That’s all from me, and for today’s clockwatch. This was my first time doing one of these on a Saturday afternoon so cheers for your emails, updates and tweets and apologies if I didn’t get to them all.
One regular day of Barclays, that’s all I ask for. Will never happen.
And Anfield was adorned by an Alexis Mac Allister red card, but an ample home display to blunt the briefly-bedazzling Bournemouth, as Andy Hunter reports:
Brighton’s March to victory over Wolves was watched by Peter Lansley:
Bryan Mbeumo’s hot streak continued for Brentford as they triumphed in the Battle Of West London and our man John Brewin was there:
Match reports from those three games in The Big League are pending, so let me point you again in the direction of our coverage of Tottenham 1-3 Manchester United:
The Seagulls are flying high once more under Roberto De Zerbi. What a victory for them at Wolves, who had beaten pushed Manchester United so close earlier in the week.
It’s a morale-boosting day for Liverpool, despite Alexis Mac Allister’s contentious red card adding to their midfield woes. Jürgen Klopp’s side showed up today after falling behind.
Fulham can join Wolves in a soul-searching session after a fairly listless performance, trounced at home by Brentford. The Bees are hardly feeling the absence of the talismanic Ivan Toney, thanks to Mbeumo, Wissa and co.
Updated
Full time scores are in from virtually every ground around the UK now and you can find them here.
Big wins in League One for Oxford United, Cambridge United (someone check on Max Rushden), Derby County, Exeter and Northampton, while Charlie Savage starred in Reading’s victory over Stevenage.
In League Two, aside from Wrexham, the entertainment came for Newport fans (3-0 winners at Forest Green), Notts County fans (3-1 winners at Doncaster) and those of an AFC Wimbledon persuasion (another 3-0 away win).
𝐓𝐄𝐍 goals 🤯🤯🤯#EFL | #SkyBetLeagueTwo https://t.co/hUR4FpGvau
— Sky Bet League Two (@SkyBetLeagueTwo) August 19, 2023
Updated
Wrexham 5-5 Swindon! Unbelievable. Never a dull moment …
Full time scores – Championship
Blackburn 1-2 Hull
Bristol C 0-2 Birmingham
Leicester 2-1 Cardiff
Middlesbrough 1-1 Huddersfield
QPR 0-1 Ipswich
Sheffield Wednesday 0-1 Preston
Stoke 1-0 Watford
Sunderland 2-1 Rotherham
Swansea 1-1 Coventry
Full time scores – Premier League
Liverpool 3-1 Bournemouth
Fulham 0-3 Brentford
Wolves 1-4 Brighton
Goal! Fulham 0-3 Brentford (Mbeumo, 90+2)
Mbeumo rubs salt into the Craven Cottage wounds with a stoppage time goal. Two for him today; three points for Thomas Frank’s always-impressive charges.
Updated
Sending off at Molineux. Bad has gone to worse for Wolves as Matheus Nunes gets the third Premier League red card of the day, he was rattled and went in late on Webster.
A poor day for Gary O’Neil in his second game in the dugout.
Leicester 2-1 Cardiff: Casadei on a Saturday! Cesare Casadei, on loan from Chelsea, has scored! The Foxes leap into the lead late on at the King Power. They’re going to stay kings of the Championship castle if they can hold on: three wins from three incoming?
Fulham 0-2 Brentford: Nine added minutes for Fulham to find something, and then something else. Sounds like there’s nine more minutes at Molineux, as well.
Great stuff from all those at Liverpool FC today.
❤️💙
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) August 19, 2023
You may have heard applause in the 26th minute at Anfield.
It came after 26-year-old Michael Jones was fatally injured at Everton's new stadium.
Over the last day Jurgen Klopp and Sean Dyche laid flowers in tribute.
📸 Liverpool Echo, Everton#LIVBOU #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/6s66RFPGyC
Scottish League Cup scores
I owe Simon McMahon a pint of Tennents.
