In a bad-tempered meeting at Old Trafford, United and City showed they are far from the finished product Sign up for our free newsletter here While London has a host of top-flight clubs and Liverpool have been regular contenders, the story of the Premier League can almost entirely be told with Mancunian main characters. From Manchester United’s decade-plus of dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson to Manchester City’s emergence among the oil baron class, with a grip made firmer under Pep Guardiola’s guidance, it seems one must always beat a Manchester club to the title. Never before has the trophy spent more three seasons before returning to one of these two clubs, with a pair of three-year roadshows in the mid-2000s and mid-2010s. Continue reading...

Max Rushden is joined by B arry Glendenning , Barney Ronay and John Brewin to discuss the weekend’s Premier League action On the podcast today: Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Barney Ronay, and John Brewin to round up the weekend’s Premier League action. Manchester City beat Manchester United at Old Trafford with a controversial Erling Haaland goal. Has the job of referees become too difficult for regular folk, and do we need Nasa scientists or data wonks instead at Pro Ref? Continue reading...

Controversy rules the Manchester derby, Coventry are dunked on and Tottenham still can’t score a goal The 199th Manchester derby was defined by two refereeing decisions: Phil Foden’s first-half red card for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes, and the intervention by the video assistant referee to award Erling Haaland’s winning goal despite Enzo Fernández appearing to interfere with play from an offside position. In both cases, a healthy dose of common sense might have led to a different outcome and Pro Ref admitted that Haaland’s goal should not have stood. Still, it is tough to argue that the final result was harsh on United. Foden’s dismissal gave the hosts a huge opportunity they failed to take, their best chance falling to Bryan Mbeumo in stoppage time. Michael Carrick began his reign with a 2-0 home derby win against 11 men in January, so this felt like a backward step for the manager, unable to find a way to control the game. Carrick also bemoaned City’s two days of extra rest after Champions League games, but chose to keep Fernandes and others on for 90 minutes in the 4-0 stroll past Sabah . United’s next two league games are away at Fulham and at home to Spurs. Carrick will need to be smarter to stop an early-season wobble becoming something more serious. Niall McVeigh Match report: Manchester United 0-1 Manchester City Match report: Coventry 0-5 Brighton Match report: Sunderland 0-2 Arsenal Continue reading...

Officiating body announces it will review the incident Unhappy Carrick says error was ‘as obvious as it gets’ Pro Ref admitted Erling Haaland’s winner in Sunday’s Manchester derby should not have been allowed after the video assistant referee ruled Enzo Fernández was not interfering with play in the build-up. The elite officiating body will review the decision and has contacted Manchester United. Haaland’s 60th minute goal for Manchester City at Old Trafford was initially ruled offside before the VAR’s intervention. It came after Josko Gvardiol’s cross hit Patrick Dorgu’s boot, passed Fernández and the United defender Lisandro Martínez, and was finished by the City No 9. VAR decided Fernández was not interfering despite Martínez marking the midfielder. Continue reading...

Some scoffed at £125m price tag, but the Argentinian did the work of two midfielders after Phil Foden’s red card Enzo Maresca does not pay the bills at Manchester City but he is ecstatic that those who do spent £125m for him to be reunited with Enzo Fernández. The manager and the midfielder were together at Chelsea, forming a strong bond over a relatively short time, one the Italian knew could provide the final piece within his master plan. The Argentinian was equally eager to work under Maresca once more and made it abundantly clear to his previous employers where he saw his future. Questions were immediately raised about the fee for the 25-year-old who had spent the summer winding up opponents on the way to losing the World Cup final against Spain. Some pondered his attitude and quality but Maresca was adamant he knew what he was doing and City agreed with a deadline-day move. Continue reading...

“Enzo, Enzo, Enzo, in your head” was how delirious Manchester City fans regaled Enzo Fernández, who after a star role in a memorable victory has instant cult hero status. This 199th derby was won by Erling Haaland’s ninth strike in the fixture but the visitors’ totem was their new No 17. He was the key nuisance in a goal ruled out initially for offside and which the video assistant referee overturned when ruling that Fernández was not distracting Lisandro Martínez when Josko Gvardiol’s ball came over. Pro Ref later made contact with United to acknowledge an “error of judgment” in allowing the goal to stand. Continue reading...

English top flight’s forwards are not well represented on the list, reflecting a season of set-piece grapple, but 2026-27 already looks brighter Premier League representation is low when it comes to the 16 attacking players on this year’s Ballon d’Or shortlist . Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland are there but Cole Palmer, one of the nominees in 2025, is out after an injury-hit year and English football’s shift towards physicality and set pieces last season is summed up by none of the forwards from the best team in the country making the cut. The trio giving Arsenal a presence – Gabriel Maghalhães, Declan Rice and William Saliba – are all defensive minded. Arsenal won the league but their forwards are not regarded as elite. Injuries played a part, denying Martin Ødegaard, Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka fluency, but Mikel Arteta’s side were not loved by neutrals. There was respect rather than admiration for their defensive rigour. There was an argument that a lack of ambition after going 1-0 up stopped Arsenal from beating Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. Continue reading...

Fulham need a win, Tottenham show some spirit and Jack Grealish offers Everton much-needed energy With 25 minutes to go against Manchester United, the Everton supporters had something to roar about as Jack Grealish made his return after rejoining on loan. The attacking midfielder remains universally popular thanks to his desire to entertain, getting the hosts back on their feet by creating dangerous situations within seconds of his arrival. Everton were limited in the final third for long periods as Thierno Barry sat on the periphery. If David Moyes is to keep his side pushing for a top-half finish, he will need Grealish to be a creative focal point. Will Unwin Continue reading...

The British transfer record was equalled and one club signed no fewer than 18 players in another hectic summer Bringing in Christos Tzolis, Bruno Guimarães and Ezri Konsa was a strong start to the window but could Arsenal’s failure to sign a marquee attacker cost them in the long run? They began targeting Morgan Rogers before pivoting to Vinícius Júnior when the England forward went to Chelsea, only to end up disappointed when Vinícius signed a new deal with Real Madrid. Julián Alvarez made clear he had no intention of joining from Atlético Madrid in the final days of the window and Arsenal kept their powder dry despite sanctioning the exits of Gabriel Jesus to Barcelona and Ethan Nwaneri to Borussia Dortmund. Should Gabriel Martinelli complete his move to Al-Hilal as expected in the coming days – the Saudi Pro League window remains open – a few injuries could leave Arteta short. Ed Aarons Continue reading...