:00:41. > :00:45.Chelsea may be clear at the top, but it's incredibly close elsewhere
:00:46. > :00:50.Coming up, we'll see teams competing for the top four, and those involved
:00:51. > :00:52.in the tightest of scraps to stay up.
:00:53. > :00:54.Danny Murphy and Ian Wright have sampled life at
:00:55. > :01:01.We begin with Liverpool against Tottenham,
:01:02. > :01:03.who started the day fifth and second respectively.
:01:04. > :01:08.Your commentator at Anfield was Guy Mowbray.
:01:09. > :01:17.COMMENTATOR: When the New Year began, Liverpool were second, seven
:01:18. > :01:21.points clear of Tottenham in fifth. Just six weeks later, the table has
:01:22. > :01:26.turned with Spurs having won 11 more points than their hosts in 2017.
:01:27. > :01:30.Three more went begging for Liverpool at Hull last week, and
:01:31. > :01:34.with Dejan Lovren still injured, just one change to the team with
:01:35. > :01:38.Wijnaldum replacing Emre Can. Adam Lallana is fit after a slight
:01:39. > :01:43.Achilles problem and faith has been kept with Mignolet in goal. Spurs
:01:44. > :01:50.unchanged with Ben Davies again filling in for the injured Danny
:01:51. > :01:52.Rose at left-back in the same 11 that did just enough to beat
:01:53. > :01:56.Middlesbrough. A Harry Kane penalty won it, his seventh goal in seven
:01:57. > :02:01.games, and he's played two, scored two at Anfield so far in his career.
:02:02. > :02:07.It's a bitterly cold evening at Anfield. The sun has gone. You get
:02:08. > :02:12.the feeling this will be a game that will have plenty in it to keep us
:02:13. > :02:17.all warm. The smiles have gone from Liverpool in recent weeks, as has
:02:18. > :02:21.their habit of winning football matches, especially here, five home
:02:22. > :02:30.matches without a victory for the first time since going six without
:02:31. > :02:32.success in October 2012. Eriksen muscled out of it. Great work by
:02:33. > :02:44.Wijnaldum. Coutinho gets lucky. Mane through the middle and Firmino
:02:45. > :02:48.further left. Here's Firmino... The touch took it away from goal but
:02:49. > :02:53.he's still scrapping. Coutinho, blocked by Alderweireld.
:02:54. > :03:04.Coutinho couldn't trick his way past Walker. Dembele, side-by-side with
:03:05. > :03:09.Firmino, just barring his way to goal and the move broke down with
:03:10. > :03:15.that first touch of Roberto Firmino. It came to Dele Alli.
:03:16. > :03:24.Wijnaldum won it back first. Alderweireld will tidy up by
:03:25. > :03:33.steering it safely back to Hugo Lloris.
:03:34. > :03:41.Incomes Lallana to pitch the ball. Firmino to Wijnaldum. Through two
:03:42. > :03:52.Mane, who stays ahead of Davies, and scores! Sadio Mane, reaches double
:03:53. > :03:56.figures of goals for the season. Liverpool boss back high-intensity
:03:57. > :04:00.start to the evening has been rewarded. Adam Lallana deserves some
:04:01. > :04:09.credit there. -- Liverpool's high-intensity start. So too
:04:10. > :04:16.Wijnaldum and Firmino. Lovely ball through two Mane. He wasn't going to
:04:17. > :04:23.be caught. Clipped it past Lloris, off-balance as he did so. That's
:04:24. > :04:28.lifted Liverpool's spirits. Liverpool 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur. It
:04:29. > :04:33.ends a run for Liverpool of conceding first in three successive
:04:34. > :04:38.Premier League games. Are they going to run through to score a second
:04:39. > :04:43.very quickly? Firmino doesn't quite have the express pace of Mane,
:04:44. > :04:48.couldn't get away. Walker is quick enough but got the ball caught
:04:49. > :04:53.between his boots. James Milner with the throw.
:04:54. > :05:06.Nobody there in red. Mane is there now. He has Firmino to help him.
:05:07. > :05:18.Lallana is over. Lallana! Firmino! Mane! Two! Two in just over two
:05:19. > :05:26.minutes. And the second scored, despite two saves from Hugo Lloris.
:05:27. > :05:30.Again, Liverpool so quick about their business. The opposite was
:05:31. > :05:36.true about Eric Dier. He doesn't make too many mistakes like that,
:05:37. > :05:41.but he needed too much time. Beaten clear by Lloris, but not to a safe
:05:42. > :05:45.place. Reacted well enough first time, but can't get back to stop
:05:46. > :05:52.Mane's effort, over the head of Davies. Jurgen Klopp's men have a
:05:53. > :05:57.2-0 lead and we have only played 19 minutes. Lots of thinking and
:05:58. > :06:06.stroking of the chin is going on. In the Spurs management seeks. Walker,
:06:07. > :06:12.he might have caused a problem for his fellow defenders. Here's Mane
:06:13. > :06:23.again! Side of the net. That would have been some hat-trick. Deflected
:06:24. > :06:27.behind. Fired across and it was Dembele who headed away. Clever
:06:28. > :06:37.header from Milner. Firmino stopped by Wanyama. Uncertain from Eric
:06:38. > :06:42.Dier. Joel Matip. Mane is here again. It was a rocket shot that has
:06:43. > :06:49.been kept out by Lloris. Goodness me, Sadio Mane's back, all rights!
:06:50. > :06:55.What a start to the night he's had. Super save by Lloris, really strong
:06:56. > :07:00.hand. The thought last week was that Liverpool looked a little fatigued.
:07:01. > :07:06.Maybe they're intense play had caught up with them. They have
:07:07. > :07:11.rediscovered it tonight. Davies through to Son, who is on site.
:07:12. > :07:17.Superb stop by Mignolet, who stood up and blocked. -- who is onside.
:07:18. > :07:28.Partway to redemption after his drop of the ball at Hull a week ago.
:07:29. > :07:36.Eriksen lifts it to Dele Alli, and it's headed over the bar by Lucas.
:07:37. > :07:41.Finally Spurs start to put Liverpool under a bit of pressure. How did
:07:42. > :07:47.Dele Alli find himself so free in the box like that? This is a great
:07:48. > :07:55.block by Mignolet, made sure Son had no targets. They are not enjoying
:07:56. > :08:04.their trip up to Merseyside so far. They have been here 81 times in the
:08:05. > :08:11.past, and have only won eight times. Even these tackles are turning into
:08:12. > :08:16.good passes. Coutinho's shot saved by Lloris, who is keeping Spurs just
:08:17. > :08:23.about in it. It's two, it could have been three, four, five. Miller finds
:08:24. > :08:32.Coutinho, swept into the path of Wijnaldum. -- Milner finds. Mane on
:08:33. > :08:37.a hat-trick. He might have had four goals today. Went home with the
:08:38. > :08:40.match ball twice in his Southampton days, once against Manchester City
:08:41. > :08:47.and once against Aston Villa. That one came inside three minutes.
:08:48. > :08:55.That's a late one, it's another yellow card. Harry Winks, who hasn't
:08:56. > :08:57.been on long. He's caught the mood of his team-mates, but in truth, he
:08:58. > :09:11.did try to pull out. Matip! No power on it. Just in front
:09:12. > :09:16.of Joel Matip, and I think it was Matip's header, easy for Lloris to
:09:17. > :09:21.keep out. Interesting to note that Spurs will play four more games
:09:22. > :09:31.before Liverpool play again. Dembele has lost it.
:09:32. > :09:41.Coutinho, wide. A third goal would seal it. Jurgen Klopp would want to
:09:42. > :09:47.see it sooner rather than later. Coutinho just trying to time it
:09:48. > :09:50.right. Never got a clear sight, opted to fire through the legs of
:09:51. > :10:03.Alderweireld, but it was always wide.
:10:04. > :10:10.Emre Can looks for Firmino to chase it. Lloris has come a long way here.
:10:11. > :10:20.Wijnaldum! It curls away from the goal. Oh! Spurs very nearly gifted
:10:21. > :10:22.Liverpool won anyway. Ben Davies, just for a second, didn't know where
:10:23. > :10:32.Lloris was going. The first time in 2017, they are
:10:33. > :10:38.going to enjoy a win in Saturday night. I think they know it. There
:10:39. > :10:42.is a general feeling that Spurs' fight is over today. Is it terminal
:10:43. > :10:48.as far as their title challenge is concerned? After last week you
:10:49. > :10:51.needed a response. Do you get the feeling as a manager that yes,
:10:52. > :10:58.you're going to get one and you can feel it? Yes. But that would mean I
:10:59. > :11:03.had no idea in the first half, how good... But the week was... We're
:11:04. > :11:07.not too long together, but long enough. These boys were not happy
:11:08. > :11:15.with their own performance. They knew about the need to show a
:11:16. > :11:22.reaction. It was outstanding, but mixed up with a bit of relief. God!
:11:23. > :11:27.It happens today, at a day when another team is here, not when we
:11:28. > :11:31.train or something like this. It was good, so that's what we have too
:11:32. > :11:37.tried to bring on pitch every week. It's true that on the table we are
:11:38. > :11:42.one point above them, but today for the first half, we didn't show that.
:11:43. > :11:46.If you want to win the Premier League, yes, because you need to
:11:47. > :11:51.show more. If not, we will fight for the top four. All the top six. But
:11:52. > :11:55.it's difficult to fight for the Premier League. Everybody has been
:11:56. > :11:59.brilliant and try to stay positive and work really hard in training,
:12:00. > :12:04.listen to the manager and what he wants us to do. I felt as though we
:12:05. > :12:08.did that this weekend. To go to the champions, that has to be our aim.
