Rob Smyth's Blog, page 95

Barcelona 1-4 Paris Saint-Germain: Champions League round of 16, first leg – as it happened

Kylian Mbappe scored a devastating hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to deservedly rout Barcelona in the Nou Camp

10.41pm GMT

Related: Kylian Mbappé's brilliant hat-trick for PSG leaves Barcelona in tatters

9.58pm GMT

3 - Kylian Mbappe is only the third player to score a UEFA Champions League hat-trick against Barcelona, after Faustino Asprilla for Newcastle and Andriy Shevchenko for Dynamo Kyiv (both in 1997). Magic. pic.twitter.com/eojfMDK7Cl

9.52pm GMT

Peep peep! Kylian Mbappe’s spectacular hat-trick has put PSG into the quarter-finals with a game to spare. They played beautifully throughout and ignored the inconvenience of going behind to a Lionel Messi penalty in the first half. Mbappe equalised within five minutes and then PSG overwhelmed Barcelona in the second half.

It was a wonderful night for Mauricio Pochettino, whose new team are serious contenders to win the tournament. Thanks for your company, goodnight!

9.50pm GMT

90+4 min Braithwaite turns beautifully away from Marquinhos on the edge of the area before being crowded out by a couple of defenders and Navas. That was sharp forward play though.

9.48pm GMT

90+2 min Barcelona famously ame back from a 4-0 defeat against PSG in 2017, winning the second leg 6-1. But the first leg was away from home, and that was 2017. They have precisely 0.00 per cent chance of turning this round.

9.47pm GMT

90+1 min Five minutes of added time.

9.47pm GMT

90 min For the fourth consecutive season, Barcelona have been humiliated in the Champions League. It’s pretty hard to comprehend how far they have fallen.

9.45pm GMT

88 min PSG sub: Thilo Kehrer replaces Florenzi, who had a good game and created the crucial second goal.

9.43pm GMT

That was a devastating counter-attack. Barcelona lost the ball on the edge of the area and PSG were off again. After a few crisp one-touch passes to work the space, Draxler led a three-on-two break. He ran a long way to the edge of the D and eased the ball left to Mbappe, who opened his body and whipped a spectacular curling shot into the far top corner. Wonderful stuff from a quite extraordinary footballer.

9.42pm GMT

What a goal!

9.41pm GMT

85 min A substitution apiece. Barcelona bring on Martin Braithwaite for Antoine Griezmann; PSG introduce Danilo for the goalscorer Moise Kean.

9.39pm GMT

82 min Navas receives a backpass, faffs and then tries to clip a nonchalant pass out to the right. It hits the stretching Griezmann and loops just wide of the far post. That was very nearly a shambolic goal. Say what you like about the sophistication of modern keepers, but that wouldn’t have happened at John Beck’s Cambridge.

9.37pm GMT

81 min “Dest was sold down the river there,” says Ruth Purdue. “He was struggling all half on whether to hold position or go towards the ball several times against Mbappe. He was caught in no man’s land several times. Pique has to help him out with instructions.”

He got no help from Dembele either. He had no chance.

9.36pm GMT

79 min Pedri was the other player who went off.

9.36pm GMT

78 min Three changes for Barcelona: Francisco Trincao, Riqui Puig and Miralem Pjanic replace Busquets, Pique and I’ll get back to you on the third player.

9.33pm GMT

76 min Dembele, who has had a stinker, shoots high and wide from a tight angle.

9.31pm GMT

75 min Lionel Messi is in look-what-I-have-to-work-with mode. You can’t really blame him, to be fair. He might be working with the other lot next season.

9.30pm GMT

74 min Another PSG change: the excellent Marco Verratti is replaced by Julian Draxler.

9.30pm GMT

72 min Even without Neymar, Paris Saint-Germain have been much the better side. They play with a lovely purpose and confidence, though it helps when you have somebody like Mbappe.

9.27pm GMT

71 min Barcelona bring on Oscar Mingueza for Sergino Dest, who has had a tough night against Mbappe.

9.27pm GMT

PSG had a free-kick 30 yards from goal on the left. Paredes whipped a wicked ball to the far post that found Kean totally unmarked, six yards out. His downward header bounced up through the hands of ter Stegen and into the net.

9.26pm GMT

Barcelona are falling apart!

9.26pm GMT

69 min “Evening Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “I loved, in fact still love, Mmmbop by Hanson. There, I said it. It never gets old, even if they do. I seem to recall that it was released at almost the same time as Paranoid Android by Radiohead. I loved that too. You can like both, right? Like football and cricket. Or the Chase and Pointless. Even Man United and Liverpool?”

But did you like I Could Not Love You More by the Bee Gees?

9.25pm GMT

68 min: Mbappe denied a hat-trick! He has been unplayable tonight. He picked up the bal on the left of the area, swerved away from Dest and rifled a low left-footed shot that was kicked away by ter Stegen.

9.23pm GMT

GOAL GIVEN!

9.22pm GMT

VAR check for offside against Florenzi. I think he’s okay.

9.22pm GMT

Paredes lifted a gorgeous pass over the defence to find Florenzi on the right. His low cross towards Icardi was blocked by Pique, running towards his own goal, but Mbappe followed up to score with appreciable glee.

9.21pm GMT

The wonderful Kylian Mbappe gets his second!

9.19pm GMT

63 min Alba’s cross did hit the outstretched arm of Kean, though he was only a couple of yards away and it was clearly accident- LOOK I DON’T KNOW ANYMORE OKAY.

9.19pm GMT

62 min Dembele drags a tame shot through to Navas from the right edge of the area.

9.18pm GMT

62 min Barcelona appeal for a penalty when Alba’s cross hits Kean just inside the area. I’ve not idea whether it hit his hand, but the referee was having none of it.

9.17pm GMT

61 min “This has to be the most ordinary Barca side since 2003,” says Phil Podolsky. “So few ideas going forward.”

They just need to sign Edgar Davids.

9.16pm GMT

60 min A wicked deep corner from Messi is headed wide by the off balance Griezmann. Herrera did well to make sure Griezmann couldn’t get a clear run at the ball.

9.15pm GMT

59 min Messi’s free-kick hits the top of the ball and goes behind for a corner.

9.14pm GMT

58 min Messi is fouled 22 yards from goal by Kimpembe. Replays show it was a dive, after a handoff to the face, but the referee bought it. This is a chance for Messi...

9.12pm GMT

56 min Herrera’s scooped return pass just evades Mbappe, who had made another run behind the Barcelona defence. He must be utterly terrifying to play against.

9.09pm GMT

52 min This game is PSG’s for the taking, although we’ve said that a few times over the years in this competition.

9.07pm GMT

50 min: Good save from ter Stegen! Mbappe and Icardi combine to set up Kean, whose deflected shot is pawed away by ter Stegen. That was a good save, because he was falling and had to reach up to push it away, but it was a surprise to see Icardi flick the ball behind his standing leg to Kean rather than have a shot himself.

9.06pm GMT

49 min Mbappe zips between Dest and Dembele on the left and pushes the ball back to Verratti on the left corner of the box. He dummies to shoot and then does shoot, opening his body to whip a curler that is headed away by Pique. Verratti has produced some lovely moments of class tonight, including that dummy and the flicked pass for Mbappe’s goal.

9.04pm GMT

48 min “Fantastic players on both sides, but (apart from maybe 80s vintage Millwall) I can’t think of any two clubs that are easier to dislike,” says Matt Dony. “I really would like both teams to lose. Gun to my head, I’ll go for PSG to go through. If only to potentially give Mbappe the chance to leave Paris on a high, before his unveiling at Anfield in July.”

I love that you felt the need to put a metaphorical gun to your head over a game in which you have no vested interest. I bet this doesn’t happen to badminton fans.

9.04pm GMT

47 min Mbappe, who has been scary at times, curls just wide from 25 yards. ter Stegen had it covered but it was another reminder of his devastating efficiency.

9.02pm GMT

46 min Peep peep! Barcelona begin the second half.

9.01pm GMT

PSG have made a sensible half-time substitution: Andre Herrera is on for Idrissa Gueye, who was a red card waiting to happen.

9.00pm GMT

“It’s it just me,” says Paul in Murcia, “that when reading the name Mbappe can’t help think of MMMBop by Hanson, or Sergio Busquets think of Biscuits?”

I’ll level with you: the ‘biscuits’ link is a stretch, and might be something to raise with the therapist. But I’ve also had an Mbappe/Hanson moment or two. Here’s a fun fact to make us all feel old and past it: Mbappe hadn’t even been conceived when that song came out.

8.48pm GMT

Half-time reading

Related: David Squires on … football and the cyber cesspool of social media

8.47pm GMT

Peep peep! It’s Messi 1-1 Mbappe after a very enjoyable half of football. PSG were the better side but went behind to a soft penalty, roofed emphatically by Lionel Messi. PSG responded splendidly, with Mbappe smashing an equaliser within five minutes, and both sides went close thereafter. See you soon for the second half.

8.46pm GMT

45 min Maybe Icardi could have done better, I’m not sure. He really thumped the header but was unable to steer it towards goal from in front of the near post.

8.45pm GMT

44 min Busquets plays the ball back to ter Stegen, who shanks a routine clearance behind for a corner. He is so nearly punished: Mbappe whips an excellent corner to the near post, where Icardi flashes a terrific header just wide.

8.43pm GMT

43 min Gueye, who has already been booked, is late on Busquets. He’d be off for that in the Premier League. I prefer the referee Bjorn Kuipers’ take, which appears to be a final warning.

8.42pm GMT

41 min “Evening Rob, do you agree there is a double standard about fouls inside and outside the penalty area?” says Brian Russell. “It seems any contact in the penalty area results in the attacker smugly throwing himself to the ground and the referee cheerfully rewarding him with a penalty. Outside the penalty similar contact rarely results in a free kick. If it’s not a free kick outside the area how can it be a penalty inside it? It’s like everyone is agreed that footie ceases to be a contact sport when the ball is in the penalty area.”

Yep, it’s a complete mess. I don’t know what else to say really, except maybe EFF VAR.

8.41pm GMT

39 min Mbappe had a slight touch of fortune with the goal, because he didn’t control the ball perfectly. But he reacted with dizzying speed to beat Lengelt and wallop it in at the near post.

8.38pm GMT

38 min At the other end, Kean’s fierce snapshot on the turn is pushed round the post by ter Stegen. After a slow start, this is turning into a cracker.

8.38pm GMT

37 min: Just wide from Griezmann! This is great stuff. Barcelona break from a PSG corner, with Griezmann on the ball near the halfway line. He runs all the way to the edge of the area, using Dembele by not using him, and rifles a low shot that beats Navas and flies just past the far post.

8.36pm GMT

35 min: Fine save from ter Stegen! Mbappe, who is threatening to run riot, slides the ball back from the touchline to find Kurzawa on the edge of the area. He moves away from Dembele, whose defending has been half-arsed at best, and slides a low shot across goal. It looks set to nestle in the bottom corner, but ter Stegen somehow gets down to fingertip it round the post. That was an outstanding save.

8.35pm GMT

33 min Well this is fun.

8.34pm GMT

Marquinhos drove a crossfield pass out to Kurzawa on the left wing. He cushioned a volleyed cross back towards the edge of the area for Verratti, who flicked the ball neatly round the corner to Mbappe with the outside of his foot. Mbappe was surrounded by defenders but had the composure and awareness to shift the ball away from Lenglet and ram it past ter Stegen from close range. That was brilliant play in a tight area from Verratti and especially Mbappe.

8.32pm GMT

Kylian Mbappe equalises with a brilliant goal!

8.31pm GMT

31 min Florenzi curls a nice dipping cross to the near post, where Mbappe improvises a lovely flick behind his front leg that is crucially blocked by Lenglet.

8.31pm GMT

30 min That goal is a blow to PSG, who have created the better chances and had more of the ball.

8.29pm GMT

29 min: Dembele misses an excellent chance! Messi takes advantage of a slip from Kimpembe (I think) and pokes the ball through to Dembele, who shoots tamely at Navas from 15 yards.

8.28pm GMT

28 min Replays confirm that de Jong’s trailing leg brushed the knee of Kurzawa, who knew nothing about it. I feel for PSG but it was a penalty.

8.27pm GMT

Messi smashes an unsaveable penalty into the top corner! Navas went the right way, to his left, but didn’t get near it.

8.26pm GMT

27 min: Penalty given!

8.26pm GMT

27 min: VAR check He may have tripped himself, it’s hard to be certain. I think it will be given though.

8.26pm GMT

26 min: PENALTY TO BARCELONA! de Jong’s heels are clipped, accidentally I think, by Kurzawa. He was running onto a fine long pass from Messi and went over; the referee Bjorn Kuipers had no doubt.

8.21pm GMT

21 min Griezmann plays a nice one-two with Messi, forcing Verratti to make a vital sliding tackle just inside the area. That was really well judged.

8.20pm GMT

20 min Gueye is booked for fouling Pedri 30 yards from goal.

8.19pm GMT

19 min: Pedri clears off the line from Icardi! He looked offside but it wasn’t given. Mbappe, who was found in a bit of space by Verratti, clipped a neat reverse pass to put Icardi through on goal in the inside-left channel. He scuffed an apologetic left-footed effort past ter Stegen, and Pedri had plenty of time to get back and hoof it behind for a corner. I think it might have been going wide anyway, though Pedri was right to take no chances.

8.17pm GMT

17 min Messi is dropping very deep, almost as if he’s part of a midfield diamond. He hasn’t seen much of the ball so far.

8.16pm GMT

16 min “Let’s hope we don’t have a boring 0-0,” says Zack Lawrence. “Me and my friends have been hyped for this all day so it better be good. Also what is your favourite pancake topping?”

Vodka?

8.14pm GMT

14 min: Good save from Navas! Messi, dropping deep, shoves the ball forward to Pedri. He pokes a nice ball through the inside-left channel to release Griezmann, whose low shot from a tight angle is well blocked by Navas.

8.12pm GMT

12 min Gueye muscles Pedri off the ball and finds Kean, who surges away from Lenglet into the area. The covering de Jong pokes the ball behind for a corner, which is headed clear by Griezmann.

8.10pm GMT

10 min Jordi Alba’s overhit cross goes out of play. Great stuff.

8.08pm GMT

8 min Barcelona are starting to put a few passes together. It’s been a decent start to the game.

8.06pm GMT

6 min Dembele, who is playing on the right with Griezmann on the left, cuts inside and hits a long-range shot that is blocked by Marquinhos.

8.04pm GMT

4 min It’s been a confident start from PSG. Icardi nutmegs de Jong and plays the ball square to Gueye, who belts wide from 25 yards.

8.03pm GMT

1 min Some early danger for Barcelona. Verratti clips a pass over the top for Mbappe, who is far too quick for Dest. He can’t quite control the ball on the run, which allows ter Stegen to come out of his area and clear. He panics slightly, slicing his attempted clearance behind him, but he gets away with it. If Mbappe had controlled that he would have been in.

8.00pm GMT

1 min Peep peep! PSG, in their stylish away kit, kick off from right to left.

7.57pm GMT

Here come the players, led by the captains Lionel Messi and Marquinhos. We’re used to empty stadiums now, but the Nou Camp does look a bit eerie.

7.49pm GMT

“Leo has to fancy his chances,” says Ruth Purdue. “PSG’s midfield are bookings waiting to happen.”

It’s a really hard tie to call, I think, because of Barcelona’s recent improvement and Neymar’s injury.

7.38pm GMT

Mauricio Pochettino has been talking about PSG’s Champions League ‘obsession’, which is as good an excuse as any to post this glorious video.

7.33pm GMT

Related: Champions League last-16: previews and predictions for this week's ties

7.33pm GMT

Related: Leandro Paredes offers PSG reasons for optimism against Barcelona

7.29pm GMT

“Only one question Rob,” says Michael George. “Why the hell aren’t these games staggered? Everyone is at home, so it’s not like you will get stuck in traffic and miss the start!”

That’s a good point. Uefa don’t normally miss the opportunity to stagger games. Maybe this is the beginning of a new Integrity First era. Next season, only the champions quality, it’s an unseeded knockout from the start and there are no Gazprom adverts.

7.07pm GMT

This is one of two Champions League games tonight. The other, being played in Budapest because of Covid, is a cracker.

Related: RB Leipzig v Liverpool: Champions League round of 16, first leg – live!

7.06pm GMT

Related: Pochettino says Champions League 'obsession' fuelling PSG against Barça

6.53pm GMT

Gerard Pique, who has been out since November, returns for Barcelona. That means Frenkie de Jong will move back into midfield.

PSG make two changes from the team that beat Nice 2-1 on Saturday: Alessadnro Florenzi and Marco Verratti replace Thilo Kehrer and Julian Draxler.

5.08pm GMT

Hello and welcome to live coverage of Barcelona v Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League. It’s the most glamorous tie of the round, involving two of Europe’s superclubs, both of them desperate to make up for the pain of last season’s tournament. Barcelona were butchered 8-2 by Bayern Munich, while PSG – having finally made serious progress in the tournament – lost tamely to Bayern in the final.

Since then, both clubs have appointed former Southampton managers: Ronald Koeman at Barcelona and Mauricio Pochettino at PSG. That’s one of many subplots in this tie; the biggest are Lionel Messi’s potential move to Paris this summer, the absence of Neymar and the miracle of 2017. The surviving PSG players, including Marquinhos, Layvin Kurzawa and Julian Draxler, would love a bit of rewenge.

Continue reading...

The Joy of Six: assists without touching the ball

Off-the-ball runs, delicious dummies, snide fouls – here are half a dozen goals where the co-creator literally didn’t have a kick

Let’s start with a bit of housekeeping. None of these are technically assists; under the current definition, that requires a tactile involvement. But we needed a fairly snappy headline, and The Joy of Six: Helping to Create Goals Without Touching The Ball just wasn’t going to get the job done.

Related: The Joy of Six: football's wing wizards | Gregg Bakowski

Continue reading...

West Brom 1-1 Manchester United: Premier League - as it happened

Sam Johnstone made a spectacular injury-time save to earn West Brom a deserved point and extend Manchester United’s poor run of form

4.20pm GMT

Related: Bruno Fernandes saves point for listless Manchester United at West Brom

4.05pm GMT

Here’s Harry Maguire

“We created enough to win the game. For me their goal was a foul. We huffed and puffed and it was a great save from Sam at the end. We felt we deserved more than a point; we can do more, for sure, but it’s disappointing. It was a tough start, and we made it hard for ourselves by conceding early. Sometimes we played a little bit too slowly, but in the second half we played with a great tempo.

4.02pm GMT

More more more

Related: Arsenal v Leeds United: Premier League - live!

3.58pm GMT

That was a spectacular save from Sam Johnstone, who has become a seriously good goalkeeper. What a lovely moment, especially against his old club. As for the result, it isn’t much good for either side, though West Brom will be proud of their resilient performance. United were poor and didn’t really deserve anything more.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have now taken six points from their last five league games - although, contrary lot that they are, that poor run of form includes a 9-0 win. They have improved since last season but - as most people suspected, even during their giddy January - they are not yet good enough to challenge for the title.

3.53pm GMT

Peeep peeeeep!

3.53pm GMT

90+5 min: Johnstone makes a glorious save! Shaw swings in a deep cross from the left, which Maguire meets with an immense looping header from 12 yaqrds. It is about to drop into the net when Johnstone leaps to his left to fingertip it onto the post!

3.52pm GMT

90+5 min Into the last minute, and not much is happening.

3.50pm GMT

90+3 min Fernandes has a pop from 25 yards, but it’s an easy save for Johnstone.

3.50pm GMT

90+3 min Shaw’s deep corner is headed down by McTominay and hits a West Brom defender.

3.50pm GMT

90+2 min A nice flick from van de Beek finds Wan-Bissaka, who wins a corner. Shaw goes over to take it...

3.49pm GMT

90+2 min West Brom deserve at least a draw; they’ve had the better chances.

3.48pm GMT

90 min Five minutes of added time.

3.47pm GMT

90 min Greenwood charges into the area and flashes the ball across the face of goal. There was nobody in the six-yard box.

3.46pm GMT

89 min Diagne is booked for plunging his studs into Rashford’s achilles. That was a poor tackle.

3.46pm GMT

88 min: Diagne misses a sitter! West Brom should have won the game there. Gallagher played the ball out to Furlong, who curled a sensational low cross around Maguire and Lindelof. It reached Diagne at the far post, but he lifted a first-time shot over the bar from eight yards.

3.44pm GMT

87 min West Brom’s final change: Robert Snodgrass, who looks shattered, is replaced by Matt Phillips.

3.44pm GMT

86 min Fernandes floats the free-kick to the far post, where Furlong does superbly to head clear under pressure from Maguire. In fact, the referee has penalised Maguire.

3.43pm GMT

86 min Fernandes scored from a not dissimilar position against Liverpool last month, though this is slightly further to the left...

3.42pm GMT

85 min Rashford is hacked down just outside the area by Snodgrass, who is booked. The free-kick is a fair way to the left of centre, so it might be too wide for a shot.

3.39pm GMT

82 min For all Man Utd’s dominance, the West Brom keeper Sam Johnstone hasn’t had much to do in this match.

3.38pm GMT

81 min “With so much of discussion about the quality of Chelsea’s youngsters, how would you rate Conor Gallagher?” asks Kishalay Banerjee. “He seems to be having a decent season, with Bilic singing his praises near the start, but is he good enough to break into Chelsea’s first team?”

No. But he’s an impressive, busy player, and he’s only 21.

3.37pm GMT

80 min Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeere’s Donny. He has come on in place of Fred.

3.36pm GMT

79 min Maitland-Niles is booked for pulling back Greenwood.

