Hail GFOP!  

Even though it pains me to type this: Congratulations to Liverpool fans. What delirious scenes we witnessed yesterday. I will just say, I know I am meant to hate all of it as an Everton fan. But life is too short and the world is too effed, and my brother Nige is a Red and was at Anfield loving every moment. Above all, knowing what my hometown has gone through since the Thatcher days, I am just happy to witness the joy and the memory making. The scenes at full time, with Virgil hugging the ball as if it was a newborn, Mo establishing himself as the Selfie King, Alisson’s tears, the smoke and the flares, and the singing. That sense of collective effervescence for those fans who were denied the chance to watch the 2020 team lift the cup by the pandemic. To watch them seize the moment and be aware that they should never take it for granted, that no matter who we are, our chance to watch this kind of joy is numbered.

I will tape more reflective thoughts later today with my friend Rory Smith who was also there. Above all, I am struck by the humble egolessness of the Slot transformation, which is unfathomable in its human brilliance. The American owners FSG should also be lauded for their decision making in this moment of transformation. There are so many more changes to come over for summer, but for now Liverpool fans, you are worthy champions. No asterisk jokes. Just savor every second.  

Also: At times of Liverpool wonder, I think of the original GFOP Jason Kennedy, who passed during the pandemic and was denied the chance to see either title win. I raise a glass to his memory and all those great Reds who were not here to see it.

ii. The true highlight of my weekend: watching Wrexham win a historic back-to-back-to-back promotion for an unprecedented third-straight year, crashing into the Championship just one step from the Premier League promised land. The Town were last at that level in 1982, which means two generations of Wrexham fans have never seen their club soar to these heights. The achievement has been fueled by owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, whom I have admired so much. In an era in which too many North Americans arrive with bluster and missteps, they have led with a real humility. They have listened and learned about the club, the town, and its people – an approach which has made this a little bit like a magical remake of Cool Runnings, in which the Jamaicans win gold, albeit in a bobsled sponsored by Rob and Ryan.   

It has been an honor to cover it all so closely these past couple of years via our SToK Cold Brew series, This Week in Wrexham. We started the season live on stage with the team in Vancouver, then were at the first game of the season to watch the win against Wycombe in the sunshine. All the talk that day was about “consolidation” – a season of mid-table adjustment to the new level so the club did not risk getting the bends like a deep-sea diver. Little did we know then how this year would turn out. A hero’s journey in which the tenacious collective glory would not stop, and everything felt possible. Yet, what continues to stand out is the memories being made along the way by the passionate faithful who cannot believe what they are seeing, even as they make memories that will be retold for generations. To more… 

I grew up a stone’s throw from Wrexham, and it is hard to describe the depths of this achievement. What Ryan and Rob have done is transform a region that was left for dead, bogged down in economic decline, and destined for irrelevance. What this team has done is put Wrexham on the world map, transform a region, and create a green-shoots sense of possibility and hope. The power of this moment is that it transcends football. How long until the Town welcomes Barcelona for the opening group stage of the Champions League? 

P.S. Congratulations to my friend Humphrey Ker, who finished the Manchester Marathon in the time he predicted – five hours, 40 minutes. You can still support him and the Wrexham Miners Project here.

iii. Finally, I was thrilled to watch Crystal Palace drop Aston Villa for the fourth time this season with a bangers-only performance at Wembley Stadium. More on that, a delirious flare and balloon-propelled victory, below. I will just say, I am so happy for all Palace fans. They were founded in 1861 and to have the chance to win the club’s first ever domestic trophy is profound. I am particularly happy for my friend Chris Richards, that son of Birmingham, Ala., who had another tenacious shut-down performance. I loved having him come on Friday's WGFOP preview show and talk about how Oliver Glasner has changed his mental approach to the game. May “Glad All Over” ring all around Wembley after the final whistle in three weeks’ time.

Courage,

ROG

Liverpool Win Their 20th Title ♥️🏆

- Written by Tommy Stewart

Liverpool 5-1 Tottenham

Amidst the chaos, the noise, and the red mist concocted by the tens of thousands of Liverpool fans’ flares before yesterday’s match, there was one calm man who looked like he was just out on his Sunday stroll, and he was the cause of this beautiful commotion. Arne Slot’s version of Liverpool are the Radiohead to Jürgen Klopp’s exhilarating Heavy Metal Football™ – inviting a more nuanced and flexible approach that’s meant fewer injuries and more room for creativity. Anyone outside Liverpool would be lying if they said they expected Slot to win a record-tying 20th title that levels them with Manchester United on his first ride on the Premier League carousel, which illustrates the gravity of the bald-and-bold manager’s achievement, who yesterday became the first ever Dutchman to win the league at the top-tier of English football. There was some perfect post-match serendipity as well, when Slot took to the Anfield pitch to serenade Klopp with the same song that the German sang for him at the end of last season. 

