DAVID MOYES BRINGS his team to the Emirates for one of five Premier League fixtures tonight.
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Arsenal 0-0 Manchester United
Good evening and welcome along. If you have been living under a rock today, you won’t have noticed that this part of the world has been hit by dangerous thunderstorms with Met Eireann issuing a red alert tonight.
It isn’t much better across the water and one of tonight’s Premier League fixtures has already fallen victim to the weather as Manchester City’s clash with Sunderland at the Etihad is off due to bad weather.
Scenes at the Etihad tonight. Credit: Dave Thompson/PA Wire
At the Britannia Stadium, kick-off has been delayed by 15 minutes (to 8pm) due to traffic issues but despite conditions being far from great, the game will go ahead as it stands.
Cue jokes about whether Swansea can do it on a windy Wednesday night at Stoke etc…
Here are the five matches going ahead:
- Arsenal v Manchester United
- Everton v Crystal Palace
- Newcastle v Tottenham
- Stoke v Swansea
- Fulham v Liverpool
Here’s team news in our feature game:
Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arteta, Wilshere, Rosicky, Ozil, Cazorla; Giroud. Subs: Fabianski, Jenkinson, Monreal, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Podolski, Sanogo, Bendtner.
Manchester United: De Gea, Rafael, Smalling, Vidic, Evra, Valencia, Cleverley, Carrick, Mata, Rooney, van Persie. Subs: Lindegaard, Buttner, Ferdinand, Fellaini, Young, Hernandez, Januzaj.
Both teams come into tonight’s meeting on the back of very different setbacks. Arsenal, currently second in the table, suffered a humbling 5-1 defeat at the hands of Liverpool.
United, meanwhile, looked to be on the way to a 2-1 win over Fulham until Darren Bent popped up with an injury-time equaliser on Sunday — which leaves them a massive 14 points off the Gunners in seventh position.
The last time these two met back at Old Trafford in November, it ended in a 1-0 win as Robin van Persie proved the difference against his former side.
YouTube credit: NewsGo als
Five minutes until kick-off. How do you think this one is going?
Poll Results:
Here’s how BT Sport reckon the teams will line up:
Credit: BT Sport
The visitors have just kicked off with Patrice Evra lumping a long ball forward for Van Persie to run onto. It runs all the way through to Szczesny.
My word, what a chance! Van Persie robs Arteta and is through on goal. He takes the shot on early but Szczesny reads his intentions and smothers the ball.
Big let-off for Arsenal.
Two super chances for Arsenal in the past couple of minutes. First Jack Wilshere works his way past a couple of challenges before Chris Smalling puts in a timely block.
From the resulting corner, Olivier Giroud heads wide when unmarked seven years out.
Tomas Rosicky has a pop from distance which comes off the back of Vidic and forces David De Gea to dive across his goalmouth.
Rafael attacks down the right-hand side and whips a cross to the front post. Van Persie has made his run early but can’t make adequate contact and Per Mertesacker gets the vital touch.
Juan Mata slips a super ball into Van Persie, who checks inside onto his right and gets the shot all wrong with team-mates available.
Arsenal play a series of passes in the opposing half but the final pass is a poor one and overhit by Rosicky.
Elsewhere, Emmanuel Adebayor has put Spurs up against Newcastle while a Kolo Toure own-goal means Liverpool trail 1-0 to Fulham.
Check our score centre here.
Rooney loses possession 25 yards out as Arteta nips in and finds Giroud. The Frenchman lets fly but is leaning back and the strike sails over.
Arsenal win themselves a free-kick in a decent position and it’s Arteta to take. His attempt strikes the wall.
Rooney is receiving a talking to by referee Mark Clattenburg.
Credit: BT Sport
Kieran Gibbs is laid out on the deck after falling awkwardly while trying to win a header.
Wilshere then shows his discontent at a tackle from Antonio Valencia.
Now it’s Rafael and Giroud receiving treatment after a mid-air collision. The Brazilian full-back looks in some pain due to what appeared to be a bad fall on his shoulder.
Rio Ferdinand is warming up on the sideline.
Rafael is back on the field and bombing down the flank once again. The final pass leaves a lot to be desired on this occasion, though.
