PREMIER LEAGUE LIVE: All of Wednesday”s action from around the grounds as it happens
Follow Sportsmail”s coverage of the Barclays Premier League where there are seven fixtures including the top two, Manchester City and Manchester United in action. Roberto Mancini”s side host Stoke while the Red Devils travel to Fulham. Elsewhere it”s Aston Villa v Arsenal, Everton v Swansea, Newcastle v West Brom, QPR v Sunderland and Wigan v Liverpool. Email me your thoughts on the action at dan.ripley@dailymail.co.uk or contact me on Twitter @Ripinho.
Live scores
Click here for all the goals as they go in
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal (7.45pm)
Everton 0-0 Swansea (8pm)
Fulham 0-0 Manchester United (8pm)
Manchester City 0-0 Stoke (7.45pm)
Newcastle 0-0 West Brom (7.45pm)
QPR 0-0 Sunderland (8pm)
Wigan 0-0 Liverpool (8pm)
Live Premier League table
20.06: Liverpool are certainly fired up anyway, Wigan can hardly get out of their half here.
20.03: GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 ARSENAL
No complaints as Ciaran Clark pulls back on Theo Walcott, and Robin van Persie steps up to convert from the penalty spot. He has equalled a club record of 34 Premier League goals in a calender year – joining Thierry Henry.
20.02: PENALTY (Arsenal)
20.01: Away we go all around then.
19.58: Teams are out for the 8pm kick-offs. Villa go close again with Agbonlahor firing over – Arsenal on the back-foot here.
19.57: Worth pointing out that the Liverpool players were all wearing Luis Suarez t-shirts in their warm up after the striker was hit with an eight game ban and a 40,000 fine yesterday.
19.55: Decent chance for Aston Villa with Gabriel Agbonlahor forcing a decent save from Wojciech Szczesny.
19.53: Reid indeed has to come of after his ankle effectively buckles trying to control the ball. Billy Jones is on in his place.
19.50: Little action so far but an injury concern for West Brom as Steven Reid lands awkwardly on his ankle after jumping for a header.
(I still back Osman by the way for the 20,000th goal)
19.47: The 7.45pm games are underway.
Squad unity: Liverpool players wear Luis Suarez shirts in support after he was hit with an FA charge
19.46: Hi Dan, I think we”re 11 goals away though, not 18.
Rik Sharma
I have to be honest I didn”t think my maths was THAT bad, though the amount of goals I”m out does equal the seven goals scored last night. Either way, thanks Rik!
19.45: And before we get going, a couple of Christmas crackers from InfostradaLive:
Swansea have failed to beat #Everton in all 13 previous meetings in all competitions #PL #EPL
Wayne Rooney makes his 300th #EPL appearance at the age of 26 years and 58 days – the youngest to reach this milestone in the #PL #MUFC
19.43: Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is rested for tonight”s Barclays Premier League clash with Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Ryan Giggs comes in for Ferdinand with Phil Jones moving from midfield to defence, while Anders Lindegaard is preferred ahead of David de Gea in goal.
Fulham name an unchanged line-up with Bobby Zamora only winning a place on the bench after recovering from a knee injury.
In the spotlight: Despite his FA charge, Luis Suarez starts for Liverpool at Wigan
19.42: Striker Luis Suarez is named in Liverpool”s starting line-up at Wigan less than 24 hours after learning of his eight-match ban from Football Association.
The Uruguay international remains eligible to play while the club decide whether to appeal against the punishment for misconduct for using insulting words to Patrice Evra which included a reference to the Manchester United defender”s colour.
Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt replace Craig Bellamy and Jonjo Shelvey as the only changes from Sunday”s win at Aston Villa.
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez names the same side which drew 1-1 with Chelsea at the DW Stadium on Saturday.
19.38: Team news from the DW Stadium:
Wigan v Liverpool
Wigan: Al Habsi, Caldwell, Alcaraz, Figueroa, Stam, Jones, Diame, McCarthy, Moses, Gomez, Sammon. Subs: Pollitt, Crusat, Watson, Di Santo, McArthur, Rodallega, Lopez.
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Jose Enrique, Henderson, Adam, Downing, Kuyt, Maxi, Suarez. Subs: Doni, Carroll, Coates, Carragher, Shelvey, Kelly, Bellamy.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
19.35: Everton boss David Moyes leaves Tim Cahill on the bench for tonight”s Barclays Premier League clash with Swansea at Goodison Park.
The Australia midfielder has not scored a league goal since netting against Manchester City a year ago and he is replaced in the starting line-up by Seamus Coleman on his return from injury while Royston Drenthe also comes into the starting XI.
Swansea are unchanged from the weekend”s goalless draw against Newcastle, with fit-again Angel Rangel having to settle for a place on the bench.
19.32: But United will also hope to to top the table on December 25 with a win at Fulham helping them on their way:
Fulham v Man Utd
Fulham: Stockdale, Baird, Senderos, Hangeland, John Arne Riise, Ruiz, Murphy, Etuhu, Dempsey, Dembele, Johnson. Subs: Etheridge, Kelly, Gecov, Duff, Hughes, Frei, Zamora.
Man Utd: Lindegaard, Smalling, Jones, Evans, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Nani, Rooney, Welbeck. Subs: De Gea, Berbatov, Park, Hernandez, Young, Rafael Da Silva, Fryers.
Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire)
Mexican magician: Javier Hernandez (left) starts in attack for Manchester United
19.29: Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli is left on the bench for the Barclays Premier League leaders” clash with Stoke tonight.
