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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mikel Arteta lift the FA Cup.

This Week: Cup Glory

This Week: Cup Glory

Welcome to This Week from Premier Skills English, a weekly review of football action for learners of English from across the globe. This Week, Laura, 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 -  Cup Glory

Laura: Hello my name’s Laura 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: And I’m Jack and we hope you are all well.

Laura: The Premier League season is over but Premier League teams will still be in action over the next few weeks.

Rich: We’re going to talk about what happened in the FA Cup Final, look ahead to European action and also the Play-off Final.

Jack: And on top of all that we have plenty more football English for you to learn, too.

Laura: First of all, we’re going to take a look at three football headlines and focus on some useful bits of vocabulary. 

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

Jack: And a little later we’ll also have a Premier League prediction for you. This week we’re going to talk about a crunch Champions League match between Manchester City and Real Madrid.

Laura: 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.

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.

Laura: Our latest podcast is called Learning Vocabulary: Agreeing and Disagreeing.

Rich: We take a look back at the Premier League season and decide to give out a few Premier Skills English awards.

Laura: But Rich, Rowan and Jack can’t agree and they end up arguing.

Jack: We focus on words and phrases we use to agree and disagree. You can find the lesson on the homepage on the Premier Skills English website. 

Rich: You’re now going to hear our three headlines. After each headline, we’ll have a little discussion and look at some vocabulary. 

Laura: The words and phrases we are looking at this week are: put clean through, brought down, second leg, home leg, bounce back and play off final.

Jack: After the headlines, we want you to make a Premier League prediction and we have a language challenge for you to have a go at.

Headline 1

Rich: Cup glory for Arsenal.

Jack: Arsenal won the FA Cup for a record 14th time with a come from behind victory against Chelsea. Pierre Emerick Aubameyang was the hero for the Gunners with a brilliant double. Christian Pulisic had given Chelsea an early lead before Aubameyang was put clean through before being brought down by Cesar Azpilicueta. Aubameyang made no mistake from the spot. His second, and the winning goal, was world-class, going past Kurt Zouma before chipping the keeper to win the cup for Arsenal.

Laura: Happy with the result, Jack?

Jack: Yes, very happy. I was always confident. There is something about Arsenal and the FA Cup. We’ve won it fourteen times now. Amazing stuff.

Laura: And you need to keep hold of Aubameyang.

Jack: Yes, he’s brilliant. He just gets better and better.

Rich: And the cup win also means Arsenal have qualified for the Europa League.

Jack: Yes, a great end to the season. 

Laura: Let’s have a couple of phrases from the headline. We said that Aubameyang was put clean through for his first goal.

Rich: This is a phrase we hear a lot but can be difficult to understand. It means to be put in a lot of space in front of  goal with only the goalkeeper in front of you.

Jack: A player is put through by a pass from a teammate. In the FA Cup Final. Kieran Tierney played a superb pass that put Aubameyang clean through on goal.

Laura: Aubameyang ran forward to collect the ball and there were no defenders in front of him - one defender had to tackle him from behind and concede a penalty. 

Rich: The other phrase we want to look at is to bring down. We said that Cesar Azpilcueta brought Aubameyang down. He was brought down in the penalty area and a penalty was given.

Jack: To bring someone down is a phrasal verb that means to cause someone to fall over. In football, it usually happens when one player tackles another. 

Rich: And it’s nearly always a foul. Let’s move on to our second headline.

Headline 2

Jack: Crunch European matches resume.

Laura: This week sees the return of the Champions League and Europa League with Premier League teams looking to progress in both competitions. Manchester City take a 2-1 lead into their Champions League home leg against Real Madrid while Wolves are looking to progress in the Europa League - their match with Olympiakos of Greece stands at one-one with the second leg at Molineux on Thursday.

Rich: That Manchester City - Real Madrid game should be an absolute cracker. City have been scoring loads of goals but Madrid have just won the Spanish league.

Jack: City are ahead in the tie and they have home advantage - they can do it.

Laura: Wolves now need to win the Europa League if they want to play in Europe again next season. Win the Europa League and it would be the Champions League for them next season.

Rich: Some exciting ties. Let’s look at a bit of language. We spoke about the home leg and the second leg in the headline.

Jack: The word leg is used to describe one part of a journey, competition or activity.

Laura: Imagine you are going on a long train journey from Paris to Beijing. You could talk about the Paris to Berlin leg or the Warsaw to Moscow leg. You would be talking about that part of a long journey.

