your company, bye.
6.20pm BST
90+3 min Janssen wallops high over the bar from 20 yards. He should have played it to Lamela when Sunderland had a two-on-one.
6.18pm BST
90+1 min Djilobodji is booked for pulling Janssen just outside the box. He was the last man, although it wasn’t necessarily a clear goalscoring opportunity.
6.16pm BST
Adnan Januzaj gets a second yellow for a silly, studs-up tackle on Ben Davies. Mike Dean had no choice.
6.16pm BST
89 min Harry Kane, who is lying off the field, needs a stretcher to return to the dressing-room. He fell awkwardly after a block tackle on Djilobodji.
6.15pm BST
88 min Manquillo’s flat cross is flicked well wide by the head of Watmore, 15 yards from goal. That’s Sunderland’s fifth attempt at goal; Spurs have had 27.
6.14pm BST
87 min Harry Kane is limping off and has been replaced by Vincent Janssen.
6.13pm BST
86 min Pickford makes a sensational save from Lamela’s curler. He was at full stretch, diving to his right, and just brushed it with his fingertips. There won’t be many better saves this season.
6.08pm BST
82 min Lamela’s shot is deflected just wide with Pickford wrong-footed. Spurs could easily have scored 10 today.
6.07pm BST
81 min Januzaj is booked for talking inappropriately to referee Mike Dean.
6.07pm BST
80 min I’ve always wanted to do a Joy of Six: one-goal thrashings. Should that magical day ever come, this game will be on the longlist.
6.05pm BST
79 min Another Sunderland change: Kirchhoff off, Khazri on.
6.03pm BST
77 min Eric Dier is also leaving the field with a tight hamstring. Ben Davies replaces him, so Vertonghen goes to centre-back.
6.02pm BST
76 min Spurs have been so incredibly dominant that a Sunderland equaliser feels inevitable.
6.02pm BST
74 min Dembele has an injury and has been replaced by Erik Lamela.
6.00pm BST
73 min Alli runs from the centre circle to the edge of the area unchallenged before screwing a shot that shimmers across the turf and is palmed round by Pickford. From the ensuing corner, Dier drags a half-volley just wide of the far post.
5.54pm BST
68 min Manquillo goes on a fine run down the left that earns Sunderland a corner. Januzaj’s outswinger is nutted over the bar by Kone.
5.53pm BST
67 min Ndong plays an excellent pass down the left to Watmore, whose first-time cross flashes across the six-yard box with Defoe surprisingly on his sheels.
5.52pm BST
65 min The goal hasn’t altered the pattern of the game at all. Ndong is booked for a foul on Son.
5.49pm BST
63 min Sunderland make a change, with the excellent Duncan Watmore replacing Steven Pienaar.
5.48pm BST
62 min Lee Cattermole is booked for being Lee Cattermole.
5.47pm BST
61 min That was awful from Djilobodji, who was in his six-yard box and tried to chest the ball down like Franz Beckenbauer. Instead he miscontrolled it straight to Kane, who did the necessary.
5.46pm BST
Well, it was coming. Walker’s deep cross is headed down by Alli. Djilobodji makes a desperate mess of clearing it inside the six-yard box, and Kane sidefoots past Pickford.
5.44pm BST
57 min Denayer is booked for a foul on Son.
5.43pm BST
56 min Son beats Denayer on the left and passes the ball right across the face of goal with no Spurs player able to get on the end of it.
5.42pm BST
56 min A goal is coming, Frank said.
5.42pm BST
55 min Son gets behind the right-back Denayer to receive Dembele’s excellent pass, but then he blasts into the side-netting from the left side of the six-yard box. Alli, unmarked at the far post, was the better option.
5.40pm BST
53 min Pickford backpedals desperately to palm Sissoko’s cross away from Alli at the far post. He’s had a fine game.
5.38pm BST
52 min Kone puts hands on Alli on the edge of the box, though Mike Dean doesn’t give anything. The ball comes to Son, whose shot is deflected behind for a corner.
5.37pm BST
50 min Sunderland can’t get out at all. As diligent as they are, it’s hard to see them keeping this up for a full 90 minutes without conceding.
5.34pm BST
47 min The second half is already following the same pattern as the first, with Sunderland holding on for a dear point.
5.31pm BST
46 min Peep peep! Sunderland begin the second half, kicking from right to left.
5.16pm BST
Sunderland have been battered, yet they could be ahead. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.
5.15pm BST
44 min Walker clears off the line from Pienaar. Sunderland almost stole the lead. A half-cleared cross from the right came to Januzaj, who slipped Dier beautifully and played the ball back to Pienaar in the six-yard box. He didn’t connect cleanly with his first-time shot but it beat Lloris and would have gone in but for Walker’s intervention.
5.12pm BST
41 min Son’s awkward dipping corner is sliced just wide of his own goal by Djilobodji. That’s the first of four corners in quick succession until Pienaar finally gives Sunderland some respite. About two seconds’ respite, but it’s better than nothing.
5.10pm BST
40 min “Sissoko looks like he hasn’t worked out if he is supposed be running with the ball and attacking from deep or running past the last man,” says Jeremy Dresner. “So far he is stuck in two minds and is either doing neither or doing both very badly. Depends if his mind is made up on that.”
Well that’s what you get when you play him out of position to accommodate Rooney.
5.09pm BST
39 min Son cuts inside from the left and smacks a low shot off the outside of the post. I’m not sure whether Pickford had it covered; either way, he got straight to his feet and adminstered a bol- sorry a rollocking to his defence.
5.08pm BST
38 min Sunderland are defending with increasing comfort, and Pickford has had nothing to do for the last 20 minutes or so.
5.06pm BST
36 min After two fouls in 45 seconds, Kirchhoff gets his last warning from Mike Dean.
5.04pm BST
34 min Sissoko is flattened by Djilobodji and looks in some pain. I think it was a clash of knees; certainly nothing naughty from Djilobodji.
5.03pm BST
32 min This game is in need of a goal. Can referee Mike Dean conjure up a penalty for either side?
4.59pm BST
28 min Another corner to Spurs, whose pressure has been incessant. Nothing comes of it.
4.55pm BST
25 min A bit of pinball in the Sunderland box ends when Sissoko volleys the loose ball wide from 18 yards.
4.55pm BST
23 min “Yes, all that talk of the Crisis Baton going to Mourinho earlier and you could see Hughes on the next stool (‘Blind Date’ style), arms folded, whistling, looking at the floor while all the time Moyes sat, sweaty hands on knees, looking like a rabbit watching the chef with a cleaver,” says William Hargreaves. “I have a feeling the baton will get quite hot this season.”
I’m not sure one Premier League Crisis Baton is enough for the English football media. Eighteen or nineteen sounds about right.
4.53pm BST
22 min Defoe draws a save from Lloris with a snapshot from a tight angle. That came straight from a goalkick, with Defoe needing one touch to chest it down and another to get his shot in. Somewhere in England, a man called Charles Hughes is aroused.
4.51pm BST
21 min A free-kick to Spurs, 25 yards from goal. It’s slightly to the left of the centre, and Dier sidefoots it well over the bar.
4.49pm BST
19 min Kane’s good pass to the edge of the area finds Son, whose shot has just appeared on air traffic control.
4.48pm BST
18 min Sunderland have a rare attack, and then Cattermole plays it back to his goalkeeper from the halfway line.
4.46pm BST
15 min Kane is denied again by Pickford. He did well to wriggle away from Djilobodji and lash a bouncing ball towards goal from a few yards, but Pickford again blocked his shot. From the resulting corner, Alderweireld headed too close to the keeper. That was a chance.
4.44pm BST
13 min Wanyama’s long-range strike is well held by Pickford. Sunderland can’t get out of their third, never mind their half.
4.41pm BST
11 min Tottenham have had an uber-Pep 81 per cent of the possession so far.
4.40pm BST
9 min Pickford makes a crucial save to keep the score at 0-0. Son, who has started really well on the left, curled a good cross to the near post that was first time by Kane in the six-yard box, and Pickford turned his shot round the post.
4.38pm BST
7 min It’s all Spurs, as you’d expect. This is a much stronger-looking side Sunderland, however, with Kirchhoff and Cattermole giving the defence plenty of protection.
4.35pm BST
5 min “You know, if Sunderland lose, that Crisis Baton will have been passed four times in twenty-four hours: Bilic to Mourinho to Hughes to Moyes,” says Hubert O’Hearn. “That’s a hell of a four-man relay team (emphasis on the hell).”
4.34pm BST
4 min A fine early effort from Sissoko, who drills a low shot across goal and just wide of the far post.
4.33pm BST
3 min Mike Dean misses an early opportunity to give a penalty when Son’s flick hits the hand of Kirchhoff on the edge of the box. It was the right decision.
