I’m back! Before I go, some quotes that are worth reporting. Roy Hodgson has done his post-match interview, and when he was asked about the handball decision that led to the decisive penalty, he didn’t hold back at all:
I think the rule’s a nonsense, that’s what I think. And I can’t understand how we, football, thinking about the Premier League, the referees, ourselves, the coaches and managers, and I’m thinking about the players, how we’ve allowed this rule to come into operation is beyond me, and it’s ruining the game of football, there’s no question about that. Because the rules of football which are understood and are accepted by people from quite an early age, these days we’re in a situation where even we, experienced coaches and players, even we can’t understand what constitutes a handball and what doesn’t.
I’ve just seen it on the screen, and the idea that this constitutes handball, it’s just a nonsense. I don’t want to profit by it, I don’t want to lose by it, but there’s no doubt that it’s killing the game of football.
What will happen, I will predict, because players are clever, they will be actually flicking balls onto people’s hands in the penalty area and screaming handball, and the referees will go to the monitor and give it. And if people honestly believe that’s going to make the game of football better then good luck to them. For me, a really good game of football was destroyed by a decision. And I’m not just saying that because we lost the game, because last week we had a decision go our way. I just do not believe in the rule.
I don’t blame the referee. The referee, he doesn’t think it’s handball either. He’s just got to give it, because that’s what he’s been told to do. Now how can that be right? If I can ignore that, I enjoyed the game of football. We’ve lost the points in a way which I find totally unacceptable.
Unfortunately once again we find ourselves discussing something you don’t really want to be discussing. It would be much nicer if the game had ended 1-1, and there were no penalties either for us or against us, and we’d be talking about the quality of the football. Instead I need to come here and make bold statements, which I make no apology for because I’ve said it all along and I’ll continue to say it. I really despair that we have introduced a handball rule which is killing the game of football.
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And with that I’m going to tootle off. Bye!
While here’s a thing on Derby’s home humbling by Blackburn:
Jonathan Liew has filed his match report from Selhurst Park:
Briefly and improbably, Everton are top of the Premier League. They got there not by clerical error, or through a sudden and unexplained vaporisation of all the teams beginning with letters from A to D, but by winning their third game in a row: a greasy, hard-fought, relentless entertaining arm-wrestle with Crystal Palace at a drenched and freezing Selhurst Park.
They were the better team, the more ambitious team, the more attractive team to watch, and yet they still largely owed their win to the butterfly wings of VAR: Richarlison’s first-half penalty being awarded for a painfully harsh handball against Joel Ward. Nonetheless, they continue to make strides under Carlo Ancelotti, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin notching his fifth goal of the season and the defence putting in another solid shift.
Much more here:
Carlo Ancelotti refuses to be drawn on whether he thinks today’s penalty decision, or the rules themselves, are fair, saying only that “we all have to adapt”. Otherwise, these are his thoughts:
The result was good. The first half was good, second half more difficult. Crystal Palace put a lot of pressure on us second half. We defended well. It was important to see the spirit of the team. It is good, because we have started the season well. We have to look for the momentum, we have to know that every game will be difficult. We have to keep motivation, ambition also, because we are doing really well but we have to know that danger is behind us all the time when we don’t behave properly.
Here’s a report on the lunchtimely Herts-Beds derby, which Watford largely controlled but only just won:
We have two football-focused liveblogs ongoing still. There’s this one:
And also this one:
Reading are on their own at the top of the Championship after winning 2-1 at Cardiff, their third win on the spin. With Nottingham Forest losing yesterday, Wycombe failing at lunchtime and Derby thrashed 4-0 at home by Blackburn this afternoon, Sheffield Wednesday, who started the season on -12, could reduce their deficit to just five points if they win tomorrow. They are however away at Bristol City, who have won their first two and will go top if they win by two or more goals (though a 2-0 win would take them above Reading only on alphabetical order).
“Only one second-half goal in Scotland, Simon,” writes our voluntary part-time north-of-the-border correspondent Simon McMahon. “Unfortunately for United fans it came for Hamilton, where it ended 1-1. As Captain Blackadder might have said, ‘bugger’.”