Rich: Car races or rallies have legs. The Paris-Dakar rally is a famous car race. It has different legs as the cars race from France to Senegal.

Jack: It’s the same idea in football. In European competitions, there are usually two legs. One at each stadium. Manchester City are playing the home leg in their tie against Real Madrid. 

Laura: This is also the second leg. City won the first leg 2-1. 

Rich: So, you have the first leg and the second leg and also the home leg and the away leg.

Jack: Let’s move on to our third headline.

Headline 3

Laura: West London battle in richest match in football.

Rich: Tuesday evening will see the third and final team promoted to the Premier League in what is often described as the richest match in football - the Championship play-off final. The match is between Fulham who are looking to bounce back to the Premier League after one season away and Brentford who have never played in the Premier League. Whatever happens there will be another West London team in the Premier League next season.

Jack: I’m going for Fulham.

Laura: I’m going for Brentford.

Rich: Let’s look at a bit of language. We used the phrase bounce back. Fulham are looking to bounce back to the Premier League.

Jack: Bounce back is a phrasal verb that means to be successful again after some difficult times.

Laura: Fulham were relegated last season but they are hoping to get promoted this season. They are trying to bounce back.

Rich: Our last bit of language this week is the play off final. Leeds United and West Brom have already been promoted to the Premier League and on Tuesday night we will find out the final team to be promoted when the play-off final is played at Wembley.

Jack: The play offs are matches that are played between the teams that finish between third and sixth in the Championship. The play off final is between two of those teams.

Laura: This season the play off final is between Brentford and Fulham. Who do you think will win it?

Rich: OK. We’ve looked at three stories and six bits of vocabulary in our headlines. The words and phrases we’ve looked at are: put clean through, brought down, second leg, home leg, bounce back and play off final.

Jack: Have a listen to the headlines again and see if you understand the vocabulary we’ve looked at. 

Prediction

Laura: It’s time for our Premier League prediction. 

Jack: Thanks for predicting Chelsea last week. This meant that Arsenal’s FA Cup victory was never in doubt.

Rich: Yes, very good. You’d better have a go at our prediction this week.

Laura: We’re going to turn our gaze towards the Champions League.

Jack: Yes, Manchester City against Real Madrid. It should be a great match. Real Madrid have some great players but so do City and remember they hold that important advantage from the first leg. Lots of people are predicting lots of goals in this one but I think it will be tight but City will do it - a draw will be enough. Final score: Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid.

Rich: I think City will do it, too.

Laura: Me, too. So, there are our predictions. What’s yours? Do you agree? You can make your prediction for the Champions League or Europa League on the Premier Skills English website.

Language Challenge

Rich: To finish up the show we’ve got a quick language challenge connected to this week’s vocabulary.

Jack: Earlier we used the phrases home leg and second leg. Here are three other phrases which use the word leg. Can you complete each sentence?

Laura: Have you heard? Marcus Rashford is moving to Manchester City.

Rich: I don’t believe that for a minute. You’re _______ my leg.

Jack: Shall we go out for a walk? I’ve been sitting at my desk all day and need to _______ my legs.

Laura: What arguments have you in favour of that? None. You haven’t got a leg to ______ on.

Rich: We want you to write the correct answers on the Premier Skills English website where we have some more questions and activities connected to this week’s show.

Jack: Or write your answer on Apple Podcasts if that’s where you listen to us. Just write the answers in the review section and say hi.

Laura: Before we finish we just wanted to say that we hope you found this lesson useful and we hope that all of you stay fit and healthy.

Rich: Bye for now and enjoy your football.

Headlines

Cup glory for Arsenal

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang chips the ball over the keeper to score.

Arsenal won the FA Cup for a record 14th time with a come from behind victory against Chelsea. Pierre Emerick Aubameyang was the hero for the Gunners with a brilliant double. Christian Pulisic had given Chelsea an early lead before Aubameyang was put clean through before being brought down by Cesar Azpilicueta. Aubameyang made no mistake from the spot. His second, and the winning goal, was world-class, going past Kurt Zouma before chipping the keeper to win the cup for Arsenal.

Headlines

Crunch European matches resume

City beat Real Madrid in the first leg.

This week sees the return of the Champions League and Europa League with Premier League teams looking to progress in both competitions. Manchester City take a 2-1 lead into their Champions League home leg against Real Madrid while Wolves are looking to progress in the Europa League - their match with Olympiakos of Greece stands at one-one with the second leg at Molineux on Thursday.

