Right, that’s it for today’s clockwatch. But if you just need one more hit, you can join Scott Murray for Watford v Manchester City. Ta-ra!
Wolves 0-1 Liver pool
West Ham 3-2 Chelsea
Southampton 1-1 Brighton
Full time: Barcelona 0-1 Betis
All over at the Camp Nou. Juanmi’s excellent goal has given Betis a famous victory, one that moves up to the third in the table. Barcelona stay seventh, and in all sorts of bother.
We could have three Premier League leaders in one day, which sounds like a crap Crowded House parody. Chelsea were top this morning, Liverpool overtook them thanks to Divock Origi’s injury-time winner, and Manchester City will leapfrog them both if they win at Watford this evening. You can follow that with Scott Murray.
Updated
And here’s the updated Premier League table. Liverpool are top, Newcastle are not bottom.
Barcelona 0-1 Betis If it stays like this, Barcelona will be closer to the relegation places than they are to the leaders Real Madrid. Here’s the as-it-stands table.
GOAL! Barcelona 0-1 Betis (Juanmi 79)
All that Premier League drama meant I missed Southampton legend Juanmi putting Real Betis ahead at the Camp Nou!
Updated
Full time: Southampton 1-1 Brighton
‘Brighton in draw shocker, yawn.’ Yes, yes, but that doesn’t begin to tell the story of another dramatic game.
Full time: Wolves 0-1 Liverpool
Liverpool go top of the table, for a couple of hours at least, after the definitive hard-fought victory at Wolves.
Updated
Full time: Newcastle 1-0 Burnley
Callum Wilson’s goal gives Newcastle their first league win of the season!
GOAL! Southampton 1-1 Brighton (Maupay 90+8)
Neal Maupay, who scored an 89th-minute equaliser at West Ham in the week, has raised it - and flipped it - with a 98th-minute equaliser at Southampton!
Updated
Divock Origi has added another entry to a unique portfolio of cult heroism. It was a fine finish on the turn after brilliant play from Salah. A number of the Wolves players collapsed to the floor. But I can’t dwell on this because...
Updated
GOAL! Wolves 0-1 Liverpool (Origi 90+4)
Liverpool have snatched it in the 94th minute!
Updated
Full time: Rangers 3-0 Dundee
An easy victory for Rangers, who move eight points clear at the top.
Southampton 1-0 Brighton Trossard’s injury means there will be ten minutes of added time at St Mary’s.
Southampton 1-0 Brighton Leandro Trossard is receiving oxygen as he is stretchered down the tunnel. It sounds like he is in excruciating pain. Brighton have already used their three subs, so they will be down to 10 men for the last few minutes.
Wolves 0-0 Liverpool Jose Sa has made a brilliant save from Sadio Mane! A Wolves defender sliced a clearance back towards his own goal. It went straight to Mane, whose close-range toebung brought an outstanding reaction save from Jose Sa.
Newcastle 1-0 Burnley The Burnley substitute Jay Rodriguez has had a goal disallowed for offside. It was the right decision, it says here, so let’s all move on.
Southampton 1-0 Brighton It sounds like Leandro Trossard has suffered a very painful elbow injury at St Mary’s. He’s been receiving treatment for two or three minutes, which suggests a possible dislocation.
Updated
“As things stand, Inverness still top the Scottish Championship on 31 points, and Arbroath, on 28 points, are fifth, and out of the play off places,” writes Simon McMahon. “It’s not quite the Romanian third division in 1984, but still.”
Never mind all that, has anyone had a seat on the ball?
The latest scores in our featured games
Premier League
- West Ham 3-2 Chelsea (FT)
- Newcastle 1-0 Burnley
- Southampton 1-0 Brighton
- Wolves 0-0 Liverpool
Championship
Scottish Premiership
- Rangers 3-0 Dundee
Serie A
- AC Milan 2-0 Salernitana (FT)
La Liga
- Barcelona 0-0 Real Betis (3.15pm)
Updated
Newcastle 1-0 Burnley Newcastle are 13 minutes away from their first league win of the season. According to Clinton Morrison on Sky Sports, Newcastle have been much the better team.
Southampton 1-0 Brighton Alex McCarthy has just made a good save from Neal Maupay, it says here. If it stays like this, Southampton will be only a point behind Brighton; this despite losing three of their best players in the summer and winning none of their first seven league games. Ralph Hasenhuttl is such a good manager.
Updated
Wolves 0-0 Liverpool Seventeen minutes to go at Molineux, where Liverpool are desperately seeking a winner. In the circumstances - Chelsea losing, Liverpool struggling to score for the first time in months - it would be a huge victory.
Updated
GOAL! Rangers 3-0 Dundee (Morelos 70)
Four games, four wins for Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Wolves 0-0 Liverpool Another one goes by for Liverpool. Salah clips a lovely pass over the top to Mane, whose imperfect control allows Jose Sa to make a brave save.
