That’s it for today’s clockwatch. Thanks for your company and emails - if you still want more, you can join Barry Glendenning for the Manchester derby. Bye!
Newcastle 2-1 West Brom Here’s Louise Taylor’s report on an important win for Newcastle in their first game since the Covid outbreak at St James’ Park.
The final scores in our featured games
Premier League
- Wolves 0-1 Aston Villa
- Newcastle 2-1 West Brom
Championship
- Cardiff 0-2 Swansea
- Blackburn 1-2 Norwich
- Bournemouth 5-0 Huddersfield
Bundesliga
- Borussia Dortmund 1-5 VfB Stuttgart
- RB Leipzig 2-0 Werder Bremen
Bundesliga Here’s more on VfB Stuttgart’s staggering 5-1 victory at Borussia Dortmund.
Full times: Bournemouth 5-0 Huddersfield, Blackburn 1-2 Norwich
As you were at the top of the Championship. The top five - Norwich, Bournemouth, Swansea, Watford and Reading - all won.
Full time: Newcastle 2-1 West Brom
Peep peep! Newcastle move up to 11th with a hard-fought victory over West Brom. The former West Brom forward Dwight Gayle came off the bench to win the game with a spectacular header.
Another important late goal in the Championship - Michael Olise’s long-range strike has put Reading 1-0 up away to QPR.
Hibernian have moved up to second in the SPL after a thumping 4-0 win at Hamilton. And Hearts have consolidated their lead at the top of the Championship by trouncing Queen of the South 6-1.
Updated
Newcastle 2-1 West Brom Six minutes of added time at St James’ Park. It’s been another hard-luck story for West Brom, who have played well for most of the game.
Troy Deeney has beasted a late penalty to put Watford 1-0 up against his boyhood club Birmingham.
Updated
The Manchester derby kicks off at 5.30pm. Barry Glendenning has the team news. Spoiler: Pogba starts.
Updated
GOAL! Newcastle 2-1 West Brom (Gayle 82)
Dwight Gayle scores against his old club! It was a brilliant near-post header from an equally good cross by another substitute, Jacob Murphy. Gayle got away from Ivanovic and thumped a header in off the underside of the bar.
Updated
Newcastle 1-1 West Brom Not even Kevin Keegan could pick a winner in this one. West Brom are having more of the ball but Newcastle aren’t without menace on the break. It’s anyone’s game.
GOAL! Bournemouth 5-0 Huddersfield (Surridge 70)
The substitute Sam Surridge makes it 5-0 to Bournemouth with a crisp first-time finish from Dan Gosling’s low cross.
Newcastle 1-1 West Brom Matt Phillips, who made West Brom’s ewqualiser, has now headed off the line from the substitute Dwight Gayle. It’s very tense at St James’ Park; a win would be huge for either side, particularly West Brom.
GOAL! Bournemouth 4-0 Huddersfield (Stanislas 67)
Junior Stanislas enlivens a dull second half with a jaunty run straight through the Huddersfield defence. Lovely goal. Also in the Championship, James Collins has scored a hat-trick for Luton. They lead Preston 3-0.
Updated
Hibernian are now 4-0 up at Hamilton Academical, so it’s fair to assume they’ll be second in the table tonight. Jake McCall will be thrilled.
GOAL! Blackburn 1-2 Norwich (Pukki 65)
Blackburn were level for just six minutes. Emi Buendia’s long-range shot is redirected cleverly into the net by Teemu Pukki; that’s his second of the game.
Full times: RB Leipzig 2-0 Werder Bremen, Dortmund 1-5 Stuttgart
That’s a staggering win for VfB Stuttgart, who move to within two points of Dortmund. The Dortmund coach Lucien Favre may be invited to do one as a result.
Updated
GOAL! Dortmund 1-5 Stuttgart (Gonzalez 90+1)
Nicolas Gonzalez makes it F-I-V-E for Stuttagart!
GOAL! Blackburn 1-1 Norwich (Elliott 59)
The teenager Harvey Elliott, on loan from Liverpool, has equalised for Blackburn with a high-class individual goal.
