Was this the weekend in which the title pendulum swung in Manchester City’s direction? Arsenal toiled like white-walking zombies against an audacious, fresh, brilliantly coached Bournemouth. Manchester City, in comparison, surged, propelled by the maverick mischief of Cherki and collective conviction in equal measure. Two goals by defenders a reflection of Total Guardiola Football that is suddenly peaking at the right time. Watching Pep celebrate on the sideline is all you need to know about his mindset right now, with vulnerable Arsenal poised to visit next weekend. Six points back, with a game in hand. Mine eyes have seen the glory. 

Perhaps the greatest moment of the weekend: After Doku tacked on a third to bury a listless Chelsea, the TV cameras honed in on that instantly memed City fan. Think about the levels of symbolism here: A grown man who had pre-planned with evil genius to bring an Arsenal water bottle to the game, in the hope the score would deliver the right moment, and then, pray the camera would find him. His plan came together, there he was in a massive moment, swigging from his little bottle of Arsenal tears. A symbol of glory, of invincibility re-summoned, and of the human fragility of the opponent. It deserves some kind of Pulitzer Prize for poetry. 🫨

ii. Spurs fans, I feel your pain. We Evertonians know what it feels like to be in the relegation zone this late in the season. A numbing, hopeless, sickening agony. What would worry me if I was a Tottenham fan was the lack of a response after Sunderland scored. No urgency. No idea. No impact. Three managers. Zero new manager bounce. That is almost science defying. The Roberto De Zerbi Memorial Derby against Brighton is going to be fraught. But if Everton – truly hapless Everton – were able to survive, not once but twice, you can draw strength and cling to life. Also this: If the most painful thing in your life is your football team, you are doing pretty well… Or that is what I used to tell myself anyway… 📉

iii. Everton, gutsy, gutsy Everton, gave me so much joy. I watched the game with fellow Evertonians in Finn McCool’s, the New Orleans sports bar football institution. It was magnificent. There was a bachelorette party in there watching the Blues. There was a glut of Evertonians. There was a remnant of Arsenal fans in good cheer all considering. (Their Big Eze t-shirt might be the best piece of American memorabilia ever created.) But to see my boys be so tenacious is why I watch football. And what David Moyes has achieved this season with a squad so obviously limited is nothing short of alchemy.

Thanks to all the joy shared with so many GFOPs I ran into in New Orleans. I had dinner at Atchafalaya Restaurant. The maitre d' turned out to be a giant Arsenal fan. It was the best meal I have had in 2026 and am so grateful to all of you who recommended it. ⚜️

iv. And now, a few fantastic goals from the weekend you might’ve missed:

🇲🇦 First, in Morocco’s top-flight, a potential goal-of-the-season contender from center-back Driss El Jabli of MAS Fès. And yes, that was a rabona.

🇵🇾 Then, this absolutely bonkers finish from Paraguay’s second tier that must be seen to be believed. Make sure to stick around until the end.

🇪🇸 Lastly, your weekly reminder that Lamine Yamal might somehow be better at passing than scoring. And frankly, that is frightening.

v. We head to Tampa this week to take the stage with Alan Shearer and Ronde Barber among the guests. I cannot wait. Both men are iconic winners. Ronde is a huge United fan. To listen to them will be to experience the kind of joy and meaning the world needs right now. You can join us, but there are very limited seats left.🌴

Let me know where we should eat in Tampa!!!

Courage,
ROG

P.S. If you’re wondering how Leicester, just 10 years after winning the Premier League, are on the verge of relegation to the third tier, just watch this. 😬

By Tommy Stewart & Jacob Schneider

Arsenal 1-2 Bournemouth

First it was the quadruple, then the treble, and now with a loss to Bournemouth, Arsenal could be on the verge of doing the unthinkable. Their nine-point lead was cut to six, and things are getting uneasy in North London as Arteta's April allergy is in full effect. As for the football, the Cherries were sensational as they extended their league-best unbeaten record to 12 straight matches. Teenager Eli Junior Kroupi opened the scoring 19 minutes in before the Gunners’ big Swede, Viktor Gyökeres, leveled from the penalty spot just prior to the break. The winner, which came off the boot of childhood Tottenham supporter Alex Scott, arrived late and from there it was pure jubilation for the traveling side. Now, after a midweek UCL clash with Sporting, arguably the most important match of their season awaits as Arsenal travel to the Etihad on Sunday to take on City, who still have a game in hand.

Chelsea 0-3 Manchester City

Having basked in Arsenal’s capitulation for a day, Manchester City played rope-a-dope in the first half, toying with Chelsea before unleashing after the break, first with a header from local hero, Nico O'Reilly. The 21-year-old has made more appearances than anyone else for City this season, playing almost everywhere other than goalkeeper and forcing his way into Thomas Tuchel’s plans. England teammate Marc Guéhi accepted a gift from French magician Rayan Cherki before Jérémy Doku finished things off. Liam Rosenior said he “has to change things now,” but with signs of a player mutiny and four losses in their last five Premier League games, it might be too late. Pep Guardiola credited (checks notes) the Sun for his team peaking in spring, and ahead of welcoming Arsenal to his lair next weekend, he’s now a frightening and familiar face in Mikel Arteta’s rear-view mirror, rather than a silhouette.

Sunderland 1-0 Tottenham

West Ham might have put the knife into Tottenham, sending them into the relegation zone for the first time on Friday, but yesterday, Spurs twisted it themselves. Although an away match against Régis Le Bris’ overachieving Sunderland was a tough start for Roberto De Zerbi, every fixture must feel like a stormy Everest at this point. His depleted side had few meaningful chances and were punished in the second half by an almost comically deflected Nordi Mukiele swipe that personified the perpetual defensive mess they’re currently in. De Zerbi is the unfortunate beneficiary of a squad that was built for competing for European football but isn’t fit for purpose in a relegation fight. His existential migraine intensified when Cristian Romero came off in tears with an MCL tear that might not just keep him out of his club’s relegation battle, but also the World Cup.

