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Key events
Almost kickoff time. Eesh, if Wolves win at Ipswich today you can safely put a line under both the title and survival races with seven games to go.
Only the battle for Champions League qualification will remain.
Before our attention turns to the 3pm games here’s the report from Goodison Park where Everton (again) drew 1-1 thanks to a hardy performance from David Moyes’s men (again), while Arsenal dropped points and fell further behind Liverpool (again) in the non-title-race.
Andy Hunter watched it all unfold.
Some normal goings-on in the Under-18s Premier League this morning, too. It’s been a very bad day for Leeds United so far. Maybe Manchester United’s future isn’t as murky as some say?
Also in League Two today, Chesterfield – who had five wins in their last six – went to relegation-battling Tranmere. And Tranmere won 4-0. It’s a division that just doesn’t make sense.
Meanwhile, the top of League Two is madness. Port Vale are on the brink of a 3-2 win at Walsall that would take them to the summit, leapfrogging the hosts, while Doncaster conjured up two goals in the final few minutes at Cheltenham to win 2-0 and boost their hopes of automatic promotion.
Full time: Luton 1-1 Leeds, Coventry 1-2 Burnley. Sunderland still lead with a couple of minutes to go at The Hawthorns.
Oooft.
Plenty of good stuff to read on the ol’ website right now:
Longtime Championship frontrunners Leeds are being held 1-1 by Luton. Rivals Burnley are 2-1 up at Coventry, while Sunderland – who still have an outside shot at finishing in the top two – are winning 1-0 at West Brom. Just 10 minutes to go in those Leeds and Burnley games.
Is another Leeds promotion bid falling apart, again? *Joy Division plays*
The most crucial aspect of that Premier League team news is the absence of Matheus Cunha for Wolves at Ipswich. The Brazilian, who has made no secret of his lofty ambitions, serves the final game of a three-match suspension and without him Vítor Pereira’s side may struggle for attacking impetus.
They have actually won their past two without him, but one was a 1-0 win over a lacklustre West Ham and the other was a 2-1 victory at Southampton. Hardly inspiring stuff – and that Wolves frontline may find things a little trickier against a resurgent Ipswich, who know it’s a must-win for them today.
West Ham v Bournemouth team news
West Ham: Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Scarles; Álvarez, Soucek, Ward-Prowse; Bowen, Paquetá, Kudus.
Subs: Fabianski, Soler, Coufal, Füllkrug, Mavropanos, Guilherme, Rodriguez, Emerson, Ferguson.
Bournemouth: Arrizabalaga; Smith, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Adams, Scott, Cook; Outtara, Semenyo, Evanlison.
Subs: Dennis, Senesi, Brooks, Soler, Jebbison, Araujo, Hill, Silcott-Duberry, Winterburn.
Ipswich v Wolves team news
Ipswich: Palmer; Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Burgess, Townsend; Morsy, Cajuste; Johnson, Broadhead, Enciso; Delap.
Subs: Walton, Davis, Woolfenden, Phillips, Chaplin, Taylor, Hirst, Philogene, Clarke.
Wolves: Sá; Doherty, Agbadou, T.Gomes; Semedo. J.Gomes, André, Aït-Nouri; Munetsi, Bellegarde; Strand Larsen.
Subs: Bentley, Bueno, Hwang, R.Gomes, Doyle, Sarabia, Forbs, Guedes, Djiga.
Crystal Palace v Brighton team news
Crystal Palace: Henderson; Lerma, Lacroix, Guéhi; Muñoz, Kamada, Wharton, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze, Mateta.
Subs: Turner, Ward, Nketiah, França, Clyne, Hughes, Esse, Chilwell, Devenny.
Brighton: Verbruggen; Hinshelwood, Van Hecke, Dunk, Estupiñán; Gomez, Baleba, O’Riley; Minteh, Mitoma, Welbeck.
Subs: Rushworth, March, Gruda, Pedro, Adingra, Cashin, Ayari, Wieffer, Tasker.
Before we run through the Premier League team news, I’ll nudge you in the direction of Everton v Arsenal. Simon Burnton has the updates, with the Toffees having just levelled from the penalty spot.
Preamble
The skies are clear, the temperature is up and … sadly there’s not much to play for at the denouement of a strange Premier League season. BUT – and it’s a big but – there are some 3pm kickoffs with at least a morsel of juicy narrative to gnaw on. There’s the bragging rights of the A23 derby to be won at Selhurst Park, while if Ipswich beat Wolves at Portman Road we might, just might, have a relegation scrap on our hands. There’s West Ham v Bournemouth too, if mid-table slugfests are your thing.
The Championship, as ever, may offer us the most significant storylines. The next staging post on Sheffield United’s quest for automatic promotion is Oxford United, while the likes of Cardiff, Derby and Hull look to stave off that most dangerous of relegations – the one to League One. The third and fourth tiers are brimming with action too, of course, not forgetting the Scottish Premiership and the Bundeliga, while Real Madrid host Valencia from 3.15pm.
Let’s get this one under way. Grab yourself an ice lolly and enjoy.
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