This Week: A force to be reckoned with

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

In This Week, we’ve got lots of interesting words and phrases to help you talk about football in English.

If you are listening to this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify you can also visit the Premier Skills English website at britishcouncil.org/premierskillsenglish where you’ll be able to download the podcast.

On the Premier Skills English website, you can read the transcript and join the Premier Skills English community by completing a language task in the comments section. This will really help you remember the new words and phrases from the stories from the Premier League.

This week, I’ve got three stories for you. I’m going to talk about Brentford’s trip to Anfield, The West Midlands derby between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa and Arsenal’s trip to Newcastle.

The vocabulary from the stories that I’m going to talk about this week is:

• a polished display
• to scramble
• a tussle
• to guarantee
• a scrum
• a force to be reckoned with
• a cracker

But before I get to this week’s stories, I want to give you the answer to last week’s football phrase. If you didn’t hear it last week, here’s one more chance to guess now.

Last week’s football phrase was just a word and the word was ********.

In football, often, defenders are supposed to stay close to a member of the other team to stop them getting the ball. If a player is unmarked, it means that nobody is watching them and trying to stop them from getting the ball. If a player is unmarked when the other team has a free kick close to your goal, then that player will be a target for the player taking the free kick.

Congratulations to Taha Gashout from Libya, Renan from Brazil, Satt from Japan, Vietnguyenngo from Vietnam, Ryoihei from Japan and Bicooz from Egypt. It was another really tricky one last week and some people made some good guesses, but couldn’t quite work out that the word I was looking for was unmarked.

At the end of this podcast, there is a language challenge and a new football phrase for you to try to work out.

Now it’s time for this week’s first story. When you listen, I’d like you to try to answer the following question:

Whose header set up Salah to score?

Salah strike secures victory

Liverpool hosted Brentford on Saturday and put on a polished display. Brentford have been having a great season and were only 10 points behind their hosts in the league.

Mohamed Salah put the home side ahead after a sustained attack in the 13th minute. The Egyptian forward forced a corner kick which was taken by Alexander-arnold. The ball looped over the scrum and was met by Ivan Toney who headed the ball away from the goal, but only as far as Curtis Jones who knocked the ball wide to Salah. Salah crossed the ball in but this time Ben Mee got there first and headed the ball down. Jones was there again and this time he tried his luck with a shot, but the ball rebounded off Aaron Hickey. The ball bounced out to Fabinho who passed wide to Alexander-Arnold who knocked it on to Salah. Fabinho slipped past his marker. Salah slotted the ball through. Fabinho saw van Dijk at the back post and delivered a perfect cross. Vin Dijk saw Salah running in so headed the ball across the goal mouth for Salah to scramble over the line and into the net.

Brentford had a few good chances to equalise and Mbeumo hit the net following a very impressive run. Unfortunately for the Bees, the assistant’s referee’s flag was up and the goal was not allowed.

Final score: Liverpool 1 - 0 Brentford

Before the story, I asked you:

Whose header set up Salah to score?

The answer is Virgil van Dijk. Van Dijk saw Salah running in so headed the ball across the goal mouth for Salah to scramble over the line

The language from the story that I want to talk about is:

• a polished display
• to scramble

A polished display

The adjective polished means stylish and skillful. It comes from the verb to polish which means to rub something with a piece of cloth or a brush until it shines. Normally people polish shoes or boots and you can also polish furniture. When I was a kid, one of my chores, that is one of the jobs in my house was to polish the furniture. I had to dust it and then spray some furniture polish and then rub it with a cloth till it was really shiny. If something is polished, then it looks like someone has polished it. If you describe a person as polished, then you might mean they are very well dressed and refined. If you are describing their ability to perform a task, then if they are polished, they look like they have practised the skill a lot so they are able to perform it with great skill and in a stylish way. When Liverpool hosted Brentford, they looked skilful and stylish. Their performance was very polished.

To scramble

I included the verb to scramble because the commentator used it several times during the match. Normally, it means to move quickly, or climb quickly in a way that looks like it takes a lot of effort, often using your hands as well. You might scramble up a bank, grabbing clumps of grass and plants on your way to help you get up. On the football pitch, it makes me think of players who are very nimble on the ball who advance but weave and turn to get past defenders. When Salah scored, he did so by throwing his body against the ball and only really struck when he was practically inside the goal. I know I said that Liverpool put on a polished display, but Liverpool’ms goal was not a very polished example. Salah got the ball over the line, but it took more effort than most shots as the Egyptian used his chest and boot to scramble the ball over the line.

