And with that, I’m done. Bye!
John Brewin was at the Vitality Stadium to see Ipswich claim their first win of the year:
If Ipswich could have been forgiven for having next season’s Championship already in mind, Bournemouth are plunging their own depths of disappointment. Winless since mid-February, Cherry-flavoured European dreams fade fast, defeat to the strugglers following exit from the FA Cup. Still nine points shy of safety, Kieran McKenna’s team’s chances remain remote. The only certainty appears that Liam Delap, scorer of a rampaging second goal, will be playing Premier League football next season but, with eight games to play, after a first Premier League win in 2025, their small chance is far better than no chance at all.
Much more here:
Kieran McKenna has a very brief chat after Ipswich’s 2-1 win at Brentford:
I’m really proud of the performance, very much so, in terms of how hard we worked, the quality of goals we scored. We’ve been waiting a while for a win in the league but everyone’s really stuck together, there’s still belief, and I think you see that in the performance.
On Sky Tarkowski’s challenge on Alexis Mac Allister, and his miraculous red-card evasion, is the only subject of post-match debate.
Andy Hunter was at Anfield to see Liverpool take another step towards the title:
The 246th Merseyside derby was as much of a cathartic release for Liverpool as another step closer to a 20th league title. Arne Slot’s side cleansed themselves of recent torment against Everton and two deflating cup defeats with a hard-fought but deserved victory courtesy of Diogo Jota’s fine individual goal. A maximum of 13 points is all that is required from the remaining eight games of the season to put the Premier League trophy on display at Anfield once again.
There was a determination to seize control of the derby from the start by Liverpool and, unlike the previous two encounters at Goodison Park, a composure in possession that enabled them to do so. The painful Champions League exit and deserved Carabao Cup final defeat that preceded the international break, plus of course memories of their last run-in with Everton 49 days ago, may also have fuelled the hunger and intensity of a team closing in on the Premier League title.
Much more here:
Louise Taylor was at St James’ Park to see Newcastle beat Brentford:
If Newcastle’s rivals for a Champions League place had hoped Eddie Howe’s players might be partied out after ending that 70-year domestic trophy drought, they were destined for disappointment.
Howe’s team were not at their very best but, thanks to the most eye-catching of winning goals from Sandro Tonali they found a way to defuse Brentford’s ever-present threat.
While defeat was arguably a little harsh on Thomas Frank’s side, it lifted Newcastle to fifth, one point ahead of Chelsea who host Tottenham on Thursday night. With nine games remaining a Grand Tour of Europe beckons for Howe and his Wembley history boys.
Much more here:
Jamie Jackson has filed his match report from the Etihad Stadium:
Billed pre-game as the injured Erling Haaland’s capable stand-in, Omar Marmoush’s response was to score Manchester City’s second goal against a weak Leicester, who head for the relegation trap door.
Pep Guardiola adores the Champions League so this was business accomplished in the bid to seal a qualification berth: victory lifts City to fourth. Jack Grealish opened proceedings but a scan of his numbers showed his early strike to be only a third goal in what goes down as a lost season on the CV. It was also a first Premier League finish since December 2023. As is the narrative of City’s own underwhelming campaign, they again lacked sharpness and intensity.
Much more here:
Final score: Liverpool 1-0 Everton
Not, perhaps, a vintage performance but Liverpool bank the points and take their lead over Arsenal back to 12 points.
Grealish says it is the 25th anniversary of the death of his brother Keelan, who was just nine months old when he died in 2000. His parents were at the Etihad to see him score on what is “always an emotional day” for the family.
Jack Grealish is not that chuffed about being asked about his first league goal for 15 months.
As soon as I scored this is what people would say. This season I’ve not been at my best, but even when I’ve played, especially in 2025 I’ve only started three or four games … I was happy that I started tonight and happy to score. I was a little bit relieved. I know myself that I could score more but I know I give a lot more than just scoring. I don’t think I was brought here to score 20 goals a season. I’ve never been one of these people that score constantly. But I feel I offer a lot more to the team. I was devastated not to play at the weekend because I’ve played every other round. I was happy. It was a nice day.
