Arsenal go six points clear, Mainoo's strike clinches European football for Manchester United, and Spurs clear West Ham in relegation scrap: Men In Blazers 05/04/26

22:19Roger Bennett:and in the last 10 years they've gone there and won 5-0 they've gone there and won 3-0 multiple times it has been by historical standards quite a happy time for Liverpool to go to Old Trafford but even in the heyday even when you could look at the table and think well Liverpool are 20 or 25 points ahead of United it was my least favourite day of the football season because Worse than the Derby Much worse than the Derby and I wonder if that's being a Liverpool fan who's not from Liverpool. Maybe that changes the kind of tectonic dynamics of it. It might be because it's been a much more kind of toxic rivalry for much longer, Liverpool and Manchester, whereas the derby is a little bit more, the kind of politics of it is slightly more curious.

23:02Roger Bennett:Even in the good times, I don't ever see Liverpool go to Old Trafford and think this will be fine. So after the season Liverpool have had, you could safely say, I was not looking forward to it, Rog. That is absolutely true. Looking forward to it even less with the addition to the Liverpool injury list, the returning Isak to the sickbay backscoring last week this week out with Groydnac and so Slott had to field a midfielder heavy team Verts as he very very false nine shall we say United expansive from the off Bruno probing down the flank and Bumo marauding number of half chances created until the sixth minute and Bumo's corner headed weakly into the danger zone by Andy Robertson and Cunha had one edge of the box thumper blocked by Graven Burke and a second mishit took a, should we say, a generous deflection off the carrying McAllister's ample buttocks.

23:52My dad would say you could rest a pint glass on that arse and off the twerk, the ball deflected into the corner. Sloppy defending again. Early goal conceded again. I think Liverpool have conceded first goal of a game 21 times across 54 matches this season. Narrator's voice, they went on to win just two of the last 20.

24:14Roger Bennett:you know the issue going into the game was wasn't really do liverpool need a win to achieve anything there wasn't anything riding on this game particularly as you say united even before kickoff basically guaranteed champions league football liverpool would need a relatively weird combination of results to be caught out you're playing to an extent for pride you're playing to an extent not to lose to manchester united and and as you say what slot particularly needs more than anything is a sense of okay this is worth waiting for there is something we are building towards. And after six minutes, the sensation was oh, to those three wins were a bit of a fluke then.

24:48Roger Bennett:And that was the bit that was really hard to swallow. Yeah, I mean, we'll talk about slot in one moment. Lots to discuss there. But eight minutes later it would get worse for Liverpool. United let Liverpool onto them and then dispossess them with ease. McAllister again at fault. I think it was harder for Reds to look at than that horse falling over before the derby. The ensuing goal almost came as no surprise which tells you all you need to know. Bruno cut open the Liverpool backline at will found Sesko who muffed his one-on-one ball recycled by Shaw Bruno headed it back to Sesko Woodman got a touch pushed it onto the onrushing Sesko.

25:29It turns out later, cut into PGMOL, brushed the ball with his hand before prodding it across the line deliciously with his left testicle, a gonad goal reward for all that growing work he puts on, no doubt, in training rule. What did Wayne Gresge say? You miss 100 % of the shots, you don't ball bag in.

25:49Roger Bennett:Yeah, there's a little sort of minor controversy here about whether it should have been ruled out for handball. I've got to admit, I think that's really grasping for straws, to be honest. He sort of tickles the ball as I tickle my daughter. You're not really trying for it. I think that the ease with which Liverpool parted for Manchester United meant that any kind of claim that it shouldn't have been a goal felt a little bit weak, to be honest. Also weak the way Liverpool could not deal with United in transition at all, and that Slott couldn't do anything to adjust. United appeared, heavy emphasis on that word, to be in total control.

26:25Liverpool appeared to be utterly bereft of ideas. I couldn't work out how Frimpong seemed so exhausted in that first half. It was like seeing one of those cars with the engine removed on bricks, brick blocks. Liverpool were that poor. I'll tell you how poor they were in that first half, Raw. I didn't even take any pleasure in watching them flail, which I think tells you all you need to know. When your haters can't even be bothered to get any schadenfreude from your flailing, it kind of tells you what you need to know, right?

26:59Roger Bennett:Well, yeah, that's when it's really gone wrong. But I suppose that's natural, isn't it, Roger? They've gone into this game having lost 17 times already this season. That's a lot of schadenfreude. There's a limit. Yeah, it's like chocolate, really good chocolate, right? At a certain point, you're like, hmm, tummy's sick. And football's greatest truth also comes in, because we always say this, football teaches you in life you know nothing, because second half, United totally imploded, gifting Liverpool two goals. Benjamin Shesko left at half-time with Inge, he was replaced by Ahmad Diallo, with pretty much his first touch.

27:30Gave the ball away at the halfway line to Liverpool's only living boy in New York, Dominic Sobersly, who proceeded to go on. Ultimately, utterly irrelevant, but it was a quite brilliant solo run, ripping Harry Maguire's underpants off as he cruised in on goal, driving and hitting the ball. Was it Dallow's legs he smashed it to? And then within nine minutes, an equaliser described in the Men in Blazers Discord by the great Atierry Onoui. Love that name. He said, when life gives you lomons, make lomonade. Yes, it was the goalkeeper. We tried to play the ball out the back to Casimir on the edge of his area.

28:05Instead, it went to McAllister. Pink passes with Sobbersly. 10 goals, 13 assists. Just one of three players to do the double-double this season. My God, where would Liverpool be without Sobbersly? Different question, different time. And Gakpo tapped in. Roar, this was on one level under eight football breaking out. It was also game on. What happened? And how do you understand this vibe switch? And what were you thinking?

