And that’s your lot. Stay on the site for MBM coverage of Wolves v Arsenal and, later, Chelsea v Watford, plus reports and reaction from this afternoon’s action. Thanks for following. Bye.
And while I was talking you through that, Torino pulled a goal back at Juventus deep into first-half stoppage time through Andrea Belotti. It’s 2-1 to the champions at the interval.
In the Championship, Leeds give us another excuse to overuse the phrase “16-year exile” as they strengthen their position at the top. Ten points from their final five games will put them back in the Premier League. Brentford in third are now only two points behind West Brom, who host Hull tomorrow, and the Bees must fancy their chances of nicking an automatic promotion spot. Fulham are back up to fourth, and Cardiff in sixth now have a three-point cushion to Derby in seventh.
At the bottom Luton and Barnsley played like condemned men today but are still only five and four points respectively from safety and are likely to have Wigan slotted in beneath them when and if the Latics’ points deduction is applied.
So what does all this mean for the league tables? Manchester United are now up to fourth, though Chelsea can go back above them this evening, and Leicester remain third, with currently a four-point cushion to fifth. Bournemouth are still second-bottom, a point from safety but having played a game more than Villa and Watford. Palace have 42 points and don’t much care.
And here’s Jonathan Wilson’s report on Leicester’s win, and Vardy’s century:
Those full-time scores
Premier League
Leicester 3-0 Crystal Palace, Man Utd 5-2 Bournemouth, Norwich 0-1 Brighton
Championship
Blackburn 1-3 Leeds, Brentford 3-0 Wigan, Bristol City 0-1 Cardiff, Derby 1-1 Nottingham Forest, Fulham 1-0 Birmingham, Huddersfield 0-0 Preston, Luton 0-5 Reading, Stoke 4-0 Barnsley
Full-time: Fulham 1-0 Birmingham
And that’s enough to win it for Fulham. They should be good for a play-off place now.
Goal! Fulham 1-0 Birmingham (Onomah 90)
A lovely team goal breaks the deadlock at the last.
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Cardiff have clung on to beat listing Bristol City 1-0 and Stoke have beaten Barnsley 4-0.
Full-time: Leicester 3-0 Crystal Palace
And Leicester’s lean run has ended - not a performance as emphatic as the scoreline but the manner, and identity, of their goals and scorers will cheer them. Palace thoughts drift closer to that beach.
Some full-time scores
Leeds have won 3-1 at Blackburn – Bielsa’s side get ever closer - and Reading have walloped Luton 5-0. And Man Utd have beaten Bournemouth 5-2 in another scintillating display.
Goal! Leicester 3-0 Crystal Palace (Vardy 90)
An absolutely textbook Leicester, and Vardy, goal, Barnes feeding Vardy on a speedy break and the latter doing his thing.
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Goal! Stoke 4-0 Barnsley (Ince 87)
Tom Ince has just curled in a beauty with his left foot to add some more gloss to a victory that has been inevitable for an hour.
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Juan Cuadrado has doubled Juventus’s lead against Torino. Second-placed Lazio host Milan later tonight by the way.
Sending off! Wigan’s sub Joe Garner left his foot too high and he has been, somewhat harshly, given a straight red. As injustices go it perhaps pales compared to your club being taken over by people who don’t seem to have the money but nothing is going right for Wigan.
Goal! Bristol City 0-1 Cardiff (Ward 85)
The job Neil Harris has done since taking over at Cardiff has gone a little under the radar, but they look play-off bound at the moment, and they lead now at Ashton Gate, Lee Tomlin feeding Danny Ward with a surging run through the centre before Ward’s low drive.
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Goal! Leicester 2-0 Crystal Palace (Vardy 77)
Jamie Vardy comes out of the nervous 90s and has his 100th Premier League goal at last, profiting from calamitous defending from Palace’s Sakho, who lost the ball, Barnes played in Vary who finished comfortably. An actual Leicester win looks in the offing.
McCarthy has replaced McArthur for Palace, in what is a long way from a classic at Leicester.
Goal! Brentford 3-0 Wigan (Benrahma 66, hat-trick)
There’s no doubt Benrahma meant this, the Algerian sending a crisp instinctive first-times shot into the bottom corner after fine work from Josh Dasilva. What a player, what a side, and what a model Brentford have become for clubs of their stature.
In La Liga, Celta lead out-of-form Real Betis 1-0, Nolito scoring after 22 minutes.
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Fulham have upped the ante against Birmingham after a lacklustre first half, but can’t make the breakthrough. Likewise for Cardiff at Bristol City.
