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Sunderland counter and, when Diarra marauds through the inside-left channel and squares for Brobbey, Udogie does really well to lever him out of the road, preventing a potentially match-clinching goal in the process.
“That push from Brobbey probably wasn’t a booking,” emails Richard Coopey, “but he knew exactly what he was doing and that was a snide, nasty bit of play.”
Harsh, I think – it was a shove looking to con the ref, but I don’t think he thought anyone would get hurt.
“After the deflected goal De Zerbi had a look that said: ‘So this is what it’s like to manage Spurs’,” reckons Kári Tulinius. “I can sort of see the bones of what he’s trying to get Tottenham to do, stretching the game, creating space and attacking at speed, but the players are still having to think before doing. There just isn’t much time to graft the muscles onto that skeleton.”
Yup, it’s a tricky one. At this point, the ideal is probably a vibes manager, not a systems manager, but the board probably think De Zerbi can do the job permanently, so have gone for him on that basis, hoping to stay up and assuming, if they don’t, that under him, there’s a better than decent chance they come straight back up again.
Updated at 10.37 EDT
Oh man, Romero won’t be able to continue and he’s leaving the pitch, tears in his eyes. It didn’t look a bad injury – a dead-leg type thing – but he wants to be on the pitch, and now he isn’t, replaced by Danso.
The great Rob Smyth is under way with Chelsea v Man City…
Vila are on the attack in Nottingham, Sels shoving out a cross that falls nicely into the path of Rogers … who sends his shot screeching over the bar.
Gosh, Brobbey chases down as Romero seeks to shepherd back to Kinsky, there’s a little shove from the striker and a collision follows, Romero running through the keeper’s head. De Zerbi wants a second yellow for Brobbey but the ref isn’t showing one, and there’s a lengthy pause while treatment is administered to both Spurs players.
De Zerbi was preparing a triple change, which he makes after the goal: Tel, Sarr and Palhinha replace Gray, Bergvall and Richarlison.
ShareGOAL! Sunderland 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Mukiele 61)
AND THERE IT IS! Mukiele takes the ball off Sadiki, who moves down the right as a decoy, allowing his full-back to veer infield, beat the nearest defender, and lash a shot looking inside the near post, only for Van de Ven to extend a leg and deflects the effort inside the far, leaving Kinsky stranded. That feels like a crucial moment in the season…
Sunderland’s Nordi Mukiele. Photograph: Scott Heppell/ReutersShare
Updated at 10.28 EDT
As they did in the first half, Spurs find Richarlison pulling left, and again, his finish is tame, passed straight at Roefs. De Zerbi needs to do something, I think, because he team look impotent, whereas Sunderland are more menacing.
We might have a new entry into my Players I’d Struggle Most to Have XI: Brian Brobbey is pushing to join Antonio Rudiger in the team.
It’s been a slow start to the second half at Sunderland, neither side threatening. I wonder if De Zerbi might gamble and try Simons, because his side has a serious lack of guile, invention and quality.
Watkins goes for the line and Williams slides in to block; there’s no contact but both hurt themselves and after a pause, both seem fine to continue.
Updated at 10.15 EDT
Tielemans is caught trying to play out and Jesus moves through the centre, opting to shoot from the edge when he might’ve continued, wafting over the top. Villa will know they’ve got away with one.
“Not news, but Villa are soooooo much better with Tielemans in that midfield unit,” reckons Benjamin Gravestock. “Makes all the players round him better, too.
Villa got sucker-punched, properly, there – Forest were showing nothing very much at the time. Bizot is a solid enough ‘keeper but if Martinez is going to physically deteriorate – this recurring back issue seems to be more recurring – I’m not sure he’s ever going to regain the heights he once hit and Bizot hasn’t shown enough to convince me he has the chops to be the no. 1.
Was heartened to see a link with James Trafford in the summer and think he would have a good chance of being the main guy next season but my football supporting friends think he’ll stay because Pep sees him as ‘the future’. Given Donnarumma seems to have quite a lot of future available to him, I think Trafford/Villa would be an excellent match.
Am hopeful we can kick on in the second half; Villa need to build a run after the extended disappearance in the Ber-tieleginnmar-a Triangle (sorry).”
Yup, agree on Bizot, and Donnarumma isn’t going anywhere, I shouldn’t think – at 27, he could easily play another decade at similar level. Trafford is too good to wait around, too, so I’b be surprised id he’s not on the move again this summer.
