GOAL! Man City 2-0 Fulham (O'Reilly 30)
Nico O’Reilly executes a one-two with Semenyo before delivering a precise shot over Leno’s shoulder, extending Manchester City's lead. The question arises whether City aim to replicate their previous 5-1 victory.
“Evening Tim,” says the tireless Simon McMahon. “If it’s geographical proximity Ray Ward is after, the Dundee derby takes some beating, being contested by two teams whose grounds are on the same street. El Proximo if you will.” Ha. “No game at Tannadice tonight, where Aberdeen were due to visit, because of the weather, but Celtic v Livingston and Motherwell v Rangers both go ahead, with the Glasgow teams looking to cut the gap at the top after Hearts took all three points in the Edinburgh derby – El Castle-ico? – last night with a late winner.”
GOAL! Palace 1-0 Burnley (Larsen 17)
Jorgen Strand Larsen scores his first goal for Crystal Palace with a composed finish following a well-delivered through ball from Adam Wharton.
Forest 0-0 Wolves
Nottingham Forest have registered eleven shots but remain goalless against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
GOAL! Man City 1-0 Fulham (Semenyo 24)
Manchester City take the lead as Nunes crosses from the right, Erling Haaland knocks the ball down, and Antoine Semenyo quickly reacts with an instinctive finish. This marks Semenyo’s fifth goal in eight games, and his partnership with Marc Guehi appears well-established.
Man City dominate early, having taken six shots while Fulham have yet to register one. Alex Iwobi breaks into the box but his low effort is blocked by Ruben Dias. Fulham earn a corner but fail to capitalize.
Villa 0-0 Brighton
Aston Villa's playmaker role seems to be filled by goalkeeper Emi Martinez, who launches a 70-yard pass to Jadon Sancho on the right wing. Sancho’s cross is blocked, but he finds Morgan Rogers, whose shot is saved.
Forest 0-0 Wolves
Chance for Forest as captain Morgan Gibbs-White heads wide against his former club, much to the delight of the traveling fans.
Villa 0-0 Brighton
James Milner is set to come on, equaling Gareth Barry’s Premier League appearance record.
Villa hold the upper hand as Ollie Watkins sends a header just wide.
Palace 0-0 Burnley
The match at Selhurst Park has commenced.
Man City 0-0 Fulham
Leno makes another save from Nunes, who should have scored but is spared by the offside flag.
Manchester City continue to press, with Bernardo Silva and Matheus Nunes creating chances. Phil Foden’s right-footed shot is saved by Leno.
The City press leads to Haaland’s first shot, deflected for a corner. City overload the back post, winning another corner that results in a volley from Foden. Andersen blocks the shot, conceding yet another corner. Rodri’s subsequent shot goes out for a throw-in.
Forest 0-0 Wolves
Forest start strongly, winning consecutive corners.
Rain falls at the Etihad as Fulham, dressed in all black, face relentless attacks from Manchester City.
Arsenal cruising in Leuven
Alessia Russo has scored Arsenal’s fourth goal of the night in the women’s Champions League, with Sarah Rendell providing coverage.
“The LA Galaxy vs Los Angeles FC derby,” says Marek Wojenski in Connecticut, “is known as El Tráfico.”
Palace v Burnley delayed
The game at Selhurst Park will start ten minutes late at 7.40pm due to heavy traffic delaying Burnley’s team coach.
Fan emails and commentary
“Two likely outcomes for Fulham tonight,” says Richard Hirst. “1: we don’t score four goals against City again (and no, I don’t mean we’ll score five instead). 2: it’s Marco Silva’s last game in charge before Spurs poach him.
“I wouldn’t actually mind the latter too much, I think we need fresh thinking. I’m just disappointed that Liam Rosenior is already ensconced in SW6. It would have been great to see him back at the Cottage.”
Despite his impressive performance, Rosenior is currently Chelsea’s manager and may be available in the future.
The first email of the night comes from Ray Ward, who offers constructive criticism. “The A23 derby,” he states, “is a terrible name for the Palace-Brighton rivalry. It’s not a derby as it is not born out of geographical proximity. It’s a rivalry driven by the fact that we have spent most of the last 50 years within a place or two of each other in whichever league we both happen to reside at that time.
“If you want to give it a geographical nickname, ‘El Gatwicko’ is my personal favourite.”
Ray’s suggestion is acknowledged and adopted.
