Just For Kicks

"My job is so hard..." sighed Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim after a dismal 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, where James Maddison’s early strike handed Ange Postecoglou three invaluable points. "Hard" might even be an understatement when it came to the spectacle —fans endured a tedious 90 minutes in what critics are calling one of the dullest Premier League matches in recent memory. Thankfully, the rest of the weekend served up far more excitement. Wolves nearly staged a dramatic second-half comeback against league leaders Liverpool after Luis Díaz and Mo Salah had put the Reds 2-0 ahead. Brighton stunned Chelsea with a commanding 3-0 home victory, delivering the shock of the week. Meanwhile, Manchester City dismantled Newcastle 4-0, powered by an Omar Marmoush hat-trick, and a bold tactical shift from Mikel Arteta paid off as makeshift forward Mikel Merino struck twice to secure Arsenal a 2-0 away win at Leicester. All that and more, broken down on this week’s Just For Kicks.

The last Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park delivered on all fronts, with good goals, last minute drama and red cards, as Everton and Liverpool played a pulsating 2-2 draw that ended with a scuffle after the match. We unpack the drama in this mid-week EPL match, together with the Champions League fixtures, including Man City's last minute capitulation at the hands of Real Madrid at the Etihad. Then, we look forward to Matchweek 25 in the English Premier League, with Manchester United's visit to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium a standout fixture, as both Spurs and the Red Devils try to get out of the mire that they're in. Elsewhere, can Man City recover from their midweek setback against Newcastle, led by Alexander Isak and co.? All these, and more, only on another exciting episode of Just For Kicks!

The magic of the FA Cup is well and truly alive! In a stunning fourth-round upset, Championship strugglers Plymouth Argyle shocked Premier League leaders Liverpool with a 1-0 victory at Home Park. The decisive moment came in the 53rd minute when Ryan Hardie calmly slotted home a penalty, securing a historic win for the Pilgrims. With this unexpected defeat, Liverpool’s hopes of a quadruple came to an abrupt end, while Plymouth celebrated a remarkable passage into the fifth round.

Elsewhere, Aston Villa edged past Tottenham Hotspur with a 2-1 victory at Villa Park. Jacob Ramsey set the tone early, capitalizing on a defensive lapse to fire past goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky in the opening minute. Morgan Rogers then doubled Villa's advantage, while Spurs' new loan signing, Mathys Tel, pulled one back in stoppage time, offering a fleeting moment of hope for the visitors. This victory marks Aston Villa's first progression to the FA Cup fifth round since 2015. Meanwhile, pressure mounts on Tottenham’s manager, Ange Postecoglou, as his side suffers a second cup exit in just four days, following their recent League Cup semi-final defeat.

All that and more reviewed on this week's Just For Kicks!

It was a fairly busy end to the January transfer window, with clubs scrambling around to get their last minute deals done for the second half of the season. The much maligned Marcus Rashford finally left Old Trafford to join Unai Emery at Aston Villa on loan, and the Red Devils didn't replace him with anyone else up front, especially after Mathys Tel chose to go to Tottenham Hotspurs, after initially rejecting them. Manchester City has decided to finally rebuild their squad mid-season, spending close to £200 pounds bringing in reinforcement, with Omar Marmoush the biggest name they're banking on to change their fortunes. Elsewhere, the highly rated Khvicha Kvaratskhelia finally left Napoli to join the Luis Enrique revolution in Paris, while Neymar returned to his old boyhood club, Santos, cutting short his blockbuster move to Al Hilal back in 2023. We summarise the January transfer window, reflect on the state of the market, and whether these moves will work out for all parties. All these, as well as the Carabao Cup review and the FA Cup 4th Round preview, only on another special episode of Just For Kicks!

Premier League action over the weekend was capped off with a statement performance from Arsenal, who dismantled Manchester City with a commanding 5-1 victory at the Emirates. Martin Ødegaard capitalized on a defensive lapse to open the scoring, and although Erling Haaland briefly leveled for City, the Gunners responded in emphatic fashion. Goals from Thomas Partey, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Kai Havertz, and 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri sealed a resounding win, leaving City six points adrift of league leaders Liverpool. Elsewhere, Liverpool maintained their grip at the top of the table with a composed 2-0 win over Bournemouth, thanks to a brace from the ever-reliable Mohamed Salah, who continues his scintillating form. Wolves secured a vital 2-0 victory against Aston Villa, pulling themselves out of the relegation zone with goals from Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Matheus Cunha. Nottingham Forest delivered the shock of the weekend, humiliating Brighton 7-0, with Chris Wood bagging a hat-trick against his former club. Meanwhile, Manchester United’s home struggles continued as they suffered yet another disappointing defeat, this time at the hands of Crystal Palace.