“If there’s any justice in this world (there isn’t) it would be delightful to see Stuttgart or Union make Europe,” says Evan Crocker.
Dortmund 1-4 Stuttgart Gio Reyna has had a goal disallowed for offside.
“Hello Rob,” says a very, very happy Kári Tulinius. “While I understand that the story of the Dortmund-Stuttgart match will be about BVB, Stuttgart have been excellent throughout. The goals have been well taken, the pressing has been intelligent, and the defence has been extremely well organized. Sven Mislintat and Pellegrino Matarazzo have created a wonderful team.”
A team that is now sixth in the table, which is extremely good going when you’ve just been promoted.
Newcastle 1-1 West Brom Although West Brom created nothing in the first half, they did dominate possession and in some ways Newcastle were asking for trouble.
GOAL! Newcastle 1-1 West Brom (Furlong 50)
West Brom are level! The right-back Darnell Furlong storms onto Matt Phillips’ floated cross and lasers a volley into the bottom corner. Jamal Lewis should have done better - he didn’t realise Furlong was coming on the blind side - but it was a storming finish.
Updated
Cardiff 0-2 Swansea Here’s more on Swansea’s terrific win in the South Wales derby. Jamal Lowe’s second goal is well worth checking out.
Updated
Dortmund 1-4 Stuttgart At least Dortmund scored the goal of the day.
“Not sure why I watched 45 minutes of Newcastle - West Brom when I could have been watching Dortmund implode,” says Evan Crocker. “But I was struck by one very important question: why is a Premier League team starting Ivanovic in 2020?”
I made a pact never to criticise Ivanovic again, just in case, after hearing Paddy Kenny talk about the day he had two QPR players in a simultaneous headlock in the tunnel at Loftus Road. But he does look his age, and he was born in 1931.
Updated
“Hi Rob,” says Mike MacKenzie. “If there were ever a team playing at home that must be glad to have an empty stadium, this horror show by Dortmund is it. As the famous baseball manager, Casey Stengel, once said about his expansion team, the NY Mets, ‘Can’t anybody here play this game?’”
They have, in the parlance of our time, had a collective beast.
Updated
“Not sure which theory, if any, Fulham’s trajectory supports,” says Richard Hirst. “Straight back up, good; but still no good, and likely straight back down again, not good.”
Well, nobody’s perfect.
“Evening, Rob,” says Digvijay Yadav. “I remember last season how everyone predicted doom and gloom for Bournemouth because they hadn’t ‘prepared for life in the second tier’. They are going just fine, aren’t they? I think it’s the mark of a well-run club if they can jump right back. Burnley under Dyche for instance. I guess both Bournemouth and Watford have a chance this season. For those not run so well, one need just look at Bolton, Blackburn and Sunderland. It’s a long, hard grind back to the top.”
It’s a very good point. See also City, Norwich.
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 1-4 VfB Stuttgart (Coulibaly 63)
It’s 4-1 now! This is extraordinary. Tanguy Coulibaly uses Mats Hummels as a screen and whips a lovely curling shot that goes in off the far post. The goal came after a dreadful pass from Jude Bellingham, who was immediately substituted.
Borussia Dortmund 1-3 VfB Stuttgart Dortmund are all over the show, and they could be 4-1 down - Mateo Klimowicz has just slapped the inside of the post!
Peep peep! It’s half-time in the 3pm kick-off. These are the latest scores in our featured games.
Premier League
Wolves 0-1 Aston Villa (FT)
Newcastle 1-0 West Brom
Championship
Cardiff 0-2 Swansea (FT)
Blackburn 0-1 Norwich
Bournemouth 3-0 Huddersfield
Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund 1-3 VfB Stuttgart (2.30pm)
RB Leipzig 2-0 Werder Bremen (2.30pm)
GOAL! Dortmund 1-3 Stuttgart (Forster 59)
This could be the end for Lucien Favre. Philipp Forster dances through an almighty gap in the Dortmund defence and slides the ball coolly past Roman Burki.
Newcastle 1-0 West Brom The in-form Conor Gallagher has missed an excellent chance to equalise, sidefooting a loose ball just wide from 12 yards.
