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AS IT HAPPENED

As they happened: Premier League 3pm kick-offs

Calm your sore and beery heads with some football (and Alka Seltzer, in extreme cases). We’re live across today’s 3pm kick-offs…

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the games. E-mail tony@thescore.ie, tweet @thescore_iepost a message to our Facebook wall, or leave a comment below.

Full-Times:

Manchester City 3-0 Stoke City
Swansea 2-2 Aston Villa
Tottenham 3-1 Reading
West Ham 2-1 Norwich
Wigan 0-4 Manchester United

We’re just three minutes from kick-off in all the games. Here are today’s teams…

Man City v Stoke

Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy, Milner, Toure, Barry, Silva, Dzeko, Aguero
Subs: Pantilimon, Sinclair, Javi Garcia, Toure, Tevez, Nastasic, Razak

Stoke: Begovic, Cameron, Huth, Shawcross, Wilkinson, Walters, Adam, Nzonzi, Whelan, Jerome, Jones
Subs: Sorensen, Wilson, Whitehead, Upson, Kightly, Crouch, Etherington

Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
=
Swansea v Aston Villa


Swansea: Vorm, Rangel, Williams, Chico, Davies, Routledge, Britton, Michu, de Guzman, Hernandez, Graham
Subs: Tremmel, Dyer, Monk, Shechter, Tiendalli, Ki, Agustien

Aston Villa: Guzan, Lowton, Herd, Clark, Stevens, Albrighton, Westwood, Delph, Bennett, Weimann, Benteke
Subs: Given, Ireland, Holman, Bowery, Bannan, Lichaj, Carruthers

Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire)
=
Tottenham v Reading

Tottenham: Lloris, Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, Naughton, Lennon, Sandro, Dembele, Sigurdsson, Adebayor, Defoe
Subs: Friedel, Dempsey, Huddlestone, Parker, Falque, Livermore, Caulker

Reading: Federici, Gunter, Pearce, Mariappa, Harte, Kebe, Karacan, Leigertwood, Guthrie, McAnuff, Pogrebnyak
Subs: Taylor, Le Fondre, Hunt, Morrison, Tabb, Robson-Kanu, Cummings

Referee: Howard Webb
=
West Ham v Norwich

West Ham: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Reid, Tomkins, O’Brien, Noble, Collison, Taylor, Jarvis, Vaz Te, Cole
Subs: Spiegel, Maiga, Diarra, Spence, O’Neil, Lletget, Lee

Norwich: Bunn, Martin, Bassong, Turner, Ryan Bennett, Snodgrass, Howson, Tettey, Pilkington, Hoolahan, Kane
Subs: Rudd, Jackson, Fox, Elliott Bennett, Barnett, Tierney, Smith

Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear)
=
Wigan v Man Utd

Wigan: Al Habsi, Ramis, Caldwell, Figueroa, Boyce, McCarthy, McArthur, Beausejour, Di Santo, Maloney, Kone
Subs: Pollitt, Jones, Gomez, McManaman, Boselli, Stam, Golobart

Man Utd: De Gea, Da Silva, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Young, Carrick, Cleverley, Giggs, van Persie, Hernandez
Subs: Lindegaard, Valencia, Smalling, Vidic, Welbeck, Scholes, Kagawa

And… we… are… off!

In case you missed it earlier, West Brom and Fulham were in action at the Hawthorns. Here’s how the match unfolded.

Goal! West Ham 1-0 Norwich

Just a couple of minutes have elapsed and we have our first goal of the day. Mark Noble’s corner causes trouble in the Norwich box. Ryan Bennett is climbing all over one of the West Ham players and a penalty is awarded. Noble never misses from the penalty spot.

Another goal! Tottenham 0-1 Reading

An Ian Harte free-kick rebounds to the feet of Pavel Pogrebnyak, and the Russian scores for the second game in successions.

Elsewhere, Manchester City have made a fine start against Stoke, with James Milner almost scoring after combining well with Sergio Aguero.

That’s the first time this season that Spurs have conceded inside the first 15 minutes.

Goal! Swansea 1-0 Aston Villa

Swansea could have already had three goals, and they make this one count as Wayne Routledge rounds Brad Guzan and slots in his fifth goal this season. Awful defending from the visitors. In the next move, Michu hits the post. Villa are in tatters. Absolute tatters.

Another goal! Tottenham 1-1 Reading

Michael Dawson scores his first goal since February 2011 as he gets in front of (boo to having to type this out again) Pogrebnyak and head Spurs level at the near post.

Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez finds the back of the net from 15 yards but the goal is ruled out for offside.

West Ham are completely dominating Norwich, while Paul Merson says he would be staggered if Stoke manage to shut out a rampant Manchester City at Eastlands.

Expect a 0-0, in that case.