More: The current mental state of Spurs fans, in four words.

Liverpool 2-0 Fulham

After an education from PSG last week, Liverpool needed a celebration, and as they began Andy Robertson and Mo Salah’s nostalgic farewell party, 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha’s slice of magic was a hopeful glimpse into the future. The English teenager’s first Anfield goal was a “Where were you?” moment that paired perfectly with Salah’s serendipitous reminder of his own artistic genius minutes later. The 16-year difference between them is the biggest-ever age gap between two LFC goalscorers in the same top-flight match (you’ll never sing that), and it felt like a significant passing of the baton to assure Liverpool fans that everything might be OK once their Egyptian king departs.

More: Shoutout to MiB’s social team for this one. Well done, lads.

Elsewhere in the Premier League: West Ham 4-0 Wolves, Burnley 0-2 Brighton, Crystal Palace 2-1 Newcastle, Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa, Everton 2-2 Brentford

🇪🇸 La Liga: Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham started his first match since returning from injury, but the Englishman’s presence failed to propel them to victory as Los Blancos drew Girona, all but giving Barcelona the La Liga title with seven games to go. The Blaugrana themselves basked in glory as they handily defeated Espanyol 4-1, and their lead atop the standings now sits at nine points. Meanwhile, Diego Simeone benched his entire preferred XI in a 2-1 loss to Sevilla as Atlético Madrid prepare for round three of their 10-day love affair with Barça in the second leg of their UCL tie tomorrow.

🇮🇹 Serie A: With Lautaro Martínez out injured again, Inter Milan had to rely on French forward Marcus Thuram to lead their line, and the 28-year-old did not disappoint as he bagged a brace in a thrilling 4-3 victory over Cesc Fàbregas’ Como to maintain their nine-point lead at the top of the table. Second-placed Napoli were stalled in a draw with Parma, meaning Scott McTominay’s side will need nothing short of a miracle to have any chance at leapfrogging the Nerazzurri. Third-placed AC Milan, however, were stunned 3-0 by Udinese, and now with three losses in their last four, the Rossoneri could be at risk of falling out of the UCL spots as the season winds down.

🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Bayern Munich did Bayern Munich things, thrashing St. Pauli 5-0 and breaking the Bundesliga’s single-season goal record in the process. With a 12-point lead in the standings following Borussia Dortmund’s 1-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, the title looks to be landing in Bavaria for the 13th time in the last 14 years. More importantly, though, history was made over the weekend in Germany as Union Berlin appointed Marie-Louise Eta as manager until the end of the season, becoming the first female head coach in Europe’s top-five leagues. Courage, Marie-Louise!

Premier League 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿: Manchester United vs. Leeds (TODAY, 3 p.m. ET, USA)

It’s Lancashire vs. Yorkshire, red rose vs. white rose, cotton vs. wool, and now Michael Carrick vs. Daniel Farke in a historically bitter rivalry. Although it might have lost some of the venom it had when these two ruled the land decades ago, there are vital Premier League points up for grabs in Manchester United’s Champions League charge and Leeds’ relegation scrap. Yorkshire lad Harry Maguire has extended his stay with United for another year and his redemption arc is now at Jaime Lannister levels.

Champions League: Atlético Madrid 🇪🇸 vs. Barcelona 🇪🇸 (Tuesday 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

If you like the movie “Groundhog Day,” then you’ll love this déjà vu fixture between Atlético Madrid and Barcelona, who face off for the third time in 10 days tomorrow. Barça won the La Liga bout, but Atléti will take a tender 2-0 UCL quarterfinal lead back to the Metropolitano, where they’re presumably building a brick wall in front of their goal as we speak. After Diego Simeone’s emotional face-to-face love letter to Antoine Griezmann last week, the stakes feel palpably high.

Champions League: Liverpool 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. PSG 🇫🇷 (Tuesday, 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

Arne Slot’s failed five-at-the-back system will surely be disposed of in a UCL quarterfinal that is leaning too heavily on Anfield’s infamous European magic to do the legwork tomorrow. Liverpool had zero shots on target and a meager 26% possession at the Parc des Princes last week, while PSG played the scintillating football that won so many hearts and the Champions League trophy last season. The fact that the current Premier League champions got off lightly in the 2-0 loss only emboldens those who feel Slot’s Liverpool tenure is past its expiry date, but Saturday’s win should spark belief.

This week’s question: Who were the two players who scored braces when Liverpool beat Barcelona 4-0 at Anfield in 2019’s epic semifinal comeback?

Email us with your answer for a chance to win a much-coveted MiB patch!

Last week’s winner: Congratulations to last week’s winner Ross Binder, who was the first to correctly answer that Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane are the three players above Mohamed Salah in the Premier League’s all-time top goalscorer list. Your patch is in the post, Ross. 📬

👋 We’ll see you tomorrow for Champions League. In the meantime, keep sending your stories and questions to [email protected].

🙌 If you’re enjoying this newsletter, we’d love an assist. Forward this email or share this URL with a friend, family member, or fellow football fan.

📧 First time with us? Sign up here to get the next edition sent straight to your inbox, and be sure to check out our other newsletters too.

Be the smartest person in the room. 1440 navigates 100+ sources to deliver a comprehensive, unbiased news roundup — politics, business, culture, and more — in a quick, 5-minute read. Completely free, completely factual.

Sign up now!