GOAL! Dortmund 1-2 Stuttgart (Wamangituka 53)
Stuttgart lead again in Dortmund! Silas Wamangituka has got his second goal, and Kári Tulinius will be along any second now to tell us whether it was any good.
In Scotland, Hibernian have gone 2-0 up at Hamilton. That means Celtic will probably drop to third tonight, though they have three games in hand on Hibs.
Newcastle 1-0 West Brom Sam Johnstone makes a good save from Joelinton, who twisted Ivanovic inside out in the penalty area. Joelinton looks so much more confident now.
The latest scores in our featured games
Premier League
Wolves 0-1 Aston Villa (FT)
Newcastle 1-0 West Brom
Championship
Cardiff 0-2 Swansea (FT)
Blackburn 0-1 Norwich
Bournemouth 3-0 Huddersfield
Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund 1-1 VfB Stuttgart (2.30pm)
RB Leipzig 2-0 Werder Bremen (2.30pm)
Here’s Niall Mullen “Since Dortmund’s recruitment model is based largely on picking up the insanely talented sons of average 90s Premier League players, who will be next on their radar? David Hopkin’s son? Jonathan Greening’s? Steve Harkness’s? I can’t wait to find out.”
The pedant in me is screaming is that Claudio Reyna didn’t come to the Premier League until 2001. This is what I have to live with.
Updated
It’s half-time in the Bundesliga. Leipzig lead Bremen 2-0, Dortmund are drawing 1-1 with Stuttgart. The other games are all goalless.
Newcastle 1-0 West Brom Almiron’s goal was officially timed at 19.98 seconds, which is coincidentally my fastest 20 0 m time.
Newcastle 1-0 West Brom Newcastle have the game under control. West Brom are having a lot of the ball but haven’t created anything of note.
“It seems the missing ingredient in Solanke’s career at his previous club was for Liverpool to have been relegated,” sniffs Ian Copestake.
GOAL! Blackburn 0-1 Norwich (Pukki 22)
The leaders are ahead at Ewood Park. Teemu Pukki got the goal with a smart shot on the turn from Alex Tettey’s low cross.
Updated
GOAL! Bournemouth 3-0 Huddersfield (Brooks 21)
David Brooks made Bournemouth’s first goal; now he’s scored their third with a sweet curling shot from 20 yards.
He’s 18 years old
🔥 Reyna's goal
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) December 12, 2020
🙇♂️ Guerreiro's assist
Everything about this goal is just sensational. 😱
They've not been at their best, but Dortmund produce a moment of magic and they're right back in it! 👏 pic.twitter.com/oYkuBi2pyz
Updated
“Hello Rob,” says Kári Tulinius. “A team doesn’t need to play well when it has great players. Gio Reyna just scored a Bergkampesque goal, cushioning Reus’s pass from the halfway line with his first touch before chipping over Koble in goal with the outside of his right foot.”
SO WHY AM I WATCHING NEWCASTLE v WEST BROM.
Wolves 0-1 Aston Villa Here’s more on that win for Villa at Molineux.
GOAL! Bournemouth 2-0 Huddersfield (Solanke 13)
Bournemouth are cruising. Jefferson Lerma wins the ball on the edge of the area and finds Dominic Solanke, who rams a low shot into the far corner for his second goal ofthe game.
GOAL! RB Leipzig 2-0 Werder Bremen (Olmo 41)
Leipzig are having another good day at the office. Dani Olmo has put them 2-0 ahead, and as things stand they are top of the table.
GOAL! Dortmund 1-1 Stuttgart (Reyna 39)
Dortmund veteran Gio Reyna, 18, has brought them level from Marco Reus’s pass.
Updated
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-0 Huddersfield (Solanke 8)
An early goal for promotion-chasing Bournemouth. David Brooks slides in Dominic Solanke, who draws the keeper and dinks the ball confidently into the net. It was a really nice pass from Brooks, who is far too good for that division.
