WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL LIVE- All the Champions and Premier League action - as it happens
25 Nov 2009 - 21:49:41
It's a busy night at home and in Europe with two Premier League fixtures and two of our teams involved in Matchday Five action in the Champions League. The domestic matches see Blackburn head to Fulham and strugglers Hull host Everton, in Europe, Manchester United take on Turkish champions Besiktas and Chelsea travel to Porto. We'll have updates on all the action as it happens from 7.30pm.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PORTO 0 CHELSEA 1 MAN UNITED 0 BESIKTAS 1 BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE FULHAM 2 BLACKBURN 0 HULL 3 EVERTON 2 9.25: GOAL! Clint Dempsey doubles Fulham's advantage and seems to have wrapped up the three points. Duff shot was deflected and dropped kindly to the American in the six-yard box to tap home.
9.20: Some bad news for Roy Hodgson's side - Bobby Zamora has just limped off with what looks like a foot injury.
9.15: In other west London-related news Fulham are looking much the better of the two teams in the second half. Everything is going through Damien Duff who is causing Blackburn loads of problems down the right-hand side.
9.11: GOAL! Nicolas Anelka's diving header has put the Londoner's in front. Great work down the left and Malouda threaded a great cross across the box that the Frenchman got his head on to.
Double-trouble: Drogba celbrates with Anelka after the Frenchman's opener
9.08: It's a real bore in the game between Porto and Chelsea, United are struggling to break Besiktas down and the game has restarted at the Cottage but all eyes are on the KC Stadium now as Phil Brown's side conspire to throw away a three goal lead against Everton.
9.06: GOAL! Saha sends Duke the wrong way - Everton right back in this. Game well and truly on!
9.05: PENALTY at the KC STADIUM! Zayatte brings down Louis Saha. Is the comeback on? Saha to take it.
9.02: Michael Owen is warming up and looks set to come on pretty soon - Sir Alex will be hoping for more heroics from the diminutive striker this evening. If he comes on, mind! And Obertan has a drive from 20-yards tipped around the post by Recber.
8.58: At the Estadio de Dragao, Deco manages to take a free-kick that hits the ref! It's not a great spectacle in Portugal.
Hide n Seek: Unied's Obertan and Besiktas' Uzulmez lose track of the ball
8.55: It's as you were at Old Trafford - more United pressure that amounts to nothing. An Obertan cross was looking for Park in the box but was swatted away by Toraman.
8.52: GOAL! Kamil Zayatte has put into his own net to get Everton back into the game. Heitinga's cross wasn't dealt with and Guinean carved in over Duke in goal. That's his fourth OG in two seasons!
8.50: The European matches and the clash in Hull are back underway.
8.45: Half-time at the Cottage and the hosts lead against the run of play. Nevland and Duff broke and after exchanging passes the striker slid the ball under Robinson.
8.44: GOAL! Erik Nevland has put Fulham in front! Just as we were writing off this first half as a bore-draw, the Norwegian forward has put the hosts in to the lead.
Breakthrough: Duff celebrates with Nevland after Fulham's opener
8.40: There's lots of action elsewhere but a complete dearth of it in west London as Fulham and Blackburn contest a dull encounter.
8.33: It's half-time in the matches in Porto and Hull but the story of the night so far is Rodrigo Tello's strike which has given Besiktas the lead at Old Trafford.
8.31: More pressure on the Everton goal as Jozy Altidore's drive from the right of the box, 20-yards out just shaved the post.
8.27: Besiktas hit the post! A nicely worked move into the box and Fink side-footed it onto the outside of the upright.
8.23: A horrible effort on goal from Darron Gibson goes well. out the ground, I think! It was that bad. Still United are constantly pressing - it can't take too long for the equalizer to come - can it?
No way through: Park applies more pressure on the Turkish defence
8.21: United are piling on all the pressure at Old Trafford but surely they are used to winning from losing positions in Europe this season? Over in Portugal, it has become a rather tame affair with both sides cancelling each other out. Nothing to report from the Fulham v Blackburn game yet.