28:29Roger Bennett:What I was thinking was, I didn't see that coming. I've got to admit, I would say that shock was my main response. I think, to be honest, the desire is always to assume that there's some grand kind of arcing narrative at play, that a manager has made a tactical tweak or that something psychologically has shifted. But ultimately, I think what's probably more important in situations like that is that for all that, you know, we've talked a lot about how bad Liverpool have been this season and most of it's been accurate and all the issues they have and the problems they have with the squad and whether Slott can tweak things enough to cover space.

29:04Roger Bennett:Liverpool still have 11 incredibly talented footballers on the pitch. And ultimately, most of the games they've been involved in, a couple of exceptions, notably recently against PSG, have been pretty close. Liverpool haven't been thrashed a lot. They still have good players. And if the opposition make mistakes, Ahmad for the first goal, Lomans for the second, Liverpool can punish you. the problem for much of the season and it was the problem at Old Trafford as well is that Liverpool will punish you if you make mistakes but if you don't make mistakes Liverpool don't have the slightest clue how to hurt you so I think what you saw was a team fighting for pride a little bit a team that had been stung by being 2-0 down inside 14 minutes at Old Trafford a team that realised that there was more than maybe more than pride on the line in terms of of giving a good a good account of themselves in that game but also a team that was presented with two opportunities to store goals with the talent to take those opportunities what I didn't see after the equaliser was any real indication that Liverpool knew how to make that three what a total vibe switch I mean suddenly um you know statisticians were unearthing things like last time Manchester United lost a league game at home after leading at halftime was against Ipswich in 1983-84 I mean this is where we were it was like a madness that made no sense um and then out of nowhere Cunha charged forward, slipped the ball deliciously inside the full-back with the outside of his boot.

30:28Shaw charged upon it, scrambled away by McAllister in an ill-executed way that was really a totem of the entire game. And onto it charged young hero Cobby Mainu, cometh the hour, cometh the man-boy. He kept his head, lashed true and low, a swerver with precision straight into the corner. What a week for that kid, that Manchester United fan, as a child, signed new contract on Thursday, scored the winner yesterday. His first goal of the season, massive goal in a massive moment. I found it really beautiful, Roar, watching Manu be enveloped in a hug immediately by Casemiro. Really emotional moment, shared by two Destroyer creators, both of whom have been maligned, written off, and both found their own way back.

31:15And in a way, Roar, can't find two greater totems of the Carrick Nassons.

31:19Roger Bennett:No, and it's really strange to cast your mind back less than a year, Rog, to the point where Kobi Maynou was this United fan, this product of United's fabled academy, this player who seemed to symbolise United's connection to its own past, which is something that Manchester United, and I say this not from the perspective of someone who's a Liverpool fan, but from the perspective of someone who understands the history of it. You know, United really cherish that connection to their academy. That long run of games of always having one academy graduate, at least, in their team, is something that is really central to the identity of Manchester United.

31:53Roger Bennett:Even modern Manchester United, the club that commercialised before any other, the club that removed football club from its badge, because it wanted to be a lifestyle brand, Raj. That was really important to United in the last century. What a lifestyle brand they are now, man. As long ago as the 20th century, Rog, they were thinking about that stuff. And it's bizarre to me that there was a point where United thought about selling Kobi Menuh. Because Ruben Amorim didn't think he was good enough. He didn't think he could play in his system. It's bizarre to me that plenty of fans were so willing to trust Amorim that they felt that they kind of had to go along with that logic.

32:31It's really strange to me, to be honest, that the Manchester United that we see now

32:35Roger Bennett:beating Liverpool to guarantee Champions League football under Michael Carrick. That is the same Manchester United that spent the first half of this season in a state of total chaos under a manager who we all kind of knew from the off was doomed. The Grimsby thing and the tactics board, these are happy memories for me now, Rog, that was this season. And if you think about the transformation in United since then, it's genuinely extraordinary. It is, it is. And then the haircut guy went from a symbol of that Grimsby time to, you know, the haircut guy is still, you know, a thing. But within the context of United being delirious, United doing the double over Liverpool for the first time in a decade, United returning to the Champions League, which is so crucial for them financially, economically.

33:23Remember, this team were 15th last season. The haircut thing, I mean, it feels very different, like an echo of a very different time out of place almost. Carrick, 10 wins in his 14 league games in charge. He is unfireable, Rul.

33:41Roger Bennett:Yes, I think so. I think it would be very hard to make the logic work and to make people buy into the idea that you couldn't give him the job long term. it seems to me fairly obvious that he's done enough to be entrusted with it next season I understand that there is that little twist which is that this has been a kind of a false season for United that they are I mean they basically didn't play throughout March and April they've played far fewer games than any of their their rivals they've they've had the lightest workload I think they've had for a century or something he will not have these perfect circumstances again I get all that but I'm not sure unless United could go out and appoint Luis Enrique I'm not sure there is anyone out there who has a better case to that job to try and take on United into a 50, 55, 60 game season than Michael Carrick it would strike me as being contrarian to the point of perverse to give it to somebody else I mean it is that weakness that you've hinted at you know he didn't play twice a week football at all so these are imperfect conditions At the same time, he has been so unbelievably good.

34:51You're actually creating a situation where it's almost impossible to be the man to follow the man, like a slight drop in performance. And the fans are like, what were you doing? You know, we had that high performance. And I spoke to a Premier League owner a couple of weeks ago who talked about how he flew in to fire their manager and interviewed, you know, several other managers and was in place. But the manager just started to not lose and kept winning. I was like, oh God, I think Kerry Hicks kind of done that. He's always been too good in the role he was appointed at, but there's no way there's just no way you can Gary O 'Neill at Bournemouth and replace him within the context of the managerial flip-flops over the past decade and come out of it unscathed.

35:37Talking about that, Liverpool 11 defeats in this title defending Premier League season. Chelsea next weekend end, the players look utterly bereft at the final whistle. We've talked about the football, short of ideas, heavy-legged, reliant, as you've said, on gifts from their opponents to get on the score sheet. Champions League football will be theirs, but all of the tropes, the defensive vulnerability, the attacking impotence, the fading sense of self, it's become an agony for Liverpool fans who are used to higher standards of excellence and are starting to worry. I think profoundly it is a question that can be asked, has the club lost its soul at this time of transition.

