Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema all scored for Real Madrid.
Burnley’s long wait was extended by Southampton’s equaliser at Turf Moor.
Right, that’s all from me this afternoon; plenty of goals this afternoon.
If you want some more red-hot live action, Gregg Bakowski is MBM-ing Watford v Everton and Ben Fisher is doing the same for the Six Nations clash between Scotland and England.
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Scotland: report from Rangers’ 2-0 win over Hearts.
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What a game at the Stadium of Light, where Callum McManaman grabbed an equaliser deep in added time at the conclusion of a rumbustious local derby that finished 3-3 between Sunderland and Middlesbrough.
Interesting stat there, that Liverpool face just two of the top eight in their remaining ten Premier League matches.
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Jurgen Klopp speaks, and he is very happy: “It was just nice to watch and a joy to watch. I saw a lot of things I wished to see at a football match.”
Dwight Gayle’s double had Newcastle dreaming of an away win at Bournemouth, but they ended up hanging on. Read Paul MacInnes’ report.
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Another bad day for West Brom and Alan Pardew, as they lost 2-1 to Huddersfield to stay rock bottom. Stuart James was there.
Summary
The afternoon Championship scores here. Fulham play Wolves this evening.
Birmingham 0 Barnsley 2
Burton Albion 0 Millwall 1
Leeds 1 Brentford 0
Norwich 0 Bolton 0
Preston North End 0 Ipswich 1
QPR 2 Nottm Forest 5
Reading 3 Derby 3
Sheff Wed 2 Aston Villa 4
Sunderland 3 Middlesbrough 3
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Andy Hunter was at Anfield to see Liverpool breeze to a 4-1 defeat of West Ham.
Here’s Nick Miller’s report from Brighton’s 4-1 defeat of Swansea.
That was Callum McManaman’s first goal in three and a half years.
Sunderland equaliser! Callum McMananaman made it 3-3 with Middlesbrough. There is still a faint hope of survival. And that’s full-time, too.
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And Macclesfield Town won 1-0 with a last-gasp winner against Maidenhead. Scott Wilson, you beauty.
Those big Championship matches ended with a late surge from Aston Villa leading to a 4-2 win at Sheffield Wednesday. Still playing at Sunderland who are losing 3-2 to Middlesbrough.
Full-time: West Brom 1-2 Huddersfield
Another defeat for West Brom, who are now ten points behind Huddersfield in the table and seven points behind Swansea.
Full-time: Burnley 1-1 Southampton
Sean Dyche’s wait for a win extended to 11 matches, after Gabbiadini’s equaliser. Saints get a relegation lifeline.
Full-time: Liverpool 4-1 West Ham
Against the slowest defence in history, Liverpool eventually ran riot. Mo Salah scored his requisite goal.
Full-time: Brighton 4-1 Swansea
Very easy for Brighton, for whom two goals from Glenn Murray set them on their way,.
Goal! Burnley 1-1 Southampton
Manolo Gabbiadini grabs an equaliser for Saints.
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Goal! Brighton 4-1 Swansea
Swansea fightback over. Locadia scores.
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Goal! Bournemouth 2-2 Newcastle
Another player scores against his old club: Dan Gosling with the equaliser.
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Goal! Brighton 3-1 Swansea
Lewis Dunk put through his own net to give Swansea the sliver of a chance.
David “The Boss” Moyes is on course for his 15th failure to win at Anfield.
The Boss makes two changes.
— West Ham United (@WestHamUtd) February 24, 2018
Chicha is on Arnie and Rice replaces Joao Mario.#LIVWHU 4-1 (82)
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Goal! Bournemouth 1-2 Newcastle
Adam Smith has made a game of it at the Vitality when previously Newcastle’s defending had been cast-iron.
Liverpool’s margin of victory means Manchester United must beat Chelsea tomorrow to climb back to second. Jose Mourinho might curse a sincere lack of defending from West Ham for Mane’s strike.
Goal! Liverpool 4-1 West Ham
Sadio Mane all but secures Liverpool’s climb to second place in the table.
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Middlesbrough now 3-2 up on Sunderland after a goal from Patrick Bamford.
Meanwhile at Burnley, Tom Heaton’s return has probably been delayed yet further by a brilliant save from Nick Pope from Josh Sims.
Goal! Brighton 3-0 Swansea
Swansea’s unbeaten run is at its end, as Pascal Gross sets up the Knockaert blow....(apologies).
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There is dog in West Brom’s fight as they are piling on pressure against Huddersfield. Pity it took until going two goals down for it to appear.
In the Championship, Glenn Whelan has scored for Aston Villa to make it 2-2 against old club Sheffield Wednesday.