At the King Power, Praet has come on for the scorer, Iheanacho, a surprisingly defensive substitution perhaps. Leicester need to stay alert at the moment, Cahill having just gone close with a header for Palace.
Goals! Brentford 2-0 Wigan (Benrahma, 57); Luton 0-5 Reading (Meite 62)
It’s that man again! Benrahma executes a bit of trickery down the left, cuts in then out, then curls a cross over an out of position keeper. Did he mean it? Whatever, his attacking audacity was rewarded and Brentford continue to breathe down West Brom’s necks and Wigan’s week goes from bad to worse.
And Yakou Meite has scored his fourth of the afternoon against disintegrating Luton.
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A goal in Serie A. Juventus aren’t hanging about, Paulo Dybala putting the Serie A leaders ahead in the city derby at home to Torino after only three minutes.
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Goal! Luton 0-4 Reading (Puscas 57)
Luton’s defence has totally given up the ghost at Kenilworth Road, George Puscas applying some salt into their gaping wounds with Reading’s fourth.
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A couple of bookings to tell you about at the King Power, Marc Albrighton for a foul a few minutes ago for Leicester, and Palace’s James McArthur just now, also for a clumsy foul.
Goal! Blackburn 1-3 Leeds (Klich 53)
Leeds restore their two-goal cushion, somewhat fortunately. Klich’s shot taking a deflection past the keeper Walton, who fumbled it in but appeared blindsided by a Leeds attacker in an offside looking position. But thems the breaks.
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We’ve not talked about Bristol City v Cardiff at all yet have we? As befitting recent form, Cardiff have dominated but haven’t broken through yet. Still goalless. And now it’s 4-2 to Manchester United.
Goal! Blackburn 1-2 Leeds (Armstrong 48)
Another fine free-kick at Ewood Park, Blackburn cutting the deficit and opening things up with a lovely Adam Armstrong effort into the top right corner from 25 yards.
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Goal! Leicester 1-0 Crystal Palace (Iheanacho 49)
Leicester lead! Tielemans gets down the left plays it inside the box, Iheanacho gets there first, controls and finishes from close range.
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Jamie Vardy has just gone close with a header for Leicester, while Manchester United have just conceded an absurd penalty through an Eric Bailly handball, it’s been scored and it’s 3-2. Game on?
Peep!
They’re back underway, around and about the place. Leicester have brought on Ryan Bennett for Ben Chilwell, who’s apparently suffering from foot knack.
Half-times
Here’s the scores on the doors at the interval:
Premier League
Leicester 0-0 Crystal Palace, Man Utd 2-1 Bournemouth
Championship
Blackburn 0-2 Leeds, Brentford 1-0 Wigan, Bristol City 0-0 Cardiff, Derby 1-1 Nottingham Forest (result), Fulham 0-0 Birmingham, Huddersfield 0-0 Preston, Luton 0-3 Reading, Stoke 3-0 Barnsley
Half-time: Leicester 0-0 Crystal Palace
It’s still not happening for Leicester – they had the better of that half without looking particularly incisive; you’d make them underdogs for a Champions League spot now.
It’s 3-1 to Man Utd now, a stunner from Martial.
Milivojevic goes close for Palace with a fine, arcing free-kick from distance which just narrowly misses the target, their best – and practically their first – chance so far. Frustration in front of goal continues for Leicester though. Still goalless.
Goal! Blackburn 0-2 Leeds (Phillips 40)
A tremendous free-kick from Kalvin Phillips, from just left of centre is guided into the top corner with forensic accuracy. They’re not wobbling now.
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Goal! Stoke 3-0 Barnsley (Campbell 38)
The bottom two are having a nightmare today, Campbell gets a second and Stoke’s third and that’s probably game over.
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Goal! Luton 0-3 Reading (Meite 35, hat-trick)
Nathan Jones doesn’t look as if he’s going to be able to turn things round for the Championship’s bottom club, with Yakou Meite completing a career-first hat-trick for Reading, who are rampant here. A swift return to League One looks ever more likely.
Normal, entirely predictable service is also resumed in the Premier League as Manchester United go 2-1 up against Bournemouth with a Rashford penalty.
A magnificently farcical passage of play at Craven Cottage, where a swift Birmingham break is foiled by multiple players falling over at inopportune moments and breaking up play. Blues have been the better side mind.
Leicester continue to dominate against Palace, who haven’t fashioned a chance worthy of the name so far, their attacking players anonymous. But they’ve not scored, which is an ongoing problem.
Bamford off the post! A deft move prompted by Luke Ayling culminates in Bamford coming close to his and Leeds’s second at Blackburn but it remains just the 1-0 to the leaders.
