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AS IT HAPPENED

As they happened: Premier League, 3pm kick-offs

Chelsea and Arsenal were both in action on a busy Saturday afternoon. Here’s how they got on…

We’ve already had a Gareth Bale-inspired cracker at White Hart Lane, now we’re across all of today’s 3pm kick-offs in the Premier League.

As ever, email tony@thescore.ie, tweet us @thescore_ie, find us on Facebook or leave a comment below if you have anything to say.

Full-Times:

Chelsea 4-1 Wigan
Norwich 0-0 Fulham
Stoke 2-1 Reading
Sunderland 0-1 Arsenal
Swansea 4-1 QPR

We’re 15 minutes away from the start of today’s Premier League games, but we’re unlikely to see an individual performance like Gareth Bale’s for a while. The Tottenham winger was absolutely sensational against Newcastle.

Bale scored twice but could have had four or five.

Anyway, we move on! Team news to follow…

Chelsea v Wigan

Chelsea: Cech, Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Cahill, Cole, Luiz, Ramires, Oscar, Lampard, Hazard, Torres
Subs: Turnbull, Mata, Ferreira, Marin, Ba, Benayoun, Bertrand

Wigan: Al Habsi, Stam, Scharner, Caldwell, Figueroa, McCarthy, McArthur, Beausejour, Espinoza, Maloney, Di Santo
Subs: Robles, Kone, Jones, Henriquez, Gomez, McManaman, Golobart

Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)

=

Norwich v Fulham

Norwich: Bunn, Martin, Bassong, Turner, Garrido, Snodgrass, Tettey, Johnson, Elliott Bennett, Hoolahan, Becchio
Subs: Camp, Whittaker, Howson, Jackson, Surman, Kamara, Tierney

Fulham: Schwarzer, Manolev, Senderos, Hangeland, Riise, Sidwell, Frimpong, Duff, Ruiz, Berbatov, Rodallega
Subs: Etheridge, Petric, Karagounis, Hughes, Dejagah, Emanuelson, Kacaniklic

Referee: Howard Webb

=

Stoke v Reading

Stoke: Begovic, Shotton, Shawcross, Huth, Wilkinson, Kightly, Nzonzi, Whelan, Etherington, Walters, Crouch
Subs: Sorensen, Cameron, Jones, Owen, Adam, Whitehead, Jerome

Reading: Federici, Kelly, Pearce, Mariappa, Harte, Kebe, Akpan, Leigertwood, McAnuff, Blackman, Pogrebnyak
Subs: Stuart Taylor, Shorey, Karacan, Le Fondre, Hunt, McCleary, Morrison

Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)

=

Sunderland v Arsenal

Sunderland: Mignolet, Gardner, Bramble, O’Shea, Rose, Sessegnon, Cattermole, N’Diaye, Colback, Johnson, Fletcher
Subs: Westwood, Bardsley, Larsson, Graham, Vaughan, Mangane, Cuellar

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Jenkinson, Monreal, Arteta, Wilshere, Ramsey, Walcott, Giroud, Cazorla
Subs: Mannone, Diaby, Rosicky, Podolski, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Miquel

Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)

=

Swansea v QPR

Swansea: Vorm, Rangel, Chico, Williams, Davies, Hernandez, de Guzman, Ki, Routledge, Dyer, Michu
Subs: Tremmel, Bartley, Lamah, Shechter, Moore, Tiendalli, Agustien

QPR: Julio Cesar, Onuoha, Samba, Hill, Traore, Townsend, Derry, Mbia, Jenas, Taarabt, Mackie
Subs: Green, Park, Wright-Phillips, Granero, Ben Haim, Zamora, Bothroyd

Referee: Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire)

A line from the Stadium of Light, where Laurent Koscielny injured himself in the warm-up. Carl Jenkinson starts in his place, meaning Arsenal now have three full-backs in their back four. Thankfully for Gooners, none of those is Andre Santos.

And we’re off!

Great start for Arsenal. Walcott tries to place a shot to the right of Mignolet, but the Belgian saves.

After his foul on Aaron Ramsey inside 80 seconds, this is quite apt…

Goal! Swansea 1-0 QPR

Paul Merson: “It’s 1-0 to Swansea, Jeff, and it’s that man Michu. I thought it was offside but the ref’s given it.”

17th goal of the season, first in 7 games.

Wigan start the stronger against Chelsea. Franco di Santo, who never scored in 16 appearances for the Blues, misses the first chance of the game.

Ten minutes later, Fernando Torres gets a flick header on a Frank Lampard free-kick and it goes just wide.

Goal! Swansea 2-0 QPR

Jamie Mackie ‘falls asleep’ and Angel Rangel scores just his second ever Premier League goal. How bad are QPR? Really?

