Hail GFOP!

Rog writes: Before we get to the football, I do want to acknowledge that as great as this weekend was in the Premier League, football has never felt more like the most important least important thing. In a weekend which saw so much senseless gun violence that has impacted communities here at Brown University and abroad in Sydney, our hearts are with the victims, the families and everyone affected by these tragic events. 💔

Now, to the football…

What a weekend. Of own goals. And late goals. And late, late goals. Of possible fond farewells. And Everton being outclassed at Stamford Bridge once again — a place they have not won since 1994.

The game of the weekend was at Arsenal. Woeful, bottom-of-the-table Wolves scored three times and somehow lost 2-1. The winning goal, an ecstatic rollercoaster of emotion. Gabriel Jesus, back for the first league game after nearly a year out, coaxing Mosquera into heading into his own net. The celebrations in the wake were Scorcesian: Mosquera, vanquished on the floor; the Arsenal players ecstatic. They know tenacity and luck are equal ingredients in any title charge. 

More: A close look at the Arsenal celebrations. The relief, and just look who was switched on in this moment. 😮‍💨

ii. The theater at Liverpool was also transcendent. Mo Salah’s last dance – or maybe last dance – was drama filled. Mo on the bench, until he wasn’t. An injury to Joe Gomez meant the Egyptian King entered to a rhapsodic welcome in the 26th minute. He crafted a record-breaking assist too, as Liverpool brushed off Scrappy Doo Brighton. Mo’s lap of honor was as watched as the game. Liverpool Kremlinologists must now scrutinize that look in his eye as he communed once more with the faithful in the Kop before he heads off to AFCON.

Everyone is tightlipped on what happens next. There is the emotional and the rational. I have to believe that Arne Slot, swamped by problems, would not want an occasionally benched Mo to become a season-long piece of flapping skin when there are so many tactical challenges to solve to secure a Champions League place… ❤️

iii. Manchester City thumped Crystal Palace whilst losing the xG. Palace, perhaps done-in by their European endeavors, created chance after chance in behind, but could not take them. Erling Haaland is like the nuclear option, and after touching the ball only eight times in the first half, just went off, in a way that made it seem Palace had not watched too much video tape of how City score. 🩵

iv. Goal of the weekend though was Morgan Rogers’ winner that gave Villa three come-from-behind points. Even Steph Curry would look at the distance on this one and say “wow.” Villa on a 10-of-11 winning run that is their best since 1919. West Ham scoffed at the rule of scoring too early. Pity the fools. 🚀

v. Happiest scene of the week was Sunderland after clipping Tyne-Wear rivals Newcastle. That town has suffered so much economically and politically in post-industrial England. I found it so moving to watch the players and the fans commune in their laps of honor. The photographs taken in front of the fanbase, you could see memories being made, that will last forever. Also… this is a level of pettiness I can get behind. 🐈‍⬛

vi. Another weekend of derbies, late-game heroics and dramatic subplots is the exact reason why we created the Football Feelings collection. Featuring some iconic photography, it’s a testament to that undefined footballing alchemy that gets us up early on the weekends and keeps us coming back for more after the emphatic wins, the satisfying draws and the gutting losses. For anyone whose emotional well-being revolves around this mad, mad game, give it a look at our shop. 👕

vii. I am off to England tomorrow to play chess against a Premier League star, and spend some time with my friend Tyler Adams. Let me know what questions you have for him about 2025 and all that is to come in the year ahead. 🦅

Courage,
Rog

Wolves’ Two Own Goals Win It for Arsenal 🤯

By Tommy Stewart

Arsenal 2-1 Wolves ❤️🐺

It was a tense 70 minutes at the Emirates as top met bottom in what should have been a formality for Arsenal, who for all their statistical dominance, made only empty threats against Rob Edwards’ sinking side for three quarters of the match. Thankfully, Arteta’s fail-safe methodology came to the rescue via a perfect Bukayo Saka corner that hit Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone’s post before cartoonishly bouncing into his own net off the back of his right shoulder. It seemed set for a classic “1-0 to the Arsenal” before the league’s weakest attack perforated its meanest defense in the 90th minute thanks to an instinctive flicked header from Tolu Arokodare. Tragically for Wolves, as the famous Highbury clock came close to calling the game in injury time, Saka dangerously teased the ball into the direction of the resurrected Gabriel Jesus, who was beaten to it by the head of Wolves’ Yerson Mosquera, confirming his side’s self-immolation.