3.36pm GMT

78 min: Vital double save from de Gea! Diagne muscles Maguire off the ball on the edge of the area to move through on goal. De Gea blocks the shot with his legs and then, as the ball loops up towards Diagne, reacts really smartly to claw it away. Diagne was strangely indecisive on the second chance, though, waiting for it to drop onto his head rather than leaping to meet it halfway.

3.34pm GMT

76 min Donny van de Beek is getting ready to come on.

3.32pm GMT

75 min West Brom break and Lindelof makes a vital lunging tackle on Diagne, who would have been through on goal had he got to the ball first.

3.32pm GMT

74 min Maguire rumbles forward and finds Shaw in the area, but his cutback is cleared at the near post. West Brom are starting to look really tired.

3.30pm GMT

72 min: Chance for West Brom! Snodgrass plays a fine pass out to Maitland-Niles on the left, and suddenly West Brom are two against one with only Maguire back. Maitland-Niles tries to stab the ball across to Diagne with the outside of his foot, but he gets too much on it and the ball runs through to de Gea.

3.28pm GMT

71 min Gallagher shoots over the bar from 25 yards.

3.27pm GMT

69 min: Furlong clears off the line! Wan-Bissaka’s fast low cross is put behind at the near post by Barkley. After a decent five-minute spell before the non-penalty, West Brom are back in defensive mode. Shaw’s corner is headed down by Maguire to Greenwood, whose low shot is kicked away by Johnstone. It rebounds to McTominay, whose follow up is cleared off the line by Furlong.

3.26pm GMT

69 min A draw would move United back to second, above Leicester on goal difference, though it would still be a pretty wretched result.

3.25pm GMT

68 min Rashford, on the left now, zips infield and is well challenged in the D by Gallagher.

3.24pm GMT

67 min And now a change for West Brom: Jake Livermore comes on for the quietly impressive Okay Yokuslu.

3.23pm GMT

66 min A change for Manchester United: Mason Greenwood replaces the sadly ineffective Anthony Martial.

3.22pm GMT

65 min “This game has strange echoes of United’s filleting by the Blades,” says Rick Harris. “The first goal in each match should have been ruled out for fouls, and although under the cosh for most of the game the Baggies could still nick the points with a deflected shot from one of their occasional excursions up the pitch.”

3.22pm GMT

64 min Apparently they didn’t check the offside, not that it matters now.

3.21pm GMT

NO PENALTY! Craig Pawson has changed his mind.

3.21pm GMT

Craig Pawson is going to the monitor. That suggests it wasn’t offside. Ajayi did put his hand on Maguire’s shoulder, and there might have been a tangle of legs. I don’t think it was a penalty - the hand on the shoulder wasn’t particularly strong - but I’m not sure it was a clear and obvious error either.

3.19pm GMT

I think Maguire was offside, so this will probably be reversed. I’m not sure it was a foul anyway. Maguire went down very easily.

3.19pm GMT

PENALTY TO MAN UTD! Ajayi has been judged to have tripped Maguire in the area. Craig Pawson took an age to give it.

3.18pm GMT

61 min Bartley is booked for a foul on McTominay.

3.18pm GMT

61 min It’s still pelting down at the Hawthorns, since you asked.

3.17pm GMT

60 min Martial, who is having a bit of a stinker, is penalised for a challenge on Snodgrass.

3.17pm GMT

59 min “Van de Beek please for a holding midfielder,” says Ruth Purdue. “He is a better passer than both of them combined.”

3.16pm GMT

58 min At the other end, Fernandes’ 20-yard shot takes a big deflection and is held to his left by Johnstone.

3.15pm GMT

57 min West Brom are having more of the ball now. Furlong beats Martial with ease and puts in a good deep cross that is headed away by Wan-Bissaka.

3.12pm GMT

54 min Now West Brom do cross the halfway line, and create a half chance in the process. Maitland-Niles, with too much time on the ball, threads a nice pass through to Pereira on the left side of the area. He gets the ball out of his feet and drags a low shot wide of the far post.

3.11pm GMT

53 min Furlong gets a vital headed touch to steer a cross away from the prowling Cavani. West Brom have barely crossed the halfway line since the interval.

3.08pm GMT

50 min “Well Rob, you are correct about the lack of consensus on what a foul is,” says Mary Waltz. “It’s good that we have VAR to solve that problem, right?”

3.07pm GMT

49 min McTominay takes Wan-Bissaka’s pass beautifully in his stride and hits a stinging shot that is blocked by Bartley. Moments later, Rashford whips a terrific ball that flashes right across the face of goal.

3.06pm GMT

49 min United have made a very fast start to the second half, playing with much greater urgency than they did before the break.

3.05pm GMT

48 min ... and it’s headed away by Yokuslu.

3.05pm GMT

47 min Fernandes’s cross is chested behind by Bartley. That moves started with a spectacular crossfield pass from Maguire to Rashford. Shaw will take the corner...

3.03pm GMT

46 min Peep peep! Man Utd begin the second half. West Brom have made a half-time change, with Darnell Furlong replacing the injured Lee Peltier.

3.03pm GMT

“I have no wish to go back to the days where players slashed and hacked each other, often to slop more skilled players,” says Mary Waltz. “But it is still a contact sport and Lindelof was simply outworked on that first goal.”

I’ve been watching football for over 30 years and I can’t remember a time when there was less consensus over refereeing decisions (or, for that matter, just about anything).

2.55pm GMT

Replays show that Diagne had his hand in Lindelof’s face just before he scored the goal, so it probably was a foul. But was it a clear and obvious error? I haven’t a clue anymore.

2.53pm GMT

Half-time reading

Related: Pedro Neto's stunner earns Wolves narrow win at Southampton

2.51pm GMT

That was a half of few chances, yet it was still pretty compelling. Mbaye Diagne bullied Victor Lindelof to give West Brom a very early lead, and United were still struggling to get going when Bruno Fernandes volleyed them level just before the break.

2.49pm GMT

Peep peep!

2.48pm GMT

45+2 min West Brom win three corners in quick succession. The last one is headed away by McTominay and United set off on a very dangerous counter-attack, four on three... until the referee blows the half-time whistle. United are fuming, though the added time has been played.

2.46pm GMT

45 min Two minutes of added time. Bruno Fernandes, eh.

2.46pm GMT

Maguire again gave United a bit of impetus with a surge through the inside-left channel. He slightly overhit his pass to Shaw, who thus had no option but to stand up a first-time cross. Fernandes, unmarked near the penalty spot, hooked an acrobatic left-footed volley into the top of the net and roared with a kind of angry delight. He may have shinned it, on reflection, but either way it flew past Johnstone.

2.44pm GMT

Bruno Fernandes has been rubbish all half - and now he’s scored a beauty!

2.43pm GMT

43 min Maguire bursts into the area again and plays a nice little pass to Martial, whose short cross is poked away at the near post. Fernandes was running with Yokuslu when he went over, though there didn’t seem to be much in it.

2.42pm GMT

42 min Shaw crosses into the area, where Fernandes goes down off the ball. Nothing is given on the field, or in Stockley Park. We haven’t seen a replay so I’m not sure what happened.

2.41pm GMT

41 min Bruno Fernandes has the face on. You know the one.

2.39pm GMT

38 min Rashford quickens things up with a run and pass to Cavani on the right. His very deep cross almost falls for Martial, but Snodgrass pushes the ball behind for a corner. Bartley was lucky not to be booked for an off-the-ball foul on Rashford after he played the ball to Cavani.

2.37pm GMT

37 min Gallagher is booked for a late tackle on Fred.

2.36pm GMT

36 min Cavani, on the left wing, spots McTominay in loads of space on the far side of the penalty area - but then he overhits a fairly routine cross. That was a chance.

2.33pm GMT

33 min Maguire surges 40 yards into the West Brom area, where the diligent Diagne slides in to concede a corner. Shaw’s outswinger is cleared.

2.31pm GMT

31 min West Brom are working so hard defensively, and Sam Allardyce will be thrilled with how the match has gone so far. There have been a few signs of United stirring in the last 5-10 minutes, but West Brom deserve to be ahead.

2.28pm GMT

27 min: Good save from de Gea! Maitland-Niles moseys down the left, turns and plays thbe ball back to Townsend. He swings a cross into the middle, where Snodgrass gets in front of Shaw near the penalty spot and loops a header towards goal. The leaping De Gea arches his back to tip it over the bar.

2.26pm GMT

26 min United are starting to wake up. Rashford’s twinkle toes take him past a couple of defenders on the right side of the box, but then he plays a poor pass to the heavily marked Fernandes.

2.25pm GMT

24 min Lindelof fouls Diagne on the left wing, which gives West Brom another chance to dump a free-kick into the area. Pereira’s delivery is decent, curling towards the penalty spot, and Diagne steers a header well wide.

2.23pm GMT

23 min A fine deep cross from Rashford on the right is thighed just past the post by Peltier, under pressure from Martial. The referee gives a goalkick.

2.21pm GMT

21 min West Brom have been very comfortable defensively. There’s a break in play while Peltier receives treatment to his left ankle.

2.20pm GMT

19 min A couple of you have suggested Lindelof was fouled for the goal. I only really had eyes for Diagne, and it looked like a classic case of a striker outmuscling a defender, but I’ll keep an eye out for any more replays.

2.17pm GMT

17 min West Brom are picking their moments to go forward. When they do commit they are very aggressive, trying to bully United physically. It worked perfectly for the goal.

2.15pm GMT

15 min Fred plays a long pass straight out of play. United are not yet at the races.

2.14pm GMT

14 min “The lack of crowds must be having a big effect on goalkeepers,” says Luke Jones. “They spend a large amount of time standing still with nothing to do, and then have to make quick decisions and movements. It must be hard to keep the level of focus and intensity high when it’s so quiet.”

Interesting point; I’d not thought of that.

2.13pm GMT

13 min Yokuslu is fouled just past the halfway line, which allows West Brom to send the big men forward. Pereira’s free-kick is a poor one that goes straight out for a throw-in.

2.12pm GMT

11 min United are having loads of the ball, which I suspect would have been the case even without an early goal for West Brom, but they haven’t yet found their passing rhythm.

2.10pm GMT

9 min United have won seven games away from home this season after going behind. It’s not, however, the brightest strategy for winning football matches.

2.08pm GMT

7 min Shaw plays a one-two with Martial and fires a low cross that is missed by Cavani at the near post. Then Fred hits a half-volley from 20 yards that is comfortably saved to his left by Johnstone.

2.06pm GMT

6 min Fernandes’ clever flick releases Rashford, though everybody knows he’s offside and they all go through the motions until the attack breaks down and the flag goes up.

2.05pm GMT

5 min “Was thinking apropos of Alisson that it’s becoming increasingly difficult (between the playing schedules and the insanity of being constantly plugged into social media) for top keepers to maintain that which gives them the edge: focus, calm, stability, all the mental stuff without which even the most gifted ones amount to no more than a Víctor Valdés,” says Phil Podolsky. “Haven’t seen enough of DGG to form an opinion, but a keeper declining at 27 is pretty strange, even taking into account how precociously early he peaked.”

2.04pm GMT

4 min Gary Neville is fuming on Sky Sports, pointing out that Lindelof and Maguire were far too slow to get out when the ball was played back for Gallagher to cross first time. It meant that Diagne was only six yards out when he beasted Lindelof and headed towards goal.

2.03pm GMT

That was such a simple goal. Gallagher, in the inside-right channel, curled a terrific dipping cross towards the far post, where Diagne muscled Lindelof aside and steered a diving header past de Gea from six yards. That’s an excellent goal from West Brom’s point of view, though Lindelof and maybe de Gea could have been done better.

2.02pm GMT

Well I never!

2.00pm GMT

1 min Peep peep! West Brom kick off from right to left.

1.59pm GMT

The players emerge on a grim afternoon at the Hawthorns. It’s wet and windy, perfect weather for Robert Snodgrass to swing a few corners under the crossbar.

1.56pm GMT

Full time: Southampton 1-2 Wolves That’s a big win for Wolves, though Southampton will feel they were robbed by VAR.

1.53pm GMT

“Maguire and Lindelof have been really solid and get a ridiculous amount of over-the-top criticism,” says Francis Mead. “Maguire has generally been superb recently.”

I agree that Maguire has been very good for the last 2-3 months, and that Lindelof has an unfair reputation (though he doesn’t help himself at times). I’m still not sure they’re a title-winning partnership, mind, and United are still prone to conceding Andrex-soft goals.

1.40pm GMT

“While I agree that de Gea was a much better keeper previously than he appears to be now,” says Patrick Cullen, “I always felt that the things he was good at were a way of making up for the things he was so bad at - that the need to make those unbelievable reflex saves came about from a basic inability to command his area and impose himself on the opposition’s attackers, and just as importantly, his own defenders. Yes, without doubt, United could improve on their central defensive partnership, but without a dominant goalkeeper behind them to organise things, there’s a limit to what even the best defenders in the world can achieve.”

That’s fair, though I do think he has become even less dominant in the last few years. I don’t think hed have conceded that Calvert-Lewin goal, for example, in 2017.

1.34pm GMT

“It is all good saying DDG has declined (and he surely has),” says Kelechi Dennar. “However, we also need to ask whether he has declined to a level where Henderson is now better? He is nowhere near that 2018 level but I think he is still at a high level. I suspect this will be DDG’s last season at United but I am not sure Henderson has proven to be a better option by his fee performances so far. Next season, all bets are off.”

Agreed. I’m not sure about Henderson yet, though he is more dominant and he wouldn’t have conceded that Everton equaliser last week. He is also on the way up. If United do try to sign a new keeper in the summer, I’d go for Martinez. Villa won’t want to sell but anything’s possible in modern football.

1.27pm GMT

Pedro Neto has given Wolves the lead at St Mary’s!

1.22pm GMT

A debatable Ruben Neves penalty has brought Wolves level at Southampton. It’s 1-1 with half an hour remaining.

1.16pm GMT

“Good afternoon Rob,” says Jon Collins. “Looking at that Manchester United teamsheet, the weakest point is now surely David de Gea. It’s sad to see a player who single-handedly made them competitive for years become a liability, but how much longer do you think Solskjaer will stick with him?”

I think it’s already been too long, and he certainly hasn’t consulted his What Would Fergie Do book. One of the saddest things about all this is that a lot of people have forgotten how astoundingly good de Gea was from 2012-18. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a keeper make so many miraculous reflex saves. But he’s been struggling for nearly three years now, so it’s quite a leap of faith to think it’s ever coming back.

1.11pm GMT

It’s already been a bad-news day for United, who will now be stuck with the Maguire/Lindelof partnership until the end of days.

Related: Bayern Munich beat Chelsea and Liverpool to sign Dayot Upamecano

1.09pm GMT

Southampton 1-0 Wolves is the half-time score in the midday game. You get precisely no points for guessing the scorer.

1.05pm GMT

West Brom (4-1-4-1) Johnstone; Peltier, Ajayi, Bartley, Townsend; Yokuslu; Snodgrass, Gallagher, Maitland-Niles, Pereira; Diagne.
Substitutes: Button, Furlong, O’Shea, Livermore, Phillips, Sawyers, Robson-Kanu, Robinson, Grant.

Manchester United (4-2-3-1) de Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; McTominay, Fred; Rashford, Fernandes, Martial; Cavani.
Substitutes: Henderson, Bailly, Telles, Williams, Tuanzebe, James, Matic, van de Beek, Greenwood.

10.37am GMT

Hello. The predictability of modern football means that, in most Premier League seasons, the expectations and ambition of a particular team stay roughly the same from autumn to spring: win the title, finish top four, avoid relegation, etc etc. But in 2020-21, most clubs have had to regularly revise their hopes and dreams.

Take Manchester United. In September, their realistic ambition was to finish third for the second season in a row, while getting closer to the points tally of Liverpool and Manchester City. After a desperate start to the season, a top-four place became a reasonable aim. Then, for a few giddy weeks after Christmas, they were outsiders for the title. Now, with Manchester City suddenly omnipotent, United’s sights are fixed on finishing second and continuing a year-on-year improvement under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Continue reading...

India v England: second Test, day one – live!

Over-by-over updates from the second Test in ChennaiBess and Anderson out as England make four changesGet in touch! Email Rob here

9.29am GMT

60th over: India 207-3 (Sharma 136, Rahane 50) Rahane flicks uppishly at Moeen, with the ball falling just short of Root on the leg side. A few deliveries are already exploding from the pitch; later in the over, Rahane aborts a late cut at a ball that turns and bounces grotesquely. Good luck batting on this in the second innings, never mind the fourth.

He composes himself and then pushes a single to reach a masterful half-century from 104 balls. It’s been a typical Rahane innings, full of class and intelligence.

9.23am GMT

59th over: India 205-3 (Sharma 135, Rahane 49) Stone is definitely getting some reverse swing, which should give England some much needed encouragement. A slightly weary short ball from Stone is pulled smoothly for four by Rahane, who then survives consecutive LBW appeals after being hit on the pad by reverse inswingers. Both were outside the line, though the second was closer than the first.

“I think England have to show faith with Moeen,” says Colum Fordham. “Once his confidence is back, he will bowl enough good balls to trouble the India batsmen, as his LBW appeal just showed. And the jaffa to Kohli. Olly Stone looks promising.”

9.18am GMT

58th over: India 200-3 (Sharma 134, Rahane 45) Rahane, on the run, drives Moeen sweetly through extra cover for four. He continues to go down the track, both in attack and defence. Moeen drops one short as a result, so Rahane skids back to cut for four. That’s masterful batting from one of the great supporting actors of his generation. Moeen has been expensive today: 17-1-78-1.

“Morning Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “Never mind resting Jimmy, when will I get a rest today? Cricket and tennis in the morning, football and rugby all afternoon, then the final of the Masked Singer tonight. (Just who is Badger?). And I need to find a Valentine’s gift for Mrs McMahon from my local supermarket. I’ll need to dig the car out first though. Do you think a mention on the OBO will suffice?”

9.14am GMT

57th over: India 192-3 (Sharma 134, Rahane 37) Rahane gloves a short ball from Stone round the corner for a single, and then Sharma then plays a gorgeous back-foot drive for a couple. Root has been off the field for the last few minutes, though he’s about to come back on.

9.10am GMT

56th over: India 189-3 (Sharma 132, Rahane 36) Sharma is hit in the grille when he misses a sweep off Moeen. He misses another later in the over, falling over to the off side, and England have a biggish LBW appeal turned down. It was outside the line I think. That was a really good over from Moeen, his first maiden of the innings.

9.06am GMT

55th over: India 189-3 (Sharma 132, Rahane 36) Olly Stone beats Rahane with the first ball after tea. The picture is a couple of seconds behind the audio, and it’s a bit strange to hear oohs and aahs while Stone is running in to bowl. Those oohs and aaahs were because Rahane had inside-edged another good delivery onto the pad. An excellent maiden from Stone, with the first suggestion of reverse swing.

8.55am GMT

“I know this is a long shot, but is there any way of getting TMS commentary abroad for this Test?” says Andrew Mullinder. “Cannot find anything through the usual YouTube avenues. Thanks.”

The BBC don’t have the rights for this series, but it’s on TalkSport.

8.43am GMT

Tea-time reading

Related: John Holder: 'I rocked the boat and got punished for doing my job properly'

8.43am GMT

“Hi Rob,” says Mittu Choudhary. “It’s a tricky situation for Kohli - his rivals for Test and ODI captaincy saving India’s blushes. If they play well, their credentials strengthen; if they don’t, Kohli will have to take the blame for the loss. What do others think?”

From afar, it seems impossible that Kohli would ever have the captaincy taken away from him. If it does happen, I pity the fool who has to break the news.

8.43am GMT

54th over: India 189-3 (Sharma 132, Rahane 36) Rahane softens his hands to glove a nasty delivery from Leach just short of Root in the gully. That really kicked from a length, and is another ominous sign for England.

A quick single completes a perfect session for India: they scored 83 runs in 28 overs and, most importantly, lost not a solitary wicket. They won an important toss, sure, but they have batted beautifully and it’s already hard to see how England can avoid defeat in this Test.

8.38am GMT

53rd over: India 187-3 (Sharma 131, Rahane 35) Olly Stone comes on for one over before tea. After a few 90mph+ looseners, he beats Rahane with a clever slower ball. Stone’s performance so far has been the high point of a difficult day for England.

“Good morning, Rob, and greetings from frozen over Berlin,” says Eva Maaten. “Last February, when we were watching England play in SA seems like another world; I guess that’s what we all feel right now even without having moved continents last year. But that’s a digression. We finally got round to watching Lagaan the other night (I imagine the erudite OBO crowd is familiar with it) for a bit of historical background and full immersion into the England - India cricket rivalry; at four hours long, it even does a very good job in mimicking the atmosphere of watching aTtest match. Real cricket might feel inspired to include the occasional Bollywood dance routine at moments of high drama. Just a thought. And I was wondering if Ben Stokes has been modelling himself on the larger-than-life and impossibly good hero of the movie.”

8.32am GMT

52nd over: India 187-3 (Sharma 131, Rahane 35) Sharma cuts Leach for two to bring up a game-changing - maybe series-changing - hundred partnership. India are a few minutes away from a wicketless session; I don’t think there will be too many of those in this Test.

8.29am GMT

51st over: India 185-3 (Sharma 129, Rahane 35) Moeen goes around the wicket to Sharma, who dabs past the leaping Stokes at slip for four. As frustrating at this has been for England, Sharma and Rahane have batted quite beautifully on a tricky first-day pitch.

