Palace and Mateta almost make it two, but the striker can’t stick a boot on an excellent low cross from Daniel Muñoz. In the Bundesliga, Sané has his second and Bayern lead Hoffenheim 4-0, while Stuttgart have pegged back Leipzig at home.
A Gabriel special has Arsenal level against Spurs … and as I type, Leandro Trossard has fired the Gunners in front! Ange, mate.
Tempers are fraying at Goodison Park, with Gueye booked for a heavy challenge before Onana stops an Everton break with an arm on the shoulder. The hosts think that warrants a second yellow, and they might have a case. Pickford is booked for dissent in the aftermath.
GOAL! Leicester 0-1 Crystal Palace (Mateta 51')
Palace take the lead! Leicester are caught napping in midfield and Doucoure threads a lovely pass through to Mateta, who nicks the ball around the keeper and tucks it into the empty net.
Cunha has come on for Wolves and tests Dubravka with a snap shot at his near post. José Sá appears to be struggling with something after a brief jaunt upfield, but is carrying on for now.
GOAL! Everton 0-1 Aston Villa (Watkins 51')
Villa could be about to poop David Moyes’ party. This was a very straightforward goal, Morgan Rogers pouncing on a loose ball and playing in Ollie Watkins, who steers the ball past an out-of-position Pickford.
In the Copa del Rey, Barcelona lead Betis 2-0 after half an hour; Gavi and Jules Koundé with the goals. In the Coupe de France, PSG went a goal down at fifth-tier Espaly – but Warren Zaire-Emery has just levelled for the Ligue 1 leaders.
A lively start at Everton as Jacob Ramsey flashes a shot wide of goal, before Calvert-Lewin goes down under a challenge in the area, only to be waved back to his feet by the referee.
Half-time in the Championship, where it’s Blackburn 0-0 Portsmouth. Sigh! In Serie A, it’s Inter 2-1 Bologna at the break.
Peep!
Back under way at Goodison and close to a restart at St James’ Park, where it looks like Matheus Cunha is coming on for Wolves.
A goal at the Emirates … for Tottenham! Son Heung-min has given Ange’s lads the lead.
Some Aston Villa transfer news for you …
Aston Villa are confident of signing Loic Bade from Sevilla. The 24-year-old defender, who received a France call-up in September but is yet to make his senior international debut, would bolster Unai Emery’s back line and represent another early-window boost.
Villa stepped up their efforts to buy a centre-half after Pau Torres sustained a metatarsal injury, which is expected to sideline the Spaniard until March. Villa plan to offload Diego Carlos, who has interest from Turkish clubs, providing they can seal a deal for Bade. Jaden Philogene is also expected to depart after the signing of Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund this week.
Meanwhile, Villa forward Louie Barry, prolific on loan at Stockport County during the first half of the season, is the subject of strong interest from Celtic. Championship clubs are also pursuing a deal for the 21-year-old, who could sign a new contract before departing on loan.
At Ibrox, Rangers lead Aberdeen 1-0, Hamza Igamane netting the opener after 13 minutes.
Half time: Leicester 0-0 Crystal Palace
Jamie Vardy has gone closest in a game that is very much goalless.
Half time: Newcastle 1-0 Wolves
At St James’ Park, Isak gets back to deny Hwang with a slightly risky shoulder charge in the area. At the other end, a Tonali shot pinballs beyond the post – and that’s half time, Isak’s deflected strike the difference.
Half time: Everton 0-0 Aston Villa
Everyone in the stadium thinks Jacob Ramsey has scored for Villa on the stroke of half-time, but his goalbound effort somehow ends up wide of the post. It’s goalless at the break.
Everton are getting some joy by pressing the Villa back line, and they win the ball high up the pitch again here. It’s worked to Calvert-Lewin, who takes it down and flicks the ball beyond Martínez … but Kamara is on hand to clear off the line!
Oof! Wolves have been second-best, but could easily have been level here as Larsen, unmarked in the area, drags his shot wide of the far post. Newcastle respond quickly, Joelinton sending an effort zipping over the bar.
Palace have a free kick out wide which Eze whips in, but Leicester deal with it and Vardy almost breaks clear at the other end. Fancy a Serie A update? It’s Inter 1-1 Bologna after 25 minutes.
Villa respond, with Kamara testing Pickford from the edge of the area. “After reading your post about Glasner I realised I couldn’t think what he looked like,” writes Nathan Fisher. “So I googled him and I swear I’ve never seen that man before. Is there some Nineteen Eighty-Four style sleight of hand going on here?”
The best chance yet for Everton as Doucoure meets Mykolenko’s pass, but his toe-poked shot is straight at Martinez. It stays goalless here and at Leicester, where James Justin has sent a free kick high and wide of goal.
GOAL! Newcastle 1-0 Wolves (Isak 33')
He’s done it again! Alexander Isak scores for the eighth league game in a row – although his shot from the edge of the area took a big deflection, so there’s still the possibility it could go down as an own goal. It’s fair to say nobody wants to see that happen.
