Right then, I’ll be off. Here’s Rob Smyth on Brighton v Wolves. Bye!
Ed Aarons has filed his match report from Selhurst Park:
Unfortunately for Chris Wilder, it could be the first of many to come. Defeat to Crystal Palace after Jeffrey Schlupp’s early goal and a flash of individual brilliance from Ebere Eze means Sheffield United have now surpassed QPR’s unwanted record for most Premier League games without a victory from the start of a season.
That run of 17 matches never looked like ending here, especially after Palace took the lead with their first serious attack. But with only two points and the season almost at its halfway point, their manager must be only too aware that his side remain firmly on course to succeed the 2007-8 Derby vintage as the worst team in Premier League history.
Much more here:
“A great point for Dundee United at Pittodrie as Micky Mellon reaffirms his credentials as the anti-Bielsa with yet another 0-0,” reports Simon McMahon, the Guardian’s voluntary occasional part-time Scottish football correspondent. “Who wants goals anyway?” Well indeed.
Crystal Palace vault up to 12th with the three points they banked this afternoon. As for Sheffield United, the good news is that the season is nearly half over.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Burnley | 15 | -11 | 16 |
| 17 | Brighton | 16 | -7 | 13 |
| 18 | Fulham | 15 | -10 | 11 |
| 19 | West Brom | 16 | -24 | 8 |
| 20 | Sheff Utd | 17 | -21 | 2 |
It is full time everywhere, and here’s a full full-timely scorecheck:
Premier League
Crystal Palace 2-0 Sheffield United
Championship
Birmingham 0-2 Blackburn
Brentford v. Bristol City (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Bristol City)
Huddersfield 1-2 Reading Luton v. QPR (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Luton)
Millwall 1-2 Coventry
Norwich 1-0 Barnsley
Preston North End 0-1 Nottm Forest
Rotherham v. Cardiff (postponed because of snow)
Swansea 2-1 Watford
Wycombe 1-3 Middlesbrough
League One
Accrington Stanley v. Portsmouth (Postponed because of a frozen pitch)
Bristol Rovers 2-1 Blackpool
Burton Albion 1-5 Oxford Utd
Fleetwood Town v. Ipswich (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Fleetwood)
Hull 2-0 Charlton
Northampton 0-0 Sunderland
Peterborough v. Doncaster (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Peterborough)
Plymouth 1-0 Gillingham
Rochdale v. Milton Keynes Dons (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Rochdale)
Shrewsbury v. Crewe (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Shrewsbury)
Swindon v. Wigan (Postponed because of a frozen pitch)
Wimbledon 1-2 Lincoln City
League Two
Barrow v. Exeter (Postponed because of a frozen pitch)
Bolton 0-1 Crawley Town
Bradford v. Morecambe (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Morecambe)
Colchester v. Tranmere (Postponed because of Covid outbreaks at both clubs)
Forest Green 1-1 Oldham (Abandoned because of fog)
Grimsby 1-2 Cambridge Utd
Harrogate Town v. Cheltenham (Postponed because of a frozen pitch)
Leyton Orient 1-0 Salford City
Mansfield 4-0 Port Vale
Newport County v. Southend (Postponed because of a frozen pitch)
Stevenage 3-1 Scunthorpe
Walsall 0-2 Carlisle
Scottish Premiership
Aberdeen 0-0 Dundee Utd
Hamilton 3-0 Motherwell
Hibernian 0-3 Livingston
Kilmarnock 1-1 St Mirren
Ross County 1-1 St Johnstone
Updated
Final score: Crystal Palace 2-0 Sheffield United
It’s all over at Selhurst Park, and it’s a 20th match without a league win for Sheffield United! Palace’s first deflected in off a defender, their second was a wondergoal in which no defender played any part at all.
Swansea have beaten Watford 2-1, and the scale of the task facing Xisco Munoz is now clear. Of the Championship’s other promotion-chasing sides, Norwich and Reading have won, and Bournemouth play at Stoke this evening.
Bradley Dack has doubled Blackburn’s lead, and sealed their victory, at Birmingham with a rocket into the roof of the net. It’s 0-2 there now.