Ipswich and Hull kept their 100% records going in League One and sit first and second respectively, both winning 2-0 today. Meanwhile at the start of the day Wigan, Crewe and Oxford were at the bottom of the League One table without a point between them, but they all won today and Oxford’s 4-1 thrashing of Accrington was emphatic enough to lift them from 24th this morning to 12th by nightfall.
An odd day in League Two, where ninth-placed (at the start of the day) Newport were the highest-placed side to actually win a game. Not a lot of goals about in those games either: second-placed Port Vale drew 0-0 with third-placed Harrogate, fourth-placed Salford drew 0-0 with seventh-placed Forest Green, and first-placed Cambridge, who won their first two games 3-0 and 5-0, drew 0-0 with Tranmere. The upshot is that Newport are now joint top, but third on goal difference behind Cambridge and Port Vale.
Every game in the Football League is now over, and here are the final scores:
Premier League
Crystal Palace 1-2 Everton
Championship
Barnsley 0-0 Coventry City
Birmingham City 1-1 Rotherham United
Cardiff City 1-2 Reading
Derby County 0-4 Blackburn Rovers
Millwall 1-1 Brentford
Preston 0-1 Stoke City
QPR 1-1 Middlesbrough
League One
Accrington Stanley 1-4 Oxford United
Crewe Alexandra 2-0 MK Dons
Doncaster Rovers 4-1 Bristol Rovers
Fleetwood Town 0-1 Wimbledon
Gillingham 2-0 Blackpool
Ipswich Town 2-0 Rochdale
Northampton 0-2 Hull City
Plymouth Argyle 1-1 Shrewsbury Town
Portsmouth 1-2 Wigan Athletic
Sunderland 1-0 Peterborough
Swindon Town 4-2 Burton Albion
League Two
Barrow 1-1 Colchester
Bolton Wanderers 0-2 Newport County
Bradford City 2-1 Stevenage
Cambridge United 0-0 Tranmere
Mansfield Town 1-2 Exeter City
Oldham Athletic 2-3 Crawley Town
Port Vale 0-0 Harrogate Town
Salford City 0-0 Forest Green Rovers
Scunthorpe United 1-0 Carlisle United
Southend United 1-2 Morecambe
Scottish Premiership
Hamilton Academical 1-1 Dundee United
Livingston 2-0 St Johnstone
St Mirren 0-1 Kilmarnock
The last time Everton won their first three games of a season in all competitions was quite a while ago:
🔥 @Everton have won their opening 5 games of a season for the first time in 82 years, since August-September 1938 (a run of 6) pic.twitter.com/3eVb6RBNUF
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) September 26, 2020
Final score: Crystal Palace 1-2 Everton
Another game, another win, and Everton are top of the Premier League table with a 100% record at the end of September!
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Some photographs just scream out: turn me into a spot the ball competition please.
Not so fast! Another penalty, and Jeremy Bela, who conceded the Rotherham penalty a couple of minutes ago, scores from the spot to equalise for Birmingham!
Rotherham have taken a late lead at Birmingham, Kieran Sadlier smashing a penalty into the top corner to make it 0-1.
Cardiff have pulled a goal back at home to Reading, Lee Tomlin squeezing the ball in at the far post after the ball rebounded to him, and will be sniffing comeback in the Welsh air now.
Derby are now 4-0 down at home to Blackburn, Adam Armstrong scoring the visitors’ latest. Blackburn have had 21 shots so far, which strikes me as rather a lot.
Calvert-Lewin misses another excellent chance! Sigurdsson’s shot deflects into his path, but with Kouyate readying a challenge he hurries his effort and it’s easily saved.
Some team news from the Hawthorns, where Kepa is left out of the Chelsea team and Tammy Abraham starts up front alongside Timo Werner:
West Brom: Johnstone, Furlong, Ajayi, Bartley, O’Shea, Townsend, Matheus Pereira, Livermore, Sawyers, Diangana, Robinson. Subs: Robson-Kanu, Phillips, Harper, Edwards, Kipre, Button, Field.
Chelsea: Caballero, James, Christensen, Thiago Silva, Alonso, Kante, Kovacic, Havertz, Mount, Werner, Abraham. Subs: Arrizabalaga, Jorginho, Barkley, Tomori, Giroud, Hudson-Odoi, Azpilicueta.
