Essential Football

In a rare Premier League Midweek Wrap with all 20 teams playing over three days, Ron Walker takes you through Manchester City moving a step closer to the Premier League title after victory over Arsenal, with Adam Bate in place at the Etihad to see Mikel Arteta's side drop points for the fourth game in a row.Sam Blitz and Nick Wright are at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Spurs mount a creditable comeback to draw with Man Utd, while Joe Shread bears witness to another bad night for Chelsea at home to Brentford.Sky Sports News' Keith Downie is at Goodison Park where Newcastle romp to victory over Everton, while Leeds and Leicester share the points in another relegation dogfight at Elland Road.Nottingham Forest end their long winless streak to see off beaten FA Cup semi-finalists Brighton, and Peter Smith is at the London Stadium where Liverpool edge to victory over West Ham - but not without controversy.Joe Shread again gives us his thoughts on Southampton's prospects after defeat to Bournemouth, Unai Emery's sensational run with Aston Villa continues and Adam Bate is back to talk us through Wolves' win over Crystal Palace.And that's your Premier League Midweek Wrap!

On the latest Essential Football Weekend Wrap, Oliver Yew takes you through the weekend's Premier League action starting at Emirates Stadium - where Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville discuss Arsenal's fading title hopes after a 3-3 draw with bottom of the table Southampton. Can the Gunners bounce back in style in midweek when they face Man City in a title showdown?It wasn't a good weekend for the north London sides as Newcastle dismantled Tottenham 6-1 at St James' Park. Peter Smith runs through an extraordinary game which saw Newcastle score five goals - YES FIVE GOALS - in the opening 21 minutes.Elsewhere, Nick Wright is at Selhurst Park and discusses striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin's return in Everton's 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace. There was a dramatic 3-2 win for Liverpool at Anfield against Nottingham Forest, while Leicester moved out of the bottom three with a much-needed 2-1 win over Wolves.Finally, Sam Blitz gives his verdict on another defeat for Leeds, this time at Fulham, while Dan Sansom is with Sky Sports News reporter James Suvundra to discuss West Ham's emphatic 4-0 win at Bournemouth. Joe Shread then wraps things up as Aston Villa were held to a 1-1 draw at Brentford in a result that doesn't help both sides' European ambitions.And that's your Premier League Weekend Wrap!

On a special edition of Essential Football 10 years almost to the day since Manchester United were last crowned Premier League champions, Zinny Boswell joins Ron Walker to discuss the club's lost decade in the dark.Despite spending just shy of £1.5bn on players in that time, United have failed to reach the heights set by Sir Alex Ferguson - and fresh from writing a feature-length piece on 10 years of false dawns, Zinny charts where it's all gone wrong for the club in that time.Featuring insight from inside and out of Old Trafford and interviews with former assistant manager Rene Muelensteen as well as long-time Guardian Man Utd correspondent Jamie Jackson - the man who elicited THAT 'Respect!' rant from Jose Mourinho, this is the story of Manchester United: A decade in the dark.Read the article in full now on skysports.com.

On the latest Essential Football Weekend Wrap, Ron Walker takes you through the weekend's action starting at the London Stadium - where Lewis Jones explains how Arsenal threw away a 2-0 lead for the second weekend in succession to draw 2-2 with West Ham.That's far from the only dodgy result in the capital, with Peter Smith at Stamford Bridge to see Chelsea beaten 2-1 by Brighton, and Declan Olley in position as Bournemouth leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a last-minute 3-2 win over Spurs.Elsewhere, Adam Bate is at the Etihad Stadium for Man City's 10th win in a row over new Leicester boss Dean Smith, while Aston Villa rack up a fifth straight league win over Newcastle and Fulham bounce back to beat Everton 3-1 at Goodison Park.Erik Ten Hag explains Antony's development after Manchester United win 2-0 at Nottingham Forest, with Ben Grounds in position at St Mary's to see Southampton take another step towards the Championship with a 2-0 home defeat by Crystal Palace.And that's your Premier League Weekend Wrap!

