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| Version 5 | Version 6 |
|---|---|
| Live: Premiership | Live: Premiership |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Arsenal 3-1 Blackburn Aston Villa 0-1 Man Utd Liverpool 1-0 Watford Man City 0-2 Bolton Middlesbrough 2-0 Charlton Newcastle 3-1 Tottenham Portsmouth 2-1 Sheff Utd Reading 0-2 Everton | |
| Early game:Fulham 0-0 West Ham Match report | Early game:Fulham 0-0 West Ham Match report |
| Later kick-off:Wigan v Chelsea (1715 GMT) Match preview | Later kick-off:Wigan v Chelsea (1715 GMT) Match preview |
| GOALFLASHES AND MAJOR INCIDENTS (all times GMT) | |
| By Caroline Cheese | By Caroline Cheese |
| 1616: GOAL Aston Villa 0-1 Man UtdUnited break the deadlock at last. Cristiano Ronaldo breaks from the halfway line, reaches the penalty area and though his first shot is blocked, he makes no mistake with the second. | |
| 1615: GOAL Portsmouth 2-1 Sheff UtdNine minutes gone in the second half at Fratton Park and Sol Campbell scores his first goal for Pompey to put them ahead. | |
| 1609: GOAL Middlesbrough 2-0 CharltonFrom a corner, the ball comes back to Julio Arca who fires in a low shot and neither Scott Carson nor the Charlton defenders on the line can stop his shot. | |
| 1607: GOAL Portsmouth 1-1 Sheff UtdBenjani's low cross comes off Phil Jagielka and Rob Kozluk can't keep it out and knocks it over the line for an own goal. | |
| 1607: GOAL Reading 0-2 EvertonAndrew Johnson robs Ivar Ingimarsson and crosses for James McFadden, who controls and shoots home from eight yards. | |
| 1607: GOAL Liverpool 1-0 WatfordDirk Kuyt to Steven Gerrard to Craig Bellamy who's all on his own to slot past Ben Foster. | 1607: GOAL Liverpool 1-0 WatfordDirk Kuyt to Steven Gerrard to Craig Bellamy who's all on his own to slot past Ben Foster. |
| 1606: And we're off again... well, everywhere except the City of Manchester Stadium and St James' Park anyway. | 1606: And we're off again... well, everywhere except the City of Manchester Stadium and St James' Park anyway. |
| 1602: The Anfield DJ is playing 'Christmas Wrapping' by the Waitresses. Liverpool will hope to be wrapping up three points in the second half. Ho ho ho... | 1602: The Anfield DJ is playing 'Christmas Wrapping' by the Waitresses. Liverpool will hope to be wrapping up three points in the second half. Ho ho ho... |
| 1600: Hold on a second... Santa's at Fratton Park now... how did he do that? From Middlesbrough to Portsmouth in six minutes. The man's a genius. | 1600: Hold on a second... Santa's at Fratton Park now... how did he do that? From Middlesbrough to Portsmouth in six minutes. The man's a genius. |
| 1557: And there's 'King' Kenny Dalglish at Anfield! If only there were another two kings, we'd have a Christmas carol. | 1557: And there's 'King' Kenny Dalglish at Anfield! If only there were another two kings, we'd have a Christmas carol. |
| 1554: There's Santa at the Riverside! Enjoying a bit of down-time before tomorrow's chimney run no doubt. | 1554: There's Santa at the Riverside! Enjoying a bit of down-time before tomorrow's chimney run no doubt. |
| 1550: As we've reached the interval around the grounds. Time for some festive half-time entertainment surely? | 1550: As we've reached the interval around the grounds. Time for some festive half-time entertainment surely? |
| 1546: Controversy at the Madejski Stadium. Gary Naysmith brings down Seol Ki-Hyeon on the edge of the box but referee Steve Tanner, on his Premiership debut, waves away penalty appeals. Replays show it was just outside the area - but it should have been a free-kick surely. | 1546: Controversy at the Madejski Stadium. Gary Naysmith brings down Seol Ki-Hyeon on the edge of the box but referee Steve Tanner, on his Premiership debut, waves away penalty appeals. Replays show it was just outside the area - but it should have been a free-kick surely. |
| 1541: Liverpool keeper Jose Reina flaps at a cross and the ball lands at the feet of Watford's Al Bangoura, but he volleys high over the bar to waste the best chance of the game so far. | 1541: Liverpool keeper Jose Reina flaps at a cross and the ball lands at the feet of Watford's Al Bangoura, but he volleys high over the bar to waste the best chance of the game so far. |
| 1539: Remember when Lee Carsley injured his Everton team-mate Tim Cahill, sidelining him until the new year? Well, Gary Naysmith has just accidentally elbowed Carsley. The midfielder has treatment but is OK. | 1539: Remember when Lee Carsley injured his Everton team-mate Tim Cahill, sidelining him until the new year? Well, Gary Naysmith has just accidentally elbowed Carsley. The midfielder has treatment but is OK. |