Not the Premier League, but interesting enough…

A let-off for West Ham at Upton Park. A brilliant free-kick from Robert Snodgrass beats Jussi Jaaskelainen, but not the post.

Goal! West Ham 2-0 Norwich

More fine work from Mark Noble, who gets to the by-line and pulls back for Joey O’Brien, celebrating his 50th West Ham appearance, to score his second goal of the season.

At the Liberty Stadium, Michu hits the post and Pablo Hernandez drags the rebound wide.

It’s gone a bit quiet. Both Manchester clubs are putting the pressure on, but Stoke and Wigan are both riding their luck.

Goal! Wigan 0-1 Manchester United

Patrice Evra has two attempts on goal. The first one gets stuck under his foot, the second gets saved by Ali Al-Habsi, but Hernandez is on hand to score his 11th of the season.

Goal! Wigan 0-2 Manchester United

A home defender slips and ball falls to van Persie. He shapes as though he’s going to shoot with his left foot but curls the ball home beautifully with his right foot.

Goal! Swansea 1-1 Aston Villa

Ashley Williams is at fault as Andreas Weimann steals in to equalise. Did not see that one coming.

And, finally, goal! Manchester City 1-0 Stoke City

James Milner’s pull-back sets up Pablo Zabaleta to sidefoot past Asmir Begovic from close range.

We have half-time, and goals, in all the games. See you for the second half!

And we’re back for the second half.

Jermain Defoe has a chance for Spurs but it’s saved by Adam Federici.

Goal! Tottenham 2-1 Reading

Aaron Lennon crosses and Emmanuel Adebayor produces a fantastic leap to beat Federici. That’s the striker’s first goal at White Hart Lane this season.

Meanwhile, at Upton Park, Norwich are denied a certain penalty when Hoolahan plays Harry Kane through. Not given.

At the Etihad, Edin Dzeko has just whistled a 20-yard volley over the bar.

Remember this? From August 16th…

Goal! Manchester City 2-0 Stoke City

A quick free-kick falls to Sergio Aguero, who toe poke is parried and Edin Dzeko scores his 10th Premier League goal of the season.

A disallowed goal for Wigan at the DW Stadium. Jonny Evans puts through his own net but Arouna Kone was judged to be offside.

Seen.

Them.

Given.

Goal! Wigan 0-3 Manchester United

A free-kick from van Persie is deflected into the path of Hernandez, and the Mexican scores his second of the game on the half volley from 15 yards. It’s all over.

That’s Chicharito’s eighth brace for Manchester United – he has never scored a hat-trick though!

Meanwhile, at West Ham, Ricardo Vaz Te hits the post as the home side continue to press against Norwich City.

It’s taken over ten years, but El-Hadji Diouf finally has a fan in English football…

Nzonzi pulls back David Silva and Manchester City earn a penalty at the Etihad.

Goal! Manchester City 3-0 Stoke City

Sergio Aguero scores his tenth goal of the season. Fine penalty.

Bad news for Manchester City fans – Sergio Aguero has pulled up with what looks like a bad hamstring injury and Carlos Tevez replaces him.

Goal! Tottenham 3-1 Reading

A shot from Clint Dempsey takes a wicked deflection and totally wrongfoots Federici for Spurs’ third.

Chris Smalling is VERY lucky not to be sent off for pulling down Kone. Clear professional foul but the Manchester United defender escapes with a booking.

Arsenal team: Szczesny, Sagna, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arteta, Wilshere, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cazorla, Podolski, Walcott.

Southampton team: Boruc, Cork, Fonte (c), Yoshida, Shaw, Puncheon, Schneiderlin, S. Davis, Guly, Ramírez, Lambert.

Goal! Swansea 1-2 Aston Villa

This looked impossible early in the game, but Villa have the lead. Weimann is brought down in the Swans’ box and up steps Christian Benteke to score the penalty, his tenth goal of the season.

Goal! Wigan 0-4 Manchester United

Whoever has van Persie in their fantasy league team will be happy, as he gets on the end of a Danny Welbeck cross. Poor defending from Wigan to let the England forward in in the first place.

Goal! West Ham 2-1 Norwich

Russell Martin now has three goals in two games as he cuts the deficit in half for Norwich.

We’re into injury time in most of today’s games.

It’s all over at the DW Stadium, and United have their best points total at this stage of the season for six years.

In other news…

GOAL! Swansea 2-2 Aston Villa!

The Swans press and press and eventually their persistence pays off, as Danny Graham volleys a superb equaliser.

It’s full-time at West Ham, and now it’s full-time at Swansea, and we have full-times in the other two games as Manchester City easily beat Stoke and Spurs beat Reading.

That’s all from me for today, but Paul Fennessy will be back shortly for Southampton v Arsenal. Thanks for keeping up, and happy new year!

As it happened: West Brom v Fulham, Premier League >

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