Premier League buildup, Coventry on verge of promotion, and more – matchday live

Real Madrid had to settle for a 1-1 draw against mid-table Girona in La Liga, extending the hosts’ winless run to three games in all competitions and giving leaders Barcelona the chance to stretch their advantage at the top.

Federico Valverde put Madrid ahead six minutes after half-time but Girona levelled in the 62nd minute through Thomas Lemar. Álvaro Arbeloa’s side are six points behind with league leaders Barça, who have a game in hand against Espanyol on Saturday and could move nine clear with seven games to play.

Girona’s Vitor Reis in action with Kylian Mbappé during their 1-1 draw in Madrid. Photograph: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

Two-nil up in a must-win game, Nuno Espírito Santo’s side looked unrecognisable from the doomed bunch who dropped seven points off 17th place in early January. This is a different West Ham. This is a West Ham with a punch in attack and, if this daring escape act does end with Premier League football secured for another season, a key part of the story will be how Nuno strengthened his squad in January.

While Axel Disasi has brought order in defence, the best way to compliment Castellanos and Pablo Felipe is to call them the modern equivalent of John Hartson and Paul Kitson.

West Ham, after all, have form in this department. They were fired to safety in 1997 after signing Hartson and Kitson halfway through a difficult campaign and, 29 years on, have given themselves a fighting chance thanks to the mid-season arrivals of Pablo and Castellanos.

Konstantinos Mavropanos celebrates scoring West Ham’s fourth goal with Axel Disasi. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Action Images/Reuters

Emillia will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s what happened in east London last night …

We’ve another stacked lineup today, including Coventry’s push for the Premier League and Arsenal’s latest test as they close on the top-flight title, along with much, much more. Let us know if you’re at a game anywhere today or how you’ll be following from around the world, just drop us an email via the link in the standfirst.

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