The number of secondary school children in England being taught in classes with 36 or more pupils has trebled in the last five years.

BBC News has found evidence of children at a school in West Yorkshire being taught in a class of 46 pupils.
Analysis has also found that every region in England has seen a real-terms cut in school spending.
A Department for Education spokesperson said school class sizes had remained stable since 2006.
According to the latest school census, in 2016 there were 17,780 state secondary school children in 2016 being taught in classes with 36 or more pupils. This is the highest number for a decade.
In comparison, in 2011 the number was 6,107.
An investigation by BBC Yorkshire has found that Brighouse High Academy School in West Yorkshire has a Year 9 maths class where one teacher has 46 pupils.
Thirteen-year-old Silas Ennis said he has found it hard to cope in such a large class.
"It's difficult to learn because there's so many people around you, so you're not focusing as much on the lesson" he said.
"Everyone in the class agrees that there's too many people in the classroom."
Brighouse High said due to budget cuts and the difficulty of recruiting specialist maths teachers the class of 46 pupils was an experiment that would allow other maths classes with less able students to be taught in smaller groups.
The latest figures show there were 59,712 children at both state primary and secondary schools being taught in classes with 36 or more pupils in 2016.
About 90% of children who attend state schools in England are taught in classes with 30 pupils or fewer. However, teachers' unions warn growing pupil numbers and shrinking budgets are placing strains on the system.
"The squeeze on schools is coming directly from the government," said James Wilson from the National Union of Teachers (NUT).
"As far as we're concerned, it's unacceptable to have a class of more than 30 children.
"Ultimately, this is totally unfair and the people most affected are the pupils who will receive a poorer education."
Dr David Spendlove from the University of Manchester said there is no clear link between larger class sizes and the attainment of pupils being detrimentally affected.
"Children are only likely to feel the benefits of being in a small class if it has less than 15 students in it," he said.
"Interestingly there is some data to suggest that attainment in maths can rise in larger groups. It all depends on the context of the class, how it is being taught, what are the needs of the pupils and what their relationship is like with the teacher."
The average secondary school class in England contained 20.4 students according to the latest school census.
Data collected by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that the UK had some of the smallest average class sizes in the developed world.
Although class sizes in Japan and Germany tend to be larger, children in both countries out-performed UK students in the latest influential PISA rankings.
Helen Vickers, a parent with five children in West Yorkshire, said she has concerns about class sizes and the amount of money being spent on schools.
She said: "My concern is that if schools already have classes with 46 children in them, then students like my daughter who has dyslexia are potentially going to suffer in the future.
"I believe in the coming years schools are going to face more cuts and I've already had difficulty with my daughter's school in ensuring that she has the necessary resources in place to help her succeed."
£36.3 billion
the amount shared out between
21,977
schools in England in 2016/17.
118,285 the number of extra full time pupils attending school in 2016 compared to 2015.
£37  less in real terms is being spent on each pupil this year.
Analysing the latest government data, BBC News has found that average spending on each pupil in England has fallen in real terms from £4,408 in 2015-16 to £4,371 in 2016-17.
Real terms spending means the amount by which a budget increases or decreases once the effect of inflation is accounted for.
The data shows that whilst the individual schools budget in England went up by about £60m in real terms last year, an increase in the number of children being taught means less money is now being spent on each individual pupil.
Every region in England has seen a real-terms cut in funding in the past year for pupils who attend both state schools and academies.
How much does each pupil get in my area? Get the data here.
The number of full-time pupils attending classes in 2016 reached a 13-year high of 8.3 million.
The growth in pupil numbers is being fuelled by the effects of immigration and a higher fertility rate.
In 2012 the fertility rate for England and Wales hit its highest level since 1973 and the 725,000 children born in that year are now entering the education system for the first time.
In cash terms, and not accounting for inflation, the government has increased spending on the individual school budgets by £2.6bn since 2013-14.
Ahead of the last General Election former Prime Minister David Cameron said his government would protect England's schools budget in cash terms, but per pupil funding would not keep pace with inflation.
A recent report by the National Audit Office (NAO) warned that rising costs will mean schools will have to find a further £3bn in savings by 2019-20.
The government said the introduction of a new funding formula in 2018-19 would end "unfair" and "inconsistent" funding levels.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: "Despite an increase in population, class sizes in England's schools have remained stable since 2006 - in fact overall a bigger proportion of children are now taught in classes of under 30.
"Since 2006, the percentage of primary pupils in classes of 36 or more has actually fallen. In secondary schools it has remained at about 0.5% since 2013.
"School funding is at its highest level on record with more than £40bn being invested in 2016-17. Overall, taking per pupil funding and rising pupil numbers into account, the school budget will be protected for inflation.
"We have recently set out proposals to end the historic postcode lottery in school funding and we have announced a further £190m to provide more support to underperforming schools and ensure the number of good school places continues to rise."
As part of the analysis of individual school budgets, BBC News has applied the Office for Budgetary Responsibility (OBR) inflation forecast of 1.38% for 2016-17 to the Department for Education's spending data.
Additional reporting by Sean Stowell and Dave Edwards.


The French authorities are conducting tent-to-tent visits to urge residents at the controversial "Jungle" camp in Calais to leave.

It follows a court decision on Thursday which approved a government plan to clear the camp.
Authorities say around 1,000 migrants will be affected by the eviction plan for the southern part of the camp.
Overall, more than 3,700 migrants live in the camp, many of whom hope to cross the Channel to reach Britain.
Conditions there are squalid and its sprawling presence has become a controversial issue in both France and the UK.
Local officials said public areas such as places of worship or schools would not be cleared and that it would be a "humanitarian operation".
On Friday officials toured the southern part of the camp telling people it was "time to leave", volunteers there said.
The Help Refugees charity said 10 adults had taken up the government's option to leave on buses brought to the camp.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the authorities would carry out the court order humanely.
Residents would be relocated to a nearby park of converted shipping containers or other centres within the country.
"There was never any question of the French government sending bulldozers on to the site," he said on Thursday.
Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart said the authorities would also seek to reduce the size of the northern part of the camp in the coming months.
This would enable work to start on a project to extend the city's port, she told Reuters news agency.
Neighbouring Belgium this week announced temporary controls on its border with France amid fears of an influx of migrants from the camp.
France described the Belgian move as "strange". Mr Cazeneuve said the very idea of Calais migrants heading for Belgium did not "correspond to reality". However, Belgian officials say dozens have already been stopped trying to cross the border.
Tea, rivalry and ambition at 'Jungle hotel'
Jungle migrants prepare to move
Migrants resist relocation to containers


A nine-year-old girl is just one of 100 people worldwide diagnosed with a genetic disorder likened to Parkinson's disease in children.

Heidi Cooke was born with BPAN (beta-propeller protein assisted neurodegeneration), a disorder that was only identified by researchers in 2006.
Her mum Kerry said Heidi has limited mobility and speech, and may die before reaching her 30s.
Ms Cooke said she hoped to raise money to fund research into a cure.
She said it was "devastating" to think she would outlive her daughter but was hoping to fund research into treatments.
Heidi is currently at stage one of the condition, but as she gets older will experience symptoms of dementia, is likely to lose her sight and suffer tremors and painful muscle seizures.
Ms Cooke, 38, from Leicester, said: "Everything has to be done for her. It's like having a baby in a nine-year-old's body.
"She has always been disabled and we thought she just had delayed development, but in fact she's declining.
"I would have been preparing for what happens to Heidi after I have gone, but now I'm expecting to outlive my own daughter.
"It is quite devastating."
Ms Cooke, a mother of two, is training to be an occupational therapist at the University of Northampton, in order to care for her daughter and help others in the UK who are diagnosed.
She has also begun fundraising for greater research into the condition and alternate treatments.
To date there is no cure or specific treatment for BPAN and Heidi has to be treated with medication give to people with Parkinson's Disease.
"She's [Heidi] going to die in middle age but I've tried to see the positive in this," added Ms Cooke.
"I'm hoping to spread the word and help find a way of treating this.
"I'd love for Heidi to live a long and happy life."


It was the scoop of the year - an interview with fugitive Mexican gang boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman by the Hollywood actor Sean Penn.

