Arsenal: Fabianski, Sagna, Djourou, Vermaelen, Coquelin, Song, Arteta, Gervinho, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain, van Persie.
Subs: Szczesny, Rosicky, Walcott, Squillaci, Arshavin, Chamakh, Benayoun.

Sunderland: Mignolet, Bardsley, O’Shea, Turner, Richardson, Larsson, Cattermole, Gardner, Colback, McClean, Sessegnon.
Subs: Westwood, Bridge, Campbell, Ji, Meyler, Kyrgiakos, Elmohamady.

9 mins: SUBSTITUTION (Arsenal) Sebastien Squillacion for Francis Coquelin.

38 mins: YELLOW CARD (Arsenal) Djourou

39 mins: GOAL! (Richardson) Sunderland 1 Arsenal 0

Half time: Sunderland 1 Arsenal 0

46 mins: YELLOW CARD (Arsenal) Sagna

51 mins: SUBSTITUTION (Arsenal) Tomas Rosicky for Sebastien Squillaci.

51 mins: SUBSTITUTION (Arsenal) Theo Walcott for Aaron Ramsey

56 mins: YELLOW CARD (Arsenal) Vermaelen

63 mins: YELLOW CARD (Sunderland) Larsson

74 mins: YELLOW CARD (Sunderland) Gardner

77 mins: GOAL! (Oxlade-Chamberlain o.g.) Sunderland 2 Arsenal 0

78 mins: YELLOW CARD (Cattermole)

87 mins: SUBSTITUTION (Sunderland) Fraizer Campbell for Stephane Sessegnon.

Full time: Sunderland 2 Arsenal 0

After a poor run of results culminating in a humiliating 5-1 defeat at home to West Brom at the weekend, it came as no surprise this morning (Monday) when Wolves announced that manager, Mick McCarthy, had been sacked.

The home fans were dis-satisfied with the efforts made by McCarthy’s side in Saturday’s derby humiliation and expressed this by loud boos at the final whistle.

Former Milwall, Ireland and Sunderland manager McCarthy had held the reigns at Wolves since 2006. Terry Connor will take charge of team training until a new manager is appointed.

Here are the early favourites to be the next permanent Wolves manager.

Rafael Benitez 3/1
Neil Warnock 4/1
Steve Bruce 4/1
Paul Ince 5/1
Alan Curbishley 8/1
Karl Robinson 8/1
Roberto Di Matteo 10/1
Roy Keane 10/1
Billy Davies 11/1
Dave Jones 14/1
Dougie Freedman 14/1
Gary McAllister 16/1
Gordon Strachan 16/1
Gus Poyet 16/1
Gareth Southgate 20/1
Glenn Hoddle 20/1
Graham Souness 20/1
Lee Clark 20/1
Malky Mackay 20/1
Owen Coyle 20/1
Roberto Martinez 20/1
Sam Allardyce 20/1
Simon Grayson 20/1
Stuart Pearce 20/1
Andy Gray 25/1
Brendan Rogers 25/1
Chris Hughton 25/1
Darren Ferguson 25/1
David O’Leary 25/1
Gary Megson 25/1
Ray Wilkins 25/1
Sean O’Driscoll 25/1
Terry Connor 25/1
Alex McLeish 33/1
Phil Brown 33/1
Sven Goran Eriksson 33/1
Iain Dowie 40/1
Paul Lambert 40/1
Steve Bull 50/1

Centre-back Joeleon Lescott, who supported Aston Villa as a child, picked up the crucial goal from a corner when Gareth Barry headed the ball back across the goal and Lescott was on hand the volley the ball past Shay Given, breaking the hearts of the home support.

In the last ten minutes of the game, Villa flooded the City box and had a number of close chances with Joe Harte once again in top form, stopping a close range shot from Darren Bent, which was probably the best chance of a goal for the Villans.

City, with just one win in their last six away games, conjured the first chance inside three minutes, sparked by Collins only clearing a Zabaleta long ball into the path of David Silva.

From then on it seemed like the home side were playing for a 0-0 draw, as they committed very few players going forward. Both Aston Villa centre-backs were in top form with captain Richard Dunne showing particular resolve. The Irish international was later to be stretchered off after he sustained an injury during a clash with Joe Harte.

Man City now move back into the top spot of the Premier League and will hope to build on their two point lead on Manchester rivals United in the coming weeks.