4.32pm BST
2 min “You know, you’re right that Spurs generally start with a whimper, but I’m not sure this season totally qualifies,” says Peter Raleigh. “Usually our dropped early points are pretty humiliating, but draws against Everton and Liverpool are reasonable enough results at the best of times, and look rather good at the moment. Now, dropping points at home to Sunderland...THAT would be Spurs-y.”
I thought I was talking about Sunderland, though in truth I’m not sure what I think anymore.
4.32pm BST
1 min Spurs kick off from right to left.
4.27pm BST
There’s a late change for Sunderland, with Patrick van Aanholt replaced by Jason Denayer. The odd thing is that van Aanholt didn’t seem to realise he wasn’t playing. Very peculiar.
3.50pm BST
The good news for Sunderland is that they won’t be bottom tonight, unless they lose 8-0.
Related: Crystal Palace v Stoke City: Premier League – live!
3.37pm BST
Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1) Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Dier, Vertonghen; Dembele, Wanyama; Sissoko, Alli, Son; Kane.
Substitutes: Vorm, Davies, Trippier, Eriksen, Lamela, Winks, Janssen.
Sunderland (4-1-4-1) Pickford,Denayer, Djilobodji, Kone, Manquillo; Kirchhoff; Januzaj, Ndong, Cattermole, Pienaar; Defoe.
3.31pm BST
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Spurs v Sunderland from White Hart Lane. You would expect a home win for Spurs against a team who have had their annual false start to the season, but this has already been a pretty strange Premier League campaign. Nobody knows anything - except the team news, which is just in.
Kick off is at 4.30pm.
3.10pm BST
Rob will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Louise Taylor on the situation David Moyes has found himself in:
David Moyes has heard the warnings. As Sunderland’s seventh manager in five turbulent years he knows all about the club’s reputation as a sort of Bermuda Triangle for his profession but the Scot remains determined to put things right on Wearside.
Doing so will involve solving an enduring puzzle. Predecessor after predecessor has made oblique references to “something being wrong” at the club. Gus Poyet was particularly vocal on the subject. After avoiding relegation last spring Sam Allardyce described Sunderland as his “most difficult” managerial posting, with off-field issues proving especially vexing.
Continue reading...Watford 3-1 Manchester United: Premier League – as it happened
Watford thoroughly deserved their first victory over Manchester United for 30 years, sealed by late goals from Juan Zuniga and Troy Deeney
1.57pm BST
Peep peep! Watford beat Manchester United for the first time in 30 years, and the Premier League Crisis Baton is passed from Slaven Bilic to Jose Mourinho. With the usual exception of Marcus Rashford, United were a shambles. A Watford were superb and thoroughly deserved their win. Thanks for your company; I’ll leave you with this from Hubert O’Hearn: “I hope Des Kelly’s wearing pads and a facemask. Crisis Baton time!”
1.56pm BST
Troy Deeney smashes the penalty straight down the middle, and Watford’s glory is complete!
1.54pm BST
Fellaini fouls Zuniga, and Mike Oliver points to the spot. Zuniga tricked him beautifully and was clipped. He might have made the most of the tackle but it was a clear foul.
1.52pm BST
90+2 min Rooney is booked for dissent.
1.51pm BST
90+1 min There will be four added minutes. Watford look very comfortable, with a frustrated United giving away free-kicks all over the pitch.
1.51pm BST
90 min “Not much mention of Pogba so I guess he’s had a poor game, again,” says Charles ANtaki. “89 million pounds. Is this part of a deeply considered revenge plan, to ruin the club that once sent him packing?”
Apart from one brilliant effort he has been diabolical, worse than Rooney arguably.
1.50pm BST
89 min Watford make their final change, with Oghalo replaced by Isaac Success.
1.49pm BST
88 min The last time Watford beat Manchester United was on 16 September 1986, a couple of months before Sir Alex Ferguson became manager. They deserve to win here.
1.48pm BST
87 min Fellaini is booked for a foul on Zuniga.
1.47pm BST
86 min Troy Deeney is booked for a foul on Mata.
1.46pm BST
85 min Manchester United’s final substitution: Shaw off, Memphis on.
1.45pm BST
What a beautiful goal that was! Amrabat on the right wing stabbed a good angled pass into the box for Pereyra, who made a fine off-the-ball run and then picked out a superb first-time cut-back for Zuniga. He ran onto the ball and struck a first-time curling shot across De Gea and into the far corner. I think it was his second touch in fact, but frankly, who cares? He hadn’t even been on the pitch for a minute!
1.44pm BST
Zuniga scores with his first touch!
1.43pm BST
81 min A Watford substitution: Juan Zuniga replaces the goalscorer Capoue, who has had another good game.
1.42pm BST
80 min Fellaini has been United’s best midfielder today.
1.41pm BST
79 min Gomes makes a great save from Ibrahimovic! Fellaini, to the left of centre, chipped an angled ball into the box, where Ibrahimovic towered above Britos and powered an immense header back across goal. Gomes showed superb reactions, diving to his right to palm it away. As Robbie Savage says on BT Sport, that was almost a mirror of Deeney’s header in the first half.
1.39pm BST
78 min Here’s Phil Podolsky. ““Can’t think of a better parallel to the Rooney situation than Mourinho binning Raul, a once great player who by 2010 was dead weight dragging the team down, as one of his first acts as Real Madrid manager.” Maybe what happened afterwards at Real has made him more politically minded, I don’t know.
1.38pm BST
77 min Britos is booked for pulling back Rashford, who has again been United’s classiest and most determined attacker. Holebas is booked for something or other before the free-kick is taken.
1.37pm BST
76 min Ibrahimovic takes the free-kick, and smashes it straight into the wall.
1.36pm BST
75 min Cathcart fouls Shaw just outside the left corner of the box. Rooney might go for goal here.
1.35pm BST
74 min Pogba responds to some shirt-pulling by shoving Behrami away and squaring up to Deeney. He’s booked.
1.34pm BST
73 min Holebas’s dangerous inswinger is flicked on at the near post and booted up in the air by Bailly in the six-yard box. That leads to a bit of a scramble before United eventually clear.
1.33pm BST
72 min Watford haven’t been quite as dangerous on the counter in the second half; nor have they won as many set pieces. But they get one on the right wing after an idiotic foul by Pogba on Pereyra.
1.32pm BST
70 min I have no idea what formation United are playing now. It’s a freestyle 4-3-3.
1.29pm BST
68 min Watford are under pressure for the first time in the match, though Bailly temporarily relieves that pressure with a preposterously ambitious left-footed volley from 30 yards.
1.28pm BST
67 min “I do have to agree with Glenn Hoddle’s point from the first half,” says Matt Loten. “Mourinho always had a brilliantly balanced team in his two stints at Chelsea, which isn’t the case here. Think back to those first title-winning sides: the physicality of Terry alongside the technical and game-reading abilities of Carvalho; the destructive capabilities of Makelele matched with the goals and passing of Lampard and box-to-box energy of Essien; the focal point that was Drogba with the pace and creativity of Cole, Duff or Robben outside him. They had absolutely everything across the pitch, and the physical presence and self-confidence to back it up.”
That was a scary team. He did inherit (and also buy) better players but you’re right, the balance was perfect. It’ll probably take him a year or two to get the XI he wants at United.
1.27pm BST
66 min Ibrahimovic, who has been excellent since half-time after an anonymous first half, robs Amrabat and then draws a foul on the left-wing. Rooney’s excellent ball in is headed away well by Cathcart.
1.24pm BST
Marcus Rashford equalises for United. He started a move by playing a smart one-two with Ibrahimovic, who dinked a cross into the box from the left. The stretching Rashford missed his attempted header but it bounced back to him off the unsighted Behrami, and he hammered the ball under Gomes from a few yards.
1.23pm BST
61 min Ibrahimovic finds Rooney in space on the right wing. He slices his cross out for a goalkick. Before play resumes, Juan Mata replaces Antonio Valencia. I assume Young will go to right-back.
1.21pm BST
60 min “I wonder,” says Hubert O’Hearn, “what Schweinsteiger is thinking right about now?” Is it possible to think and laugh at the same time?
1.19pm BST
58 min The dawdling Rooney is robbed by Amrabat. He tries to win the ball back with a determined shoulder charge, and falls over. For lovers of comedy, the last five minutes have been gold.
1.18pm BST
56 min Bailly overhits a pass to Valencia, who falls over the linesman as he tries to keep in play. He fails.
1.16pm BST
55 min I’ll be surprised if we don’t see Michael Carrick soon, because United’s midfield passing has been hopeless.
1.15pm BST
54 min The substitute Amrabat wins a corner for Watford. Rooney clears with a captain’s header at the near post.