The interview in Rolling Stone magazine was not the first time that Penn has seen his work published but his piece, which emerged two days after Guzman's capture in Mexico, was greeted with plenty of scorn.
The fact Penn granted El Chapo copy approval, the colourful prose, and the actor's unexpected references to his genitalia and flatulence left many readers baffled - while others accused the media of sour grapes.
But what do the experts think?
A journalist may have to accept with a source whether material could be used, whether stuff is said on the record or off, and you may read back quotes - but giving full-blown pre-approval for a story is definitely not best practice.
He is up-front, saying "this is how it was conducted" but the fact they put a disclaimer on it doesn't serve to provide any credibility to the story.
Penn talks about how he contacted Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner and was working at the highest level. But this is the second time in the past 18 months where Rolling Stone has chucked one of the basic rules of journalism out of the window.
As for Penn's writing, you take it for what it is. Is it journalism? There are caveats to it, so readers beware.
In the writing of the piece, they would have had to have been as sensitive as they could possibly have been in order not to offend those people who have suffered - people have died because of this man [El Chapo]. You want to show due scepticism when he tries to come up with lame excuses.
It was a mixture of purple prose and psychobabble, really. I would advise Penn to come and be a student. I would say he has a lot to teach me about acting, but I could teach him a lot about journalism.
I would say he needed a really good sub-editor who could sit with him rather than do it all afterwards. Rolling Stone writers do tend to write to great length - perhaps I should also ask that the Rolling Stone editorial staff come in for training too?
How can we trust somebody who is not trained and doesn't have the same principles as a trained, legitimate journalist to handle a difficult assignment? He has a point of view, one I have no problem with, but you can't go with a point of view to an interview like this.
I don't mind an actor talking to these people, but when you have him representing a credible, major news organisation like Rolling Stone in an interview with such a sensitive subject, you should have second thoughts.
Rolling Stone had to decide what was more important - getting the story at any cost, or getting it done by someone who knows how to do it. I am not sure this was the right decision.
Also, if they had not caught the guy, the law in the US could have caught up with them. There are two precedents here in the US for that - we don't have complete immunity when it comes to the courts enquiring about the whereabouts of a criminal. It's good news for them this guy was caught.
Some of the critics were accused of professional jealousy but plenty of writers have come out in defence of the piece too.
Jack Shafer, writing for Politico, acknowledged Penn's "loopy, self-parodying literary style" but said pre-approval should never be ruled out "especially if the subject were a notorious fugitive on the run".
Writing for the website of the Poynter media studies institute, Kelly McBride forgives Penn, saying "it's common for a writer's ambitions to outpace his talents". His editors at Rolling Stone get a hard time, though - she identifies six key points missing from the piece.
Rolling Stone's Jann Wenner said in an interview by the New York Times that the pre-approval was not "a meaningful thing in the first place" as Mr Guzman had no interest in editing the piece - and does not speak English. "In this case, it was a small thing to do in exchange for what we got," Mr Wenner said.
One of the article's editors, Jason Fine, was asked about Penn's writing style by the same newspaper. "It's a piece by Sean Penn," he said. "Sean Penn has a particular style and point of view, and I'm happy with it."


Work by the Welsh artist Bedwyr Williams has gone on public display in Venice.

His exhibition - The Starry Messenger - forms the official Welsh presence at this year's Venice Biennale, the international contemporary art event that takes place at venues across the Italian city every two years.
Designed at the artist's home in Rhostryfan in Gwynedd, the installation at a former Venetian convent features sculpture and a video performance.
It is inspired by amateur astronomy, and features a replica observatory and areas of near-darkness.
Bedwyr Williams said: "The viewer walks through a heavy set of doors to get into the space, and the first thing they see is a theatrical screen featuring a printed picture of a terrazzo floor.
"Through that screen they can see the observatory. As they get closer to the observatory they hear the sound of a man crying inside, a middle-aged man crying - the saddest sound of all."
Mr Williams said the exhibition mixed his fascination with space, and man's place in it all.
"In looking at the universe, in a way I'm looking at the astronomer - I'm looking down the telescope the other way. And the idea of an amateur astronomer crying seems to me like quite a powerful image," he said.
The exhibition also features a video in which the artist appears as a dentist wearing a mask made of small pieces of terrazzo floor tiles. Another room contains a giant-sized table covered in household objects like clothes pegs, a desk lamp and an iron.
Mr Williams said he was fascinated by the idea of enormous everyday items, drawing inspiration from The Borrowers and Alice in Wonderland, and wanted visitors to imagine themselves as a small piece of terrazzo tiling looking up at their giant surroundings.
"I think the exhibition puts a focus on where we are among all these little bits, and that the world is a small bit of a huge terrazzo floor: the universe. I'm pointing out and having a bit of fun by thinking about the different scales that are at work here," he said.
"Like every artist I just hope that more people see my work, and that it leads to more opportunities."
It is 10 years since Wales first had a presence in Venice.
A British Pavilion has displayed art at the Biennale since the first exhibition in 1895 but in recent times Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have all formed their own independent exhibitions on the fringe of the main event.
This year's exhibition is costing Â£400,000, with the money coming from the Arts Council of Wales (ACW) and the Welsh government.
The budget is slightly bigger than in previous years and the exhibition will remain open until the Biennale ends in November.
ACW chief executive Nick Capaldi said it was a worthwhile expense.
Having resisted the lure of a life in London, Bedwyr Williams has succeeded in establishing himself at the forefront of contemporary art while remaining grounded in Gwynedd.
He has previously integrated elements of stand-up comedy into art installations that challenge conventional ideas about normality, Welsh identity and our place in the universe.
Stereotypes of Welsh life have been banished from his work, and its surroundings - there were strict orders prohibiting Welsh cakes and flags from the Wales in Venice opening party.
The buzz around his work has triggered interest from London art critics whose schedules normally keep them from the Biennale's fringe, while the exposure of a Venice show is likely to reinforce his place among contemporary art's brightest talents.
"I think it's very important in today's globalised world that when you're trying to present a country - its creativity, and its artistic reputation - that you are here at what is the largest visual arts event in the world," he said.
"Over 80 countries are here and Wales is one of them.
"It's like the Formula 1 of the visual arts world, in that a Formula 1 racing car has little in common with the family hatchback other than four wheels and a steering wheel.
"Sometimes when you're walking around the Biennale you think 'What has this got to do with the visual arts that people are most familiar with?'
"But the innovation, the ideas, the creativity at the cutting edge that you see here finds its way into the visual arts across the world, and in the same way that Formula 1 is attractive for those expensive high-rollers, it also has a huge audience of those who just love the visual arts."
The media has already had a chance to see Williams' work, with journalists from around the world attending the Biennale's preview week before Saturday's official opening.
The art critic Lowri Haf Cooke was one of those to see the installation.
"My reaction to his work is always the same - thank goodness for Bedwyr Williams," she said.
"He makes me think, he makes me laugh, he has fun with art and he makes fun of art. It's a world that takes itself incredibly seriously.
"Yes, his work is a bit out there. No, he doesn't court popular approval. And yet that's what he achieves time and time again, whether that's here at the Biennale or at home at the Eisteddfod."
The enthusiasm for Bedwyr Williams is shared by the artist Osi Rhys Osmond, who is also a member of the ACW.
"We came to the Biennale late and limping in some ways, but we're not limping any more, we're running.
"Bedwyr, with his imagination and the people he works with, has managed to create a fantastic and extraordinary experience, where you enter the earth, the universe, the very matter of being.
"He asks you to take an imaginary leap from the small to the enormous."
The Starry Messenger by Bedwyr Williams will be displayed at the Ludoteca Santa Maria Ausiliatrice as part of the collateral events of the Venice Biennale until November.


Some of Glasgow's iconic Red Road flats withstood a demolition blast last year because they were built with steel and were too tough, a report has found.

An inquiry was ordered after two blocks remained partially standing following the blowdown operation in October.
It said the contractor had identified discrepancies between the construction records and the size of steel used.
It concluded that Safedem had followed good practice and was "reasonable" to "err on the safe side".
The Red Road towers were the tallest residential buildings in Europe when they were built as social housing in the 1960s.
Their phased demolition was commissioned by social landlord Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) as part of its plans to regenerate the Balornock and Barmulloch areas of the city.
Previous demolitions took place in 2012 and 2013 and a plan to hold another, as part of the opening ceremony for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, was abandoned due to public opposition.
About 2,500 residents from nearby properties were moved to outside an exclusion zone before Safedem carried out the controlled blowdown on 11 October 2015.
The operation, however, was only a partial success as two of the towers were left partially standing.
A report into the failure concluded: "Safedem appear to have underestimated the robustness of the buildings.
"Whether this was from the explosives view point, the structural appraisal view point or a combination of both, is unclear."
The report said that the Red Road flats, unlike most other UK tower blocks built at the time, had been constructed using steel.
The report stated: "It should be noted that steel-framed residential structures are relatively uncommon in the UK.
"Unlike concrete structures, steel frames do not crush under impact from the debris above and tend to be more robust."
The report said that Safedem had examined "record drawings" from the city archives but found discrepancies between the 50-year-old records and the actual size of the steel columns in the buildings.
The report added: "The partial collapse of both 123 Petershill Drive and 10 Red Road Court were due to the variances in their construction and the exceptional difficulties in predicting the behaviour of these unique buildings.
"In this instance, Safedem had carried out detailed surveys and noted a number of discrepancies between the surveyed buildings and the design drawings and therefore appear to have followed good practice.
"Bearing in mind these discrepancies, it would have been reasonable for their designers to take a cautious view of the structures and err on the safe side, regarding pre-weakening."
Following the failure, the towers were brought down using high-reach machinery.
GHA regeneration director, David Fletcher, said: "We're on track to have the area completely clear by late 2017 as planned and would like to thank nearby residents again for their patience and understanding while we carry out this work.
"Once cleared, the area will be turned, short-term, into a safe and attractive green space for the community while plans for housing and amenities are brought forward in phases.
"We've consulted with local residents at community events and their views are helping shape the future regeneration plans."


People who cannot work because they are obese or have alcohol or drug problems could have their sickness benefits cut if they refuse treatment, the PM says.

