And with this final gift, I’m gone. It’s been a blast. Bye!
Updated
Asmir Begovic talks about Bournemouth’s draw at Palace. Considering he saved a stoppage-time penalty, he seems remarkably downbeat.
Obviously a big moment. Thankfully I made a save and helped the team get a point. It was a difficult day. We played well and it would have been a travesty if we hadn’t come away with anything. It was a clean tackle, got the ball, one of those things. I couldn’t care a less who took it.
Further adventures in match reportage:
And the match reports start rolling in:
If you’ve not yet had your fill of footballing livebloggery, Rob Smyth’s your man:
Final score: Real Madrid 5-0 Sevilla
No second-half goals, but from the looks of things I missed Real hitting the woodwork a couple of times.
8 - @Cristiano y @Benzema han dado más palos (8 en total) que goles han marcado en esta Liga (Cristiano 5 palos, 4 goles - Benzema 3 palos, 2 goles). Desafortunados pic.twitter.com/kBnYSvoikE
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 9, 2017
The final whistle sounds at Chesterfield. What a conclusion! Meanwhile there have been no goals to tell you about in the second half in Madrid, where it remains 5-0. And finally, I believe that both Randal Smathers and Hubert O’Hearn are both real people. You’ll be telling me Santa doesn’t exist next.
@Simon_Burnton As an Englishman living in Canada, I refuse to believe that Randall Smathers is a real name...and Hubert O'hearn is questionable also
— Dale Anthony Cook (@DACook1) December 9, 2017
Updated
Chesterfield have won it! Weir has scored in the 93rd minute to put his side 2-1 up against Barnet, who are about to be left stranded on the bottom of the League Two table! “So Morecambe thrashing the new City of Culture 2-0 isn’t one of the ‘League Two Megamatches’?!” sniffs Bruce Jackson. Sorry.
90' GGGGOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLL ROBBIE WEIR 2-1 TOWN THE BIRTHDAY BOY GETS OUR SECOND 2-1!!!!!
— Chesterfield FC (@ChesterfieldFC) December 9, 2017
Full time: Crystal Palace 2-2 Bournemouth
That, surely, is the game of the day. Controversial refereeing decisions, glorious goals, terrible misses, it’s had the lot. And it ends in a draw.
Full time: Burnley 1-0 Watford
In the fifth of four minutes of stoppage time Watford win a free kick. Everyone goes forward. Gomes is in the penalty area. Holebas takes it – and he overhits it straight into the palms of Pope! And that’s it!
Penalty saved! Benteke's penalty is saved!
Milivojevic took their first penalty, and scored with aplomb. Benteke though takes their second, and his effort is low, soft and nowhere near the corner, and Begovic saves!
Updated
Crystal Palace have another penalty!
Spot-kick machine Wilfried Zaha has won yet another spot-kick, and a brilliant chance to win this game!
Final score: Huddersfield 2-0 Brighton
Those are important points for Huddersfield, and it was all too easy from Brighton’s perspective.
Final score: Tottenham 5-1 Stoke
Well, Stoke didn’t lose 4-0. So that’s something. Son played brilliantly, Stoke defended hopelessly (and on occasion unluckily) and Spurs romp to a comfortable victory.
I take my eye off Burnley v Watford for a moment, and something has caused Marco Silva to get so excited the referee has to come over to calm him down. Presumably he thought Burnley should have had a man sent off, in the process of conceding a free kick on their right flank. They didn’t, though, but Holebas sends in a lovely free kick that could have been converted (but wasn’t).
At some point there have been equalisers in both the League Two megamatches, so it’s now Luton 1-1 Notts County, and also Chesterfield 1-1 Barnet.
“As a Canadian expat (17 years of married bliss & counting) I have news for Hubert O’Hearn,” writes Randal Smathers. “Once people hear you’re Canadian all they’ll want to do is have dull and endless conversations about the sizes of snowfalls. And ice hockey. And how freaking nice Canadians are, so you might need to adjust your expectations.”
