Late result
In Scotland, it finished Inverness 0-1 Aberdeen, with the Dons claiming bragging rights over a giant swathe of the Highlands as a result.
That’s about it from me – but if you thought football might be stopping any time soon, you’d be dead wrong. Join Barry Glendenning for the second half of Newcastle v Everton – it’s currently 1-1.
Thanks for joining me. Cheerio.
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Championship full-time results
Blackburn 0-0 Middlesbrough
Blackpool 1-1 Rotherham
Cardiff 2-4 Watford
Huddersfield 2-1 Bolton
Millwall 0-2 Bournemouth
Reading 2-1 Norwich
Wolves 2-1 Brentford
Remember, you can see all of today’s live scores on our snazzy results page, and bang up-to-date tables here.
FT: West Ham 1-2 Arsenal
After taking an aerial battering late in the second half, Arsenal hang on for the win, with Danny Welbeck’s goal proving decisive.
FT: Man City 2-2 Burnley
Burnley fight back from two goals down at the Etihad to claim a point! Magnificent effort. The gap at the top stays at three points. Oh, City...
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FT: Hull 0-1 Leicester
Remember when Leicester beat Man United 5-3? They seal their first win since then thanks to Riyad Mahrez’s goal, with Konchesky and Quinn sent off in the closing moments.
FT: Aston Villa 0-0 Sunderland
Sunderland’s 11th draw of the season, as they fail to break down Villa despite Delph’s second half red card.
FT: QPR 0-0 Crystal Palace
Attritional fare at Loftus Road, but Palace caretaker boss Keith Millen gets a point.
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FT: Stoke 2-0 West Brom
Just one win in nine for West Brom as they go down with a whimper at Stoke. Mame Biram Diouf got both, one of which was deliberate.
Jordi Gomez hits the post at Sunderland, where it remains 0-0. At Upton Park, Adrian goes up for a corner, but it comes to nothing. In the Championship, it’s Huddersfield 2-1 Bolton, and indeed Wolves 2-1 Brentford.
RED CARD! Konchesky sent off for Leicester
Two yellow cards for Paul Konchesky, and Leicester have to hang on with ten men for five or so minutes. Hernandez misses a presentable chance for Hull. Hold onto your hats.
A bad day at Cardiff – it’s now 4-1 to Watford, and there are reports of widespread disgruntlement in the stands. Elsewhere in the Championship, it’s Blackpool 1-1 Rotherham. In League One, it’s Crewe 1-1 Preston, and MK Dons 0-3 Walsall.
GOAL! Man City 2-2 Burnley (Barnes)
Holy hell. Burnley have been the better team throughout this second half, and Ashley Barnes buries the ball into the top corner after a free kick isn’t cleared!
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Chances all over the shop in the Premier League – Welbeck blazes over after a mix-up in the West Ham defence, while Pantilimon extended himself fully to keep out Ron Vlaar’s header at Villa Park. For Wolves fans, the good news: It’s now Wolves 2-0 Brentford. The bad news? Kevin McDonald is off for a second yellow card. For Reading fans, the bad news: It’s now Reading 2-1 Norwich. The good news? There isn’t any.
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Here’s Simon McMahon, with a rather sparse Scottish update:
Afternoon Niall. Feeling a bit left out today, with only the Inverness - Aberdeen game taking place up here. Whilst I agree it’s a tasty fixture, ‘derby’ might be pushing it a bit. Can’t wait until New Years Day when the world famous Dundee United FC play Dundee at Tannadice. Now that’s a derby.
I’ve heard talk that Inverness and Aberdeen is a derby of sorts - despite the 100-plus mile distance between the clubs. Can anyone confirm or deny? Growing up in Wiltshire, I had to swallow Swindon v Oxford as a derby (the A420 Derby, no less), so perhaps I’m being generous.
With the possible exception of poor old West Brom, every other top-flight team has something to play for with twenty-odd minutes to go. Here’s the latest:
Aston Villa 0-0 Sunderland
Hull 0-1 Leicester
Man City 2-1 Burnley
QPR 0-0 Crystal Palace
Stoke 2-0 West Brom
West Ham 1-2 Arsenal
In a game outside of the traditional clockwatch remit, it’s Newcastle 0-1 Everton early on. Join Barry Glendenning for more.
A rare opening for Sunderland against ten-man Villa, as Wickham tries a backheel against Brad Guzan, who isn’t falling for it. A tough few minutes for ineffectual false nines: Milner and Zaha are both off, with Jovetic on for Man City and Frazier Campbell on for Palace.