Sky Sports pundit and former Nottingham Forest captain Michael Dawson joins the Essential Football Podcast to look ahead to Sunday’s game between his old club and Manchester United.With Forest winless in nine games, what are their chances of an upset win at the City Ground? Dawson analyses the game and reviews Forest’s return to the Premier League so far.He also weighs up the wider relegation battle, suggesting how many points are needed for survival and why it is a scrap which looks set to go right down to the final day…

On this weekend's Premier League Weekend Wrap, Arsenal and Liverpool played out a 2-2 thriller to damage the Gunners' title charge. Gary Neville argues why this could be a good point for Arsenal, while Dermot Gallagher analyses the assistant referee elbow incident on Andy Robertson.Lewis Jones marvels in Erling Haaland's acrobatics as he reports from Manchester City's 4-1 win at Southampton. In the race for the top four, Pete Smith reports from a fiery Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the visit of Brighton, Dan Long discusses Newcastle's win at Brentford, while Jack Wilkinson takes in Manchester United's 2-0 win over Everton.Paul Merson has some harsh words on Chelsea after their 1-0 loss at Wolves for Frank Lampard's return, while Ben Grounds reports from West Ham's crucial 1-0 win at Fulham.And that's your Premier League Weekend Wrap!

Jamie Carragher joins the Essential Football Podcast to look ahead to Sunday’s huge game between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield.The Sky Sports pundit assesses the impact victory or defeat would have on the momentum of Arsenal’s title challenge, the selection issues for the home side in midfield – and why the Anfield factor transforms the complexion of this game between in-form Arsenal and struggling Liverpool.Plus Carragher analyses the performances this season of Mohamed Salah and Bukayo Saka, the right-side stars for Liverpool and Arsenal.

On a special Premier League Midweek Wrap, we review the results which had a big impact in the tight race for the top-four and the even tighter battle to avoid relegation.Lewis Jones reports from Newcastle’s thumping win at West Ham which piles the pressure on David Moyes and his side, Jack Wilkinson reflects on Man Utd’s return to winning ways with victory over Brentford and Dave Richardson looks at Leicester’s problems after their defeat to Aston Villa. We also hear from a concerned Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper and a rather more buoyant Roberto De Zerbi of Brighton.Plus, Joe Shread analyses the goalless draw between Chelsea and Liverpool, with Frank Lampard primed to step in at Stamford Bridge.

On the latest Premier League Weekend Wrap, Graham Potter loses his job at Chelsea after defeat to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge. Sky Sports News' chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol explains why the Blues have decided to part company with Potter and discusses who could be next with former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann the early favourite to take over.Away from the drama in west London, it's as you were in the title race after Man City and Arsenal both record 4-1 wins over Liverpool and Leeds respectively. Adam Bate discusses the events at the Etihad, while Oliver Yew gives his verdict on a nother good afternoon at the Emirates Stadium.There's reaction as Newcastle blew the race for the top-four wide open, while Lewis Jones reacts to an enthralling 3-3 draw between Brighton and Brentford at the Amex Stadium.And what more can you say about the battle to beat the drop? Roy Hodgson made a winning return to the dugout as Crystal palace beat Leicester - a result which saw Brendan Rodgers also leave his job on Sunday. Sky Sports News senior reporter Rob Dorsett discusses Rodgers' departure and Leicester's search for a new manager. Dan Sansom gives his verdict on Bournemouth's huge win against Fulham, while Ben Grounds was at the London Stadium to see West Ham record a huge win of there own.And that's your Premier League weekend wrap!

On an England special edition of Essential Football after Gareth Southgate's side begin Euro 2024 qualification with a perfect double of wins over Italy and Ukraine, Oliver Yew and Nick Wright reflect on the positives from Wembley as the Three Lions sign off until June in style.Sky Sports News senior reporter Rob Dorsett also joins Ron Walker to discuss a perfect weekend for Southgate, the conscious changes the manager has made to his approach since the World Cup and some positive lessons about England's squad depth - despite the raft of withdrawals from his squad.