… and Ben Fisher was at Villa Park to see the hosts hold off Southampton.

Here is Ed Aarons’ verdict from Selhurst Park …

Follow Manchester United v Nottingham Forest with Barry Glendenning over here:

Brendan Large: “Chelsea fan here so hopefully that gives some context, but Lewis’ red for City was an absolute travesty so suggesting there are ‘no complaints’ is not quite right. Lewis got stamped on by Chalobah in the challenge, not the other way round. If we have to have VAR (which it seems like we do) then they need to be able to check yellow cards, and also they should be allowed to advise yellows for players diving!”

Full-time: Brentford 4-2 Newcastle

Full-time: Aston Villa 1-0 Southampton

Full-time: Crystal Palace 2-2 Manchester City

Frank Lampard’s Coventry have won 1-0 at Millwall.

Hugh Molloy gets in touch: “Regarding Rico Lewis, if you lunge in late and studs up, the fact that you only end up with your heel landing harmlessly on top of your opponent, and not breaking his ankle, doesn’t mean it’s not a yellow card.”

I agree, Hugh. Looked bad.

Goal! Brentford 4-2 Newcastle (Schade, 90)

Aston Villa 1-0 Southampton: Villa continue to look off it. They will be thankful that Saints are so lacking in quality.

Crystal Palace 2-2 Manchester City: Kevin De Bruyne can give no more, and Jack Grealish is on. That yellow card looked like a lunge. Guardiola not happy at all.

Those Tranmere fans I confused earlier: your team is losing 3-0 to Chesterfield after Kane Drummond’s goal.

Red card at Selhurst Park for Rico Lewis

Crystal Palace 2-2 Manchester City: Palace having to clear their lines now, a long time to hold on.

Crystal Palace 2-2 Manchester City: Doku is on for Savinho.

Mike Mackenzie gets in touch: “Is this the same Newcastle team that played Liverpool last Wednesday? I think it’s a group of imposters.”

Jeremy Boyce is here again: “And actually, as it goes, Cambridge are busy doing one on the Mighty Shrews, not Tranmere. Where’s Arthur Rowley when you need him ?

“George Arthur Rowley Jr. He holds the club record for the most goals in a single season at both Leicester City and Shrewsbury Town, scoring 44 goals in 42 league matches at Leicester in 1956–57 and 38 goals in 43 games for Shrewsbury in 1958–59. He is also Shrewsbury’s record league goalscorer with 152 league goals.

Isn’t he still the all-time record scorer in League footie, 434 if memory serves?”

West Ham confirm Antonio involved in car crash

Aston Villa 1-0 Southampton: Cameron Archer has gone off, no shots on target for Saints. He’s been replaced by Sam Amo-Ameyaw, of our double-barrelled army. The young man, just 18, already looks lively.

Another EFL hammering: Pompey are beating Bristol City 3-0.

Mayor McCheese has just trumped the double-barrelled thing. “I raise you a triple-barrelled Marley Pitts-Wallace-Luke of St Neots Town FC.”

Goal! Crystal Palace 2-2 Manchester City (Lewis, 68)

Crystal Palace 2-1 Manchester City: Guess what the Palace fans are singing? Yes: “Sacked In The Morning.”

Frank Lampard’s Coventry are winning 1-0 at Millwall. Ephron Mason-Clark got it.

Crystal Palace 2-1 Manchester City: City staring down the barrel of a sixth away defeat. LaCroix was left unattended. What happened to set-piece coaches?

Goal! Crystal Palace 2-1 Manchester City (Lacroix, 56)

Goal! Brentford 3-2 Newcastle (Collins, 56)

Some right hammerings being dished out in the EFL. It’s QPR are beating Norwich 3-0, their starlet Rayan Koli on the scoresheet. In League One, Cambridge are dishing out a can of whoop-ass to Tranmere….Shrewsbury…

Mary Waltz gets in touch: “John, Greetings from Free State California. Jose is so desperate to get out of Turkey, get back to the Premier League. No PL team will touch him, but if Rooney gets the axe maybe...”

Aston Villa 1-0 Southampton: Joe Aribo – a fun player to watch – has replaced Bree as Russell Martin goes with three at the back.

Crystal Palace 1-1 Manchester City: The champions look much improved after the break.

Back underway in the second halves

Amar gets in touch: “Re the point about Soton and hyphenated names - they did this already in 2023 notably when they drew 3-3 at Arsenal (Ward-Prowse, Walker-Peters, Bella-Kochap and Caleta-Car).”

So does Jonathan: “In our relegation season, I believe we had Walker-Peters, Ward-Prowse, Caleta-Car, Maitland-Niles and one other [Amo-Ameyaw?] on the pitch at the same time. Which may or may not be a a record, and certainly did nothing for cultured, silver-service football.”

Did Peter Rhoades-Brown play for Saints?

In Germany, Bayern lead Heidenheim 2-1, with second-placed Eintracht being held 1-1 by Augbsurg

Half-time in the Championship

Half-time: Brentford 2-2 Newcastle

Half-time: Crystal Palace 1-1 Manchester City

Half-time: Aston Villa 1-0 Southampton

In the Championship, at Millwall there’s been a tribute to John Docherty who led the Lions to their two seasons in the top division. Coventry – and Frank Lampard – are the visitors. There’s not been much action yet.

Chris Paraskevas gets in touch, too: “Isak proving his magician status by managing to turn a Tame Jacob Murphy Curling Half-Attempt™ into a full blown EPL assist. The man can do anything.”

Tarquin gets in touch: “I notice that Southampton have named four players with hyphenated names today, two playing and two on the bench. The nearest today is MC with a mere two. Obviously this is a subject close to my heart.”

“This got me wondering whether it was some kind of record. A piece in The Knowledge from 2016 refers to three playing for Arsenal in a match and calls out for answers but I cannot find any answers in subsquent stories.”

Francis Fowles gets in touch: “Leeds are either top or not top you nonce.”

Everton have done the decent thing by the 15-year-old who flew from Australia, only to meet Storm Darragh.

Aston Villa 1-0 Southampton: Duran has another chance, with Morgan Rogers continuing to impress for Villa.

Brentford 2-2 Newcastle (Barnes, 32)

Crystal Palace 1-1 Manchester City: Palace had three on two in box and then City score.

Crystal Palace 1-1 Manchester City (Haaland, 30)

Goal! Brentford 2-1 Newcastle (Wissa. 28)

Crystal Palace 1-0 Manchester City: Midfield has been left open by City, meaning Will Hughes has been enjoying the freedom of Selhurst.

Goal! Aston Villa 1-0 Southampton (Duran, 24)

Crystal Palace 1-0 Manchester City: Gundogan hits the post and Savinho drags wide. All City.