Southampton v West Ham: Premier League – live!

14 min “A different look at this match,” says Mary Waltz. “High quality? Probably not. High drama? I say yes. Two managers fighting for their job. Do the players match this desperation or do they prefer a new gaffer? Relegation battles always have a car crash quality to them. You can’t help but stare.”

13 min After a slow start, Southampton are starting to have more of the ball. Hojbjerg crosses from the left towards Long, whose looping header is comfortably saved by Martin.

9 min A question for West Ham fans. Whenever I see Antonio play up front he is really impressive, an unpleasant handful for defenders. Have I just caught him on a few good days or should he start at centre-forward more often?

8 min West Ham have started really well and almost took the lead a moment ago. The impressive Antonio drove a speculative low cross on the turn from the right. It reached Fornals, whose stabbed shot on the run deflected off Cedric and dribbled just wide of the far post.

6 min It’s rare to see a match in which both teams are playing with a front two. Michail Antonio, who has started with considerable intent, wins a corner for West Ham. Snodgrass will take it…

3 min “Hey Rob,” says JR in Illinois. “I’m not really intending to insult anyone but this game wouldn’t be referred to by anyone as a ‘glamour tie’, would it? In fact, I’d say this game is the opposite of a glamour tie, whatever that is called. Ah well, maybe I’ll watch a bit. It will help pass the time until the second session of the darts is on.”

I trust you saw Humphries v Wattimena this afternoon? Blistering stuff.

2 min: Disallowed goal for West Ham! Antonio turns smartly on the left wing and is fouled by Stephens. Snodgrass’s excellent free-kick is headed in confidently by Rice – but he’s fractionally offside. The assistant raises the flag, and VAR confirms it was the correct decision

The players emerge from the tunnel, all looking ready for business. It’s a glorious night on the South Coast. Little brisk.

Felipe Anderson is out with a stomach problem, so Sebastian Haller returns to the West Ham side. Southampton are unchanged.

Southampton (4-2-2-2) McCarthy; Cedric, Stephens, Bednarek, Bertrand; Ward-Prowse, Hojbjerg; Djenepo, Redmond; Long, Ings.
Substitutes: Gunn, Yoshida, Vestergaard, Romeu, Armstrong, Adams, Obafemi.

West Ham United (4-2-2-2) Martin; Fredericks, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Noble, Rice; Snodgrass, Fornals; Antonio, Haller.
Substitutes: Roberto, Zabaleta, Diop, Masuaku, Sanchez, Yarmolenko, Ajeti.

Referee Martin Atkinson.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of Southampton v West Ham from St Mary’s. Christmas is a time of giving, and the word is that West Ham will give Manuel Pellegrini a freshly printed P45 should they lose today. Their recent form is desperate, with seven defeats in the last nine games, whereas Southampton have shown since of improvement since that fiasco against Leicester at the end of October. If they win today, they will move out of the relegtation places – and above West Ham.

Kick off is at 5.30pm GMT.