Hornchurch Win, Man Utd “Back” and Two London Derbies

Special Sport Report: 17th – 19th January 2026

Hello, it’s Jasper, Junior Sports Reporter for The Havering Daily, and welcome to another article where I look at this past week’s football.

Sorry this article is a little shorter than usual, but there weren’t many goals to report on.

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National League South

Hornchurch 2 – 0 Eastbourne Borough

Goalscorers

Hornchurch:

• A. Balanta (17’)
• H. Gibbs (36’)

Hornchurch have firmly put a finger on the National League South trophy. Worthing sit one point clear at the top, but Hornchurch have a game in hand — win that, and they go top.

Dagenham drop to 15th despite having played 27 games compared to Hornchurch’s 25. Maybe playing more games is actually a bad thing. Dagenham are in more of a mess than Gallows Corner.

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Premier League Round-Up

Manchester United 2 – 0 Manchester City

Goalscorers

Manchester United:

• B. Mbeumo (65’)
• Matheus Cunha (76’)

Manchester United’s first game under caretaker manager Michael Carrick — and wow. An undoubtedly impressive performance.

Manchester City are struggling for form. In the Champions League this week, they lost 3–1 to Bodo/Glimt. That said, City’s bad form never really means much.

United had three goals disallowed and hit the woodwork, while City goalkeeper Donnarumma saved the The Citizens on several occasions.

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Chelsea 2 – 0 Brentford

Goalscorers

Chelsea:

• João Pedro (26’)
• C. Palmer (76’, pen)

Another London derby ends in disappointment for Brentford. Cole Palmer returned to the scoresheet, as did João Pedro, sealing a comfortable win for Chelsea.

Brentford’s in-form Igor Thiago failed to score. Thiago recently broke the record for the most goals scored by a Brazilian player in a Premier League season this decade.

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Tottenham Hotspur 1 – 2 West Ham United

Goalscorers

Spurs:

• C. Romero (64’)

West Ham:

• C. Summerville (15’)
• C. Wilson (90+3’)

Spurs drop to 14th, level on points with 15th-placed Bournemouth. Callum Wilson, who had been rumoured to leave West Ham in January due to playing-time and contract concerns, scored a dramatic late winner.

The chant “You’re getting sacked in the morning!” echoed towards Thomas Frank. (I’m fully prepared for angry Tottenham fans in the comments.)

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Leeds United 1 – 0 Fulham

Goalscorers

Leeds United:

• L. Nmecha (90+1’)

Leeds continued their strong form, with Nmecha’s late winner securing all three points, following only their recent defeat to Newcastle.

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Liverpool 1 – 1 Burnley

Goalscorers

Liverpool:

• F. Wirtz (42’)

Burnley:

• M. Edwards (65’)

Liverpool will be disappointed with the draw, especially given how many teams have beaten Burnley this season. I guess beating Burnley isn’t for small clubs.

Once again, Liverpool’s defending left a lot to be desired.

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Sunderland 2 – 1 Crystal Palace

Goalscorers

Sunderland:

• E. Le Fée (33’)
• B. Brobbey (71’)

Crystal Palace:

• Yeremy Pino (30’)

Brobbey scored the winner for the Mackems.

Earlier, Mateta missed a huge chance before Yeremy Pino opened the scoring for Palace. Le Fée equalised just three minutes later.

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Nottingham Forest 0 – 0 Arsenal

Goalscorers: None

Arsenal could have had one hand on the Premier League trophy, but in typical Arsenal fashion they dropped points against a struggling Nottingham Forest side.

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Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 – 0 Newcastle United

Goalscorers: None

Another goalless draw as Newcastle once again struggled away from home. Kieran Trippier suffered what looked like a serious injury, but appeared to shrug it off.

That’s all there really is to say.

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Aston Villa 0 – 1 Everton

Goalscorers

Everton:

• T. Barry (59’)

Aston Villa’s title hopes took a hit as Everton caused a major upset. When Barry shoots, he doesn’t just hit the target — he scores.

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Brighton & Hove Albion 1 – 1 AFC Bournemouth

Goalscorers

Brighton:

• C. Kostoulas (90+1’)

Bournemouth:

• M. Tavernier (32’, pen)

Tavernier converted a superb penalty for Bournemouth, firing into the bottom corner. At the other end, Brighton’s Kostoulas scored a sensational overhead kick — a stunning goal from the Greek international.

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Join me next week as I report on Hornchurch’s top-of-the-table clash against Weston-super-Mare, a match that could prove decisive in the title race.

In the Premier League, we also have Newcastle v Aston Villa and Arsenal v Manchester United, following United’s derby win.

And finally, a special mention for the South Coast Derby, as Portsmouth host Southampton at Fratton Park.

That’s all for this week’s football round-up — see you soon for more results, highlights, and stories from the world of football.

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