1.13pm BST
53 min “You say that it looks like United have gone back to a 4-2-3-1,” says Ian Copestake, “but I think they have actually gone back to 1973/74.”
1.12pm BST
52 min The injured Daryl Janmaat is replaced by Nordin Amrabat for Watford.
1.11pm BST
51 min “I have begun to suspect that football in the Premier League has evolved beyond Mourinho’s comprehension,” says Aniket Chowdhury. “He still believes that physicality can give you an edge over skill. I think he is going to buy Drogba in the January window.”
Arf. I think the biggest problem so far is that he isn’t being Mourinho. He seems too conscious of what a Manchester United manager should be seen to do.
1.10pm BST
50 min Young’s fierce volley from the edge of the box is superbly blocked by Behrami.
1.09pm BST
49 min “Please can you avoid mentioning how much you think Rooney has faded for 5 minutes?” says John Boon. “How about some analysis of what’s actually happening instead of the same old mixtape.” You can’t have one without the other, my dear boy.
1.08pm BST
48 min Ibrahimomvic picks up Capoue’s loose header but throttles a shot well wide from 25 yards.
1.07pm BST
47 min It looks like United have gone back to a 4-2-3-1, with Rooney in the No10 position.
1.06pm BST
46 min Peep peep! Watford kick off from left to right. Manchester United have 45 minutes to save their season.
1.03pm BST
Might as well plug this again: here’s a piece I wrote in the summer about the slow fade of Wayne Rooney’s career.
12.59pm BST
“For Carrick to play,” says Ian Copestake, “he should have been sold three years ago then bought this season for £40m.”
12.51pm BST
Half-time reading
Related: Ronaldo at 40: Il Fenomeno’s legacy as greatest ever No9, despite dodgy knees | Rob Smyth
12.51pm BST
Watford deservedly lead against a ponderous Manchester United, who look like a collection of players rather than a team. And many of those players don’t look much cop either. See you in 10 minutes to see whether Manchester United will receive the Premier League Crisis Baton from West Ham!
12.50pm BST
45+4 min Rashford picks up a loose ball on the left edge of the box but curls his first-time shot high over the bar.
12.46pm BST
45+1 min There will be four added minutes.
12.46pm BST
45 min Pogba, who apart from hitting the bar has done the square root of eff all, fouls the excellent Capoue 25 yards from goal. Holebas’s bouncing free-kick is comfortably held by the diving De Gea.
12.45pm BST
44 min Ibrahimovic almost gets in after a poor backpass. But he doesn’t, which kills this entry at source.
12.44pm BST
43 min “That was a clear foul on Martial,” says Benjamin. “The Watford player went straight through the man to get the ball. It was pretty obvious on both the first and second look to me.”
But not to two of England’s most experienced referees, one armed with multiple replays.
12.43pm BST
42 min Prodl redeems his own error with a great recovery tackle to block Ibrahimovic’s shot. United still haven’t had a shot on target. I think they might need to switch to 4-4-2 here.
12.42pm BST
41 min Howard Webb, the refereeing expert on BT, says replays are “inconclusive” about the tackle on Martial but that you probably have to give the referee the benefit of the doubt.
12.41pm BST
40 min Shaw makes space smartly on the left of the box and then stabs a shot from a tight angle that is deflected wide of the near post.
12.39pm BST
39 min Ashley Young replaces the injured Martial. It looks the problem stems from the clash of heads with Janmaat rather than the Britos challenge.
12.38pm BST
38 min “I am very surprised Carrick hasn’t got more of a look in this season,” says Liam Moseley. “His calmness on the ball and ability to keep possession ticking over would help this team setlle.”
Yep, I completely agree. He’s probably too old to be a regular but I would have him playing once a week.
12.37pm BST
36 min It was a very strong tackle on Martial, who needed treatment after the goal. The first impression was that it was a fair challenge though.
12.36pm BST
Pass the Crisis Baton: Watford lead Manchester United! The dithering Martial was robbed in a dangerous area on the left by Britos, a strong but fair tackle. Janmaat picked up the loose ball, moved into the box and cut it back precisely to Capoue, who sidefooted it through to De Gea and in. De Gea tried to save it with his left foot and could only deflect it into the roof of the net.
12.34pm BST
34 min Do feel the Rooney criticism at this point is over the top” says Sam Evans. “Every mistake scrutinised to the nth degree. Not his biggest fan by a long chalk, but Martial and Pogba have both been less effective in this game.” That’s true, but with them it’s a form issue; with Rooney it’s a permanent issue. It’s fair to say that an objective judgement of Rooney has become impossible, though.
12.33pm BST
33 min Smalling, unmarked at the near post, makes a mess of a decent headed chance.
12.33pm BST
31 min Pogba hits the bar with a wonderful effort! It came out of nothing. He received the ball from Fellaini, 25 yards out, with Pereyra close to him. He moved the ball slightly to the right to create the space before bending a glorious dipping effort over Gomes and onto the face of the bar.
12.31pm BST
30 min Rashford has been much more involved since moving to the right and looks the main/only threat at the moment. Watford are very comfortable defensively, though.
12.30pm BST
29 min “Maybe United would win more often and more consistently without Rooney if anyone ever got a run in his position for more than a game or two at a time,” says David Flynn. “When United win with Rooney it’s not entirely convincing and that’s what the stats don’t show. No other creative player has gotten the chances to prove themselves that have been afforded Rooney, whose returns are steady diminishing proportionally to how pigheaded his managers are about starting him.”
One issue is that, even if you bin Rooney, you can’t play both Pogba and Mkhitaryan in their best positions. But if Mourinho doesn’t get rid of him soon, it’s certainly not beyond the realms that his dream job could spiral out of his control. It’s less pressing for Sam Allardyce because England will qualify easily.
12.27pm BST
27 min There’s a break in play after a clash of heads between Martial and Janmaat. I think they’re fine. Martial looks woefully out of form at the moment.
12.27pm BST
26 min A dangerous cross from Rashford on the right bounces all the way across the box, just evading Ibrahimovic and Martial.
12.26pm BST
25 min Even with the inclusion of Martial and Rashford, United’s attacking play has been very slow today. That’s their biggest collective issue at the moment.
12.23pm BST
21 min United’s first chance. Rashford’s low cross from the right is deflected to Ibrahimovic beyond the far post, who rattles his shot into the side netting from six yards. It was a tight angle but a big chance nonetheless.
12.22pm BST
21 min Rashford and Martial, who have hardly touched the ball, have switched sides.
12.20pm BST
19 min United look like a collection of players rather than a team, which is what they are at this stage of their development. The elephant in the team doesn’t help.
12.19pm BST
17 min De Gea makes an excellent save from Deeney’s close-range header. It came from a flat, deep cross from the right by Janmaat, and Deeney got in front of Valencia to thump a header towards the far post. De Gea reacted superbly and flew to his left to palm it away.
12.16pm BST
16 min This is a good spell for Watford, whose directness and physicality are giving United a few problems.
12.15pm BST
13 min An unbelievable miss from Ighalo! De Gea and Smalling both went for a high punt forward, with De Gea dropping it as he fell over the top of Smalling on the edge of the box. It came to Ighalo, who had a huge amount of the goal to aim at - and he pinged it wide. That was one of the worst pieces of play in Premier League history.
12.12pm BST
10 min A long throw is launched towards Deeney in the box. Fellaini clearly, and stupidly, takes a big handful of his shirt. Michael Oliver mustn’t have seen it, as it was a clear penalty. Moments later, Prodl’s header across goal just evades the stretching Deeney and goes fractionally wide of the far post.
12.10pm BST
9 min “Can a case be constructed for Wayne Rooney?” says Kari Tulinius. “Yes, he seems to play like a man who has found himself suddenly awake in the middle of a football match after sleepwalking onto a pitch, but for some reason Manchester United win more games when he plays than when he doesn’t. Personally I’m baffled why he plays so much, but logic dictates that he can’t have compromising pictures of Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, Roy Hodgson, and Sam Allardyce. Someone has to be able to make a good case for his inclusion.”
His finishing is as good as it has ever been, but he is not fast or strong enough to play as a No9. If you want to play him he needs space and time on the ball, whether that’s as a quarterback or maybe in a half-winger sort of role. But he’s not a No10 or a No9 anymore, and there are probably better options in the other positions.
12.08pm BST
7 min Rooney plays a crisp pass wide to Valencia. He runs at Holebas and drives a cross that is well blocked by the sliding Holebas. The ball ricochets off Valencia and out for a goalkick.
12.08pm BST
7 min “I had the Toploader album,” says my colleague Dan Lucas, dumping me in a very subtle way.
12.06pm BST
5 min Nothing much happening so far. United have had a bit more of the ball. Rashford is playing on the left and Martial on the right, since you asked.
