7.24pm: Well that’s it from me, but stick around for more highlights, reports and analysis with The Times.
GOALS! GOALS! GOALS! Watch Boyd’s winner and other top moments from the match by heading to Goals tab on your app.
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7.23pm: It’s all over, and it’s a result that has huge connotations at both the top and bottom of the table. Burnley have held on, and they are now above QPR in the final relegation zone, a point from safety. As for City, they are just a point ahead of Arsenal having played the same amount of games. Chelsea are five points clear of the champions and have two games in hand.
FULL-TIME: Burnley 1 Manchester City 0 (Boyd 60)
Burnley 1 Manchester City 0 (Boyd 60)
90+3 min: Sub for Burnley, as Danny Ings is replaced by Steven Reid. Back to the action, and the ball pops up to Bony in the Burnley box, but he uses his arm to get control of the ball, and is penalised for it.
Burnley 1 Manchester City 0 (Boyd 60)
90 min: PENALTY! NO! Zabaleta goes down in the box under a challenge from Mee, and the City appeals are deafening. It looks a penalty, but the referee says no, and Burnley survive.
Burnley 1 Manchester City 0 (Boyd 60)
90 min: Four minutes for City to rescue a point.
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Burnley 1 Manchester City 0 (Boyd 60)
86 min: Change for Burnley as Sam Vokes comes off, with Stephen Ward coming on.
Burnley 1 Manchester City 0 (Boyd 60)
81 min: CLOSE! Yaya Toure and Aguero combine, and you’d expect this to end up in the back of the net. Toure’s cross is perfect for Aguero at the back post, but the little man can’t keep his header down. Toure, who has not really been at the races tonight, is then substituted, with Frank Lampard coming on for his 600th Premier League appearance. Only Ryan Giggs has made more.
Burnley 1 Manchester City 0 (Boyd 60)
79 min: CHANCE! Burnley searching for a second and they nearly get it as Vokes holds the ball up against Kompany. He has support arriving in the form of Barnes outside the box, but his curling effort is saved by Hart.
Burnley 1 Manchester City 0 (Boyd 60)
76 min: CHANCE! Ings gives the ball away inside the City half, and the champions break. The ball ends up with Bony, but his shot from the edge of the box bobbles its way into the grateful arms of Heaton.
Burnley 1 Manchester City 0 (Boyd 60)
75 min: Check your back gardens. Fernandinho has hit another shocker from outside a crowded box. Needless to say, it went over.
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Burnley 1 Manchester City 0 (Boyd 60)
74 min: Another change for City, as the less-spotted Stevan Jovetic replaces the below-par David Silva.
Burnley 1 Manchester City 0 (Boyd 60)
71 min: Duff gets a yellow card for a challenge on Aguero. City need to turn the screw. Silva curls in the free kick from 35 yards, and it finds the head of Bony, but the Ivorian can’t do too much with it, and flicks it towards the corner but into the arms of Heaton.
Burnley 1 Manchester City 0 (Boyd 60)
66 min: City are putting pressure on the Burnley goal now, and Fernandinho tries to do his best impression of Boyd. From a corner, the ball drops to him on the edge of the box. However, he bottles shooting first time, but he may as well have because his second shot was well over.
OptaJoe (@OptaJoe): 1 - George Boyd is the first player to score in two league games against Manchester City this season. Scourge.
Burnley 1 Manchester City 0 (Boyd 60)
63 min: City make a change, and it’s Dzeko who comes off having had a poor game. On comes Wilfried Bony, who is still Swansea’s top scorer this season, and found the back of the net more times than anyone else in the Premier League in 2014.
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Burnley 1 Manchester City 0 (Boyd 60)
61 min: Boyd gave City a warning sign moments ago and, having scored at the Etihad, he’s now found the back of the net against the champions again. The free kick is headed away by Kompany and it falls straight to Boyd who is lurking on the edge of the box. He laces the ball first time, and it spins into the bottom corner of the net. No chance for Hart. Turf Moor is rocking, although Chelsea fans are probably celebrating more.
GOAL! Burnley 1 Manchester City 0 (Boyd 60)
Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
60 min: The pace of the game has picked up and is personified perfectly as Ings glides past Demichelis before the defender hauls him back. Out comes the yellow card.
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Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
58 min: Andre Marriner, the referee, is booed after booking Ben Mee for coming through the back of Navas. Seems a bit harsh given all the stuff that has been let go.
Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
56 min: CLOSE! What a cracking goal this would have been from George Boyd. Hart comes to the edge of his box to punch a cross clear, but it falls into the path of Boyd, who shows great technique to pull off a great volley, but it soars just wide of the top corner.
Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
53 min: CHANCE! Burnley weathering a mini storm here as Zabaleta powers down the right before cutting the ball back to Aguero. The striker hits it first time, but drill it wide of the front post.
Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
51 min: CHANCE! Oh Silva needs to do so much better here. Aguero spins his marker on the halfway line, and he has the whole of the Burnley half free to run in to. He takes players with him, leaving Silva running into space on his left. Aguero holds the ball before sliding in Silva, whose first touch lets him down (not often you say that), meaning that he takes the ball too wide and almost scuffs his shot at Heaton. Real chance wasted there from City.
Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
49 min: The crowd roar as Vokes wrestles with Fernandinho before nodding the ball forward and getting the better of him. Space opens up for him inside the box, but Kompany comes across to clean up the trouble.
KICK-OFF: Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
46 min: The teams are back out under the light at Turf Moor, and Burnley get the ball rolling.
GOALS! GOALS! GOALS! No goals at Turf Moor so far, but watch all of the first-half highlights by heading to the Goals tab on your app.
6.16pm: Even Stevens at the break at Turf Moor, although there have been a few chances. It’s largely been City’s sloppy attack trying to break down Burnley’s resilient defence. So far, it’s resulted in a stalemate.
HALF-TIME: Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
40 min: City are on top at the moment, but Burnley are putting in a sterling display so far. The champions aren’t getting too much joy, and the hosts are defending well.
Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
34 min: CHANCE! Lovely football from City, as Navas passes inside brilliantly from out wide to Silva, whose first-time pass finds Aguero inside the box. Aguero shifts it to Dzeko, who draws out the keeper, but Heaton manages to block his shot from close range. The ball then drops to Aguero, who looks to clean up, but fires a powerful effort over the bar from a tight angle.
Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
32 min: Burnley go up the other end, but take an age to get a shot away. City hustle them further and further away from goal, until Scott Arfield has a pop from 25 yards. His low shot drags into the welcoming arms of Joe Hart.
Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
30 min: SAVE! Heaton is called into action for the first time, with two saves in quick succession. First, Fernandinho decides to slide in Dzeko, whose low angled shot is patted away by the goalkeeper. Moments later, the ball finds its way to Aguero, but his tame shot is a daisy-cutter and into the arms of Heaton.
Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
28 min: A lot of possession for City over the past few minutes, but not a lot of ground is being made. Burnley are working their socks off.
Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
22 min: CHANCE! Well, it’s a half-chance really, as the cross comes in from the right by Trippier. Vokes gets his head to it, but cannot guide it on target, and it’s more a case of the ball heading him than the other way around if anything.
Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
20 min: Not a lot of penertration so far at Turf Moor. Sergio Aguero dummies a shot about six times as he continues to stride from the centre of the hosts’ half to the right, before his powerful shot is blocked.
Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
16 min: Optimistic effort from Barnes, who shoots from 30 yards out, and the shot goes miles over the bar. However, it comes off the toe of Pablo Zabaleta and out for a corner. City, with a couple of passes, can clear.
Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
12 min: Burnley are starting to get forward now, and have a appeals for a penalty (mainly from the home fans) ignored as Kieran Tripper’s cross appears to hit Gael Clichy. The hosts come back as George Boyd’s cross is hacked behind by Vincent Kompany, and City are able to cope with the attacking threat for now.
Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
9 min: CHANCE! Edin Dzeko is screaming for the ball ahead of Fernandinho, who gallops forward with the white thing at his feet. Dzeko bends his run as he approaches the box, but the Brazilian doesn’t seem interested in sharing, and gets tackled by Ashley Barnes before getting a shot away.
Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
6 min: The hosts have been lively and aggressive so far, as City try to slow the game down by keeping hold of the ball. The away side come forward with Jesus Navas, who runs along the edge of the area before prodding in a cross into the six-yard box, but Tom Heaton is there to gather.
Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
2 min: First shot on goal of the game goes to the hosts, as Danny Ings brings the ball down from 25 yards out and, without looking at goal, tries his luck. It fizzes over.
KICK-OFF: Burnley 0 Manchester City 0
City, playing from right to left, get us underway.
GOALS! GOALS! GOALS! Burnley are in a relegation battle, while Manchester City are losing ground in the title race. You can watch near-live clips from this game by going to the Goals tab on your app.
5.26pm: Here they go then. Led out by Andre Marriner, the referee, the two teams make their way out onto the Turf Moor turf. See what I did there? Burnley are in their usual claret top with blue sleeves, white shorts and claret socks. City, beneath their blue tracksuit tops, are in all navy.
5.18pm: There’s always goals when it comes to meetings between Burnley and Manchester City - 45 in the last nine to be exact. The two shared a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture at the Etihad, which dented City’s bid to defend their title. However, Manuel Pellegrini’s side haven’t lost in their last six trips to Turf Moor, in all competitions, scoring 17 goals in the last four.
OptaJoe (@OptaJoe): 15 - Man City have scored 15 fewer PL goals this season (4) than in 2013-14 (19) from corners and free kicks. Gap.
TEAM NEWS: Burnley v Manchester City
If Burnley do get relegated, they won’t die wondering. Sean Dyche fields three strikers against the champions tonight, and clearly fancies his chances of causing an upset. Vincent Kompany is back and captains City. Recent signing Wilfried Bony only makes the bench.
Burnley: Heaton; Trippier, Shackell, Duff, Mee; Arfield, Jones, Boyd; Ings, Vokes, Barnes
Subs: Gilks, Keane, Reid, Ward, Jutkiewicz, Wallace, Kightly.
Man City: Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy; Navas, Fernandinho, Toure, Silva; Dzeko, Aguero
Subs: Caballero, Mangala, Sagna, Nasri, Lampard, Bony, Joveti
5.05pm:
Five games and 11 goals so far. Now, for the evening kick-off, as Manchester City travel to Turf Moor to take on Burnley. Team news to follow.
Poyet’s job on the line?
“It comes to something when an 8-0 defeat to Southampton isn’t the low point of your season,” so tweeted one fan earlier. Sunderland were utterly abject in the first half, where experienced defenders like John O’Shea and Wes Brown barely made a tackle in anger - the second and third goals were especially desperate from a Sunderland point of view. Villa, to their credit, played with pace and power and looked like a team ready to stay in the Premier League. Tim Sherwood has won three in a row - but has he put his former Spurs team-mate out of a job?
More on Arsenal 3 West Ham 0
They huffed and puffed for a while, but in the end Arsenal got there eight home win on the spin in the Premier League – the first time they’ve done that since 2005. Giroud’s corker in the final seconds of the first half took the wind out of the West Ham sails, although the visitors did threaten for a large period after the break. But then two superb goals in quick succession from Ramsey and Flamini have given Arsenal all three points, leaving them a point behind Manchester City in third, and they can now turn their attention to trying to pull off a stunning comeback in Monaco. West Ham stay 10th.
GOALS! GOALS! GOALS! Remember you can see all the goals - and some pretty ropey defending from Sunderland - on your Times app
FULL TIME: West Brom 1 Stoke 0 (Ideye 19)
There goes the whistle, and it’s a crucial win for West Brom, who now go 11 points clear of the drop zone, with Brown Ideye’s goal proving enough. As for Stoke, they still sit safely in the top half of the table, but it means than an unlikely Europa League place is now a tad more unlikely.
4.52pm: West Brom 1 Stoke 0 (Ideye 19)
SMASH! Boaz Myhill is booked after he races off of his line at about 100 mph an crashes into Crouch. He’s lucky not to be sent off there.
FULL TIME: Arsenal 3 West Ham 0 (Giroud 45, Ramsey 81, Flamini 84)
Comfortable for Arsenal, who move to within a point of second-placed Man City.