:12:09. > :12:12.We need this consistently. That's the thing we have to do now.
:12:13. > :12:18.STUDIO: Much better than Liverpool. Terrific performance and no doubt
:12:19. > :12:22.about the star of the show. Sadio Mane, and he missed a chance, could
:12:23. > :12:26.have scored a hat-trick in six minutes. He once scored one for
:12:27. > :12:32.Southampton in less than three minutes. He's top man. I think it's
:12:33. > :12:36.one in seven games that they won, they beat Plymouth Argyle. They
:12:37. > :12:40.couldn't win a game without him. The four, only played two Times in three
:12:41. > :12:45.months together, but when they play together it's like Mane is the one,
:12:46. > :12:50.with the extra bit of pace and threatening behind. Lallana as well.
:12:51. > :12:53.But Mane going behind, he can intercept and is away threatening
:12:54. > :12:57.behind. I don't think they have been doing that recently as often as they
:12:58. > :13:01.should have been doing. That's because he wasn't there. He gives
:13:02. > :13:07.you that threat and he's always getting in and around. This was the
:13:08. > :13:14.goal. Ben Davies had no chance trying to mark him today. Strength,
:13:15. > :13:18.composure. Lallana sensing the danger and stealing the ball. They
:13:19. > :13:22.are away. This is brilliant. When you see it from the other angle, the
:13:23. > :13:27.focus on that ball to make sure he hits the target. He can sense the
:13:28. > :13:32.danger. Kyle Walker doesn't know what's going on. Danny will go into
:13:33. > :13:36.that. That's a brilliant save from Lloris. They couldn't deal with
:13:37. > :13:41.them. Eight shots on target, and in the first half. They were absolutely
:13:42. > :13:47.back to top stuff today, Liverpool. They will be a problem again. Cheeky
:13:48. > :13:52.backheel. He is phenomenal. Gets a nice hug from the manager and he
:13:53. > :13:56.deserves it. By contrast, and we don't usually say this because Spurs
:13:57. > :14:01.are usually solid, but they were a bit of a shambles. I couldn't
:14:02. > :14:04.believe what I was watching. Last year, the best defensive record. I
:14:05. > :14:09.think they are joint best this year. Always solid, hard to break down,
:14:10. > :14:13.but they were all over the place. Why do you think that was? They went
:14:14. > :14:17.to a back four, I know they have injury problems with Vertonghen
:14:18. > :14:28.missing. Most of the time this season may have played with three
:14:29. > :14:31.against the big teams and have done quite well. This was the back four,
:14:32. > :14:33.and even early on the full-backs were too far from the centre halves.
:14:34. > :14:36.Mane running behind creating confusion. Look at the space behind.
:14:37. > :14:39.All well and good playing a back four, but playing that high against
:14:40. > :14:44.the pace of Liverpool, they found it easy to get round the side. And the
:14:45. > :14:49.lack of concentration as well. That's not a back four! I don't know
:14:50. > :14:53.what that is. I can't even give it a name. It became so easy. If it
:14:54. > :14:57.wasn't for Dembele getting back in they would have been two or three
:14:58. > :15:01.down in the first ten minutes. It carried on the whole game.
:15:02. > :15:05.Alderweireld, for me he's probably the best centre-half in the Premier
:15:06. > :15:11.League, last season especially. Makes a bad decision and steps out.
:15:12. > :15:15.Even if he steps out, they are too high. Playing against somebody with
:15:16. > :15:19.that pace, especially with Danny Rose is not there. Davies is a good
:15:20. > :15:23.footballer but he doesn't have the athleticism of Rose. Mane and
:15:24. > :15:27.Liverpool knew that. Terrible pass from Walker and he's given him five
:15:28. > :15:31.yards. If it's Danny Rose, it's not the same problem. I thought they
:15:32. > :15:37.should have stuck with what they have done against the big sides,
:15:38. > :15:41.playing three. It was infectious. The sloppiness and bad decision
:15:42. > :15:43.making. They got away with murder. It was so unlike the Tottenham we
:15:44. > :15:54.have seen for the last 12 months. Spurs' away record against the other
:15:55. > :15:58.five in the top six doesn't make very good reading. They have got to
:15:59. > :16:03.turn that around if they want to be a very good challenger. There is a
:16:04. > :16:07.lack of pace when they break on teams away from home because they
:16:08. > :16:11.are a bit deeper. It is also a different mindset when they go away,
:16:12. > :16:13.they have got to improve, and quickly. A great win for Liverpool,
:16:14. > :16:15.back in form. Sunderland remained bottom
:16:16. > :16:17.after last week's 4-0 win at Crystal Palace,
:16:18. > :16:19.but were now just two They hosted Southampton,
:16:20. > :16:29.who'd lost six of their last Sunderland forced to make a change
:16:30. > :16:33.to the side that produced that coupon buster at Palace. Jack
:16:34. > :16:38.Rodwell ruled out with a damaged hamstring. Another ex-Evertonians,
:16:39. > :16:42.Darron Gibson, is called up by David Moyes for his first Sunderland
:16:43. > :16:48.start. The name Gabbiadini was once sung with real gusto in these parts.
:16:49. > :16:52.Marco Gabbiadini, a Wearside hero in the late 80s, Manolo Gabbiadini has
:16:53. > :16:56.already made an impact at Southampton, scoring on his debut.
:16:57. > :17:03.Today he is joined by Tadic and Redmond up front, as Saints look to
:17:04. > :17:07.hold their alarming slump in form. Southampton's last game before the
:17:08. > :17:15.EFL Cup final in one month's time. You could hardly call it a warm up.
:17:16. > :17:20.Bryan Oviedo to lift it in. Poor clearance for Januzaj, and it came
:17:21. > :17:25.off Mike Bertrand, whose initial had offered the opportunity to the
:17:26. > :17:29.Belgian. -- it came off Bertrand. Oviedo. Wasn't dealt with
:17:30. > :17:34.effectively by Bertrand. Januzaj couldn't punish him to the maximum.
:17:35. > :17:40.The has only scored once. The land, that was in the EFL Cup. -- has only
:17:41. > :17:46.scored once for Sunderland. Januzaj outmuscled by Yazidi.
:17:47. > :17:53.Looking to flick it through to Gabbiadini. Only could come so far
:17:54. > :17:58.before putting the brakes on. It will fall for Cedric! Gabbiadini had
:17:59. > :18:03.the foresight to pick out somebody on the edge of the box. Fortunately
:18:04. > :18:04.for Sunderland, it is a player who never scored in the Premier League,
:18:05. > :18:17.Cedric. Ward-Prowse. Romero has done well to dig that out
:18:18. > :18:23.and find Bertrand. Quality ball, and it soon! Of Gabbiadini last, and
:18:24. > :18:28.Mannone had no answer. Manolo Gabbiadini, Southampton's record
:18:29. > :18:36.signing, makes it two in two. It's all about the delivery from Ryan
:18:37. > :18:44.Bertrand, though. Whips it in. Off Kone's head and onto the of
:18:45. > :18:49.Gabbiadini. Yes, it's off the top of Kone's head, it caresses the forearm
:18:50. > :18:58.of Gabbiadini before nestling into the bottom corner. Ward-Prowse for
:18:59. > :19:07.Tadic. And again, Tadic in a bit of space at the moment. Lovely turn!
:19:08. > :19:11.Lovely finish! 2-0 Southampton. Well, if there was any doubt as to
:19:12. > :19:17.who got the final touch was pumped's first goal, no doubt whatsoever that
:19:18. > :19:22.the second belongs to Gabbiadini. A shake of the head by David Moyes.
:19:23. > :19:26.What a time for Sunderland to concede a second goal. It looked bad
:19:27. > :19:32.that one down, but that two down there is a mountain to climb. Great
:19:33. > :19:39.spin from Gabbiadini. In most composed finish. Three goals in 1.5
:19:40. > :19:43.games now for the Italian. He might have cost ?15 million, but right now
:19:44. > :19:49.that looks money well spent. Malone, not a strong enough touch to keep it
:19:50. > :19:54.out. -- Victor Mannone. They have seen this sort of situation down the
:19:55. > :19:59.years, confidence up after the morale boosting victory a week ago,
:20:00. > :20:05.and it all comes tumbling down at home. He has been the fall side,
:20:06. > :20:08.Manolo Gabbiadini, it's a long way back for Sunderland now. This is
:20:09. > :20:26.Dave is. Now Romero. Davies again. Tadic inching his way closer, and
:20:27. > :20:33.letting it fly! Plenty of power. Malone got a good fist to it. --
:20:34. > :20:40.Victor Mannone. It doesn't look like last week's victory at Palace was a
:20:41. > :20:45.liftoff after all. Ward-Prowse has got to be good to beat Victor
:20:46. > :20:49.Mannone from there. It was nearly very good from James Ward-Prowse.
:20:50. > :20:54.Scored in Southampton's previous away wins this season. Claude Puel
:20:55. > :21:01.looking to become the first Southampton manager to win a major
:21:02. > :21:09.bid of silverware for 41 years. Indigo is the cross. He is waiting!
