The Full Time Report — Ep.6: Burnley Down, Arsenal Up

Episode: 6 | Published: 2026-05-02 08:00 UTC | Runtime: 18m 38s

Chapters

#	Chapter	Starts at
1	Cold Open	0:06
2	GW35: Leeds 3-1 Burnley	0:46
3	Title Race and GW35 Saturday Preview	2:12
4	Arsenal Injury Crisis and Havertz Watch	4:22
5	UCL Semi: Arsenal vs Atlético (Monday, Emirates)	5:56
6	UCL Semi: PSG vs Bayern (Tuesday, Allianz Arena)	7:30
7	UEL Semis: Villa vs Forest and Freiburg vs Braga	8:55
8	Bruno Fernandes and the Assist Record	11:53
9	Transfer Desk: Salah, Gordon, Jones, Tonali, Chelsea	13:38
10	Injury Board	16:27
11	Wrap-Up	17:45

Full Transcript

[Cold Open — 0:06]

Burnley are down. Leeds are safe. And somewhere in East London, a Burnley fan is staring into a pint and questioning every decision made since the summer.

Welcome to The Full Time Report — Episode Six. I'm Tom. Saturday morning, the second of May, and there is a lot to get through.

GW35 got its first result Thursday night, and it was a thumper. Arsenal's UCL second leg looms on Monday. Bruno Fernandes is one assist from immortality. And the transfer desk is buzzing — Salah, Gordon, Curtis Jones, Tonali. All of that, plus the injury board, coming up.

[GW35: Leeds 3-1 Burnley — 0:46]

Let's start in West Yorkshire. Leeds United three, Burnley one. Elland Road on Thursday night. And honestly? It wasn't even that close.

Anton Stach opened it in the eighth minute with a long-range drive — and Daniel Farke, bless him, compared Stach to Peter Crouch after the game. Said he can be a bit sleepy and weird, plays like Crouch. Which is somehow both a compliment and the most German thing ever said about a player.

Noah Okafor then made it two in the 52nd minute, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin added a third just four minutes later. Loum Tchaouna got a late consolation for Burnley, but it was window dressing.

Leeds are now on 43 points — nine clear of the drop zone — with three games to go. Here's a stat for you: in the 38-game Premier League era, no club has ever been relegated with 43 points at the end of the season. Leeds are mathematically safe in everything but the spreadsheet.

Farke called it a massive win, and he wasn't wrong. Since Leeds switched from a four-three-three to a three-five-two back in November, they've had just four defeats in nineteen matches — ninth-best record in the league over that stretch. They went from relegation candidates to pretty comfortably mid-table. That's a real managerial turnaround.

Burnley, meanwhile, had the added chaos of Scott Parker leaving the club on Thursday — the same day as the match. So their interim boss Mike Jackson had about six hours to prepare a team who, in his own words, were shell-shocked for the first twenty-five minutes. Surprised they weren't worse.

[Title Race and GW35 Saturday Preview — 2:12]

Let's look at the wider table. Arsenal are top on 73 points from 34 games. Man City second on 70 — but they've played one fewer game. Crucially, Arsenal have that game in hand, and if they win today against Fulham, they go six clear. That is a title-race-altering gap with four games left.

Paul Merson went on Sky this week and said Arsenal win the league if they beat Fulham. Merse being Merse — it's a bit simplistic — but the logic is sound. Six-point gap, City have a tricky run-in, and Arsenal have the quality. Win today and they're almost there.

The caveat, which Jamie Carragher raised, is fatigue. Arsenal drew one-one with Atlético in Madrid on Wednesday. They've got Fulham today. Then Atlético again on Monday night. Three games in six days. Carragher called Fulham a potential banana skin — and he's got a point. Marco Silva's side are tenth, European qualification still just about in sight, and they'll be incredibly hard to break down.

Arteta on Silva this week: quote, he's one of the best managers in the league. The way he sets up his team, what he's done for the club — it's incredible. So we know how tough it's going to be.

As for the other Saturday games — Newcastle host Brighton at three, and Brentford host West Ham also at three. Newcastle badly need a win; Eddie Howe said as much after what sounded like a constructive-but-firm meeting with the ownership this week. Newcastle are 15th on 42 points — still four clear of the drop, but there are nerves.

Then Sunday — Manchester United versus Liverpool. We'll get to that fully when we hit the Bruno Fernandes segment. That one deserves its own chapter.