FULL TIME: Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 4 (Benteke 16, 43; Agbonlahor 18, 37)
Brilliant for Villa, desperate for Sunderland. Gus Poyet could be in big trouble.
FULL TIME: Leicester 0 Hull 0
Last on Match of the Day? Oh yes, no doubt. A poor game but a much better point for 10-man Hull than Leicester, who remain rooted to the bottom of the table.
4.49pm: Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 4 (Benteke 16, 43; Agbonlahor 18, 37)
Only two minutes’ added time. The best news Sunderland have had all day.
4.47pm: West Brom 1 Stoke 0 (Ideye 19)
Worrying sight for West Brom as the goalscorer, Ideye, limps off with five minutes to go. Olsson replaces him as the hosts try to hang on to their lead.
Opta Joe (@OptaJoe): 15 - Arsenal have seen 15 different players score for them in the Premier League this season; more than any other team. Spread.
4.45pm: Leicester 0 Hull 0
The home side have been better since Huddlestone was sent off, but cannot break Hull down. Jamie Vardy just now with a lively run and cross, but the ball evaded David Nugent at the back post. Then, at the other end, Abel Hernandez is put through by a quick free-kick, but his tame shot is saved easily by Schwarzer.
Piers Morgan (@Piers Morgan): Giroud having a superb game. Credit where it’s due. #afc
GOAL! Arsenal 3 West Ham 0 (Giroud 45, Ramsey 81, Flamini 84)
Goals are like London buses at the Emirates. It’s a third beautiful goal for the hosts, that’s been tapped home by Flamini at the far post. Giroud, Welbeck and Cazorla and all involved in a delightful passing move, before the ball is squared to the Flaminal at the back stick. Giroud has been outstanding today.
4.40pm: Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 4 (Benteke 16, 43; Agbonlahor 18, 37)
In a neat summary of Sunderland’s day, Steven Fletcher has just hit the post - and injured himself in the process. As you can see above, the natives have been pretty restless today.
GOAL! Arsenal 2 West Ham 0 (Giroud 45, Ramsey 81)
That should be that, and it’s a goal fit to win any match. It comes from an Arsenal throw, as Chambers lobs it towards Giroud, who dummies it to Ramsey. Ramsey then pays a scintillating one-two with the Frenchman, before guiding the ball past Adrian from inside a crowded box. Wonderful football in a phonebox.
4.38pm: Leicester 0 Hull 0
Riyad Mahrez has looked Leicester’s best hope of a goal today and he’s just gone close, with a shot from a tight angle pushed away by Allan McGregor. Eight minutes left.
George Caulkin (@CaulkinTheTimes): Villa’s away goals drought extends to a 33rd minute here. Modicum of pressure from Sunderland in 2nd 1/2 & a couple of shots; irrelevant.
4.34pm: West Brom 1 Stoke 0 (Ideye 19)
The home team think they should have a penalty, as Dawson is clattered by Geoff Cameron in the penalty area. It looks a certain penalty, as the Stoke man got none of the ball, but the referee amazingly waves away the protests.
4.33pm: Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 4 (Benteke 16, 43; Agbonlahor 18, 37)
No goals in any of the four games in the second half so far. Villa look happy to declare on four, while Gus Poyet continues to cut a forlorn figure on the touchline. Seb Larsson is also still limping but remains on the pitch. Weird.
4.28pm: RED CARD! Leicester 0 Hull 0
Tom Huddlestone is off, after picking up his second yellow card for what looked a pretty soft foul on Jamie Vardy. Leicester have been impotent so far - can they make the extra man count in the last 18 minutes?
4.26pm: West Brom 1 Stoke 0 (Ideye 19)
It’s getting feisty, as Sessegnon shoves Adam on the sideline after a collision. The referee tells them both off but books neither of them. Stoke are pushing for a leveller, but haven’t yet been able to beat Myhill. West Brom, with the pace of Ideye and Berahino, are menacing on the break.
4.25pm: Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 4 (Benteke 16, 43; Agbonlahor 18, 37)
As often happens when one team dominates the first half, the second period has been something of an anti-climax - being played out in front of a half-empty Stadium of Light. Seb Larsson, still limping, has just curled a free-kick wide, while Carlos Sanchez has come on for Villa in place of Ciran Clark.
4.24pm: Leicester 0 Hull 0
Alex Bruce is booked for a two-footed challenge on Mahrez. He got the ball but little doubt that was an illegal tackle - some refs would have brandished the red for that.
George Caulkin (@CaulkinTheTimes): Sunderland’s biggest crowd of the season are (or were) here to witness this. 45.7k.
4.21pm: SAVE! West Brom 1 Stoke 0 (Ideye 19)
Myhill is called into action for the first time, as Jon Walters’ dipping header has him back-peddling like a mad man. He manages to get there, though, and tips the ball over the bar.
4.17pm: REF OFF! Arsenal 1 West Ham 0 (Giroud 45)
It’s a substitution…for the referees. Chris Foy can’t continue, for some reason, and Anthony Taylor is booed onto the field. It’s still West Ham who are in control, with Jarvis going close after slamming a shot over from 10 yards.
4.16pm: Leicester 0 Hull 0
Still pretty underwhelming fare though Hull have just missed a decent chance - Jelavic rising to head a left-wing corner just over the bar.
4.15pm: Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 4 (Benteke 16, 43; Agbonlahor 18, 37)
Sunderland with a rare foray into the Villa half but Steven Fletcher’s inviting cross misses everyone and flies across the face of goal. Before that, Agbonlahor - on a hat-trick - looked like he was through but John O’Shea, who’d forgotten how to defend in the first-half, managed a rare tackle.
4.14pm: Arsenal 1 West Ham 0 (Giroud 45)
It’s been all West Ham since the teams came out for the second half, but they haven’t been able to get the better of Koscielny, Mertesacker and Ospina just yet. Arsenal weathering a bit of a storm.