12.03pm BST
3 min “I love the idea of the Crisis Baton,” says Hubert O’Hearn. “It could be like the Tour de France yellow jersey. I see it as a sort of sceptre with a jester’s head on it; well, a reproduction of one, please no beheadings. The Crisis Club manager should have to carry it about to media conferences. It will serve as a fantastic player motivator, especially if it can be plugged in and used as a cattle prod. We need to make the Crisis Baton happen!”
Imagine the look on Mourinho’s coupon as Des Kelly presents it to him during the post-match interview.
12.02pm BST
2 min It looks like Wayne Rooney is playing in the centre of midfield in a 4-1-4-1 formation. That will give Paul Pogba a bit more freedom, though you have to wonder about the inherent contradiction of your captain also being your utility player. Everybody knows, consciously or unconsciously, that he is past it, but the omerta must go on.
12.01pm BST
1 min Peep! Peep! Peep peep! United, in red, kick off from left to right. Watford are in yellow.
11.57am BST
The players are in the tunnel. Wayne Rooney has his business face on; Troy Deeney has a mascot in his arms.
11.28am BST
Some pre-match reading
Related: Wayne Rooney’s years at top take their toll on Manchester United captain | Daniel Taylor
Related: Roberto Pereyra: Watford and Juventus are different, but I’m happy to be here
11.27am BST
Watford (3-5-2) Gomes; Cathcart, Prödl, Britos; Janmaat, Pereyra, Behrami, Capoue, Holebas; Deeney, Ighalo.
Substitutes: Pantilimon, Zuniga, Kenedy, Watson, Amrabat, Guedioura, Success.
Manchester United (4-2-3-1) De Gea; Valencia, Bailly, Smalling, Shaw; Fellaini, Pogba; Rashford, Rooney, Martial; Ibrahimovic.
Substitutes: Romero, Blind, Carrick, Herrera, Mata, Young, Memphis.
11.24am BST
There is a moment in every new relationship when each party realises that the other, though potentially still The One, is not perfect: that they are cranky in the morning, perhaps, or that they are sympathetic to the worldview of Dona- hang on, is that a Toploader CD?
Jose Mourinho and Manchester United spotted the Toploader CD this week. The inadequacies of the squad he inherited were pretty apparent during the defeats to Manchester City and Feyenoord, and Mourinho’s selection for and reaction to the City game showed were not to all tastes.
10.56am BST
Rob will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Graham Searles’s preview:
After a strong start to their season Manchester United find themselves on a two-game losing streak. Watford’s impressive four-goal comeback against West Hamlast Saturday means United need to be wary. That said, José Mourinho is a chip-on-his-shoulder specialist and will no doubt be drilling into his side that victory must be the only outcome to keep up with their noisy neighbours. Graham Searles
Kick-off Sunday noon
Continue reading...September 17, 2016
Everton 3-1 Middlesbrough: Premier League – as it happened
Everton respond impressively to Maarten Stekelenburg’s own goal to beat Middlesbrough, with Gareth Barry scoring on his 600th Premier League appearance
7.20pm BST
Everton go back to second in the table, having taken 13 points from their first five games. It’s their best start since 1978-79. They respond impressively to Maarten Stekelenburg’s own goal and were comfortable winners, with Gareth Barry scoring on his 600th Premier League appearance. Thanks for your company; night.
7.19pm BST
90+1 min A nice touch from Ronald Koeman, who substitutes Gareth Barry so that he can get an ovation from the crowd. Tom Cleverley replaces him.
7.18pm BST
90 min There will be two minutes of added formality.
7.16pm BST
88 min Everton play a bit of keep-ball to amuse themselves. They look a good side, and so much more solid than last season.
7.13pm BST
86 min “I want 3000 words by Monday on Everton and Liverpool being top dogs in the league once more, just like back in the day before wireless meant anything other than a radio,” writes my owner Ian Copestake.
7.11pm BST
84 min Middlesbrough make their final substitution, with Adam Clayton replacing Forshaw.
7.10pm BST
82 min Fischer’s fierce shot from 20 yards is blocked by the stretching Coleman. I think it would have otherwise inconvenienced Stekelenburg.
7.07pm BST
80 min De Roon’s high cross is punched away under pressure by Stekelenburg, and Downing’s follow-up shot hits a defender.
7.06pm BST
79 min Idrissa Gueye has had another excellent game for Everton.
7.05pm BST
77 min Bolasie mavericks past Barragan but then runs into a second defender.
7.03pm BST
76 min Boro don’t look like getting a corner, never mind scoring. I think they’ll stay up, but if they do it won’t be because of their attack.
7.02pm BST
74 min “Agree 100% with the mooted Incorrigible Mavericks rule,” says David Hopkins. “All the better if their skills have little practical application. I’m thinking of Ted McMinn dribbling past some hapless fullback, stopping, then doing it once more for a laugh.”
6.59pm BST
72 min Gerard Deulofeu replaces Kevin Mirallas for Everton.
6.59pm BST
70 min Both sides have accepted the result, and the match is drifting along increasingly aimlessly.
6.57pm BST
69 min Another Boro substitution: Viktor Fischer, the former boy wonder, replaces Gaston Ramirez.
6.53pm BST
66 min Enner Valencia comes on for his Everton debut, replacing the injured Lukaku. It looks like a precautionary substitution rather than anything more serious, although Lukaku has gone straight down the tunnel.
6.51pm BST
63 min Barkley almost frees Lukaku in the box; eventually the ball pinballs through the keeper Valdes. When Barkley plays like this, with such penetrative simplicity, you can see why so many managers get excited about him.
6.50pm BST
62 min “I’m not actually watching the game, but glad to see Bolasie involved,” says Matt Dony. “He is possibly the most entertaining player in world football. I mean, he’s obviously not in that ‘top, top player’ bracket, but the sheer unpredictability is worth the entrance fee. In that respect, he reminds me of Luis Garcia in his 2006/7 pomp. The best player in history for 10 minutes of any given match, an absolute liability for the other 80.”
Quite. There should be a quota system whereby every team has to include one incorrigible maverick in their XI. If we can clone Adel Taarabt, so much the better.
6.46pm BST
59 min Middlesbrough bring on David Nugent for Emilio Nsue.
6.44pm BST
56 min Everton are in total control of the game now, and Barkley draws a good save from Valdes with a stinging low drive. Barkley has been excellent today, possibly the best player on the pitch.
6.41pm BST
54 min Mirallas’s golden five minutes continues with a dreadful piece of control in the box after fine play from Barkley.
6.40pm BST
51 min Baines makes a virtue of a dismal pass from Mirallas, winning a corner as a result. It’s headed away by Friend.
6.38pm BST
50 min Middlesbrough, tactically speaking, weren’t really built with 3-1 deficits in mind. They are a neat, tidy side but they don’t create that many chances. This should be a comfortable second half for Everton.
6.37pm BST
49 min It looks like the third goal has been given to Lukaku. I’m not sure he touched it, mind.
6.33pm BST
46 min Peep peep! Everton begin the second half, and as things stand this will be their best start to a season since 1978-79.
6.20pm BST
Half-time reading aka ‘I think it was me who said...’
Related: Ronaldo at 40: Il Fenomeno’s legacy as greatest ever No9, despite dodgy knees | Rob Smyth
6.18pm BST
After a slow start, that was an enjoyable half of football. The worst thing Middlesbrough did was take the lead, because it woke Everton and the crowd up. See you soon for the second half.
6.17pm BST
45+2 min Gareth Barry is booked for a foul on Ramirez.
6.16pm BST
Bolasie’s inswinging cross from the right drifts past everyone and into the net. Lukaku claimed it but I don’t think he got a touch. Valdes appealed that Lukaku was offside but replays showed he was fine.
6.12pm BST
Seamus Coleman gives Everton the lead with a fine solo goal. He received Gueye’s pass just outside the area on the right, burst past a couple of defenders and finished calmly into the bottom corner with his left foot.
6.10pm BST
40 min Barrajan loafs forward promisingly, only to get giddy and hoof one miles over the bar from 25 yards.
6.07pm BST
36 min Barkley beats Ayala with a beautiful flicked nutmeg, a bit like Robbie Fowler on Steve Staunton when he scored that famous goal against Aston Villa in 1996, and then runs into the box before hitting a shot that is well blocked by a combination of Gibson and the recovering Ayala. When the ball went dead Ayala was booked for attempting to pull Barkley back after he had been turned.
6.04pm BST
34 min “You’re right about the Middlesbrough goal looking like Andy Gray’s goal at Wembley in 1984,” says Gary Naylor. “If we’re playing the same rules as 32 years ago, I look forward to plenty of tackles from behind, a few professional fouls and a shinpad-splitting challenge or two. No cards though. And a title for us next year.”
