Anyway ... thanks for joining me.
What you really want is more football, which you can have with Rob Smyth, Aston Villa and Everton.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2021/sep/18/aston-villa-v-everton-premier-league-live
Updated
A fine win for Watford and another tough day for Norwich.
At least Derby won today.
There is a little aggression between the Arsenal fans at Turf Moor and the home supporters. Items could be seen flying between the two.
Jamie Jackson was at the Etihad for VAR and all that jazz.
The League Two results`
All done for the another weekend!#EFL | #SkyBetLeagueTwo pic.twitter.com/bw8bR6DZ6t
— Sky Bet League Two (@SkyBetLeagueTwo) September 18, 2021
Aaron Bower witnessed Arsenal defeat Burnley.
Here is Richard Jolly’s match report from Anfield.
League One:
The scores are in!#EFL | #SkyBetLeagueOne pic.twitter.com/1K7Vq8PgKe
— Sky Bet League One (@SkyBetLeagueOne) September 18, 2021
The Championship scores ...
That's full-time!#EFL | #SkyBetChampionship pic.twitter.com/Op7Z3UVoTI
— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) September 18, 2021
Richard Harris says: “City got away with one today for sure. Hasenhuttl will be fuming after the penalty was overturned. Can’t see City retaining the title if they play like this.”
Nor can I.
Guardiola might not attract many people back to the Etihad with goalless draws. They gave it everything in the final few minutes but they paid the price for a sluggish start and a lack of a No 9, maybe.
Full-time! Liverpool 3-0 Crystal Palace
Liverpool proved their class to brush Palace aside.
Full-time! Manchester City 0-0 Southampton
VAR was the real winner.
Swansea were 3-0 down after 23 minutes at Luton but Joel Piroe has just equalised in injury-time - 3-3!
Full-time! Norwich 1-3 Watford
It looks like it will be a very long season for Norwich.
Full-time! Burnley 0-1 Arsenal
The Gunners hold on, while Burnley are still on one point.
Nakhi Wells scores in the 93rd minutes to give Bristol City the win at QPR!
What a day for VAR! Five minutes added on at the Etihad!
NO GOAL! De Bruyne sends in a cross to Foden whose effort is saved wonderfully by McCarthy, Sterling jabs in the rebound but is he offside?! He is!
GOAL! Liverpool 3-0 Crystal Palace (Keita, 89)
WHAT A GOAL! Guaita punches a cross out to the edge of the box, where Keita is waiting to send a stunning left-footed volley into the net.
Updated
GOAL! Norwich 1-3 Watford (Sarr, 80)
A second for Sarr almost certainly secures three important points for Watford. The winger taps home after King’s shot is parried into his path.
Updated
Blackpool have come from a goal down to go 2-1 up at Middlesbrough, with Grant Hall putting the ball into his own net for the second.
GOAL! Liverpool 2-0 Crystal Palace (Salah, 78)
Van Dijk gets his head to a Tsimikas cross which lands on Salah’s foot and he gladly converts in to end the game as a contest.
Updated
City are yet to have a shot on target against Southampton. Some would argue they might still need a striker ...
Arsenal’s Tierney goes down with cramp and Westwood tries to pick him up off the ground. A disagreement ensues. Tensions are high at Turf Moor.
“I think Gary Lineker has it bang to rights,” says Richard Harris. “Penalty should have stood, Walker yellow card if the ref thinks he tried to play the ball. Big team bias again I’m afraid.”
Some strange officiating, that’s for sure.
Edouard is on for Palace and should have scored but he tries to take a touch from a cross and it bounces away from him. It would have been better to go for a first-time finish.
VAR is making my fingers hurt.
NO PENALTY AT TURF MOOR! VAR ONCE AGAIN INTERVENES.
PENALTY AT TURF MOOR ... White plays a poor backpass, Vydra nips in, goes round Ramsdale and the striker goes down after a clip. The goalkeeper seems to get a touch but will it be overturned?
Gary has his say on the old Etihad VAR.
Extraordinary turnaround by VAR. Walker gives away a penalty and gets a red card. With double jeopardy the red was an error, but to turn over the decision of a penalty is bizarre. You could argue whether it was a penalty, but having given it, it was definitely not a glaring error
— Gary Lineker 💙 (@GaryLineker) September 18, 2021
GOAL! Norwich 1-2 Watford (Sarr, 63)
Good work from King allows him the chance to pull the ball back to Sarr who keeps his cool to put the Hornets back into the lead.
Updated
What a silly few minutes at the Etihad. Fair play to the officials for trying to make this game into a spectacle and entertaining the fans.
NO PENALTY! NO RED CARD!
After Jon Moss takes a look at the monitor, the referee decides it is neither a penalty nor a red card to Kyle Walker. City are a little lucky there.