4.12pm: CHANCE! West Brom 1 Stoke 0 (Ideye 19)
West Brom have edged an even start to this second half, but can’t double their lead with this chance. Morrison’s magical cross from the left is luring Berahino towards the ball, but he’s crowded out inside the area, and is only able to nod it tamely over. We’ve just had a goalkeeping switch as Ben Foster is replaced by Boaz Myhill. Foster has been struggling with a knee problem.
4.10pm: Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 4 (Benteke 16, 43; Agbonlahor 18, 37)
Lest we forget, Sunderland have already lost 8-0 to Southampton this season. In among the Seb Larsson nonsense, Charles N’Zogbia almost made it five, but Joe Kinnear’s favourite footballer was denied by Pantilimon.
4.08pm: CHANCE! Arsenal 1 West Ham 0 (Giroud 45)
Jarvis curves in an inviting cross from the right towards Sakho at the near post, but Ospina beats him to it and gets clattered for his efforts.
4.08pm: Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 4 (Benteke 16, 43; Agbonlahor 18, 37)
Curiouser and curiouser for Sunderland. Seb Larsson didn’t come out for the second half with the rest of the Sunderland team, leaving the home side with ten men until the 49th minute when, with a limp, he emerged from the tunnel and back on to the pitch. Bizarre. Sort of sums up Sunderland’s day too.
4.04pm: Arsenal 1 West Ham 0 (Giroud 45)
The second half has started at The Emirates. Arsenal will only be a point off second place if it stays like this.
4.04pm: West Brom 1 Stoke 0 (Ideye 19)
Pieters off and Cameron at the back at half-time for Stoke. We’re back under way.
4.03pm: Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 4 (Benteke 16, 43; Agbonlahor 18, 37)
Off and running again here. Gus Poyet has emerged from the tunnel wearing a pretty haunted expression - much like a man who fears he’s left the gas on.
4.02pm: Leicester 0 Hull 0
Back under way at The King Power Stadium. Things, as D’ream once sang, can only get better.
GOALS! GOALS! GOALS! Don’t forget you can see all the Premier League strikes on the Goals tab on your app. You can also watch some of the worst defending ever seen in the Premier League. I say that without any fear of hyperbole.
HALF-TIME: West Brom 1 Stoke 0 (Ideye 19)
So far so good for West Brom, who would move 11 points clear of the relegation zone with a win. Ideye’s twice had the ball in the back of the net, but only one of them has counted. Stoke have threatened at time, but nothing of the severity that Ben Foster will lose sleep over.
HALF-TIME: Arsenal 1 West Ham 0 (Giroud 45)
Arsenal lead at the break, and they’re good value for it. Ospina has only had one real save to make when he flew to push away Nolan’s shot, but other than that, it’s been the Adrian show. The West Ham goalkeeper has made a catalogue of top class saves, but couldn’t keep out Giroud’s stunner just before the break, which was out of this world.
Opta Joe (@OptaJoe): 4 - Olivier Giroud has scored in four successive Premier League appearances for only the second time (also Aug-Sep 2013). Strike
GOAL! Arsenal 1 West Ham 0 (Giroud 45)
Finally Adrian is beaten, and it’s no more than Arsenal deserve. Olivier Giroud, who cannot stop scoring at the moment, scores a stunning effort to put the hosts ahead with practically the last kick of the first half. Ozil’s dink over the top finds Ramsey, who controls into the path of Giroud. The Frenchman weaves his way in and out just inside the West Ham box, before hammering a shot into the far top corner. No chance for Adrian, and there’s half-time.
HALF-TIME: Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 4 (Benteke 16, 43; Agbonlahor 18, 37)
Extraordinary first 45 minutes on Wearside. Villa have been vibrant, pacy and clinical - everything they weren’t under Paul Lambert. Sunderland have been, well, any uncomplimentary adjective you can think of. Half the fans have already left their seats, a couple have gone down to confront the coaching staf in the dugout, and Gus Poyet is burying his head in his snood. Can he survive this?
HALF-TIME: Leicester 0 Hull 0
You haven’t heard much about this game. That’s because it’s been rubbish.
3.44pm: SAVE! Arsenal 0 West Ham 0
While Adrian is having a stormer, Walcott is having a nightmare. Ozil controls a looped flick from Sanchez on the edge of the D with his left before slamming a shot at goal with his right. Adrian bats it away, but the ball drops to Walcott, who is free from a few yards out, but he slips and slices the shot hideously wide.
George Caulkin (@CaulkinTheTimes): Bacuna from right, a deep cross, Benteke gets above Reveillere to head in. Can Poyet survive this? It’s a sackable performance.
GOAL! Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 4 (Benteke 16, 43; Agbonlahor 18, 37)
Blimey. Bacuna cross, Benteke header. Sunderland meltdown.
3.40pm: West Brom 1 Stoke 0 (Ideye 19)
GOOOAAA..no it’s not. West Brom have the ball in the back of the net after Begovic slides along the floor to grasp it, spills it, and it allows Ideye to prod the ball into an empty net. However, the flag was up after Morrison’s deflected throughball found Ideye in an offside position.
3.39pm: Arsenal 0 West Ham 0
Sakho sees a shot deflected wide for West Ham, who look to punish Arsenal from the corner. They can’t, and the home side break once more. Chambers and Sanchez are the two to carry the baton in the relay, but Arsenal cannot get a testing shot on goal.
GOAL! 3.37pm: Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 3 (Benteke 16, Agbonlahor 18, 37)
Game, set and match - one suspects. The defending, again, is absolutely shambolic, as Gabriel Agbonlahor is allowed to waltz through a couple of ‘challenges’ and stroke the ball into the corner. The natives are restless - many streaming to the exits while a couple of especially irate fans have just run down to the dugouts to shout something at Poyet and his coaches. I don’t think it was ‘Happy Mother’s Day’
Alyson Rudd (@allyrudd_times): #WHUFC rather relaxed about being so depleted which makes them both dangerous and vulnerable. And it makes the game so very open
3.30pm: West Brom 1 Stoke 0 (Ideye 19)
West Brom are a goal up and on the up, and Berahino just tried his best to make it two. Dawson’s throughball splits the Stoke defence in half, and the forward takes it to the byline. He fires a shot low and across the face of goal, but it goes wide of the far post.
