Championship updates; Holland sacked; Slot’s ‘big summer’: football – live
Key events
Goal! Carlisle 2-0 Port Vale Ooof! Matthew Dennis puts Mark Hughes’ side two goals up. They’re still four points off Tranmere in the relegation battle, but this would be their third win in a row – is the great escape on?
Goal! Norwich 1-3 Portsmouth Colby Bishop converts a penalty to leave Pompey sitting pretty at half-time. And Preston lead QPR at Deepdale, in a rare game between teams without much to play for in mid-table.
GOALS! Blackburn 2-1 Millwall After 40 minutes of not much, three goals in three minutes at Ewood Park. Rovers struck first through Dom Hyam, Mihailo Ivanovic levelled for Milwall, but now Sondre Tronstad’s deflected strike has the hosts back in front! Blackburn move a point behind Millwall in the battle of playoff outsiders.
GOAL! Watford 1-1 Burnley (Flemming 43)
End-to-end action at Vicarage Road, as James Trafford makes a fingertip save to deny Doumbia, then throws the ball out to start a counter, which is finished at the other end by Zian Flemming! And that scoreline moves Burnley top of the live table.
Goal! Norwich 1-2 Portsmouth Matt Ritchie ends a flowing team move as Pompey retake the lead in what we’re all calling the battle of beaten 1992 FA Cup semi-finalists.
A big goal in League Two, where lowly Carlisle are 1-0 up at home to leaders Port Vale. Georgie Kelly strikes for Mark Hughes’ side, but fellow strugglers Accrington have also taken the lead at Salford.
Plymouth have spurned a couple of chances to take the lead at Middlesbrough, while it’s still goalless between Blackburn and Millwall, Preston and QPR, and also Swansea and Hull. Bristol City think they’re level at home to 10-man Sunderland, but the pesky offside flag spoils their fun.
Goal! Wrexham 0-1 Bristol Rovers A surprise scoreline in League One, Taylor Moore putting relegation-threatened Rovers in front at Wrexham – who drop from second to third in the live table as a result.
Goal! Bristol City 0-1 Sunderland They may be down to 10 men, but the visitors lead at Ashton Gate! Eliezer Mayenda strikes with a moment of individual brilliance, very much against the run of play.
League Two latest: Promotion chasers Doncaster lead at struggling Tranmere, Swindon are 2-0 up at one of Ian Holloway’s former clubs, Grimsby … and Cheltenham are level with Gillingham.
Goal! Norwich 1-1 Portsmouth Josh Sargent has quickly levelled for Norwich; it’s his 15th goal of the season. Curiously, Norwich have two of the division’s top three scorers (Borja Sainz is top with 17) – yet they’re mired in mid-table.
Goal! Stoke 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday The Potters are another team who realistically need another win to ease their relegation fears – and they lead at home through Dutch striker Million Manhoef, who sounds ready for a big-money move.
League One latest: Charlton led early through Luke Berry but Northampton have levelled from the penalty spot, while Barnsley lead 2-0 at Leyton Orient, and it’s Rotherham 1-1 Mansfield in South Yorkshire. Is that a derby? Answers to the usual address.
Goal! Middlesbrough 1-1 Plymouth Mustapha Bundu quickly gets the Championship’s bottom club back on terms at the Riverside.
Goal! Norwich 0-1 Portsmouth Pompey are looking over their shoulders, but one more win should be enough to stave off relegation fears – and Colby Bishop has put them 1-0 up at Carrow Road.
Goal! Middlesbrough 1-0 Plymouth Finn Azaz returns to haunt his former club, who are bottom but could catch Derby and Luton with a win today. As for Boro, they need a win to revive their playoff chances.
Ian Sargeant on Coventry’s scorer: “I had the pleasure of watching Jack Rudoni a few years ago for my hometown club Tonbridge Angels. He came on loan for a month or two from Wimbledon in his teens. The games I saw him in, it was clear that he was destined for better things – he was head and shoulders above everyone despite being the youngest player on the pitch. Would love to see him play in the next division up.”
Which rising stars have you seen in non-league action? I saw Ethan Pinnock play for Dulwich Hamlet, although Erhun Oztumer stood out as the player destined for the top.
GOAL! Watford 1-0 Burnley (Doumbia 8′)
Goal! Watford 1-0 Burnley: Mamadou Doumbia strikes for the hosts against second-placed Burnley – just the 14th goal Scott Parker’s side have conceded all season. Hope for Sheffield United, who face Cardiff in the early evening kick-off …
Red card! Sunderland are down to 10 men very early at Bristol City – defender Trai Hume has been sent off. And there’s a big goal at Vicarage Road …
Goal! Coventry 1-0 West Brom: An early goal for the hosts – Jack Rudoni has swept home for Coventry in the battle of West Midlands play-off chasers.
Thanks Dave – a big afternoon continues in the Championship, League One, League Two and the National League. Our first goal in the 3pm kick-offs is in the fourth tier: Jimmy Jay-Morgan has made it Cheltenham 0-1 Gillingham.