RED CARD! Kyle Walker, Manchester City (61)
The City defender is dismissed for the foul.
Penalty to Southampton ... Walker takes down Armstrong in the box.
Updated
Norwich’s Pukki and Sargent combine well in the box but the Finn can early earn a corner.
Ake and Dias clash heads but both Manchester City defenders get up and are OK, which is a relief.
Palace are doing their best to isolate Zaha against Milner but the winger’s crosses are not being met by strikers. Maybe the visitors need to bring on Edouard.
Updated
Simon McMahon emails: “Early SPL pace setters Hibs and Hearts both trailing at half time, Will, to St. Mirren and Ross County respectively, if anyone’s interested. I know I’m not, though maybe Pep should tune in to Tannadice tomorrow if capacity crowds are what he craves…”
What a lineup!
#WNRH @ManCity @themike_p @1totalfootball with the squad Mike, Scully, Sonny & Noel. Days getting better. 👍🏾 pic.twitter.com/rG307DSXV2
— Shaun Goater MBE (@OfficialSGoater) September 18, 2021
Forest have doubled their lead at Huddersfield. It seems to be an own goal, which has been attributed to goalkeeper Lee Nicholls. Steve Cooper will be a bit more optimistic now.
Rob McCaffrey is currently telling the world that Ryan Hardie has scored for Plymouth at Wimbledon.
Foden, Mahrez and De Bruyne are all out to warm up for Manchester City. Will Guardiola make an early change?
Guardiola has made a tactical tweak, as variety will get the Manchester City fans flocking through the gates. Jesus is now down the middle, with Sterling on the right.
Second half
We are back in action!
Dechlan Brennan sends in a bona fide FACT: “Am I right in thinking that was something like Mané’s ninth straight game scoring against Palace? Surely some kind of record.”
It is a record, it would seem.
In League Two ... Oldham fans protested outside the ground against their owner Abdallah Lemsagam. A group of supporters carried a coffin to the main entrance at Boundary Park. The owner has banned fans who are no season ticket holders from attending a game.
The League Two scores:
The latest scores!#EFL | #SkyBetLeagueTwo pic.twitter.com/rzdwQrmijx
— Sky Bet League Two (@SkyBetLeagueTwo) September 18, 2021
Championship scores.
The half-time scores!#EFL | #SkyBetChampionship pic.twitter.com/iI8fJR4VZ6
— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) September 18, 2021
How things stand in League One.
How things stand at the break!#EFL | #SkyBetLeagueOne pic.twitter.com/B21bk7ZgEo
— Sky Bet League One (@SkyBetLeagueOne) September 18, 2021
Jay Spearing has been sent off for Tranmere against Salford, meaning both teams are down to 10 men and I have been reminded about Jay Spearing.
Mane raises his bat.
100 - Sadio Mané has scored his 100th goal for Liverpool in all competitions, 10 of which have come against Crystal Palace, his most against a single opponent for the Reds. Centurion. pic.twitter.com/gJ4x7qNl34
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 18, 2021
Half-time!
These are the scores in the Premier League:
Burnley 0-1 Arsenal
Man City 0-0 Southampton
Liverpool 1-0 Palace
Norwich 1-1 Watford
GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Crystal Palace (Mané, 43)
Jota will be a relieved man as Mané does know who to score a rebound. He sends the ball home after another Guaita save.
Updated
Jota should put Liverpool in the lead after being quickest to a rebound following a Thiago header being saved by Guaita but the Portuguese forward blazes over from a couple of yards out.
Updated
Southampton’s Stephens pulls up and is replaced by Salisu. Are the Saints struggling to cope with the pace?
GOAL! Norwich 1-1 Watford (Pukki, 35)
The Finn gets in behind the Watford defence, sits down Foster and then calmly slots into the net.
The better news for Derby is that they lead against Stoke after Max Bird whacks one in from distance.
GOAL! Burnley 0-1 Arsenal (Odegaard, 30)
The Gunners are in the lead thanks to a stunning free-kick from Odegaard who picks out the top corner to give Pope no chance.
Updated
Things are now clicking for Man City against Southampton. The tempo is up at the Etihad and the hosts are in the ascendency. Saints are not enjoying themselves, possibly summed up by the fact the referee has warned goalkeeper Alex McCarthy about time-wasting.
Swansea are terrible time of it at Luton where they are three goals down after 23 minutes. I envisage a tough season ahead for the Swans.
Updated
Bad news for Derby fans.
Nottingham Forest are winning a football match! Lewis Grabban has put them a goal up against Huddersfield. They are playing ruddy well, too. Caretaker Steven Reid is having an impact, it would seem.
