Live Commentary: Carolina Panthers 10-9 San Francisco 49ers - as it happened

Good evening! It's around half an hour until two of the NFL's in form team's kick off at Candlestick Park. Let's take a look at the inactive players from both teams.

49ERS INACTIVES: Bethel-Thompson, Patton, Osgood, Wright, Dial, Looney, Carradine

PANTHERS INACTIVES: King, McNutt, Norman, Dockery, Scott, B. Williams, Horton

The 49ers are still missing rookies, Quinton Patton, Quinton Dial and Tank Carradine, but are bolstered by the return of wide receiver Mario Manningham, who plays his first game since last December, while linebacker Aldon Smith returns following a spell in rehab.

The Panthers have no new injury concerns. Wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr will be keen to make an impression as he returns to Candlestick Park for the first time since leaving the 49ers in the off-season.

Both sides have been in impressive form recently. After a difficult start to the season, the 49ers have won five games in a row, including their last game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Wembley Stadium. The Panthers recovered from just one win in their first four games of the season, and take a 5-3 record into this game.

On paper, the 49ers have a slight edge over the visitors, averaging 342.9 offensive yards so far this season - just over 10 more than Carolina. The Panthers have been stronger in the passing game, but the hosts have the edge at rushing, with Frank Gore leading the team with 618 yards.

Manningham's return is likely to help a 49ers' passing game which has struggled at times so far this season. So far, only Anquan Boldon and tight end Vernon Davis have over 200 receiving yards for the NFC West side.

When asked about the similarities between himself and Panthers' quarterback Cam Newton this week, Colin Kaepernick told reporters: "I think we have similar attributes, but I think we're two different players. I think we're both just trying to do the best we can to put our team in a good situation."

When asked about the similarities between himself and Panthers' quarterback Cam Newton this week, Colin Kaepernick told reporters: "I think we have similar attributes, but I think we're two different players. I think we're both just trying to do the best we can to put our team in a good situation."

Newton added: "We got to know each other extremely well, and obviously with him being such an explosive player and dominant player, I've tracked him and kept up with him ever since. You hear every type of critic critique your game, but when you have success like the 49ers, who went to the Super Bowl running zone read and throwing the football downfield, you see there are ways you can be successful with this offense."

PREDICTION! With play due to get underway in the next couple of minutes, it's time for a prediction. The Panthers have been getting better with every game, but the return of Manningham and Smith, combined with home advantage should be enough for the 49ers to edge a victory today. I'm going to go for a 49ers win by less than five points.

The Panthers have won the toss, and decided to defer to the second half, so the 49ers will receive the opening kickoff.

KICKOFF! Graham Gano kicks off for the Panthers, and Anthony Dixon takes a touchback for the hosts.

The 49ers get back-to-back first downs as they quickly approach midfield, as Bruce Miller hauls in a 10-yard pass before Frank Gore rushes for 11 yards. However, a deep pass intended for Boldin misses the wide receiver.

After a timeout, Gore takes the 49ers into Carolina territory with a 17-yard rush, before short gains from Boldin and Gore leave Phil Dawson facing a long 53-yard field goal attempt.

The veteran kicker's effort comfortably makes the distance to get the 49ers on the board at the end of their first drive of the game. Cam Newton and the Panthers offense will take to the field next.

SACK! Ted Ginn returns Dawson's kickoff to the 22-yard line for the Panthers. Carolina manage to gain just a yard from their first two downs, before Newton, pausing to look for an open receiver to get the first down, waits too long, and is sacked for a loss of 12 yards by Ahmad Brooks, ending the Panthers' drive.

LaMichael James attempts a run but can't make a gain. Kaepernick looks to Manningham on second down, connecting with the wide receiver for his first reception of the year, picking up 10 yards. Gore tries to find a yard to give the home side a first down, but he's blocked short, so Andy Lee will come on for the punt.

Neither offense has really hit it's stride yet, which is not surpising, as the 49ers and Panthers are two of the best rated defenses in the league.

Mike Tolbert picks up four yards, before Newton finds LaFell to leave Carolina a yard short of the first down, which Tolbert seals on the next play with a three-yard rush.

Jonathan Stewart, who recently returned from a foot injury, gains six yards from two rushes, before Newton scrambles for a first down. However, he can't move the Panthers further, throwing three incompletions in a row to bring Nortman out for his second punt of the game.