Headlines

West London battle in richest match in football

Will Brentford or Fulham reach the Premier League?

Tuesday evening will see the third and final team promoted to the Premier League in what is often described as the richest match in football - the Championship play-off final. The match is between Fulham who are looking to bounce back to the Premier League after one season away and Brentford who have never played in the Premier League. Whatever happens there will be another West London team in the Premier League next season.

Vocabulary Alert

Language in the headlines

Wolves need to win the Europa League if they want to play in European competition next season.

We looked at six words and phrases in our headlines that you can learn to improve your English. Take a look at the phrases in bold. Do you understand what they mean?

Aubameyang was put clean through before being brought down by Cesar Azpilicueta.

Manchester City take a 2-1 lead into their Champions League home leg against Real Madrid.

Wolves' match with Olympiakos of Greece stands at one-one with the second leg at Molineux on Thursday.

The play-off final is between Fulham who are looking to bounce back to the Premier League and their local rivals Brentford.

Prediction

Champions League Prediction

Will City beat Real Madrid?

Jack has our prediction this week. He spoke about the Champions League tie between Manchester City and Real Madrid.

Jack thinks it will finish in a draw which means City will go through to the next round.

Vocabulary

Language Challenge

Marcus Rashford to City? You're ******* my leg!

Jack, Rich and Laura set you a language challenge. We used the phrases second leg and home legs earlier in the podcast and we’ve thought of three other phrases which use the word leg. Can you complete the phrases using the correct word?

I don’t believe that for a minute. You’re _______ my leg.

Shall we go out for a walk? I’ve been sitting at my desk all day and need to _______ my legs.

What arguments have you in favour of that? None. You haven’t got a leg to ______ on.

Write the correct answer in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Discuss

Talk about the headlines

How important is Aubameyang to Arsenal?

Jack, Laura and Rich looked at three stories in the news and some vocabulary that might be new to you. Now it's your turn! Have a look at the questions and write your answers in the comments section below.

  1. Did you watch the FA Cup Final? How important is Aubameyang for Arsenal?
  2. Who do you think will win the Champions League and Europa League this season?
  3. Why do you think the play-off final is sometimes called the richest match in football?
  4. Jack has predicted a final score of Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid. What's your prediction for this Champions League tie?
  5. Can you do our language challenge?

Write your comments and answers in the section below.

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Comments

hsn's picture
hsn
30/11/2020
TR
5558
points

1-Aubameyang is fast striker of Arsenal. He easily get in goal position and forces defenders of opponent teams. There are more coordinated and cooperative attacks of him with Lacazette. But he plays a little bit individually. As a result of this attitude he misses some simple goal chances. He is a good player.

2- I think, Bayern Munich will win Champions League and Arsenal win Europe League this season.

3- I like watching play-off matches. The prize that is higher quality league is one step close. So teams are very eager to win and matches have tempo. In my opinion play-off matches program must include more than three teams to give chance to the others.

4- Time run off -:)

5- Rich: I don’t believe that for a minute. You’re PULLING my leg.
Jack: Shall we go out for a walk? I’ve been sitting at my desk all day and need to STRETCH my legs.
Laura: What arguments have you in favour of that? None. You haven’t got a leg to STAND on.


hsn's picture
hsn
30/11/2020 18:11
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5558

1-Aubameyang is fast striker of Arsenal. He easily get in goal position and forces defenders of opponent teams. There are more coordinated and cooperative attacks of him with Lacazette. But he plays a little bit individually. As a result of this attitude he misses some simple goal chances. He is a good player.

2- I think, Bayern Munich will win Champions League and Arsenal win Europe League this season.

3- I like watching play-off matches. The prize that is higher quality league is one step close. So teams are very eager to win and matches have tempo. In my opinion play-off matches program must include more than three teams to give chance to the others.

4- Time run off -:)

5- Rich: I don’t believe that for a minute. You’re PULLING my leg.
Jack: Shall we go out for a walk? I’ve been sitting at my desk all day and need to STRETCH my legs.
Laura: What arguments have you in favour of that? None. You haven’t got a leg to STAND on.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
30/09/2020
UA
6578
points

Shall we go out for a walk? I’ve been sitting at my desk all day and need to take the weight off my legs.