Over in Germany ... Bayern Munich are 4-0 up against Bochum at half-time. Will they go on to get double figures?
Zaha gets behind Milner but Konate comes across and leaves the winger on the ground following the slightest of touches in the box. The referee is not interested, however.
GOAL! Norwich 0-1 Watford (Dennis, 17)
The summer signing produces some fantastic movement to get in the perfect position to head home a cross from Kucka.
Updated
“Surprised Gomez didn’t get a start at right back for Liverpool...surely he is a better option than Milner.” says Kieran Ryan.
Maybe they will do 45 minutes each to keep Zaha quiet.
Mane and Tsimikas combine to get a cross into the box from the left to Henderson at the back post but Guaita does well to save.
Ward-Prowse whips in a free-kick but the referee spots an infringement and blows up. City are have looked pretty sluggish so far.
Burnley win a corner which is sent into the box after its played short but Tarkowski can only direct the header over the bar.
Peter Oh emails to say: “One fellow who’ll be wistfully looking down Liverpool’s Milner-manned right flank is former Reds right back and Crystal Palace substitute Martin Kelly.”
Diogo Jota has a chance for Liverpool, finding half a yard of space in the box but he can’t find the target with his shot. The Reds are on top now.
Saido Berahino has scored for Sheffield Wednesday against Shrewsbury after a couple of years in Belgium. Will Spurs be bidding £20m for him at the end of the season?
Arsenal are already looking threatening at Turf Moor, with Pepe having a good chance after Pope parried the ball out to him but the Gunners forward nudged it wide.
Updated
Sheffield United are looking in fine form at the moment. They saw off Hull at lunchtime.
Watford are the brighter side in what is a six-pointer down at Carrow Road, having already won two corners, although they’ve failed to create anything from them.
Manchester City fans are now chanting about being “glad all over” to have Guardiola as manager. Could be a long day for the vocal cords at the Etihad.
Almost calamitous! Alisson and Milner fail to take responsibility for a cross into the box, with the ball nearly dropping in until the goalkeeper belatedly reacts to palm it clear.
The Manchester City fans sing “We’re not really here” to make a point to their manager.
Kick-off
The whistles are a-peeping across the country!
Gareth Southgate is at Turf Moor to watch Burnley v Arsenal. Who does he have his eye on?
Derby County manager Wayne Rooney says he was not warned the club would be going into administration and that he found out the news on Sky. Not an ideal scenario.
Milner is Alexander-Arnold’s replacement for Liverpool today. His opponent will be Wilfried Zaha. Not want you want as a, somewhat, makeshift defender.
Raheem Sterling is back in the starting lineup for City. He has, reportedly, been voted out of City’s leadership group by the players this season, with Ruben Dias his replacement.
200 - Raheem Sterling is the ninth player to hit 200 @premierleague appearances for Manchester City, and only the second Englishman to do so, after Joe Hart (266). Citizen. pic.twitter.com/vghUdQaRUM
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 18, 2021
The great man Ben Fisher was at Molineux to witness Wolves v Brentford.
Derby are now in a very difficult position.
Updated
In Spain ... Radamel Falcao has just come off the bench to make his Rayo Vallecano debut. He is wearing the No 3 shirt, obviously.
“Ross County v Hearts is actually one of my dream games to attend,” says Andrew Mackay. “I’m a Hearts fan who has the misfortune of being born in England. I’ve seen hearts a few times, but really wanted to go to Ross County and Inverness Caly T to see them play. I was planning on doing it when relegations messed things up royally. Fingers crossed we’re all in the same league next year when we can make plans again.”
An update: Trent Alexander-Arnold is ill.
“Is Alexander-Arnold injured?” asks Dechlan Brennan. “For a manger with a propensity to rarely change it is jarring to not see him in the squad.”
I read he’s been rested ...
Full-time: Wolves 0-2 Brentford
A fine win for the Bees.
Someone seems to want Phil Bardsley’s shirt.
Simon McMahon emails in to remind me that Scotland exists, he writes: “Only three SPL games today, those being Aberdeen v St. Johnstone, Hibs v St. Mirren and Ross County v Hearts. But even Jeff Bezos would have trouble selling those. The real action is tomorrow at Tannadice, when Dundee United host (asks Rafa Benitez for advice) ‘small club’ Dundee in the first league derby in the city since 2016. United could go seven points clear of their city rivals, after only six league games, with a win. Legendary United manager Jim McLean, to whom a statue will be unveiled at Tannadice after the game, would have demanded nothing less. Sunday also sees Celtic and Rangers, still fresh from their European ‘adventures’ on Thursday, play Livingston and Motherwell.”
Loads of things to look out for this weekend ...