GOAL! Stoke 2-0 West Brom (Diouf)
Diouf gets his second without having to move, as Arnautovic’s shot cannons off the static striker and into the net. Moments ago, Gareth McAuley hit the post for West Brom. Ack.
Sam Allardyce makes a change – Enner Valencia is on for Sakho. At Loftus Road, Leroy Fer’s long-range missile is brilliantly repelled by Speroni. At the Etihad Stadium, Burnley pass up a decent chance to equalise - Danny Ings fires just wide.
Tom Heaton denies Samir Nasri with an excellent save, as Man City push for a third. Better news for Bristol City, who have scored three – they lead 3-1 at Gillingham. Spare a thought, meanwhile, for Blackpool. Two wins all season, and they’re 1-0 down at home to Rotherham.
GOAL! West Ham 1-2 Arsenal (Kouyate)
Game on at Upton Park, as James Tomkins crosses the ball for Kouyate, who finds the net with a looping header that deflects off Debuchy. Arsenal have had that slightly spawny two goal lead halved.
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RED CARD! Fabian Delph sent off for Aston Villa
The non-football continues at Villa Park, with Delph dismissed for a clumsy late lunge on Jordi Gomez.
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GOAL! Stoke 1-0 West Brom (Diouf)
Mame Biram Diouf cuts onto his right foot and smacks the ball beyond a wrong-footed Ben Foster. Pulis may need to turn the car around.
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GOAL! Man City 2-1 Burnley (Boyd)
Hmm. Just seconds after the resumption, an offside-looking George Boyd prods home an Ashley Barnes cross. It’s on!
Half-time in a couple of tasty derbies – it’s Inverness 0-1 Aberdeen in Scotland, and in the Conference, it’s Grimsby 1-2 Lincoln. Here’s Estelle Drew tucking away an open goal:
I’m watching Villa v Sunderland, so yes, I’ve forgotten that there is football on.
Full-time at St. Mary’s: Southampton 1-1 Chelsea. Barring an almighty Burnley comeback, the gap at the top is down to a single point. Not forgetting Southampton, of course, who now look odds-on to be a top four team with half the season’s games already played.
Anybody out there?
You didn’t... forget the football was on today, did you?
Four added minutes at St. Mary’s, and Southampton are down to ten men. Join John Ashdown, who will be there until the bitter end.
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Championship half-time scores
Blackburn 0-0 Middlesbrough
Blackpool 0-0 Rotherham
Cardiff 1-2 Watford
Huddersfield 1-1 Bolton
Millwall 0-2 Bournemouth
Reading 2-0 Norwich
Wolves 1-0 Brentford
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Premier League half-time scores
Aston Villa 0-0 Sunderland
Hull 0-1 Leicester
Man City 2-0 Burnley
QPR 0-0 Crystal Palace
Stoke 0-0 West Brom
West Ham 0-2 Arsenal
Goal frenzy in the Championship: Watford now lead Cardiff 2-1, Harry Arter has made it Millwall 0-2 Bournemouth with a goal that looked a touch offside, and it’s Huddersfield 1-1 Bolton, as we end the first half as we began.
GOAL! West Ham 0-2 Arsenal (Welbeck)
Bubble well and truly burst at Upton Park. Arsenal work it neatly down the right, Oxlade-Chamberlain cuts into the area and pulls the ball back, and that guy, Danny Welbeck, can’t miss.
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A quick update from around the Football League: In the Championship, leaders Bournemouth, well, lead at Millwall. It’s also Cardiff 1-1 Watford, Reading 2-0 Norwich and, in a League Two glamour tie, Luton 1-1 Portsmouth.
GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Arsenal (Cazorla penalty)
After soaking up most of the pressure, Arsenal lead! It’s largely thanks to a Victorian bit of defending from Winston Reid, who raises a leg to take down Cazorla as he’s tumbling over. The Spaniard buries the penalty to Adrian’s right.
Andy Carroll is booked at Upton Park after a stray elbow catches Mathieu Debuchy, who crumples in a heap. It didn’t look deliberate from Carroll, but neither party did their rep much good there.
It’s been nearly forty minutes since any football kicked off, so you’re probably getting withdrawal. Fear not: Barry Glendenning is on hand for Newcastle v Everton, which gets underway at 4.15pm.
