And that’s all from me. It’s been a blast – I hope you’ve enjoyed. Ta-ra!
Match report: Bournemouth 1-1 Wolves
Match report: Newcastle 2-0 Huddersfield
Leicester take on Crystal Palace shortly. Follow it all live, with the estimable Scott Murray, right here:
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Goals-from-corners news:
“Elvir Baljić used to score from corner kicks a little before he became Real Madrid’s record signing back in 1999,” writes Önder Susam. “Good times.”
Kári Tulinius: “The term ‘Olympic goal’, for scoring directly from a corner, comes from when Argentina played the reigning 1924 Olympic champions Uruguay and a goal was scored directly from a corner.”
@A_Hess Steve Staunton also scored from a corner in my first ever Villa game in August 1994
— Chêsney Múncalf (@ElTufote) February 23, 2019
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And it’s all over in Seville, where Luis Suarez’s 93rd-minute goal ensured a rollercoaster game ended in Barcelona’s favour, 4-2. But the story, as ever, is about the majesty of Messi. Absurdly, today’s hat-trick was the 50th of his career, and I can tell you that each goal was a peach: a crisp left-foot volley, then a right-foot piledriver and finally a vintage-Messi dink over a prone keeper.
League Two: Lincoln, Bury and Mansfield all win, and they remain the division’s top three in that order. Macclesfield snatch a draw from the jaws of victory at Crawley and Notts County take nothing home from Tranmere. Yeovil beat Cambridge to climb out of the drop zone.
League One: More cruelty at Wimbledon, where a stoppage-time goal from Igor Vetokele seals a comeback win for Charlton. Plymouth put five past Rochdale, Shrewsbury get a shock win at Peterborough, Portsmouth and Barnsley draw a blank.
Championship: Full-time whistles sound across the division. No late twists, apart from the cruel late goal at Wigan. Norwich and Leeds both win in narrow and dramatic fashion, Hull take a tonking at Brentford.
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Hat-trick for That Man Lionel Messi
…and it’s 3-2 to Barcelona at Sevilla, who twice led. Five minutes left.
Full-time: Bournemouth 1-1 Wolves
A penalty apiece, a point apiece, and by all account a farcical final few minutes, featuring unexpected sprinkler action.
Championship: And there it is – Doomed Ipswich concede the inevitable equaliser, in the first minute of stoppage time, at Wigan. Joe Garner the scorer.
Full-Time: Newcastle 2-0 Huddersfield
Rondon scores, Almiron impresses, and all is well – for now – at St James’. Huddersfield, however, are sadly finished.
Championship: Said Benrahma completes his hat-trick against Hull to put Brentford 5-1 up. Danny Graham and Che Adam enjoy a quickfire exchange of goals at St Andrew’s, where it’s 2-2, and Semi Ajayi draws Rotherham level in the six-pointer at Reading … and Doomed Ipswich still lead at Wigan.
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League Two: Jay O’Shea rattles in his 16th of the season, and Bury have turned it around – they’ve 2-1 ahead against Paul Scholes’ Oldham. They won’t go top today – leaders Lincoln are 2-0 up – but Bury’s promotion push continues.
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-1 Wolves (Jimenez)
A penalty apiece on the south coast. And then there’s another one! Which shouldn’t have been given! Which Josh King misses!
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More on the goals-from-corners party piece:
@A_Hess Alan Woodward was a dab hand at scoring direct from corners for The Blades
— Rob Jacques (@KnutCrosswords) February 23, 2019
(also best ever chant):
🎶 we ain't got a barrel of money
but we've got Woodward and Currie
with Eddie Colquhoun*
we're over the moon
U - ni -ted
(*pronounced Co'hoon)
Phoof. I scored direct from a corner for my primary school team (on a cinders pitch)
— Lloyd (@lloydyes) February 23, 2019
I can still remember it and my grazed knees 55years later.@A_Hess
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Championship: Goals! Two of them: Norwich and Leeds both go ahead within seconds of each other. First Kenny McLean makes it 3-2 at Carrow Road – comeback kings and all that – before a messy goal from Ezgjan Alioski at Elland Road puts Bielsa’s side 2-1 up. There follows a mass-scuffle, which concludes with Bolton manager Phil Parkinson being sent off. Bravo.
Albert Adomah equalises for Aston Villa at Stoke.
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Europe: All over in Munich, where Bayern inch past Hertha Berlin, 1-0, to go level on points with Dortmund. Still 2-1 in Seville, where Ousmane Dembele has been thrown on for Barcelona.
