That was the kind of action-packed afternoon Jimmy Hill would have surely loved; I’ll leave you with a fine tribute from Paul Wilson to a football pioneer. Thanks for reading. Cheerio.
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Championship and European results
Championship:
Bolton 2-2 Fulham
Brentford 4-2 Huddersfield
Bristol City 1-1 QPR
Burnley 4-0 Charlton
Ipswich 0-1 Derby
Nottingham Forest 2-1 MK Dons
Rotherham 2-0 Hull
La Liga:
Valencia 2-2 Getafe
Ligue 1 (latest, but we can probably call it):
Caen 0-3 PSG
All today’s results and latest scores are here.
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Premier League results
A decent day for travelling fans; click the scoreline for our on-the-whistle match report.
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Another drab day in the Premier League: Chelsea bang in the goals as the crowd boo their own players; Manchester United lose at home to Norwich, allowing Crystal Palace and Spurs to join them on 29 points. Palace and Bournemouth grabbed late away wins, the latter against nine-man West Brom.
And then there’s Leicester. “They’re surely safe now?” says Simon McMahon. They’re not quite at the 40 point mark, but should get there on Boxing Day. After brushing aside Everton, they are five points clear, and will be top at Christmas. If anyone thinks they’re not legitimate title challengers now, they’re dafter than James McClean.
The fun’s not over yet: be sure to join Lawrence Ostlere for Newcastle 0-1 Aston Villa, kicking off at 5.30pm GMT.
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Late drama at the Ricoh, as second-bottom Oldham snatch an injury-time equaliser. In Scotland, it finished Celtic 1-2 Motherwell and Kilmarnock 0-4 Aberdeen – the Dons now just a point behind Celtic.
FT: Southampton 0-2 Tottenham
A quickfire double from Harry Kane and Dele Alli does for Southampton, as Spurs go fourth.
FT: Stoke 1-2 Crystal Palace
Palace go level with Spurs and United in the race for fourth, with yet another away victory, thanks to Lee’s late, great winner.
FT: Everton 2-3 Leicester
Speaking of five points clear... Two Riyad Mahrez penalties, and a goal for Shinji Okazaki, keep Leicester’s impossible dream alive.
FT: West Brom 1-2 Bournemouth
Not any more. Bournemouth get a third win on the spin, and they’re five points clear of the bottom three.
RED CARD! Rondon off for West Brom
West Brom down to nine men, Rondon off for an elbow that kicked off an injury time melee. Still playing at the Hawthorns.
FT: Manchester United 1-2 Norwich
Booooooooooooo. Jerome and Tettey for the visitors, Martial with (not much of) a consolation for United.
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FT: Chelsea 3-1 Sunderland
Oscar, Pedro and Ivanovic with the Chelsea goals on a very strange afternoon at Stamford Bridge.
GOAL! Everton 2-3 Leicester (Mirallas)
Kevin Mirallas makes it a contest with a late goal...
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At Old Trafford, United scrap in search for an equaliser, as a fan lets out the longest yawn I’ve ever seen. No such tedium in Burton, where it’s 3-3. In League Two, Portsmouth lead at Northampton, and Kelvin Mellor has snatched a late 2-1 lead for Plymouth at Hartlepool. That long journey home will fly by.
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GOAL! Stoke 1-2 Crystal Palace
Substitute Chung-Yong Lee grabs the goal of the day, lashing a first-time shot home from thirty yards. Away sides in the ascendancy in five out of the six 3pm kick-offs...
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GOAL! West Brom 1-2 Bournemouth (Daniels penalty)
Darren Fletcher tussles with Dan Gosling in the area, and Mike Dean gives a curious penalty. Charlie Daniels leathers it in off the underside of the bar. Bournemouth back in front!
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“What United fan wouldn’t take Mourinho and a guaranteed title?” asks Sam Evans. Well, this guy for one:
Norwich almost restore their two-goal cushion, with de Gea saving well from Mulumbu, and Howson just misses the rebound. In the Championship, it’s Bristol City 1-1 QPR, Wilbraham equalising Junior Hoilett’s opener. A topsy-turvy afternoon at the Pirelli Stadium, where Doncaster lead Burton 3-2, having gone 2-1 down.