 It's definitely about my present state. :-)


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
30/09/2020 03:59
Ukraine
Liverpool
6578

Shall we go out for a walk? I’ve been sitting at my desk all day and need to take the weight off my legs.

 It's definitely about my present state. :-)

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
30/09/2020
UA
6578
points

I don’t believe that for a minute. You’re pulling my leg.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
30/09/2020 03:56
Ukraine
Liverpool
6578

I don’t believe that for a minute. You’re pulling my leg.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
30/09/2020
UA
6578
points

What arguments have you in favour of that? None. You haven’t got a leg to stand on.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
30/09/2020 03:53
Ukraine
Liverpool
6578

What arguments have you in favour of that? None. You haven’t got a leg to stand on.

Fjchaves1991
10/08/2020
BR
185
points

Hi, everyone!

1- I saw the highlights. Aubameyang is very important for Arsenal, he's helping a lot of the team, now Arsenal need help him also, they need to improve the squade, this way Aubameyang will be even more decisive.

2 - My predctions are: Manchester City and United.

3 - I think it is because the promoted teams insure a lot of money by play the Premier League. Their revenue can grow a lot.

4 - Today is August 10, so my predction will be sure: City will win the second leg.

5 - Only one question: "Shall we go out for a walk? I've been sitting at my desk all day and need to "lengthen" my legs."

Bye and enjoy football!


Fjchaves1991
10/08/2020 16:15
Brazil
Manchester City
185

Hi, everyone!

1- I saw the highlights. Aubameyang is very important for Arsenal, he's helping a lot of the team, now Arsenal need help him also, they need to improve the squade, this way Aubameyang will be even more decisive.

2 - My predctions are: Manchester City and United.

3 - I think it is because the promoted teams insure a lot of money by play the Premier League. Their revenue can grow a lot.

4 - Today is August 10, so my predction will be sure: City will win the second leg.

5 - Only one question: "Shall we go out for a walk? I've been sitting at my desk all day and need to "lengthen" my legs."

Bye and enjoy football!

elghoul's picture
elghoul
07/08/2020
DZ
3988
points

Hi, everyone,

Vocabulary challenge first.

I don’t believe that for a minute. You’re ******* my leg.

Shall we go out for a walk? I’ve been sitting at my desk all day and need to ******* my legs.

What arguments have you in favour of that? None. You haven’t got a leg to ***** on.

 

1. I saw the EFL final on live. Aubameyang was brilliant. He brings lots of skills to Arsenal.

 

2. Bayern Munich and Man United are my favorites.

3. It is called the richest match because the winner will gain a 170 thousands pounds award.

4. Real Madrid will qualify for the Champion League next step.

 


elghoul's picture
elghoul
07/08/2020 17:18
Algeria
Manchester City
3988

Hi, everyone,

Vocabulary challenge first.

I don’t believe that for a minute. You’re ******* my leg.

Shall we go out for a walk? I’ve been sitting at my desk all day and need to ******* my legs.

What arguments have you in favour of that? None. You haven’t got a leg to ***** on.

 

1. I saw the EFL final on live. Aubameyang was brilliant. He brings lots of skills to Arsenal.

 

2. Bayern Munich and Man United are my favorites.

3. It is called the richest match because the winner will gain a 170 thousands pounds award.

4. Real Madrid will qualify for the Champion League next step.

 

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
06/08/2020
TR
6539
points

Language Challenge
1. I don’t believe that for a minute.
You’re ******* my leg.
2. Shall we go out for a walk?
I’ve been sitting at my desk all day and need to ******* my legs.
3. What arguments have you in favour of that?
None. You haven’t got a leg to ***** on.


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
06/08/2020 00:53
Turkey
Manchester United
6539

Language Challenge
1. I don’t believe that for a minute.
You’re ******* my leg.
2. Shall we go out for a walk?
I’ve been sitting at my desk all day and need to ******* my legs.
3. What arguments have you in favour of that?
None. You haven’t got a leg to ***** on.

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
06/08/2020
TR
6539
points

1. I watched the FA Cup Final with my brother who's a huge Arsenal fan and I was happy for him.
Aubameyang is Arsenal's captain and their best player in the last two seasons by far. They should do their best to keep him for years if they wanna rebuild a successful team.

2. I think the UEFA Super Cup will be Manchester Derby so my prediction is City for the Champions League for the first time in their history and United for the Europa League for the second time in 4 years.