More: Arne Slot’s coolness lies at heart of Liverpool’s record-equalling title.

A Win Befitting a Title

Between the madness in Liverpool yesterday was a dominant display from a champion side, but it oddly began with a former scouser going all Curb Your Enthusiasm by totally neglecting the script. Dominic Solanke put Spurs in front early, but Anfield and the ferocious team who call it home, were not silenced, instead responding with violence. The Kop got louder, and within four minutes the home team were level with a Luis Diaz tap-in which was akin to the first person getting on the dance floor at a wedding, allowing the party to properly start. MOTM Alexis Mac Allister launched a rocket into Vicario’s top corner and Cody Gakpo scored his 17th goal in all competitions this season, making it three before half-time and Anfield was dancing. But can a Liverpool party really start without their Egyptian King getting involved? He scored an archetypal Mo Salah goal, his 28th in the league this season, and destiny was met with a very Spursy Udogie own goal to make it five in the 69th minute. Liverpool have been nervously limping over the line for the past few weeks, but yesterday they finished their story defiantly, indulging their fans with the show they deserved.

Painting the Town Red

If Slot’s side are the center piece of this victory, the ever-impassioned Liverpool fans perfectly decorated it, with banners that would put a WWE crowd to shame and enough red-flare smoke to paint the sky and city red. Liverpool’s bus parted the human red sea when it arrived at Anfield, but that ocean of people flowed out across the whole city, bold enough to spot from 30,000 feet. Although Jürgen Klopp took this team to the pinnacle of English football five years ago, it wasn’t quite the satisfying release that Liverpool had long-awaited, so yesterday, and this season, was for those fans who were finally allowed to embrace their mates, smell the flare smoke, and stand in the stadium they call home. YNWA, that’s for sure.

The FA Cup Final Is Set 🦅🩵

Crystal Palace 3-0 Aston Villa

Just two weeks ago, Aston Villa fans were picking out which shirts they’d wear for each final they might play in. Since then, they’ve been knocked out of the Champions League quarters and the FA Cup semis, with only the moveable feast that is the league race for European spots to play for, and the wait for silverware now guaranteed to hit 30 years. But Saturday put the spotlight on Crystal Palace’s glow-up under Oliver Glasner, who gave his fans one of the best days in their club’s history at Wembley. WhatsApp groups seem to be flooded with a new example of Eze’s excellence every weekend now, and he sent notifications buzzing again with a gorgeously-curled first-time finish from just outside the box. Mateta missed a penalty, but Ismaïla Sarr got the big Frenchman of the hook with a brace that burnt and buried the Brummies for good. City probably book their Wembley hotel for this time of year, every year, but it’s been nearly a decade since Palace got to the final, which they lost against Manchester United. We can’t imagine Glasner will be dancing before the final whistle like former manager Alan Pardew did nearly a decade ago, but we wouldn’t hate it if he did. 

More: The incredible story behind Palace’s new tifo.

Nottingham Forest 0-2 Manchester City

It’s been a “disastrous” season by Manchester City’s platinum standards, but to almost every other club, playing under Wembley’s iconic arches and reaching an FA Cup final would be utopia. Pep once again bemoaned his side’s overall performance across all competitions post-match, but as Rico Lewis slid away on his knees after opening the scoring, at least Liam Gallagher was happy. Nuno surprised us all by omitting Antony Elanga from his starting XI, and despite his first-touch miss when introduced in the second half, the injection he gave Forest may mean his manager will regret that decision. Mateo Kovačić was as dominant in midfield as Sinners has been at the box office, and his Croatian countryman, Joško Gvardiol, sealed the deal in the second half by finding some hang time that Jason Tatum would be proud of, heading in an Omar Marmoush corner. Morgan Gibbs-White apologized to Forest’s traveling fans after the game, and while they’ll forgive his missed chance, they might be less sympathetic if he’s playing in sky blue next season.

