Manchester

With Manchester City needing to win their game in hand against Tottenham on Tuesday to leapfrog Arsenal and head into the final game of the season at the top of the Premier League table, the We're Not Really Here podcast have been discussing the crucial trip to north London and whether they can keep their title destiny in their own hands.

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BBC Radio Manchester's Gaz Drinkwater has defended Old Trafford after images of the roof of Manchester United's stadium leaking after defeat to Arsenal on Sunday were widely circulated.

United say 41mm of rain fell in the two hours following the final whistle of the defeat by Arsenal. Last year, only 29mm fell at Old Trafford in the whole of May.

"Let's have it right on the rain situation - that was biblical," Drinkwater told the latest episode of The Devil's Advocate podcast.

"I will criticise Old Trafford when it needs to be criticised and it can't handle those sort of weather conditions. But, I don't think there are many stadiums that can handle those kind of weather conditions.

"From what I've seen, it did look absolutely insane. I understand people will have a go at Old Trafford and its leaky roof and we all know about that but let's not forget that is getting sorted. The talks are in place.

"Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Ineos, it seems to be that they want a new stadium and I think that is what is going to happen.

"It's not good, it's not great, but it's getting sorted out. Everyone calm down a bit.

"I'd still rather Old Trafford than some soulless bowl like a load of football teams play in."

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With the Premier League title race now guaranteed to go down to the final day of the season, BBC Radio Manchester's We're Not Really Here podcast has been reflecting on the big win over Fulham that took Manchester City (temporarily) to the top of the table.

The team are also joined by Arsenal fan Tom Canton from Football.London as they look ahead to the defining week of the 2023-24 campaign.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

On the latest episode of BBC Radio Manchester's The Devils' Advocate podcast, Gaz Drinkwater and Joe McGrath are fed up again after losing again in the Premier League, this time to Arsenal.

They are also joined by Michala Hulme to chat about the women's FA Cup win over Tottenham at Wembley.

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As Manchester United chased an equaliser against Arsenal on Sunday, the bright blue sky above Old Trafford rapidly gave way to thunderstorms and heavy rain.

Those conditions could easily act as a metaphor for the Red Devils' season, where hopes of battling with the Gunners and Manchester City at the top of the table have turned to frustration at another campaign of disappointment.

Erik ten Hag's future at Old Trafford remains uncertain. He has a year left on his contract but there has been growing speculation new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who was in attendance on Sunday, might be tempted to make a change.

The former Ajax boss understandably points to the volume of injuries his side has had to contend with this season.

"Every manager can always do better," he said after Sunday's game. "I have been here two years and only one time had a full group of players.

"It is like swimming with your hands on your back and you have to keep your head above the water level."

Despite the issues United have had this season, they do have the FA Cup final to look forward to.

But their opponents in that game are Manchester City and Ten Hag knows his side will need to show significantly more fight if they are to finish a disappointing season on a high.

Read the full article here

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BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty is answering all of your footballing questions.

Anonymous asked: I wondered what you made of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's decision not to attend the women's FA Cup final? Personally I was disappointed and it seemed an easy PR win too. I know Manchester United v Arsenal is a big game but it was pretty much meaningless for his side. It would have been a good statement of what was to come.

Phil answered: In my opinion this was a mistake.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe should have been at Wembley watching Manchester United win the women's FA Cup for the first time unless there were very pressing strategic reasons why he was not there and unavoidable commitments at Old Trafford.

This may, of course, have been the case.

Ratcliffe did meet Labour leader and Arsenal fan Sir Keir Starmer at which a new stadium would have been discussed along with Lord Coe, chair of the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force.

This may have been the reason behind Ratcliffe’s absence from Wembley, because the Arsenal game was not vital.

It was certainly a pity he was not at Wembley to see United's victory there and would have been a great show of support for the women's team.

Pep Guardiola has spoken to the media before Manchester City's Premier League trip to Tottenham.

Here are the main lines from his news conference:

• On injuries, Guardiola said: "Jack (Grealish) is recovered from his illness and Nathan (Ake) was much better yesterday. I don't think it's serious but it's just three days since the last game."

• On his side never winning a league game at Spurs' new stadium: "We played really well many times but we were not able to score and win games. This is the time to do it. Otherwise, Arsenal will be champions."

