Eagles didn't soar in the north east Premier League Newcastle United (0) 2 Guimaraes 71, Thiaw 78 Crystal Palace (0) 0 If Crystal Palace can take any solace from their latest defeat at St James' Park, one of their least favourite hunting grounds, it must be that Newcastle didn't manage a greater victory margin. The Magpies would have challenged last season's 5-0 triumph had two first-half efforts by Anthony Gordon and Joelinton not been ruled out by fractional offside decisi

In the cold light of day : Picture by @YTJourno Premier League Fulham (1) 2 Wilson 17, Reed 97 Liverpool (0) 2 Wirtz 57, Gakpo 94 He was never the most prolific of goalscorers. And these days he hardly gets any minutes on the pitch. But Harrison Reed made full use of the five minutes he was given by Marco Silva to crash in a point-saving worldie. So often it is Harry Wilson who comes up with the spectacular. This time it was Reed. He only came on for Sasa Lukic in the 92nd mi

Twilight capers : Picture by @YTJourno Premier League Bournemouth (1) 2 Evanilson 10, Kroupi 76 Arsenal (1) 3 Gabriel 16, Rice 54, 71 Declan Rice marked his return from injury with two precious goals as the Gunners maintained their stranglehold at the top of the table. It was only the second time the midfielder has bagged two goals in a game - the other occasion being that famous trouncing of Real Madrid last season. As usual, he was everywhere and his contribution stretched

Brentford 0 v Tottenham Hotspur 0 Premier League Matchweek 19 Talking Points By Kaz Mochlinski at the Brentford Community Stadium There may not have been much to watch in Brentford’s goalless draw with Tottenham Hotspur, but there was plenty nevertheless for the two head coaches, Keith Andrews and Thomas Frank, to talk about over a beer after the match. Friendly from their work together for the Bees before Frank’s move to Spurs in the summer, they still live close to each oth

Baby it's cold outside. The Gtech hosts a chilly New Year's Day clash : Picture by @YTJourno Premier League Brentford 0 Tottenham Hotspur 0 It's a mere 78 years since the Bees last beat Spurs at home. That's one that must remain on the bucket list for now after the drabbest of New Year's Day encounters. This Thomas Frank derby will not live long in the memory, with the freezing conditions further sapping the life from a hopeless contest. Brentford had the better of it but wer

Crystal Palace (0) 0 v Tottenham Hotspur (1) 1 Premier League Matchweek 18 Talking Points By Kaz Mochlinski at Selhurst Park “S**t happened again.” The articulate and eloquent Crystal Palace manager, Oliver Glasner, could not have expressed in any better phrasing the frustration felt by his team after yet another narrow and probably undeserved defeat against Tottenham Hotspur. It was an inauspicious result to end the best ever year for the club, with a first major prize in Pa

Great way to end the year - Arteta in his post-match press conference : Picture by @YTJourno A disenchanted Unai Emery raced down the tunnel at full-time without waiting to shake hands with Mikel Arteta after Arsenal's thumping 4-1 win over Aston Villa - but the Gunners boss could hardly have cared less. He played down what might be interpreted as churlish behaviour by former Arsenal boss Emery and could afford to be magnanimous. His side had handsomely seen off a side on an

Blues v Cherries by @JTaylorSport Chelsea 2 Bournemouth 2 Chelsea’s final game of the calendar year saw some festivities in the shape of an entertaining draw at Stamford Bridge. Yet there will be little seasonal fun for embattled Enzo Maresca, who left the stadium feeling unwell at the climax. Naturally, the consequence of stalemate, disjointedly thrilling or not, will provide significantly more satisfaction for Bournemouth than it will for the Blues, who now have one win fro

Last Emirates dance of 2025: Picture by @YTJourno Premier League Arsenal (0) 4 Gabriel 48, Zubimendi 52, Trossard 72, Jesus 78 Aston Villa (0) 1 Watkins 94 Villa had this coming. Their last-gasp winner against the Gunners in Birmingham a month ago was a bitter pill to swallow, ending an unbeaten run of 18 games. It was only right that Arsenal should respond in kind by ending the Villa sequence of 11 straight wins. The catalyst for a vital win against opponents who had to move

Night Lions on the prowl: Picture by @YTJourno Championship Millwall (1) 2 Neghli 16, Langstaff 81 Bristol City (0) 1 Randell 49 Sometimes it is no-nonsense man on the terrace who comes up with the best summary of a game. "F knows how we won that," voiced a happy Lions fan departing the Den after seeing Millwall complete a quickfire double over the Robins. A recent 1-0 win at Ashton Gate was mired in the controversy of the late spat which saw Alex Neil end up on the turf and

West Ham United (0) 0 v Fulham (0) 1 Raúl Jiménez 85 By Kaz Mochlinski at the London Stadium Premier League Matchweek 18 This was the one that brought them to tears. Ollie Scarles could not stop himself crying very visibly on the pitch at the final whistle, after his mistake led to the winning goal in the closing stages, but most of West Ham United’s faithful must have felt very similarly. The Hammers’ growing gloom got ever greater on a grey winter afternoon as they were con

Eyes down for another capital clash : Picture by @YTJourno Premier League Crystal Palace (0) 0 Tottenham Hotspur (1) 1 Gray 42 Archie Gray claimed his first senior goal after 112 appearances as Spurs made light of being second best for most of the game to plunder a vital away win. They had to soak up up a ton of pressure from the Eagles whose drip-drip feed of crosses could not quite carve out the opening they desperately needed. In the end the on-target count was edged by S