Referee: Jonathan Moss.
📋 Team news is in at The Hawthorns.
— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) September 26, 2020
Conor Townsend replaces the suspended Kieran Gibbs.#WBACHE | #WBA pic.twitter.com/5xf65qmNSL
Here's how the Blues line up! 📝#WBACHE pic.twitter.com/7mInjAqd0C
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 26, 2020
Zaha’s shot hits Calvert-Lewin’s arm, but the limb was in front of his chest and VAR doesn’t think it penalty-worthy.
There have been a lot of half-chances at Selhurst Park, but no second-half goals. Rodrigues had the most recent of them, but his volley from 15 yards or so was blocked.
It looks like Reading will end the day on the top of the Championship table. Lucas Joao has given them a 2-0 lead at Cardiff, and if they manage to win they will be the only team on nine points tonight. Bristol City could catch them if they beat Sheffield Wednesday at home tomorrow afternoon.
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And as I type that Ipswich score a second, Gwion Edwards tucking in the loose ball after it deflects to him inside the penalty area.
League Two’s two teams who started the day with 100% records, Cambridge and Port Vale, are both in danger of losing them, drawing 0-0 as they are at present. Of the three teams in League One protecting unblemished records, Ipswich and Hull are both winning, 1-0 at home to Rochdale and 2-0 at Northampton respectively. Lincoln play Charlton tomorrow.
“Afternoon Simon,” writes occasional voluntary Scotland correspondent Simon McMahon. “Goals in all three of todays SPL matches. Lawrence Shankland got his second in as many games on his return from injury to give Micky Mellon’s Dundee United the half time lead at Hamilton. Livingston are 2-0 up at home to St. Johnstone, and St. Mirren trail 1-0 at home to Kilmarnock.”
What a chance for Everton! Rodrigues takes a corner on the left, and Calvert-Lewin makes an excellent run, beats his man, rises, and volleys miserably wide!
Dominic Samuel has scored four minutes into each half, and Gillingham thus lead Blackpool 2-0.
Play is back under way at Crystal Palace, and the first goal of the second half has come at Cardiff, where Michael Morrison has given Reading the lead.
Oxford United are 1-0 up at Accrington, but the story of the day is undoubtedly the tale of their journey to the game:
Here’s Luton’s head coach, Nathan Jones, on his side’s performance in their derby defeat at Watford today. It doesn’t appear he was massively chuffed:
A real lacklustre game, the most lacklustre derby you have ever seen. I don’t think you would realise it was a derby. We were flat. I am just flabbergasted by the performance. I did not see that coming. I thought at least we would be right at it. If there had been fans in the stadium they would have demanded more. I can’t complain at taking six points from nine, it’s just this game. I wanted more from us today. We have been used to winning games and today of all days we could have done without that. We lost every header, we lost every second ball, we didn’t test the goalkeeper. It wasn’t a derby performance and it wasn’t a Luton performance. My players didn’t respond to the level of game it was.
Half time: Crystal Palace 1-2 Everton
They have played half of the time at Selhurst Park, and Everton have the lead. They have dominated the game, conceded way against the run of play, and look the better team by a distance, but general consensus on that penalty seems to be full-on outrage.
Updated
Well it’s another shot on target, but it floated goalwards so slowly that despite starting on the opposite side of the goal Guaita saved it with ease.
They’re deep into stoppage time at Selhurst Park, and there’ll be four minutes of it. Everton have had 68% of possession, lead 3-1 on shots on target, and they’re about to have another shooting chance as Rodrigues is fouled just outside the box.
“If this handball nonsense continues we’ll see players signed only on agreement of their arms being removed,” writes Harry Palmer. Players just have to be coached to hold their hands behind their backs in every defensive situation, because as the regulations currently stand referees are allowed to show very little mercy if ball hits arm. There was nothing even close to intent there, and the player’s arm was only fractionally away from his body.
Stoke are a goal up at Preston, Lee Gregory tapping in at the far post from John Obi Mikel’s excellent low centre.
Updated
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-2 Everton (Richarlison, 40 mins)
Richarlison cracks the penalty into the top left corner, and Everton are back in front!
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Penalty to Everton!
