MX23RW : Saturday, April 27 04:52:55| >> :120:5139:5139:

Live Coverage: Saturday football including Chelsea, West Ham United, Newcastle United

Sports Mole brings you live text coverage of Saturday afternoon's football, with the likes of Chelsea, West Ham and Newcastle all in action.
2

Good afternoon and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of Saturday's football action, with the likes of Chelsea, West Ham United and Newcastle United all in action.

There are five Premier League matches kicking off at 3pm this afternoon, and it is a particularly big day at the bottom with just one point separating Newcastle and Sunderland and the North-East duo both in action.

It is also the final day of the League Two season, with three teams battling for the two remaining automatic promotion places in the fourth tier.

Make sure you don't miss a moment of any action at home or abroad courtesy of our minute-by-minute updates below.


Sort:
Newest
Oldest
Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for coverage of today's football! It promises to be another action-packed afternoon as we edge closer to the end of the season, with particular focus on the Premier League relegation battle and the final day of the League Two season. Let's start with a look at some team news...

ASTON VILLA STARTING XI: Bunn; Hutton, Clark, Lescott, Toner, Bacuna; Gana, Sanchez, Westwood; Ayew, Sinclair
Subs: Guzan, Richards, Adama, Gil, Hepburn-Murphy, Lyden, Grealish

NEWCASTLE STARTING XI: Darlow; Anita, Mbemba, Lascelles, Dummett; Townsend, Tiote, Colback, Sissoko; Wijnaldum, Cisse
Subs: Woodman, Janmaat, Taylor, Shelvey, De Jong, Perez, Mitrovic


BOURNEMOUTH STARTING XI: Boruc; Francis, Elphick, Cook, Daniels; Stanislas, Arter, Surman, Gradel; Grabban, Afobe
Subs: Federici, O'Kane, Gosling, Iturbe, Ritchie, King, Wilson

WEST BROM STARTING XI: Foster; Olsson, Yacob, Evans, Gardner, McClean, McAuley, Fletcher, Dawson, Rondon, Leko
Subs: Myhill, Chester, Lambert, Berahino, Sandro, Roberts, Field


CRYSTAL PALACE STARTING XI: Hennessey; Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare; Bolasie, Puncheon, Cabaye, McArthur, Gayle; Wickham
Subs: Speroni, Kelly, Ledley, Mutch, Sako, Campbell, Adebayor

STOKE STARTING XI: Haugaard; Pieters, Shawcross, Cameron, Bardsley; Inbula, Whelan; Arnautovic, Adam, Shaqiri; Crouch
Subs: Bachmann, Bojan, Joselu, Diouf, Ireland, Walters, Wollscheid


SUNDERLAND STARTING XI: Mannone; Yedlin, Van Aanholt, Kaboul, Kone; Kirchhoff, Cattermole, M'Vila, Borini, Khazri; Defoe
Subs: Pickford, Larsson, Rodwell, N'Doye, O'Shea, Lens, Watmore

CHELSEA STARTING XI: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Mikel, Matic; Willian, Fabregas, Hazard; Diego Costa
Subs: Begovic, Baba Rahman, Loftus-Cheek, Kenedy, Oscar, Traore, Pato


WEST HAM STARTING XI: Randolph; Antonio, Cresswell, Reid, Ogbonna; Noble, Kouyate, Moses, Lanzini, Payet; Carroll
Subs: Spiegel, Tomkins, Valencia, Obiang, Sakho, Collins, Emenike

SWANSEA STARTING XI: Fabianski; Naughton, Fernandez, Amat, Kingsley; Ki, Cork, Fer, Routledge, Barrow; Ayew
Subs: Nordfeldt, Rangel, Fulton, Britton, Gorre, Emnes, Gomis


GOAL! Norwich 0-1 Manchester United (Juan Mata)

The deadlock has finally been broken in the day's early Premier League kickoff, and it is a goal that could have a big impact at both ends of the table. Manchester United lead Norwich through Juan Mata, which keeps their Champions League hopes alive and nudges the Canaries a little bit closer to relegation. just over 15 minutes remain in that one.

We're into stoppage time in the huge Championship match between Middlesbrough and Brighton, but there are eight minutes of it! It is currently 1-1 there, with the Seagulls needing a win to clinch automatic promotion.

So it is Middlesbrough going up as things stand, then, and Burnley will be joining them in the top flight next season. The Clarets sealed automatic promotion earlier this week, but have today ensured that they are champions with a 3-0 win over Charlton.