In other late drama news, Torquay United were coasting to victory at Yeovil by a single goal to no goals, only for Josh Neufville to equalise in the 88th minute and Luke Wilkinson to win it for the home side in stoppage time.
Some late madness at Queen of the South, where Ayr equalised with a 90th-minute own goal and fell behind 30 seconds later, and are now set to lose 3-2:
91'| YASSSSSS!!!!!!!! CONNOR SHIELDS AT THE DEATH !!!!!!!
— Queen of the South (@OfficialQosFC) January 2, 2021
Here’s PA Media’s analysis of those Brighton and Wolves teams:
Struggling Brighton recalled strikers Neal Maupay and Aaron Connolly as part of five changes for the visit of Wolves. Ben White, Solly March and Leandro Trossard also returned for 17th-placed Albion, who have won just one of their past 14 top-flight games. Seagulls midfielder Adam Lallana was fit enough for the bench following a groin issue but forward Danny Welbeck, who has been struggling with a knee problem, was left out of Graham Potter’s squad.
Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo made two changes to his starting XI, recalling Nelson Semedo and Fabio Silva in place of Ki-Jana Hoever and Max Kilman.
Rob Smyth is on top of this one, here:
Abandonment! The game between Forest Green and Oldham, which was evenly balanced at 1-1, has been called off because of thick fog.
𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 𝗔𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗗
— Forest Green Rovers (@FGRFC_Official) January 2, 2021
That's it. The referee has called an end to the match on the 57th minute.#WeAreFGR 💚 pic.twitter.com/KFnhDpcqR4
Middlesbrough look victory-bound at Wycombe, leading as they now do 3-1. Chuba Akpom has grabbed the third, tapping in after Allsop in the home goal just about clawed away a corner that was sailing towards his net!
Watford are enjoying their first spell of sustained pressure as they search for an equaliser at Swansea, but the goal won’t come. They’ve had plenty of corners, and Deeney has just lashed a volley over the bar when well placed. Ten minutes remain.
Hull City have doubled their advantage over Charlton Athletic in the big League One top-six clash. I haven’t seen it, but they seem excited:
DOCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC!!!!!
— Hull City (@HullCity) January 2, 2021
🐯 2-0 🔴 [76'] #HULCHA#hcafc | #theTigers pic.twitter.com/vhatTHcBBy
Nottingham Forest have taken the lead at Preston, Lewis Grabban converting a penalty with 20 minutes remaining despite falling over at the moment of impact (some suspicion that he kicked the ball onto his other leg, and from there into the net, so it might have been disallowed had the referee had stupendous slow-motion vision).
Updated
Team news for the early evening Premier League game is in, and here are the line-ups.
Brighton: Sanchez, Webster, Dunk, Burn, Veltman, White, Bissouma, March, Maupay, Trossard, Connolly. Subs: Mac Allister, Gross, Lallana, Jahanbakhsh, Steele, Propper, Zeqiri, Bernardo, Molumby.
Wolverhampton: Rui Patricio, Nelson Semedo, Coady, Saiss, Ait Nouri, Joao Moutinho, Neves, Traore, Vitinha, Pedro Neto, Silva. Subs: Hoever, Ruddy, Perry, Richards, Kilman, Otasowie, Corbeanu, Cundle, Sondergaard.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh.
As it stands Watford will drop to sixth, because Reading have come from behind to lead Huddersfield 2-1, Lucas Joao with both of their goals including a fabulous second a few moments ago, and they look set to go up to fifth.
Swansea’s comeback against Watford is complete. That’s a lovely cross from Korey Smith on the right, and after Foster comes for it and gets nothing on it, Jamal Lowe nods in at the back stick.
It’s now Burton 1-5 Oxford United, Josh Ruffels with the fifth for the visitors. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s return to the Pirelli Stadium is not going well.
I’ve now seen that Buendia goal, and it’s pretty tasty. Kenny McLean’s long ball from the right did the damage, and Buendia ran through from the left, altered his stride to make sure his right foot would happily greet the ball as it dips to earth, and caressed it past the keeper. The Barnsley defence seemed to have pretty much taken a tea break, but still, a fine pass and a fine finish.