| 1538: Leon Osman's fabulous volley hits the bar and bounces... on the line. No goal for Everton. | 1538: Leon Osman's fabulous volley hits the bar and bounces... on the line. No goal for Everton. |
| 1536: Newcastle 3-1 TottenhamSpurs keeper Paul Robinson blocks a free-kick and saves two follow-ups but he can't stop Magpies skipper Scott Parker nodding in from close range. | 1536: Newcastle 3-1 TottenhamSpurs keeper Paul Robinson blocks a free-kick and saves two follow-ups but he can't stop Magpies skipper Scott Parker nodding in from close range. |
| 1533: We've had a goal bonanza so far but still nothing at Anfield where bottom club Watford are facing in-form Liverpool. Watford keeper Ben Foster makes a good reaction save from Craig Bellamy's deflected cross - his third good stop of the afternoon. | 1533: We've had a goal bonanza so far but still nothing at Anfield where bottom club Watford are facing in-form Liverpool. Watford keeper Ben Foster makes a good reaction save from Craig Bellamy's deflected cross - his third good stop of the afternoon. |
| 1529: GOAL Middlesbrough 1-0 CharltonAnother blow for Les Reed's Charlton. James Morrison flicks the ball to Yakubu, who beats keeper Scott Carson and stabs the ball over the line. | 1529: GOAL Middlesbrough 1-0 CharltonAnother blow for Les Reed's Charlton. James Morrison flicks the ball to Yakubu, who beats keeper Scott Carson and stabs the ball over the line. |
| 1529: GOAL Man City 0-2 BoltonLaughable defending from Manchester City lets in Nicolas Anelka for his second from Henrik Pedersen's pass. | 1529: GOAL Man City 0-2 BoltonLaughable defending from Manchester City lets in Nicolas Anelka for his second from Henrik Pedersen's pass. |
| 1528: GOAL Arsenal 3-1 BlackburnEmmanuel Adebayor tucks away the penalty. Looks like conceding an early goal was just what Arsenal needed. | 1528: GOAL Arsenal 3-1 BlackburnEmmanuel Adebayor tucks away the penalty. Looks like conceding an early goal was just what Arsenal needed. |
| 1526: Penalty at the Emirates - for Arsenal. Lucas Neill is the last man when he brings down Robin van Persie but to the astonishment of everyone, he only gets a yellow card. | 1526: Penalty at the Emirates - for Arsenal. Lucas Neill is the last man when he brings down Robin van Persie but to the astonishment of everyone, he only gets a yellow card. |
| 1524: GOAL Arsenal 2-1 BlackburnEmmanuel Adebayor threads the ball through for Alex Hleb, who beats the defender and finishes in the far corner. | 1524: GOAL Arsenal 2-1 BlackburnEmmanuel Adebayor threads the ball through for Alex Hleb, who beats the defender and finishes in the far corner. |
| 1523: Meanwhile at the Riverside, there's a corner. That's it. | 1523: Meanwhile at the Riverside, there's a corner. That's it. |
| 1521: That's a lovely passing move from Manchester United at Villa Park, ruined only by Ji-Sung Park's miserable finish. Villa are unlucky not to be in front already, though - youngster Craig Gardner hit the post with a header a few moments ago. | 1521: That's a lovely passing move from Manchester United at Villa Park, ruined only by Ji-Sung Park's miserable finish. Villa are unlucky not to be in front already, though - youngster Craig Gardner hit the post with a header a few moments ago. |
| 1517: GOAL Newcastle 2-1 TottenhamA contender for comedy goal of the season at an action-packed St James' Park. Danny Murphy mis-hits his shot but it gets a deflection off a Newcastle defender's face and beats keeper Shay Given. Lucky it may be but Tottenham are back in this. | 1517: GOAL Newcastle 2-1 TottenhamA contender for comedy goal of the season at an action-packed St James' Park. Danny Murphy mis-hits his shot but it gets a deflection off a Newcastle defender's face and beats keeper Shay Given. Lucky it may be but Tottenham are back in this. |
| 1515: GOAL Reading 0-1 EvertonAndrew Johnson is back among the goals after a 13-game drought. The strike is deflected in off Ibrahima Sonko - but the England man won't care. | 1515: GOAL Reading 0-1 EvertonAndrew Johnson is back among the goals after a 13-game drought. The strike is deflected in off Ibrahima Sonko - but the England man won't care. |
| 1514: Paul Dickov's header is clawed off the line by Bolton keeper Jussi Jaskelainen as City go in search of a quick reply. He and the home fans are convinced the ball's over the line. The referee isn't. | 1514: Paul Dickov's header is clawed off the line by Bolton keeper Jussi Jaskelainen as City go in search of a quick reply. He and the home fans are convinced the ball's over the line. The referee isn't. |
