Key events
Simon Burnton was at Tottenham v Brentford. Here is his report …
Liverpool 0-1 Aston Villa: Luiz pings a ball to the back post, Ramsey collects and forces Alisson into a fine save.
Wolves 1-0 Everton: Sometimes football tactics are quite simple. Lopetegui has moved Adama Traore to the left to just run at Michael Keane. It might just work.
Wolves 1-0 Everton: After a fine start to the match, Everton are really struggling to compete with the hosts at the moment.
They sure would.
@Will_Unwin In re: Richard Hirst’s comment, I’m sure this must have been mentioned before but if Fulham do secure a position above Chelsea, it will be the first tim in League history that both they and Brentford have finished above the Blues.
— The Justin Horton Show (@ejhchess) May 20, 2023
GOAL! Fulham 0-1 Crystal Palace (Edouard, 35)
Fine work by Eze in midfield, which results in him slip a pass through for Edouard and he whacks the ball in.
GOAL! Wolves 1-0 Everton (Hwang, 34)
Traore goes on an incredible run and whacks a shot across Pickford, who can only palm the ball straight into the path of Hwang to open the scoring. Everton are in HUGE TROUBLE.
WHAT A MOMENT FOR STOCKPORT!
Carlisle 1-0 Bradford (agg 1-1): The hosts are dominating but cannot find a crucial second goal.
Liverpool 0-1 Aston Villa: Good stuff from the away end.
“If it wasn’t for Gerrard we’d be top” chant the Villa fans
— Kieran Canning (@KieranCanning) May 20, 2023
Wolves 0-0 Everton: Mina heads over from close range. Everton are playing well but the bad news is Michael Keane has come on for Nathan Patterson.
Jeff Sax emails: “Liverpool can sell and buy whoever they want, but… Klopp had his 7 years, he needs to move on.”
Who comes in, Jeff?
GOAL! Liverpool 0-1 Aston Villa (Ramsey, 27)
The midfielder pops up at the back post to volley Villa into the lead. If things stay like this Manchester United and Newcastle will guarantee a top-four spot today.
Liverpool 0-0 Aston Villa: Missed penalty! Watkins sends a spot-kick wide.
Stockport will play Carlisle or Bradford, which is 1-1 on aggregate.
STOCKPORT REACH LEAGUE TWO PLAYOFF FINAL
Sarcevic scored the crucial penalty! Bedlam at Edgeley Park.
STOCKPORT LEAD 2-1 AFTER THREE PENALTIES EACH!
MADDEN SCORED AND MARIAPPA SEES PENALTY SAVE! Salford have failed with their first two spot-kicks and Stockport score.
LUND MISSES FIRST PENALTY! Salford’s Lund whacks the ball a solid mile over the bar.
It’s all getting quite exciting in Scotland.
Fulham 0-0 Crystal Palace: Mitrovic goes down in the box after contact with Mitchell. The referee does not give it.
Full time! Stockport 2-1 Salford (agg 2-2)
To penalties we go!
Wolves 0-0 Everton: Another chance for Calvert-Lewin but heads Iwobi’s cross well over. A promising start for Everton, at least.
Stockport 2-1 Salford (agg 2-2): Three minutes added on in extra time!
GOAL! Bournemouth 0-1 Manchester United (Casemiro, 9)
Eriksen lifts the ball into the box and Casemiro scores a cracking overhead kick.
Fulham 0-0 Crystal Palace: Mitrovic is back for Fulham but he’s just taken an elbow to the face from Andersen. The striker has a bloody nose.
GOAL! Stockport 2-1 Salford (agg 2-2): Stretton equalises. Are we going to penalties?!
Wolves 0-0 Everton: An early chance for Everton but Calvert-Lewin whacks his shot into the sidenetting.
“If we’re talking the instant impact a manger has had, surely Sir Roy of Hodgson should be at the top of that list,” points out Benedict Brown.
A very fair point.
Richard Hirst says: “You gently disparaged Fulham v Palace but, although Brentford seem to have wrapped up the West London Championship, there’s still the small matter of finishing above Chelsea. So COYW.”
GOAL! Stockport 1-1 Salford (agg 1-2): Mallan puts Salford ahead with fewer than 10 minutes to go in extra time.
Our man in Bournemouth.
Amazing reception from the Bournemouth fans for David Brooks, who makes his first start for 598 days after recovering from cancer 👏 pic.twitter.com/BU0hugAF8E
— Ed Aarons (@ed_aarons) May 20, 2023
Kick off
The whistles are a-peeping!
Shaw starts for United in the end.
Stockport and Salford are really giving it everything but, my lord, do both teams look absolutely cream crackered.
A change in Manchester United’s starting XI incoming?
Ten Hag just came out onto the pitch and had a word with Tyrell Malacia, who’s now warming up more rigorously. No sign of Luke Shaw out there now. #mufc
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) May 20, 2023
“What are your thoughts about the manager of the year short-list, should the two managers working today at the Vitality Stadium be on that list?” asks David Wall. “Gary O’Neil has worked a miracle, keeping Bournemouth up pretty comfortably despite the mess he inherited after their hammering at Liverpool and when most people assumed they were certainties for relegation.
“And after the shambles of last season (and more so after the first two games) few would have thought that United would be well placed to secure a Champions’ League spot, having already secured their first trophy in years, and with the possibility of winning another in a couple of weeks. It’s true that they’ve stuttered a bit since being eliminated from Europe (largely due to injuries, I think) but Ten Hag has done a fine job turning them around..
