Full-time: Wolves 2-0 Bournemouth
After a wobble, Nuno’s side are very much on the up again. For Eddie Howe’s side, it’s a sixth defeat in seven matches.
Updated
Full-time: Watford 3-2 Cardiff
Watford survive a late fightback from Neil Warnock’s side, with the hosts taking victory in a five-goal thriller, full of fine goals (Holebas, Quina and Deulofeu) at Vicarage Road.
Updated
Full-time: Huddersfield 0-1 Newcastle
A vital goal by Rondon earns Rafa Benitez’s side victory.
Updated
Full-time: Crystal Palace 1-0 Leicester
Roy Hodgson toasts successive home wins at Selhurst Park.
Updated
GOAL! Wolves 2-0 Bournemouth (Cavaleiro, 90+4)
Wolves are heading for a third straight win.
Updated
Full-time: Tottenham 1-0 Burnley
That Christian Eriksen goal seals a priceless victory. Spurs move to within five points of leaders Manchester City.
Updated
A killer stat, courtesy of Opta: Watford v Cardiff is the first Premier League game to see three goals from outside the box since Bournemouth v Crystal Palace in April. It’s the ones you least expect. Cardiff are pushing for an equaliser ...
GOAL! Tottenham 1-0 Burnley (Eriksen 90+1)
The Dane picks a good time to score his first league goal of the season. Spurs, after all of their huffing and puffing, have found a way through at Wembley. It was a fine lay-off by Harry Kane, and Eriksen kept his composure to finish.
Updated
A big chance goes begging for Son! The Spurs substitute passes up a glorious opportunity at Wembley. Son fires wide in a great position after a really clever chest down by Llorente. Burnley are clinging on, as are Newcastle at Huddersfield.
Updated
GOAL! Watford 3-2 Cardiff (Reid, 83)
Bobby Reid pulls another one back. Comeback on?
Updated
GOAL! Watford 3-1 Cardiff (Hoilett, 80)
Another corker from Junior Hoilett.
Updated
Guaita somehow denies Leicester a leveller! One substitute picks out another, as Ghezzal finds Iheanacho who cleverly plays in Vardy who forces a great save out of the debutant goalkeeper. And Benik Afobe pokes Stoke back in front against Aston Villa, rifling home from 12 yards. At Wembley, Chris Wood is on for Burnley.
Joe Hart denies Erik Lamela – a big, big save! In the second tier, Tammy Abraham equalises from the penalty spot at Villa Park. The young striker sends Jack Butland the wrong way and parity restored against Stoke. Meanwhile, Swansea have pulled level at home to Sheffield Wednesday thanks to Bersant Celina.
GOAL! Watford 3-0 Cardiff (Quina, 68)
Domingos Quina scores his first league goal for the club in style. The 19-year-old seals what is surely victory for Watford at Vicarage Road. Elsewhere, Ipswich lead Wigan 1-0 and Charlton have gone in front at home to AFC Wimbledon.
Patrick Bamford scores on his Leeds return! Marcelo Bielsa’s side take the lead at Bolton. The former Middlesbrough striker has been out of action since September, but has re-introduced himself in the best manner possible, five minutes after replacing Kemar Roofe. Leeds are heading top of the Championship ...
Callum Wilson is on for Bournemouth at Molineux, where Wolves are winning 1-0. Elsewhere, Nahki Wells has put QPR back in front at home to Middlesbrough. It’s 2-1 at Loftus Road. Tranmere have pulled level at Notts County. North of the border, Kilmarnock are heading back to the top. They lead 2-0 against Dundee.
Updated
GOAL! Huddersfield 0-1 Newcastle (Rondón, 56)
Salomón Rondón strikes to cue wild scenes in the away end in west Yorkshire. The Venezuelan forward caps off a fine counterattack, prompted by Dubravka’s risky ball out the back to skipper Jamaal Lascelles. He fed Fabian Schär, the centre-back then dinked it forward to Ayoze Pérez, who slid it inside to Javier Manquillo, who played in a lovely ball for Rondón to do the rest.
Updated
GOAL! Watford 2-0 Cardiff (Holebas, 52)
José Holebas curls a beauty into the top corner. The Greek defender seemingly doesn’t do tap-ins. It’s a stunning strike.
Updated
Stoke lead 1-0 at Villa Park, with Joe Allen nudging Gary Rowett’s side in front. Personnel changes at Vicarage Road and Molineux too, with Neil Warnock summoning Nathaniel Mendez-Laing in place of Josh Murphy, while Diogo Jota has been replaced by Helder Costa. Jota was injured in the first half.
Spurs are back under way at Wembley, but Danny Rose has just made a comical hash of things, slicing the ball straight out of play. Pochettino, wearing a wooly hat straight off the shelves from the club shop, looks a bit concerned. Leicester have changed things at the interval, with Ghezzal replacing James Maddison.