Man United earned bragging rights from their Premier League clash with Liverpool this afternoon, as the Red Devils recorded a 2-1 scoreline thanks to a brace from Wayne Rooney.

Before the game had even kicked off, the drama unravelled, as Luis Suarez refused to shake hands with Man United captain Patrice Evra.

Once the action on the field kicked off, Evra and his fellow defender Rio Ferdinand clashed heads, when Evra sprinted towards Luis Suarez in an attempt to win the ball off the Liverpool striker.

The main talking point of a pretty quiet first half occurred just before the break, when Luis Suarez seemed to be taken out by Rio Ferdinand who at the time of contact was the last man behind the ball.

The referee judged that Ferdinand had made contact with the ball and the play was waved on to the displease of an enraged Suarez. The sides went in for their half-time rest with deadlock unbroken at 0-0.

Within a few minutes of the play resuming, Wayne Rooney had put his team on the scoreboard, when a cross from Valencia was met with a superb volley which left the Liverpool goalkeeper with no chance of making a save.

Moments later Rooney was once again on target, when he picked up the ball inside the box and slid the ball through Pepe Reina’s legs.

With just ten minutes remaining on the clock, Luis Suarez silenced the Old Trafford crowd when he shot past David De Gea, giving Liverpool a chance of equalising the game before the final whistle. However, the United defence stood strong and defended their lead.

This win for Man United puts them temporarily ahead of their rivals Man City by one point, with the Blues set to play their game in hand tomorrow (Sunday).

An already heated Man United v Liverpool match got off to a heated start, as controversial striker Luis Suarez refused to shake hands with Patrice Evra.

When it seemed that the feud would be put to bed, as Evra offered his hand to Suarez but to the surprised of the crowd, Suarez ignored the offer and walked past Evra.

This seemed to anger the United captain who grabbed Suarez’s arm aggressively but his attempts at some old fashioned argy bargy were cut off by another Liverpool player!

Man Utd v Liverpool – Tips:
Man Utd to win @ 5/6
Under 2.5 goals @ 10/11

Manchester United can move, temporarily at least, to the top of the Premier League table with a home win over Liverpool this Saturday lunchtime. All three points would see the champions move one point clear of neighbours Manchester City who do not play until late Sunday afternoon.

Having battled back from 3-0 down to salvage a point at Stamford Bridge last weekend Sir Alex Ferguson’s side will go into this game in buoyant mood, although slightly concerned by the manner in which they initially went behind.

Liverpool, however, have no such defensive concerns after a goalless draw at home to Spurs on Monday night embellished their already impressive record at the back. The Reds have conceded, on average, less than one goal per game in the Premier League and have the second best defensive record in the division.

Jose Enrique could return to the back four having missed Monday night’s game due to a hamstring injury, but other than that manager Kenny Dalglish has no fresh injury concerns.

Manchester United had hoped to have Nani back for the game against Chelsea but the Portuguese didn’t win his race with time for that one. It should, however, mean that he is fresh and raring to go for this weekend. Anders Lindegaard has been ruled out for 4-6 weeks and therefore David de Gea will almost certainly continue in goal. Phil Jones, NemanjaVidic, Michael Owen and Tom Cleverley are amongst those who remain in the treatment room.

Luis Suarez was forced to settle for a place on the bench when returning from suspension on Monday night; Dalglish opting not to throw the Uruguayan in at the deep end after six weeks on the sidelines. But it is unlikely that he will resist the temptation here as the eight-goal striker certainly brings an extra impetus to his side when he is on the pitch.

All eyes will be on the 25-year-old as he and Patrice Evra come face to face for the first time since the infamous incident that led to Suarez’s eight-game ban. The Liverpool striker is 7/1 to score the first goal of the game and 15/8 to score at anytime.

When the two teams met at Anfield earlier in the season an untypically subdued affair produced a 1-1 draw. Liverpool, however, had the upper hand when they crossed paths more recently in the FA Cup at the end of January.

Importantly, those results both came on home soil for Liverpool. Away from Anfield they have been far less frivolous. A 3-0 thrashing at Manchester City and a 4-0 battering at White Hart Lane highlight their deficiencies on the road, and unless they catch United on an off day a similar result, although not scoreline, could be on the horizon. A home win at odds of 5/6 looks particularly tempting, although the 10/11 on there being fewer than 2.5 goals is appealing given Liverpool’s frugality at the back.