“Ahem,” writes Kieran Malone, “Steve Staunton also scored a goal against norn iron straight from a corner.” He did indeed – and it was the go-to party trick of Morten Gamst Pedersen, right? Any more for any more?
Championship: The Carrow Road crowd have seen some fine games this season and are being treated to another helter-skelter thriller today: Ben Godfrey has made it 2-2 against Bristol City. Leeds still being held by Bolton, Bamford missing a wonderful chance from close-range. Brent are now 4-1 to the good at home to Hull, Neal Maupay inevitably getting in on the fun. A division below, Omar Bogle has missed a penalty in the big one at Fratton Park.
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League One: Aiden McGeady doubles Sunderland’s lead at Bristol Rovers, Anthony O’Connor makes it 2-2 for Bradford against 10-man Walsall and Mouhamadou-Naby Sarr levels for Charlton at rock-bottom Wimbledon.
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Goal from a corner!
Charlie Mulgrew has bent one directly in from a corner (also known as “an Artim Shaqiri”), to equalise for Blackburn at Birmingham. It’s the third time he’s pulled that off this season – ridiculous.
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GOAL! Newcastle 2-0 Huddersfield (Perez)
It is indeed. Salomon Rondon, a truly glorious centre-forward, turns provider to flick into the path of Ayoze Perez, who makes the points safe for Newcastle.
GOAL! Newcastle 1-0 Huddersfield (Rondon)
The Venezuelan colossus finishes through Jonas Lossl’s legs to put the Magpies ahead. That’s Huddersfield dead and buried, isn’t it.
League Two: Goals at a premium. Your half-time scores look like this:
League One: Sunderland are ahead at Memorial Stadium thanks to Luke O’Nien, while the tabletop meeting between Portsmouth and Barnsley remains deadlocked. Other half-time scores are as follows:
Europe: Huff, puff, and a 64th-minute Javi Martínez header. Bayern Munich 1-0 Hertha Berlin, with the Bavarian giants, as it stands, level on points with Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga. Freiburg are 4-1 up against Augsburg, Mainz 1-0 up against Schalke and Monchengladbach leading Wolfburg 2-0. In Spain, Gabriel Mercado has restored Sevilla’s lead against Barcelona – 2-1.
“Not a huge fan of his so I should be questioning the ‘King’ part, not the ‘Solomon’,” writes David Smith, “but in his case Sol is short for Sulzeer not Solomon” – a very good point and duly corrected.
Championship: Grizzled veteran Steven Fletcher puts Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 up at home to Swansea, whose joie de vivre of last week has deserted them. And Said Benrahma has got another goal at Griffin Park. All in all an eventful 45 minutes in the second tier, where your half-time scores look like this:
Europe: In Spain, Jesus Navas (the very same) puts Sevilla ahead against Barcelona, but That Man Lionel Messi equalises four minutes later. 1-1. Half an hour to play in Munich, where Bayern are yet to find a way past Hertha Berlin.
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League Two: A header from Harry Smith puts Sol Campbell’s Macclesfield ahead at Crawley – that takes them out of the drop zone. Helluva job so far from King Sulzeer.
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Championship: Goals galore. The floodgates have opened at the Riverside as Ashley Fletcher puts Boro 2-0 up against QPR, Kenny McLean equalises for Norwich a full minute before Callum O’Dowda restores Bristol City’s lead, Preston are three to the good at Millwall with half an hour gone, a wondergoal from Saïd Benrahma has turned Brentford-Hull on its head – that one is now 2-1 – and 10-man, bottom-of-the-table, definitely-doomed Ipswich are ahead at Wigan thanks to a Will Keane penalty. They couldn’t, could they…?
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League Two: Just the five goals so far, the most notable of which is Bruno Andrade’s for Lincoln at Morecambe.
League One: Wimbledon lead Charlton thanks Michael Folivi – a messy goal, but they’ll take it. They remain rock bottom but are giving themselves every chance of survival with a mettlesome run of recent form. This would make it three wins on the trot. Other scores as follows:
Championship: Leeds’ imperious reign at the top of the table lasted precisely six minutes. Mark Beevers has levelled for Bolton. Up in Wigan, Ipswich’s Season of Despair continues apace with a Jonas Knudsen sending off. And a powerful header from Fraizer Campbell has put Hull 1-0 up at Brentford.
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Red card: Tommy Smith (Huddersfield)
Huddersfield’s captain is giving his marching orders for a heavy tackle on Almiron. As far as Newcastle are concerned, a must-win game has just become a really-must-win-or-else game.
