Well, well, well. Where do Sunderland go from here? Dick Advocaat needs to reinstate John O’Shea to the back four first off, then find some cash to strengthen this ramshackle squad. Norwich were very good, though, despite their weak opposition and that will be a major confidence boost for Alex Neil’s team.
At Upton Park West Ham looked poor in the first half and despite coming out of the blocks quickly in the second period, Leicester defended admirably and were good value for their win.
Swansea coasted against Newcastle, especially when Daryl Janmaat was dismissed. Watford’s first home game ended in a dull scoreless draw but at least they are undefeated, while West Brom’s Tony Pulis will be satisfied with a clean sheet having been torn apart by Man City in their opening game.
And finally, Spurs let a 2-0 half-time lead slip to Stoke, a game turned on its head by the introduction of Stephen Ireland who had key roles in but their goals as the spoils were shared.
Game of the day in the Championship came at Ashton Gate where Bristol City led twice against Brentford but were eventually beaten 4-2. Coventry earned the League One headlines by smashing Millwall 4-0 away, while Carlisle and Cambridge played out a sensational 4-4 draw in League Two – let’s just hope Channel 5’s highlights show improves tonight and we can enjoy some of the action.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, bye!
Full-time! West Ham 1-2 Leicester
And Leicester are still 100% after holding West Ham at bay. Who needs Pearson when you have The Tinkerman?
Get all your Football League full-times here.
Carl Jenkinson is gone in goal for West Ham but that is an absolutely shameful decision by the referee Anthony Taylor – there was contact but it was completely accidental. Nonsense! At Craven Cottage Brighton’s Tommer Hemed has scored a 94th minute penalty to give them a 2-1 win over Fulham.
Updated
Full-time! Swansea 2-0 Newcastle
Gomis scores early, Janmaat gets sent off and really the result was never in doubt.
Full-time! Tottenham 2-2 Stoke City
Spurs throw away a two goal lead but that’s an impressive comeback from Stoke.
Full-time! Sunderland 1-3 Norwich
The Canaries celebrate, Sunderland fans are just glad it’s all over.
Updated
RED CARD! West Ham's Adrian
… is sent off for a high leg after coming up for an injury time corner. That’s West Ham’s fourth red of the season after three in the Europa League.
Updated
Full-time! Watford 0-0 West Brom
Boring!
Which means there’s a goal to come at Upton Park, right?
GOAL! Sunderland 1-3 Norwich
Duncan Watmore, on debut, volleys home to give Sunderland something to cheer about.
Brentford are 4-2 up now at Bristol City, Philipp Hofmann scoring their fourth.
What a chance for West Ham to make it 2-2 – Sakho is denied by a wonderful Schmeichel save. At Swansea, Newcastle have introduced Mitrovic and he gets into a scrap with Taylor and gets a yellow card after 70-odd seconds – it should have been a red after an absolutely terrible tackle.
GOAL! Tottenham 2-2 Stoke
And Stoke are level through Diouf. JOIN BRYAN GRAHAM NOW – but please open a new tab and keep an eye on this, too. Please. Thanks.
Updated
Saido Berahino has missed an absolute sitter for West Brom at Watford and it remains scoreless, while at Upton Park Danny Drinkwater has wasted the chance to make it 3-1 to Leicester by blasting over.
Updated
Game of the day is probably in League Two where Jabo Ibehre has completed his hat-trick to make it Carlisle United 4 Cambridge United 4!
Oh dear, sorry Celtic fans I’ve jinxed you … Inverness have a second and now the score is 4-2.
GOAL! Tottenham 2-1 Stoke
Arnautovic scores from the spot after Alderweireld hauled down Joselu. Game on!
Updated
Nice touch at Gigg Lane, paying respects to the father of Gary and Phil, who passed away recently.
Neville Neville remembered at @buryfcofficial this afternoon pic.twitter.com/Y4JMxszUAr
— The Football League (@football_league) August 15, 2015
Managers on Twitter > Players on Twitter
Clear defeat today! Performance 1half wasn't good! Learning about mistakes we did today! #WeMarchOn
— Ronald Koeman (@RonaldKoeman) August 15, 2015
A fifth goal at Ashton Gate and the KPIs are working – Brentford are in front thanks to Andre Grey. They have taken advantage of the man advantage since Freeman’s dismissal and having been behind twice are now in front for the first time, 3-2.
Inverness have pulled one back at Celtic. In the Premier League it is all very quiet.
Chris Martin has equalised for Derby at home to Charlton – can they find a winner in the final 21 minutes? They have been well on top, it would appear. In Scotland Celtic are now 4-0 up against Inverness and everybody is already bored by the foregone conclusion.
