Everton/Liverpool postponed because of bad weather

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — The Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool was postponed on Saturday because of Storm Darragh, which brought dangerous winds and heavy rain to the west coast.

The Premier League match was due to kick off at 12.30 p.m. U.K. time, but Everton issued a statement in the morning to say it would not go ahead.

The Met office said parts of Wales had experienced wind gusts of over 90 mph.

“Storm Darragh continues to bring strong and potentially damaging winds this afternoon. Heavy rain will also persist for many,” the office said on social media.

The four other Premier League games Saturday remained on as planned.

Manchester United will host Nottingham Forest at 5:30 p.m. local time at Old Trafford — located about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Liverpool.

“The club will continue to consult the relevant authorities throughout the day and will update supporters immediately if anything changes,” United said.

The remaining games start at 3 p.m. local time. Aston Villa hosts Southampton and urged fans to use extra time to get to Villa Park in Birmingham, in the West Midlands.

“We want to advise all supporters to allow extra time for travel to today’s game due to poor weather conditions across the country. Please take extra care and stay safe. We look forward to seeing you at the game,” the team said in a statement.

In London, Brentford will host Newcastle, and Crystal Palace will host Manchester City.

Brentford and Palace both said their games will be played.

“Today’s match is still scheduled to go ahead despite the bad weather,” Brentford said. “Please travel safely, plan ahead, and allow extra time for your journey.”

Storm Darragh was expected to “gradually ease from late morning as it crosses the UK, so the strongest winds in the west will start to reduce through Saturday,” Met Office chief meteorologist Steve Willington said.

Everton and league leader Liverpool issued nearly identical statements about the postponement.

“Following a Safety Advisory Group meeting at Goodison Park, attended by officials from both clubs, as well as representatives from Merseyside Police and Liverpool City Council this morning, it was decided that, due to the risk to safety in the local area due to strong wind gusts, and an amber severe wind warning that remains in place until 6 a.m. on Sunday, today’s fixture should be postponed on safety grounds,” Everton's statement read.

The Premier League said “the rearrangement of the fixture will be announced in due course.”

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