Having been in a perpetual state of nearly-scoring for most of their match against Barnsley, Norwich have now actually scored! Emi Buendia gets the goal for the Championship frontrunners.
Updated
Hamilton Academical, who started the day at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership, are now 2-0 ahead at home to third-bottom Motherwell, Ross Callachan scoring four minutes into the second half.
A lucky rebound in the box, but one hell of a backheel finish:
2021 bringing the filth early: Nadiem Amiri for Leverkusen pic.twitter.com/xn5klHH8bV
— James Dart (@James_Dart) January 2, 2021
Crystal Palace have got another injury to deal with, Christian Benteke this time departing after a couple of minutes of on-pitch physio attention, and Jordan Ayew coming on.
A bit past the hour of four, and second halves are under way!
Half time
It is half time everywhere, and here’s a full half-timely scorecheck:
Premier League
Crystal Palace 1-0 Sheffield United
Championship
Birmingham 0-1 Blackburn
Brentford v. Bristol City (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Bristol City)
Huddersfield 1-0 Reading Luton v. QPR (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Luton)
Millwall 0-2 Coventry
Norwich 0-0 Barnsley
Preston North End 0-0 Nottm Forest
Rotherham v. Cardiff (postponed because of snow)
Swansea 1-1 Watford
Wycombe 1-2 Middlesbrough
League One
Accrington Stanley v. Portsmouth (Postponed because of a frozen pitch)
Bristol Rovers 2-1 Blackpool
Burton Albion 1-3 Oxford Utd
Fleetwood Town v. Ipswich (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Fleetwood)
Hull 1-0 Charlton
Northampton 0-0 Sunderland
Peterborough v. Doncaster (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Peterborough)
Plymouth 1-0 Gillingham
Rochdale v. Milton Keynes Dons (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Rochdale)
Shrewsbury v. Crewe (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Shrewsbury)
Swindon v. Wigan (Postponed because of a frozen pitch)
Wimbledon 1-1 Lincoln City
League Two
Barrow v. Exeter (Postponed because of a frozen pitch)
Bolton 0-0 Crawley Town
Bradford v. Morecambe (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Morecambe)
Colchester v. Tranmere (Postponed because of Covid outbreaks at both clubs)
Forest Green 1-1 Oldham
Grimsby 0-2 Cambridge Utd
Harrogate Town v. Cheltenham (Postponed because of a frozen pitch)
Leyton Orient 1-0 Salford City
Mansfield 2-0 Port Vale
Newport County v. Southend (Postponed because of a frozen pitch)
Stevenage 2-1 Scunthorpe
Walsall 0-1 Carlisle
Scottish Premiership
Aberdeen 0-0 Dundee Utd
Hamilton 1-0 Motherwell
Hibernian 0-2 Livingston
Kilmarnock 1-0 St Mirren
Ross County 1-1 St Johnstone
GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-0 Sheffield United (Eze, 45+5 mins)
Eze picks up the ball midway into his own half, runs through the Sheffield United midfield, keeps going through the defence as well, and then curls an inch-perfect, nonchalant, side-footed shot into the far corner from just outside the area! That’s a cracker!
Updated
Five minutes of Schlupp-related stoppage time at Selhurst Park, where Crystal Palace continue to lead Sheffield United by one goal to no goals. I can report that the Blades have had a shot in that game.
Swansea equalise against Watford! Jamal Lowe curls a 20-yarder perfectly past Foster and in off the far post. It has been coming.
“Afternoon Simon, and Happy New Year to you and all clockwatchers,” writes Simon McMahon, the Guardian’s voluntary occasional part-time Scottish football correspondent. “ Of course after the starter at Ibrox earlier, the main course in the SPFL today is Dundee United’s visit to Aberdeen [still goalless - ed]. In the Scottish Championship struggling Dundee are at home to leaders Hearts later. There are a few games off in the lower leagues, so best check the fixtures if you’re planning on heading out to a game. I’m looking at you, George Galloway.”
