Right, that’s it for today. Thank you for reading.
Updated
And Amy Lawrence was at Craven Cottage.
Paul Doyle was at Watford.
Paul Wilson was at Goodison.
Jamie Jackson was at Old Trafford.
A stone-faced José Mourinho speaks.
A bad point. When the objective is to close the gap on the top four, and when you start the period of eight matches in December it is not good. I give them credit, they were defending very well, they were always waiting. They played well. In the first half, I would say we needed a bit more aggression. We found the space their tactical shape gives. We were not ambitious. In the second half of the game we needed to score the best chances, credit to Hennessey. I think once more we waste time. We allowed the game to do without chasing it since the first moment.
Paul MacInnes was at the London Stadium.
The reports are rolling in.
Claudio Ranieri speaks:
I am very pleased. A first game, a first victory, a little step but an important step. We made very good solutions, and we made some very good mistakes. It could have been more for us, and more for them and I am happy.
Roy Hodgson speaks:
I thought our breakout play was good. I am sure Jose will have been worried. We came here last year and lost 4-0, and could it could have been seven or eight. We were chance-less but I don’t think we were chance-less today. I thought it was a very even game.
NPM is back for more: “I’d be interested to know which table James Tilley thinks United are worthy of being ranked as mid-table in, because it’s not the Premier League.”
The Copestake Curse is back: “Genius by me, I mean Klopp, not substituting Hendo when on a yellow and baiting the ref before the inevitable. Out for two games! Win-win.”
In the Championship, Leeds have climbed up to second, having beaten Bristol City. In League One, Portsmouth extended their lead by winning at Scunny with Sunderland on their tails after that rescue job at Walsall. Good win for AFC Wimbledon after a long losing streak gives them a chance of safety in League One. Lincoln are top of League Two, as MK Dons falter. Macc Town are now seven points from safety. In the National League, Leyton Orient are top, with Salford three points off them.
James Tilley emails in: “It’s actually been a thoroughly entertaining game at Old Trafford. Palace have been superb on the break and have made Mourinho’s team look mid table at best. Palace deserved the three points today.”
Geertjan Wielenga tweets in: “The commentator’s “Roy Hodgson has his face on”, together with the equally English phrase “he was sat next to”, has entertained me more than this entire Manchester United/Crystal Palace fiasco.”
It might be noted that Everton are actually in sixth place, leapfrogging the Mourinho misery machine.
Niall Mullen emails in: “You’re welcome Liverpool fans. You are welcome.”
The Copestake curse worked in opposite effect.
The Sol Campbell effect has taken hold as Macclesfield Town celebrate their second win of the season, beating Yeovil 1-0.
Full-time: Everton 1-0 Cardiff
Everton close on seventh, Cardiff still look back to 1926 for a last win at Goodison.
Full-time: Brighton 1-1 Leicester
Jamie Vardy came off the bench to equalise, and Leicester will be happy with a point after James Maddison’s sending off.
Full-time: Fulham 3-2 Southampton
Fulham clung on, but will Mark Hughes?
Full-time: Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
The Theatre of Gloom rings with boos.
Full-time: Watford 0-3 Liverpool
They were getting nervous but Liverpool saw this one out with some comfort.
Full-time: West Ham 0-4 Manchester City
A game won in the first half, awesome from the champions.
Goal! West Ham 0-4 Manchester City (Sane, 90+3)
Another goal for Sane, another sharp finish. The leaders cruising.
Ten-men Sunderland roar back to make it 2-2 with Walsall. Jack Ross is doing a great job for the former Rokerites. Been a good day for the ten men teams.
Southampton piling it on at Fulham, where Leswyn Hughes is running out of time and excuses. But they are in injury time, which is running out fast.
NPM tweets in: “Watching #MUFC v Palace and desperately seeking entertainment, of any kind, anywhere. I’ve had more fun shopping for socks.”
Goal! Watford 0-3 Liverpool (Firmino, 89)
Firmino nods in for the ten men, after Ben Foster had made another fine save from Mane.
A No-One Important tweets in: “So both Liverpool and ManU happy for no VAR this season ... next season the little boys will get more decisions.”
Manchester United are on course for their second clean sheet of the season and looking for a win, piling on the pressure on Palace.