“Looking good for Ross County, St. Mirren and Livingston in the Scottish League Cup. Queens Park lead Arbroath 1-0, and a special mention for Cowdenbeath, now playing in the Lowland League after a tough few years, who are 6-0 up against, ahem, Edinburgh University. Still, a 6-0 win is a 6-0 win, right? Go the Blue Brazil.”
Some Championship goals. Birmingham 2-0 up at Bristol City; Hull have just scored two to take the lead at Blackburn; Ipswich are 1-0 up at QPR. Only one home team has the lead going into the final few minutes (Sunderland).
Updated
Liverpool 3-1 Bournemouth: A big save from Alisson! Aarons has been impressive for the visitors and pulls the ball back into a delicious area, with Billing denied by the Brazilian’s sprawling stop.
Time is running out for the Cherries.
Liverpool 3-1 Bournemouth: Klopp’s men have truly taken to their task since going down to 10 players. You can’t fault the defensive commitment; they don’t really look like conceding to set up that grandstand finish I longed for spoke about.
Updated
Real Sociedad 1-0 Celta Vigo. This one kicked off at 4pm BST, the only La Liga game of the afternoon, with Ander Barrenetxea’s goal breakind the deadlock on 22 minutes.
Wrexham had pulled it back to 4-3 against Swindon, but the Robins have just eased their concerns with a goal, it’s 5-3. This could be the Welsh team’s second 5-3 home loss of the season – in two attempts!
Big goals for Blackburn and Ipswich to take the lead in their Championship games while Boro are level through Hayden Hackney.
Updated
Liverpool keep pushing for a fourth. Mike MacKenzie has been impressed:
“Maybe Liverpool can start every game with 10 men and then add one later, if needed? They have played much better since the harsh sending off of MacAllister.”
He’s not wrong.
Liverpool 3-1 Bournemouth: Kieffer Moore is on from the bench and has missed the giltest of gilt-edged chances. An away goal now would make this interesting, to say the least.
VAR continues to cause controversy. Stephen Carr emails again, to say:
Imagine having access to cutting edge technology that can help referees with contentious decisions made in high pressure situations that can have significant implications, but then only really using it to judge whether someone’s finger was offside or not.
Manchester United travel to Tottenham in the Premier League’s early evening kick-off. Team news is out now, with Sarah Rendell on MBM duty for us. Should be a good one, that.
Bundesliga full time scores
Augsburg 4-4 Mönchengladbach
B Leverkusen 3-2 RB Leipzig
Hoffenheim 1-2 Freiburg
Stuttgart 5-0 Bochum
Wolfsburg 2-0 Heidenheim
There’s no I in Brentford.
Since Ivan Toney’s ban began, Bryan Mbuemo and Yoane Wissa have both been directly involved in every Brentford goal they have scored:
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) August 19, 2023
Mbuemo:
⚽ vs. West Ham
⚽⚽🅰️ vs. Spurs
🅰️ vs. Manchester City
⚽ vs. Spurs
⚽ vs. Fulham
Wissa:
⚽ vs. West Ham
⚽🅰️ vs. Spurs
❌ vs.… pic.twitter.com/HL2WNootsb
Goal! Fulham 0-2 Brentford (Mbeumo, 66)
Ivan Toney, watch out, Bryan Mbeumo is coming for your title as Brentford’s new Player With Penchant For Penalties. He’s doubled their lead at Fulham after Tim Ream’s foul on Wissa in the box – for which the American got a second yellow. He’s off and Marco Silva’s men are in all sort of trouble.
Updated
Liverpool 3-1 Bournemouth: Wataru Endo is now on for his debut in place of Cody Gakpo.
His old Stuttgart teammates are now 5-0 up on Bochum. Joy for Kári!