The Italian makes way for winger Adam Johnson in one of three changes at the Etihad Stadium with Joleon Lescott and Gael Clichy also returning in defence.
In-form Stoke are without Peter Crouch through illness and make four changes in all.
Wilson Palacios is handed his first league start for the club while Matthew Upson replaces the suspended Ryan Shawcross and attack duo Cameron Jerome and Kenwyne Jones come in.
19.26: Will the league leaders stay top going into Christmas From the Etihad Stadium:
Man City v Stoke
Man City: Hart, Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy, Barry, Toure Yaya, Johnson, Silva, Nasri, Aguero. Subs: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Milner, Savic, Toure Kolo, De Jong, Balotelli.
Stoke: Sorensen, Huth, Woodgate, Upson, Wilson, Walters, Palacios, Whitehead, Shotton, Jones, Jerome. Subs: Begovic, Fuller, Diao, Pennant, Delap, Etherington, Arismendi.
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
19.23: Full team news from Loftus Road:
QPR v Sunderland
QPR: Kenny, Young, Gabbidon, Connolly, Traore, Barton, Faurlin, Derry, Wright Phillips, Mackie, Helguson. Subs: Cerny, Hill, Hall, Taarabt, Campbell, Bothroyd, Smith.
Sunderland: Westwood, O”Shea, Bramble, Brown, Bardsley, Larsson, Cattermole, Vaughan, Richardson, Sessegnon, Bendtner. Subs: Carson, Gardner, Kilgallon, Colback, Ji, McClean, Elmohamady.
Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands)
19.22: 20,000th goal A Richard Dunne OG!
Jeff Mann, anon
Arsenal”s villain Gabriel Agbonlahor (left) returns for Aston Villa
19.20: Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish makes four changes for tonight”s home Barclays Premier League clash with Arsenal.
Striker Gabriel Agbonlahor – back after suspension – midfielders Stephen Ireland and Ciaran Clark and defender Carlos Cuellar replace the injured Emile Heskey plus Nathan Delfouneso, Fabian Delph and James Collins respectively.
Arsenal are without the injured defender Johan Djourou and suspended midfielder Alex Song.
Makeshift right-back Francis Coquelin – a recognised midfielder – and Emmanuel Frimpong come into the side.
19.17: Teenager Haris Vuckic is handed a first Barclays Premier League start for Newcastle against West Brom tonight.
The 19-year-old Slovenian is drafted in as a replacement for the suspended Yohan Cabaye as the Magpies look to end their five-game run without a victory.
Baggies boss Roy Hodgson makes just one change to the side which won 2-1 at Blackburn at the weekend with Jerome Thomas replacing the injured James Morrison.
19.14: Full team news from Goodison Park and Leon Osman is my 20,000 goal pick…for absolutely no reason whatsoever.
Everton v Swansea
Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Heitinga, Baines, Coleman, Fellaini, Neville, Drenthe, Osman, Saha. Subs: Mucha, Stracqualursi, McFadden, Distin, Cahill, Gueye, Barkley.
Swansea: Vorm, Richards, Williams, Caulker, Taylor, Routledge, Gower, Britton, Allen, Sinclair, Graham. Subs: Tremmel, Dobbie, Monk, Lita, Moore, Rangel, Agustien.
Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire)
Late withdrawal: James Morrison (left) is absent for West Brom
19.11: Slight amendment to the team news at St James” Park folks. Graham Dorrans is a sub for the visitors instead of James Morrison.
19.10: Full team news from Villa Park where our friend Jalal and his 20,000 bet at least has a chance of coming in:
Aston Villa v Arsenal
Aston Villa: Guzan, Hutton, Dunne, Cuellar, Warnock, Albrighton, Ireland, Clark, Petrov, N”Zogbia, Agbonlahor. Subs: Marshall, Collins, Delfouneso, Delph, Bannan, Weimann, Williams.
Arsenal: Szczesny, Coquelin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Walcott, Ramsey, Frimpong, Arteta, Gervinho, van Persie. Subs: Almunia, Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Squillaci, Arshavin, Chamakh, Benayoun.
Referee: Jon Moss (W Yorkshire)
19.07: Full line-ups from St James” Park where the hosts hope to end a sequence of five games without a win:
Newcastle v West Brom
Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, Perch, Coloccini, Santon, Obertan, Vuckic, Tiote, Gutierrez, Best, Ba. Subs: Elliot, Williamson, Ben Arfa, Abeid, Ryan Taylor, Shola Ameobi, Sammy Ameobi.
West Brom: Foster, Reid, McAuley, Olsson, Shorey, Thomas, Mulumbu, Scharner, Brunt, Odemwingie, Long. Subs: Fulop, Morrison, Dawson, Jones, Thorne, Cox, Fortune.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)
19.04: Our very own RVP who else
Jalal Janish, anon.
Early shouts for Arsenal”s Robin van Persie…can”t say I”m too surprised at that.
19.03: We are just 18 goals shy of the milestone (if I have got my maths correct) and to see a countdown follow our live goals service on twitter which tweets every strike involving a Premier League side as soon as it goes in.
19.00: Good evening folks, welcome to our live coverage of tonight”s Premier League action. If it”s anything like yesterday”s drama we are in for a treat and maybe, just maybe, tonight we will see the league”s 20,000th goal.
I know things like that are not really relevant but they are good fun to track I think. I predict Everton will score it and I will give you a name as soon as I bring you the team news. But who do you think will net it
Festive cheer: Manchester City hope to maintain top spot going into Christmas