David Cameron has launched a review of the current system, which he says fails to encourage people with long-term, treatable issues to get medical help.
Some 100,000 people with such conditions claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), the government says.
Labour said the policy would do nothing to help people to get off benefits.
Campaigners said it was "naive" to think overweight people did not want to change their lives.
There is currently no requirement for people with alcohol, drug or weight-related health problems to undertake treatment.
Mr Cameron has asked Prof Dame Carol Black, an adviser to the Department of Health, to look at whether it would be appropriate to withhold benefits from those who are unwilling to accept help.
Announcing the proposal, he said: "Some [people] have drug or alcohol problems, but refuse treatment.
"In other cases people have problems with their weight that could be addressed - but instead a life on benefits rather than work becomes the choice.
"It is not fair to ask hardworking taxpayers to fund the benefits of people who refuse to accept the support and treatment that could help them get back to a life of work."
David Cameron sees the wide-ranging welfare reforms introduced in this Parliament as part of a "moral mission".
He has said they give new hope to people who have been written off by helping them back to work.
He also knows taxpayers who fund the welfare state like policies which ensure benefits only go to those who need them.
So despite criticism of what some see as an increasingly punitive benefits regime, the Conservatives are floating a new suggestion - possible sanctions for those claimants who refuse help to overcome treatable conditions.
On the same day, during a speech in Wales, Labour's leader will pledge to continue his attack on tax avoidance.
So David Cameron runs the risk of being seen as someone wanting to crack down on some of society's most vulnerable, while Ed Miliband targets the wealthiest.
The truth is both party leaders are trying to persuade "hard-working families" that they're on their side.
Similar proposals have been considered by the government before.
In 2010 and 2012 the Conservatives considered plans to remove or cut benefits for drug and alcohol addicts who refused treatment.
At the time the plans were met with concern by charities, who said there was no evidence benefit sanctions would help addicts engage with treatment.
Dame Carol welcomed Saturday's announcement, saying: "These people, in addition to their long-term conditions and lifestyle issues, suffer the great disadvantage of not being engaged in the world of work, such an important feature of society."
And Minister for Disabled People Mark Harper told the BBC the right interventions could be "very successful".
Terry Hogan, 45, from Ashton-under-Lyne, has been on incapacity benefit - before it became ESA - since 1992 and is also on a weight-management course.
He suffers from fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, type-2 diabetes, depression, lymphoedema, cellulitis, and Klinefelter's Syndrome.
He said his illnesses had caused him to become more sedentary, which in turn led to him putting on weight.
"When I was well enough I did voluntary work," he told the BBC.
"In 2012 I became incapacitated to the point where everything I do leaves me tired and in pain.
"I don't think this review is helpful. If you're overweight on sickness benefits, forcing someone to lose weight and cutting benefits won't help the individual. There may be underlying causes to weight gain.
"I still walk on crutches, am in a lot of pain all of the time, and take a lot of painkillers. I do want to lose weight but it's not that simple."
Susannah Gilbert, from obesity support group Big Matters, said the policy "wouldn't be feasible".
She said: "I think it's naive to think that people don't want to change their life. Many of them have tried every diet under the sun and they still have a weight problem, so to think they don't want to have help isn't true."
Labour's shadow minister for disabled people, Kate Green MP, said the announcement did "nothing to help people off benefits and into work", adding: "David Cameron's government has stripped back funding for drug support programmes and their Work Programme has helped just 7% of people back to work, so it is clear the Tory plan isn't working."
The UK Independence Party also said it was "another example of the way that this government bullies those it has decided are beyond the pale".
Deputy chairman Suzanne Evans said: "The government obviously doesn't care about those with weight or addiction problems, it is just ideologically driven by its contempt for those on benefits and its need to get the benefits bill down at all costs."
ESA was introduced in 2008 to replace incapacity benefit and income support, paid because of an illness or disability.
It requires claimants to undertake a work capability assessment to see how much their illness or disability affects their ability to work.
Once a claim is accepted, those receiving ESA get up to Â£108.15 a week.
Some 60% of the 2.5 million people claiming ESA have been doing so for more than five years, government figures show.


Pop band Duran Duran have taken legal action against the US company charged with running their fan club over unpaid revenues, court papers have revealed.

The group claim they are owed $40,000 (Â£23,500) by the Illinois-based outfit WorldWide Fan Clubs.
The company had been charged with managing subscriptions and fan records for Duran Duran, with 75% of profits going to the musicians.
Its owners declined to comment when contacted by the Associated Press.
According to their legal action, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, Duran Duran also contend that the company - which operates out of the town of Glenview - failed to keep accurate accounts of fan club activity since they gained the contract for the work in 2010.
It also stated they have made repeated requests for the unpaid fees to be settled.
Part of their brief was to process subscriptions from fans, while their headquarters would also serve as a warehouse for the distribution of band merchandise.
They were entitled to keep 25% of proceeds for their activities.
Duran Duran were formed in Birmingham in 1978, with its core members Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and John Taylor still in the line-up today.
They have enjoyed a string of hits in both the UK and US, including Hungry Like The Wolf and Rio.
In 2012, they performed at a concert to mark the opening ceremony of the London Olympics in Hyde Park.
The band are currently at work on their 14th studio album.


EU leaders are curious to meet the British prime minister when he joins the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga.

They know him of old, of course, but for many this is a potentially new David Cameron, freshly elected with an unexpected majority.
Many leaders got rather irritated with the prime minister in the long lead up to the election. They felt he played too much to the Eurosceptic gallery at home when abroad on EU business.
Will this new David Cameron be a man they can work with, they wonder? They'd like to.
With the UK's in/out referendum EU on membership looming large in European headlines, most want to ensure Britain stays in, especially in Germany, as I found out earlier this week on a trip to Berlin.
The UK's former ambassador to Germany, Sir Peter Torry, describes the country as the best friend and ally the UK could have in its EU renegotiation.
Pretty useful for Mr Cameron, as Germany is Europe's most powerful nation.
There are very practical reasons why Germans are so keen to keep Britain in - and not just because they share a love for sausages and beer, as one student I chatted to suggested.
German businesses appreciate Britain's free trade, single market, and anti red-tape push. They see this as a counterweight to the EU's more protectionist, interventionist countries.
German taxpayers agree with the UK's drive to crack down on welfare claims by migrants. And Germany is very keen to avoid having to pay even more into the EU budget.
It would end up making up most of the shortfall if the UK walked away.
So there's lots of good will, but no blank cheque.
I asked German MP Michael Fuchs, of Angela Merkel's CDU party, how far the Chancellor would go to help Britain.
She'll offer "utmost flexibility", I was told, but there would also be red lines.
There is little appetite in Germany or anywhere outside Britain for fundamental changes to existing EU treaties (for example to curb the freedom of EU citizens to live and work where they like in the EU).
Though the suggestion has been made in several countries that when treaties are eventually changed to facilitate more harmony in the eurozone, that's when the UK could possibly have its own treaty-changing elements written in.
But the timing looks wrong for Britain.
German Finance Minister Wolgang Schaeuble says any treaty change is unlikely before the UK holds its EU referendum.
But there is a widespread hunger for EU change - from the north amongst the Scandinavian countries to Europe's southern reaches.
Governments realise that, with near deflation and high youth unemployment, especially in Spain, France and Italy, the EU is failing to live up to the aspirations of its almost half a billion citizens.
The question for Britain's prime minister is whether the change favoured by his European partners match the changes David Cameron wants?
Not all his European counterparts are prepared to be as open as Angela Merkel when it comes to UK requests.
Not everyone would be as regretful as Germany if the UK were to leave.
David Cameron has announced he will begin bilateral visits with his European colleagues as soon as this summit is over.
They expect concrete details on what exactly Britain wants from the EU by the leaders' next summit at the end of June.


North Korea says it is proceeding with plans for a third nuclear test.

In a statement carried by KCNA news agency, the country's top military body said the "high-level nuclear test" and more long-range rocket launches were aimed at its "arch-enemy", the US.
The statement gave no time-frame for the test. North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests, in 2006 and 2009.
The move comes two days after a UN Security Council resolution condemned Pyongyang's recent rocket launch.
The Security Council also expanded sanctions against the isolated communist country following its December launch, which was seen by the US and North Korea's neighbours as a banned test of long-range missile technology.
North Korea said the rocket was solely aimed at putting a satellite into space for peaceful purposes.
The statement, which came from North Korea's National Defence Commission, hit out at the resolution as "illegal", before pledging a response.
By Zhuang ChenEditor, BBC Chinese
Pyongyang's defiant reaction to Tuesday's further sanctions is of no surprise - but it poses a new challenge to China.
For years, China has been playing a careful balancing act in dealing with the reclusive country: persuasion, pressure but not sanction. So China's backing of the UN resolution expanding sanctions is a departure from its long-standing policy on North Korea.
The main reason for the shift in policy is China's need for US support in dealing with the increasing tension between China and Japan over disputed islands in the East China Sea. A second reason is Beijing's need to respond to the Obama administration's strategic shift in focus towards the Asia-Pacific region.
China needs to maximise its leverage with the US in order to better safeguard its own interests - and Pyongyang is a card it can play. The question is whether such a shift is temporary or a long-term change in approach.
The bottom line is: China wants to maintain its clout over Pyongyang and to keep the Kim Jung-un regime intact for the foreseeable future - while also managing its other strategic priorities.
"We do not hide that the various satellites and long-range rockets we will continue to launch, as well as the high-level nuclear test we will proceed with, are aimed at our arch-enemy, the United States," KCNA quoted it as saying.
"Settling accounts with the US needs to be done with force, not with words," it added.
Recent reports from South Korean and US bodies which monitor North Korea's nuclear test sites had said North Korea could be preparing for a third test.
Earlier on Thursday, a South Korean defence ministry spokesman said it appeared that North Korea was "ready to conduct a nuclear test at anytime if its leadership decides to go ahead".
Regional neighbours and the US have urged it not to proceed.
"We hope they don't do it, we call on them not to do it. It will be a mistake and a missed opportunity if they were to do it," said Glyn Davies, the US special envoy on North Korea policy who is currently visiting Seoul.
"This is not a moment to increase tensions on the Korean Peninsula."
A South Korean foreign ministry spokesman said Seoul deeply regretted the North Korean statement and "strongly" urged it not to go ahead.
China's foreign ministry, meanwhile, called on all relevant parties to "refrain from action that might escalate the situation in the region".
North Korea's nuclear tests
Q&A: North Korea's nuclear programme
Beijing - North Korea's closest ally and biggest trading partner - backed Tuesday's Security Council resolution, something which correspondents say will have angered its neighbour.
Both North Korea's previous nuclear tests followed long-range rocket launches.
If it were to go ahead, this would be the first nuclear test under Kim Jong-un, who took over the leadership after the death of his father Kim Jong-il in December 2011.
There was no explanation in the statement of what "high-level" test might mean.
Experts believe the two previous tests used plutonium as fissile material, but North Korea is also believed to have been working on a programme to produce highly-enriched uranium.
It is thought that North Korea is not yet able to make a nuclear device small enough to mount on a long-range missile, although the US believes that is Pyongyang's ultimate goal.


