:01:18. > :01:22.Hello. We're into the closing stages of an enthralling Barclays Premier
:01:23. > :01:25.League season and tonight we welcome the man who could be lifting this
:01:26. > :01:28.trophy in six weeks' time. Manchester City captain Vincent
:01:29. > :01:33.Kompany joins us in the studio alongside Robbie Savage. And it's
:01:34. > :01:36.only polite to start with your team, Vincent. Could City close the gap on
:01:37. > :01:40.leaders Liverpool with victory over a Southampton side chasing their
:01:41. > :01:41.best-ever Premier League finish? Simon Brotherton was at the Etihad
:01:42. > :01:54.Stadium. Third in the table but with two
:01:55. > :01:58.games in hand and with destiny in their own hands, Manchester City go
:01:59. > :02:02.for what would be a 14th home win in 15 games against Southampton side
:02:03. > :02:09.who have travelled north on the back of their biggest win in 13 years,
:02:10. > :02:14.4-0 over Newcastle. Pellegrini makes one change. Aleksandar Kolarov plays
:02:15. > :02:17.at left back, is that of Clichy. Sergio Aguero was back in training
:02:18. > :02:23.and could be cut in contention for next week's trip to Liverpool.
:02:24. > :02:27.Southampton's goalkeeper Boruc was injured in training yesterday, so
:02:28. > :02:32.Gazzaniga starts for the first time since their 3-0 win on Boxing Day.
:02:33. > :02:43.Schneiderlin replaces Ward-Prowse in midfield.
:02:44. > :02:50.Not quite enough room to moving there. A nice turn by Lallana. City
:02:51. > :03:07.can break with Yaya Toure. Manchester City have got a penalty
:03:08. > :03:11.here, with two minutes exactly on the watch. Chris Foy took half a
:03:12. > :03:16.second to think about it, before pointing to the spot. Fonte left his
:03:17. > :03:21.leg out there, trailing, just touched Dzeko, who went to ground
:03:22. > :03:28.and Chris Foy spot -- Chris Foy points to the spot.
:03:29. > :03:33.Yaya Toure has the chance, will it be the perfect start? Yes, it will.
:03:34. > :03:51.Cool, calm, casual. His 18th Premier League goal
:03:52. > :03:57.opposite -- season. That was the first time that Gazzaniga had
:03:58. > :04:04.touched the ball, picking it out of the back of the net. Pochettino's
:04:05. > :04:14.team have failed the scoring two of their away games so far this season.
:04:15. > :04:21.Lambert was nearly on the end of it. The first real threat coming
:04:22. > :04:27.from Southampton. Rodriguez almost finding Rickie Lambert. Southampton
:04:28. > :04:29.enjoying a decent spell of possession here and moving it around
:04:30. > :04:42.well. He could not quite bring it under
:04:43. > :04:47.control. A couple of times in the game already Southampton were almost
:04:48. > :04:51.in. After that opening five minutes or so, there has been a lack of
:04:52. > :04:58.assertiveness from Manchester City so far.
:04:59. > :05:05.Rodriguez, straight to the ground. Has he fallen awkwardly? Was it a
:05:06. > :05:10.kick on the knee? This will be worrying, of course, Rodriguez is
:05:11. > :05:14.having a magnificent season and is very much in Roy Hodgson's plans for
:05:15. > :05:20.the World Cup in Brazil. What has happened here? Is it an awkward
:05:21. > :05:24.fall? That is what has caused it. There was no contact from Kompany.
:05:25. > :05:26.Fingers will have to be crossed here for Jay Rodriguez. But it does not
:05:27. > :05:38.look great. The England manager will be
:05:39. > :05:41.concerned as well as -- at developments there. A standing
:05:42. > :05:46.ovation for the Southampton player from everybody inside the ground.
:05:47. > :05:53.They know what a season he has had and they know the summer that might
:05:54. > :06:11.have lain before him. That was a sobering moment.
:06:12. > :06:22.Manchester City have got a free kick here. It has been quite a first half
:06:23. > :06:27.for Gazzaniga. He conceded the only penalty. When it comes from Nasri,
:06:28. > :06:32.off the top of the bar from Dzeko. Manchester City, so close to a 2-0
:06:33. > :06:47.lead here. A really powerful header from Dzeko at the far post.
:06:48. > :06:56.Southampton have a penalty. Chris Foy points straight to the penalty
:06:57. > :07:02.spot. Was this inside the penalty area? It was inside the penalty
:07:03. > :07:03.area. Clearly about six inches inside the box. Rickie Lambert now
:07:04. > :07:23.with a chance to equalise. Lambert against Hart, it is 1-1. His
:07:24. > :07:29.12th goal of the season. Rickie Lambert, burying it from 12 yards.
:07:30. > :07:32.Hart guessed right, he could not quite beat the pace of the kick and
:07:33. > :07:37.it is Manchester City one, Southampton one. Can City finished
:07:38. > :07:46.the first half with a flourish? Four minutes of added time. At the
:07:47. > :07:55.end of this first half. Nasri, 2-1! Now the crowd are on
:07:56. > :08:20.their feet. What a beautifully worked goal.
:08:21. > :08:29.Samir Nasri reclaim is the lead for Manchester City.
:08:30. > :08:37.There is a man who feels his team are not deserving to be in the
:08:38. > :08:38.position they are in at the moment and is explaining to the fourth
:08:39. > :08:45.official. Nasri, scorer of the second, trying
:08:46. > :08:59.to create mischief in added time. It is into Dzeko, and it is three -
:09:00. > :09:04.one. Two goals in added time, at the end of the first half, and suddenly
:09:05. > :09:08.it is looking good for Manchester City. After a first half in which
:09:09. > :09:14.Southampton had been the better team for long periods, here is the ball
:09:15. > :09:37.coming in. Gazzaniga does not get to it.
:09:38. > :09:44.It was slashed so far wide of the goal that it actually goes out for a
:09:45. > :10:00.throw-in. Dzeko looking for his second goal of the match.
:10:01. > :10:05.The angle was narrowing all the time. Ward-Prowse was running into a
:10:06. > :10:16.decent position but Lambert was always going to shoot from there.
:10:17. > :10:22.Yaya Toure, almost going through the entire Southampton defence and going
:10:23. > :10:25.to ground in a fashion that Chris Foy feels he did not need to do. He
:10:26. > :10:35.will get a yellow card for simulation.
:10:36. > :10:42.A great chance, it is four. Jovetic, with his first touch of the ball
:10:43. > :10:48.after coming off the bench, makes absolutely sure of the points. It is
:10:49. > :11:00.the easiest goal that Jovetic will score all season.
:11:01. > :11:06.I think maybe we were lucky to finish the first half 3-1, because
:11:07. > :11:11.there was not a difference between the two teams. It was a very close
:11:12. > :11:20.game. Southampton played well, they had a lot of possession. I repeat,
:11:21. > :11:27.we scored goals and we improved in all senses and played with the ball
:11:28. > :11:37.and played very well. In my opinion, it killed the game and it is not
:11:38. > :11:43.possible after this action to win the game. It is there for everyone
:11:44. > :11:47.to see, it is not two or three inches, it is blatant. The replay
:11:48. > :11:53.was on the big screen and we could all see it. I am sure the linesman
:11:54. > :11:56.saw it and the referee saw it. When it is -- when you come to places
:11:57. > :12:04.like this you need a bit of luck, play well and take your chances. We
:12:05. > :12:08.thought we were really hard done by today.