GOAL! Swansea 1-0 West Brom (Bony, 81 mins)
Another goal from a corner! The ball comes in from the left, hits someone in the head at the far post, hits Nyom in the shin, drops invitingly into open space inside the penalty area and Bony reacts first, runs onto it and lashes it home. Hard.
Updated
GOAL! Tottenahm 5-1 Stoke (Shawcross, 80 mins)
The comeback starts here! A corner from the left, and Lloris hares off his line to collect it but gets nowhere near, and all Shawcross has to do is get his header on target. Which he does.
“That was a good decision,” writes Roy Allen of Burnley’s latest disallowed goal. “Barnes was marginally offside when the pass was played. The pass deflected off defenders but the initial offside is what mattered.”
Some team news from the Premier League’s late game:
Newcastle: Darlow, Yedlin, Lejeune, Clark, Manquillo, Hayden, Merino, Ritchie, Murphy, Joselu, Gayle. Subs: Elliot, Lascelles, Shelvey, Diame, Perez, Atsu, Mitrovic.
Leicester: Schmeichel, Simpson, Morgan, Maguire, Chilwell,
Mahrez, Ndidi, Iborra, Albrighton, Gray, Vardy. Subs: Iheanacho, King, Hamer, Dragovic, Okazaki, Ulloa, Fuchs.
Referee: Neil Swarbrick.
GOAL! Tottenham 5-0 Stoke (Eriksen, 74 mins)
Well it won’t finish 4-0 this time. Son picks the ball up well inside his own half; Eriksen runs ahead of him and holds the line of the last defender, but some way away from him and all on his own. Both run another 30 yards towards the Stoke goal and then Son plays a perfect, if not exactly difficult, defence-splitting pass and the Dane does the rest.
Updated
Burnley have had another goal disallowed. Ashley Barnes has put the ball in the net, but the flag is up. There’s some confusion, though, as the referee goes to talk to his assistant, but after a pause, he confirms there will be no goal. It’s not really clear why.
At Turf Moor Carillo runs into the penalty area, takes on Tarkowski and goes down. It looked to me like the defender might have stood on a toe there, but then again maybe he didn’t. Hard to tell. Watford want a penalty, but the referee gives a goal kick.
A great chance for Burnley to score a second, as a cross from the right reaches the far post, but when Long sticks out a leg to turn it in it hits his shin and flies high.
“I emigrated from Canada to the UK five years less three days ago,” writes Hubert O’Hearn. “Know why I moved? I got really tired of dull and endless conversations about the sizes of snowfalls. And don’t get me started on ice hockey.”
GOAL! Tottenham 4-0 Stoke (Kane, 65 mins)
The last three matches between Stoke and Spurs have finished 4-0 to Tottenham, and they’ve done it again! They attack down the right, a lovely curling cross is touched into Kane’s path by Son – lovely awareness there – and from the edge of the area the Englishman scores with a fine low shot.
Burnley have had the ball in the Watford net again, but it’s disallowed for offside. I think Cork, who had the shot, wasn’t offside but that Wood then tapped it in from the goal-line, and he was. Though of course the linesman might have just given Cork offside.
“Obviously Arfield would be the one to score in the snow, seeing as he’s Canadian,” notes Kevin Smith. “Although I agree with Mike about your definition of blizzard. Can you see across the field? Not a blizzard.” OK, I give up. It’s not a blizzard. It’s just common-or-garden snowfall, of a medium-heavy variety.
Hull have equalised against Brentford, Kamil Grosicki scoring what by all accounts is a bit of a cracker.
GOAL! Tottenham 3-0 Stoke (Kane, 54 mins)
This all starts with Butland being caught in possession by Kane. That leads to a corner, which is half-cleared, worked back to the left and the resulting long, high cross drops on the forehead of Kane at the far post, and he heads low into goal!
Updated
GOAL! Tottenham 2-0 Stoke (Son, 53 mins)
Son, who has by all accounts played splendidly, sprints down the inside left channel and no defender spots him. Dele Alli does, though, plays him clean through and Son takes a touch and shoots low inside the near post.