3. I think play-off final is the richest match because it allows the winner to join the most prestigious competition on the planet for at least one year with the TV revenues and much more benefits as I heard It’s considered the most valuable one-off game in world football.
If you do the maths , the money on the table is pretty staggering.
I heard that promotion will mean an increase in revenue of at least £135million over the next three seasons.
That could rise to £265m over a five-year period if the club avoids relegation in their first season in the Premier League.

4. I'm totally convinced that Manchester City will win that game as well and go through to the quarter-finals.
Final score : Manchester City 4-1 Real Madrid.


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
06/08/2020 00:43
Turkey
Manchester United
6539

1. I watched the FA Cup Final with my brother who's a huge Arsenal fan and I was happy for him.
Aubameyang is Arsenal's captain and their best player in the last two seasons by far. They should do their best to keep him for years if they wanna rebuild a successful team.

2. I think the UEFA Super Cup will be Manchester Derby so my prediction is City for the Champions League for the first time in their history and United for the Europa League for the second time in 4 years.

3. I think play-off final is the richest match because it allows the winner to join the most prestigious competition on the planet for at least one year with the TV revenues and much more benefits as I heard It’s considered the most valuable one-off game in world football.
If you do the maths , the money on the table is pretty staggering.
I heard that promotion will mean an increase in revenue of at least £135million over the next three seasons.
That could rise to £265m over a five-year period if the club avoids relegation in their first season in the Premier League.

4. I'm totally convinced that Manchester City will win that game as well and go through to the quarter-finals.
Final score : Manchester City 4-1 Real Madrid.

alinepsilva's picture
alinepsilva
05/08/2020
BR
38
points

I don’t believe that for a minute. You’re hold my leg.

Shall we go out for a walk? I’ve been sitting at my desk all day and need to ******* my legs.

What arguments have you in favour of that? None. You haven’t got a leg to stay on.


alinepsilva's picture
alinepsilva
05/08/2020 19:19
Brazil
Chelsea
38

I don’t believe that for a minute. You’re hold my leg.

Shall we go out for a walk? I’ve been sitting at my desk all day and need to ******* my legs.

What arguments have you in favour of that? None. You haven’t got a leg to stay on.

wsanta's picture
wsanta
04/08/2020
AR
5086
points

Fulham goal!!!. The final is being broadcast and I am watching it :).


wsanta's picture
wsanta
04/08/2020 21:59
Argentina
Leeds United
5086

Fulham goal!!!. The final is being broadcast and I am watching it :).

Rich's picture
Rich
05/08/2020
ES
594
points

Rowan will be happy. She's a Fulham fan! I'm not sure that the goalkeeper's positioning was that good for the first goal. Clever finish though!


Rich's picture
Rich
05/08/2020 09:01
Spain
Liverpool
594

Rowan will be happy. She's a Fulham fan! I'm not sure that the goalkeeper's positioning was that good for the first goal. Clever finish though!

wsanta's picture
wsanta
06/08/2020
AR
5086
points

I agree with you about the position of the goalkeeper. Congratulations to Rowan!!!.


wsanta's picture
wsanta
06/08/2020 00:14
Argentina
Leeds United
5086

I agree with you about the position of the goalkeeper. Congratulations to Rowan!!!.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
04/08/2020
UA
6578
points

Aubameyang is 77% of Arsenal. Without him, the team would already have long been an average middle-of-the-table team.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
04/08/2020 09:19
Ukraine
Liverpool
6578

Aubameyang is 77% of Arsenal. Without him, the team would already have long been an average middle-of-the-table team.

Leaderboard

Top Scorers
RankNameScore
1Alex_from_Ukraine6578
2mobeckham6539
3hsn5558
4wsanta5086
5kwesimanifest4779
6Liubomyr4417
7elghoul3988
8assemjuve3705
9aragorn19863557
10Gergő Nagy3396
Country ranking
RankNameScore
1Colombia74676
2Ukraine33870
3Spain29492
4Serbia27426
5Brazil23475
6Albania20578
7Vietnam20455
8Turkey20109
9Macedonia19074
10Bosnia and Herzegovina16333
Club ranking
RankNameScore
1Manchester United146932
2Liverpool111418
3Chelsea90252
4Arsenal86253
5Manchester City58861
6Tottenham Hotspur19474
7Newcastle United10626
8West Ham United7671
9AFC Bournemouth4915
10Crystal Palace4539

Level

3
Average: 3 (1 vote)

Goals

Improve your vocabulary.

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Complete our language challenge and make a Premier League prediction.