:21:10. > :21:13.And Victor Mannone is saving. -- in those the cross. His second touch
:21:14. > :21:17.since coming off the bench for the goal-scorer, Gabbiadini. Very nearly
:21:18. > :21:27.made sure of the points here. Bertrand trying to get forward,
:21:28. > :21:32.Redmond delayed the past beautifully. Bertrand with the ball
:21:33. > :21:36.across, and it soon! I rather think the final touch came off Mike
:21:37. > :21:40.Denayer. Gabbiadini might get the first goal in that of it being an
:21:41. > :21:46.own goal, but I think that one has to go down as an own goal by the
:21:47. > :21:50.hapless Jason Denayer. And it rather sums up Sunderland's miserable
:21:51. > :21:56.afternoon on a miserable, wet grey day at the Stadium Of Light.
:21:57. > :22:08.Bertrand picking out Long. Long in again! And he will claim that one!
:22:09. > :22:14.Shane Long with his fifth of the season. So open at the back here,
:22:15. > :22:19.it's embarrassing. And Long just steers it alongside Victor Mannone.
:22:20. > :22:23.If last week's Triumph suggested hope for Sunderland, today's 4-0
:22:24. > :22:32.thrashing suggests relegation for Sunderland. If body language reveals
:22:33. > :22:36.anything, it reveals the lack of optimism that David Moyes has of
:22:37. > :22:48.getting Sunderland out of this relegation mess. So many red seats
:22:49. > :22:54.visible now. Oh, it soon! -- it is in! It won't count. A yellow card
:22:55. > :23:03.shown to Khazri. He has just flicked it in with his knuckles, that's why
:23:04. > :23:07.it was disallowed. The sound of booing echoing around the Stadium Of
:23:08. > :23:15.Light from the final whistle. David Moyes is battling a lost cause at
:23:16. > :23:19.the moment, it seems. Final score, 4-0 to Southampton. They did play
:23:20. > :23:23.well. We didn't play as well as we played last week. We made a couple
:23:24. > :23:28.of defensive mistakes. But overall, you know, it is a little bit of
:23:29. > :23:32.expectation. It is on us to win. Sometimes this season we have not
:23:33. > :23:36.taken it. We have a great chance to move out of the bottom three today
:23:37. > :23:40.if the results had gone for us. And we just didn't. We weren't quite
:23:41. > :23:45.good enough to do it. It was a fantastic game for us. A good
:23:46. > :23:51.attitude, a good spirit since the beginning of this game. And it was
:23:52. > :23:56.difficult, because we played a team in confidence with their last
:23:57. > :24:01.results. We had a team who started today's game really well for 20, 25
:24:02. > :24:05.minutes, and they got a goal that was off the centre forward's arm,
:24:06. > :24:10.difficult for the referee to see it, but it still makes a big difference.
:24:11. > :24:13.What is it like playing with Manolo Gabbiadini, your new team-mate? You
:24:14. > :24:17.set him up for his second goal of the game was ill and he is a very
:24:18. > :24:22.good player. He just came and he started very well. He wants to play
:24:23. > :24:28.smart. I'm happy that he scores goals. He was scoring goals. We have
:24:29. > :24:31.seen Gabbiadini score goals at Sunderland before, but that was
:24:32. > :24:35.Marco Gabbiadini, this is Manolo Gabbiadini, he looks like a really
:24:36. > :24:40.good signing. A bargain committee is turning out to be. He scored a good
:24:41. > :24:43.goal against West Ham. This is what David Moyes is talking about, it is
:24:44. > :24:45.difficult to see. I am impressed with the running. You see it from
:24:46. > :24:53.the other angle. It was a good run, in between them.
:24:54. > :24:58.He got himself in there. David Moyes can be upset but it wouldn't have
:24:59. > :25:02.made too much different. The first goal is always important, though. It
:25:03. > :25:07.is his movement, a great run off the defender. He tries to put Tadic in,
:25:08. > :25:12.it doesn't quite work out. This is a super goal. Kone could be tighter on
:25:13. > :25:15.him, but still took the opportunity, brilliant turn. Not seeing too many
:25:16. > :25:21.of those goals at the moment, that was fantastic, look at that. You
:25:22. > :25:26.know something, he nearly gets a hat-trick, he just doesn't quite get
:25:27. > :25:35.the purchase on it. Hear coming back, calm. You wouldn't see me
:25:36. > :25:40.doing that. Like I say, done all of his best work, they have got a bit
:25:41. > :25:46.of a bargain from Napoli first up white won 4-0 away at last week, and
:25:47. > :25:52.now they have lost, you can't be more erratic than that. Their home
:25:53. > :25:57.form has been awful. Jermain Defoe has got 58% of Sunderland's goals
:25:58. > :26:00.this season. If he is not getting chances, nobody else is going to
:26:01. > :26:03.school for them. They are defensively all over the place. They
:26:04. > :26:07.are the one side for me who don't look like they can stop conceding
:26:08. > :26:10.goals. Last week they had a one-off performance but generally they are
:26:11. > :26:12.easy to score against an play against. Five more matches for you
:26:13. > :26:36.on tonight's show. Two straight defeats had left
:26:37. > :26:39.Arsenal 12 points off the top, prompting intense speculation
:26:40. > :26:46.about the future of Arsene Wenger. His fault!
:26:47. > :26:48.LAUGHTER They played a much-improved
:26:49. > :26:59.Hull City, watched by Steve Wilson. Lauren Koscielny's equaliser in the
:27:00. > :27:06.2014 FA Cup final wipe out in early 2-0 hole lead and ended a nine year
:27:07. > :27:11.run without a trophy, one of nine won by Arsene Wenger whose future is
:27:12. > :27:14.the talking point at the Emirates. Hull's 4-point wall from games
:27:15. > :27:18.against Manchester United and Liverpool have given them plenty of
:27:19. > :27:22.reasons to be cheerful. Will this be part three? Everton loan the Oumar
:27:23. > :27:30.Niasse it replaces the injured Hernandez.
:27:31. > :27:42.Huddleston trying to help. The Kelly and forward. Alexis Sanchez onside!
:27:43. > :27:49.-- Coquelin forward. Just did enough to make it difficult for Alexis
:27:50. > :27:55.Sanchez. It was keeper's poor clearance which started it.
:27:56. > :28:09.Iwobi running Markovic. -- running into Markovic. They are still in the
:28:10. > :28:12.middle! Great chance! Krasinski back in. Out by Laurent Koscielny. Tom
:28:13. > :28:25.Huddlestone. Robertson for Hull. Too high for
:28:26. > :28:31.Clucas, comfortable for Cech. Iwobi got himself caught. Markovic racing
:28:32. > :28:37.clear. Niasse in a great position. Just didn't quite anticipate where
:28:38. > :28:41.the ball was coming. It is a very, very cold early afternoon in north
:28:42. > :28:48.London. It shows just how open the game is as well. A good-looking ball
:28:49. > :28:55.from Ndiaye, he has picked out Rusedski. Great header! Could save
:28:56. > :28:58.by Cech. Niasse denied. Wonderful ball by Krasinski. They really
:28:59. > :29:06.decent header from Niasse. The save from Cech is equal to it.
:29:07. > :29:13.Hull's corner again. Coquelin away, Mesut Ozil, Sanchez ahead of him.
:29:14. > :29:19.Lazar Markovic in the way for Hull City. Gives it back to us all. The
:29:20. > :29:30.break is still an -- gives it back to Mesut Ozil.
:29:31. > :29:39.Lovely 1-2... Bellerin! Just required the finish. Completely
:29:40. > :29:48.blocked the defence. Maybe just coming to the wrong man.
:29:49. > :29:56.McGuire's head. Huddlestone was a bit late but advantage played.
:29:57. > :30:04.Coquelin is fine. It's fallen to Alexis Sanchez, and he's missed it!
:30:05. > :30:09.He cannot believe it. It's come off the defender, so the fact he was
:30:10. > :30:12.standing in an offside position was immaterial. And you would put
:30:13. > :30:18.everything you had on Alexis Sanchez to stick that in the back of the
:30:19. > :30:22.net. Marco Silva won here as the coach of Olympiakos last season in
:30:23. > :30:28.the Champions League. Thrilling 3-2 victory for the Greek side. Have to
:30:29. > :30:34.admire the way Hull City have gone about the first 33 minutes of the
:30:35. > :30:39.game. Alex Iwobi wriggles through. Mesut Ozil. Plenty of red and white
:30:40. > :30:43.shirts. Out by Huddlestone, in by Kieran Gibbs. Off the line, and in
:30:44. > :30:48.by Alexis Sanchez. You can't say it hasn't been coming. It's the third
:30:49. > :30:55.time Alexis Sanchez has scored against Hull City this season. Six
:30:56. > :31:00.red and white shirts forward. Shot blocked on the line. Jakupovic
:31:01. > :31:04.couldn't gather it. Although the whole city goalkeeper is complaining
:31:05. > :31:11.about a possible handball, it does bounce off the goalkeeper's leg onto
:31:12. > :31:22.Sanchez's hand. The linesman on the near side watching closely. The goal
:31:23. > :31:28.stands. Hull City complain, Alexis Sanchez scores.
:31:29. > :31:35.A little bit of room here for Alexis Sanchez. He could pick a pass in. He
:31:36. > :31:42.finds Alex Iwobi. Straight to Huddlestone. He cut out the route
:31:43. > :31:50.back to Alexis Sanchez. Nice change of direction by Markovic. Oumar
:31:51. > :31:57.Niasse is in the middle. Niasse. It's dangerous. Good save by Cech.