Updated
“Haven’t seen the Zeegalaar replay but of course everyone knows (right, UK fans?) that you don’t actually have to make contact to be sent off,” notes Rick McGahey. “A dangerous studs-up challenge, an attempted kick or punch, etc fit the definition for a red card. And refs have a necessary penumbra (hey, it’s the Guardian!) of discretion so another ref might only have cautioned there, but both of the decisions would be correct within the laws of the game.” I think you’re precisely right, though I don’t know what a penumbra is.
Minor Championship update: It’s still 0-0 between Wolves and Sunderland. Hull, meanwhile, are a goal down at home to Brentford, David Meyler scoring a 47th-minute own goal.
“By Montreal standards the image of the snow in Burnley barely makes it up to what one might expect in a snow globe paper weight on sale in a tourist show or at a grand mother’s house,” sniffs Bill Bukowski.
There’s no let-up here: the 3 o’clock kick-offs have kicked back off again.
GOAL! Real Madrid 5-0 Sevilla (Achraf, 42 mins)
Sevilla are going to struggle to come back from this now.
Updated
I’ve seen another replay of the Zeegelaar challenge. He does fly in, he probably isn’t in control, but it’s one-footed and there’s pretty much no actual contact with Defour.
GOAL! Real Madrid 4-0 Sevilla (Kroos, 39 mins)
I appear to have missed a goal in Madrid. Kroos scores a fourth, though, carrying the ball forward from the halfway line, playing it to his right, taking it back again and hitting a low, first-time shot from 16 yards.
Some photographic evidence of snowfall:
The replay was inconclusive. It certainly wasn’t a fantastic tackle, and Defour’s reaction was certainly exaggerated. It could have gone either way, but I’d be surprised if they appeal.
@Simon_Burnton Very poor decision by Probert to send off Zeegelaar. Clueless reffing.
— Roy Allen (@Roy_Allen) December 9, 2017
GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-2 Bournemouth (Defoe, 45+3 mins)
That’s a wondergoal from Jermain Defoe! A long ball is pumped forwards, Defoe runs onto it, it bounces over his shoulder and as it drops, from an acute angle out to the right of goal, he volleys it over the keeper and in!
Updated
Scott Dann certainly likes playing Bournemouth.
1 - Scott Dann is the first ever central defender to score in four consecutive Premier League games against the same opponent. Curveball.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 9, 2017
GOAL! Burnley 1-0 Watford (Arfield, 45 mins)
Watford won’t be happy about that. Like last week, they might have had a penalty for a foul on Richarlison, get nothing from the referee and their opponents run up the other end and score! Arfield receives a low pass from the right and scores with a fine finish.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-1 Bournemouth (Dann, 44 mins)
Palace take the lead! It’s another corner from the right, which isn’t properly cleared, is eventually re-centred and Dann thumps in at the far post!
Updated
GOAL! Huddersfield 2-0 Brighton (Mounie, 43 mins)
A long cross from the left is headed back onto the middle of the area, and Mounie’s header should have been easily saved but the goalkeeper flops slowly down, the ball bounces beneath him and Huddersfield go two up!
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-1 Bournemouth (Milivojevic penalty, 41 mins)
That’s the equaliser for Palace, Milivojevic crashing the ball into the top right corner!
Crystal Palace have a penalty! Zaha goes past Ake too easily and goes down over Begovic’s challenge, also too easily, and the referee points to the spot. Not a lot in that, I think.
Red card! Watford go down to 10 men!
Zeegelaar flies in on Defour, who rolls around dramatically, and Lee Probert’s card is out instantly!
Updated
GOAL! Real Madrid 2-0 Sevilla (Ronaldo, 23 mins)
Real take control! Ronaldo is played through on the right of the area and his first touch is lovely, he opens up his body and then shoots right-footed, low inside the near post!
Incredible miss! Harry Kane is clean through on goal, the keeper comes out, Kane prods it past him … and past the post!