:12:09. > :12:13.TRANSLATION: Up until that we were superior to
:12:14. > :12:17.them, then the second half, overall in the first half we were organised
:12:18. > :12:22.and we played really well in the 45 minutes. A word about your
:12:23. > :12:27.team-mate, Jay Rodriguez. It looked really bad from the moment he went
:12:28. > :12:31.down? We are devastated for him. He is an unbelievable lad and he has
:12:32. > :12:35.proven this season what a player he is. Forget the decision for the
:12:36. > :12:40.offside, forget the result, forget everything, we are disappointed for
:12:41. > :12:45.our team-mate today. We all join in that. A real shame
:12:46. > :12:51.for more -- for Rodriguez. We have no update on his injury but let's
:12:52. > :12:56.hope it is not serious. As it looks. Vincent, when you are in a title
:12:57. > :13:00.race, perhaps a flattering scoreline because Southampton gave you a test,
:13:01. > :13:04.didn't they? Yes, they are good team, a really good team, so we
:13:05. > :13:09.never expected it to be easy. But we had a lot of chances, so ultimately
:13:10. > :13:13.it was probably what we expected from the game, but they are a really
:13:14. > :13:18.good team. The second goal, the key one before half-time that gave City
:13:19. > :13:23.the lead, it is clearly offside, isn't it? It is a ridiculous
:13:24. > :13:26.decision. I can only think the linesman thought it came off the
:13:27. > :13:30.defender because he is four yards offside, Silva. Southampton were
:13:31. > :13:37.having the better of the game at that time. A good pass into Dzeko, a
:13:38. > :13:41.great little flick, Silva, when he receives the ball there, how the
:13:42. > :13:47.linesman can't see, I don't know. The Southampton defenders stop, Shaw
:13:48. > :13:50.stops as well. If Sean had carried on and played to the whistle he
:13:51. > :13:56.could possibly have tracked Nasri's run, but he stopped -- sure. It is
:13:57. > :14:02.four yards offside, just when Southampton... The linesman needs to
:14:03. > :14:07.be sure. It is unlucky for Southampton and it is a mistake by
:14:08. > :14:10.the referee. Southampton do cause teams problems and they cause
:14:11. > :14:14.Manchester City problems in the first half? I thought they played
:14:15. > :14:19.very well. Lambert, Rodriguez, Lallana, they kept getting in
:14:20. > :14:23.runners from deep. We knew before the game and as I said, the reason
:14:24. > :14:26.we were more stretched than we would like us because they have good
:14:27. > :14:32.possession. They have good runners off the ball. At couple of times
:14:33. > :14:35.they did, but I thought we were more dangerous during the course of the
:14:36. > :14:42.game. They played really well. They are very good team. That left side
:14:43. > :14:45.centre half position attacking more often than the right-hand side, but
:14:46. > :14:51.in the end City were the better team. Steyn to stay away from him on
:14:52. > :14:56.the right-hand side. That is why. Dzeko penalty and Toure was given a
:14:57. > :15:01.yellow card for diving. Worth a look at those. Fonte, a lazy left leg
:15:02. > :15:07.from him and the penalty has caught Dzeko on the knee. Dzeko is entitled
:15:08. > :15:10.to go down. He has gone down a bit late but definite contacts. Dzeko
:15:11. > :15:15.makes the most of it and goes down, a definite penalty. If that was
:15:16. > :15:21.Suarez, it would be on the back page of every paper, a dive. You are
:15:22. > :15:27.smiling. You are bobbing to be honest, it is my team-mates so why
:15:28. > :15:32.will defend my team-mate. It is as simple as that. In other
:15:33. > :15:37.situations, another player, I would not have been happy, so for the
:15:38. > :15:41.spirit of the game it is not good when it happens and sometimes it is
:15:42. > :15:48.good to highlight it, it is good to highlight it because it is not good
:15:49. > :15:55.for the game. There were a couple of occasions when they weren't playing
:15:56. > :16:00.well. Moments of quality. . Kolarov, six assists from left back. What a
:16:01. > :16:09.goal. Dzeko header. Great ball from Company out wide there. That ball,
:16:10. > :16:14.into that area, great finish. It's a training ground move really. They do
:16:15. > :16:18.it all the time. It's unbelievable when it comes off like this. It
:16:19. > :16:25.shows we can be dangerous at any time. When it comes from our
:16:26. > :16:32.wingers, our wide players, we are always more dangerous. Beautiful
:16:33. > :16:37.goal. Pellegrini is expansive with his game. More enjoyable to play
:16:38. > :16:42.with Pellegrini? Two different styles. We were a good defensive
:16:43. > :16:48.team. Now we have added some sort of flare to our game. It's not so much
:16:49. > :16:51.winning any more, it's about winning and doing it in the right way. Our
:16:52. > :16:58.club is growing through the way we are playing as well. Tougher for the
:16:59. > :17:03.defenders under Pellegrini? A lot more space to cover. When you play
:17:04. > :17:07.against great strikers, yeah. We have handled it well. Two goals in
:17:08. > :17:17.the last seven games conceded. We have improved. Long way to go yet.
:17:18. > :17:22.It's all very exciting. Jose Mourinho claims Chelsea's title
:17:23. > :17:26.challenge was over after defeat at Crystal Palace, but victory against
:17:27. > :17:31.Stoke would put them back on top of the table. The Potters arrived at
:17:32. > :17:38.Stamford Bridge on a run of three straight wins. Guy Mowbray was
:17:39. > :17:40.watching this one. There have been four changes to the Chelsea side
:17:41. > :18:02.today. Stoke City on a ground where they
:18:03. > :18:09.last won in league football at the end of April 1974. 1-0 win with the
:18:10. > :18:19.only goal of the game coming from a Chelsea favourite Alan Hudson.
:18:20. > :18:24.Lampard, Ivanovic, Lampard, mis-kicks. Torres, to shoot. Wasn't
:18:25. > :18:46.far wide. Schurrle with the knock inside. The
:18:47. > :18:50.header went straight to Willian. Willian shot. Begovic wasn't sure if
:18:51. > :18:54.that was bending in or not. He couldn't take the chance of leaving
:18:55. > :18:58.it. Looked like it might have been deflected off Willian here. Yeah,
:18:59. > :19:10.big one. Begovic with the paws around the post. Cahill. Missed by
:19:11. > :19:17.Pieters. Lampard. No real fizz in the shot. You can see his
:19:18. > :19:24.frustration. Stoke haven't got it away though. It's Azpilicueta with
:19:25. > :19:29.the cross. It came for Torres. Begovic was there to pounce and
:19:30. > :19:35.smother his efforts. Pieters dived in when he didn't need to. The throw
:19:36. > :19:40.from Begovic, ill advised. Begovic made amends. It was another Pieters
:19:41. > :19:46.error with age tempted chest back to the keeper. His team are getting
:19:47. > :19:56.gifts, they are turning them down. Crouch. Sold Cameron a little short.
:19:57. > :20:01.Schurrle. Torres with Cameron lung coming in. Torres down. He didn't
:20:02. > :20:07.claim much. Azpilicueta, he will try and curl it - not enough. Just asked
:20:08. > :20:11.the question now, Fernando Torres, but it is knee to knee. Cameron
:20:12. > :20:17.making a genuine attempt going to the ball. Torres knee going against
:20:18. > :20:21.his, perhaps, just as much. The ball through to Willian. Salah on the
:20:22. > :20:37.right. Bed lum in the box. That's Salah! Scores again. Chelsea
:20:38. > :20:45.have had to to be patient and work their way through to that opening.
:20:46. > :20:51.Finally, lashed home by Salah. That justified his place in the team. All
:20:52. > :20:58.on his own to get himself set. He didn't have spank it. Begovic got a
:20:59. > :21:10.leg to it, not enough to keep it out. Salah did really well. Chelsea
:21:11. > :21:18.1, Stoke City 0. Chelsea fans have found their voice. Ivanovic, 2-0.
:21:19. > :21:28.Oh, no, the flag is up. That has been noticed by everybody inside the
:21:29. > :21:45.ground, to general you are mum you ares -- -- mummurs of disapproval.
:21:46. > :21:53.Crouch let Adam take over. Here's Cahill. Salah.
:21:54. > :22:01.Schurrle is down, after getting the worst of a 50/50 challenge with
:22:02. > :22:06.Charlie Adam. I think Adam won the ball. Then his boot goes through
:22:07. > :22:09.onto that of Schurrle. Was that a naughty one? It was a painful one.
:22:10. > :22:30.Here's Torres. The ball went back to Salah, who is
:22:31. > :22:36.taken out. It will be a Chelsea penalty. Andy Wilkinson coming in.
:22:37. > :22:40.The only argument with Stoke players are with their own full-back. They
:22:41. > :22:44.are the only arguments they can have. Wrong decision. Didn't need to
:22:45. > :22:49.go in like that. Salah down, Chelsea with a chance to take this game
:22:50. > :22:55.further away from Stoke. Frank Lampard from the penalty spot.
