That’s all from this matchday live blog. Head over to the Spurs v Nottingham Forest minute-by-minute or the Arsenal v Manchester City minute-by-minute for updates.
Half time: Spurs 0-1 Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest delivered a hammer blow before half time. Spurs almost responded immediately when Mathys Tel curled an effort onto the crossbar. There was a penalty shout in the aftermath of the shot but ultimately nothing was given.
Half time: Aston Villa 1-0 West Ham
Aston Villa go in at half time with a goal advantage. They dominated the first half so West Ham will need a big 45 minutes to get back into this one.
GOAL! Spurs 0-1 Nottingham Forest (Jesus, 45)
This is a huge goal for Nottingham Forest. Nico Williams whips in a corner and Igor Jesus rises highest to head the visitors in front on the stroke of half time.
Sancho has started the game well. He’s causing defenders problems with his quick feet and precise passing.
Aston Villa are dominating the early proceedings. Mavropanos clears an effort off the line.
The referee has awarded Aston Villa a penalty after Konstantinos Mavropanos tackled Ollie Watkins. The decision is rightly overturned after a VAR review.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-0 West Ham (McGinn, 15)
Aston Villa have taken an early lead! They work a free kick well, Jadon Sancho laying the ball off for John McGinn who curls the ball into the far corner.
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Dundee beat Celtic 2-0 in the Scottish Premiership. That’s a huge blow to Celtic in the title race.
The Tottenham fans are in full voice today. There were beautiful scenes outside of the stadium earlier where the home fans were singing “When the Spurs go marching in”.
The players are lining up for the 14:15 kick offs.
Spurs v Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa v West Ham
Liverpool and Brighton drew in the WSL. Liverpool will be happy with a point as they increase their distance from the relegation zone.
Full time: Newcastle 1-2 Sunderland
Sunderland have done it! Head over to Luke McLaughlin’s minute-by-minute for the live reaction.
Dundee United have doubled their lead against Celtic. Emmanuel Agyei swept the ball home from the edge of the area.
GOAL! Newcastle 1-2 Sunderland (Brobbey, 90)
Sunderland have taken the lead! Enzo Le Fée races away on the left and cuts the ball for Brian Brobbey. The striker’s first effort is well saved by Ramsdale but he converts the follow up to send the away fans wild.
In the Scottish Premiership, Dundee United have taken a well deserved lead against Celtic. Will Ferry connected with Luca Stephenson’s cross to give the home side the lead.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa play West Ham in a game that has ramifications at both ends of the table. Aston Villa have the opportunity to capitalise on a gameweek where their fellow Champions League hopefuls Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea dropped points. Points are also crucial for West Ham in their bid to stay remain in the league.
Newcastle have a goal disallowed against Sunderland. Malick Thiaw headed home but Jacob Murphy was standing in front of the keeper in an offside position.
There’s also a huge game at the bottom of the table between Spurs and Nottingham Forest. I spoke to a few Spurs fans on the way to the office and they weren’t confidence of their chances. I suppose it’s understandable but I reckon they’ll get a result today. What do you think?
GOAL! Newcastle 1-1 Sunderland (Talbi, 57)
Regarding the Tyne-Wear derby, Sunderland have just equalised through Chemsdine Talbi. The winger swept the ball home from a corner after a poor punch from Aaron Ramsdale. Is there a winner in this game?
Thanks Emillia! I’ll build up to the Carabao Cup final and provide updates from the Tyne-Wear derby.
Right, it’s time for me to hand this blog over to Xaymaca Awoyungbo, who will continue previewing the rest of today’s fixtures.
Simon McMahon has messaged in about the ongoing match between Dundee United and Celtic:
“The opening twenty minutes between Dundee United and Celtic have been, like the playing surface at Tannadice, patchy. Though United’s Will Ferry has just forced a smart save from Sinisalo in the Celtic goal. No goals yet, though.”
Our coverage of Tottenham v Nottingham Forest has just kicked off. You can join Rob Smyth for all the build-up.
It’s half-time in the Tyne-Wear derby and Newcastle still lead 1-0 thanks to Anthony Gordon’s early goal.
In case you missed it, Manchester City put one hand on the WSL trophy yesterday with a 5-2 win over Tottenham. Chelsea dropped points in a 1-1 draw against London City Lionesses, allowing Manchester United to leapfrog them into second place with a dramatic 2-1 win over Everton. And finally, Arsenal cruised to a 5-0 victory against West Ham at the Emirates Stadium.