FULL TIME: Hibernian 2-0 Raith

Two early goals have done the business for Hibernian in their Scottish Championship playoff with Raith Rovers, overturning a one-goal deficit from the first leg to win 2-1 on aggregate and take one step closer to promotion.

FULL TIME: Middlesbrough 1-1 Burnley

MIDDLESBROUGH ARE PROMOTED TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE!

Middlesbrough hold out against the 10 men of Brighton to seal promotion back to the Premier League! The fans invade the pitch at the final whistle, and there are scenes of pure delight at the Riverside now. They are back in the big time!

FULL-TIME CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS:

Blackburn 3-1 Reading
Cardiff 1-1 Birmingham
Charlton 0-3 Burnley
Derby 0-1 Ipswich
Fulham 1-0 Bolton
Huddersfield 1-5 Brentford
Hull 5-1 Rotherham
Middlesbrough 1-1 Brighton
MK Dons 1-2 Nottingham Forest
Preston 1-1 Leeds
QPR 1-0 Bristol City
Wolves 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday


And this is what those results have done to the final Championship table. Everything was sewn up at the bottom and in the playoff battle before today, but the big one was that match between Boro and Brighton - goal difference was all that separated them in the end!

Final Championship table 2015-16


GOAL! Stuttgart 1-0 Mainz (Christian Gentner)

Stuttgart have got the first Bundesliga goal of the day, and it could prove to be a huge one. They would climb out of the relegation zone should things stay like this, although there is still a long way to go in that match.

FULL TIME: Norwich 0-1 Manchester United

It is all over at Carrow Road, and Juan Mata's goal is all that separates Norwich and Manchester United. That result takes United just one point behind Manchester City, while at the bottom Norwich remain two points off safety.

That result leaves the top of the table looking like this, with the four teams above United all in action either later today or tomorrow. West Ham could join United in putting pressure on Manchester City should they pick up a win over Swansea today...

Top 6 @ 14.42


Meanwhile, at the bottom, things are looking bleak for Norwich now. Two points is the gap to Newcastle, while Sunderland now have a game in hand over the Canaries.

Bottom 5 @ 14.43


GOAL! Ingolstadt 0-1 Bayern Munich (Robert Lewandowski, penalty)

GOAL! Hertha Berlin 1-0 Darmstadt (Vladimir Darida)

GOAL! Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 Borussia Dortmund (Stefan Aigner)

A couple of big goals in the Bundesliga title race there! Bayern would win the league if they beat Ingolstadt, and Lewandowski has set them on the way by scoring from the spot. A draw or even a defeat would be enough if Dortmund fail to win, and Thomas Tuchel's side have fallen behind against Frankfurt.

GOAL! Borussia Monchengladbach 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen (Aranguiz)

The final Champions League place is still very much up for grabs in the Bundesliga, with four teams separated by just three points. Monchengladbach currently occupy fourth spot, but they have fallen behind at home to Leverkusen, who have already wrapped up a third-place finish.

There is plenty to play for in the Bundesliga and Premier League today, then, but it is also a big day in League Two as their season comes to an end. The majority of issues have already been resolved, but the final automatic promotion spot is still up for grabs, with Accrington Stanley, Oxford and Bristol Rovers all in the mix.

GOAL! Hertha Berlin 1-1 Darmstadt (Jerome Gondorf)

Hertha Berlin are another of the teams still in with a shout of finishing in the final Champions League place, but they have been pegged back by Darmstadt, who are looking to edge over the line to safety.

We're just a couple of minutes away from kickoff in the 3pm Premier League games, as well as the final day of League Two. It is a particularly big day for Sunderland and Newcastle.

A reminder of the 3pm kickoffs...

Aston Villa vs. Newcastle
Bournemouth vs. West Brom
Crystal Palace vs. Stoke
Sunderland vs. Chelsea
West Ham vs. Swansea


KICKOFF: And we're off! The 3pm matches are all underway and Sunderland already have a chance against Chelsea with a free kick in a very good position.

GOAL! Ingolstadt 0-2 Bayern Munich (Robert Lewandowski)

The title looks like it will be going to Munich today! Bayern double their lead against Ingolstadt, and it is another one for Lewandowski.