3.29pm: CHANCE! Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 2 (Benteke 16, Agbonlahor 18)
Villa should be 3-0 up but Scott Sinclair misses the provberbial sitter, shooting over from six yards out after a cutback, with the goal at his mercy. Villa are playing full of pace and energy - when was the last time anyone said that? They have been excellent, especially since Benteke’s opening goal (above)
3.28pm: SAVE! Arsenal 0 West Ham 0
What a stop this is from Adrian. Chambers curls in another tantilising cross after beating two West Ham players on the right touchline. The delivery finds Ramsey, who diverts the ball towards the top corner with a WWE style flying knee, but the Spaniard performs the sort of reflex that makes him seem as if he’s been taken out by a sniper, and flaps it over.
George Caulkin (@CaulkinTheTimes): Villa had scored precisely four away goals in the league before today. Welcome to Sunderland.
3.25pm: SAVE! Arsenal 0 West Ham 0
Great reaction save from David Ospina to deny Kevin Nolan. Downing’s cross is headed away by Koscielny inside the box, and Nolan meets it on the run with a side-foot effort. It flies towards the top corner, but the little Colombian stopper launches himself to his left to slap it away. CHANCE! Arsenal then go up the other end through Ramsey, who plays a one-two with Sanchez before slipping in Giroud. The Frenchman takes the ball wide with his first touch, and fires his shot from an acute angle into the side-netting. Fancy, but no finish.
3.24pm: Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 2 (Benteke 16, Agbonlahor 18)
Gus Poyet has just used a stoppage in play to gather some of his shellshocked players, to try to get the Sunderland ship back on to some sort of calmer waters. It’s difficult to overstate how bad John O’Shea’s defending was for that second goal - postively pub league standard from a man with multiple Premier League winners medals to his name.
Opta Joe (@OptaJoe): 4 - Brown Ideye has scored four goals in his last four home appearances in all competitions. Thorn.
GOAL! West Brom 1 Stoke 0 (Ideye 19)
It’s an opener for the hosts, and it’s come from Brown Ideye. The teasing cross is swung into the far post by Craig Gardner, where Ideye peels away from his man to dive and head the ball practically off the floor into the bottom corner
3.18pm: Arsenal 0 West Ham 0
Calum Chambers floats the ball into the box, and an Arsenal striker heads towards goal. It’s not Giroud, a serial header of the ball, but in fact Sanchez, the 4ft 6in dynamo. His low header goes back across the face of goal and forces Adrian to push it away at full stretch.
GOAL! Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 2 (Benteke 16, Agbonlahor 18)
Two-nil! Woeful, atrocious defending from John O’ Shea, who lets Ciaran Clark’s long ball sail over his head. In crept Gabriel Agbonlahor and he slid the ball past Pantilimon at the near post. Villa in dreamland!
GOAL! Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 1 (Benteke 16)
Tim’s win percentage is looking better by the game! Villa have been the sharper of the two teams so far, as this goal proved - a flowing move ended with Leandro Bacuna’s purposeful run down the right and cut back for Chritian Benteke, who slid home. And...
3.14pm: Leicester 0 Hull 0
A nasty-ish looking challenge on Esteban Cambiasso earns Tom Huddlestone - not exactly known for his tough tackling - a yellow card. The right decision from the referee, looking at the replay, though Huddlestone did go a little over the ball.
3.12pm: West Brom 0 Stoke 0
Victor Moses fancies a pop at goal on a Stoke attack. He takes the ball 25 yards from goal, but balloons it into another dimension.
3.11pm: Sunderland 0 Aston Villa 0
Cagey, I think, is the best way to describe the opening minutes on Wearside. Sunderland have had a couple of set-pieces and Villa the odd promising break, but no goalmouth action of note yet.
3.07pm: CHANCE! Arsenal 0 West Ham 0
Not sure if West Ham have touched the ball yet, but Arsenal are yet to break them down. The hosts should be ahead, as Aaron Ramsey’s ball into Olivier Giroud on the edge is brilliant backheeled through to Theo Walcott in a tight space. He dawdles though, and James Collins is allowed to tackle the winger just yards from goal. The speedster needed to be speedier there.
3.06pm: Leicester 0 Hull 0
A slow start in the east Midlands though the home side have enjoyed most of the possession and territory. You feel this is a gamr they really must win.
3.03pm: CHANCE! The first effort on goal at The Hawthorns goes to West Brom and, more specifically, Saido Berahino. The Young England striker turns and strikes a low shot from 25 yards, which Asmir Begovic manages to tip away.
3pm: And we’re off!
2.55pm: Five minutes until kick-off in the next four Premier League games. Most of the focus is on the bottom half of the table, though it is interesting to note that Arsenal would only be six points off the top if they beat West Ham today. Arsenal for the title? Sorry, I’ll stop that right now...
TEAM NEWS: Leicester v Hull
The conventional wisdom is that Leicester have played much better than both their league position and points tally would suggest. That may be so but friends and admiration won’t keep you in the Premier League, apparently. Three points today would help though, and this is exactly the sort of game (no disrespect to Hull, and all that jazz) that Leicester probably need to take advantage of. Nigel Pearson makes two changes, with Ritchie De Laet and Jamie Vardy replacing Danny Simpson and Paul Konchesky.
Hull aren’t safe yet by any means, though their form has picked up markedly since dropping into the relegation zone around the turn of the year. Steve Bruce this week signed a new contract and, by the crackpot standards of some other Premier League sides, this looks like a pretty sensible, stable club. What do you mean the owner wants to change the name? Oh… Gaston Ramirez replaces David Meyler in Hull’s only change.
Leicester: Schwarzer; De Laet, Upson, Huth, Morgan; Schlupp, Cambiasso, James, Mahrez; Vardy, Kramarić
Subs: Schmeichel, Drinkwater, King, Lawrence, Ulloa, Wasilewski, Nugent
Hull: McGregor; Dawson, Bruce, McShane; Elmohamady, Livermore, Huddlestone, Robertson; Ramírez; Jelavić, N’Doye
Subs: Harper, Figueroa, Davies, Meyler, Hernández, Aluko, Quinn
TEAM NEWS: Arsenal v West Ham
Save for the, admittedly rather crucial, aberration against Monaco, Arsenal have been in fine form of late, so much so that a win over their London rivals today would take them within a point of second-placed Man City. Arsene Wenger makes five changes from their last Premier League outing, a 2-1 win at QPR, including – perhaps surprisingly given the form he’s been in of late – resting Santi Cazorla to the bench. Theo Walcott gets a, these days anyway, rare start on the wing.
