Category: English Premier League

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, Will Unwin and Ewan Murray to discuss the title races in England and Scotland

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On today’s podcast: Manchester City did what they had to do, beating Crystal Palace, and are now two points behind Arsenal with two games to play. Palace started brightly, but a couple of glorious assists, one from Phil Foden and one from Rayan Cherki helped Pep Guardiola and co to keep the pressure on.

The real drama, though, was in Scotland. Celtic won and scored a controversial penalty at the death at Motherwell as the title goes down to a final day showdown against Hearts, who beat Falkirk.

Plus, spygate, an FA Cup final preview and your questions answered.

Chapters:

00:00 - Coming up ...

00:44 - City keep up the chase

14:50 - Scotland and the worst VAR call of all?

29:35 - Southampton and spygate

41:12 - FA Cup preview

44:17 - Prem preview

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In generating a constant stream of outrage, debate and engagement, much-reviled tech has become its own spectacle

“Just keep delaying,” Darren England tells the referee, Chris Kavanagh, at West Ham on Sunday afternoon. The title is on the line, possibly relegation too, and as replay after replay queues up on the tape machine, who could blame a humble video assistant for wanting to savour the moment?

To survey it from all the relevant angles, consider all contingencies. To feel the sensation of all that awesome power at his fingertips. They’re calling it the most important VAR review in Premier League history. Stuart Attwell, you’ll never sing that.

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Lars Sivertsen, Seb Hutchinson and Sid Lowe as Tottenham draw and Barça win La Liga

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On today’s podcast: the agony continues for Spurs as Roberto De Zerbi says they will fight until the final minute of the season after their 1-1 draw at home to Leeds. It could have been better for Tottenham. They took the lead, a wonderful goal from Matthys Tel who then later connected with an overhead kick, unfortunately not with the ball but with Ethan Ampadu.

Elsewhere, Sid Lowe joins us after a clásico that saw Barcelona win La Liga and to try and unpick the unfolding chaos at Real Madrid. Fights in training, a Kylian Mbappé petition signed by 70m people. Is José Mourinho really the man to come in and steady that particular ship?

Also, Hull City reach the Championship playoff final, more on ‘spygate’, Nigel Martyn for England and we answer your questions.

Chapters:

00:00 - Coming up...

00:45 - 1 point gained, 2 dropped for Spurs?

15:28 - West Ham vs. PGMOL

19:19 - Sid Lowe on Real, Barca and Rayo Vallecano

42:59 - Championship play-offs

51:19 - Beth Mead to leave Arsenal

54:38 - Baz vs. Parakeet

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Mathys Tel scored a wonderful goal and conceded a penalty as Spurs got one more point in the fight against relegation

1 min: Peeeeep! Leeds, clad all in black (well, black and some funny blurry shapes), get the game going.

The players are out! The display of flags was a little underwhelming, only partly because if you’re watching on TV it was mostly covered up by a sequence of graphics.

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Well, that escalated slowly. While Arsenal left it late to score their winner against West Ham on Sunday, they got the job done and now find themselves a couple of straightforward wins against the second worst team in the league and Crystal Palace Under-9s from the Premier League title that has eluded them for 22 years. Except this Arsenal team doesn’t really do “straightforward”, as they showed when letting West Ham nab an added-time equaliser, only for it to be snatched away following an intervention from the curtain-twitching buzzkills in their Stockley Park joy-vacuum. If Football Daily was an Arsenal fan, our soul would almost certainly have left our body as we watched Chris Kavanagh repeatedly rock-and-roll the footage on his touchline monitor, trying to pick through the weeds of the 1,057 different fouls being committed simultaneously by players from both teams. Eventually, he arrived at what (everyone except Peter Schmeichel and a few Pearly Kings agreed) was probably the correct decision.

I write with admiration of Stockport’s Dave Challinor for one or indeed two hidden skills (Friday’s Still Want More, full email edition). May I explain: he either has great willpower for not eating the Smarties on his tactics board and/or he knows how long he can keep his finger on the confectionery before it melts while the picture is taken” – Shaun Clark.

I really enjoyed the photo of Dave Challinor. My question: does he prefer using Skittles, M&Ms or Reese’s Pieces on his whiteboard? I’ve experimented with all three candies in my coaching sessions with U8 and U10 teams over the years. I’d appreciate his expert insight about which is most effective. Or tastes best” – Mike Wilner.

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The Gunners’ title charge was strengthened by a goal called back, in a perfect encapsulation of what modern soccer has become

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A corner. A melee. Bodies everywhere. Blocks and tugs, pulls and shoves. A VAR decision. Fury. Empty noise. A title perhaps decided; a significant impact on the relegation battle. Shouting. Confused pundits ranting. Social media figures rallying to the side they were always going to take. Welcome to modern soccer.