Character or Weakness From Arsenal? 🤔

There are two ways of looking at Arsenal’s narrow win where none of their players managed to score against one of the Premier League’s all-time worst sides on Saturday. The cynic would say an erratic Manchester United handed Wolves a 4-1 shellacking this time last week, and if Mikel Arteta’s men are serious about a title charge, then they should have at least matched this sort of result, especially at home. On the other hand, you could argue it showed character, to snatch an ugly twilight-time victory in the face of a humiliating draw that would have seen Arsenal drop from the top spot for the first time in forever. While the Gunners still lead Manchester City by two points, for Arteta it will feel like Dad is in the rear view mirror, ready to teach him another lesson.

Wolves Hunting Worst Record 📉

Southampton avoided it by a singular point last season, but Wolves can feel the ominous shadow of that mythical and unwanted all-time PL lowest-points record enveloping them. Derby County have worn that horrible title like a dunce hat since they hit a meager 11 points in 2008, but they had at least won a game by this time. Wolves are winless on two points, and in their last seven Premier League matches, they’ve scored more own goals (three) than actual, traditional goals in their opponents net (two). Edwards inherited a mess from Vítor Pereira, and while relegation is inevitable, their only consolation prize would be surpassing Derby’s mark.

America’s Best Soccer Bar: Top 10 Voting 🍻

AMERICA, let’s do this. After collecting all of your nominations, it’s now time to crown the rightful champion of America’s Best Soccer Bar 2025/26, powered by our partners at Michelob ULTRA! Below are the 10 most-nominated bars, listed in alphabetical order. The voting window closes Dec. 29, so make your voice heard by hitting the button below and by spreading the word! Once voting wraps, we’ll reveal the winner… and yes, we’ll celebrate accordingly.

Top 10 Nominees:

The Black Sheep Pub - Philadelphia, Pa.
Carragher's - New York, N.Y.
Chatham Tap - Indianapolis, Ind.
Empire Bar - Tulsa, Okla.
Globe Pub - Chicago, Ill.
Ireland's Four Courts - Arlington, Va.
Mad Dog in the Fog - San Francisco, Calif.
The British Bulldog - Denver, Colo.
The Kettle Black Kitchen & Pub - Phoenix, Ariz.
The Dubliner Irish Pub - Boston, Mass.

Salah Makes History in His Dramatic Return ❤️

Liverpool 2-0 Brighton

Like Nick Cage before him, it took less than 60 seconds for Liverpool’s new guiding light, Hugo Ekitike, to hammer home and put the Reds ahead. The home side uncharacteristically held their nerve, allowing unassuming substitute Mo Salah to set up Ekitike for his brace via a towering header from a perfect corner that put the Egyptian King past Wayne Rooney for the most Premier League goal contributions all-time for a single club. Unfortunately for Arne Slot, one of his side’s best weeks on the pitch this season has been background noise behind his and Salah’s media soap opera, but there are signs that something can be built with his new team.

Crystal Palace 0-3 Manchester City

While Oliver Glasner’s Eagles are soaring like this club never has before, the fixture congestion that comes with Thursday night European football made this ruthless Manchester City side nightmare fuel for a Sunday hangover. Minutes before half time, a quiet Erling Haaland met a pin-point Matheus Nunes cross with his head to remind Crystal Palace that he’s always lurking in the shadows, deflating the home side before the break. Adam Wharton hit the bar at the start of the first half, but his England colleague Phil Foden went one better 20 minutes later, scoring in his fourth consecutive PL game by nestling the ball in the bottom-right corner. Dean Henderson tripped Savinho in the 87th minute, allowing Haaland to put away the spot kick against the penalty-saving specialist two minutes later, keeping the heat on Arsenal, who they’ve hunted down before.

