Key events
Only two goals have been scored in the Premier League so far in these 3pm games and who’d have thought they’d both have gone to Everton?
Well, anyone who’s watched Leicester defend recently, in truth. A penny for Ruud van Nistelrooy’s thoughts.
Bournemouth 0-0 Liverpool: “Come on Bournemouth,” is the chant at a febrile Vitality Stadium amid a promising start from the Cherries. They always look so dangerous when they go forward.
GOAL! Everton 2-0 Leicester (Beto, 6)
Oh, Leicester, what are you doing?
Everton can scarcely believe their luck as Beto, pouncing on his chance in the absence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, pounces on some dithering in the Foxes back line to score. Two-nil already!
And there’s a goal for Leeds! Brenden Aaronson has opened the scoring at Elland Road, which looks and sounds as noisy as ever.
Championship: Millwall’s lead didn’t last long. Alfie Lloyd has levelled for QPR already and it’s 1-1 after three minutes. Ooft.
Leeds v Cardiff will be one to keep an eye on in the second tier this afternoon. Always a spicy encounter.
Bournemouth v Liverpool: Both teams have already enjoyed forays forward at the Vitality Stadium, with Semenyo having a shot for the hosts and Liverpool then going down the other end and winning a corner. It always going to be an open contest.
The goals are flooding in already. Aaron Connolly has netted in the first minute for Millwall in their all-London clash with QPR, while Matty James has scored for Wrexham at Crawley. Goals.
GOAL! Everton 1-0 Leicester (Doucouré, 1)
Goodness me what a start for Everton! It’s direct but they won’t care, As Abdoulaye Doucouré wheels away before a jubilant Goodison crowd.
KICK OFF
What’s the sound? It’s the collective peeeeeep of referees’ whistles from around the country. I’ve got my multiple screens set up, my radio commentary on and my typing fingers primed.
Let’s go!
An email has dropped from regular contributor Jeremy Boyce:
“There’s a lot at stake today between bottom and near-bottom teams,” he writes. “A defining Saturday in this year’s story? Plenty in the Championship too, the top three all in action and hoping to distance themselves before the [Tees-Wear] derby on Monday. Like a Tour de France mountain stage, it’s ‘elimination par derriere’ for now.”
Bournemouth run so much and are a physical side and on top of you in every phase. They like to press very high and have an open game with lots of running.
We need to be ready in every centimetre of the pitch and hopefully we can [put] our forwards in promising areas.
Arne Slot speaking to the BBC.
The big question today is: can Bournemouth continue their recent heroics against the Premier League’s best side? Andoni Iraola’s men are unbeaten in their past 12 matches in all competitions, a run that has included wins over Newcastle and Manchester United away and a 5-0 walloping of Forest last week.
Liverpool have only lost once in the league all season – at home to Forest – and have been especially supreme on the road. But they have lost recent away games to Spurs (in the Carabao Cup) and PSV (in a Champions League dead-rubber). It’s a huge test for Arne Slot’s would-be champions and should be an entertaining game.
Methinks it’s shaping up to be an exciting deadline day on Monday. Ollie Watkins probably won’t go to Arsenal but Marcus Rashford is edging closer to a previously unthinkable loan to Aston Villa while Mathys Tel, fresh from rejecting Tottenham, might fancy a move to Manchester United instead.
It’s not quite Torres and Carroll but it’s not bad.
Seven!
Wow what a finish for Plymouth, who turned a 1-0 deficit around late on thanks to Ryan Hardie’s double, beating West Brom 2-1. As my Argyle-supporting editor has just put it, a “dire game and a proper mugging” – but the Green Army won’t care.
Bristol City ended with nine players on the pitch against Oxford but have forced a draw, while Norwich held out to win 1-0 at Tom Cleverley’s Watford.
And of course, no Guardian weekend of football would be complete without the 10 things to look out for. Here’s a snippet of Andy Hunter on Everton’s injury plight:
As [Sean] Dyche knew only too well, however, obstacles often emerge when Everton attempt to build momentum. The valuable away win at Brighton came at the cost of losing Orel Mangala for the rest of the season with an ACL injury, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin for several weeks with a hamstring problem. Both had responded brightly to Moyes’ arrival and leave holes that need filling before Monday’s transfer deadline. Beto is Everton’s only fit striker and must seize the opportunity presented by Calvert-Lewin’s absence if he is to have a long-term future at Goodison Park.
Some pre-3pm reading options for you all. Grab a coffee and enjoy.
Alexa, show me what a goal machine looks like.
Good grief, Forest are 5-0 up and Chris Wood has a hat-trick. After their surprise 5-0 reverse to Bournemouth last week, this is quite the statement from Nuno’s men. Back in the title race?
Elsewhere in the early kick-offs, Josh Sargent’s goal has Norwich 1-0 up at 10-man Watford, the 10 men of Bristol City have hit back to level at Oxford, while it’s goalless between bottom club Plymouth and Tony Mowbray’s West Brom.
Premier League team news
Bournemouth v Liverpool
Bournemouth: Arrizabalaga; Cook, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Adams, Christie; Brooks, Kluivert, Semenyo; Ouattara.
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Konaté, Robertson; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister; Salah, Díaz, Gakpo.
Everton v Leicester
Everton: Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Garner, Gueye; Ndiaye, Doucouré, Lindstrøm; Beto.
Leicester: Hermansen; Justin, Vestergaard, Faes, Kristiansen; Winks, Soumare, Ayew, El Klannous, Decordova-Reid; Vardy.
Ipswich v Southampton
Ipswich: Muric; Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste, Enciso; Hutchinson, Broadhead, Delap.
Southampton: Ramsdale; Bree, Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis; Walker-Peters, Ugochukwu, Fernandes, Aribo, Wellington; Onuachu, Grønbæk.
Newcastle v Fulham
Newcastle: Dubravka; Livramento, Schär, Burn, Hall; Guimarães, Tonali, Joeltinon; Murphy, Isak, Gordon.
Fulham: Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Lukic, Berge; Traoré, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jiménez.
The official team news is about to drop around the grounds at 1.45pm a la the new way of doings things. I’ll sum it all up in one handy post. FPL managers of the world brace yourselves.
This week’s episode of I Can’t Believe Chris Wood Is This Good is an absolute corker:
Preamble
Greetings all. Another weekend arrives, which means another Saturday chock-full of prime footie action. And of course another clockwatch, always the most enjoyable (and hectic) of tasks for run-of-the-mill journos like myself.
There’s a serious test of Liverpool’s title credentials as they meet in-form, on-fire, on-song Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium; Newcastle meet Fulham in a tantalising contest on the banks of the Tyne; while there’s a big clash at Goodison Park as royal blue strugglers Everton host royal blue strugglers Leicester to see … who will win that.
Away from the Premier League, there’s a full programme in the second, third and fourth tiers, a smattering of Scottish Premiership action and the fifth round of the FA Trophy to boot. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are also among the Bundesliga sides taking to das Feld at around 2.30pm UK time.
Do feel free to drop me an email with your thoughts on any of today’s football. It’s going to move!