We had yet another must win game at home to unbeaten Brighton, and the only change from Villa was Trossard starting against his old side.

Arsenal started purposefully and went straight in the attack, but with a few stray passes which dampened our pressure, but Raya didnt have much to for the first 15 minutes except for a couple of weak efforts from the Seagulls.

The 17th minute saw out captain Martin Odegaard given a gilt edged chance just a few yards out but didnt catch it right and the keeper easily saved it.

The next 20 mins saw 80% possession for the Gunners before Brighton had a small flurry of action in our half. A few minutes later and there was panic in the Arsenal box as a headed clearance mistake from Havertz saw the ball land at Mitoma’s left foot, but luckily he scuffed his shot.

It was not long after that a a bit of brilliant skill from Saka saw him send the ball over the defence to a running Havertz, who calmly lobbed the ball over the keeper to give us a well deserved lead.

Only one of the 17 surviving Premier League clubs from last season hasn’t increased their ticket prices – and some of those clubs have hiked prices or even completely binned concession tickets for children.

Marcus, Luke and Andy tackle one of the most burning issues in the Premier League right now. Plus, what’s the biggest false dawn in football? Would it be better if transfers were just revealed on matchday? And where does Manuel Neuer rank in the pantheon of legendary goalkeepers? Come join us!

We're back on stage and tickets are out NOW! Join us at London Palladium on Friday September 20th 2024 for 'Football Ramble: Time Tunnel', a journey through football history like no other. Expect loads of laughs, all your Ramble favourites, and absolutely everything on Pete's USB stick. Get your tickets at footballramblelive.com!

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Roll up, roll up, the Man United Circus is coming to town! Grab your trapeze and juggling balls, Marcus, Luke and Andy are here to preview the weekend's football.

Speaking of circuses, Performing monkey Luke questions whether Chelsea's 2-0 first-leg lead is enough for the return trip to Servette. Elsewhere, we get excited for a tasty tea-time treat as Arsenal travel to Aston Villa and Ringmaster Marcus tells us all why David Moyes is the Scottish Carlo Ancelotti.

Find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We're back on stage and tickets are out NOW! Join us at London Palladium on Friday September 20th 2024 for 'Football Ramble: Time Tunnel', a journey through football history like no other. Get your tickets at footballramblelive.com!

Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month, with 15% off annual subscriptions until the end of August: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble.

Marcus, Luke and Pete check in with the transfer merry-go-round as players are flung off it left and right. Various Crystal Palace defenders head for the door, while Ivan Toney’s definitely leaving Brentford - doesn’t even matter where he ends up, nobody knows anyway.

Elsewhere, Aaron Ramsdale tries to avoid repeating the exact situation he’s in right now and we get more info on Jürgen Klinsmann’s reign of terror while USMNT boss.

Find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We're back on stage and there aren't many tickets left! Join us at London Palladium on Friday September 20th 2024 for 'Football Ramble: Time Tunnel', a journey through football history like no other. Get your tickets at footballramblelive.com!

Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month, with 15% off annual subscriptions until the end of August: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble.

Lars is on the pod! Lars is on the pod! Just like João Félix at Chelsea Lars Sivertsen has returned and he joins Marcus and Pete on today’s Ramble.

Lars makes a strong start as he instantly labels Chelsea’s transfer policy as “mental”. Elsewhere Pete speculates on the colour of Jamie Vardy’s guts and Lars digs out his rulebook after we hear about a player in Peru who got sent off because he took a piss at the side of the pitch.

Find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We're back on stage and tickets are out NOW! Join us at London Palladium on Friday September 20th 2024 for 'Football Ramble: Time Tunnel', a journey through football history like no other. Get your tickets at footballramblelive.com!

Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month, with 15% off annual subscriptions until the end of August: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble.

Jamie Vardy, oh how we have missed you! On this edition of Ramble Reacts, Marcus and Luke gush over an absolutely vintage display from Vardy, featuring a Red Bull and some unbelievable s**thousery.

Elsewhere, Marcus backs Leicester to stay in the Premier League and Luke reminds us that Oliver Skipp is only 23. Get involved.

Find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We're back on stage and tickets are out NOW! Join us at London Palladium on Friday September 20th 2024 for 'Football Ramble: Time Tunnel', a journey through football history like no other. Get your tickets at footballramblelive.com!

Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month, with 15% off annual subscriptions until the end of August: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble.

It’s the first weekend and we’ve already had a referee apology, a broken VAR monitor and a dubious headbutt. Oh, how we've missed you, Big Daddy Premier League.

Today, Pete tells Marcus and Luke that the Premier League should introduce a silly sausage card. Plus, Marcus has to come to terms with the fact that Raheem Sterling could be leaving Chelsea and we hear about some fabulous shithousery in Hungary. It’s good to be back!

