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Manchester CIty celebrate winning the Premier League.

Matchweek 38: Premier League Champions!

Matchweek 38: Premier League Champions!

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, Jack and Rich talk about the latest action from the Premier League. They keep you up to date with our prediction competition 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 Spotify or 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: You can find all our latest content on the Premier Skills English homepage or the Premier Skills-British Council Facebook page. 

Rich: Let’s start with our headlines!

Headlines

Jack: City win the Premier League!

Rich: Manchester City retain the Premier League trophy having won the Premier League for the second year in a row following a 4-1 win at Brighton. They survived a scare when Brighton took the lead but goals from Sergio Aguero, Aymeric Laporte, Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan were more than enough to give them the trophy for the second year running.

Jack: Reds chase Champions all the way.

Rich: Liverpool took City right to the last day of the season and finished the season on a record 97 points - a record for the runners-up spot. This amount of points would have won the title in 25 out of 26 Premier League seasons and no team before has lost just one match and failed to win the title. But they still have the Champions League Final to look forward to. Not a bad consolation prize.

Jack: Relegation decided but Europe still up in the air.

Rich: Despite winning away at Manchester United, Cardiff City have been relegated and will be playing in the Championship next season along with Fulham and Huddersfield. Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea will all play in the Champions League next season. The rest is still not decided. If Arsenal beat Chelsea in the Europa League Final they will play in the Champions League. If Watford beat Manchester City in the FA Cup Final, Watford will play in the Europa League but if City win, then Wolves will play in the Europa League.

Jack: Still some things to be decided but we have to say a big congratulations to Manchester City after winning the Premier League. They have been phenomenal.

Rich: Yes, City won 14 Premier League matches in a row to win the title. Amazing stuff!

Jack: And we still have those European Finals to look forward to!

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: to retain, in a row, running, runners-up, consolation prize and up in the air.

Jack: Let’s start with to retain. To retain means to continue to hold something that you already have in your possession. We use it for things that we are in danger of losing like sports trophies. Manchester City won the Premier League trophy last season and they have won it again this season.

Rich: We said that Manchester City retain the Premier League trophy.

Jack: The next phrase is in-a-row. This phrase is used to describe the same thing happening again in the same way another word for this is 'consecutively'.
 
Rich: City have won the Premier League for the second season in a row and needed to win fourteen matches in a row to do it!

Jack: The next word is used in a similar way. The word is running but it’s not a verb or even a gerund here, it’s an adjective. 

Rich: We said that four goals were more than enough to give them the trophy for the second year running.

Jack: We often use ‘running’ after a number and a noun referring to a period of time. We say things like ‘it’s the fourth day running that has happened’ or ‘they’ve won the cup three years running’.

Rich: The next phrase is runners-up. This is what we say to describe the team or person that comes second in a competition.

Jack: Liverpool finished runners-up in the Premier League this season.

Rich: Moving quickly on, the next phrase is consolation prize. This is usually a small prize given to players or teams that have not won. It’s the same as a consolation goal when the losing team scores one but is already losing 5-0.

Jack: We used consolation prize in a slightly sarcastic way because the Champions League Final is not a bad consolation prize and is definitely not a small thing.

Rich: No, definitely not. Right, the final phrase is to be up in the air. This phrase is used to describe things that have not been decided yet.

Jack: We don’t know which European competitions Arsenal, Watford and Wolves will play in next season. It’s still up in the air.

Rich: 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.

Jack: The words and phrases are:  to retain, in a row, running, runners-up, consolation prize and up in the air.

Football Awards

Jack: Right, every week, we give out three Matchweek awards. 

Rich: The awards are Player of the Week, Team of the Week and Goal of the Week.

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

Rich: Let’s start with Player of the Week. It was the last day of the season in the Premier League and as always there were some great performances.

Jack: Sadio Mane scored twice and finished the season as the Premier League top scorer on 22 goals along with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Arsenal and his Liverpool teammate, Mohamed Salah.

Rich: But we’re going to choose a Manchester City player. And it goes to Ilkay Gundogan, the German international scored a great free-kick and looks like a great possible replacement for Fernandinho in the defensive midfield role.

Jack: The next award is for Team of the Week. There were great wins for Newcastle, Liverpool, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Cardiff and Arsenal.

Rich: But we’re choosing Manchester City. They showed no fear and even came from behind to beat Brighton 4-1 and retain the Premier League title.

Jack: Finally our Goal of the Week. There were some wonderful goals this weekend. Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez scored brilliant goals for City.