“England won the first test with bat and ball, and now they’re going for the series with the mind,” roars Felix Wood. “Get Kohli for a duck but let Rahane get big runs, hammering on the cracks in this fragile India dressing-room. It really is very impressive indeed and no shut up YOU’RE grasping at straws.”

8.25am GMT

50th over: India 180-3 (Sharma 124, Rahane 35) A good over from Leach, one from it. England need to keep telling themselves that, on this pitch, one wicket could bring 12. But in truth they are already in a deal of trouble.

8.22am GMT

49th over: India 179-3 (Sharma 123, Rahane 35) Sharma slog-sweeps Moeen for four, fetching him from outside off stump. India have gone after Moeen, which I think is a good approach. I know a lot of people say you don’t need to do that because he will always bowl you the odd bad ball. But Moeen’s confidence is so fragile - and he can be so dangerous when his that confidence is high - that there is plenty to gain from getting on top of him, as Australia have shown.

8.19am GMT

48th over: India 174-3 (Sharma 118, Rahane 35) The pace of Sharma’s innings has been fascinating - 80 from 78 balls before lunch, 38 from 78 since the break. The greedy bugger wants bed and breakfast!

“India are miles ahead now,” says Andrew Hurley. “With Pant to come against a tiring attack... never has the idea to not play Jimmy look so silly (not hindsight, he can play consecutive Tests...)”

8.14am GMT

47th over: India 169-3 (Sharma 114, Rahane 34) Moeen has changed ends to replace Broad. Rahane is hit outside the line by a big off-break, prompting Joe Root to put in a leg gully. It also induces a rare poor stroke from Rahane, who scuffs a big drive just short of Lawrence at mid-off. He’s back to his serene best next ball, skidding back in his crease to force three runs through the covers. That was a lovely shot.

8.10am GMT

46th over: India 164-3 (Sharma 112, Rahane 31) Jack Leach (15-2-31-1) changes ends to replace Moeen Ali (12-0-55-1). Sharma feels for a good delivery that lifts from a length and flies between slip and silly point, then inside-edges just past leg stump for three. That was beautifully bowled by Leach, an arm ball that had Sharma in two minds.

A good over turns into an expensive one when Rahane back cuts classily for four. He is playing with his usual unobtrusive brilliance, and his partnership with Sharma - worth 78 now - already feels like a potential matchwinner.

8.04am GMT

45th over: India 157-3 (Sharma 109, Rahane 27) Broad now has a short mid-on and short mid-off for Sharma, a kind of tactical V-sign. He has gone into full subcontinent mode, with almost everything full and straight. His second spell (4-1-9-0) has been excellent, missing only the one thing England really need: a wicket.

If England win the second Test, against this Indian team with 3 spinners on a bunsen after losing the toss, it has to be their best away win...

7.59am GMT

44th over: India 156-3 (Sharma 108, Rahane 27) It’s been a mixed return so far for Moeen. He ripped out Kohli for a duck with a beautiful delivery, but he’s going at 4.5 per over. In a game that is likely to be low scoring, that’s a problem.

“I was wondering where you were getting the extra 30-odd runs from,” says Chris Purcell. “It slowly dawned I was on Channel 4+1... errrr... had been for little while... morning everyone!”

7.56am GMT

43rd over: India 152-3 (Sharma 105, Rahane 26) Broad is bowling a good second spell, with plenty of cutters and a very tight line. Sharma steers him for a couple of twos, taking India past 150 in the process. After winning a vital toss, they are in a pretty strong position.

7.52am GMT

This is Rohit Sharma’s seventh Test hundred, all of them made in India. He is a home banker, who averages 85 in Tests in India and 27 overseas. In fact, of those who have played at least 20 Test innings in home conditions, only Don Bradman has a higher average.

7.51am GMT

42nd over: India 148-3 (Sharma 101, Rahane 26) Thanks Tim, morning everyone. That’s enough of the pleasantries, because Rohit Sharma has made an extraordinary hundred! He laps Moeen for two to reach a century off only 130 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes. And it’s come out of a score of only 148, on an awkward pitch. It’s been a glorious performance.

7.47am GMT

41st over: India 144-3 (Sharma 98, Rahane 25) Broad is using all his wiles to keep Sharma from three figures, landing the ball on off stump while varying his grip each time. He gets a leg-cutter past the outside edge, but Rohit’s forward defensive holds out otherwise, and that’s drinks with India inching back on top. These two have added 58 and although England have kept Rohit honest, he’s still there. That’s it from me – over to the OBO maestro, Rob Smyth, for the rest of a fascinating day.

7.42am GMT

40th over: India 144-3 (Sharma 98, Rahane 25) Moeen almost nabs Rohit as he goes too early with a sweep and the ball pops up off the toe end towards Burns at short midwicket. Burns can’t quite make it in fast enough, perhaps held back by his lockdown hairdo, an early-Eighties mullet.

7.38am GMT

39th over: India 143-3 (Sharma 97, Rahane 25) Root, who’s been proactive, gives Leach a rest and brings back Broad, who has probably been muttering to himself in the deep for two hours after going for 21 off his four overs with the new ball. He induces a nick from Rahane with the leg-cutter, but it goes for four. “No reverse swing yet,” says Butcher, “until now–” as the next ball is an inswinging yorker. If it had been delivered at Stone’s pace, it would have troubled Rahane.

More on how to get radio commentary around the world. “I’ve downloaded the talksport app here in Sydney,” says Sam Rowe. “Ball by ball commentary there. That should work in Singapore (and elsewhere)?”

7.32am GMT

38th over: India 139-3 (Sharma 97, Rahane 21) With the singles coming too easily, Root moves himself to silly mid-on, like the captain of the Under-10s. Rohit, reluctant to be tied down, gives Mo the charge and slaps over long-off for six. He’s within one shot of a hundred, and the crowd are crazy for it, but he’s calm enough to follow up with a forward defensive.

7.28am GMT

37th over: India 133-3 (Sharma 91, Rahane 21) Three singles from Leach’s over too as Rohit eases into the nineties.

“To answer Richard’s question from the 33rd over,” says Mittu Choudhary, “you can watch the match on Hotstar in Singapore – with a subscription, of course.” Really? In Britain, we have the cricket on telly for nothing, in a tradition that goes all the way back to the beginning of this month.

7.25am GMT

36th over: India 130-3 (Sharma 89, Rahane 20) Better from Moeen, but he still goes for three singles. So far he’s been much like the man he replaced, Dom Bess – patchy, with outbreaks of brilliance.

7.21am GMT

35th over: India 128-3 (Sharma 88, Rahane 19) Leach beats Rahane with a classic slow-left-arm delivery, dipping like a good free kick. “A peach from Leach,” Mark Butcher observes.

“Still can’t get over the number of changes in the squad from the last Test,” says Mittu Choudhary in Hanumangarh. “On the commentary, Sunil Gavaskar raises a pertinent point asking why are only the quicks and keepers being rotated. Would we see Root also being rested for the next Test or the one after that? For the sake of India’s chances – hope that happens.” Maybe if he scores 400.

7.17am GMT

34th over: India 127-3 (Sharma 88, Rahane 18) Stone goes off after blotting his copybook and back comes Moeen. Rohit’s eyes light up, for the first time since lunch, as he sweeps for four.

7.14am GMT

33rd over: India 121-3 (Sharma 83, Rahane 17) Good again from Leach, who gets one ball to bounce sharply at Rahane, while another skids through. You wouldn’t want to bat last on this pitch.

“I’ve just landed home in Singapore,” says Richard Eardley, “and face an obligatory 2 weeks quarantine in a hotel room. Following OBO is helping while away the time in entertaining fashion, but commentary would also help. Any advice on how to listen online from Sing would be gratefully received!” Hoping someone has the answer.

7.09am GMT

32nd over: India 120-3 (Sharma 82, Rahane 17) Rahane reaches double figures with a lovely shot, a back-foot force for four off Stone. When Stone responds by pitching it up, Rahane coolly pushes into the covers for four more. This is Stone’s first bad over, but he ends it well with a yorker, dug out by Rahane.

7.05am GMT

31st over: India 112-3 (Sharma 82, Rahane 9) Another tidy over from Leach, who has one for 26 from 12 overs. He’s England No.1 spinner now and bowling like it.

7.02am GMT

30th over: India 111-3 (Sharma 82, Rahane 8) Rahane pulls Stone for a single, wielding a shovel rather than a rapier. He’s having a year of drastically mixed fortunes – first leading India to a famous victory in Brisbane, then making 1 and 0 in the first Test of this series.

“What times we live in,” says Guy Hornsby. “Disturbed sleep due to a restless toddler, but resisting score checking until lunch. India in. Oh. 3 down. Oh! Replays of Kohli’s wicket. Wow. Sharma’s strike rate. Yikes. Pitch dusty already. There’s a LOT to take in. It’s only half 6 on day 1.” Have you ever thought about becoming a live-blogger?

6.57am GMT

29th over: India 110-3 (Sharma 82, Rahane 7) Leach raps Rohit on the pad as he misses a lap and appeals, but doesn’t review as the impact was probably outside off. Itching to get the scoreboard moving again, Rohit chips for two, not all that convincingly.

“Could you clarify for me,” asks Dean Kinsella, “whether Kohli called for a player’s review of his dismissal? He obviously hung around until the scoreboard confirmed he was out.” He did hang around, but I don’t think he quite had the gall to make the T-shape and ask for a review. It was more of a teapot.

6.52am GMT

28th over: India 108-3 (Sharma 80, Rahane 7) Root sticks with Stone, who has two slips, a gully, a short leg and a leg slip, and rightly so. He draws a leading edge from Ajinkya Rahane as there appears to be some seam movement, of all the strange things. Maybe it was a fast leg-cutter.

6.49am GMT

27th over: India 106-3 (Sharma 80, Rahane 5) Root gives Leach an in-out field – slip and short leg, men on the rope at cover and long-off, with himself at short extra. The aim is to lure Rohit into an uppish drive, but he’s not playing along – he leaves the ball when he can, and blocks when he can’t. That’s a maiden, only the second for Leach today.

6.46am GMT

The players are out there again and it’s going to be Jack Leach to continue.

6.44am GMT

The moment of the day so far is Moeen’s delivery to Kohli. My colleague Ali Martin has a clip for you here.

6.21am GMT

“This is the first time in Test cricket,” says Deepu Narayanan on Twitter, “[that] Virat Kohli has been dismissed for a DUCK by a spinner. (11th duck overall)”

6.14am GMT

“Morning Tim,” says Andy in Brum. “I liked that Kohli refused to go until he’d seen the glory of that dismissal on the big screen himself. Also looking at how the pitch is behaving, India can declare now and be batting again by tea.”

6.13am GMT

“Just crawled out of bed to check on progress,” says Patrick Shafe, “and over 10 minutes went from disappointed at losing the toss to elated at taking two quick wickets. Morning England!”

6.11am GMT

But first here’s Ian Forth. “The Bannerman,” he declares, “is officially in peril.”

6.09am GMT

26th over: India 106-3 (Sharma 80, Rahane 5) A nice surprise from Root, who brings back Stone to dish up some pace before lunch. It nearly works as Rahane glances uppishly, not far from Ollie Pope at leg slip. And it nearly works again as Rohit edges for four, low through the slips. Then Rahane inside-edges on to his thigh pad as the commentators detect the first hint of reverse swing. By the end of the over there are two short legs and Stone is bowling 148kph, which is 92mph. He finishes with a bouncer, safely evaded by Rahane.

And that’s lunch after a morning of turn and twists. Stone struck early, Sharma struck back, and then England’s spinners struck twice, removing Pujara and Kohli. It’s been a game of two ends, with Rohit cruising to 80 for none off 78 balls, while his mates have mustered only 26 for three. See you in half an hour.

6.00am GMT

25th over: India 100-3 (Sharma 75, Rahane 4) Leach overpitches and Rohit straight-drives, effortlessly, for his 12th four, to bring up India’s hundred.

“First thoughts on the day’s play so far,” says Kim Thonger. “Can’t help thinking Northamptonshire bootmaker Loake are missing a trick here. Surely now is the perfect moment for them to enter the cricket boot market with gusto, and sponsoring Stokes, Woakes and Foakes seems the obvious first step. A white variant of their classic Chelsea boot Chatsworth should be put into production immediately. Put me down for a pair of size 9s in a G fit.” Is that a wittily disguised plug?

5.57am GMT

24th over: India 96-3 (Sharma 71, Rahane 4) Moeen tosses it up outside off and Rohit sweeps for four. This field is better – slip, silly point, short leg. Moeen has been expensive, going for 32 off six overs, but it’s a price worth paying for the wicket of Kohli.

5.54am GMT

23rd over: India 91-3 (Sharma 65, Rahane 4) It’s a different game now, though you might not know it from the field, which remains conservative (slip, gully, no one at bat-pad). Sharma, recognising the need not to lose another wicket, is careful too against Leach, who now has fine figures – 8-1-19-1.

5.50am GMT

22nd over: India 90-3 (Sharma 65, Rahane 4) Moeen comes straight back down to earth with a full toss, gratefully pushed for four by Rahane. He won’t mind that: the ball to Kohli was just superb, drifting away towards slip, luring him into the drive, then turning sharply to clip the off bail. After a tough 18 months, going from a nasty bout of Steve Smith to catching Covid-19, Moeen now has something to add his highlights reel.

5.46am GMT

Castled! Through the gate, by a classic off-break. Kohli, who was playing an expansive drive, is so stunned that he tries to convince the umpire that the ball has ricocheted off the keeper. It hasn’t! And the master batsman has gone for a duck. The crowd watch him go in silence, like the MCC members greeting Ian Botham in 1981.

5.43am GMT

21st over: India 85-2 (Sharma 64, Kohli 0) So here comes Virat Kohli, under a bit of pressure after losing his last four Tests. He starts by leaving Leach’s arm ball, prompting a few oohs and aahs from the fielders as it’s not far from the off stump.

“Perfect timing in Melbourne,” says Andy Stead. “A five-day lockdown to coincide with a five-day Test.” Ha. Lockdown isn’t too bad for cricket lovers, is it? We’ve had so much practice.

5.40am GMT

Leach makes the ball grip and turn, Pujara tries to run it down to backward point, but he can only nick it to slip, where Stokes takes a neat low catch. And England get a wicket just when they need it.

5.38am GMT

20th over: India 84-1 (Sharma 63, Pujara 21) Another short ball from Moeen, another cut for four from Rohit. This is beginning to feel ominous.

“Was that just me, or did that edge keep low?” wonders Sunjay Vatul. “Didn’t carry either. Also, you might be pleased to note Pujara’s judgement of length [18th over] is intact. It was Rohit that edged the cherry.” D’oh!

5.34am GMT

19th over: India 77-1 (Sharma 57, Pujara 20) Another minor victory for Leach, who finds the inside edge of Sharma’s broad blade, but it goes for a single.

“Great coverage once again and lots of early risers tuning in,” says Ian Wilson in Side, Turkey. “Seeing Rohit’s contribution to the 50 partnership reminds me of a game I was playing in for Wessex Wanderers in Dorset in the late 70s, chasing 105 in a rain-affected club match. I contributed 46 to a opening stand of 52 and then got myself out and watched my opening partner carry his bat for 24 and hitting the winning runs as the heavens opened above us. Surprising how memories are triggered.”

5.30am GMT

18th over: India 75-1 (Sharma 56, Pujara 19) Pujara is famous for his judgment of length but Moeen manages to lure him into no-man’s-land – only for the edge to drop short of Stokes again. The last ball of the over is less good, short and wide, and Sharma cuts it for four off the toe of the bat.

5.26am GMT

17th over: India 67-1 (Sharma 51, Pujara 16) Leach has an LBW appeal against Sharma, but England don’t review this time and rightly so. It may have struck him outside the line of off and it was missing anyway, because there was some bounce.

“I don’t know which hope I feel more ashamed for believing in,” says Dwight Johnson. “The hope that England can produce a replica performance, or the hope that my friend was right and Argos actually will release some PlayStation 5s between 3 and 4am.”

5.22am GMT

16th over: India 64-1 (Sharma 50, Pujara 14) Pujara is mostly defending, the old-school way with bat and pad together, but he skips down to whip Moeen for four. And Root comes back onto the field.

“Twelve overs in the first hour, ” says Richard Hirst. “Poor. England already sensing a long day ahead and slowing the game down?” Perhaps, but there was a hold-up while Pujara was with the physio.

5.19am GMT

15th over: India 60-1 (Sharma 50, Pujara 10) As Root goes off for treatment, Sharma takes a leaf out of his book by sweeping Leach, crisply, for four, and again for four more, to go to fifty off only 47 balls. He’s been so good, he could almost be one of India’s young guns.

5.15am GMT

14th over: India 51-1 (Sharma 42, Pujara 9) So Moeen has the red ball in his hands for the first time since the start of the Ashes in August 2019, when he took a pummelling from Steve Smith at Edgbaston. Moeen looks loose and fit, after his bout of Covid. But off his first ball, Pujara drives to mid-off, where Joe Root seems to hurt his ankle, or is it his knee? A couple more singles and that’s the fifty partnership.

5.10am GMT

13th over: India 48-1 (Sharma 41, Pujara 7) Leach makes something happen now – turn and bounce, a kiss of the glove as Sharma props forward, and it drops just short of Stokes at slip. A moral victory for Leach, who manages to keep Sharma quiet for six balls. Moeen is about to join him in the attack.

5.05am GMT

“For us in Mexico,” says David Grant, “cricket in Asia is a terrible time, play starts at 10pm. However, the Ashes down over starts at 5pm – perfect.” Down over! That could catch on.

5.03am GMT

12th over: India 48-1 (Sharma 41, Pujara 7) Stokes drops short and Sharma pulls for six! So Stokes drops short again, and Sharma hooks for four. The crowd make the sort of noise you hear at a concert by Taylor Swift – sheer unadulterated idolatry.

And that’s drinks, with India taking control on a flat pitch after that early shock from Olly Stone.

5.00am GMT

11th over: India 37-1 (Sharma 30, Pujara 7) While Sharma goes for his shots, Pujara is happy to block. Leach does have a short leg now, but only because silly point has moved across the strip. The commentators mention Leach’s record in the first innings of a Test, which is not encouraging: an average of 50-something, as opposed to 20 in the second innings. The only crumb of comfort for him is that this may already be a second-innings pitch.

“Barring injury,” says Sohid Ahmed, “I wish teams would not replace so many of their players from one match to the next. If England lose, their fans will forever ponder what might have happened if they had stuck to the
winning combination. If India wins, their fans will always question if the victory is truly deserved. Just last night, I watched a super insightful documentary, The Edge, and the mental toll it takes on a cricketer. Perhaps the replacements have something to do with that. It
was heartbreaking and an eye-opener hearing Jonathan Trott talk about his mental struggles and how isolated he felt during the heights of England’s dominance in Test cricket.”

4.55am GMT

10th over: India 36-1 (Sharma 29, Pujara 7) It’s a double change as Ben Stokes replaces Stone. His loosener is greeted warmly by Sharma, who sees a half-volley and dispatches it through the covers. He has played as if he’s thrilled to have the crowd back in. Rohit Showman.

4.51am GMT

9th over: India 31-1 (Sharma 24, Pujara 7) Joe Root, who has become a much more self-confident captain, takes Broad off and turns to spin, bringing Jack Leach on. He gives him a slip and a silly point, but no short leg – confident, but still not very attacking. The review is the only alarm for the batsmen.

“Good middle of the night, Tim.” Nice one, Phil Sawyer. “I had a filling fall out around midnight, so I’m waiting to ring the dentist first thing. To be honest, I’m not actually experiencing any pain. It was just a good excuse to stay up drinking Jura for medicinal purposes and wait for the cricket to start. Mind you, Jura’s a powerful medicine so I’m not sure how long I’ll be with yzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz”

4.49am GMT

Root reviews at the last second. Sharma swept at Leach and missed, but it’s leg-stump-ish... Impact outside the line, so the decision is upheld.

4.44am GMT

8th over: India 29-1 (Sharma 23, Pujara 6) Sharma is playing more like Gill, or even Pant. He sees something short and wide from Stone and flays it for four to go to 23 off 24 balls.

“Good arvo Mr de Lisle!!” It’s David Melhuish. “First day of the new Chinese New Year, the year of the Ox here in Macao/Macau. This does feel like a New Dawn after some darkened days. Broad looking fit, on fire, focussed. Crowds within giving some atmosphere. Ch 4 delivering the visuals. It’s gonna be an absorbing day’s play!” It is.

4.40am GMT

7th over: India 22-1 (Sharma 17, Pujara 5) A single to each batsman as Broad continues to be uncharacteristically generous. He bounces back with an LBW appeal against Sharma, and when it’s turned down he of course wants a review, but Stokes at second slip points out that there was a big inside edge. And then it’s Sharma’s turn to come up with a riposte as he chips over mid-on for four. That ball produced a puff of dust, which will excite the spinners on both sides.

4.35am GMT

6th over: India 16-1 (Sharma 12, Pujara 4) Stone makes an impact again, on Pujara’s hand as he fends off a short ball. The physio comes on and is clearly trying to work out whether there’s a broken finger, but Pujara grits his teeth and bats on. That’s another maiden for Stone. In his second Test, he has the sort of figures you expect from Broad, who’s in his 145th: 3-2-1-1.

4.27am GMT

5th over: India 16-1 (Sharma 12, Pujara 4) Broad v Sharma, and it’s a good contest. A square drive for two, an off-drive for four, but in between Broad gets Sharma where he wants him, in two minds, as he tries to play no stroke at the last moment and gets a bottom edge.