:22:56. > :23:00.Interesting that it's Lampard, not Hazard. He has his effort saved, but
:23:01. > :23:04.he is there for the follow-up. I wonder how his heart was beating in
:23:05. > :23:08.the half or second or so before hitting the ball first time and
:23:09. > :23:13.second time. Too close to Begovic. He made a good save because it was
:23:14. > :23:17.coming at him quickly. He is unlucky, of all the places for the
:23:18. > :23:22.ball to rebound back to. Lampard scores in the end. Chelsea have
:23:23. > :23:26.their second. It looks as though, at least temporarily, they are going
:23:27. > :23:34.back to the top of the tree. Chelsea 2, Stoke City 0. Willian missed the
:23:35. > :23:41.ball. He looks down accusingly at the pitch. Which looks pretty
:23:42. > :23:45.perfect. A chance here. The he couldn't control it. What a chance
:23:46. > :23:49.that was. Look at the room he has. It's the right ball for him. He
:23:50. > :23:54.couldn't get it down, kill it and finish it. It sounds easy when you
:23:55. > :23:59.put it like that. A wry smile on the face of Mark Hughes, what does he
:24:00. > :24:04.do, throw everything in now? Chelsea can break here. The might be four on
:24:05. > :24:12.four if they can move it quickly enough. Salah, Willian. Matic round
:24:13. > :24:17.the outside here. Willian, down the middle. What a glorious goal.
:24:18. > :24:23.Wonderfully well taken by Willian. It's the first one he has netted at
:24:24. > :24:26.Stamford Bridge. Following goals and wins at Southampton and Norwich.
:24:27. > :24:33.This one has absolutely made sure of the win today. Stoke were slow to
:24:34. > :24:42.get back. Willian, he just shifted the ball so neatly. Clever run from
:24:43. > :24:47.Matic. Shawcross not close enough to stop the shot from Willian. Begovic
:24:48. > :24:50.was never going to stop it. So precisely was it struck. Chelsea 3,
:24:51. > :25:08.Stoke City 0. It will be a free-kick. He is
:25:09. > :25:14.lifting his shirt up to point to the referee exactly where the studs made
:25:15. > :25:21.contact. Adams not happy with that bit of grassing. It was high. Around
:25:22. > :25:25.the rib cage. The words go on. All that is left for Chelsea is to keep
:25:26. > :25:30.another clean sheet. It would be eight at home in a row. They haven't
:25:31. > :25:36.conceded a goal at Stamford Bridge since 9th January when Hernandez
:25:37. > :25:37.scored in a 3-0 win against Manchester United. Ivanovic turns
:25:38. > :25:46.the ball away. Pieters is far from happy about the
:25:47. > :25:51.challenge on him. Look at the way that that right boot was dangling.
:25:52. > :25:56.He is over the top of the ball, straight into the shin of Pieters.
:25:57. > :26:06.He whacks him on the head for good measure. Clearly still angered from
:26:07. > :26:13.the high boot on his chest. Which is a little bit in the search of the
:26:14. > :26:18.confidence. After that, after 10-15 minutes, the first half was very
:26:19. > :26:22.good. We finished the first half winning 1-0, it could be obviously
:26:23. > :26:25.more. We need players playing to their maximum when you come to
:26:26. > :26:30.places like Stamford Bridge. Today we had too many not quite at the
:26:31. > :26:34.level they needed to be to cause Chelsea enough problems. Another
:26:35. > :26:38.smile milestone in your career, 250 club career goals for West Ham and
:26:39. > :26:42.Chelsea combined? I had forgotten about that. I hadn't scored for a
:26:43. > :26:47.while. I knew I was close. A nice round figure, a big figure, I
:26:48. > :26:50.wouldn't have dreamed getting near that when I started off playing
:26:51. > :26:55.professional football. It's nice. You said the title was impossible.
:26:56. > :27:00.You are back to the top this week? Again same story, matches in hand. I
:27:01. > :27:04.don't know if after our last match against Cardiff, I don't know if
:27:05. > :27:07.City have to play another match before that. I don't know. Maybe
:27:08. > :27:13.they have one more match to play after that. I think things were done
:27:14. > :27:17.in a way where... Also the teams from the bottom of the league. You
:27:18. > :27:23.know, you look to Sunderland and you look to Fulham, Cardiff, Swansea,
:27:24. > :27:30.the teams that are there and not all of them have the same number of
:27:31. > :27:34.matches. In the league with these expression I think it's quite a
:27:35. > :27:40.difficult thing to accept. All play 38 in the end. Willian came in there
:27:41. > :27:44.for Chelsea. He was pretty much their star man, wasn't he? He will
:27:45. > :27:51.be pleased to know I'm informed that Scolari was in the stand? There was
:27:52. > :27:56.no Oscar or Hazard. He went with Salah, will Yann and Schurrle.
:27:57. > :28:00.Willian was exceptional. He worked hard, won the ball back in good
:28:01. > :28:07.areas. Trying to put Torres through there. His industry and workrate
:28:08. > :28:10.today was fantastic. I know, when he played against Man City you were
:28:11. > :28:14.impressed with him. Mostly you look at him and you see a gifted player.
:28:15. > :28:18.The work he puts in for his team. He causes a lots of trouble, not just
:28:19. > :28:22.because of his skills, he was working so hard for his team. You
:28:23. > :28:26.know, I will always have respect for players that can combine the two
:28:27. > :28:30.like he does. You can see the way he moves his feet. This was a warning
:28:31. > :28:35.shot for stroke. Decent save. Look how quick his feet are here. The way
:28:36. > :28:39.he shifts the ball onto his right, one touch, great finish. Delightful
:28:40. > :28:46.finish that one? Very, very good player. I agree. One or two strong
:28:47. > :28:51.challenges in that game that could, on Noro caution, perhaps, have seen
:28:52. > :28:55.the colour red? Yeah, I mean, personally I think it depends. It
:28:56. > :28:58.depends. If the intention is to injure someone, then of course. The
:28:59. > :29:03.in this case, for me, it's a hard challenge, it's not a malicious one.
:29:04. > :29:07.I think you can never forget why people watch the Premier League it
:29:08. > :29:12.is because challenges can be hard. That is high. On another day it
:29:13. > :29:18.might be a yellow card. Honest challenge. Strong challenge. The
:29:19. > :29:22.worse challenge of the lot. Over the ball, though? It's an honest
:29:23. > :29:28.challenge. I would say a yellow card. Look at the Rodriguez
:29:29. > :29:32.incident, sometimes it's not the challenges who cause the worst
:29:33. > :29:37.industries. -- injuries. We hope it's not too bad for him. It's a
:29:38. > :29:44.contact sport, we must accept that sometimes. I thought you might say
:29:45. > :29:50.that. Strong defender. You can see the graphic there:
:29:51. > :29:59.A huge game at Liverpool. We are fully preparing for that game.
:30:00. > :30:03.Different styles, but the same philosophy, trying to score goals,
:30:04. > :30:06.so I presume an entertaining game for everyone. It will be
:30:07. > :30:11.open-ended, both of you score so many goals it will be hard to see
:30:12. > :30:15.that one... We have seen one or two big games this season, there has
:30:16. > :30:19.been a fear of losing but we don't expect that next week. It is hard to
:30:20. > :30:24.predict because there is so much at stake with this game. The reality is
:30:25. > :30:27.room -- we remember the game at the Etihad and for me the strongest team
:30:28. > :30:33.we have played this season, but then again it is a great, great challenge
:30:34. > :30:38.for us. Playing against Suarez in particular has been breathtaking at
:30:39. > :30:45.times this season. It must be tough. Any special plans? And Sturridge,
:30:46. > :30:50.Gerrard, they have a great squad and they have not had bad luck but we
:30:51. > :30:55.need to be wary of their players. Have Liverpool surprised you this
:30:56. > :31:01.season, that they are so close to it considering they finished well down?
:31:02. > :31:04.No, not at all because reminding our strongest part of the season when we
:31:05. > :31:08.won the lead was when we had no competitions to play in and
:31:09. > :31:13.Liverpool, they have been exempted and they have been constant. It
:31:14. > :31:17.makes them very dangerous. All the players are fit and quality players.
:31:18. > :31:20.Jose Mourinho plays it down and writes his side off but we know he
:31:21. > :31:27.does not mean that. They are still in there, aren't they, Chelsea? They
:31:28. > :31:30.have a decent run in. Very much. If I was in Chelsea's position I would
:31:31. > :31:33.still believe in it so I cannot believe the Chelsea players don't
:31:34. > :31:38.think they can still do is, especially having to go to Anfield.
:31:39. > :31:46.But that is good, it is a good league. It will be up to the wire, I
:31:47. > :31:50.think. A big game, next week. It is huge but City have to go to Everton.
