Key events
4 min: Gakpo lets the ball run, a nice dummy, and here’s a chance for Isak. It ends up somewhere in the Olympic Park. And here’s the four-minute mark and applause for Billy Bonds.
3 min: Kerkez sets off down the flank, and tries to link with Cody Gakpo. As so often this season, there’s a breakdown in communication between the pair. Arne Slot paces his area.
Away we go at the London Stadium
1 min: Ryan Gravenberch takes an early blow in a helter-skelter of an opening minute. He’ll be OK. Good noise from the home fans.
And here’s the commemoration of Billy Bonds, with his teammate Sir Trevor Brooking looking on from the exec boxes. It’s a minute’s applause. They don’t make them like Trev and Billy Bonds any more. Jarrod Bowen heads to the Billy Bonds stand with the no 4 shirt in his hands. Quite the moment. Tears in the eyes.
The teams leave the tunnel for the long walk to the centre-circle. The bubbles are being blown, and the fans are singing lustily. Billy Bonds is in everyone’s thoughts.
Result: Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester United
Goals from Mateta were followed by a Zirkzee blockbuster and then a Mason Mount free-kick.
Jarrod Bowen has been speaking to Sky Sports about the death of Billy Bonds: “You can see the reaction from everyone online already, what he meant to this club, what he achieved at this club, obviously a stand named after him as well, so it is a sad day for everyone.
“It is never nice when a club legend like him (dies). Our condolences go to his family. I know the supporters here will make noise for him today as well, which will be a good thing for him and his family as well.
“He is probably going to go down as West Ham’s biggest legend, the best club captain that they have had as well. He achieved so much here. I will never emulate that success, but to put on the captain’s armband, especially like he did as well, for me is a big, big thing, so to have a game today as well is what I want to show and what the team want to show as well.
“It is going to be a tough game. We know that they are the Premier League champions, but we are in a good place at home, so we have to continue that today, and especially for circumstances today as well.”
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Bowen is a credit to his club, an adult in the room.
Andy Flintoff gets in touch: “Looking at that Liverpool line-up, the two players with squad numbers >11 could so easily be switched with Endo & Salah with not a lot of positional changes required, which would leave it with a very retro looking 1-11.”
Arne Slot has been explaining his team selection to Sky Sports.
“We have more players on the bench than just Mo but I understand why you ask the question. We’re playing four games in 10 days. I have many good players, so today I chose this line-up. Sometimes Isak has been on the bench, sometimes Wirtz so I understand why it’s about the players on the bench but it’s also about those that start.
“It’s not an easy decision as I have many more than 11 good players – it’s not the first time I haven’t played Mo, just like I’ve decided not to play Isak, Wirtz and Etikite.”
Nottm Forest v Brighton teams
Nottm Forest: Sels, Savona, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams, Sangare, Anderson, Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Dominguez, Igor Jesus. Subs: John Victor, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo, Hutchinson, Yates, Jair Cunha, McAtee, Boly, Abbott.
Brighton: Verbruggen, Kadioglu, van Hecke, Dunk, De Cuyper, Wieffer, Ayari, Minteh, Rutter, Gomez, Welbeck. Subs: Steele, Gruda, Tzimas, Hinshelwood, Baleba, Kostoulas, Boscagli, Veltman, Coppola.
Aston Villa v Wolverhampton teams
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Tielemans, Kamara, McGinn, Rogers, Buendia, Malen. Subs: Bizot, Lindelof, Barkley, Watkins, Sancho, Maatsen, Onana, Bogarde, Guessand.
Wolverhampton: Johnstone, Tchatchoua, Agbadou, Mosquera, Toti Gomes, Wolfe, Joao Gomes, Andre Trindade, Bellegarde, Larsen, Arias. Subs: Jose Sa, Hugo Bueno, Santiago Bueno, Munetsi, Hwang, Arokodare, Chirewa, Hoever, Mane.
Referee: Christopher Kavanagh (England)
Nuno was chatting about Liverpool during his pre-match duties: “Liverpool is a good team and in football, what matters is what you do on the day. So what we expect is the champions of the Premier League, players that are talented and capable of doing good things, so we have to get ready.
“The history of the results before, the form of the teams, doesn’t really matter. It is about the day. Knowing that we are going to face a very good team, that has players capable of doing fantastic things, so we have to get ready, to compete.”
Three changes for West Ham. Konstantinos Mavropanos, Soungoutou Magassa, and Lucas Paqueta in for Luis Guilherme, Maximilian Kilman, and Igor Julio.
Looks like Florian Wirtz in for Salah, and Alisson back in the goal. Joe Gomez is making his first Premier League start in 11 months, meaning Curtis Jones will have to smash people off the bench. Alexander Isak could do with a goal.
Salah dropped by Liverpool – teams
West Ham: Areola, Magassa, Mavropanos, Todibo, Wan-Bissaka, Fernandes, Potts, Diouf, Bowen, Wilson, Lucas Paqueta. Subs: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Kilman, Igor, Fullkrug, Luis Guilherme, Rodriguez, Soucek, Irving.
Liverpool: Alisson, Gomez, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Gakpo, Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Isak. Subs: Mamardashvili, Endo, Salah, Chiesa, Jones, Ekitike, Robertson, Nyoni, Ngumoha.
Billy Bonds – 1946-2025
Sad news of the death of the ultimate Hammer, 799 games for the club, and playing into his 40s. One of the fittest players in football in his day, captain for two FA Cup wins, in 1975 and 1980.
Update from Nottingham
Will Unwin
It is a gloriously sunny day at the City Ground, a place that provides dreadful memories for Brighton and Fabian Hurzeler. Nottingham Forest thrashed the Seagulls 7-0 here last season, with Brighton offering up one of the worst team performances in Premier League history. That result came only 10 months ago, so will be fresh in the minds of those travelling up from the south coast.
Things are very different in Nottingham, with the Sean Dyche revolution gathering pace. They are unbeaten in three Premier League games, seeing off champions Liverpool last time around and find themselves out of the relegation zone. Players love playing for the former Burnley and Everton manager, and a sense of positivity has returned to the banks of the Trent.
Brighton will be out for revenge after February and with only one defeat in their past seven matches will fancy their chances. Their only away victory this season, however, came at Chelsea, implying the odd issue on their travels but Hurzeler says his side are ready for a “big battle” today and Dyche will ensure the have one.
Preamble
This is massive for Liverpool, and Arne Slot. How long can the rot be allowed to set in? Are West Ham ideal opposition for a team struggling so badly? Perhaps not now Nuno is in charge, and the Hammers play a direct style. There will also be updates from the two other matches taking place in the Premier League.
