Liverpool v Crystal Palace

Showing scant regard for their carbon footprint, Crystal Palace’s players and staff have arrived at Anfield in a fleet of 20 people carriers. Find out how they get on with Scott Murray.

Tonight’s Premier League results

• Manchester United 3-0 Sheffield United
• Newcastle United 1-1 Aston Villa
• Norwich City 0-1 Everton
• Wolves 1-0 Bournemouth

90+2 min: Manchester stay in fifth place but go to within two points of Chelsea, having played one game more. For Sheffield United the dream of Champions League football is surely over - they’re going to end this game in eighth place, five points off fifth place.

90 min: Sheffield United try another attack in an attempt to take the bare look off their side of the scoreboard. The ball’s crossed into the penalty area, where Victor Lindelof clears for Manchester United.

89 min: A poor first touch from Ighalo in the Sheffield United penalty area takes him away from goal as he receives a pass from Luke Shaw, drawing Simon Moore off his line. Ighalo finally resets and gets off a shot but the goalkeeper saves.

87 min: Sheffield United get out of their own half for what seems like the first time in about half an hour. Baldock and Zivkovic combine down the right, before a Basham effort is shepherded wide by Victor Lindelof.

85 min: A dangerous diagonal ball towards the far post from Aaron Wan Bissaka on the right flank somehow manages to evade everyone in the penalty area and roll wide at the far post. That would have been a fourth for Manchester United if somebody had got a touch.

83 min: Sheffield United continue to resemble a set of training cones as Manchester United play down the clock. It’s embarrassing for Chris Wilder’s men at this stage - they’ve had their collective backside handed to them tonight. They look a pale facsimile of the Sheffield United that did so well before the season went into involuntary hiatus.

Manchester United quintuple substitution: Premier League history is made as Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood are replaced by Odion Ighalo, Juan Mata, Andreas Pereira, Dan James and Scott McTominay. Somebody call the fire service - there’s smoke billowing out of the electronic substitution board.

78 min: Please be upstanding for what I believe is about to be the first quintuple-substitution in Premier League history.

76 min: From midfield, Pogba played the ball forward to Fernandes, who flicks the ball around the corner with his first touch. A one-two between Rashford and Martial later and the ball is nestling in the back of the net.

70 min: In other Premier League 6pm kick-off news: Newcastle 1-0 Aston Villa, Norwich City 0-1 Everton, Wolves 1-0 Bournemouth.

Drinks break: Mine’s a double vodka and tonic with ice and a slice, please.

66 min: Luke Shaw gets booked for a foul on John Lundstram, who had motored past him on his way down the right wing.

65 min: Sheffield United substitution: Richairo Zivkovic on for David McGoldrick.

62 min: Paul Pogba picks up the ball a few yards outside the penalty are and shimmies past three defenders including Berge and Jagielka. A slight miscontrol enables Anthony Martial to steal the ball off his toe and blast the ball over the bar. Pogba is furious, as he could have continued his run and finished what would have been a splendid solo goal. Martial laughs with embarrassment and soon gets a smile from his team-mate.

60 min: This game is beginning to resemble one of those clips you see on YouTube, where a handful of professional footballers take on a couple of hundred school children, none of whom are able to get near the ball. Sheffield United’s players, all 200 of them, are chasing shadows.

59 min: Martial plays the ball wide to Rashford, whose attempted cross from the left is put out for a corner. Again, nothing comes of the set piece. On the touchline, Chris Wilder is losing his mind, effing and jeffing like a sailor at the top of his voice.

56 min: Mason Greenwood tries another shot from distance after receiving a pass from Paul Pogba. His low drive takes a deflection of Phil Jagielka and goes out for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece. This is mind-numbingly tedious fare, which will suit Manchester United just fine. They’re controlling possession and letting Sheffield United’s players run their legs into stumps trying to get the ball back from them.

54 min: Relentless pressure from Manchester United against a Sheffield United side who seem to know their goose is cooked and are focussing on containment. Another Manchester United goal would finish this match as a contest and a spectacle altogether.

53 min: Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Anthony Martial combine down the right, the former winning a throw-in deep in Sheffield United territory when his attempted cross is blocked and put out of play.

51 min: Manchester United corner. With what looks suspiciously like a mis-kick, Bruno Fernandes pulls the ball to the edge of the penalty area, where Victor Lindelof is caught by surprise.

49 min: Chris Basham sends in a delightful cross from the right flank. It’s on a plate for Oli McBurnie at the near post, but he fails to make any contact with the ball as he leaps to head it home. That’s poor.