Goal! Liverpool 3-1 Bournemouth (Jota, 62)
Playing with 10 men is no problem for this Liverpool team. Alexander-Arnold with a lovely ball in, Szoboszlai shoots and it falls the way of Jota to capitalise on another spillage from Neto. That eases the nerves around Anfield, alright.
Updated
Goal! Wolves 1-4 Brighton (Hwang, 61)
Back in the game! Ok, not yet.
Updated
Red card! Alexis Mac Allister is shown his marching orders by referee Thomas Bramall at Anfield. That looks a tad harsh. The challenge was mistimed but not malicious. Boos from the crowd as the Argentinian trods off. No VAR check? No?
Mac Allister sees red but it’s a nonsense. Referee and VAR at Anfield having a poor day.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) August 19, 2023
Updated
Championship update
Bellingham with a brace! Jobe, that is. Sunderland 2-1 Rotherham. Andre Vidigal breaks the deadlock in the Potteries: Stoke 1-0 Watford. And Preston are 1-0 up at Sheffield Wednesday.
Liverpool 2-1 Bournemouth: The Reds are knocking on the door in the desperate hope of a third goal and some wiggle room. Gakpo has a go. The Cherries simply cannot clear their lines at the moment.
Wolves 0-4 Brighton (March, 55)
Why haven’t I got any Brighton players in my Fantasy team? A repeat performance from Solly, who’s having a jolly at Molly. Golly.
Updated
Fulham 0-1 Brentford: De Cordova-Reid hits the bar! At the other end, Leno makes a smart save to keep his team in the game. Still anyone’s at Craven Cottage.
Goal! Wolves 0-3 Brighton (March, 52)
It’s a very, very, very long way back for O’Neil’s men now. It’s probably terminal. Solly March fires past Sa into the roof of the Wolves net.
Updated
Samuel Campbell emails in:
There was a lot of talk before the season started about referees having to to take into account [if] the contact [had] consequence. If that is the case, I have no idea how that penalty to Liverpool can be given. He is touched, but that touch does not impeded him. He has taken the decision to jump up in the air. As long as cheating like this is rewarded then it won’t stop.
NB: I said earlier that Rothwell ‘scythed’ his man down. He definitely didn’t. More ‘feathered’.
Middlesbrough 0-1 Huddersfield: First blood to the old school at the Riverside! Warnock’s men are ahead through a, checks notes, Dael Fry own goal. The gnarled second tier veteran won’t care how they come, though, will he?
Goal! Wolves 0-2 Brighton (Estupiñán, 46)
Jose Sa makes a save but it’s into the path of Mitoma, who cuts back perfectly towards Estupiñán, who doubles the Seagulls’ lead. A long way back for Gary O’Neil’s men now.
Updated
The second half is under way in most of the 3pm games now.
Updated
On Luis Diaz’s Liverpool goal:
@DomBooth19 Diaz’s goal is worth another look. Back to goal on the penalty spot, surrounded by defenders, he flicked the ball up and finished powerfully in one movement. Great improvisation reminiscent of Henry’s goal vs Man Utd, 2000-01. https://t.co/owmgND244v
— Bobson Dugnutt (@bobsondugnutt__) August 19, 2023
Stuttgart 3-0 Bochum: As Kári Tulinius says on email: “Wataru Endo was part of trio of first-teamers who’ve been rumored to be leaving Stuttgart, and the first to be confirmed, the others being defenders Dinos Mavropanos and Borja Sosa. Neither is playing today against Bochum. As a fan I was expecting the worst.”
No need to, Kári! It’s now Leverkusen 3-1 Leipzig, by the way, Football Manager favourite Florian Wirtz bagging.
Bristol City 0-1 Birmingham: Koji Miyoshi has put the Blues in front on the stroke of half-time at Ashton Gate.
Not many goals elsewhere in the Championship, with Leicester v Cardiff, Sunderland v Rotherham and Swansea v Coventry all locked at 1-1.
I’m off for a glass of water before the second half madness kicks in.