Darwin Nunez is rolling around at Anfield, after Pickford absolutely clatters him inside the penalty area. That would absolutely have been a penalty had a foul not already been given for a challenge on Szoboszlai, though maybe not because once he gets up the referee books him for some reason.
Final score: Brighton 0-3 Aston Villa
Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio both get on the scoresheet again as Villa win a sixth successive game in all competitions.
Updated
Final score: Newcastle 2-1 Brentford
Newcastle survive a last-minute penalty appeal and bank three more points in their pursuit of Champions League football, courtesy of Tonali’s superb winner.
GOAL! Brighton 0-3 Aston Villa (Malen, 90+10 mins)
In the last minute of stoppage time Malen shoots low and hard, across the keeper and in at the far post.
Updated
Final score: Southampton 1-1 Crystal Palace
Southampton are just one point behind Derby’s all-time-worst Premier League points tally after taking a point off Crystal Palace, ending the visitors’ long run of away wins!
Final score: Bournemouth 1-2 Ipswich Town
For the first time since 30 December (since when they’ve had eight defeats and two draws) Ipswich have won a game of league football! They’re just the nine points (and a huge amount of goal difference) away from safety now!
Updated
Final score: Manchester City 2-0 Leicester City
A hugely one-sided win for a not particularly convincing Manchester City. Leicester had one shot (not on target) and finished with an xG of 0.02.
Another chance for Palace, but Nketiah spins and slams a shot just over the bar!
A penalty shout for Everton: they send in a corner and Tarkowski is prevented from challenging for it by Mac Allister, who is facing away from the goal and has both arms around him. Given that Tarkowski should have been sent off for a foul on Mac Allister in the first half it would have been quite the plot twist had that been given, but it wasn’t.
GOAL! Southampton 1-1 Crystal Palace (Franca, 90+2)
They’ve let the lead slip! A long throw is half-cleared and re-centred to the near post, where Matheus Franca is in front of his defender and ducks to divert it just inside that post!
Updated
Paul Onuachu, the Southampton goalscorer, has just limped off very slowly indeed as Southampton defend a one-goal advantage at home to Crystal Palace, with 30 seconds plus stoppage time to play.
In the Championship Derby are 2-0 up at home to Preston and those three points would take them out of the bottom three, above both Cardiff (by a point) and Hull (on goals scored, with identical goal difference of -9).
GOAL! Brighton 0-2 Aston Villa (Asensio, 79 mins)
A lovely finish from Asensio, coolly tucking the ball just inside the post, though he has to wait a while to celebrate it while the VAR decides whether Watkins fouled a defender in the build-up. It was pretty clearly accidental, though, and the goal stands!
Updated
GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Everton (Jota, 57 mins)
Another lovely goal, Jota dummying past one defender, jinking past another, giving the keeper the eyes and passing just the other side of him!
GOAL! Newcastle 2-1 Brentford (Tonali, 74 mins)
Tonali scores almost from the corner flag! The ball is played to him in a crossing position near the right byline, but he sees Flekken coming off his line in preparation for the cross and hammers the ball straight into the back of the net! That’s not one of those floaty cross/goals that might have been a complete accident, it’s as shotty a shot as you’ll ever see, and a wonderful goal!
Updated
Notts County have scored another worldie! William Jarvis this time, with a right-footed curler from 23 yards or so that clips the inside of the far post on its way in. They’re 3-0 up now against MK Dons. Meanwhile in one-sided news, Manchester City have had 73% of possession and 14 shots to Leicester’s one.
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-2 Ipswich (Evanilson, 67 mins)
I can’t say I’ve seen this one, but it sounded pretty scrappy. They all count, etc.
Updated
GOAL! Newcastle 1-1 Brentford (Mbeumo, 65 mins)
The keeper doesn’t really go the wrong way, but he hints at diving to his right and ends up just standing there wrongfooted as the ball is coolly sent to his left!
Updated
Penalty for Brentford! Wissa runs onto Mbeumo’s pass, Pope comes out, Wisa gets there first and goes down, and the referee points to the spot!
