Liverpool await a dead-ball salvo, Luton have to keep their chins up and things could get spicy at City Ground David Moyes will surely have taken note of Liverpool’s struggle to defend set pieces against Everton. Jürgen Klopp, who must be delighted with a 12.30pm kick-off on Saturday, should prepare his team for another bruising test when they visit West Ham. For Moyes, this is a chance to repair the sizeable damage to his reputation caused by last weekend’s collapse at Selhurst Park. West Ham were 4-0 down to Palace after 31 minutes and are preparing to part company with Moyes at the end of t ..read more

And to think Stuart Attwell was hoping for a quiet week clear of controversy. The referee was again the subject of rage, this time not from a Greek shipping magnate but from Wolves’ irate supporters, after he disallowed Hwang Hee-chan’s second-half equaliser at home to Bournemouth for the meekest of tangles in the buildup. Attwell initially awarded Hwang’s header before the VAR, Darren England, advised him to visit the pitch-side monitor to review a brush between Matheus Cunha and Justin Kluivert, albeit a petulant one. Kluivert went to shove Cunha and the Wolves substitute responded by flingi ..read more

Manchester United snatch chaos from jaws of serenity, Nicolas Jackson misfires and Liverpool stay in hunt Jammy, jammy Man United. To be fair, they did find a new way to be hopeless. Instead of the usual mayhem, they were in total control for 70 minutes, barely letting Coventry have a shot. But then, somehow, they snatched chaos from the jaws of serenity. ITV, and all their teatime viewers, couldn’t believe their luck as a cakewalk turned into a classic. United threw away a 3-0 lead, and for a minute, right at the end of extra time, they were 4-3 down – only for the VAR to come to their rescue ..read more

What a week for Aston Villa: following up a memorable victory away to Premier League leaders Arsenal with a last-gasp shootout triumph in Europe, they stretched their lead over Tottenham to six points in the chase for fourth place as Ollie Watkins inspired them to this ultimately comfortable win. The forward was man of the match even though he did not score, tireless in his running and the creator of two more goals as Villa overcame Dominic Solanke’s early penalty to make it five home games unbeaten. Qualification for the Champions League is in their control, even if Spurs have two games in ha ..read more

Two big Wembley meetings await in the Cup, while a desperation derby looks to be in store at Goodison Park There was a distinct end-of-season vibe at the Gtech Community Stadium following Brentford’s recent win over Sheffield United, with Thomas Frank and his players performing what amounted to a lap of honour as they took plaudits from fans relieved that the spectre of relegation had finally been banished from their small corner of west London. Of course only time will tell if the Bees become the first Premier League team to decamp to the metaphorical beach this season and this weekend’s matc ..read more

Adam Wharton shines on Merseyside, Mateo Kovacic displays City’s depth and Erik ten Hag gets tetchy Joachim Andersen was named Sky’s man of the match at Anfield and with good reason. But while the Danish centre-back won header after header and made clearance after clearance, and while the front three of Jean-Philippe Mateta, Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise caused repeated problems on the break, there was one figure who stood out in midfield for his calmness: Adam Wharton, perhaps the brightest of the hugely promising generation brought through by Tony Mowbray at Blackburn. The 20-year-old moved ..read more

Erik ten Hag’s side escaped from the Vitality Stadium with a point they scarcely deserved after being comprehensively outplayed by their hosts Read Ben Fisher’s match report from the Vitality Stadium Not long now: The players amble out on to the Vitality Stadium pitch, led by referee Tony Harrington and his team of match officials. Kick-off is just a few minutes away. Andoni Iraola: “We have the advantage of playing at home, but it is going to be difficult because they are a very good team with very good players,” says the Bournemouth manager in an interview with Sky Sports. “You have to kee ..read more

For Manchester United, is there a more damning indictment of their floundering state than the fact they have faced more shots than anyone else in the division this season? André Onana’s goal was peppered again here and they have now conceded a league-high 574 shots this season. The other teams at the top of that list? Sheffield United, Luton and Burnley, a trio mired in relegation trouble. It is so easy for sides to ruffle United and it is increasingly difficult to believe Erik ten Hag has the answers. Arguably the biggest club on the planet are a soft touch. Bruno Fernandes scored from b ..read more

Welcome returns at Liverpool, Arsenal and Villa juggle ambitions and Guimarães’s discipline under scrutiny Should Bruno Guimarães be booked against Tottenham at St James’ Park the Newcastle and Brazil midfielder faces a dilemma. Given that Guimarães is on nine yellow cards, a 10th would trigger an automatic two-game suspension, depriving Eddie Howe of a key player for forthcoming games at Crystal Palace and at home to Sheffield United. Alternatively, Guimarães could make sure he collected a second yellow card, ideally late in stoppage time, and be sent off. In such a red card scenario, the san ..read more

Kai Havertz inspires Arsenal again, Jarrad Branthwaite stands tall and Manchester City prioritise fresh legs If emotion is carrying Liverpool towards a glorious farewell to Jürgen Klopp, then Old Trafford required cooler heads. Harvey Elliott’s point-rescuing contribution as substitute stood out because, for all his energy, he played with intelligence, seeking to progress the ball and tempting Aaron Wan-Bissaka into conceding a penalty. The likes of Dominik Szoboszlai and even usual pass-master Alexis Mac Allister had allowed a red mist to consume them. Luis Díaz, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Núñe ..read more