The ball hit Ward’s hand, there’s no doubt about that. But it was headed pretty firmly into it, and it was hanging pretty close to the defender’s side. Extremely harsh.
Updated
At Selhurst Park there’s a long VAR review for handball, a second review in a couple of minutes, both for incidents in the Crystal Palace area. And Swindon are 3-0 up now, Mathieu Baudry with their latest.
Updated
Swindon are 2-0 up at home to Burton, who have according to Jeff Stelling on Sky conceded at least twice in every away game since November.
QPR have equalised against Middlesbrough, Bright Osayi-Samuel snaffling a rebound in front of goal.
I hate to say it, but I think a commanding, confident goalkeeper deals with that. Pickford could have attacked it and punched it clear, but instead he retreated and was beaten.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-1 Everton (Kouyate, 27 mins)
Townsend curls in a corner from the right, and Kouyate convincingly wins the header against Richarlison at the back post, and there’s no stopping that!
Updated
More on Calvert-Lewin’s conversion to goalpoacher extraordinaire:
How to be a penalty-box poacher, by Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 26, 2020
His first five goals of the season came from nine shots, all in the centre of the goal and no further away than the penalty spot. 🦊 pic.twitter.com/OYxjd1laBF
Brentford have equalised at Millwall, Ivan Toney with a penalty to make it 1-1. And Chuba Akpom has scored on his debut for Middlesbrough after signing from PAOK, and they lead 1-0 at QPR.
Updated
“Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s positional switch from centre-FORWARD to CENTRE-forward is really paying off,” notes Gary Naylor. Well indeed.
And again! This time the two previous goalscorers combine, Tyrhys Dolan does some twinkletoed lollipop-heavy trickery on the right, his cross is headed clear to Bradley Johnson, and his volleyed drive deflects into the net! It’s Derby 0-3 Blackburn!
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And another! Bradley Johnson sends a left-footed 25-yard screamer into the corner of the net about 90 seconds later and it’s Derby 0-2 Blackburn!
Derby are one of the Championship’s pointless teams, and as it stands they still will be at the end of the day - Tyrhys Dolan has given Blackburn a 1-0 lead at Pride Park, tapping in after Ben Brereton’s shot hit the post and cannoned into his shin. He didn’t know much about, I don’t think.
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Before today Swindon and Burton were absolutely unsplittable - both had one win, one defeat, three goals for and three against. They’ve been split now, though, Jordan Stevens scoring in the seventh minute of his debut on loan from Leeds!
GOAL! Crystal Palace 0-1 Everton (Calvert-Lewin, 10 mins)
Everton take the lead! Good work from Coleman on the right, and a lovely James Rodriguez pass to find him running beyond Mitchell, and his pull-back is tailor-made for Calvert-Lewin. His shot is straight at Guaita, but the keeper can only help it into his net!
Updated
Millwall have taken an early lead at home to Brentford, Jed Wallace with an excellent header from an excellent left-wing cross. There’s an absolutely superb bit of boot-losing in the build-up as well, a defender’s footwear flying off his foot and windmilling into the air before the cross came in.
A week ago Dominic Samuel was a free agent, having been released by Blackburn back in July. Today he’s scored in the fourth minute of his Gillingham debut, and they lead Blackpool 1-0.
Whoever wins the match between Palace and Everton (which will start shortly, after a minute’s silence for Matt Ratana, the police officer shot and killed in Croydon this week) will top the table at the final whistle, and possibly the rest of the weekend. “2020 has sucked but this is just wonderful,” writes Mary Waltz. “My head and history tells me winter is coming but I am shutting off my brain and simply shouting we are top of the table! Go you blues!”
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Looking at the photographs that are coming into the sports desk from across the country, one big question stands out: what exactly is happening just to our left of the door to Everton’s coach? Whatever it is, it looks really exciting.
Updated
Roy Hodgson explains that Jeffrey Schlupp came down with a minor injury in training, explaining his absence from Crystal Palace’s team this afternoon.