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GOAL! West Brom 1-1 Bournemouth (McAuley)
Ten-man West Brom may have grabbed a point, as Gareth McAuley heads home from a corner, with Hawkeye required as Boruc almost claws it away.
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Bundesliga full-time scores:
Anthony Modeste scored a last-minute winner to complete the comeback for Köln. Bayern extend their lead at the top, but the good news may be over for them for the day.
Hannover 0-1 Bayern
Koln 2-1 Dortmund
Frankfurt 2-1 Bremen
Ingolstadt 0-1 Leverkusen
Hamburg 0-1 Augsburg
Manchester United are turning up the heat on Norwich, with Declan Rudd saving well from a Mata free-kick. Norwich can’t get out of their half, but on the two occasions they’ve done so, they’ve scored.
GOAL! Stoke 1-1 Crystal Palace (Bojan penalty)
Bobby Madley awards a penalty for a Damien Delaney handball. Up steps Bojan, who levels the scores despite Hennessey getting a hand to the ball.
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Bolton have turned things around at the Macron Stadium, with young tyro Zach Clough getting a second against Fulham.
“I wonder what kind of pre-season odds a man could have got on both Mourinho and Van Gaal being binned by Christmas” says Hubert O’Hearn.
“Leicester lead the league, Crystal Palace fighting for the Champions League. I’m not sure what the name of this Alternative Universe is we’ve TARDISed ourselves into, but I like it!”
Everton 1-3 Leicester (Okazaki)
From an Everton throw-in, Albrighton snatches possession and sets up Jamie Vardy, who looks up and picks up Okazaki. With apologies to Everton fans, this is brilliant.
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Mourinho and Manchester United – your thoughts...
“I thought it was mainly Bobby Charlton who blocked Mourinho’s appointment last time around” says Richard Armitage. “Why would he be any keener now, especially considering the obnoxious way Mourinho has behaved in the interim?”
“As an Arsenal supporter I’d love to see Mourinho in charge of United” offers Matt Emerson. “Yes, he’d almost certainly win the title - in the first year at least. Then he’d leave the usual scorched earth shambles by the middle of the third season, condemning them to their role as The New Liverpool.”
“After defeats against teams in the bottom half, it is going to be interesting to see if Ryan Giggs makes any changes over the Christmas period” chuckles Adam Hirst.
GOAL! Everton 1-2 Leicester (Mahrez penalty)
Mahrez goes the other way, with the same result. Leicester were 5000-1 to win the title before the season started. This is a bandwagon we should all be climbing on.
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Penalty to Leicester!
Mahrez tees up Vardy, who races in on goal, and is brought down by Howard! The goalkeeper is booked, and it’s a second Leicester penalty...
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GOAL! Manchester United 1-2 Norwich (Martial)
With their first shot on target, United pull a goal back, as Anthony Martial stabs a loose ball into the roof of the net.
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Bolton have equalised through Zach Clough, and Oxford have done likewise at Wycombe. Brentford pile on the hurt at Griffin Park, with Alan Judge making it 4-1 over Huddersfiled.
A flip reverse at Celtic Park – it’s Celtic 1-2 Motherwell, Louis Moult with both the goals. Aberdeen could close to within a point of the league leaders. Ronny Deila’s not really cutting it, is he?
Herrera on in place of Fellaini, as Rooney fires a speculative bicycle kick a few feet over the bar. There’s been a flurry of goals in the Championship – it’s now Burnley 3-0 Charlton, Brentford 3-1 Huddersfield and, impropably, Rotherham 2-0 Hull.
Nir Bitton gives Celtic the lead against Motherwell. Frustrating news for second-placed Aberdeen, who had racked up a three-goal lead at Kilmarnock.
Meanwhile in Germany, Köln have equalised late against Dortmund, who are set to lose more ground to Bayern at the top of the Bundesliga.
José Mourinho is even money to be Manchester United’s next manager. Thoughts?