36:17I don't know how you turn it around, Ro. We've got Mo Salah briefing the press that he's been the one making sure the training standards stay high, which is fascinating on many levels. You know, post-game, slots seem dead in the eye. There was a moment in the post-match, I don't know if you saw it, he was asked the question, you hinted at how he can change things, and he was so vague. I mean, it was just vagaries, cliches. He was asked to share then what he wants to improve, you know, tactically, what does he give us some of the things you want to improve? And he said no, which was just an immense decision on his part.

36:51I interviewed him on Friday. I was honestly struck by how inside his own head he seems in this moment. The interview is on YouTube. It's linked below. And really, I left it thinking about the two great unknowns to this Liverpool season, I think which will take years to come out. The first is obviously the impact of Diogo Jota's tragic death and the ensuing grief which has gripped the locker room. but also the impact of Slott's fallout with Mo Salah which Slott hints at in our interview as well as that loss to PSG which he just cannot shake any more than a comic book villain can escape his origin story never mind the plan rule Slott doesn't really exude a man who's leading who has control, who has authority

37:35Roger Bennett:No, that's right, Rog it certainly seems that way to me it seems a little bit like he's been swept along by what's happening to him It doesn't feel like he has agency over this process. And I feel intensely sorry for him, is the reality of the situation. You can make... Humanly. Yeah, absolutely. You can make really legitimate mitigating circumstances for losing at Old Trafford. That was a Manchester United team that is fresh laid, as we've said. Has barely played football this season. The biggest game of their season. There's no honours at state. there's no there's no cup final anything like that basically fully fit full full squad to choose from liverpool went into that game with probably five first team players out and as you said at the start no strikers just no attacking players you had cody gacpo who is who i think's actually been all right this season he's but he's not a world-class forward leader he's he's very predictable he's very predictable but cody gacpo is fine cody gacpo is not a bad footballer at all He's not a joke that he's in the Liverpool team.

38:39Roger Bennett:He's a champion of England. He played a key role last season. Then you have a load of midfielders, but the right-back's not there. You've got Curtis Jones playing at right-back. You don't have Salah. You don't have Eketika. You don't have Izak. You don't have Alisson or the backup goalkeeper, Mamadashvili. It was a weakened Liverpool team. So to go to Old Trafford and lose 3-2 is not a reason to sack Arna Slott in those circumstances. The issue around Slott is not just results. it's the sense that the problems at Liverpool and I agree with you there are these two big overarching and I agree with you about the Jota element of it that that's difficult to understand and also he's managing a very difficult transition regardless of that from one generation to another and that was always going to be a painful process the problem that Slott's had throughout the season to be honest is that it's never looked like he knows where he is going with it there is nothing for the fans to think I can see what he's trying to do and you can make the case and I've got Liverpool supporting friends who I respect and whose opinions I think are really kind of well formed on the club and they will say look any manager with this squad that's so unbalanced would struggle, you know this is kind of the best this squad could produce in the circumstances whether it's Jota, whether it's injury, whether it's the way the recruitment was done in the summer and I think that's actually quite an honourable way of looking at the manager's job but at the same time it's really hard to watch Liverpool at the moment and think, I get what he's trying to do and I get what next season will look like if it all goes right.

40:11Roger Bennett:He needed this run of games from the second leg against PSG when Liverpool's last hope, last distant hope of a trophy went until the end of the season. What Slott needed more than anything was to sell the fans on an idea. It was to say, there is a reason that we know that this season has been a write-off, we know that this season has been difficult, been immensely challenging for a team that, for a fan base that went into the campaign thinking we are well set to retain the title we get it we get that this has been this has been a real letdown but it will be worth it in the end as this is what we're building towards and that result at Old Trafford and more particularly the first the first half performance at Old Trafford was just another reminder that there's nothing to hope towards there's nothing that you can look at and think well this is what he's trying to do it all just seems so kind of pointless and rudderless I mean, it's mad, man.

41:01That's why I asked him, you know, I said, your players, your leaders are transferring out. You know, you're losing Mo, you're losing Andy Robertson, Virgil is aging. And I was like, who's replacing him? And he answered, we're vagaries. You know, who are your future leaders? He avoided the opportunity quite purposely to name that next wave of leaders, which he could have done in the same way when the interviewer post-game said, what are you doing? You know, what are you working on to create change? Can you tell us? And he just point blank said no. It's almost a stubborn resistance to building the case for hope, building a sense of a vision.

41:40I find it very odd. And the thing I fear, this Mo Salah last dance, this leaving of Mo, the Steven Gerrard interview kind of hints that he's going to take every opportunity to in a very, he's a very intelligent interview. he's emotionally intelligent, he's incredibly articulate to twist the knife, light the match a little bit and over the next couple of times, particularly when he leaves and he has no responsibility or accountability to tell his story and I do not think it's going to be very forgiving.

42:12Roger Bennett:I think there's a couple of other little things that are quite telling really. One is Alisson signed a year-long contract extension not that long ago that I think the club activated but in Italy they are very confident that Alisson is more than willing to talk to Juventus and that, again, he's very much a dressing room leader. He is a player who has faded a little bit, to be perfectly honest, Alisson. He's not quite what he was, but... Still so handsome. He's still so handsome, and also, you know, he's still one of the best goalkeepers in the world. You would have to spend a lot of money to replace Alisson.

42:41Roger Bennett:If he's thinking about getting out, that's not a great sign. And the other one that I think is really worrying, and it might only cut through with Liverpool fans, is Curtis Jones. Curtis Jones is a boyhood Liverpool fan who has got a year left on his contract and doesn't seem to know whether he wants to sign a new one. And there is a case to be made for Jones that maybe he wants to play more regularly. But for the manager of Liverpool to make the case to Curtis Jones that it might be better to play 30 times a season and win some trophies than to play 50 times a season and not win any trophies, that's not a difficult case to make.