:31:58. > :31:58.Good effort by Niasse. Maybe too straight, but a good save by Cech
:31:59. > :32:09.nonetheless. Kieran Gibbs ran into Markovic here.
:32:10. > :32:14.What's the decision? It will be a yellow card for Kieran Gibbs.
:32:15. > :32:19.Markovic is absolutely furious. Hull City are saying that if that's only
:32:20. > :32:24.a yellow card, then Arsenal have got away with one. Markovic is quick.
:32:25. > :32:30.There is no one between Kieran Gibbs and Cech. He's last man. And he
:32:31. > :32:38.didn't seem to have eyes for the ball at all. Gibbs is blocked, might
:32:39. > :32:47.be lucky. Hull certainly think so. -- is booked. Comes through to
:32:48. > :32:51.Elmohamady. Four in a box for Hull. Good ball in, Coquelin had to deal
:32:52. > :33:01.with it. Here's Robertson. Arsenal need to defend here. Maguire. Good
:33:02. > :33:06.feet, chipped in. Promising. Markovic! Comfortable save for Cech
:33:07. > :33:08.in the end. But there are alarm bells for Arsenal when Hull get
:33:09. > :33:17.bodies forward. Hull asking the questions as the
:33:18. > :33:26.game ticks on. Five to play. Robertson takes on the defender.
:33:27. > :33:37.Deep cross, was never going to be won. Markovic gets what he wants, a
:33:38. > :33:43.corner. Evandro will take this. Good pace on that. They really good ball
:33:44. > :33:47.in and Diomande got his head on it but didn't get over it. When he
:33:48. > :33:54.watches this again, Diomande will think this is a chance. Hull City
:33:55. > :33:59.will have all eyes on the board in a minute. They still fancy themselves
:34:00. > :34:05.to get one here, Hull. Robertson. It's a corner. You have to hand it
:34:06. > :34:10.to Hull. They are the team asking the questions. Arsenal are the team
:34:11. > :34:15.holding on. Clucas with a corner kick. It is met by Robertson and
:34:16. > :34:26.Alexis together. Clucas, room and time for the cross. Out by Mustafi.
:34:27. > :34:29.Elmohamady shanked it. Did Elmohamady handle it? Not according
:34:30. > :34:36.to the referee. Remaining four minutes. Sanchez. Jakupovic has
:34:37. > :34:43.come. He's in no man's land. Lucas in the middle. -- Clucas in the
:34:44. > :34:49.middle. Surely handball. Spotted by the officials. It's going to be a
:34:50. > :34:53.red card and a penalty. He has moved his arm in the direction of the ball
:34:54. > :34:58.which was certainly going in the back of the net. No other call for
:34:59. > :35:03.Mark Clattenburg to make. Alexis Sanchez, he missed a penalty against
:35:04. > :35:09.Hull City in the reversed fixture last autumn. He tries to make it
:35:10. > :35:12.two. And he does. And finally, the points are safe. Hard and low and
:35:13. > :35:21.close to Jakupovic though it was, the keeper couldn't get down.
:35:22. > :35:26.Arsenal 2-0 Hull City. Job done. I thought we played resilient,
:35:27. > :35:32.focused, organised. But we were under big pressure to win the game.
:35:33. > :35:36.Hull played well. Overall we needed to be focused to the end to get away
:35:37. > :35:41.with a positive result. You can see why they have made results against
:35:42. > :35:47.big teams recently. It was a good performance most of the first half.
:35:48. > :35:52.We controlled all the second-half. Caused Arsenal big problems
:35:53. > :35:55.second-half. I gather the referee has actually apologised to you at
:35:56. > :36:01.half-time collectively for awarding the goal. The referee says he has
:36:02. > :36:05.missed it. If he hasn't seen it, then he can't give it. It's
:36:06. > :36:08.disappointing, but if the referee hasn't seen it, we can't be too
:36:09. > :36:15.critical. Noticeable today that there were banners in the ground
:36:16. > :36:22.saying, Arsene state. I have big respect for this country and this
:36:23. > :36:26.club. -- Arsene stay. I have been here 20 years. But my job is to make
:36:27. > :36:29.these people happy. When I don't do it I feel, of course, guilty. That's
:36:30. > :36:37.why it was important for us to win. After the game Arsene Wenger spoke
:36:38. > :36:40.to the press and somebody asked him about your comments where you
:36:41. > :36:44.suggested that you felt that from meeting him the other night that he
:36:45. > :36:48.might be on his way out. And he was going to retire. He responded by
:36:49. > :36:51.saying, I could be tired because I get up early in the morning and
:36:52. > :36:54.finished late at night, but I didn't give any indication about my future.
:36:55. > :37:00.Any thoughts? I got the tiredness right. It was a question and answer
:37:01. > :37:04.and it was a really good evening. The way the boss was speaking,
:37:05. > :37:09.talking about coming to the end and his demeanour and how it was going,
:37:10. > :37:15.in my opinion, it was a feeling. It's my opinion. I could be wrong. I
:37:16. > :37:20.seldom am! But I could be wrong. I base it on that and I stick by it. I
:37:21. > :37:23.think with everything that's going on... There are tough games coming
:37:24. > :37:29.up and I think he has massive decisions to make and I think this
:37:30. > :37:33.might be his last season. Time will tell. Danny, Hull had an unfortunate
:37:34. > :37:37.game. A couple of bad decisions. Really bad. I felt for them. It
:37:38. > :37:43.seems like when you down the bottom you don't get the rub of the green.
:37:44. > :37:47.But this one, it's obviously a handball and you can't score with
:37:48. > :37:51.your hand and it stands. Whether he meant it or not, doesn't matter. I
:37:52. > :37:54.can understand why the referee doesn't see it, but the assistant is
:37:55. > :38:01.looking down the line. Don't know why he doesn't see it. This one was
:38:02. > :38:05.the same. Kieran Gibbs is back, he hasn't played enough and I like him.
:38:06. > :38:09.He takes him out here. Markovic was brilliant today, a threat. If he
:38:10. > :38:13.doesn't take him out, he's through on goal, one against one. It's a
:38:14. > :38:17.possible red card and that's two really bad decisions. I felt for
:38:18. > :38:21.them, but another good performance from Hull, really positive.
:38:22. > :38:26.Oxlade-Chamberlain, you like him in the central role for Arsenal. I do,
:38:27. > :38:32.we both like that. We are big fans of his. Wherever he plays, he's a
:38:33. > :38:36.threat, but he doesn't play enough for me. In this central role, you
:38:37. > :38:41.see the aspects of his game. He can pass and be productive, he can play
:38:42. > :38:45.between the lines. He can play big diagonal balls out wide. A lot of
:38:46. > :38:49.Arsenal midfielders can do that, but what can he give the other
:38:50. > :38:55.midfielders don't give? He's more dynamic. He is quicker, stronger. He
:38:56. > :38:57.still wants to get in the box from a central position. Good awareness,
:38:58. > :39:19.played round the park you have to to be strong. This
:39:20. > :39:22.is brilliant here. Unbelievable. You're right, no one else, none of
:39:23. > :39:29.the other Arsenal midfielders do that. He has this ability that so
:39:30. > :39:34.many other players don't. Why hasn't he been a regular? So injured and
:39:35. > :39:39.stuff like that. He has been injured and can't seem to hold down a place.
:39:40. > :39:44.It annoys me, thinking, why was he taken off in that game when he was
:39:45. > :39:48.having such a good game? It must be so demoralising for him. Maybe he
:39:49. > :39:53.was tired, has to get up early. Depends how early he got up. Hull
:39:54. > :40:00.look an entirely different proposition under Silva. They had
:40:01. > :40:05.51% possession at Arsenal. We are talking about a in the bottom three
:40:06. > :40:10.of the table. Markovic was brilliant today. This is another great chance
:40:11. > :40:16.for Oumar Niasse. Mustafi, where he ends up, so much more space where
:40:17. > :40:20.you can play him offside. Goes across and misses the opportunity.
:40:21. > :40:25.He could have got a foot on it. They were brilliant. They really went at
:40:26. > :40:30.Arsenal. Another great chance, Oumar Niasse has to try to headed back
:40:31. > :40:34.across the goal. Petr Cech makes a simple save at the end. But it's
:40:35. > :40:46.superb play. Again, getting down the wing. He played very well today,
:40:47. > :40:49.Grosicki. What's amazing about Huddlestone, Markovic was great, but
:40:50. > :40:52.I'm a big fan of Huddlestone, they don't play him because they don't
:40:53. > :40:58.think he does enough defensively. You don't need to defend if you keep
:40:59. > :41:02.the ball as well as they did today. And McGuire, his last four games,
:41:03. > :41:09.against Chelsea, United. Four points against the last four big teams
:41:10. > :41:13.recently. Other teams should worry. Four weeks ago you thought they were
:41:14. > :41:15.certainties to go down but now they look like they have a chance of
:41:16. > :41:17.staying up. We shall see. Manchester United were unbeaten
:41:18. > :41:19.in the league since October, but still hadn't climbed
:41:20. > :41:21.higher than sixth. Watford visited Old Trafford having
:41:22. > :41:23.won there just once, in the Taylor and Blissett
:41:24. > :41:33.era 38 years ago. COMMENTATOR: Zlatan Ibrahimovic has
:41:34. > :41:37.reached the 20 goal mark for the tenth season in a row in his career.
