Leeds 0-1 Brighton, West Ham 1-0 Burnley and Football League – as it happened
16-Jan-2021 17:25:04 | The Guardian
Brighton grabbed three important points at Leeds to go above Burnley, who lost at West Ham, while Wayne Rooney’s full-time debut turned bad
Right then, that’s all from me. Scott Murray will take you through Fulham v Chelsea here:
Related: Fulham v Chelsea: Premier League – live!
For the second game in a row Sean Dyche watches his team lose but seems optimistic:
We’ve just got to find the margins of our favour, especially in the attacking third. I still believe in what we do, because we’ve proved it over a long period. We kept the ball, we asked questions, but we couldn’t quite open the door. You’ve got to remember after eight games we had two points. We’re in pretty healthy shape considering. Keep playing like that and we’ll be alright.
You can find any table you like (within reason) here, but here’s the Premier League:
This just in from Ed Aarons at the London Stadium:
For a player who was once rejected by Wimbledon over a £7 registration fee, Michail Antonio has definitely proved his worth to West Ham. Absent since the end of November with a groin injury, it took him less than 10 minutes to find the net against Burnley as David Moyes’ side secured a battling victory.
Antonio was signed as a winger in 2015 and even played as a full-back under Manuel Pellegrini but it is as a lone striker that he is excelling under Moyes. Inspired by their returning talisman in attack, West Ham should really have put this game beyond doubt in the first half and were forced to dig deep to hold off a spirited late onslaught from Sean Dyche’s side. But a victory that lifts them into real contention for the top six thanks to Antonio’s 40th Premier League goal – just seven behind Paolo Di Canio’s West Ham record – was just about a fair reward.
Related: Michail Antonio gives resurgent West Ham battling victory over Burnley
David Moyes has a chat:
His teams have always been incredibly hard to play against. They defend really well and they’re a real threat going forward, so it’s a really good win for us. I thought we defended really well. Against Burnley there’s things you have to do, you have to defend crosses well and we did that. I was a bit disappointed we didn’t play better, but Burnley kept at it and we showed that resilience.
We’d like to strengthen if we can but the most important thing is we win our games. I’d like some pace and someone who can run in behind. Mickey gives us that but if we don’t have him through injury or he needs a rest we need that.
Louise Taylor has filed her match report from Elland Road:
A slow, messy thaw had begun melting the thick snow banked up by the sides of the roads outside the stadium and, inside it, Leeds United’s once solid midfield seemed to be dissolving in sympathy.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side have had much better days and a big part of that was down to Brighton’s excellence. Graham Potter’s team were so good that it was extremely hard to credit that this was their first Premier League win since November.
Related: Brighton's Neal Maupay secures invaluable win as Leeds labour
Michail Antonio explains his curious goal celebration:
Me and Declan played a game of Call of Duty mobile, I lost and that was my forfeit. That’s what it was.
You won't see a more questionable celebration than this from Michail Antonio today...
( @primevideosport )pic.twitter.com/vrhZyMwrSu
Here follows a classified check on today’s full-time scores.
The final whistle sounds at both Premier League games at almost the same moment, and the results mean Brighton vault Burnley, who sit 17th (albeit with two games in hand on the Seagulls), while West Ham move at least temporarily into eighth!
Disaster for Wayne Rooney, as Rotherham break the deadlock against Derby in the 86th minute, through Jamie Lindsay! It would be Rotherham’s second away win of the season, and take them above the Rams in the table (though both would be in the bottom three).
West Ham should have clinched victory on the break, but Yarmolenko took a shot and hit Mee with it, when he could have passed to his left and presented Antonio with a tap-in.
More professional foul news, as Stoke’s James Chester is sent off for one at Blackburn, a couple of minutes after the home side equalised through John Buckley. It’s 1-1 there too!
Hull
are
were a goal up against Blackpool but are a man down after the most professional of professional fouls from Reece Burke. Still, it preserved their lead. But then, as I type...
1-1. Blackpool equalise after the ball pinballs inside the box.
1-1 [82'] #HULBLP
Good and bad news for Norwich: Cardiff scored in the 65th minute through Ralls (bad), but the home side are now down to 10 men after Pack was sent off (good). and now Luton have gone a goal up at Bournemouth (also good), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall with a left-foot curler. Talking of left-foot curlers, Sammy Ameobi’s second for Nottingham Forest against Millwall was a peach.
There have been 17 shots at West Ham and 10 at Leeds, plenty of goalmouth action at both venues, but just the one goal in each game. Surely more to come?
A second goal for Watford at home to Huddersfield, excellent work from Kiko Femenia on the right and his low centre presents Joao Pedro with a far-post tap-in. At West Ham, Bowen sees a shot go just the wrong side of the near post.
Fiacre Kelleher, older brother of highly-rated Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin, has scored to give Wrexham a 2-1 lead at home to bottom-of-the-table Dover in the National League.
Fornals now has an effort for West Ham, after Pope pushes a dangerous cross away, and it looked to be heading in until it hit Lowton.
