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Matchweek 25: Unprecedented

Matchweek 25: Unprecedented

Welcome to This Week from Premier Skills English, a weekly review of football action for learners of English from across the globe. In This Week, Rich and Jack talk about the latest action from the Premier League and have lots of football English for you to learn.

Transcript

If the listening is a bit difficult, try listening and reading at the same time.
Read the transcript and listen at the same time.

Introduction  

Jack: Hello my name’s Jack and welcome to our weekly round-up section called ‘This Week’ on Premier Skills English.

Rich: Hi there. I’m Rich. We’ve got lots of interesting words and phrases to help you talk about football in English.

Jack: We want you to use and practise these phrases by interacting with Premier League fans from around the world in our comments section.

Rich: If you listen to us on Apple Podcasts, you can leave your comments in the review section. We do read all the reviews and would love to hear from you.

Jack: Remember we are looking for people to interview in our podcasts. If you want to practise your English skills and answer a few questions just email us at premierskills@britishcouncil.org and we’ll write back to you.

Rich: You can find all our latest content on the Premier Skills English homepage or the Premier Skills-British Council Facebook page. 

Jack: Don’t forget that we also have our weekly Premier Skills English Podcast that is released every Friday. Every week we help you with some different vocabulary or an aspect of grammar.

Rich: Our latest podcast is called You’ve been hacked and it’s about computers and online safety. You can find it on the Premier Skills English homepage, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and most other podcast platforms now. 

Jack: Let’s start this week’s show by reviewing the Premier League action from Matchweek 25.

Headlines

Jack: Liverpool take unprecedented Premier League lead.

Rich: Liverpool’s relentless march towards the title continued with a 4-0 win against Southampton. The Reds now lead the Premier League by a massive 22 points. No team has ever led the Premier League by a such a wide margin. All the goals arrived in the second half. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got the opener followed by Jordan Henderson and two from Mohamed Salah.

Jack: Mourinho gets the better of Guardiola.

Rich: Tottenham moved up to fifth after a 2-0 win against Manchester City. City had a first-half penalty saved and Spurs scored a stunner with their first shot of the match - Steven Bergwijn with a goal on his Premier League debut. City then had Oleksander Zinchenko sent off and Tottenham scored with their second shot of the match - this time Son Heung-min scored via a deflection.

Jack: Samatta in big moment for Tanzania.

Rich: Mbwanna Samatta became the first Tanzanian to play Premier League football and the first to score a goal when he scored a consolation goal for Aston Villa on his Premier League debut. Tanzania is the 117th country to be represented in the Premier League and 101st country to score a Premier League goal. Samatta’s goal though wasn’t enough for Villa however as they went down 2-1 at Bournemouth. 

Jack: There were also good wins for Sheffield United who are in sixth and Everton who are doing well under Carlo Ancelotti.

Vocabulary alert!

Jack: In our vocabulary alert, we look at some football English that we used in the headlines.

Rich: Our six words and phrases this week are: unprecedented, relentless, debut, deflection, a consolation goal and to go down.

Jack:  Let’s start with the phrases we used to talk about Liverpool’s 4-0 win against Southampton. We said that Liverpool’s lead at the top is unprecedented.

Rich: That’s right, it is unprecedented. Liverpool lead the Premier League by 22 points - no team has ever led by so many points in the history of the Premier League.

Jack: When we said Liverpool’s lead is unprecedented it is describing a level of performance that has never been reached before.

Rich: We might say that ticket sales for the latest Star Wars film have been unprecedented - this means never before have ticket sales reached such high levels.

Jack: Temperatures have reached unprecedented levels in some countries in recent years - we use unprecedented to describe something in a series of things that have never happened before.

Rich: When an unprecedented event or situation happens, it sets a new precedent. In the future, Liverpool’s success this season will be seen as the new high standard. 

Jack: I think it’s going to be a while before another team is as dominant as Liverpool have been this season.

Rich: When I was talking about Liverpool’s latest win I spoke about Liverpool’s relentless march towards the title. 

Jack: Something that is relentless never stops, never gives in and continues to be strong. Liverpool’s march towards the title is relentless - they haven’t lost all season, they haven’t lost at home in nearly three years, they are 22 points ahead of everyone else. They are relentless - they never stop.

Rich: Let’s speak about that win for Tottenham against Manchester City. Steven Bergwijn scored a fantastic goal on his debut for Spurs.

Jack: A player’s debut is the first time a player plays for a club. We often use the word with make. He made his debut for Tottenham or he made his Premier League debut.

Rich: Or, like in the headlines we use the preposition on. He scored on his debut.

Jack: Remember that the spelling of the word is a bit funny - it has a silent t on the end: ‘d e b u t’.