Now it’s time for this week’s second story. When you listen, I’d like you to try to answer the following question:

Who scored the winning goal?

Villa denied victory in the West Midlands derby

Wolverhampton Wanderers welcomed their West Midland rivals Aston Villa on Saturday, determined to do better than they had against Brighton the week before. Going into the match, they were seven points clear of the relegation zone and a win would guarantee their survival.

Villa, on the other hand, were sitting behind Spurs in 6th and have had their best season in years.

Tensions were high when Ruben Neves fired in Wolves’ first corner. A tussle in the box caused the referee to blow his whistle and the corner had to be retaken. Most of Wolves attackers and Villa’s defenders were practically in a scrum as the ball flew over to Toti who had pulled his way clear and leapt to head home and put Wolves ahead.

With only 9 minutes on the clock, Villa looked like they should at least equalise. The visitors had the majority of the possession and racked up 16 shots, ten more than their opponents.

Ollie Watkins teed up Buendia perfectly who struck the ball well, drawing a magnificent save from Jose Sa.

Later, Tyrone Mings missed a glorious opportunity to equalise after Douglas Luiz played the ball in perfectly from a free kick. Mings was the first to the ball, but couldn’t keep it down and blasted the ball over the crossbar.

Final score: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 - 0 Aston Villa

Before the story, I asked you:

Who scored the winning goal?

The answer is: Toto Gomes. Toti broke free from the scrum to leap in the air to head the ball into the goal.

The words from the story that I want to talk about are:

• A tussle
• To guarantee
• A scrum

A tussle

A tussle is a fight or an argument. When it’s a physical fight, it means pushing and pulling rather than hitting and kicking. So referees allow a bit of tussling when there’s a corner kick. Players often get away with some quite physical moves, pushing through or barging past other players to get to the ball.

To guarantee

If you guarantee something, you make certain that it will happen. Normally, when you buy something, it is guaranteed by the seller and often the manufacturer as well. If it breaks right away, the seller has to repair it or replace it. I had a laptop that kept breaking, so I took it back and it was sent for a repair several times. I didn’t have to pay for the repairs because the laptop was guaranteed. When Wolves beat Aston Villa and earned three points, this meant that there was no way that they could be relegated. They are far enough ahead of the teams at the bottom of the table now that even if they lose their last three matches, they will still be ahead of the bottom three. They have guaranteed their survival in the Premier League.

A scrum

Normally, the word scrum is used to describe part of a rugby match where both teams form a wall by locking their arms over each other and push forward against the opposing team with their heads down. It’s a very physical part of the match. Outside of talking about rugby, it means a situation where a group of people all push against each other to try to get somewhere or do something. You might hear about a scrum in a shop if there’s a very popular item on sale for a low price.

Now it’s time for this week’s third story. When you listen, I’d like you to try to answer the following question:

Who upset the Newcastle fans?

Ødegaard leads Arsenal to victory at Newcastle

When Arsenal travelled to St James’ Park on Sunday, they knew they were in for a tough match. Since Newcastle were taken over in October, Eddie Howe has turned the Magpies into a force to be reckoned with, especially at home.

When the match got underway, Newcastle attacked hard and looked like they were out for blood. After 10 minutes Bruno Guimarães went for goal and drew cheers from the crowd when his shot appeared to strike Jakub Kiwior’s hand. The referee pointed to the spot, but after checking the replays the referee judged the ball to have come off Kiwior’s thigh and changed his mind.

The crowd was not happy

4 minutes Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard made things worse when he scored with a cracker from outside the box.

Saka almost doubles Arsenal’s lead following a beautiful through ball and run, only to drive the ball straight into Nick Pope. And just before half time, Ødegaard fired again and again Pope saved the goal.

In the second half, Newcastle kept up the pressure, twice hitting the woodwork, but lacked the quality of finish they needed.