Half time
Premier League: Liverpool 2-1 Bournemouth; Fulham 0-1 Brentford; Wolves 0-1 Brighton.
Aaron Ramsey has scored an absolute howitzer to level for Cardiff at Leicester. 1-1 there as the Welshman gets the first goal of his second Bluebirds’ spell. But was it as good as Camarasa’s?
Another email and Mary Waltz wasn’t too impressed with Bournemouth’s defensive alertness (or lack thereof) in the penalty aftermath.
She says: “I doubt that it would have made a difference but the Cherries’ Neto can’t be too pleased as his mates sat and watched as Salah followed the pen to score … the Cherries sat and watched his second effort. At least make the appearance of supporting your goalie.”
Goal! Fulham 0-1 Brentford (Wissa, 44)
A dreadful error from Issa Diop gifts the Bees the opening goal in west London. Yoane Wissa isn’t going to miss out on that; he pounces like a coiled spring and runs the ball into the net.
Updated
Championship score update
Approaching half-time in the Division That Dares and here are some latest scores:
Leicester 1-0 Cardiff
Sunderland 1-1 Rotherham
Swansea 1-1 Coventry
Goalless in the rest.
Colin Huxtable enjoyed Mitoma’s goal.
I saw some of Mitoma on the usual highlights reels from last season. That lad can play and has cojones the size of space hoppers when taking on a back-peddling defender. Surprised none of the supposed ‘bigger’ teams took a punt on him.
Liverpool 2-1 Bournemouth: And the Reds are discovering their groove here. Szoboszlai has been heavily involved and it’s just apparent that the energy is back, coursing through the veins of Klopp’s players. The Kop responds in kind.
Updated
Wrexham are getting the proverbial gubbing from Swindon at the Racecourse Ground this afternoon. A shame for all American actors whose names begin with R.
YOUNGY MAKES IT FOUR!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/pSi0Wi4Tio
— Swindon Town Football Club (@Official_STFC) August 19, 2023
Goal! Liverpool 2-1 Bourmemouth (Salah, 36)
Salah is initially denied by goalkeeper Neto, going for power, but it rebounds for the Egyptian to follow up and guide comfortably into the net. There’s a hint of fortune to this lead, but lead Liverpool do!
Updated
Penalty Liverpool! Szoboszlai is slipped through and scythed down in the box by former Manchester United man Joe Rothwell. Contact? Minimal, but seemingly enough for a spot-kick … unless VAR wants to intervene?
Updated
We know what you’re doing here, Richard.
The Premier League table really beginning to take shape. pic.twitter.com/t6gAJMdgCQ
— Richard Osman (@richardosman) August 19, 2023
Fulham 0-0 Brentford: Apologies for neglecting to update you on this one, but it seems very little of note has happened so far. It’s all rather physical, two teams cancelling each other out.
An update from Scotland, via Simon McMahon’s email:
As well as the early kick off at Ibrox, there are three other last 16 ties in the Scottish League Cup today, from which Dundee United wisely decided to depart early thus allowing them to concentrate on winning the Scottish Championship and making an immediate return to the top league. Ross County are already two up at Airdrie, and St. Mirren and Livingston lead Motherwell and Ayr United respectively by the only goal. There is one game in the aforementioned Scottish Championship, and it’s goalless between Arbroath and Queens Park so far.
Goal! Liverpool 1-1 Bournemouth (Diaz, 27)
Amid a minute’s applause from Liverpool fans for Michael Jones, the Everton fan who sadly died in an incident building the Toffees’ Bramley Moore Dock Stadium, Liverpool find the leveller. Diaz sneaks in and it’s 1-1.
Updated
Sunderland 1-1 Rotherham: Two quickfire efforts at the Stadium of Light – giver of Championship goals! Jobe Bellingham has levelled after Hakeem Odoffin’s opener.
John.
The Endo the title challenge as they know it?