43:12Roger Bennett:The fact that Jones is still not signing a new contract, that to me is a real red flag and not, in the Liverpool context, the good sort of red flag. into the more of the relegation moon door Spurs fans stay with us because we're going to start Saturday with shock horror Brentford 3 West Ham 0 a Brentford who hadn't won since February but West Ham had lost on four of their five previous visits to the Bees and the latter overcame the former in agonising fashion as West Ham looked fatigued and suddenly shattered and Brentford possibly delivered the most important Spurs performance of the season less a football game Oh, Mother B's pulling out a pair of defibrillators and giving Tottenham fans life.

43:55Gat remains at two points when it could have been five, dot, dot, dot. We'll get to the Tottenham game in a moment. First goal, Carnage. Mavra Rapanis actually stabbed the ball over the chaos into his own net. Thought he'd scored for his own team at the other end, but was offside by a shoulder. And then the Hammers fell apart. Damsgaard finished off the game with a canny finish who shattered West Ham defenders' half-hearted efforts to stop him. An agony reinforced by the fact that West Ham hit the woodwork three times in the game. By the final whistle, the Bees fans were singing say hello to Wrexham to the leaving Hammers supporters.

44:31Spurs fans reveled in this moment, many claiming it as payback for Brentford staking Thomas Frank on them. I love football. West Ham suddenly had to peek into the abyss. They felt worse than Spirit Airlines. Before we get to the Spurs rule, we've got to pay some respect to Brentford. first win in eight games seventh what an insane job Keith Andrews is doing rookie manager took the job derided everyone tipped him for relegation immediately for the 45 year old he's made the Premier League look bloody easy he's made the Brentford board look like geniuses outside chance of sneaking into the Champions League now for Brentford Roar is Keith Andrews a shout for Premier League Manager of the Year

45:14Roger Bennett:Keith Andrews is 100 % a shout for Premier League Manager of the Year if you think back to the start of the season the expectation was that he would be the first manager sack it looked like Brentford to be honest getting a little bit high on their own supply that they'd they'd kind of made a they'd made an offbeat appointment in Thomas France they were like right okay look what's the cleverest thing we can do here what what's the thing that no one else would dare to do what's the most Brentford option for us let's get the set piece coach and just give him the managerial job in the Premier League and if you look through the squad you know you say that they had had all those wonderful strikers even tony watkins and buemo they'd all gone even joan wisser eventually by the end of the summer had gone and and to be honest i think lots of people with plenty of reason would have thought well maybe this is the point where brentford hit the ceiling where they accept that they can't keep pushing it any further that they're going to have to kind of sink back down maybe not to relegation but certainly to the kind of 16th 17th worried anxious part of the Premier League.

46:11Roger Bennett:And it was a slightly kind of tricky start for Andrews. And there have been points where you wonder, OK, maybe this is going to start running out of fuel at some point. But every time they have, they have managed to find another gear. He's shown a tactical expertise, an ability to motivate players. He's got Igor Thiago into the Brazil squad. They have been one of the stories of the season. I think it's slightly indicative of where the Premier League is at the moment, that they didn't win for two months. For them to stay seventh, that says a lot about the Premier League. But for Keith Andrews to do this in his rookie season, for Brentford to be in with a shout, certainly of Europe, if not the Champions League, is an incredible achievement.

46:50OK, it's time for the win of the century. You know me, I don't like to be hyperbolic, but facts. Aston Villa 1, Tottenham Hotspur 2. A game that began in the shadow of Roberto de Zerbi's words of inspiration filled with tough love on Friday. It's like we're all crying and relegated. No, not yet. It's not the best moment. It's a tough moment. But the losers cry. They think negatively. Man has no time for tiny violin playing. Is squad bereft? Honestly, at times it feels like that man is just live streaming, a recreation of the book of Job. Spark plug Xavi Simons, out for the season. Dominic Solanke, out with hamstring knack.

47:32But they drew solace from the fact that no team in the Premier League has a better record at an away venue than Tottenham at Villa in the last 20 years. And also that Villa were Europa League distracted. Seven changes for them, virtual second string. Even Jadon Sancho exhumed and flung on. And from the off, the Spurs midfield was combative. Paulina and Gallagher ran that midfield. Villa couldn't fathom the Spurs press. And 12 minutes in, delight, ecstasy, human wonder. Conor Gallagher shooting some defensive slot back like a poor man's Cobby Maynoo into the corner. An arrow from distance. What a time to score your first goal for Spurs and honestly become an instant cult hero roar against the club that tried to sign him in January.

48:17This was reverse Gibbs White.

48:19Roger Bennett:I should say, yeah, that is the kind of narrative flip of the Gibbs White situation. Spurs looked infinitely more up for it than Villa. Sometimes football is not that complicated. Villa looked like they were going through the motions. The players that had been put into the team by Emery to, I guess, to stake a claim for a place in the Europa League semi-final, second league maybe. Just keep themselves fit, have a nice run around. They did nothing of any sort to suggest that they should be playing on Thursday night. Spurs looked like they were fighting for their lives. There was a real intensity to their performance.

48:49Roger Bennett:It was a little bit deserved-y, maybe, the way Spurs played. It made it look like maybe getting a really good manager in and asking him not to do the clever tactical stuff straight away, but to do the rest of it. Maybe that was a good idea. And suddenly he looked at Spurs and thought, well, hang on. How were this team 18th? God, yeah. I mean, it was that good. The press, the urgency, the collective hunger. Shall Pelina hit the post from Steph Curry range? But then Tell flashed a probing cross. And Richarlison, beautiful, beautiful Richie, a man who lives for relegation battles against the gods.

