Brentford 0-2 Liverpool, Leicester 0-2 Fulham, West Ham 0-2 Crystal Palace: football – live

It took a while for the goals to come, especially at the Gtech

Brentford 0-0 Liverpool. The league leaders have started brightly, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cody Gakpo probing down the wings. An early half-chance for Mohamed Salah is blocked and cleared.

It’s 3pm, and whistles sound all across the land! I defy you to play this just the once.

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Newcastle United 1-4 Bournemouth: Premier League – as it happened

Justin Kluivert scored his second hat-trick of the season as the injury-ravaged visitors ended Newcastle’s winning streak in surprisingly emphatic style

At his pre-match conference yesterday, Bournemouth’s manager was asked if he considers Newcastle to be genuine title contenders. “It’s a big question,” he said. “They are not so far from Arsenal, for example, and Arsenal definitely are title challengers.

“Probably you need to ask Eddie the question. They are playing so, so well that it makes you ask me these questions. They are beating everyone, also they’ve done it in a run of games that was not easy: they beat Arsenal, [Manchester] United and Tottenham in this period. They’ve performed better than them but I’m not brave enough to say it [that they are title contenders].”

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Manuel Ugarte primed to suffer in Ruben Amorim’s unrelenting graft

The reunion at Manchester United with his former Sporting coach is prospering despite the odd setback

It is always a relief in a new job to see a familiar face and it was no different for Ruben Amorim when he reacquainted himself with the former Sporting midfielder Manuel Ugarte at Manchester United. Both are new to the club and success at Old Trafford could hinge on how well the two perform as they “suffer” together.

After United secured a hard-fought and morale-boosting draw at the leaders Liverpool and went on to beat Arsenal on penalties in the FA Cup, there was a sense of optimism that a key problem had a solution. Then the midfield pairing of Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo was overrun by rock-bottom Southampton and Amorim was left to ponder how he can achieve his goals with the squad he inherited.

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Premier League drops PSR case against Everton, removing threat of points loss

  • Case related to new stadium interest payments
  • Moyes keen to recruit Charlie Adam as set-piece coach

Everton will face no further action for breaching profitability and sustainability rules up to 2023 after the Premier League discontinued its complaint over interest payments related to the club’s new stadium.

Everton were docked 10 points last season for a PSR breach up to 2022, reduced to six points on appeal, plus another two points for admitting a £16.6m overspend up to 2023. However, the club and the Premier League remained in dispute over part of the 2023 charge connected to interest payments on loans taken out for the construction of Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore dock.

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Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Newcastle chase a perfect 10, Chelsea seek a reliable No 9 and Southampton just want to get beyond six

If Arsenal’s books for the January window look closed, a meeting with Aston Villa casts forward thoughts to summer business. During Wednesday’s north London derby it was not difficult to wonder how much greater the margin of victory might have been with either Ollie Watkins or Jhon Durán leading the Gunners frontline. If Martin Zubimendi is an expected summer arrival, adding to an already packed midfield, where does a forward come in? Gabriel Jesus’s knee injury delays his possible sale while increasing the need for reinforcements. Villa have been busy, with Donyell Malen coming in from Dortmund and Jaden Philogene sold to Ipswich. Monchi, Villa’s president of football operations, has never been shy of selling players to bring in further talent. Watkins, who is 29, was on the mark at Everton for his first goal of 2025. Duran, 21, unused at Goodison after suspension, may be Arsenal’s next-best option to the imperious, and probably far too expensive, Alexander Isak. John Brewin

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Amad Diallo hat-trick saves Manchester United from defeat by Southampton

Panicky, amateurish and dicing with defeat against Southampton, who are bottom and had failed to win away in the Premier League: Manchester United flirted with the crimson embarrassment of a reverse they would long be reminded of.

But, enter the game-winner, Amad Diallo, with a stunning 12-minute hat-trick. His third strike came in added time – into an open goal – his second on the stroke of the 90 – a fine finish of Christian Eriksen’s chip – and followed the winger’s mazy run and equalising stab just minutes before. All from a refusal to lose.