Here’s that David McGoldrick goal from a little earlier. Delicious. Notts County have since added a second through Nicholas Tsaroulla.
Yet another David McGoldrick worldie! 😍pic.twitter.com/nLhgY9dbij https://t.co/E6sSOZxhBJ
— Sky Bet League Two (@SkyBetLeagueTwo) April 2, 2025
Penalty to Bournemouth! But no! Semenyo goes down and the referee points to the spot, but the VAR eventually tells him to point for a free-kick instead.
GOAL! Bournemouth 0-2 Ipswich (Delap, 60 mins)
Ipswich are winning a game by two clear goals! A long crossfield pass finds Delap on the left. He waits for Townsend to scream past on the overlap, lays the ball off, spins and runs into the middle; Townsend picks him out with the pull-back and Delap’s finish is beautifully, gloriously emphatic.
Updated
Another disallowed goal, and a let-off for Aston Villa. The ball is chipped over the Villa defence, hits Mitoma and deflects to the keeper’s left. He dives to his left and pushes it away a bit limply, and Adingra is first to it, spins and slams it in. But it very clearly hit Mitoma’s arm, and you’re not supposed to do that.
GOAL! Brighton 0-1 Aston Villa (Rashford, 51 mins)
Brighton have a corner, send in a header and Martinez takes an easy catch. He quickly rolls the ball out to Rogers, who plays a 50-yard defence-unlocking pass to Rashford, who runs to the edge of the area, pushes the ball past Verbruggen and it rolls into the net!
Updated
Jack Grealish dribbles into the penalty area, gets within shooting range, lifts his right foot, swings and … completely misses the ball and falls over. He wants a penalty, but you don’t get penalties for that.
David McGoldrick slams in a glorious left-footed shot from the edge of the area, rising all the time, to put Notts County 1-0 up at home to MK Dons and take them up to fourth in the as-it-stands table, just a couple of points off the automatic promotion places.
Alexander Isak has become – wait for it – the first Newcastle player since Alan Shearer, or possibly Andy Cole, to score 10 goals both at home and away in a single league season. He’s now one away from Erling Haaland’s 21 league goals this season: here are the latest capocannonieri rankings:
It is now mainly half-time, except at Anfield. Two currently goalless games, three with one goal, and Manchester City have two. But then they’re playing a flimsy simulacrum of a football team.
Everton should be in front now: Beto runs clear after a Van Dijk defensive howler – you read that right – but he shoots into Kelleher!
GOAL! Newcastle 1-0 Brentford (Isak, 45+2 mins)
That’s how to finish a chance! A fine ball in from Murphy on the right, Mbeumo falls over at the worst possible time and Isak behind him is left with a tap-in!
Updated
Another disallowed goal, at St James’s Park this time. Isak is played into all sorts of space on the right, he cuts inside the only defender in the neighbourhood, then when he might have just score he cuts back outside again, allows the keeper to come out and then hits him with his shot. The ball deflects to Barnes, who turns it in but is marginally offside.
Brighton then hit the post from a free-kick, and the ball rebounds off the woodwork into the arm of a defender. He didn’t know much about it but his arm was not by his side, and that falls into the seen-’em-given category. It is not given.
At Anfield Everton have the ball in the net, but Beto was just offside when he was played through. Meanwhile at Brighton there’s a long VAR check after Jacob Ramsey goes down in the area. It looks marginally more a penalty than not, but the VAR goes with not.
GOAL! Bournemouth 0-1 Ipswich (Broadhead, 34 mins)
Broadhead is just onside as he’s played in on the right of the penalty area and from there he’s delightfully calm, checking back and prodding the ball through the legs of the goalkeeper.
Updated
Really the question was less whether Tarkowski deserved a red card than how many he should have got.
Should James Tarkowski have been sent off for this challenge? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/eO7SF6OnAj
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 2, 2025
Updated
GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Leicester (Marmoush, 29 mins)
Defensive calamity for Leicester: the ball is chipped into the area, Hermansen comes for it but Faes runs across, and possibly actually into, him as he prepares to gather and the ball breaks to Marmoush, who needs only to roll the ball into an empty net. He doesn’t, mind – he lashes it into the roof of the net for added artistic merit.