Goal! Brentford 1-0 Wigan (Benrahma, 19)
Brentford’s momentum shows no sign of stalling, and they lead with a classy sharp volley from Saïd Benrahma, one of the stars of the season. Read more about him here:
At Ewood Park, Leeds have just had Mateusz Klich booked for a full-blooded foul.
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Goals! Luton 0-2 Reading (Meite 17, 18)
They’re getting them in pairs in the Championship, Yakour Meite deepening Luton’s relegation woes with two in two minutes.
At Leicester, Iheanacho has just gone close as Brendan Rodgers’ side step up the pressure, James Justin also hitting the bar.
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Leicester have just gone close at the King Power, James Justin firing over after being fed by Ayoze Pérez.
And Bournemouth have only gone and scored at Old Trafford. Smyth can tell you more here.
Goals! Stoke 2-0 Barnsley (Vokes 8, Campbell 1o)
Important goals in the big relegation tussle in the Potteries, a deft back-heel finish from Tyrese Campbell after a defensive lapse doubling Stoke’s lead after Sam Vokes had put them ahead.
And Lewis Holtby has just hit the post for Blackburn.
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If Leeds win the second-tier this season, that’ll be their first second-tier title win since 1990, when Liverpool were also last top-tier champions. Any historical precedents for this quirk?
Goal! Blackburn 0-1 Leeds (Bamford, 7)
The Championship leaders are ahead, though was there a foul in the buildup? Blackburn’s Travis was brusquely dispossessed by Kalvin Phillips but the ref deemed it a fair challenge, and Phillips nudged it onto Bamford who finished coolly.
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Anyone watching any of these games in a pub? How’s the atmosphere? Is there one?
Uneventful start at the King Power, though Coyuncu and Benteke already having collided forcefully, which suggests that could be a battle to look out for. Still 0-0.
At Craven Cottage, Birmingham’s celebrated boy wonder Jude Bellingham’s just made a bit of a mess of a chance gifted to him by Fulham doziness. 0-0 there too.
Peep!
Those whistles are a-blowin’
And here’s Peter Lansley’s report on a dramatic finale at Derby:
Ed Aarons was at Carrow Road watching Norwich succumb again. Here’s his report:
From last night – Millwall kept themselves in with a play-off shout with a much-needed derby win at the Valley:
Forest will be kicking themselves, having given away a needless free-kick, which Wayne Rooney slung in for Martin to just about force home.
So Forest stay fourth for now, with Derby in seventh and still firmly in contention for a play-off place.
Goal! Derby 1-1 Nottingham Forest (Martin)
Would you Adam and Eve it! Straight after going down to 10 men, Derby have snatched a point. And that is full-time.
Full-time at Carrow Road: Norwich have lost 0-1 to Brighton, meaning the former are surely doomed now while the latter are nearly safe. While at Pride Park, Martyn Waghorn has been sent off in injury-time with Forest still 1-0 up
Championship team lineups
Brentford v Wigan
Brentford: Raya, Dalsgaard, Jansson, Pinnock, Henry, Marcondes, Norgaard, Baptiste, Mbeumo, Watkins, Benrahma. Subs: Jensen, Da Silva, Valencia, Dervisoglu, Jeanvier, Fosu, Daniels, Zamburek, Roerslev Rasmussen.
Wigan: Marshall, Byrne, Kipre, Balogun, Robinson, Williams, Morsy, Naismith, Dowell, Lowe, Moore. Subs: Macleod, Fox, Evans, Massey, Pearce, Garner, Jones, Mlakar, Gelhardt.
Referee: Andy Davies (Hampshire)
Blackburn v Leeds
Blackburn: Walton, Nyambe, Adarabioyo, Lenihan, Bennett, Travis, Johnson, Rothwell, Holtby, Gallagher, Armstrong. Subs: Graham, Chapman, Samuel, Leutwiler, Mulgrew, Davenport, Downing, Buckley, Carter.
Leeds: Meslier, Ayling, White, Cooper, Douglas, Phillips, Alioski, Klich, Roberts, Harrison, Bamford. Subs: Poveda-Ocampo, Hernandez, Berardi, Miazek, Struijk, Gotts, Davis, Shackleton, Stevens.
Referee: Robert Jones (Merseyside)
Fulham v Birmingham
Fulham: Rodak, Odoi, Hector, Ream, Christie, Arter, Reed, Ivan Cavaleiro, Cairney, Knockaert, Reid. Subs: Bettinelli, McDonald, Kebano, Johansen, Le Marchand, Bryan, Onomah, Sessegnon, Jasper.