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GOAL! Man City 2-0 Burnley (Fernandinho)
Things feel less uncertain at the Etihad, where after Samir Nasri is repelled by the Burnley defence, the Brazilian midfielder grows weary of such frippery, and smashes the ball in off the crossbar.
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GOAL! Hull 0-1 Leicester (Mahrez)
Lovely goal from Riyad Mahrez, cutting inside before curling the ball into the far corner. A welcome lead for Leicester, though there’s plenty of time for things to go awry...
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In his previous four seasons at City, David Silva managed four, six, four and seven goals respectively. He’s now up to six for this season already.
At the Madejski Stadium, it’s Reading 1-0 Norwich, thanks to a Hal Robson-Kanu penalty.
GOAL! Man City 1-0 Burnley (Silva)
That’s more like it. After a decent spell for Burnley, they are brought crashing back down to earth. Jesus Navas finds David Silva with a pull back, and the playmaker controls, swivels and fires the ball home.
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A couple of chances at the Etihad for Burnley – first Ashley Barnes narrowly misses a Kieran Trippier cross, and then Marney stings Joe Hart’s palms from distance. At Upton Park, Andy Carroll works Sczeczny with a header – but perhaps he should have done better. Still no goals in the 3pm kick-offs. What kind of festive feast of football is this exactly?
Penalty box drama at St. Mary’s, as Cesc Fàbregas is booked for a dive, which looked, admittedly at first glance from a distance, a risible decision. Penalty spot drama at Bloomfield Road, where Rotherham have missed from twelve yards – it remains 0-0.
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Jesus Navas does his thing, streaking past his man and whipping one in for James Milner, who can only fire over. Speaking of false nines, Wilfried Zaha has started up front for Crystal Palace at QPR - extra marks for experimentation from caretaker boss Keith Millen.
Here’s Gary Naylor with a salient point:
At the Etihad Stadium, Man City are already causing Burnley plenty of problems. Burnley fans fearing a hiding today would do well to recall this classic from 2009. City have, of course, marginally improved as a defensive unit since then. Penalty shout at Upton Park, as Sakho tumbles under the attention of Debuchy. It would have been harsh.
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A couple of early surprises in the Football League, as Wolves lead Brentford 1-0 (they lost the return fixture 4-0 just a month ago) and Walsall lead at MK Dons. It’s also Huddersfield 0-1 Bolton, which is less surprising.
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Scenes at Upton Park, as from a cleared corner, Alex Song lashes home a volley for West Ham, but the assistant rules it out, on account of three Hammers lurking in an offside position. It brings to mind Cheik Tiote’s non-goal for Newcastle last season, although it’s fair to argue that in this case, the offside trio did impede Wojcech Szczesny’s view of the ball. Would he have saved it? Maybe.
It’s started at a pedestrian pace at Upton Park, and presumably elsewhere, as there’s no goals, in the top flight at least. A morsel of action at the Britannia, where Brown Ideye gets in behind the Stoke defence, but pounds his shot skywards.
You know what time it is
It’s 3 o’clock, which means six top-flight games are kicking off simultaneously. Apropos of nothing, 51 Premier League games will be played during the Bundesliga’s five-week winter break.
Another goal at St. Mary’s as Eden Hazard levels it up – join John Ashdown for the latest. While we’re at it, all today’s latest scores can be perused here.
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More piping hot team news: at Villa Park, Andreas Weimann replaces Gabby Agbonlahor, and Charles N’Zogbia is in for centre back Jores Okore, in one of the more maverick decisions of the day. For Sunderland, it’s Wickham, Bridcutt and Brown in, and Alvarez, Cattermole and Coates out.
And finally, to W12, where Keith Millen names his first Crystal Palace team since he was last in charge, bringing in Wilfried Zaha in place of Frazier Campbell, which seems logical. For QPR, the selection merry-go-round continues to spin, with (deep breath) Clint Hill, Richard Dunne, Joey Barton, Leroy Fer, Junior Hoilett and Bobby Zamora coming into the line-up.
Aston Villa v Sunderland
Aston Villa: Guzan, Hutton, Vlaar, Clark, Cissokho, Cleverley, Delph, Sanchez, N’Zogbia, Weimann, Benteke.
Subs: Given, Okore, Bacuna, Herd, Lowton, Robinson, Grealish.
Sunderland: Pantilimon, Vergini, Jones, O’Shea, Brown, Bridcutt, Gomez, Larsson, Johnson, Wickham, Fletcher.