Didn't quite catch that one, @Michailantonio? #PLonPrime #WHUBUR pic.twitter.com/a8ABj7lbUy
Over to West Ham, where a right-wing cross from Bowen Antonio chests the ball down and hammers a volley ... off entirely the wrong part of his foot, and he falls over while doing so to boot, and it goes for a throw-in.
Watford take the lead against Huddersfield, in hilarious style! Toffolo wins a header against Sarr out on the Watford right and the ball rolls to O’Brien, who passes back to Vellejo, who passes back to Schofield. All the while Cleverley is scurrying about, closing down, and when Vellejo’s pass proves underhit he reaches it before Schofield and slides it in from six yards!
Excellent work from Veltman at Elland Road, who runs across his own goal to nick the ball off the toe of Bamford in the penalty area. It runs to Harrison, who curls a first-time effort across goal but just wide!
Further uncomfortable head contact news from the London Stadium, where Craig Dawson has been sent from the field to deal with a bleeding nose.
Play is back under way! As in the first half Burnley have a player on the floor within 35 seconds of kick-off. This time it’s Barnes, who goes up for a header, butts a defender’s buttock and takes a while to recover.
Here are the half-time scores. Not a lot of goals about:
It’s half time at the London Stadium, where West Ham take a 1-0 lead over Burnley into the break. Brighton are 60 seconds from doing similar in Leeds.
Stoke have only won one of their last nine in all competitions, and that was against Blackburn last month. Today they play Blackburn again, and they’re winning again: Nick Powell has just headed in from six yards.
West Ham hit the post! It’s a corner from the right, which is played in by Bowen, flicked on, and then hammered against the far post by Ogbonna!
Burnley have a goal disallowed! It’s a low cross from Wood on the left, which flicks off the back of Cresswell’s trailing leg at the near post and loops in at the far, but Wood was offside in the build-up.
More good news for Norwich: Bournemouth are a man down at home to Luton, after Jefferson Lerma was sent off (apparently very harshly). It could have been better still, but Watford’s Troy Deeney has not been sent off when he might have been.
I can see three Sivasspor players here, but there may be more:
Başakşehir - Sivas maçının saha görüntüsü.
Sivasspor beyaz formayla mücadele ediyor. pic.twitter.com/3QquUtrd06
This just in from Turkey, where the game between Istanbul Basaksehir and Sivasspor turned into a game of spot the footballer. Not ideal conditions for an all-white kit:
Şu an bu ortamda maç yapmak için deliriyorum... pic.twitter.com/udEBzSeGpx
Brighton hit the bar! It’s a deflected cross, but Casilla is helpless as it crashes against the meat of the woodwork and away!
Norwich are two up! The not-quite-runaway-but-getting-there (walkquicklyaway?) Championship leaders double their lead against Cardiff as Todd Cantwell snaffles the rebound after Jordan Hugill’s shot is saved.
Here, watch it yourself. Quite a tasty goal, really:
Beautiful Brighton goal
Leeds are cut apart as Maupay finishes a wonderful Brighton move
Watch on Sky Sports PL
Follow #LEEBHA here: https://t.co/gU7Z1VIo2m
Download the @SkySports app! pic.twitter.com/jF6HFuUfIT
Maupay stays on his feet this time, and is left with the easiest of finishes when Mac Allister draws the keeper before setting him up with low square pass!
Bristol City are a goal up at home to Preston, Famara Diedhiou nodding in a corner with what we generally call aplomb. At Elland Road Maupay goes down in the area, but it’s a horrible dive and the referee does not reward it (or punish it, for some reason).
A fine Fornals cross from the left is misjudged by Tarkowski and finds Antonio in all sorts of space at the far post, and he makes no mistake from a couple of yards!
Chance for Leeds! It’s a low cross from the left and Rodrigo only needs to touch it in as he runs onto the ball five yards out, but with a defender diving in to distract him he misses it completely!
Norwich are the first team in the English Football League to score this afternoon, Grant Hanley heading in from a couple of feet after a corner is flicked on at the near post.
Less than a minute played and the Burnley physios are already on the pitch, helping Josh Brownhill to his feet after a collision with Declan Rice.
Players are out and ready for kick-off. Brace! Brace!
Here’s Paul Doyle’s report on Wolves 2-3 West Brom:
Six matches after being parachuted in to save West Brom, Sam Allardyce can at last say he has presided over a victory – and a particularly sweet one, at that. Matheus Pereira scored two penalties either side of a headed goal by Semi Ajayi as West Brom upset their local rivals with a display of opportunism, spirit and relative defensive rigour. Wolves, though, should mostly blame themselves. They have lost six of their last nine league matches and look no closer to solving problems at both ends of the pitch.
For nine years Wolves had waited for a chance to avenge their defeat in the last Black Country derby, a 5-1 clobbering that convinced the club to oust their then manager, Mick McCarthy. West Brom have already jettisoned one manager this season and the replacement arrived at Molineux looking for a victory to kickstart his rescue mission.