GOAL! Manchester United 0-2 Norwich (Tettey)
Norwich steal the ball in midfield, and Alex Tettey gallops through on goal, before stabbing the ball low to de Gea’s right. Appropriate levels of rain pouring down at Old Trafford.
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GOAL! West Brom 0-1 Bournemouth (Smith)
Adam Smith runs across the box, then drills beyond Myhill and inside the near post. Bournemouth on their way to a third straight win.
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GOAL! Chelsea 3-1 Sunderland (Borini)
Borini tucks away after an error from Courtois. Is it back on? Ask Tim Hill.
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Bournemouth, who were utterly dominant in the first half, almost go a goal down, with Boruc saving brilliantly from Salamon Rondon. It’s Wycombe 1-0 Oxford, and Northampton 1-1 Portsmouth, in League Two’s big games.
GOAL! Chelsea 3-0 Sunderland (Oscar penalty)
Pantilimon brings down Willian, and Oscar sends the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot. Sunderland making a difficult day very easy for their hosts.
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Javier Hernández is at it again, giving Leverkusen a 1-0 lead at Ingolstadt. It’s a familiar scoreline, with Augsburg (at Hamburg), Bayern and Dortmund also winning 1-0 away. Only Frankfurt are bucking the trend, leading Bremen 2-1 at home.
I’ve just seen a clip of the James McClean red card; having been barely fouled, he races a good twenty yards to the touchline, and hoofs the first Bournemouth player he can get to – the unfortunate Adam Smith – into touch. Utterly brainless, and recommended viewing.
Championship half-time scores
A couple of significant goals just before half-time: Scott Arfield has put Burnley ahead against Charlton, and Tom Ince gives Derby the lead at Ipswich. They’re second as it stands.
Bolton 0-1 Fulham
Brentford 3-0 Huddersfield
Bristol City 0-0 QPR
Burnley 1-0 Charlton
Ipswich 0-1 Derby
Nottingham Forest 2-0 MK Dons
Rotherham 1-0 Hull
“Never mind Palace finding a striker who can score a few, what about United?” I set them up, Kevin Wilson nods them in.
Premier League half-time scores
Everton 1-1 Leicester
Manchester United 0-1 Norwich
Southampton 0-2 Tottenham
Stoke 0-1 Crystal Palace
West Brom 0-0 Bournemouth
GOAL! Stoke 0-1 Crystal Palace (Wickham penalty)
Conor Wickham gets his first Palace goal from the spot. As things stand, Spurs, Palace and United are level on 29 points. Imagine if Palace can get a striker to score a few...
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It’s Valencia 2-2 Getafe, with Santi Mina finding a second equaliser for Gary Neville’s team. There’s a penalty for Palace at Stoke, with the first half almost over...
GOAL! Southampton 0-2 Tottenham (Alli)
And another! Seconds after kicking off again, Southampton concede a second, with Walker’s low cross tucked away by Alli.
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GOAL! Southampton 0-1 Tottenham (Kane)
Harry Kane gives Spurs the lead, wriggling through the home defence and slotting the ball past Gazzaniga.
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In the Championship, it’s Brentford 3-0 Huddersfield and Rotherham have taken a surprise lead at home to promotion-chasing Hull. At the Hawthorns, Jonny Evans is booked for a late challenge on Gosling, as West Brom push their luck.
GOAL! Manchester United 0-1 Norwich (Jerome)
Uh-oh. Norwich break out of defence, Jerome holds off two defenders and fires past David de Gea, who could have done better.
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RED CARD! James McClean sent off for West Brom
Fully deserved by all accounts, with McClean lunging in late on Bournemouth’s Smith, for no apparent reason. He’s been a bit of an idiot there.
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GOAL! Everton 1-1 Leicester (Lukaku)
Lukaku’s scoring run goes on as he bundles the ball home after Schmeichel repelled Ross Barkley’s effort. Everton back on terms.
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Luke Garbutt has given Fulham the lead against Bolton, in a game between two teams horribly out of form. It’s now Dundee 4-0 Hamilton, while Millwall are also in for a long afternoon, two goals and a man down at home to Gillingham.