Updated
Wolves 0-0 Liverpool An interesting substitution from Jurgen Klopp: Divock Origi is on for Jordan Henderson.
Wolves 0-0 Liverpool I still can’t believe that Jota miss*. He was a few yards out and could have rolled the ball into either corner. Instead he just welted it straight down Coady’s pipe.
* Yes, I realise it wasn’t technically a miss, but it was so pipe down
“If Uri Geller is disappointed by getting his predictions wrong,” writes Andy, “maybe he’ll cheer himself up with a drink at a Wither Spoons.”
It depends on the wether.
Wolves 0-0 Liverpool: what a chance for Liverpool! Diogowhateverhisnameis has just missed a wonderful opportunity. The keeper Jose Sa was completely out of the game, but Diogo J Silva IV hammered it straight at Coady on the line. He could have picked a spot, any spot, and he’s normally such a composed finisher. Not this time.
Updated
The latest scores in our featured games
Premier League
- West Ham 3-2 Chelsea (FT)
- Newcastle 1-0 Burnley
- Southampton 1-0 Brighton
- Wolves 0-0 Liverpool
Championship
Scottish Premiership
- Rangers 2-0 Dundee
Serie A
- AC Milan 2-0 Salernitana (FT)
La Liga
- Barcelona 0-0 Real Betis (3.15pm)
“Hi Rob,” says Brian Wiley. “There’s a misunderstanding of Diogo J’s name. His full name is Diogo José Teixeira da Silva, and his nickname is Diogo J in English or Diogo Jota in Portuguese. The J is an abbreviation of José. Jota is just the Portuguese word for the letter ‘J’. It’s a nonsense to call him Jota in the commentary as if that were his surname. Call him any of Diogo J, Diogo or Silva!”
It might be a nonsense, but it’s in the Guardian style guide and I’m not brave enough to deviate from that. The last Guardianista to do so had their Tweetdeck access suspended for a whole week. I haven’t seen such sickening torment since the cold turkey scene in Trainspotting.
GOAL! Rangers 2-0 Dundee (Sweeney 55 og)
Rangers are heading seven points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
Wolves 0-0 Liverpool A Liverpool corner leads to a game of pinball in the penalty area, with Thiago eventually slicing wide. That was a good chance.
Half time: Barcelona 0-0 Betis
Not much to see here; both teams have only had one shot on target.
Peep peep! The second halves are under way. This is the Premier League table as things stand.
Full time: AC Milan 2-0 Salernitana
A comfortable win for Milan, who go top of Serie A, at least for the next few hours.
Half-time entertainment
“Hi Rob,” says Phil Grey. “If New Castle don’t get three points today, Uri Geller might be watching them play Black Burn, Mill Wall and Birm Ingham next season.”
But will he still be talking out of his Gallow Gate End?
Half time
Peep peep! The first half has finished in the 3pm kick-offs, and this is where we’re at.
Premier League
- West Ham 3-2 Chelsea (FT)
- Newcastle 1-0 Burnley
- Southampton 1-0 Brighton
- Wolves 0-0 Liverpool
Championship
Scottish Premiership
- Rangers 1-0 Dundee
Serie A
- AC Milan 2-0 Salernitana (2pm)
La Liga
- Barcelona 0-0 Real Betis (3.15pm)
Newcastle 1-0 Burnley “Hey Rob,” writes J.R. in Illinois. “Burnley fans and/or the 3.2% of fantasy football managers who have Maxwel Cornet in their team would probably like to know that he went off injured in the 32nd minute.”
What do you think this is, a football update service?
Wolves 0-0 Liverpool Wolves have their first half-chance, with Alisson just beating Traore to a low cross from Ait-Nouri.
Updated
“Fond memories of Arthur Montford,” writes Willie Mills. “’A goalmouth stramash’, and, after going down to an early goal against Czechoslovakia in a must-win qualifier: ‘It’s a disaster, a disaster for Scotland’. Much missed.”
“Afternoon Rob,” says Stephen Carr. “Apropos of nothing, but earlier I returned from a near 50-mile round trip when my son’s U13 game was called off after five minutes because the opposition were shivering due to the inclement conditions. On that basis, the cliché ‘can he do it on a wet Wednesday night in Stoke?’ needs to be updated to reference stormy Saturday mornings in Skelmersdale.”
Another area in which Cristiano Ronaldo has been found wanting.
GOAL! Newcastle 1-0 Burnley (Wilson 40)
Newcastle are in front! Callum Wilson has scored after an error from Nick Pope. It was checked by VAR for a possible foul on Pope, but the goal was given, and rightly so according to those who can legally watch the game.