Turkey's state television has banned the main opposition party's election campaign advert because it directly targets the government.

The Republican People's Party (CHP) accused broadcaster TRT of "abusing public office" and vowed to take legal action.
It has previously protested at TRT "bias" towards President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The election will take place on 7 June.
In a statement on the CHP website (in Turkish), deputy leader Bulent Tezcan said: "By taking the decision not the broadcast the advertisement, TRT has created a new scandal.
"The main purpose of state-funded television in all democratic countries is fairness of broadcasting. TRT's direction are committing the crime of abuse of public office," he added.
Mr Tezcan also reminded the broadcaster that it is "owned by the public".
TRT has so far declined to comment.
The opposition advert featured the slogan "we applaud as a nation" and criticised the "oppression" of justice, freedom and secularism in the country.
It urged voters to attend the party's first mass election rally on Saturday.
The controversy follows a ruling by a court in Ankara on Thursday, which ordered CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu to pay damages for insulting President Erdogan in a speech in 2013.


Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac says Wales full-back Leigh Halfpenny will not be joining the region next season.

Halfpenny is free to leave Toulon in the summer and Scarlets were among the clubs linked with the 27-year-old.
But Pivac accepts Halfpenny, who joined Toulon from Cardiff Blues in 2014, will remain in France for a third season by accepting the option of another year.
"He's staying at Toulon this year, what he's doing after that will be up to Leigh," Pivac told BBC Wales Sport.
Scarlets and Halfpenny's previous team Cardiff Blues both expressed an interest in bringing him back to Wales, with financial support from the Welsh Rugby Union.
Wasps were also in the market for him, but director of rugby Dai Young admitted in December they were out of the running.
Toulon coach Bernard Laporte has said he expects Halfpenny to stay for the optional third year of his contract.
"That's common knowledge, isn't it?" said Pivac. "He's not with us for 2016-17."
The Scarlets coach said it was too soon to talk about where British and Irish Lions back Halfpenny might play the following season.
Halfpenny will not be included in the restricted number of players based outside Wales available to national head coach Warren Gatland, because he is continuing with an existing contract.
Scarlets look set to lose Wales tight-head prop Rhodri Jones, who has been linked with a move to the neighbouring Ospreys.
The 24-year-old has to compete with Wales' current first-choice Samson Lee at Parc y Scarlets.
New Zealander Pivac admitted it was difficult to satisfy two international players in the same position.
"His contract is through to the end of the season and that's as far as the discussions have gone with us," Pivac added.
"We've talked to him about a possible extension, but that hasn't happened at this stage.
"If I was in his shoes, coming out of the shadow of Samson would definitely be an option, so it's something he has to think about."
Wales full-back Liam Williams is back training with the Scarlets' squad and remains on course to feature against Connacht on 30 January, a week before the Six Nations starts.
Williams, 24, has not played since a reoccurrence of an ankle injury during the World Cup in October.
Scrum-half Aled Davies, lock/flanker Lewis Rawlins, wing Tom Williams and flanker Will Boyde are all available again after injury.
Scarlets face Northampton Saints in their final European Champions Cup group match on Saturday having lost all five games in this season's competition.


Using emoticons in text messages could cost you lots of money without you realising.

Lots of people have complained after racking up huge bills for including things like smiley faces in their texts.
The problem has been affecting people using older models of some mobile phones. When emoticons were used in a text message on those devices, some phones converted them into MMS (Multi-media service) messages which can cost up to 40p per message.
A woman in Scotland was recently charged Â£1000 for her phone bill, after using emoticons in her texts.
The mobile phone company O2 recommended that people don't use emoticons in text messages to make sure they avoid extra charges.
Experts say mobile phone operators need to be clearer about MMS charges and are advising that people check their bills regularly and use free-messaging services instead, if they want to use emoticons.


The Co-operative Group is planning to create 1,500 jobs in the new year by opening 100 stores across the country.

The group will invest £70m in the new shops, which will be spread throughout London, south-east England, Yorkshire and Scotland.
The Co-op is expecting to open five stores in London by the end of March.
The company is entering the final stretch of a three-year turnaround programme following a period of turmoil mainly involving its banking group.
Stuart Hookins, property portfolio and development director at the Co-op, said: "Whilst other retailers are scaling back their expansion plans, the Co-op continues to open new convenience stores.
"We opened 100 stores in 2016, and we plan to open hundreds more new stores over the next few years."


Exeter City chairman Julian Tagg has backed plans for Premier League academy sides to play in the EFL Trophy.

Sixteen category one academies will join the tournament next season.
"The decision to support the proposal (strictly for one season only) was not taken lightly," said Tagg in a statement on the club website.
"This is not a precursor to B teams entering the league structure, which Exeter City would be against should it ever be proposed."
Exeter have never made the final of the tournament, coming closest in 2011 when they lost to Brentford over two legs in the southern area final.
And Tagg feels the opportunity to play against the best young players in the country will help Exeter's players develop.
The club has a reputation of blooding youngsters from its own academy in the first team, while players such as Matt Grimes and Tom Nichols have left for large fees in recent seasons.
"The EFL Trophy will allow a unique opportunity for our own under-21s to gain genuine valuable first-team experience. The possibility of being drawn away to a category one Premier League academy/under-21 side at a Premiership venue, would provide both crucial player experience, and an event for fans to enjoy," added Tagg.
"Secondly, the much needed reboot of the competition, currently without a sponsor, will provide increased revenue from central funding, match-day receipts and TV and prize money (which is double next season); an opportunity the club could ill-afford to lose out on.
"Exeter City understands that many supporters may be surprised, or not agree with the decision. However, after careful consideration and discussion the club feels that it is important to support and explore ways to ensure the competition can survive."


The Egyptian Football Association has announced it will allow 50,000 fans to attend Egypt's 2018 World Cup qualifier against Ghana in Alexandria.

The Borg El Arab Stadium will host the match on Sunday 13 November.
Restrictions on fans at matches in Egypt have been in place since 2012, when 72 Al Ahly fans died in violence at a match in Port Said.
The EFA will also allow 40,000 fans to watch the Champions League final second leg also in Alexandria.
Zamalek will host that match against South African side Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday 23 October.
The first leg ended in a 3-0 defeat for the Egyptian side.
Egypt fared better in their opening World Cup qualifier, beating DR Congo 2-1 to move into an early two-point lead in Group E.
Only the group winners will earn a place at the tournament in Russia.


The FBI has announced a $25,000 (Â£17,500) reward for information leading to the recovery of seven Andy Warhol soup can prints stolen from the Springfield Art Museum in Missouri.

The prints, which are part of a set of 10, were stolen in a break-in at the museum in the early hours of 7 April.
The prints have been on display at the museum since 1985 are valued at $500,000 (Â£351,000).
The screen print collection is based on paintings created by Warhol in 1962.
Each print is individually framed and the ones stolen are for soup cans with the labels beef, vegetable, tomato, onion, green pea, chicken noodle and black bean.
Museum director Nick Nelson has praised the "outpouring of support of the Springfield community and the quick response of the Springfield Police Department and FBI".
"For those of us who work at the museum and in Springfield's art community, the theft of these iconic Warhol prints that the museum has had in our permanent collection for 30 years feels like the loss of a family member," he said.
"We appreciate any assistance the public can provide to law enforcement to ensure the return of these treasured pieces of art."
The museum is remaining open to the public and is looking at its security measures.
"The museum is working with the proper authorities and being proactive in our security efforts as we remain open to the public. We are confident that the measures we are taking will protect the museum's treasures, while still making art accessible to our community," Nelson said.
The FBI has a specialised Art Crime Team to recover stolen items and prosecute art and cultural property crime.
BBC iWonder: How Andy Warhol became Pop Art's superstar


A large bang or explosion sound has been reported in the Swindon area.

Wiltshire Police said it received three calls from people between 06:24 and 06:38 GMT saying they did not know where the noise had come from.
BBC Wiltshire received calls, texts and tweets from people in Rodbourne, Old Town and Pinehurst who heard the sound.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) said it was not thought to be down to an earth tremor, while the MoD scotched suggestions of a sonic boom.
The Wiltshire force said officers had not attended any explosion-related incidents.
A BGS seismologist scrutinised signals from the nearest seismograph sites to Swindon and found no evidence of a seismic disturbance of any kind, a spokesman for the society said.
"It may well be the case that people did experience something but, whatever it was, may have been so localised and too small to be recorded," he said.
Asked whether the noise could have been a sonic boom - the noise when jets break through the sound barrier - a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said: "There is nothing to suggest it was anything to do with us.
"There are no reports of activity from a military perspective."


Hibernian forward James Keatings is determined to finally enjoy the rewards of a successful Scottish Championship promotion campaign.