6.01pm BST
32 min A fine effort from Bolaise, who thumps a 15-yard header onto the roof of the net from Baines’s hanging cross.
5.58pm BST
28 min Barkley ruins an excellent run by blazing over the bar when Lukaku was in a better position.
5.56pm BST
26 min “Pretty sure Andy Gray never played in a World Cup final,” says Richie Segal, making a very fair point. What the hell was I thinking there?
5.55pm BST
25 min Middlesbrough might also be aggrieved with the goal against them, because Williams challenged Valdes with his studs showing. Howard Webb says it was a probably a free-kick, and he’ll be thrilled to know I agree with him.
5.54pm BST
Gareth Barry equalises for Everton. On today of all days. A corner from the left rebounded across the box, and Barry half-volleyed it calmly into the top of the net. That’s an excellent finish actually, and a rare goal to mark his 600th Premier League appearance.
5.53pm BST
23 min The BT commentators - Steve McManaman, Glenn Hoddle and Howard Webb - all think it was a fair goal. I’m not so sure. Stekelenburg was a bit weak but I’m not sure Negredo didn’t foul him.
5.52pm BST
Everton are not happy with this, and there are echoes of Andy Gray’s goal in the 1984 World Cup final. Downing hung up a deep cross towards the far post, where Stekelenburg was in the process of catching it when Negredo powered through and headed the ball into the net. Actually, I think it’s an own goal because Negredo seemed to knock Stekelenburg’s arm, which knocked the ball out of his hands and into the net.
5.50pm BST
20 min Mirallas comes inside from the left and drills a low shot that is comfortably held by Valdes. Everton have stirred after a sluggish start.
5.49pm BST
19 min A good effort from Barkley, who moves away from Forshaw and hits a wobbling left-footed shot from 25 yards that is beaten away by Valdes.
5.48pm BST
17 min It would be silly to jump to conclusions after four and a bit games, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do: Boro won’t go down this season. They look a really good, organised side.
5.45pm BST
15 min Barry, on his 600th Premier League appearance, is robbed in a dangerous area but Ramirez. He moves straight for goal but Coleman makes a good tackle on the edge of the area.
5.43pm BST
13 min Everton win their first corner, to be taken by Mirallas on the right. Jagielka mistimes his jump at the near post and shoulders it over the bar.
5.42pm BST
12 min Here’s Hubert O’Hearn. “Koeman’s knack of almost instantly shaping a club into an attractive and downright scary side, no matter what players he loses, reminds me of a wonderful line about Jack Nicklaus and his clubs (golf variety): ‘He can play with his and beat you, or he can take yours and still beat you.’”
5.40pm BST
10 min There’s not a huge amount happening right now.
5.36pm BST
6 min The overlapping Friend is fouled by Coleman on the left wing. Actually, it looks quite a soft free-kick on second glance. Ramirez curls the free-kick towards the near post, where Downing flicks a header across the face of goal and wide. Ayala almost got to it at the far post.
5.35pm BST
5 min It’s been a confident start from Boro in what sounds like a very muted atmosphere, though that might just be that somebody has pressed the wrong button in the BT bunker.
5.30pm BST
1 min Peep peep! Middlesbrough, in red, kick off from left to right. Everton are in blue.
4.51pm BST
“Reid’s cross - GRAY!”
If you’re an Everton fan, with a fondness for the years 1984 and 1985, this book is definitely for you. It’s published by deCoubertin, who have a cracking collection of Everton books in particular.
4.34pm BST
Everton (4-2-3-1) Stekelenburg; Coleman, Williams, Jagielka, Baines; Gueye, Barry; Mirallas, Barkley, Bolasie; Lukaku.
Substitutes: Joel, Deulofeu, Lennon, Cleverley, Valencia, Funes Mori, Holgate.
Middlesbrough (4-2-3-1) Valdes; Barragan, Ayala, Gibson, Friend; De Roon, Forshaw; Nsue, Ramirez, Downing; Negredo.
Substitutes: Guzan, Espinosa, Clayton, Fischer, Chambers, Nugent, Traore.
4.19pm BST
Kevin de Bruyne is Pep’s Michael Laudrup, discuss
Related: Hull City v Arsenal, Manchester City v Bournemouth and more: football clockwatch – live!
4.13pm BST
Hello. Sometimes, a player’s weakness becomes his strength as a manager: think of George Graham and Glenn Hoddle, swaggering midfielders and magnificent defensive coaches, or hard-faced centre-back Tony Mowbray preaching tiki-taka in the Midlands.
Ronald Koeman and Aitor Karanka, whose Everton and Middlesbrough sides meet at Goodison Park today, took their playing strengths with them when they went into management: both were defenders (well, nominally in Koeman’s case) and both know exactly what to do with a bank of four.
12.24pm BST
Rob will be here shortly. In the meantime, why not have a read of Andy Hunter on how Ronald Koeman feels the noise more than Martínez and Moyes after his strong start at Everton?
Related: Ronald Koeman’s revolution restores discipline and high standards to Everton
Continue reading...Leganés 1-5 Barcelona: La Liga – as it happened
The genius of Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi was too much for a game Leganés side in an enjoyable match at Estadio Municipal de Butarque
2.09pm BST
Related: Barcelona trounce Leganés 5-1 as Messi, Suárez and Neymar find the net
1.47pm BST
Peep peep! That was an enjoyable match, full of fantastic goals and with an endearingly spiteful edge. Barcelona were too good, and have responded to the Alaves defeat by scoring 12 goals in two games. Next up is Atletico Madrid in the week. Thanks for your company; bye!
1.46pm BST
90+1 min Barcelona have a free-kick 25 yards out, a chance for Messi to complete his hat-trick. Messi clips it over the ball and just wide with Serantes well beaten.
1.42pm BST
87 min Omar Ramos is booked for a late, nasty tackle on Neymar, who was showboating in a manner that offended Leganes.
1.39pm BST
84 min There has been a spiteful edge to this second half, and now Paco Alcacer is a little fortunate not to be booked for a bad tackle on Rico.
1.36pm BST
Ha ha ha, Leganes have done it! It’s a great free-kick from Gabriel, curled over the wall and into the right corner at considerable pace. Wonderful stuff. Just before the free-kick, Neymar was booked for a run-in with Gabriel. As Rob Palmer says on Sky, there may never have been a greater celebration for a goal that reduced the deficit to 5-1. It’s Leganes’ first La Liga goal at home, and their first against Barcelona.
1.34pm BST
79 min Gabriel is fouled 20 yards from goal, which gives Leganes another chance to get the thing they want the most: a goal against Barcelona. It looks like Gabriel will take it...
1.31pm BST
77 min Bustinza makes a brilliant last-ditch tackle to deny Paco Alcacer an open goal.
1.30pm BST
74 min Neymar almost makes it six with a fine solo effort, but eventually he is bumped off the ball in the box. There were no appeals for a penalty, though it was a pretty zesty challenge.
1.29pm BST
73 min “I mean, Suarez did well enough today, and all these beautiful, delicate little passing moves are easy on the eye,” says Matt Dony. “But I bet he misses working with Andy Carroll.” And Jay Spearing’s pinpoint passes.
1.27pm BST
72 min Szymanowski lumbers forward promisingly, to within 20 yards of goal, and then he batters a rising drive into orbit.
1.26pm BST
71 min There’s still a very good atmosphere at the ground. This game doesn’t really change anything for Leganes; it is, in the parlance of our time, a freebie.
1.25pm BST
69 min Ruben Perez, who despite his best efforts has not been booked yet, flattens Rafinha near the halfway line. It won’t be long before his hard work gets its reward.
1.21pm BST
65 min Barcelona’s final substitution, with Iniesta replaced by Denis Suarez. I missed a couple of Leganes substitutions at 4-0: Machis and Unai Lopez off, Szymanowski and Omar Ramos on.
1.20pm BST
It’s getting messy for Leganes. Rafinha comes inside from the right and curls a majestic shot into the far top corner from 20 yards as if it was the most obvious and easy thing in the world.
1.18pm BST
62 min Paco Alcacer has a goal rightly disallowed for offside. He was following up after Messi’s low shot was superbly tipped onto the posts by Serantes.
1.18pm BST
61 min All Leganes want now is a goal, and they almost get it when Gabriel beats three players on the left before hitting a rising drive from a tight angle that is beaten away by Ter Stegen.
1.15pm BST
60 min “I haven’t been following football for the last six months,” says Phil Podolsky, “so your Aaron Ramsey gag gave me a genuine startle as I vaguely remember there was some talk of his transfer to Barcelona (and they did sign Alex Song).”
Next you’ll be saying Real Madrid were linked with Thomas Gravesen.