Rich: The next word is deflection. We said that Son Heung-min scored via a deflection.

Jack: A deflection is when a shot or a cross hits another player accidentally and changes direction. You might score via a deflection because the goalkeeper is wrong-footed - this happens because the goalkeeper thought the ball was going one way and then it suddenly went the other way.

Rich: That’s unlucky but a shot might also be deflected wide which means it would go out for a corner or a goal kick. 

Jack: Finally, let’s talk about Mbwanna Samatta who scored on his debut for Villa and became the first-ever Premier League goalscorer from Tanzania.

Rich: I’m sure he was very happy but it was only a consolation goal. A consolation goal is when you score near the end of the game you are losing and it doesn’t change the result.

Jack: Villa were losing 2-0 when Samatta scored to make it 2-1.  The result didn’t change. It was a consolation goal.

Rich: Our final phrase this week is to go down. We said that Villa went down 2-1 at Bournemouth. It means to lose.

Jack: The prepositions are interesting here. When we talk about the place we use the preposition at - Villa went down 2-1 at Bournemouth.

Rich: But when we talk about the team we use to - Villa went down 2-1 to Bournemouth. There’s no difference in meaning really.

Jack: OK, so there are our six words and phrases. Listen to this part of the podcast again if you are not sure how to use them.

Rich: The words and phrases are: unprecedented, relentless, debut, deflection, a consolation goal and to go down.

Football Awards

Jack: Right, every week, we give out three Matchweek awards. The awards are Player of the Week, Team of the Week and Goal of the Week.

Rich: In the comments section, you need to tell us if you agree with our choices. 

Jack: Let’s start with Player of the Week. We could go with one of those debut goalscorers, Steven Bergwijn or Mbwanna Samatta, or maybe Mohamed Salah or Antonio Rudiger who scored twice for Chelsea.

Rich: We’re going to go with Everton’s Colombian centre-back, Yerry Mina. He scored twice in Everton’s comeback win - the first time they’ve come back to win from behind in 35 matches.

Jack: Now Team of the Week. Liverpool are relentless - we could pick them every week.

Rich: OK, let’s go for another team. Great wins for Bournemouth, Sheffield United and Everton.

Jack: Let’s go for Tottenham - a great Jose Mourinho performance. Tottenham defend well and score with their only two shots of the game.

Rich: Finally, our Goal of the Week. We’re going to leave this one to you. We’re going to give you three options and you need to tell us which you think was best.

Jack: Goal number one: Steven Bergwijn for Tottenham against Manchester City. Brilliant first touch and an even better volley. What a way to make your Premier League debut!

Rich: Goal number two: Antonio Rudiger for Chelsea versus Leicester City. Rudiger’s second was a fantastic header and won a point for the Blues.

Jack: Goal number three: Robert Snodgrass for West Ham against Brighton. Snodgrass’ second was a great long-range strike and he also got another and an assist in the 3-3 draw with Brighton.

Rich: OK. Those are our three options. Did you see them? Which do you think was the best? 

Jack: Let us know your choice and if you agree with our other weekly awards in our comments section on the Premier Skills English website.

Matchweek Prediction 

Jack: Every week, Rich predicts the result of one Premier League match and we want you to make your prediction, too.

Rich: Last week I went for a City win at Tottenham and I got that horribly wrong.

Jack: You need to get back on track with these predictions, Rich. Which match are you talking about this week?

Rich: Matchweek 26 is being played over two weeks so all Premier League clubs get a winter break so I’ll make two predictions - one this week and one next. This weekend Sheffield United have a chance to move into fifth and only two points behind Chelsea in the last Champions League spot. Their performances have been one of the biggest surprises of the Premier League season after being promoted from the Championship last season. The Blades are up against Bournemouth who moved out of the relegation zone last week. These are the types of matches that have to be won if you want to play European football. Final score: Sheffield United 2-0 Bournemouth.

Jack: Right, that’s all we have time for. I hope you have enjoyed this football round-up. Join the discussion at the bottom of the page on the Premier Skills English website. 

Rich: If you listen to us on Apple Podcasts, don’t forget to leave us a review. We’d love to hear from you. 

Jack: If you have any questions or comments or suggestions for the podcast or anything football or English related, you can leave them on the website in the comments section or you can email us at premierskills@britishcouncil.org.

Rich: Bye for now and enjoy your football.

Results

Matchweek 25:

Leicester City 2-2 Chelsea

Liverpool 4-0 Southampton

Tottenham 2-0 Manchester City

Bournemouth 2-1 Aston Villa

Crystal Palace 0-1 Sheffield United

Watford 2-3 Everton

Newcastle 0-0 Norwich City

Burnley 0-0 Arsenal

West Ham 3-3 Brighton 

Manchester United 0-0 Wolves

Headlines

Liverpool take unprecedented Premier League lead

No team has ever led the Premier League by 22 points.