Subs: Mannone, Cattermole, Altidore, Alvarez, Coates, Giaccherini, Buckley.
QPR v Crystal Palace
QPR: Green, Hill, Dunne, Caulker, Isla, Fer, Henry, Barton, Hoilett, Austin, Zamora.
Subs: Ferdinand, Phillips, Wright-Phillips, McCarthy, Onuoha, Mutch, Vargas.
Crystal Palace: Speroni, Mariappa, Dann, Delaney, Ward, McArthur, Jedinak, Ledley, Puncheon, Bolasie, Zaha.
Subs: Hangeland, Doyle, Campbell, Hennessey, Thomas, Bannan, Kelly.
Stepping away from team news for a moment, for there’s been a goal at St. Mary’s. John Ashdown will fill you in.
A couple of games have fallen foul of the brisk weather – Sheffield Utd v Scunthorpe is off due to conditions around Bramall Lane, while Accrington v Burton has just been called off, much to the chagrin of travelling Brewers fans.
Team news from two games with pressure bearing down on the dugouts. For Hull, Jake Livermore is back from suspension, just in time to replace the suspended James Chester. Nigel Pearson makes two changes, with Matthew James and Esteban Cambiasso in for Andy King and Danny Drinkwater.
The big news from the Britannia Stadium is that Saido Berahino drops to the bench, with Brown Ideye, fresh from his first goal of the season on Boxing Day, starting in his place. The only change for Stoke sees Peter Crouch start, rather than begin on the bench.
Pearson, Steve Bruce, and Alan Irvine are the current frontrunners in the top-flight sack race - and they can’t all win today. It’d come as little surprise to find Tony Pulis knocking around a service station on the M1, waiting for developments.
Hull v Leicester
Hull: McGregor, Rosenior, Bruce, Davies, Quinn, Elmohamady,
Livermore, Meyler, Brady, Aluko, Ramirez.
Subs: Figueroa, Hernandez, Maguire, Jelavic, Sagbo, Harper, Ince.
Leicester: Hamer, Simpson, Wasilewski, Morgan, Konchesky,
Mahrez, Cambiasso, James, Nugent, Ulloa, Schlupp.
Subs: De Laet, Drinkwater, Hammond, Moore, Knockaert, Smith, Wood.
Stoke v West Brom
Stoke: Begovic, Cameron, Shawcross, Muniesa, Pieters, Nzonzi, Whelan, Arnautovic, Bojan, Diouf, Crouch.
Subs: Huth, Wilson, Adam, Walters, Butland, Assaidi, Shenton.
West Brom: Foster, Wisdom, McAuley, Lescott, Baird, Gardner, Morrison, Sessegnon, Dorrans, Brunt, Ideye.
Subs: Yacob, Myhill, Gamboa, Berahino, Mulumbu, Dawson, Varela.
At the Etihad Stadium, Man City seek a club record tenth straight win in all competitions against Burnley, but start with James Milner up front for the third game on the spin. Stevan Jovetic is on the bench, as is Frank Lampard, while Yaya Toure is rested. For Burnley, Sean Dyche keeps it no-nonsense, naming the same team for the fifth consecutive game.
Man City v Burnley
Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Demichelis, Mangala, Kolarov, Fernando, Fernandinho, Jesus Navas, Silva, Nasri, Milner.
Subs: Sagna, Sinclair, Caballero, Lampard, Clichy, Jovetic, Boyata.
Burnley: Heaton, Trippier, Keane, Shackell, Mee, Boyd, Marney, Jones, Arfield, Ings, Barnes.
Subs: Wallace, Kightly, Sordell, Jutkiewicz, Chalobah, Gilks, Long.
Team news
At Upton Park, Big Sam has rather lazily shuffled his back, with all three subs who featured against Chelsea – Diafra Sakho, Morgan Amalfitano and Alex Song – all coming into the starting eleven. For Arsenal, Lukas Podolski is on the bench despite Olivier Giroud’s absence, with Mathieu Flamini and Francis Coquelin forming a teak-tough central midfield pairing.
West Ham v Arsenal
West Ham: Adrian, O’Brien, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell, Song, Amalfitano, Kouyate, Downing, Sakho, Carroll.
Subs: Nolan, Noble, Collins, Demel, Jaaskelainen, Cole, Valencia.
Arsenal: Szczesny, Debuchy, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Flamini, Coquelin, Sanchez, Welbeck, Cazorla.
Subs: Gibbs, Podolski, Ospina, Walcott, Chambers, Campbell, Akpom.