INJURY UPDATE! The 49ers have confirmed that tight end Garrett Celek picked up hamstring injury during the previous Panthers punt, and will not return to today's game.

SACK! Dwan Edwards manages to bring down Colin Kaepernick on the first play of the drive for a loss of four. Gore picks up five yards, before the quarterback scrambles for five, but it leaves the 49ers short of the first down.

FUMBLE! Drayton Florence fumbles the punt at the Carolina 48, and the 49ers manage to recover it to keep their drive alive. Gore immediately grabs a first down.

First-round Draft pick Eric Reid continues his excellent rookie season for the 49ers with the fumble recovery. His play has helped the 49ers reach the Carolina 30 when play resumes in the second quarter.

Gore picks up three yards for the 49ers, but an incompletion to Manningham and a short gain from Vernon Davis forces the home side to bring on Phil Dawson for another field goal attempt.

Dawson splits the uprights with a 43-yard effort to double the 49ers' lead. Last season's defensive rookie of the year, Luke Kuechly, has been proving key for the Panthers so far this evening, he's already made six tackles for the visiting team.

Stewart gains seven yards, but Newton can't get the ball to Steve Smith and LaFell, making it a quick three-and-out for the Panthers. So far in this game, Newton has completed just one of his seven attempts, gaining five yards.

Incidentally, Aldon Smith entered the game in that last play, taking on one of Newton's offensive linemen to hurry the Panthers quarterback.

Kaepernick and the 49ers offense are back on the field, but the quarterback is penalised for a facemask violation, leaving the 49ers needing 24 yards on third down, but Kyle Williams picks up just five, so Lee will come out for another punt.

Ginn manages to bring the punt return out to the Carolina 40, before picking up an eight-yard gain on second down to give the Panthers a first down. Newton tries a deep pass to LaFell, but it's incomplete, before he's penalised for a delay of game on the next play.

INTERCEPTION! After a timeout, Cam Newton looks downfield for Steve Smith, but his pass comes up short, allowing Tramaine Brock to pick off the pass, returning it to the Carolina 24.

Gore gets a quick first down for the 49ers with a strong 11-yard rush, following it up by taking it down to the six-yard line.

Kaepernick looks for Davis for the touchdown, but the pass is called incomplete, although it looks like the tight end may have had it, before fumbling. The officials are going to review the play.

Despite the replay suggesting that Davis might have had control of the ball, the officials decide that there isn't enough evidence to overturn the call on the field, so the 49ers continue on third down.

Gore looks for the end zone from third down, coming up two yards short, but the 49ers decide to leave the offense on the field for fourth down. Meanwhile, Davis has headed into the locker room. There's no obvious injury to the tight end, as he's moving under his own weight, but there must be something wrong for one of the 49ers' biggest touchdown threats to be heading off while the team is in the red zone.

In the end, the 49ers decide against the fourth-down attempt, taking a delay of game penalty before sending on Dawson for a 25-yard field goal.

INJURY UPDATE! The 49ers have confirmed that Vernon Davis is being assessed for a concussion. It would be a big loss for the 49ers, as the tight end has 518 receiving yards and seven touchdowns so far this season.

Stewart can't make a gain from his rush, before Newton picks up three yards with a scramble, but the quarterback connects with LaFell for a 17-yard gain. Meanwhile, Dan Skuta appears to be receiving treatment on an ankle injury on the sideline.

LaFell picks up another first down, before Newton connects with tight end Greg Olsen to move the Panthers to the San Francisco 27. This is starting to look like a strong drive for the Panthers.

TWO MINUTE WARNING! As the end of the first half approaches, the Panthers are closing in on what could be their first scoring drive of the game. At worst, they'll be looking for a field goal from this possession.

DeAngelo Williams dodges numerous tackles to burst into the end zone for the Panthers, with LaFell and Ginn both helping out with some blocking. Gano smoothly adds the extra point.

After taking a touchback from the kickoff, Kaepernick finds Boldin with a nine-yard pass. The 49ers have a timeout left, so have got enough time to get themselves into a scoring position before the end of the quarter.