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Everton have struggled to put much pressure on the Villa defence. Mykolenko’s deep cross earns a corner off Digne, but it comes to nothing.
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Lucas Digne, once of Everton, takes the free kick but it’s cleared by Ashley Young, once of Aston Villa. Up in Newcastle, Isak is this close to breaking the deadlock, but fires his low shot into the side netting.
At the King Power, Mateta blazes a decent chance over the bar, before Buonanotte tries an exceptionally ambitious effort from the corner of the penalty area, which is claimed by Henderson. At Goodison, meanwhile, Villa have a dangerous free kick …
“Call me a conspiracy theorist, but Moysie’s return is just further evidence of a massive rip in the space-time continuum that the so-called experts (Glendenning, Wilson, Zuckerburg, Musk etc.) are refusing to acknowledge,” writes Justin Kavanagh.
“Just like Trump being reelected; just like Oasis reforming; not to mention Nottingham Forest suddenly being good again. I tell you now, time is running backwards, and the next manager of Manchester United will be one David Moyes (after Everton go down).”
Calvert-Lewin gets Everton fans out of their seats with a well-struck volley that fizzes just wide of Martinez’s far post. Still no goals in the three 7.30pm Premier League kick-offs.
Newcastle are knocking on the door, with Murphy testing Sa again and Gordon causing problems down the left; Agbadou has to produce an excellent block to deny the fleet-footed winger.
In Munich, Bayern lead Hoffenheim 3-0, with Harry Kane’s penalty adding to early goals from Sané and Guerreiro.
At Leicester, Vardy sees another chance come and go, with Dean Henderson repelling his shot from close range. There’s now a break in play with Jefferson Lerma down injured; Oliver Glasner sends on Cheick Doucoure to replace him.
All of which leaves me with one question; is there a Premier League manager who is less recognisable than Oliver Glasner? I think he could walk right past me in the street without my batting an eyelid.
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Yikes! An awful attempt at a back-pass from Ashley Young sets Watkins free one-on-one against Pickford, who is some way out of his goal. He aims to whip the ball inside the far post, but puts it just wide! He really should have scored.
José Sá denies Isak from close range, but the flag goes up against the Newcastle striker. Everton win a couple of corners as they try to build some attacking momentum; the second is cleared by Mings, and seconds later, Villa are in …
Wolves are playing in all old-gold, looking like a silkier version of John Beck’s early-90s Cambridge. They break upfield smartly and Guedes drags his shot wide of the far post – he’s adamant a Newcastle player got a touch, and is pretty miffed to see a goal kick given.
A couple of nervy moments for Villa in defence; they’ve been far from solid on the road in recent weeks. There’s definitely an extra edge to the Goodison roar tonight; the hosts need to capitalise on it.
“I would like to know what today’s managers have to say about the Lazio falconer,” writes Zach Neeley. “Some topics should be required at all press conferences held for a few days.” Agreed.
Bayern Munich have struck early at home to Hoffenheim, and the goalscorer’s surname is __ANE. That’s right: Leroy Sané has broken the deadlock. Leipzig also lead at Stuttgart, Benjamin Sesko on target.
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Jose Sá has to get down low to repel Murphy’s curling shot from the edge of the area and keep things goalless at St James’. Back at Goodison, Tielemans’ shot is closed down in trademark fashion by Tarkowski, before Onana is booked for a wild lunge in midfield.
At the King Power, Jamie Vardy can’t make the most of an early half-chance, and Jean-Philippe Mateta sees his shot saved – but the Palace forward looks to be offside.
David Moyes got a rapturous welcome from the home crowd, but his side are under early pressure as Villa win a corner, before Pickford saves well from Morgan Rogers.
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Here we go, then. Kick-off is looming at St James Park, Goodison and the King Power. Still half an hour until we start at the Emirates …
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Time for some pre-match thoughts from Unai Emery: “We’re trying to be consistent, and we have to try and improve away, that’s clear. It’s always difficult to play at Goodison Park, [Everton] with a new coach … we have to try and be competitive, use our skill, try and get a clean sheet and win the match.”
“I thought Sean Dyche was hard done by, but I am praying Moyes can keep us up like Dyche did,” writes Mary Waltz. “Very early days but I’m not seeing much change in tactics and he is facing the same problems Dyche had, mainly a severe shortage of striking talent. Here is hoping I am completely wrong, COYB.”
There’s plenty more going on beyond the Premier League tonight: in the Championship, Blackburn host Portsmouth while in a pleasing piece of symmetry, the same fixture features in the Women’s FA Cup fourth round, alongside Leicester v Stoke.
In Scotland, Rangers welcome Aberdeen with both teams desperate for a win. In Italy, Inter host Bologna and there are five Bundesliga fixtures including Bayern Munich v Hoffenheim. There’s also Coupe de France and Copa del Rey action to boot. I’ll do my best to provide updates, or you can follow our live scores page.
