LSTD Live Text - GW 25

Man City 2-1 Man Utd FT
Sunderland 1-1 Everton FT
Reading 1-2 Aston Villa FT
Portsmouth 1-1 Hull City FT
Wolves 1-1 Liverpool FT
Arsenal 2-0 Wigan Athletic FT
Norwich City 0-2 Birmingham City FT
Newcastle Utd 1-0 West Brom Albion FT
Early Kickoffs
Southampton 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur:
Pato (Love), Love (Pato), Pogba (Schenikov)
QPR 0-2 Chelsea Benteke (Verratti), Aguero (Indi)

Hello and welcome to another weekend of football in LSTD’s Barclays Premiership. The league table is shaping up nicely and every week is turning into a huge week for most teams now. This week we have the Manchester Derby as Manchester City entertain Manchester United. There is also a battle for Europe as Pompey welcome Hull City to Fratton Park. Liverpool travel to Wolves who participated in Season 4’s Champions League.

TEAM NEWS FROM THE ETIHAD
Team news has come in and both teams line up in a 4-2-3-1. It will be interesting to see who wins the battle in certain areas of the pitch.
Manchester City Casillas; Arbeloa, Ramos, Pique, Vertonghen; Hernanes, Cambiasso; Di Maria, Ozil, Cleverly; Balotelli
Manchester United Buffon; Rafael, Pepe, Evans, Filipe; Gerrard, Sandro; Shaqiri, Hamsik, Reus; Dzeko

TEAM NEWS FROM FRATTON PARK
Portsmouth line up in a 4-2-3-1 with Nemanja Matic getting a debut. Javi Martinez misses out. Hull also line up in a 4-2-3-1 with Lewis Holtby, who seems to be playing the role of Marchisio, who misses out through injury.
Portsmouth Zieler; Danilo, Howedes, Bonucci, Shaw; Matic, Fellaini; Gotze, Kroos, El Sharaawy; Lewandowski
Hull Friedel, Debuchy, Kaboul, Rami, Assou-Ekotto, Gustavo, Witsel, Menez, Holtby, Lavezzi, Huntelaar

TEAM NEWS FROM MOLINEUX
Both teams line up in a 4-2-3-1 in this game also. Liverpool make changes after playing 120 minutes in midweek with Mata and Cavani rested. Jackson Martinez starts.
Wolves Mandanda; Sagna, Samba, Mbiwa, Cissokho; Song, Tiote; Farfan, Pastore, Nasri; Soldado
Liverpool Courtois; Piszczek, Marrone, Dante, Van Aanholt; Ramires, Asamoah; Lamela, De Bruyne, Villa; Martinez


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Kick off

02:00 Bright start in the Manchester Derby as both teams have had an attack each in the first two minutes.

04:00 It is raining at the Madjeski and Nicolas Gaitan is soaking wet and screaming in frustration at the referee after firing wide from the edge of the area. He feels Nicolas N’koulou fouled and wanted a penalty. He didn't get one though. Still, Reading are giving this a real go, and Villa are in their shells at the moment.

07:00 GOAL! Early goal at the Emirates and it could be the first of many. Cristiano Ronaldo runs down the line, nobody gets close to him, he cuts in and smashes it in the top corner of the net. Great goal.

10:00 GOAL! It’s Jefferson Farfan who dribbles on the RW and sprints past the inexperienced Van Aanholt. He crosses the ball in and Roberto Soldado out jumps Luca Marrone to head into the net.

13:00 United get sloppy on the ball and City break forward, eventually feeding Mesut Ozil, who is lurking about 30 yards out. He digs the ball out of his feet before letting fly with a wonderful dipping strike that is only an inch or two wide of Gianluigi Buffon’s right-hand post. I don't think he would have got to it if it had been on target.

16:00 Portsmouth seem to have a grip on this game. Mario Gotze plays a sublime long through ball for Robert Lewandowski but Hugo Lloris is aware and clears comfortably.

19:00 GOAL! It’s been quiet here but Sunderland take the lead. Fernandinho picks up the ball and none of the Everton defenders attempt to close him down. He turns and spreads the ball out wide to Andre Ayew, who drills the cross in, for Stefan Kiessling to tap home.

22:00 Portsmouth are screaming for a penalty at the Fratton Park as Fellaini’s flicked header from Kroos’ cross strikes Mathieu Debuchy’s raised arm in the box. It certainly wasn't intentional and the referee waves play on much to the home side's frustration.

25:00 Aston Villa go close. Tomas Rosicky whips in an inviting cross which Mario Mandzukic gets on the end of but he heads agonisingly over. Reading counter-attack and Jose Callejon has a clear sight of goal but his shot from just inside the area is too close to the keeper, who gathers at the second attempt.

28:00 GOAL! Hull take the lead from a counter attack! Danilo bombs forward on the right flank but he is bullied out of it buy two Hull players, who attack with intent. Ezequiel Lavezzi sprints and sprints, he puts his head up and squares the ball to the arriving Lewis Holtby who calmly finishes it into the net.

30:00 The best chance Liverpool have had, as Dante wins a header from a corner which is heading for the net until Aly Cissokho flicks it clear. The visitors looking to build up a head of steam here.