— John Brewin (@JohnBrewin_) August 19, 2023
Liverpool 0-0 Bournemouth: Jota should have done better, there. A poor touch and the chance quickly evades the Portuguese forward. He got some flak for his display at Chelsea last week. The presence of Darwin looms on the bench.
20 minutes have passed and we’re still goalless in all nine active Championship games. The chaos league, huh?
Leverkusen 2-1 Leipzig at half-time in the Bundesglia. Dani Olmo’s strike has got the visitors back into things after goals from defenders Jeremie Frimpong and Jonathan Tah propelled Xabi Alonso’s side into a two-goal lead. Both these sides are pretenders to Bayern’s throne this year, so it’s imperative they get the best start possible.
Goal! Wolves 0-1 Brighton (Mitoma, 15)
Oh stop that, Kaoru Mitoma! Get around this one on Match of the Day later, a stupendous solo effort from the Japanese winger. He’s special.
Updated
Wolves 0-0 Brighton: It’s of little surprise that Brighton are enjoying the larger chunk of possession against Wolves at Molineux, pressing far higher too. A different and novel challenge for O’Neil’s side this week, not allowed to boss the game like they did at Old Trafford.
To sum up the opening few minutes at Anfield:
What are Liverpool doing?!
— Neil Jones (@neiljonesgoal) August 19, 2023
A couple of emails as Liverpool try to hit back – and Van Dijk nods one off the crossbar!
Stephen Carr: “Afternoon Dominic. Middlesbrough v Huddersfield is like a Hollywood movie about a grizzled veteran ex boxer coming out of retirement to fight a cocky new kid on the block. The only difference is that virtually no-one wants the old-timer to win.”
Mary Waltz: “In addition to the Guardian clockwatch of today’s fixtures I am following a subset of my own. Watching the feeble attempts of my beloved Everton’s attempts to sign a striker who can actually put a ball or two into the net and then finding out that they have been rejected. Sigh.”
Goal! Liverpool 0-1 Bourmemouth (Semenyo, 3)
No offside flag this time! The high press works wonders for the visitors, Solanke gets it and it breaks for Antoine Semenyo who thunders it clinically into the far corner. Alisson well beaten.
Updated
Liverpool 0-0 Bournemouth: But it’s very nearly 1-0 to the Cherries before we’ve had time to draw breath. A long ball goes over Alexander-Arnold’s head, there’s confusion between him and Alisson and Jaidon Anthony rolls the ball into the net. But he’s offside! Goodness me.
Kick off
Peeeeeeeeeeeeeep!
Championship watch – and there’s some pretty tasty fixtures to get excited about this afternoon.
Leicester v Cardiff was a Premier League game not too long ago – Victor Camarasa, anyone? – Stoke v Watford is a battle of the underachievers, while Middlesbrough v Huddersfield pits the new school (Michael Carrick) against the old school (Neil Warnock).
In case anyone didn’t get that last reference:
There’s some Bundesliga games this afternoon, which got under way at 2.30pm BST. Bayer Leverkusen v RB Leipzig is the standout, so we’ll keep you across that. It’s impossible to keep up with all the constantly-happening football, but your best chance is here.
Trent rockets into the record books.
24y 316d - Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to make his 200th Premier League appearance, becoming the second-youngest Liverpool player to reach this milestone in the competition (after Michael Owen in 2004 - 24y 034d). Icon. pic.twitter.com/sx7fzEchub
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 19, 2023
Early results
A late Che Adams goal sealed a 2-1 Southampton win at fellow south coasters Plymouth, while Rangers fought from behind to beat Greenock Morton by the same score. Meanwhile, Wigan have lamped Lancastrian and League One rivals Bolton 4-0.
Updated
The official reason for Aleksandar Mitrovic’s absence from the Fulham squad today is an ankle injury. But Al-Hilal are closing in on their man. In better Cottage news, Joao Palhinha and Adama Traoré (yes, that one) are among their subs.