“I’m watching Burnley & Watford intermittently while focusing on Huddersfield & BHA,” writes Mike MacKenzie. “I’d call it snow flurries by Canadian standards.” Yeah, but a blizzard by Canadian standards involves actual polar bears and stuff.
Updated
I think the lad’s overdecorated a little here.
🎄🎄🎄 Arbolito listo !! 🎄🎄🎄 pic.twitter.com/yzQ35P2B05
— Sergio Kun Aguero (@aguerosergiokun) December 9, 2017
“After 25 minutes I think we’re looking at the worst game of the season at Swansea,” writes JR. “It is absolutely wretched. Both teams are shocking. It’s so bad that it’s good, though. Really remarkable. Seriously, you should be watching this before it gets any better. It sure couldn’t get worse.” You sell it so well, but I’m a bit busy at the moment.
There’s a blizzard at Burnley, where the snow is falling in great big fluffy clumps. I can’t find any photographs to prove it yet, for some reason, but I’ll keep an eye out. Still no goals, mind.
Meanwhile at Wembley, Butland makes a decent save from Eriksen’s free kick.
And now a first goal in the League Two top-of-the-table enormogame: John Mullins has put Luton 1-0 up against Notts County.
Sakho, whose injury stopped him pushing up with the rest of the Palace defence and thus allowed Defoe to skip through without being offside, is unable to continue. Scott Dann comes on.
Chance for Bournemouth! Defoe is played in on the left side of the penalty area, but instead of shifting the ball onto his right foot and smashing it goalwards he keeps carrying it forward, giving the defence time to catch up and snaffle the ball.
GOAL! Tottenham 1-0 Stoke (Shawcross own goal, 21 mins)
That is the toughest of luck. Son crosses from the left and the ball flies up off Zouma’s boot, smacks Shawcross in the face and flies in!
Updated
And another chance at Turf Moor, this to the home side, who are right on top at the moment. They win a free kick, 25 yards out, and Defour’s low shot is heading towards the corner of goal until Gomes sticks out a hand to save.
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-0 Sevilla (Nacho, 3 mins)
Another corner from the right, and another goal! This one flies to the back post, where there are two defenders and no attackers. Sadly defender one jumps into the line of defender two’s vision, misses it, it hits defender two on the shoulder, goes back towards goal, and Nacho chests it down and smashes it in!
The first big goal in a big game in League Two, and Barnet have taken the lead at Chesterfield. John Akinde is the scorer.
GOAL! Huddersfield 1-0 Brighton (Mounie, 12 mins)
Another corner, and another goal! This one is swung in from the right, flicked on at the near post and Mounie runs in all alone at the back stick to tummy it in!
Updated
GOAL! Crystal Palace 0-1 Bournemouth (Defoe, 10 mins)
And Bournemouth go down the other end and take the lead! A low corner is played back to the taker, sent in low again, only harder and a few yards further back, and Defoe tucks it away from the penalty spot!
Updated
Andros Townsend goes on a nice run down the right for Palace, and Daniels takes him out unceremoniously. That surely should have been a booking, but the referee keeps his book in his pocket.
What a chance for Watford! Carillo crosses from the right and Richarlison meets it at the near post. He stretches out his left leg and needs only to turn the ball towards goal and surely the away side would take the lead, but if anything he hits it too well Jeff, and the ball flies over the bar.
Our own Paul Doyle is at Villa Park, and it sounds like he’s having fun:
Tremendous atmosphere in the away end at Villa Park so far today. So if you're having a house party this xmas, perhaps consider inviting a few hundred Millwall fans
— Paul Doyle (@Paul_Doyle) December 9, 2017
Watford have the first top-flight chance, but their cunning corner-kick routine ends with Troy Deeney heading wide.
BONG! It’s 3pm, and they’re off!
Teams are emerging from dressing rooms. Action is but a few minutes away.
“Hi Simon,” writes Woolie Madden. Hello! “Could you provide team sheets for Litherland REMYCA Reserves v Poulton Royal, and tomorrow’s game between SAI-Kolkata U18 v Mohammedan U18? Cheers.” Um, no. But since you mention Litherland REMYCA, let’s enjoy some more excellent footage of snowy football pitches – their match against Whitchurch Alport is unsurprisingly off.