Goal! Brighton 2-0 Swansea
They are flying in now, and Glenn Murray has his second for Brighton.
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Goal! Burnley 1-0 Southampton
Ashley Barnes scores. Burnley may yet hold on to seventh place for tonight. They are on course for their first win since December.
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Goal! West Brom 1-2 Huddersfield
The Baggies to boing back? Craig Dawson nods in from a Chris Brunt cross.
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Equaliser for Sunderland: Jonny Williams makes it 2-2 with Middlesbrough.
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Meanwhile in the Women’s Soccer League.
Word reaches us that Firmino’s goal was delivered with a “no look” finish after he outpaced West Ham’s slow-coach defence.
Meanwhile, Sunderland are now 2-1 down to Middlesbrough. Grant Leadbitter grabbed that against his old club.
Goal! West Brom 0-2 Huddersfield
Steve Mounie scores his fourth goal in six games and West Brom fans are either peeling for the exits or calling for Alan Pardew’s head. Both in some cases.
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Goal! Liverpool 3-1 West Ham
Michail Antonio, on a sub, scored almost straight from the kick off for the Hammers.
Goal! Liverpool 3-0 West Ham
Firmino scores Liverpool’s third.
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On Bobby Moore, a Mr Does-It-Matter tweets: “You can bet more than a few kind words will be said about Bobby Moore down at the cottage by the Thames a bit later too. #fulhamlegend”
Bobby captained Fulham to the 1975 FA Cup final. Where they lost to West Ham.
Let’s descend back into West Brom’s mire: previous to today they had won just one match in 25, one home game in 12 and were seven points behind Huddersfield. The panic button surely has to be pressed for the second time this season.
Goal! Liverpool 2-0 West Ham
Mo Salah again. Set up by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to score his 31st of the season, his 23rd in the Premier League and in his sixth game in succession.
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Goal! West Brom 0-1 Huddersfield
Raj van la Parra capitalises after Captain not-so Marvel Jonny Evans can’t get the ball clear.
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Back underway in the Premier League....
On the subject of slow defences, Daniel Roy emails: “I will see your Zabaleta, Collins, Ogbonna, Cresswell and Evra, and raise you an Unsworth, Weir, Stubbs, and Hibbert from Everton circa 2002. I’m not making that up.”
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The game we barely mentioned there was Burnley v Southampton, which has been, by all accounts, truly awful. And goalless. Perhaps Sean Dyche needs to throw on Chris Wood, back from injury.
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If anyone’s interested, Macclesfield are drawing 0-0 with Maidenhead United in the dying embers before half-time.
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JR emails from Illinois. “To be fair to the Baggies Huddersfield are playing just about as badly. I mean I wasn’t expecting anything earth-shattering here but this game is truly woeful. Or, as the kids might say, it’s hella fugly. Definitely a candidate for worst game in the league this season. And I watch a lot of games, including every West Brom game, so I know a thing or two about games that are dire, gormless, reeking pants.”
If JR watches a lot of West Brom then he knows what it’s like to suffer.
Half-time scores in the Premier League
Bournemouth 0-2 Newcastle, Brighton 1-0 Swansea, Burnley 0-0 Southampton, Liverpool 1-0 West Ham, West Brom 0-0 Huddersfield.
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Sheffield Wednesday back ahead against Aston Villa. Joao was the scorer. 2-1.
Bournemouth, having won 3-0 at Chelsea the other week, have since lost 4-1 to Huddersfield and are struggling badly against Newcastle. Rafa Benitez’s team would be in the top half of the table if this stays the same.
Goal! Bournemouth 0-2 Newcastle
Dwight Gayle at the double.
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West Brom have missed a sitter. James McLean is the culprit.
Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius has made a couple of decent saves today, with the latest coming from a Marko Arnautovic long-ranger.
Feels like an extended job interview for the German at the moment, while Simon Mignolet is probably looking for other opportunities.
Kicking off at Sunderland. Adama Traore sent off for Middlesbrough. That makes it ten men each. Sunderland still lead 1-0.
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Reader Adam Timmins on Pardew’s spirit of forgiveness: “As a WBA fan I’m inclined to say that we’d be better off appealing to Satan at this point (and I’m not talking about the Middlesborough manager - ZING!)“
No love for Pulis at the Hawthorns.
More from Anfield: When Patrice Evra committed a foul, the home fans sang for Luis Suarez.
That Liverpool goal was their 100th of the season. They could have made it 101 but Mo Salah has just missed a great headed chance.
Goal! Liverpool 1-0 West Ham
Emre Can nods in from a corner. Sixth of the season for the contract rebel and the best laid plans of Moyes and men go up in smoke.
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Joe from London emails in: “Name a slower defence than Zabaleta, Collins, Ogbonna, Cresswell and Evra. I dare you.”