46 min: John Fleck tries to play David McGoldrick in behind but short changes him with his pass. The man they call “Dizzy” has to stretch to control the ball and loses possession to Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Other Premier League half-times

• Newcastle United 0-0 Aston Villa
• Norwich City 0-0 Everton
• Wolves 0-0 AFC Bournemouth
• Liverpool v Crystal Palace 8.15pm (BST)

45+2 min: Manchester United have been making hay down the right flank and they try to do so again. Martial tees up Greenwood, whose scuffed shot from distance doesn’t trouble Moore in the Sheffield United goal.

45+1 min: That’s a real kick in the swingers for Sheffield United, who had got themselves back into the game after a very poor opening 25 minutes. You can’t see them coming back from that particular hammer-blow and it’s no surprise to see that on their bench, Chris Wilder has his head in his hands.

43 min: Paul Pogba clips a deft little pass over the top towards Rashford on the edge of the six-yard box. It’s headed clear by a defender.

41 min: In tonight’s three other 6pm Premier League kick-offs it’s scoreless across the board. Of course it is. Lifting the nation’s morale, see.

40 min: On the touchline, McBurnie is made to wait as Mousset decides to see if he can make it to half-time.

39 min: Lys Mousset goes to ground and kicks off his boot. It looks like his race is run, but he’s getting treatment from a physio who’s wearing a facemask and what look like scuba diving goggles. On the touchline, Oli McBurnie prepares for action.

37 min: Enda Stevens and John Fleck combine down the left flank and win another corner for Sheffield United, who have looked much improved since the drinks break. Lys Mousset is visibly struggling for them, limping badly. For the second time in quick succession, the ball drifts out of play from the corner. What a waste ...

36 min: Worrying times for Manchester United fans as Bruno Fernandes adjourns to the side of the pitch to receive treatment for a knee injury. There’s no break in play and after about a minute he sprints back into action.

33 min: Sheffield United win a corner from which nothing comes after Victor Lindelof puts the ball out of play.

32 min: Bruno Fernandes tries to pick out Marcus Rashford with a reverse pass in behind but the pair get their wires crossed and Sheffield United are able to clear. Marcus Rashford looks to be lacking a tiny bit of sharpness since returning from his busy lockdown - he had a quiet game against Tottenham and despite teeing up Martial for Manchester United’s opener tonight, has since missed an open goal. He’ll come good soon enough - there’s no denying his talent.

30 min: Sheffield United enjoy a rare period of sustained possession on the edge of the final third but are unable to unpick the lock and Manchester United’s defence holds firm. John Lundstram eventually tries a shot from distance but his effort sails wide.

28 min: George Baldock plays a cross-field pass from right to left to Enda Stevens, but the Irishman is robbed of possession by Mason Greenwood.

26 min: “Sheffield United need to work out a way of winning the ball higher up the pitch,” says Gary Neville on Sky Sports. “They’re just going deeper and deeper.”

Water break: What are the chances, do you think, of these water breaks becoming permanent fixtures and football matches being turned into games of four quarters rather than two halves? Before too long, don’t be surprised if TV networks start sneaking in a couple of adverts. Or maybe I’m just too cynical.

23 min: It’ll be time for the water break any second now and I suspect it can’t come quickly enough for Chris Wilder, who will doubtless have some instructions for his players after their diabolical start to this game.

21 min: Another corner for the hosts. Fernandes plays the ball to the far post, where Harry Maguire heads home. Anthony Taylor blows his whistle for a two-handed Maguire shove on Jagielka as he rose to head the ball and the goal is disallowed. A quick check by Stuart Attwell at VAR HQ later and play resumes.

19 min: More Manchester United pressure. Bruno Fernandes tries his luck from distance but Phil Jagielka blocks his effort. Fernandes looks a great signing for United.

18 min: Bruno Fernandes tries to whip the ball into the top left-hand corner but Simon Moore tips the ball out for a corner. From the set piece, the referee spots an infringement as the ball comes into the penalty area and awards Sheffield United a free-kick.

17 min: Rashford plays the ball forward to Luke Shaw in the inside left channel and he’s pulled to the ground by George Baldock. Free-kick for Manchester United, between the left side of the |Sheffield United penalty area and the touchline.

15 min: A reminder that it’s the hottest day of the year in Manchester, if not the entire UK. Early indications suggest it could be a very long evening for Sheffield United.

13 min: With Manchester United attacking on the break and Simon Moore committed, Martial turns provider and plays the ball a couple of yards to his right into the path of Marcus Rashford. The striker somehow contrives to side-foot the ball wide with an empty goal gaping in front of him. That was a lightning fast counter-attack, but Jack Robinson got back and did just enough to put Rashford off. That’s a shocking miss.