Eventually, Martinelli doubled the Gunners’ lead following a fantastic solo run. He had Saka and Odegaard running it to support him, but there were five Newcastle defenders piling in. Martinelli fired a low shot towards goal that rebounded in off the leg of Newcastle’s Fabian Schär.

Final score: Newcastle United 0 - 2 Arsenal

Before the story, I asked you:

Who upset the Newcastle fans?

The answer is: Well ... first it was Jakub Kiwior who the fans were sure had blocked Guimaraes’ shot with his arm and then it was the referee who checked the replay and decided it wasn’t a penalty and that the ball had come off Kiwior’s thigh.

The phrase and word from the story that I want to talk about are:

• a force to be reckoned with
• A cracker

A force to be reckoned with

We use the phrase a force to be reckoned with to describe a really powerful person or organisation. It’s often used within a specific context, perhaps an area of business or in sport. So you might hear someone describe a young tennis player as a force to be reckoned with if they are starting to win lots of matches and look like they might challenge the champions.

A cracker

The word cracker is used in several different ways. It can be used to describe a savoury biscuit and it can also describe a little christmas ... cracker. Christmas crackers are a bit strange. They are paper tubes with small toys and paper hats inside. They are designed to be pulled apart by two people and they have a tiny firework that makes a cracking sound, when they are pulled apart. That’s not what I meant in the story. The meaning I used in the story, when I described Ødegaard’s goal as a cracker, is an informal British use and it means that the goal was very good, it was exciting because it was so good. You can describe anything that’s so good that it’s exciting as a cracker. A really good match might be a cracker. Any high quality exciting competition or move could be called a cracker.

OK, that's 7 words or phrases from the stories today. They were:

• a polished display
• to scramble
• a tussle
• to guarantee
• a scrum
• a force to be reckoned with
• a cracker

Listen to the stories one more time to hear the language in context.

Salah strike secures victory

Liverpool hosted Brentford on Saturday and put on a polished display. Brentford have been having a great season and were only 10 points behind their hosts in the league.

Mohamed Salah put the home side ahead after a sustained attack in the 13th minute. The Egyptian forward forced a corner kick which was taken by Alexander-arnold. The ball looped over the scrum and was met by Ivan Toney who headed the ball away from the goal, but only as far as Curtis Jones who knocked the ball wide to Salah. Salah crossed the ball in but this time Ben Mee got there first and headed the ball down. Jones was there again and this time he tried his luck with a shot, but the ball rebounded off Aaron Hickey. The ball bounced out to Fabinho who passed wide to Alexander-Arnold who knocked it on to Salah. Fabinho slipped past his marker. Salah slotted the ball through. Fabinho saw van Dijk at the back post and delivered a perfect cross. Vin Dijk saw Salah running in so headed the ball across the goal mouth for Salah to scramble over the line and into the net.

Brentford had a few good chances to equalise and Mbeumo hit the net following a very impressive run. Unfortunately for the Bees, the assistant’s referee’s flag was up and the goal was not allowed.

Final score: Liverpool 1 - 0 Brentford

Villa denied victory in the West Midlands derby

Wolverhampton Wanderers welcomed their West Midland rivals Aston Villa on Saturday, determined to do better than they had against Brighton the week before. Going into the match, they were seven points clear of the relegation zone and a win would guarantee their survival.

Villa, on the other hand, were sitting behind Spurs in 6th and have had their best season in years.

Tensions were high when Ruben Neves fired in Wolves’ first corner. A tussle in the box caused the referee to blow his whistle and the corner had to be retaken. Most of Wolves attackers and Villa’s defenders were practically in a scrum as the ball flew over to Toti who had pulled his way clear and leapt to head home and put Wolves ahead.

With only 9 minutes on the clock, Villa looked like they should at least equalise. The visitors had the majority of the possession and racked up 16 shots, ten more than their opponents.

Ollie Watkins teed up Buendia perfectly who struck the ball well, drawing a magnificent save from Jose Sa.

Later, Tyrone Mings missed a glorious opportunity to equalise after Douglas Luiz played the ball in perfectly from a free kick. Mings was the first to the ball, but couldn’t keep it down and blasted the ball over the crossbar.

Final score: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 - 0 Aston Villa

Ødegaard leads Arsenal to victory at Newcastle

When Arsenal travelled to St James’ Park on Sunday, they knew they were in for a tough match. Since Newcastle were taken over in October, Eddie Howe has turned the Magpies into a force to be reckoned with, especially at home.