:41:38. > :41:42.Mourinho says he's confident the 35 will be at Manchester United next
:41:43. > :41:46.season having made more appearances than any other player so far. He
:41:47. > :41:49.supported today by the recall Anthony Martial with Marcus Rashford
:41:50. > :41:53.on the bench. Tom Cleverley was part of the last Manchester United squad
:41:54. > :41:57.to win a Premier League title. He's never managed to beat his former
:41:58. > :42:00.club. But what the dog unbeaten in the four Premier League games he has
:42:01. > :42:07.played since joining on loan from Everton. -- but Watford are
:42:08. > :42:16.unbeaten. The 59th anniversary of the Munich air disaster. Relatives
:42:17. > :42:18.of those killed are guests of the day's game. United players wearing
:42:19. > :42:29.black armbands in respect of that. Mkhitaryan wants to have the shot
:42:30. > :42:35.and does have the shot. Safely gathered by Gomes. Mkhitaryan is
:42:36. > :42:37.full of confidence at the moment. Wanted to try to get the effort in
:42:38. > :42:57.there. Couldn't generate any power. Watford play on. Holebas! He had the
:42:58. > :43:01.confidence to have a go. The referee playing the advantage. It was
:43:02. > :43:08.curling the wrong way, as far as the Greek international was concerned.
:43:09. > :43:13.15 league games unbeaten, the longest unbeaten run in any of
:43:14. > :43:16.Europe's top five leagues. United's longest unbeaten league run since
:43:17. > :43:21.the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson as well.
:43:22. > :43:32.Pogba has time to have a look. Gomes was equal to it. Wasn't closed down
:43:33. > :43:41.there, Paul Pogba. Was just looking for the top corner. United have used
:43:42. > :43:49.30 players this season, 19 different nationalities.
:43:50. > :43:57.Zarate showing some cleverness here, but not stretching David de Gea.
:43:58. > :44:04.Pogba tries to lift it forward towards Ibrahimovic. He's onside
:44:05. > :44:10.here. Frustrated again, because he timed the run. Was definitely on the
:44:11. > :44:14.side. His first touch was exemplary. -- definitely on the side. As it
:44:15. > :44:21.dropped, he got right underneath it. Pogba. Trying to link up with
:44:22. > :44:27.Ibrahimovic. Given away by Sebastian Prodl.
:44:28. > :44:40.Valencia away from Niang. Still going, Valencia. Pogba! Denied by
:44:41. > :44:44.Gomes began. -- again. And it all came from the strength and
:44:45. > :44:48.subsequent awareness of Antonio Valencia down the right-hand side.
:44:49. > :44:58.He knew where the goal was. Gomes able to get there if second time. --
:44:59. > :45:08.a second time. Carraro. Mata on the move. Here he is. It's still alive.
:45:09. > :45:11.Mkhitaryan! There goes another one. The two Spaniards linked up
:45:12. > :45:20.beautifully. Terrific awareness from Mata. No composure from Mkhitaryan.
:45:21. > :45:27.He wants to see one of these chances in the back of the net as soon as
:45:28. > :45:34.the. So will he. -- as soon as possible.
:45:35. > :45:38.Mata again making an intelligent front. What a save from Gomes to
:45:39. > :45:48.deny Ibrahimovic! Well, he is building quite a
:45:49. > :45:57.repertoire already, Gomes, that might have been the best of the lot.
:45:58. > :46:03.Watford are giving the ball away far too cheaply. They are going to be
:46:04. > :46:10.punished, surely, sooner or later. Here is Mkhitaryan... Martial!
:46:11. > :46:17.Through Juan Mata! You did feel it was a case of when and not if. Gomes
:46:18. > :46:22.finally beaten by Mata, whose goal in this fixture last season, he was
:46:23. > :46:29.involved in the build up. Martial drove it across. And Mata tucked it
:46:30. > :46:35.away. Just pulled up Sebastian Prodl. And swept it over. It had
:46:36. > :46:42.been coming. Mata for Manchester United, 1-0. Manchester United
:46:43. > :46:43.actually don't play Premier League game after today until the 4th of
:46:44. > :46:47.March. Pogba being lysed. -- penalised.
:46:48. > :47:03.Stretching. Can Watford make anything of this?
:47:04. > :47:12.Zarate! What a spectacular save from de Gea. He did really well to keep
:47:13. > :47:16.that out. The Argentinian got this up and over the wall. He had to move
:47:17. > :47:24.smartly to his right hand side, David de Gea. Beaten just once in
:47:25. > :47:32.the Premier League in Old Trafford in the last 20 matches.
:47:33. > :47:42.Martial is onside. Still Martial... And he has squeezed it home! Jose
:47:43. > :47:48.Mourinho delighted to see the second in the back of the net! Right on the
:47:49. > :47:54.hour mark. The man back in the team today, back with a goal. He was
:47:55. > :47:58.onside when it was set in by Ibrahimovic. Took his time to assess
:47:59. > :48:02.the situation and then cleverly dispatched it into the bottom corner
:48:03. > :48:09.of the near post. Just his third Premier League goal of the season,
:48:10. > :48:18.and it is one that will change the scoreline. 2-0.
:48:19. > :48:27.Niang holding off... And here is an opportunity. It is one Daryl Janmaat
:48:28. > :48:37.cannot get close to taking. Ibrahimovic wanted it. It's gone to
:48:38. > :48:44.Rashford instead. Now Ibrahimovic has it.
:48:45. > :48:52.He has still found Mkhitaryan... And Ibrahimovic! Just got his angles and
:48:53. > :48:58.little mixed up. Wonderful strength and vision in the first place from
:48:59. > :49:04.the Swede to find Mkhitaryan. He went with his right. And that was
:49:05. > :49:09.the end result. In the first half, the football was fabulous. And the
:49:10. > :49:14.fans, they got behind the team just before we scored the goal, because
:49:15. > :49:19.we were playing phenomenal. So I'm really happy with that. We started
:49:20. > :49:25.very well. But then during the game, of course, especially in the
:49:26. > :49:29.midfield we have to play more the ball. We kept to much, we kept
:49:30. > :49:34.losing the ball, and then they scored. We lost a bit of focus for
:49:35. > :49:40.four or five minutes. Then on the second half, we were playing well,
:49:41. > :49:45.but it was our mistake that allowed the second goal, maybe we could have
:49:46. > :49:49.got at least one point. Before I got the job, people were saying that Man
:49:50. > :49:53.Utd have to play football in a certain way. And I agree, I agree
:49:54. > :49:58.totally, you have to play in a certain way. You cannot play like
:49:59. > :50:02.some successful teams in the Premier League. But they play in a
:50:03. > :50:06.completely different style. We have to play attacking football. What is
:50:07. > :50:13.it like to play in the team at the moment, creating so many chances?
:50:14. > :50:18.Very incredible. When you play with, you know, Anthony, Henrikh, Paul,
:50:19. > :50:22.you create chances and enjoy the pitch. You have to be careful
:50:23. > :50:26.because you need to be consistent on how you defend. Obviously, Watford
:50:27. > :50:29.came here to try and defend very good and take us in the
:50:30. > :50:35.counterattack. They did well, but I think we played good football today.
:50:36. > :50:40.We went in a convincing way. Won on the scoresheet again. I met him the
:50:41. > :50:44.other day, spoke a bit of time with him -- Janmaat on the scoresheet
:50:45. > :50:50.today. A delightful chap and enough lovely footballer. I wonder if he
:50:51. > :50:54.thought the same about you! He probably did! Were you speaking
:50:55. > :50:59.Spanish to him? I wasn't going to show off! I am a big fan of him. His
:51:00. > :51:02.transformation is amazing. When he had his two Player of the Year
:51:03. > :51:07.seasons with Chelsea and Mourinho got rid of him, when he went united,
:51:08. > :51:10.I thought, it's all over. But to be fair to him coming he has not called
:51:11. > :51:16.down and got himself back involved in the side. -- he has knuckled
:51:17. > :51:20.down. Out of all of the striking options, he has become, he is the
:51:21. > :51:24.most reliable goal-scorer. He is always calm in front of goal, he is
:51:25. > :51:34.inventive and creative. And today was again clever. And just so
:51:35. > :51:39.exquisite in the technical aspect of the game. He knows when... I mean,
:51:40. > :51:44.look at that, that looks easy, but it's not. It's being calm. The goal
:51:45. > :51:47.was just perfect. That's coming up in a minute. Picking out the right
:51:48. > :51:51.choices in the final third is the hardest thing to do on a football
:51:52. > :51:57.pitch. He gets in these little positions. Lovely touch here.
:51:58. > :52:01.Awareness. Martial as well today. Mkhitaryan is getting to his best.