WHITEOUT! pic.twitter.com/He9qgqQMay
— Whitchurch Alport FC (@alportfc) December 9, 2017
Here’s some evidence of snowfall:
Updated
Quite the start to our Premier League weekend: the final whistle blows at West Ham, and Chelsea have been beaten 1-0!
Paul Clement, who makes four changes for the visit of West Brom today, has a pre-match chat:
Clearly after the game last weekend it wasn’t particularly good, but we’ve had apositive week’s training. The players have worked in a good manner, focused, concentrated, and that can give you belief and confidence going into a game. We’re trying to find that thing that just clicks. I’ve freshened it up a little bit. The players coming in, they’re fresh, they’re motivated, they want to help the team. We need to start well, give the fans something to cheer about, and I’m sure they’ll follow us from there.
Premier League teams
Here’s the team news from all five Premier League games. If you’d like any other team news, do drop me a line.
Burnley v Watford
Burnley: Pope, Bardsley, Tarkowski, Long, Ward, Arfield, Cork, Hendrick, Defour, Gudmundsson, Wood. Subs: Taylor, Vokes, Barnes, Westwood, Ulvestad, Wells, Lindegaard.
Watford: Gomes, Janmaat, Mariappa, Kabasele, Zeegelaar, Cleverley, Doucoure, Carrillo, Pereyra, Richarlison, Deeney. Subs: Prodl, Success, Gray, Watson, Holebas, Capoue, Karnezis.
Referee: Lee Probert.
Crystal Palace v Bournemouth
Crystal Palace: Speroni, Fosu-Mensah, Tomkins, Sakho, Schlupp, Loftus-Cheek, Cabaye, Milivojevic, Townsend, Zaha, Benteke. Subs: Van Aanholt, Dann, Hennessey, McArthur, Sako, Kelly, Puncheon.
Bournemouth: Begovic, Francis, Steve Cook, Ake, Daniels, Stanislas, Lewis Cook, Surman, Fraser, King, Defoe. Subs: Boruc, Gosling, Arter, Afobe, Callum Wilson, Ibe, Simpson.
Referee: Kevin Friend.
Huddersfield v Brighton
Huddersfield: Lossl, Smith, Jorgensen, Schindler, Lowe, Mooy, Hogg, Quaner, Ince, Kachunga, Mounie. Subs: Whitehead, Coleman, Cranie, Lolley, Williams, Depoitre, Hadergjonaj.
Brighton: Ryan, Saltor, Duffy, Dunk, Suttner, Schelotto, Stephens, Propper, Brown, Gross, Murray. Subs: Hunemeier, Kayal, Baldock, Hemed, Izquierdo, March, Krul.
Referee: Stuart Attwell.
Swansea v West Brom
Swansea: Fabianski, Naughton, van der Hoorn, Mawson, Olsson, Ki, Roque, Carroll, Routledge, Bony, Dyer. Subs: Fer, Abraham, Narsingh, Clucas, Ayew, Mulder, Fernandez.
West Brom: Foster, Nyom, Hegazi, Evans, Gibbs, Livermore, Yacob, Field, Robson-Kanu, Rondon, Rodriguez. Subs: Brunt, Myhill, McClean, Burke, Krychowiak, McAuley, Tulloch.
Referee: Mike Dean.
Tottenham Hotspur v Stoke
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Trippier, Dier, Vertonghen, Davies, Winks, Dembele, Eriksen, Alli, Son, Kane. Subs: Rose, Lamela, Vorm, Sissoko, Llorente, Foyth, Aurier.
Stoke: Butland, Zouma, Shawcross, Wimmer, Thomas Edwards, Allen, Fletcher, Pieters, Shaqiri, Diouf, Choupo-Moting. Subs: Berahino, Afellay, Adam, Cameron, Crouch, Sobhi, Grant.
Referee: Roger East.