:31:51. > :31:54.Chelsea go to Crystal Palace, losing, if City go to Liverpool and
:31:55. > :32:00.when they could go to Everton and limbs. To the wire, so we suspect,
:32:01. > :32:05.and hope, if neutral. At the other end of the table it is two wins in
:32:06. > :32:10.12 league will Solskjaer since joining Cardiff, who began the day
:32:11. > :32:14.three points from safety. Crystal Palace boosted their chances by
:32:15. > :32:20.Bruce -- beating Chelsea. John Roder was at the Cardiff City Stadium.
:32:21. > :32:34.Wilfried Zaha joint aged ten, today he is aiming to beat the club where
:32:35. > :32:39.he made his name. Joe Ledley, born in Cardiff, was with the Bluebirds
:32:40. > :32:42.from the age of nine. He likes Saha is up against his old club for the
:32:43. > :32:47.first time. Palace are unchanged as they look to open up a significant
:32:48. > :32:49.gap over the bottom three. Plenty at stake for both managers this
:32:50. > :33:14.afternoon. That will go out for the first
:33:15. > :33:17.corner of the afternoon. Delaney and Dunne have both come forward for
:33:18. > :33:19.Crystal Palace, to try to get on the end of the first corner of the
:33:20. > :33:30.match. Not the best of shots from the South
:33:31. > :33:34.African international. Look at the space that the Palace midfielder has
:33:35. > :33:40.full stop nobody at all had picked him out. Tony Pulis has never been
:33:41. > :33:43.relegated in his managerial career. A win here will go a long way to
:33:44. > :34:01.preserving that record for another season.
:34:02. > :34:12.In towards Campbell, just pushed away to safety by Speroni. The final
:34:13. > :34:16.touch may have come off Crystal Palace defender, before Speroni had
:34:17. > :34:20.to make the stock. Cardiff asked for their fans to be loud, vocal and
:34:21. > :34:22.passion at this afternoon and that is exactly what they are doing. --
:34:23. > :34:40.passionate. The defender missed it and Campbell,
:34:41. > :34:47.as he was slipping, got attached to the ball. A nice touch on from
:34:48. > :35:08.Caulker. No harm in the end for Crystal Palace.
:35:09. > :35:18.Jason Puncheon. Palace in front. That could be a crucial goal to
:35:19. > :35:23.determine the destiny of both of these clubs, come the end of the
:35:24. > :35:34.season. Jason Puncheon gets his fourth goal of the season.
:35:35. > :35:54.A huge blow for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
:35:55. > :36:01.Daehli, goes down in the area. Phil Dowd had a good view of that and
:36:02. > :36:10.immediately said, no penalty. Cardiff are outraged. Daehli here,
:36:11. > :36:16.trying to get the shot in under the challenge of Dicko Gori. You can see
:36:17. > :36:49.the referee's position. -- the challenge of Dicko Gori.
:36:50. > :37:00.Trying to find a way past. Cardiff get the decisions.
:37:01. > :37:09.Noone looks to take this corner quickly.
:37:10. > :37:12.Speroni does not quite get there. Crystal Palace able to scramble it
:37:13. > :37:26.away. Unfortunately for Cardiff, they
:37:27. > :37:39.can't guide it towards goal. Jerome, pulled back by Medel. There
:37:40. > :37:59.will be a caution for the Chilean. A little talk back there. Jason
:38:00. > :38:03.Puncheon stands behind him. His goal the difference between these two
:38:04. > :38:12.sides so far. A second for Crystal Palace would surely decide this much
:38:13. > :38:16.in their favour. Ledley, and the Foerder -- the former Cardiff man
:38:17. > :38:20.turns it in from close range and out of respect for his home city club,
:38:21. > :38:25.list club where he started his career, he does not celebrate.
:38:26. > :38:29.Marshall with the initial save to deny Chamakh, but Ledley could not
:38:30. > :38:35.miss from there and when the goal was confirmed nothing in the way of
:38:36. > :38:42.celebration. Class act from Joe Ledley. Crystal Palace look certain
:38:43. > :38:46.to be relegated before the arrival of Tony Pulis, this win will give
:38:47. > :38:49.them a massive amount of breathing space above the bottom three, if
:38:50. > :38:58.they can hold onto the advantage that they have. Time running out for
:38:59. > :39:03.Cardiff. The final touch was offered Palace defender. It was Delaney who
:39:04. > :39:09.flicked it behind for a corner. Bellamy to take.
:39:10. > :39:33.The header is just wide. Half a chance for Campbell.
:39:34. > :39:40.Puncheon, that is a brilliant goal from Jason Puncheon. It has sealed
:39:41. > :39:46.victory for Crystal Palace and if the signal for Cardiff fans to get
:39:47. > :39:48.up out of their seats and leave. He got Palace on their way with the
:39:49. > :40:02.first-half goal. Cardiff City have been well and
:40:03. > :40:08.truly beaten in a match that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer labelled as, must
:40:09. > :40:11.win. We played really well against Chelsea last week but could we
:40:12. > :40:16.follow it up? We didn't want this to be after the Lord Mayor's show. We
:40:17. > :40:19.did pretty well, then dropped and Cardiff got is a little bit and put
:40:20. > :40:23.pressure on us but the second half we played fantastic. Even the people
:40:24. > :40:28.who came on, we are all in this together and it is a fantastic three
:40:29. > :40:31.points. To get a clean sheep is a fantastic job. When I came into the
:40:32. > :40:38.football club with they were shipping goals and we had to make
:40:39. > :40:41.sure we sorted it out first to keep us in games. We have worked very
:40:42. > :40:45.hard on the system and the shape of the team. They have picked it up
:40:46. > :40:50.very well. I ran out of ideas, how to break them down. We lacked some
:40:51. > :40:54.belief towards the end. But that is part of football. It has been a
:40:55. > :40:59.tough season but we will start again next week and see if we can produce
:41:00. > :41:03.a miracle that we need. It is starting to look like miracles now.
:41:04. > :41:07.We talk about six pointers but this was almost more. With that kind of
:41:08. > :41:13.result Crystal Palace have pretty much safe and Cardiff, pretty much
:41:14. > :41:17.down. Cardiff went to West Brom, Palace beat Chelsea 1-0 at home so
:41:18. > :41:22.who wanted it more today? You are thinking Cardiff at home, on the
:41:23. > :41:27.front foot, let's win this game, but they were shocking will stop let's
:41:28. > :41:31.not if -- forget, Palace have only scored six goals on the road all
:41:32. > :41:35.season. They scored three today. Cardiff in a relegation battle, one
:41:36. > :41:40.of them should go tighter. Puncheon, so much space. He has got to throw
:41:41. > :41:46.himself in front of it, try to stop the shot, Mutch as well. Look at
:41:47. > :41:51.Jones, he has dropped so deep there, weighing everybody onside. A free
:41:52. > :41:59.header the six yard line, Ledley follows in. Ledley makes the run,
:42:00. > :42:04.Taylor has to block him off. It is a feeble effort to stop him. Caulker
:42:05. > :42:10.tries to react. Turner thinks he is offside, Jones is playing him on. I
:42:11. > :42:13.have to stick up for the defenders here in the sense that you have the
:42:14. > :42:17.whole team that has to defend the set piece. The striker comes in,
:42:18. > :42:21.maybe not ice used to defend us to do that. As soon as he drops he
:42:22. > :42:28.plays everyone onside and it becomes very difficult. Well played by
:42:29. > :42:33.Crystal Palace. This is the third goal, 88th minute. The players are
:42:34. > :42:38.thinking, get me off the pitch. A poor effort to stop the ball. What
:42:39. > :42:42.is Alan Shearer doing at Cardiff? You are turning into Alan Hansen
:42:43. > :42:47.because that was a special goal and you did not give Puncheon any credit
:42:48. > :42:50.whatsoever. Palace after last week took it and they performed
:42:51. > :42:56.brilliantly. Euless has done an unbelievable job. They are well
:42:57. > :43:00.organised, well drilled. A team that does not concede goals has a chance
:43:01. > :43:04.to win games. Someone like Tony Pulis with the job he has done at
:43:05. > :43:10.Crystal Palace, it does not generally happen, the title of
:43:11. > :43:17.Manager of the Year, but the job he has done, he must be a contender? It
:43:18. > :43:20.is phenomenal. You would have said, who is going down? Crystal Palace
:43:21. > :43:24.would be number one. Now they look as difficult as any team to play
:43:25. > :43:27.against. For the long-term it is good because next year is going to
:43:28. > :43:30.be difficult if they stay in the Premier League but the way they play
:43:31. > :43:34.at the moment, they look like a stable Premier League. Three games
:43:35. > :43:55.down, four more still to come. Bottom of the table Fulham have had
:43:56. > :43:59.as many managers as away victories this season. They travelled to take
:44:00. > :44:02.on an Aston Villa side, who knew a win would all but secured their
:44:03. > :44:09.place in the Premier League next season. John Motson was at Villa
:44:10. > :44:14.Park. Grant Holt makes only his second start. He is in place of
:44:15. > :44:17.Benteke, whose snapped Achilles tendon will keep him out for several
:44:18. > :44:23.months. What makes things worse for Villa today is that bails-macro has
:44:24. > :44:34.a calf strain. Then it comes in at left back. There is a recall upfront
:44:35. > :44:42.for 19-year-old Woodrow, with a new Greek striker, Mitroglou, still not
:44:43. > :44:46.fit. Fulham have got a poor record away to Aston Villa. They have not
:44:47. > :44:56.won win the league at Villa Park for 41 years.