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It seems that relegation for Wolves and Burnley is pretty much inevitable at this point, but who will take that third spot?
Newcastle 1-0 Sunderland: Newcastle take the lead in the opening 10 minutes! Ellborg plays the ball short to O’Nien from a goal kick and the defender passes it straight out to Woltemade, who sets it to Gordon with his first touch. The forward then makes no mistake when putting the ball into the net.
Elsewhere today, and kicking off in 20 minutes, Celtic face Dundee United as they look to close the gap to Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts.
A win today would see them move within two points of the top spot.
The Tyne-Wear derby is about to kick off. You can join Luke McLaughlin now for minute-by-minute updates.
Gabriel has blocked 38 shots this season – 29% of the squad’s total – and is the undisputed leader of Arsenal’s defence as they prepare to face Manchester City in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final.
Bill has messaged in with his take on Mikel Arteta’s Eze/Odegaard dilemma:
“Yes, I’d agree with your point about Eze starting over Odegaard. Not sure what happened with Ode. I think he was bought for a different time - when teams were more open against us and we needed his psychological steel, determination.
“Eze’s desire to move forward at every opportunity seems a better fit at the moment.
“Not sure how Ode could morph into the No.10 we need these days.”
Ruben Dias on the Carabao Cup final
Jamie Jackson has been hearing from Ruben Dias and Pep Guardiola in the buildup to today’s final.
Dias has brushed off Arsenal’s mode of play. “I would say I don’t care. I just want to win and that’s it,” says the Manchester City centre-back, who is determined the Gunners’ set-piece play will be countered. “I will just say, like any other game, you see what you’re up against, you see what you can and cannot do, and within those lines, you do the best.”
The Portuguese accepts the boundaries have been blurred. “You just adapt to the rules. I feel like things have definitely changed. I remember very clearly back in the day there was a completely different protection on the keeper, which doesn’t happen any more, at least in the Premier League, because in the Champions League you see it. So yes, obviously that changes the way you have to behave and you just have to adapt and deal with it.”
Dias was pithy when asked if the Carabao Cup final’s outcome might affect the title race; the two sides meet again in the league on Sunday 19 April. “It will obviously be a massive final for us, that will be the only thing that matters then. In terms of everything else [the title race], if we do it right then we’re not even thinking about it. The goal is to isolate it, know that there’s a trophy there to grab, and do everything we can to do it.”
Guardiola, meanwhile, believes City are close to again being an elite force – despite also conceding that Arsenal could win the quadruple and make history. “I have the feeling that in many things it is just underneath,” the manager said. “It will flourish. I have the feeling that it is close. In other things we need a little bit more time to realise and for the players to realise what we need to be a strong team in many departments but in most of the things we are close. I know it [what we miss] – I won’t tell you but I know it and the players know it.”
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Krishnamoorthy has emailed in with his prediction for the Carabao Cup final:
“The Carabao cup final will be a cautious affair with neither team willing to push forward. So, expect a lot of midfield mind games with occasional foray into the box. The game may be decided by a solo goal either from a set piece off a corner, or a long pass from a GK and a tap in by the lone unmarked forward.
“Expect a busy day for VAR decisions (and hence the controversies too).”
Jeremy Boyce has messaged in to say:
“Hoping for some good entertainment today from fixtures that show how much (top flight) footie has evolved in the last 50 years. From the internationalised composition of the teams/squads, their formations and tactics, the salaries, number of substitutes, ownership, business structures and models, and especially the managers currently occupying the offices and dugouts. Joe Harvey, Bob Stokoe, Ron Saunders, Ron Greenwood, Bill Nicholson, Brian Clough, Joe Mercer, Bertie Mee. 100% English, home grown, born and bred.
“Today’s corresponding fixtures feature a Frenchman, 3 Spaniards (2 Basque, 1 Catalan), 2 Portuguese, 1 Croatian and Eddie Howe. For all that, it seems that, tactically at least, we’ve been literally long-thrown right back to the 70s, with our Champions League tactics and performances mocked and so much coming back to long throws and set pieces. Ian Hutchinson must be having a good old laugh in his grave, a man clearly way ahead of his time. I seriously hope that Jeff Sax (1hr ago) is wrong if it just means watching an endless series of dead balls and corner kicks being swung into the mosh pit of the 6 yard box and it all coming down to who can thigh/back/neck one in in the resulting confusion. Lest we forget, Swindon Town famously did one on the Arsenal back in 1969, by running with the ball and sticking it in the net when it mattered. City 3-1 then.”
