Talk of the Devils: The Athletic FC's Manchester United show

Two crucial fixtures in West London in the last five days have yielded just one point for Erik Ten Hag's Manchester United. If that wasn't bad enough, they held the lead going into the 99th minute in both games.

If Brentford was bad, this was an astonishing evening at Stamford Bridge. Looking fairly comfortable having put together another remarkable comeback, the Red Devils suddenly imploded to throw away all three points.

So, what does this result, and the manner of the defeat, mean for Erik Ten Hag's future as Manchester United manager?

HOST: Ian Irving

WITH: Andy Mitten, Carl Anka, Laurie Whitwell

PRODUCER: Ollie Bellwood

Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead

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It may be Easter, but it feels a lot like a Monday as Ian Irving hosts Andy Mitten and Carl Anka to "pick over the carcass" of Saturday night's performance at Brentford.

Such was the home side's dominance, it's easy to forget this finished a draw. But, after Mason Mount's late goal was cancelled out, it felt like a defeat, with comparisons even drawn to the horror show at the same venue last season.

What price a win at Chelsea, then, and how will this squad look next season, with question marks over so many of the personnel in midfield and defence?

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We're back after the international break and we are all aboard Kobbie's hype train! After the Carrington graduate bossed Belgium, it's time for the rest of the country to acknowledge what we already knew; Mainoo is the future.

Thanks to everyone who sent in questions and requests; we get to as many of those as we can, covering midfield options with or without Casemiro, the future at left-back, and our podcast roles as Man United heroes.

Saturday evening sees Ten Hag's men make their first of two upcoming stops in West London. Brentford are this weekend's opponents, bringing back some ugly memories for manager, fans, and podcasters alike.

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Laurie Whitwell returns to the pod to make it a full complement as we bask in the glory of a magnificent, dramatic, extra time victory over Liverpool in what is being called the greatest FA Cup win in Manchester United's history.

There are so many threads to follow from a day packed with drama; the comeback, the supreme performances from young players, stories of redemption, and of course denying Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool at least one trophy in his farewell tour.

Enjoy this bumper edition as we go into a short break for the international window. When we return, Erik Ten Hag's team will make their final push for the Champions League and prepare to take on Mark Robins' Coventry at Wembley.

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It's a fresh looking line-up on Talk of the Devils as Mark Critchley and Jay Harris drop by to talk Jadon Sancho, money matters, and Liverpool with Ian and Andy.

Sancho got his first goal back in yellow at the weekend and Jay was at Bremen to see the game and talk to various Dortmund figures about how the United exile is doing. With Antony also failing to fire in red, it could be an interesting summer for the two big-money signings.

Critch, meanwhile, has had a much less interesting assignment; he seems concerned about his new status as our US finance correspondent. And, with a massive game against Liverpool coming up this weekend, the stakes couldn't be higher for Erik Ten Hag.

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Once again, it wasn't pretty, but Manchester United got the job done. two-nil at home with Alejandro Garnacho winning two first-half penalties, scored by different players.

The same questions remain, though. Casemiro's wasteful performance with the ball was the latest worrying midfield display and a huge performance was required by both centre halves, especially this season's unexpected hero Jonny Evans.

One person who didn't enjoy Saturday's game is Evertonian Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester. He joins us to discuss his role on a new task force of "decision makers" aiming to get the ball rolling on the redevelopment of Old Trafford and the surrounding area.

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The team have relocated to Hotel Football, overlooking a very famous waterway, not that Ian Irving would know. We're going in-depth today, first on Andre Onana, the subject of 'cautious optimism' and a detailed profile by Andy Mitten and Carl Anka.

Slightly less optimistic, though not without hope, is the outlook for Manchester United's Women's team. They haven't been able to recreate the magic of last season having lost key players. Might they lose an even bigger asset in Mary Earps?

...and, with Everton coming to Old Trafford this weekend, there's no room for any sentiment with wins at an absolute premium.

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Marcus Rashford would have been a huge talking point on Manchester derby day whatever happened after his op-ed for the Players Tribune. But, with less than ten minutes on the clock, he struck hope into red hearts with a lightning strike from thirty yards.

Throughout the first half Erik Ten Hag's innovative selection had Pep and City frustrated, albeit they used the lion's share of possession and territory to carve out some decent chances, one in particular...

But, Phil Foden turned the game on its head with two goals, and we were left wondering if this was a worrying indictment of United's status quo or if injuries were sufficient to justify the game-plan.

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The awesome foursome are united once again on Monday morning after Manchester United scraped through to the FA Cup quarter finals at the City Ground.

Casemiro's late run, late in the game, was just enough to edge out relegation-threatened Forest in a "scrappy" encounter, and Erik Ten Hag was in a scrappy mood himself, defending Bruno (who assisted the goal with inventive free-kick delivery).

However, the Manchester Derby comes next and, with so many positional problems it's difficult to be bullish about this one. Will Andy's hearty rallying cry inspire the team, and the fans, to turn Manchester red again?

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A Monday morning full-house from the podcast team, but there's precious little positivity on offer after Manchester United lost at home to Marco Silva's Fulham.

An injury to Rasmus Hojlund in training on Friday was a huge blow and it was alarming how much that unsettled the United attack. Our main concern, though, is how familiar many of the team's problems look.

Erik Ten Hag bemoaned the inability to sign an additional striker over the last two transfer windows, but there's no doubting the pressure on the manager now to produce results; starting with the FA Cup tie at Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.

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