Forest finished the first half strongly and they’ve started the second well too, Hudson-Odoi curling a cross to the far post and Igor Jesus is up … but, under pressure, he heads down and wide of the near post.
We go again…
Righto, I’m going to restart my computer in the hope it improves matters – currently, I’m watching Sunderland on my laptop and Forest on my phone, with no game permitted by my main screen.
ShareHalf-time scores
Crystal Palace 0-1 Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa
Sunderland 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Udogie crosses low from the left and someone, O’Nien I think, slides to intercept but leaves the ball there for Solanke – this is a chance – but the finish is a little rushed, sidefooted hard and allowing Roefs to block when a dink probably means 1-0.
We’re into added time and, when Sunderland put a ball into the box from a free-kick and the flick-on lands in Brobbey’s path, Kinsky is out quickly and well to block the punched shot, Mukiele lashing the follow-up into Gallagher’s body.
Brian Brobbey of Sunderland in action. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 10.02 EDT
And here it comes, Osula sliding in pursuing a low cross from Miley, looking like he might score with his buttocks before adjusting legs, cramp football-style and, from a seated position, flicking in. It loos simple, but it’s excellent improvisation.
Updated at 10.14 EDT
GOAL! Crystal Palace 0-1 Newcastle United (Osula 43)
The man brought in today puts Newcastle in front; hopefully we’ll be shown the goal properly shortly.
Newcastle United’s William Osula (right) scores. Photograph: Jordan Pettitt/PAShare
Updated at 09.54 EDT
“Strange world Daniel,” writes Stephen O’Sullivan. “I’m actually watching Palace v Toon clear as a bell here in Kuala Lumpur. Palace a whisker away from the lead.”
Isn’t it just. I fear my new internet connection, much better and faster than the one it replaced, so they told me, is in fact not so.
ShareGOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa (Williams 38)
Forest move down the right and, when Hutchinson crosses, Hudson-Odoi retrieves, rolling back for Williams, who takes responsibility and, shaping to shoot for the far corner from the edge, instead drags a low shot back through McGinn’s legs and inside the near, Solskjaer-style; that’s a terrific finish, and we’re level.
Nottingham Forest’s Neco Williams. Photograph: Nick Potts/PAShare
Updated at 10.07 EDT
…then smashes it over the top.
…he takes his time preparing himself too…
I bet Xhaka fancies this…
It’s a really tight game at the Stadium of Light but Sunderland look likelier, Brobbey’s physicality and nous causing Spurs’ centre-backs a problem. And, as I type, he tempts Van de Ven into a foul, converted into a yellow card by the dissent which follows, and his team now have a free-kick on the edge of the box, well right of centre.
More importantly, why doesn’t Brobbey have a song to this?
Brobbey struggles for the ball with Porro, eventually introducing elbow to coupon. So Porro goes down, as one might – now that you ask, obviously I’d have brushed it off myself – and the ref shows a yellow card. That’s the right call, just about; I can’t pretend I’m not suspicious as to Brobbey’s intentions, but it was more of a jab than a swing, so there’s just enough ambiguity to keep it 11 v 11.
Sunderland win a throw, hurled in by O’Nien, and when the ball is only half-cleared, it drops on to Xhaka’s laces, on the edge of the box, right of centre … and he connects beautifully, his shot zipping fractionally wide.
Updated at 09.37 EDT
I’d not be surprised to see Chris Wood come on for Forest at half-time – currently, they lack a box presence, constantly moving the ball but with no one to aim at or play off.
At Selhurst, it’s still Palace 0-0 Newcastle, but aggravatingly, I’m not currently allowed to watch the game. Hopefully, a half-time turn-off-and-on sorts things.
An Eagle is walked around Selhurst Park prior to the Crystal Palace v Newcastle United Premier League match at Selhurst Park. Photograph: Dylan Hepworth/Every Second Media/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 09.40 EDT
Here come Villa again, again feeding a pass into Rogers, who turns around the corner and into the path of Watkins, through the middle. The first touch is heavy but works nicely, inciting Sels to come out … only for the finish to bobble just past the post.
ShareNO PENALTY TO SPURS!
This felt inevitable. Alderete won the ball, so there’s no foul, and you almost feel for the ref, sheepishly having to explain to the crowd that he totally misinterpreted what he saw.
Referee Rob Jones rules out a Tottenham Hotspur penalty after reviewing VAR. Photograph: Richard Lee/Tottenham Hotspur FC/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 09.35 EDT