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“I’m looking forward to it, it’s something I’d always hoped I’d get the opportunity to do,” says Everton’s David Moyes. “Sentiment out the window now, and it’s down to business. It’s been a whirlwind the last couple of days … the players understand there’s a bit of ownership, how much this football club means to people. Tonight, we’re asking for them to give just a little bit more.”
You may have noticed that I’ve failed to mention Wednesday night’s other Premier League game. You can follow Arsenal v Tottenham with Scott Murray here:
Alexander Isak is seeking to score for the eighth straight Premier League game in a row; if he does, he’ll join an exclusive club that includes Van Nistelrooy (twice), Jamie Vardy (twice) and Daniel Sturridge.
Aiming to stop his run will be new Wolves recruit Emmanuel Agbadou, who makes his Premier League debut after playing all 90 minutes in the FA Cup win over Bristol City.
Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy is hoping the 6-2 FA Cup rout of QPR will boost morale: “We’ve been talking about recent results, and breaking the cycle. We were able to rest some players, taking them off early because of the score. It’s important to start climbing, start collecting points. Our performances have been decent, but individual mistakes have cost us.”
Team news: Newcastle v Wolves
Newcastle (4-3-3): Dubravka; Livramento, Botman, Burn, Hall; Guimarães, Tonali, Joelinton; Jacob Murphy, Isak, Gordon. Subs: Vlachodimos, Trippier, Krafth, Osula, Almirón, Kelly, Willock, Longstaff, Miley.
Wolves (3-4-2-1): Jose Sá; Doherty, Bueno, Agbadou; Rodrigo Gomes, André Trindade, João Gomes, Aït-Nouri; Guedes, Hwang; Larsen.
Subs: Johnstone, Cunha, Dawson, Doyle, Sarabia, Nelson Semedo, Forbs, Bellegarde, Pedro Lima.
Team news: Leicester v Crystal Palace
Leicester (4-2-3-1): Stolarczyk; Justin, Faes, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Soumaré, Winks; Buonanotte, El Khannous, Mavididi; Vardy.
Subs: Iversen, Coady, De Cordova-Reid, Choudhury, Ayew, Daka, Skipp, Thomas, McAteer.
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Muñoz, Hughes, Lerma, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Mateta.
Subs: Turner, Nketiah, Schlupp, Clyne, Kamada, Doucoure, Riad, Devenny, Kporha.
No sweeping changes from David Moyes, who sticks with the back five that Sean Dyche sent out against Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth. With Armando Broja injured, Moyes starts Dominic Calvert-Lewin up front and opts for Jack Harrison over Jesper Lindstrøm out wide.
As for Villa, seven of the team who started against West Ham in the FA Cup stay in the starting XI, with John McGinn still out with a hamstring injury. Both teams could line up in either a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, depending on how adventurous their managers are feeling.
Everton v Aston Villa: team news
Everton (4-3-3): Pickford; Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Mangala, Gueye, Doucouré; Harrison, Ndiaye, Calvert-Lewin.
Subs: Virginia, Begovic, Patterson, Keane, Beto, O’Brien, Lindstrom, Armstrong, Sherif.
Aston Villa (4-3-3): Martínez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Kamara, Onana, Tielemans; Rogers, Ramsey, Watkins.
Subs: Gauci, Olsen, Dúran, Buendia, Nedeljkovic, Maatsen, Bogarde, Bailey, Jimoh.
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Preamble
David Moyes last managed an Everton side in the Premier League on 12 May 2013, when his team defeated West Ham to secure sixth place, one spot above Liverpool. While he headed off to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Everton missed out on Europe because Wigan Athletic and Swansea City won the domestic Cups. Bill Kenwright tried to sugar the pill by appointing the Wigan manager, Roberto Martínez, as Moyes’ replacement.
Tonight’s opponents, Aston Villa, have dropped down to the Championship, come back up and finished in the top four in the 12 years since Moyes’ departure. As for the other teams in action tonight: Crystal Palace came fifth and won the playoffs in 2013, finishing one place above Leicester, who won the Championship the following year and then the ruddy Premier League in 2015-16.
Newcastle were mired in the Mike Ashley era and have since gone down, bounced back up and become a Saudi-backed powerhouse; Wolves were relegated from the second tier a week before Moyes’ departure and subsequently climbed back to the Premier League. Meanwhile, Everton have bobbed about like a stray football in the Mersey, sinking from fifth in Martínez’s first season into a perpetual relegation battle.
Moyes insists he has not come back to Everton almost 12 years later to get stuck in a survival dogfight, though whether he has the skill and resources to give himself a choice is another matter. Nobody knows how his unexpected return to Goodison will pan out, but there is enough mutual goodwill in the bank to earn him a warm welcome back.
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