Forest Green’s match at home to Mansfield has been abandoned at the interval. Storm Deirdre’s wreaking havoc. Some half-time reading to warm the cockles for a blockbuster Sunday, then:
Updated
Half-time scores
Premier League
Crystal Palace 1-0 Leicester
Huddersfield 0-0 Newcastle
Wolves 1-0 Bournemouth
Tottenham 0-0 Burnley
Watford 1-0 Cardiff
Updated
Jefferson Lerma pulls back Diogo Jota at Molineux. And? Well, that’s the Colombian’s seventh yellow card this season (in 15 appearances). Before joining Bournemouth for £25m in the summer, he racked up 19 bookings in 29 games for former club Levante last season, a year after 10 yellows and a red. Bite.
Updated
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-0 Leicester (Milivojevic, 39)
Milivojevic lets fly from distance – and Kasper Schmeichel cannot get there. Glad All Over is belting out at Selhurst Park. No Zaha, no problem? That might be pushing it.
Updated
With Frank Lampard’s Derby not in action until Sunday, a nod to Sol Campbell’s Macclesfield, who have just taken the lead at home to Crawley. Elsewhere, Spurs have had a penalty appeal waved away by Graham Scott, while Diego Rico has replaced Tyrone Mings – who took a whack on the back – for Bournemouth.
Crystal Palace are living dangerously at Selhurst Park! Vardy hunts down debutant Vincente Guaita, the Crystal Palace goalkeeper, who dallies around with the ball before a foul is given against the Leicester striker, having rolled the ball into an empty net. Palace, who have Jordan Ayew up top and Alexander Sorloth on the bench, are yet to test Kasper Schmeichel at the other end.
GOAL! Watford 1-0 Cardiff (Deulofeu, 16)
Gerard Deulofeu with a brilliant finish after twisting his marker inside out. It is a moment of magic from the winger, with Deulofeu skipping past a sea of Cardiff shirts before applying a composed finish. It’s bucketing it down at Vicarage Road, but suddenly Watford nor their supporters are too fussed. In the Championship, Hull lead Brentford and Birmingham trail Blackburn.
Updated
GOAL! Wolves 1-0 Bournemouth (Raúl Jiménez, 12)
The striker, on loan from Benfica, scores his seventh of the season. Diogo Jota picks up a loose ball and drives forward before allowing Jiménez to tap in. Nuno Espirito Santo confirmed this week that Wolves have an option to buy the striker for around £30m next summer – providing all parties agree to the move.
Updated
Harry Maguire is looking much more comfortable, after trudging off onto the sidelines inside a couple of minutes. He missed Leicester’s last seven matches with a niggling knee injury. At Wembley, plenty of possession for Tottenham but no real chances as of yet. Sean Dyche is out on the touchline, barking instructions.
QPR lead against Middlesbrough! Elsewhere, Sam Ricketts has made a dream start to life at Shrewsbury – with Greg Docherty handing Salop the lead at home to high-flying Peterborough. The former Wales defender walked out on Wrexham at the start of this month, after a brilliant start in the National League.
Peeeeeeeeeeeeep!
We’re under way across the country. Harry Maguire’s down early on for Leicester at Selhurst Park, with the defender struggling with his hamstring. Jonny Evans has been summoned to warmup.
Updated
Five minutes until kick-off around the grounds. Plenty of festive singsongs ringing out pre-match: Step into Christmas, Stop the Cavalry etc. The teams are out at Molineux, Wembley and beyond.
Updated
Aged 18 years and 36 days, Oliver Skipp is the fourth youngest ever player to make his first Premier League start for Tottenham Hotspur, according to Opta. That’s after Stephen Carr (17y 28d), Andy Turner (17y 146d) and Philip Ifil (17y 270d). Skipp, of course, is not a total nobody, given the Spurs teenager has already appeared off the bench against West Ham and Southampton already this season. “He was fantastic on the pre-season in America and he was waiting for his opportunity,” Pochettino says. “We do not expect too much, just that he enjoys the game. He will show he deserves to be involved in the first team.”
Updated
Manchester City have reclaimed top spot – for the next 24 hours at least – after seeing off Everton 3-1 at the Etihad. Elsewhere, in another early kick-off, Doncaster brushed aside Scunthorpe 3-0, with on-loan Liverpool midfielder Herbie Kane on the scoresheet once more, with his sixth goal of the season.