Goal! Chelsea 1-0 Wigan

David Luiz finds Torres, whose first-time pass to Ramires is sensational. The Brazilian does the rest, leaving Ali Al-Habsi no chance with his first-time shot.

A very quiet start to the 3pm kick-offs, in terms of goals anyway.

At the Stadium of Light, Simon Mignolet makes an exceptional, full-stretch save from Aaron Ramsey.

Paul Merson has just corrected Jeff Stelling!

In this strange, most parallel of universes, Stelling described how Chico Flores will miss the FA Cup Final after being taken off against QPR.

“It’s the Capital One Cup Final he’ll miss, Jeff,” says Merse.

Seen. It. All. Now.

Goal! Sunderland 0-1 Arsenal

We have the first goal of the day at the Stadium of Light, as Santi Cazorla finishes off a superb move. Jack Wilshere ghosts past three players, plays in Walcott, who sets up the Spaniard to drive the ball home.

The Chelsea supporters call Cezar Azpilicueta ‘Dave.’ This amuses us.

Giroud does well and finds Ramsey, who just has to knock it past Mignolet. No joy for the Welshman as Mignolet saves again.

Half time at the Stadium of Light, and Stamford Bridge, and Stoke (it’s 0-0 in their match with Reading, quelle surprise!).

Harry Redknapp can’t wait to get down the tunnel at the Liberty Stadium, while Norwich and Fulham trail off after an uneventful first half at Carrow Road.

That’s yer lot, back soonly.

Santi Cazorla’s strike for Arsenal against Sunderland…

(YouTube credit: Kastrati Perparim)

The second halves are four or five minutes old. Had anything interesting happened, we’d have told you.

Hang on, something interesting has happened!

Goal! Swansea 2-1 QPR

He only has five goals to his name this season, but Bobby Zamora is QPR’s top goalscorer this season. The visitors are back in this.

Goal! Swansea 3-1 QPR

A rare goalkeeping error from Julio Cesar as Pablo Hernandez puts the Hoops back in their box.

Two goals! Chelsea 2-1 Wigan

Unselfish play by ‘Dave,’ who crosses instead of shooting and Eden Hazard – back from suspension – slots the ball home.

Then, Shaun Maloney breaks the offside trap and Gary Cahill can’t stop his effort trickling into the net.

Sending off! Sunderland 0-1 Arsenal

Carl Jenkinson is sent off for his second yellow card, this time for a foul on Stephane Sessegnon. Earlier, Jack Wilshere was forced off with some form of leg injury.

Willo Flood has scored for Dundee United – there’s a name we haven’t heard in a while.

Goal! Stoke 1-0 Reading

Robert Huth has scored and I’m hoping I kept him in my Fantasy League team. Knowing my luck, I culled him in the great wildcard debacle of three weeks ago.

Huth headed in off the crossbar, incidentally. How very Stoke.

Then this happens…

Goal! Swansea 4-1 QPR

18 goals for the season for Michu, who turns the off-form Chris Samba before shooting past Julio Cesar.

Not a classic, but here’s Chelsea’s second goal against Wigan at Stamford Bridge…

(Credit) MultiSoccerFootball3)

Theo Walcott (can people please stop with the ‘signed da ting’ ting?) hits the woodwork for Arsenal.

Still scoreless between Fulham and Norwich, in case any of you cares.

Two goals! Stoke 2-1 Reading

A great goal from profligacy’s Cameron Jerome, who chests the ball down, swivels and strikes before Adrian Mariappa reduces the arrears from a corner.

Surely it’s nearly time for Adam le Fondre?

Steven Fletcher thinks he’s scored but Wojciech Szczesny pulls off a magnificent save! In the next wave, Titus Bramble’s effort goes wide. Arsenal are clinging on here.

Elsewhere…

Goal! Chelsea 3-1 Wigan

It’s the inevitable Frank Lampard strike for Chelsea. Wonder if the Russian is watching?

Goal! Chelsea 4-1 Wigan

Another assists for ‘Dave,’ whose shot is parried into the path of Marko Marin, just on as a substitute for Hazard. Goal for the German.

Chelsea have won! They’re back in third, they leapfrog Spurs…

No great comeback for Reading, who lose to Stoke

Mignolet goes forward for Sunderland but he can do nothing, it’s full-time, Santi Cazorla’s goal wins it for Arsenal. Bad news though as Jack Wilshere goes off injured, and Carl Jenkinson is sent off…

Norwich and Fulham. 0-0. Awful. Let’s move on…

Harry Redknapp will be keeping that car window firmly shut as they lose, and lose badly, to Swansea at the Liberty Stadium. Surely the London side are going down, they look utterly incapable of staying in the Premier League.

Well, that’s it, next up is Manchester City’s trip to St. Mary’s to play Southampton. We’ll bring you the major incidents as they happen. Thanks for following…

Celtic open up 18-point lead in the SPL >

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