32:00 GOAL! Frank Ribery is given all the space he needs to pick out a cross from the left and Aubameyang gets up to guide his header right into the corner.

34:00 Everton are battling for a way back into the game against Sunderland. Antonio Di Natale meets a corner and heads back across goal but a defender is on the line to head away. Close.

36:00 Penalty at the Eithad!
Poor tackle by Johnny Evans, Mario Balotelli gets the wrong side of him after a clever pass by Hernanes. He’s all over him, was he last man? Filipe wasn’t far away so it seems a difficult decision. Referee goes to consult his assistant.

37:00 Drama at the Etihad and Johnny Evans is given a straight . Seems to be the correct decision but could have easily been a yellow instead. He’s off and it’s a penalty to City, but before that United make a sub, it’s Raul Albiol on for Marek Hamsik, maybe they will play 4-4-1 now.

38:00 GOAL! And Mario Balotelli calmly slots the penalty in the back of the net. When will he ever miss one? City surely have to win this now.

40:00 GOAL! Arsenal double their lead as Robin Van Persie smashes the free kick into the net after a surprised lay off from Cristiano Ronaldo.

42:00 GOAL! Goals going in everywhere at the moment, it’s at the Madjeski. Kuba crosses in and Mandzukic heads in!

44:00 Newcastle are dominating against WBA who are struggling to get the ball off them. Koke has a good chance to score on his debut but he miscues his shot.

45:00 HT

Second half begins!

47:00 GOAL! Newcastle continue the way they left off. The pressure has been building and the WBA defence cannot hold out. Koke feeds the ball to Hazard on the left, who cuts in on his right foot, floats the ball in and Andre-Pierre-Gignac is there to score on his full debut.

50:00 Yep, City are on top here and really going for this. Mario Ballotelli charges through the UTD defence and the ball breaks to Tom Cleverly on the left. Cleverly looks up to pick out a peach of a cross and Esteban Cambiasso sees his back-post header tipped over by Gianluigi Buffon.

55:00 GOAL! Things are getting even better for Birmingham and a LOT worse for Norwich. Luka Modric curls in a free-kick that somehow flies through a gap in the wall and into the net. Birmingham look comfortable.

58:00 Great play by El Sharaawy who cuts in and then spreads the ball out wide again for the on rushing Luke Shaw, his cross is perfect but Robert Lewandowski somehow hits the post.

60:00 Subs: N21 has had enough and makes a double change with half an hour left. Draxler and Moutinho on for Fellaini and Matic. Wigan bring Vucinic on for Isla.

63:00 Chance for Liverpool, Kevin De Bruyne plays in Jackson Martinez but he fires high and wide. De Bruyne has been unable to get in the game, Song has done a good job on him.

65:00 Subs. Eto’o is on for Shaqiri as Renegade pushes his wingers higher up the pitch. They need a goal from somewhere. Kovacic for Rakitic (Wigan)

67:00 GOAL! Eto’o makes an instant impact, he links up well with Dzeko and finishes off in style!

70:00 Subs: Cazorla and Jovetic for Silva and Yaya (Arsenal), Benzema and Nani for Ballotelli and Cleverly (City), Morata, Jay Rod, Berbatov for Lens, Remy and Negredo (Norwich), Medel for Romeu (Reading), Elm > Nainnggolan (Sunderland), Mata and Cavani on for Piszczek and Martinez (Liverpool)

73:00 GOAL! Raphael Varane has struggled to cope with Lisandro all game and this time he is outmuscled. Varane drops to the floor giving Lisandro a free run on goal and scores to make it level.

75:00 Subs: Sturridge for Rosicky (Villa), Valenica for Di Maria (City, Lampard and Moses for Farfan and Tiote (Wolves), Aurier and Tadic for Hazard and Walcott (Newcastle), Pirlo for Gerrard (United), Pompey bring on another striker; Icardi for Kroos, Sunderland want to see this out, Nordviet for Fernandinho, Hernandez for De Bruyne (Liverpool)

77:00 GOAL! Pompey are level! Shaw’s cross is volleyed in by Robert Lewandowski. Maybe a possible winner?

79:00 GOAL! He’s still alive Antonio Di Natale and this is a bit special. A miss kick from Ryan Giggs falls in his path, however he has the intelligence to take it on in his path, and finish off in style.

80:00 Subs: Joaquin and Rudnevs on for Callejon and Lisandro (Reading), Vrsaljko > Uchida (sunderland).

82:00 Chance for Reading to finish the game off. Joaquin makes an instant impact, delivers an excellent cross but Rudnevs mis-kicks his shot.

84:00 GOAL! Bad play by Reading. Medel loses the ball to Rosicky who dribbles past Tasci and scores with a powerful shot. Do Reading have enough time to equalise?

86:00 Andrei Pirlo hits the post from the freekick. Almost another sub paying off for Renegade!

88:00 GOAL! Brilliant pass by Erik Lamela for Javier Hernandez who rescues a point for Liverpool!

90:00 GOAL! Ohhhh, United almost held on for a point. City put their superior possession to good use as Nani stands up an inviting cross to the back post and Karim Benzema gets up really well to sends a header back across Buffon in goal and find the far corner.

FT