The match reports are landing! Here’s Jacob Steinberg’s from Stamford Bridge:
Once the tributes to John Terry were done, Chelsea got on with showing their former captain the future. There is no place for sentiment in the heat of battle and Frank Lampard’s academy products made sure Aston Villa’s assistant manager did not enjoy his big homecoming too much, earning three important points thanks to excellent goals from Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount.
This was a fine victory for Chelsea after their aberration against West Ham. Mount was back to his enterprising best in midfield and Lampard’s side, sitting pretty in fourth place, did well to regain their poise after gifting Villa a soft equaliser on the stroke of half-time. Chelsea created countless chances during the second half and Terry must have known the visitors, a point above the bottom three, were fortunate not to lose by more.
Much more here:
In all five of the 7.30pm kick-offs the home side scored two goals and won. The last to finish is at the King Power Stadium, where a dodgy penalty and a slightly lucky 95th-minute goal brought Leicester victory over Watford, who had one shot on target in the entire game (and that in the 95th minute).
Chelsea pocket all the points and probably should have won more comfortably. They had 25 shots, which strikes me as rather a lot.
A deserved win for Manchester United, who played superbly for periods of this game. They leapfrog Spurs and sit sixth!
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And that’ll seal it! Maddison tries to push the ball past Mariappa and it deflects of both of the defender’s leg and back to Maddison, who runs into the area before beating Foster!
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And that’s the last chance at St Mary’s, with the final whistle blowing within seconds. With Everton losing, as it stands Southampton are out of the bottom three!
A chance for a 93rd-minute equaliser at St Mary’s Stadium, but Sam Byram hits his first effort into a thicket of legs, and his second wide!
The final whistle blows at Molineux, and Wolves pocket the points. With Tottenham losing, as things stand they’re fifth tonight.
Save from Kepa! Aston Villa swing the ball into the area, and Douglas Luiz rises highest and gets a header on target, which Kepa dives to push away!
“Can someone at Guardian towers please explain why it wasn’t possible yesterday to MBM two matches simultaneously (even though Max Rushden was watching the one not covered), yet tonight you are not only doing four matches, but also the one which has its own MBM?” asks Harvey Mayne. a) manpower issues, I expect; b) five matches, I think you’ll find.
Wolves seal the win at Molineux! Good work from Raul Jimenez to carry the ball from the left flank into the area, and it’s then touched back into the path of Cutrone, who tucks it just inside the post from the edge of the box!
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“Could it be that Jose Mourinho has managed to compress time as we might be witnessing the third (league) game syndrome as opposed to usual third season syndrome?” wonders Admir Pajic.
The match stats from Anfield make interesting reading: Liverpool have had four shots on target; Everton have had two shots on target … and it’s 4-2!
What a stop! Willian sends a free-kick dipping towards the top-right corner of the net, but Heaton flings himself to his left and gets his fingertips on it, to send it onto the post!
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It’s half-time at Anfield. Liverpool have abandoned their recent 2-1 habit, and are instead dealing in multiples of the same scoreline.
A cross from the left, and Richarlison completely misses with his attempted diving header but accidentally shoulders it into the far corner!
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Chance for Tammy Abraham! Willian slides the ball into the box, and Abraham clips it towards, but just past, the far post!
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Another fabulous counter-attack! From an Everton corner Van Dijk heads away to Mané, who passes left to Alexander-Arnold. He sprints most of the pitch, ignores the completely-unmarked-throughout Shaqiri on the right and instead nudges infield to Mané, whose first-time finish is perfection!
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So Jamie Vardy has now scored in seven successive league games. It’s been an exceptional night of football, I think: controversy, quality, and some brilliant, brilliant goals. Dele Alli’s is the highlight so far.
Now that’s a finish! Ings shoots just wide for Southampton and Norwich run down the other end, Tettey plays an excellent pass into the left side of the penalty area, and Pukki runs through before lashing a left-footer inside the near post!
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You’ve got to worry about Watford now. They have played pretty well thus far, but this team only know one way to react to adversity, and that’s badly. As I type that, though, Vardy is played in and dinks the ball over the onrushing Foster, only for Masina to fling a leg out and deflect it over the bar!
Lovren catches 60-yard-wonderpassitis! The Liverpool centre-back pings the ball over the entire Everton team, and Origi emphatically outpaces the Everton defence, controls the ball with a brilliant first touch, and then lifts it over Pickford and into the net!
