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Chelsea v Manchester United: Premier League – live | Premier League
Key events
85 min Caicedo receives a square pass 25 yards from goal, gets it out his feet and hits a violent shot that whistles fractionally wide of the far post. It almost took out a steward behind the goal.
You don’t need some AI-generated xG to tell you that Chelsea have been pretty unlucky tonight.
83 min “On the subject of AI,” begins James Humphries, “there’s a joke here about people who don’t understand a field spending loads of money in an attempt to approximate skilled endeavour in that field only to churn out an unconvincing simulacrum, but it’s been a long week, so just plonk in Chelsea or United as preferred.”
82 min: Double substitution for Chelsea Josh Acheampong and Trevoh Chalobah replace Malo Gusto and Wesley Fofana.
81 min: Double substitution for Man Utd Amad Diallo and Mason Mount replace Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko. Mount is booed onto the field.
79 min A United break is superbly thwarted by Hato, who makes excellent challenges on both Mbeumo and Fernandes.
76 min Mazraoui leans into a bouncing ball at the same time Cucurella tries an overhead kick. Mazraoui is caught and United get a free-kick. Even 20 seconds’ respite is valuable because a Chelsea equaliser feels increasingly likely.
75 min “I’d suggest that a goalkeeper relying on great saves to build his/her reputation has issues with positioning and reading the game,” writes Gary Naylor. “Get those quiet elements of the job right and your highlights reel will be thin, but your clean sheets will be high.”
You can tell that to Peter Bolesław Schmeichel. But you definitely have a point. There was a fine recent interview with Edwin Van der Sar on The Overlap in which he talked about how much pride he took in his ability to organise a defence, and that his ideal game involved him making no saves.
74 min I’m a bit surprised Man Utd haven’t brought on Amad, whose ball-carrying ability would be valuable right now. It keeps coming back at their makeshift defence.
72 min Another Chelsea corner leads to a volley from Garnacho, 15 yards out, that bounces up and is headed away. Lots of pressure on the United goal now.
70 min Cucurella is fouled on the edge of the D by Mazraoui. Chelsea are having a very good spell.
69 min Replays show that Fofana’s outstretched hand touched the ball onto the head of Mazraoui, after which it hit the crossbar, so any goal wouldn’t have counted.
68 min “Sesko doing little to dispel the impression that he is best employed as an impact substitute,” toughcrowds Adam Roberts.
67 min: Fofana hits the bar!
Neto curls an outstanding deep cross from the right that is headed against the bar by Fofana, six yards out. On TNT Sports, Ally McCoist thinks it might have been a handball – by Fofana or somebody else, because there were a load of players jumping for the ball at the far post. Either way, it was a gorgeous ball from Neto.
66 min “How do you compare a goalkeeper who is solid if unspectacular against one who is less reliable but can make saves that they really shouldn’t be able to make?” wonders David Wall. “I agree that Lammens has been excellent since he joined United and i can’t remember a mistake he’s made that has led directly to a goal. But also i can’t remember him making any jaw-droppingly incredible saves.
“Contrast that with Andre Onana who gave up plenty of goals through his mistakes but was also capable of making the kind of save that leaves centre forwards looking silly because they’ve already assumed that they’ve scored (a double save in a 0-0 draw at Palace at the start of last season comes to mind but there were many others). Given that United’s entire defence looks much calmer with Lammens at the back of it, it suggests the negative impact of conceding unexpected goals is greater than the positive impact of preventing expected ones.”
This is such an interesting subject. It’s the Schmeichel v Van der Sar debate, isn’t it? I’d say it also depends on the context: how good and dominant the team area, the type of characters you have in defence (for example, Peter Schmeichel and the Arsenal Back Four might not have worked because they hated loud keepers) and much else besides.
64 min: Fine save by Sanchez! Another really dangerous break from United. Fernandes’ disguised pass to Cunha is cut out by Fofana – but his touch spins towards goal and is clawed round the post by Sanchez. That’s a terrific save, not least because it was so unexpected.
62 min Gusto’s flat cross is volleyed wide by Palmer, an imaginative effort from about 12 yards.
61 min Fernandes wastes a four-on-four United break with an unusually loose pass into the area.
59 min Chelsea appeal for handball when Enzo’s scoop hits Mazraoui right on the edge of the area. Nothing given on the field, or in Stockley Park.
58 min Delap, who hasn’t scored since early January, has looked hangry all night and that was a terrific effort. It has changed the mood at Stamford Bridge, where the radgeometer was starting to rise.
56 min: Delap hits the bar!
Pedro Neto clips an angled cross into the area, where Delap rises majestically and flicks a superb header that hits the crossbar and bounces out. Lammens didn’t move.
