Arsenal v West Ham, Wolves v Brighton and more: clockwatch – live!

Premier League: Having been under the cosh early doors in their game against Southampton, Newcastle are denied by an outstanding triple-save from Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.

Championship: Scott Hogan lifts the ball over Reading goalkeeper Rafael to put Birmingham City a goal ahead at St Andrew’s.

Championship: Leeds United take an early lead against Huddersfield Town at Elland Road, Luke Ayling volleying home at the back post after three minutes.

Premier League: Jarrod Bowen hits the post with a long range effort for West Ham in the early stages of their match against Arsenal at the Emirates.

Not long now: Pre-match handshakes are not taking place in grounds around the country as players and match officials go through the last of the pre-match formalities ahead of our three o’clock kick-offs. Intriguingly, there were no short of post-match handshakes and embraces in the game between Liverpool and Bournemouth. It’s almost as if Premier League officials just wanted to be seen to be doing something about the coronavirus and didn’t really think their new healthcare policy through.

Premier League: “There was joy in the eruption that greeted the final whistle at Anfield but also unmistakable relief,” writes Andy Hunter.

Championship: Nakhi Wells and Tom Cairney got the goals as the points were shared at Ashton Gate.

Premier League: It wasn’t the most convincing of victories, but Liverpool won’t care. They’re unbeaten in 55 at Anfield and now lead the Premier League by 25 points.

Arsenal v West Ham: Arsenal make three changes, while West Ham field an unchanged side from the one that beat Southampton last week.

Wolves v Brighton: Adama Traore is injured, but makes the bench. Leander Dendoncker replaces him. Graham Potter keeps faith with the same team that lost against Crystal Palace last week.

Southampton v Newcastle: Danny Ings comes back into the Southampton side, with Michael Obafemi dropping to the bench. Chris Smallbone and Stuart Armstrong are both out injured. For Newcastle, Alain Saint-Maximin returns to the starting line-up after missing out against Burnley last weekend, while Joelinton is among the substitutes.

Sheffield United v Norwich City: Sander Berge is out of Sheffield United’s starting line-up and is replaced by John Lundstram. Norwich City are unchanged from the side that beat Leicester City last weekend.

Crystal Palace v Watford: Crystal Palace are unchanged from their win over Newcastle. Watford make one enforced switch, with Roberto Pereyra coming in for Gerard Deulofeu, whose season is over.

Championship: With the game approaching its knockings, it’s 1-1 between Bristol City and Fulham at Ashton Gate. Nahki Wells put the home side ahead in the 70th minute, but Tom Cairney has just equalised for Fulham. There’s five minutes left in that one.

Sheff Utd: Henderson, Basham, Egan, O’Connell, Baldock, Lundstram, Norwood, Fleck, Stevens, McBurnie, Sharp.

Subs: Jagielka, McGoldrick, Verrips, Mousset, Osborn, Retsos, Berge.

Norwich: Krul, Aarons, Hanley, Godfrey, Lewis, Tettey, McLean, Emi, Duda, Cantwell, Pukki.

Subs: Zimmermann, Rupp, Vrancic, Stiepermann, Drmic, McGovern, Idah.

Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire)

Wolves: Rui Patricio, Boly, Coady, Saiss, Doherty, Dendoncker, Neves, Joao Moutinho, Ruben Vinagre, Jimenez, Jota.

Subs: Bruno Jordao, Pedro Neto, Daniel Podence, Ruddy, Traore, Kilman, Rasmussen.

Brighton: Ryan, Montoya, Webster, Dunk, Burn, Propper, Bissouma, Trossard, Mooy, March, Maupay.

Subs: Duffy, Stephens, Mac Allister, Gross, Jahanbakhsh, Murray, Button.

Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands)

Southampton: McCarthy, Valery, Stephens, Bednarek, Bertrand, Djenepo, Hojbjerg, Ward-Prowse, Boufal, Long, Ings.

Subs: Vestergaard, Adams, Romeu, Obafemi, Walker-Peters, Gunn, Danso.

Newcastle: Dubravka, Manquillo, Lascelles, Fernandez, Rose, Ritchie, Shelvey, Hayden, Saint-Maximin, Gayle, Almiron.

Subs: Schar, Joelinton, Yedlin, Lazaro, Darlow, Sean Longstaff, Bentaleb.