SACK! Mitchell and Johnson jointly bring down the 49ers quarterback on first down, which Mitchell celebrates by cheekily copying Kaepernick's touchdown celebration.

Needing 17 yards for a first down, Kendall Hunter hauls in an 11 yards pass, and that will be it for the second quarter.

Phil Dawson makes it three field goals from three attempts to leave the San Francisco 49ers two points up at half time in their game against the Carolina Panthers. DeAngelo Williams's impressive 27-yard rushing touchdown shortly before the end of the second quarter has kept the NFC South side in contention though.

The majority of the 49ers' offensive yards have come from ever-dependable running back Frank Gore, who has 61 yards from 12 carries so far today. Colin Kaepernick has split the workload among his receivers, but his receiving corps could take a hit in the third quarter, as Vernon Davis is being evaluated for a concussion.

Cam Newton struggled to find his passing rhythm early on, but hit his stride towards the end of the second quarter, finishing the half with five completions from 14 attempts for 54 yards with one interception.

Luke Kuechly has been mighty for the Carolina defense so far this evening, leading the team with eight tackles, while also covering several plays where the 49ers were forced to take the ball out of bounds.

With both teams currently sitting second in their division, a win is vital for their playoff hopes. The 49ers' NFC West rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, improved to a 9-1 record, while the NFC South leaders the New Orleans Saints play later today.

KICKOFF! Phil Dawson kicks off for the 49ers.

DeAngelo Williams manages a short gain from the first play of the third quarter, before Steve Smith takes his first reception of the game to give the visitors a first down. The Panthers close in on midfield on the next play, as LaFell claims a 17-yard catch.

SACK! On second down, Newton is brought down by Brooks for the second time in this game for a loss of two. The quarterback follows with an incompletion, bringing Nortman on for the punt.

INJURY UPDATE! The 49ers have confirmed that Vernon Davis is out for the rest of this game with a concussion. That's a big blow for the 49ers offense.

SACK! With no Davis to pass to, Kaepernick looks for Boldin, who picks up nine yards, but the 49ers quarterback is brought down by Greg Hardy on second down. Gore carries it on third down, but can't quite get the yardage, so it's a quick three-and-out for the 49ers.

Brandon LaFell is back to take the punt return, while Ginn remains on the sidelines with his helmet off. The former 49ers wide receiver has had a solid day on kick returns so far today, so is presumably carrying an injury.

The Panthers need five yards on third down. Tolbert picks up a 17-yard gain before being tackled by Eric Reid, who appears to have been injured on the play, as he stays down motionless after the hit. It looks like there'll be quite a delay while the medical teams see to the rookie safety.

The good news is that Reid has managed to get to his feet and make his own way to the sidelines. He'll probably stay out of the game while being checked out by the team doctors, but it doesn't look like it's a serious problem for the safety.

The Panthers resume their drive, with Newton picking out Hixon for a nine-yard gain, before Stewart rushes for two to bring up another first down. Meanwhile, Reid remains on the sidelines talking with the medics rather than heading into the locker room.

INJURY UPDATE! The Panthers have revealed that Ginn missed the previous kick return with leg cramps, but is probably to return after receiving treatment in the locker room.

SACK! Steve Smith is making up for his quiet first half as he picks up a 19-yard reception. On second down, Patrick Willis sacks Newton for a loss of eight, before Smith is held up short of the first-down yardage. Gano will have his first field-goal attempt.

MISSED FIELD GOAL! Graham Gano misses a field goal for the first time this season, slicing his 48-yard attempt wide of the left upright.

Frank Gore rushes for a first down on the first play of the 49ers' drive, before Greg Hardy is penalised for a neutral zone infraction. While the 49ers remain ahead, they're yet to score a touchdown in this game.

FUMBLE! Kendall Hunter comes in for Gore, and looks for the first down, but fumbles the ball following a hit from Short, which is recovered by Mikell, who returns it to the Carolina 45. Meanwhile, Iupati appears to pick up an injury on the play. The injuries are starting to stack up for the home side.

INJURY UPDATES! Iupati is back on his feel at it looks like he'll be ok the re-enter the game, but Eric Reid is now being assessed for a concussion while defensive tackle Ray McDonald is questionable to return with an ankle injury.