QPR have equalised against Stoke, with Angel Rangel getting two, a collector’s item for him.
Red card for Liverpool!
Jordan Henderson dismissed for two bookable offences in the 82nd minute. It seems harsh for his foul on Capoue.
Updated
Goal! Brighton 1-1 Leicester (Vardy, 79)
The ten men equalise, and Jamie Vardy, who came off the bench, got it from the spot.
Updated
Corrections corner from Danny Michaux: “Just to set the record straight: Luka Milivojević was the victim of a foul from Fellaini should have resulted in a red card for the Manchester United player.”
Neil Warnock apoplectic with rage shocker - Cardiff have had a penalty turned down at Everton.
Wherever Sol Campbell is, he has inspired Macclesfield Town, who have scored against Yeovil through Michael Rose.
Goal! Watford 0-2 Liverpool (Alexander-Arnold, 76)
Liverpool did not falter. Trent has scored a first goal since Boxing Day with a pearler of a free-kick.
Updated
Roy Hodgson has his face on as Andros Townsend misses a sitter for Crystal Palace, having found himself through on goal.
Leeds were piling on the pressure against Bristol City and finally have their goal.
69' GGGGOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!!! THE DEADLOCK IS BROKEN BY KEMAR ROOFE!!!
— Leeds United (@LUFC) November 24, 2018
1-0 | #LEEBRI pic.twitter.com/IGhVefMtPJ
The word from Old Trafford is not positive. Alexis Sanchez has come on for Paul Pogba, while Luka Milivojević might have been sent off for a nasty foul.
This is down there with some of the worst performances of the season so far from Utd. So slow, predictable, boring, wasteful....
— Paul Hirst (@hirstclass) November 24, 2018
Joe Allen has scored for Stoke, putting them 2-1 up against QPR.
Goal! Watford 0-1 Liverpool (Salah, 67)
Mane’s run and Salah’s shot grabs the lead for Liverpool, with Ben Foster unsighted. They were getting nervous.
Updated
Norwich now 4-1 up on Swansea, with Teemu Pukki on the mark.
Goal! Fulham 3-2 Southampton (Mitrovic, 63)
Cyrus “the virus” Christie’s run sets up Ryan Sessegnon’s flick and a volley from Mitrovic. Nobody can rule out 3-3 soon, though.
Updated
Our man at Fulham pinpoints that continuing problem for the Cottagers.
And now they're level! Great goal from Stuart Armstrong to equalise, an emphatic shot into the top corner from 20 yards. But where were the Fulham midfielders?
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) November 24, 2018
Goal! Everton 1-0 Cardiff (Sigurdsson, 59)
The Iceman gets his seventh of the season, having been quickest to the rebound after Theo Walcott had a shot saved.
Updated
Another goal chalked off at Old Trafford! Ashley Young had the ball in the net, but Lukaku was offside. It was Sakho offside for the previous offside and Victor Lindeloff’s OG.
Updated
Penalty claim at Watford. Will Hughes was felled, and it looked a plum claim. Liverpool got very lucky indeed.
Goal! Fulham 2-2 Southampton (Armstrong, 53)
Stuart Armstrong gets a second goal, with a fine finish. Fulham cannot stop conceding.
Updated
Fulham go close again as Southampton’s Alex McCarthy makes a fine save from Mitrovic.
Sunderland are paying for the loss of Max Power, and are 1-0 down to Walsall.
Niall Mullen is back: “I see mine & Copestake’s inverse hex plan has yet to pay dividends.”
We are back underway, by the way. Manchester United got booed off at half-time and have begun as if they have a special flea in their ear.
Robert Heath emails in: “Crystal Palace have the ball in the net. Lindelof own-goal? No, it’s ruled off for an offside. Only Manchester United can score an own goal and have it disallowed for offside. Remember Wes Brown in the last minute of a 0-0 draw at Elland Road a few years back?”
I do, yes.
Phil Grey: “Hi John, I can’t find any mention of Berahino’s goal for Stoke in the Guardian updates, or on CNN, Fox News, Al Jazeera, the Beeb.”
If you don’t hear about it on the Guardian, CNN, Fox, Al Jazeera, the Beeb did it actually happen?