Referee: Graham Scott (Oxfordshire)

Crystal Palace: Guaita, Ward, Dann, Cahill, van Aanholt, McArthur, McCarthy, Kouyate, Ayew, Benteke, Zaha.

Subs: Milivojevic, Meyer, Townsend, Hennessey, Schlupp, Kelly, Riedewald.

Watford: Foster, Femenia, Kabasele, Cathcart, Masina, Hughes, Capoue, Sarr, Doucoure, Pereyra, Deeney.

Subs: Gomes, Dawson, Mariappa, Welbeck, Chalobah, Gray, Pussetto.

Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)

Arsenal: Leno, Papastathopoulos, Luiz, Pablo Mari, Saka, Ceballos, Xhaka, Pepe, Ozil, Aubameyang, Nketiah.

Subs: Bellerin, Lacazette, Nelson, Martinez, Willock, Guendouzi, Martinelli.

West Ham: Fabianski, Ngakia, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Rice, Noble, Bowen, Fornals, Antonio, Haller.

Subs: Balbuena, Zabaleta, Felipe Anderson, Lanzini, Snodgrass, Soucek, Randolph.

Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)

Coronavirus latest. If the evidence of Liverpool’s match against Bournemouth is anything to go by, handshakes have been outlawed, but spitting on the pitch, goal celebrations, players covering their hands with their mouths while talking to each other and managers screaming with spittle-flecked rage at fourth officials is still OK.

Premier League: It remains Liverpool 2-1 Bournemouth at Anfield, but Liverpool are not having it all their own way. Ryan Fraser thought he’d equalised for Bournemouth after lobbing Adrian and was waiting for the ball to drop into the gaping goal, only for James Milner to sprint back and make a spectacular goal-line clearance. Scott Murray has the latest …

Barney Ronay wrote column about Eric Dier’s post-match saunter into the West Stand at White Hart Lane on Wednesday night, in which he expressed concern about levels of incoherent anger on the internet. It should go without saying that it has been greeted by levels of incoherent anger on the internet, although many readers seem largely in agreement. Read on …

Meanwhile in Scotland

As good as home and hosed in the Scottish title race due to Rangers’ post winter break slump, Celtic entertain St Mirren as they continue their hunt for nine in a row. At the bottom of the table, Hearts entertain third-placed Motherwell and are in desperate need of a win. Two points above them and high on the hog after their midweek win over Rangers at Ibrox, Hamilton Hamilton entertain Kilmarnock. Rangers travel to Ross County for tomorrow’s lunchtime kick-off.

Championship fixtures

The Championship weekend got off to rather a surreal start with Millwall’s surprise hammering Nottingham Forest at the City Ground last night. Just ahead of Forest in third place, Fulham are playing Bristol City in the day’s early fixture and it’s currently scoreless at the break at Ashton Gate.

Elsewhere, league leaders West Brom travel to Swansea City, while second placed Leeds United entertain Huddersfield Town in a Yorkshire derby. Further down the table, close friends and rival managers Less Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate will be in opposing technical areas when Charlton entertain fellow strugglers Middlesbrough in a kind of Leeds Last Time They Were In Europe derby.

Premier League fixtures

As we’ve mentioned already, Liverpool are entertaining Bournemouth in the day’s lunchtime kick-off and got off to a poor start, going behind to a Callum Wilson goal in the ninth minute that somehow survived a VAR check despite a blatant foul by the goalscorer on Joe Gomez in the build-up. It’s going better for the hosts now, thanks to goals from Mo Salah and Sadio Mane. Liverpool now lead by the odd goal of three.

Elsewhere, Brighton face a daunting trip to Wolves as they begin a run of fixtures that pits them against four of the top six, Arsenal and relegation rivals Norwich City in their next six games. Their fellow strugglers West Ham continue their fight against relegation with a trip to Arsenal, while Newcastle, who look far from safe, travel to the south coast for a visit to Southampton in one of the day’s other eye-catching fixtures.

The weekend’s Premier League action kicked off at Anfield, where Liverpool are hoping to put a run of three defeats in four games (across three different competitions) behind them as they entertain relegation-threatened Bournemouth. They’ve come from behind to lead their visitors 2-1 at half-time.

Away from Merseyside, we’ve got five three o’clock kick-offs to stay across in the top flight and we’ll also be keeping tabs on goings-on in the Championship and beyond. Stay tuned for team news, build-up, goal alerts and any other major talking points on what promises to be another intriguing afternoon of football action.