West Ham have, as that finest of footballing clichés would have it, one foot – or should it be a towel – on the beach. They won’t go down, they probably won’t qualify for Europe and are out of the cups. Arguably, this game and the rest between now and mid-May are most crucial for their manager Sam Allardyce, who continues to enjoy a love-hate relationship with the West Ham fans – minus the ‘love’ bit. The visitors are short of strikers – due to injuries and Carlton Cole’s potty-mouthed Tweet – so Diafra Sakho will plough a lone furrow up front. Oh, and Kevin Nolan starts. Of course he does.
Arsenal: Ospina; Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin, Ramsey; Walcott, Ozil, Alexis; Giroud
Subs: Szczesny, Gibbs, Bellerin, Cazorla, Flamini, Welbeck, Akpom,
West Ham: Adrian; O’Brien, Collins, Kouyate, Cresswell; Song, Noble, Nolan, Jarvis, Downing; Sakho
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Onariase, Poyet, Cullen, Amalfitano, Nene
TEAM NEWS: Sunderland v Aston Villa
Sunderland, with crises popping up like whack-a-moles at every turn, are without the suspended Lee Cattermole, and Adam Johnson, suspended by the club as a police investigation continues. Ricky Alvarez, tipped by Gus Poyet to be Sunderland’s leading creative force in a side desperate for goals, starts, as does Steven Fletcher for the first time since January.
Tim Sherwood can call upon Christian Benteke again, after the striker missed last weekend’s FA Cup sixth-round victory over West Brom with a hip injury. Alan Hutton is suspended, so Leandro Bacuna starts.
Sunderland: Pantilimon, Reveillere, van Aanholt, Brown, O’Shea, Bridcutt, Larsson, Rodwell, Alvarez, Defoe, Fletcher
Subs: Jones, Wickham, Gomez, Graham, Coates, Vergini, Mannone
Aston Villa: Guzan, Lowton, Okore, Clark, Bacuna, Delph (c), Cleverley, Sinclair, N’Zogbia, Benteke, Agbonlahor
Subs: Given, Gil, Sanchez, Kinsella, Weimann, Westwood, Hepburn-Murphy
TEAM NEWS: West Brom v Stoke
Tony Pulis had injury doubts over Saido Berahino and Brown Ideye, but both are fit enough to start against his old club. After he was dropped for the Cup loss against Villa, Ben Foster is recalled in place of Boaz Myhill.
Stoke have won all five of their previous visits to The Hawthorns - most of those under Pulis’ charge - but they are enjoying a fine season under the more cultured stylings of Mark Hughes, who leaves Stephen Ireland on the bench. The Irish midfielder has still not quite recovered from the horrible gash given to him curtesy of a Maynor Figueroa tackle two weeks ago.
West Brom: Foster, Dawson, McAuley, Lescott, Brunt, Morrison, Fletcher, Gardner, Sessegnon, Berahino, Ideye
Subs: Myhill, Wisdom, Pocognoli, Olsson, Baird, Mulumbu, Gamboa
Stoke City: Begovic; Bardsley, Shawcross, Wilson, Pieters; Nzonzi, Whelan; Walters, Adam, Moses; Crouch
Subs: Butland; Ireland, Arnautovic, Diouf, Cameron, Sidwell, Teixeira
2.39pm: Right, onto your 3pm team news.
GOALS! GOALS! GOALS! Watch that Phillips thunderbolt, the strikes from Zaha, McArthur and Ward among other highlights by going to the Goals tab on your app now.
2.38pm: And that’s that. The job was done by Palace by half-time, but Matty Phillips did at least give QPR some joy with one of the goals of the season. That won’t count for anything in the long run, though. QPR remain three points adrift of safety, and that figure could increase after the rest of this weekend’s game. Palace are 11 points clear.
FULL-TIME: Palace 3 QPR 1 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42; Phillips 83)
Palace 3 QPR 1 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42; Phillips 83)
90 min: Kranjcar doesn’t quite have the same kind of shooting boots on as Phillips today, and he slams a long-range strike into orbit. We will have five added minutes.
Palace 3 QPR 1 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42; Phillips 83)
88 min: SAVE! Phillips is putting himself in contention for QPR’s player of the season here. He wins a free kick by beating three Palace players before Mariappa brings him down. He’s then laid off for a free kick from 30 yards out, which is probably a bit too close for him, but he stings the palms of Speroni with a thunderbolt. Where’s this come from?!
Palace 3 QPR 1 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42; Phillips 83)
85 min: Kranjcar and Grego-Cox replace Sandro and Wright-Phillips. Ramsey smells blood.
GOAL! Palace 3 QPR 1 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42; Phillips 83)
83 min: Wow. What a goal. This is a ridiculous strike from Matty Phillips, who is dithering about with the ball about 35/40 yards from goal. He then seems to think ‘screw it, why not’ and belts a rocket of an effort past Speroni and in off the bar into the top corner. That was amazing, but will probably come to nothing.
GOAL! Palace 3 QPR 1 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42; Phillips 83)
Palace 3 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42)
80 min: Palace make their third and final change, and for once I don’t think this one is as a result of an injury. Yaya Sanogo, on loan from Arsenal, gallops onto the pitch to replace Murray in attack.
Palace 3 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42)
77 min: Gayle curls the resulting free kick just over the wall, but it dips so much that Green collects it on the ground.
Palace 3 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42)
76 min: Speroni is called into action once more to save Austin’s half-volley after the striker nipped in behind Kelly. At the other end, Gayle seems to foul Onuoha, yet the QPR man gets booked, and he’s raging.