Updated
Wolves 0-0 Liverpool: what a tackle from Saiss! Robertson’s low cross is about to be put into an empty net by Salah when Saiss slides in to divert the ball away from Salah. That was tremendous defending.
Updated
GOAL! Rangers 1-0 Dundee (Aribo 36)
Joe Aribo has put Rangers ahead at Ibrox with a deflected shot that wrongfooted the keeper Adam Legzdins.
Wolves 0-0 Liverpool Wolves still haven’t managed a shot off target, never mind on, but they have done well to restrict Liverpool to just that one Jota chance.
Wolves 0-0 Liverpool Diogo Jota, who scored the winner on his return to Molineux last season, has missed a great chance to put Liverpool in front. Alexander-Arnold flipped a delicious cross to the far post, where Jota got away from Semedo but headed fractionally wide.
Updated
The latest scores in our featured games
Premier League
- West Ham 3-2 Chelsea (FT)
- Newcastle 0-0 Burnley
- Southampton 1-0 Brighton
- Wolves 0-0 Liverpool
Championship
Scottish Premiership
- Rangers 0-0 Dundee
Serie A
- AC Milan 2-0 Salernitana (2pm)
La Liga
- Barcelona 0-0 Real Betis (3.15pm)
GOAL! Southampton 1-0 Brighton (Broja 29)
It’s there! Armando Broja, the 20-year-old Albanian on loan from Chelsea, has put Southampton ahead with a majestic finish.
Updated
“Morning greetings from the disunited states of Trumpistan,” says Mary Waltz. “Poor Eddie Howe’s pained face has not changed since he took over management of Newcastle. At this pace he will be bald by the end of the season.”
What’s wrong with being b- oh who am I kidding.
Wolves 0-0 Liverpool Still no shots on target for either team. Wolves have quietly been superb in defence this season.
“Burton?” sniffs Simon Glinn. “Buxton, methinks. And normal conditions.”
Ach, apologies. It’s not my worst typo - that involved Count Duckula - but it’s still a bit shoddy.
Wolves 0-0 Liverpool Wolves have started pretty well at Molineux, keeping Liverpool at arm’s length and looking dangerous on the break.
“Hi Rob,” says Robert Ellson. “I see that incorrigible spoon-botherer Uri Geller is lending his support to a team he calls New Castle today.”
Check out that big fat caveat! Crikey, he’s lost a bit of conviction since he took approximately 100.00 per cent of the credit for David Seaman saving Gary McAlliter’s penalty at Euro 96.
This message for New Castle United fans will be helping you out this afternoon. But remember I am no miracle worker but I do believe in my powers. ♥️ #NCFC pic.twitter.com/oVIjYIAOJi
— Uri Geller (@theurigeller) December 4, 2021
Updated
Southampton 0-0 Brighton Southampton have made a fast start, it says here, with Armando Broja forcing a couple of early saves from Robert Sanchez.
“Afternoon Rob,” says Jon Collin. “Whenever I see Alexis Saelemakers’ name, I get this song in my head.”
And why not?
Peep peep! The 3pm games are under way.
Half time: AC Milan 2-0 Salernitana Nothing to see here: Milan are cruising to victory.
Rangers v Dundee team news
🆕 Today's #RangersFC team to face Dundee at Ibrox.
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) December 4, 2021
🗒️ Full Team News: https://t.co/op842FN8nL
📺 Watch Live on RangersTV: https://t.co/q0VJpf4Vfa pic.twitter.com/daVuYEzPIy
TEAM LINES | Today’s team #thedee pic.twitter.com/ZPmbtzJqVu
— Dundee Football Club (@DundeeFC) December 4, 2021
West Ham 3-2 Chelsea
FA Cup Morecambe have beaten seventh-tier Bu r xton 1-0 in the lunchtime game. Cole Stockton scored the only goal of a game that was played in vile conditions.
Updated
“‘The commentator’ being none other than Arthur Montford, a legend of Scottish sports broadcasting, though perhaps less well known outside Scotland than his BBC contemporary Archie MacPherson,” says Simon McMahon. “The way he says ‘Sensation!’ as the header goes in, tremendous stuff.”
“Hi Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “In the SPL, St. Johnstone v Ross County has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, Dundee United v Celtic isn’t until tomorrow, and no one cares that much about Rangers v Dundee, Hibs v Motherwell and Aberdeen v St. Mirren, so the Scottish Championship is where it’s at today. And it’s quite the league, with only four points separating the top five.
“Inverness displaced Kilmarnock at the top last night after beating them 1-0, but Raith could move into top spot today with a win at Arbroath, who could themselves leapfrog Raith into second with three points. Partick could also finish the day in second. Hope that’s clear. And if it’s tight at the top, check out the bottom - only one point between the bottom five. It’s like two leagues for the price of one!”