49:22No human being loves playing chess against death more than Richarlison. Smacked it home with a ferocious header. Villa fans utterly disgusted. Some were leaving just 25 minutes in. De Zerbe did that weird little dance he does where he kind of squats and wobbles around like he's celebrating on a toilet that's suddenly been pulled away. Once seen, can't be unseen, but perhaps even more staggering, Roar, from a human perspective, Richarlison kept his shirt on.

49:50Roger Bennett:It's unacceptable, Rog. Unacceptable. I mean, maybe he's learnt, finally, maybe the Spurs players have learnt, don't go too early with the toplessness. but I refuse to believe it of Richarlison. It feels like he's letting it stop down. The only rational decision is somebody has super glued that jersey onto his body. Maybe he was so baffled at the idea of being 2-0 up in a football match that he didn't know what to do. Tottenham winning. I don't know what to do with myself. From Villa's perspective, I mean, no urgency. Trying to look, there was no basic effort. I think they created 0.00XG in the first half at home.

50:25Just one shot on target whole game and that was Buendia scoring at the very death. They do feel like a team in a rut. You talked about how Brentford, how the hell are they still seventh? Raw, two wins in, is it nine league games now? It's shocking to me they're still top five, to be honest. And in four nights' time, that Europa League semi-final will be their Waterloo against Nottingham Forest. But here, yesterday, their crowd booed them. West Ham fans, by the way, must have been howling watching this. But the honest truth is, this is kind of who Villa are right now.

50:58Roger Bennett:Yeah, it was more pronounced because of the circumstances. And Unai Emery spent the entire game standing very still on the touchline, looking very much like a man who wanted to look like he was angry. That was the vibe I got from Emery. Unai Emery's team selection tells you exactly how much he cared about that football match. That is all you need to know. I'm not saying for a second that they threw it, but Emery's thoughts were well they were certainly on making sure that his best players were fit for Thursday for his shot at the Europa League let's not forget that not only is that a trophy and for Villa to win a European trophy would be an enormous achievement it's also a path into the Champions League not only are they still fifth which means that they should I think there's a decent chance they won't actually need another point to qualify for the Champions League through the lead I think that is possible but certainly one win would do it probably even a draw but also by making sure Spurs win, Unai Emery put quite a lot of pressure on Nottingham Forest for Monday night.

51:55Roger Bennett:Because all of a sudden, Forest can't afford to take that game at Chelsea lightly. They now can't. I think it's strange that Forest... Galaxy brain. I think it's strange that Forest play on a Monday night in a European week, to be perfectly honest. But if Vitor Pereira had any hope of resting a couple of players at Stamford Bridge, he probably can't now, because Spurs won. So they are now under intense pressure. I thought you were going to go to another place I thought you were going to say An Unai Emery still pissed at Arsenal going to deprive them of their ultimate joy of watching Spurs get relegated because Tottenham are now out of the relegation zone back-to-back wins the deserving essence I thought was evident all over the field the fans sang his name for the first time rightly so it's safe to say the players have had the I think it's technically called the Igor Tudor exercised out of them they're competing They're fighting as a unit, mentally.

52:49You saw belief, confidence. Tackles were flying in, being celebrated. It was a world away from the darkest fears. Tottenham have Leeds at home, Chelsea away, and then Everton at home with Premier League life in their own hands again. And I did love the scene at the end where De Zerbe walked towards a quite delirious Spurs away fan base, banged his inner arm, telling them, we still have a pulse, we still have blood. pulsing through our veins. What an impact roar. Zero wins in 2006. Suddenly seven points now gleaned out of a possible 12. Out of the relegation zone abyss by a point. They still have life.

53:30Are we going to see a bubble machine in the championship next season? Calci have the Hammers 75 % certain to go down now.

53:36Roger Bennett:Do you agree? Yeah, do you know what? Even before the weekend, I thought the most likely scenario was that West Ham got relegated on goal difference, just as the way the fixtures fell. Now I think it's almost certain that that's the way it plays out. I mean, I suppose Forrest could still hit a wall. They're not out of it yet. Everybody else is probably gone, to be perfectly honest, because of West Ham losing that game. The best tweet of the weekend, Rog, was someone, I can't remember who it was, so I can't credit them, was someone saying, Brentford putting in a proper performance, helping Spurs out and spoiling the entire nation's fun.

54:03Roger Bennett:Grow up. I thought that was an excellent tweet. Given that West Ham still have to play Arsenal at home, Newcastle away, Leeds at home, there's probably four points for them there, maybe six I guess but I think Spurs' run is easier. I think Spurs probably win both their home games and that does it. Yeah Spurs have Leeds home, Chelsea away, Battle of the Bridge 2, Electric Boogaloo and then three points against Everton last day of the season. Do we agree? I see the Hammers getting six points and Spurs six. It's going to be that tight. I think it may be that West Ham don't even get six points. It might be four.

54:39Roger Bennett:Newtassel's win. Maybe there's a little bit more fight in Newtassel than we thought. I suspect West Ham go down just, but they will still go down. Very fond of both of these teams for different reasons. Godspeed to both fan bases. I know you're paying. In other games, Newcastle 3, Brighton 1. After four straight Premier League losses, nine defeats in the last 12, Eddie Howe walked into this game against unbeaten since March. Brighton with trepidation. We'd all seen the Seagulls training with a UFC fighter to learn the art of gripple grapple. and how has looked beleaguered also the wider context of Saudi investment in sports, live golf turning into a flaccid wilt, it's a strange time for Newcastle and we know that PIF have nothing to do with Saudi Arabia but coincidentally 25 members of Saudi Arabia's public investment fund were present at the game after a series of board meetings which never feels good as a manager so this must have been incredible relief when Harvey Barnes made victory certain in the 95th minute as Yassir Al-Roumi and Newcastle's chair looked on.