Palace 3 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42)
74 min: CHANCE! Nearly four for Palace as Bolasie takes two defenders out of the game on the right wing before launching a cross to the edge of the box. Caulker slips over, so Murray has a bit more time to control the ball on his chest and try to volley it goalwards. However, Caulker was able to block it while on the floor, and the reound is skied miles over the bar.
Palace 3 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42)
72 min: SPERONI ACTION KLAXON! The goalkeeper is being made to earn his wages here, as he catches a tame header from Austin after a corner.
Palace 3 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42)
71 min: SPERONI ACTION KLAXON! The goalkeeper has finally been called into action, as he races off his line to push the ball behind for a corner as Wright-Phillips ran towards a Phillips throughball.
Palace 3 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42)
69 min: If anyone is going to score in this second half, it looks as if it will be the hosts once more. Mariappa’s header and Gayle’s shot in a goalmouth scramble from a floated free kick are both blocked.
Palace 3 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42)
65 min: The game has gone very quiet, and we haven’t seen any goalmouth action of note.
Arindam Rej (@ARejSport): Palace had gone 10 Premier League home games without a clean sheet, but QPR haven’t forced Julian Speroni to make a save yet. Too easy.
Palace 3 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42)
59 min: Palace receive their first yellow card of the match, as Glenn Murray gives Karl Henry a taste of his own medicine.
Palace 3 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42)
57 min: They’re dropping like flies at Selhurst Park as Zaha, who cross-bodied the post for his goal in the first half, hobbles off, with Mariappa coming on.
Palace 3 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42)
55 min: Palace have been forced into a substitution, as Jason Puncheon limps off having seemingly pulled a muscle off the ball. Dwight Gayle is on in his place.
Palace 3 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42)
53 min: It takes two men to stop Bolasie from rampaging forward. He spins Karl Henry, who had a nibble at his heels and tried to hold him back, before racing down the flank and being chopped in half by Sando, who is booked for it.
Palace 3 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42)
49 min: It’s end-to-end stuff at the moment, and I don’t mean that in a good way. The ball is literally being lumped from one defence to the other. Not much has happened yet in this second half and, with Palace three goals to the good, it would not be a surprise to see this game crawl to a lethargic finish.
KICK-OFF: Palace 3 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42)
And with that change, Palace get the second half up and running.
1.47pm: QPR have made a change at the break, Clint Hill replaces Darnell Furlong, with Nedum Onuoha going to right-back. Not quite Zidane but it will do a suppose.
GOALS! GOALS! GOALS! You can watch all three goals and other highlights from that first half by heading to the Goals tab on your Times app now.
1.34pm: Well, QPR could have Messi, Ronaldo and Taarabt come out for the second half, yet they probably would not salvage anything from this match. Palace have hit them where it hurts, and that quick-fire double just before the break has ultimately killed the game off. QPR are going to have to do a Palace at Palace if they have any hopes of a point. As things stand, Palace are moving 11 points clear of the drop zone.
Matt Dickinson (@DickinsonTimes): Ramsey picking Furlong to parade QPR’s youth while an international like Isla can’t even get on bench. Nice in theory, daft in practice
HALF-TIME: Palace 3 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42)
Palace 3 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42)
45 min: We will have two minutes of added time.
Arindam Rej (@ARejSport): QPR are capitulating here. It’s Joel Ward who has struck Palace’s third, before half-time. QPR not coping with the threat from out wide.
Palace 3 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42)
42 min: They think it’s all over...and it probably is. Palace have got a quick-fire double with two goals in 90 seconds. Ward, the right back, finds space inside a busy penalty area, and curls a left-footed effort low and into the far corner. It may well have taken a deflection or two, but Ward and co. won’t care. Palace are flying.
GOAL! Palace 3 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41, Ward 42)
Palace 2 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41)
41 min: There’s the second that Palace were threatening to score, and it’s going to be hard going for QPR to get back into this. It’s the brilliant Bolasie, again, who tricks his way down the left of the box before his low cross into the six-yard box is bundled in by McArthur.
GOAL! Palace 2 QPR 0 (Zaha 22, McArthur 41)
Squawka Football (@Squawka): Wilfried Zaha slotting home his first goal at Selhurst Park in 739 days (4-2 win vs. Hull on March 5th 2013).
Palace 1 QPR 0 (Zaha 22)
37 min: SHOT! You feel that, aside from Austin, Taarabt is going to be the man to get the away side back into this encounter. He gets the ball in the middle of the Palace half, and drives towards the box before deciding to unleash an effort from 25 yards. It’s a decent hit, that boasts swerve and dip, but the midfielder gets too much on his shot and it flies over.
Palace 1 QPR 0 (Zaha 22)
36 min: QPR, who made a good start to the match, are starting to have another good spell now. However, they’ve not done anything significant with possession, and Speroni has had a quiet afternoon so far. Taarabt’s surge forward resulted in a cross from Karl Henry, but his poor delivery was easily cleared.
Palace 1 QPR 0 (Zaha 22)
32 min: Palace have another corner from the right, which Puncheon hangs towards the near post. Murray busts a gut to get there, but heads over.
OptaJoe (@OptaJoe): 22 - Queens Park Rangers have conceded the first goal of the game more often than any other Premier League team this season (22). Sluggish.
Palace 1 QPR 0 (Zaha 22)
30 min: And the first yellow card of the day goes to Karl Henry. It’s his seventh booking of the season, and he’s been given it for being absolutely ‘merked’ by Zaha, who ran at him with stepovers before nutmegging him. Henry responds with a blatant block. Puncheon floats a free kick in towards the six-yard box, but Palace can’t capitalise on the good delivery, and QPR survive.
Palace 1 QPR 0 (Zaha 22)
28 min: CHANCE! Palace are on top, and flirt with the prospect of a second. It’s Damien Delaney of all people who turns and strikes a low effort from the edge of the QPR area, but it’s wide of the post.
Palace 1 QPR 0 (Zaha 22)
26 min: How do QPR respond? Well, Austin slices a shot horribly wide from 25 yards.