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Foster stands his ground, and Vardy sends the ball to his left! The foul, such as it was, was committed by Adam Masina on Jonny Evans. Masina was keeping him at arm’s length, so did indeed touch him, but it was a very odd decision.
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Now Leicester do have a penalty! Or do they? There’s a long VAR check, and he points to the spot! That is a 100% pure make-up penalty award, because the Foxes should have had one in the first half. That, though, looks harsh.
Rashford is tripped by Sissoko as he bursts into the area, and the referee points to the spot! The England forward gets up, brushes himself down, sends Gazzaniga the wrong way and sidefoots his penalty into the net!
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Everton pull one back! From a short corner Iwobi’s cross deflects into Kean’s path, leaving him with a simple finish!
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Into the second half, and someone has already turned on the goal tap! Willian crosses, Abraham chests it down, and Mount thumps a right-foot volley into the roof of the net from a yard or two behind the penalty spot!
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Liverpool stretch their lead! Alexander-Arnold starts the move with an insane 60-yard crossfield pass upfield to Mane, whose pass picks out Shaqiri’s run into the area, and he taps it past Pickford! That’s a fantastic break.
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“Dele, seems he’s a one-off physical specimen,” complains Peter Littley, “shoulders stretch all the way to his elbows.” You can’t seriously be telling me you think that goal should have been disallowed?
That’s a lovely break from the league leaders! Mane carries the ball down the left, into Everton’s half, and then curls a fabulous left-footed pass around Keane and perfectly into Origi’s path! Pickford rushes out of goal but loses the race to the ball, the Belgian’s first touch takes it past him, and his second sends it into an empty net!
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It is half time in all the 7.30 kick-offs, so have yourself a breather. Though they’re just five minutes into things at Anfield, so make it a quick one.
Looking back at that Trezeguet goal, it is an absolutely classic hilarious slapstick finish. The Egyptian’s header is completely hopeless, but he actually heads it straight down and into his own shin, and it bounces off his shin and into goal!
“Thank goodness VAR let that Alli goal stand,” writes Rob Moore. “I’m no fan of either Spurs or Man Utd, but that goal was worthy of all the superlatives. To have it ruled out for a graze on a shirt shoulder would be tragic.” It was a fabulous goal, no doubt about it, and though it might have just brushed a bit of fabric in his shoulder area, it was not a handball or even near one.
Chance for Watford! Deulofeu slides the ball across the edge of the area to Hughes, who has a fabulous chance! His shot, though, hits Deeney and goes wide.
Another set piece for Southampton, and another goal! It’s a corner from the right, which Long flicks on and Bertrand taps in at the back stick!
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A cross from the right, and everyone thinks it’s going to be met at the near post, including Trezeguet by the looks of things. It misses two players at the near post, hits Trezeguet and bounces in!
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And after all that dominance, United are pegged back! And what a finish that is from Dele Alli! It’s a cross from the left that goes through to the right, where a shot is blasted goalwards. De Gea beats it away, but Dele Alli, with his back to goal, gets to it, flicks it up and over his head before spinning and volleying it in! It’s a lovely, lovely goal – but did it brush his upper arm? VAR checks, and (quite rightly, in my opinion) says no!
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Leicester in VAR penalty controversy! Vardy goes down in the area as Mariappa challenges, but the referee is unimpressed and books the Leicester striker for his troubles. VAR checks it, and it looks very much like a penalty from where I’m sitting, even if Vardy fell over in a slightly unnatural way, but it’s not overturned.
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At Molineux Jota has a pop from the edge of the area, but Martin remains resolute for West Ham, and pushes the ball away.
Chance for Leicester! Lovely build-up as Barnes comes inside from the left, plays a couple of little one-twos and bursts into the area, but when he finally gets round to shooting Foster saves it.
At Stamford Bridge, Aston Villa win a corner, then another corner, then another corner. Then corner No4 is cleared and suddenly Chelsea have a 3 v 2 break, but Abraham tries to pass inside to Pulisic rather than go for goal himself, and hits a defender.
Meanwhile in Scotland, it’s Aberdeen v Rangers and one of the players has been hit with a pie thrown from the stands.
Now Lingard shoots just wide! Tottenham are getting overrun here, and it could be time for a Jose Mourinho first-half substitution special.
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