4.23am GMT

4th over: India 10-1 (Sharma 6, Pujara 4) Stone concedes a run but saves three as he half-stops an off-drive from Sharma. Then he bowls a sharp bouncer to Pujara, who sways out of the line, immaculately. The pitch is not quick, Nick Knight reckons, but it’s offering “good carry”.

4.19am GMT

3rd over: India 9-1 (Sharma 5, Pujara 4) Runs! Four of them to Sharma as he pushes Broad through the covers. This goes down a treat with the crowd. It’s so good to hear something that isn’t fake noise. Sharma adds a single and then Pujara edges – but safely, along the ground, for four more. Suddenly, Broad’s figures lie in ruins.

4.14am GMT

2nd over: India 0-1 (Sharma 0, Pujara 0) Stone starts with a maiden too, a wicket-maiden. Easy game, this.

4.10am GMT

Wow. Stone bowls an inswinger in the channel and Shubman Gill shoulders arms! If he’d played a shot, he would have saved his skin. As it is, Sharma says don’t even bother reviewing, and that’s England’s first LBW of this series – plus a big, big moment for Olly Stone.

4.07am GMT

1st over: India 0-0 (Sharma 0, Gill 0) Broad, in his bandana, is on the spot, giving Rohit Sharma a mixture of full deliveries and back-of-a-length. And that’s a maiden.

4.02am GMT

The players are out there AND SO ARE THE FANS, who are making some noise, chanting and hooting. Stuart Broad has the ball in his hands.

3.55am GMT

“This seems like it will be our only ever chance for Stokes-Foakes-Woakes,” says McAllister Riptide on Twitter. “Why do they keep dragging poor Chris everywhere when they (wrongly) seem to think he’s shit?” Yes, it’s hard on him. But there may be another chance for Stokes-Foakes-Woakes in the next match, as it’s a day-nighter with the pink ball and the prospect of swing – Jimmy Anderson will come back in, and Woakes could join him.

3.51am GMT

England, as expected, make four changes to a winning team, which may be the first time they’ve ever done so in mid-series. As well as Stone replacing Archer (sore elbow), Ben Foakes takes over behind the stumps from Jos Buttler (on leave), Stuart Broad replaces Jimmy Anderson (rested), Moeen Ali is preferred to Dom Bess – dropped after bowling three full tosses in a row to Kohli, but also after getting him out.

India make just the three changes, bringing in Patel for Shahbaz Nadeem, Siraj for Bumrah, and Kuldeep for Sundar. But that’s three of their five bowlers, so they’ll all be fresh apart from Ishant and Ashwin. All told, five bowlers out of the frontline ten from last time will not be playing here.

3.42am GMT

Also out is Washington Sundar, who batted better than he bowled in the first Test. His slot goes to Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm wrist-spinner, and as expected Axar Patel comes in as the slow left-armer in place of Shahbaz Nadeem, who laboured with the ball and made a pair with the bat. Patel, who has 49 white-ball caps, becomes India’s sixth Test debutant in seven weeks since Melbourne, and adds to the multitude of all-rounders. Tails are gonna wag.

3.40am GMT

Bumrah is rested! His place goes to Mohammed Siraj, who did so well in Australia. And Jofra Archer’s place goes to Olly Stone, who will play his second Test and be the fastest man in the match. This is not good news for the Stokes-Foakes-Woakes fan club, but it should be entertaining.

3.36am GMT

“Just coming up to midday here in Wuxi, China,” says Richard Woods. “A two-sweater day but the sun is out, the OBO is on and after the first Test, the glass is half full. Play!” Only two sweaters? London is minus 3. But I’m with you on the glass.

3.34am GMT

Joe Root puts a foot wrong! Virat Kohli says thank you very much, we’ll have a bat. It’s probably what the series needed.

3.31am GMT

One brings two. “Friday night in Vancouver,” says Pau; Done. “I may only catch the first couple of hours tonight, but an 8pm start time after a few Friday beers on a long weekend seems the optimal way to enjoy tTst cricket. If you can’t be in the stands. Cheers and thank you for getting up so early.” It’s a pleasure. Well, a privilege, anyway.

3.29am GMT

The first email of the match is from Matthew Doherty. “How can the series go flat if England go 3-0 up?” he remonstrates. “This lot can’t do anything like that easily!” It’s a good point.

12.23pm GMT

Morning everyone and welcome to our coverage of the second Test. It’s the middle of the night if you’re in Europe, it’s the middle of February, and it’s the middle of lockdown – but you can still jump out of bed with a spring in your step, because England won the first Test. Nothing sets up a series like a famous victory for the visiting team, especially when it marks the fall of a fortress – before last weekend, India had lost just once in 34 home Tests. The only way this series can go flat now is for England to win the next two Tests, which doesn’t seem all that great a danger.

As the teams go back out onto the same field of battle, the air is full of questions. Can India bounce back? (Yes – they just proved that in Australia.) Can England make it seven away wins in a row? (Yes – as long as they play out of their skins, and more than three batsmen make runs.) Can Joe Root keep piling up huge scores? (Probably not, but he’s in the zone as never before.) What happens if India bat first? (A lot of hard yakka.) Will Virat Kohli show everyone who’s the king? (Very possibly – if he can make 72 on the fifth day, he can make 172 on the first. And his unlikely nemesis, Dom Bess, isn’t playing.) Will the pitch be a raging turner? (Yes, according to Ajinkya Rahane, who says it looks “completely different” from the first-Test pitch: “I am sure it will turn from day one.”)

Continue reading...

Liverpool 1-4 Manchester City: Premier League – as it happened

Alisson made two appalling mistakes and Phil Foden scored a peach as the leaders thrashed the champions on a surreal afternoon at Anfield

9.09pm GMT

Foden.

Related: Phil Foden bewitches Liverpool: this is the best young player in England

9.08pm GMT

Klopp.

Related: Klopp cannot explain Alisson's howlers for Liverpool in Manchester City loss

6.51pm GMT

That’s it for tonight’s blog. I’ll leave you with Dave Hytner’s match report - goodnight!

Related: Manchester City hammer sorry Liverpool at Anfield after Alisson errors

6.50pm GMT

Here’s Jurgen Klopp

“For big parts of the game we were brilliant – we played really good football. [To the interviewer] I can see in your eyes you see it differently. I really liked our performance in the first half. At the start of the second half, City changed system and we didn’t give enough options to play and then gave the first goal away.

6.35pm GMT

Liverpool have lost three consecutive league games at Anfield for the first time since 1963. Before that they were unbeaten for almost four years.

6.32pm GMT

Here’s Phil Foden, who was two years old when City last won at Anfield

“We showed the courage to play our football and in the end it paid off. Sometimes we’re slow to get going and I think we were better in the second half. We definitely forced the errors, and that’s something we’ve been working on in training. [Could you have struck your goal any better?] No. I struck it perfect and I was just pleased to see it go in.

6.29pm GMT

Great teams can collapse suddenly - it happened to the Invincibles - but I don’t think this is the end of Liverpool. It’s been a bit of a perfect storm - injuries, fatigue, low confidence, no crowds, a slight change in style - and they are young enough to bounce back next season.

6.22pm GMT

Peep peep! Manchester City end their Anfield hoodoo and Liverpool’s title challenge with a thumping victory. They were the better team, with Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling excellent, but the game turned on two extraordinary mistakes from Alisson in the 73rd and 76th minutes. Ilkay Gundogan also scored twice and missed a penalty in a surreal game. The upshot is that City go five points clear of Manchester United with a game in hand. They will take some catching now.

6.19pm GMT

90+1 min There will be three minutes of added existential angst for Liverpool.

6.19pm GMT

90 min This will be City’s first win at Anfield since 2003. They haven’t actually played that well, they had Ilkay Gundogan blooter a penalty into Stanley Park, and they are still winning 4-1.

6.17pm GMT

89 min “If Robertson and Henderson have a scrap with each other away to Leipzig,” says Niall Mullen, “Liverpool’s 95-96 Blackburn tribute act will be complete.”

6.17pm GMT

88 min “Hello Rob,” says Geoff Wignall. “Now I know Liverpool are about to romp to another title, by ten or so points, because I always believe what I read a) in The Guardian and b) online. I’m just a bit puzzled by their strategy for achieving that. Any elucidation you can offer?”

It was a prediction. Have been they cancelled as well?

6.16pm GMT

87 min Liverpool are passing the ball around, trying to get the match over with as soon as possible.

6.15pm GMT

86 min “Liverpool hasn’t won many matches with Thiago,” says Barry Owens. “Coincidental as opposed to causation I’m sure.”

I think there is a worrying whiff of Juan Veron and the golden goose about Thiago, though he’s far from the only reason for their collapse. They need to get Henderson back in midfield, for one thing.

6.13pm GMT

85 min Andy Robertson is replaced by Kostas Tsimikas.

6.12pm GMT

84 min Alexander-Arnold leaves one on Ederson, a gratuitous tackle that leads to a bit of finger-pointing.

6.11pm GMT

Pick that out! It started when Jesus floated a pass out to Foden on the right. He ran at Robertson, hugging the ball on his left foot. Then, in the blink of an eye, he shifted it inside and spanked a spectacular shot that went through the hand of Alisson. There was barely any backlift, yet Foden hit it so well that Alisson was still beaten for pace.

6.10pm GMT

Phil Foden caps a majestic second-half performance with a blistering goal!

6.08pm GMT

81 min I still can’t believe that. Two diabolical howlers from Alisson, the best goalkeeper in the world, in the space of four minutes. It’s not especially fair, but they may come to symbolise Liverpool’s increasingly farcical title defence.

6.07pm GMT

80 min “No doubt it was a penalty, Rob, but Salah seemed to throw himself a bit in order to exaggerate the contact?” says Simon McMahon. “I’ve no problem with that, but a Celtic player just this week has been banned for two games (subject to appeal) for something similar, in as much as that while there may have been contact (and a penalty awarded in both cases), the Celtic player was cited for simulation after the initial contact. Sorry, I’m confusing myself now. VAR is great though, isn’t, it?”

6.05pm GMT

This is utterly bizarre. Alisson, under no real pressure, passed the ball straight to Bernardo Silva on the right edge of the area. He ran infield and scooped the ball over Alisson, allowing Sterling to head into the net from a yard. What the hell has just happened?

6.04pm GMT

Alisson has done it again!

6.02pm GMT

That was bizarre. Alisson had already given the ball away 20 seconds earlier when he hooked a clearance straight to Foden, 25 yards from goal in the inside-right channel. Foden went straight for the throat, slipping gracefully between Henderson and Robertson in the area before stabbing the ball across to Gundogan. He rammed it into the roof of the net from close range. It’s Gundogan’s second goal, but Foden deserves so much credit for his devastating run and pass.

6.01pm GMT

Gundogan gets his second after a howler from Alisson!

6.00pm GMT

73 min Foden has moved to the right, which is a surprise as he’s been excellent in the second half.

6.00pm GMT

73 min “My friend had to explain every United fan’s hope for a 0-0 to his son yesterday: you want City to lose, but you never went Liverpool to win,” says Mark Childs. “Good parenting: teaching your child the pettiness of being a supporter.”

5.59pm GMT

72 min A City substitution: Gabriel Jesus replaces the largely anonymous Riyad Mahrez.

5.59pm GMT

72 min: NO GOAL! VAR confirms Stones was offside.

5.59pm GMT

71 min: Stones has a goal disallowed! It’s very tight but I think he was just offside when he volleyed Foden’s cross past Alisson. VAR are checking.

5.58pm GMT

70 min Fabinho, who wasn’t booked when he gave away the penalty, is booked now for pulling back Foden.

5.57pm GMT

69 min The increasingly influential Sterling crosses dangerously towards Foden, who goes over after a challenge from behind by Robertson. The ball rolls back to Bernardo Silva, who blasts a half-volley wide from 20 yards. There were no penalty appeals from City and, while I don’t think it was a foul, it was a risky challenge from Robertson.

5.55pm GMT

68 min A draw is still a decent result for City, less so for Liverpool. With that in mind, Jurgen Klopp is making a double substitution: Xherdan Shaqiri and James Milner replace Thiago, who looked a little lost, and the impressive Curtis Jones.

5.52pm GMT

64 min On the possible Dias red card, there was another defender coming across, so a yellow card was probably fair enough. But it also makes you wonder whether Dias really needed to pull Salah back. I suppose it was just panic.

5.51pm GMT

64 min “I was going to point out that this was just as dull for non-neutrals, but that was clearly too much temptation for the football gods,” wrote Liz Rippin when the score was 1-0. “Now I’m probably going to have to ritually sacrifice one of the cats.”

I’m glad Mo Salah has given Piechnik a last-minute reprieve.

5.51pm GMT

Salah smashes the ball into the net!

5.50pm GMT

PENALTY TO LIVERPOOL! Ruben Dias makes a mess of a clearance on the edge of the area and then pulls back Salah. Another clear penalty. Dias is booked - but surely that’s a red card under the David Luiz Law?

5.46pm GMT

59 min “Getting desperate,” says Matt Dony. “Null and void?”

This season and last? If you really insist.

5.46pm GMT

58 min: Just wide from Jones! That was good play from Liverpool. Alexander-Arnold sprayed a lovely crossfield pass out to Jones on the left. He ran through Cancelo’s challenge and sidefooted a low shot that deflected just wide of the far post.

5.45pm GMT

58 min It’s been a game of subtle moodswings, and at the moment City look much more confident.

5.44pm GMT

56 min “When a goal goes in can you add the suffix NCOV to denote ‘No Chance of VAR’ so I don’t put too much emotional energy in hoping it will be disallowed,” says Ben Bennett. “A little gift to the hopeful/hopeless.”

There’s always a chance of VAR, even after the final whistle.

5.43pm GMT

55 min Jones shoots over from 30 yards.

5.42pm GMT

55 min If City win this they will be five points clear of Manchester United with a game in hand. It’s hard to see them losing that sort of lead, especially while they are only conceding one goal every month.

5.41pm GMT

54 min Liverpool went almost four years without losing a league game at Anfield; now they are facing a third consecutive defeat. Verily, it is a funny old game.

5.40pm GMT

53 min “Huge MBM mistake, very embarrassing,” says Oliver Forrest. “Hate to be a pedant (actually I love it obviously) but Stanley Park is on the Anfield Road side of Anfield, not the Kop side, so Gundogan actually blootered his penalty in the vague region of the Rupert Lane Recreation Ground.”

My point exactly.

5.39pm GMT

52 min City have made a superb start to the second half. Foden bursts down the left and clips a cross that just evades the unmarked Sterling at the far post.

5.38pm GMT

Raheem Sterling started it with a good run infield from the left. He beat Alexander-Arnold far too easily and slid a square pass to Foden, six yards from goal. His low shot was brilliantly saved to his left by Alisson, but Gundogan gobbled up the rebound with considerable glee.

5.37pm GMT

Ilkay Gundogan, who missed a penalty in the first half, has given City the lead!

5.35pm GMT

48 min There are fireworks galore going off outside the ground. “Is it still tier 2 round here?” sniffs Gary Neville on Sky.

5.35pm GMT

48 min “Are you United fans lustily cheering the Reds on today?” asks Niall Mullen. “Or is it a bridge too far?”

Truthfully, I’m dead inside so I couldn’t really care.

5.34pm GMT

47 min Pep Guardiola has switched to a 4-4-2, with Bernardo Silva moving up front alongside Phil Foden.

5.34pm GMT

47 min “Hallo Rob,” says Shane O’Leary. “Entertaining as this epic clash is, the real question on every quivering lip is... which water is the dullest, ditch or dish? I think we should be told.”

I’d say ditch, unless you have very strange culinary preferences.

5.34pm GMT

46 min Mane tries to slide a through pass to Salah, and Zinchenko comes across to make a good interception.

5.32pm GMT

46 min Peep peep! Liverpool begin the second half.

5.26pm GMT

Half-time pluggery

S4 Ep6 is here. Part 1 of our deep dive into Kevin Keegan's England and long chat about player of the pod, Gianfranco Zolahttps://t.co/Td2eUp1enl

5.24pm GMT

“I wasn’t expecting a classic from these two but for the neutrals that first half was as dull as dishwater,” says Rick Harris. “Both managers will be relieved it is still 0-0 but for different reasons. Has to be a better second half surely?”

I wouldn’t bet on it; it could be as dull as ditchwater.

5.18pm GMT

Half-time reading

Related: European roundup: Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores 500th career goal in Milan win

5.18pm GMT

Peep peep! A surprisingly cautious half ends goalless. Liverpool were probably the better side, though City missed the best chance when Ilkay Gundogan blootered a penalty into Stanley Park.

5.15pm GMT

45+1 min Two minutes of added caution.

5.15pm GMT

45 min Alexander-Arnold’s corner is headed straight at Alisson by Mane, who was running away from goal and did well just to steer it on target.

5.15pm GMT

45 min In fact Thiago takes it, and his clipped free-kick hits the top of the wall and goes behind for a corner.

5.14pm GMT

43 min Firmino clips a good pass to Mane, who is fouled just outside the area by Cancelo. The free-kick is to the left of centre, so probably one for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

5.12pm GMT

42 min City still haven’t had a shot on target.

5.11pm GMT

41 min Liverpool appeal unsuccesssfully for a penalty when Salah’s shot hits the arm of Rodri. I think it was outside the area anyway, and there is no VAR intervention.

5.08pm GMT

38 min Kevin De Bruyne also missed a penalty in the return fixture.

5.07pm GMT

He’s blasted it over the bar, just like Riyad Mahrez on this ground two years ago!

5.06pm GMT

It was a clear penalty. Sterling ran at Alexander-Arnold and then Fabinho, who dangled a trailing leg and brought Sterling down.

5.06pm GMT

PENALTY TO CITY! It has changed again now - Sterling has been tripped by Fabinho!

5.04pm GMT

34 min The mood of the match has definitely changed. Liverpool look much more purposeful than they did at the start, with Alexander-Arnold and Robertson more influential.

5.03pm GMT

33 min Zinchenko miscontrols the ball behind for a corner, a really sloppy piece of play. Robertson’s corner is headed away by Rodri.

5.01pm GMT

30 min City break from the resulting corner, and for a moment it looks like Foden is going to run the length of the field. He pokes the ball past the last man Alexander-Arnold on the halfway line, but Jones gets back to cover.

4.59pm GMT

29 min Liverpool have been better in the last five or six minutes. Henderson drives a long pass towards Salah that is headed away by Dias. Firmino runs round the bouncing ball on the edge of the area and welts a shot that is pushed over by Ederson. It was a comfortable save.

4.58pm GMT

28 min Gundogan overhits the resulting free-kick and the ball drifts out for a throw-in.

4.57pm GMT

27 min Foden aplays a crisp pass out to Mahrez, who runs at the last man Henderson and is clipped from behind by Mane. He might have been booked for that.

4.55pm GMT

24 min: Chance for Mane! That’s more like it. Alexander-Arnold moves smoothly away from Zinchenko and fizzes a cross towards the near post, where Mane gets in front of Joao Cancelo but heads over. That was a decent, if sharp, chance.

4.54pm GMT

24 min The stats show there has been one attempt on goal, by City, and I can’t even remember that.

4.53pm GMT

23 min Most of the match has been played at walking pace, a total contrast to the first half of the return fixture. That was wild and thrilling; this is not.

4.51pm GMT

21 min Liverpool are unrecognisable from the team that destroyed allcomers last season. Their tempo is far too slow and they are clearly bereft of confidence.

4.49pm GMT

19 min Salah slips, allowing Zinchenko to nick the ball 25 yards from goal. He gives it to Sterling on the left of the box, but he is crowded out.

4.46pm GMT

16 min City’s sterile domination continues. It’s been an intriguing start rather than an exciting one.

4.44pm GMT

14 min Thiago plays a good ball out to Robertson on the left. He swings in a deep cross that is claimed on the stretch by Ederson.

4.42pm GMT

13 min Liverpool look nervous, a little desperate even, and City must feel this is a great chance to put them away. The first goal, always crucial, feels even more important today.

4.41pm GMT

10 min “Nearly 10 minutes in now and neither side has troubled the keeper,” says Rick Harris. “It’s looking like the 0-0 stinker we were all secretly expecting.”

Pablo Honey, the first season of Seinfeld, Pulp’s first decade, Blackadder.

4.39pm GMT

9 min “Thiago, the bookable Scholes,” says Niall Mullen.

Scholes usually went straight to the red card.

4.38pm GMT

8 min Both teams have made a watchful start. City look more confident, as you’d expect, and have had most of the possession.

4.36pm GMT

7 min “I love him and he is brilliant but that’s a red from Thiago,” says Ruth Purdue. “He could’ve broken his ankle. Cynical and reckless, but they’d never give it a red.”

It was a poor tackle from the wrong side, but I didn’t think it was cynical. I thought a yellow was fair enough, though I’d like to see it again now.

4.35pm GMT

6 min Gundogan seems to be okay, which is very good news for City.

4.34pm GMT

4 min Thiago was very apologetic after the tackle, which was ill-conceived rather than malicious.

4.33pm GMT

4 min It’s his left ankle, in fact. He’s going to continue but he’s moving a little gingerly.

4.33pm GMT

3 min Thiago is booked for a poor tackle on Gundogan. This is a worry for City, because Gundogan is in a lot of pain. It looks like his right ankle.

4.32pm GMT

2 min A poor kick from Ederson goes straight to Mane, 30 yards from goal, but City have enough defenders back to see off any danger.

4.31pm GMT

1 min Phil Foden has started as the false nine for City, with Sterling on the left and Mahrez on the right. Liverpool’s formation is as expected.

4.30pm GMT

1 min Peep peep! City kick off from left to right.

4.30pm GMT

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola greet each other with a fistbump, a hug and a steadfast refusal to acknowledge the elephant on the touchline.