There are a number of teenagers of the City bench with Luke Mbete, Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia, Josh Wilson-Esbrand all potentially in line for some Premier League action. Mbete is a London-born centre-back; forward Palmer is from Manchester (Wythenshawe to be exact); Lavia is a midfielder who arrived from Vincent Kompany’s Anderlecht; Wilson-Esbrand is a left-back who was previously with West Ham.
Speaking of Odsonne Edouard ...
Ibrahima Konate is making his Liverpool debut today against Palace following his summer move. Palace do not go with Odsonne Edouard, despite his goals against Spurs.
Ben Foster is given the nod for Watford, as he starts his first Premier League game of the season.
Sean Dyche, who signed a new four-year deal with Burnley this week, sticks with the same XI who lost to Everton on Monday, meaning Maxwel Cornet is still waiting for his debut.
Starting lineups: Norwich v Watford
Norwich City: Krul, Aarons, Hanley, Kabak, Williams, Gilmour, Normann, McLean, Rashica, Pukki, Sargent
Subs: Gunn, Gibson, Rupp, Cantwell, Tzolis, Lees-Melou, Giannoulis, Idah, Omobamidele
Watford: Foster, Femenia, Ekong, Cathcart, Rose, Kucka, Cleverley, Sissoko, Sarr, Dennis, King
Subs: Bachmann, Ngakia, Etebo, Louza, Masina, Sema, Fletcher, Kabasele, Hernandez
Starting lineups: Manchester City v Southampton
Man City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Ake, Cancelo, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Silva, Grealish, Sterling, Jesus
Subs: Carson, De Bruyne, Torres, Mahrez, Foden, Mbete, Palmer, Lavia, Wilson-Esbrand
Southampton: McCarthy, Livramento, Stephens, Bednarek, Walker-Peters, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Elyounoussi, Redmond, Adams, Armstrong
Subs: Forster, Lyanco, Perraud, Broja, Djenpo, Salisu, Tella, Diallo, Valery
Starting lineups: Burnley v Arsenal
Burnley: Pope, Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor, Gudmundsson, Westwood, Brownhill, McNeil, Barnes, Wood.
Subs: Hennessey, Cork, Lennon, Rodriguez, Cornet, Collins, Pieters, Bardsley, Vydra.
Arsenal: Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, Gabriel, White, Tierney, Partey, Odegaard, Pepe, Smith Rowe, Saka, Aubameyang.
Subs: Leno, Lacazette, Maitland-Niles, Holding, Cedric, Tavares, Mari, Lokonga, Martinelli.
Updated
Starting lineups: Liverpool v Crystal Palace
Liverpool: Alisson, Milner, Van Dijk, Konate, Tsimikas, Thiago, Henderson, Fabinho, Jota, Salah, Mane.
Subs: Kelleher, Gomez, Phillips, Robertson, Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jones, Minamino, Origi.
Crystal Palace: Guaita, Ward, Guehi, Andersen, Mitchell, Gallagher, Kouyate, McArthur, Ayew, Benteke, Zaha.
Subs: Butland, Tomkins, Clyne, Kelly, Riedewald, Milivojevic, Hughes, Olise, Edouard.
These are your 3pm kick-offs:
Burnley v Arsenal
Liverpool v Crystal Palace
Man City v Southampton
Norwich City v Watford
Mikel Arteta makes a mask look cool.
There are a few Football League clubs in a bit of trouble. Ben Fisher looks at Oldham and why they are in such a mess.
Shall we do a sweepstake on how many turn up for the City match today? I will say 46,621. Send in your guesses.
It is Villa v Everton later. So you have a read of this.
Good afternoon
Saturday at 3pm is bringing some decent games at the moment. The biggest clash of the day will see Manchester City fans take on Pep Guardiola to see how many turn up for a relatively run-of-the-mill home fixture. Guardiola has dug himself a hole with his comments and then spent his Friday press conference with a spade, in which he offered a thinly-veiled threat to quit if the fans are unhappy with him.
There is also a battle at the bottom as Burnley host Arsenal. The Clarets only have a point to their name, while the Gunners secured their first win at the fourth time of asking by dispatching Norwich last time out. It has been an underwhelming start to the season for both teams but today could be a turning point for either.
A win for Burnley would kickstart their season and they are usually pretty good when they get on a roll. Arsenal, on the other hand, are looking to get some momentum of their own going, as two wins on the trot would alleviate a lot of pressure around the Emirates, although they will not be too keen on a trip to Turf Moor at this stage.
They are not the only intriguing games of the day as Liverpool host Palace. The Reds have won the past eight encounters between the two clubs, so will be optimistic of doing so again. It might not be as simple as recent years, though, with Patrick Vieira’s methods starting to take effect, as Tottenham found out lat time.
It should be a fun afternoon.