12 min: Sheffield United seem a bit shell-shocked after going behind so early. George Baldock advances into the Manchester United penalty area and gets a sight of goal, but his shot is blocked.

8 min: Martial really needed his wits about him there, doing well to convert a screamer of a delivery from Marcus Rashford. The patron saint of hungry British school children got in around Phil Jagielka at the byline and pulled the ball towards the edge of the six-yard box with phenomenal speed, but Martial was alert enough to get in front of his man at the near post and poke home from three yards.

5 min: Manchester United go on the counter-attack and win their first corner when Anthony Martial tries and fails to take the ball past Chris Basham. Bruno Fernandes swings the ball into the Manchester United penalty area, where it’s only half cleared. A subsequent Nemanja Matic pass towards Mason Greenwood from the edge of the penalty area is cleared by Enda Stevens.

4 min: Simon Moore gets his first touch of the game in the Sheffield United goal, fielding a back pass and sending the ball forward.

2 min: Sheffield United begin on the front foot and Victor Lindelof is forced into action to deal with an Oliver Norwood cross aimed towards George Baldock.

Not long now: The teams are out on the pitch, the Stone Roses soundtracking their arrival in the empty Old Trafford with This Is The One. The stands are empty, but there are 40,000 digital images of fans from around the world in assorted stands. It looks quite good, to be fair.

On Sky Sports: Graeme Souness is in as a pundit alongside Jamie Redknapp and is defending himself against the relentless criticism he gets for his relentless criticism of Paul Pogba.

“I get hammered for this,” he says. “The midfield is the only position on the pitch where you’re trying to do the exact same thing ss the person you’re marking,” he adds, explaining that just for once he’d like to see Pogba go out and say he’s going to work harder than the guy he’s marking, rather than try to outdo him in the fancy tricks and flicks department.

“I’m a huge fan of his ability,” Graeme concludes, making it abundantly clear that he’s not a huge fan of what he perceives to be the midfielder’s reluctance to put in a shift. Fair comment?

Previously this season ...

Manchester United came from 2-0 down to take the lead but Oli McBurnie’s 90th-minute equaliser survived a VAR check for a 3-3 draw between the sides at Bramall Lane in November. Louise Taylor was there for the Guardian ...

Tonight’s match officials

Referee: Anthony Taylor

Assistants: Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn

Fourth official: Jarred Gillett

VAR: Stuart Attwell

Assistant VAR: Simon Beck

Replacement official: Robert Merchant

Chris Wilder speaks ...

A paucity of fit centre-backs means Sheffield United’s manager could be forced to change his formation for the first time this season tonight, switching from three to four at the back. “There’s a thought process of letting them go again and just replacing like for like, Simon [Moore] or Michael [Verrips] coming in [as goalkeeper] and most probably Jags coming in as the middle centre half,” he told BBC Radio Sheffield. “There’s also a situation where I might change the shape.”

With Dean Henderson’s loan deal from Manchester United due to expire on the final day of the month, Wilder is also confident of securing an extension to cover the end of the protracted season. “I believe it’s now just administration with the two clubs,” he said. “I had a chat with Ole and he was fine with extending his loan until the end of the season. Hopefully, that will get signed off before the deadline.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjær speaks ...

“We’ve developed over the season and I think now we had a spell of 11 unbeaten,” said Manchester United’s in the build-up to today’s game, when asked if he was planning a summer transfer splurge. “But then you add Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford to that and you’re thinking ‘Yeah, we’re not too far away and I’m very happy with the squad.

“If there are any good deals to be made and players who can make us better, of course we might have to spend some money on that. But the squad is great to work with and it’s moving in the right direction. We’re still not where we want to be, close enough to challenge for the Premier League trophy but we take one step at a time.”

Early team news

Paul Pogba could make his first start for Manchester United since 30 September after impressing off the bench against Tottenham. Despite limping off against Tottenham, Victor Lindelof is available for selection, while Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe – unlikely starters at the best of times – remain sidelined with injuries.

Sheffield United goalkeeper Dean Henderson has to sit this one out under the terms of his loan agreement with Manchester United, so expect Simon Moore to make just his fourth appearance of the season.

John Egan will be watching from the naughty step after being sent off for two bookable offences against Newcastle over the weekend and will be replaced by Phil Jagielka, the veteran’s fitness permitting following an untimely twist of his ankle in training. Jack O’Connell, who has missed Sheffield United’s past two games through injury is reported by his manager, Chris Wilder, to be “progressing well”.