Liverpool’s relentless march towards the title continued with a 4-0 win against Southampton. The Reds now lead the Premier League by a massive 22 points. No team has ever led the Premier League by a such a wide margin. All the goals arrived in the second half. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got the opener followed by Jordan Henderson and two from Mohamed Salah.

Headlines

Mourinho gets the better of Guardiola

Tottenham beat Manchester City 2-0.

Tottenham moved up to fifth after a 2-0 win against Manchester City. City had a first-half penalty saved and Spurs scored a stunner with their first shot of the match - Steven Bergwijn with a goal on his Premier League debut. City then had Oleksander Zinchenko sent off and Tottenham scored with their second shot of the match - this time Son Heung-min scored via a deflection.

Headlines

Samatta in big moment for Tanzania

Mbwanna Samatta scored Tanzania's first Premier League goal.

Mbwanna Samatta became the first Tanzanian to play Premier League football and the first to score a goal when he scored a consolation goal for Aston Villa on his Premier League debut. Tanzania is the 117th country to be represented in the Premier League and 101st country to score a Premier League goal. Samatta’s goal though wasn’t enough for VIlla however as they went down 2-1 at Bournemouth. 

Vocabulary Alert

Football English

We looked at six pieces of football English that you can learn to improve your English. Take a look at the phrases in bold. Do you understand what they mean?

Liverpool’s lead at the top is unprecedented. This describes a level of performance that has never achieved done.

Liverpool’s relentless march towards the title continued with a 4-0 win against Southampton. Something that is relentless never stops or gives in and continues to be strong.

Steven Bergwijn with a goal on his Premier League debut. A player’s debut is the first time a player plays for a club.

Son Heung-min scored via a deflectionA deflection is when a shot or a cross hits another player accidentally and changes direction.

Mbwanna Samatta scored a consolation goal for Aston VillaA consolation goal is when you score near the end of the game you are losing and it doesn’t change the result.

Villa went down 2-1 at Bournemouth.  To go down means to lose.

Yerry Mina scores for Everton against Watford.

Can you use the words in bold in a different sentence? Write a sentence at the bottom of the page. If you're not sure, listen to the audio for more explanations and examples.

Matchweek Awards

Do you agree with our choices?

Robert Snodgrass scored a spectacular goal for West Ham against Brighton.

Player of the Week: Yerry Mina (Everton)

Team of the Week: Tottenham

Goal of the Week: Look at the three options from Matchweek 25 and let us know which goal was best in the comments section!

Goal 1

Steven Bergwijn for Tottenham against Manchester City.

Goal 2

Antonio Rudiger for Chelsea versus Leicester City.

Goal 3

Robert Snodgrass for West Ham v Brighton.

The Big Match

Sheffield United v Bournemouth

Sheffield United score against Bournemouth on the opening day of the season.

The big match this weekend is Sheffield United against Bournemouth. Rich thinks the Blades will win. What's your prediction?

Have a listen to what Rich says and then make your prediction and talk about any of next weekend's matches below.

Football Chat

What do you think?

Liverpool's current position is unprecedented in Premier League history.

Jack and Rich have spoken about Matchweek 25. Now it's your turn! Have a look at the questions and write your answers in the comments section below.

  1. Rich and Jack chose Everton's Yerry Mina as Player of the Week. Do you agree? 
  2. Jack and Rich selected Tottenham as their Team of the Week. Do you agree?
  3. Rich and Jack picked three goals for the Goal of the Week award? Did you see them? Which do you think was best?
  4. Use this week's vocabulary: Liverpool's Premier League is unprecedented. What's the biggest lead you can remember in another league or in your country?
  5. Can you use 'debut''deflection' or 'go down' in a sentence?

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Comments

hsn's picture
hsn
16/02/2021
TR
5525
points

PHRASES;

• It was an unprecedented match score. ElevenFire F.C. had been defeated by (37-0) in last year.

• Day by the day they have relentlessly improved their football techniques and skills.

• At the free kick, the ball hit one of his teammate and went into the opponent team net by chance. It was a great deflection.

• There is no any counter-attack or goal position from side of this team. It's clear that they are going go down at the end of the match.


hsn's picture
hsn
16/02/2021 17:58
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5525

PHRASES;

• It was an unprecedented match score. ElevenFire F.C. had been defeated by (37-0) in last year.

• Day by the day they have relentlessly improved their football techniques and skills.