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Good afternoon. It’s not Saturday, and it’s not Boxing Day. Neither is it New Year’s Day, for those not keeping up at the back. Regardless, there is another bumper fixture list today as the relentless, unforgiving feast of festive football continues apace.
Six Premier League games kick off at 3pm, featuring two London derbies with much at stake: West Ham host Arsenal with the chance to build a four-point lead on the Gunners, while managerless Crystal Palace head to Loftus Road, looking to consign the Neil Warnock era to the dustbin for good with an away win. Do so, and they’ll climb above QPR and, in all likelihood, out of the bottom three.
The entire bottom eight are in action at 3pm, in fact – with Hull v Leicester and Aston Villa v Sunderland two of the more intriguing fixtures in the race to the bottom. Meanwhile, Stoke v West Brom and Man City v Burnley both have the potential (for different reasons) to get ugly.
There’s also a hefty slice of Football League action, with Championship leaders Bournemouth going to Millwall and Blackburn hosting Middlesbrough. At the City Ground, it’s finished Nottingham Forest 1-3 Birmingham. Time to fetch Beanie from the loft, Stuart.
In the Premier League, it’s just finished Spurs 0-0 Man Utd at White Hart Lane, and Southampton v Chelsea has kicked off. Join John Ashdown for that one. Team news is coming shortly. Be patient.
Niall will be here shortly with all the team news and build up before the 3pm matches in the Premier League. In the meantime, here’s the latest injury news.
ASTON VILLA v SUNDERLAND 3pm
Gabriel Agbonlahor will be missing for Villa due to suspension while Kieran Richardson must serve the final game of his three-match ban. Ashley Westwood (knee), Philippe Senderos (thigh), Nathan Baker (knee), Libor Kozak (leg) and Joe Cole (hamstring) all remain out. Connor Wickham will return to the Sunderland squad after his suspension and full-back Billy Jones and midfielder Emanuele Giaccherini suffered no adverse reactions against Hull. Anthony Réveillère and Patrick van Aanholt are still out.
HULL v LEICESTER 3pm
Hull’s James Chester and Tom Huddlestone will miss the game through suspension. Mohamed Diamé is struggling with a knee problem and Michael Dawson has a torn hamstring, but Maynor Figueroa and Tom Ince are available as is Jake Livermore who has completed his ban. Leicester are without the suspended Jamie Vardy, but Chris Wood could return after an infection and Esteban Cambiasso may be recalled. Kasper Schmeichel and Matt Upson are still out injured.
MAN CITY v BURNLEY 3pm
Vincent Kompany could be available for City after missing the last two games with calf and hamstring problems. Striker Stevan Jovetic could feature after being an unused substitute at West Brom, but Edin Dzeko and Sergio Agüero are still out. Sam Vokes will hope for more action after making his return to Burnley’s squad against Liverpool as a sub after nine months out. Matt Taylor could be in contention after recovering from surgery but Michael Duff and Stephen Ward look set to miss out.
QPR v CRYSTAL PALACE 3pm
Joey Barton could return for QPR against managerless Palace after missing the 2-1 defeat at Arsenal with a hamstring problem. Midfielder Leroy Fer will start after being rested against the Gunners, while long-term casualties Sandro and Alejandro Faurlín are still missing. Palace caretaker Keith Millen could be without Yannick Bolasie, whose wife is due to give birth. Marouane Chamakh is out with a hamstring complaint but there were no new injury concerns from their Boxing Day defeat to Southampton.
STOKE v WEST BROM 3pm
Mark Hughes is hopeful that Bojan will be available despite having to come off due to a back problem in the win at Everton. Ryan Shawcross is available despite his head injury, but Phil Bardsley is a doubt because of the ankle issue that ruled him out at Goodison Park. Stephen Ireland looks set to be absent again. Graham Dorrans is back for West Brom after illness, while captain Chris Brunt is pushing for a start after making his comeback from a hamstring injury. Georgios Samaras is available.
WEST HAM v ARSENAL 3pm
Alex Song and Diafra Sakho are expected to return to West Ham’s starting line-up after being rotated out of the starting XI for Friday’s loss at Chelsea. James Tomkins is likely to miss out again, with James Collins continuing in central defence. Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud begins a three-match suspension after being sent off for butting against QPR, but Laurent Koscielny could be back from a hamstring problem. Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta, Mesut Özil, Abou Diaby, Jack Wilshere and Serge Gnabry are all still out.
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