4.27pm GMT

It’s almost time for kick off. This is a huge game.

4.18pm GMT

“If we’re sharing Fall videos,” says Kári Tulinius, “I figured I might share one of my faves, Mark E. Smith reading the football results, sometime in 2005 or 06. My favourite bit is towards the end, when Smith, for some unknown reason, starts questioning the presenter’s choice of hairstyles.”

4.16pm GMT

And here’s Pep Guardiola

“Listen, when you analyse the results it’s one thing, when you analyse the performances it’s another. I never see the results when I analyse an opponent – I see what they do, how they are… [We can’t think], ‘Okay, they are below us in the table, no need to work, we will beat them.’ The teams have different styles, and we will see who is able to impose theirs.”

4.08pm GMT

“PRE-MATCH LISTENING” whispers Phil Podolsky.

It’s a belter, that, my favourite song of theirs apart from Bill Is Dead.

4.05pm GMT

Here’s Jurgen Klopp

“They [the two new centre-backs] have only had four sessions, so they were never going to start. Against City you have to defend a lot, that’s clear, but you have to play football as well and the two centre-halves [Fabinho and Henderson] are pretty good at that.

4.02pm GMT

Liverpool are seven points behind City, having played a game more, so a draw isn’t much use to them. And if City win, the entire title race is probably done.

3.56pm GMT

Pre-match reading

Related: Pep Guardiola's Dias-Stones-Cancelo axis faces stern test at Anfield | Barney Ronay

Related: Jürgen Klopp seeks ‘special’ win against Manchester City to reignite title push

3.41pm GMT

“I don’t know if the match will live up to the pre-game hype but oh what drama,” says Mary Waltz. “Liverpool has to win, City can realistically end the defending champs chances to repeat. Klopp’s confidence seems gone, Pep is confident enough to accuse Klopp of making excuses for his failures. Bring it on!”

Those comments from Pep was pretty interesting, weren’t they.

Related: Pep Guardiola says Klopp is making excuses for faltering title defence

3.35pm GMT

Alisson, Fabinho and Sadio Mane all return to the Liverpool team, while the new signing Ozan Kabak is on the bench. Pep Guardiola, who usually does something funky at Anfield, has brought Phil Foden in for Gabriel Jesus. That means one of Foden, Raheem Sterling or Riyad Mahrez will play as a false nine.

Liverpool (4-3-3) Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Henderson, Robertson; Thiago, Wijnaldum, Jones; Salah, Firmino, Mane.
Substitutes: Adrian, Kabak, Tsimikas, Phillips, N Williams, Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Shaqiri, Origi.

3.19pm GMT

It’s a big day in the north, love. Liverpool v Manchester City is the best rivalry in English football since the early 2000s, and this match is fully loaded with significance and subplots. Liverpool probably need to win to have any chance of retaining their title, while City are chasing a two-for-one deal: a first win at Anfield since 2003, and the added bonus of eliminating their most dangerous challenger from the title race.

On current form, it’s the resistible force against the immovable object. Liverpool haven’t scored at home for almost six hours, a bizarre run of form for a team who were unstoppable at Anfield for so long, while City have conceded only two goals in their last 13 league games. But Liverpool’s front three have some extremely happy memories of playing City at Anfield, including the devastating 3-1 win in this fixture a year ago. If this game can’t bring the band back together, then nothing will.

Continue reading...

Tottenham 2-0 West Brom: Premier League – live!

Harry Kane and Son scored early in the second half as Spurs ended their miserable run with a comfortable victory over West Brom

5.13pm GMT

Hear from José Mourinho and Sam Allardyce in post-match.

2.11pm GMT

Related: Harry Kane returns to spark Tottenham victory against West Brom

2.09pm GMT

And here’s Jose

“I love the compromise of the players – the effort, the determination. They showed everyone how together they are and how much they were suffering with the bad results. Of course we were dominant, and in the first half we could have killed the game, but the compromise of the players is the most important thing.

2.02pm GMT

Here’s Son-Heung min

“We’ve had a couple of bad results so it was very important to get back to winning ways. Harry is one of the best strikers in the world so we missed him, even if it was only a couple of games, and I’m happy that he scored again. I miss him.”

1.52pm GMT

More more more

Related: Wolves v Leicester: Premier League – live!

1.51pm GMT

Peep peep! Spurs end their miserable run with an easy victory over a hard-working but limited West Brom. An expert finish from Harry Kane put them ahead in the 54th minute, and Son finished off a devastating counter-attack soon after. Once Spurs went ahead, the result was never really in doubt.

1.50pm GMT

90+3 min The 16-year-old Dane Scarlett comes on for Son.

1.47pm GMT

90 min Four minutes of added time.

1.44pm GMT

87 min Maitland-Niles is fouled by Davies down the West Brom right. Pereira’s free-kick is cleared by Sanchez.

1.42pm GMT

86 min The match is petering out. West Brom have never really looked like getting back into it.

1.39pm GMT

82 min: Diagne has another goal disallowed! Again it was the correct decision, though he finished nicely from Pereira’s clipped pass.

1.38pm GMT

82 min This (probable) win takes Spurs up to seventh, four points off a Champions League place.

1.37pm GMT

80 min Phillips’ cross from the left is headed wide from 12 yards by Yokuslu. It wasn’t much of a chance.

1.36pm GMT

80 min A final change for West Brom: Matheus Pereira replaces Robert Snodgrass.

1.35pm GMT

78 min Okay Yokuslu comes on for his West Brom debut, in place of Romaine Sawyers. VAR are happy with that Snodgrass foul on Davies.

1.34pm GMT

77 min Snodgrass is booked for studding Davies in the groin as he fell. I don’t think it was deliberate, though VAR might look at it.

1.32pm GMT

76 min Nothing much is happening. West Brom look like they know it’s over - this game, and probably this season.

1.30pm GMT

74 min Erik Lamela, who has had a decent game, is replaced by Steven Bergwijn.

1.29pm GMT

72 min Two-nil can be a dangerous lead, it says here, but Spurs are very comfortable at the moment.

1.25pm GMT

69 min West Brom make a change: Matt Phillips is on for Karlan Grant. And Spurs have brought on Matt Doherty for Serge Aurier.

1.23pm GMT

66 min West Brom have had more of the ball since going behind, though they haven’t really threatened to score.

1.20pm GMT

64 min Lamela is booked for a lunge at Gallagher.

1.17pm GMT

60 min: Diagne has a goal disallowed for offside! It was a decent finish, a downward header past Lloris from Snodgrass’s cross, but replays confirm he was beyond the last man.

1.17pm GMT

60 min That was such a clever touch from Kane to start the counter-attack.

1.16pm GMT

That was a classic Spurs counter-attack. It started with Kane, who chested the ball deftly round the corner to find Lucas Moura in a bit of space. He charged 60 yards to the edge of the West Brom area and then played an angled pass to Son, who blasted a first-time shot through Johnstone.

1.14pm GMT

Son makes it two with a beautiful goal!

1.12pm GMT

56 min West Brom will have to come out and play now. They ahve some decent options on the bench, including Matheus Pereira.

1.11pm GMT

It was made by Hojbjerg, who slid an excellent pass through the eye of the needle to find Kane 12 yards from goal in the inside-left channel. He controlled the ball, opened his body and slid a precise low shot into the far corner with his right foot. Expertly done.

1.10pm GMT

Harry Kane scores his 208th goal for Spurs!

1.07pm GMT

50 min Lamela is fouled by Sawyers on the right wing. He takes the free-kick himself and Bartley heads away.

1.05pm GMT

48 min Lamela goes on a lovely run, hugging the ball on his left foot as he slaloms elegantly past Maitland-Niles and Gallagher. Then he shifts the ball away from Ajayi in the area - but that takes him onto his right foot, with which he slides a tame cross-shot wide of the far post.

1.04pm GMT

47 min Sam Johnstone is an extremely good goalkeeper, who probably deserves an England call-up.

1.03pm GMT

46 min: Good save from Johnstone! Spurs almost take the lead after 16 seconds of the second half. Kane turns smartly on the edge of the centre circle and threads a beautiful through ball to Son. He surges into the area and slides a low left-footed shot that is kicked away by the stretching Johnstone. That was fine goalkeeping, both the positioning and the reactions.

1.02pm GMT

46 min Peep peep! West Brom begin the second half.

12.52pm GMT

Half-time reading

Related: Pep Guardiola says Klopp is making excuses for faltering title defence

12.49pm GMT

Peep peep! So far so good for West Brom, who have kept their sheet clean with a determined defensive performance. Harry Kane missed two excellent chances, but Spurs looked increasingly frustrated as the half progressed.

12.46pm GMT

45+1 min “He’s off,” says Richard Harris. “In answer to Guy Hornsby’s resigned acceptance that Kane won’t stay at Spurs after this season, I reckon Chelsea or Manchester United would be interested but Levy would most likely give him to Real Madrid on condition they take away Bale at the same time like an old mattress or fridge.”

12.46pm GMT

45 min: Vital save from Lloris! West Brom almost steal the lead out of nothing. Maitland-Niles curls a pass down the right to Snodgrass, who teases Davies and lifts a lovely cross to find Diagne in space at the far post. He thumps a downward header towards goal and Lloris plunges to his right to push it away. It almost slipped under his body but Lloris just managed to keep it out with his arm as he fell to the ground. West Brom thought the ball might have crossed the line; the goalline technology suggested otherwise.

12.42pm GMT

42 min: Good save from Johnstone! Son’s corner from the left is flicked on at the near post and headed towards goal from close range by Aurier. Johnstone reaches to his right to paw the ball away, and then Peltier and Snodgrass throw themselves in front of Alderweireld’s follow-up shot. Brilliant defending.

12.41pm GMT

41 min “You say that West Brom have been pinned back, and although that’s true I don’t think Spurs are making it particularly difficult for them,” says Adam-Kline Schoder. “There’s not much speed in Spurs’ play as yet, and the slowly curated crosses from the wings towards relatively static forwards in the box are making it pretty easy for West Brom’s defence. I find that frustrating, as the few times Spurs have upped the tempo they’ve (a) looked really good and (b) sliced through West Brom’s defence with ease. Ah well, we can’t all be Leeds, can we?”

Yes, it’s been a strange kind of domination. Spurs have had most of the ball and all of the chances, but at no stage have West Brom been overwhelmed.

12.39pm GMT

40 min Corner to Spurs on the left. Son’s inswinging is cleared by the appreciable noggin of Kyle Bartley.

12.39pm GMT

38 min “Afternoon Rob,” says David Reynolds. “Is there any chance that the football followers and pundits who are consumed with their disrespect and enmity for Jose Mourinho, and who wish to interpret everything he does as evidence for his evil or foolishness, could just be content that we have got the message. We understand you hate him. It is so tiresome to read and hear the same diatribes every single game.”

I don’t hate him at all; in fact I really want him to succeed at Spurs. But it would be a bit strange to preview this match by waxing lyrical about the feelgood factor at the Lane.

12.37pm GMT

37 min Lucas Moura feeds a pass into Kane, 15 yards from goal. He shifts the ball to the right and spanks a shot that is pushed round the near post by Johnstone. The angle was tight but that was a decent effort from Kane.

12.36pm GMT

36 min Son tees up the onrushing Ndombele, whose first-time sidefoot from 20 yards is kicked away by Bartley.

12.35pm GMT

35 min “West Brom’s kit,” says Jason Burke Murphy, “is an homage to the New England Tea Men.”

There’s a whiff of Melchester Rovers too.

12.33pm GMT

33 min Nothing is happening. West Brom have calmed things down after that slightly hairy spell.

12.31pm GMT

31 min “How many times?” says Son to the referee after being dragged over by Peltier.

12.29pm GMT

30 min “Hard to feel optimism at the moment Rob, even with Harry Kane back,” says Guy Hornsby. “We’ve rushed him back from injuries before and the games without looked like neither the players nor José knew what to do without him. We probably need to work it out as I’m not sure he’ll be around after May. If so, where do you think he’ll go?”

Arsenal? A 20th anniversary Sol Campbell tribute move?

12.28pm GMT

29 min There’s a break in play while Grant receives treatment.

12.26pm GMT

26 min This is starting to look a bit ominous for West Brom, who have been pinned back in their own half for the last 10 or 15 minutes.

12.25pm GMT

25 min “Seriously why did he play Kane?” says Zack Lawrence. “He looks really rusty. I can guarantee if someone like Bale had the chance he would score. Watch him score as soon as I send this.”

You say that, but Kane was only out for 10 days. Poor Bale has been rusty for about three years.

12.22pm GMT

23 min It’s snowing heavily now, since you asked.

12.22pm GMT

21 min A Spurs corner leads to a bit of a scramble in trhe area before Diagne pokes the ball away from Lamela in the six-yard box. Vital defending.

12.21pm GMT

19 min Another chance for Kane. Lamela threaded the ball through to him in the area, and he moved onto his right foot before hitting a shot that had the sting taken out of it by a West Brom player. It looked set to fall for Lucas Moura in the six-yard box, but Bartley nipped in front of him to poke the ball behind for a corner.

12.19pm GMT

18 min: Kane misses a sitter! Spurs should certainly be ahead now. Ndombele lifted a short pass towards Son, but it took a deflection off a West Brom player and ran through to Kane on the left side of the area. He moved in on Johnstone but dragged a tame left-footed shot wide of the far post.

12.17pm GMT

17 min “Hey Rob,” says Adam Levine. “Compare and contrast the attitudes of managers in three sporting events in the last few days. Firstly the magnanimity of the Indian management when Roooooooot! scored his double hundred with both Kohli and Shastri heartily congratulating him. Secondly the reaction of hyper-competitive Eddie Jones to the loss to Scotland which was honest and fair. Finally Mourinho’s whiny snippiness after the loss to Brighton. All that to say, yes if Spurs lose it will be open season on him but he brings it on himself.”

What came first: the music or the misery?

12.16pm GMT

15 min: Kane misses a good chance! That was much better from Spurs. Lamela, who was in the process of falling over, did very well to drag the ball down the line for Aurier. He picked out an excellent low pass to find Kane at the far post. Kane shifted the ball onto his left foot, just inside the area, and sliced a rising shot just wide.

12.13pm GMT

13 min Possession so far: Spurs 68-32 West Brom.

12.12pm GMT

11 min Lamela whips a curling shot over the bar from 22 yards; a pleasant effort, but off target.

12.11pm GMT

11 min “Did you draw the short straw for this game?” says Ruth Purdue. “You have my sympathies.”

On the contrary, I’ve been lobbying for this since the fixtures came out.

12.10pm GMT

10 min Son’s long-range curler is comfortably held by Johnstone, falling to his left.

12.09pm GMT

9 min Grant plays in the underlapping Townsend, whose chipped cross is headed over by Diagne. It was a very difficult chance, jumping away from goal, but West Brom will be encouraged by the build-up play.

12.08pm GMT

8 min Lucas Moura receives the ball 25 yards from goal and moseys around for a bit before suddenly bursting past two players. Then he stabs the ball past Ajayi on the edge of the area, forcing Bartley to come across and clear. That was a lovely little surge from Moura.

12.07pm GMT

7 min West Brom move the ball nicely from right to left, where Townsend swings in a deep cross that just evades Maitland-Niles at the far post.

12.04pm GMT

5 min Spurs have had all of the ball early on, though West Brom look pretty comfortable defensively.

12.03pm GMT

4 min Davies surges infield from the left, plays a clean one-two with Kane and is crucially tackled on the edge of the area by Ajayi. Davies would have been through on goal.

12.01pm GMT

2 min Erik Lamela is actually playing on the right, with Lucas Moura as the No10.

12.00pm GMT

1 min Peep peep! Spurs, in their white home kit, kick off from left to right. West Brom are sporting their yellow and red third strip.

11.57am GMT

There’s a bit of snow at the White Hart Lane Stadium, though it hasn’t settled. It’s a lovely day really. Little brisk.

11.54am GMT

It’s nearly time for kick off. Have a listen to this while you wait.

11.43am GMT

And on this day in 1993, Spurs scored four goals in six minutes.

11.43am GMT

On this day in 1981, West Brom gave the champions a doing.

11.40am GMT

“As I have enough trouble following the narratives of my team, begins Ian Copestake, “I wonder if there was one surrounding Spurs’ reliance on Kane and the failure to buy an extra centre-back ... damn.”

Always with the narratives.

11.30am GMT

“Once, in San Diego, I stayed with some strange tattooed guys and they had a big snake,” begins Michael Frankel. “On the day they fed it, I caught glimpse of a rabbit edging towards this huge boa, offering its neck to get the whole thing over and done with. So many Spurs fans will be wanting the Baggies to win today - Up the Baggies is today’s COYS!”

It’s such an intriguing relationship. I still think he’ll win a trophy before it goes all Blue Valentine.

11.27am GMT

“After Brighton and then Chelsea, I was sure that Mourinho would think at least three times before putting Sanchez and Dier close to the starting XI,” says Yash Gupta. “Maybe it’s just a case of Rodon not being ready yet as Sanchez is back. Perhaps I’m too critical of those two plus Sissoko, Winks, Moura and Bergwijn, so being on positivity mode again, HEY IT’S WEST BROM, WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG.”

11.22am GMT

“This is a must-win game for Mourinho,” says Zack Lawrence. “His Spurs side have looked terrible, lack creativity and rely heavily on Kane and Son. Even on Thursday, when Chelsea went 1-0 up it looked like game over. This is a great chance for Spurs to win a game but I wouldn’t put it past them to lose.”

11.08am GMT

Pre-match reading

Related: Mourinho points to trophy prowess but cannot hide Spurs' woes | David Hytner

Related: José Mourinho's rigid thinking brings zombified display from Tottenham | Barney Ronay

11.06am GMT

Harry Kane is back ahead of schedule, a big boost for Spurs, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles makes his debut for West Brom. Both managers have made multiple changes after disappointing defeats in midweek: four for Spurs, five for West Brom.

Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1) Lloris; Aurier, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Davies; Ndombele, Hjojberg; Lamela, Lucas Moura, Son; Kane.
Substitutes: Hart, Doherty, Rodon, Dier, Sissoko, Bale, Bergwijn, Vinicius, Scarlett

10.49am GMT

Hello. Two months ago, Spurs were top of the league and Jose Mourinho was back, baby. Now they are ninth and he is finished, again. Spurs have lost their last three league games, look bereft without Harry Kane and played football from the dark ages against Chelsea on Thursday. But their poor form precedes Kane’s injury. They have taken nine points in the last 10 league games, which is fewer than Sheffield United: two wins, three draws and five defeats, the only 2-3-5 we’ll see on Mourinho’s watch.

Most managers would get a pass for a bit of poor form, such has been the general weirdness of this Premier League season, but not Mourinho. This says more about us than him, although he did invent his own soap opera so he’s not entirely blameless. Either way, he knows he will never be judged soberly - and that if Spurs fail to beat West Brom today, it will be open season.

Continue reading...

India v England: Root hits double hundred on day two of first Test – live!

Over-by-over updates from the second day in ChennaiBarney Ronay: Anderson deserves final shot at GabbatoirGet in touch! Email Tanya or tweet @tjaldred

9.22am GMT

152nd over: England 472-4 (Root 216, Pope 34) And with a dab off Nadeem, Root overtakes Alec Stewart to become England’s third-highest Test run scorer, behind only those Essex boys Gooch and Cook. He’s passed Pietersen, Gower and Stewart in the last three Tests.

9.20am GMT

151st over: England 469-4 (Root 214, Pope 33) Pope’s eye seems well and truly in with a charming reverse-paddle for two, before he miscue’s a rank full-toss from Ashwin that surprises everyone, bowler, batsman and Rishant Pant who staggers the wrong way in chase.

9.17am GMT

150th over: England 465-4 (Root 214, Pope 29) Pope drives at Bumbrah and gets a thick-outside edge that flies through the lonely slip-cordon for four; then a clip off his twinkly-toes. Bumrah’s perserveres; clockwork doll action imperfectly perfect.

Good Morning Tanya,. Hello Sam Charlton!

Few things are more wonderful than watching England do so well abroad.
Re: the weather and the seasons. Frankly I am distraught, I was hoping for my second walk in as many days since my newly allowed freedom from catching COVID. In Leeds it is biblical at the moment. A nice spring day would be been perfect. Perhaps I am too optimistic for February.

9.11am GMT

149th over: England 459-4 (Root 213, Pope 24) It’s the big boy double act as Ashwin rolls in from the other end. A tall man, stocky for a spinner. Pope and Root are watchful on a peach coloured pitch, a gentle wind ruffling Root’s shirt.

9.08am GMT

148th over: England 458-4 (Root 212, Pope 24) Kohli throws the ball to Bumrah for a post-tea blast. His second ball is a no-ball, cue the no-ball siren. Seriously, someone now has a job of watching the crease every ball to check if the bowler oversteps. ICC work-experience? You wouldn’t want to be lumbered with that all year round. Bumrah attempts to get the ball switched, I don’t blame him, the ball seems to have eaten its own seam. Four from the over.

A lovely email from Ian Wilson:

9.02am GMT

The players are out for the final session and, as Alastair Cook said when they switched back from the studio, “England have India just where they want them.”

8.59am GMT

Simon Hughes has set up an analyst’s studio in his bedroom - blue walls, a Durham T-shirt and a Middlesex sweater in the background. I think he’s great and I think he was saying some really interesting things about Joe Root but unfortunately I can’t tell you anything as EVERYONE IS TALKING very loudly in the living room and I can’t hear a thing.

The drollest email of the year drops by, from William Lane “Are we going to start becoming frustrated at Root’s inability to turn 200s in to 300s? Feels as though if you took the captaincy off him he would be able to break free from the shackles of responsibility and start making some proper runs.”