Palace 1 QPR 0 (Zaha 22)
22 min: Bang, crash, wallop. Palace take the lead, and I did say beforehand that the players would be willing to put their bodies on the line for the cause today, and that’s exactly what Zaha has just done. Bolasie breaks down the left, and cuts a low, hard cross towards the back post. Arriving is Zaha, among a bunch of others, and he gets to the ball first to bundle it into the back of the net. Unfortunately for him, he slams into the post sideways, along with Puncheon and Suk-Young, and all three are in some pain. Zaha jogs back on after some treatment, but he didn’t even get to celebrate his goal. Poor lad.
GOAL! Palace 1 QPR 0 (Zaha 22)
Palace 0 QPR 0
21 min: CHANCE! It’s Scott Dann again who is causing trouble in the QPR box. Puncheon, who played twice for QPR in a loan spell, swings in a corner from the right which Green comes flapping for. It ends up at the far post, but Dann heads it over.
Palace 0 QPR 0
19 min: Palace come forward and win a corner, which is cut in from the left towards Dann, who is arriving late. He gets his head to ball, as his marker is being held back by a crafty Bolasie, but the ball skims off of his forehead and well wide.
Palace 0 QPR 0
17 min: How on earth is Shaun Wright-Phillips 33 years old? He still looks about 15 and as if he wears extra-large boys’ clothes. Amazing to think that this is his first Premier League start of the season when he was the man who this nation had such high hopes for. He’s been indifferent so far.
Palace 0 QPR 0
14 min: That wasn’t so good from Taarabt, whose quick feet on the touchline end up costing his side a throwing after his stepover goes wrong. Moments earlier, Rob Green slipped as he was making a clearance - much to the delight of the home fans - while Suk-Young was lucky to escape a yellow card for a late challenge on Zaha. It’s all happening here.
Palace 0 QPR 0
12 min: More bright play from Taarabt, who brings the ball down well on the run about 35 yards from goal. He races to the edge of the box before trying to feed Austin, but the pass isn’t good enough and Delaney hacks it clear.
Palace 0 QPR 0
9 min: Taarabt, who in his own mind is probably the only man who can wrestle the Ballon d’Or from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, wins a free kick in a good position down the left for QPR as they hit Palace on the break and he is fouled. He takes it upon himself to put the delivery into the box, but it’s cleared away comfortably, with the cross not even making it into the mixer. Poor form, although Palace were awarded a free kick after Austin handballed it anyway.
Palace 0 QPR 0
7 min: First bit of excitement from the game as Zaha pulls off a Cruyff turn to go past Phillips to get to the edge of the box before hooking a cross into area, which is booted clear by Sandro.
Palace 0 QPR 0
4 min: Nothing of note to report so far. It’s been a display of rubbish passing, and terrible control so far. No chances.
KICK OFF: Palace 0 QPR 0
QPR, playing from right to left, get the match underway.
GOALS! GOALS! GOALS! Remember that you can watch near-live clips from this match by heading to the Goals tab on your app.
12.43pm: The teams are out an on that luscious turf at Selhurst Park. Palace are in their usual red and blue home kit, while QPR are in all-white. They’ll need a Real Madrid-esque performance today.
Leroy Fer (@LeroyFer10): COME ON YOU RRRRRRRRRRRS!!!!! @QPRFC #weRtogether
12.41pm: Right the teams are on their way out, and the weekend’s Premier League action is almost underway!
12.36pm: As for QPR, they need to up their game in defence if they’re to avoid the drop, as Tony Cascarino preached in hismost recent video. Charlie Austin is one of the league’s top scorers and is banging on Roy Hodgson’s door for an England call-up, yet QPR find themselves inside the bottom three. They’re three points behind Villa, and have lost eight of their last nine games in all competitions. Couple this with 12 defeats from their 13 away games in the league, and it’s not hard to see why Chris Ramsey has got a real job on his hands.
Trevor Sinclair (@trevor8sinclair): Do or die for @QPRFC today! Time for action is here, go make a name for yourselves #QPR
12.34pm: As far the relegation battle is concerned, this game is vastly more important to QPR than it is Palace. The hosts are eight points clear of the drop zone, with a better goal difference than their rivals to boot, which leaves them 12th in the table. They’ve really enjoyed themselves since Pardew came home.
12.30pm: As for the blue and white power Rangers, Chris Ramsey has made three alterations. In come Darnell Furlong, the Cheltenham Festival lover, Adel Taarabt and Shaun Wright-Phillips. Commiserations to Rio Ferdinand, Mauricio Isla and Bobby Zamora, who all drop out as a consequence.
OptaJoe (@OptaJoe): 3 - Glenn Murray has scored three goals in his last two Premier League appearances. Mint.
12.28pm: For Palace, it’s one in, one out for Alan Pardew, the manager as Glenn Murray returns from a ban to replace Dwight Gayle in attack. Yaya Sanogo is back from a hamstring injury, but only makes it to a place on the bench. Fellow strikers, Marouane Chamakh and Frazier Campbell, are ruled out, while Mile Jedinak and Jordon Mutch are suspended.
12.23pm: More preamble to come, but first let’s take a glance at the 22 men (and substitutes) that will put their bodies on the line for the sake of three points this lunchtime.
Crystal Palace XI: Speroni, Ward, Delaney, Dann, Kelly, McArthur, Ledley, Puncheon, Zaha, Bolasie, Murray.
Subs: Hennessey, Hangeland, Mariappa, Souare, Ameobi, Sanogo, Gayle.
QPR XI: Green, Furlong, Caulker, Onuoha, Suk-Young, Wright-Phillips, Sandro, Henry, Phillips, Taarabt, Austin.
Subs: McCarthy, Hill, Kranjcar, Hoilett, Vargas, Zamora, Grego-Cox.
12.19pm: We start with arguably the craziest game in the history of the English top flight. At Selhurst Park, it’s Crystal Palace against Queens Park Rangers – a feisty London derby in which both teams will spill blood and guts as they scrap to cling on to a place in the Premier League and defy relegation.
12.15pm: Good afternoon and welcome to The Times’ coverage of the best league in the world; the Barclays Premier League. Despite the fact that the division is largely rubbish in Europe, it’s still the elite in terms of bonkers entertainment and drama. We have six games on offer for you today, including four from 3pm. Oh the madness.