Find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We're back on stage and tickets are out NOW! Join us at London Palladium on Friday September 20th 2024 for 'Football Ramble: Time Tunnel', a journey through football history like no other. Get your tickets at footballramblelive.com!

Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month, with 15% off annual subscriptions until the end of August: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble.

The new season's underway, so it's time to tackle some more questions about our dear old Barclays!

Marcus, Luke and Vish wonder if the abundance of established top-flight sides might make for a competitive Premier League this year - but also decide on who's going to have the most boringly predictable mid-table season. Plus, Marcus has plans to make Fulham's new kit launch a bit more sexy and we wonder which Premier League manager (plus Jason Tindall) would last longest on Survivor.

Sign up to the Ramble’s FPL league this season right here!

Find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We're back on stage and tickets are out NOW! Join us at London Palladium on Friday September 20th 2024 for 'Football Ramble: Time Tunnel', a journey through football history like no other. Get your tickets at footballramblelive.com!

The Barclays is BACK! Pete, Vish and Luke welcome the return of our favourite ostentatious marketing exercise by deciding who will celebrate a goal this weekend with a tribute to that Turkish Olympic shooter.

Don’t worry though, there’s plenty to look forward to this season. We’ve got Andrew Tate hosting Match of the Day’s Brat summer, Erik ten Hag frantically spinning some expensive plates and Ipswich Town bringing the style - and hopefully some substance - back to the big time. It’s your blockbuster Barclays preview, so join us!

Sign up to the Ramble’s FPL league this season right here!

Find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We're back on stage and tickets are out NOW! Join us at London Palladium on Friday September 20th 2024 for 'Football Ramble: Time Tunnel', a journey through football history like no other. Get your tickets at footballramblelive.com!

That’s right, we’re mixing it up this year. Instead of only revealing our embarrassing predictions at the end of the Premier League like usual, we’re revealing them before the season even kicks off!

Marcus, Luke and Vish are here to run through their predictions for what’s shaping up to be a proper tasty Barclays bonanza. Can anyone stop Man City? Who’s going down? Will Enzo Maresca outlast Nuno Espírito Santo? Which manager will headbutt Gary Neville before the season’s out? Let’s find out!

Remember, share your predictions on our socials using #RamblePredictions. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We're back on stage and tickets are out NOW! Join us at London Palladium on Friday September 20th 2024 for 'Football Ramble: Time Tunnel', a journey through football history like no other. Expect loads of laughs, all your Ramble favourites, and absolutely everything on Pete's USB stick. Get your tickets at footballramblelive.com!

Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month, with 15% off annual subscriptions until the end of August: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble.

Today is the final episode of the Football Ramble. Sadly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has overhead kicked us into court.

Pete, Luke and Vish provide your midweek musings as the Premier League charges towards us. The cat gets revenge on Kurt Zouma, Conor Gallagher finally finds somewhere to sit, and Pete tries to release Paul Dummett into the wild… but he gets eaten by an eagle. 

And finally, of course, we pay our respects to an absolute institution of English football which has finally come to an end: Garth Crook’s Team of the Week.

We're back on stage and tickets are out NOW! Join us at London Palladium on Friday September 20th 2024 for 'Football Ramble: Time Tunnel', a journey through football history like no other. Expect loads of laughs, all your Ramble favourites, and absolutely everything on Pete's USB stick. Get your tickets at footballramblelive.com!

Find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Arsenal appears to be closing in on the signing of Mikel Merino after his manager omitted him from the squad for their game this weekend.

The Gunners have been in discussions with Real Sociedad over acquiring the midfielder in recent weeks. Arsenal has received Merino’s assurance that he is eager for the transfer to proceed and is now working to agree on a fee with Sociedad.

Despite being in the final year of his contract, the La Liga club is seeking a substantial fee for his departure. They have rejected Arsenal’s initial offer and are looking to secure around £30 million for Merino.

Arsenal remains determined to finalise the deal in the coming weeks, and Merino’s omission from Sociedad’s lineup for their La Liga match this weekend suggests the transfer could be imminent.

The manager, Imanol Alguacil, was asked about his absence from the squad and said, as quoted by the Daily Mail:

Gabriel Martinelli has praised Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz after their standout performances helped Arsenal secure a victory in their opening Premier League game of the season against Wolves.

Arsenal faced Gary O’Neil’s side with the knowledge that securing a win was crucial, and most of their players delivered strong performances. However, it was Saka and Havertz who scored the goals that ensured the victory.

While every Arsenal player deserves recognition for their contributions, Martinelli specifically highlighted the impact of Saka and Havertz in the match.