8.44am GMT

147th over: England 454-4 (Root 209, Pope 24) Rohit serves up a whoopy-doopy full-toss to end the session and a a grinning Joe Root dabs him to long-on. He’s got plenty to grin about

David Hindle writes: “Early days yet, but in a calendar year where England are scheduled to play a record number of tests, after just 2.5 of them, Root has >600 runs and counting. He is on course to obliterate the record for test runs in a calendar year. Currently 1788 by Mohammad Yousuf. Root is going way past 2000 at this rate. Where did Joe find this version of himself?”

Related: The Spin: subscribe to our weekly cricket newsletter

Related: BBL 2020-21 final: Sydney Sixers v Perth Scorchers – live!

8.38am GMT

146th over: England 451-4 (Root 206, Pope 22) Channel four have now put an arrow next to the facing batsman’s name, which is an improvement on yesterday. England reach 450 - fifty short of Rob’s requirement of 500, 250 short of Joe Root’s dreams of 700. England have scored 96 runs so far this session. A wafty sweep from Root ends the over.

8.35am GMT

145th over: England 449-4 (Root 206, Pope 22) Rohit Sharma bowling before tea wasn’t in Virat Kohli’s gameplan - I imagine copper-plated handwriting in an immaculately kept notebook. Four from it

“I can’t see Spring coming just yet, it’s more like dawn is a slow seepage.” says John Starbuck. “On the other hand, I’m getting my first Covid vaccination this afternoon, so there’s some promise of renewal.”

8.31am GMT

144th over: England 445-4 (Root 204, Pope 20) Nadeem whizzes through another over that Pope and Root milk for five runs.

8.29am GMT

143rd over: England 431-4 (Root 202, Pope 17) Runs beget runs beget runs - as Joe Root leaves those doldrum years in a locked cupboard somewhere in Yorkshire. He has surely earned a recall to THE BIG

THREE
FOUR now.

8.26am GMT

Root dances to Ashwin, slices his bat through the air and the ball soars over long-on for six! He takes his helmet off, kisses the badge and raises both hands in the air, the broadest of broad smiles on his face. What an innings! What a man!

8.24am GMT

142nd over: England 431-4 (Root 194, Pope 16) Tip and run by England off Nadeem until a HUGE lbw appeal against Ollie Pope off the last ball, but India have used up all their reviews. And anyway, he got an inside edge

“Hi Tanya hope all well”. Hi Danny Fontana!
“Went to bed dreaming of two things:
1) Joe Root to still be at the crease when I woke up 2) my youngest to not get out of bed til 7.30am
I’m no betting man but I guess the odds would have been about 300-1 on both sides of the bet coming good.
Although I’m no richer of pocket, I certainly feel richer of soul. What a player! What a daughter!”

8.19am GMT

141st over: England 428-4 (Root 192, Pope 15)

8.17am GMT

140th over: England 424-4 (Root 190, Pope 13) Root reverse-paddles Sundar for four, as if using some kind of elaborate tool in a woodworking studio, as my son shows me a huge lump he’s grown after running into a wall.

David Melhuish agrees with Jesse Linklater’s memories of Galle

8.11am GMT

139th over: England 416-4 (Root 184, Pope 11) Pope has a rush of blood, and nearly runs out Root and three balls later, Ashwin appeals for a catch at leg-slip. Kohli reviews with barely a second left on the clock.... the ball seems to have missed the bat... and, yes, the glove... as Pope gets down on one knee to sweep... NOT OUT!

8.07am GMT

138th over: England 415-4 (Root 183, Pope 11) Beautiful from Ollie Pope, a short jab off Sundar that slides past mid-on to kiss the boundary rope. The camera pans to Virat Kohli, he seems pale behind those inscrutable sunglasses.

8.04am GMT

137th over: England 410-4 (Root 182, Pope 7) Root has had enough of this, slamming Ashwin flat back over his head for four; Pope slaps himself into the ground to avoid being hit. Then a dangerously-quick single.

7.59am GMT

136th over: England 404-4 (Root 177, Pope 7) Six beautiful fat dots from Sundar, Pope watchful. India whizzing through these overs with intent.

Gary Smith types from Marseille “Morning Tanya, you want murky? Down here in Marseille we have the Sirocco rattling along at around 70 kph, and a very murky, yellowy orange sky due to several zillion microscopic bits of the Sahara Desert being suspended up there....it’s orange car day :-/”

7.57am GMT

135th over: England 404-4 (Root 177, Pope 7) The scoring rate has slowed to a crawl since Stokes’ dismissal. But that’s ok. Put the kettle on for me will you?

7.55am GMT

134th over: England 403-4 (Root 177, Pope 6) Ollie Pope tips a reverse-sweep into the covers off young Washington Sundar - a name straight out of Hamilton.

Adam Levine, stretches and types: “There must be a portrait of Joe Root in the long room at Lord’s decaying and covered in mould. The weight of expectation early on in his career, the pressures of captaincy, the endless touring, none of it seems to age him or dent his absolutely relentless joy and enthusiasm at playing the game he so obviously adores. What a player. What a captain. What a man. “

7.51am GMT

133rd over: England 401-4 (Root 176, Pope 5) Ashwin resumes, replacing Nadeem, high right arm. Root retreats and calmly defends, before picking up a single off the last ball of the over. So far in 2021, Root has 600 runs and his average in India is now higher than Kohli’s. His career average has also crept back over 50....

7.45am GMT

Thanks Rob! That’s a nice round number to take over with on a murky Saturday morning. And, and.... at 745am it is light enough to see the colour of the house over the road’s front door. Spring really is a-coming.

7.43am GMT

132nd over: England 400-4 (Root 175, Pope 5) Another single from Root takes England to their new benchmark: it’s the seventh time in 15 Tests under Chris Silverwood that they have reached 400 in the first innings.

It’s time for drinks, and for me to hand over to Tanya. You can contact her at tanya.aldred.freelance@theguardian.com or @tjaldred. Bye!

7.37am GMT

131st over: England 399-4 (Root 174, Pope 5) Pope, beaten in the flight I think, inside-edges Nadeem into the leg side for a single. He comes down the wicket later in the over, but can’t get to the pitch of the ball so settles for a defensive stroke. This is another good contest, with Nadeem looking more confident than against Root and especially Stokes.

7.33am GMT

130th over: England 395-4 (Root 172, Pope 4) Ishant replaces Bumrah, and Root flicks his first ball round the corner for another single. His batting today has been cold and clinical. Pope plays out the rest of the over, mainly by flicking straight deliveries to one of the leg-side fielders.

7.28am GMT

129th over: England 394-4 (Root 171, Pope 4) Pope is beaten again, this time while sweeping inelegantly at Nadeem. It’s a fine line, but at the moment he looks a little too keen to run before he can walk.

7.25am GMT

128th over: England 393-4 (Root 170, Pope 4) This is an important series for Pope, who had a slightly disappointing summer. He’s a class act, so he’ll expect to improve on a Test average of 38. Bumrah beats Pope with a beauty that turns him round and straightens sharply to hit him high on the back leg. Bumrah went up for caught behind but replays showed it missed the outside edge by a fair way. It was a stunning delivery from a consistently brilliant bowler.

7.20am GMT

127th over: England 392-4 (Root 169, Pope 4) Ollie Pope is the new batsman. He gets off the mark with a slightly risky stroke, slicing a cut through the vacant gully area for four.

“Is anyone else missing the endless shots of the boats in and around Galle harbour?” asks Jesse Linklater. “I found them very soothing.”

7.17am GMT

That was a lively innings from Stokes: 82 from 118 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes.

7.16am GMT

Ben Stokes dies by the sword. He slog-swept Nadeem high towards deep backward square leg, where Pujara muffed a simple catch but was able to trap the ball in his chest/business area.

7.15am GMT

126th over: England 387-3 (Root 168, Stokes 82) I think England will bat on until tomorrow if they have the option. Their best chance of winning this game is probably to score so many that they could enforce the follow-on without worrying about being Kolkataed. Bumrah, meanwhile, ends another good over with a sharp short ball that surprises Root. He shaped to pull and then thought better of it.

“Hi Rob,” says Ben Stechler. “Englishman living in Melbourne here, feel a bit apologetic having been spoilt with the Aus v India series, and now England turning starts into wins. Watching in the local pub, staying until Root gets out... let’s hope for a long evening! Anyway as much as I hope England win the series, is a subcontinent tour the best preparation for an Australian Ashes series, where pitches are vastly different? Of course Covid has played its part, but I can’t help but think the WI or SA pitches are better for getting used to pace and bounce in Australia. Plus I can’t handle us losing the Ashes over here again!”

7.09am GMT

125th over: England 384-3 (Root 168, Stokes 79) England milk Nadeem for six runs in that over thanks to some smart placement and running.

In the last two years, Stokes averages 59 from 17 Tests; he should soon have a career average of over 40 for the first time since 2013.

7.05am GMT

124th over: England 378-3 (Root 165, Stokes 76) Bumrah replaces Ishant, with India in urgent need of a wicket or seven. He tries a loopy slower yorker to Stokes, who waves it between mid-on and midwicket for four more. The next ball beats Stokes’ attempted pull; it was a bit too wide for the shot.

7.01am GMT

123rd over: England 373-3 (Root 164, Stokes 72) As well as England have played, we shouldn’t get carried away. In the last series in India they scored 537 in the first innings of the first Test, and lost 4-0.

Mind you, it’s tempting to lose the run of things when you see Stokes dance down the wicket to lift Nadeem down the ground for another big six. That’s his third of the innings, and he has raced to 72 from 106 balls.

6.57am GMT

122nd over: England 365-3 (Root 163, Stokes 65) There’s a bit of Allan Border in this innings from Root - not the style so much as the mentality, to bat until the cows come home without worrying too much about forcing the tempo. He has scored 35 from 92 balls this morning, including a drive through off for a couple in that over from Ishant.

“Hi Rob, from Paris,” says Alisdair Gould. “It is a long road that never turns,” but what a llllloooonnngg road this journey has been. I was 50 on Monday. I would never have guessed as a boy that the West Indies would ever be a weak side, nor that I would be reading ‘over by over’ reports of cricket in India on a tiny screen, or that we would have a captain able to deal with subcontinent spinners on a wicket that has turn. (What a great tie up of the word turn. And how great life is as a cricket pilgrimage.)”

6.51am GMT

121st over: England 363-3 (Root 161, Stokes 65) Shahbaz Nadeem resumes his contest with Ben Stokes, with a slip and short leg in place. I’m surprised they don’t have a leg gully given how much the ball is spitting from the rough. Stokes misses a premeditated reverse sweep and is hit on the arm; then he flicks a short ball into the leg side for a single. That will frustrate Nadeem, who would have wanted a full over at Stokes. And the next ball will irritate him even more: it’s too short and Root forces it through point for four. He is batting delightfully.

“Hi Rob,” says Garry Sharp. “In that documentary the Test, there was an imperious, master-of-all-he-surveys character called Virat Kohli. I wonder if we are watching the same person now. He seems different. Although I don’t want to tempt fate, this could all change. Just an observation. Also, do we have a moral obligation to sit through all the ads on C4, as an acknowledgement of the great thing they’ve done for us?”

6.47am GMT

120th over: England 357-3 (Root 156, Stokes 64) A quiet first over from Ishant, just a leg-bye and a single to Stokes.

“Morning Rob,” says Adrian Neville. “Re: David Dowling being on the edge of a continent (over 112), I’m reading in bed from Kinsale, southwest Ireland, also on the edge of a continent. We even have a place at the edge of town called World’s End. (And another called Scilly with a Scilly Walk but that’s not yet relevant.) I’ll get up later and do my exercises in front of Channel 4. Stuff the T’ai Chi lessons for now.”

6.42am GMT

The players are back out on the field, and Ishant Sharma is coming on for Jasprit Bumrah.

6.04am GMT

“Hi Rob,” says Jack McCabe. “As someone who missed 2005 (both a mix of too young, and an Irish family who had no interest in cricket), it’s a pleasure and a privilege to watch Test cricket on free to air TV.
“I never had an opportunity to play or watch cricket of any sort till I went to university, where I caught the bug fully. A state comprehensive in the mid-2000s had neither the time or resources to encourage or teach cricket, and the sport became a symbol of privilege and inequality for years before I got a love for it. Accessibility to cricket, and the connotations of what that means, has always fascinated me. It may sound trite and meaningless, but it genuinely means a huge amount for cricket to make a conscious effort to try and attract fans away from its traditional base through this channel 4 deal. Hopefully Mambo No.5 won’t just be an anthem of nostalgia, but a call to increased participation and appreciation across the country. Maybe I’ll even manage to teach my family the rules (we managed to get halfway through the concept the ‘over’ during the recent Windies Test series before interest started to flag).”

6.04am GMT

Lunchtime reading

Related: Why Jimmy Anderson deserves chance to have final crack at the Gabbatoir | Barney Ronay

6.03am GMT

119th over: England 355-3 (Root 156, Stokes 63) Sundar bowls an uneventful over to complete a brilliant morning for England, who scored 92 runs from 29.3 overs. They rode their luck a little - Stokes was dropped twice and Root survived a run-out chance - but generally played very well, with Stokes bullying the inexperienced pair of Shahbaz Nadeem and Washington Sundar. See you in 30 minutes for the afternoon session.

5.58am GMT

118th over: England 354-3 (Root 155, Stokes 63) Four more to Stokes, timed through midwicket off Bumrah. This is starting to look slightly ominous for India. If Stokes is still batting at tea, they can forget about winning the game.

5.53am GMT

117th over: England 348-3 (Root 154, Stokes 59) Stokes is really going after the change spinners. He slog-sweeps Sundar for two boundaries in three balls, which takes him to 59 from only 91 balls. At one stage he had 18 from 38.

“On the other side of India, I sit in a cafe as the sun lashes the golden Kovalam beach and masala chai with a hearty omelette goes down a treat,” says Guy Perry. “I dream of Root whacking a big six from Chennai for me to reach out and catch. Go, Joe!!!”

5.50am GMT

116th over: England 340-3 (Root 154, Stokes 51) Bumrah replaces Ashwin with just under 15 minutes remaining before lunch. Root works a single off the pads; he has happily played second fiddle this morning, hitting only a couple of boundaries to Stokes’s eight. Stokes gets a single later in the over, and then Root digs out another blistering inswinging yorker from Bumrah. Well played.

5.45am GMT

115th over: England 338-3 (Root 153, Stokes 50) The offspinner Washington Sundar replaces Nadeem. His fourth ball kicks nastily at Root, who smiles partly because he’s having the time of his life generally and partly at the thought of what this pitch might do on days four and five.

There’s a lot to be said for cricket in the middle of the night. Entertainment for insomniacs. No risk of irritating the rest of the household with your cricket habit. pic.twitter.com/CvtJiApBvu

5.41am GMT

114th over: England 337-3 (Root 152, Stokes 50)

5.39am GMT

113th over: England 336-3 (Root 151, Stokes 50) Stokes races to fifty with consecutive reverse-sweeps for four off Nadeem. It’s been an increasingly aggressive innings, mainly because of that rough outside his off stump: 73 balls, six fours, two sixes. England are in a fine position now, and should be safe from defeat if they can add another 400.

5.36am GMT

112th over: England 328-3 (Root 151, Stokes 42) Oof, Root survives a big run-out chance after Stokes takes a dodgy single into the leg side. Washington Sundar’s throw was really poor, on the half volley to Pant’s right. Had it been straight into his gloves, never mind a direct hit, Root would have gone.

“Reading you on the western edge of Vancouver Island, the western edge of a continent,” says David Dowling. “A link in the thin red leather line.”

5.32am GMT

111th over: England 326-3 (Root 150, Stokes 41) Stokes misses a sweep at Nadeem and is hit on the pad outside the line of off stump. As Mark Butcher observers on

Sky
Channel 4, those two deliveries in the previous over have unnerved Stokes - and now he has been dropped for the second time in as many overs. Stokes reached outside off stump to hammer a sweep towards midwicket, where Pujara leapt to his left but couldn’t hang on. It was another extremely difficult chance.

An eventful over continues with Root pushing a single to reach his third 150+ score in as many Tests. Given his form between 2018-2020, that’s a pretty astounding and thoroughly heartwarming development. The over still isn’t done: Stokes clouts a slog-sweep for six off the final ball. Blimey.

5.28am GMT

110th over: England 316-3 (Root 149, Stokes 32) Now Stokes is dropped by Ashwin, a sharp return chance to his right. I think it hit him on the wrist in the end, but that’s more encouragement for India. Things are starting to happen. Things.

5.25am GMT

109th over: England 314-3 (Root 148, Stokes 31) Nadeem gets one to spit viciously out of the rough at Stokes, who is slightly startled but managed to glove the ball to safety on the leg side. The next ball also spits at Stokes, hitting him near the groin. That was a really encouraging over from India.

“Watching this from NZ,” says Conrad LaPointe. “It’s great to at last have a series that fits with a sane time schedule: 5pm start here, very civilized. Also get to watch the Super Bowl on Monday from midday, that is also a public holiday here (Waitangi Day). Good times.”

5.22am GMT

ROOT IS NOT OUT! It was bouncing over the stumps, so India have lost two reviews in five balls. I think that one was fair enough, though.

5.22am GMT

Root pushed outside the line of an arm ball from Nadeem and was hit on the front pad. It might be umpire’s call, but I reckon Root is in trouble.

5.21am GMT

INDIA REVIEW FOR LBW AGAINST ROOT! This one looks close.

5.20am GMT

108th over: England 313-3 (Root 147, Stokes 31) Just before that review, Root pushed a single to bring up an assured fifty partnership with Stokes. The standard of cricket from both teams this morning has been extremely high.

5.19am GMT

STOKES IS NOT OUT Yep, it hit him on the glove. Not out.

5.19am GMT

REVIEW FOR LBW AGAINST STOKES! This is an odd one. He tried to reverse-sweep Ashwin, missed and gloved the ball up in the air on the off side. Ashwin must have thought it hit his arm because he was keen to review for LBW.

5.17am GMT

107th over: England 312-3 (Root 146, Stokes 31) Root, beaten in the flight by Nadeem, drives uppishly for a single. That was a crafty bit of bowling, and a reminder that England can’t get lazy against India’s weaker (sic) spinners. If you’re playing Test cricket for India in 2021, you are on the good side of competent.

“This is turning to be a good news day here in Macau,” says David Melhuish. “First day of our CNY hols with sun and azure blue skies; 55 and 66 looking fine fettle; 1.2 mil vaccines arriving by road from HK (pop here is approx 600,000). LOOKING UP.”

5.14am GMT

106th over: England 310-3 (Root 145, Stokes 30) Ashwin switches ends to replace Ishant. At the moment batting looks very comfortable for England, though history tells us you should never get too comfortable in India. I still think they need at least 500 in this innings.

5.10am GMT

105th over: England 308-3 (Root 144, Stokes 29) Stokes gets down on on knee to paddle Nadeem over his shoulder for a couple. He looks so comfortable at No5, a position in which he averages 51.

“Hey Rob,” says Daniel Bernstein. “I’ve got the St Peters (Brighton) U13 cricket team coming on for a team zoom cricket watch at 9am. Assuming he is still in (!) I was going to give them a ‘watch how Root sweeps the spinners’ masterclass. Why isn’t he doing what he did in Sri Lanka? What’s different about the Indian spinners?”

5.03am GMT

104th over: England 303-3 (Root 142, Stokes 26) Ishant goes around the wicket to Stokes, who puts him away for consecutive boundaries. The first was a beautiful, wristy stroke, flicked between mid-on and midwicket, and the second a confident square drive. Stokes, who is batting with serene authority, has 26 from 44 balls. Time for drinks.

“Hello from Winnipeg,” says John Corp. “Where it’s -24C and with the wind feels like -38C, so I’m keeping warm with a large brandy.”

4.57am GMT

103rd over: England 295-3 (Root 142, Stokes 18) The left-armer spinner Shahbaz Nadeem replaces Ashwin. Stokes plays a reverse-sweep first ball, a statement of... something. The commentators think Stokes is conscious of the rough outside his off stump and is trying to get on top of Nadeem from the start. A single brings Root on strike, and he sweeps crisply behind square for four.

“If he can stay in and get there, I can’t WAIT to see Stokes take on the support spinners,” says William Juba. “Could be in for fireworks. I appear to getting ahead of myself! I’ll try to stay in the moment. And then Butler the same when we’ve already scored 500 and Pope has his first subcontinental hundred...”

4.53am GMT

102nd over: England 290-3 (Root 137, Stokes 17) Ishant has another LBW shout against Root, but again it was sliding past leg stump. Ishant is bowling beautifully here, particularly to Root, and that’s another maiden. England have scored 27 from 12.3 overs this morning; more than anything, that’s a reflection of some high-class bowling.

“Rio sounds nice,” sniffs Matt Bannerman. “Here in dark and chilly Oxford, the Beast from the East we are forecast for tomorrow holds out the prospect of that rare pleasure: watching cricket whilst the snow falls.”

4.46am GMT

101st over: England 290-3 (Root 138, Stokes 17) Stokes brings out the sweep for the first time today, pinging Ashwin over square leg for four.

“Hi Rob,” says Abhi Saxena. “This match is going to be fun. The result I expect will be decided on who plays this day and the next one better. I would imagine it to be spinning a lot on this dusty pitch by days four and five. Want Root to get 150 as he is such a likeable person but not too many, as otherwise the match will get very hard for the Indians. Will be interesting to see how England bowl. I think that will be quite crucial.”