55:44That five straight defeats ends with$480 million worth of Volta Marder, Visa and Alanga on the bench. But David Ornstein reporting after the final whistle. Eddie Howe will indeed be back for another season. Unclear if there's going to be changes in his coaching staff. Will his new assistant have to be Bryson DeChambeau?

56:03Roger Bennett:He needs a job, Rog. He needs a job. It was a really important win for Newcastle. I'd actually started to wonder whether Newcastle might get caught out by the surging teams at the bottom a little bit. There was a little flickering Newcastle to the relegation zone before this. They felt like they were closer than anybody realised and closer than they wanted to be. This separates them. It's not been a great season. I think Eddie Howe's job over the course of the five years he's been there warrants another year. But the key bit was at the end of David Ornstein's reporting, which was all sides accept that this season can't happen again.

56:37Dot, dot, dot. Bournemouth 3, Crystal Palace 0. A clash between two teams whose managers have both announced, we out are here at the end of the season, and Antonia Rollers wore through and beaten in the last 14 Premier League games. Oliver Glasner's Palace had the Europa Conference League semi-final second-leg glory against Shakhtar front of mind. They rested five key players, including Adam Wharton and the beautiful Chris Richards, which led to ultimately this joyous romp and own goal. the effervescent junior Kruppi netting his 12th goal of the season from the penalty spot. No teenagers scored more in their debut year than this kid, and his fellow 19-year-old Ryan made it three.

57:16I'd say when American Golden Knights owner Bill Foley, friend of this show, he's been on a bunch, took over Bournemouth December 2022, the club were battling relegation, and he declared, as he does, he loves a bold declaration that Bournemouth would soon be in Europe for the first time in their history. everyone laughed they're now in sixth place I had him on the show and asked him what statistics was he looking at that told him that he just said it was the Irish in me I was just angry at the journalist so I just said it but it's happening if Aston Villa finish fifth and win the Europa League sixth place will actually get a Champions League spot which is remarkable for me Roar Bournemouth are pound for pound the most remarkable story in English football in the 2020s

57:59Roger Bennett:Yeah and you mentioned Roger is Keith Andrews a contender for manager of the year and only Iriola definitely is. I mean, they had that slightly weird bit where they hadn't won in two months but hadn't lost in three, which again is very 2026 Premier League. But the fact that Bournemouth will almost, well, the fact that Bournemouth are in pole position to get into the Europa League is extraordinary enough. As you say, that could yet become Champions League, either through their own form. They're the one team that can catch Liverpool and Villa, I think, or it might be because Champions League drops to six.

58:27Roger Bennett:I do wonder whether Iriola, I know he's announced he's leaving, but are there many better jobs out there than Bournemouth for them? I don't know if there are. Can you imagine if he gets them into the Champions League it's like lads you're on your own. I loved Oliver Glaston's explanation as to Palace's flat performance. This is beautiful. He said let's say you have a friend's birthday and your wedding is a few days later you're more excited for the wedding. This is the same. Bournemouth semi-final was today as the Conference League is Thursday. God bless to Palace and the Glasner wedding. By the way, if Glasner gets trophies again this season, after what they've been through, the darkness, it is humanly remarkable.

59:14Roger Bennett:The greatest period in Crystal Palace's history. And as you say, after all they've been through this year to end up with another European trophy. Again, does Oliver Glasner definitely need to leave? They should just do a swap, that old show, which would never be allowed today, wife swap. Glasner should just take over Bournemouth and Irola should go to Palace. Away from that, two Wolves won, Sunderland won. Sunderland follow up a 5-0 defeat at home against Nottingham Forest with a 1-1 draw against Dooms. Wolves, big talking point, Dan Ballard being sent off for what's become an epidemic roar, pulling the hair.

59:49In his case, a braid of Arakadare. Second player seeing red for pulling his hair after Everton's Michael Keane in January. Those are stats. It was a controversial moment. Seems to be the big talking point. I don't know why it's controversial. I think defenders are used to pulling the shirt of an attacker. They now get a lock of mullet instead. And by the way, how Mikel Arteta has not got his entire team taking the field like a hair metal band or kooker ray are marginal advantages rule. I do not know. but it does seem to oddly become a talking point in the same way as we don't know what handball is anymore.

1:00:23We don't know what hair pulling is, hair to hand. Is that what we're saying? Why is this so complex? It's beyond me.

1:00:30Roger Bennett:I don't think it is complex. I think it's a straight red card because it's fundamentally unsportsmanlike. It's a nasty, snide, cruel little thing to do. I think it's a straight red and I find it odd that there is any sort of discourse around it not being a red. Hard to agree. I mean, it's so crazy. I mean, it's like we're used to pulling their shirts, which is also not allowed to send. Sometimes we get a handful of hair. It's just a mad one to me. Back in time to Friday. Oh, fever dream of Leeds 3, Burnley 1 at Cauldron Ellen Road. Enter doomed, condemn Burnley, fresh off defenestrating, poor, dashing Scotty Parker.

1:01:08And replacing him with interim, yes, real name, not a movie product placement for the Michael Jackson biopic, Michael Jackson. And this one was just a joyful Lily White romp. Leeds good early and often. Fans bellowed every song for the Leeds songbook greatest hits. Their team now unbeaten in last six games. Finished so strong. But the story of the season roared for them. They ground out that meagre 11 points from their first 13 games. They looked like they were going down. Farker on the brink of being fired. Club linked to multiple replacement coaches last November. They trailed Manchester City famously 2-0 at half time.

1:01:43triggered a switch to five at the back. And then the fire beast, Farker, revealed himself. 32 points harvested from the next 21 games, which has left them with, I think, the seventh best record in that period. Precious, precious top flight status, virtually guaranteed now. It's incredible, Raw, on many levels. I've got to say, huge credit to the San Francisco 49ers organisation for sticking with Farker in a season of itchy firing and managers. Any self-respecting club in the Anals has had at least three or four managers in this time period.