GOAL! Everton 0-1 Leicester (Mahrez penalty)
It could happen, you know. Funes Mori brings down Okazaki, and Mahrez squeezes the penalty past Tim Howard. Leicester are five points clear at the top, as things stand.
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Brentford have got that Vibe, with Danish forward Lasse doubling their lead over Huddersfield. Nottingham Forest are also two up, with MK Dons the victims. Andy Kellett has given Wigan the lead at Barnsley, and it could be a long afternoon for Hamilton fans – they’re already 3-0 down at Dens Park.
League leaders asserting their authority, with Burton equalising against Doncaster, and Northampton taking the lead at home to Portsmouth. Ryan Cresswell is the scorer. No such joy for Leicester yet, with the game still goalless at a soggy Goodison Park.
Bundesliga half-time scores:
Hannover 0-1 Bayern
Koln 0-1 Dortmund
Frankfurt 1-1 Bremen
Ingolstadt 0-0 Leverkusen
Hamburg 0-0 Augsburg
United dominating possession against Norwich, but lack a cutting edge. Sound familiar? Gary Neville’s mixed start at Valencia continues; they went a goal down early against Getafe, but Paco Alcácer has levelled it up.
Thomas Müller has given Bayern the lead from the spot in Hannover, on the day when Pep might finally fess up and admit he’s off. In Scotland, second-placed Aberdeen lead Kilmarnock, care of a Niall McGinn goal, while Dundee have opened the scoring at home to Hamilton.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Sunderland (Pedro)
Chelsea are rather spoiling the mutinous mood, Pedro doubling their lead inside 15 minutes.
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Wayne Rooney sees a goal chalked off for offside, with both he and Fellaini standing a good yard off. Southampton have started at a rate, with Mane testing Hugo Lloris and the Spurs defence under pressure. Brentford, who paid tribute to former player Jimmy Hill before kick-off, lead Huddersfield at 1-0.
Carlisle, playing at Deepdale with Brunton Park still under water, lead 1-0 over Notts County. Also in League One, Doncaster have taken a surprise lead at leaders Burton.
Also spotted in SW6: Didier Drogba, sitting alongside Hiddink and Abramovich; and a banner that says ‘three rats – Hazard, Cesc and Costa’. Crikey.
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GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Sunderland (Ivanovic)
A first goal for the defender since February puts balm on the gaping wounds at Stamford Bridge. More from Tim Hill, here.
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Goals, goals, goals. Forest lead MK Dons through Nelson Oliveira. In League One, it’s Blackpool 1-0 Peterborough, and in League Two, Stevenage lead Accrington.
“A completely unacceptable quote from John Terry” says Charles Antaki. “It should of course not be ‘us players’ but ‘we players’.
We're off!
Manchester United are under way against Norwich. A home win would do very nicely. The other games are kicking off too, don’t worry about that.
Late change for Bournemouth, with last week’s hero Josh King injured in the warm-up. Glenn Murray comes in for the luckless Cherries.
Three goals so far in the Bundesliga, with Sokratis giving Dortmund the lead at Köln, and Frankfurt-Bremen level at a goal apiece.
All a bit awkward at Stamford Bridge, with Cesc Fábregas and Diego Costa booed by fans, and home-made signs plentiful in their number. Join Tim Hill for some actual football momentarily.
It finished Brighton 0-3 Middlesbrough, with Boro moving three points clear of their hosts at the top of the Championship, and José Mourinho leaving early, perhaps to neck a quick pint at the Prince Albert before catching the Thameslink back up to London.
Speaking of Mourinho, here are John Terry’s (perhaps not entirely sincere) thoughts:
Here’s Simon McMahon on today’s Scottish action:
Merry Christmas from Scotland, where the SPFL has gone old school with all six games kicking off at 3 o’clock on a Saturday. It’ll never catch on. Game of the day sees Dundee United travel to Inverness. United are Scotland’s form side right now. Unfortunately the form is all bad, with only two league wins all season. A year ago, we beat Celtic at Tannadice to go second in the table. Today we need a win to cut the gap at the bottom to just 5 points. Oh United!