4.42am GMT

100th over: England 284-3 (Root 137, Stokes 12) Root inside-edges an inducker from Sharma for a single. There is a little bit of reverse swing, so England need to be careful against Ishant. India’s main three bowlers (Bumrah, Ishant, Ashwin) have bowled really well, going at just over two an over between them. The newer bowlers, Shahbaz Nadeem and Washington Sundar, went at almost four an over yesterday.

“Morning Rob,” writes Becky C. “Having made the decision yesterday to get up at 3.30 mainly because of the sheer amount of work I needed to get through that would be improved by having the cricket for company, with the ultimately futile thought that I’d ‘be able to finish work early’, I’m feeling surprisingly calm this morning. Maybe it’s the early morning hour inducing a sleep deprived calm but I was able to watch both Stokes’s six and Ashwin’s excellent next delivery with equal amounts of calm, a feeling that it was simply going to be alright. Have I reached a higher state of cricket consciousness?”

4.36am GMT

99th over: England 282-3 (Root 136, Stokes 11) “I’m here!” says Ian Jefferson. “Keeping an eye on your OBO from San Francisco. What else is there to do? Haven’t been more than a mile from my house all week. Cricket is keeping me sane.”

You and gazillions of others.“I’m here!” says Ian Jefferson. “Keeping an eye on your OBO from San Francisco. What else is there to do? Haven’t been more than a mile from my house all week. Cricket is keeping me sane.”

4.33am GMT

98th over: England 280-3 (Root 135, Stokes 10) Ishant Sharma replaces Bumrah. He bowled excellently yesterday, particularly in that spell to Root just after lunch, and his third ball of the morning brings a biggish LBW appeal against Root. The umpire isn’t interested and Virat Kohli decides not to review. It was missing leg stump.

That’s another maiden, the third in a row. India are making England work really hard for their runs: we’ve had 17 in 8.3 overs this morning, and that includes a six from Stokes.

4.29am GMT

97th over: England 280-3 (Root 135, Stokes 10) Ashwin is starting to get some turn to Stokes, who shapes to go after one outside off stump and then aborts the stroke. Another maiden.

“Feeling a little lost in Rio de Janeiro right now,” says Louis Sturgess, “but feeling better for live cricket on the Guardian app! Root for 200?”

4.23am GMT

96th over: England 280-3 (Root 135, Stokes 10) Bumrah bowls a series of fullish induckers to Root, who defends immaculately. A maiden. He is batting obscenely well at the moment, perhaps as well as he has ever played.

4.22am GMT

95th over: England 280-3 (Root 135, Stokes 10) Ashwin tosses one up to Stokes, who accepts the invitation and drives nonchalantly over long-off for six. Crikey. Ashwin responds with an excellent delivery that turns past the outside edge. This is already a cracking battle.

4.18am GMT

94th over: England 274-3 (Root 135, Stokes 4) Bumrah is getting a bit of movement; it might be reverse swing, even after only 14 overs. Root defends a couple of induckers and then steers a short ball between slip and gully for four. He looks in the mood for another paternal hundred.

4.14am GMT

93rd over: England 270-3 (Root 131, Stokes 4) A quiet over from Ashwin, one from it.

4.12am GMT

92nd over: England 269-3 (Root 130, Stokes 4) Root clips Bumrah off the pads for a single. He has already scored more Test runs in 2021 than he did last year, 555 to 464. Stokes hasn’t scored a run this year, and it almost stays that way for another 48 hours when Bumrah sends down a sizzling yorker from round the wicket. Stokes just gets his bat down in time to squeeze it wide of leg stump. That was a stunning delivery. Stokes gets off the mark next ball, guiding a boundary to third man.

4.06am GMT

91st over: England 264-3 (Root 129, Stokes 0) It’s R Ashwin from the other end. He has a slip and leg gully for Root, who pushes a single into the covers to get off the mark today. Ashwin can be deadly against left-handers so it’s no surprise to see him in the attack so early with Stokes at the crease. Ashwin has dismissed Stokes seven times in Tests, more than any other bowler. Stokes continues his watchful start by defending the last four balls of the over.

4.02am GMT

90th over: England 263-3 (Root 128, Stokes 0) The new batsman is Ben Stokes, who solidly defends his first delivery and ignores the next two outside off stump.

3.56am GMT

Jasprit Bumrah will open the bowling. He has three deliveries remaining in his 19th over, having dismissed Dom Sibley with what turned out to be the last ball of the day.

3.33am GMT

Pre-play reading

Related: Root century in 100th Test gives England perfect start against India

Related: No frills, no paywall and Mambo No 5: Test cricket's lo-fi free-to-air return | Andy Bull

Related: Why Jimmy Anderson deserves chance to have final crack at the Gabbatoir | Barney Ronay

3.27am GMT

Morning. When Chris Silverwood took over as England coach in 2019, he gave the Test team a simple challenge: to start making big first-innings scores again. Everyone in the media got very excited by England’s change of direction, as if Silverwood had invented penicillin rather than stated an eternal truth of Test cricket.

The important bit was not the message but whether Silverwood could get it across to a batting line-up that had become used to playing limited-overs Test cricket. He did, with almost immediate results. England are once again a grown-up batting team, and they gave another demonstration of their maturity on the first day in Chennai.

Continue reading...

West Ham United v Liverpool: Premier League – live!

Mo Salah scored two spectacular goals as Liverpool moved up to third in the table with another impressive 3-1 win in London

8.27pm GMT

Jonathan Wilson on Henderson.

Related: Inspirational and always shouting: Henderson embodies Liverpool spirit | Jonathan Wilson

8.26pm GMT

A new defender for Liverpool.

Related: West Ham win delights Klopp as Liverpool close in on Preston defender

6.41pm GMT

That’s it for today’s blog - I’ll leave you with Jonathan Liew’s report from the London Stadium. Bye!

Related: Mohamed Salah fires thrilling double as Liverpool see off West Ham

6.39pm GMT

Incidentally, there were 33 or 34 Liverpool passes in the build up to Gini Wijnaldum’s goal. Rice got a slight touch on Oxlade-Chamberlain’s return pass to Firmino, but that doesn’t invalidate the move. Seven touches from a West Ham corner for one goal, 30-odd passes for another.

6.34pm GMT

Here’s Mo Salah “It’s a good win for us - they are a tough team. We need to win every game now. I knew there was a big responsibility on me (with Mane and Firmino not in the team) and I just try - every game, not just now - to help the team.

“It was a lovely ball from Shaq for the second goal, I want to give him credit. If it was a little bit short I would have taken it with my left foot, but the ball was exactly at my feet so I had one touch with the right and then the finish.

6.22pm GMT

More more more

Related: Brighton & Hove Albion v Tottenham Hotspur: Premier League – live!

6.21pm GMT

Peep peep! Liverpool move up to third after another impressive victory in London. They took a while to get going - the first half was a study in sterile domination - but when they did they were devastating. Mo Salah scored two beauties, the second a Goal of the Season contender, and Gini Wijnaldum added a lovely third. Craig Dawson’s late consolation was an irritant, especially as meant another game without a clean sheet, but overall it’s been a very good day for Liverpool. Their post-Christmas blip is old news.

6.18pm GMT

90 min Three minutes of added time.

6.15pm GMT

West Ham do score from a set piece. Cresswell’s corner from the right skimmed the head of Robertson at the near post and was shinned in from close range by Dawson.

6.13pm GMT

85 min Yeah, they’re back.

6.13pm GMT

Liverpool kept the ball for ages and then suddenly cut through West Ham. Firmino played a one-two with Oxlade-Chamberlain, who flicked a return pass behind his standing leg to put Firmino through on goal. He dummied to shoot and slid the ball across to give Wijnaldum a simple finish.

6.12pm GMT

Gini Wijnaldum finishes off another beautiful Liverpool move!

6.10pm GMT

83 min The first half was tight, but Liverpool have been much better in the second half. David Moyes will be frustrated with how little West Ham have created.

6.07pm GMT

80 min And now a change for Liverpool. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replaces Divock Origi.

6.06pm GMT

78 min A double change for West Ham: Mark Noble and Ryan Fredericks replace Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen. It looks like David Moyes has settled for 0-2.

6.04pm GMT

75 min Salah, on a hat-trick, shoots miles wide from 20 yards. Liverpool have got their swagger on now.

6.02pm GMT

73 min From the moment Bowen took the corner, Liverpool had only seven touches before scoring. It wasn’t quite as efficient as Terry McDermott against Spurs but it was still devastatingly incisive.

6.00pm GMT

71 min A week ago, Liverpool were reportedly in crisis. There’s a moral in there somewhere.

5.59pm GMT

70 min There were four parts to that goal, all perfect: Alexander-Arnold’s pass, Shaqiri’s pass/cross, Salah’s touch and finally Salah’s finish.

5.58pm GMT

69 min That was Shaqiri’s last touch - he is replaced by Roberto Firmino, and gets a big hug from Klopp.

5.58pm GMT

69 min Jurgen Klopp puts his hands on his head when Salah scored, as if he couldn’t quite believe the brilliance of his team.

5.57pm GMT

What a goal! Bowen’s corner was headed away by Robertson and picked up by Alexander-Arnold just outside the area on the right. He blasted a crossfield pass out to Shaqiri on the left, and suddenly Liverpool had a four-on-three break. Shaqiri curled a booming first-time cross to Salah, who cushioned the ball immaculately on the run and flicked it nonchalantly past Fabianski.

5.55pm GMT

Mo Salah settles the match with a glorious goal on the break!

5.54pm GMT

66 min Another West Ham corner. Bowen curls it towards Dawson, who mistimes a header onto his own arm and over the bar. That was a chance.

5.52pm GMT

64 min Bowen’s inswinging corner bounces dangerously across the six-yard line. Soucek chests it up in the air and launches into an acrobatic volley. But Henderson gets to the ball first, heading it away before taking one from Soucek.

5.51pm GMT

63 min Bowen wins a corner off Robertson. So far West Ham’s set pieces have been poor, but their threat remains.

5.50pm GMT

62 min A West Ham change: Andriy Yarmolenko replaces the disappointing Pablo Fornals.

5.48pm GMT

60 min If Liverpool win today they will be four points behind Manchester City, having played a game more. Oh and they play City next Sunday.

5.46pm GMT

Jones surged through midfield and played a short pass to Salah, lurking on the right edge of the box. He hugged the ball on his left foot, used Cresswell as a screen and curled a blistering shot into the top corner. That’s a brilliant goal, Salah’s first in the league since Christmas.

5.45pm GMT

Curtis Jones gets an assist straight away!

5.44pm GMT

57 min Liverpool make their first change: Curtis Jones is on for James Milner.

5.44pm GMT

56 min: Just wide from Antonio! West Ham almost steal the lead on the break. Bowen’s low cross from the right is missed by Milner, who was running the wrong way, and picked up by Antonio just inside the area. He turns and belts a shot just wide of the far post. Liverpool would have been fuming had that gone it because they thought Origi was fouled by Dawson at the other end.

5.43pm GMT

55 min Liverpool have been a bit more dynamic since half-time. Still nowhere near their heavy-metal best, but better than they were.

5.42pm GMT

54 min Henderson, on the halfway line, drives a superb pass over the defence towards Salah. He runs behind Ogbonna but can only head straight at Fabianski from 12 yards. It was a really difficult chance, with the ball coming over his shoulder.

5.39pm GMT

52 min Bowen stabs a pass down the right wing for Antonio, forcing Alisson to come out of his area to clver.

5.38pm GMT

50 min Origi smashes a shot into the side netting from a tight angle.

5.37pm GMT

49 min: Great block from Cresswell! Soucek crunches Thiago but Jon Moss plays a good advantage and Liverpool break. Origi beats Dawson on the left and slides a low cross into the path Salah, whose close-range shot is superbly blocked by Cresswell. That looked a certain goal as Salah ran onto the ball. When the ball goes dead, Soucek is booked for the foul on Thiago.

5.35pm GMT

48 min Rice is booked for a crunching late tackle on Henderson.

5.33pm GMT

46 min Peep peep! Liverpool begin the second half.

5.17pm GMT

Peep peep! No goals and not many chances. Liverpool have dominated possession, but West Ham have defened admirably. See you in 15 minutes for the second half.

5.16pm GMT

45+1 min Salah shoots straight at Fabianski from 20 yards.

5.15pm GMT

45 min: Chance for Liverpool! An ingenious pass from Thiago is poked just wide by Origi. Thiago cut infield from the left and waved a stunning angled pass behind Dawson towards Origi. Fabianski came out and Origi, who was ahead of the near post, could only stab it wide from six yards. It was a tricky chance because of the angle, and a quite outrageous pass from Thiago.

5.13pm GMT

43 min This is West Ham’s best spell of possession.

5.12pm GMT

42 min Benrahma’s deep, dipping cross from the left is headed straight at Alisson by Antonio. It was a difficult chance as he was running backwards and the angle was fairly tight.

5.12pm GMT

41 min That header from Phillips probably saved a goal. None of the other Liverpool defenders ran back towards the ball, and Dawson was waiting behind him to score.

5.11pm GMT

40 min Sadio Mane is having a great game.

5.10pm GMT

39 min Thiago commits a needless foul on Benrahma on the right wing. Coufal’s excellent free-kick is headed away brilliantly by Phillips, who was facing his own goal but managed to twist his neck and get the ball away. It drops to Benrahma, whose volley from the edge of the D is blocked.

5.08pm GMT

38 min West Ham are working so hard defensively. For all their possession, Liverpool still haven’t had a shot on target.

5.06pm GMT

36 min “Shaqiri is a terrific attacking player but quick thinking in tight spaces is not necessarily his forte, is it?” says Phil Podolsky. “He was so much better at conducting counterattacks at Stoke than he is against the kind of defending Liverpool are up against.”

5.05pm GMT

35 min West Ham win a corner on the right. They are very good from set pieces, the best in the league this season, but they make a mess of this opportunity. Bowen works a short corner with Benrahma and then crosses straight into Alisson’s arms.

5.04pm GMT

33 min Liverpool continue to dominate possession - we haven’t seen a graphic but I’d imagine they’ve had around 65 per cent - without creating any clear chances. It’s unusual to see such sterile domination from a Jurgen Klopp team.

5.00pm GMT

30 min It’s not a classic.

4.58pm GMT

27 min Henderson’s long ball into the area finds Salah, who controls it with his shoulder. Cresswell pokes the ball away from him but only as far as Shaqiri, whose stinging shot hits Dawson and flies behind for a corner.

4.55pm GMT

24 min: Chance for West Ham! That was much better. Fornals played Cresswell in down the left, and he cut the ball back sharply to Benrahma at the near post. He took a touch and was about to shoot when Thiago poked the ball away from him. It came to Fornals, whose shot took a deflection off Milner and was headed off the line by Robertson. Alisson had that one covered I think.

4.53pm GMT

23 min Thiago’s hanging cross is headed wide by Salah, 12 yards from goal. It was a difficult chance, with no pace on the ball for him to work with.

4.52pm GMT

22 min “I find Liverpool games tense at the best of times,” weeps Matt Dony. “Now, though, the eternal pessimist in me can’t help but analyse every single movement the defenders make, looking for any tiny sign of discomfort or potential problem. They’re one defensive injury away from me sending a CV to Klopp (CB/RB, probably lacking a yard or two of pace). As many have commented over the last few weeks, thank goodness Henderson is such an intelligent footballer.”

4.50pm GMT

21 min West Ham have been quite poor in possession so far, sloppy and lacking in ideas. On the plus side, Lukasz Fabianski has had nothing to do in goal.

4.49pm GMT

19 min “Weird that Robertson is on corner duty and not the Swiss Charlie Adam,” weeps Niall Mullen.

4.48pm GMT

17 min Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick is headed away as far as Thiago, who whistles a left-foot shot that is blocked by Antonio. I think it was going wide anyway. He then stops a possible West Ham break by handling the ball while on the floor. He’s a bit lucky not to be booked for that.

4.46pm GMT

16 min Thiago’s cross towards Origi is headed away well by Dawson. Liverpool are starting to turn the screw.

4.44pm GMT

14 min Liverpool win their first corner. Robertson’s outswinger is headed away at the near post by Coufal.

4.42pm GMT

12 min It’s all a bit cagey. You’re welcome!

4.39pm GMT

9 min Antonio beats Alexander-Arnold on the left and stands up a good cross towards Soucek at the near post. Henderson does well to get in front of him and head the ball away.

4.38pm GMT

8 min Wijnaldum shoots over from long range after nicking the ball off Soucek.

4.37pm GMT

7 min “What’s wrong with the excellent Mané?” says Ruth Purdue. “Also if Liverpool are drawing near the end of the match, (which I doubt) do you think they will pass it around slowly around at the back with little or no urgency like another team we know?”

That’s a bit harsh on West Brom. Mane has a “minor muscle injury”, it says here.

4.36pm GMT

5 min Liverpool are having most of the ball. Shaqiri plays a good pass down the inside-left channel to Origi, who spanks a shot wide from a very tight angle. That was a poor decision, not least because he had Salah in the middle.

4.33pm GMT

3 min A slow start. Meanwhile, here’s more on Leeds’ thrilling victory at Leicester.

Related: Patrick Bamford stands out as Leeds fight back to beat Leicester

4.32pm GMT

2 min Liverpool have started with a diamond formation, not the usual 4-3-3. Shaqiri is playing behind Salah and Origi, and this is the revised team.

Liverpool (4-D-2) Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Henderson, Robertson; Wijnaldum; Thiago, Milner; Shaqiri; Salah, Origi.
Substitutes: Adrian, Kelleher, Tsimikas, R Williams, N Williams, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jones, Firmino, Minamino.

4.30pm GMT

1 min Peep peep! West Ham, in the usual claret and blue, kick off from left to right. Liverpool are in their black change strip.

4.28pm GMT

It’s a grim afternoon in east London, and a few of the players are wearing gloves as they stroll onto the field. It’s time for business.

3.55pm GMT

“Other things being equal,” begins Niall Mullen, “Liverpool’s first XI is Alisson, Trent, Van Dijk, Matip, Robertson, Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago/Gini, Mané, Salah, Firmino. Do you reckon we will ever see them line up together?”

Probably not. It’s surprising how infrequently famous XIs actually play together. Arsenal’s Invincible XI, for example, only started two or three league games.

3.46pm GMT

In the 2pm game, Leeds have come from behind to lead 3-1 at Leicester. If it stays like that, Liverpool will move above Leicester into third if they win today. Klopp out!

Related: Leicester City v Leeds United: Premier League – live!

3.38pm GMT

Some pre-match reading

Related: Dead-ball power at the heart of David Moyes' gritty West Ham reboot | Jacob Steinberg

Related: Liverpool's Jürgen Klopp backs 'smart' Jordan Henderson to fill defensive gap

3.34pm GMT

West Ham are unchanged from the team that beat Crystal Palace in the week - not just the first XI, but the nine subs as well. Their new signing Jesse Lingard was not registered in time for this game.

Liverpool make three changes from their win over Spurs: Nat Phillips replaces Joel Matip in defence, while Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi come in for Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane. Firmino is on the bench; Mane has a minor muscle injury.

2.04pm GMT

Hello and welcome to the latest chapter in Liverpool’s bizarro season. Thursday’s majestic victory at Spurs - a performance that was both familiar and unexpected - has re-energised their title challenge, although they need to keep winning just to stay in Manchester City’s slipstream.

This season, Liverpool have generally been excellent in the big games and vulnerable against the weaker sides. I’m not sure which category West Ham fit into - they’re not in the Big Six but they are in the top six, and will go above Liverpool into fourth if they win today. Southampton and Aston Villa had good claims earlier in the season, but at the moment West Ham are the premier overachievers of 2020-21.

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Chelsea 4-0 Tottenham Hotspur: WSL – as it happened

Melanie Leupolz scored twice, the first a spectacular 30-yarder, as Chelsea continued their brilliant form with another thumping victory

4.34pm GMT

Match report:

Related: Chelsea sweep Tottenham aside to extend unbeaten WSL record

2.26pm GMT

Peep peep! Chelsea continue their charge with another thumping victory. Melanie Leupolz scored twice, the first a screamer from 30 yards, with Pernille Harder and Sam Kerr getting the other goals. Spurs started very well but Chelsea were ultimately far too good. Thanks for your company, bye!

2.25pm GMT

90+4 min Ji almost makes it five with a dipping long-range strike that is pushed wide by the flying Mikalsen. Good save.

2.22pm GMT

90+1 min Four added minutes.

2.22pm GMT

90 min Spence cracks a shot on the turn just over the bar. Chelsea could have easily have scored six or seven, yet it feels like they haven’t gone past second gear.

2.21pm GMT

89 min This win will move Chelsea three points clear at the top of the WSL, at least for a couple of hours: Manchester United, who are second, play Everton at 2.30pm.

2.18pm GMT

86 min Ji surges forward from midfield and pokes a low shot that takes a big deflection and dribbles just wide.

2.17pm GMT

84 min Neville is okay to continue.

2.15pm GMT

83 min There’s a break in play while Ashleigh Neville receives treatment. She hurt her right knee when trying to stop that shot from Reiten a cou0ple of minutes ago.

2.13pm GMT

81 min Ingle’s long ball is headed on by England towards Reiten, who stretches to hit a shot that is well held by Mikalsen.

2.13pm GMT

81 min The match is starting to peter out. It’s been a sobering day for Spurs, though they will take a bit of encouragement from an excellent first 25 minutes.

2.10pm GMT

78 min And now another Spurs substitution. Lucy Quinn on, Gemma Davison off.

2.08pm GMT

77 min Two more substitutions for Chelsea: Drew Spence and Sophie Ingle replaces Pernille Harder and Millie Bright.