Ian Sargeant emails in: “At the London Stadium .The collective sigh when the first went it was louder than the pre match bubbles. City haven’t had to break sweat. Injury news - Andy Carroll came out to warm up at half time with the sprinklers on. He almost drowned and is out till March.”
And one for all you stattos out there.
Get your half-time reading here. Spurs v Chelsea is imminent.
Half-time in the Premier League
Brighton 1-0 Leicester
Everton 0-0 Cardiff
Fulham 2-1 Southampton
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Watford 0-0 Liverpool
West Ham 0-3 Manchester City
Alisson Becker has just made a fine save from Watford’s Pereyra and we are at half-time in the Premier League.
We are into added time in the first halves. Been an eventful afternoon, even with three goalless games in the Premier League.
Goal! Fulham 2-1 Southampton (Schürrle, 44)
Ryan Sessegnon does a Riyad Mahrez and sets up the German for his first goal in a month. Claudio weaving his magic.
Updated
Crystal Palace have the ball in the net. Lindelof own-goal? No, it’s ruled off for an offside. An escape for Manchester United.
Updated
At Watford, Mohamed Salah went close to scoring with a header but Ben Foster made a fine save.
League One leaders Portsmouth are cruising and 2-0 at Scunthorpe.
Justin Kavanagh emails in: “So John, do we know if Mourinho made his “immaturity” comments before or after he stormed out of his latest press conference, asking reporters how many Premier Leagues they’d won, and flicking Vs at his club doctor for not knowing how to waste time at the end of a game?”
I believe the interview was with Univision, a Hispanic channel in the USA. And last week.
Norwich now 3-0 up at Swansea. Safe to say their sixth win in a row is all but in the bag.
Frank Lampard’s Derby County are now 2-1 up at Sheff Wed; Jack Marriott got the goal.
Worth mentioning that Glenn Murray’s goal for Brighton was his 101st for Albion. Not bad at all.
Goal! West Ham 0-3 Manchester City (Sane, 34)
A classy finish from the German as this time Sterling is his supplier. This is getting ugly for Manuel. That 4-2-4 formation was bold, very bold. And daft as a brush.
Updated
Goal! Fulham 1-1 Southampton (Mitrovic, 33)
Some lovely creative play from the home team before the Serb heads in. Hope for Fulham.
Updated
The word from Old Trafford is that Crystal Palace are doing rather well and Manchester United have run out of ideas after a bright start.
Frank Lampard’s Derby County have equalised at Sheffield Wednesday through Harry Wilson.
Still no sighting of Sol Campbell in Macclesfield. Perhaps he has gone for a ramble up Teggs Nose.
Red card for Leicester!
James Maddison is given his second yellow for simulation.
Updated
Norwich are now 2-0 up on Swansea. Emiliano Buendia got the goal.
Updated
Sunderland’s Max Power has lived up to his name again, and been sent off for the third time this season. How many games do you get for three red cards?
Updated
I can’t tell you exactly what my man at Fulham says about the home team but it was not very complimentary.
West Ham have had a couple of decent chances to show there is some dog in their fight. Good stat here, it was also Silva’s sixth goal against West Ham. They are his favourite opponent.
David Silva has scored in four consecutive games for the first time for Manchester City.
— Richard Jolly (@RichJolly) November 24, 2018
Goal! West Ham 0-2 Manchester City (Sterling, 19)
Coming in off the back post, Sterling slots in after Sane rips through the Hammers defence. No mercy being shown for Manuel.
Updated
Goal! Fulham 0-1 Southampton (Armstrong, 18)
Woeful defending from Fulham shocker as Armstrong fires in from a cleared set piece. Still no clean sheet from Fulham.
Updated
Niall Mullen on the Copestake curse: “I agree with Ian Copestake. It feels very much like Liverpool will drop points today and then, well, that will be that. In 5 years, after City have accumulated 520 points we’ll look back at the halcyon days of this season when there was the vaguest sense of a title race.”
Goal! Brighton 1-0 Leicester (Murray, 15)
Who else but Glenn Murray, and what else but a header?
