Hail GFOP!

Rog writes: The Premier League hit Week 11 with the Michael Buffer level of “Let’s get ready to rumble.” The Arsenal conceded a shot on goal, which was almost as shocking as the two they shipped to the inspirational Sunderland. Manchester City throttled a feeble Liverpool and showed they are the one who knocks. Spurs and United served up a Mood Swing Classic; a game which both teams will feel like they won, and lost, but ultimately drew. And somehow Everton managed to win a big boy football game. The only sad thing is, NOW WE HAVE TO WAIT TWO WEEKS TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. 🥲

The highlight of my weekend was watching Everton and the never-say-die Chicago Bears, enjoying the whole matchday experience in our Discord channel which was really humming, and being introduced to an incredible Venezuelan rum, Pampero Aniversario. 🥃

Here are my top-line Premier League thoughts:

i. History will prove that the point Arsenal won at Sunderland was a very good one. Yes, there was the shock of points dropped, goals conceded, and shots on goal being fired. But make no mistake: Regis Le Bris’ team is so disciplined, organized, and infused with Granit Xhaka’s warrior mentality. Center-back Dan Ballard joined the Arsenal aged eight. He was sold to Sunderland aged 22. What must this have felt like – to strike an exclamation-point goal against those who spurned you? Even more so: this goal-saving block in the embers of the game. 🐈‍⬛

More: Was this sly trick to prevent Arsenal’s long throws the best move of the weekend?

ii. Manchester City look evermore like true title challengers. Yes, Haaland scored again. Of course he did. But this was such a collective performance, preventing Liverpool from having so much as a shot on goal until the 76th minute. At the end of the game, Pep walked around the field, ringing up his 1,000th game as a manager in the style he adores, after throttling an arch-rival. But amidst the adulation, he was all business, coaching up Savinho and Phil Foden. A man who knows the possibility of a much bigger celebration exists. 🩵

iii. Arne Slot will have a long, bleak international break. His return to the old boys who had delivered glory last season has now come a cropper. The good vibe of the crown-straightening wins against Aston Villa and Real Madrid was eviscerated inside 45 minutes. The challenging question I can’t wait to ask Rory when we tape today is maybe this is the real Liverpool and not what we saw last weekend, or in Champions League play midweek. Were those performances the outliers? 🫠 

iv. Poor Richarlison. Gent desperately needed a goal as transfer rumors abound who can replace him. He netted this 91st-minute instinctual wonder, ripped off his shirt and cried, only for a tenacious United to equalize in the 95th minute. This Opta stat is BRUTAL. 🐓

v. I loved this piece on Bournemouth’s American owner Bill Foley by the great Rory Smith. Best thing I read all weekend. 🍒

vi. More from the Cherries: I sat down with Antoine Semenyo, in the form of his life, where he spoke about journaling, faith and free-styling with the ball. I really love his energy and his thoughtfulness. He’s an incredibly motivated and joyous individual. 📺

vii. Massive shock in the NWSL. Gotham rode this 120th-minute winner to drop the mighty KC Current in the first round of the knock-outs. KC were meant to be inevitable: they had won 21 of their 26 games to finish 21 points ahead of second-placed Washington. Their goal difference was a bonkers +36. They netted seven more than any other team and conceded 12 fewer. But the playoffs are the only truth that matters and they fell at the first hurdle. The Shield scant consolation for a side who yearned to win it all. Our team at The Women’s Game will be going into this in much more detail in their newsletter tomorrow, which you can subscribe to here. ☀️

Courage,
Rog

MiB HQ Bulletin Board 📣

City Crush Liverpool in Pep’s 1,000th Game 🩵

By Tommy Stewart

Manchester City 3-0 Liverpool 🩵❤️

It seems like Jérémy Doku has a quarterly breakthrough match, but when he slalomed through Liverpool’s floundering backline to win a penalty, it was clear he was on one at the Etihad yesterday. Giorgi Mamardashvili was a tad unlucky that the hair of his knee sent Doku flying in the ninth minute, but immediately absolved himself by brilliantly saving Erling Haaland’s firm effort to his bottom left corner. The giant Norwegian’s own redemption arc was unsurprisingly short when he later headed home a perfect present for Pep Guardiola in his 1,000th game as a manager. Virgil van Dijk’s quick reply was perhaps harshly given offside but it didn’t excuse his lackadaisical effort to try and block a Nico González shot that landed in the net on the verge of half time. Liverpool barely mustered any threats after a Cody Gakpo close-range miss, allowing Doku to preemptively collect his Player of the Match award minutes later in the 63rd with a stunning shimmy and strike from outside the area.

A Perfect Pep Performance 📈

Guardiola is one of a handful of football managers who has not only altered the culture of a few clubs, but genuinely reconstructed the way in which we all watch and play the game from top to bottom. Maybe more importantly than that, at Barca, Bayern and City, he’s won just about everything imaginable. His 71% win ratio and 39 trophies speak to his unmatched excellence, but with his side rejuvenated and only four points behind Arsenal, if he wrestles the title back this season, it might be his own personal best.