2.08pm GMT

76 min Ayane wins a corner during a rare Spurs attack. It’s swung to the far post and headed wide by Kennedy. That was a decent chance, although there wasn’t much pace on the ball.

2.03pm GMT

72 min Reiten’s corner again finds its way to Harder near the penalty spot, this time on the bounce. Her first-time shot loops over Mikalsen and just wide of the near post.

2.03pm GMT

70 min Reiten smashes a shot into the side netting from a tight angle.

2.00pm GMT

67 min The game is over, has been for a while, but Chelsea are still hunting more goals.

1.55pm GMT

Melanie Leupolz gets her second goal, calmly sending Mikalsen the wrong way.

1.54pm GMT

63 min: PENALTY TO CHELSEA! Beth England, who has just come on, hits a cross against the raised elbow of Kerys Harrop.

1.53pm GMT

62 min Two more substitutions for Chelsea: Beth England and Jessie Fleming replace Sam Kerr and Fran Kirby.

1.51pm GMT

60 min Another chance for Chelsea, but Kerr fails to control Harder’s pass when through on goal. They are well on top now.

1.51pm GMT

59 min Harder plays a give-and-go with Kirby, surges into the area but then shoots too close to Mikalsen.

1.48pm GMT

57 min Another change for Spurs: Rosella Ayane replaces Jessica Naz up front.

1.46pm GMT

54 min: Percival clears off the line! That would have been a spectacular goal. Reiten drove a flat corner towards the penalty spot, where Harder ran round the ball and belted a left-foot volley towards goal. Percival leapt to head it off the line.

1.43pm GMT

52 min Harder appeals unsuccessfully for a penalty after being shoved by Neville. It was a needless challenge from Neville, which some referees would have penalised.

1.41pm GMT

49 min Nothing much happening at the moment. Some of Chelsea’s substitutes are going through tactics folders before they come onto the field.

1.36pm GMT

46 min Peep peep! Spurs begin the second half.

1.36pm GMT

Both teams have made half-time substitutions

Chelsea: Hannah Blundell for Maren Mjelde.

1.35pm GMT

Half-time reading

Related: Jill Scott: ' I’ve still got a lot to give; I still believe in myself'

1.19pm GMT

Peep peep! Chelsea are cruising towards another victory. Spurs started really well, with Ria Percival hitting the post, but once Chelsea got going they were clinical. Melanie Leupolz smashed them ahead from 30 yards, Pernille Harder scored the second and then made the third for Sam Kerr.

1.16pm GMT

44 min “Hi Rob,” says Redmond Grimes. “Trying to watch both Chelsea teams at the same time here in Toronto. Don’t they bother to try and schedule the teams to play at different times?”

Apparently not. I doubt the Premier League gives a stuff.

Related: Chelsea v Burnley: Premier League – live!

1.15pm GMT

42 min The scoreline is harsh on Spurs, who were probably the better team for the first 25 minutes. Chelsea, as is their wont, have been pretty ruthless.

1.12pm GMT

It’s all over now. Ji’s long pass bounces through to Harder on the left. She moves into the area, looks up and picks out the unmarked Kerr, who plants an emphatic header past Mikalsen from six yards. That was a classy goal.

1.10pm GMT

37 min A half chance for Spurs. Addison cuts infield from the right, twists back inside Andersson and blasts over the bar from a tight angle.

1.07pm GMT

33 min It’s all Chelsea now. Kirby angles a fine through pass to Kerr, whose iffy first touch takes her a bit too wide. That allows McManus to get back and block the eventual shot.

1.04pm GMT

30 min Ji rifles a long-range shot wide of the far post.

1.03pm GMT

29 min This is the problem when you play Chelsea. You can start well, have the better chances, but they always have the capacity to score out of nothing.

1.03pm GMT

The keeper Mikalsen overhit a pass towards Zadorsky that was intercepted by Kirby. She stabbed it over Zadorsky, moved down the right and cut the ball back towards Harder at the near post. Her first-time shot took a biggish deflection off McManus and wrongfooted Mikalsen.

1.02pm GMT

Two in three minutes for Chelsea!

1.01pm GMT

Melanie Leupolz gives Chelsea the lead with a screamer! She was found in space by Ji, 30 yards from goal; she took the ball on the half turn, looked up and hit a booming shot that swerved dramatically into the far corner. Mikalsen might have done better - she was deceived by the flight and didn’t dive - but it was a helluva strike.

12.57pm GMT

24 min After good play by Ji, Harder’s shot on the turn is comfoirtably saved by Mikalsen. This is a good spell for Chelsea.

12.55pm GMT

23 min Harder’s cross from the left is volleyed well wide by the off balance Reiten.

12.55pm GMT

22 min: Chance for Kirby! That was lovely play from Chelsea. Kerr, on the right, played a fast pass into Reiten on the edge of the area. She flicked it beautifully behind the defence for Kirby, who hit the side netting from a tight angle

12.51pm GMT

19 min Davison cuts infield from the left and plays a crisp pass to Graham on the edge of the area. She teases Bright, shifts the ball to the right and hits a good shot that is well held to her right by Berger.

12.49pm GMT

17 min Graham, who is causing lots of problems in between the Chelsea defence and midfield, just overhits a through pass towards Addison. Spurs have been terrific so far.

12.48pm GMT

14 min: Percival hits the post! This is a superb spell for Spurs. Graham turned on the edge of the area and laid the ball back to Percival, whose crisp drive was fingertipped onto the post by the diving Berger. That was an outstanding save. The loose ball eventually fell for Graham, who slapped it over the bar on the half-volley.

12.46pm GMT

13 min A double chance for Spurs! Chelsea didn’t clear a free-kick properly, and Kennedy’s shot onthe turn was blocked. The ball ran to Zadorsky, who had an age to line up a shot from the right side of the area. She struck it well but it just cleared the crossbar.

12.45pm GMT

12 min Spurs have made a confident start, as you’d expect given their recent form, and their press has inconvenienced Chelsea on a couple of occasions.

12.41pm GMT

8 min Ji clips a long pass towards Kerr, who gets the wrong side of Zadorsky but shoots wide with her left foot. She took the shot early, from 20 yards, when she should probably have moved closer to goal.

12.40pm GMT

7 min At the other end, Addison breaks down the right and slides an excellent low cross that zips across the face of goal.

12.39pm GMT

6 min Sam Kerr misses the first big chance, slicing Reiten’s cross well wide from 10 yards. It bounced up a little awkwardly, but Kerr should still have done better.

12.36pm GMT

4 min Nothing to report so far. Chelsea have had most of the possession so far.

12.32pm GMT

1 min Peep peep! Chelsea, in blue, kick off from left to right. Spurs are in their dark green change strip.

12.30pm GMT

The teams in (possible) formation

Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Berger; Mjelde, Bright, Ericsson, Andersson; Leupolz, Ji; Kirby, Harder, Reiten; Kerr.
Substitutes: Telford, Blundell, Ingle, England, Fleming, Spence, Fox, Beever-Jones.

11.46am GMT

A bit of news from elsewhere - Arsenal’s game at Aston Villa has been postponed because of a waterlogged pitch.

11.36am GMT

Spurs’ most signing signing Cho So-hyun is on the bench, but Abbie McManus and Aurora Mikalsen make their debuts.

Here's your Chelsea team to take on Spurs! #CFCW pic.twitter.com/6HzKNsL4oD

Today’s team to face Chelsea… #THWFC: Mikalsen, Neville, Zadorsky, Harrop, Davison, Percival, Addison, Graham, Naz, Kennedy C, McManus. #SpurHerOn ⚪ #COYS pic.twitter.com/eUKjJ3dpZQ

11.10am GMT

Hello and welcome to live coverage of Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur from Kingsmeadow. It’s over a year since Chelsea last failed to win a home game in any competition, and over two since they last lost in the WSL, so it will be an appreciable shock should Spurs win today.

Chelsea, who are aiming to retain the WSL for the first time in their history, have been in ominous form and went top of the table for the first time this season when they beat Manchester United a fortnight ago. Their win at Aston Villa in the week set a new WSL record of 32 games without defeat.

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Everton 3-0 Sheffield Wednesday: FA Cup fourth round – as it happened

Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored on his return and James Rodriguez sparkled throughout as Everton moved into the last 16 with a comfortable victory

10.07pm GMT

Here is the match report ...

Related: Dominic Calvert-Lewin ends drought as Everton sink Sheffield Wednesday

9.51pm GMT

Peep peep! Everton cruise into the fifth round, where they will play Wycombe or Spurs at Goodison Park. They played some slick football and were far too good for a young Sheffield Wednesday side. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, on his return from injury, slid in the first goal and then Richarlison and Yerry Mina scored in the space of four minutes in the second half. Both were headers from corners by James Rodriguez, who ran the game and was a pleasure to watch throughout. Thanks for your company, goodnight.

9.47pm GMT

90+1 min Three minutes of added time.

9.47pm GMT

90 min Wednesday appeal for a penalty after a challenge by Bernard on Brennan. It was a clumsy tackle, but Graham Scott and VAR weren’t interested.

9.42pm GMT

85 min A double change for Everton: Thierry Small, 16, and Tyler Onyango, 17, come on for Andre Gomes and the marvellous James Rodriguez. At 16 years 176 days, Small becomes the youngest player in Everton’s history. Well in lads.

9.40pm GMT

82 min James sweeps the ball out to Bernard, who cuts inside and has a shot blocked. Kenny puts the rebound into orbit. I know I’m a stuck record, but James has been so good tonight: elegant, regal and another complimentary word.

9.37pm GMT

79 min Wednesday make their fifth change. Adam Reach goes off, Jack Marriott comes on. This is his first game since early November.

9.36pm GMT

78 min “Evening Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “Still working at half nine on a Sunday?! You’d be as well just staying up for the cricket - only seven hours to go. Even during lockdown, the sporting calendar is pretty relentless...”

With the cricket in mind, I intend to be asleep precisely 12 seconds after this match finishes.

9.32pm GMT

75 min A double change for Everton: Anthony Gordon and Jonjoe Kenny replace Richarlison, who scored the second goal, and Ben Godfrey, who didn’t.

9.31pm GMT

74 min Windass changes direction smartly in the area and hits a stinging low shot that is superbly blocked by the sliding Holgate. Every time I see Holgate at centre-back, he looks a class act.

9.29pm GMT

73 min Windass’s deflected free-kick is held comfortably by Olsen.

9.27pm GMT

70 min Godfrey is booked for a studs-up lunge at Harris. That wasn’t the greatest tackle, although I’m pretty sure it wasn’t malicious.

9.25pm GMT

68 min Another change for Wednesday: Barry Bannan off, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru on.

9.24pm GMT

67 min An Everton substitution: Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has had an excellent return to action, is replaced by Bernard.

9.23pm GMT

64 min: Brennan heads off the line! James is ripping Wednesday apart. He receives the ball from Gomes, 25 yards from goal, and lobs a careful pass over the defence towards Calvert-Lewin. He lobs it over the outrushing Wildsmith, but Brennan gets back to head it behind for a corner. On reflection I’m not sure Calvert-Lewin’s shot was going in, though Brennan wasn’t to know that.

9.20pm GMT

63 min Brown plays a nice one-two with Windass but then overruns the ball on the edge of the area.

9.20pm GMT

James swings another fine corner towards the six-yard line, where Mina towers over everyone to head emphatically past Wildsmith. James has been a joy to watch in this game.

9.18pm GMT

61 min James pokes another delicious pass through to Richarlison, nutmegging Urhoghide in the process. Richarlison sweeps a curling shot towards the far post, and Wildsmith springs to his left to push it behind. Good save.

9.17pm GMT

60 min Wednesday make a double change: Izzy Brown and Matt Penney replace Ryan Galvin and Callum Paterson.

9.16pm GMT

James swings an excellent corner to the near post, where Richarlison leaps to flick a deft header by Wildsmith. Everton are heading into the last 16, where they will host either Wycombe or Spurs.

9.15pm GMT

58 min Sigurdsson has a shot deflected behind for a corner. Everton are well on top just now.

9.14pm GMT

57 min An Everton corner is headed away to James on the edge of the area. He steers a careful square pass to Doucoure, who slices his shot wide. That was a chance. James has played some gorgeous passes tonight.

9.13pm GMT

56 min Richarlison plays an angled pass into the path of Calvert-Lewin, who rattles a first-time shot that is pawed round the near post by Wildsmith. That was a decent save, and a really good first-time effort from Calvert-Lewin as he was running away from goal.

9.12pm GMT

55 min Gomes picks up a loose ball and drives wide from 25 yards.

9.11pm GMT

54 min James’s free-kick is headed on at the near post, by Reach I think, and headed wide at the far post by Godfrey. He was under a fair bit of pressure so it wasn’t much of a chance.

9.08pm GMT

52 min James angles a lovely first-time pass to the overlapping Coleman, but his cross is too deep.

9.07pm GMT

51 min Nothing much to report since half-time. Wednesday are a nice team to watch, but so far they have been a bit toothless.

9.05pm GMT

48 min Windass tries a one-two with Bannan, whose return pass is slightly underhit. That allows Coleman to come across and intercept on the edge of the area.

9.02pm GMT

46 min Peep peep! Everton begin the second half.

9.01pm GMT

Wednesday have made a half-time change: Andre Green, who faded after a lively start, is replaced by Josh Windass.

8.48pm GMT

Half-time reading

Related: What does Brexit really mean for the future of British football? | Ed Aarons

8.47pm GMT

Peep peep! Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s poacher’s goal has given Everton a deserved lead over Sheffield Wednesday. It’s been an enjoyable game, with both teams passing the ball confidently, but Everton have had the greater threat in attack.

8.45pm GMT

45 min One added minute.

8.41pm GMT

42 min Everton have played some lovely stuff in the last 15 or 20 minutes.

8.41pm GMT

41 min Coleman scurries into the area and slides another dangerous low cross into the six-yard box. Richarlison is waiting at the far post for a tap-in, but Urhoghide does really well to get himself between Richarlison and the ball.

8.38pm GMT

39 min Everton are threatening to overwhelm Wednesday, who can’t afford to concede a second before half-time.

8.37pm GMT

37 min A rabona pass from James tees up Sigurdsson, who lets the ball run across his body to lose Urhoghide but then thrashes his shot wide of the far post. That was lovely play from Everton.

8.33pm GMT

34 min Everton break four on four, with Calvert-Lewin. He plays it out to Sigurdsson, who curls an excellent cross that flashes across the goal.

8.32pm GMT

32 min Calvert-Lewin, as you probably know, started his career at his boyhood club Sheffield United.

8.30pm GMT

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has given Everton the lead on his return to the side. The goal was made superbly by Andre Gomes, who shuffled away from Pelupessy on the left of the area and leathered the ball across the six-yard box. Calvert-Lewin, sliding in at the far post, finished it off.

8.29pm GMT

The big man is back.

8.28pm GMT

27 min James plays the ball into the area towards Calvert-Lewin, who fresh-airs an attempted backheel to Sigurdsson. The loose ball is picked up by James, whose curling shot is headed away by Brennan.

8.25pm GMT

25 min Calvert-Lewin wins a corner for Everton. James’s inswinger just clears the leaping Calvert-Lewin in the middle and Wednesday force the ball away.

8.22pm GMT

22 min Harris runs at Godfrey, who pokes the ball behind for a corner. Bannan’s inswinging corner shaves the head of an Everton player at the near post and flashes across the face of goal.

8.18pm GMT

18 min Harris’s dangerous cross is cleared by Mina at the near post. Although Everton have had the biggest chance, Wednesday do look bright and breezy going forward.

8.17pm GMT

17 min James plays another nice through pass, this time to Calvert-Lewin in the area. He takes it beautifully in his stride, dragging his studs over the ball to pirouette away from Urhoghide, and forces a low shot that is saved at the near post by Wildsmith.

8.15pm GMT

15 min The debutant Green cuts infield from the left and stings Olsen’s palms with a decent effort. He looks lively.

8.13pm GMT

13 min That pass from James really was exquisite.

8.12pm GMT

12 min: Richarlison has a goal disallowed! Ach, that’s a shame, because it was a gorgeous goal. James wandered infield from the right and played a devastating through pass, perfectly weighted to take Brennan out of the game and bring Richarlison into it. He finished calmly past Wildsmith, but replays showed he was fractionally offside.

8.09pm GMT

9 min Richarlison flashes a terrific cross from the left that just evades Calvert-Lewin.

8.08pm GMT

8 min: Richarlison hits the bar! Coleman moves into space down the right and swings a deep cross towards Richarlison, whose header is pushed/fumbled onto the top of the bar by Wildsmith.

8.06pm GMT

5 min Wednesday have made a bright start and look perky in possession. For tactics fans, this is their revised line-up:

Sheffield Wednesday (3-3-2-2) Wildsmith; Urhoghide, Borner, Brennan; Harris, Pelupessy, Galvin; Reach, Bannan; Paterson, Green.

8.04pm GMT

4 min Adam Reach finds himself in space 25 yards from goal. He pushes the ball forward and hits a rising drive across goal that is pushed behind by Olsen. It was a fairly comfortable save, but it was also a good strike from Reach.

8.03pm GMT

3 min Richarlison has a snapshot blocked by a Wednesday defender, Brennan I think.

8.02pm GMT

2 min BT Sport were right: Wednesday are playing 3-5-2. Nothing else to report yet.

8.00pm GMT

1 min Peep peep! Sheffield Wednesday, in their black away kit, kick off from left to right. Everton are in blue.

8.00pm GMT

The BT Sport folk have Sheffield Wednesday playing a 3-5-2, with Harris and Galvin as wing-backs and Green and Paterson up front. We’ll soon find out.

7.58pm GMT

Here come the teams. I should have said that the Everton subs bench includes Thierry Small, a 16-year-old left-back; he will become their youngest ever player if he gets on.

7.35pm GMT

It’s just not football

But this is tremendous fun.

Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Dickwella likes a chat!

He has teased Bairstow for being "dropped", hailed Lawrence's play against spin - and asked Root for a bat! #SLvENG

Watch https://t.co/bT0CP9Q8No
Blog https://t.co/cJNbB8VWVV pic.twitter.com/yjBFSWII6F

7.33pm GMT

“Hi Rob,” says Matt Burtz. “Considering the injuries and the Leicester game on Wednesday, this is probably Carlo’s strongest lineup. They haven’t played in 12 days and there should be no excuses here, but as you’ve already noted, this is Everton we’re talking about. Fingers crossed.”

They’ve had some special cup defeats since the turn of the century, haven’t they? We all remember Shrewsbury but there’s also Oldham, Tranmere, Reading, Wigan, even Liverpool reserves last year.

7.30pm GMT

“Evening, Smyth,” says Sean Clayton. “This could be a massacre - Everton have got the likes of DCL and James against a Wednesday back four including three U-23 players with fewer than 10 career starts each. What’s the audio version of watching through your fingers?”

Good question. Listening on headphones with the commentary in one ear and Brian Eno in the other?

7.13pm GMT

Everton (4-2-3-1) Olsen; Coleman, Holgate, Mina, Godfrey; Doucoure, Gomes; James, Sigurdsson, Richarlison; Calvert-Lewin.
Substitutes: Pickford, Lossl, Kenny, Keane, Bernard, Gordon, Davies, Small, Onyango.

Sheffield Wednesday (4-2-3-1) Wildsmith; Urhoghide, Brennan, Borner, Galvin; Bannan, Pelupessy; Harris, Reach, Green; Paterson.
Substitutes: Jackson, Palmer, Marriott, Penney, Dele-Bashiru, Windass, Brown, Hunt, Kachunga.

7.12pm GMT

Pre-match reading

Related: Crisis club Sheffield Wednesday 'chomping at the bit' for Everton test

Related: When Everton took three replays to beat Sheffield Wednesday in FA Cup

7.06pm GMT

Related: Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes sinks Liverpool in FA Cup thriller

7.06pm GMT

If you don’t want to know the Man Utd/Liverpool score, look away before I post the next entry

7.05pm GMT

Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has been out with a hamstring injury, plays for the first time since New Year’s Day. Carlo Ancelotti has picked a very strong side, though Jordan Pickford and Michael Keane have been given a rest.

Andre Green makes his debut for Sheffield Wednesday, though we’re not sure whether he’ll play wide or up front. They are without the teenage defender Liam Shaw, who played brilliantly in those three wins under Neil Thompson. There’s no official explanation why Shaw is not involved tonight, but if you fancy a bit of feckless, baseless, clueless, meaningless, worthless, headless, witless speculation as to why he is not involved, check out twitter.com, where less is more.

⚠️ TEAM NEWS! ⚠️

▫️ @CalvertLewin14 returns.
▫️ Teenagers Thierry Small (16) and Tyler Onyango (17) feature on the bench.#EmiratesFACup #COYB pic.twitter.com/YjtZFMVIsa

Here's how we line up at Goodison Park this evening! #swfc #EmiratesFACup

5.47pm GMT

Hello. In the FA Cup, every fixture tells a story. Tonight’s meeting between Everton and Sheffield Wednesday at Goodison Park evokes two classic ties – the 1966 FA Cup final, when Everton came from 2-0 down to win 3-2, and the marathon of 1988, when it took four games to separate the teams in the third round. After three 1-1 draws, Everton settled the matter with a perverse 5-0 win at Hillsborough. (There was also a belting quarter-final in 1906, which Everton won 4-3, but you don’t care about, do you, you xenophobe.)

Logic suggests this will be a comfortable game for Everton, though we’ve said that a few times in the 26 years since they last won the FA Cup. They are sixth in the Premier League; Sheffield Wednesday are 23rd in the Championship. Even without their six-point deduction, Wednesday would only be 20th.

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