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Manchester United 3-1 Southampton: Premier League – as it happened

United flirted with embarrassment against the Premier League’s bottom side before Amad Diallo stepped up late on to fire a glorious 12-minute hat-trick

2 min: Diallo embarks on the first positive run of the evening, down the inside-right channel. The crowd get excited … then Diallo slaps a wayward pass meant for Bruno Fernandes on the touchline out for a throw. Onwards and upwards.

United get the ball rolling. Saints are kicking towards the Stretford End in this first half.

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Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham: Premier League – as it happened

Arsenal moved to within four points of leaders Liverpool with victory in the north London derby

Spurs kick off. They’re immediately on the front foot, accompanied by pantomime boos. But Arsenal snaffle the ball and Sterling wins a free kick out on the right touchline, bundled over by Spence. An early chance for one of those set-pieces!

The teams are out! Arsenal in red with white sleeves, Spurs in second-choice blue. Everyone looking real dandy. The atmosphere is ratcheted up to derby settings, and we’ll be off in a couple of minutes. “Glanced at the 2010 MBM to find a gratuitous reference to Roy Hodgson,” begins Richard Hirst, who is onto me and no mistake. “Perhaps you could remind your readers (he said pompously) what he achieved in 2010? Never to be forgotten in SW6.”

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Isak extends hot streak to sink Wolves and lift Newcastle into top four

Newcastle’s sixth successive Premier League win – and ninth in all competitions – lifted Eddie Howe’s renascent team to fourth place as Alexander Isak demonstrated precisely why his manager believes he is a good as any striker in the world right now.

Isak’s 16th and 17th goals of an extraordinary season pushed Wolves into the relegation zone, nudging them below fourth bottom Ipswich on goal difference but Vitor ­Pereira’s side offered sufficient attacking threat to suggest survival should be within their grasp.

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Ollie Watkins on target as Aston Villa wreck Moyes’ Everton homecoming

The second coming of David Moyes confirmed Everton’s new manager is no miracle worker. They could do with one. Everton failed to score for the ninth time in 11 Premier League games as Aston Villa, gradually working their way back to form, punctured hopes of a new manager bounce at Goodison Park.

Ollie Watkins struck the only goal of a tight contest, but one Unai Emery’s side deserved to win given their assured defensive performance and quality in the final third. It is a quality Everton sorely lack. Dominic Calvert-Lewin encapsulated the home side’s deficiencies when squandering a glorious chance to equalise in the 93rd minute.

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Chelsea hope for financial deal with Premier League over secret transfer payments

  • Current owners discovered irregularities during takeover
  • Sources confident Chelsea will avoid points deduction

Chelsea are negotiating with the Premier League over a financial settlement related to secret payments for transfers made during Roman Abramovich’s ownership.

A financial settlement is seen as the likeliest outcome as the club’s current owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, discovered the irregularities during the takeover process in May 2022 and reported them to the Premier League and Uefa.

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Nottingham Forest 1-1 Liverpool: Premier League – as it happened

The points were shared at the City Ground, where Diogo Jota scored seconds after his introduction from the bench to cancel out Chris Wood’s opener

“To lose on that day was hard to take,” said Liverpool’s head coach of his side’s surprise defeat at the hands of Forest at Anfield. “Now, looking back and seeing where they are in the league, it is not such a shock result as it felt then. They had a good game plan and made us play a poor game. We have to do better. We have to look into the details.”

“We are here to compete against all of the teams and I think we are doing well, but nothing changes in our approach, which stays the same,” said the Forest boss of tonight’s opponents. “We know what we can do and how we want to do things. We know each other, our strengths and weaknesses. So let’s play the game.”

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Brentford 2-2 Man City, Chelsea 2-2 Bournemouth: Premier League – as it happened

Christian Norgaard and Reece James scored injury-time equalisers on a pulsating night of Premier League action

“I wonder if readers, like me, struggle to remember much about Tony Book, the name as understated as his demeanour, playing and managing,” begins Gary Naylor. “In that sense, he was the perfect choice to lead City on and off the field, operating with purpose and achieving a still surprisingly excellent set of outcomes, content in the shadow of The Behemoth’s cabaret across town. Footballers often looked old to teenagers, but he really did look old, unlikely to feature in Insta screen grabs. It’s how full-backs once were.”

It’s how all men once were, no? They had tough paper rounds in those days. Says Clooney over here!

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