:52:02. > :52:06.The local so little combinations, look at that. Everyone of them was
:52:07. > :52:10.at it. Mata, because of the fact that he is scoring now, probably one
:52:11. > :52:16.of the first names on the team sheet. Look at the table. Aside from
:52:17. > :52:19.Chelsea, two point separates the next five teams. Manchester United
:52:20. > :52:23.right back in that top four race here. When you look at it, look at
:52:24. > :52:28.the way that no more playing today, Arsenal seem to be winning games and
:52:29. > :52:31.not playing brilliantly -- Tottenham are playing today. Manchester United
:52:32. > :52:35.have not lost since October, they are on the march. They are, and
:52:36. > :52:36.playing football that everybody wants to see. Looking good, a
:52:37. > :52:39.threat. A run of six wins in nine
:52:40. > :52:42.matches had taken West Ham Their opponents West Brom
:52:43. > :52:55.were a place above them Michail Antonio scored at the
:52:56. > :52:59.Hawthorns in September, as West Ham slumped to a 4-2 defeat. It is his
:53:00. > :53:03.job to lead the attack today, with Andy Carroll absent with a groin
:53:04. > :53:07.problem. Nacer Chadli scored two goals for Albion that they, and is
:53:08. > :53:11.named in an unchanged line-up this afternoon. Fit again Jonny Evans and
:53:12. > :53:15.Yakov have been named among the substitutes. A warm embrace between
:53:16. > :53:21.the two managers. Tony Pulis certainly has a hand shake for some
:53:22. > :53:26.people. The slight feeling that West Ham haven't been entirely
:53:27. > :53:29.comfortable in their new surroundings sometimes this season,
:53:30. > :53:33.some tentative performances. But they have won as many at home as
:53:34. > :53:41.Manchester United have so far. Here comes Morris. -- Morris. Promising
:53:42. > :53:46.play! And the opening goal of the match for West Bromwich Albion, for
:53:47. > :53:54.Nacer Chadli. Superb chart start for Albion! Slaven Bilic, animated and
:53:55. > :54:00.unhappy. His team behind to an early goal. Let's have a look at the
:54:01. > :54:04.talent. West Ham unhappy, -- the challenge. West Ham say they should
:54:05. > :54:11.have had a free kick. Didn't Nacer Chadli take that opportunity well?
:54:12. > :54:16.Mark Noble with the ball, moving forward. The challenge coming here
:54:17. > :54:23.on Sofiane Feghouli. Referee Michael Oliver incurring a raft of the West
:54:24. > :54:27.Ham bench early on. Snodgrass, watched very closely by Gareth
:54:28. > :54:29.McAuley. Getting a little bit too handy that with the West Ham player.
:54:30. > :54:40.Free kick for the home team. Robert Snodgrass with the delivery,
:54:41. > :54:45.curling bat on in! Does he get a touch? The all-important final touch
:54:46. > :54:51.was off Ben Foster. With that in by Snodgrass. Kept out by Foster. --
:54:52. > :54:55.whipped in by Snodgrass. Saved by Ben Foster in front of the watching
:54:56. > :55:01.England manager, Gareth Southgate. Forward by Mark Noble towards
:55:02. > :55:07.Antonio. A real physical duel with Dawson and McAuley.
:55:08. > :55:14.Interestingly, Antonio just pushed Dawson out of the way, as that shot
:55:15. > :55:18.comes in and smacks the crossbar. Solomon Rondon, so close. The lips
:55:19. > :55:23.winning in the air. Rondon, tremendous effort. West Brom without
:55:24. > :55:30.a win away to West Ham since 2003. 14 years ago. A long way to go yet,
:55:31. > :55:37.though. Robert Snodgrass once again for West Ham. Foster under pressure.
:55:38. > :55:44.Keeps it at bay. West Ham... The flag grows up! -- goes up. The fired
:55:45. > :55:51.up straightaway. Michael Oliver totally surrounded by players from
:55:52. > :55:55.both teams here. The flag went up on the near side as the ball headed for
:55:56. > :55:58.the back of the net. As the shot comes in, you see Michail Antonio
:55:59. > :56:02.tackling with the goalkeeper, and the goal this allowed for offside as
:56:03. > :56:11.a result. And it seems as though Slaven Bilic's first-team Assistant
:56:12. > :56:18.Manager has been sent off amid the melee following that disallowed
:56:19. > :56:23.goal. Lanzini in towards the Doully, Snodgrass beat into it. Chris Bryant
:56:24. > :56:29.sliding in. Behind for a West Ham corner. -- towards Feghouli.
:56:30. > :56:36.Foster is there! It drops almost on the line. Couple of appeals from
:56:37. > :56:40.West Ham players that it had gone over. It didn't quite fall for
:56:41. > :56:47.Michail Antonio there. Phillips clears his lines.
:56:48. > :56:53.The Doully... Will he find a way through? Down inside the penalty
:56:54. > :57:00.area goes Robertson was. Michael Oliver is not impressed. -- goes
:57:01. > :57:04.Robert Snodgrass. Snodgrass goes to ground under pressure from Jake
:57:05. > :57:08.Livermore. So far this season, West Brom have only lost one match to a
:57:09. > :57:11.side outside of the current top seven in the table. This by 1-0 at
:57:12. > :57:23.Bournemouth back in the autumn. Snodgrass... Dangerous delivery!
:57:24. > :57:30.Looking for the head of Antonio. Still the pressure is on. Lanzini!
:57:31. > :57:35.Smacks the bar! Feghouli is there! It is 1-1. This time West Ham are
:57:36. > :57:41.more denied their equalising goal. And Slaven Bilic is all smiles now.
:57:42. > :57:46.Ben Foster finally beaten. It was Lanzini here with this cracker of a
:57:47. > :57:50.shot. Foster made the save, did really well. But they Doully was
:57:51. > :57:57.there to snaffle the chance with a loose ball fell at his feet -- but
:57:58. > :58:01.Feghouli. Suddenly it is a different game with a different atmosphere.
:58:02. > :58:05.Past forward and collected. Mike Goodes saved by Foster! Lanzini
:58:06. > :58:14.couldn't quite get on the end of it before it was hacked away. West Ham
:58:15. > :58:16.close to taking the lead. Heading for a point apiece at the moment,
:58:17. > :58:29.but still time to win the game. Lanzini turning away from Yakov! Oh,
:58:30. > :58:36.it is a superb goal! Brilliant stuff. Manuel Lanzini inside the
:58:37. > :58:44.last five minutes. Lanzini turns away from Claudio Yakov and finds
:58:45. > :58:48.the bottom corner. Is this the goal that will secure all three points
:58:49. > :58:52.for West Ham today? Well, he'll be happy if it stays like this. His
:58:53. > :59:01.team behind at the break. They are not over the line yet.
:59:02. > :59:05.Bilic barking up the assistant on the near side. He is halfway down to
:59:06. > :59:20.the corner flag, Slaven Bilic. West Bromwich Albion's all here now.
:59:21. > :59:25.And West Ham will have everybody back inside their own penalty area.
:59:26. > :59:30.Ben Foster is coming up for this one, too. West Brom have to throw
:59:31. > :59:37.the lot at West Ham this here in search of a last-gasp equalising
:59:38. > :59:42.goal in added time. Oh, they've got their equaliser! Three minutes into
:59:43. > :59:49.added time! Jonny Evans was there at the far post. What a dramatic, late
:59:50. > :59:54.twist here. West Ham are almost there. But West Bromwich Albion
:59:55. > :59:58.would not lie down, they would not be beaten, and Jonny Evans, back in
:59:59. > :00:03.the team after injury, off the bench, equalises right at the end of
:00:04. > :00:11.the game. And he can't quite believe it. Watch the kit, make! And to cap
:00:12. > :00:16.it all for West Ham, Slaven Bilic has been sent off.
:00:17. > :00:24.What agitated you the most this afternoon? Everything. I'm the first
:00:25. > :00:28.one to say that it's very hard for the referees nowadays, the pace of
:00:29. > :00:36.the game and everything, contact sport. When you are on the wrong end
:00:37. > :00:43.in all the major decisions, and there were more than a few, you
:00:44. > :00:49.can't live with so many of them. I thought it was a good game, a lot of
:00:50. > :00:55.talking points. People say there is no atmosphere, but I thought it was
:00:56. > :00:58.fantastic today from both sets of supporters. First time I've been to
:00:59. > :01:03.the stadium and it was excellent. I thought we would find it difficult
:01:04. > :01:07.to hit them on a break because they have been defending a lot. Some
:01:08. > :01:13.tired legs, but we are masters of set pieces. I really rate him, he
:01:14. > :01:17.knows that, but I can't get over this. I will go home tonight and
:01:18. > :01:23.instead of having three points and being so happy before the break and
:01:24. > :01:30.everything, to have that bitter feeling, it's awful. And the referee
:01:31. > :01:31.was... Sorry for the words, nothing personal, but the referee today was
:01:32. > :01:39.awful. Slaven Bilic is not a happy bunny.
:01:40. > :01:44.He complained about a lot of decisions and we have picked out a
:01:45. > :01:51.feud. The first one we will see, you have seen them given. It doesn't
:01:52. > :01:55.look like much to me, to be honest. You do get them sometimes. You do
:01:56. > :02:01.get them. If I was Slaven Bilic I would probably want that. He tries
:02:02. > :02:05.to lay it off, and he's been bundled into. Some give it and some don't,
:02:06. > :02:13.but he has to defend better than that. It was too easy. This was the
:02:14. > :02:17.disallowed goal. Antonio coming back and pushes the keeper. We see it
:02:18. > :02:23.from the other angle. He's offside here behind the keeper. And then he
:02:24. > :02:29.actually lays hands on him. He gets this one right. Took a while but
:02:30. > :02:33.they got the right decision. That's the most important thing, you don't
:02:34. > :02:39.mind them taking their time. This one, he flicks it. Antonio gets a
:02:40. > :02:43.touch. It's irrelevant, comedy does touch it through his legs back, it's
:02:44. > :02:49.a West Brom throw, but it's not a problem. Get men behind the ball.