Championship: Two big goals at the top of the table. Jamie Paterson has put Unrelenting Bristol City 1-0 up at Norwich (who, as you may be aware, are the division comeback kings). And a Patrick Bamford penalty gives Leeds the lead against Bolton – they’ve leapfrogged Norwich to go first as it stands. Elsewhere Preston have gone 2-0 up thanks to Tom Clarke and Che Adams gets his 20th goal of the season to put Birmingham ahead against Blackburn.
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-0 Wolves (King)
Joshua King slams home from the spot after being brought down by Joao Moutinho.
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Championship: Jonny Howson has put Middlesbrough 1-0 up against QPR, and you wouldn’t bet against the scoreline staying that way – no one in the top half have scored fewer than Boro, and no one in the entire division has conceded fewer. Stoke are ahead against Aston Villa thanks to Sam Vokes, Preston are beating Millwall and a peach from Adam Reach has put Sheffield Wednesday in front against Swansea.
Man City win the Continental Cup
They triumph 4-2 on penalties, Karen Bardsley the hero with two saves in the shootout. More here:
In League One’s early kickoff, sixth-placed Doncaster have only managed a 1-1 draw at Scunthorpe – which means Peterborough can leapfrog them into the play-off places by beating Shrewsbury.
Penalties in the Continental Cup
Arsenal v Manchester City finishes at an impasse, and will be decided by the lottery exacting, high-pressure examination of technique that is a penalty shootout. Follow it here with Rob Smyth:
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So, Miguel Almiron gets his full debut for Newcastle. He looked a livewire off the bench against Wolves, exactly the sort of energetic, free-jazz type that Rafael Benitez’s side have been desperately lacking. Knowing Rafa as we do, it may be wise not to expect to see too much of Almiron away from home, but today’s game – a must-win home game against the bottom side – is a tailor-made debut. He plays alongside both Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez in what is, by Benitez’s standards, a full-on gung-ho attacking lineup.
Team news
Bournemouth v Wolves
Bournemouth: Boruc; Clyne, Mepham, Aké, Smith; Ibe, Gosling, Lerma, Fraser; King; Solanke. Subs: Surman, Mousset, Daniels, Rico, Simpson, Begovic, Surridge
Wolves: Rui Patrício; Bennett, Coady, Boly; Doherty, Dendoncker, Rúben Neves, João Moutinho, Jonny; Jiménez, Diogo Jota. Subs: Ruddy, Cavaleiro, Costa, Gibbs-White, Saiss, Vinagre, Traore
Newcastle v Huddersfield
Newcastle: Dubravka; Schar Lascelles, Lejeune; Yedlin, Hayden, Longstaff, Ritchie; Perez, Almiron; Rondon. Subs: Woodman, Manquillo, Dummett, Kenedy, Ki, Atsu, Joselu
Huddersfield: Lossl, Smith, Hogg, Bacuna, Lowe, Zanka, Schindler, Mooy, Puncheon, Kachunga, Depoitre. Subs: Kongolo, Billing, Hamer, Grant, Mournie, Stankovic, Hadergjonaj
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Across Europe
Some news for the armchair Bundesliga fans getting excited about Borussia Dortmund’s runaway success: Bayern Munich could be top of the table come 5pm today. They’ll have played a game more, and they’ll need a seven-goal win to get there, but equally they have lost once since mid-November and today – nay, right now – face midtable Hertha at the Allianz Arena. File under “stranger things have happened”.
For an object lesson in runaway-leaderdom, Dortmund should look to Spain, where Barcelona can sail 10 points clear with a win this afternoon. The only problem is that they’re away at Sevilla, who are not only Really Quite Good, but will also be intent of wresting back fourth spot after Getafe’s earlier win. Stay tuned.
League Two
After a win, a draw and a loss from his first three games with Oldham, Paul Scholes looks to instil consistency – and close in on the play-offs – with a local derby against Bury. Scholes’ opponents will be no pushovers: Bury could end the day top of the table. The current leaders, Lincoln, travel to Morecambe. Two other promotion hopefuls face off as Colchester host Carlisle, and Sol Campbell continues his attempts to dig Macclesfield out of danger at Crawley. Notts County, the division’s bottom side and a point below Campbell’s men, are are at Tranmere, where they’ll be tasked with keeping a lid on the free-scoring James Norwood.
Match report: Burnley 2-1 Tottenham
League One
With leaders Luton not playing until tomorrow, second-placed Barnsley have a chance to close the gap to two points this afternoon. To do so they’ll need to win at Fratton Park – no easy task, though Portsmouth, five points clear on New Year’s Day and now 10 points off the leaders, are in wretched form.