Quick note on the relegation picture while we're here. Spurs are in the drop zone on 34 points from 34 games. De Zerbi gave a classic rallying cry this week — quote, the losers cry, we are not relegated yet, we have to die on the pitch. Reddit, predictably, replied with just the word: yet.

West Ham are on 36, Wolves on 17 and basically doomed. Burnley confirmed as relegated after Thursday's loss. So it's really Spurs, West Ham and potentially Newcastle who need to sort themselves out in these final weeks.

[Arsenal Injury Crisis and Havertz Watch — 4:22]

Right — Arsenal injury update, because this genuinely matters for everything we're about to discuss.

Jurrien Timber is out until around the 18th of May — groin issue. Mikel Merino is out until around the 24th — that's a foot problem that's kept him out for weeks. Martin Odegaard has a knee issue and was uncertain even for today. And then there's Kai Havertz.

Havertz's season has been genuinely heartbreaking if you're an Arsenal fan. He had knee surgery in August — right at the start of the season. Four months out. Came back. Then a hamstring setback. He was forced off after 34 minutes against Newcastle in late April. He missed the first leg against Atlético. He's out for today against Fulham.

Only six Premier League starts this season. Twenty appearances in total across nine months. And Arteta came out this week and said — quote — he's been a huge miss. We're talking about one of the most important attacking players we have. He's desperate to be on the pitch as quickly as possible. Hopefully for Atlético, he will be available.

There's even a report from the Telegraph suggesting Arsenal have brought in an outside physiotherapist to review their recurring injury problems. When you're commissioning independent reviews of your own medical department mid-season title run-in, things are clearly at a critical point.

Arteta's best news this week was Declan Rice. Fifty-two, fifty-three league appearances. Consistent quality every single week. The manager was almost emotional about it — quote, to show that level of consistency is extremely rare because the demands and the standards are very, very high. Rice is carrying this Arsenal side right now.

[UCL Semi: Arsenal vs Atlético (Monday, Emirates) — 5:56]

UCL semi-final second leg — Arsenal versus Atlético Madrid. Monday night. The Emirates. Eight o'clock BST.

The aggregate is one-all after a VAR-stained first leg in Madrid. So technically Arsenal need to win to go through — or go to extra time and potentially penalties if it finishes level after ninety minutes at the Emirates.

Arsenal at home in the Champions League knockout rounds — the Emirates will be absolutely bouncing. The atmosphere could be the twelfth man. But they've got to find a way past Diego Simeone's rearguard, and they'll almost certainly be doing it without Timber and Merino, and potentially without Odegaard or Havertz.

The Atlético angle that adds texture to all of this — Antoine Griezmann. He's leaving the club at the end of the season for Orlando City in MLS. 494 appearances, 212 goals. He nearly joined Arsenal back in 2013 before the Gunners pulled the offer hours before the window closed. And now he could end his Atlético career by knocking them out.

Guillem Balague called him Atlético Madrid's greatest player ever. Said he perfectly embodies the club's spirit — total dedication, tireless running, unwavering support for the coach. Atlético have been to three European Cup finals and lost all three. Griezmann wants to change that on his way out the door.

Arsenal will back themselves at home. But this is not a gimme. Simeone sides have a habit of making every game feel like a war of attrition, and Arsenal are going into it running on fumes. Arteta's quote — four games to go, it's game two, I'm ready to go — felt like a man willing his squad to find one more gear.

[UCL Semi: PSG vs Bayern (Tuesday, Allianz Arena) — 7:30]

PSG versus Bayern — Allianz Arena, Tuesday night, sixth of May.

PSG lead five-four on aggregate after one of the great modern Champions League nights. Bayern need to score at least once and keep PSG scoreless to go through. Do that and it goes to extra time and penalties. Anything beyond that and they're through on goals.

The first leg was, by all accounts, extraordinary. Both sides abandoned the defensive script. Vincent Kompany made a specific point about this — said that against elite attackers like Kvaratskhelia and Dembélé, half-retreat tactics would be even worse than full commitment. So Bayern attacked, PSG attacked, and somehow five-four happened.

Arteta, of all people, said he watched it and called it probably the best game he'd ever witnessed. Coming from a man whose side is in the same semi-final round — that's quite the endorsement.

Now the big PSG blow — Achraf Hakimi will miss the second leg. He picked up an injury in the final minutes of the first leg and won't make it to Munich. The likely replacement is twenty-year-old Warren Zaïre-Emery filling in at right-back — the kid has done it before when Hakimi was away for AFCON, but it's still a significant downgrade against Bayern's left side.