GOAL! Notts County 0-1 Carlisle (Alex Gilliead)

The first goal of the League Two final day goes to Carlisle, with Alex Gilliead opening the scoring against Notts County. Neither of those sides are in the race for automatic promotion, though.

GOAL! Plymouth 1-0 Hartlepool (Tyler Harvey)

Plymouth have really dropped away over the second half of this season, but they are guaranteed a playoff spot and have set about ending the campaign on a high note by opening the scoring against Hartlepool.

GOAL! Stuttgart 1-1 Mainz (Yunus Malli)

A big blow for Stuttgart's survival hopes as Mainz level things up there, with the visitors still in the hunt for a Champions League place going into the final two games of the season.

GOAL! Bristol Rovers 0-1 Dagenham & Redbridge (Matt Cash)

Who saw this coming?! It is a big blow for Bristol Rovers as they fall behind against relegated Dagenham. Rovers know that a win, coupled with either Accrington and Oxford dropping points, would see them promoted automatically.

GOAL! Ingolstadt 1-2 Bayern Munich (Moritz Hartmann)

GOAL! Bristol Rovers 1-1 Dagenham & Redbridge

GOAL! Sunderland 0-1 Chelsea (Diego Costa)

GOAL! Bournemouth 0-1 West Brom (Salomon Rondon)

GOAL! Portsmouth 0-1 Northampton

Big goal at the bottom of the table as Diego Costa gives Chelsea the lead at the Stadium of Light, leaving Sunderland on course to remain in the bottom three this afternoon. West Brom have taken the lead at Dean Court too, while in League Two Bristol Rovers are back level with Dagenham and champions Northampton are in the lead against a weakened Portsmouth, who have already confirmed their playoff place.

Still just two goals in the Premier League games, but as things stand it is looking like a good day for newcastle. They are still goalless against Aston villa, but have already seen Norwich lose today, while Sunderland are behind against Chelsea.

This is how things are looking at the bottom of the Premier League table as things stand...

Premier League Bottom 4 @ 15.22


GOAL! Notts County 1-1 Carlisle

CORRECTION: Notts County 0-1 Carlisle

GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Swansea (Wayne Routledge)

GOAL! Plymouth 2-0 Hartlepool

GOAL! Crystal Palace 0-1 Stoke (Charlie Adam)

GOAL! Luton 1-0 Exeter

Today is West Ham's penultimate match at the Boleyn Ground, but it is not going well for the Hammers at the moment. Wayne Routledge has given Swansea the lead, while Charlie Adam has given Stoke the lead at Crystal Palace, who may have one eye on the FA Cup final.

GOAL! Notts County 0-2 Carlisle

GOAL! West Ham 0-2 Swansea (Andre Ayew)

Is that the final nail in the coffin for West Ham's Champions League hopes? Andre Ayew doubles Swansea's lead at Upton Park, and it is looking like a long way back for Slaven Bilic's side now.

GOAL! Luton 2-0 Exeter

GOAL! Luton 3-0 Exeter

It looks like it is all over down in Luton, with the hosts scoring twice in quick succession through Jack Marriott and Joe Pigott to move three up.

GOAL! Crawley 0-1 Barnet

Elliot Johnson gives his side the lead against Crawley, with the hosts' poor form looking like continuing on the final day.

GOAL! Sunderland 1-1 Chelsea (Wahbi Khazri)

GOAL! Notts County 0-3 Carlisle

GOAL! Stuttgart 1-2 Mainz

WEST BROM MISS PENALTY!

Brilliant from Boruc as he keeps Bournemouth in their match against West Brom with a sensational double save from a penalty. There has also been a big goal at the bottom of the Premier League, where Wahbi Khazri has levelled things up in style.

GOAL! Morecambe 0-1 York

HALF TIME: Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle

HALF TIME: Bournemouth 0-1 West Brom

HALF TIME: West Ham 0-2 Swansea

GOAL! Sunderland 1-2 Chelsea (Nemanja Matic)

HALF TIME: Crystal Palace 0-1 Stoke

HALF TIME: Sunderland 1-2 Chelsea

HALF-TIME PREMIER LEAGUE SCORES:

Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle
Bournemouth 0-1 West Brom
Crystal Palace 0-1 Stoke
Sunderland 1-2 Chelsea
West Ham 0-2 Swansea


No home sides are ahead at the halfway stage of the Premier League 3pm kickoffs, then, with the away teams dominating things so far. Newcastle haven't offered much against Villa, but things are looking fairly good for them right now with Sunderland trailing Chelsea and Norwich having already lost today.