8.16: Real chance for Porto after Meireles strikes a fearsome drive from 25-yards that hit the crossbar - Cech was stranded.
8.14: GOAL! Dean Marney makes it three for Hull - they're running riot and for the first time this season the goals are flowing freely for the Tigers. Stephen Hunt's cross was initially blocked but his second attempt found it's way to Dean Marney who slid the ball home.
8.07: GOAL! Tello puts the Turkish champions in front! He picked up the ball in the inside left channel, hammered it goalwards , it took a deflection off Rafael and beat the diving Foster. That came from absolutely nowhere!
Turkish delight: Tello is mobbed after giving the visitors the lead
8.05: GOAL! Andy Dawson has doubled the Tigers' lead over Everton with a stunning 30-yard free-kick which beat Tim Howard into the top right-hand corner.
Tiger's delight: Dawson peel away after hammering home Hull's second goal
8.00: The match is underway at Craven Cottage. Fulham boss Roy Hodgson recalled Damien Duff to face his former club Duff was on the bench for the defeat to Birmingham at the weekend but was back in the starting XI along with Erik Nevland and John Pantsil. Hodgson had been considering returns for Andy Johnson and Danny Murphy but did not risk the pair.
Blackburn, have Brett Emerton out, the Australian understood to have suffered a knee injury.
Keith Andrews hasd been drafted in as a replacement, while Lars Jacobsen comes inbecause Gael Givet had a thigh complaint.
7.59: A great chance at Old Trafford for Gibson after his shot was deflected but landed on the roof of the net - from the resulting corner Vidic headed wide from just six-yards out. Bad miss.
7.55: GOAL! Stephen Hunt slams Hull in front at the KC Stadium. Tim Howard parried a drive but Hunt tidies up Altidore's effort.
7.53: Macheda has a chance at Old Trafford but he was correctly adjudged offside after following up Park's drive.
7.48: Early chance for Porto after Meireles broke the offside trap but Terry was playing him on side - a let off for the Blues.
7.45: The games are underway in Porto, Manchester and Hull.
Kicking off: Malouda in action at the Estadio do Dragao
7.37: Back in the Champions League and to the Estadio do Dragao - Striker Didier Drogba was back in the Chelsea side and Yuri Zhirkov has replaced Ashley Cole at left-back with Deco, Ricardo Carvalho andMichael Ballack all recalled to the side as expected.
Porto have left Brazilian striker Hulk on the bench and experienced goalkeeper Helton failed a fitness test on an injured ankle so Beto continued in goal.
The teams - FC Porto: Beto, Sapunaru, Rolando, Bruno Alves, Pereira, Belluschi, Fernando, Raul Meireles, Varela, Falcao, Rodriguez. Subs: Nuno, Guarin, Valeri, Hulk, Maicon, Farias, Costa. Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Carvalho, Terry, Zhirkov, Mikel, Ballack, Malouda, Deco, Anelka, Drogba. Subs: Turnbull, Ashley Cole, Essien, Joe Cole, Kalou, Alex, Belletti.
7.33: To the Premier League now and the clash at the KC Stadium - Jimmy Bullard failed to make the Hull squad for tonight's clash against Everton.
Veteran George Boateng starts in his place, while playmaker Geovanni replaced Craig Fagan and Paul McShane returned for the suspended Bernard Mendy.
Everton are boosted by the return of Steven Pienaar after two months out with a knee injury.
Ayegbeni Yakubu, who scored when the sides met in the Carling Cup earlier this season, leads the line with Louis Saha.
The teams - Hull: Duke, McShane, Gardner, Zayatte, Dawson, Garcia, Marney,Boateng, Hunt, Geovanni, Altidore. Subs: Myhill, Barmby, Kilbane, Mouyokolo, Ghilas, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Cairney.Everton: Howard, Neill, Yobo, Distin, Baines, Cahill, Rodwell, Heitinga, Pienaar, Saha, Yakubu. Subs: Nash, Hibbert, Jo, Gosling, Coleman, Duffy, Baxter.