• At the free kick, the ball hit one of his teammate and went into the opponent team net by chance. It was a great deflection.

• There is no any counter-attack or goal position from side of this team. It's clear that they are going go down at the end of the match.

elghoul's picture
elghoul
05/02/2020
DZ
3988
points

1. Yerry Mina's award is good for the player but more important it give Everton some new hope in this not good season.

2. Spurs stole their win this week that why I prefer distinguishing Sheffield or West Ham for their drawing.

3. Antonio Rudiger was the best scorer for me although he is a defender and was back after an injury.

4. Liverpool lead is an outstanding and extraordinary one. Unprecedented for the PL and I don't remember of any such one elsewhere. With the PL great competitiveness this phenomena must have to be analyzed more deeply and in my point of view this team has developed a scientific management using lots of computer assisted technics and softwarr on the way of playing collectively,  players skills and weaknesses and all the digital data tracking about  other teams and players etc... Klopp the manager may have been adding his self knowledge of course.

5.

The Stefen Bergwin debut surprised City in the second half. Without the deflection West Ham could have gone down.

Predictions

Bornemouth 1 Sheffield 1

City 2 West Ham 0


elghoul's picture
elghoul
05/02/2020 14:52
Algeria
Manchester City
3988

1. Yerry Mina's award is good for the player but more important it give Everton some new hope in this not good season.

2. Spurs stole their win this week that why I prefer distinguishing Sheffield or West Ham for their drawing.

3. Antonio Rudiger was the best scorer for me although he is a defender and was back after an injury.

4. Liverpool lead is an outstanding and extraordinary one. Unprecedented for the PL and I don't remember of any such one elsewhere. With the PL great competitiveness this phenomena must have to be analyzed more deeply and in my point of view this team has developed a scientific management using lots of computer assisted technics and softwarr on the way of playing collectively,  players skills and weaknesses and all the digital data tracking about  other teams and players etc... Klopp the manager may have been adding his self knowledge of course.

5.

The Stefen Bergwin debut surprised City in the second half. Without the deflection West Ham could have gone down.

Predictions

Bornemouth 1 Sheffield 1

City 2 West Ham 0

Dominik
04/02/2020
PL
1
points

1. Yes, double score from Mina was impressive. This is a good choice.
2. Also for me Spurs deserve for title Team of the Week. Bergwijn debut goal was really spectacular.
3. In my opinion Snodgrass deflection goal was best of these three because I have this player on my FPL team. Thanks for him I didn't go down in my league ;)


Dominik
04/02/2020 23:40
Poland
Liverpool
1

1. Yes, double score from Mina was impressive. This is a good choice.
2. Also for me Spurs deserve for title Team of the Week. Bergwijn debut goal was really spectacular.
3. In my opinion Snodgrass deflection goal was best of these three because I have this player on my FPL team. Thanks for him I didn't go down in my league ;)

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
03/02/2020
UA
6278
points

Sheffield United 1 : 1 Bournemouth

Manchester City 3 : 1 West Ham


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
03/02/2020 16:29
Ukraine
Liverpool
6278

Sheffield United 1 : 1 Bournemouth

Manchester City 3 : 1 West Ham

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
03/02/2020
UA
6278
points

Player of the Week : Roberto Firmino who assisted three times against solid Southampton

Team of the Week : Everton for bravely fighting back away against lately quite successful Watford

Goal of the Week : debuting Bergwijn with his spectacular chest-bounced volley.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
03/02/2020 16:25
Ukraine
Liverpool
6278

Player of the Week : Roberto Firmino who assisted three times against solid Southampton

Team of the Week : Everton for bravely fighting back away against lately quite successful Watford

Goal of the Week : debuting Bergwijn with his spectacular chest-bounced volley.

Leaderboard

Top Scorers
RankNameScore
1mobeckham6510
2Alex_from_Ukraine6278
3hsn5525
4wsanta5086
5kwesimanifest4768
6Liubomyr4408
7elghoul3988
8assemjuve3705
9aragorn19863557
10Gergő Nagy3396
Country ranking
RankNameScore
1Colombia71478
2Ukraine33300
3Spain28277
4Serbia27289
5Brazil23896
6Albania20578
7Vietnam19939
8Turkey19810
9Macedonia19074
10Bosnia and Herzegovina16333
Club ranking
RankNameScore
1Manchester United141846
2Liverpool110282
3Chelsea88559
4Arsenal85717
5Manchester City56951
6Tottenham Hotspur19169
7Newcastle United10457
8West Ham United7454
9AFC Bournemouth4454
10Crystal Palace4240

Level

3
Average: 3 (1 vote)

Goals

Improve your football English.

Practise your listening skills.

Make your prediction for next week's big Premier League match.