Hibs' title win marks the third time Keatings has been involved in a promotion-winning side.
But previously he left Hamilton Accies and Hearts prior to their Premiership campaigns commencing.
"I'm very happy here. It's a great club, I feel at home. There's no other place I want to be," he said.
Keatings is out of contract this summer, but the 25-year-old revealed to BBC Scotland: "I've been offered a new contract here.
"My agent's still talking to the club and things are going well, so hopefully I'm with the club next season in the Premiership.
"It's one thing I've always wanted to do, but in the last few years, I've felt the better thing for me was joining the clubs in the Championship."
Keatings started his career at Celtic before joining Accies then the two Edinburgh clubs.
"When I went up with Hamilton, Hearts came calling and I thought it was a massive chance for me to play for a big club and it was the same when Hearts went up," he said.
"I still had a year left and I could have stayed if I'd wanted to, but I spoke to the people at Hibs and it was a massive opportunity again to play under Alan Stubbs and the new manager here now and it's been a great thing for me.
"Last season, winning the Scottish Cup was something I always wanted to do and never thought it would happen.
"Obviously achieving that and now winning the Championship - as a player you want to be winning things and playing at top clubs you're always giving yourself a chance of doing that."
However, Keatings and his team-mates aren't resting on their laurels nor basking in their title glory.
A Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen is approaching this weekend and a chance to move a step closer to retaining the trophy that eluded them for 114 years prior to last May's victory over Rangers.
"I think it'll be an even game," said Keatings of facing the side sitting second in the Premiership.
"Aberdeen are a very good outfit, as they've shown over the last few years, and it's going to be a difficult game, but we're more than capable.
"It'll be open - Aberdeen won't put 10 men behind the ball. They'll try to play. Obviously that opens up a lot of space on the pitch and kind of helps us as well.
"As we've shown when we've played Premiership teams, when they come at us, we're able to play much better football, we see the spaces we don't get in the Championship.
"We'll be confident we can get it done."
That confidence also leads Keatings to believe Hibs won't simply be going into the Premiership with the aim of consolidating their newly-regained top-flight status.
"The club we're at, you're always going to have expectations of aiming high and I'm sure that would be top six and see where that could take us - if we could push further," he added.
"You've got a great team here, a great squad - a lot of top players. It's just about holding on to them and keep building the squad.
"I'm sure the manager will have his targets of who he'd like to add. It's building that squad as strong as you can for the Premiership and pushing as far as you can go.
"The club belongs in the top league - it's got all the facilities, the fans, the stadium - and we're delighted we're finally there.
"You want to play against the best players in the best stadiums and show how good a team we are and how good an individual you are."


Child tracker firm uKnowKids has accused a security researcher of hacking its database after he told them it was publicly accessible online.

Researcher Chris Vickery claimed he found millions of text messages and images plus 1,700 "detailed child profiles" belonging to uKnowKids customers on search engine Shodan.
But when he alerted the firm it replied that his access was "unauthorised".
Mr Vickery says no password protection was in place.
The BBC has been in contact with both Chris Vickery and uKnowKids chief executive Steve Woda.
"It could have easily have been avoided - the fact they left it open is incredible. I don't know why you would leave all that data open to the entire world," Mr Vickery told the BBC.
"They put up a database with no password required to access it."
The company said its private database had been breached and added that it had patched the "vulnerability" within 90 minutes of Mr Vickery's notification.
It added that while his actions were "helpful", it had yet to "fully identify" his credentials as a "white hat" - researchers who identify vulnerabilities and report them rather than use them to hack.
"Twelve minutes after the final breach... and after taking screenshots of our intellectual property, business data, and customer data, Mr Vickery notified uKnow of his breach of our private systems," Steve Woda wrote in a blog post.
"What we do know right now is that the alleged data breach affected about 0.5% of the kids that uKnowKids has helped parents protect online and on the mobile phone."
Screenshots of the data seen by the BBC included a family picture of a woman in a car with three small children, lists of usernames and email addresses and folders with names like "childicloudimages" and "childfacebookaccounts".
"The database also included uKnow's proprietary natural language processing engine technology and data including our proprietary algorithms that power uKnow's technology," Mr Woda added.
"With respect to customer data, no financial information or unencrypted password credentials were vulnerable."
The company also said it had asked Mr Vickery to delete all of the data he downloaded including the screenshots, and has now hired two security firms to help it secure its service.
According to a blog post by Chris Vickery, Steve Woda expressed concerns via email that his actions could put the firm out of business.
The services offered by uKnow include tracking children's social media accounts and text message activity and sending alerts to parents.
Its prices range from $10 (Â£7) per month to $100 per year or $180 for a lifetime subscription.
Mr Vickery said he has found "dozens" of similar security weaknesses belonging to other companies and the firm's response in this case was unusual.
"When I found one of the databases of [software firm] MacKeeper, they turned around and said, 'OK, we want to hire you to give us tips about data breaches,'" he said.
"That was an awesome response."
Chris Vickery's blog post appeared on the MacKeeper website.
Mr Woda said: "uKnowKids was originally created after one of our family children was victimised by an online predator, and so protecting kids is very, very personal to us.
"You have my personal commitment that our uKnow team will continue to do everything we can to help you keep your kids safe from bad guys and bullies online and on the mobile phone."


About 30 patients in Somerset who had cataract surgery inside a mobile hospital theatre have been left with blurred vision or other complications.

Musgrove Park Hospital said the cause of the "technical issues" in the hired facility was being investigated.
Surgery was carried out on 62 patients with just under half reporting complications while some 15 people had "more significant" corneal issues.
The use of the mobile facility was ceased when the issues were discovered.
All affected patients have been spoken to and care plans are now in place for their ongoing treatment, a hospital spokesperson said.
Vanguard Healthcare had been hired to provide the theatre to help clear a backlog for some ophthalmic services.
The unit, which consists of an anaesthetic room, operating theatre and two-bed recovery, is at the hospital until the end of the year.
Vanguard said it was "co-operating fully" with the hospital for the investigation which would focus on the drugs, equipment, sterilisation and protocols used.
"The majority of operations were successful, however a number experienced an unusual level of discomfort after surgery," added a spokesperson.
"We have, with the hospital, conveyed to the patients our concern and sympathy for the discomfort or distress they have experienced."
The hospital's chief executive, Jo Cubbon, said the issues meant many patients who had already waited longer than they should have, will now have to wait again for their operation.
"We are very sorry this has happened and are working to put a solution in place so that these patients will receive their treatment as soon as possible," Ms Cubbon said.


A mass rally honouring the late Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro has filled Revolution Square in Havana.

The gathering began with the national anthem and ended with a tribute from Castro's brother Raul.
It was attended by a number of world leaders - but some countries sent lower-level officials.
Fidel Castro, who came to power in 1959, died on Friday, aged 90. His ashes will be taken to the eastern city of Santiago later on Wednesday.
Opinion on Fidel Castro, who ruled Cuba as a one-party state for almost half a century, remains divided.
Supporters say he returned Cuba to the people and praise him for some of his social programmes, such as public health and education.
But critics call him a dictator, who led a government that did not tolerate opposition and dissent.
This division led to some countries. such as the US, sending lower-ranking emissaries. However, allies including left-wing Latin American leaders were among those attending the ceremony in Revolution Square, where Cubans once gathered to listen to Fidel Castro's fiery speeches.
Attendance at the commemorative event reflects this division.
On Tuesday, the crowd chanted "long live the revolution!" and "Fidel! Fidel!" as the rally got under way.
President Raul Castro closed the rally, referring to his brother Fidel as the leader of a revolution "for the humble, and by the humble".
Greece's left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was among those who addressed the crowd. The presidents of Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Panama, South Africa and Zimbabwe also attended.
In his speech, South African President Jacob Zuma praised Cuba's record on health care and education and its support for African countries.
Earlier on Tuesday, the left-wing presidents of Bolivia and Venezuela, Evo Morales and Nicolas Maduro, were among those who signed a book of condolences at the Jose Marti memorial where a photograph flanked by an honour guard has been on display since Monday.
Another admirer of Fidel Castro, Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, is joining the two presidents at the commemoration.
But many Western leaders are not attending the event in person.
The White House announced that its nominee for the post of ambassador to Havana, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, and Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes would attend the commemorative event but that it was not sending an "official delegation" to Cuba.
Ben Rhodes was one of the US officials who negotiated the thaw between the US and the Cuban government announced in December 2014.
President-elect Donald Trump on Monday threatened to end the detente if Cuba did not offer a "better deal".
On Wednesday Castro's ashes will be taken on a journey to Santiago, which is regarded as the Cuba's 1959 revolution.
The ashes will be placed on Sunday in the Ifigenia Cemetery in Santiago, where Cuban independence hero Jose Marti is buried.


One goalkeeper has not made a save for 180 minutes, there is a new 'Tinkerman' in town, and there may be an invincible in Arsenal's back four.