All this and more dissected on this week’s Just For Kicks.

It's another busy week of football during the festive period, with the Lunar New Year ushering in the final round of European matches. Man City survived the dreaded scare of being knocked out of the tournament completely against Club Brugge, coming back in the second half to win their match and make it to the playoffs. We unpack some of the matches that were played in the Champions League, and the Europa League, as well as a quick glance at the playoffs draw. Then, it's back to the English Premier League, with Matchweek 24 serving up another round of fantastic matches, including Bournemouth hosting Liverpool, Nottingham Forest vs Brighton, and the big one, Arsenal vs Manchester City. Will this match be as feisty as the reverse fixture back at the Etihad? Who will be humbled, and who will stay humble? Our pundits share their thoughts on these matches, and more, only on another exciting and festive episode of Just For Kicks!

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In a weekend full of dramatic twists, Tottenham’s struggles deepened as they edged closer to the relegation zone with a demoralizing defeat to Leicester, who broke their seven-game losing streak. Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs have secured just one point from their last seven matches, with injuries and a gruelling schedule cited as key contributors to their dismal form. Elsewhere, Chelsea’s woes persisted with a 3-1 loss to Manchester City, a match marred by goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s costly error, further complicating the Blues’ bid for Champions League qualification.

At the summit, Arsenal reignited their title charge with a gutsy 1-0 victory over Wolves, despite going down to 10 men after a controversial red card for Myles Lewis-Skelly. The decision, slammed by Alan Shearer as "one of the worst" he’s seen, couldn’t derail the Gunners’ momentum as Riccardo Calafiori’s strike secured the vital win. Arsenal remains six points behind Liverpool, who continue their march toward a record-equalling 20th title. However, a challenging stretch awaits Liverpool, including clashes with Manchester City and an in-form Bournemouth, giving Arsenal a glimmer of hope. All this and more on this week’s Just For Kicks.

Manchester City's fortunes in the Champions League seem to not be getting better, as they suffered a demoralising defeat in Paris against PSG, despite taking a 2-0 lead against Luis Enrique's men. The prospect of Man City not qualifying to the next round is real, but despite that, Pep Guardiola now has to turn his attention to Matchweek 23 in the EPL, as they host Chelsea this weekend. Our pundits share their reactions to the European midweek games, including that blockbuster match between Benfica and Barcelona, as well as look ahead to this weekend's football matches. They also have another lengthy rant on VAR! Another typical, exciting episode of Just For Kicks that you don't want to miss!

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David Moyes finally had his first win on his return to Everton, as his team showed desire and guile against Spurs. The loss puts more pressure on Ange Postecoglou, with his team now closer to the relegation zone. Elsewhere, Arsenal squandered their chance to close the gap to Liverpool, drawing against an inspired Villa side. The Reds, meanwhile, left it late, with Darwin Nunez scoring two late goals to save Arne Slot's side. Our pundits share their thoughts on these matches, and look ahead to the midweek European matches, on another fun-filled episode of Just For Kicks!

Join BFM's Just For Kicks FPL League and stand a chance to win BFM's World Famous Goodie Bag at the end of the season! Click here to join! Or use this Fantasy Premier League code: k3b2fk

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It's another busy week of football, with Matchweek 21 wrapped up, and Matchweek 22 to look forward to this weekend. Our pundits, Bob and Dez, as well as the returning Sean Malhotra join Kam Raslan to look back at the midweek matches that saw Liverpool played a 1-1 draw against their nearest title challenger, Nottingham Forest, and Manchester United surviving a scare at home against bottom-of-the-table Southampton, with Amad Diallo bagging a last-minute hattrick. They share their thoughts on those matches, and look forward to Matchweek 22, including Liverpool's potentially tricky away trip to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium, as well as Arteta and Emery renewing their rivalry as Arsenal host Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium. All these, and more, on another jam-packed episode of Just For Kicks!

Join BFM's Just For Kicks FPL League and stand a chance to win BFM's World Famous Goodie Bag at the end of the season! Click here to join! Or use this Fantasy Premier League code: k3b2fk

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.