1:02:16Roger Bennett:Yeah, it was the right call. I actually think it was the right thing to do to kind of consider his position. I think that's something that a board should have been doing in that scenario. And it's really mature and weirdly reassuring to be like, OK, we've thought about this and he's still the right guy. I think it's OK to make that decision. But he's been fantastic. And as much as we talk about being in the Champions League as being transformative for Manchester United, I think a second season in the Premier League is potentially transformative for Leeds. Just suddenly you have the$150 million,$160 million.

1:02:47Roger Bennett:You have that established presence. You can attract a slightly better calibre of player. You can start to build. A lot of clubs will tell you that staying up is really important. But being in the Premier League for a second season, that's what really makes the difference. And Leeds should now have that, thanks to that win against Burnley. Chef's kiss, Leeds in-house DJ, playing smooth criminal right after the final whistle. after beating that interim Burnley manager Michael Jackson, really gold medal-worthy shithousery. You've been hit by a smooth relegation. Leeds next match against the Tottenham on May 11th.

1:03:23OK, this afternoon, Chelsea host Nottingham Forest under interim leadership. Fascinating to see how far their player power goes in this post-Senior world, spite the rocket fuel of human motivation. They're now looking, this is incredible, for their sixth permanent manager since Clear Lake took over in 2022. We've talked about the managers who will be available. Andonio Ola, Oliver Glasner, Xabi Alonso, Marco Silva, also other club curious. Cesc Fabregas soaring at Como. He's always flickering around. Question for you is, who serious would want to risk their reputation by taking the Chelsea job now?

1:04:01Roger Bennett:Well, I'm the same as you, Rog. I find it baffling that managers who've got kind of these ambitions, these aspirations, these clear abilities would even look at Chelsea at this stage because it looks like a dismissal waiting to happen. It's impossible to see how you can succeed there. But in a weird way, I wonder if that's sort of the appeal, that you get an awful lot of money and you don't get any real reputational damage if it doesn't work out right because everybody else will look at it and say, well, it's Chelsea. Of course you failed at Chelsea. And the other thing that's really important to remember with managers, that they kind of look at these clubs as though they're like a bad boy that needs taming.

1:04:34Roger Bennett:And they always believe deep down that they can be the one to change them, that they alone have the ability to make it work. The managerial trope of complete arrogance, self-confidence, borderline narcissism, that you need to be an elite Premier League manager. Yeah, you can't work at that level if you have any self-doubt whatsoever, any slight scintilla of worry that you don't have all of the answers. I can fix this. Yeah, and so you look at Chelsea and you think, well, obviously all those other people have failed because they're not me. That is the abiding impression. Short answer is, who would take the job?

1:05:07People who like money. God bless the other game today, Everton. Welcoming Manchester City to our occasional fortress, Hill Dickinson, this afternoon. We'll try, Arsenal fans, I promise. We will try. And by try, I mean raise expectations with a plucky opening before finding some truly agonising way to plummet to a morally validating but zero points defeat. Can you see any other outcome here? Seriously, Rob? Yeah I think

1:05:33Roger Bennett:I said to you on Friday Rog I think it's a difficult game for City going to Everton is not what you want to be doing in a title race alright they don't have a huge amount to play for anymore but it's still it's a club that doesn't roll over easily Everton but I think your reader's probably right that Everton will start well there'll be a bit of noise there'll be a bit of fire a little bit of fury and then a 2-0 Man City win The other thing I predict now Ili and Dyle have an incredible game he always raises his game against the big teams he wants to move to it is known we tried Could be on our footballing gravestone.

1:06:05We'll get to your letters in one moment. First, a toast. I won't raise my third first Michelin Walter of the day to Ipswich Town. On Saturday, secured second place in automatic promotion in the Championship. Back to the Premier League. After one year away, they did it with the same bright manager, Kieran McKenna, who stayed. But playing a less naive football, Dutch defensive midfielder. As all matters, Siwa locking down a much more resilient backline. I'm thrilled for the region and the club, which I'm so fond of. So many Americans who grew up on Air Force bases in Suffolk have come to love Ipswich Town, including my production partner, Jonathan Williamson, producer J-Dubs, who wrote, We're officially a yo-yo club, which I don't take for granted.

1:06:47The rarefied football air that exists between first class and economy, but where an upgrade is always a possibility. I managed to make three trips to matches last season in the Premier League, two with my four-year-old son, Finn. our last trip a dire 1-0 home loss to Brentford when we were already relegated and the deflated town faithful barely sang while the B support was in full voice after the game he asked hey dad why don't we get to sing any of our songs and on Saturday at the final whistle I turned to Finn and said hey Finny it's our time to sing again

1:07:23Roger Bennett:oh Roar that's what football's all about that's beautiful and I think for and I'm not just saying this because obviously we want the best for J-Dubs and for Finn. Ipswich should put up a bit more of a fight this time, I think. They should be better prepared. Kieran McKenna, their manager, remains probably their strongest card to play. But the key thing with that kind of yo-yo approach is that you have two years' money plus the parachute payments, which means you can have a higher quality of player, which gives you a better chance of survival. I don't have the figures in front of me, Rog. My guess is that coming up, going down and bouncing back up again tends to leave you further up the table eventually.

1:07:59God, everyone stays up nowadays, Ro. It's the Premier League. To your letters. Steve Flick of Venice Beach, California, writing in. Ro, do the honest.

1:08:12Roger Bennett:Yeah, Steve says, I recently read of a study from a psychology magazine which discovered men may cry up to four times more over football than romantic breakups. Researchers believe this is because sport provides a socially accepted space where men feel more comfortable expressing strong emotions. Do you think that's true? And when did you last try watching football? Raw. I think it's because football upsets you more. Football upsets you continually. That's the point of it. What, than your relationship? You only break up once. Do you then? It's all, I don't want to cast dispersions about relationships, all relationships work in different ways, Rog, but you will have a breakup period that will last a certain amount of time and you will try during that period.