| 1512: GOAL Man City 0-1 BoltonWho would have guessed it? Nicolas Anelka comes back to haunt his old club with a fine finish from Nicky Hunt's delicious pass. | 1512: GOAL Man City 0-1 BoltonWho would have guessed it? Nicolas Anelka comes back to haunt his old club with a fine finish from Nicky Hunt's delicious pass. |
| 1503: GOAL Arsenal 1-1 BlackburnFor the second time in two weeks, Gilberto chips in with a vital equaliser for the Gunners. The Brazilian rises almost unchallenged to head in Robin van Persie's cross. | 1503: GOAL Arsenal 1-1 BlackburnFor the second time in two weeks, Gilberto chips in with a vital equaliser for the Gunners. The Brazilian rises almost unchallenged to head in Robin van Persie's cross. |
| 1509: GOAL Newcastle 2-0 TottenhamSt James' Park is rocking. Obafemi Martins heads in Scott Parker's cross. Parker looks a bit offside though as he receives James Milner's pass. | 1509: GOAL Newcastle 2-0 TottenhamSt James' Park is rocking. Obafemi Martins heads in Scott Parker's cross. Parker looks a bit offside though as he receives James Milner's pass. |
| 1505: GOAL Portsmouth 0-1 Sheff UtdWhat a start to this festive afternoon feast... Derek Geary's cross finds Rob Hulse in between two defenders to head home from seven yards. | 1505: GOAL Portsmouth 0-1 Sheff UtdWhat a start to this festive afternoon feast... Derek Geary's cross finds Rob Hulse in between two defenders to head home from seven yards. |
| 1505: GOAL Newcastle 1-0 TottenhamKieron Dyer sidesteps the defender and coolly slots the ball past Paul Robinson from 20 yards. | 1505: GOAL Newcastle 1-0 TottenhamKieron Dyer sidesteps the defender and coolly slots the ball past Paul Robinson from 20 yards. |
| 1503: GOAL Arsenal 0-1 BlackburnKolo Toure brings down David Bentley with a clumsy challenge and Shabani Nonda steps up to give Rovers a shock lead at the Emirates. | 1503: GOAL Arsenal 0-1 BlackburnKolo Toure brings down David Bentley with a clumsy challenge and Shabani Nonda steps up to give Rovers a shock lead at the Emirates. |
| 1503: Penalty at the Emirates Stadium - and it goes to Blackburn. | 1503: Penalty at the Emirates Stadium - and it goes to Blackburn. |
| 1502: And the reason for the delay at St James' Park is that Jermain Defoe has picked up an injury in the warm-up. Danny Murphy comes in, with Steed Malbranque moving into attack. And they're under way now. | 1502: And the reason for the delay at St James' Park is that Jermain Defoe has picked up an injury in the warm-up. Danny Murphy comes in, with Steed Malbranque moving into attack. And they're under way now. |
| 1501: All the games are under way, except at Newcastle. | 1501: All the games are under way, except at Newcastle. |
| 1458: Pleasantries are taking place around the grounds with a couple of minutes to go before kick-off. All eyes at Villa Park are on the Manchester United bench, where Wayne Rooney sits. | 1458: Pleasantries are taking place around the grounds with a couple of minutes to go before kick-off. All eyes at Villa Park are on the Manchester United bench, where Wayne Rooney sits. |
| 1453: Former Aston Villa boss Ron Saunders is out on the pitch at Villa Park receiving a rapturous welcome from the home fans. Saunders, who led Villa to the title 25 years ago, was invited by the club's new owner Randy Lerner. | 1453: Former Aston Villa boss Ron Saunders is out on the pitch at Villa Park receiving a rapturous welcome from the home fans. Saunders, who led Villa to the title 25 years ago, was invited by the club's new owner Randy Lerner. |
| 1443: A bit of surprise team news from Villa Park. Wayne Rooney is only good enough for the bench. Ji-Sung Park starts for the first time since September. | 1443: A bit of surprise team news from Villa Park. Wayne Rooney is only good enough for the bench. Ji-Sung Park starts for the first time since September. |
| 1441: New West Ham boss Alan Curbishley makes it four points from six with a battling 0-0 draw in the early game at Fulham. Paul Konchesky gets a red card late on for a tackle on Wayne Routledge but the Hammers hang on. | 1441: New West Ham boss Alan Curbishley makes it four points from six with a battling 0-0 draw in the early game at Fulham. Paul Konchesky gets a red card late on for a tackle on Wayne Routledge but the Hammers hang on. |
| TEAM NEWS | TEAM NEWS |