Rich: There was nothing to play for in the match between Crystal Palace and Bournemouth but they served up some wonderful entertainment. It finished 5-3 to Palace but our Goal of the Week goes to Bournemouth’s Colombian midfielder, Jefferson Lerma, he scored an absolute belter!

Matchweek Prediction 

Jack: Every week, Rich predicts the result of one Premier League match. The Premier League season is over but we’ve got a few more predictions for you to make yet.

Rich: This weekend is the FA Cup Final and you can predict who wins on the Premier Skills English website.

Jack: You get one point if you predict the right result and three points if you predict the right score. Let’s hear your prediction, Rich.

Rich: The FA Cup Final is on Saturday afternoon and is always a big event. It’s the oldest cup competition in the world. It was first played in the 1871-72 season. This season’s final is between Manchester City and Watford. City have won the cup five times before but Watford have never won it and this is only their second-ever appearance in the final. 

City will win the treble if they win this game, that’s the Premier League plus the two English cup competitions. This has never been done before. I think they will win this game easily - they will have too much for Watford. Final score: Manchester City 3-0 Watford

Jack: I don’t think you should write Watford off. They have been preparing for this match for a while. I’m going for a massive cupset. 1-0 to Watford.

Rich: 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. 

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

Rich: Bye for now and enjoy your football.

Results

Matchweek 38:

Liverpool 2-0 Wolves

Southampton 1-1 Huddersfield

Tottenham 2-2 Everton

Manchester United 0-2 Cardiff

Watford 1-4 West Ham

Brighton 1-4 Manchester City

Crystal Palace 5-3 Bournemouth

Fulham 0-4 Newcastle

Burnley 1-3 Arsenal

Leicester City 0-0 Chelsea

Headlines

City win the Premier League!

Don't drop Pep! You'll need him next season!

Manchester City retain the Premier League trophy having won the Premier League for the second year in a row following a 4-1 win at Brighton. They survived a scare when Brighton took the lead but goals from Sergio Aguero, Aymeric Laporte, Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan were more than enough to give them the trophy for the second year running.

Headlines

Reds chase Champions all the way

Liverpool finished one point behind City in the race for the title!

Liverpool took City right to the last day of the season and finished the season on a record 97 points - a record for the runners-up spot. This amount of points would have won the title in 25 out of 26 Premier League seasons and no team before has lost just one match and failed to win the title. But they still have the Champions League Final to look forward to. Not a bad consolation prize.

Headlines

Relegation decided but Europe still up in the air

Cardiff have been relegated but they enjoyed the final day of the season: a 2-0 win at Old Trafford!

Despite winning away at Manchester United, Cardiff City have been relegated and will be playing in the Championship next season along with Fulham and Huddersfield. Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea will all play in the Champions League next season. The rest is still not decided. It's still up in the air!

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?

Manchester City retain the Premier League trophy. To retain means to continue to hold something that you already have in your possession.  Manchester City won the Premier League trophy last season and they have won it again this season.

City have won the Premier League for the second season in a row and needed to win fourteen matches in a row to do it! In a row is used to describe the same thing happening again in the same way.

Four goals were more than enough to give City the trophy for the second year running. The word 'running' is not a verb here, it’s an adjective. We often use ‘running’ after a number and a noun referring to a period of time. We say things like ‘it’s the fourth day running that has happened’ or ‘they’ve won the cup three years running’.

Liverpool finished runners-up in the Premier League this season. Runners-up is what we say to describe the team or person that comes second in a competition.

A consolation prize is usually a small prize given to players or teams that have not won. It’s the same as a consolation goal when the losing team scores one but is already 5-0 down.

We don’t know which European competitions Arsenal, Watford and Wolves will play in next season. It’s still up in the airTo be up in the air is used to describe things that have not been decided yet.

City have retained the Premier League trophy.

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?

Player of the Week: Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City)

Team of the Week: Manchester City

Goal of the Week: Jefferson Lerma (Bournemouth)

In other news: Jefferson Lerma scored a fantastic goal for Bournemouth in their 5-3 defeat to Crystal Palace.

The Big Match

FA Cup Final: Manchester City v Watford

The Premier League season has finished but the football season isn't over yet. It is the FA Cup Final this weekend between Manchester City and Watford. Rich thinks City will win the cup to complete the domestic treble but Jack thinks Watford will pull off a massive cupset. Who do you agree with?

What are your predictions? Have a listen to what Rich and Jack say and then enter our prediction competition below. You get one point for the correct result and three points for predicting the exact score.

Form

Ilkay Gundogan got one of City's goals in their 4-1 win against Brighton.

Four Questions

What do you think?

