Essential Football

Essential Football is back with a round-up of all the weekend's Premier League matches, featuring pundit reaction and reporter analysis from up and down the top-flight.Nick Wright looks back at another defeat for Liverpool as Leeds ensured Jurgen Klopp’s side’s poor start to the season continued, while there is analysis of Graham Potter’s difficult afternoon back at Brighton and Tottenham’s dramatic comeback at Bournemouth.Kevin De Bruyne’s stunning free kick sent Man City to the top of the Premier League after a 1-0 win at Leicester, but Arsenal made sure there stay at the top was only temporary as they thrashed Nottingham Forest 5-0 on Sunday.We also hear about win for Newcastle and Crystal Palace, while Sam Blitz and Ben Grounds deliver their verdicts on draws between Brentford and Wolves, and Fulham and Everton.Finally, Gary Neville delivers his verdict on Marcus Rashford's performance and happiness after the forward was the matchwinner, scored his 100th goal for Manchester United in their 1-0 win over West Ham on Super Sunday.And that's your Premier League Weekend Wrap!

Essential Football is back with a round-up of all the weekend's Premier League matches, featuring pundit reaction, interviews and reporter analysis from up and down the top-flight.PART ONE | Gary Neville and Roy Keane tussle over Cristiano Ronaldo while Ron Walker and Jack Wilkinson look back on a chess-like encounter between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. Elsewhere, Adam Bate reflects on a superb Nottm Forest win over Liverpool, while Ben Grounds is impressed by the team Eddie Howe is building as Newcastle win at Tottenham.PART TWO | After Steven Gerrard was sacked on Thursday, the real Aston Villa return with a bang to thrash Brentford 4-0 at Villa Park - leaving caretaker manager Aaron Danks understandably delighted. A similarly big weekend for Everton, with a 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Goodison Park, is another observed by jet-setter Ben Grounds, while Leeds' latest defeat leaves Jesse Marsch defiant about his future.PART THREE | Les Ferdinand and Jamie Redknapp both accentuate the positives despite Arsenal dropping points at Southampton, but there is little positivity at Molineux where Wolves caretaker boss Steve Davis reacts to his side being booed off after a 4-0 hammering by Leicester. Lastly, Man City move two points off the top with a 3-1 win over Brighton at the Etihad. And that's your Premier League Weekend Wrap!

Essential Football is back hot on the heels of the news Steven Gerrard has been sacked as Aston Villa boss and with three big games for Ron Walker, Pete Smith, Declan Olley and Jack Wilkinson to preview in the shape of Chelsea vs Man Utd, Southampton vs Arsenal and Tottenham vs Newcastle.PART ONE | After we look back on Gerrard's dismissal, is this the end of the road for Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford with the announcement he won't feature at Stamford Bridge? What's Erik Ten Hag been doing so right in his opening 10 games and what's clicked for his opposite number, Graham Potter? Whose style will rule victorious on Saturday night, and who will be the game changers?PART TWO | Should Arsenal now be talked about as genuine title contenders? What's stopping them challenging Man City for the league? Is Ralph Hasenhuttl lucky still to be in charge at Southampton, or does he deserve time to turn things around? Plus why Spurs' performances and results just haven't matched up, and why Newcastle can hurt them in north London on Super Sunday.

On the latest episode of Essential Football, we take a closer look at the Midlands teams in the Premier League.Sky Sports News senior reporter Rob Dorsett and Sky Sports football features writer Adam Bate join Danyal Khan to take a more in-depth look at Aston Villa, Leicester, Wolves and Nottingham Forest and their struggles so far this season.With all four currently in the bottom five of the Premier League, we ask what is going wrong at the Midlands clubs in the top-flight?

Essential Football is back with a round-up of all the weekend's Premier League matches, featuring pundit reaction, interviews and reporter analysis from up and down the top-flight.PART ONE | Pep Guardiola is left less than impressed by Anthony Taylor as Liverpool beat Man City 1-0 at Anfield, while Jamie Carragher highlights where the Reds had improved from their poor early-season form. Sam Blitz explains by Arsenal were fortunate to come away with three points from Leeds on Super Sunday, while Nick Wright assesses a change in shape which helped Spurs to a 2-0 win over Everton.PART TWO | Erik Ten Hag looks at the positives - more than Sky Sports News guest Jamie O'Hara - after Man Utd draw a blank at home to Newcastle, Dave Richardson looks back on a humdinger of a 2-2 draw between Fulham and Bournemouth and Steven Gerrard defends his side after they are beaten 2-0 at home by Chelsea.PART THREE | Dan Sansom makes the case for Ralph Hasenhuttl to hang on despite another winless game for Southampton, Ben Grounds for Ivan Toney to go to the World Cup and Steve Cooper on why his Nottm Forest side were harshly treated in their defeat at Nottm Forest, while Leicester fans are less than impressed by Brendan Rodgers after their stalemate with Crystal Palace.And that's your Premier League Weekend Wrap!

