Key events
The team news is in for Crystal Palace v Arsenal, which kicks off at 5.30pm, and Scott Murray has it all.
GOAL! Cardiff 0-1 Sheff Utd (65) The Championship leaders are also in front thanks to a terrific finish from Kieffer Moore. With third-place Burnley 2-0 up at home to Watford, it’s as you were at the top.
GOAL! West Ham 1-1 Brighton (Kudus 58)
Mohammed Kudus heads West Ham level after Jarrod Bowen’s shot is pushed away. Terrific play by Bowen and a smart finish from Kudus.
GOAL! Leeds 2-0 Oxford (Bogle 57) Jayden Bogle has put Leeds 2-0 up at Elland Road, where they are set to win their ninth consecutive game.
GOAL! Ipswich 0-4 Newcastle (Isak 54; Isak hat-trick)
Alexander Isak is damn hot right now. He’s just completed a hat-trick at Portman Road, which makes it six goals in the last four league games for him. It was a clever little finish, stabbed quickly past Muric after an ingenious backheel from Jacob Murphy.
Latest scores
Premier League
Championship
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Cardiff 0-0 Sheff Utd
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Leeds 1-0 Oxford Utd
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Sunderland 1-1 Norwich
Scottish Premiership
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Aberdeen 1-3 Hibernian
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Rangers 1-0 Dundee
GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Brighton (Wieffer 51)
Brighton have also been on a poor run but Mats Wieffer has put them ahead at West Ham with his first goal for the club. It was nicely taken, volleyed into an emptyish net after Fabianski came off his line to challenge Lewis Dunk for a cross.
GOAL! Aberdeen 1-3 Hibernian (Boyle 49) Aberdeen’s woes continues. Their winless run is surely going to stretch to six games, and that Vaclav Cerny goal means they are on course to drop below Rangers into third.
GOAL! Brentford 0-2 Nottm Forest (Elanga 51)
Forest are doing it again! Anthony Elanga has taken advantage of a mistake from Keane Lewis-Potter to double their lead at the Gtech Stadium. Lovely finish too, shaped into the far corner as he made an angled run into the area.
GOAL! Rangers 1-0 Dundee (Cerny 47) And at Ibrox. Vaclav Cerny runs onto Danilo’s pass and strolls round the keeper to score.
GOAL! Sunderland 1-1 Norwich (Ballard 47) A fast start to the second half at the Stadium of Light, where Dan Ballard has headed a cracking equaliser for the home side.
“In three months, Forest has become a very good football team.” says Mark Turner. “It might not be the full Ranieri fairytale scenario, but this is no-flash-in-the-pan side. Balanced, patient, dangerous attack. Morgan Gibbs-White is destined for greatness. Murillo will be sorely missed when he’s snapped up by Real Madrid. Applause for Nuno.”
Why does he receive so little credit? Is it because his teams are best on the counter-attack? Or a lack of charisma in interviews? For the most part he did a brilliant job at Wolves and you can’t really judge anyone on four months at Spurs.
Half-time reading
It’s half time in our featured games. The big winners so far are Newcastle, who are hammering Ipswich at Portman Road. These are the scores.
Premier League
Championship
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Cardiff 0-0 Sheff Utd
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Leeds 1-0 Oxford Utd
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Sunderland 0-1 Norwich
Scottish Premiership
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Aberdeen 1-2 Hibernian
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Rangers 0-0 Dundee
Half time: Brentford 0-1 Nottm Forest
“Time to take a walk around the block!” says Martin Widdicks. “Forest’s play in the final third has been so composed of late. We looked frantic in that loss to Newcastle but I think the Old Trafford win (sorry Rob) seemed to change the mentality (I hope!)”
GOAL! Ipswich 0-3 Newcastle (Isak 45+1)
Ipswich have been competitive in most of their games this season. Not today: Alexander Isak has scored his second after Ipswich were caught trying to play out from the back. It’s a dreadful goal to concede, not that Isak will or should care.
West Ham 0-0 Brighton “Amazing longevity from the man once derided by (some) Gooners as Flapphandski,” writes Paul Curievici. “Will West Ham just forget to replace him forever? Good on him, he must be enjoying his old pal Szczesny benchwarming at Barca!”
He also looks exactly the same as he did at Arsenal 15 years ago.
League Two
Bryn Morris has scored a hat-trick inside 36 minutes to give Newport a 4-0 lead against MK Dons. Blimey.
GOAL! Brentford 0-1 Nottm Forest (Aina 38)
Forest are ahead at the Gtech Stadium. Neco Williams got to the byline and drove a cutback that deflected towards his fellow wing-back Ola Aina at the far post. He adjusted his feet smartly and drove a first-time shot back across Mark Flekken.
GOAL! Aberdeen 1-2 Hibernian (Cadden 35) Hibs have come from behind to lead at Pittodrie. A win today would set them up beautifully for the trip to Tynecastle on Boxing Day.
Ipswich 0-2 Newcastle “Oh my days…” says Chris Paraskevas. “Jacob Murphy isn’t just doing tame non-threatening half-cross shots anymore… he’s actually hitting them straight.”