:44:57. > :45:06.It was Bacuna who looked like he would go through the lot. Here comes
:45:07. > :45:12.the second. He has beaten him too. Good save. Stockdale gets a lot of
:45:13. > :45:20.credit low down. All of a sudden, Fulham are away and through. A real
:45:21. > :45:26.slip there. Woodrow was through, on his own. Guzan, not for the first
:45:27. > :45:34.time this season, comes to Aston Villa's rescue. Woodrow, time to
:45:35. > :45:36.line the shot up. Guzan, an expert when it comes to saving those, I
:45:37. > :45:55.must say. That's on the chest of Holt. It was
:45:56. > :46:00.nicely done. He's got Bacuna in here. Weimann is waiting. Bacuna has
:46:01. > :46:07.hit the post. That's the nearest Villa have come. Set up by Holt.
:46:08. > :46:11.Given space by Fulham. Really, they should have closed him down quicker.
:46:12. > :46:18.It was a good effort too, it had power in it. Well played Stockdale.
:46:19. > :46:36.He has Riether down his right side. It has gone beyond him. Richardson.
:46:37. > :46:41.Oh, Richardson. Fulham have taken the lead, Kieran Richardson... 61
:46:42. > :46:46.minutes. The Fulham fans still have belief. That move, across the pitch,
:46:47. > :46:52.had Villa retreating and never getting near the ball. Fulham moved
:46:53. > :46:56.it across, once, twice, then Richardson hit it with his left
:46:57. > :47:03.foot. What a screamer by Kieran Richardson. The goalkeeper, as good
:47:04. > :47:08.as Guzan, gets nowhere near it. Aston Villa 0, Fulham 1. It's a long
:47:09. > :47:23.way to go yet though. Is Well Villa have snatched the
:47:24. > :47:27.corner here. They very badly need a lift at the moment. Vlaar and Baker.
:47:28. > :47:37.Holt is there too. Is oh, that was Holt. It's gone in!
:47:38. > :47:44.Grant Holt has equalised and scored his first goal for Aston Villa,
:47:45. > :47:48.after exactly 70 minutes. Nathan Baker and Vlaar were taking away the
:47:49. > :48:06.attention of the Fulham defenders, not so easy now for Felix. Grant
:48:07. > :48:16.Holt on-loan from Wigan. I don't think Weimann got a touch. It goes
:48:17. > :48:27.past Richardson on the line. That's 1-1 at Villa Park. How long did the
:48:28. > :48:29.Fulham lead last? 9 minutes. This is Dejagah for Fulham. He has Rodallega
:48:30. > :49:09.on the go here. Holtby. saviour. Oh, it's close. It's the
:49:10. > :49:10.nearest I've seen this season to the goal-line technology being so mighty
:49:11. > :49:31.close. Good save, Stockdale! Oh,
:49:32. > :49:38.beautifully saved by Stockdale. Westwood, given away. Holtby.
:49:39. > :49:48.And it's in! Rodallega. They've gone back in front, Fulham, it's
:49:49. > :49:54.Rodallega, with his first Premier League goal of the season. Oh, what
:49:55. > :50:00.drama here at the Villa Park. Fulham are in front for the second time. An
:50:01. > :50:06.extraordinary state of affairs. It's a flicked header, across the
:50:07. > :50:13.goalkeeper, that beats Guzan. Rodallega's flick. Oh... In the
:50:14. > :50:19.corner. Aston Villa are behind again at home. Look at the joy there on
:50:20. > :50:27.the Fulham faces. Can they yet survive relegation? I'm very proud
:50:28. > :50:33.of my team today because it was great victory. It was very important
:50:34. > :50:38.for us and very important for us that we were in front, got the
:50:39. > :50:44.equaliser, then we come back and score the victory. And, that's very,
:50:45. > :50:48.very important victory for us. I don't think there was too much in
:50:49. > :50:57.it. We had chances ourselves. Fulham had chances. Really open game. Great
:50:58. > :51:02.strike. We get back into the game. Chances to go and make it 2-1 up. I
:51:03. > :51:06.mean, we can't defend like that and expect to come away with it. If you
:51:07. > :51:09.live to be 100 you may not strike too many better than that one. It
:51:10. > :51:14.set the tone for what proved to be a big day for you? Yeah. It's good
:51:15. > :51:17.scoring a goal, that way as well. The main thing is we got the three
:51:18. > :51:21.points today. I thought we deserved it. We have a big game next week
:51:22. > :51:26.against Norwich. Hopefully, we can win that game. I think it was
:51:27. > :51:30.significant for the rest of the Premier League, for all the people
:51:31. > :51:36.they didn't count on us. Now, they know we are back. Yeah, a vital win.
:51:37. > :51:40.Fulham have used 38 players in the Premier League this season. Which is
:51:41. > :51:43.a record actually since the Premier League inceptions. They have found
:51:44. > :51:48.11 that work. Yeah. A huge win for them? The goal from Richardson was
:51:49. > :51:52.outstanding. They have conceded 74 goals already in the Premier League
:51:53. > :51:58.this season. Ridiculous amount. They have to score two or three goals a
:51:59. > :52:04.game. This is a life line? It's a great strike from Richardson. What a
:52:05. > :52:09.strike. Outside his left foot, into the top corner. The second goal was
:52:10. > :52:13.a great ball in from Holtby. Yeah. I mean, if you are being difficult you
:52:14. > :52:19.can always say - maybe the defence drops a bit too early. It's a short
:52:20. > :52:24.cross, a great flick on. Credit to exactly... Rodallega. Credit to
:52:25. > :52:29.Fulham. This is goal-line technology. This is one millimetre
:52:30. > :52:34.this ball must be not crossing the line. It's on the line. Great
:52:35. > :52:38.clearing, look at that. I love goal-line technology. I think
:52:39. > :52:41.technology should be more part of football. We should be able to look
:52:42. > :52:47.at the game against Southampton and say it's an offside not a goal. We
:52:48. > :52:54.need to use the technology. Three appeals Perseid, where do you stop?
:52:55. > :52:59.It's possibility. It's habit. Give the players rules, we will get used
:53:00. > :53:04.to it. Aston Villa perspective, they are missing Benteke, they will be
:53:05. > :53:08.missing for Belgium in the World Cup, huge blow for yourself as well?
:53:09. > :53:13.He has been prolific for us. He was one of the star players of the
:53:14. > :53:16.campaign. Without him we wouldn't have qualified as comfortable as we
:53:17. > :53:20.have done for the World Cup. You know, we are thinking of him right
:53:21. > :53:24.now and hoping that he will get back to full fitness very soon. I know he
:53:25. > :53:31.will come visit us, he is still there. A real shame for him. West
:53:32. > :53:35.Brom began the day three points above the drop zone and three points
:53:36. > :53:38.behind a Norwich side who've kept five clean sheets in their last six
:53:39. > :53:38.home games. Martin Fisher was at Carrow Road.
:53:39. > :53:42.five clean sheets in their last six home games. Martin Unbeaten in six
:53:43. > :53:45.games here, Norwich restore Gary Hooper to their starting line-up,
:53:46. > :53:52.without a goal since Boxing Day, he did score in their win at West Brom
:53:53. > :53:55.in December. Albion have their captain Olsson back from suspension.