The Brazilian attacker said on the BBC:

“We know his (Saka) quality and Kai’s quality as well. They are really important for us and we trust them and we know they can decided games in a moment.”

Wolves manager Gary O’Neil maintains that his team gave a good account of themselves in their match against Arsenal today.

Wolves visited the Emirates for their opening game of the Premier League 2024/25 season. Known for its challenging atmosphere, the Emirates Stadium proved difficult for the visitors.

Arsenal dominated the match, taking two of their chances to secure a 2-0 victory. The game was largely one-sided, with the scoreline reflecting Arsenal’s strong performance, which arguably could have seen them win by an even greater margin.

Despite the result, O’Neil praised his team’s effort, asserting that they performed well despite what the final score suggests.

He said to the BBC:

William Saliba set a new record for the number of wins by an Arsenal player after the Gunners’ victory over Wolves this weekend.

The Frenchman has been a consistent presence in the Arsenal team since he made his debut in the 2022/2023 season. Arsenal signed him three summers earlier, and after several loan spells, he established himself in the first team.

Since then, Saliba has been a key member of the Gunners’ squad and has proven his worth. At just 23 years old, he has etched his name into the history books at the Emirates as the Arsenal player with the fewest games needed to reach 50 wins.

The win against Wolves was Saliba’s 50th victory in just 66 Premier League appearances. According to Fabrizio Romano, he has now surpassed Nacho Monreal as the player to achieve 50 league wins in the fewest matches, and he has kept 30 clean sheets in those games.

Just Arsenal Opinion

Pundit Paul Robinson has reacted to Arsenal’s 2-0 victory over Wolves today, insisting that not much has changed in their performance compared to last season.

Arsenal has been one of England’s top clubs for some time and reached a new high last season. Taking the league title race to the final day demonstrated their progress and set a higher standard for their performances.

As a result, they were the clear favourites for today’s match against Wolves, and their dominance was evident. Despite the final score of 2-0, Arsenal controlled most of the game, with Wolves having very few chances to challenge Mikel Arteta’s side.

After the match, Robinson acknowledged that Arsenal has simply picked up where they left off last season.

He said via the BBC:

Paul Merson commented on Arsenal’s 2-0 victory over Wolves this evening, asserting that it was a comfortable win for the Gunners.

Arsenal prepared well for the fixture as Mikel Arteta aims to challenge for the Premier League title once again.

Wolves, known for being a tricky opponent, were always expected to pose a challenge for Arsenal. However, the Gunners have been title contenders for consecutive seasons, and they demonstrated their quality throughout most of the match.

Wolves struggled to make an impact, and even during their few promising moments, it never seemed like they could truly threaten Arsenal.

In the end, Mikel Arteta’s side secured a solid opening-day win, with Merson emphasising that it was as comfortable as it gets.

Arsenal earned a commanding 2-0 victory against Wolves this afternoon to start their season with a win.

It was a new term, but Arsenal continued their effective form from the outset, piling pressure on Wolves almost immediately.

The hosts quickly demonstrated their seriousness about the fixture, with Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Martinelli all looking dangerous in front of the Wolves’ goal.

Arsenal dominated in their search for an early goal, but they had to wait until the 25th minute to take the lead. Havertz connected well with a Saka cross to open the scoring.

Wolves hardly threatened the Gunners for much of the first half, making it relatively easy for Mikel Arteta’s side. However, they remained only one goal ahead until Jorgen Strand Larsen forced a fantastic save from David Raya.

Bukayo Saka has once again showcased his brilliance with a stunning goal against Wolves this afternoon at the Emirates.

Before the goal, Wolves had been applying some pressure, and there was some slack defending from the Arsenal players, but Saka’s fantastic strike quickly settled any nerves.

The 22-year-old cut inside and unleashed a powerful shot with his lethal left foot, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance. In fact, words can hardly do the goal justice—watch one of the videos below to truly appreciate the beauty of Saka’s strike.

La spéciale de Bukayo Saka qui double la mise pour Arsenal ! #ARSWOL | #PremierLeague pic.twitter.com/yJwBXhBrji

— CANAL+ Foot (@CanalplusFoot) August 17, 2024

Arsenal have taken the lead against Wolverhampton Wanderers thanks to a well-placed header from Kai Havertz.

The Gunners started the match in control, and it seemed only a matter of time before they found the breakthrough. In the 24th minute, Bukayo Saka delivered a pinpoint cross, which Havertz expertly guided into the net with his head.

While Wolves remain a threat, Arsenal’s strong start suggests a positive opening-day result is on the cards, provided they maintain their focus and composure.

"Beautiful ball! Fabulous finish!"

Kai Havertz scores Arsenal's first goal of the 2024/25 season with a fine header! pic.twitter.com/6xdcbVmc7k