Boxing Day Footie!
Jingle bells, Leicester smells, Ipswich ran away. Oh, what fun it is to see Leeds win on Boxing Day-ay! Happy Boxing Day, everyone - it's that time of year again that we all love, when the matches come thick and fast throughout the season. We get started early this morning with my beloved Leeds paying a visit to Deepdale to take on Preston North End. At the same time, Newcastle take on Forest. At 10am, there is the relegation dogfight between Luton and Sheffield Utd. The late network match is Burnley v. Liverpool and then we wrap things up with Man Utd. v. Villa.
Join me for a chat, won't you?
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It's our second televised match in a row, so I'm settling in to watch the action from Deepdale at GooneHQ. Wahay!
Daniel Farke talked about rotating the squad during the busy holiday campaign but that doesn't seem to have happened today. Here's the starting XI:
Meslier, Spence, Gray, Rodon, Struijk, Ampadu, Kamara, Summerville, James, Piroe, Georginio. Subs: Darlow, Firpo, Coop, Byram, Gruev, Anthony, Bamford, Gnonto, Joseph.
We're underway at Deepdale.
Good fluid stuff from us from the off.
The cameras catch Peter Ridsdale, who is somehow the chairman of PNE. After his disastrous tenure at Leeds, he shouldn't be able to run a hot dog stand near a football ground.
Preston starting to come back into this one.
Some heavy challenges coming in now. Both Cry and Ampadu down for treatment.
Jaden Anthony warming up now.
Oh, Rodon had a chance from the free kick there. Just headed wide.
McCann picks up a yellow for a late one on Rutter.
Great run by Rutter there and found DJ who was unable to find a way to goal.
Oh - Liam Miller pulls a good tip over by Meslier.
Silly foul by Archie. Comes to nothing fortunately.
Bollocks! A rush of blood to the head and Meslier is off with a straight red.
From bad to worse. PNE have scored from their first attack since Meslier was sent off. Good cross from Liam Miller and good header into the corner by Browne. 1-0 down.
Farke rolling the dice now with Gnonto, Gruev and Joseph all coming on.
Surprised to see Cry Summerville coming off - he is our top goalscorer this season.
Oh - Rutter with a decent strike, just deflected behind.
Yes! Dan James has won us a penalty late on! Come on!
DJ wins another free kick out wide left.
The free kick from Gnonto comes to nothing sadly.
Bugger! Liam Miller has been giving Archie fits all afternoon and he kills of our hopes with a last minute strike.
2-1 PNE.
We've got eight minutes to get this one back.
Rutter wins another free kick but Willy then whips it straight into the keeper's arms.
So that's it - we've suffered a really bad loss to a promotion rival. That's what happens sometimes in the busy holiday period. We were on such a high after our 4-0 win over Ipswich but we've crashed down to earth today at Deepdale. We're still in third for the moment on 45 points from 24 matches. Southampton have Swansea at home coming up next, so we're likely to drop to fourth.
We've refreshed our cuppas and are settling in for the relegation dogfight between Luton and Sheffield Utd.
Lovely - a real shocker from the Blades keeper Foderingham, who allows a nothing shot from Alfie Doughty to trickle through his legs. 0-1 Luton!
In slightly better news for Blades fans, Coventry have taken the lead against Sheffield Wednesday, with Tatsuhiro Sakamoto putting the home side ahead at the Building Society Arena.
Darren Moore’s Huddersfield Town have gone ahead against Blackburn Rovers, with Jaheim Headley breaking the deadlock with a low diagonal drive from the left.
Meanwhile at Vicarage Road, Cameron Pring has put Bristol City ahead after pouncing on a poor headed clearance to shoot into the bottom corner from distance.
Norwich go down to 10 men after 33 minutes of their game against West Brom. Borja Sainz gets his second yellow card of the game for urging the referee to book an opponent by brandishing an imaginary card.
Bournemouth have gone 1-0 up through Justin Kluivert just as the half time whistles go around the grounds.
Not surprisingly, Southampton are 1-0 up at half-time, so we've slipped to fourth in the table.
Sheffield Utd have come out charging in this second half and sure enough Ollie McBurney has equalized for them.
1-1!
Brandon Thomas-Asante gives West Brom a 1-0 lead against 10-man Norwich City at the Hawthorns. WBA are Leeds' next opponents on Friday.
The Blades have turned it around at Bramall Lane! A big ruck in the box and the skipper stabs home eventually.
Crazy match here at Bramall Lane. Just after the hosts had scored, Robinson has nodded in a routine set piece. 2-2!
Basement side Rotherham have taken a surprise lead against Middlesbrough, with Cohen Bramall doing the honours against the run of play.
Wahay! Luton have retaken the lead through another own goal!
Southampton go 3-0 up against Swansea, with Ryan Fraser latching on to a pass from Adam Armstrong to curl a shot into the top corner not long after coming on as a substitute.
Next up is Burnley v. Liverpool on USA. Liverpool are a point behind Arsenal on top and with a better goal difference, so a point would put the Reds temporarily on top before the Gunners play on Thursday.
Salah – Gakpo – Nunez. It’s the first time this front three have been paired together. Nunez is listed as starting on the left but I imagine it’ll get quite fluid with Salah pulling strings and defenders across the line.
GOAL! Darwin Nunez opens the scoring inside the opening ten minutes.
0-1 Liverpool.
Cody Gakpo rattles one in but it's ruled out for a foul earlier in the move.
Oh - the in-form Salah rifles one off the crossbar!
Liverpool are going to be royally pissed off if they don't go on to win this one. They've had two goals ruled out now.
Diogo Jota has just come on the pitch and he kills off the match. 0-2!
Liverpool run out 0-2 winners today and are two points clear at the top.
The football just keeps rolling on. Next up is United v. Villa. Here are the teams:
Manchester United: Onana, Wan-Bissaka, Evans, Varane, Dalot, Mainoo, Eriksen, Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Garnacho, Hojlund.
Subs: Bayindir, Reguilon, Antony, Pellistri, van de Beek, McTominay, Gore, Mejbri, Kambwala.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Konsa, Diego Carlos, Lenglet, Digne, Bailey, McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Ramsey, Dendoncker, Watkins.
Subs: Torres, Alex Moreno, Chambers, Diaby, Zaniolo, Duran, Marschall, Iroegbunam, Proctor.
Manchester United have made four changes to the team that lost against West Ham last time out. Diogo Dalot returns from suspension and lines up at left-back in place of Luke Shaw, who is injured. Raphael Varane returns from illness in place of Willy Kambala, whilie Antony is dropped to the bench, with Marcus Rashford coming in as United look for their first goal in four games. Christian Eriksen starts for the first time since getting injured in mid-November and replaces Scott McTominay in midfield.
Unai Emery makes two changes from the VIlla side that drew with Sheffield United. Diego Carlos comes in at centre-back, with Ezri Konsa likely to move to right-back as cover for the suspended Matty Cash. Leander Dendoncker starts in midfield, in place of Moussa Diaby.
Oh dear oh dear - that free kick has gone all the way through. McGinn's free kick has gone straight in past Onana. 0-1 Villa!
Oh dear oh dear - United are 0-2 down. Dendonker with a toe poke in.
Boos ring out around Old Trafford as Eric Ten Hag and his team troop into the dressing room. He's not long for this job.
Garnacho nets but looks to be a mile offside.
This time Garnacho has scored. Nice move through Rashford.
GOAL! Garnacho has done it! Desmond at OT!
A remarkable come-back win for United tonight. That's quite enough feasting on Boxing Day footie for me. I'm back on the road to Richmond.
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