Updated
Ben Davies is expected to play at centre-back for Tottenham, who have left out Eric Dier and Jan Vertonghen, the former because of a virus and the latter through injury. As well as Oliver Skipp, the latest central midfielder off the Spurs production line (think Tom Carroll, Ryan Mason and Harry Winks), there is room on the bench for another teenager, Timothy Eyoma. Pochettino said on Friday how happy he is with his admittedly very youthful squad:
Updated
Team news news: Mauricio Pochettino hands 18-year-old Oliver Skipp his first Premier League start, with Christian Eriksen on the bench at Wembley. Elsewehere, Fabian Schär, Javier Manquillo and Kenedy all come into the Newcastle team to take on Huddersfield. At Molineux, 18-year-old Morgan Gibbs-White starts but the returning Callum Wilson only makes the bench for Bournemouth, with Joshua King tasked with leading the line, while there is also a rare chance from the off for Jordon Ibe. Meanwhile, Roy Hodgson gives Vincente Guaita the nod in goal for Crystal Palace, with Hennessey injured. Jamie Vardy is back for Leicester.
Crystal Palace v Leicester
Crystal Palace: Guaita, Kelly, Sakho, Wan-Bissaka, Van Aanholt, Meyer, Milivojevic, McArthur, Kouyate, Townsend, Ayew
Subs: Speroni, Ward, Dann, Sorloth, Schlupp, Wickham, Puncheon
Leicester: Schmeichel, Pereira, Morgan, Maguire, Fuchs, Mendy, Ndidi, Albrighton, Maddison, Gray, Vardy
Subs: Ward, Simpson, Evans, Iheanacho, Okazaki, Iborra, Ghezzal
Huddersfield v Newcastle
Huddersfield: Lossl, Hadergjonaj, Jorgensen, Schindler, Kongolo, Lowe, Hogg, Biling, Bacuna, Pritchard, Depoitre
Newcastle: Dubravka, Manquillo, Lascelles, Schar, Clark, Kenedy, Diame, Ki, Atsu, Perez, Rondon
Tottenham v Burnley
Tottenham: Lloris, Trippier, Rose, Alderweireld, Davies, Skipp, Sissoko, Alli, Moura, Lamela, Kane
Subs: Gazzaniga, Son, Winks, Walker-Peters, Llorente, Eriksen, Eyoma
Burnley: Hart, Taylor, Long, Tarkowski, Mee, Bardsley, Cork, Westwood, Lennon, Brady, Barnes
Subs: Heaton, Lowton, Vokes, Wood, Hendrick, Gibson, Vydra
Watford v Cardiff City
Watford: Foster, Deulofeu, Deeney, Sema, Cathcart, Doucoure, Quina, Femenia, Holebas, Kabasele, Pereyra
Subs: Gomes, Mariappa, Cleverley, Success, Masina, Chalobah, Okaka
Cardiff: Etheridge, Bennett, Morrison, Manga, Arter, Murphy, Paterson, Gunnarsson, Camarasa, Bamba, Hoilett
Subs: Smithies, Peltier, Ralls, Zohore, Reid, Mendez-Laing, Harris
Wolves v Bournemouth
Wolves: Rui Patricio, Bennett, Coady, Boly, Doherty, Joao Moutinho, Neves, Jonny, Gibbs-White, Jota, Jimenez
Subs: Cavaleiro, Costa, Ruddy, Saiss, Vinagre, Dendoncker, Traore
Bournemouth: Begovic, Steve Cook, Ake, Mings, Fraser, Surman, Lerma, Daniels, Stanislas, King, Ibe
Subs: Boruc, Pugh, Mousset, Wilson, Defoe, Brooks, Rico
Updated
Raheem Sterling has just put Manchester City 3-1 up at the Etihad:
Newcastle were supposed to be trotting off to Winter Wonderland this weekend, but not anymore, after their big Christmas bash was cancelled – again. Rafael Benítez, who takes his team to Huddersfield today, said: “This group of players cancelled the party last year because they knew and they realised that it was not the right thing to do. And this year, it has been exactly the same.”
Preamble
Steer clear of knock-off Christmas markets, gridlocked shopping malls and biting winds by nestling in for a nice flurry of 3pm action. It’s not the most glamorous offering, but we have five Premier League fixtures to keep abreast off, as well as a stack of action in the Football League and beyond. Tottenham host Burnley buoyed by success at Camp Nou in midweek, while at Selhurst Park, it’s something of a must-win for Roy Hodgson’s flailing and Wilfried Zaha-less (those things do usually go hand-in-hand) Crystal Palace. It’s a big one between Huddersfield and Newcastle, with both teams determined to build on mini-revivals last month. Cardiff have been a mean force at home, but Neil Warnock harbours hopes of a first away win at Vicarage Road, while Wolves entertain Bournemouth; that should be a cracker. In the Championship, Leeds will be looking to get one-up on Norwich, who do not kick-off against Bristol City until this evening. Victory at lowly Bolton will take them top, if only for a few hours at least. In League One, Sunderland host managerless Bristol Rovers and Portsmouth visit Barnsley. In League Two, it’s a big day for Sol Campbell, who takes charge of his first match at Macclesfield’s Moss Rose.
Premier League 3pm fixtures
Crystal Palace v Leicester
Huddersfield v Newcastle
Tottenham v Burnley
Watford v Cardiff City
Wolves v Bournemouth
Updated