:53:56. > :54:11.It's the same team that started last week against Cardiff. James Morrison
:54:12. > :54:16.keeps his place. One win in 10 games for Pepe Mel. He hoped their win at
:54:17. > :54:25.Swansea would provide a flat form for a confident surge away from the
:54:26. > :54:43.danger zone, not so. Nice turn. Here is the Frenchman. Sidenetting. A
:54:44. > :54:49.real blast from Amalfitano. West Bromwich Albion have sold all of
:54:50. > :54:54.their allocation for this game. Over 2,500 are here. The club provided
:54:55. > :55:00.free coach travel for 2,000 of those supporters. Ridgewell galloping
:55:01. > :55:06.forward now for West Brom. Nudged in the back by Snodgrass, not so
:55:07. > :55:12.according to Mark Clattenburg. Good vision to pick out Snodgrass. It
:55:13. > :55:17.will come for Elmander. He should have done so much better than that.
:55:18. > :55:20.He has only scored once in the Premier League since arriving
:55:21. > :55:24.on-loan for the season from Galatasaray. For a man of his
:55:25. > :55:32.pedigree, he really should be testing Foster there. Best chance of
:55:33. > :55:36.the game so far by some distance. Good challenge by Sessegnon. That's
:55:37. > :55:45.a good pass too to pick out Morrison. Mulumbu. Amalfitano.
:55:46. > :55:51.Amalfitano getting the shot in. A beautiful goal. His second strike in
:55:52. > :55:55.a week, and didn't he take it well? It's the first goal from open play
:55:56. > :56:02.Norwich have conceded here since Danny Welbeck scored here in late
:56:03. > :56:08.December. How significant does the slip by Martin Olsson. Dorrans
:56:09. > :56:13.started it, Morrison moved it on. Mulumbu found Amalfitano. Here is
:56:14. > :56:19.the slip. There is the shot. Ruddy is beat. There's the slip from
:56:20. > :56:28.Olsson. Over committed himself. It's through the legs of Bassong. Ruddy
:56:29. > :56:34.had no chance. Amalfitano only came back a week ago, against Cardiff,
:56:35. > :56:41.scored a beauty in that one. That is a cracker too. Can they use that to
:56:42. > :56:45.get all three points, that is the question. Norwich have only lost
:56:46. > :56:48.four times at home this season. That's fewer than Manchester United
:56:49. > :56:55.and Spurs in front of their supporters. Hoolahan.
:56:56. > :57:11.Albion, again, closing down so well. Now, looking to spring the counter
:57:12. > :57:15.with Vydra. Good block by Ruddy. Really threatening counter-attack
:57:16. > :57:19.from West Brom. Ruddy prevents for Norwich from going two behind. Three
:57:20. > :57:23.players running forward here. Dorrans is not required, Sessegnon
:57:24. > :57:30.back to Vydra, hitting the target. Nice height for Ruddy. It need
:57:31. > :57:37.saving. Norwich can ill afford to go two behind here.
:57:38. > :57:45.Elmander! What a save, Ben Foster. That's the first real save the
:57:46. > :57:51.Albion keeper has been forced to make. It's one out of the top
:57:52. > :57:56.drawer. The front two of Norwich linking superbibly. The flick on
:57:57. > :58:00.from Hooper. Elmander's header was going into the corner. Foster
:58:01. > :58:05.produces an excellent stop. Norwich City have struggled for goals this
:58:06. > :58:11.season. Only Crystal Palace have scored fewer than their tally of 26.
:58:12. > :58:17.Snodgrass. Clipped by Mulumbu. Mulumbu, full of remorse, and also
:58:18. > :58:21.concerned by how much damage Snodgrass has done to his head here
:58:22. > :58:27.in the fall. Just fell on top of him, didn't he. Snodgrass will take,
:58:28. > :58:32.Bassong, Elmander trying to get in round the back of West Brom. That is
:58:33. > :58:48.Bassong. It might drop for Yobo. Now Hooper, against the bar! It was Gary
:58:49. > :58:54.Hooper, fed bio by Yobo. They are getting closer Norwich, better from
:58:55. > :58:59.the home side. Hoolahan, Snodgrass, quickly closed down by Morrison. A
:59:00. > :59:05.free-kick has been given. You can see what Morrison thinks of that
:59:06. > :59:09.decision. Trying to steal it off Snodgrass. There is the contact.
:59:10. > :59:12.West Brom absorbing quite a bit of pressure at the start of this
:59:13. > :59:17.second-half. Snodgrass looks like he will go for goal here.
:59:18. > :59:24.He has done. He's hit the bar as well. Almost exactly the same spot
:59:25. > :59:29.where Hooper hit it less than a minute ago. Foster might have got a
:59:30. > :59:35.touch to this. I think he has. Was it dropping in? Certainly needed the
:59:36. > :59:40.touch from Ben Foster. It's a good stop.
:59:41. > :59:47.They have had a bit of luck in the second half but overall you could
:59:48. > :59:51.argue that Pepe Mel's team don't deserve all three points. Well
:59:52. > :59:58.organised and resilient throughout. Two minutes of the four added time.
:59:59. > :00:09.Ruddy saves. Morrison threw for Berahino, the two did not see eye
:00:10. > :00:12.for eye a week ago, almost fashioning the crucial second goal.
:00:13. > :00:17.His team have not been at their best today, with a very difficult last
:00:18. > :00:28.four claims of the season to come. The first 50 minutes, strong,
:00:29. > :00:35.compact, solid, because Norwich had a different team, this strong team,
:00:36. > :00:39.but today West Brom were very good. We did not show enough quality
:00:40. > :00:42.today. We considered the poor girl early enough in the game to give
:00:43. > :00:47.them a lift. They dropped deep behind the ball and allowed us to
:00:48. > :00:51.have a fair passage and periods of possession and if that is the case
:00:52. > :00:55.you have to use it better. I thought at times we were too loose with our
:00:56. > :00:59.passing. If you are going to walk the ball into the final third to
:01:00. > :01:03.create chances, you have to be better on the ball than what we were
:01:04. > :01:06.today. It is important with today's winter drag a few more teams into
:01:07. > :01:13.the relegation battle. It will be tight but hopefully we will stay up.
:01:14. > :01:17.I think we are on the up. We have seven points from the last four
:01:18. > :01:22.games, so we are in good shape and looking forward to the last six
:01:23. > :01:26.games. The supporters today were not happy. Can you understand their
:01:27. > :01:32.anxiety and reaction to some of the misplaced passages -- passes during
:01:33. > :01:35.the passages of play? I can understand their right variety and
:01:36. > :01:40.frustration. We have to accept criticisms and I am going to accept
:01:41. > :01:45.criticisms I have on a day like today. Criticism is one thing,
:01:46. > :01:49.throwing things at managers is another. West Brom have turned
:01:50. > :01:53.things around, they -- the game was vital to both teams. When they are
:01:54. > :01:59.looking for Sudbury to step up to the plane, Amalfitano, 18 games
:02:00. > :02:02.without a goal, last week he scored a fantastic goal against Cardiff, a
:02:03. > :02:08.great finish. I think he means that. Today, he comes up with a
:02:09. > :02:11.winner. That is a good tackle, Norwich fans might complain but he
:02:12. > :02:17.gets himself in a good position and gets the winner. He fires the pocket
:02:18. > :02:22.between the defenders and the midfield, it is quality. You need
:02:23. > :02:25.those players to step up in those moments and it can mean a lot to the
:02:26. > :02:30.season of West Brom, the way they will finish it. Especially when you
:02:31. > :02:34.fight for your life. We can look at the bottom five as it stands at
:02:35. > :02:39.present. There is a bit of a gap there.
:02:40. > :02:46.You can see the importance of the win for Fulham. Norwich have to go
:02:47. > :02:52.to Fulham next week, a crucial game for both teams and especially
:02:53. > :02:55.Norwich. Norwich's last four games, Liverpool United -- Liverpool,
:02:56. > :03:02.United, Chelsea, Arsenal, they have to get something up Fulham. You have
:03:03. > :03:05.experienced matches where you play against teams fighting for their
:03:06. > :03:10.lives, you have to deal with in the title race, games mean so much.
:03:11. > :03:15.There are no easy games any more. You look at the fixtures and we go,
:03:16. > :03:20.we have to go to Liverpool, but the reality is playing Norwich, Fulham
:03:21. > :03:24.or Crystal Palace, for example, it is not a given. It is not a gift.
