Right, that’s it from me. Be sure to join Scott Murray for the day’s main event – the Steven Gerrard Farewell To Anfield Gala Special – and stick around for all the reports and reaction from the 3pm kick-offs. But from me, cheerio!
And in Scotland: “High drama at Links Park,” writes Simon McMahon. “Montrose 3-1 up now and on course to secure their league status. Pitch invasion to follow, surely. Still 10 minutes to go though. And Motherwell will play Queen of the South, Hibs or Rangers to see who plays in the SPFL next season.”
And in the Bundesliga: “The Bundesliga relegation battle is set up for a thrilling final matchday,” writes Kari Tulinius. “Stuttgart held on for the win against Hamburg. Freiburg actually beat Bayern, whose post-title form has been atrocious. Hanover likewise beat Augsburg, but Paderborn lost to Schalke. The way it stands now, Paderborn are bottom on 31 points, followed by Hamburg on 32, Stuttgart on 33, and both Freiburg and Hanover on 34. Final matchday includes Paderborn v Stuttgart and Freiburg v Hanover. Hamburg meanwhile face Schalke. That should be some finale.”
The upshot of the results today is this:
Hull trail Newcastle by two points and Sunderland by three points. Anything other than a win on the final day for Hull, who face Manchester United at the KC Stadium, and they’re down.
Sunderland play Arsenal away in midweek and Chelsea away on the final day. A point from either of those and they’re safe. And if Newcastle beat West Ham at home on the final day they are safe.
But: A defeat or a draw for Newcastle would see them relegated if Hull beat Man Utd. And wins for Newcastle and Hull coupled with two Sunderland defeats would see the Black Cats relegated.
A bit of a pitch invasion at Loftus Road. Slightly maverick for a relegated side.
Full-time: QPR 2-1 Newcastle. Yet another defeat for Newcastle. They will have to beat West Ham at home next weekend to be sure of survival. Anything less and they’ll be reliant on results elsewhere.
Full-time: Burnley 0-0 Stoke. (Frankly I forgot that match was even being played).
Full-time: West Ham 1-2 Everton
LEICESTER ARE SAFE!
Full-times: Sunderland 0-0 Leicester. Tottenham 2-0 Hull City.
Those results mean the Foxes are safe. What a remarkable achievement for Nigel Pearson and his side.
Updated
GOAL! West Ham 1-2 Everton (Lukaku 90+3)
A thunderous header from the Belgium striker puts the visitors ahead at Upton Park.
Updated
Cissé misses a huge chance for Newcastle, with Clint Hill making a tremendous block.
Newcastle’s travelling fans aren’t happy:
We're sh*t and we're sick of it, sing the away fans...
— Mark Douglas (@MsiDouglas) May 16, 2015
Into the final five minutes across the Premier League. As it stands we’re heading into the final week of the season with Hull, Newcastle and Sunderland fighting it out for that final relegation spot.
Almost a a winner for Sunderland as Fletcher goes close. And Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko has smashed a shot just wide at Loftus Road.
Tick-tock, tick-tock … time is running out for Newcastle and Hull. Leicester are pushing hard at the Stadium of Light, even though a point would make them safe as it stands. A winner for Sunderland would also take them safe.
Another booking for Everton as McCarthy chops down Downing. That makes it 3-1 to Everton on the yellow card front.
“Brora have equalised at Montrose and lead 2-1 on aggregate, but are down to 10 men,” reports Simon McMahon. “Still 40 minutes to go at Links Park. Kilmarnock look to have secured their Premier League status as they lead 3-0 at Partick. Ross County or Motherwell will be in the play off.”
Poor old Hull. They’ve just had a succession of chances to pull one back but they’ve not taken one.
GOAL! West Ham 1-1 Everton (Osman 68)
An equaliser for Everton at Upton Park. Osman crashes the ball past Adrian to restore parity.
The Stadium of Light erupts as news of that QPR goal filters through.
GOAL! QPR 2-1 Newcastle (Fer 61)
A huge goal at the bottom of the table! Leroy Fer crashes home from distance to put QPR ahead. That eases the equation for Hull, though not by much. If it stays this way it would mean Hull would stay up with a win if Newcastle draw next weekend, rather than having to rely on a defeat for the Magpies.
Updated
GOAL! West Ham 1-0 Everton (Downing 62)
Stewart Downing curls home to put the Hammers ahead at Upton Park.
Updated
GOAL! Tottenham 2-0 Hull City (Rose 61)
Danny Rose lashes home to double Spurs’ lead against Hull. So it looks like Hull will definitely have to beat Manchester United on the final day to have any chance of staying up.
Updated
So as it stands it’s between Hull, Newcastle and Sunderland for the final relegation spot. Hull trail the north-east sides by three points but have a better goal difference than both.
GOAL! QPR 1-1 Newcastle (Phillips 55)
QPR are back on level terms! Matt Phillips makes up for that shocking miss earlier on by nodding home Charlie Austin’s cross.
Updated
Very succinct Gary …
Tottenham have gone ahead. As things stand, Hull are in the shit!