Nottingham Forest 3-0 Tottenham

After a couple of early close shaves for Tottenham, Nottingham Forest’s relative renaissance under Sean Dyche continued in the 28th minute at the City Ground when Archie Gray was pickpocketed by Ibrahim Sangaré who set up Callum Hudson-Odoi for a tap-in. Spurs’ young midfielder came close to redeeming himself minutes later, but was stopped by Forest keeper John Victor, and that was pretty much as good as it got for the away side, whose xG was an impotent 0.37. Five minutes into the second half, Hudson-Odoi whipped in a long-range cross shot that lobbed an unsuspecting Guglielmo Vicario and Spurs’ limp surrender was complete. Sangaré had another gift for Forest fans ahead of his AFCON departure for the Ivory Coast, in the form of a rocket from outside the box that would be unlucky to not make the goal-of-the-season long list. After this disastrous defeat, Thomas Frank said there’s a “hurricane inside” him, so he might want to try some Pepto-Bismol before unleashing on his players on the training ground.

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

Chelsea 2-0 Everton

Rog writes: Chelsea out-quality’d Everton, who have not won at the Bridge since the World Cup was last in the U.S. This Everton are so good at football, but so inherently limited with those fullbacks and that striker. So ALMOST good. We kept huffing and puffing and trying to create, but were twice unable to defend the basics of space in behind. In those moments, Chelsea had all the composure in front of goal that Everton lacked. David Moyes was asked for the main difference between Chelsea and Everton and he answered, “Maybe a billion pounds?" Worse than the loss was having to analyze, in the modern football way, what this post-match chat between Iliman Ndiaye and Reece James was all about. It honestly means nothing, but we Everton fans should enjoy him when he returns from AFCON while he is still ours.

Elsewhere in the Premier League: Burnley 2-3 Fulham, Sunderland 1-0 Newcastle, Brentford 1-1 Leeds, West Ham 2-3 Aston Villa

On the Continent 🇪🇺

🇮🇹 Serie A: The hunt for Scudetto glory remains impossibly tight as AC Milan, Napoli and Inter seem to be on rotation at the top of Serie A, with the latter leading at the end of this weekend’s tussle. They won 2-1 away at Genoa, while crosstown rivals Milan could only draw 2-2 to Sassuolo at the San Siro yesterday, but it could have been a victory were Christian Pulisic’s goal not controversially disallowed. Napoli disappointingly lost away at Udinese, but very much remain in the group chat as only two points divides Conte’s side and the two halves of Milan above them.

🇪🇸 La Liga: Whatever the Spanish is for “phew” will probably be Xabi Alonso’s prevailing thought after his struggling Real Madrid wrangled a 2-1 win at Alavés to potentially save his job. His side are four points behind leaders Barcelona, whose seven-match winning streak in La Liga has been imbued by the return of captain Raphinha, who scored a brilliant brace at the Camp Nou yesterday. Atlético Madrid beat Valencia 2-1 to remain fourth, while third-placed Villarreal now have two games in hand after their match against Levante was postponed due to warnings of torrential rainfall in the region.

🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Lady Luck is such a Bayern Munich fan that even when the Bavarians have a rare lapse in the form of a 2-2 draw at home to bottom-of-the-table Mainz, their closest competitors, RB Leipzig, lose 3-1 to Union Berlin. Along the way, Harry Kane scored the equalizer for the league leaders, which not only helped his team avoid their first Bundesliga loss of the season, but also marked his 50th club goal of the calendar year, the first time he’s reached that milestone in his prolific career. Vincent Kompany’s side are now nine points ahead of both Leipzig and Dortmund, who gained ground with a 1-1 draw at SC Freiburg.

Rog’s Last-Minute New Balance Gift Guide 🎁

Rog writes: I love New Balance more than I can say. The quality. The aesthetic. The storytelling in their design. Come holiday time, here are seven pieces of theirs that I swear by that I believe can bring you joy.