The Autumn of Liverpool’s Discontent 🫨

Arne Slot’s side arrived at the Etihad off the back of two excellent wins against a resurgent Aston Villa and Real Madrid’s solar system of star players. That arguably makes this capitulation more concerning, because despite City’s quality, other than a disallowed goal, the champions were impotent and uncharacteristically gutless yesterday. While it’s never healthy to check what an ex is up to online, the world-class form of Luis Díaz at Bayern must knock Slot sick and raise questions as to why his sale was ever allowed. Record signing Alexander Isak was a sad unused sub yesterday, and was joined by $53-million-man Milos Kerkez, while Florian Wirtz, who continues to get selected by Slot, looks more lost by the week. Liverpool fans might be right to fear that their summer of transition is looking more like a succession of expensive mistakes than a savvy upgrade.

Arsenal’s Clean-Sheet Record Comes to a Wild Close 🛑 

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Arsenal’s 13.5-hour Premier League stretch without conceding was always going to be ended by a colossal opponent, so it was poetic that a man nurtured in their academy, Dan Ballard, was the one to do it. The big center-back never played a game for the Gunners and that frustration was painted in both his strike and Hulk Hogan muscle-flexing celebration. Granit Xhaka’s vengeance mission against his former club wilted in the second half with a slick goal from his opposite number, Bukayo Saka, and after a crossbar effort from Zubimendi, Leandro Trossard appeared to have sealed the heist with a banger that Robin Roefs could only pretend to try and save. But fate had other ideas and Arsenal’s usually impenetrable defense was stupefied by a direct punt into the box where Sunderland’s Brian Brobbey outmuscled and outfought Gabriel to produce a beautifully improvised overhead finish late in injury time.

Tottenham 2-2 Manchester United

Bryan Mbeumo proved why he’s the reigning Premier League Player of the Month with a first-half header that won’t have surprised, but will have hurt his former manager, Thomas Frank. And Manchester United’s new Belgian shot-stopper, Senne Lammens, once again raised questions as to whether he actually is “Schmeichel in disguise,” with two second-half saves in two minutes that kept his side ahead. But it was the final 12 minutes of this game when we got a proper fireworks display. Spurs went ahead with a cool finish from Mathys Tel and a Richarlison header, who majestically flicked it on and proceeded to celebrate with lots of tears and no chill. But United refused to tap, giving Spurs’ Brazilian No. 9 a different reason to cry, with a towering Matthijs de Ligt header from a corner that had them traveling back up north with a draw that felt like a win.

Chelsea 3-0 Wolves

Chelsea were perhaps unfairly booed off by the Stamford Bridge faithful at half time in this one, but maybe that gave Enzo Maresca’s men the fuel that fired a second-half performance instigated by the consistently inconsistent Alejandro Garnacho. He crossed perfectly for fullback Malo Gusto, who can confirm that good things come to those who wait, heading in his first goal in 98 appearances for the Blues. João Pedro added with his second in consecutive games before leading man Garnacho ran half the length of the pitch to tee up former Wolf, Pedro Neto, and send Chelsea into third with the win. With just two points on the board, it feels only Ethan Hunt could rescue Wolves, so good luck to new manager, Rob Edwards, who has to rebuild a house that’s already burning down.

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

Everton 2-0 Fulham

Rog writes: Everton’s lack of a striker is a human agony. We are so close to being an excellent football team, yet our flaws – the lack of a potent finisher, and no full-backs – are excruciatingly apparent. Poor Thierno Barry started here with such hustle and grind and nothing to show for it. The win against an abject Fulham – true relegation worriers – was propelled by goals from our defensive midfielder Gueye, and the shoulder of center-back Michael Keane. Everton Football Club remain undefeated at the Hill Dickinson when I am not there. That’s the stat. 

However, the true beauty of the weekend was Barry’s post after the game. Read it and marvel at how emotionally intelligent this kid is. I admire him greatly. 

Elsewhere in the Premier League: West Ham 3-2 Burnley, Crystal Palace 0-0 Brighton, Aston Villa 4-0 Bournemouth, Brentford 3-1 Newcastle, Nottingham Forest 3-1 Leeds

Boston, We’re Shipping Up to You 🍻

After the World Cup Draw sets the destiny of nations, we're heading to the Roadrunner Boston on Dec. 6 for The Path to World Cup Glory presented by Bank of America. It will be a night of joy, laughter, and deep footballing insight as Rog, Clint Dempsey, Rory Smith, Herc Gomez, James Horncastle and more special guests break down the entire tournament field. From the Group of Death to the Cinderella runs, they'll preview the storylines, heroes and heartbreaks that await us all. Come join us!