Shrewsbury relegated
The wider impact of the 0-0 draw is that Shrewsbury Town have been relegated from League One. They’re now 13 points adrift of Burton and can only accrue 12 more.
And, with that, I’ll hand you over to Niall McVeigh to take you through all today’s 3pm games.
It’s finished Exeter 0-0 Burton in the early League One game. Exeter remain 14th while the draw puts Burton a precarious one-point clear of the drop zone.
It’s too late to impact the Premier League but news from Mikel Arteta that Kai Havertz is due to return earlier than expected could be a boost if Arsenal reach the Champions League final. Arsenal host PSG in the first leg of their semi-final on April 29 and play the return in Paris eight days later. If they come through that, the final takes place in Munich on the final day of May and Arteta believes the German could make it.
For the semi-finals? I think that is too close. But if I have to bet on him (being available) earlier than expected I would say, ‘Yes’. The way he works, every day he is in the gym, pushing everybody, and I don’t think you can hold him back any longer.
It’s tight at the top in League Two. The top four – Port Vale (76), Bradford (74), Walsall (72) and Doncaster Rovers (72) – are separated by just four points although Bradford have played a game more. Fixtures here:
Some reaction from two key men in Luton’s tense 1-0 win at Derby.
Mark McGuinness:
I think it shows the character of the boys. It has done the last six games for us, we’ve show that resilience and, look, it’s not over yet for us and this game was massive for us.
Luton’s winner came from a corner and goalscorer Millenic Alli is asked how important set-pieces are for the Hatters:
Big time. It’s been very important. We’ve practised them in training and we’re very fortunate it’s come off today so we can’t be any happier. As you know, these kind of games, both boxes are very important and we defended our box very well and we did well in their box as well.
Full-time: Derby 0-1 Luton
Massive result at the bottom of the Championship as Luton pull level with Derby on 43 points thanks to Alli’s first-half strike from close range. Derby are still the right side of the relegation line due to a superior goal difference (-11 to Luton’s -25) but this result is a huge setback. And they could yet end the day in the relegation zone if second-bottom Cardiff pull off a shock at Sheffield United. Also, we could have three teams on 43 points if basement dwellers Plymouth win at Middlesbrough. Anyway, well played Luton.
Seven minutes of added time to play at Derby. The second-half stats are seriously one-sided – Derby 14 shots, Luton 0 shots – but the hosts can’t find a leveller.
Derby fluff another good chance as Luton enter the final five minutes with their narrow lead still intact. Will there be a late twist?
As for League One, today’s fixtures are below. It’s currently 0-0 in the early game between Exeter and Burton.
Birmingham have already sewn up the title so Wrexham will be keen to lock in the second automatic promotion spot. They take on Bristol Rovers today and I bet you didn’t know this: since 1928, Bristol Rovers have won just two of their 22 away Football League games played on Good Friday (D4 L16).
Mixed news from Pep Guardiola as he gives updates on his Manchester City players. Goalkeeper Ederson will miss the trip to Everton but Phil Foden and Manuel Akanji could be back as City battle for Champions League qualification.
On Ederson:
Not ready for tomorrow. I don’t know (longer term). But for that game he’s not ready.
On Foden and Akanji:
Phil came back on Thursday and today will be the second training session since the action from Old Trafford. Manu makes two or three training sessions with us and I see him moving really well. We’ll see today (when he can come back).
On playing at Goodison Park for the final time:
Goodison Park is so special, like all traditional stadiums in England. When you go to Fulham or Villa Park, stadiums like that, you feel the atmosphere is special. But the clubs grow and I’m pretty sure the new stadium will be nicer in terms of being maybe more comfortable. A difficult place to go, a nice place to go.
A reminder of the rest of today’s fixtures in the Championship. We won’t know how the top of the table will look until much later this evening, with Leeds kicking off against Oxford at 8pm BST.
Back at Derby, they’ve had eight shots to zero from Luton in this second half. The clock ticks on to 67 minutes but the visitors still have a precious 1-0 lead.
Derby really ramping up the pressure now and Luton surviving by the skin of their teeth as Mark McGuiness knees one off the line. Still 1-0 to the Hatters as we approach the hour mark.
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has been speaking and – cynics, raise an eyebrow now – says he is in no doubt that he has the backing of the owners. A brave statement perhaps after being beaten 2-1 at home by a side currently fifth in the Polish Ekstraklasa. Of course, that loss didn’t stop Chelsea reaching the Conference League semi-finals but the boos around Stamford Bridge didn’t come out of thin air: they’ve been present for a while now.
Here’s Maresca when asked whether he felt the owners’ backing.
Absolutely yes, no doubt. We have spent almost all season in a Champions League spot. We are in a European semi-final. So why now we need to change something? I don’t have any doubt about what we are doing and the way we are doing. For different reasons we had setbacks like (against Legia), but for me this makes us stronger for the future.
