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Key events
Two Championship matches were abandoned yesterday. The game between Charlton and Portsmouth at The Valley was paused in the 12th minute after a fan was taken ill. It was later announced the supporter died in hospital.
Blackburn’s game against Sheffield Wednesday was also paused and soon abandoned due to a waterlogged pitch at Ewood Park. The home side were leading 1-0 through Yuki Ohashi’s goal but the playing surface was later deemed unplayable due to heavy rain – for the second time this season at Blackburn – and the referee, Ruebyn Ricardo, called the teams off.
There is no word yet on when either game will be replayed.
Off for a quick cry, BRB.
It would appear as if three mini-leagues are developing in this season’s Premier League. At the top, there’s the race for the title, seemingly encompassing Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa.
Chelsea would love to be dining at that table but recent form means they’re five points back in fourth, as close to 13th-placed Bournemouth as they are to third. That mid-section of the league is so tight and it includes the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle and Manchester United who would all have designs on the top five. Can any of them put a winning run together to challenge the elite?
Then there’s the scrap for survival, with two of Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Burnley and West Ham likely to drop along with Wolves – who are in a league all of their own, a kind of pre-Championship purgatory. Maybe Brentford or Fulham could be sucked into the dogfight.
Have you tried the Guardian’s new football game, Off The Ball?
You can find it on the ‘Puzzles’ section of the app. Test your knowledge now!
There are two distinct sides to the Salah debate. Has he earned the right to speak out against his recent treatment as a bona fide Liverpool legend? Or is Arne Slot justified in doing whatever it takes to (try to) win football matches?
I’d lean towards the latter argument, having watched a fair bit of Salah this season and observed a player some distance off his best form – for all that he achieved last season and in previous campaigns. Here’s what you guys are saying in the comments.
United fan here. If I’m not mistaken Salah was PFA player of the year 6 months ago and now he’s chief scapegoat. 29 goals and 18 assists last season!
Not the way to treat a club legend
Can we take a moment to please feel sorry for Mo Salah for being “thrown under the bus” by Arne Slot?
It must have clearly cracked him on his head so hard he’s forgotten that he is presently Liverpool’s highest ever earning player, having had his contract extended to April 2027.
I know he’s just sore about being on the bench but, frankly, he’s not having his best season and perhaps should be humble enough to acknowledge just how privileged he is to be there.
A victim, Mo, you are not sir.
But what about today’s fixtures away from the Premier League and FA Cup?
In the WSL we’ve got (all 12pm GMT unless stated):
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Leicester v Manchester City
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London City Lionesses v Brighton
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Manchester United v West Ham
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Tottenham v Aston Villa
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Chelsea v Everton (2.30pm)
Real Madrid v Celta Vigo (8pm) and Borussia Dortmund v Hoffenheim (4.30pm) are the pick of the games from around the continent today.
Just realised I said Fulham v Crystal Palace was a repeat of last year’s cup final. I obviously meant quarter-final. Goodness me – time for another coffee. That’s what happens when you get up early for a futile Ashes watching session.
Thanks for your comments, by the way, which are starting to trickle in below the line. Lots of Mo Salah chat, which we will return to …
Jonathan Wilson’s latest column is on the Africa Cup of Nations. He argues that as long as the Premier League invests in its players and Fifa pays it lip service, AFCON will always struggle to fit into the schedule.
I say no shocks… but Swindon hammered Bolton – a division above them – 4-0 to reach the FA Cup third round. Meanwhile, Cambridge United – another League Two side who beat League One Stockport on penalties – put their name in the hat. Sixth tier Buxton were leading Cheltenham 2-1 at one stage, but ended up getting a 6-2 shellacking.
The FA Cup second round is rather good, isn’t it? Always a few good stories – and yesterday it was National League South side Weston-super-Mare who made history by reaching the third round for the first time ever.
There we no other major shocks but today Slough Town v Macclesfield is the early game (12.30pm kick-off GMT) which gives another sixth tier outfit the chance to earn a few quid in the riches of the third round.
Also today: Boreham Wood v Newport, Gateshead v Walsall and Blackpool v Carlisle. Pretty tasty fare.
In the Premier League today both Brighton and Crystal Palace will be motivated to jump into the top five.
The Seagulls host West Ham at 2pm (GMT), with the Hammers having shown flickers of life since the appointment of Nuno Espírito Santo. A creditable midweek draw at Old Trafford means the former Wolves and Nottingham Forest manager has overseen a run of one defeat in five games since the start of November.
Fulham versus Palace is a repeat of last year’s FA Cup quarter-final, with the Eagles eyeing a fourth successive away win in the league, having beaten Burnley, Wolves and Liverpool to nil in their last three trips.
Mohamed Salah stole the headlines yesterday despite not featuring in Liverpool’s helter-skelter 3-3 draw at Leeds United, launching an astonishing attack on Arne Slot, accusing the Liverpool manager of throwing him “under the bus” after being left out of the starting lineup for the third game running and claiming he has been made a scapegoat for the club’s poor start to the season.
“I can’t believe … I’m sitting on the bench for 90 minutes,” the Egyptian said. “The third time on the bench, I think for the first time in my career. I’m very, very disappointed. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season. Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why.
“It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.”
Read more from Salah below:
The other major Premier League story was Arsenal’s last-gasp defeat at Aston Villa via Emi Buendía’s winning goal. That, coupled with Manchester City’s comfortable win over Sunderland has left it rather tight at the top of the table.
Away from the English leagues, Lionel Messi wrote the script (again) for Inter Miami as they triumphed in the MLS Cup, beating Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in the final.
Preamble
Morning all. It’s another Sunday morning, which means another Guardian matchday live, your one-stop-shop for all things football buildup. Today it’s all about Brighton v West Ham and Fulham v Crystal Palace – not the most alluring of Premier League Sunday lineups but two intriguing contests – as well as Celtic v Hearts in a top of the table Scottish clash and a good few games in the Women’s Super League and FA Cup second round.
As always, we encourage you to get in touch, send us your emails and let us know how you’ll be following the action today. Let’s get into it.
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