1.14pm BST
59 min That was almost Messi’s hat-trick. He slightly miscontrolled an awkward pass from Mascherano, which took him wider than he would have liked, but he went for goal anyway and drilled a low shot that squirmed through Serantes and across the six-yard box before it was booted clear.
1.12pm BST
57 min Another Barcelona substitution: Arda Turan replaces Ivan Rakitic.
1.12pm BST
56 min Luis Suarez, his genius well and truly asserted, is replaced by Paco Alcacer. Barcelona play Atletico on Wednesday, so Messi might come off as well once he completes his hat-trick.
1.10pm BST
Messi drives the penalty high to his right. Serantes went the right way but couldn’t reach it.
1.10pm BST
54 min Suarez, on the left near the halfway line, rakes a glorious curving pass with the outside of his right foot to put Neymar clear on goal. Bustinza pulls him back and has the nerve to complain despite it being a clear penalty.
1.07pm BST
50 min Ruben Perez is penalised, though not booked, for a poor tackle on Suarez. Leganes’s vigorous approach has irritated some of the Barcelona players, though it has hardly been Goodison Park in 1964.
1.06pm BST
49 min Leganes have had twice as many shots as Barcelona: 10-5. Trouble is that most of theirs have been from distance, and most of Barcelona’s have been from six yards and into an open net.
1.03pm BST
48 min A half-chance for Leganes. Kone bursts forward, moves inside Pique and then hammers a shot too close to Ter Stegen from the edge of the box.
1.01pm BST
Messi first player ever to score in 34 Primera Division stadiums. Raul had previous best on 33 [via @pedritonumeros ] #atleastonerecordaweek
<Banter> None at the Britannia Stadium, though. </banter>
1.00pm BST
46 min Leganes begin the second half. They have made a half-time substitution, with Medjani being replaced by Ruben Perez.
12.58pm BST
In other news, who wants to see an 8ft 1ins sitting volleyball player?
Related: Paralympic Games 2016: day nine – in pictures
12.47pm BST
Half-time reading (optional)
Related: Ronaldo at 40: Il Fenomeno’s legacy as greatest ever No9, despite dodgy knees | Rob Smyth
12.46pm BST
Leganes did plenty of good things in that half but they couldn’t cope with the genius of Suarez and Messi. See you in 10 minutes for more of the same.
12.44pm BST
Neymar completes MSN bingo by scoring the third goal. Messi, after a brilliant piece of improvised ball-juggling, put Suarez clear on goal. He fronted up Serantes and then tapped it to the left for Neymar to walk it in.
12.38pm BST
38 min Victor Diaz is booked for pulling back Iniesta.
12.36pm BST
36 min For 35 minutes of this match, Leganes have been the equal of Barcelona. That’s the problem when you come up against genius, I suppose.
12.34pm BST
34 min Umtiti clears off the line from Machis! He skinned Mascherano on the left and hared straight towards goal. His first shot was blocked at the near post by Ter Stegen, and the follow-up hit Umtiti on the line. Machis, the Venezuelan on loan from Granada, has been superb so far.
12.32pm BST
This is another majestic goal. Messi picks up an errant pass 30 yards from goal and goes on a brilliant centre-to-left slalom. He ignores two or three attempts to foul him and then, after working a shooting position, plays a beautiful disguised pass across goal for Suarez to tap in.
12.31pm BST
30 min Sastre has a little kick at Neymar, prompting the Barcelona players to surround the referee, affronted coupons on the lot of them.
12.27pm BST
28 min Medjani is booked for a bit of the old ultraviolence on Mascherano.
12.27pm BST
27 min A nice move from Leganes. Victor Diaz crosses from the right and Gabriel gets in front of Pique at the near post to plant a stooping header towards goal. It was too close to Ter Stegen, who saved comfortably.
12.24pm BST
24 min Rakitic is booked for a cynical foul on the lively Machis.
12.23pm BST
22 min After a superb start, this is looking extremely ominous for Leganes. Suarez goes on another wonderful run, down the left this time. Eventually he is tackled by Insua, who unwittingly KevinBalls it towards his own goal, and Serantes leaps to make an excellent save.
12.21pm BST
21 min “Will Suárez dye his hair too do you think?” asks Ruth Purdue. I hope not; it’s hard enough telling Messi, Neymar and Ramsey apart.
12.20pm BST
20 min Neymar should have made it 2-0. Rafinha on the right cut the ball back to Suarez, who played a gorgeous first-time cross to Neymar at the far post. He went for an acrobatic volley, mishitting it into the ground and over the bar.
12.18pm BST
17 min Pique fouls Kone just outside the penalty area. Unai Lopez’s free-kick hits the top of the wall and deflects behind for a corner.
12.16pm BST
16 min That was so simple from Barcelona: pass, run, cross, goal. Serantes should have been closer to the near post but I’m not sure it would have mattered.
12.16pm BST
This is a great goal. Messi plays a superb first-time pass down the right to Suarez, who vrooms away from Rico and delivers a precise low cross towards the near post. Messi, backing up the play, opens his body to sidefoot under Serantes.
12.14pm BST
14 min A dangerous break from Barcelona leads to their first chance. Neymar is put through on the left by Suarez and cuts it back to Messi, whose first-time shot is crucially blocked by Rico.
12.13pm BST
13 min You wouldn’t think Leganes will be able to press like this for the whole game but at the moment it is working. There’s a bit of arrogance about their play as well. Gabriel rolls his foot over the ball and then clips a flat cross towards Medjani, who loops a header a few yards over the bar.
12.10pm BST
10 min Barcelona have their first attack. Alba finds Aaron Ramsey, who tries to zig-zag between two defenders in the box and falls over. It wasn’t a dive; nor was it a penalty.
12.08pm BST
8 min Rakitic is robbed by Medjani, who moves it forward quickly to Machis. He runs across the line of the area before hitting a low shot that is well blocked by the stretching Pique. Barcelona look half asleep.
12.06pm BST
6 min The game has started to settle down a little, though Barcelona are still struggling to effect the tiki, never mind the taka.
12.05pm BST
5 min “Hi Rob, another exhibition from FCB today, fearing for the hosts,” says John McEnerney. “Those 3 up front are pretty special look like they’re playing for a laugh. This match could be a tad boring so I’m going to throw my fantasy strike force to challenge MSN into the ring. Der Bomber, Henrik ‘The King of Kings’ Larsson & Marco van Basten. All three had it all, power, style, grace, timing, killer instinct & selfless.”
I’d probably go Pele, Maradona, Leaburn.
12.04pm BST
4 min Barcelona look a little unsettled, probably by a combination of the early start and the fast start from Leganes. Almost all of the game has been played n Barcelona’s half so far, and most of in their third.
12.01pm BST
3 min A very fast start from Leganes, who have pinned Barcelona in their own third with some almost demented pressing. Tacticians, at ease: Barcelona are indeed playing a back three.
12.00pm BST
2 min “There’s an argument to be made that last week’s disastrous showing by Denis Suárez, Digne, Turan and Alcácer was simply due to them trying too hard to prove themselves the equal of the regulars they replaced,” says Charles Antaki. “Certainly they ran around a lot. But running around a lot isn’t exactly what Luis Suárez, Iniesta and Messi bring to the game.” I’m glad somebody finally raised this point: the work-rate of those lads leaves a lot to be desired!
12.00pm BST
1 min Peep peep! Barcelona kick off from left to right. They are in red-and-blue stripes; Leganes are in blue-and-white stripes.
11.58am BST
That Leganes formation below, 3-5-2, is probably a bit generous: Spanish TV have it as a 5-4-1, with Kone alone up front. It may swiftly become a 9-0-1.
11.52am BST
Hello? Anyone reading? Come on, together we can get through this ordeal of watching one of the all-time-great strikeforces for two hours.
11.14am BST
Leganes (3-5-2) Serantes; Bustinza, Insua, Medjani; Victor Diaz, Unai Lopez, Sastre, Gabriel, Rico; Kone, Machis.
Substitutes: Perez, Brignoli, Alberto, Szymanowski, Mantovani, Guerrero, Omar Ramos.
Barcelona (3-4-3) Ter Stegen; Pique, Mascherano, Umtiti, Rafinha, Rakitic, Iniesta, Jordi Alba; Messi, Suarez, Neymar.
Substitutes: Cillessen, Denis, Arda, Paco Alcacer, Sergi Roberto, Andre Gomes, Mathieu.
10.42am BST
You see what happens? You see what happens, Alaves, when you beat Barcelona in the Nou Camp? Somebody else pays for it, that’s what happens. Alaves’s shock victory at the Nou Camp last weekend made Barcelona refocus to such an extent that they belted Celtic 7-0 in the week, and I’m not sure I’d want to be a Leganes defender today.