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) May 16, 2015
1 - Tottenham take the lead against Hull with the first shot on target of the entire game. Patience.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 16, 2015
GOAL! Tottenham 1-0 Hull City (Chadli 54)
Disaster for Hull, who had been the better side at White Hart Lane, as Nacer Chadli rounds Steve Harper before slotting the ball home to give Spurs the lead.
Updated
Goal music is obviously one of the worst things about modern football. But playing goal music without a goal? Sheesh …
Unbelievable. Should have been 1-1 - the QPR tannoy man thought it was, he'd started playing the goal music!
— Mark Douglas (@MsiDouglas) May 16, 2015
Ulloa nods narrowly wide from a Leicester corner at the Stadium of Light. And Matt Phillips has missed a great chance to draw QPR level against Newcastle.
Back under way in the Premier League. A Hull goal would make things very interesting.
In the big play-off in Scotland Montrose have taken the lead against Brora Rangers through Scott Johnston.
And it’s half-time at Loftus Road: QPR 0-1 Newcastle.
Stat!
14 - Lee Cattermole has now collected 14 PL yellows in 2014-15, equalling the seasonal record held by R Savage, M Hughes & C Tiote. Clatter.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 16, 2015
Half-time scores
Burnley 0-0 Stoke City
Sunderland 0-0 Leicester
Tottenham 0-0 Hull City
West Ham 0-0 Everton
QPR and Newcastle are still playing due to that stoppage for Robert Green’s injury.
Everton now lead in the battle of the bookings:
2-1 BARRY
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) May 16, 2015
Updated
Leicester are ending the half on a high at the Stadium of Light. Newcastle, though, remain the only side to break the deadlock in the Premier League this afternoon.
Updated
A dangerous free-kick to Sunderland. Larsson stands over the ball, inside the D, but rolls to Wickham who smacks the ball into the wall.
At the Stadium of Light, Leicester whip a free-kick into the Sunderland box, sparking a bit of a scramble but John O’Shea clears for a corner.
Robert Green staggers off looking groggy as a pirate’s beverage. Alex McCarthy replaces him between the sticks for QPR.
At West Ham it’s all square again …
THE EQUALISER!!!!!!! SEAMUS COLEMAN GOES INTO THE BOOK!!!!
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) May 16, 2015
At Loftus Road Robert Green has taken a nasty whack. He slid out to claim the ball and was smashed on the temple by Joey Barton’s knee. He seems to be conscious but is bleeding from a head wound.
Updated
West Ham’s Europa League quest has taken a bit of a knock …
BOOKING FOR WEST HAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WINSTON REID!!!!!!!!
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) May 16, 2015
I just saw Emmanuel Riviere score a goal...
— Dominic Fifield (@domfifield) May 16, 2015
GOAL! QPR 0-1 Newcastle (Riviere 24)
Emmanuel Riviere, in his 18th Premier League appearance, has scored his first Premier League goal. And it’s a biggie. He gets a little fortunate, the ball bobbling past Green off his wrong foot as he looked to strike at goal, but he has edged Newcastle closer to safety.
Updated
Midway through the first half and we’re still awaiting the first Premier League goal of the day.
And now it’s Burnley’s turn to go close …
Stunning save by Butland from Jones after glorious Cruyff turn from Boyd
— Chris Boden (@bodenknights) May 16, 2015
Hull hit the bar! Jelavic strikes the woodwork at White Hart Lane.
And here’s Kari Tulinius with some Bundesliga news: “The relegation battle in the Bundesliga is very exciting, with the five bottom teams separated by two points. The second to last round is in full swing, and the bottom team, Stuttgart, are currently leading 2-1 against the fifth bottom Hamburg. The three teams in between, Hanover, Paderborn and Freiburg, are playing Augsburg, Schalke and Bayern, respectively, with all games currently level.”
Here’s Scotland correspondent Simon McMahon: “Kick off delayed by 15 minutes at Montrose to allow the large crowd (must be into the hundreds by now) in to see the Gable Endies attempt to extend their 92 year stay in the Scottish league. 32 years ago this week Dundee United won the league at Dens for the first and only time in their history. United legend and captain that day Paul Hegarty now managing Montrose in what he is calling the biggest match in the clubs history.” It’s also a key fixture in today’s Guardian Towers guess-the-score sweepstake.
West Ham should have had a penalty at Upton Park. Coleman appeared to handle but referee Kevin friend says no.
There was the obligatory pitch invasion after Norwich’s win over Ipswich earlier. It featured this chap:
Ulloa is an inch or two away of getting on the end of a nod across goal. It’s end to end at the Stadium of Light at the moment.
Fine save from Kasper Schmeichel at the Stadium of Light. Seb Larsson curled a free-kick low to the keeper’s near post but Schmeichel dropped smartly to make the save.
Over at the Boleyn Ground Adrian has made a superb save to deny Leon Osman.
Schlupp looks to fizz a cross into Sunderland box but gets it all wrong and hoofs the thing over the heads of everyone in the area.
Sunderland make an early claim for a penalty as Wickham and Huth come together in the Leicester box. Nothing doing.