Crystal Palace’s goalscorer hasn’t made it to half-time - Jeff Schlupp is limping from the field, and Eberechi Eze coming on.
Watford continue to lead Swansea 1-0, thanks to Ben Foster’s excellent save from Ayew, tipping the ball over the bar as it flew towards the roof of the net (pretty close to him, it must be said, but still - reflexes).
Middlesbrough are now beating Wycombe, Marcus Tavernier cutting in from the right, ghosting past a couple of half-hearted challenges and then scoring with a beautifully-struck left-footed shot from the edge of the area. It’s 1-2 there now.
Gymnastic celebration of the day:
Burton Albion, bottom of League One, look like they’re on their way to a fifth successive defeat, being as they are 3-0 down at home to Oxford United after a little more than half an hour, Olamide Shodipo with the third (and, a little earlier, the second).
Middlesbrough have equalised against Wycombe, Marcus Browne heading in a corner from about five yards out despite some very close attention from a defender or two.
“I’m as neutral as neutral can be when it comes to Sheffield United,” writes Kari Tulinius. “I should be indifferent to their plight, but it’s become so painful to watch them lose and lose again, week after week. I just can’t watch their games anymore. I can only imagine what it feels like to be a fan of the Blades.” I’m with you. I don’t mind if they get relegated - though I’m old enough to feel that there really should be a team from Sheffield in the top flight - but two points in January is just cruelty.
“About that Palace goal, I cannot help but just think about how football really is a game of inches,” writes Adam Kline-Schoder. “If Egan (I think) hadn’t made that little step up to give Zaha time, if whoever tried to intercept Benteke’s layoff had made full contact and hadn’t inadvertently deflected it to put it on a plate for Schlupp ... Sheffield United are not having things fall for them at all, and - I feel - have again been desperately unlucky. Even so, it is great to see Benteke looking confident again, and Palace appear to have impressively put that tonking by Liverpool firmly behind them.” That is about the sum of it.
A goal in one of today’s two Scottish Premiership bottom-of-the-table six-pointers, as Ross Draper gives Ross County a 1-0 lead against St Johnstone. That is a very Ross-heavy scoreflash, and a second goal of the season for the 32-year-old midfielder, one of five players called Ross in the Ross County squad.
Watford take the lead at Swansea, Tom Cleverley rifling in a low shot from 20 yards!
Updated
Adam Armstrong is at it again, the Blackburn striker grabbing his 16th goal of the season - he’s level with Ivan Toney at the top of the Championship charts now - after being played through on the left at Birmingham, running into the area, opening up his body and sidefooting in at the far post. Very fine, full-confidence finishing there, but the defending was shockingly poor.
League One leaders Lincoln City have taken the lead at Wimbledon, Tayo Edun shooting through a crowded penalty area after a corner.
Paris St-Germain have announced that Mauricio Pochettino is their new manager:
Welcome Mauricio Pochettino 👋 pic.twitter.com/sMXDA7p5Hh
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) January 2, 2021
Wycombe have taken an early lead against Middlesbrough, the team with the division’s worst defence playing the one with the third-best defence, and it was very lovely from Uche Ikpeazu, who cuts in from the right before curling a left-footer in at the far post!
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-0 Sheffield United (Schlupp, 4 mins)
Zaha gets down the left before pulling back to Benteke, whose lovely first-time touch finds Schlupp bursting into the area, and he sidefoots it in!
11 - Crystal Palace have netted 11 first-half goals in the Premier League this season, one more than they netted before half-time in the whole of 2019-20. Traps. #CRYSHU
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 2, 2021
Updated
Mansfield score the league’s earliest goal, Ollie Clarke giving them a first-minute lead over Port Vale.
I may be a little distracted by goings-on at the Liberty Stadium, where Watford play Swansea in the Championship’s match of the day. The Swans have been forced into a last-minute team tweak, after Joel Latibeaudiere got injured in the warm-up. Ryan Manning comes in.
Bong! The clock strikes three, and we are off!