“Hi Rob,” says Niall Mullen. “Hope you’re well this fine, fine December day. I see he’s starting for Millwall but is there any chance that Troy Parrott will be good? Since Robbie Keane’s debut for Ireland I’ve forlornly pinned my ‘new Robbie Keane’ hopes on (deep breath): Clinton Morrison, Kevin Doyle, Stephen Elliott, Shane Long, Leon Best, Anthony Stokes, Michael Obafemi, Adam Idah, Aaron Connolly and many more. Sadly, it feels like the Troy hype may have outstripped his ability. Which, apart from everything else, massively the chances of anyone using the headline ‘C’est Troy bien’.”
He’s going to score the winning penalty for Jose in the Champions League final. You heard it here last.
These are the latest scores in our featured games
Premier League
Wolves 0-1 Aston Villa (FT)
Newcastle 1-0 West Brom
Championship
Cardiff 0-2 Swansea (FT)
Blackburn 0-0 Norwich
Bournemouth 0-0 Huddersfield
Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund 0-1 VfB Stuttgart (2.30pm)
RB Leipzig 1-0 Werder Bremen (2.30pm)
“Hello Rob,” says Kári Tulinius. “I may be biased as a Stuttgart fan, but VfB have much better than Dortmund. This season is the best Stuttgart have been in probably at least a decade. Pellegrino Matarazzo, Stuttgart’s American coach, has done an excellent job with this team. Even by the high standards of the Bundesliga, their pressing is top-notch.”
I’m now trying to follow the Newcastle game but I agree that Stuttgart were the better team in the first 20 minutes. They could have scored two or three times before they went ahead.
“Afternoon Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “Today’s big game in Scotland is, eh, tomorrow when Dundee United welcome runaway league leaders and future Kings of Europe Rangers to Tannadice hoping to derail the champions-elect bandwagon. I’m not holding my breath, mind, given that, after 16 games, United have scored 12 and conceded 20, while Rangers have scored 45 and conceded just 3.
“Hibs can go above crisis club Celtic with a win at Hamilton, and Aberdeen would draw level with Neil Lennon’s beleaguered Hoops should they beat Ross County. The other SPFL games are Motherwell v St. Mirren and St. Johnstone v Livingston. In the Scottish Championship, leaders Hearts are at home to Queen of the South, while struggling Dundee are at Inverness.”
Newcastle 1-0 West Brom Branislav Ivanovic thought he was fouled by Callum Wilson in the build up to that goal. I’d like to see that again. I don’t think the shoulder charge was a foul, but he may have accidentally scraped his studs down Ivanovic’s calf.
GOAL! Newcastle 1-0 West Brom (Almiron 1)
Miguel Almiron scores after 20 seconds! Callum Wilson bumped Ivanovic off the ball on the left and found Joelinton. He poked the ball through to Miguel Almiron, who opened his body to sweep the ball past Sam Johnstone. That was a really confident finish.
Updated
Peep peep! The 3pm games are underway.
GOAL! RB Leipzig 1-0 Werder Bremen (Sabitzer 26 pen)
A penalty at Leipzig as well. Marcel Sabitzer has scored it to put the home side in front. A win would put them top of the table, if only for a few hours.
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 0-1 VfB Stuttgart (Wamangituka 26 pen)
Dortmund are behind at home again. Silas Wamangituka scored confidently from the spot after Emre Can was penalised for a desperate tackle on Mateo Klimowicz.
Dortmund 0-0 Stuttgart Jude Bellingham has had a goal disallowed for offside against Marco Reus in the build-up.
Bournemouth v Huddersfield team news
Bournemouth (4-3-3) Begovic; Smith, Simpson, S Cook, Kelly; L Cook, Lerma, Billing; Brooks, Solanke, Stanislas.
Huddersfield (4-2-3-1) Hamer; Rowe, Edmonds-Green, Sarr, Toffolo; Pritchard, O’Brien, Bacuna; Diakhaby, Ward, Brown.
Full time: Wolves 0-1 Aston Villa
Villa leapfrog Wolves with another fine away win. It all went wrong in injury-time for Wolves: Nelson Semedo gave away a stupid penalty, scored by Anwar El-Ghazi, and then Joao Moutinho was sent off.