54 min “Sneakily, the long-term importance of this game for United might be the potential damage to Chelsea,” writes David Howell. “A win here could not only all but lock in that extra revenue stream for them for next season, they could take out a key rival indefinitely and help smooth the path to maintaining that revenue stream. It’s sad that this is the framing for so many big matches these days, but here we are…”
52 min Caicedo rakes a long-range shot that deflects behind off Casemiro. It’s a poor corner, I think from Enzo, and United break. Fernandes collects a dainty flick from Cunha and cracks a left-foot shot from 25 yards that bounces wide. Close enough, but Sanchez had it covered I think.
51 min Nothing is happening on the field. Chelsea are having most of the ball; United are poised for any opportunities on the counter-attack.
50 min “Ernest Hemingway mentions ‘a hill to die on’ in ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’, published in 1940,” says Andrew Goudie. “But Remus (of Romulus and Remus fame) died on a hill a bit earlier than that. So who knows?”
AI knows, or at least it thinks it does, which is half about nine-tenths of the battle these days.
49 min “Google seem to have switched over to AI generated liveblogs last year and they’re wildly inaccurate,” writes Kári Tulinius. “I’ve noticed them crediting goalscorers from wrong teams. I just checked this match, and the google liveblog described Estevão as ‘writhing in pain’ when he was calmly sitting, waiting for the physios.”
I can’t really criticise mistakes in liveblogs, not lecause because I once announced a vital goal by typing WICKET! I’d been doing a lot of cricket that month, but even so.
48 min A quiet start to the second half, on and off the field.
46 min Peep peep! Chelsea begin the second half, and Joshua Keeling has news:
According to Google, ‘The phrase “this is a hill I will die on” is an idiom originating from military jargon regarding the defence of high ground at all costs, with its first recorded usage often attributed to the 1940s.’
Jonathan Wilson
Half-time reading
At half-time in the Carabao Cup final, Arsenal’s hopes of a quadruple remained strong. They were unbeaten in 14, 11 of them won. They were drawing 0-0 against Manchester City and it wasn’t unreasonable to think that if the second half carried on as the first half had, they would eventually find a winner – quite possibly from a corner.
They had drawn a Championship side in the sixth round of the FA Cup and a Portuguese side in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. They held a nine-point lead in the Premier League. This was shaping up to be the greatest season in Arsenal’s history.
That was four weeks ago. There remains a possibility of a Premier League and Champions League double, which would be remarkable enough, but the mood is very different now. This could become the most disappointing season in Arsenal’s history, if only because
Half time: Chelsea 0-1 Man Utd
A few half-hearted boos when Michael Oliver blows for half-time. Chelsea were the better team for much of the first half, only to be caught out by a terrific finish from Matheus Cunha.
45+3 min “It’s been a good half from United,” writes Joshua Keeling. “Chelsea looked the likelier scorers for most of it, but United did well to score late on. Fernandes will surely be the player of the season.
“A hill I will defend to the end, though, is that Amorim did a good job at United. He inherited a a shambles, and instilled structure and discipline, some of which has been lost since he left.
“PS how good is Senne Lammens?! It’s so nice to have a proper goalkeeper.”
I wonder who was the first position to die on a hill, or at least use that phrase.
45+1 min Fofana was off the field when the goal was scored – he received treatment which meant he had to go off for 30 seconds.
45 min Five added minutes.
Man Utd have taken the lead against the run of play. Bruno Fernandes ignored a challenge from Garnacho on the right, got to the byline and angled a cutback towards the penalty spot. Sesko was wrestling with Caicedo, which allowed Cunha to run onto the ball and sidefoot emphatically past Sanchez.
That’s a cracking finish from Cunha, and an 18th assist of the Premier League season for the magnificent Bruno Fernandes.
GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Man Utd (Cunha 43)
Now that’s a first touch from Matheus Cunha!
41 min Fofana is down and in obvious discomfort. He was accidentally caught by his teammate Sanchez, who came flying out to punch a free-kick clear.
40 min “Forty-odd years ago, nobody knew what Hafnia was, but there they were on Everton’s shirts,” writes Gary Naylor. “I’m as clueless now about IFS.AI emblazoned on Chelsea’s kit and perimeter adverts. However, I’m prepared to hazard a guess that they are not a Danish meat processing company. I think, on LinkedIn, they call it progress.”
Wait until AI starts writing these live blogs. That’ll redefine progress.
39 min Neto’s cross from the right hits the unsighted Enzo six yards from goal. Delap jumped in front of him and couldn’t reach the ball, which meant Enzo had no time to adjust his body.
United break and Hato is booked for fouling Mbeumo.
38 min: Disallowed goal for Chelsea! Enzo’s awkward shot from the edge of the area is spilled in front of goal by the diving Lammens. Palmer squares the loose ball for Delap to walk it in, but they were both offside when Enzo had the original shot.
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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