Football Weekly – "A bruising game at Stamford Bridge and Manchester City leave it late"

The Guardian
Date: December 1, 2025
Host: Max Rushden
Panel: Barry Glendenning, Barney Ronay, Dan Bardell

Episode Overview

This episode of Football Weekly dives into another dramatic weekend across the Premier League. The panel dissects a bruising clash between Chelsea and Arsenal, Manchester City’s nervy late win over Leeds, and key talking points from Liverpool, Spurs, Newcastle, Villa, and more. Along the way, they pay tribute to West Ham legend Billy Bonds, debate football’s increasingly performative culture, and—true to form—find time to exchange travel tips for away fans.

1. Chelsea 1–1 Arsenal: A Hectic, Bad-tempered Title Clash

[00:47–14:42]

• Game Feel:

  • Barney Ronay: "All square in the title decider at the Bridge. Chelsea are impressive with 11 and knuckled down with 10 after Caicedo's red card—perhaps another sign they’re serious contenders."
  • The game was not a classic; described as hectic and bad-tempered, yet absorbing for its intensity.

• Was It Actually Good?

  • Max Rushden: "I would say it was quite a bad game. If it hadn’t been Chelsea-Arsenal, it would’ve been last on Match of the Day." (01:55)
  • Barney Ronay disagrees, emphasizing the game’s tightness and how competitiveness across the league has rebounded:
    "It’s what you want in a league where you want it to feel as tight as this … It felt visceral."

• Chelsea’s Credentials & Rhys James’ Role:

  • Praise for Chelsea and manager Maresca’s tactical acumen—“Maresca is so good at these one-off occasions, Manchester City have to play Chelsea twice more, so they can be kingmakers.”
  • Rhys James highlighted as underrated and pivotal:
    "He’s having a great season so far ... To be playing at that level for Chelsea, I actually, when Caicedo’s not getting sent off, quite like that midfield three." (Dan Bardell, 05:23)

• Playing with 10 Men:

  • Panel suggests that playing against 10 isn’t as much of an advantage as people think:
    "In many ways it’s just another game state and sometimes it puts more pressure on the opponent." (Barney Ronay, 03:08)
  • Chelsea are “the most experienced at playing with 10 men” lately.

• COVID-Era Footballers:

  • Barry Glendenning raises the idea of “COVID footballers” whose stars have faded (e.g., Mason Mount, Rhys James):
    "We should have an inquiry into the COVID footballers. Where have they gone? Rhys James was one of them." (06:38)

• Performative Aspects & Ref Conduct:

  • Increasing theatricality:
    "Being in pain is part of the performance ... the sport has become such a microscopic performance." (Barney Ronay, 10:25)
  • Arteta’s calmness "very measured"—perhaps a mark of a team now leading the title charge.

2. Manchester City 3–2 Leeds United: Drama and Game Management

[15:10–22:20]

• Key Moments:

  • City nearly let a 2–0 lead slip, Leeds roared back to 2–2 before Foden’s late winner clinched it in injury time.
  • Max Rushden: "Great finish from Foden. Perhaps an even better out the way from Josep Guardiol." (15:10)

• Tactical Timeout Hijinks:

  • Leeds were on top until City’s Ruben Dias told Gianluigi Donnarumma to feign injury for a ‘tactical time-out’ to get Pep’s instructions—a rising trend:
    "It's not against the rules, but probably very much against the spirit of fair play." (Barry Glendenning, 16:30)
  • Panel jokes about required medicals and how to ‘prove’ injury.

• Impact of Added Time for Underdogs:

  • Extra stoppage time drains underdogs’ morale:
    "When the board went up with 10 minutes, it’s classic, you fear for Leeds. It’s like the SAS shows where, just as you get to the truck, it drives away and you have to do another marathon." (Barney Ronay, 22:02)
  • New rules favor deeper squads like City’s:
    "That rule quite clearly favors stronger teams ... it’s a bit of shame." (Barry Glendenning, 20:49)

• Phil Foden’s Resurgence:

  • After a quiet year, Foden’s brilliance back on display:
    "When he’s on song, I absolutely love watching him. He’s so unique—no English player plays like him." (Dan Bardell, 19:51)

3. Liverpool Back on Track at West Ham, No Salah Needed

[23:51–30:08]

• Slot’s Big Call Pays Off:

  • Liverpool win 1–0, Alexander Isak scores with Salah dropped:
    "He dropped Salah and it worked." (23:51)
  • West Ham went down a man (Paquetá, two bookings for dissent), making Liverpool's job easier.

• Lucas Paquetá’s Red Card & Frustrations:

  • Paquetá posted on social media about lack of psychological support during betting investigation.
    "It’s infuriating to be booked for being infuriated." (Barney Ronay, 26:31)

• Liverpool’s New-Look Attack:

  • Praise for the flexibility with Isak, Szoboszlai, and the under-the-radar impact of Joe Gomez at right back (29:08).
  • Isak’s barren run "overstated" as he hasn’t played many full games.