Kick-offs are imminent. Is this afternoon going to set up an incredibly dramatic final-day relegation battle? Or will it just be curtains for Hull? Let’s see.
So it’s a huge afternoon for Hull City. Here’s David Conn with his take on the malaise at the KC Stadium:
Just a year ago Hull City were preparing to play in their first FA Cup final in 110 years of history yet May 2015 has a very different feel. The club are heading into the final two matches of the season facing the deep threat of relegation and the suspension of the midfielder Jake Livermore on Friday, after he tested positive for cocaine use, has added to the malaise.
In 18th place, two points from safety, Steve Bruce’s team travel to Spurs on Saturday then host Manchester United next Sunday. If Bruce’s players do not recover from last Saturday’s crucial loss to Burnley sufficiently to gain the points they need, relegation will end a curious two-season stint in the Premier League, which has been supported by loans from the owner, Assem Allam, of £67m.
City have been in the top flight for only the second period in their history. The first was 2008-10, a promotion achieved after 104 years of Football League sweat and struggle, punctuated by the occasional crisis. Last season at Wembley, City fans in their thousands cheered a valiant performance: 2-0 up within eight minutes, only for Arsenal to win 3-2 with an Aaron Ramsey winner late in extra time.
It’s full-time at St Mary’s. And it’s finished Southampton 6-1 Aston Villa. It might be a slightly twitchy afternoon for Villa fans if results start to go against them.
An email: “Afternoon John,” writes Simon McMahon. “Game of the day in Scotland is in Inverness where a win for Dundee United against the Scottish Cup finalists would put them in pole position to secure fourth place and the last remaining European spot. Kilmarnock, Ross County and Motherwell battle it out to avoid the relegation play-off against Partick, Hamilton and St Mirren respectively. Forfar take a 3-1 lead to Alloa later, the winners securing a place in the Scottish Championship. And a contender for guest match of the day maybe at Montrose where the home side look to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Highland League Brora Rangers in the first ever pyramid play off for a place in the Scottish league.”
Sunderland v Leicester line-ups
Sunderland: Pantilimon, Jones, O’Shea, Coates, Van Aanholt, Larsson, Cattermole, Bridcutt, Defoe, Graham, Wickham.
Subs: Fletcher, Johnson, Reveillere, Giaccherini, Mannone, Vergini, Buckley.
Leicester: Schmeichel, Wasilewski, Huth, Morgan, Albrighton, King, Cambiasso, Schlupp, Mahrez, Vardy, Ulloa.
Subs: De Laet, Konchesky, Drinkwater, Hammond, Schwarzer, Wood, Kramaric.
Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)
West Ham v Everton line-ups
West Ham: Adrian, Jenkinson, Reid, Collins, Cresswell, Kouyate,
Song, Noble, Downing, Valencia, Cole.
Subs: Jarvis, Nene, O’Brien, Amalfitano, Jaaskelainen, Burke, Lee.
Everton: Howard, Coleman, Stones, Jagielka, Galloway, Barry,
McCarthy, Lennon, Barkley, Osman, Lukaku.
Subs: Robles, McGeady, Kone, Mirallas, Naismith, Besic, Garbutt.
Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire)
Tottenham Hotspur v Hull City line-ups
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Dier, Fazio, Vertonghen, Rose, Mason, Bentaleb, Lamela, Eriksen, Chadli, Kane.
Subs: Paulinho, Soldado, Yedlin, Vorm, Townsend, Dembele, Stambouli.
Hull: Harper, Chester, Dawson, McShane, Elmohamady, Meyler, Huddlestone, Quinn, Brady, N’Doye, Jelavic.
Subs: McGregor, Rosenior, Bruce, Hernandez, Sagbo, Aluko, Robertson.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)
QPR v Newcastle line-ups
QPR: Green, Caulker, Dunne, Hill, Phillips, Henry, Barton,
Onuoha, Hoilett, Fer, Austin.
Subs: Wright-Phillips, McCarthy, Yun, Doughty, Furlong, Grego-Cox, Comley.
Newcastle: Krul, Janmaat, Coloccini, Dummett, Gutierrez, Ryan Taylor, Colback, Perez, Sissoko, Cabella, Riviere.
Subs: Anita, Cisse, Gouffran, Aarons, Ameobi, Abeid, Woodman.
Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire)
Burnley v Stoke line-ups
Burnley: Heaton, Trippier, Shackell, Duff, Mee, Arfield, Jones,
Taylor, Boyd, Barnes, Ings.
Subs: Vokes, Kightly, Jutkiewicz, Ulvestad, Gilks, Ward, Keane.
Stoke: Butland, Cameron, Shawcross, Muniesa, Pieters, Whelan,
Nzonzi, Walters, Adam, Arnautovic, Diouf.
Subs: Begovic, Ireland, Odemwingie, Wilson, Sidwell, Crouch, Wollscheid.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
Updated
Today's Premier League 3pm (BST) kick-offs
- Burnley v Stoke City
- Queens Park Rangers v Newcastle United
- Sunderland v Leicester City
- Tottenham Hotspur v Hull City
- West Ham v Everton