Teams: Palace v Burnley
Oliver Glasner names two forwards for home debuts: Jorgen Strand Larsen, acquired from Wolves for a significant fee, and Evan Guessand, on loan from Villa.
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Lerma; Munoz, Kamada, Wharton, Mitchell; Guessand, Sarr; Larsen. Subs: Benitez, Clyne, Riad, Sosa, Uche, Hughes, Pino, Johnson, Devenny.
Burnley (3-4-2-1): Dubravka; Laurent, Esteve, Worrall; Walker, Ugochukwu, Mejbri, Humphreys; Edwards, Anthony; Flemming. Subs: Weiss, Foster, Florentino, Tchaouna, Ekdal, Ward-Prowse, Lucas Pires, Barnes, Bruun Larsen.
Teams: Forest v Wolves
Wolves attempt to make an impact by fielding three players named Gomes in midfield: Angel, Rodrigo, and Joao.
Nottingham Forest (possible 4-2-3-1): Ortega; Aina, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Lucca. Subs: Gunn, Ndoye, Dominguez, Yates, Jair Cunha, McAtee, Netz, Igor Jesus, Awoniyi.
Wolverhampton Wanderers (possible 3-4-1-2): Sa; Mosquera, Santiago Bueno, Krejci; Rodrigo Gomes, Joao Gomes, Angel Gomes, Hugo Bueno; Mane; Armstrong, Arokodare. Subs: Johnstone, Doherty, Wolfe, Pedro Lima, Tchatchoua, Sutherland, Rawlings, Edozie, Bellegarde.
Teams: Man City v Fulham
Pep Guardiola reinstates Phil Foden, while Marco Silva includes Oscar Bobb on the bench at a familiar venue.
Manchester City (possible 4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Ait-Nouri; Rodri, O’Reilly; Silva, Foden, Semenyo; Haaland. Subs: Trafford, Khusanov, Alleyne, Stones, Lewis, Gonzalez, Reijnders, Cherki, Marmoush.
Fulham (possible 4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Anderson, Bassey, Sessegnon; Berge, Iwobi; Wilson, Smith Rowe, Chukwueze; Jimenez. Subs: Lecomte, Castagne, Cuenca, Robinson, King, Reed, Bobb, Kevin, Muniz.
Teams: Villa v Brighton
Brighton make several changes as Fabian Hurzeler aims to stabilize the team. Aston Villa maintain consistency, with Unai Emery including Alysson on the bench (the goalkeeper, not the Liverpool player).
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Bogarde, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; Onana, Luiz; Sancho, Buendia, Rogers; Watkins. Subs: Bizot, Wright, Lindelof, Digne, Torres, Barkley, Bailey, Abraham, Alysson.
Brighton (possible 4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu; Baleba, Gross; Gomez, Hinshelwood, Mitoma; Welbeck. Subs: Steele, De Cuyper, Boscagli, Howeel, O’Riley, Milner, Rutter, Minteh, Kostoulas.
Recent midweek fixtures have led to rapid changes in team fortunes. Thomas Frank was dismissed after a defeat to Newcastle, highlighting the demanding Premier League schedule. Chelsea and Manchester United drew their matches against lower-ranked teams, while Arsenal and Brentford remain the only clubs with consecutive wins.
All eight clubs playing tonight had recent midweek meetings in early December, with notable high-scoring games such as Fulham's 5-1 loss to Man City and Brighton's 4-3 comeback win over Villa.
Scott Murray will cover Sunderland v Liverpool at 8.15pm GMT, while live updates continue for the 7.30pm matches. League positions are noted in brackets.
Match Previews
Aston Villa (3rd) v Brighton (15th): Brighton have struggled recently with only one league win since early December but tend to perform better as underdogs. Villa have lost their last two home league games 1-0 to Everton and Brentford.
Crystal Palace (13th) v Burnley (19th): Palace ended a difficult two-month period with a recent derby win and should have confidence against Burnley, who have only one away win this season. Burnley’s ability to draw at Anfield suggests they can secure a point at Selhurst Park.
Man City (2nd) v Fulham (12th): This match carries significant importance. Following a last-minute win at Anfield, City must maintain pressure on Arsenal. Fulham’s form has been inconsistent, with recent losses after a strong run.
Nottingham Forest (17th) v Wolves (20th): Dubbed the Nuno derby, both teams need positive results. Wolves appear relegation-bound, while Forest have improved but face pressure as their safety margin has narrowed.
Team sheets will be updated shortly. Meanwhile, the women's Champions League playoff involving defending champions Arsenal is underway.