Here’s Ewan Murray on Rangers’ victory in the Old Firm derby:
It seems odd to point towards January defining moments in a title race where, even before kick-off in this Old Firm game, Rangers held a 16-point lead. Still, victory for Steven Gerrard’s team here – assisted in no small part by the sending off of Nir Bitton – surely eliminates any lingering Celtic hope of a 10th title in a row. Celtic hold three games in hand but they need snookers now; or, more specifically, an unlikely Rangers implosion.
Celtic were the better team before Bitton’s moment of rashness, which arrived just after the hour mark. With the hitherto ineffectual Alfredo Morelos running to chase a long ball, just outside the angle of the penalty area, the Israeli hauled him to the ground. Neil Lennon and his Celtic players offered little complaint as Bobby Madden issued a red card. It was hard to avoid the sense that, there and then, Celtic’s dreams of title retention had been dashed.
Much more here:
A couple of match reports for you to read before the big kick-offs. First, here’s David Hytner on Tottenham’s rather fortunate win over Leeds:
José Mourinho has been a little grouchy of late, moaning about the inability of his Tottenham players to follow on-field orders and railing at the perceived failings of authority, namely the late decision to postpone Wednesday’s game against Fulham.
The last thing he needed was for news to break on the eve of Leeds’s visit that three of his players had flouted coronavirus rules by attending a Christmas party. What was going through the minds of Sergio Reguilón, Erik Lamela and Giovani Lo Celso? Presumably nothing.
Yet Mourinho felt the storm clouds lift as his team won for the first time in five Premier League matches and won well, with a reassuringly stable presence helping to make the difference, to go third in the table.
Much more here:
Chris Wilder has a pre-match chat:
We’ve taken a few hits along the way. Today we’ve got nine out injured or unavailable. But a football result isn’t decided on a teamsheet, it’s decided by what happens out on the green bit. We know we have to have a great second part of the season if we want to survive in the Premier League.
We had a couple of issues regarding the virus, but these things happen. They didn’t happen for us last year and they’re coming in bucketloads at the moment, but we’ve just got to get on with it. We’re up against an established Premier League club. That’s what we’re trying to do. Obviously at the moment it’s not going the way we want it to go, but we’re fighting, we’re punching, and we’re hoping that today will be the day we get ourselves going again.
Here’s the winning goal in that Rangers game. It was, well, not a classic:
The winning goal at Ibroxpic.twitter.com/eL1NQrgxkx
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) January 2, 2021
Rangers have wrapped up a 1-0 win over Celtic in Scotland’s lunchtime kick-off, and they now lead the Premiership table by ... hang on ... how much?
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rangers | 22 | 52 | 62 |
| 2 | Celtic | 19 | 30 | 43 |
| 3 | Aberdeen | 19 | 9 | 38 |
| 4 | Hibernian | 21 | 10 | 36 |
| 5 | Dundee Utd | 21 | -10 | 25 |
| 6 | Livingston | 19 | -4 | 24 |
| 7 | St Mirren | 18 | -7 | 21 |
| 8 | Kilmarnock | 20 | -4 | 20 |
| 9 | St Johnstone | 21 | -12 | 18 |
| 10 | Motherwell | 19 | -11 | 17 |
| 11 | Ross County | 21 | -26 | 16 |
| 12 | Hamilton | 20 | -27 | 15 |
Further snowfall updates: it’s been snowing in Bolton, where Crawley Town play this afternoon. This match is on, though.
Um, you’d better ignore my earlier update: Rotherham’s off.
READ | Club Statement - Rotherham United v Cardiff City postponed.#rufc | #ForeverTogetherForeverProudhttps://t.co/5f5bOvUAzy pic.twitter.com/OBvxMJyTsP
— Rotherham United (@OfficialRUFC) January 2, 2021
This was the scene at Rotherham United today, as a sudden snowstorm caused the groundsmen some alarm. The game is on, though now off.
📷| 2021 throws it's first curveball 🤨
— Rotherham United (@OfficialRUFC) January 2, 2021
We've gone from glorious green to white-over here at New York in about half an hour!