At the other end of the table, with seven points “separating” the bottom eight and four relegation spots to go round, the annual mad scramble has well and truly begun. To that end Wimbledon will be hoping to redirect the buoyancy of their FA Cup run, which came to an end last weekend, into the task of clambering off the bottom of the league. They host Charlton, while the three teams above them – all on 33 points – are away from home.
Full-time: Burnley 2-1 Tottenham
And that’s that. Spurs have done wonders in recent months to cling doggedly to the coat-tails of the top two, but the last-ditch heroics that delivered so many of their wins meant doubts lingered over how sustainable a title tilt truly was. And there were no such heroics today. They could finish the weekend eight points off the league leaders. Burnley, meanwhile, have turned a miserable season fully around – and that result will not be welcomed at Newcastle, who will stay below Sean Dyche’s side today whatever happens. More coverage and reaction here:
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Championship
A big day in a division that is delectably tight at the top. Three point separate the top four, two of whom – West Brom and Sheffield United – face off later this afternoon. The other two have their chance to turn up the heat on their counterparts before that: leaders Norwich against a ludicrously in-form Bristol City side who have won their last seven league games on the bounce, and Leeds hosting Bolton in a game that would look straightforward enough were Leeds not in the midst of a distinctly Bielsan post-Christmas wobble.
Elsewhere Reading and Rotherham – respectively above and within the drop zone, separated only by goal-difference – lock horns in a dictionary-definition Six-Pointer. Expect mud, blood and a pair of well-prowled technical areas. Ipswich’s increasingly desperate attempt to salvage their season continue at Wigan, Aston Villa and Birmingham’s wavering promotion pushes continue against Stoke and Blackburn respectively, and Millwall look to put an inglorious week behind them – and keep their heads above the relegations waters – against Preston. A win at Bristol Rovers – one of that lowly gaggle – could take Sunderland within a point of the automatic promotion spots, while two of the league deadlier finishers in Neal Maupay and Jarrod Bowen come face to face in Hull’s soiree to Brentford.
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Goal! Burnley 2-1 Tottenham (Barnes)
A big goal at both ends of the table! Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson collects a loose ball on the edge of a crowded Spurs box and hits a shot, badly scuffed and trickling well wide … until an alert Ashley Barnes scampers in at the back post to prod home. A poacher’s finish from the Austrian assassin. Spurs need something special now.
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Premier League
Right then. Just the two 3pm kick-offs today thanks to various European and domestic cup entanglements, as well as yesterday’s Friday-night escapades. But they’re two games of some note: Wolves and Bournemouth are very possibly, on their day, the two best footballing sides outside the top six (and indeed well capable of besting that elite), too. The “on their day” caveat is a big one though, especially for Eddie Howe’s team, whose recent form has even by their own standards zigzagged wildly and with little apparent logic. A win for them against a rather handy Wolves side unbeaten in seven would set them towards a final straight of the season when they could enjoy hunting down those above them rather than fret over what might be looming below.
Up on Tyneside, meanwhile, Rafael Benítez enters what could be a season-defining week. His side take on rock-bottom, goal-allergic Huddersfield before hosting Burnley on Tuesday and heading to West Ham next Saturday. A win this afternoon would take his side up to heady 13th and double-triple-rubberstamp Huddersfield’s fate, not to mention soften the gutpunch that was the late, much fumed-over equaliser conceded at Molineux in their last outing. A defeat, on the other hand, would be Very Bad Indeed for a club where doom-mongering has become close to second nature.
There’s also some football happening as we speak. That’d be Tottenham’s trip to Burnley – the title outsiders having just dragged it back to 1-1 at Turf Moor through a certain Harold Kane. There’s 15 minutes to go and you’ll get updates here – though feel free to keep abreast via Scott Murray’s dedicated live blog:
Rugby, what rugby?
Are you by any chance averse to egg-chasing and the pointy-shoed fairweather enthusiasts, crude of manner and loud of voice, who invade our favourite pubs at this time of year? Then welcome one and all to this distinctly mild-mannered live blog, where there will be no aggressive downing of pints, no roaringly performative patriotism, and the only goalposts that matter are precisely 2.44 meters tall.
Because despite what you might have been told, there is football to be had this afternoon – plenty of it. In the top flight we’ve got a best-of-the-rest meeting and an old-fashioned gloves-off scrap, while each of the the 72 Football League clubs are turning into the season’s home straight with some mixture of ambition, misery, determination, terror, despair, yearning, angst and apathy. I’ll talk you through all that in a minute. Get the kettle on.
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