On the latest Essential Football episode we take an in-depth look at Super Sunday’s huge clash at Anfield between Liverpool and Manchester City. Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher sits down with Peter Smith to assess the contest, Liverpool’s mixed form and the challenge the Reds face against their in-form rivals. We then hear an exclusive interview with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. He tells Jack Wilkinson about how their big win over Rangers transformed the mood in the camp, explains the threat of Erling Haaland and outlines his team’s plan of attack this weekend.

On the latest Essential Football episode we take a closer look at the problems at Liverpool, after their defeat at Arsenal left them already 14 points off top spot in the Premier League. Sky Sports News’ senior reporter Melissa Reddy and Sky Sports’ senior football journalist Richard Morgan join Peter Smith to assess the wider issues at the club – and the form and fitness worries compounding those problems. From mis-steps in the transfer window to the team’s tactical evolution under Jurgen Klopp the panel discuss how a team which was going for an unprecedented quadruple earlier this year is now languishing in mid-table a long way off the early pace setters in the Premier League.

Essential Football is back with a round-up of all the weekend's Premier League matches, featuring pundit reaction, interviews and reporter analysis from up and down the top-flight.Gary Neville delivers his verdict on the title chances of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal after they beat Liverpool in a 3-2 thriller at the Emirates to go back top of the Premier League table, while Jamie Redknapp analyses what’s going wrong for Jurgen Klopp’s side. We also hear from Newcastle boss Eddie Howe on a brilliant two-goal display from Bruno Guimaraes in their big win over Brentford, reflect on a landmark goal for Cristiano Ronaldo in Manchester United’s win at Everton and get reports on the controversial incidents in West Ham’s victory over Fulham. Plus, we hear how there are warning signs for Jesse Marsch after a positive start from Leeds ended up with them losing 2-1 at Crystal Palace, and an emotional Harry Kane pays tribute to Tottenham’s fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone, who passed away this week. The Spurs striker dedicated his team’s win at Brighton to the Italian.

Essential Football is back with a round-up of all the weekend's Premier League matches, featuring pundit reaction, interviews and reporter analysis from up and down the top-flight.PART ONE | There’s only one place to start and that’s Manchester City’s 6-3 Manchester derby win over rivals Manchester United. We hear from Kevin De Bruyne, Pep Guardiol and Erik ten Hag before Gary Neville and Roy Keane have their say on events at the Etihad Stadium. Peter Smith, Nick Wright and Ben Ground, who covered the game for Sky Sports’ digital platforms, dissect the game, from City’s hat-trick heroes in Erling Haaland and Phil Foden to another slow United start and Cristiano Ronaldo’s non-selection.PART TWO | Arsenal have the north London bragging rights after a 3-1 victory over rivals Spurs. Are Mikel Arteta’s side in the title race? Sam Blitz and Nick Wright have their say. We then round up the rest of Saturday’s action as Liverpool are held again this time by Brighton, Connor Gallagher returns to break Crystal Palace hearts and hand Graham Potter a first win a Chelsea boss, and there are wins fro Newcastle, Everton and West Ham.And that's your Premier League weekend wrap!

In this week’s Essential Football Premier League preview Ron Walker, Pete Smith and Joe Shread take an in-depth look at the first Manchester and North London derbies of the season.PART ONE | Both sides come into Sunday's Manchester derby in fine form - have we seen the best of Man City so far, and how has Erik Ten Hag turned Man Utd's fortunes around so quickly? There's some big claims over Erling Haaland's brilliance already - and that of unlikely hero Lisandro Martinez too.PART TWO | Who has the upper hand going into Saturday's North London derby? Arsenal's Thomas Partey stats lay bare how important his fitness will be to Mikel Arteta, while Heung-Min Son's sudden resurgence is also on the agenda. Despite only leading them for one game, there's some talking points from the type of Chelsea side we can expect to see - and the tough challenge facing them at Selhurst Park on Saturday.PART THREE | Some of the question marks hanging over Brendan Rodgers' Leicester future, and Steve Cooper's at Nottingham Forest, are answered ahead of the pair going head-to-head on Monday Night Football. Plus those around Steven Gerrard, whose Aston Villa side face a potential crunch clash at Leeds on Super Sunday.