Updated
Frank Lampard’s Derby County are 1-0 down to Sheffield Wednesday. Adam Reach is the goalscorer. Do Owls fans hail him with the gospel chorus line from the BBC’s ensemble version of Lou Reed’s Perfect Day. If they don’t, they should.
Lancastrian derby news: Preston are already beating Blackburn 2-0.
Goal! West Ham 0-1 Manchester City (Silva, 11)
Stitch that, Arnautovic, Silva has scored and the deluge has already begun. Raheem Sterling’s cross found its way to an unmarked wizard.
Updated
Letters department, where Mike MacKenzie, from London, Canada has emailed in. “Methinks Ian Copestake is overly pessimistic. With Shaqiri starting Liverpool should be able to attack Watford quickly. Henderson will provide some added defensive cover. Won’t mention the CB replacing Gomez for fear of jinxing him but he has been okay lately.”
Cardiff have not won at Everton since 1926, say the stats men.
David Silva has a knock for Manchester City after a hefty tackle from Marko Arnautovic, while Manchester United are piling it on against Palace. Meanwhile, Manolo Gabbiadini has just missed a sitter for Southampton at Fulham.
Watford have the ball in the net through Gerard Deulofeu, but he is very much offside.
Updated
Sol Campbell watch: no word of him being seen at Moss Rose just yet. He will love the Corner Flag bar.
And away we go. The whistle has sounded across the land...
Updated
Claudio Ranieri and Mark Hughes take to the pitch at Craven Cottage; they have to cross it to reach the dugouts from the dressing room.
🙌 Fulham arriving earlier ahead of #FULSOU pic.twitter.com/myBHYUDeo0
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) November 24, 2018
News from north of the border. Beginning to think Celtic might win the title up there.
Fulham’s line-up, for Claudio Ranieri’s first match in charge, is interesting. There are six defenders in the team, though one of them is Ryan Sessegnon, who seems to be playing the Riyad Mahrez role off the main striker. But he has actually made just one change from Slavisa Jokanovic’s last selection. Jean-Michael Seri replaces the injured Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa
Leicester have Vardy on the bench and Maddison has passed his fitness test, to follow up the injury update from before.
For Manchester City, Fabian Delph, keeper of the faith of football basics, and recent England captain, has been selected at left-back as Benjamin Mendy is injured.
And 2-2 it finished between Rotherham and Sheffield United.
Ian Copestake has got the heebie jeebies about Watford. He emails in. “May I vent a fear in the hope Clockwatch renders it groundless? Liverpool are going to finally come a cropper today. Watford have Lovren in their side and Henderson ensures slow ball to our frontline. Not a good team sheet.”
Oh no, Blades. Rotherham equalise in the 93rd minute through Jamie Proctor. It’s 2-2. Two stricken defenders show the pain of that.
Updated
Santiago Solari’s first game as permanent manager of Real Madrid did not go well. Not well at all.
In the Championship, Sheffield United have taken the lead to go 2-1 up in the South Yorkshire derby with Rotherham and will go top of the division if it stays that way. And it’s the last minute.
José Mourinho issued something of a public rebuke about the maturity of Anthony Martial, Luke Shaw, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford today, but he has picked two of them today, with Rashford on the bench, and Shaw injured. Lukaku gets his first Manchester United start for over a month.
Ahead of Manchester City’s visit to West Ham, Barney Ronay has been considering the wider issues of the Premier League champions.
Watford: Foster, Femenia, Mariappa, Cathcart, Masina, Doucoure,
Capoue, Hughes, Pereyra, Deulofeu, Deeney.
Subs: Gomes, Success, Chalobah, Gray, Quina, Navarro, Kabasele.
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, van Dijk,
Robertson, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Shaqiri, Firmino, Mane, Salah.
Subs: Clyne, Fabinho, Milner, Keita, Sturridge, Mignolet, Matip.
Referee: Jon Moss (W Yorkshire)
Updated
Man Utd: de Gea, Darmian, Lindelof, Smalling, Young, Matic,
Pogba, Lingard, Mata, Martial, Lukaku.
Subs: Jones, Sanchez, Rashford, Grant, Fred, Valencia, Fellaini.
Crystal Palace: Hennessey, Wan Bissaka, Tomkins, Sakho,
Van Aanholt, McArthur, Milivojevic, Kouyate, Meyer, Townsend,
Zaha.