:03:25. > :03:29.All those games have to be played. There will be a lot of surprises
:03:30. > :03:34.from here at the end of the season. It is not fair to ask you which
:03:35. > :03:39.three teams will go down. Do you think Fulham perhaps? Sunderland,
:03:40. > :03:44.Cardiff and Norwich, I really do, Norwich will go. We shall see, they
:03:45. > :03:49.have a tough close to the season. A big game next week. Goal of the
:03:50. > :04:15.month is back on Match Of The Day 2 and it is not a bad one.
:04:16. > :04:23.Beauties, but I know my winner. It is also a big day in terms of the
:04:24. > :04:30.top four. Everton take on Arsenal, Liverpool travel to West Ham. Match
:04:31. > :04:35.Of The Day 2 Extra will preview it all. Following us, it is Manish. You
:04:36. > :04:38.might want to stick around for tonight's offering, as we find out
:04:39. > :04:42.whether Championship leaders Leicester could secure their return
:04:43. > :04:48.to Match Of The Day. Our feature game sees Harry Redknapp's
:04:49. > :04:51.competitive game at Bournemouth. Clem has been to Nottingham Forest,
:04:52. > :04:55.who have plenty to play for before Stuart Pearce takes charge in the
:04:56. > :04:59.summer. Join us if you can after Match Of The Day. Otherwise we are
:05:00. > :05:05.on the iPlayer all week. We have plenty more sport this weekend on
:05:06. > :05:10.the BBC. Great Britain's tennis Davis Cup quarterfinal against
:05:11. > :05:16.Italy. We have a belief Challenge Cup action, Huddersfield take on St
:05:17. > :05:21.Helens. And don't forget, the Boat Race BBC One from 4:30pm. Manchester
:05:22. > :05:30.United's draw with Bayern Munich brought a smile to David Moyes' Boat
:05:31. > :05:34.Race. The hosts were seeking a first top-flight double over United since
:05:35. > :05:40.1931. At St James' Park was Steve Bower.
:05:41. > :05:45.Alan Pardew makes three changes, a recall for Dan Gosling, who starts a
:05:46. > :05:48.Premier League game for the second time for Newcastle against the
:05:49. > :05:53.manager who gave him his first top-flight opportunity at Everton.
:05:54. > :05:56.No Rooney, Van Persie Welbeck, Van Persie Orwell back for Manchester
:05:57. > :05:59.United, so the scoring responsibility falls on Hernandez,
:06:00. > :06:03.who starts a league game for the fifth time all season as David Moyes
:06:04. > :06:20.makes eight changes from the midweek Champions League quarterfinal.
:06:21. > :06:25.It was towards Hernandez, good defending by Williamson. No wonder
:06:26. > :06:30.there is a thumbs up for the delivery from the Mexican.
:06:31. > :06:36.Williamson in the right place at the right time.
:06:37. > :06:44.Appeals for hands, and it has been given. Definitely hit his arm. Alan
:06:45. > :06:50.Pardew's second game back, and allowed in the stadium. Two more
:06:51. > :06:55.games where he has to sit up above. He is reunited with Kevin Friend,
:06:56. > :07:03.the referee who dismissed him for the headbutt on Hull's David Meyler.
:07:04. > :07:11.Fellaini was late, a free kick to Newcastle. Elliott to take it. It is
:07:12. > :07:30.aimed towards Williamson. Cisse. Turned over by Lindegaard.
:07:31. > :07:39.The closest we have come to breaking the deadlock so far.
:07:40. > :07:46.Gosling with the foul on Fellaini. Gosling, a little frustrated at the
:07:47. > :07:53.way Kevin Friend has interpreted that.
:07:54. > :08:07.He appeared to put his arm across Gosling.
:08:08. > :08:17.Kevin Friend says that is a man just United free kick. Dan Gosling the
:08:18. > :08:20.offender. Mata did well with the challenge from Tiote and Gosling
:08:21. > :08:30.came in and did not get the ball, he got the man. There is a four man
:08:31. > :08:38.wall. Mata and Januzaj other contenders, it is Mata and it is 1-0
:08:39. > :08:42.Manchester United! He follows up his first goal for the club last weekend
:08:43. > :08:53.at Aston Villa with a free kick at St James' Park.
:08:54. > :09:10.That is inch perfect. A beautiful execution.
:09:11. > :09:20.Williamson goes to ground. A real chance for Hernandez. He could not
:09:21. > :09:24.take it and that is a let off for Newcastle. Less than two minutes
:09:25. > :09:29.before half-time, with the opportunity to double Manchester
:09:30. > :09:33.United's advantage, credit to Kagawa. Hernandez opened his body.
:09:34. > :09:36.You thought there was only one result. That was the high foot that
:09:37. > :09:41.Newcastle on Williamson were pointing to. Unbeaten in 14 games
:09:42. > :10:07.when they have scored first. Ice-cool, 2-0. A fabulous finish
:10:08. > :10:10.from Mata. Two for the Spaniard, two for Manchester United inside the
:10:11. > :10:14.first five minutes of the second half. It was untidy from
:10:15. > :10:16.Newcastle's point of view there. A bad touch from Coloccini, latched
:10:17. > :10:34.upon by Kagawa. Real composure, in the end a simple
:10:35. > :10:36.finish to roll it into the back of the net. His team have lost five of
:10:37. > :10:53.their last seven league games here. 3-0 Manchester United! Hernandez
:10:54. > :10:59.with the third. Newcastle caught flat-footed. Hernandez with his
:11:00. > :11:02.ninth of the season. His fourth in the Premier League. Kagawa at the
:11:03. > :11:26.heart of it. Cisse, beaten away by Lindegaard.
:11:27. > :11:28.Twice, the Dane has been asked the question of the Manchester United
:11:29. > :11:39.goal today and twice he has had the answer.
:11:40. > :11:46.Cisse, a tremendous save by Lindegaard. He keeps his clean sheet
:11:47. > :11:52.in tax. That was a fantastic point-blank save to deny Papiss
:11:53. > :11:58.Cisse. But UCAS -- to deny Papiss Cisse a Newcastle consolation. Those
:11:59. > :12:03.supporters enjoyed watching Manchester United away from home
:12:04. > :12:06.this season. This will be their 10th away win on the road, the best away
:12:07. > :12:14.record in the Premier League. Januzaj! A wonderful goal. It rounds
:12:15. > :12:24.off a clinical Manchester United performance.
:12:25. > :12:30.Mata has scored as well, he provided this one with an audacious touch
:12:31. > :12:37.which was calmly rolled hole by Januzaj. It is the perfect tonic for
:12:38. > :12:40.Manchester United ahead of that huge Champions League challenge up and
:12:41. > :12:50.coming for David Moyes and his team. Despite the difficulties and you
:12:51. > :12:54.have had the away form has been amazing hasn't it? Yes, we have
:12:55. > :12:58.tried to turn it into good format old Trafford but away from home we
:12:59. > :13:10.played well today and picked up another three points. We have to...
:13:11. > :13:14.It is a pleasure to play. A quality player, we connect very well. We
:13:15. > :13:19.tried to move and pass and today, we really enjoyed it on the pitch. The
:13:20. > :13:23.fans voiced their anger at the end the lot left early. You must share
:13:24. > :13:27.their huge frustration? We are desperate to get another three
:13:28. > :13:32.points, Erwin, a goal and unfortunately it is not happening at
:13:33. > :13:37.the moment. Desperately poor at the moment, 11 goals in the last three
:13:38. > :13:41.games that Newcastle have conceded. Let's look at Manchester United,
:13:42. > :13:46.much more positive. Mata playing well and scoring goals? He was
:13:47. > :13:51.brilliant. We stored -- we thought he started at the number ten
:13:52. > :13:56.position, he was all over the place. 85 touches, the most on the pitch.
:13:57. > :14:00.He was a different class, his free kick absolutely brilliant. This set
:14:01. > :14:07.him off and in that role today he was unplayable. Yes, it makes sense
:14:08. > :14:11.because you want your best players to be on the ball as much as you can
:14:12. > :14:16.and when they are on the ball they make things happen. You can see
:14:17. > :14:20.clearly today, I did know if it is confidence, but he looks like a
:14:21. > :14:25.world-class player. The biggest problem David Moyes has is if they
:14:26. > :14:30.are all fit, Van Persie, Rooney, Mata, they can't play in the same
:14:31. > :14:33.team. One has to be left out. Despite all their problems this
:14:34. > :14:39.season, away from home they have been okayed, Vincent. I am sure you
:14:40. > :14:45.are sympathetic that they have struggled so much, this season? Yes,
:14:46. > :14:52.look, you build your season usually on your home form, I think and then
:14:53. > :14:55.away, you can clearly see that if they had comparable home form as
:14:56. > :14:59.they did away, they would have been in the top four comfortably but
:15:00. > :15:05.ultimately I think it is a transition period for them and I am
:15:06. > :15:09.not surprised, obviously for us it is good because at the moment it
:15:10. > :15:19.leads -- leaves a bit of space at the top.