Related: Matheus Pereira's two penalties give West Brom vital win over Wolves
“Afternoon Simon,” writes our occasional voluntary Scottish football correspondent Simon McMahon. “ Scottish Leagues One and Two were suspended earlier in the week, but still some games taking place in the top two divisions, for now anyway. Crisis club Celtic are at home to high-flying Livingston, while Micky Mellon’s Dundee United travel to Hamilton (and if anyone hasn’t seen Lawrence Shankland’s goal for United against St Johnstone during midweek, they really should). In the Scottish Championship, leaders Hearts are at Alloa, and struggling Dundee host Ayr (though there’s a doubt about that one as, after recent snow and rain, part of the pitch at Dens resembles a ploughed field*). *Insert your own joke about 1970’s industrial style football.”
Sadly as Simon was pressing send on his email, Dundee were making the following announcement:
Today’s match against Ayr United has been postponed.
The referee David Munro deemed the pitch to be unplayable despite an earlier pitch inspection and both clubs wanting the match to be played #thedee pic.twitter.com/evY3AlrmyK
Sunderland have won one and lost one league game in a drawful last two months, but Charlie Wyke has just completed his hat-trick to give them a 3-0 lead in the last minute at Wimbledon, so there’ll be three more points in the bank this evening.
Sean Dyche has named an unchanged team to face West Ham today. He has a chat on the telly:
We’ve got a good belief. The performance level against Man Utd was really good, that’s why we’re sticking with the same side. Other players [he mentions Dwight McNeil] are close to fitness, and our squad strength is improving all the time.
When you win it’s always good memories. We were decent both games, and the last couple of seasons we’ve done well here. There seems a more solid feel about West Ham at the moment. Maybe not as free flowing but still a good side, we know that. We’re never far away defensively but our production in the front third has got to improve.
Dortmund’s match against Mainz kicked off 10 minutes or so ago, their players having warmed up in special jerseys encouraging Axel Witsel, nicknamed Chaloupe (“Chaloupe is my nickname. They gave it to me when I was playing for Standard Lièege because I am always… A Chaloupe is a small wooden boat, which always moves very slowly on the water. That is how I am every day: cool, relaxed, not stressed. That’s why they called me that years ago and I’m still like that today.”), to recover quickly from his torn achilles tendon.
Erling Haaland had the ball in the net within 90 seconds of kick-off, but the goal was disallowed for handball.
A few photographers are trying their very best to produce interesting pre-match images on a day when drab slate-grey skies make such a task rather difficult. Here’s a puddle of the day:
West Brom lead Wolves 3-2 with 10 minutes to play, and Scott Murray is all over this one:
Related: Wolves v West Brom: Premier League – live!
Meanwhile at Elland Road, the names on the team sheets are these:
Leeds: Casilla, Dallas, Ayling, Cooper, Alioski, Struijk, Raphinha, Rodrigo, Klich, Harrison, Bamford. Subs: Poveda-Ocampo, Roberts, Llorente, Helder Costa, Hernandez,
Davis, Caprile, Shackleton, Jenkins.
Brighton: Sanchez, Webster, Dunk, Burn, Veltman, White, Gross, March, Mac Allister, Maupay, Trossard. Subs: Bissouma, Alzate, Tau, Propper, Zeqiri, Walton, Sanders, Khadra, Jenks.
Referee: Kevin Friend.
Your #LUFC Starting XI...
...
Your Albion side for #LEEBHA!
https://t.co/S3j1TIvOB3#BHAFC ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/owkCBfGvfT
Lining up at the London Stadium will be this lot:
West Ham: Fabianski, Coufal, Dawson, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Rice, Soucek, Bowen, Benrahma, Fornals, Antonio. Subs: Alves, Yarmolenko, Lanzini, Noble, Diop, Fredericks, Johnson, Randolph, Odubeko.
Burnley: Pope, Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Pieters, Gudmundsson, Westwood, Brownhill, Brady, Wood, Barnes. Subs: Cork, McNeil, Stephens, Rodriguez, Norris, Bardsley, Vydra, Long, Benson.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh.
Here's how we line up today at London Stadium...#WHUBUR
LINE-UP | Here is how the Clarets line-up against West ham this afternoon. ⬇️#WHUBUR | #UTC | @eToro pic.twitter.com/v0LUbhyeMD
Saturday afternoon is once again upon us, and with it the weekly game glut. Here, then, is your big fixture check. A few stand out: outside the Premier League there are big games at the top and bottom of the Championship, with this evening’s Barnsley v Swansea match seeing two of the division’s form teams play each other, while Wayne Rooney’s first match as a full-time manager sees his Derby side, 22nd in the league, host the team immediately below them, Rotherham (who have two games in hand). The leaders of Leagues One and Two are both out of action because of postponements, and in their absence the big games in both divisions are towards the bottom: in League One 23rd-place Wigan visit Rochdale, three places but only two points ahead of them, while in League Two four of the bottom five play each other, with Scunthorpe hoping to pull themselves clear of the relegation scrap with victory at Barrow and the bottom two, Grimsby and Southend, meeting at Blundell Park.
Today’s fixtures (3pm kick-offs unless stated):
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