Key events
Sonia Bompastor insists today’s final will be “50-50” between her Chelsea team and Manchester United.
In case you missed it, the co-founder of social media site Reddit, Alexis Ohanian, has invested a 10% stake – worth £20million – in Chelsea Women.
Ohanian, who is also the husband of tennis legend Serena Williams, is expected to be at Wembley this afternoon for the Women’s FA Cup final.
Jacob Steinberg
More on Southampton’s managerial search
Southampton’s search for a new manager has seen them hold talks with Tom Cleverley and Will Still. Danny Rohl, the Sheffield Wednesday manager, is also in the running for the job.
Southampton are looking to rebuild after their relegation to the Championship and are thought to have identified a handful of leading candidates to manage them next season.
Cleverley is available following his departure from Watford and is thought to have made a good impression during talks over the role. Sources close to the former Manchester United midfielder believe that he has a strong chance of being appointed by Southampton, who placed Simon Rusk in caretaker charge after firing Ivan Juric. Cleverley, 35, is seen as one of the most promising young English coaches.
But there is competition from Still, who has announced that he is leaving Lens for “personal reasons”. The 32-year-old Englishman has cited a desire to be closer to his family. Still’s girlfriend, the Sky Sports presenter Emma Saunders, revealed in March that she has been diagnosed with encephalitis.
There is a chance that Still will land a job when he moves back to England. He has been approached by Southampton and there is confidence that a deal can be struck. There are still details to iron out with Lens before anything can advance with Still.
Southampton are also considering Rohl, who has impressed at Wednesday. There are suggestions that the 36-year-old German will look to leave the Hillsborough club this summer.
Southampton have endured a terrible season in the Premier League. They have avoided setting a new record for the lowest points tally in the competition’s history but have otherwise had little to cheer. Russell Martin, who led them to promotion via the play-offs last season, was sacked in December after his expansive style failed to work. Martin’s replacement, Juric, was unable to inspire an improvement after his appointment.
Just a reminder that Andy Hunter will be free to answer your questions about Everton or Goodison Park from 11am this morning. Feel free to send a message to our matchday live email address in the next hour or so.
Good news for Everton fans – Goodison Park has been saved! Rather than being demolished as initially expected, the iconic stadium will now be home to Everton Women. Goodison Park will become the UK’s first major stadium dedicated solely to a women’s team.
Will Still leading contender for Southampton job
Jacob Steinberg
I’m told that Will Still is a leading contender for the Southampton job. Sheffield Wednesday’s Danny Rohl has also been in the running. Still, 32, announced his departure from Ligue 1 club Lens for “personal reasons” this weekend. He’d be a very interesting appointment. Southampton, who have Simon Rusk in caretaker charge, are at Everton today and need to rebuild after their relegation.
With Goodison Park set to host its final men’s match this afternoon, some Everton fans have recalled their fondest memories of the stadium.
Fans are starting to arrive at Goodison Park for Everton’s final Premier League match at the stadium. It promises to be a special day in Merseyside!
Some words from Ben Fisher on Jamie Vardy…
Peter Lansley
Who would deny Jamie Vardy a fairytale ending to his fairytale career today? Ipswich Town, their opponents this afternoon, might have something to say about that. But as the veteran striker has decided to call it a day with Leicester City in their final home match of the season today, with the numbers so neatly aligned, another question looms.
Vardy has contributed so much to Leicester – scoring in a record 11 successive Premier League games on their way to the title and the FA Cup triumph obviously stand out – that he deserves to script his own final scene.
It is 13 years to the day since he signed from Fleetwood Town. This will be (if selected!) his 500th appearance for the club. And he needs to score once to make it 200 goals for the club. The neutral’s favourite former non-league striker evidently has a sense of a narrative neatly tied with its own numerical bow.
So what happens if he scores in the opening moments of the match between today’s two relegated sides? Does he ask to be substituted? Wouldn’t that affect Leicester’s momentum, in this fight for 18th place? If he gets the ball in front of goal, does he pass? Or does he risk muddying the rounded-off stats and, to hell with it, go on beyond 200?
I hope it’s the latter personally. I’ve captained him in my Fantasy League team.
Jamie Vardy will be having a goodbye party when he bids farewell to Leicester this afternoon. The 39-year-old wanted to end his Foxes career on 500 appearances and at the King Power Stadium, meaning he will not feature on the final day of the Premier League season next weekend. Today also happens to be the 13th anniversary of Vardy’s move to Leicester, marking what is set to be a full-circle occasion.
Be sure to also message me with any thoughts, feelings or score predictions for any of today’s games. I want to know what you’re up to, where you’re off to and what you’ll be watching this afternoon. Also, let me know if you have any stand-out memories of Goodison or any favourite Jamie Vardy moments. I want to hear from you!
Tom Garry also travelled over to Guernsey to speak to Manchester United captain Maya Le Tissier and those who know her best.
Ahead of today’s Women’s FA Cup final, our very own Tom Garry sat down with Manchester United manager Marc Skinner to discuss the club’s season and today’s match at Wembley.
Today’s Women’s FA Cup final is SOLD OUT meaning we could see a competition record crowd at Wembley Stadium. Chelsea and Manchester United last met in the final two years ago, when the Blues clinched a 1-0 win thanks to Sam Kerr, who will not be available this time around. However, Marc Skinner and his team have more experience behind them now and will feel they can go toe-to-toe with the WSL invincibles.
As I mentioned before, Andy Hunter will be free to answer your questions about Everton or Goodison Park from 11am this morning. Feel free to send a message to our matchday live email address ready for Andy’s takeover.
Our photographer Tom Jenkins was at Wembley yesterday and managed to capture some incredible moments. Be sure to take a look at his picture gallery…
Yesterday was one for the history books. Crystal Palace beat Manchester City 1-0 to win their first-ever major trophy. Club hero Eberechi Eze scored the decisive goal to fire Palace to FA Cup victory at Wembley. Here’s a recap of what happened…
Today’s key games. All times BST.
Women’s FA Cup final:
Premier League:
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Everton v Southampton (12pm)
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West Ham v Nottingham Forest (2:15pm)
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Brentford v Fulham (3pm)
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Leicester v Ipswich (3pm)
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Arsenal v Newcastle (4:30pm)
La Liga (all 6pm):
Preamble
Hello and welcome to matchday live! I’ll be doing my best to get you warmed up and excited for today’s football action – although I don’t think it’ll take much considering what’s in store. First thing’s first we’ve got the Women’s FA Cup final which sees Manchester United face Chelsea, with the Blues aiming to complete a domestic treble.
It’s also set to be a historic day in the Premier League, with one iconic stadium closing its doors to its men’s first team – more on that later – and one player bowing out after 500 appearances for his club.
Today marks the final Premier League matchday at Goodison Park before Everton move to the newly-named Hill Dickinson Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock. Our very own Andy Hunter will be at Goodison for the occasion and he’ll be on hand to answer any questions you may have about the stadium or Everton.
Jamie Vardy will also bid farewell to Leicester City this afternoon on his 500th appearance. The striker wanted to end his time with the club at the King Power Stadium as opposed to the Vitality Stadium on the final day of the Premier League season, so he is set to receive a fitting send-off later on.
Elsewhere, West Ham host Nottingham Forest, Brentford take on Fulham and Newcastle travel south to face Arsenal.