Updated
At Anfield, Tarkowski clears the ball as Mac Allister comes across to close him down. The ball is close to Tarkowski and I don’t think he has to throw himself at it at all, but he flies in, clears the ball and clatters violently into the Argentinian. Somehow VAR decides not to get involved and he ends up with just a yellow card.
GOAL! Southampton 1-0 Crystal Palace (Onuachu, 20 mins)
Southampton are winning a game of football! It’s a decent cross from the right and a good header from Paul Onuachu, from maybe 15 yards or so. I’m not entirely sure how it ends up in the net, though: the ball is low and reasonably powerful but nowhere near the corner, and while Henderson gets a good hand to it he somehow manages only to send it squirming slowly over the line.
Updated
Danny Mills, watching the Manchester City game, says he is “confused” by a Leicester side that is “almost waving a white flag”.
Ten minutes into the Manchester City game, and a load of fans are just coming in. The protest seems to have had decent numbers, even if the majority of supporters – certainly in the stand that runs along the side of the pitch opposite the TV cameras – were in their seats before kick-off.
A chance for Aston Villa at Brighton: a fine move works the ball from back to front, Digne’s cross finds McGinn in the middle, but his header flies a yard or two wide.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Leicester City (Grealish, 2 mins)
That is an absurdly easy goal to score in the second minute of a game. Leicester lose the ball in their own half and Manchester City work it to the right touchline. Grealish stands in the middle, 15 yards out, with his arms out and the ball is passed, not even very quickly, through the area to him, and he strokes it in!
Updated
In their last four games Leicester have won no points, scored no goals, conceded 10 and have generally been in all ways utterly abysmal (if still not as abysmal as Southampton, who have also won no points but have a goal difference of -11). But Manchester City are a lowly 16th in a last-four-game table with four points, and are without Erling Haaland. Is there just a glimmer of hope there for the visitors?
No, probably not.
Meanwhile outside the Etihad Stadium fans are protesting about the club’s decision to partner with Viagogo, a ticket resale site – the club’s ninth third-party ticket-selling partner. Fans groups are calling on supporters not to go to their seats until nine minutes into the game, or failing that to remain silent for the first nine minutes.
Viagogo added as official touting partner, no price freeze on STs, long-standing and loyal fans consistently overlooked. It's time to take action.
— Trade Union Blues (@tradeunionblues) March 28, 2025
Please support this no-show for the first 9 minutes against Leicester.
Proud to back this alongside @WeAre1894 and @MCFCfoodbank pic.twitter.com/ljD22PlzwJ
Stephy Mavididi is on the bench for Leicester against Manchester City tonight, having apparently had a couple of headphone issues in the build-up. There was one-ear Mavididi:
And then no-ear Mavididi. This is not my understanding of how headphones work:
Liverpool v Everton has its own liveblog, so if you want to focus on that one game may I suggest you join Michael Butler here. But I won’t be ignoring it, and here are the line-ups:
Liverpool: Kelleher, Jones, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz, Jota. Subs: Jaros, Endo, Nunez, Chiesa, Gakpo, Elliott, Tsimikas, McConnell, Quansah.
Everton: Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Gueye, Garner, Harrison, Doucoure, Alcaraz, Beto. Subs: Virginia, Patterson, Keane, Ndiaye, Chermiti, Young, Broja, Coleman, Iroegbunam.
Referee: Sam Barrott.
Premier League teams
Team news is filtering through. I’ll put all the Premier League line-ups here, shall I?
Bournemouth v Ipswich
Bournemouth: Arrizabalaga, Smith, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez, Christie, Cook, Ouattara, Scott, Semenyo, Evanilson. Subs: Dennis, Senesi, Brooks, Adams, Soler, Jebbison, Hill, Silcott-Duberry, Winterburn.
Ipswich: Palmer, Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Burgess, Townsend, Morsy, Cajuste, Johnson, Enciso, Broadhead, Delap. Subs: Walton, Woolfenden, Phillips, Chaplin, Jack Taylor, Greaves, Hirst, Philogene-Bidace, Clarke.