:02:50. > :02:53.He's really not happy there. Defending the wrong side, trying to
:02:54. > :02:57.nick in front, and then the second play. How many mistakes, where do
:02:58. > :03:03.you start? The goalkeeper is pushing. This goal has been given to
:03:04. > :03:08.Gareth McAuley and not Jonny Evans, which we can't work out. Did it come
:03:09. > :03:15.off the top of his head? Why didn't they ask Jonny Evans just then? The
:03:16. > :03:19.key is that the two West Ham centre halves are outjumped by the West
:03:20. > :03:23.Brom centre halves, simple as that. It's the pressure of management,
:03:24. > :03:24.isn't it? Two teams in the middle of the table going quite nicely as
:03:25. > :03:25.well. Match of the Day 2 switches
:03:26. > :03:28.to BBC Two tomorrow, and features a cracking
:03:29. > :03:53.goal of the month. Elseehere, Match of the Day 2 Extra
:03:54. > :03:55.will discuss the weekend's The BBC has live coverage of France
:03:56. > :04:00.against Scotland in the Six Nations. And there's commentary
:04:01. > :04:02.on Swansea against Leicester - the big relegation six-pointer -
:04:03. > :04:14.on Radio 5 Live. Will he or won't he? That's the
:04:15. > :04:33.question taxing the nation. He will say it's down to the
:04:34. > :04:39.players, but it's not bad for his CV either. He didn't.
:04:40. > :04:42.Crystal Palace manager Sam Allardyce said he was "in shock"
:04:43. > :04:43.after their heavy defeat to Sunderland.
:04:44. > :04:46.Could he lift his team for the difficult trip to Stoke City?
:04:47. > :05:03.COMMENTATOR: Milivojevic, deadline day signing from Olympiakos Mexes
:05:04. > :05:10.Palace debut today. And Sobhi, back from the Africa Cup of Nations.
:05:11. > :05:14.Saido Berahino is on the bench again. Palace without the injured
:05:15. > :05:17.Scott Dann but Andros Townsend starts after trouble in Stoke in a
:05:18. > :05:22.4-1 win at Selhurst Park in September. Mamadou Sakho and Jeffrey
:05:23. > :05:25.Schlupp are both on the bench. The Palace fans have taken up their full
:05:26. > :05:32.allocation and their travelling costs have been subsidised by the
:05:33. > :05:36.club. Crystal Palace have only won five of their last 47 Premier League
:05:37. > :05:42.games. But one of them was against Stoke in September when they crushed
:05:43. > :05:47.them at Selhurst Park. Decent header. Arnautovic fourstroke. Good
:05:48. > :05:56.save by Hennessey. Comes out on the far side to Sobhi. Decent effort. A
:05:57. > :06:00.very good save. Much needed, Hennessey, he didn't have one of his
:06:01. > :06:03.best games against Sunderland last week. The goal might have looked
:06:04. > :06:09.big, but Hennessey made it look smaller. Sam Allardyce has made a
:06:10. > :06:11.career out of keeping teams out of trouble, getting them out of
:06:12. > :06:29.trouble. Can he do it again? James McArthur goes to Townsend's
:06:30. > :06:38.left. Decent piece of play by Crystal Palace. Townsend. James
:06:39. > :06:42.McArthur was in there. Seem to remember he's God two goals with
:06:43. > :06:48.headers in one match earlier in the season, James McArthur, against
:06:49. > :06:52.Liverpool. -- he scored two goals. It was a good build-up. Townsend
:06:53. > :06:57.with the cross, just wide of the near post. For those who like
:06:58. > :07:01.football history, Stoke's old ground, the Victoria Ground, is only
:07:02. > :07:05.two or three minutes away from here, and it still hasn't been built on
:07:06. > :07:10.after all-day years here at the Britannia. Mark Hughes has led them
:07:11. > :07:16.to ninth, ninth and ninth again in the last three seasons. Sobhi on the
:07:17. > :07:20.run against Joel Ward. He has beaten him and Stoke City have three in the
:07:21. > :07:28.middle. Still Sobhi. Joe Allen, surely! Just recently, his
:07:29. > :07:33.finishing, the strongest point in his game in some peoples opinion,
:07:34. > :07:36.it's gone little bit awry for Joe Allen. He's missed a few chances in
:07:37. > :07:41.recent weeks and there's another one. The Egyptians Sobhi away on the
:07:42. > :07:43.left, beating Joel Ward. They have three in there. Joe Allen pulls away
:07:44. > :08:06.to the far post and heads over. Joe Allen, near post! Corner. This
:08:07. > :08:13.has been a good ten minutes for Stoke City. Martins Indi comes
:08:14. > :08:17.forward. And he came in behind Crouch. It was off the line.
:08:18. > :08:27.Possibly Andros Townsend there. Martins Indi with the header. That's
:08:28. > :08:30.the nearest we have come to a goal. Andros Townsend, guarding the
:08:31. > :08:37.left-hand post, and didn't he do well to hook that out? It wasn't
:08:38. > :08:47.easy. That's meant for Andros Townsend. Oh, yes, free kick against
:08:48. > :08:55.Shawcross. Is it a booking as well? Yes, it is. Townsend has been a
:08:56. > :08:58.handful when he's had the chance to run with the ball. Shawcross sticks
:08:59. > :09:13.out a leg, no doubt about the foul. Played nicely. Deflection, chance,
:09:14. > :09:19.oh! Benteke, perhaps should have done better with the ricochet.
:09:20. > :09:23.Townsend played the free kick short to Jason Puncheon. A couple of
:09:24. > :09:28.deflections and Benteke just couldn't get on the end of it.
:09:29. > :09:33.Pieters turned away from Zaha. Sliding tackle by Jason Puncheon.
:09:34. > :09:57.Here he is again. Good close skill from Arnautovic.
:09:58. > :10:06.He's got Sobhi in here. Joe Allen! He's put Stoke City ahead. He's
:10:07. > :10:14.something of a poacher from that position, Joe Allen. He gives Stoke
:10:15. > :10:19.the lead here. Sobhi sets up the play. Joe Allen rifles that right
:10:20. > :10:25.into the corner. Arnautovic, and then Sobhi with the assist. Joe
:10:26. > :10:32.Allen with the finish. And that is his sixth goal of the season since
:10:33. > :10:33.coming here from Liverpool. Sam Allardyce looking for an injection
:10:34. > :10:47.from Jeffrey Schlupp. Not a bad cross. That could have
:10:48. > :10:54.been the equaliser for James Tomkins. Perhaps it should have
:10:55. > :11:03.been. Good ball from James McArthur. And Tomkins volleyed over the bar.
:11:04. > :11:12.As the rain and sleet falls down, it's cold comfort for Crystal
:11:13. > :11:17.Palace, this. If there ever was a game to win ugly, today was the day.
:11:18. > :11:21.We have done that sometimes. We have slipped up and not in it as often as
:11:22. > :11:25.we should have done. Stoke playing at home in the second half, that was
:11:26. > :11:28.their only shot on target in the entire second half and it was a goal
:11:29. > :11:32.and their winner. It shows you how will we have done defensively, but
:11:33. > :11:37.in the end it's another 1-0 defeat and not the point at least that I
:11:38. > :11:43.think we deserved today. When they break through, is a great crossfield
:11:44. > :11:47.ball from Arnautovic, picking out Sobhi. Good lay off just to the side
:11:48. > :11:51.of Joe Allen who had to readjust a little bit. Good finish in the end
:11:52. > :11:56.and a goal worthy of winning a Premier League game. Got a fewer
:11:57. > :11:59.earlier in the season when I first played. Been on a bit of a drought.
:12:00. > :12:03.Thankfully stuck with me in that position and I've got one today.
:12:04. > :12:07.Hopefully can go on another run again. In terms of performance and
:12:08. > :12:10.effort from the players, they are getting better in terms of what we
:12:11. > :12:14.want to try and do. We have to keep battling on and keep believing.
:12:15. > :12:19.It's a battle. Stoke back in ninth, they have finished their the last
:12:20. > :12:24.three seasons. They know their place. When you have Crouch in the
:12:25. > :12:29.side, he's such a good target man and holds it up so well. Arnautovic,
:12:30. > :12:36.Joe Allen and Crouch linked up so well today. That was unlucky, nearly
:12:37. > :12:40.fantastic. Arnautovic now taking a chance to go beyond Peter Crouch.
:12:41. > :12:44.Crouch was brilliant again today. Six at seven, six foot eight,
:12:45. > :12:49.whatever. Joe Allen's movement was brilliant. James McArthur didn't
:12:50. > :12:57.know where he was. Both of them gambling beyond Crouchy and an
:12:58. > :13:04.unfortunate, tame effort from Arnautovic. Poor touch but he wins
:13:05. > :13:10.it back. Sobhi with Van Aanholt, and Van Aanholt has to be more aware of
:13:11. > :13:14.where Sobhi is. A great ball in from Arnautovic. He holds it up well. Joe
:13:15. > :13:19.Allen does what he has done all game, backing up the front man,
:13:20. > :13:22.finishing brilliantly. Had to readjust his step. Sixth goal of the
:13:23. > :13:25.season. They really good finish and they deserved it today. They
:13:26. > :13:31.consummate each other well, those three. Experience and cleverness and
:13:32. > :13:36.power. Palace, more resilient than they were last week but they can't
:13:37. > :13:41.buy a result. The support up to Benteke is not as good as it should
:13:42. > :13:46.be. This should be an easy lay off to him, but they get it wrong. He's
:13:47. > :13:50.laid off and goes towards the box. Townsend, get it to Van Aanholt.
:13:51. > :13:54.Good run around him, but it doesn't go to him. It's a good overlap. I
:13:55. > :13:59.feel sorry for Benteke, that's the service he was dealing with today.