As things stand, then, Newcastle will move two points clear of the relegation zone today, although Sunderland and Norwich do both have a game in hand over the Magpies.

HALF-TIME LEAGUE TWO SCORES:

Accrington Stanley 0-0 Stevenage
AFC Wimbledon 0-0 Newport
Bristol Rovers 1-1 Dagenham
Crawley 0-1 Barnet
Luton 3-0 Exeter
Mansfield 0-0 Cambridge
Morecambe 0-1 York
Notts County 0-3 Carlisle
Oxford 0-0 Wycombe
Plymouth 2-0 Hartlepool
Portsmouth 0-1 Northampton
Yeovil 0-0 Leyton Orient


It is only the automatic promotion places up for grabs on this final day in League Two, and it is very delicately poised at the moment. As things stand, Accrington and Oxford are joining Northampton in League One next season, although a goal for Bristol Rovers would change things and see Oxford miss out.

GOAL! Hamburg 0-1 Wolfsburg (Luiz Gustavo)

Wolfsburg take the lead in their Bundesliga mid-table battle against Hamburg courtesy of a Luiz Gustavo strike. Wolfsburg could move up into the top half with a win there.

GOAL! Stuttgart 1-3 Mainz (Karim Onisiwo)

GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-1 Stoke (Dwight Gayle)

GOAL! Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen

GOAL! Morecambe 0-2 York

GOAL! Luton 3-1 Exeter

CORRECTION: Morecambe 1-1 York

Crystal Palace level things back up against Stoke through Dwight Gayle, which would take the Eagles onto 40 points for the season.

GOAL! West Ham 0-3 Swansea (Ki Sung-yueng)

It's turning into an occasion to forget for West Ham in their penultimate match at Upton Park! They fall three behind against Swansea through Ki, and it looks like the Champions League is out of the question for the Hammers!

GOAL! Oxford 1-0 Wycombe

GOAL! Portsmouth 1-1 Northampton

GOAL! Notts County 0-4 Carlisle

Big goal for Oxford in League Two as they take another step towards promotion. Victory today would guarantee them playing League One football next season, and Chey Dunkley has put them ahead. Carlisle, meanwhile, are four up against Notts County, while Portsmouth have restored parity against champions Northampton.

GOAL! Plymouth 3-0 Hartlepool

GOAL! Plymouth 4-0 Hartlepool

GOAL! Schalke 1-1 Augsburg (Daniel Baier)

FULL TIME: Ingolstadt 1-2 Bayern Munich

BAYERN MUNICH ARE BUNDESLIGA CHAMPIONS!

GOAL! Luton 4-1 Exeter

GOAL! West Ham 1-3 Swansea (Stephen Kingsley own goal)

GOAL! Sunderland 2-2 Chelsea (Fabio Borini)

GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-1 Stoke (Dwight Gayle)

GOAL! Sunderland 3-2 Chelsea (Jermain Defoe)

Incredible scenes at the Stadium of Light! They turn things around in the space of a couple of minutes through goals from Borini and Defoe to lead Chelsea! As things stand, Sunderland will be climbing out of the relegation zone today!

GOAL! Oxford 2-0 Wycombe

LEICESTER STARTING XI: Schmeichel; Simpson, Wasilewski, Morgan, Fuchs; Mahrez, King, Kanté, Albrighton; Vardy, Okazaki
Subs: Schwarzer, Chilwell, Amartey, Inler, Schlupp, Gray, Ulloa

EVERTON STARTING XI: Robles; Oviedo, Pennington, Stones, Baines; McCarthy, Cleverley, Lennon, Niasse, Barkley; Lukaku
Subs: Howard, Connolly, Besic, Gibson, Osman, Mirallas, Dowell


The pressure is on for Newcastle heading into the final 10 minutes now. They are still goalless against Aston Villa, which didn't seem like a disastrous result until Sunderland's dramatic turnaround against Chelsea.

This is how things stand at the top of the Bundesliga with only one game of the season remaining. Bayern Munich won the title this afternoon, but that final Champions League place is still very much up for grabs.