4. Billy Bonds Tribute

[30:08–33:43]

• The panel offers a heartfelt reflection on West Ham legend Billy Bonds, who passed away at 79.
  • Barney Ronay: "He was an archetype of a certain sort of English player ... Forever caked in mud, socks rolled down, teeth and eyes glinting through a fog of sweat and beard." (30:08)
  • Stands out as a “club legend of a kind that doesn’t really happen anymore.”

5. Tottenham’s Turmoil: Loss to Fulham & Fan Dissent

[33:43–40:22]

• Fulham win 2–1 at Tottenham:

  • Early goals and a “delightful” finish from Harry Wilson, aided by Dire Spurs defending.
  • Panel notes Fulham’s rarely take the lead away—“could have been more at halftime.”

• Thomas Frank Booed—and Responds:

  • Frank comments post-game: "I’m fine with them booing after the game. During the game, I hope it was one incident." (36:58)
  • Barney Ronay: “It’s not very helpful, is it? He’s made a mistake. He’s not deliberately done that.” (36:58)
  • Spurs fan expectations debated—Europa League success perhaps creating false hopes after a 17th-place finish last year.

• Creativity Issues:

  • Spurs struggle badly to create, hitting record-low xG numbers and an “art installation” at pushing xG lower and lower.
  • “It feels a little bit delusional at the moment to think it wasn’t going to be hard.” (Dan Bardell, 39:09)

6. Newcastle Finally Win Away; Defensive Upgrades Make the Difference

[41:12–43:35]

• Newcastle’s First Away Win:

  • 4–1 at Everton: “Bad must you be, we’re winning away. Their first in seven months.” (41:12)
  • Barry praises Anthony Elanga’s play and Volta Matera’s elegantly slow finish.

• Fullbacks Key:

  • Massive difference made by the return of full-backs Livermento and Lewis Hall.
    “Livramento is such a good player ... one of those fullbacks where wherever they are creates an overload for the opponent.” (Barry Glendenning, 42:16)

7. Brief Roundup: Liverpool, Man United Comebacks, and Reflections

[43:51–48:58]

• Man United's Comeback Win:

  • Beat Palace 2–1 away, coming from behind. Panel notes Palace’s fatigue (after their Conference League game) as a big factor.
  • Dan Bardell: "That’s a huge result at Selhurst Park because Palace's home record is phenomenal."(43:51)
  • Panel suggestion: Palace manager Glasner is getting "feisty," frustrated at lack of club investment and mounting injuries.

• Travel Tips Aside...

  • The panel can’t resist debating the easiest route to Selhurst Park and why overground improvements in London are underrated.

8. Championship & Other Highlights

[48:58–56:12]

• Sunderland 3–2 Bournemouth:

  • Great comeback win in driving rain; Tyler Adams scores a spectacular lob for Bournemouth.
  • Barry Glendenning: "I didn’t give Sunderland much of a chance coming back, but what a great addition to the Premier League they’ve been." (49:27)

• Brentford 3, Burnley 1:

  • Brentford striker Igor Thiago matches Ivan Toney’s exploits:
    "He kind of is—if you put Ivan Toney through a Slavic Portuguese translator app, you would get Igor Thiago." (Barry Glendenning, 52:57)

• Villa 1, Wolves 0:

  • Villa’s home dominance, and recurring “goal of the season” strikes.
    "57% of their goals have come from outside the box... people keep saying it’s not sustainable but it keeps happening." (Dan Bardell, 54:51)

• Brighton win at Forest:

  • Maxim De Kuiper and Simas score; Brighton back up to fifth in the table.

• Millwall’s Climb (Championship):

  • Millwall win with a late goal; panel muses on the possibility and implications of their Premier League arrival.

9. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Football Drama:

  • "It’s a performance, and being in pain is part of the performance. But the sport has become such a microscopic performance." — Barney Ronay [10:25]

• On Full-backs’ Evolution:

  • "Livramento ... such a good full-back on both sides. It's important for England that he’s back." — Barry Glendenning [42:16]

• On crowd expectation and football as entertainment:

  • "What do you want to happen? Spurs have this amazing stadium … I just think everyone there should be thinking, this is great, I can just have a breath here and enjoy this." — Barney Ronay [38:45]

• Travel Tip Banter:

  • "Go to Crystal Palace, don’t try and go to Selhurst. There’s a lot more trains on the Windrush, that’s the kind of advice a football iconoclast like Thomas Frank would sweep away." — Barry Glendenning [48:25]

10. Key Episode Timestamps

• Chelsea–Arsenal analysis: 00:47–14:42
• Man City–Leeds: 15:10–22:20
• Liverpool–West Ham: 23:51–30:08
• Billy Bonds tribute: 30:08–33:43
• Spurs–Fulham & fan issues: 33:43–40:22
• Newcastle–Everton: 41:12–43:35
• Man United–Palace: 43:51–48:58
• EFL, lower league, and travel chat: 48:58–end

Conclusion

A quintessential Football Weekly—funny, insightful, loaded with debate, and full of both tactical reflection and affectionate tangents. While there’s concern for managers under scrutiny and the mechanics of modern football, the panel ultimately celebrates the league’s drama, the emergence of new stars, and the continuing spectacle for fans.