Jack and Rich have spoken about Matchweek 38 in the Premier League. 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 Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan as Player of the Week. Do you agree? 
  2. Jack and Rich selected Manchester City as their Team of the Week. Do you agree?
  3. Rich picked Jefferson Lerma's long-range strike for Bournemouth as Goal of the Week? Did you see it? Do you agree?
  4. Use this week's vocabulary: Do you think Manchester City deserved to retain the Premier League title? Will Liverpool be happy with the runners-up spot and the consolation of a place in the Champions League Final?

Don't forget to make your prediction for this week's Big Match!

Let's get the conversation started and create a community!

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Comments

hsn's picture
hsn
12/02/2022
TR
5552
points

Phrases
• Phenomenons of internet have lots of followers who try to look like or speak like them.
• Bankrupt company lost all the assets but retained royalty rights.
• It's second year running that I haven't seen my friends because of pandemic.
• Government uncertain fiscal policy still up in the air.
Note
• "Up in the air" We also use this phrase same meaning as in English.


hsn's picture
hsn
12/02/2022 17:28
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5552

Phrases
• Phenomenons of internet have lots of followers who try to look like or speak like them.
• Bankrupt company lost all the assets but retained royalty rights.
• It's second year running that I haven't seen my friends because of pandemic.
• Government uncertain fiscal policy still up in the air.
Note
• "Up in the air" We also use this phrase same meaning as in English.

QTN03's picture
QTN03
16/06/2019
VN
19
points

It seems that not many activities happens on this website?
I have browsed it for days but there are a few updates around.
Can I use this website for practicing writing skills?


QTN03's picture
QTN03
16/06/2019 15:27
Vietnam
Liverpool
19

It seems that not many activities happens on this website?
I have browsed it for days but there are a few updates around.
Can I use this website for practicing writing skills?

Khaldoun83's picture
Khaldoun83
16/05/2019
DZ
325
points

I agree with your choices but I tend to choose Mahrez's goal against Brighton as a goal of the week.


Khaldoun83's picture
Khaldoun83
16/05/2019 18:07
Algeria
Liverpool
325

I agree with your choices but I tend to choose Mahrez's goal against Brighton as a goal of the week.

elghoul's picture
elghoul
15/05/2019
DZ
3988
points

1. I have seen him playing on live. He was brilliant but I am against that idea of being the Fernandinho's successor next year. He is better as attacking mildfielder. City should recruit a sentinel this summer window.

2. City have showed great skills even if some stars were level down a bit.

3. the goal week award is obviously Mahrez's one. He scored with his second best foot, the right one at the top corner after a brilliant set off the first opponent.

4. City totally deserve their title and Mahrez was very happy with his crucial goal after being sad during most of the season ending.


elghoul's picture
elghoul
15/05/2019 19:25
Algeria
Manchester City
3988

1. I have seen him playing on live. He was brilliant but I am against that idea of being the Fernandinho's successor next year. He is better as attacking mildfielder. City should recruit a sentinel this summer window.

2. City have showed great skills even if some stars were level down a bit.

3. the goal week award is obviously Mahrez's one. He scored with his second best foot, the right one at the top corner after a brilliant set off the first opponent.

4. City totally deserve their title and Mahrez was very happy with his crucial goal after being sad during most of the season ending.

Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
15/05/2019
UA
4417
points

Of course, ManCity is a strong favourite for the FA Cup final and they are in a tremendous form at the end of the season. On contrast, Watford struggled in their last matches in Premier League, they even failed to finish in the top half of the table despite being on the 7th place just few weeks ago. So on paper, City is an absolute favourite. But that's the Cup and everything could happen in a single match. I often recon 2013 Cup final in which Wigan coached by Roberto Martinez beat ManCity 1-0. That was the season when Wigan relegated from the PL and that's why I'm going to believe in the magic of the FA Cup and I predict 1-0 win to Watford.


Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
15/05/2019 09:07
Ukraine
Watford
4417

Of course, ManCity is a strong favourite for the FA Cup final and they are in a tremendous form at the end of the season. On contrast, Watford struggled in their last matches in Premier League, they even failed to finish in the top half of the table despite being on the 7th place just few weeks ago. So on paper, City is an absolute favourite. But that's the Cup and everything could happen in a single match. I often recon 2013 Cup final in which Wigan coached by Roberto Martinez beat ManCity 1-0. That was the season when Wigan relegated from the PL and that's why I'm going to believe in the magic of the FA Cup and I predict 1-0 win to Watford.

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Goals

Improve your football English.

Practise your listening skills.

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