Also: Congratulations to the USMNT’s Cameron Carter-Vickers’ mighty Celtic, who lifted their fourth-consecutive Scottish Premier League title on Saturday by pummeling Dundee United 5-0. Glasgow neighbors, Rangers, will feel like the worst TV series of all time is on a constant loop and must bulk up in the summer if they want to steal the remote and put their own show on.

And Now, Rog’s Super Chill Thoughts on WTF Happened to Everton this Weekend 💙 

Chelsea 1-0 Everton

Rog writes: My hopes for this game were honestly more akin to "shattered hopes" even before kick-off. Everton had not won at Chelsea since 1994. St. David Moyes had not won there in 24 attempts. And without that warrior-god James Tarkowski, out for the season, we were going in "Shields Down." The game was a bit of a snooze. This was must-win business time for Maresca, but the Chelsea football was slop-filled with Cole Palmer a symbol of the lack of imagination, flickering only like a body-snatched version of himself. A moment of wonder won it: beautiful Beto coughing up the ball in the middle of the park and Enzo feeding it straight to Nico Jackson, a man who had not scored in four and a half months. His turn and lash was an exclamation point in a game devoid of punctuation. Dr. Everton, I presume.

The game continued to drift as Everton worked hard to make Robert Sanchez look good and make-believe he is an elite goalkeeper. Chelsea's home form is carrying them into fifth place with six wins in six. Everton, god bless, are playing out a dead rubber of a season. Part of me misses the abyss-screaming edging of the relegation fights, but the joy of being an Evertonian right now is the thought of seasons to come. New stadium, new leadership whom David Moyes, a little oddly compared to having a "new lover," and please god, enough money to spend over the summer to buy a front three. For now, all the focus will be on the farewell to Goodison. That Grand Old Home. A link to football's more innocent past, and the sepia-tinged days of yore when a ferocious Everton were truly great. May I experience that, even fleetingly, again in my lifetime.

Elsewhere in the Premier League: Bournemouth 1-1 Manchester United, Wolves 3-0 Leicester City, Newcastle 3-0 Ipswich Town, Brighton 3-2 West Ham, Southampton 1-2 Fulham

📧 Enjoying The Raven? Check out our other Men in Blazers newsletters here.

Some Absolute Weekend Worldies 🚀 🥅

There were a lot of great goals this weekend, but these three get top marks:

On the Continent 🇪🇺

🇮🇹 Serie A: Within five days, two losses have dimmed the healthy complexion of Inter Milan’s potentially historic season. They lost 3-0 to neighbors AC Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-final last week, and followed that with a 1-0 loss to Roma which tore the title race open like a garbage bag. Scott McTominay continues to remind Manchester United that he’s thriving away from a toxic relationship with his 10th and 11th league goals of the season to take Napoli back to top of the table, a whole three points ahead of longtime leaders, Inter. Meanwhile, Milan seem to have suddenly realized that they’re a pretty good side, defeating relegation-threatened Venezia, 2-0, with arguably their player of the season, Christian Pulisic, opening the scoring. He’s now got his best goal tally in a single season and 25 goal contributions across all competitions for the Rossoneri, matching his total from last year with four matches left to go.

🇪🇸 La Liga: Spanish football’s perpetual main characters, Barcelona and Real Madrid, had a crucial side quest on Saturday in the Copa Del Rey final, which drowned in drama and WTFery, a microcosm of their 123-year rivalry. There were worldies aplenty, disallowed goals, retracted penalties, bookings for dives, God-tier goalkeeping, an Mbappé freekick, three Real Madrid red cards at the death, a full on Antonio Rüdiger meltdown, and a dramatic 116th-minute goal that won it for the Catalonians, 3-2. Go watch the highlights, it’s worth 10 minutes of your time.

🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen both won convincingly, and with three Bundesliga games remaining and eight points dividing them, the Bavarians will soon be dusting off the steins and celebrating a 32nd title. If they do this next Saturday against RB Leipzig, the ridiculous notion that Harry Kane isn’t an elite player until he’s lifted a trophy can finally be put to bed. However, despite being the league’s top scorer with 24 goals, he won’t be on the pitch after being suspended for his fifth yellow card on Saturday. Harry deserves his bouquets, but could this be any more Spursy?