For no particular reason, your email has reminded me of Tommy Murray at Ibrox, 49 years ago this weekend. My favourite bit is the unemotional way the commentator says “Murray having a seat on the ball”, as if it was an everyday occurrence. Maybe it was.
Updated
Barcelona v Real Betis team news
🚨 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐂̧𝐀 𝐗𝐈! 🚨#BarçaBetis pic.twitter.com/7iboNc3iL9
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 4, 2021
💚🤍💚
— Real Betis Balompié (@RealBetis_en) December 4, 2021
Our starting eleven for #BarçaRealBetis!#BetisDay pic.twitter.com/3nEpdbuXGf
Full time: Coventry 1-2 West Brom
Peep peep! West Brom hold on for a crucial victory, their first away from home since September.
Full time: West Ham 3-2 Chelsea
Peep peep! Another famous win for West Ham, who came from 1-0 and 2-1 down to stun the leaders Chelsea. Get all the reaction with Scott Murray.
GOAL! AC Milan 2-0 Salernitana (Saelemaekers 18)
As expected, Milan are having a comfortable afternoon. Alexis Saelemaekers has put them 2-0 up, and I’d love to describe the goal but I can’t because the game isn’t being televised in Britain.
There’s been a fifth goal at the London Stadium, and well I never.
GOAL! Coventry 1-2 West Brom (McFadzean 83)
We’re in for a lively finish at Coventry. Kyle McFadzen, who scored an own goal in the first half, has pulled one back for the home side. I was going to say he’s scored at both ends, but technically he’s scored at the same end twice.
Updated
GOAL! AC Milan 1-0 Salernitana (Kessie 5)
That didn’t take long. Franck Kessie has put Milan ahead against the bottom club Salernitana. If Milan win they will go top of Serie A, at least until the leaders Napoli play Atalanta tonight.
Wolves v Liverpool team news
Here's how we line-up to face @LFC. #WOLLIV
— Wolves (@Wolves) December 4, 2021
🐺📋 pic.twitter.com/oFCc1SW64q
🔴 #WOLLIV TEAM NEWS 🔴
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 4, 2021
This is how we line up today against @Wolves 👊
Southampton v Brighton team news
Two changes for #SaintsFC today 😇
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) December 4, 2021
Here’s the team that will be taking on #BHAFC: pic.twitter.com/7KCVzFUHeN
Let's do this! 💪 Here's our starting XI to face Southampton in the @PremierLeague. 📝
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) December 4, 2021
📲 https://t.co/S3j1TIedJv ✘ #BHAFC 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/cfGFBw51FE
Newcastle v Burnley team news
🚨 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠-𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🚨
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) December 4, 2021
⚫️ HWTL! ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/R6PIIvjlve
🚨 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗡 🚨
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) December 4, 2021
James Tarkowski and Ashley Westwood return to the side after suspension, with Tarky captaining the side ©️
Ben Mee misses out, with Nathan Collins starting in the centre of defence 💪#NEWBUR | @SpreadexSport | #UTC pic.twitter.com/0pKEJvuUvO
Southampton v Brighton
This is a really enjoyable interview with - IMPHO - the most likeable manager in the Premier League.
There’s been a fourth goal at the London Stadium, and either West Ham or Chelsea have scored it.
Coventry 0-2 West Brom It’s been a bit of a smash and grab from West Brom, not that they’ll care: a win today would move them to within six points of second-placed Bournemouth, and end an alarming run of form away from home.
West Ham 1-2 Chelsea is the half-time score in the early Premier League game. You can follow that one with Scott Murray.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to another busy Saturday clockwatch. Only three Premier League games kick off at 3pm but they’re all important for different reasons. Newcastle, still desperately seeking their first win of the season, are at home to Burnley; draw specialists Brighton visit draw-curious Southampton; and Wolves, the team with the best defensive record outside the Big Three, have the stiffest test of their credentials: Liverpool, who have scored a scandalous 63 goals in 21 games this season, are in town.
There are some big games elsewhere, too, including Coventry v West Brom in the Championship. In that game, a 12.30pm kick off, West Brom lead 2-0 thanks to Karlan Grant and a Kyle McFadzean own goal. In other leagues, Rangers, AC Milan and Barcelona are in action, and there are 13 ties in the FA Cup second round. If there’s any romance, you’ll hear it here fourth.
Here’s a full list of our featured games, all 3pm kick-offs unless stated.
Premier League
- West Ham 1-2 Chelsea (12.30pm)
- Newcastle v Burnley
- Southampton v Brighton
- Wolves v Liverpool
Championship
- Coventry 0-2 West Brom (12.30pm)
Scottish Premiership
- Rangers v Dundee
Serie A
- AC Milan v Salernitana (2pm)
La Liga
- Barcelona v Real Betis (3.15pm)
Updated