BBC Sport takes a look at the quirkiest and more interesting statistics from the weekend.
It was another weekend to forget for Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, who has now gone 180 minutes since saving a shot on target in the Premier League.
The Chile international could do little about either of Tottenham's goals as City gave up a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, but that made it 16 goals conceded in the top-flight from the last 24 shots on target he has faced.
In fact, the 33-year-old's last save in the competition came when he thwarted Burnley's Michael Keane in the 90th minute of a 2-1 win on 2 January.
BBC Sport's Chris Bevan took an in-depth look at the form of Bravo, who has faced a total of 59 shots on target in the Premier League so far this season and conceded 25 goals.
There are certain managers who clubs dangling perilously close to the drop turn to in their hour of need, and Sam Allardyce is often first choice among Premier League chairmen desperate for survival.
The one-time England boss' first managerial foray into the top flight came with Bolton, getting the club promoted to the Premier League in 2001.
Fast forward 16 years, four clubs and one international stint, and the 62-year-old has been tasked with steering Crystal Palace towards better things. But one point from five games means Allardyce is suffering his worst ever start after taking over a team in the Premier League.
Allardyce's success with Bolton landed him the Newcastle job, but a poor run before Christmas in 2008 saw him leave the club and take over from Paul Ince at Blackburn, who were 19th after three wins from their opening 17 games.
Palace fans will take heart at the fact he managed to steer Rovers away from relegation and to a 15th-placed finish, repeating the feat with Sunderland last season, albeit taking over in October and narrowly avoiding the bottom three on the last day of the campaign.
The Eagles were a just-about-safe 17th when Allardyce arrived at Selhurst Park in late December, but four successive defeats under their new boss has seen them slide into the relegation zone.
Andy Carroll scored twice as West Ham beat Middlesbrough on Saturday, with the first coming from a bullet header.
That prompted Hammers boss Slaven Bilic to compare the towering striker to Duncan Ferguson - a man the former Croatia defender played both with and against during his time in the Premier League.
"I'm a long time in football and I played at centre-back and it's only Duncan Ferguson who was on this level when the cross comes into the box," said Bilic, who played with the Scot at Everton.
Ferguson was a menace in the air for both the Toffees and Newcastle in the late 1990s, but did the majority of his league goals come from headers? And how does Carroll compare?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Chelsea stalwart John Terry is the man to have scored the most of his Premier League goals with his head - a massive 67.5% - but Ferguson is among three former Everton men to make the top six.
Australian Tim Cahill netted 31 of his 56 goals in the English top flight with his head, while almost half of Paul Rideout's goals came via the same method.
As for Carroll? Well he ranks seventh, finishing 23 of his 48 Premier League goals - that's 47.92% - with a flick of that ponytail.
However, it is Carroll's West Ham team-mate Michail Antonio who leads the way in the Premier League this season with six headed goals, although both have some way to go to catch these all-time aerial predators.
It's not quite the same as when their whole team went the entire Premier League campaign undefeated in 2003-04, but can Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi repeat the trick on his own this season?
Following Arsenal's 2-1 win over Burnley on Sunday, in which the Germany international scored the opening goal, Mustafi has now played 15 times in the Premier League this season without losing a game.
Liverpool will be delighted defender Joel Matip has been cleared to play following confusion over his availability during the Africa Cup of Nations, but the Reds ruined the Cameroon international's 12-game unbeaten streak by bringing him on as a 94th-minute substitute in Saturday's 3-2 defeat by Swansea.
Phil Jones, Matteo Darmian and Michael Carrick are the beneficiaries of Manchester United's recent form, with Jose Mourinho's side unbeaten when the trio have featured this term.
Spare a though for Sunderland's Jack Rodwell, though, who has never won a Premier League game when named in the Black Cats' starting line up.
We mentioned Rodwell's unwanted record in October, when Sunderland were yet to win a game this season. They have won four times since, but each of those victories came when the 25-year-old was out injured.
Former Everton and Manchester City midfielder Rodwell, who has won three England caps, has started four times since, and each time Sunderland have failed to win.
It is now three years and eight months since Rodwell started in a winning side in the league, a run that takes in his entire Sunderland career and stretches back to May 2013 - more than a year before he moved from Manchester City in August 2014.
Wayne Rooney was the centre of attention as he broke Sir Bobby Charlton's Manchester United scoring record on Saturday, but the England captain also crept to the top of another chart with his equaliser at Stoke.
The 31-year-old is now the Premier League's most prolific marksman away from home, with his 250th United goal also his 88th on the road in the league.
While Rooney's stoppage-time leveller earned him two records, it also increased his side's unbeaten run in all competitions to 17 games.
United have won 12 of those, making it their best run since Sir Alex Ferguson retired as manager.
They won the title in Ferguson's final season in charge in 2012-13 and enjoyed an 18-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
However, it was during the double-winning campaign of 1993-94 that the Scot oversaw the club's all-time record, with a 34-match undefeated streak coming to an end on 2 March, 1994.
Claudio Ranieri was labelled the 'Tinkerman' for his constant juggling of his Chelsea side when he arrived in the Premier League in 2000, but was the Italian up against a new breed of tinkerer when Leicester City visited Southampton on Sunday?
Claude Puel has made 188 changes to his starting line-up in his 34 games in charge of the Saints in all competitions, and has never named the same starting XI in consecutive matches.
When it comes to the Premier League, Puel is third in the list with 57 changes to his staring line-up this season, while Manchester City and Pep Guardiola top this particular table with 74 changes.
Guardiola and David Moyes have rotated their sides most frequently this term, with City and Sunderland the only teams not to have named the same starting line-up in consecutive Premier League games so far this season.
Meanwhile, league leaders Chelsea are weighing in to the argument that consistency breeds success, with Antonio Conte's 21 changes proving fewer than any other top-flight club.
The Italian has also named an unchanged XI on six occasions this season, putting them third behind Hull (eight) and West Brom (seven).


Championship side QPR have confirmed they are looking into the possibility of building a new ground on the site of the Linford Christie Stadium.

Following delays to the proposed regeneration of Old Oak, where the club had been seeking to build a stadium, they are now assessing alternatives.
One option could be a partnership with athletics club Thames Valley Harriers.
Harriers use the venue next to Wormwood Scrubs, which opened in 1967 and was renamed in 1993.
It was originally called the West London Stadium and was then named after Christie, who grew up in the area, the year after he won Olympic 100m gold.
It is situated just a mile from Loftus Road, which has been QPR's home for all but three of the past hundred years.
Rangers have held informal talks with Hammersmith & Fulham Council about the feasibility of building a new stadium and adjacent athletics track on the site.
The R's confirmed that the idea is being discussed but "is at a very early stage, with much work to do before any proposal is brought forward."
Chief executive Lee Hoos told QPR's website: "We are looking at all possible options to secure the future of the club in Hammersmith & Fulham and benefit the community.
"A potential partnership with an athletics club such as Thames Valley Harriers to create a new community stadium - and an adjacent athletics track - could bring huge benefits to both clubs, as well as to the local community that is our home.
"Before putting forward any formal proposal for a new community stadium we would consult fans, local residents, schools, charities and others to see how best we could achieve those aims."


Anita Pallenberg, the model and actress best known for her relationships with members of the Rolling Stones, has died at the age of 73.

Her death was made public by Stella Schnabel, daughter of painter and film director Julian, who said she had "never met a woman quite like" her.
"Go in peace my Roman mother," she wrote on Instagram.
Pallenberg was the girlfriend of Brian Jones but left him for fellow Rolling Stone Keith Richards.
She was also alleged to have had an affair with Sir Mick Jagger while they were making 1970 film Performance, though she always denied it.
Born in Rome in 1944 to German and Italian parents, Pallenberg began her career as a model and spent time in the 1960s at Andy Warhol's famous Factory.
She met Jones in 1965 but left him two years later for Richards. Jones went on to leave the band and died shortly afterwards.
In his autobiography, Life, Richards described Pallenberg as a "very strong" woman who was "extremely bright" and "a great beauty".
The couple had three children together, one of whom died as an infant, before they finally separated in 1980.
Pallenberg sang backing vocals on classic Stones track Sympathy for the Devil and was said to have had a "profound" influence on the band by their one-time PA Jo Bergman.
She had roles in films including 1969's Barbarella and 2007's Mister Lonely, and made a cameo appearance in BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous in 2001.
Pallenberg was accused of manslaughter in 1979 after a man named Scott Cantrell killed himself with her gun in the New York home she shared with Richards.
"I didn't feel anything," she said of the death, for which she was subsequently cleared. "That's one of the wonders of drugs and drink."
Known for her colourful lifestyle and fascination with black magic, Pallenberg sought help for her addictions in 1987 and went on to study fashion at Central St Martins in London.
She is survived by her two children and five grandchildren.
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Wasps director of rugby Dai Young says the task now facing his side is to maintain the standards they have set over the last few weeks.

After losing two of their first three Premiership games, Wasps have now won back-to-back European Champions Cup pool games, capped by their impressive 32-6 win on Sunday over holders Toulon.
"The players have set the bar quite high," said 48-year-old Young.
"The challenge for us is to maintain those levels of performances."
Wasps' bonus-point victory over three-times champions Toulon followed a 33-6 win in Dublin against Leinster to give them an almost perfect start to their European campaign.
And Young said he had observed an uplift in his players' confidence as a consequence.
"It's been a bit of a rollercoaster start to the season, but the passes are now sticking when, in the first couple of games, they weren't," he told BBC Coventry and Warwickshire.
"We want to play and get the ball in hand and it wasn't quite clicking for us, our defence wasn't where it has been and our ball handling and retention was poor but we've improved that and reaped the benefits.
"Certainly over the last three to four weeks we've started to look more like a team."
Wasps return to domestic action against winless London Irish as part of Saturday's double-header at Twickenham, which also features Saracens against Worcester Warriors.


There's a General Election coming up on 7 May, where adults will vote to decide who will run the UK for the next five years.

15 April 2015 Last updated at 07:03 BST
Although kids aren't able to vote, the decisions made at the election will have a big impact on the lives of all children across the country.
But with so many different political parties competing with each other, we're giving you the low down on the main ones.
Find out all you need to know about Plaid Cymru in Newsround's 60 second guide.


Two people have been arrested after a man suffered head injuries in an serious attack in County Down.

The incident happened at Scarva Walk in Banbridge at about 16:00 BST on Friday.
The victim, who is aged in his 40s, was taken to hospital for treatment for head and facial injuries.
Two men in their 20s were arrested and are being questioned by police on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
One of the men is also suspected of assaulting police and causing criminal damage.
He was taken to hospital for treatment for a hand injury.
Det Sgt Colin Patterson of the Police Service of Northern Ireland said: "Anyone who saw this assault taking place and has information that could be useful to police should contact us."