Thanks Yara! So, can Derby launch a fightback after looking riddled with nerves in that first 45? It’s all Luton so far in the first few minutes of this second half.
Time for David Tindall to take you through the rest of the day, thanks for joining me!
Amorim to play youngsters in Premier League as United focus on Europe
Ruben Amorim will use younger players in Manchester United’s next three Premier League fixtures as he prioritises the Europa League semi-final against Athletic Bilbao.
United play at Athletic on 1 May and host the return a week later. Matches against Wolves and Bournemouth precede the first leg and United go to Brentford in between the European fixtures. At least three young players – Harry Amass, Chido Obi and Ayden Heaven – are in line to get more game time than might have been the case.
Amorim brought on the 18-year-old Amass in the 100th minute against Lyon on Thursday for his European debut after giving the defender two Premier League appearances. Obi, a 17-year-old forward, has played three times in the league and once in the FA Cup, and Heaven, an 18-year-old defender, has played twice in the league, once in the FA Cup and once in the Europa League.
Amorim, who is intent on managing his squad to ensure the best chance of reaching the final, has this month included on the bench five other players who have made academy appearances this season: Jaydan Kamason, Godwill Kukonki, Jack Moorhouse, Sekou Koné and the currently injured Toby Collyer.
Read more from Jamie Jackson here.
Some more from the postbag!
Rick on why he loves football:
I defy anyone watching that game last night other than Lyon fans or Manchester United haters not to have reminded themselves that this is why we love football. The cross from Casemiro was one of those moments where a great player almost nonchalantly looks up, instinctively measures the distance, and then plays the perfect cross right on to the head of probably the only player other than himself you would expect to score from it. I watched the Masters sudden death playoff last Sunday and it reminded me of Rory McIlroy’s stunning 8 iron shot into the 18th green to allow him to sink a birdie and claim golfing immortality.
Sam on Holland’s sacking:
Yokohama F Marinos fan here. It was another odd managerial appointment after last year’s Kewell fiasco. It’s actually been worse and much more boring than under Kewell, though. They’ve been second best in every domestic game, including the sole victory, which was achieved via wonder strikes. Holland seems like a good fella, but with no knowledge of the Japanese game and very little actual management experience, it seemed an odd appointment from the start. If you’re going to persist with it, then the manager needs a bunch of experienced support, Holland looked very alone out there on the touchline. I don’t know how much involvement City Group have in these decisions, but Marinos are a big club over here with strong backing, and they deserve better thought processes than what brought the last two appointments.
And Mac with some insight on English teams in Europe:
In regards to Tommy’s question at 12:26, the Nessun Dorma podcast (available wherever you get your podcasts) did a fabulous episode recently about 25 April 1984, a day which started with the possibility that all six of Europe’s finalists that season would be British (from memory: Liverpool, Forest, Aberdeen, Dundee United, Manchester United and Spurs).
Half-time: Derby 0-1 Luton! The visitors will take a lot of positives from that half. Moments before the whistle, Jerry Yates had a deflected effort that was denied off the line by Mark McGuinness.
As it stands, both teams are on 43 points with Derby ahead on goal difference.
Southgate’s former assistant Holland sacked by Japan’s Yokohama
The former England assistant Steve Holland was fired by Japanese side Yokohama F-Marinos, the club said Friday, less than four months after he took over as manager.
Gareth Southgate’s former right-hand man, who helped take England to two European Championship finals and one World Cup semi-final, had led Yokohama to just one league win in 11 matches this season. The 54-year-old was sacked just over a week before Yokohama were set to face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in the Asian Champions League quarter-finals.
“Yokohama F-Marinos announce today that the club have decided to part ways with Steve Holland, who was appointed manager in the beginning of the 2025 season,” the club said. “To fill the void, head coach Patrick Kisnorbo will serve as an interim manager for the time being.”
Yokohama also fired the former Leeds and Liverpool forward Harry Kewell last year during his first season as the club’s manager. Yokohama are part of City Football Group and were led by Ange Postecoglou, who is now at Tottenham, from 2018 to 2021.
Holland’s position at Yokohama was his first job as a manager since leading Crewe Alexandra between 2007 and 2008. He has extensive experience as an assistant and worked at Chelsea for eight years.
He said after taking over at Yokohama in January that he was “very ambitious” and wanted to step out of Southgate’s shadow, after both left their jobs with England following last year’s European Championship final defeat to Spain. Holland endured a nightmare start in Japan, with Yokohama winning one, losing five and drawing five of their games so far in the J. League. They are currently 18th in the 20-team first division.
Holland had more success in the Asian Champions League, beating China’s Shanghai Port in the last 16 to set up a quarter-final clash with Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. Yokohama were runners-up in the competition last season under Kewell.
Yokohama play Urawa Reds in the J. League on Sunday before heading to Saudi Arabia to play in the Asian Champions League final tournament. AFP