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“Almost two decades have passed since Newcastle’s former owner, Mike Ashley, celebrated a Tyne-Wear derby win by gathering a group of club employees together and leading a conga into the St James’ Park boardroom. Sunderland’s then chair, Niall Quinn, and his fellow executives were already inside and responded with polite smiles as they, outwardly at least, failed to take offence. Perhaps fortunately, the visiting manager, Roy Keane, was elsewhere.
Fast forward 18 years and almost regardless of the score when Newcastle host Sunderland on Sunday, the only potential post-match boardroom invasion on the agenda involves a herd of elephants. For no one at Newcastle seems quite ready to spell it out yet, but when Eddie Howe’s team lost 7-2 – 8-3 on aggregate – at Barcelona on Wednesday night and the camouflaging distraction of a Champions League campaign was ripped away, a series of awkward questions resurfaced…”
Team news - Newcastle v Sunderland
Newcastle starting line-up: Ramsdale, Trippier, Hall, Botman, Joelinton, Gordon, Barnes, Elanga, Woltemade, Burn, Ramsey.
Subs: Pope, Wissa, Thiaw, Osula, Livramento, J. Murphy, Willock, A. Murphy, Neave.
Sunderland starting line-up: Ellborg, Geertruida, O’Nien, Alderete, Hume, Xhaka, Sadiki, Diarra, Rigg, Talbi, Brobbey.
Subs: Moore, Reinildo, Cirkin, Mukiele, Le Fée, H. Jones, Jen. Jones, Mayenda, Isidor.
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“Vítor Pereira has done whatever the opposite of dressing up Sunday’s meeting as just another game is, stressing with eight games to go the Premier League must come first, even if they have rekindled fading hopes of European glory. It has been an unexpectedly satisfying week for both sides, Forest overturning a first-leg deficit to advance, and Spurs building on an encouraging display, and result, at Liverpool by registering a welcome first win under Igor Tudor, whose side exited on aggregate…”
Igor Tudor believes Tottenham are “sleeping less” during games after spotting signs that his players are finally producing what is required to avoid relegation. After four straight defeats to start his tenure, a draw against Liverpool last Sunday and a midweek win over Atlético Madrid hint at the first shoots of recovery.
Tudor’s initial assessment was that the Spurs squad lacked the fitness required for his intense style. But in recent matches the interim head coach has noticed an improvement in their “mental sharpness”, arriving at a crucial moment before Sunday’s pivotal meeting with Nottingham Forest. “That was the key,” Tudor said. “We are sleeping less on the pitch. That’s the main thing. We react before, so for me this is crucial. Now we react earlier. On what happened on the pitch.
“We are not always, ‘what happened?’ And then we react after. Now we react before things happen. Not in the way how I would like but much better. This mental sharpness, awareness of dangerous situations, this is coming up and that’s why we are better.”
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Tottenham host Nottingham Forest today in a match that could be crucial in the battle for Premier League safety.
Spurs currently sit just one point above Forest and West Ham, who take on Aston Villa in one of two other Prem fixtures. If they lose and the Hammers manage to get the win at Villa Park, the Lilywhites will finish the weekend in the relegation zone.
Today’s Premier League fixtures
Newcastle v Sunderland (12pm GMT)
Aston Villa v West Ham (2.15pm GMT)
Tottenham v Nottingham Forest (2.15pm GMT)
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“Mikel Arteta, of course, has already won a trophy with Arsenal, but for all that the FA Cup success in 2020, and perhaps especially the semi-final victory against Manchester City, gave notice of his capacities as a manager, that was a very different team to this one. Of the match-day squad from the final, only Bukayo Saka and Reiss Nelson, unused subs that day, remain at the club – and Nelson, now on loan at Brentford, has started only one league game for Arsenal since. The side that Arteta has built, the side that has finished second in the league in each of the past three seasons, awaits its consecration.”
If you fancy having a go at another quiz, head down to the comments!
Arsenal hope to win the League Cup for a third time against Manchester City today. This is how they won their first…
Manchester City’s road to the Carabao Cup final
R3: Huddersfield Town 0-2 Manchester City
R4: Swansea City 1-3 Manchester City
QF: Manchester City 2-0 Brentford
SF L1: Newcastle 0-2 Manchester City
SF L2: Manchester City 3-1 Newcastle
Arsenal’s road to the Carabao Cup final
R3: Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal
R4: Arsenal 2-0 Brighton
QF: Arsenal 1-1 Crystal Palace (8-7 on penalties)
SF L1: Chelsea 2-3 Arsenal
SF L2: Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea (4-2 agg)
Want to test your League Cup knowledge? You can do just that with our quiz! Comment below with your score.