Mid-Week Matches Worth Faking a Meeting for 📺 

Champions League Semi-Finals - First Leg 🏆

Arsenal vs. PSG (Tuesday, 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

Believe it or not, neither of these monsters of European football have yet to lay a finger on the Champions League trophy. But back in 2015, PSG’s manager, Luis Enrique, hoisted it above his head as the manager of a Barcelona team who seemed designed by a kid playing Playstation, with that famous front three of Messi, Suarez, and Neymar. It’s been five years since Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal last lifted a trophy, and despite largely living in second place during that time, if his side can reach the summit of the Champions League this season, every silver medal and Michael Scott moment in those All Or Nothing documentaries will be validated.

Barcelona vs. Inter Milan (Wednesday, 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

While Barcelona have already claimed one trophy this season after beating Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey on Saturday, Inter were unceremoniously dispatched by neighbors, AC Milan, in the Coppa Italia last week. Inter’s Simone Inzaghi took his team to the Champions League final two years ago where they lost to Man City, while Barca’s manager, Hansi Flick, who has a 100% win record in every final he’s ever managed, last won this trophy five years ago as Bayern Munich’s manager. History and form favors the Catalonians and their German boss, but both of these teams could still win their respective leagues, and Inter’s painful defeats to Milan and Roma may act a serendipitous wake-up call to ignite them down the final stretch. Or they might have destroyed all morale and confidence, but that duality is exactly why we keep watching football.

Premier League 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Nottingham Forest vs. Brentford (Thursday 2:30 p.m. ET, USA)

The race for the three remaining Champions League spots is tighter than Walton Goggins’ yellow speedo, and if Nottingham Forest win this on Thursday, they can return to third, where they’ve resided for most of the season with the luxury of a tiny point of breathing space between themselves and Newcastle. Brentford under Thomas Frank are endlessly impressive and they’ve enjoyed another brilliant season in the Premier League, but to see Nuno take Forest back to European football for the first time in 29 years, after he wandered the wilderness at Spurs and Al-Ittihad, would be the story of the season. 

Europa League Semi-Finals - First Leg 🇪🇺

Athletic Bilbao vs. Manchester United (Thursday 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

Manchester United are about to suffer their worst league finish since Ghost was number one at the box office, but if they can overcome a strong Bilbao side (who have extra incentive in that they’re hosting this year’s Europa League final), they will feel that destiny is with them and a trophy is tangible. In one of the most dramatic football matches of all time, Ruben Amorim’s fashionably-late side scored two goals in the 120th minute at Old Trafford to cause a heavenly eruption and overcome Lyon in the quarters, unfathomably leaving United as the only undefeated team in Europe this season. FDR once said, "Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds," and Amorim will be hoping he still has a couple of Get Out of Jail Free cards that can bring him back to Bilbao for the final of this tournament.

Tottenham Hotspurs vs. Bodø/Glimt (Thursday 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

Even the laziest fortune-teller will have predicted Spurs’ loss at Anfield on Sunday, and it will also surprise no one when the North Londoners and Big Ange divorce at the end of this season. But… what if? What if they put an end to the fairytale story of the season, Norway’s Bodø/Glimt, on their plastic pitch? What if they lift the Europa League in Bilbao, ending their years spent traversing a trophy-less desert, with Ange as the man basking in a silverware oasis in his budgie smugglers? Truly, we’re asking, what if?

Some Non-Football to Start the Week Off Right 📖

• Carmen Sandiego turns 40(!!!) this month. The only person in 2025 who's still allowed to wear a fedora. 

• Attacking Bird Flu With Lasers. Turns out football fans aren’t trying to distract players, they’re just hyper-vigilant epidemiologists.

• With its return to cinema, there’s a lot of Revenge of the Sith revisionism happening. Is it the saddest and sincerest Star Wars movie ever?

• How a dinosaur illustrator uses science and art to imagine creatures no one has ever seen. Also 'Dinosaur Illustrator' is an unbeatable job title.

• WU LYF mean the world to the relatively small number of people who have heard of them. Find out why their comeback after nearly 13 years away is everything to their fans.

It’s MiB Trivia Time 🤔

The trivia train is pulling into the station…

This week’s question: Liverpool won the title yesterday with four games in hand, but which team holds the record for winning the Premier League with the most matches to spare? Bonus points for the year and manager. 

Last week’s answer: The last time Arsenal played in a Champions League semi-final, and the opponents they faced, was quickly and correctly identified by Arsenal fan, Matt Kauffman: Arsenal played (and ultimately lost) to Manchester United in semifinals of the Champions League in 2009.

Don’t be too upset, Matt. We’re sure most Manchester United fans would happily trade places with you now. Enjoy the patch. 🚚