When the match got underway, Newcastle attacked hard and looked like they were out for blood. After 10 minutes Bruno Guimarães went for goal and drew cheers from the crowd when his shot appeared to strike Jakub Kiwior’s hand. The referee pointed to the spot, but after checking the replays the referee judged the ball to have come off Kiwior’s thigh and changed his mind.

The crowd was not happy

4 minutes Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard made things worse when he scored with a cracker from outside the box.

Saka almost doubles Arsenal’s lead following a beautiful through ball and run, only to drive the ball straight into Nick Pope. And just before half time, Ødegaard fired again and again Pope saved the goal.

In the second half, Newcastle kept up the pressure, twice hitting the woodwork, but lacked the quality of finish they needed.

Eventually, Martinelli doubled the Gunners’ lead following a fantastic solo run. He had Saka and Odegaard running it to support him, but there were five Newcastle defenders piling in. Martinelli fired a low shot towards goal that rebounded in off the leg of Newcastle’s Fabian Schär.

Final score: Newcastle United 0 - 2 Arsenal

Language Challenge

Right, now it’s time for you to think about the language again.

Your challenge this week is to complete the gaps in the following sentences with the correct forms of the words that I’ve spoken about in this podcast. I have taken all of these sentences from news websites and edited them slightly.

Faced with a cost-of-living crisis, more than 90 organisations today called on politicians in the United Kingdom to guarantee social security payments ensure recipients can enjoy their rights and live with dignity.

Number 1. Faced with a cost-of-living crisis, more than 90 organisations today called on politicians in the United Kingdom to ___________ social security payments ensure recipients can enjoy their rights and live with dignity.

Number 2. Northampton’s Coronation Community Festival line up has been announced...and it's going to be a _________!

Number 3. Motoring journalists are calling Honda’s entire SUV range a _________________________.

Number 4. Manchester City have booked their place in the final after a ______________ performance saw them overcome their rivals.

Number 5. Northampton's bus operator has appealed for common sense after video of a _____ at Drapery bus stop

Number 6. Four or five goats escaped from their enclosures and __________ across San Francisco last week, captured in videos posted on social media.

Number 7. Two alleged shoplifters were injured in a _______ with store security in a department store in Pasadena.

Leave your answers to the language challenge in the comments section on the Premier Skills English website.

Football phrase

Now it’s time for this week's football phrase.

The football phrase this week is the job title of a person who works at a football match. They work as part of a team, but they are not the main person on the team. This person helps make sure that the play is stopped if a player is offside. They raise their flag if they see that a player is trying to take advantage of an offside position. They are the ********* ********.

If you know the answer, be sure to leave it in a comment on the page for this podcast on Premier Skills English.

Before I finish, I am going to go through the answers to last week’s language challenge.

Number 1. In the finale of The Piano, a TV series, the blind pianist Lucy stunned the audience with a sublime performance of a Debussy Arabesque.

Number 2. The F1 team tried to explain why soft tyres for the sprint race looked like a gamble worth taking.

Number 3. Find out about the controversial Crown Jewels to be used in King Charles III's coronation.

Number 4. Dog walkers in a park in Glasgow are being warned about letting their dogs intimidate ducks and other nesting birds.

Number 5. The weather forecast on the BBC predicts miserable weather for the Coronation long weekend.

Number 6. There is a new feature on mobile phones designed to stop people clumsily walking into things.

Number 7. Despite valiant attempts to trace the owner of the bags, hundreds of thousands of pounds in cash that was found in a rubbish dump still goes unclaimed.

Number 8. American whiskey salvaged from a 170-Year-Old shipwreck could be worth millions.

Number 9. A collection of exquisite 18th-century porcelain will be included in an auction in Chard next week.

Number 10. A police officer was unfazed when he investigated a car parked on the side of a motorway and discovered a pregnant woman in the final stages of labour. The officer helped to deliver the baby on the front seat of the car.

Number 11. Lionel Messi leads Argentina to glory - is he now football's greatest?

And that’s all I have time for today. Before I finish, I just wanted to say that I hope you found this podcast useful, and I hope all of you stay fit and healthy and safe.

Bye for now and enjoy your football.