Mitrović, out of Fulham squad as he’s set to complete his move to Al Hilal 🔵🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/3OlmvOHisP
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 19, 2023
Wolves have made one change from the side that beat pushed Manchester United close, with Pablo Sarabia dropping to the bench to allow for Fábio Silva to start up front.
Brighton have made a switch that won’t be popular with Fantasy Premier League managers, with João Pedro benched despite after scoring on his debut last week. That’s one of three De Zerbi changes, as Adam Webster, Billy Gilmour and Julio Enciso come in.
Liverpool are unchanged and so there’s no evolution into the first XI for Darwin this week. Klopp sticks with Cody Gakpo in a midfield role, with Diogo Jota continuing to lead the line. There is better news on the midfield front, with the return of Stefan Bajcetic to the bench after injury, while new boy Wataru Endo is also among the substitutes at Anfield.
Wolves v Brighton – Premier League – teams
Wolves: Sa, Semedo, Kilman, Dawson, Ait-Nouri, Gomes, Lemina, Nunes, Silva, Cunha, Neto. Subs: Bentley, Doherty, Traore, Hwang, Bueno, Kalajdzic, Sarabia, Toti, Hodge.
Brighton: Steele, Milner, Webster, Dunk, Estupiñán, March, Gilmour, Gross, Enciso, Mitoma, Welbeck. Subs: Verbruggen, Igor, Dahoud, Lallana, Adingra, Ferguson, Van Hecke, Veltman, Pedro.
Referee: Andy Madley
Updated
Fulham v Brentford – Premier League – teams
Fulham: Leno, Tete, Diop, Ream, Robinson, Lukic, Reed, Andreas, Wilson, De Cordova-Reid, Jiménez. Subs: Rodak, Basse, Mbabu, Palhinha, Cairney, Willian, Muniz, Vinicius, Traoré.
Brentford: Flekken, Hickey, Collins, Pinnock, Henry, Nørgaard, Jensen, Janelt, Mbuemo, Schade, Wissa. Subs: Strakosha, Dasilva, Zanka, Ajer, Onyeka, Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Roerslev, Yarmoluik.
Referee: Rob Jones
Liverpool v Bournemouth – Premier League – teams
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Gakpo, Diaz, Jota, Salah. Subs: Kelleher, Gomez, Endo, Elliott, Tsmikas, Matip, Bajcetic, Doak, Núñez.
Bournemouth: Neto, Aarons, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez, Rothwell, Billing, Christie, Semenyo, Solanke, Anthony. Subs: Radu, Mepham, Hill, Kenny, Kilkenny, Brooks, Kluivert, Traoré, Moore.
Referee: Thomas Bramall
Updated
You know that team news klaxon I mentioned earlier? Sound it! The 2pm teamsheets are about to roll in. We’re all on Darwin Núñez watch, among other things.
Harry Kane is happy after his goalscoring Bundesliga debut last night. It’s nice that he’s happy, isn’t it? Isn’t it?
Nottingham Forest got their first three points of the season with victory over Sheffield United last night. Chris Wood was doing Chris Wood things.
Before we sound the 2pm team news klaxon, there’s just time to check in with the early kick-offs, none of which are Premier League games (have that, TNT Sports!)
Plymouth 0-0 Southampton
Rangers 0-0 Greenock Morton
Still at least 40 minutes remaining in both games, so don’t rule out the outside chance of a goal, maybe.
Preamble
Good afternoon and welcome to another enthralling afternoon in the Barclays. Well, that’s chiefly where our attention will be, with Liverpool v Bournemouth, Wolves v Brighton and The West London Derby (Fulham v Brentford) all kicking off at 3pm.
Can Wolves build on their promising display in Gary O’Neil’s first match in charge? Can Liverpool’s midfield finally resemble a functioning, well, midfield? Any can any game match the drama of a World Cup third-place play-off? There’s also a full schedule of fixtures in the Championship, League One and Two etc etc. Let’s go.
Updated