Other matches are Kilmarnock v Aberdeen, St. Johnstone v Hearts, Celtic v Motherwell, Partick v Ross County and struggling Dundee v Hamilton. In the Scottish Championship it finished Falkirk 2-1 Rangers, meaning that Hibernian can go level on points at the top should they beat Queen of the South later.
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Team news, part two
Xherdan Shaqiri has shaken off a hamstring problem, adding to the silky skills offered by Bojan, Ibrahim Affelay and Glenn Whelan. Palace are without Yohan Cabaye, who picked up an injury in training, with Joe Ledley stepping in. Changes aplenty at St. Mary’s, with Jordy Clasie, Dusan Tadic and Graziano Pelle in for Southampton, and Ben Davies and Moussa Dembele in for Spurs. By contrast, no changes whatsoever for West Brom or Bournemouth.
Stoke v Crystal Palace
Stoke: Butland, Johnson, Shawcross, Wollscheid, Pieters, van Ginkel, Whelan, Shaqiri, Afellay, Arnautovic, Bojan.
Subs: Bardsley, Joselu, Wilson, Adam, Diouf, Walters, Haugaard.
Crystal Palace: Hennessey, Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare, Zaha, Ledley, McArthur, Puncheon, Wickham, Bolasie.
Subs: Speroni, Hangeland, Bamford, Lee, Mutch, Chamakh, Kelly.
Referee: Robert Madley (W Yorkshire)
Southampton v Tottenham
Southampton: Gazzaniga, Cedric Soares, Fonte, van Dijk, Bertrand, Wanyama, Clasie, Mane, Steven Davis, Tadic, Pelle.
Subs: Kelvin Davis, Yoshida, Long, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Juanmi, Targett.
Tottenham: Lloris, Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies, Dier, Dembele, Lamela, Alli, Eriksen, Kane.
Subs: Bentaleb, Son, Vorm, Chadli, Wimmer, Carroll, Winks.
Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire)
West Brom v Bournemouth
West Brom: Myhill, McAuley, Dawson, Olsson, Brunt, Evans, Gardner, Fletcher, Morrison, McClean, Rondon.
Subs: Chester, Anichebe, Lambert, Berahino, McManaman, Lindegaard, Sessegnon.
Bournemouth: Boruc, Smith, Cook, Francis, Daniels, Surman, Ritchie, Gosling, Arter, Stanislas, King.
Subs: Pugh, Rantie, Kermorgant, Federici, Distin, Murray, O’Kane.
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
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Team news
Wayne Rooney returns for Manchester United, with Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Ashley Young coming into the back four. Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez are present and correct for Leicester, with Andy King forming a Kendrick Lemar themed midfield with N’Golo Kanté. Chelsea make just two changes, with Cesc Fàbregas and Pedro, who both featured heavily against Leicester, in for Ramires and Eden Hazard. If it’s broke, don’t fix it anyway.
Manchester United v Norwich City
Manchester United: De Gea, Jones, Smalling, Blind, Young, Carrick, Fellaini, Depay, Mata, Martial, Rooney.
Subs: Romero, Herrera, Schneiderlin, Varela, McNair, Jackson, Andreas Pereira.
Norwich: Rudd, Bennett, Martin, Bassong, Olsson, Tettey, O’Neil, Redmond, Hoolahan, Brady, Jerome.
Subs: Ruddy, Whittaker, Howson, Mbokani, Dorrans, Mulumbu, Odjidja-Ofoe.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
Everton v Leicester City
Everton: Howard, Coleman, Stones, Funes Mori, Baines, Cleverley, Barry, Deulofeu, Barkley, Kone, Lukaku.
Subs: Robles, Gibson, Mirallas, Lennon, Besic, Osman, Galloway.
Leicester: Schmeichel, Simpson, Morgan, Wasilewski, Fuchs, Mahrez, King, Kante, Albrighton, Vardy, Okazaki.
Subs: De Laet, Kramaric, Ulloa, Dyer, Benalouane, Schwarzer, Inler.