:14:00. > :14:04.Worked hard today, we saw him closing down. His nearest man is
:14:05. > :14:08.Andros Townsend. Benteke could maybe get back to feet, but doesn't and
:14:09. > :14:11.it's an aimless ball over. They say they are working hard and it's
:14:12. > :14:15.getting better, but they need to do a lot more going forward. I agree.
:14:16. > :14:18.At the start of the day Middlesbrough had the worst attack
:14:19. > :14:20.in the Premier League, with just 19 goals
:14:21. > :14:23.They faced an Everton side who went goal-crazy
:14:24. > :14:35.Aitor Karanka believes that his side's defensive solidity is still
:14:36. > :14:43.the foundation on which to build survival. To radio hasn't scored
:14:44. > :14:48.from open places Christmas. One change for the hosts, as Stuani
:14:49. > :14:53.replaces Downey. Romelu Lukaku's form against Bournemouth means he
:14:54. > :14:58.registered more league goals last Saturday since Boro have since they
:14:59. > :15:03.last won a match on December 17. He just needs two more to become the
:15:04. > :15:08.club Bulls cause scorer of the Premier League. Everton will be
:15:09. > :15:11.strong favourites to emerge victorious today. Middlesbrough out
:15:12. > :15:17.of sorts, real concern they might end up back in the championship. The
:15:18. > :15:25.Grady gives chase himself. He gets there in front of... He had two
:15:26. > :15:31.options and didn't play it to either of them. Stuani got the ball, he
:15:32. > :15:36.shouldn't. You can hear the moans and groans all over the Riverside.
:15:37. > :15:43.Forshaw had options both to write on the left. He knows the significance
:15:44. > :15:45.of turning one point into three as they tried to emerge from the bottom
:15:46. > :15:56.three. Traore, he is a joy to watch. He is
:15:57. > :16:00.so bold and so willing to take a chance. And he almost finds a way
:16:01. > :16:06.through. And somehow, I think Coleman in the end got the decisive
:16:07. > :16:10.touch. Everton repel Middlesbrough. Again, Traore. Willingness to take
:16:11. > :16:14.players on, whatever the circumstances. And he is willed on
:16:15. > :16:19.by all of the Middlesbrough supporters, every time he gets near
:16:20. > :16:28.the goal. It's a good game, this. Middlesbrough suddenly hanging in
:16:29. > :16:31.there. It's a little bit short. Davies pounces. And Lukaku has a run
:16:32. > :16:34.through on goal! And it's a great save by Valdes. I think that most in
:16:35. > :16:40.the ground were expecting that from a Lukaku would tuck that one away.
:16:41. > :16:45.Out of virtually nothing, it was Davies winning the ball in midfield,
:16:46. > :16:51.and immediately setting Lukaku away. Now there's got his angle is exactly
:16:52. > :16:56.right. And he denies the Premier League's top scorer -- Victor Valdes
:16:57. > :17:05.got his angles right. Space out wide for Coleman. In towards Lookman on
:17:06. > :17:11.the far side. And Victor Valdes came out very, very quickly. Kept alive
:17:12. > :17:18.by Baines. Barkley has it. Lookman again. And again, Lookman. The shot
:17:19. > :17:22.was charged down. And Lookman has very, very quick feet, the way in
:17:23. > :17:27.which he transferred it from one to the other just opened it up for him
:17:28. > :17:32.after Coleman's Ross reached him on the far side. Good block by Valdes.
:17:33. > :17:37.Second time he has been needed after earlier denying Lukaku. Two very
:17:38. > :17:41.different needs for the points. Middlesbrough to get away from
:17:42. > :17:47.trouble. Everton to get themselves European qualification. Fabio.
:17:48. > :17:51.Traore has definitely switched sides in the second period. Here it comes
:17:52. > :17:57.from the left, and goes with his right! Just beyond the post. Well,
:17:58. > :18:03.he just continues to give Everton headache after headache. They have
:18:04. > :18:07.scored just three goals in the last seven games. Four occasions they
:18:08. > :18:14.have failed to hit the opponents' net. They are the league's lowest
:18:15. > :18:18.scorers, with just 19 goals. Well, Baines with a very strange looking
:18:19. > :18:27.through. And indeed, it is a foul from. And Middlesbrough get a bit of
:18:28. > :18:30.a bonus. Well, they have won a corner. If Middlesbrough should get
:18:31. > :18:34.the opening goal they will be able to trace that all the way back to a
:18:35. > :18:39.very strange from from Leighton Baines. I think it slipped out of
:18:40. > :18:45.his arms. -- a very strange throw. The header has gone, it is off the
:18:46. > :18:48.line by Baines. They very nearly did take advantage. Gibson turns away
:18:49. > :18:52.disappointed that Everton have a player on each post. At least on the
:18:53. > :18:58.post that mattered. And it was Leighton Baines. It is a foul day on
:18:59. > :18:58.the side. But it could still be a very important one for
:18:59. > :19:09.Middlesbrough. Barkley, on towards Lookman, great
:19:10. > :19:13.opportunity, and another good save by Valdes. That's the third time
:19:14. > :19:20.that he has blocked an Everton attempt. I think all three were with
:19:21. > :19:23.his legs. They are on an excellent run, Everton. And they are certainly
:19:24. > :19:30.looking at the teams above them and wondering if they might be able to
:19:31. > :19:36.catch them. Traore with the term. Gestede, on it goes to Chambers. And
:19:37. > :19:41.a terrific header and the brilliant save! And Gestede so close to
:19:42. > :19:45.getting his first goal for Middlesbrough. And he would have
:19:46. > :19:50.done, but for the outstanding goalkeeping of Joel Robles.
:19:51. > :19:59.Middlesbrough are unable to score again. We played really well. They
:20:00. > :20:04.were really good team in good form. We had chances to score within a
:20:05. > :20:09.minute of the game, we didn't concede one goal. Once again I have
:20:10. > :20:14.to say well done to the players. It is funny you should get 61 week and
:20:15. > :20:18.number next. It sometimes happens in football? Of course it is different,
:20:19. > :20:22.you can't compare one week to the next one. It is also about
:20:23. > :20:26.Middlesbrough. They are defending well, they are strong, it is not
:20:27. > :20:30.easy to create a lot of chances. We had some, but we didn't score. How
:20:31. > :20:35.do you assess where you were and where you can be going in the next
:20:36. > :20:40.few weeks? I think we need to keep going and keep trust in us. Again,
:20:41. > :20:46.we are playing against a really good team, the last three or four games,
:20:47. > :20:52.they have been with Tottenham and Everton today. We have competed
:20:53. > :20:58.against every single team. I think we should have won one or two, but
:20:59. > :21:06.we are playing against these teams, I think we're playing in this way,
:21:07. > :21:09.we can beat them stop like they are compete in the fight. Or a struggle
:21:10. > :21:15.to score goals, while? Well, they have got the best events of record
:21:16. > :21:18.outside the top six -- why do Boro struggle to score goals. This is why
:21:19. > :21:22.they don't score enough goals, especially at home. They are so set
:21:23. > :21:26.on having the good shape, which is fine. This is in the first two
:21:27. > :21:30.minutes, trying to have the full press but not really convinced by
:21:31. > :21:34.it. Easy for Everton to play out, dominated the first half in terms of
:21:35. > :21:38.possession. Generally there feeling is, retreat, get men behind the ball
:21:39. > :21:43.and be hard to beat. I understand that, it is a fine balance. If they
:21:44. > :21:49.stay playing this way, you will say well done. They're not playing
:21:50. > :21:53.Barcelona, no disrespect to Everton, they did play well last week. You
:21:54. > :21:57.can be too respectful. They did entertain the fans last week. This
:21:58. > :22:01.is Middlesbrough, nine players on one quarter of the pitch trying to
:22:02. > :22:06.get the ball back. All working hard, good distances. When you do win the
:22:07. > :22:10.ball back, where do you go? You can't go anywhere, you have one guy
:22:11. > :22:20.up front. It keeps coming back. They are scared to commitment forward.
:22:21. > :22:23.Nearly a good ball to the striker, but you want somebody trying to get
:22:24. > :22:26.something to it. It was too easy for Everton at first. Middlesbrough got
:22:27. > :22:29.better on the second half. Everton a bit flat. They scored 61 week and
:22:30. > :22:35.didn't score the next, they should have saved one. That is Everton this
:22:36. > :22:38.season, great one week and not good the next. That was a little bit
:22:39. > :22:46.flat. We're just about out of time. Ian
:22:47. > :22:50.Ambani, thank you. Before we leave you, let's have a look as we always
:22:51. > :22:55.do at the Premier League table. Tottenham's defeat ensure that
:22:56. > :22:59.Chelsea remain nine points clear. There is little to choose between
:23:00. > :23:02.the chasing pack. Arsenal and Liverpool move above Manchester
:23:03. > :23:09.City, who play Bournemouth on Monday. Manchester United stay
:23:10. > :23:14.sixth. Southampton are the only other side in the bottom half to
:23:15. > :23:20.collect points, their win list them to places to 11. Let's see what the
:23:21. > :23:23.Sunday papers have to say. Sergio Aguero feels under appreciated at
:23:24. > :23:29.Manchester City and will leave this summer, according to the Son. The
:23:30. > :23:31.Times says Murray is here Pochettino has all but conceded that
:23:32. > :23:40.Tottenham's title hopes is over. Manchester United are just two
:23:41. > :23:43.points of second.