1:08:52Roger Bennett:and then after a while you will come to terms with the breakup in most scenarios. In football, you'll lose a game, cry and then have to play again the next week and probably lose that as well. So you'll cry twice and it's an ongoing thing over the course of your life. Because you never give up on your football team. You never get over it. Your football team gives up on you. Yeah, you never get over it. God, you're a practical man. I love this letter because as someone that does believe that they're dead inside, apart from when I watch football and feel all those emotions like happiness, defeat, ecstasy and agony, the ones that I project the most normal people feel in real life.

1:09:28I do support this study. I want to say, but you're a Yorkshire man rule. So I'm already shocked that you're talking about crying publicly because Yorkshire men are stoic, devoid of emotion on the outside. So the floor is yours. Do you cry watching football?

1:09:42Roger Bennett:I mean, I cry quite a lot, Rog. As you know, we've actually had a very upsetting time recently because we lost our beloved dog, Hector. So there's been a lot of tears in recent weeks and we've been trying to encourage the kids to kind of feel those feelings, not to be afraid of it, not to think there's any shame in crying. It's very kind. Yeah, it's a devastating thing to lose an animal that is part of your life. And so, yeah, I cry openly and frequently about football, both for happy and sad reasons. Last time was the Arnaslott press conference. The last time was literally every time I've watched Liverpool play this season.

1:10:15do you really cry in happy times and sad times

1:10:18Roger Bennett:yes I remember I cried when I was at when I was at Anfield last season to watch them win the lead with my son I cried like real crying or just like a little tear yeah actual crying I mean not kind of like full on grief crying but like actual kind of tears on my face just for the kind of sense that he to be there to watch it with him I cried when I was in Philadelphia with you when I found out that that Dio De Giota had died I cried then and I cried because of the impact it had on him and I think I probably cry more in victory than defeat. I'm quite good at kind of thinking, okay, it's okay to lose him.

1:10:50Roger Bennett:Yeah, losing to Manchester United on Sunday does not make me cry. Losing Champions League finals, you might have a little bit of a tear, but then equally winning a Champions League final, you cry as well. Yeah, football does inspire those. You'll find out one day, Rog, maybe. Football does inspire those emotions and it's healthy, I think. it's something we should all appreciate about it, the fact that it enables us to experience those emotions. I think you've said this before, in a really safe and controlled environment. So you can have those emotions about something that ultimately doesn't really matter.

1:11:25So true, man. I don't cry. I'm lying. I cry all the time. I'll tell you, the last time I cried at football was the derby. By the way, not the verge goal in the 90th minute plus 10 because I expected that. There was no surprise. your question Steve reminded me I actually teared up watching Illumann and Dye score a stunner what we thought was the opening goal first ever at the Hill Dickinson in the Derby but was then ruled out because I think was it Jake O 'Brien who was offside in the build up the beauty of the goal moved my soul but it was my kids reactions rule I was watching my eldest and my youngest and it was the profound look of ecstasy that they shared almost disbelief, looking at their faces, their looks that said, Dad, can we as Everton fans be happy too?

1:12:20And ultimately, they learned a harsh lesson in life that no, of course I can't be happy as Everton fans. It was like 20 seconds of just complete bonding and memory making and pure rapture, man. That made me tear up with thanks and relief until obviously the goal was ruled offside. I felt like utter dog crap. But you can't take those like four seconds of tear-inducing happiness away from me ever.

1:12:45Roger Bennett:You're further on in this journey than I am. But I wonder whether you try more about football as a way to connect to your children or to your parents than you do about the game itself. I think it's more about kind of what it does to the people around you. That's what draws the emotion out rather than we've won or lost. It's what that win or loss does to people you love. It's so true. I mean, it's true for me, man. A lot of my football tears do come from missing my dad. Just the profound last derby at Goodison, knowing that he wasn't there to see it, all the memories that we made in that place.

1:13:21That was Claire Danes in Homeland Level sobbing after the game. Or just watching players he would love, like Keenan Dewsbury Hall in blue, free-flowing spirits, but he'll never get to see. That often sets me off in moments of beauty. But GFOPs, I'd love to know when or if you cry watching football. Sincerely love to hear your stories. Our email is always meninblazers at gmail.com. Want to give huge thanks to Bank of America, Official Bank of US Soccer and the FIFA World Cup 2026 for supporting the Men in Blazers media network. Discover what's possible in sports and in life. What would you like the power to dig?

1:14:03Before we sign off, two magical live shows ahead. Come be with us, laugh with us, cry with us. First in Philadelphia and the Franklin Music Hall, May 12th. I'm thrilled to announce we'll sit down to talk all things football with an incredible Philadelphian band who I love. They even sing about Eagles tailgates and dancing under the shadow of the 95. The incredible Mount Joy, who are also proper, proper football, proper Arsenal. They're going to come and be with us. And second, our good friends at Verizon will continue their ultimate access ticket giveaway at the show. So if you come to us in Philadelphia, there's a good chance you could win tickets for the big tournament this summer when the world arrives at Philly's doorstep.

1:14:44I love giving these out. It's actually very moving. I'm grateful to Verizon for their support and for yours. Can't wait to celebrate with you. We're headed to Dallas, May 22nd. Tickets can be found in the link below in the show notes. That's it for today. Raw, where are you off to this week?

1:15:00Roger Bennett:I've got the joys later in the week, Rog, of going to watch Liverpool lose to Chelsea at Anfield. That's what I'm looking forward to this week. We are filming with Ryan Cherky tomorrow. I can't wait for that. Go deep on boxing. We'll be back Wednesday night after Bayern PSG, live here on YouTube with the great James Horncastle. Come be with us, ask you questions about football and life. This is Rog saying let's not take a second of watching football together for granted and courage.

1:15:30Thank you.