“Those on the list have certainly had good seasons but surely these two are among the best six performing managers of the year.”
My view on this is that those who have come into clubs have turned things around deserve a lot of credit, so O’Neil, Lopetegui and Emery should all be up there.
We are going to extra-time at Edgeley Park. It is a very warm day in Stockport, so plenty of those players will be very tired.
Full time: Tottenham 1-3 Brentford
It’s all done and dusted at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. After a fine first half, Spurs crumbled.
A great moment for David Brooks after treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma.
Jonathan Wilson on Manchester City.
GOAL! Spurs 1-3 Brentford (Wissa): The Bees have almost certainly sealed a cracking win.
So long, farewell, Bobby.
Simon McMahon, our unofficial Scottish clockwatch correspondent, emails: “Afternoon Will. After last week’s shocking performance that resulted in a dismal home defeat to Ross County, leaving them two points adrift at the foot of the table with just three games left, Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin has said that he expects ‘a reaction’ from his team today when they travel to face Livingston. Quite what that reaction will be is anyone’s guess. Maybe an even worse performance? To be fair, that will be difficult. Though given the way this season has gone, it could happen. But looking at the positives, I’m sure I’d feel much worse if I wasn’t so heavily sedated. In other news, Hearts currently lead Aberdeen in the battle for third place in the early kick off, and todays other games in the bottom six are Motherwell v Ross County and Kilmarnock v St. Johnstone.”
Doremus Schafer offers a logically suggestion for the Everton formation: “4-3-2-1 with Doucoure + Iwobi as central attacking midfielders?”
It seems very narrow.
Speaking of Everton … Dyche has some words of encouragement.
I am not very sure what formation Everton are playing today. It looks like McNeil is at left-back but then the makeup of the midfield is a tricky one to work out. Answers on a postcard.
Starting lineups: Fulham v Crystal Palace
Fulham: Leno; Tete, Tosin, Diop, Robinson; Reed, Palhinha, Cairney; Wilson, Mitrovic, Willian
Substitutes: Rodak, Duffy, Kebano, Solomon, Cedric, Decordova-Reid, Lukic, Vinicius, Harris
Crystal Palace: Johnstone; Ward, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Hughes, Doucoure, Eze; Olise, Ayew, Edouard
Substitutes: Whitworth, Lokonga, Mateta, Clyne, McArthur, Richards, Ahamada, Adaramola, Riedewald
Starting lineups: Wolves v Everton
Wolves: Bentley, Semedo, Collins, Dawson, Toti, Traore, Gomes, Neves, Sarabia, Hwang, Podence
Subs: Sa, Lemina, Traore, Jimenez, Cunha, Kilman, Nunes, Costa, Bueno.
Everton: Pickford, Patterson, Tarkowski, Mina, McNeil, Garner, Gueye, Onana, Doucoure, Iwobi, Calvert-Lewin
Subs: Begovic, Lonergan, Holgate, Keane, Gray, Maupay, McAllister, Simms, Welch.
Starting lineups: Liverpool v Aston Villa
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Henderson, Fabinho, Jones, Salah, Gakpo, Diaz
Subs: Kelleher, Gomez, Milner, Elliott, Jota, Tsimikas, Carvalho, Firmino, Matip
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne, Bailey, McGinn, Luiz, Kamara, Ramsey, Watkins
Subs: Olsen, Sinisalo, Dendoncker, Traore, Duran, Buendia, Young, Moreno
Starting lineups: Bournemouth v Manchester United
Bournemouth: Neto; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kelly; Lerma, Cook; Anthony, Brooks, Christie; Solanke.
Subs: Travers, Stephens, Mepham, Ouattara, Stacey, Vina, Moore, Sadi, Kwabena Adu-Adjei.
Manchester United: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Lindelof, Shaw; Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, Fernandes, Sancho, Martial.
Subs: Butland, Maguire, Malacia, Fred, Dalot, Weghorst, Pellistri, McTominay, Garnacho.
GOAL! Stockport 1-0 Salford (agg 1-1): Stockport have taken the lead against Salford in the second leg of League Two playoff semi-final to make it 1-1 on aggregate. A cracking header from Olaofe.
In the meantime … Brentford are beating Spurs 2-1. You can enjoy all the action with the great John Brewin.
What’s that? The Under World Cup kicks off today and you want to learn more? Thankfully, I have been tasked with ascertaining what Bobby Mimms is up to nowadays.
Anfield will wave goodbye to Bobby Firmino today. The Brazilian is a cult hero at Liverpool, loved by all in the red half of the city. He made his mind up to go a while back and he will not be short of offers. Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will also be departing in the summer.
Get in the mood for all this hot Premier League action with 10 things to look out for.
Preamble
This could be the Premier League ends. If Arsenal lose, then the title is City’s. If Manchester United win and Liverpool lose, then the race for the top four is over, while wins for Nottingham Forest and Everton could essentially end the relegation battle.
But we must be optimists and hope that today’s fixtures will allow for a fantastic final day next Sunday. If we are only left to find out who finishes sixth and seventh, then it could be the dampest of squibs.
We must assume Liverpool will be beat Aston Villa, Manchester United will fall short at the Vitality. Forest and Everton have got it in them to lose these big games against Arsenal and Wolves, respectively. We most hope there is plenty still at stake next weekend or we might we might as well give up on football in its entirety.
And before we forget … Fulham are playing Crystal Palace. It doesn’t get more exciting than that!
Here’s to a fun afternoon ahead.