Excuse the language but it’s worth nothing that Sunderland fans are currently chanting: “We are fucking shit”. Few can dispute such a claim at the moment.
Bundesliga full-times: Augsburg 0 Hertha Berlin 1, Bayer Leverkusen 2 Hoffenheim 1, Darmstadt 2 Hannover 2, Mainz 0 Ingolstadt 1, Werder Bremen 0 Schalke 3.
Rolando Aarons, the highly-rated winger, has replaced Papiss Cisse for Newcastle. Meanwhile Blackpool are 1-0 at home to Rochdale – when will they win a game? Currently 19 without victory.
Nottingham Forest fans can relax: Michail Antonio has put you in front at home to Rotherham. That’s already Antonio’s third of the season, but remember he started off brilliantly last season too before tailing off.
Updated
Rondon makes his West Brom debut at Watford, coming on for Gardner. Appears he is looking to play off direct balls to Lambert with Berahino given a freer role.
Meaningless information: the three goals at Upton Park and the three at the Stadium of Light have come at freakishly similar times. 27, 38, 56 and 26, 38, 58!
In the Championship Ipswich have come from behind to lead against Sheffield Wednesday thanks to a close-range Tommy Smith header after Keiren Westwood parried an initial attempt.
GOAL! Sunderland 0-3 Norwich
This is absolutely terrible from Sunderland. Redmond loses Cattermole so easily and side-foots in past a hapless Pantilimon.
Updated
GOAL! West Ham 1-2 Leicester
Dimitri Payet pulls one back with a stunner. Sakho lays it back to him and he drives it to the left of Schmeichel. What a signing he’s looking like for Slaven Bilic team.
Updated
GOAL! Swansea 2-0 Newcastle
And that should be three points for Monk’s men. Andre Ayew’s header makes it 2-0 and with a man advantage, that’s surely put the result to bed.
Updated
Great save from Jack Butland at White Hart Lane to deny Harry Kane his first of the season.
In League One, Sheffield United lead Chesterfield 2-0 thanks to another from Che Adams.
Charlton have taken the lead at Derby thanks to Tony Watt, who was of course their match winner at home to QPR last weekend.
One Sunderland change: Graham on for Larsson. And one West Ham change: Oxford is off for Obiang.
Peep! Peep! Peep! Second halves are getting underway. Can West Ham and Sunderland salvage something? Will Stoke improve and can Newcastle fight back from being a goal down despite being down to 10 men? And will something – anything – happen between Watford and West Brom?
Premier League half-times!
- Sunderland 0-2 Norwich
- Swansea 1-0 Newcastle
- Tottenham 2-0 Stoke
- Watford 0-0 West Brom
- West Ham 0-2 Leicester
And the scores from the rest of the divisions are right here, right now.
GOAL! Tottenham 2-0 Stoke
Nacer Chadli doubles Spurs’ lead two minutes into added time at White Hart Lane after being set up by Davies.
Updated
Stoke have a chance! Walters heads across goal and from six yards Diouf heads it straight at Lloris.
What a brilliant game at Ashton Gate – an Alan Judge free-kick is deflected into the net by a Bristol City shirt and Brentford are level again, 2-2.
Stoke have been quite poor at Tottenham so far. They have yet to threaten Hugo Lloris. A few miles south-west, at Craven Cottage Tom Cairney has put Fulham pack on level terms against Brighton.
RED CARD! Newcastle's Daryl Janmaat
Already on a yellow, Janmaat gets his second for a needless shirt pull and instead of climbing a valley, Newcastle now need to ascend a mountain to get back into it at Swansea.
Updated
Robbie Brady has gone very close to making it 3-0 to Norwich – that was their 10th attempt and after half an hour Sunderland fans are heading for the exits. Their team really are playing awfully.
GOAL! West Ham 0-2 Leicester
Riyad Mahrez, impressive last week against Sunderland, has continued here. He’s doubled Leicester’s lead at Upton Park and has been giving Aaron Cresswell a torrid time.
Updated
GOAL! Sunderland 0-2 Norwich
Oh Sunderland! Steven Whittaker has put Norwich 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light. What a disaster for Dick Advocaat’s team.
Updated
Romelu Lukaku scored twice today after hitting a female Southampton fan in the warm-up. Afterwards Roberto Martínez said: “Maybe he’ll have to hit a woman in every game.” Err …
And Middlesbrough are 3-0 in front at home to Bolton. This is very impressive from last season’s beaten play-off finalists, Kike scoring his second. On Sky, Bryn Law says it “could be any score” – I don’t think it can be 0-0, 1-0, 2-0 etc.