Game on at present, though!#rufc #millers #ForeverTogetherForeverProud pic.twitter.com/QdW5CRkBUr
Updated
Teams!
Team sheets have been handed in across the land, and here are the starting XIs for the one Premier League fixture. Sheffield United have nine players missing and a 16-year-old on the bench:
Crystal Palace: Guaita, Ward, Tomkins, Kouyate, Mitchell, Townsend, Milivojevic, McArthur, Schlupp, Zaha, Benteke. Subs: Butland, van Aanholt, Dann, Ayew, Sakho, McCarthy, Batshuayi, Eze, Riedewald.
Sheff Utd: Ramsdale, Basham, Egan, Stevens, Bogle, Norwood, Ampadu, Fleck, Osborn, McGoldrick, Mousset. Subs: Baldock, Lowe, Verrips, Brewster, Bryan, Hackford.
Referee: Stuart Attwell.
COME ON YOU PALACE#CPFC | #CRYSHU
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) January 2, 2021
Here's how the Blades line-up. 👊
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) January 2, 2021
Jayden Bogle earns a first Premier League start while 16 year old Antwoine Hackford is on the bench.
Nine Blades players miss today's game through injury, illness and suspension. pic.twitter.com/ZdKkyUozus
Hello world!
It’s that time again! 3pm on a Saturday afternoon is nearly upon us, and with it just the one Premier League fixture, and not as many in other divisions as you’d have expected. Chilly weather has caused several postponements, and Coronavirus outbreaks several more - they’re all marked on this big list of today’s fixtures.
Beyond Sheffield United’s latest attempt to actually win a game, standout fixtures include Watford, having beaten the Championship leaders, Norwich, in their first game under new manager Xisco Muñoz, travelling to second-placed Swansea for the second; another new manager in League Two as Paul Hurst takes charge of his first match as relegation-threatened Grimsby host Cambridge, who will move into the play-off places if they win; it’s third v sixth in League One as Charlton visit Hull; and the bottom four in the Scottish Premiership play each other.
Here’s the full list (all 3pm GMT kick-offs unless stated):
Premier League
Brighton v. Wolverhampton (5.30pm)
Crystal Palace v. Sheffield United
Tottenham Hotspur v. Leeds (12.30pm)
West Brom v. Arsenal (8pm)
Championship
Birmingham v. Blackburn
Brentford v. Bristol City (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Bristol City)
Huddersfield v. Reading
Luton v. QPR (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Luton)
Millwall v. Coventry
Norwich v. Barnsley
Preston North End v. Nottm Forest
Rotherham v. Cardiff
Stoke v. Bournemouth (7.45pm)
Swansea v. Watford
Wycombe v. Middlesbrough
League One
Accrington Stanley v. Portsmouth (Postponed because of a frozen pitch)
Bristol Rovers v. Blackpool
Burton Albion v. Oxford Utd
Fleetwood Town v. Ipswich (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Fleetwood)
Hull v. Charlton
Northampton v. Sunderland
Peterborough v. Doncaster (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Peterborough)
Plymouth v. Gillingham
Rochdale v. Milton Keynes Dons (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Rochdale)
Shrewsbury v. Crewe (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Shrewsbury)
Swindon v. Wigan (Postponed because of a frozen pitch)
Wimbledon v. Lincoln City
League Two
Barrow v. Exeter (Postponed because of a frozen pitch)
Bolton v. Crawley Town
Bradford v. Morecambe (Postponed because of a Covid outbreak at Morecambe)
Colchester v. Tranmere
Forest Green v. Oldham
Grimsby v. Cambridge Utd
Harrogate Town v. Cheltenham
Leyton Orient v. Salford City
Mansfield v. Port Vale
Newport County v. Southend
Stevenage v. Scunthorpe
Walsall v. Carlisle
Scottish Premiership
Aberdeen v. Dundee Utd
Hamilton v. Motherwell
Hibernian v. Livingston
Kilmarnock v. St Mirren
Rangers v. Celtic (12.30pm)
Ross County v. St Johnstone