The <patronising> little club </patronising> from the outskirts of Madrid have had a fine start to their first-ever season in La Liga, with a win at Celta Vigo and a 0-0 draw against Atletico Madrid in their previous home game. But this is different; this is almost certain death by MSN. But Leganes’s ultra-underdog status has a bit of an upside: if Leganes win, it would be the greatest result in their history - and they would go above Barcelona in the table.
9.47am BST
Rob will be along shortly. In the meantime, have a read of Richard Hall’s piece on how Gheorghe Hagi went from Real Madrid to Barcelona via Serie B. It’s good.
Related: How Gheorghe Hagi went from Real Madrid to Barcelona ... via Serie B
Continue reading...Ronaldo at 40: Il Fenomeno’s legacy as greatest ever No9, despite dodgy knees | Rob Smyth
A footballer’s career does not end when he retires. The reputation of a player can change after the event because of anything from evolution to nostalgia. Some players have their achievements diminished by the next generation; others age beautifully. For the Brazilian Ronaldo, who turns 40 on Sunday, this is particularly acute. A number of forwards, from Thierry Henry to Lionel Messi, have achieved greatness – and in some cases surpassed him – by paying homage to his style of play; another has changed how we respond to his name. The need to distinguish the two Ronaldos has led to some unflattering comments. In 2013, when considering the merits of both, Sir Alex Ferguson absent-mindedly spoke for many in both his judgment and description. “If I compare Cristiano with the fat one, the old one, Cristiano is better.”
Related: Golden Goals: Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips for Sunderland v Chelsea (1999) | Rob Smyth
Continue reading...September 16, 2016
Recalling Duncan Spencer, the cricketer who lived fast and bowled even faster
Duncan Spencer played football as a kid, before taking up cricket and becoming a batsman. Then he found his sporting superpower: he could bowl ‘quite quick’
By Rob Smyth for The Nightwatchman, of the Guardian Sport Network
You may not have heard of Duncan Spencer. If you have, you’ll probably recall one or all of the following things: he bowled at the speed of light to Sir Viv Richards on live TV, he had serious injury problems, and he was the first player in Australian cricket to be banned for taking performance-enhancing drugs.
All those are true, but a 140-character biography barely skims the surface of an extraordinary life story. Spencer might just be England’s great lost fast bowler. And Australia’s. Even in a golden age of quick bowling, his volcanic pace stood out. Richards said Spencer was the fastest bowler he’d faced. Ricky Ponting, who almost had a fight with Spencer in the middle of a Sheffield Shield match, said he and Shoaib Akhtar were the quickest he came up against. Dennis Lillee described Spencer as “frightening”.
Related: When cricketers played football (and broke long jump records after a cigar)
Related: Cricket, writing and the allure of failure
Related: Viv Richards: Antigua's beaches, rum and street food are its real treasures
Related: Batting at No12: an alternative bucket list for the casual cricketer
Continue reading...September 12, 2016
Paralympics 2016: Ellie Simmonds wins 200m IM gold with world record – as it happened
It was another successful night in the pool for ParalympicsGB as Ellie Simmonds and Sascha Kindred both set new world records on route to gold
1.00am BST
More tennis and later tonight: GB’s Andy Lapthorne takes on USA’s David Wagner in the men’s quad singles semis. That’s it from me, everyone. Have a great evening!
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Tennis: Team GB’s Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid are through the semifinals in men’s doubles. Nice going, Team Heid! Great post by Hewett.
Then team Heid made it through to the SF beating the Spanish 6-2 6-0! Support was mental tonight, good noise boys!! pic.twitter.com/NAwRlm0Hj7
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Sailing. Team GB’s Helena Lucas - who won gold in London - leads after the first day in the 2.4MR class. She still has nine more races to go.
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Check out the latest updates from the medal table:
Related: Paralympics 2016: the medal table
12.42am BST
The home crowd going crazy for Daniel Dias, who just won the men’s 50m freestyle. USA’s Roy Perkins takes bronze. GB’s Andy Mullen takes fifth.
12.27am BST
Rodgers just gave the best interview to the BBC: “It proves at the age of 33, you can pull it out the bag when you have to...my job is done! Oh, it’s not. I’ve got more races.”
12.21am BST
Susie Rodgers wins GOLD! Unbelievable stuff by Team GB. Rodgers wins it in the 50m freestyle.
Why so surprised Susie? You're a total CHAMP. GOLD GOLD GOLD GOLD GOLD! #Paralympics ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/pV9g7LnZut
12.18am BST
Meanwhile in Athletics: Jonathan Broom-Edwards wins silver in the high jump!
The medals keep on coming for ParalympicsGB!
Jonathan Broom-Edwards takes high jump silverhttps://t.co/pVlAEWWjCA pic.twitter.com/dPU33ylytE
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Sascha Kindred also talked after his race: “I thought about retirement after London but I wasn’t happy with how I performed there and I knew I had more in me and I didn’t want that to be my last competitive swimming memory.”
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Hello everyone, good to be here. The fantastic Ellie Simmonds talked to Channel Four after the race: “I was so nervous going into that race...I was like I’m going to be sick but it’s not sunk in what I’ve done yet. I know my time was under three minutes so I’m really happy with it. It’s a target I’ve set and I’ve wanted to go under for a long time. I’m really chuffed.”
GOLDEN GIRL! @EllieSimmonds1 is unstoppable as she sets a new World Record to defend her SM6 200m IM title pic.twitter.com/P0Mye8Gsi6
11.54pm BST
It’s been a great night in the pool for Britain. You can read all about Sascha Kindred and Ellie Simmonds’ gold medals on popular website Guardian.co.uk in the next hour or two. In the meantime, I’m going to hand over to Luis Miguel Echegaray. Thanks for your company, goodnight.
11.53pm BST
In fact, Mereshko was disqualified, so the silver goes to Song Lingling of China. She was more than three seconds behind Ellie Simmonds, which demonstrates the comprehensive nature of Simmonds’ victory.
11.51pm BST
That was another brilliant swim, in a record time of 2:59.81. The third 50 metres was decisive, and Yelyzaveta Mereshko could not reel her in during the freestyle. It’s her fifth gold medal, at the age of 21, and she’s just sent me this on Snapchat:
I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. So happy to go under three minutes - that was a big target. I’ll enjoy the ceremony tonight and then focus on the 400m tomorrow. I was so nervous, but I had a great warm-up. It hasn’t sunk in.
11.47pm BST
Women’s 200m individual medley Ellie Simmonds is struggling a little at the halfway turn, with Lu Dong leading. But she gobbles up the gap during the breaststroke and leads going into the last 50m. She is well clear, and Mereshko can’t make up enough ground. Ellie Simmonds wins gold in a world-record time!
11.45pm BST
YES! @SashKindred you are incredible! What a swim
11.44pm BST
Now it’s time for the women’s 200m individual medley, with Ellie Simmonds defending her title. This is a very strong field. It has almost come too soon; we need more time to digest what happened in the men’s 200m individual medley.
Sascha Kindred you're ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Rio #gold & WR at 38!
4 years after written off as 'past it' by some pic.twitter.com/W7hLtOou7b
11.41pm BST
Sascha Kindred is talking on Channel 4: “I’m trying not to swear! This morning I was disqualified. Listen to that crowd, amazing. I have loads of people to thank. I can’t wait to come home and see my family.”
11.39pm BST
Sascha Kindred has won gold in a world-record time! That was an outrageous performance! He took a slight after a superb breaststoke, and just held off Jia Hongguang to win in 2:38.47.
11.37pm BST
The men’s 200m individual medley Sascha Kindred wins gold sensationally!
11.25pm BST
First, we have the men’s 200m individual medley. Britain’s Sascha Kindred, who was disqualified and then reinstated, is aiming to end his immense Paralympic career, which started in 1996, with a 13th medal.
11.21pm BST
It’s almost time for Ellie Simmonds to defend her 200m individual medley title. This is her third Olympics, at the age of 21, and she’s aiming for her fifth gold medal. She’s more mature at 21 than most of us will be at 81, if we live that long.
11.15pm BST
In case you missed this earlier
Will Bayley soaks up acclaim after winning feisty table tennis final https://t.co/yFVpn6J6hx
11.14pm BST
“Evening Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “In answer to your question(s), no, I’ve not seen Everybody Wants Some!!, but impulse purchases, especially at 1am, are never normally a good idea. That’s coming from the man who has twice bought a Right Said Fred CD, and owns every episode of SpongeBob SquarePants on DVD.”
Another disadvantage of the 1am impulse purchase - or anything you buy online - is that you don’t get that wonderful hit of self-loathing when you return home from a shopping trip and start to sift through the bags.
11.04pm BST
Another gold for Brazil Alessandro Rodrigo Silva has won the discus F11 final with a best throw of 43.06. He was well ahead of Italy’s Oney Tapia, who took silver with 40.89.