Subs: Ward, Sorloth, Ayew, Schlupp, Guaita, Kelly, Puncheon.
Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire)
West Ham: Fabianski, Zabaleta, Balbuena, Diop, Masuaku,
Diangana, Rice, Obiang, Antonio, Felipe Anderson, Arnautovic.
Subs: Cresswell, Carroll, Adrian, Noble, Hernandez, Ogbonna,
Lucas Perez.
Man City: Ederson, Walker, Otamendi, Laporte, Delph, Gundogan, Fernandinho, Silva, Sterling, Aguero, Sane.
Subs: Kompany, Stones, Mahrez, Gabriel Jesus, Zinchenko, Foden, Muric.
Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands)
Updated
Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Keane, Mina, Digne, Andre Gomes,
Gueye, Walcott, Sigurdsson, Bernard, Richarlison.
Subs: Baines, Zouma, Tosun, Stekelenburg, Davies, Calvert-Lewin, Lookman.
Cardiff: Etheridge, Ecuele Manga, Morrison, Bamba, Cunningham,
Ralls, Victor Camarasa, Gunnarsson, Arter, Harris, Paterson.
Subs: Peltier, Bennett, Ward, Josh Murphy, Smithies, Reid,
Hoilett.
Referee: Paul Tierney (Lancashire)
Fulham: Sergio Rico, Odoi, Chambers, Mawson, Christie, Cairney,
Seri, Le Marchand, Schurrle, Ryan Sessegnon, Mitrovic.
Subs: Bettinelli, Kebano, Johansen, Ayite, Ream, Bryan, Kamara.
Southampton: McCarthy, Cedric, Hoedt, Yoshida, Targett,
Armstrong, Hojbjerg, Lemina, Redmond, Austin, Gabbiadini.
Subs: Vestergaard, Stephens, Davis, Elyounoussi, Ward-Prowse, Gunn,
Obafemi.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
Here are the teams
Brighton: Ryan, Saltor, Duffy, Dunk, Bernardo, Knockaert, Propper, Kayal, Izquierdo, Gross, Murray.
Subs: Bong, Bissouma, Locadia, Andone, Balogun, March, Steele.
Leicester: Schmeichel, Ricardo Pereira, Morgan, Evans, Chilwell, Mendy, Iborra, Gray, Maddison, Albrighton, Okazaki.
Subs: Simpson, Soyuncu, Iheanacho, Vardy, Ward, Ndidi, Fuchs.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Lancashire)
Preamble
How to recover from Nations League fever? Answer: an afternoon of actually rather decent Premier League fixtures. It is rare when three of the big six (with apologies to Bournemouth) kicks off at 3pm but that is on today’s agenda. The forgotten Manuel Pellegrini meets his old club when Manchester City play at West Ham. And Liverpool are at Watford, where Jurgen Klopp has a mixed record. This fixture was the curtain raiser on last season’s Premier League and finished 3-3, a pulsating reminder of why Liverpool needed to sign Virgil van Dijk. Previous to that, an early-period Klopp lost 3-0 at Vicarage Road in December 2015. And José Mourinho’s Manchester United entertainers welcome Crystal Palace to Old Trafford.
Though perhaps those games might be overshadowed by what happens at Craven Cottage. Claudio Ranieri takes charge of his first match for Fulham while Mark Hughes is surely running out of excuses (if excuses are not a bottomless well for Sparky) at Southampton, who have already axed backroom suits Les “Leswyn” Reed and Martin Hunter. Leicester have a few injury problems ahead of their trip to Brighton, with Jamie Vardy probably missing, James Maddison a doubt and Harry Maguire definitely out. Completing the set is Everton’s home match with Cardiff, as The Ev lie just a point off seventh, where they will undoubtedly finish this season.
Elsewhere, Championship leaders Norwich go to Swansea, League One leaders Portsmouth make the long trip to Scunthorpe while chasers Sunderland go to Walsall. League Two leaders MK Dons are at Stevenage, while right at the bottom we await news of whether Sol Campbell will be in the rickety main stand at the Moss Rose to run the rule over his mooted new charges, Macclesfield Town.