Referee: Jon Moss (W Yorkshire)
Chelsea v Sunderland
Chelsea: Courtois, Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Azpilicueta, Fabregas, Matic, Willian, Oscar, Pedro, Costa.
Subs: Begovic, Baba, Ramires, Mikel, Traore, Remy, Cahill.
Sunderland: Pantilimon, Jones, Coates, O’Shea, Kaboul, Van Aanholt, Rodwell, Toivonen, M’Vila, Watmore, Defoe.
Subs: Borini, Johnson, Gomez, Graham, Yedlin, Mannone, Fletcher.
Referee: Roger East (Wiltshire)
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Jimmy Hill 1928-2015
Some very sad news to report: Jimmy Hill has died aged 87, having battled Alzheimer’s in recent years. He’ll be fondly remembered by anyone who grew up watching him on Match of the Day – which I’d wager is the vast majority of us. Jimmy tried his hand at pretty much every role in football, blazing a trail as a manager, a director and a broadcaster after his playing career – even once filling in as an emergency assistant referee. RIP.
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Preamble
The slow death of José Mourinho’s second Chelsea reign has cast a shadow over the Premier League season. If not quite the headline, it’s been a diverting sideshow – a sort of footballing Xtra Factor, with desperation, paranoia and mediocrity to match. Chelsea face Sunderland at 3pm with new interim boss Guus Hiddink in the stands. Appropriately enough, you can follow it separately here.
Over here, we’ll focus on the big show, not the sideshow, as the lights flicker back on over the title race, which – like many a dark, neglected corner – has been commandeered by foxes. Leicester can guarantee they’ll be top of the tree on Christmas Day if they win at Everton, and with Arsenal playing Manchester City on Monday, it could be by a handsome margin.
Today marks the start of another festive bonanza that’s farcical for players, managers and travelling fans, and fantastic for those of us that like football a whole lot more than Christmas. 40 top flight games are squeezed into a fortnight that would nicely accommodate a winter break. The outcome will be illuminating for all concerned, and the tussling starts today.
Stoke and Crystal Palace meet at the Britannia, both a purple patch from Champions League contention. Southampton and Spurs can’t decide if they fancy good or bad seasons, but Maurcio Pochettino’s south coast return could begin to tip the balance. West Brom and Bournemouth, arch upsetters in recent weeks, will want to keep the momentum going at the Hawthorns.
Then there’s Louis van Gaal, whose status at Manchester United is as murky as the rest of this mess. A past master with a plan good enough to keep Pep Guardiola from the door, or a bore draw from the first pre-Christmas exit at Old Trafford since Big Ron? One thing’s for sure: fail to beat Norwich, and the howls for Mourinho to head north will grow louder. Wait, we’re back to him again...
AOB
There’s plenty – starting in Germany, where Bayern face Hannover before Pep faces the press, with Carlo Ancelotti reportedly set to fill his shiny shoes. Also in the Bundesliga, second-placed Dortmund travel to Cologne, which must be nice this time of year. In Spain, Gary Neville takes charge of his first home league game for Valencia against Getafe at 3pm. In France, fourth placed Caen welcome leaders PSG, just the 18 points ahead of them, at 4pm.
In the Championship, Derby and Hull will look to overtake second-placed Brighton, who are currently 3-0 down at home to Boro. They go to Ipswich and Rotherham respectively. There’s also Bolton v Fulham, Brentford v Huddersfield, Bristol City v QPR, Burnley v Charlton and Nottingham Forest v MK Dons ruining the B theme.
In League One, Doncaster hop over the Pennines to take on leaders Burton, with Wigan heading the other way to tackle Barnsley, and Coventry facing Oldham in the cavernous Ricoh Arena. In League Two, there’s Northampton v Portsmouth and Wycombe v Oxford. Last but not least, the pick of the Scottish action sees Celtic host Motherwell, and third placed Hearts visit Perth (also nice this time of year) to play St. Johnstone.
Tear open the Celebrations, pour yourself into a snazzy jumper, and enjoy.
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