Full time: Cardiff 0-2 Swansea
A fine win for Swansea in the South Wales derby. Jamal Lowe scored both goals, the second a swaggering masterpiece, to see off ten-man Cardiff.
GOAL! Wolves 0-1 Aston Villa (El Ghazi 90+4 pen)
Anwar El Ghazi scores emphatically from the spot to give ten-man Villa a superb victory at Wolves.
Updated
There’s an injury-time penalty at Molineux!
Blackburn v Norwich team news
Blackburn (4-3-3) Kaminski; Nyambe, Lenihan, Williams, Douglas; Holtby, Johnson, Rothwell; Gallagher, Armstrong, Elliott.
Norwich (4-2-3-1) McGovern; Aarons, Hanley, Zimmermann, Sorensen; Tettey, Skipp; Buendia, Vrancic, Martin; Pukki.
Wolves 0-0 Aston Villa No goals but there has been a red card at Molineux. Barry Glendenning will reveal all.
RB Leipzig v Werder Bremen team news
Leipzig (3-4-2-1) Gulacsi; Mukiele, Upamecano, Orban; Haidara, Sabitzer, Kampl, Halstenberg; Olmo, Kluivert; Poulsen.
Bremen (4-2-3-1) Pavlenka; Gebre Selassie, Toprak, Friedl, Augustinsson; Eggestein, Gross; Bittencourt, Mohwald, Schmid; Sargent.
Borussia Dortmund v VfB Stuttgart team news
Dortmund (3-4-3) Burki; Can, Hummels, Akanji; Morey Bauza, Bellingham, Witsel, Guerreiro; Sancho, Reus, Reyna.
Stuttgart (3-5-2) Koble; Mavropanos, Anton, Kempf; Wamangituka, Forster, Endo, Mangal, Sosa; Klimowicz, Coulibaly.
Newcastle are without a number of defenders, including Federico Fernandez, Fabian Schar and Javier Manquillo. It looks like Isaac Hayden will play as a makeshift centre-half. That aside, it’s close to a full-strength team.
Newcastle v West Brom team news
Newcastle (4-4-2) Darlow; Krafth, Hayden, Clark, Lewis; Almiron, Shelvey, S Longstaff, Ritchie; Wilson, Joelinton.
Substitutes: Langley, Yedlin, Hendrick, Murphy, M Longstaff, Carroll, Gayle.
West Brom (3-5-2) Johnstone; Ajayi, Ivanovic, O’Shea; Furlong, Gallagher, Krovinovic, Sawyers, Phillips; Grant, Robinson.
Substitutes: Button, Gibbs, Kipre, Livermore, Diangana, Grosicki, Austin.
GOAL! Cardiff 0-2 Swansea (Lowe 72)
Jamal Lowe’s second goal, a spectacular individual effort, has surely sealed victory for Swansea in the South Wales derby. That was some goal: he swaggered past three defenders, reached the edge of the area and flicked the ball nonchalantly into the net with the outside of his right foot.
It’s Wolves 0-0 Aston Villa in the early Premier League game. Barry Glendenning is trying to stay awake for the last 20 minutes.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to another busy Saturday afternoon clockwatch. Our lead game is Newcastle’s return to action after a Covid outbreak at St James’ Park. They are at home to West Brom, and we’ll find out shortly what kind of team Steve Bruce is able to put out.
There’s also plenty going on in the Championship, including the South Wales derby at the Cardiff City Stadium. With 20 minutes remaining, Swansea are a goal and a man up: Jamal Lowe scored early on, Joe Ralls has just been sent off.
We’ll be keeping an eye on the Bundesliga as well, with RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund in action. These are our featured games, all 3pm kick-offs unless stated.
Premier League
Wolves 0-0 Aston Villa (12.30pm)
Newcastle v West Brom
Championship
Cardiff 0-0 Swansea (12.30pm)
Blackburn v Norwich
Bournemouth v Huddersfield
Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund v VfB Stuttgart (2.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Werder Bremen (2.30pm)
Updated