Bundesliga Top 7 @ 16.26


GOAL! Crawley 0-2 Barnet

GOAL! Notts County 0-5 Carlisle

GOAL! Bournemouth 1-1 West Brom (Matt Ritchie)

GOAL! Plymouth 5-0 Hartlepool

GOAL! Portsmouth 1-2 Northampton

GOAL! Yeovil 0-1 Leyton Orient

GOAL! Wimbledon 1-0 Newport

GOAL! Bristol Rovers 2-1 Dagenham

Huge goal for Bristol Rovers! They have been knocking on the door all day but they have finally taken the lead against Dagenham, which as things stand mean that they will be promoted to League One! Accrington can change that, but they need a goal!

GOAL! Oxford 3-0 Wycombe

GOAL! Crawley 0-3 Barnet

GOAL! West Ham 1-4 Swansea (Bafetimbi Gomis)

FULL TIME: Bournemouth 1-1 West Brom

FULL TIME: Bristol Rovers 2-1 Dagenham & Redbridge

FULL TIME: West Ham 1-4 Swansea

RED CARD! John Terry (Chelsea)

FULL TIME: Crystal Palace 2-1 Stoke

FULL TIME: Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle

FULL TIME: Sunderland 3-2 Chelsea

FULL TIME: Accrington Stanley 0-0 Stevenage

FULL TIME: Oxford 3-0 Wycombe

OXFORD AND BRISTOL ROVERS ARE PROMOTED TO LEAGUE ONE!

It is back-to-back promotions for Bristol Rovers then as they win 2-1, and take advantage of Accrington failing to win. Oxford are also up following their 3-0 win over Wycombe, joining Northampton in winning automatic promotion.

PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS:

Norwich 0-1 Manchester United (12.45pm kickoff)
Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle
Bournemouth 1-1 West Brom
Crystal Palace 2-1 Stoke
Sunderland 3-2 Chelsea
West Ham 1-4 Swansea


It has been a big day at the bottom of the Premier League, then, and that leaves the table looking like this. It makes very good reading for Sunderland fans now!

Bottom 5 @ 17.00


LEAGUE TWO RESULTS:

Accrington 0-0 Stevenage
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Newport
Bristol Rovers 2-1 Dagenham & Redbridge
Crawley 0-3 Barnet
Luton 4-1 Exeter
Mansfield 0-0 Cambridge
Morecambe 1-1 York
Notts County 0-5 Carlisle
Oxford 3-0 Wycombe
Plymouth 5-0 Hartlepool
Portsmouth 1-2 Northampton
Yeovil 0-1 Leyton Orient


And that leaves the final League Two standings looking like this. It was only automatic promotion that needed to be decided today, and it was decided in dramatic fashion as Bristol Rovers scored in injury time to pick up the win that sees them promoted. For Accrington, though, it is the playoffs and they must pick themselves up after missing out on automatic promotion.

Final League Two table for 2015-16


It has been another big, big day around the country, with Sunderland and Bristol Rovers the biggest winners through the divisions. John Terry's stellar Chelsea career could have ended in disappointing circumstances after he was sent off late on against the Black Cats, but it will be Sunderland's comeback that makes the headlines from that game.

That is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's action, and allow me to point you in the direction of the later Premier League clash between newly-crowned champions Leicester and Everton at the King Power Stadium. You can follow live coverage of that game by clicking here.

ID:272184: cacheID:272184:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:47037:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Jermain Defoe celebrates with Patrick van Aanholt during the Premier League game between Southampton and Sunderland on March 5, 2016
Read Next:
Bournemouth to move for Jermain Defoe?
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
1pm
Bublik
Carballes Baena
10am
Auger-Aliassime
Mannarino
10am
Bautista Agut
Khachanov
10am
Cachin
Tiafoe
10am
De Minaur
Nadal
10am
Dimitrov
Mensik
10am
Jarry
Cobolli
10am
Kecmanovic
Ruud
10am
Kotov
Thompson
10am
Lehecka
Medjedovic
10am
Machac
Shelton
10am
Medvedev
Arnaldi
10am
Monteiro
Tsitsipas
10am
Norrie
Fonseca
10am
Purcell
Korda
10am
Sinner
Sonego
10am
Azarenka
Sorribes Tormo
10am
Annie Fernandez
Jabeur
10am
Gauff
Yastremska
10am
Haddad Maia
Navarro
10am
Keys
Samsonova
10am
Ostapenko
Lourdes Carle
10am
Stephens
Sakkari
10am
Swiatek
Cirstea
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Manchester CityMan City33237380324876
3Liverpool34228475344174
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton331111115254-244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!