Here’s a report on Manchester United’s dramatic, woodwork-reliant victory over Brighton:
The early Championship games have finished: Swansea, who still haven’t conceded a goal, won 2-0 at pointless Wycombe, who still haven’t scored one; Luton’s 100% record came to an end at Watford, who also haven’t conceded a goal and today scored one of their own through Joao Pedro, on his 19th birthday. The two victors are top of the pre-3pm table with seven points from three games, though there are half a dozen teams who could overtake them over the course of the afternoon. Here’s the top of the table:
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swansea | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 2 | Watford | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 3 | Reading | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 4 | Bristol City | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 5 | Luton | 3 | 1 | 6 |
A last-minute-of-stoppage-time equaliser for Brighton against Manchester United - you can follow the last knockings of that game with Rob Smyth here:
Another week without fans in English league grounds, but in Germany the stands at the Opel Arena are fairly busy this afternoon:
Here are those teams, with Everton unchanged and Palace giving Eberechi Eze a first start:
Crystal Palace: Guaita, Ward, Kouyate, Sakho, Mitchell, Townsend, McCarthy, McArthur, Eze, Ayew, Zaha. Subs: Milivojevic, Meyer, Hennessey, Benteke, Batshuayi, Kelly, Riedewald.
Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Mina, Keane, Digne, Doucoure, Allan, Andre Gomes, Rodriguez, Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison. Subs: Kenny, Sigurdsson, Iwobi, Bernard, Davies, Kean, Lossl.
Referee: Kevin Friend.
COME ON YOU PALACE #CPFC | #CRYEVE
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) September 26, 2020
🚨 TEAM NEWS! 🚨
— Everton (@Everton) September 26, 2020
Unchanged from our last #PL game as we aim to make it five wins in a row to start the season. 👊
UTT! #CRYEVE pic.twitter.com/ULiB40HbdC
Team news should start trickling through any moment now. I’m happy to post the line-ups from any game you’re interested in, like some kind of team-news jukebox, otherwise I’ll just put up the ones from Selhurst Park.
Hello world!
Only one of today’s four Premier League fixtures is being played on our watch, so it’s an afternoon to train our beady focus upon the Football League. There are 28 3pm BST kick-offs across the three divisions, so there’ll surely be goals and drama, but beyond that we’ll be looking to see what coincidences look ready to become full-blown trends.
There are, for example, nine teams in the Football League who haven’t either scored a goal or won a point (for the record: Barnsley, Nottingham Forest*, Wycombe (who host Swansea at lunchtime), Crewe, Oxford, Bolton, Oldham, Grimsby and Southend); another couple who have scored but still don’t have a point (Derby and Wigan); a few who have points but still haven’t scored (Stoke, Portsmouth and Tranmere); eight with 100% records after two games (Reading, Bristol City, Luton, Ipswich, Lincoln, Hull, Cambridge and Port Vale); and 12 who haven’t conceded (including Portsmouth, the nation’s boredom specialists, who haven’t scored either).
* Forest lost their third game without scoring at Huddersfield last night and also lost without scoring in the EFL Cup, so are way down the road to Trend City already. Interestingly the Championship sides who took the fewest shots in their first two games were Luton (12) and Reading (14, joint with Swansea), who both have 100% records
Let’s start with a big list of today’s 3pm BST fixtures:
Premier League
Crystal Palace v Everton
Championship
Barnsley v Coventry City
Birmingham City v Rotherham United
Cardiff City v Reading
Derby County v Blackburn Rovers
Millwall v Brentford
Preston v Stoke City
QPR v Middlesbrough
League One
Accrington Stanley v Oxford United
Crewe Alexandra v MK Dons
Doncaster Rovers v Bristol Rovers
Fleetwood Town v Wimbledon
Gillingham v Blackpool
Ipswich Town v Rochdale
Northampton v Hull City
Plymouth Argyle v Shrewsbury Town
Portsmouth v Wigan Athletic
Sunderland v Peterborough
Swindon Town v Burton Albion
League Two
Barrow v Colchester
Bolton Wanderers v Newport County
Bradford City v Stevenage
Cambridge United v Tranmere
Mansfield Town v Exeter City
Oldham Athletic v Crawley Town
Port Vale v Harrogate Town
Salford City v Forest Green Rovers
Scunthorpe United v Carlisle United
Southend United v Morecambe
Scottish Premiership
Hamilton Academical v Dundee United
Livingston v St Johnstone
St Mirren v Kilmarnock