Ipswich 0-2 Newcastle As things stand Newcastle are only three points off a Champions League place. They’re hitting form at a very good time.
“After that update about Claudia Schiffer, it seems the only venues worth being at on this grim midwinter’s day are Stonehenge and the Gtech stadium,” writes Hasan Minhas. “Could that be the secret to Brentford’s sterling home form? Visiting teams being too starstruck to focus on the game? Let’s hope Forest don’t fall for it today…”
They’re doing okay so far. By this stage of Brentford’s last home game, against Newcastle, it was 2-2.
GOAL! Ipswich 0-2 Newcastle (Murphy 32)
The in-form Jacob Murphy has doubled Newcastle’s lead, ramming a shot off the underside of the bar and into the net. Newcastle are flying right now, particularly in attack.
West Ham 0-0 Brighton West Ham keeper Lukasz Fabianski has just made a good save from a Kaoru Mitoma volley.
The lastest scores in our featured games
Premier League
Championship
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Cardiff 0-0 Sheff Utd
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Leeds 1-0 Oxford Utd
-
Sunderland 0-1 Norwich
Scottish Premiership
-
Aberdeen 1-1 Hibernian
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Rangers 0-0 Dundee
Brentford 0-0 Nottm Forest It sounds fairly dull at the Gtech Stadium, with no goals and not many chances. Give it time.
“My lazy Saturdays seem to always coincide with your clockwatch,” says Martin Widdicks. “Anxiously watching Forest at Brentford. Despite our heady league position it’s still tense every week. Forest and Brentford have a strange mini-rivalry so a little bit of extra needle today. Forest may miss Yates winding up the Brentford midfield.”
I’m fascinated by rivalries that have nothing do with geography or supremacy. See also: Swindon v Gillingham.
“G’day Rob,” writes Chris Paraskevas, our Australian Newcastle fan. “Early goal for Isak means tonight’s ‘fuelling session’ didn’t completely go to waste:
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0.5 L Mountain Dew
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Homemade ‘pizza’
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An unhealthy amount of Tim Tams
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Salt and vinegar chips (make-do sorbet)
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…not consistently consumed in that order.”
I’ll be real with you, Chris: when I saw the phrase ‘fuelling session’, I didn’t expect to read that you’d been quaffing Mountain Dew.
GOAL! Sunderland 0-1 Norwich (Ben Slimane 23) Talking of Norwich, Anis Ben Slimane has just put them in front at the Stadium of Light after a well-worked corner.
On this day in 1992… Ipswich stun the Premier League leaders Norwich in the first Old Farm league derby since 1985.
GOAL! Aberdeen 1-1 Hilbernian (Youan 18) That didn’t take long. Some blooper DVD defending has allowed Elie Youan to equalise for Hibs at Pittodrie.
On this day in 1985… Charlie Nicholas scores a late winner for Arsenal at Old Trafford. Niall Quinn, whose shot led to the goal, later described the match as “caveman football”.
GOAL! Aberdeen 1-0 Hibernian (Keskinen 14) Topi Keskinen’s deflected shot has put Aberdeen in front at Pittodrie.
Ipswich 0-1 Newcastle Anthony Gordon has missed a good headed chance for Newcastle, who have by all accounts started superbly at Portman Road.
The lastest scores in our featured games
Premier League
Championship
-
Cardiff 0-0 Sheff Utd
-
Leeds 1-0 Oxford Utd
-
Sunderland 0-0 Norwich
Scottish Premiership
-
Aberdeen 0-0 Hibernian
-
Rangers 0-0 Dundee
“How could you forget?” sniffs Simon McMahon. “Also on this day, Rob, ten years ago, was the last time Dundee United beat Celtic, 2-1 at Tannadice, the goals coming from Nadir Cifcti and Stuart Armstrong. We play them tomorrow, in what will be Brendan Rodgers’ first visit to Tannadice, as United spent the entirety of his first spell at Celtic, and also last season, in the Scottish Championship, so I’m sure all United fans will be keen to wish him a Merry Christmas…”
GOAL! Leeds 1-0 Oxford (James 9)
Leeds United, who have won their last eight games at Elland Road, are ahead already through Dan James. Manor Solomon did the hard yards and gave James a tap-in.
Isak ran onto a cross that wasn’t properly cleared and rattled a first-time shot past Muric. The goal was scored after 25 seconds, though it took a couple of minutes to be awarded.
GOAL! Ipswich 0-1 Newcastle (Isak 1)
Isak was onside and the goal stands!
VAR check! Ipswich 0-0 Newcastle An early goal from Alexander Isak was ruled out for offside but it’s being checked, and checked, and checked. And…
“Talking about managers, while Manchester suffers, the Steel City is enjoying some strength just now,” writes Jeremy Boyce. “Chris Wilder is doing his stuff with the Blades and looking good for a return to the Prem, meanwhile Danny Rohl has done a great job with the Owls since the Munoz fiasco, despite their financial difficulties, currently up in ninth and threatening the play-off places. The next derby could be pretty tasty.”