Salvation? Can Phil Brown's side steal three points at home to Everton
7.26: So - to Old Trafford for the first team news of the evening ... With qualification for the last 16 assured Sir Alex Ferguson has rung the changes - United goalkeeper Ben Foster is back between the posts for his side's clash with Besiktas.
Foster last started for against Barnsley in the Carling Cup last month but has played two games for England, including the defeat by Brazil 10 days ago.
Only Nemanja Vidic, Wes Brown and Rafael remained from the team that beat Everton on Saturday. Danny Welbeck and Federico Macheda are paired in attack.
The teams - Man Utd: Foster, Neville, Vidic, Brown, Rafael Da Silva, Obertan, Gibson, Anderson, Park, Macheda, Welbeck. Subs: Kuszczak, Evra, Owen, Carrick, Nani, Scholes, Fletcher.Besiktas: Recber, Kas, Ferrari, Toraman, Uzulmez, Fink, Ernst, Dag, Tello, Koybasi, Bobo. Subs: Celikay, Karadeniz, Rodrigo Tabata, Inceman, Yusuf Simsek, Guven, Zengin.
Big chance: Darron Gibson wins his second Champions League start this evening
7.20pm: Good evening and welcome to Sportsmail's coverage of busy night of European and domestic football.
After the drama of Liverpool dropping out of the Champions League we have the pleasure of watching two teams who have already made it through to the last - 16 of Europe's elite competition but that doesn't mean they can take their foot off the gas.
United and Chelsea will both want to finish top of their respective Groups as the draw for the next round pits first in one Group versus second from another. Details, details.
We're expecting victories for both the English sides tonight.
Onto domestic matters, 16th plays 14th as Hull host Everton and under-fire Tigers boss Phil Brown will be hoping there's no repeat of their League Cup meeting earlier this season where the Toffees hammered the East Yorkshire side 4-0.
And over in west London Fulham play their first home fixture this month after a taxing time on the road and will be hoping there's no repeat of last season when Blackburn did the double over the Cottagers.
There's still no Sam Allardyce this evening with Neil McDonald at the helm once again, which is bad news for Allardyce who is awaiting heart surgery, but good news for Rovers who picked up their first victory on the road after 10 successive defeats in the victory over Bolton on Sunday.
I'll have all the team news and and all the action from tonight's matches from kick-off and feel free to lend me your thoughts during the course of the evening - tom.bellwood@dailymail.co.uk
Double up: Drogba celebrates his brace against Madrid in the last Group game
Hiddink tug of war: Bayern set to thwart Chelsea by swapping Van Gaal for Guus'Chelsea feel invincible' - John Terry believes Blues can win it all this seasonUnited's Fletcher hopes new found freedom will add goals to his gameDavid Moyes tells Hull's Phil Brown: You're a victim of your own successHutton on Moyes' radar as Everton admit they will splash out in JanuaryBlackburn boss Sam Allardyce's heart problems a wake-up call to all managers, warns Fulham's Roy Hodgson
Explore more:People:Bobby Zamora, Ashley Cole, Nemanja Vidic, Danny Murphy, Yuri Zhirkov, Damien Duff, Joe Cole, Bruno Alves, Craig Fagan, Danny Welbeck, Louis Saha, Nani, Michael Owen, George Boateng, Lars Jacobsen, Ben Foster, Alex Ferguson, Sam Allardyce, Nicolas Anelka, Paul McShane, John Pantsil, WES BROWN, Didier Drogba, Phil Brown, Jimmy Bullard, Federico Macheda, Keith Andrews, Deco, Michael BallackPlaces:Liverpool, London, Manchester, United Kingdom, Portugal, Brazil, Europe