Made in USA 992 Core - My everyday ride-or-die sneaker.

Athletics Corduroy Puffer - This is my entire winter in one garment, I never take this off.

Made in UK 991 v2 Grape Sorbet - I adore any pink New Balance shoe and treasure them. I save these for special events only, the best of the best.

Made in UK Allerdale - This style makes me so happy and I probably wear them more than any others. The white is stunning, too. 

Made in USA Core Sweatpants - I LIVE in these. I wear them almost every day and am all-in every weekend. 

High Pile Jacket - An NB fleece, what else could you need this winter?

White with Washed Burgundy T500 - A classic, the perfect everyday sneaker.

^{New Balance Made in USA footwear contains a domestic value of 70% or more. Made in USA makes up a limited portion of New Balance’s U.S. sales.}

Mid-Week Matches Worth Faking a Meeting for 📺

Man United vs. Bournemouth (TODAY, 3 p.m. ET, USA) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Ruben Amorim’s side can leapfrog to fifth today with a win at Old Trafford, but the so-honest-it-hurts Portuguese manager seems set on cutting off his nose to spite his face, throwing United’s beloved academy products under the bus in his pre-match press conference. Before this six-game winless slump, Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola was touted by some as a favorite to succeed Amorim and his side’s draw against Chelsea last week could be a foundation to rebuild again, especially considering United’s recent poor form at home.

Cardiff City vs. Chelsea (Tuesday, 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏆

Kings of the Welsh capital, Cardiff City, sit atop of League One and will welcome a sullen Enzo Maresca and his side with clenched fists for this EFL Cup quarter-final. The Chelsea manager said he’d suffered his worst 48 hours at the club in a press conference after they beat Everton 2-0 on Saturday and his woes could be worsened by Cole Palmer, who despite scoring on Saturday, is still struggling with a groin injury that “makes no sense,” according to Maresca.

Man City vs. Brentford (Wednesday, 2:30 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏆

The EFL Cup is a seasonal amuse-bouche for Pep Guardiola, who’s won it four times at City, but for Keith Andrews and Brentford, it could be everything. They’ve only won one major trophy in their history, the FA Cup in 1911, and with City’s eye firmly on more prestigious Premier League and European prizes, a quiet night at the Etihad could be the perfect place to make history and cause a shock.

Napoli vs. AC Milan (Thursday, 2 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🇮🇹🏆

While the Super Cup is Italy’s least important domestic trophy, AC Milan are defending holders, and whoever wins this has the chance to land a confidence blow on a Scudetto title rival. Expect strong XIs from both Antonio Conte and Max Allegri and a gladiatorial atmosphere at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in this north vs. south clash.

Some Non-Football to Start the Week Off 📖

• The Last People Before the Internet. The children long for AOL Instant Messenger.

• Need a multi-episode documentary on this STAT: Playing Santa Does Strange Things to a Man. What It Did to Bob Rutan Was Even Stranger.

• Incredible reporting (as usual) from ProPublica: The Business of Care.

• My Swatch could never... A Watch That Works as Well on Earth as It Did in Space.

• 885 Greatest Cover Songs of All Time. Chris Cornell over Sinead O'Connor is a HOT TAKE.

• OK, this one actually is football-related, but take a minute to watch this record-setting strike for the longest-ever Championship goal.

It’s MiB Trivia Time 🤔

This week’s question: In all competitions, who has won the most Tyne-Wear derbies between Sunderland and Newcastle? Bonus points if you can guess how many victories the leader has.

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

Last week’s winner: Congratulations to Jon Manson, who was the first to correctly answer that West Ham were the team and Alphonse Areola was the goalkeeper Erling Haaland scored his first Premier League goal against. Your patch is in the post, Jon. 🚚

AND…

Our belated “Who Played There?” Premier League Edition result is in! Congrats to Chris Roselle, who was the first to correctly guess that Eric Dier was the missing player in the lineup for Spurs’ 5-1 win over Newcastle on April 3, 2022. Get in touch with your address and we’ll get a patch over to you, Chris!

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