| Arsenal make three changes: fit-again Tomas Rosicky comes into midfield in place of Fredrik Ljungberg, Justin Hoyte replaces the injured Emmanuel Eboue at right-back and Emmanuel Adebayor returns to the starting line-up as Arsenal switch to 4-4-2. Australian Brett Emerson recovers from a hamstring problem to start for Blackburn but Zurab Khizanishvili is not fit to feature and Benni McCarthy is suspended. | Arsenal make three changes: fit-again Tomas Rosicky comes into midfield in place of Fredrik Ljungberg, Justin Hoyte replaces the injured Emmanuel Eboue at right-back and Emmanuel Adebayor returns to the starting line-up as Arsenal switch to 4-4-2. Australian Brett Emerson recovers from a hamstring problem to start for Blackburn but Zurab Khizanishvili is not fit to feature and Benni McCarthy is suspended. |
| Aston Villa midfielder Gavin McCann passes a late fitness test, while Craig Gardner gets his first start of the season in place of Milan Baros and Aaron Hughes replaces Liam Ridgewell. Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is left on the bench, his place taken by Ji-Sung Park while Patrice Evra returns at left-back. | Aston Villa midfielder Gavin McCann passes a late fitness test, while Craig Gardner gets his first start of the season in place of Milan Baros and Aaron Hughes replaces Liam Ridgewell. Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is left on the bench, his place taken by Ji-Sung Park while Patrice Evra returns at left-back. |
| Liverpool bring in Danish defender Daniel Agger and midfielder Luis Garcia in place of Sami Hyypia and Mark Gonzalez. Watford keeper Ben Foster is fit again after a knee injury, while Adrian Mariappa comes in for the injured James Chambers. | Liverpool bring in Danish defender Daniel Agger and midfielder Luis Garcia in place of Sami Hyypia and Mark Gonzalez. Watford keeper Ben Foster is fit again after a knee injury, while Adrian Mariappa comes in for the injured James Chambers. |
| Manchester City drop striker Georgios Samaras to the bench as one of four changes. El Hadji Diouf returns to the Bolton side after a ban to replace the suspended Kevin Davies, while Tal Ben Haim replaces Stelios. | Manchester City drop striker Georgios Samaras to the bench as one of four changes. El Hadji Diouf returns to the Bolton side after a ban to replace the suspended Kevin Davies, while Tal Ben Haim replaces Stelios. |
| Jonathan Woodgate and Emanuel Pogatetz return for Middlesbrough. Charlton boss Les Reed makes four changes, with Hermann Hreidarsson and Radostin Kishishev both passing late fitness tests to return to the side. | Jonathan Woodgate and Emanuel Pogatetz return for Middlesbrough. Charlton boss Les Reed makes four changes, with Hermann Hreidarsson and Radostin Kishishev both passing late fitness tests to return to the side. |
| Newcastle are unchanged from the team that narrowly lost to Chelsea in the Carling Cup on Wednesday. Tottenham include Pascal Chimbonda, Ledley King and Lee Young-Pyo at the back, while Didier Zokora and Hossam Ghaly come into the midfield and Dimitar Berbatov partners Jermain Defoe in attack. | Newcastle are unchanged from the team that narrowly lost to Chelsea in the Carling Cup on Wednesday. Tottenham include Pascal Chimbonda, Ledley King and Lee Young-Pyo at the back, while Didier Zokora and Hossam Ghaly come into the midfield and Dimitar Berbatov partners Jermain Defoe in attack. |
| Benjani comes in for David Thompson in the only change to the Portsmouth side that drew 2-2 at Arsenal last week. Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock sticks with the same starting line-up that won 1-0 at Wigan. | Benjani comes in for David Thompson in the only change to the Portsmouth side that drew 2-2 at Arsenal last week. Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock sticks with the same starting line-up that won 1-0 at Wigan. |
| Reading name an unchanged side despite last week's loss to Blackburn, with skipper Graeme Murty turning out for the Royals for the 300th time. Everton make two late changes as young striker Victor Anichebe is ruled out through illness and Alan Stubbs is injured in the warm-up, opening the way for James McFadden and Gary Naysmith to start. | Reading name an unchanged side despite last week's loss to Blackburn, with skipper Graeme Murty turning out for the Royals for the 300th time. Everton make two late changes as young striker Victor Anichebe is ruled out through illness and Alan Stubbs is injured in the warm-up, opening the way for James McFadden and Gary Naysmith to start. |