A mural by street artist Banksy showing two children playing with a "no ball games" sign has been cut out of a wall in Tottenham, north London.

The graffiti, which appeared on the side of a shop at the junction of Tottenham High Road and Philip Lane in 2009, is to be sold for charity.
Janet Cooke, who works nearby, said an "iconic bit of Tottenham" had gone.
The firm managing the sale - the Sincura Group - said it had not been appreciated in situ.
Events company Sincura Group also put the Banksy mural Slave Labour up for auction in June.
The artwork, showing a boy making union jack bunting on a sewing machine, was taken from a wall in Wood Green, north London, in February.
It had been sprayed on to the side of a discount store just before the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.
The group's director Tony Baxter said he had been approached and asked if he could manage the sale of No Ball Games.
He declined to say who approached him.
He said the piece, one of Banksy's largest, had to be removed in three pieces.
The last section featuring a girl will be removed later, he said.
He said the artwork had been defaced a number of times and people's view of it had been spoilt by renovation work in the area and a "pylon" being placed in front of it with a security camera.
He said it would be restored over six months before being auctioned in spring next year with profits going to charity.
He added: "It's a beautiful piece."
Mrs Cooke, of Cooke Estates, said she saw workers plastering both sides of the wall on Thursday.
"Everybody knew it around here and went to have a look at it. It was a little iconic bit of Tottenham," she said.
"Now it's going to be famous for being a place where a Banksy was once."
Councillor Alan Strickland of Haringey Council said he was "very disappointed" that a "community landmark" had been removed.
Haringey Trades Council secretary Keith Flett said: "The Banksy was an important cultural feature of the area and if it has been removed it will be another indication that local people's wishes come second to the interests of profit."


"It's clear we have smashed the ball out of the park with our 'Selfridges' of sport concept," boasted Sports Direct chief executive Mike Ashley to financial analysts, following the release of the company's latest results.

He was talking about the retailer's efforts to drive its stores upmarket and "elevate its retail proposition".
The idea is to give more space over to branded goods and showcase their "very best products", even opening gyms in some of the flagship stores.
And on Thursday it announced a "strategic partnership" with upmarket Japanese sportswear brand Asics, whose products will be stocked in Asics-managed areas of flagship stores from next year.
Sports Direct described this as "an important step in Sports Direct's journey to being recognised as the Selfridges of sport.'"
Well, there was only one way to find out what this was all about - take a visit to its flagship store on London's Oxford Street, which is showcasing the latest approach.
As I walked through the door, to be greeted by thumping music,  I dredged through my memory for the last time I'd been in a Sports Direct.
It was a long time ago, but my memory was of the slightly claustrophobic feel of fighting through a crowded jumble of kit and equipment, and my perception, right or wrong, that this was an environment aimed primarily at men.
So the fact that the Oxford Street store felt light and airy with plenty of space between rails was a welcome relief.
But let's be honest, I'm not a typical Sports Direct customer.
Yes, I exercise regularly, but fashion is not foremost in my mind when I'm struggling through another tortuous workout, and I think of Sports Direct as being more about fashion than "serious" sport.
Could I be converted?
Well, first off, reinforcing my prejudice that this is more of a male environment, the first thing you see as you walk through the door of the Oxford Street store is a display of club strips and a sign proclaiming this is "The Home of Football",  a reminder that another of Sports Direct's stated aims is to become just that - the home of football.
And most of the customers did seem to be male.
Of course, a key element of shopping is how the staff treat you.
Would I be made to feel welcome? As I wandered aimlessly, an assistant did offer to help me, so a big tick there.
What would happen if I tried to buy something. New boxing gloves. Could I get an assistant to advise me?
Yes, as it turned out. A smiley young woman confidently explained the point of the different glove weights.
OK, once I'd said I would buy them she tried to sell me a special offer on some "workout make up" but was quite happy when I said I'd think about it.
So how about trying to buy something for my sartorially conservative husband? On the floor below there was no price on the black T-shirt I chose. But another assistant spent a good few minutes checking out the price on the website.
Ticks all round for my experience of the staff I came up against, anyway.
So then I waylaid shoppers as they left the store to gauge their reactions.
Rory Bryant, a teacher who used to work in advertising, had come into buy some socks. He had spotted the shift upmarket and was impressed by the lighter feel, "compared to most Sports Direct stores".
"Most are a jumble of crumpled socks and piles of clothing," he says.
Photographers' agent James Denton, 49, had been in the Oxford Street store for the first time. He came out with a football for his two-year old son.
He said he normally thought of the chain as a slightly downmarket depressing experience. "so it definitely feels different".
"Stuff is a lot better laid out, they've put a lot of thought into design and layout of everything," he added.
Another customer, Philip Yardy, described the design of the shops as "open, appealing" and encouraging people to walk through.
But Stuart Deveson wasn't quite so happy. He spent all of 10 seconds in there, he said. He agreed the entrance to the shop "looks quite nice", but said the reason he had walked out so quickly was because he'd gone in to buy shorts and couldn't find them.
"If they're not going to make it easy to find what I want, I'll go somewhere else," he said.
Sports Direct now has more than 25 new generation stores, of which 12 are "flagship" outlets. It plans to open between 16 and 24 new stores in the current financial year, of which about half will be flagship stores.
So is Sports Direct "smashing it out of the park" with its "Selfridges of Sport" concept?
Financial analysts seem happy enough with how it's going. Neil Wilson, senior market analyst at ETX Capital, said this had been a "transformational" year for Sports Direct.
Progress was being made on the new premium stores, he said, and they were "a lot more profitable than the existing Sports Direct stores".
Initial impressions from the shoppers I spoke to at least do seem positive.
Perhaps the last word should go to customer Rory Bryant, who compared the Oxford Street flagship with another retail success story.
He said it was now "more like Niketown up the road", and perhaps that, as much as Selfridges, is the inspiration behind the chain's makeover.


Wrexham will be without striker Jordan White for two months.

White, 24, who joined the Dragons from Livingston in May, is in hospital because of problems with his bloodstream.
"They're trying to get to the bottom of it but it more or less paralysed him for a while because he couldn't move," Wrexham manager Gary Mills said.
"He's got to go on a course of antibiotics for eight weeks without any exercise or anything."
Mills added: "We wish him well and hopefully we can get him back as quickly as possible."
White's illness could force Mills to sign a striker ahead of Wrexham's National League season opener against Dover Athletic on 6 August.
Mills has further added to his squad with the signing of former Northampton Town and Cambridge United goalkeeper Chris Dunn.
Dunn has signed a one-year contract and will also be the club's goalkeeping coach.
The 28-year-old has been training with the Dragons during pre-season and will provide competition for Shwan Jalal, who joined from Macclesfield Town in June.
"That gives me two top keepers in this league," Mills told BBC Wales Sport.


B vitamins may offer some protection against the impacts of air pollution, a small scale human trial suggests.

Researchers in the US found that high doses of these supplements may "completely offset" the damage caused by very fine particulate matter.
The scientists involved say the effect is real but stress the limitations of their work.
Follow up studies are urgently needed, they say, in heavily polluted cities like Beijing or Mexico.
While the impacts of air pollution on health have become a cause of growing concern to people all around the world, the actual mechanics of exactly how dirty air makes people sick are not clearly understood.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 90% of the world's population live in areas where air pollution exceeds safety guidelines.
One of the pollutants that is considered the most dangerous is very fine particulate matter, referred to as PM2.5, where particles have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres.
These complex particulates come from diesel cars, wood burning stoves and as a by-product of chemical reactions between other polluting gases.
At around 1/30 the width of a human hair, PM2.5 fragments can lodge deep in the human lung and contribute to lung and heart health issues in the young and old.
Scientists have long suspected that PM2.5 causes what are termed epigenetic changes in our cells that can damage our health.
The genes in our DNA contain the instructions for life, but epigenetics controls how those instructions are used - it's like the relationship between an mp3 track and the volume control, you can only hear the musical notes (genes) when you dial up the volume (epigenetic changes).
The study shows the very presence of environmental factors like air pollution seems to alter genes in the immune system at the epigenetic level - switching them on or off, and inhibiting our defences.
Researchers had already seen that nutrients could somehow stop this process in animal studies with the chemical Bisphenol A.
Now in this new human trial, an international team of scientists wanted to see if exposure to concentrations of PM2.5 could be mitigated by a daily B vitamin supplement containing 2.5mg of folic acid, 50mg of vitamin B6, and 1mg of vitamin B12.
Ten volunteers were tested initially exposed to clean air while given a placebo to measure their basic responses. The same volunteers were later tested with large doses of B vitamins while exposed to air containing high levels of PM2.5.
The researchers found that a four week B vitamin supplementation limited the PM2.5 effect by between 28-76% at ten gene locations. They found a similar reduction in impact on the mitochondrial DNA, the parts of cells that generate energy.
"Where we quantify the effect, it is almost close to a complete offset on the epigenome of the air pollution," said Jia Zhong from Harvard School of Public Health, who led the study.
"On the mitochondrial DNA side, it also offset a big proportion of it."
However, the authors caution that their study, while observing a real effect, has many limitations. As well as the small number of participants, there was little information on the size of the B vitamin dose that elicited the response.
"We didn't have different doses and the doses we used were quite high, higher than a normal pregnancy suggested intake. So it is quite high but at the same we did observe this protective effect," said Jia Zhong.
Other scientists in the field, while welcoming the study, agree that caution is needed.
"The fact that they find a coherent story in only 10 subjects is promising, but clearly warrants further follow-up in larger populations especially considering the ethnic variability in this study," said Prof Carrie Breton from the University of Southern California, who wasn't involved in the report.
"While I think it is great that doing something as easy as taking a vitamin would help protect against air pollution harm, the public health goal still needs to be one of reducing air pollution to a level that is not harmful," she said in a statement.
The authors acknowledge that this was a pilot study to test a hypothesis and they are not in a position to make any deductions about whether B vitamins could be used in clinical practice as a means of protecting against air pollution.
More and bigger studies are needed - and they need to be done in environments where people have a major exposure to PM2.5.
"I think that B vitamins are a likely hope that we can potentially utilise as an individualised treatment to complement the policy regulations to minimise the impacts of air pollution," said Jia Zhong.
"A more sophisticated study is urgently needed in Beijing or India or Mexico just to see whether those who are chronically exposed, if the protective effect can still be effective."
The study has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
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Anthony Joshua won the Commonwealth heavyweight title in only his 14th pro fight with a first-round stoppage of Scotland's Gary Cornish in London.