Birmingham: Camp, Colin, Roberts, Clarke-Salter, Pedersen, Sunjic, Crowley, Gary Gardner, Bellingham, Bela, Hogan. Subs: Harding, Kieftenbeld, Jutkiewicz, Dean, Trueman, Boyd-Munce, Stirk, Reid, Gordon. Referee: Keith Stroud (Hampshire)
Stoke v Barnsley
Stoke: Butland, Martins Indi, Chester, Batth, Smith, Cousins, Clucas, McClean, Powell, Campbell, Vokes. Subs: Ward, Ince, Shawcross, Diouf, Gregory, Sorensen, Thompson, Collins.
Barnsley: Walton, Sollbauer, Andersen, Ben Williams, Ritzmaier, Mowatt, Thomas, Ludewig, Woodrow, Brown, Chaplin. Subs: Jordan Williams, Bahre, Schmidt, Styles, Oduor, Halme, Simoes, Marsh, Collins.
Referee: Andy Woolmer (Northamptonshire)
Meanwhile at Pride Park Forest have just twice come close to extending their lead, Lewis Grabban firing narrowly over after a swift counter, then Tiago Silva rattling a post after being fed by Grabban.
Team news
Here’s the teamsheet from the King Power
Leicester: Schmeichel, Justin, Evans, Soyuncu, Chilwell, Perez, Tielemans, Ndidi, Albrighton, Iheanacho, Vardy. Subs: Morgan, Gray, Ward, Barnes, Choudhury, Mendy, Praet, Fuchs, Bennett.
Crystal Palace: Guaita, Ward, Cahill, Sakho, van Aanholt, Ayew, McArthur, Milivojevic, Riedewald, Zaha, Benteke. Subs: Dann, Meyer, Kouyate, Townsend, Hennessey, McCarthy, Woods, Mitchell, Pierrick.
Referee: Jonathan Moss (County Durham)
And at Old Trafford:
Man Utd: de Gea, Wan Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, Pogba, Matic, Greenwood, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford, Martial. Subs: Bailly, Mata, Andreas Pereira, Fred, James, Romero, Ighalo, McTominay, Williams.
Bournemouth: Ramsdale, Smith, Ake, Kelly, Rico, Brooks, Lewis Cook, Lerma, Stanislas, King, Solanke. Subs: Boruc, Gosling, Surman, Danjuma, Stacey, Harry Wilson, Billing, Travers, Surridge.
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)\
Talking of which, you can follow that live here.
Some pre-match reading – Paul Doyle on Leicester’s decline:
In the early games, Norwich, predictably, are losing at home to Brighton after, predictably, starting brightly then fading. Join Scott Murray for MBM fun here. And in the big east Midlands set-to at Pride Park, Nottingham Forest are clinging on to the 1-0 lead given them by Joe Lolley’s 12th-minute long-distance shot. If Forest hang on they’ll leapfrog Brentford into third, for at least a wee while anyhow.
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Preamble
Afternoon everyone. The city of Leicester has bigger things to worry about right now than the fate of its football team, as it grapples with a reimposed Covid-19 lockdown and all the deep anxieties that entails. But within the smaller, less consequential bubble of Premier League football, Brendan Rodgers has had plenty to be mithered by of late too. Leicester haven’t got going at all since the resumption, and the verve of last autumn – with the likes of Jamie Vardy, Ricardo Pereira, Caglar Soyuncu, James Maddison and Ben Chilwell all at the very top of their games – seems a very distant memory.
Still, they remain in the shakeup for the Champions League places and should back themselves against a Crystal Palace side who’ve blown hot and cold since the restart – blowing away Bournemouth before being blown away themselves by Liverpool and blunted by Burnley. They’ve got less to play for today, so they could either play with freedom and confidence or like they’d rather have been in the pub since 6am, which no one actually was this morning.
Elsewhere, we’ve got some vital second-tier action to keep abreast of. Leeds could stretch their Championship lead when they visit Blackburn, and Fulham - probably elbowed out of the automatic promotion reckoning now –need to cement their play-off position when they host Birmingham.
Eyes will also be (remotely) on Griffin Park, where Brentford – currently playing the brightest and best football in the division – can creep up further on second-placed West Brom when they face a Wigan side themselves in decent form. On the pitch. Off it, however, they’re enmeshed in ownership and financial shenanigans that are severe and concerning even by the English Football League’s basketcase standards. Plunged into administration by new owners, whose conduct and connections to the previous ones merit an awful lot of scrutiny. Here’s a primer from David Conn.
We’ll also be keeping you posted on the early kick-offs and some of the action in continental Europe, including Juventus v Torino (kick-off 4.15pm BST) and Celta Vigo v Real Betis (4pm BST).
So who needs the pub?
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