Key events
A pre-match sickener for Manchester City: Arsenal score what is surely an 89th-minute winner against Everton! Jordan Pickford flapping wildly at a Max Dowman cross, Viktor Gyokeres tapping home! Six additional minutes between the Gunners and a ten-point lead at the top! Tim de Lisle has the latest.
Jarrod Bowen has a quick word with TNT Sports on the importance of momentum. “Over the last few weeks … FA Cup games are important … to have a run to change our season … league games, going to Fulham and winning 1-0 … sometimes you need to win away, a little bit ugly, which we haven’t done enough this season … to show we have that type of performance … a cup run is always something for us, and these fans … tonight is going to be difficult, we know that, but we have to step up … the manager coming in has been a massive help … the players we bought in January … how we’re set up … attacking … better defending … conceding two, three goals a game it’s nigh-on impossible … so winning 1-0 away is massive … the team spirit is so much better … you can see it in the performances on the pitch … against Man City you almost have to be perfect … but we’re in a moment … the fans will be up for it and there’s almost nothing to lose … we want to get out of that bottom three … we’re in a good place … the fans can see us giving everything … we have to keep fighting … that’s the only way it’s going to change.”
Bowen speaking there so well, with clarity and passion. West Ham fans will be delighted to hear what he says, and how he says it. Even if tonight doesn’t go well for them against title-chasing City, that’s got to give them hope for the rest of the relegation run-in.
West Ham make two changes to the side that won 1-0 at Fulham ten days ago. Konstantinos Mavropanos and Pablo come in for Callum Wilson, who drops to the bench, and the injured Crysencio Summerville.
Manchester City make three changes following their 3-0 capitulation at Real Madrid during the week. Omar Marmoush, Matheus Nunes and Rayan Aït-Nouri replace Jérémy Doku and Rúben Dias, who drop to the bench, and Savinho, who like John Stones is unfit and misses out altogether.
The teams
West Ham United: Hermansen, Mavropanos, Disasi, Todibo, Wan-Bissaka, Soucek, Fernandes, Diouf, Bowen, Pablo, Castellanos.
Subs: Areola, Walker-Peters, Kilman, Wilson, Traore, Magassa, Potts, Kante, Mayers.
Manchester City: Donnarumma, Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, Ait-Nouri, Rodri, Semenyo, Silva, O’Reilly, Marmoush, Haaland.
Subs: Trafford, Dias, Reijnders, Ake, Kovacic, Cherki, Doku, Gonzalez, Foden.
Referee: Michael Oliver
VAR: Jarred Gillett
Preamble
Relegation-threatened West Ham desperately need the points; title-chasing Manchester City desperately need the points. All this yearning could lead to a highly entertaining to-and-fro, or a dramatic denouement, or a one-sided rout, or a big fat nothingburger. We start finding out what’s what at 8pm GMT. It’s on!