Welcome to The Sportsman's LIVE football blog, where we will be bringing you all the biggest updates, as well as the quirkiest stories throughout the day. There will be plenty of reaction to Liverpool's defeat against Leicester City on Tuesday as Manchester City face Brentford tonight with the incentive to go nine points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
Stay with us you won't want to miss it.
Just one goal separates the two teams but it is enough for Manchester City to extend their lead at the top of the table.
Chelsea drop points at home after Danny Welbeck scores in the final moments at Stamford Bridge.
Danny Welbeck scores in stoppage time to put Brighton level at Stamford Bridge, a brilliant header from the forward.
There is some clear tension between Fernandinho and Ivan Toney, some fans have called for the Brentford man to be dismissed after he appears to stand on the City captain.
Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden link up perfectly.
A beautiful delivery from the Belgian and @ManCity open the scoring at Brentford!
#PLonPrime #BREMCI
Kevin De Bruyne puts a lovely ball in for Phil Foden who finishes from close range.
Chelsea will go into the second half at Stamford Bridge with a 1-0 lead. However, the Blues' will be concerned about Reece James who came off injured and was replaced by Marcos Alonso.
Romelu Lukaku shrugs off Neal Maupay to head the ball in the back of the net.
Hibernian defender Ryan Porteous has been handed a three-match ban for violent conduct.
XI | Ederson, Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Ake, Fernandinho (C), De Bruyne, Bernardo, Foden, Jesus, Grealish
SUBS | Steffen, Carson, Sterling, Gundogan, Zinchenko, Mahrez, Mbete, Palmer
#ManCity | @HaysTechnology
๐ Roerslev returns in place of Canos
โก Onyeka and Wissa also start
โฌ Norgaard (suspended) and Mbeumo (calf) among 11 absentees tonight
Teams presented by @BlueJeansNet
#BrentfordFC #BREMCI
๐ฒ โ #BHAFC ๐ตโช๏ธ
Talking to PSG Inside Ronaldinho was asked about the future of star man Kylian Mbappe and he was confident that he will remain at the French club, he stated "All the players in the world want to play at Paris Saint-Germain, the best in the world are at PSG, so they're the best club in the world. So I imagine he [Mbappe] will be here for a long time."
Takagawa Gakuen High School pulled off an extraordinary set piece routine, wonder if we will ever see this is the Premier League.
๐ฆ @yoshinikov
This just proves how long the West Ham United captain has been in the game. What an achievement.
Ending a 6-year drought and just look where they are now.
A special afternoon at Ibrox Stadium as Rangers beat Celtic for the first time in the league since March 2012.
The defender is on loan at Aston Villa from Manchester United.
And we think we've come to that conclusion for this one too,
A loan move is still being discussed for Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
Following his glaring miss against Leicester City, Liverpool's Sadio Mane has failed to register a goal or an assist in his last nine matches.
The United no.2 has been heavily linked with a move away from Old Trafford since losing out to David De Gea in the United goal.
Borussia Monchengladbach have confirmed that Matthias Ginter and Denis Zakaria will be leaving the club when their contracts expire. The pair wish to explore new avenues. They would be very good additions to the Premier League.
#DieFohlen
Sit back and enjoy this incredible Phil Foden goal.
Phil Foden's incredible run and finish vs Brighton last season... ๐
#BestOf2021
Borussia Monchengladbach have announced that Jordan Beyer has signed a new contract until 2026.
#DieFohlen
Referee Rebecca Welch will make history as the first female official to take charge of an FA Cup third round game when she oversees Birmingham City v Plymouth Argyle.
She'll take charge of Birmingham City v Plymouth Argyle.
Bayern Munich have broken the record for most Bundesliga goals in a calendar year.
After the fans turned on him against Crystal Palace, is sending Billy Gilmour on loan somewhere else something Chelsea should look to do?
โIf I am Chelsea, I'm bringing him back now โ โpack your stuff, get yourself back and we're going to find you a club in January that are going to play to your strengths'."
Former Newcastle United captain Fabricio Coloccini has retired from football.
Former #NUFC captain, Fabricio Coloccini has today announced his retirement from football.
Congratulations on a fantastic career, Colo and all the very best with your next chapter! ๐ฆ๐ท๐ค๐ค
No player has made more tackles than the Crystal Palace defender (55) in the Premier League.
#CPFC
Ryan Kent with an amazing finish.
This goal had it all! Rangers at their very best ๐โค๏ธ
#BestOf2021
Raphinha has been very impressive for Leeds United this season and has caught the eyes of Bayern Munich and a handful of Premier League sides. But at this moment, nothing is materialising.
๐ฒ More:
Cristiano Ronaldo has had a statue unveiled of him in India.
With Ben Chilwell sidelined for the remainder of the season, Chelsea are looking pretty thin in the left-back department. Our Simon Lillicrap looks into the potential options Thomas Tuchel could take a look at for a quick solution, including Coventry City loanee, Ian Maatsen.
Greatest Championship game ever?
#EFL | #SkyBetChampionship
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has tested positive for Covid-19 and will subsequently miss his side's clash with Manchester City on New Year's Day.
He makes a very good point. There really isn't much of an excuse.
Chelsea legend John Terry has returned to the club in an Academy Coaching Consultant role.
More here. โคต๏ธ
Norwich City boss Dean Smith has said that player welfare isn't being considered amidst the disruptive festive schedule.
Norwich boss Dean Smith believes teams should not have to play two games in three days in disruptive conditions, after his Covid-hit squad lost to Crystal Palace.
#bbcfootball
Who could forget this incredible nod to Rod Stewart?
Young Zak Lovelace has been included in Millwall's matchday squad for the game away at Coventry City, having been given permission by his parents and school.
Doncaster Rovers have appointed Gary McSheffrey as their new manager.
#DRFC
He knows the squad have quality but performances like that require a cutting edge and not have emotional moments in the game.
Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe has announced he will remain at the club for the remainder of the season.
The Leicester City boss was full of praise for Chelsea Women's manager, Emma Hayes.
"As a fellow coach, I've watched from the outside... you've done amazing"
Brendan Rodgers' tribute to @emmahayes1 ๐ #PLonPrime
West Ham United manager David Moyes hopes that clubs are being honest and Covid-19 is the sole reason for getting fixtures postponed rather than injuries.
โWe've got injuries, but I hope nobody is getting their games called off for injuries because we would have called a few of ours off if that were the case. I can't speak for other clubs.โ
Spot on.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp admitted he was frustrated with his side's lack of intensity against Leicester City.
Jurgen Klopp was not impressed with Liverpool's display v Leicester and how they adapted to the Foxes' formation
Shakhatar Donetsk have reportedly made a €15million offer for the Ajax winger
Really hope this deal happens. Neres has never been able to reach his 18/19 form again and hopefully we can use the money to find a better replacement.