:15:20. > :15:23.Elbows flying around from Fellaini? I think this is a yellow card. What
:15:24. > :15:28.would you describe that as? A forearm, trying to hold him off.
:15:29. > :15:32.Someone might say it's a forearm smash. I think that is a yellow
:15:33. > :15:37.card. The one against Manchester City, I think was a definite red.
:15:38. > :15:43.That, is an elbow. That should have been off. Today was a yellow. I
:15:44. > :15:49.don't know why you are looking a the me for! He's my Belgian team-mate. I
:15:50. > :15:51.said before, I stick by my team-mates. We will let you off that
:15:52. > :15:59.one. Hull were level on points with
:16:00. > :16:02.Swansea going into today's meeting at the KC Stadium, with both sides
:16:03. > :16:04.knowing defeat could see them dragged back into the relegation
:16:05. > :16:04.dogfight. Commentary by Alistair Mann.
:16:05. > :16:08.knowing defeat could see them dragged back into the With neither
:16:09. > :16:13.of the pair eligible for next week's FA Cup semi-final, Jelavic and Shane
:16:14. > :16:17.Long can focus their efforts on league points. Their addition in the
:16:18. > :16:21.January transfer window has been pivotal in the clubs route towards
:16:22. > :16:33.safety. Two changes, include Boyd after his three-match ban. Swansea
:16:34. > :16:38.are unchanged. Garry Monk wants the Dutch loanee to sign permanently. He
:16:39. > :16:43.believes he should be given a first international call-up. A fixture
:16:44. > :16:49.which has been played in all four divisions of the football league and
:16:50. > :16:54.seems likely to be a Premier League dual for another year at least. Boyd
:16:55. > :17:05.brings in Figueroa. A good ball in. A terrific start to
:17:06. > :17:12.deny Long. Vorm, right in front of Shane Long. An excellent stop.
:17:13. > :17:16.Really good ball in. Figueroa, delivering what he felt was the
:17:17. > :17:26.assist for the opening goal. The Michel Vorm with a terrific stop.
:17:27. > :17:31.They are one away from staying up. Livermore, on towards Long. A good
:17:32. > :17:35.ball. Well taken by Long, now Boyd. Who hits it low. You felt that
:17:36. > :17:40.Michel Vorm always should save it. Indeed he did. Again, an effort on
:17:41. > :17:46.target from Hull. Again, Michel Vorm with the save.
:17:47. > :17:56.Away by Shelvey, De Guzman. Here is Routledge. Goalkeeper is off his
:17:57. > :18:04.line. He made up his mind to chip. It was the right decision. Routledge
:18:05. > :18:09.didn't get underneath it. It was an easy gather for Steve Harper. The
:18:10. > :18:15.Steve Bruce with a great deal more managerial experience than his
:18:16. > :18:27.opposite number. That a bizarre moment. Flores almost picked up
:18:28. > :18:31.Shane Long. A piggyback. Is it the left boot of Figueroa or the right
:18:32. > :18:39.boot of Jelavic, that's what he has to decide. It's Jelavic. Michel Vorm
:18:40. > :18:56.applauds the wall in front of him. Suggesting that they had done their
:18:57. > :19:03.job and made it almost impossible for Jelavic getting it up-and-down.
:19:04. > :19:07.Here's Rosenior. Good cross in from Rosenior. Boyd! The cross from the
:19:08. > :19:13.right hand side and turned into the net by Boyd. It was simplicity
:19:14. > :19:18.itself, wasn't it? The marking of Swansea City has to be questioned.
:19:19. > :19:24.Once it went into the area, George Boyd stole in and headed it beyond
:19:25. > :19:30.the reach of Michel Vorm. He was just more courageous than Rangel. In
:19:31. > :19:34.the 39th minute, George Boyd puts Hull City in front and celebrates
:19:35. > :19:46.his return after a three-match ban, with a goal.
:19:47. > :19:55.Bony, Shelvey. Harper gathers it. Shelvey, with the shot on target.
:19:56. > :20:00.Harper with the stop, just a momentarily loss of possession. It
:20:01. > :20:02.was only momentarily. He will believe that the amount of
:20:03. > :20:07.possession they have had that Swansea ought to be on level terms.
:20:08. > :20:11.Possession has not led to golden opportunities so far for Swansea.
:20:12. > :20:22.Meyler, Figueroa. Shelvey with the interception, on towards Routledge.
:20:23. > :20:27.Holds off Figueroa. Still with Routledge. Tee it is into the path
:20:28. > :20:32.of Dyer! Oh, it was the best chance Swansea have had. That is the
:20:33. > :20:37.reaction of a man who knows it. This was a clear opportunity, Routledge
:20:38. > :20:45.saw Dyer arriving. I suppose, you could call that a scuff more than
:20:46. > :20:50.anything. He has a trip to Wembley to look forward to as the Chairman
:20:51. > :20:55.of Hull City. First things first though...
:20:56. > :21:02.Hernandez, wriggled his way out of trouble then, not for the first time
:21:03. > :21:07.afternoon, a Swansea player dragging his shot horribly wide. He made the
:21:08. > :21:11.shooting position himself, then the technique was sadly lacking. A huge
:21:12. > :21:17.win in the context of where we are in the season against a fella team
:21:18. > :21:22.who is in and around us. You know, we have done enough to win the game.
:21:23. > :21:27.I think we have showed a side of us which we will all along a resilience
:21:28. > :21:31.amongst them and a determination to get something. They have done it
:21:32. > :21:35.again today. I don't think we did enough today. First half very poor.
:21:36. > :21:40.Too many sloppy balls. Too many touches on the ball. We didn't get a
:21:41. > :21:43.of mo. In we allowed them. It was a pretty poor game, to be honest with
:21:44. > :21:47.you. I don't think there was much in it between the two teams. I expected
:21:48. > :21:50.better from our side. You have a week to prepare for one of the
:21:51. > :21:54.biggest games of the club's history? A fantastic time to be at the club.
:21:55. > :22:01.We can go there full of confidence and enjoy, it as I say. Hopefully,
:22:02. > :22:06.our Premiership status is secured. Week for George Boyd and Hull up to
:22:07. > :22:10.12th in the table, semi-final and a vital win? Yeah. The player said it,
:22:11. > :22:15.it's a great season for them. Look at this. Old school cross, backing
:22:16. > :22:21.off into the striker. Gives him a chance of a beautiful leap. It was a
:22:22. > :22:26.good goal. Steve Bruce has done a terrific job. Coming up is never
:22:27. > :22:30.easy, especially that first season? 36 points that is safe in the
:22:31. > :22:35.Premier League. Security there. FA Cup semi-final. He has done a
:22:36. > :22:40.remarkable job. They are almost there. I think it's enough. We are
:22:41. > :22:43.just about out of time. Robbie, thank you very much. Vincent great
:22:44. > :22:48.to see you. Good luck for the rest of the season. Thank you. Thank you
:22:49. > :22:56.for coming in. Now a look at the Premier League table:
:22:57. > :23:00.Chelsea have moved one point clear at the top, but they've played a
:23:01. > :23:05.game more than Liverpool. Manchester City have two games in hand on the
:23:06. > :23:07.leaders, and are just two points shy of the summit.Manchester United have
:23:08. > :23:11.risen above Tottenham into sixth. Sunderland are now propping up the
:23:12. > :23:13.pile, though they've still got eight games to play and travel to
:23:14. > :23:17.Tottenham on Monday. Cardiff have slumped to 19th, but Fulham lifted
:23:18. > :23:20.themselves off the bottom with that vital win at Villa. Norwich replace
:23:21. > :23:23.West Brom just above the drop zone after losing to the Baggies. May I
:23:24. > :23:28.welcome Leicester City to the Premiership. In the Sunday Express
:23:29. > :23:32.talks of PSG trying to land Eden Hazard.
:23:33. > :23:44.The Mail on Sunday: The Sunday Times, will try to lure Luis Suarez
:23:45. > :24:00.to Manchester City. So that's it, Manchester City remain
:24:01. > :24:06.favourites, but they've got company. Goodbye.