Full show info:

🗓️ Saturday, Dec. 6
📍Roadrunner, 89 Guest St., Boston, Mass.
🕧 Doors @ 6:30 p.m. ET, Show @ 7:30 p.m. ET

Some Absolute Weekend Worldies, Presented by New Balance 🚀 🥅

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

On the Continent 🇪🇺

🇮🇹 Serie A: Oh, how the tables turn in Serie A, where first-placed Inter and second-placed Roma pounced on a KDB-less and uninspired Napoli’s 2-0 loss at Bologna with their own 2-0 home wins against Lazio and Udinese, respectively. AC Milan were held to a 2-2 draw at Parma that welcomingly saw the return of Christian Pulisic from the bench and kept them in the pack in third.

🇪🇸 La Liga: Real Madrid’s 0-0 draw at neighbors Rayo Vallecano confirmed this as Xabi Alonso’s worst week at the helm of the world’s biggest club. A loss to his former side Liverpool, an impish performance in a game his team should win, and a Barcelona victory to concede their lead to only three points have all exposed some obvious cracks in his system. Although the Catalonians let a 2-0 lead slip at Celta Vigo, a Lewandowski hat-trick, a pair of Rashford assists and a Lamine Yamal goal completed a pivotal 4-2 away win just before the international break.

🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Bayern Munich are human after all, drawing 2-2 with Union Berlin, but thankfully for them, second-placed RB Leipzig lost, while Borussia Dortmund drew, proving even luck is on their side. Vincent Kompany’s boys nearly lost as well, until Harry Kane intervened in the 90th minute, but their other goal was an impossible masterpiece from Luís Diaz that must be seen to be believed.

Mid-Week Matches Worth Faking a Meeting for 📺

England vs. Serbia (Thursday, 2:45 p.m. ET, FOX Soccer) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇷🇸

England are already on the plane to USA 2026, largely thanks to their mean defense, which has conceded zero goals in six World Cup qualifiers. Helpfully, they also have Harry Kane, who’s already netted 21 goals for club and country this season, and surprising recent omissions Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden, who will be back for this Wembley bout as well. Dragan Stojković takes Serbia to London with the tall order of leapfrogging second-placed Albania in Group K, who are a point and place above them. Their key man is Juventus striker, Dušan Vlahović, a human barrage of a footballer who will relish facing Europe’s sturdiest wall. 

France vs. Ukraine (Thursday, 2:45 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 2) 🇫🇷🇺🇦

When the Parc des Princes plays host to Group D’s top two teams, Didier Deschamps’ side will have the chance to qualify for his fourth and final World Cup as manager with a win. Famed 34-year-old human pinball, N'Golo Kanté, has returned to the squad after a year out, while later-bloomer, Jean-Philippe Mateta, continues his fairytale year by keeping his place in the squad after scoring in his international debut last time out. As for Ukraine, they’ll be pinning much of their attacking hopes on Benfica’s Georgiy Sudakov after Roma’s Artem Dovbyk suffered a hip injury that will keep him out for a month. 

Republic of Ireland vs. Portugal (Thursday, 2:45 p.m. ET, Fubo TV) 🇮🇪🇵🇹

A win would see Roberto Martinez’s UEFA Nations League Champions qualify for the World Cup, but they only narrowly came out 1-0 victors when these two faced each other just over a month ago. Boasting a dream midfield of Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha and Bernardo Silva, Portugal’s might is undeniable, while the Republic of Ireland are desperate for a result to stay in qualification contention.

Some Non-Football to Start the Week 📖

• The Website Reshaping Live Music, One Set List at a Time. Thanks to this website, I now know that Rush played "Freewill" in concert 829 times. 

• Black Hole Flare is Biggest and Most Distant Seen. Finally, the universe has something to compete with the wattage of Firmino’s smile.

• Incredibly cool! The N.F.L. Players Trading Their Helmets for Scrubs.

• Yes, There's a Parallel Parking Championship, and I Was a Contender. I could not of been a contender.

• “Writing is rewriting and rethinking” is just the beginning. The World According to John Irving.

• The Curious Case of the Bizarre, Disappearing Captcha. How else will I prove my humanity???

It’s MiB Trivia Time 🤔

This week’s question: Who are Man City and Liverpool’s overall top goal-scorers when the two sides have faced each other in the Premier League?

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

Last week’s winner: Congratulations to Yoshihito Hamada, who was the first to correctly name three players other than Trent Alexander-Arnold who have traversed between Real Madrid and Liverpool. His answer was Michael Owen, Steve McManaman, and Xabi Alonso, but Alvaro Arbeloa, Nicholas Anelka, Fabinho, Fernando Morientes and a few less notable ones also qualify. Your patch is in the post, Yoshihito 🚚

All the stories worth knowing—all in one place.

Business. Tech. Finance. Culture. If it’s worth knowing, it’s in the Brew.

Morning Brew’s free daily newsletter keeps 4+ million readers in the loop with stories that are smart, quick, and actually fun to read. You’ll learn something new every morning — and maybe even flex your brain with one of our crosswords or quizzes while you’re at it.

Get the news that makes you think, laugh, and maybe even brag about how informed you are.

Try it for free