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David Weir has qualified comfortably for the 1500m final, finishing just behind the world champion Rawat Tana in his heat.
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Four Paralympians recorded times in the 1500m that would've been fast enough to win #Gold at #Rio2016 Olympic Games https://t.co/0qKUOMiMNp
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The magnificent Walid Ktila of Tunisia has won gold in the men’s 100m T34 final, just as he did four years ago. His time of 15.14 is, my personal stats assistant tells me, a paralympic record.
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These people will all be wearing gold in a few hours’ time Sophie Pascoe (women’s 100m butterfly) and Denys Dubrov (men’s 100m butterfly). The Welshman Andre Brasil only managed bronze.
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Brazilian swimmer Andre Brasil - honest - just got a huge ovation as he emerged for his 100m butterfly final.
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In the Aquatics Centre. It’s hot. No air con. Lots of bugs. Waiting for Ellie Simmonds. The American national anthem is blaring around the place now. It’s pretty full in here now and there’s a pleasant atmosphere - deafening whenever a Brazilian is competing.
10.36pm BST
Women’s 400m final T43/T44 The brilliant Marie-Amelie Le Fur has followed up her long jump gold with another in the 400m, setting a new world record of 59.27.
10.30pm BST
Men’s shot put F35 final No medal for Britain’s Sam Ruddock, who has finished sixth in the shot put with a best of 12.70. China’s Xinhan Fu took the gold with 15.19.
10.26pm BST
There are two bronze medalists in the women’s 50m freestyle S11 final: Ukraine’s Maryna Piddubna and the Netherlands’ Liesette Bruinsma both finished in a time of 31.23. Guizhi Li of China took the gold in a world-record time of 30.73, with Sweden’s Maja Reichard (30.76) just behind in seocnd.
10.19pm BST
Gold! Gold! Gold! It’s quite hard to keep up with everything, especially as Channel 4 are currently showing an advert for Nicorette, but other gold-medal winners in the last few minutes include China’s Bian Zhang (women’s table tennis), China’s Jiao Cheng (swimming - women’s 150m IM) and Bradley Snyder (swimming - men’s 50m freestyle)
10.14pm BST
Another world record! New Zealand’s Cameron Leslie has breezed to victory in the men’s 150m individual medley SM4 final, in a spectacular time of 2:23.12. Zhipeng Jin took silver and Jonas Larsen the bronze.
9.59pm BST
While we wait for more action in the pool, here are some of the best images from yesterday in Rio.
Related: Paralympic Games 2016: day four – in pictures
9.49pm BST
Swimming: women’s 400m freestyle S13 final Rebecca Meyers has smashed the world record, taking gold for the USA in a time of 4:19.59. Ukraine’s Anna Stetsenko won silver, with Spain’s Ariadna Edo Beltran just about claiming the bronze. Abby Kane was back in sixth, but she recorded a personal best of 4:49.27 and did not do terribly, given that she’s 13 years old.
9.45pm BST
Athletics: Men’s 4x100m relay T42-47 final Germany cruised to gold in a time of 40.82 seconds, with Brazil taking silver (42.04) and Japan bronze (44.16)
9.41pm BST
Next up in the pool is the women’s 400m freestyle S13 final, including the 13-year-old Scot Abby Kane.
9.40pm BST
Swimming: Men’s 400m freestyle - S13 Ihar Boki of Belarus has won the gold, finishing comfortably ahead of Iaroslav Denysenko and Dmitriy Horlin.
9.26pm BST
Unrelated question Has anybody seen Everybody Wants Some!! If so, is it a worthy impulse purchase at 1am as part of a post-work wind-down?
9.25pm BST
A bumper night of swimming and athletics begins in a few minutes with the men’s 400m freestyle S13 final. Those of a British hue may wish to know that Ellie Simmonds will be on just after 2330 BST. In the interest of balance, I should inform you that Walker, Texas Ranger, starring Chuck Norris, is on CBS Action at the same time.
9.19pm BST
The final score in the wheelchair basketball USA 65-48 GB. It was 42-37 at the end of the third period but the US pulled away after that.
9.17pm BST
Table tennis The women’s singles class 3 have been decided. It’s gold and silver for China, with Juan Xhe beating Qian Li 3-0, and bronze for Sweden’s Anna-Carin Ahlquist. She beat Jiyu Yoon of Korea 3-0.
9.05pm BST
In the 7-a-side football, Great Britain are thrashing Ireland 4-0. And the wheelchair basketball is all but over: the USA lead Great Britain 58-41.
8.55pm BST
Archery China have picked up the gold in the Mixed Team Compound Open, beating Great Britain 151-143. So John Stubbs and Jodie Grinham take silver after their superb semi-final victory over Korea earlier today. Korea beat Turkey to the bronze.
8.53pm BST
Table tennis The gold and bronze medal matches in the men’s class 11 have finished, and the medals will be distributed thus:
Gold: Florian Van Acker (Belgium)
8.36pm BST
Wheelchair fencing Another gold for Ukraine: Andrii Demchuk has beaten Hungary’s Richard Osvath in the men’s individual sabre category A.
8.30pm BST
First doping bust of #rio2016 IPC report Saudi Arabian powerlifter Mashal Alkhazai suspended for 8 years for 2nd Anti-Doping Rule violation
8.27pm BST
Wheelchair Basketball The USA have edged further ahead; they lead Great Britain 31-22 towards the end of the second period.
8.15pm BST
Archery Korea have taken bronze in the Mixed Team Compound Open, comfortably beating Turkey 138-128. And in the wheelchair fencing, Anton Datsko added another gold to Ukraine’s haul with a 15-7 victory over Panagiotis Triantafyllou of Wales.
8.08pm BST
If you have access to Channel 4, the brilliant Korean Aled Davies, who won gold for Britain in the shot put earlier today, is on The Last Leg right now.
8.07pm BST
In other news...
2016: so much to answer for.
Related: Great British Bake Off: Channel 4 to broadcast show as BBC loses rights
8.00pm BST
Basketball The USA lead Great Britain 11-6 in their group match, though there’s a long way to go and all that.
7.58pm BST
Do. Not. Do. Banter. Ever. Again.
'Aled Davies (he's Scottish, believe it or not)' from Ebbw Vale, just west of Glasgow, presumably. Was that dumbed down journalism or simply a dumb, unfunny attempt at humour?
7.54pm BST
Starting RIGHT NOW: Men's #WheelchairBasketball GBR x USA
Who are you cheering for? pic.twitter.com/mZU6OX2K3H
7.44pm BST
Here’s how the medal table looks
Related: Paralympics 2016: the medal table
7.41pm BST
And in category A, Jianquan Tian claimed the bronze by beating Greece’s Vasileios Ntounis 15-5.
7.40pm BST
Fencing Adrian Castro has beaten his fellow Pole Grzegorz Pluta 15-8 to take bronze in the men’s individual sabre category B.
7.38pm BST
Has Sascha Kindred been reinstated in the 200 IM? I saw earlier he had been disqualified from the heat for a technical infringement, which it is still recorded as on the official Rio Para results site. Was his appeal successful then?
7.35pm BST
Some news from earlier Deepa Malik became the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Paralympics, taking silver in the shot put. I suspect she’ll have more than 2000 Twitter followers by this time tomorrow.
7.26pm BST
This is a great goal, but look at the absolute state of the tweet. There are almost as many symbols and hashtags as there are actual words. Imagine if you were able to go back in time and shove that under Dr Johnson’s nose.
⚽️ Impressive goal on the #Football5 field at the #Rio2016 #Paralympics pic.twitter.com/oW7dadTlR0
7.26pm BST
Archery Jodie Grinham and John Stubbs have won their Mixed Team Compound Open semi-final against Korea. They will meet Turkey or China in the gold medal match at 2020BST.
7.20pm BST
You know that bit on the TV where they do a montage of things to look out for today? This is that bit, minus visual stimulation and contemporary sounds from the hit parade
7.05pm BST
This is how to celebrate a gold medal!! Congrats, Will Bayley! #tabletennis #paralympics #rio2016 https://t.co/GkiW4DVGNY
5.20pm BST
Hello, good evening and welcome to live coverage of (most of) the main action from day five of the Paralympics in Rio. It’s been another of those golden days for Great Britain, with two so far and the promise of more this evening.
The first was won by Aled Davies (he’s Scottish, believe it or not). He was a class apart in the F42 shot put and set a new Paralympic record of 15.97m, while Will Bayley – who took silver four years ago – beat Brazil’s Israel Pereira 3-1 in the men’s class 7 table tennis final.
Related: Will Bayley soaks up acclaim after winning feisty table tennis final
Related: Paralympics: David Weir finishes a disappointing fifth in T54 400m final
Continue reading...Rob Smyth's Blog
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