In the battle of newly-promoted Championship teams, Preston are in front at Milton Keynes thanks to Paul Gallagher.
Chris Hughton’s Brighton are in front against Kit Symons’ Fulham thanks to Sam Baldock.
GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Leicester
Shinji Okazaki has broken the deadlock at Upton Park – his initial attempt is brilliantly saved by Adrian but he laps up the rebound!
Updated
Aaron Wilbraham has given Bristol City the lead again at Ashton Gate, they now lead Brentford 2-1.
GOAL! Sunderland 0-1 Norwich
And the Canaries have the lead! Brady shoots after a short corner, Pantilimon parries and Martin scores from the rebound.
Updated
Doesn’t look like Stoke’s new man Shaqiri is too impressed with his side’s start at Tottenham
And Ipswich have equalised within a minute – Freddie Sears with a tidy finish at Portman Road. Coventry are now 2-0 to the good at Millwall,.
Your Bundesliga half-times: Augsburg 0 Hertha Berlin 0, Bayer Leverkusen 1 Hoffenheim 1, Darmstadt 1 Hannover 0, Mainz 0 Ingolstadt 0, Werder Bremen 0 Schalke 1.
Sheffield Wednesday take the lead at Ipswich through Ross Wallace. That Swansea goal, by the way, contained 21 passes in the build-up. Lovely!
GOAL! Tottenham 1-0 Stoke
Eric Dier scores from Christian Eriksen’s corner. Join Bryan Graham for more.
Updated
Middlesbrough look very impressive – they are now 2-0 clear at Bolton, Kike scoring the second after some good build-up play from Fabbrini.
Celtic lead 2-0 against Inverness CT after 11 minutes – nothing to see here, folks. Back in the Championship, Nottingham Forest have fallen behind at home to Rotherham.
It’s blue and pink, right?
Here come the teams - #NUFC will wear their peacoat-navy and bright plasma away kit while Swansea are in all-white
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) August 15, 2015
In the Championship Brentford have levelled at Bristol City – Alan Judge making it 1-1.
GOAL! Swansea 1-0 Newcastle
Bafetimbi Gomis needs only nine minutes to put Garry Monk’s team in front – the first goal in the Premier League 3pms.
Updated
And now Coventry go up the other end and take the lead at The Den. Sheffield United have taken the lead against Chesterfield thanks to Shay Adams. Daniel Bentley, the Southend keeper, has conceded his first goal at home since last October against Walsall.
Updated
In League One, Millwall have won an early penalty at home to Coventry but Lee Gregory’s effort has been saved. A level above, Middlesbrough have taken the lead at home to Bolton – Diego Fabbrini finds the top corner from 25 yards.
Don’t forget you can enjoy all the action from White Hart Lane here.
First goal of the afternoon in the Championship! Statistics’ Brentford are behind at newly-promoted Bristol City, thanks to the Ivorian striker Jonathan Kodjia. What do the KPIs say now?
West Ham have had an early chance – Payet sends another teasing free-kick (how many times will we say that this season? in and Sakho goes close. Norwich look the stronger early on at Sunderland, while Odion Ighalo has forced Boaz Myhill in to an early save at Vicarage Road.
Peep! Peep! Peep! We’re off.
Teams are emerging from tunnels, hands are being shaken, chants are being sung and awful music is being blasted out of disgustingly loud PA systems and subsequently drowning said chants out. Yes, friends, we are moments away from kick-off!
Reliably informed that the pie and chips at the Boleyn Ground were “stodgy” today and they are currently playing London Calling. More as we have it!
For all the foodies out there pic.twitter.com/S64vRcuBc7
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) August 15, 2015
Imagine when the journalists at West Ham have to swap their pie, chips and beans for quinoa at the Olympic Stadium next season!
Everton have beaten Southampton 3-0 in the early kick-off – a reverse of this fixture last season, where the Saints destroy their visitors by the same scoreline. Romelu Lukaku scored the first two, Ross Barkley nabbed the third to give Roberto Martínez’s team a very impressive win indeed.
Simon McMahon making sure we don’t forget about north of the border.
Afternoon Alan. Game of the day in Scotland is at Hamilton where Dundee United travel hoping to build on some promising early season performances from their young squad by taking three points. Elsewhere in the SPFL Celtic host Inverness and early pace-setters Hearts go to Dingwall to face Ross County. In the Scottish Championship it’s Hibs v Morton, in League One a Fife derby between Dunfermline and Cowdenbeath and in League Two a Tayside derby as Arbroath travel to Montrose.