T'was meant to be the season to be jolly :Picture by @YTJourno Premier League Chelsea (1) 1 Joao Pedro 37 Aston Villa (0) 2 Watkins 63, 84 Rampant. Dominant. Urgent. Chelsea played Villa off the park for nearly an hour, but ended up empty-handed. It was impossible to see how such a vibrant, physically imposing first-half display could bring no reward but the visitors somehow found the gears to get back into it and had Ollie Watkins up their sleeve. The England striker came of

Gunners v Seagulls by @JTaylorSport Arsenal 2 Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Engulfed with relief, the outstretched arms of Declan Rice at the end of this latest battle of nerve said it all. Apart from the occasional moment, there were few festive frolics on show at the Emirates as Arsenal dug out a 2-1 win over Brighton to force themselves back to the top of the Premier League table. The Gunners made heavy weather of managing the game at times after they went a couple of goals ahe

Gtech Saturday : Picture by @YTJourno Premier League Brentford (2) 4 Schade 7, 51, 90+6, Petrovic og 38 Bournemouth (0) 1 Semenyo 75 Kevin Schade doubled his goals tally for the season with a treble that sent a struggling Bournemouth packing and further cemented Brentford's place among the comfortably well off in mid-table. Schade quickly had the Bees in the driving seat against a Bournemouth side without a win since late October - a run of eight games. Igor Thiago's simple p

Post match views from Lions boss Alex Neil : Picture by @YTJourno Millwall dropped out of the play-off places but will take heart from a battling draw against third-placed Ipswich at the Den which was a fine response to successive defeats which clipped their paws. The one big issue it again threw up, however, is the modest goals return and the continuing imbalance in the goal difference. The Lions have now netted just 25 times after the first half of the league programme has

Boxing Day at the Den : Picture by @YTJourno Championship Millwall (0) 0 Ipswich Town (0) 0 It's not often the Lions get top billing in London - especially on such a traditionally significant day in the English football calendar. But with no Premier League matches taking place in the capital, this felt very much like the Boxing Day game to see. It was given added kudos too by being the sixth placed team v third in the Championship. Alas, the end product did not quite match pr

The Rest is Merch : Picture by @YTJourno Carabao Cup Quarter-Final Arsenal (0) 1 Lacroix og 80 Crystal Palace (0) 1 Guehi 90+5 (Arsenal won 8-7 on pens) It wasn't as goal-laden is the cup tie between the two sides in the same competition a year ago but the denouement to make it arguably even more memorable. It needed an own goal from Maxence Lacroix and a 'miss' from the luckless Eagles defender to settle it after an endless shoot out of 15 perfect kicks in a sequence that l

Fulham may have been off-key but they struck the right note with Silva : Picture @capitalfootball It may end up as the least memorable match at Craven Cottage all season, but its importance cannot be overlooked. Fulham ensured a struggling Nottingham Forest just below them in the table were further distanced, thanks to a penalty from Raul Jimenez in first-half injury time. It was a game bereft of quality and excitement but for Whites boss Marco Silva, it was ideal. It felt vi

Picture by @YTJourno Premier League Fulham (1) 1 Jimenez 45+5pen Nottingham Forest (0) 0 Fulham continue to trade in crucial wins to keep themselves afloat. Here was another vital one against another of the division's strugglers. A similar outcome at 18th placed West Ham on Saturday would be ideal for them, although their advantage over the Irons is already now at 10 points. The Whites were way below their best and arguably missed the drive of Alex Iwobi in midfield, the atta

Picture: @capitalfootball Thomas Frank has refused to condemn the lack of self-control that saw two Spurs players sent off in Saturday night's 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Xavi Simons was red carded after 30 minutes for recklessly raking the calf of Virgil van Dijk and skipper Cristian Romero once again showed that he can be a liability at times when he petulantly kicked out at Ibrahima Konate to earn a second yellow. It was not a great night for

Andy Woodman reflects on another job well done: Picture by @YTJourno Andy Woodman is making no bones about it. He believes his side has what it takes to go up. Bromley enter the Christmas period in second place in League Two following Saturday's 2-0 victory over Grimsby Town - a brace from Will Hondermack sealing yet another home win for the Ravens, who have yet to lose in the league at Hayes Lane. "Let's not shy away from it, why shouldn't we be charging for the top spot?,

Seasonal offering : Picture by @YTJourno Premier League Tottenham Hotspur (0) 1 Richarlison 83 Simons s/o 32, Romero s/o 93 Liverpool (0) 2 Isak 56, Ekitike 66 Spurs crashed to a fifth home loss in nine home league games as they paid the price for a first-half red card for Xavi Simons. It piles the pressure on Thomas Frank, who was booked protesting Liverpool's second goal, which arrived 10 minutes after the opening goal had further taken the wind out of Tottenham's sails. T

By Alessandro Schiavone in Cologne 1.FC Köln 0-1 Union Berlin Goal : Schafer 91' Lukas Podolski in his prime leading the line would have suited Cologne to the ground on Saturday afternoon in their 1-0 home defeat to Union Berlin at RheinEnergie Stadion. Jakub Kaminski put in an energetic first-half display for his lukewarm side and twice came close to an opening goal. Yet his first attempt was comfortably parried by Frederik Ronnow while the volley flashed just off target. Mo