DeAngelo Williams manages a couple of short gains, but a Newton pass to Tolbert is batted down by Dobbs to force the visiting team to punt. It's a good recovery by the 49ers following Hunter's earlier fumble.

Kaepernick starts the drive with a big run, sprinting down the middle of the field for a 16-yard gain, before Carolina are handed a 15-yard penalty for an unnecessary roughness offence by Mikell.

Anquan Boldin is penalised for a false start, before Manningham fails to take a catch on second-and 15. Kaepernick looks for rookie tight end Vance McDonald, but some close coverage from Kuechly prevents him from taking the catch. Manningham hauls in a 14-yard gain on the next play, but it's chalked off when Boldin is judged to have been illegally holding.

SACK! Kaepernick is brought down for a loss of four as Charles Johnson takes his eighth sack of the season. Lee will punt again.

Ginn has overcome his earlier bout of cramp, and manages to find the gaps to make a 24-yard punt return, ensuring that the Panthers will start their drive from the San Francisco 45.

Newton tosses it deep to Olsen, who gets his hands to it while in the air, but some solid coverage from Skuta forces the tight end out of bounds before he can complete the pass. On third down, the quarterback manages to find Smith, who gets the yardage for a first down out wide.

INJURY UPDATE! Eric Reid has been diagnosed with a concussion, keeping him out for the remainder of the game.

SACK! Brooks gets his third sack of the day, bursting through the Panthers' offensive line to bring down Newton for an eight-yard loss.

The Panthers send on Graham Gano for a long field goal attempt. The kicker puts his earlier miss behind him, perfectly placing the ball to give the Panthers the lead for the first time today.

It's a another three-and-out for the 49ers, as Gore manages to gain three, before Kaepernick throws incompletions in the direction of McDonald and Boldin. Another touchdown on the coming drive would put the Panthers in a strong position as the clock runs down.

Stewart gains three yards with by smashing his way through the 49ers defensive line, before Ted Ginn Jr picks up a first down to take the Panthers over midfield.

Stewart has another run to leave the Panthers needing eight yards on third down. Newton keeps it himself and scrambles to the San Francisco 41, coming up two yards short of the first down, so Nortman takes the punt.

INJURY UPDATE! The 49ers confirm that Ray McDonald's ankle injury will keep him out for the rest of the game.

SACK! The 49ers start their drive from the one-yard line, one Manningham manages to get a first down, but Kaepernick is sacked for a loss of nine on the next play, wiping out the wide receiver's gain. The home side can't get the yardage for another set of downs, so Lee punts again.

FUMBLE! Steve Smith gets the first down for the Panthers, but Patrick Willis strips the ball from Stewart's hands, forcing the running back to fumble, but the officials rule that Tolbert manages to recover it for the Panthers, as the game heads into the two-minute warning timeout.

FUMBLE! The Panthers need just two yards for a first down, which would be enough for them to be sure of the win, but a poor snap catches out Cam Newton, who fumbles before recovering on the line of scrimmage. The Panthers get ready to punt, and the 49ers will have just over a minute on the clock to find a game-winning play.

SACK! Kaepernick can't see an open receiver, so gets ready to run it himself, but he's sacked by Hardy before he can get out of the pocket.

INTERCEPTION! Kaepernick goes deep looking for Mario Manningham, but Drayton Florence puts himself between the ball and the wide receiver to take the interception and seal the win for the Panthers.

Cam Newton comes back out and takes a knee before letting the clock run down.

The Carolina Panthers clinch their fifth win in a row, while breaking the 49ers' five-game winning streak. It'll go down as an ugly win, with just the one touchdown in the entire game, but it's a result that puts them level on wins with the New Orleans Saints, who are yet to play this weekend.

The defeat leaves the 49ers three games behind the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West. Realistically, last year's beaten Super Bowl finallists are probably playing for a playoff wildcard now, given the Seahawks impressive form so far this season.

While neither offense shone in this game, the Panthers' defense proves that it is one of the best in the league, sacking Colin Kaepernick six times, forcing a fumble and taking an interception. Next up for the Panthers will be the New England Patriots, while the 49ers travel to the Saints.

Well that's all from this game, but stick around for reports from all of today's NFL games, and stick around for coverage of the Cowboys' game against the Saints, which gets underway shortly. Until then, thanks for joining me this evening, goodbye.