Here’s a man who knows how to make himself popular:
Absolute respect to AFC Wimbledon's Darius Charles who has sent £150 over to a Manchester pub towards some beers for the travelling Dons fans as soon as the Bury game was postponed 👏 pic.twitter.com/pEwE9ptXnz
— Ray Armfield (@KentWomble) December 9, 2017
Hello world!
So another Saturday dawns, and it’s packed with potential. There are five 3 o’clock kick-offs in the Premier League, plus some Spanish interest as the game between Real Madrid and Sevilla, tied on 28 points in La Liga and with third place (at least until Atlético play tomorrow) the reward for whoever wins, gets under way at 3.15pm. As an added bonus there are two absolutely massive matches in League Two, where the teams separated only by goal difference at the top, and the sides similarly divided at the bottom, play each other.
Weather news: it’s a bit chilly in England at the minute, and two referees have decided that it’s far too cold to play football – news of the postponements, and indeed details of every fixture in the English leagues, follows. For now, though, hello, welcome, let’s have some fun!
Burnley v Watford
Crystal Palace v Bournemouth
Huddersfield v Brighton
Swansea v West Brom
Tottenham Hotspur v Stoke
Championship
A weekend without any more significant top-of-the-table clashes but there is a top-against-bottom encounter as Sunderland, ahead of Burton on goal difference, travel to Wolves. Second-placed Cardiff play against Reading on Monday and Bristol City, in third, beat Sheffield United, in fourth, last night. Both Aston Villa or Derby could go fourth today, though not at the same time. Meanwhile Nigel Adkins makes his debut in the Hull dugout, at home to Brentford.
Aston Villa v Millwall
Barnsley v Derby
Burton Albion v Preston North End
Fulham v Birmingham
Hull v Brentford
Middlesbrough v Ipswich
Norwich v Sheff Wed (5.30)
Nottm Forest v Bolton
QPR v Leeds
Wolverhampton v Sunderland
League One
There is already a six-point cushion between the play-offs and the teams chasing them, and it could increase today if Peterborough, in seventh, and Portsmouth, in eighth, falter against Blackburn (fourth) and Charlton (sixth). Meanwhile six of the bottom seven play each other: Plymouth could conceivably leapfrog Gillingham if – and it’s a long shot, but still – they win by four goals at Home Park.
Blackpool v Rotherham
Bradford v Rochdale
Bristol Rovers v Southend
Bury v AFC Wimbledon POSTPONED
Video taken early this morning at the Energy Check Stadium at Gigg Lane. Match postponed. New date and details will be announced in due course #buryfc @AFCWimbledon pic.twitter.com/8KdejGoxC1
— Bury Football Club (@buryfcofficial) December 9, 2017
Charlton v Portsmouth
Milton Keynes Dons v Shrewsbury
Oldham v Northampton
Oxford Utd v Doncaster
Peterborough v Blackburn
Plymouth v Gillingham
Walsall v Scunthorpe
Wigan v Fleetwood Town
Sky Bet League Two
Now this is where the action is. The outstanding game of the Football League weekend takes place at Kenilworth Road, where first-placed Luton host second-placed (on goal difference) Notts County. And there’s a six-pointer at the bottom as well, with 24th-placed Chesterfield hosting 23rd-placed (on goal difference) Barnet. The other games might very well be extremely exciting, but they can’t really match those two for significance, particularly with third-placed Accrington Stanley’s game against Swindon postponed because of a frozen pitch.
Accrington Stanley v Swindon POSTPONED
Today's game against Swindon Town is OFF due to a frozen pitch. The pitch has deteriorated since this morning due to snow in East Lancashire. pic.twitter.com/3RpbnMTlqS
— Accrington Stanley (@ASFCofficial) December 9, 2017
Cheltenham v Crewe
Chesterfield v Barnet
Colchester v Exeter
Crawley Town v Mansfield
Grimsby v Forest Green
Luton v Notts County
Morecambe v Coventry
Newport County v Carlisle
Port Vale v Cambridge Utd
Stevenage v Wycombe
Yeovil v Lincoln City
Updated
