Manchester City v Fulham, Aston Villa v Brighton and more – Premier League clockwatch

Key events

Show key events only

Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature

Preamble

When two Premier League games come along within a few days, fortunes change fast. This midweek has already proved too much for Thomas Frank, who lost to Newcastle and found himself getting sacked in the morning.

A tight turnaround, combined with the relentless tempo of the Prem, means that everyone is liable to falter. With Chelsea and Man United both drawing last night against opponents well below them in the table, the only teams to have won their last two games are Arsenal and Brentford, who meet tomorrow. Of the eight clubs playing tonight, only Man City and Crystal Palace won at the weekend.

The meetings we’re seeing in this midweek all took place in another midweek, only a couple of months ago, on 2-4 December. And two of them were like something from Boxing Day 1963. Fulham went 5-1 down at home to Man City, then scored three and threatened to pull off one of the great shocks. Brighton went 2-0 up at home to Villa, only to lose 4-3. Was nobody thinking of the poor scribe manning the Clockwatch?

This evening Scott Murray is covering Sunderland v Liverpool at 8.15pm GMT, while I bring you the goals from the 7.30 games. Here they are, with league positions in brackets.

Aston Villa (3rd) v Brighton (15th)
Brighton are in a slump, with only one league win since they opened the first window on their Advent calendars, but they do tend to have more bite when they’re the underdog. And Villa have lost their last two league games at home, to Everton and Brentford, both by 1-0.

Crystal Palace (13th) v Burnley (19th)
After a nightmare that lasted two months, Palace suddenly woke up on Sunday, when they won the A23 derby. They should be full of confidence against Burnley, who have only one away win all season (at Wolves, back in October). But if Burnley can draw at Anfield, they surely have it in them to get a point at Selhurst Park.

Man City (2nd) v Fulham (12th)
This is the match with the most riding on it. After their last-gasp heroics at Anfield, City simply have to keep the heat on Arsenal. Fulham, even more than most teams, blow hot and cold: after winning five games out of seven in all comps up to mid-January, they’ve lost three of the past four.

Nottingham Forest (17th) v Wolves (20th)
It’s the Nuno derby, and both these clubs could do with him now. Wolves are all but doomed, their recovery after Christmas now a distant memory. Forest have been decent since winning the six-pointer at West Ham a month ago, but they’ve still found their old boss creeping up on them. The cushion they’re sitting on has shrunk from seven points to just two, so they can’t afford a stumble tonight. Nails may be bitten.