Premier League team news
Sunderland v Norwich
Sunderland: Pantilimon, Jones, Kaboul, Coates, van Aanholt, Cattermole (c) Larsson, M’Vila, Defoe, Lens, Fletcher. Subs: Mannone, Bridcutt, Rodwell, Watmore, Matthews, O’Shea, Graham.
Norwich: Ruddy; Whittaker, Martin, Bassong, Brady; Redmond, Tettey, Dorrans, Howson; Hoolahan; Jerome. Subs: Rudd, Wisdom, Johnson, Grabban, Hooper, R Bennett, O’Neil.
Swansea v Newcastle
Swansea: Fabianski, Naughton, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor, Cork, Shelvey, Sigurdsson, Ayew, Montero, Gomis. Subs: Nordfeldt, Rangel, Bartley, Britton, Routledge, Dyer, Eder.
Newcastle: Krul; Janmaat, Coloccini, Mbemba, Haidara; Anita, Colback; Sissoko, Wijnaldum, Obertan; Cisse. Subs: Darlow, S Taylor, Williamson, Aarons, Perez, Tiote, Mitrovic.
Tottenham v Stoke
Tottenham: Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Dier, Mason; Chadli, Dembele, Eriksen; Kane. Subs: Rose, Bentaleb, Lamela, Vorm, Trippier, Alli, Carroll.
Stoke: Butland; Johnson, Cameron, Muniesa, Pieters; Whelan (c), van Ginkel; Walters, Afellay, Arnautovic; Diouf. Subs: Given, Ireland, Joselu, Adam, Sidwell, Crouch, Wollscheid.
Watford v West Brom
Watford: Gomes; Nyom, Cathcart, Prödl, Anya; Behrami, Capoue; Ighalo, Jurado, Layun; Deeney. Subs: Gilmartin, Angella, Holebas, Watson, Berghuis, Abdi, Vydra.
West Brom: Myhill; Dawson, McAuley, Olsson, Brunt; Gardner, Fletcher, Yacob, Morrison; Berahino, Lambert. Subs: Rose, Chester, Lescott, McClean, McManaman, Anichebe, Rondon
West Ham v Leicester
West Ham: Adrian; Jenkinson, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Oxford; Kouyate, Noble (c), Payet; Sakho, Zarate Subs: Randolph, Nolan, Tomkins, Jarvis, Obiang, Maiga, Lanzini.
Leicester: Schmeichel; De Laet, Huth, Morgan, Schlupp; Albrighton, Drinkwater, King; Mahrez, Okazaki, Vardy. Subs: Hammond, Kante, Kramaric, Ulloa, Fuchs, Benalouane, Maddison.
Preamble
Welcome back Premier League football to Vicarage Road! For the first time since 2007, that awful season where they won only five times all season, Watford host a top flight game. West Brom, skwered by a brilliant Manchester City on Monday, are the visitors and Hornets fans will be aware of how good Tony Pulis’s record against them is: P11 W5 D5 L1. West Brom can scarcely be as bad as they were at home to City, while Watford were given an early dose of hurt by leading at Everton for so long only for Ross Barkley and Arouna Koné to wreck the party.
It is too early to whittle off tired old cliches about six-pointers but considering Sunderland are in a near-perpetual state of crisis, there could be a lot of unhappy folks at the Stadium of Light if they succumb to another likely struggler Norwich City this afternoon. The ramshackle performance at Leicester last week may have kept Dick Advocaat awake quite a bit this week and though Alex Neil’s Norwich also lost their first game against Crystal Palace, the pressure is very much on their hosts this afternoon.
Most will have forgotten how impressive Swansea were against Chelsea in the wake of doctor-gate but they will be looking to get their first win at home to Newcastle. Steve McClaren’s team let a lead slip to draw at home to Southampton on Sunday but showed some good passages of play and, dare we say it, glimpses of something for their long-suffering supporters to be hopeful about.
Then you have West Ham, fresh from sending Arsenal fans into meltdown, playing their first league game of the Boleyn Ground’s last season against Claudio Ranieri’s Flying Foxes. It is difficult to predict – two sides under new managers with plenty of new additions after very good starts to the season – but this afternoon’s action should give us an indication of what to expect in the coming months.
And if you want to keep up to date with the action at White Hart Lane, where Tottenham welcome Stoke City, we’ve got a live MBM to come – link shortly.
Team news from the 3pm kick-offs to follow a little after 2pm – plus all the Championship action and the big talking points from League One and League Two with a taste of Bundesliga thrown in to the mix too.
Promise it will be more entertaining than last night’s fare!