Tottenham v Newcastle – Top Tips:
Under 2.5 goals @ Evens if Van der Vaart and Lennon don’t play
Over 2.5 goals @ 8/11 if Van der Vaart and Lennon do play

After two weeks of staring at the inside walls of a courtroom Harry Redknapp was back on the training ground on Thursday morning, and Tottenham will be all the better for it.

Having been cleared on two counts of cheating the public revenue Redknapp can get back to doing what he does best: managing football clubs, and particularly Spurs. The Lilywhites haven’t exactly been on top of their game in the past fortnight, but neither have they capitulated in Redknapp’s general absence. They’ll be hoping to get firmly back on track with a home win this weekend.

But they’ll face a stern examination against a Newcastle side that refuse to roll over in their pursuit of European football. The Geordies coped amicably without their main goal threat Demba Ba over the past month and continue to churn out results with unwavering regularity.

Ba’s Senegalese strike partner PapissCisse enjoyed a dream debut at the Sports Direct Arena as he struck the winner against Aston Villa at the weekend after replacing Leon Best from the substitute’s bench. Best has been ruled out for several weeks with the knee injury he sustained in that game and therefore Cisse is expected to make his first start at White Hart Lane this Saturday.

YohanCabaye serves the final game of a three-match ban, while Ryan Taylor is a doubt after sustaining soft tissue damage in the 2-1 win over Villa. Steven Taylor and Sammy Ameobi are long-term absentees while CheikTiote is still on international duty with Ivory Coast.

Jermain Defoe, Rafael van der Vaart and Aaron Lennon all have outside chances of returning to the side, having missed the goalless draw with Liverpool. However, all three are expected to undergo late fitness tests. Tom Huddlestone, William Gallas and Jermaine Jenas are all definitely out.

The two sides played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in the northeast earlier this season, with Spurs twice being pegged back after taking the lead through Van der Vaart then Defoe. The fitness of both players, plus Lennon, could be crucial to the outcome of this one.

Spurs looked devoid of flair and creativity when drawing a blank at Anfield, although the best chance of the match did fall to a wasteful Gareth Bale. But at the same time, they rarely looked like conceding and the defensive work of Scott Parker offered another example of why many believe he should be wearing the England armband this summer.

Tottenham are far from being a notoriously defensive side, but when circumstances dictate – such as the current injuries to flair players – they are more than capable of keeping things tight. Team news will be crucial, but if Van der Vaart and Lennon are both unavailable then the Evens on Under 2.5 goals should be strongly considered. Conversely, if they are both involved then the 8/11 on Over 2.5 looks a sound option.

The match odds market seems to disregard Newcastle’s form a little and prices the home side at odds of 4/9. Although I expect Redknapp’s return to the dugout will inspire his side, it’s a price, and market, probably best worth avoiding this weekend.

Chesea: Cech, Ivanovic, David Luiz, Cahill, Bosingwa, Meireles, Essien, Malouda, Sturridge, Torres, Mata.

Man Utd: De Gea, Rafael, Evans, Ferdinand, Evra, Valencia Giggs, Carrick, Young, Rooney; Welbeck.

30 mins: YELLOW CARD (Torres)

35 mins: GOAL! – (Jonny Evans) – Chelsea 1 – 0 Man Utd

Clip – chel vs man 1-0 by motifoot

45 mins: YELLOW CARD (Ivanovic)

HT: Chelsea 1 Man Utd 0

46 mins: GOAL! – (Juan Mata) – Chelsea 2 – 0 Man Utd

Clip – chel vs man 2-0 by motifoot

49 mins: YELLOW CARD (Evra)

49 mins: GOAL! – (David Luiz) – Chelsea 3 – 0 Man Utd

Clip – chel vs man 3-0 by motifoot

52 mins: Substitution (Man Utd) Hernandez on for Young.

57 mins: GOAL! – (Wayne Rooney, pen) – Chelsea 3 – 1 Man Utd

Clip – chel vs man 3-1 by motifoot

62 mins: Substitution (Man Utd) Scholes on for Rafael

68 mins: GOAL! – (Wayne Rooney, pen) – Chelsea 3 – 2 Man Utd

Clip – chel vs man 3-2 by motifoot

69 mins: Substitution (Chelsea) Romeu on for Sturridge

83 mins: GOAL! – (Javier Hernandez) – Chelsea 3 – 3 Man Utd

85 mins: Substitution (Man Utd) Park on for Welbeck

FT: Chelsea 3 Man Utd 3