Here are the other scores:
- Newcastle 0-1 Spurs
- Fulham 1-0 Liverpool
- Stoke 1-0 Swansea
Kolo Toure is having quite the night at Craven Cottage. Read all about it here.
GOAL! Daniel Sturridge has pulled Liverpool level after a brilliant pass from Steven Gerrard. It’s 1-1 on 41 minutes.
Rio Ferdinand is on for Rafael, who obviously hasn’t recovered fully from that fall.
Credit: John Walton/EMPICS Sport
Juan Mata floats in a free-kick from wide right and Carrick puts a great flick onto the cross but no one can take advantage at the back post.
We’re still scoreless here and the game is lacking a bit of spark at the moment.
Elsewhere Paulinho has doubled Spurs’ advantage against Newcastle.
Koscielny makes contact with a Cazorla corner and Valencia is well-positioned on the line to clear away.
Moments later, Giroud complains to Clattenburg after feeling he was fouled by Vidic in the box.
Vidic and Carrick crashes into Giroud, then Mata is guilty of a blatant hand ball.
Valencia goes into the book for a rash challenge on Wilshere.
Substitutes for both sides — Rosicky is withdrawn for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Adnan Januzaj comes on in place of Mata. 15 minutes on the clock.
One goal from would surely be enough to earn three points here.
HUGE CHANCE. Sagna puts a cross into a difficult area to defend and Giroud looks favourite to make contact but fails to get a toe on it.
United break through Van Persie after Carrick wins possession off Wilshere. He plays Rooney and advances to the back post where his team-mate floats a delightful ball to.
Van Persie heads goalward but Szczesny touches the effort onto the crossbar to keep the Dutchman at bay.
Valencia makes way for Ashley Young. His biggest contribution tonight was that cleared goal line header.
Now Arsenal go in search of a winner. Cazorla plays a pass to Giroud then takes it back. The Spaniard finds Ozil for a one-two and his shot is then well-saved by De Gea.
Couthinho has brought Liverpool level at Craven Cottage while Spurs are 4-0 up against Newcastle through Nacer Chadhli.
David De Gea makes a good save from Cazorla, whose shot was hit cleanly from the edge of the box.
Looks like this will end a stalemate.
I fear a heavy bearing for Cavan today, hopefully not tho
beating even
The future is blue! Come on Cavan! Dunne to do the business, top scorer in championship to date.
Think it’s a step to far for ye
Blue all the way up the Dubs;)
I don’t think ye will win the all Ireland
TV3 should be banned from showing games. Their commenators are crap. RTE all the way for me.
+1
Watching it on BBC instead. TV3 are muck.
Good man I did not know the bbc were showing it. Boycott TV3
Haha, no bother! They’re showing Donegal/Mayo too, so no need to switch back.
TV3 commentary is making it even harder to watch.
Thank f*c k they don’t do radio!
Jesus Cavan are like a junior football team
Up the Dubs :)
I do like to root for the underdog but it’d be too big a shame to see Kerry go out, they play some lovely football. Darran O’Sullivan doing the business at the moment.
They are out of their depth. No shame in that. Still great pride in our county.
Monaghan wiz robbed
Definitely!! Hope Cavan do well!!
Cavan haven’t a hope… I don’t think the Dubs will be too worried watching this!!!!!!
Kerry are always a threat. To be honest I see Dublin kerry as the real final.
With the momentum they’d have from winning that game I couldn’t see either losing the final
Not great, is it?
Getting better!
I think Dublins All Ireland hopes will end when they meet this Kerry team in September. The Kerry forwards will rip their defence apart.
I think they’re set to meet each other later this month in the semi final, Louise.
(Assuming Cavan don’t mount a comeback!)
Nope, it’s definitely September. The 1st to be exact.
Oh, I’m a muppet. I assumed you meant in the final.
A semi final in Sept? Madness.
Kerry’s forwards will rip Dublin apart? 4 points in the 2nd half against Cavan’s 7. I’m far from worried.
yep Cavan are worth their single point
Turned it off its total crap both teams are rubbish
Get up Cavan.
Dublin 4-9 Kerry3-7