The challenge has been laid. And it’s a struggle to beat that. Evra might actually be the quickest of that quintet.
The misery begins for Sunderland. Jake Clarke-Salter has been given a straight red card. Still 1-o at the Stadium of Light, though.
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The word from West Brom is that they are now playing very badly indeed. If Alan Pardew’s bags are really packed, they might be in the boot of his flash sports car in the near future.
Sheffield Wednesday’s lead was brief. It’s 1-1 with Aston Villa now.
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Goal! Brighton 1-0 Swansea
A foul by Mike van der Hoorn on Glenn Murray means a penalty is awarded. Murray steps up himself to slot home.
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Goal! Bournemouth 0-1 Newcastle
First goal in the 3pm Premier League matches, and it’s a neat backheel from Dwight Gayle that puts the visitors ahead.
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A great finish by Sean Clare put Sheffield Wednesday in the lead against Aston Villa. 1-0
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It’s the hope they cannot stand: Sunderland lead 1-0 against Middlesbrough, with Joel Asoro the scorer.
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The word from West Brom is that the bad boy Baggies have started with gusto, but Alan Davis will take more than that to convince him.
He emails to say: “Surely, if as Alan Pardew suggests, God can teach us to forgive, he could also teach West Brom players to pass to each other more than three times consecutively?”
Liverpool go close. Mo Salah has struck a post. Against that dad’s army, he might fancy adding to his tally of 30 so far.
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Unhappy Hammer Ian Sargeant emails in.
“Evra, Zabaleta and Collins? Are we going to swap ‘Bubbles’ for the theme tune to ‘Last of the Summer Wine’?”
There’s a Compo gag in there somewhere.
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Carlos Carvalhal speaks and he doesn’t believe in miracles: “I was very clear. I am here because I believe we can stay in the Premier League. I said it is not a miracle. It belongs to the work, the strategy. So far, we have done the things.”
Swansea are unbeaten in ten matches.
Mike Griffiths tweets: “I assume you’ll be keeping an eye on today’s most important games too - hopefully the mighty Silkmen can be well clear of the chasing pack come 5pm.”
Mike means Macc Town, a real team, who are playing Maidenhead United today at the Moss Rose, the jewel of East Cheshire, in the Conference Premier today. And Mike is right.
In that North-East derby/non-derby with Middlesbrough, defender Lamine Kone starts for Sunderland, a first appearance since October. You may recall Kone wanted to leave Wearside in the summer of 2016. He probably still does.
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Read Paul Doyle’s match report from Leicester 1-1 Stoke, a game that Back Jutland will wish to forget.
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As expected, Jonny Evans has the West Brom armband back. That’s the Alan Pardew school of hard knocks for you.
Playing for the Hammers today is Manuel Lanzini, a player linked with Liverpool last summer when it looked as if Philippe Coutinho would be sold. Now that Coutinho has gone, it doesn’t look like Liverpool actually need a replacement but Lanzini can do himself a few favours.
Today marks 25 years since Bobby Moore passed away, and both West Ham and Liverpool will remember England’s 1966 World Cup captain today.
25 years gone, never forgotten. #RememberingBobby pic.twitter.com/kU8mTAlYNB
— West Ham United (@WestHamUtd) February 24, 2018
Tom Heaton’s comeback for Burnley is kept waiting. Nick Pope is still between the sticks, and Anders Lindergaard sits on the bench. The club captain, recovered from a shoulder injury, can’t be far off giving Sean Dyche a selection headache to go with that sore throat of his.
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Full time at Leicester v Stoke. It’s finished 1-1, and the game will be remembered for a serious howler from Stoke goalie Jack Butland. His team stay second bottom of the Premier League.
The headline team selection there is Patrice Evra making his first start for West Ham. At Anfield. That’s a brave one from David Moyes.
Teams: Liverpool v West Ham
Liverpool: Karius, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Can, Milner, Salah, Firmino, Mane.
Subs: Lovren, Gomez, Henderson, Moreno, Lallana, Mignolet, Solanke.
West Ham: Adrian, Zabaleta, Collins, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Evra, Joao Mario, Kouyate, Noble, Lanzini, Arnautovic.
Subs: Reid, Hugill, Hernandez, Byram, Hart, Antonio, Rice.
Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)
Teams: Burnley v Southampton
Burnley: Pope, Lowton, Long, Mee, Ward, Gudmundsson, Cork,
Westwood, Lennon, Hendrick, Barnes.
Subs: Taylor, Nkoudou, Marney, Vokes, Wood, Lindegaard, Bardsley.
Southampton: McCarthy, Cedric, Hoedt, Stephens, Bertrand,
Romeu, Lemina, Ward-Prowse, Tadic, Redmond, Carrillo.