• On the pressure of having to win: "The mindset is easy because if we don't win, we don't win the Premier League. The right tension and focus has to be there. If we play these games relaxed, it's a big problem. They (Tottenham) are going to play for qualification for the Champions League. It is huge for them and we have a huge target as well."

• On the prospect of becoming the first English club to win four consecutive titles: "We know what we are playing for, how difficult it is to be here. We have to do something special, exceptional I would say. We have something unique in front of us. There are a lot of things I enjoy, not just arriving at this stage of the season. There are 10 months where we work to get to this point."

We asked for your views on Sunday's match between Manchester United and Arsenal.

Here are some of your answers:

Manchester United fans

Andy: Wow! How was that 1-0? United awful, disjointed, disappointed - just three adjectives I can think of. Luckily I was watching on TV but imagine spending good money to watch this team. I’m sorry but don’t blame injuries. This team is poor and lack confidence, direction and consistency. Worst team ever and I started watching them in 1972.

Ramesh: Very poor performance by Manchester United. Sad to see this United team playing like school boys.

Moeed: Chaotic, disorganised, confused. Those words summed up Manchester United's team performance today, except for the likes of Garnacho, Diallo and Dalot. Those three weren't even exceptional, they just showed the standard which would probably be labelled as average in a side like Manchester City or Liverpool. Huge reset needed this summer immediately!

James: Manchester deserve to be where they are, best of the mid-table in the Premier League. They have not played well enough to deserve European football. There are six players who deserve to be in that dressing room, the rest belong in Sunday league.

Arsenal fans

James: Sub-par performance, not enjoyable in the slightest, but a win. Some lazy passes when they ought to be more smooth. Not a good United team so perhaps a missed opportunity for the goal difference. But we’ve taken it to the last day, which is the very least I could have asked for before kick off.

Martin: Very nervy and as sloppy as I've seen Arsenal all season but our defence came through again, and United didn't have the quality to hurt us. Feels bad to depend on Tottenham, but that's where we are. Just get that win against Everton and see what happens.

Peter: The worst I've seen Arsenal play this season. They struggled to put two passes together. We were lucky it was United we were playing.

David: Arsenal never really looked at it. They seemed nervous and very unlike the Arsenal we all know. The players seemed nervous and very unsettled. They knew a win would take it to the last day so I think it played on their minds.

We asked for your comments after Saturday's match between Fulham and Manchester City.

Here are some of your answers:

Fulham fans

David: A good start from us but conceding a soft goal early on did not bode well. Always felt City could turn it on as needed. In the end we were just outclassed. City are that good I'm surprised they didn't win Eurovision song contest later that day.

Alex: I thought Fulham got off to a decent start, then five passes later we were a goal down. A good season for us but work needed in the summer to rebuild.

Eric: Garbage from the get-go. They never lifted their heads to have a good game. They were blitzed by a exceptional side for sure but Man City were made to look better due to a lacklustre Fulham.

Sew: Well, this result clearly shows Fulham did not take it seriously. They haven't taken this game seriously all week after opting to fly kites instead of working on their gameplan.

Manchester City fans

Usama: That is what you call a complete performance. Controlled the game from start to finish and didn’t give Fulham any breathing space. Outstanding from every individual on the pitch. Hopefully Ake’s injury doesn’t keep him out. Only negative from the game was that Haaland chance. He’s got to bury that but he will get plenty more in the games to come.

Ian: A polished performance, Bernardo was exceptional in every respect, especially his one-touch passes and Josko Gvardiol finished like Haaland (usually does) - what greater compliment could I pay him?

Bob: We tired yet another side out and punished them in the second half. Still need to work on dealing with long balls behind the defence - fortunately Fulham were ultimately toothless in attack.

Major: They know how to win important matches. For the past three years, they have controlled their destiny.

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United are mopping up this morning after more than a month’s worth of rain fell in two hours around the end of their Premier League game with Arsenal yesterday.

United say 41mm of rain fell in the two hours following the final whistle of the defeat by Arsenal. Last year, only 29mm fell at Old Trafford in the whole of May.

The extreme conditions, which affected a wide area of Greater Manchester and Cheshire, led to rain pouring off the roof into parts of the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand.

There was some leakage into the stand while other areas of the ground, including the away dressing room were also affected.

The stadium is drying out and a clean-up operation is ongoing to ensure Old Trafford is fine to host its final game of the season, against Newcastle on Wednesday.