Jeff Sax has messaged in with his prediction for today’s final:
“Pep isn’t better. Arsenal have a better team that are hungrier.
“Pep has finally run out of ideas.
“Arsenal will humiliate city today.”
Just over seven hours to go!
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Arsenal fans, even if Martin Odegaard is fit to play this afternoon, should he start over Eberechi Eze? Personally, I don’t think so. Eze has continued to get better in recent weeks and his confidence must be sky-high, especially after scoring THAT goal against Bayer Leverkusen. Odegaard will be a great option to bring off the bench, but for me it should be Eze starting in that No10 position.
So, let’s talk team news ahead of the Carabao Cup final. Pep Guardiola has already confirmed that James Trafford will be the man to start in goal, ahead of Gianluigi Donnarumma. Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta refused to reveal if Kepa Arrizabalaga - who has played every minute of the competition for Arsenal so far - will get the nod over David Raya at Wembley.
In terms of outfield players, Marc Guehi is unavailable due to being cup-tied, while Josko Gvardiol remains absent due to injury. And for Arsenal, Martin Odegaard could return from injury.
Right, I think it’s time to talk all things Carabao Cup final…
And for a roundup of yesterday’s Championship action, click below.
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Yesterday’s results
Brighton 2-1 Liverpool
Fulham 3-1 Burnley
Everton 3-0 Chelsea
Leeds United 0-0 Brentford
And finally, Leeds and Brentford shared the points in a 0-0 draw at Elland Road.
At Craven Cottage, Fulham came from behind to defeat Burnley 3-1 thanks to goals from Joshua King, Harry Wilson and Raúl Jiménez, who honoured his late father after scoring a penalty.
Speaking after yesterday’s loss, Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior said: “The most disappointing evening so far in terms of the things we’ve spoken about, not gifting goals away, making sure we’re in the game, getting control of the game. It wasn’t there and it turned into a really, really difficult evening where the result and performance was nowhere near what we expected or wanted.
“I’m learning about this club. It’s a massive club. There’s been a lot of noise, a lot of negative noise, rightfully so, our performances in the last week. We’ve had 10 games in the league together as a group. We’ve got 17 points. I think we’re fourth in my time. So we have to forget the noise. We have to keep our confidence and our composure.”
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Elsewhere, Chelsea suffered a 3-0 defeat to Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium following goals from Beto and Iliman Ndiaye. It came after their 8-2 loss on aggregate to PSG earlier this week.
Arne Slot defended Liverpool’s spending record but admitted the pressure was on to qualify for the Champions League after losing to Brighton. “No one in England is used to the fact there are also clubs that are selling players,” he said. “Usually in England when a club is buying £450m like we did, that’s adding to the already great team. But this club has a different model and no one wants to see that and no one wants to understand this. That I can also understand because fans of other teams and certain pundits don’t want to tell you that we sold for £300m.”
He added: “It makes complete sense if you win the league and you spent £450m that the expectations are high. Those expectations were high for the pundits, for the media, for me, for the fans. At our club we’re also looking at the situation and the challenge we had during this season, and then we might be a bit more realistic, why the season has gone the way it has gone. But still it’s not good enough no matter how much excuses I can come up with, it’s still not good enough for the position you’re in right now.”
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Firstly, Danny Welbeck scored twice as Liverpool suffered a 2-1 loss against Brighton at the Amex Stadium. The result left the Reds fifth in the Premier League table, while Brighton moved up to 10th.
Before we look ahead to this afternoon’s games, let’s recap some of yesterday’s results…There were certainly some shockers!
Preamble
Hello, good morning and welcome to another matchday live! The first piece of men’s domestic silverware is up for grabs this afternoon as Arsenal take on Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.
The Gunners go into the match with a 14-game unbeaten streak behind them, which should give Mikel Arteta and Co plenty of confidence. Meanwhile, City have not won since their FA Cup fifth-round victory over Newcastle on 7 March – but anything can happen on Cup final day.
Elsewhere, we’ve got three Premier League fixtures to look forward to, including the Tyne-Wear derby between Newcastle and Sunderland. There is also a potential relegation clash taking place as 16th-placed Tottenham host 17th-placed Nottingham Forest. Meanwhile, Aston Villa take on West Ham at Villa Park.
We’ll be previewing all the action and more – stick with us!