Subs: Boufal, Gabbiadini, Hojbjerg, Pied, Bednarek, Sims, Forster.
Referee: Robert Madley (West Yorkshire)
Teams: Brighton v Swansea
Brighton: Ryan, Schelotto, Duffy, Dunk, Bong, Knockaert,
Stephens, Propper, Izquierdo, Gross, Murray.
Subs: Saltor, Kayal, Ulloa, Goldson, March, Locadia, Krul.
Swansea: Fabianski, Naughton, van der Hoorn, Fernandez, Mawson, Olsson, Dyer, Ki, Carroll, Clucas, Jordan Ayew.
Subs: Abraham, Narsingh, Nordfeldt, Routledge, Andre Ayew, King, Bartley.
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
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Teams: AFC Bournemouth v Newcastle
AFC Bournemouth: Begovic, Francis, Steve Cook, Ake, Fraser, Lewis Cook, Gosling, Daniels, King, Callum Wilson, Stanislas.
Subs: Boruc, Surman, Pugh, Adam Smith, Defoe, Mousset, Simpson.
Newcastle: Dubravka, Yedlin, Lascelles, Lejeune, Dummett, Ritchie, Shelvey, Diame, Kenedy, Perez, Gayle.
Subs: Clark, Hayden, Manquillo, Joselu, Merino, Darlow, Atsu.
Referee: Roger East (Wiltshire)
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Teams: West Brom v Huddersfield
West Brom: Foster, Dawson, Hegazi, Evans, Gibbs, Phillips, Barry, Krychowiak, McClean, Rodriguez, Rondon.
Subs: Nyom, Yacob, Livermore, Brunt, Myhill, Burke, McAuley.
Huddersfield: Lossl, Kongolo, Jorgensen, Schindler,
Hadergjonaj, Williams, Hogg, Quaner, Pritchard, van La Parra,
Mounie.
Subs: Smith, Malone, Whitehead, Sabiri, Coleman,
Depoitre, Ince.
Referee: Jon Moss (W Yorkshire)
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To the Championship, where the big game of the mid-afternoon session is Sunderland v Middlesbrough. Not that either are much good, with Sunderland positively disastrous and Boro, Tony Pulis and all, lagging behind the playoff positions but these are two big clubs. Oddly, despite their relative proximity, certain fans of these clubs tend to affect indifference of the other.
With Cardiff playing Bristol City on Sunday, Aston Villa can go within a point of Neil Warnock’s second-placed team if they manage to win at Sheffield Wednesday.
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Preamble
Hello, good afternoon and welcome. Something from the top, middle and bottom in Saturday afternoon’s Premier League action.
Liverpool can go second in the table if they beat West Ham, helmed by David Moyes, whose record as a manager at Anfield is cataclysmic. This will be his 15th visit and also his 15th attempt to actually win a game. A long association with Everton means he always receives a, er, warm reception from the Kop.
The season for six pointers is upon us. West Brom v Huddersfield is one of those. Alan Pardew’s Las Ramblas-bothering Baggies just have to beat David Wagner’s team, seven points and three places above them in the table. Lose that, and it looks bad for Pardew, who this week cast himself as an unlikely purveyor of Christian moralism in forgiving Jonny Evans and restoring the captain’s armband to his bicep. He has also admitting to having his bags packed for when the call comes for his sacking.
There is another relegation scrap between Swansea and Brighton, both above the bottom three but needing to maintain their momentum. Something may have to give there since both are on decent unbeaten runs - five and 10 matches respectively in all competitions. Carlos Carvalhal the philosopher poet takes on Chris Hughton, trademarked as the nicest man in football.
Rafa Benitez takes his Toon Army way down south to Bournemouth, whose players have been sunning themselves in Portugal and behaving themselves rather better than West Brom’s senior players. Win here, and Newcastle could climb above Bournemouth, who began the day in tenth.
And finally in the Premier League, can Burnley end their barren run? Winless since climbing to fourth on December 12, Sean Dyche’s boys might well relinquish seventh place if they lose to Southampton. Mauricio Pellegrino appears under a little less heat after a recent revival, though playing West Brom twice in three matches probably helped matters there.
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To the Championship now, where the big game of the mid-afternoon session is Sunderland v Middlesbrough. Not that either are much good, with Sunderland positively disastrous and Boro, Tony Pulis and all, lagging behind the playoff positions but these are two big clubs. Oddly, despite their relative proximity, certain fans of these clubs tend to affect indifference of the other.
With Cardiff playing Bristol City on Sunday, Aston Villa can go within a point of Neil Warnock’s second-placed team if they manage to win at Sheffield Wednesday.
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