Referee: Robert Jones.
Brighton v Aston Villa
Brighton: Verbruggen, Hinshelwood, van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan, Gomez, Ayari, Adingra, Gruda, Mitoma, Joao Pedro. Subs: Rushworth, March, Cashin, Minteh, Welbeck, Baleba, O’Riley, Tasker, Wieffer.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Kamara, Tielemans, Rogers, McGinn, Ramsey, Rashford. Subs: Olsen, Disasi, Mings, Watkins, Garcia, Malen, Maatsen, Onana, Asensio.
Referee: Stuart Attwell.
Manchester City v Leicester
Manchester City: Ederson, Matheus Luiz, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, Gonzalez, Gundogan, Savio, Grealish, Doku, Marmoush. Subs: Ortega, Kovacic, De Bruyne, Silva, Vitor Reis, Foden, Bobb, Lewis, McAtee.
Leicester: Hermansen, Faes, Coady, Thomas, Justin, Ndidi, Soumare, Kristiansen, Daka, El Khannous, Vardy. Subs: Buonanotte, Coulibaly, Skipp, Ricardo Pereira, Ayew, De Cordova-Reid, Okoli, Mavididi, Stolarczyk.
Referee: Darren England.
Newcastle v Brentford
Newcastle: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento, Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton, Murphy, Isak, Barnes. Subs: Dubravka, Wilson, Krafth, Osula, Willock, Longstaff, Miley, Neave, Shahar.
Brentford: Flekken, van den Berg, Collins, Pinnock, Lewis-Potter, Norgaard, Janelt, Mbeumo, Yarmolyuk, Schade, Wissa. Subs: Valdimarsson, Mee, Ajer, Damsgaard, Konak, Maghoma, Kayode, Kim, Morgan.
Referee: Peter Bankes.
Southampton v Crystal Palace
Southampton: Ramsdale, Stephens, Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis, Walker-Peters, Downes, Ugochukwu, Manning, Fernandes, Onuachu, Sulemana. Subs: McCarthy, Aribo, Bree, Wood-Gordon, Sugawara, Archer, Dibling, Welington, Bella-Kotchap.
Crystal Palace: Henderson, Clyne, Lacroix, Guehi, Munoz, Wharton, Lerma, Mitchell, Sarr, Eze, Mateta. Subs: Turner, Ward, Nketiah, Franca, Kamada, Esse, Chilwell, Devenny, Kporha.
Referee: Andrew Madley.
Hell world!
The season will be all over next month. The end is nigh. And by now every team’s situation has crystalised. At this point they know what they are competing for, and they know more or less what they need to get there.
Take, for example, Newcastle and Eddie Howe: “There are 10 games, there are a lot of teams competing for those [Champions League] places. It’s one of the tightest Premier Leagues that we’ve seen in recent times, very little between the teams competing for those places, so it’s going to come down to who is the most consistent. Of course, we want that to be us and in those 10 games, we are going to have to give everything to get there.” Or Aston Villa: “There are a lot of teams there fighting for these positions. In the FA Cup we’re playing a semi-final and in the Champions League a quarter-final - it’s amazing how we are facing the last part of the season. We are aware of the difficulties we are going to face and how much we are going to have to get better,” said Unai Emery. Or take Southampton’s Ivan Juric: “I don’t want it to be that we are the worst team in the history of Premier League. If we can be not the last on the table, we have to do our best, so in this moment, this is our goal.”
Tonight things might just clarify a little further. Do Ipswich or Leicester have any kind of hope of survival? Is anyone going to fall off the back of the pack of Champions League aspirants? And there’s a little bonus serving of Championship survival battle and League Two promotion scrap. Here, then, are tonight’s fixtures in full (7.45pm BST kick-offs unless stated):
Bournemouth v Ipswich
Brighton v Aston Villa
Liverpool v Everton (8pm)
Manchester City v Leicester City
Newcastle United v Brentford
Southampton v Crystal Palace
Plus in the Championship:
Derby County v Preston North End
And in League Two:
Notts County v Milton Keynes Dons