After what looked like an injury-time equaliser for West Ham was ruled out on Sunday, Arsenal now need only to beat Burnley and Crystal Palace to be sure of their first Premier League title in 22 years. In the relegation scrap, West Ham are a point behind Tottenham, who play at home to Leeds, now safe, on Monday evening. But the big issue is a VAR decision. Of course it is: this is 2025-26.

Jérémy Doku finds the net again, Joshua Zirkzee struggles at Sunderland and Ismaïla Sarr is fulfilling his potential

On Friday when Bruno Fernandes became the Football Writers’ Association player of the year, either Declan Rice or David Raya could have been forgiven for feeling a touch aggrieved. Both have been essential to Arsenal’s bid for a Premier League and Champions League double but it is Raya who showed why he may have been more deserving at the London Stadium as his technically pinpoint one-on-one save gave Arsenal the platform they so desperately needed to secure a vital three points late on. Mikel Arteta’s side were on the ropes as Mateus Fernandes exchanged a one-two with Pablo to run in with the goal at his mercy. Surely this was it for Arsenal: the title slipping again. Raya’s nerve held strong, making the most crucial of saves. Arsenal’s dream of winning a first title in 22 years remains in his hands. Graham Searles

Match report: West Ham 0-1 Arsenal

Barney Ronay: VAR offers up title-deciding moment

Match report: Manchester City 3-0 Brentford

Match report: Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea

Match report: Sunderland 0-0 Manchester United

Match report: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Newcastle

Match report: Burnley 2-2 Aston Villa

Leandro Trossard’s late goal – and an even later VAR intervention at the other end – moved Arsenal to the brink of glory

There’s a cracking atmosphere at the London Stadium. Alas, no sign of Danny Dyer yet. The players look ready for action; they jolly well need to be. This is huge.

A quick reminder of the teams

The Premier League afternoon got under way with three games, 10 goals and three score draws

4 mins: A tasty cross from the right for Newcastle, but nobody gets on the end of it. Here’s the top of the Scottish Premiership as it stands:

The final whistle has blown in the Old Firm game at Celtic Park, where Celtic came from behind to beat Rangers 3-1 and keep the heat on Hearts. The top two play each other next Saturday in their final game of the season, with both also playing in midweek.

David Moyes’s European dream is now hanging by a slender thread. Against a Crystal Palace side who have been distracted by their Conference League exploits, Everton were unable to take their opportunity to close the gap on their rivals as Jean-Philippe Mateta came off the bench to equalise after they had twice been ahead, through goals from James Tarkowski and Beto.

It could have been even worse for Moyes had Adam Wharton’s shot not struck the outside of a post in the 90th minute. In a frantic finish, Dean Henderson denied Iliman Ndiaye in stoppage time before Mateta missed a great chance to win it for Oliver Glasner’s side.

After a biblical downpour, the skies cleared, and Manchester City executed the gameplan: secure victory and three points to keep their breath on Arsenal’s neck.

The clincher arrived via Erling Haaland’s 26th Premier League goal of the season – as with his side’s performance this was hardly pretty but no one in blue cared. Antoine Semenyo marauded down the right, his cross hit at least one Brentford body, the ball came to Haaland who, with a second stab at it, bundled home, the No 9 facing away from goal.

After a goalless first half, Jérémy Doku’s spectacular goal set up a crucial win for City

“Haaland has 25 goals,” begins Zach Neeley. “Arsenal’s highest is Gyokeres at 14, and not because they score fewer goals (67 to 69). Which is better, the bulk scorer who you know will go out there and usually get something? Or the balanced team, where it can come from so many places?”

That would make for a great podcast discussion. The short answer: it’s complicated. (See Van Nistelrooy, Ruud.)

Brighton put their European push back on track by flying out of the blocks en route to beating relegated Wolves at the Amex Stadium.

Jack Hinshelwood headed home inside 35 seconds to register Albion’s fastest Premier League goal before the captain, Lewis Dunk, marked his return to the starting XI by nodding in the second just four minutes later.

Liverpool started well but let Chelsea back into the game and ended the day booed off

Chelsea get the ball rolling at a lovely sunny Anfield. They’re kicking towards the Kop in this first half.

The teams are out! Liverpool in socialist red, Chelsea in royal blue. Anfield crackles with anticipation, albeit in that slightly understated 12.30pm-on-Saturday style. We’ll be off in a couple of Gerry-and-the-Pacemakers-soundtracked minutes. “I enjoyed the pre-match postbag,” trills Rob Knap. “I’m very much one of the (many, I imagine) rubberneckers today. My partner’s gone out and I’m a bit under the weather, sniffle, cough, etc - classic man flu - then I saw that Liverpool-Chelsea was on. How I’ve perked up! (Though that also might be the combo of too many Lemsips and extra-strong Lockets.) I foresee unbearable tension, slapstick defending and high aggro potential (not that any of us want to see any of the latter, of course).” Of course not.