Londoner Joshua, 25, floored Cornish with his first right hand thrown in anger and the referee waved things off after a second knockdown.
Joshua, a former Olympic champion, now has 14 knockouts from 14 paid fights.
Dillian Whyte stayed on course for a grudge match against Joshua in December with a knockout of Brian Minto.
The 28-year-old Cornish, who was previously unbeaten in 21 fights, had a one-inch height advantage and was also heavier than his rival. But once Joshua let his hands go, the outcome was all too familiar.
Joshua, who needed only 97 seconds to dispose of Cornish at the O2 Arena, has needed only 26 rounds to see off his 14 opponents so far and nobody has taken him beyond the third round.
"It was a perfect connection and he went tumbling down," said Joshua. "If I take my time, it could be me on the end of one of those blows in five rounds or so."
His fight against Whyte, which promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed would take place at the O2 Arena on 12 December, will be for the Commonwealth and vacant British title.
Whyte defeated fellow Londoner Joshua in the amateur ranks and taunted him during the build-up to Saturday's show, calling him a "scumbag" and a "fake".
Consequently, Whyte was booed into the ring before putting on a one-sided, yet ragged, display against his 40-year-old American opponent.
Minto, a former cruiserweight world title challenger, was floored by a straight right hand at the end of the first round and was down again at the start of the third.
The initial damage was done by a right hand behind the ear, before a left finished the job. Minto required attention from paramedics, but walked away from the ring unaided.
"It wasn't the cleanest display, but I did get the job done," said Whyte, 27, who is now undefeated in 16 pro contests, with 13 knockouts.
"I was carrying a heavy shoulder injury. But I'll show up in December, don't worry about that, even if I am on one arm or one leg.
"I know the Joshua fight is going to be a good, hard fight but I'm in the game to put on good fights, test myself and reward the fans."
Asked whether Whyte's victory over him in the unpaid ranks had any relevance, Joshua replied: "Of course, he's one nil up, so it's nice to have the chance to even the score."
Former GB amateur star Charlie Edwards won the English flyweight title in only his fifth fight, outpointing Louis Norman.
John Wayne Hibbert gained revenge over Dave Ryan with a 10th-round stoppage, landing the Commonwealth light-welterweight title in the process.
Essex boxer Hibbert, beaten by Derby's Ryan in May and also in 2013, was outboxed for most of Saturday's fight.
But Ryan appeared to pull a muscle in his back in the 10th round and Hibbert took full advantage, landing with a big right hand before the referee called a halt to proceedings.


Alfred N'Diaye scored on his Hull City debut as Liverpool's terrible start to 2017 continued with a fourth defeat in five league and cup games.

Senegal forward N'Diaye, signed on loan from Villarreal, tapped home unmarked after Simon Mignolet dropped the ball at his feet.
Despite striker Sadio Mane's first start since 2 January, Liverpool failed to force a single save in the first half and were poor throughout.
Hull, who have won all four home games under new manager Marco Silva, sealed victory when Oumar Niasse, on loan from Everton, kept his composure after the Reds defence had been carved open.
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Hull were bottom of the table and three points from safety when former Sporting Lisbon and Olympiakos boss Silva took charge on 5 January.
Fast forward four weeks and the Tigers have a win over Liverpool and a draw at Manchester United, as well as an EFL Cup semi-final home win over United under their belt.
Hull are an organised and well-drilled unit at the back while the arrival of N'Diaye, as well as Poland winger Kamil Grosicki, has provided them with an added threat.
They overcame the loss of captain Michael Dawson, who was injured in the warm-up, to produce their most complete performance so far under Silva.
Hull are 18th in the table - one point from safety - and now have seven points from a possible 12 under Silva's reign.
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With Arsenal losing earlier in the day and Tottenham kicking-off late, Liverpool would have climbed to second in the table with victory.
Yet they ended the day 13 points behind leaders Chelsea. In the last 14 days Jurgen Klopp's side have been knocked out of the FA Cup and the EFL Cup, and seen their hopes of a first league title since 1990 all but vanish for another season.
While Jurgen Klopp remains unbeaten in seven games against the top-six, the German has now seen his side lose to Burnley, Bournemouth, Swansea City and Hull City.
This was as bad as any of them; an abject, disjointed performance sprinkled with individual errors and a lack of cutting edge.
Liverpool's defenders were as much to blame for the first goal despite Mignolet's mistake, leaving N'Diaye completely unmarked when he steered the hosts ahead.
The Reds enjoyed 72% possession but as Klopp said afterwards: "Possession is only good when you create something from it."
Hull manager Marco Silva: "It is a fantastic afternoon for us. Our supporters were fantastic, we need them and they support our team always.
"I am sure in the future we will play better, but at these moments we need to keep our focus and our organisation, because every game it is possible to get valuable points.
"In the Premier League it is fantastic to get clean sheets, to do that against Manchester United and Liverpool is fantastic."
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: "I don't want to find excuses, it is hard to think of intelligent things to say after a match like this.
"It is not the time to talk about these things [qualifying for the Champions League], we have to show our best and then people can judge us.
"We all know how good we can be, and it's still there, but not if we play like we did in the first half today."
Hull will make the journey to face Arsenal next Saturday (12:30 GMT) with confidence sky high. Liverpool need to find some confidence for their home game with Tottenham on the same day (17:30) in a game which could go a long way to deciding who qualifies for the Champions League.
Match ends, Hull City 2, Liverpool 0.
Second Half ends, Hull City 2, Liverpool 0.
Foul by Lucas Leiva (Liverpool).
Oumar Niasse (Hull City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Alfred N'Diaye (Hull City).
Lucas Leiva (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Oumar Niasse (Hull City).
Offside, Liverpool. Sadio Mané tries a through ball, but Roberto Firmino is caught offside.
Attempt saved. Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Jordan Henderson.
Corner,  Liverpool. Conceded by Eldin Jakupovic.
Attempt saved. Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner.
Corner,  Liverpool. Conceded by Andrea Ranocchia.
Attempt blocked. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Jordan Henderson.
Foul by Roberto Firmino (Liverpool).
Oumar Niasse (Hull City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Alfred N'Diaye (Hull City).
Goal!  Hull City 2, Liverpool 0. Oumar Niasse (Hull City) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Andrea Ranocchia with a through ball following a fast break.
Offside, Hull City. Oumar Niasse tries a through ball, but David Meyler is caught offside.
Substitution, Liverpool. Alberto Moreno replaces James Milner.
Substitution, Liverpool. Divock Origi replaces Adam Lallana.
Foul by James Milner (Liverpool).
Oumar Niasse (Hull City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, Hull City. David Meyler replaces Kamil Grosicki.
Corner,  Liverpool. Conceded by Josh Tymon.
Attempt blocked. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Adam Lallana with a headed pass.
Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Alfred N'Diaye (Hull City).
Attempt missed. James Milner (Liverpool) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Sadio Mané following a set piece situation.
Josh Tymon (Hull City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Sadio Mané (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Josh Tymon (Hull City).
Attempt saved. James Milner (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Jordan Henderson.
Corner,  Liverpool. Conceded by Omar Elabdellaoui.
Substitution, Liverpool. Daniel Sturridge replaces Emre Can.
Attempt missed. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) left footed shot from the right side of the six yard box misses to the left following a corner.
Attempt blocked. James Milner (Liverpool) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is blocked.
Corner,  Liverpool. Conceded by Andrew Robertson.
Substitution, Hull City. Oumar Niasse replaces Abel Hernández.


Investigations into how two men died while swimming near a waterfall in north Wales continue on Monday.

A 33-year-old and a 21-year-old were found dead on Sunday after getting into difficulty while swimming in Llanberis, Gwynedd.
Two others, aged 27 and 25, were treated in hospital before being released.
North Wales Police are continuing inquiries into what happened before the men died.


The leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales has told the BBC moral justification for multi-million-pound pay is "hard to find".

Archbishop Vincent Nichols delivered a message from the Pope to the Inclusive Capitalism conference in London.
He said: "You have to be willing to re-examine a system that seems to work very well for the few and not very well for the majority."
But he added that business was a "noble vocation".
Asked if there was any moral justification for paying anyone millions of pounds, the Archbishop said: "I would find it hard to find. I understand the argument of market mechanisms, we have to compete for the very best of talent, and we have to keep it in this country.
"[The Pope] does salute business leaders, he talks of their life as a 'noble vocation'. But it's a kind of conditional salute, it's conditional on their life being one of service, not self-service."
"As you would expect his [the Pope's] message is pretty challenging, because we know that his priorities lie with an attentiveness to the cry of the poor.
Asked if business leaders understood that inequality must be tackled, he replied: "I think many of the leaders do. They know they are in the midst of a crisis of trust, that people do have that corrosively cynical view of what business is for.
"I think the leaders do have that sensitivity and in many ways are engaged in trying to rethink their purpose."