Bayern at home, Allianz Arena packed out, one goal away from forcing extra time. I think they make a real game of it. PSG have been brilliant, but Munich is a different beast when the crowd is fully behind them. The tie is absolutely alive.

[UEL Semis: Villa vs Forest and Freiburg vs Braga — 8:55]

Europa League semis — both second legs on the seventh of May. Let's do Villa versus Forest first, because there's a genuine narrative here.

Nottingham Forest lead one-nil from the first leg at the City Ground. Chris Wood scored the penalty after a VAR-awarded handball from Lucas Digne. And then Unai Emery erupted at the post-match press conference.

Emery was furious about an Elliot Anderson challenge on Ollie Watkins — one that he said was close to breaking Watkins' ankle. The challenge wasn't punished, VAR didn't intervene, and Emery let them have it. Quote — I'm very angry at VAR. Look at the replay, this is a massive error. VAR must give explanation. This is crazy.

Now, Emery also said he's one hundred percent a supporter of VAR in principle. It just needs to actually work correctly. Which is fair. You can't selectively rage at the system — and he wasn't. He was specifically angry at a decision he felt was clear-cut and got missed.

Villa Park on Thursday night. Villa need to win to progress — a draw sends Forest through on away goals if they score, or into extra time with Villa needing to then outscore them over thirty minutes. Villa have won nine on the bounce in Europe this season, but Forest ended that streak in the first leg.

Villa injury concerns heading in — Amadou Onana is out until around the 24th of May with a knee problem. Boubacar Kamara is also out long-term. That's two first-choice midfielders missing for the biggest European night the club has had in decades.

Forest have their own injury issues — Hudson-Odoi is done for the season with a hamstring, John Victor and Willy Boly are both out, Nicola Savona out. And Ola Aina hobbled off during Thursday's first leg and is a doubt for Monday's Premier League game, let alone the second leg.

And here's the subplot — Forest are in this semi-final with their fourth manager of the season. Vítor Pereira took over mid-campaign and has somehow guided them to this stage. Steve Bates described it as a tactical masterclass against Unai Emery — a man they literally call Mister Europa League. That kind of upsets all of football logic. Forest's first Europa League semi-final in a generation, and they're in the driving seat.

The final, by the way, is in Istanbul on the 20th of May — the Besiktas Stadium. An all-English final is absolutely on the table.

The other semi — Freiburg versus Braga. Braga lead two-one and face the second leg on German soil. Mario Dorgeles came off the bench and scored a ninety-second-minute winner in Portugal to give Braga that slender advantage.

Freiburg's Julian Schuster was honest about it — said the poor start and the late goal either side of an otherwise solid defensive performance cost them. He's backing his side at home in front of their own fans. Odds have Braga at nine-to-two and Freiburg the same — genuinely too close to call.

For what it's worth — the Istanbul final with Forest or Villa against Braga or Freiburg would be a genuinely fascinating watch. Compact, tactical, a real underdog-feel European final. I'm quietly rooting for it.

[Bruno Fernandes and the Assist Record — 11:53]

Bruno Fernandes. Nineteen Premier League assists this season. One away from equalling the all-time single-season record — shared by Thierry Henry in 2002-03 and Kevin De Bruyne in 2019-20.

Tomorrow — Sunday — Manchester United host Liverpool. If Fernandes picks up an assist in that game, he ties the record. Two assists would break it outright. He has four games left to get there.

The numbers are almost absurd. He's created 114 chances this season. The nearest competitor — Sóboslai and Declan Rice — are on 61. He has 28 major chances created. Ten of his nineteen assists came from set-pieces — free-kicks and corners. He's averaging 0.79 assists per game.

What's remarkable is how the season shaped up. He had no assists until October. Then Michael Carrick came in on an interim basis in January, and in thirteen games under Carrick, Fernandes has eleven assists. From zero to record-chasing in about four months. That's a player reborn.

Carrick himself, by the way — Gary Neville was on Sky saying this game is massive for both Carrick and Arne Slot, beyond the league table. Carrick has won nine of thirteen since January and is the heavy favourite to become permanent United manager. Neville framed it as a credibility match for both dugouts. Hard to disagree.

Liverpool come in with Salah injured — still out until mid-May. Alisson also a doubt. Arne Slot said this week — quote — this team is capable of much more, but it would be helpful if everyone is available once in a while, and that hasn't been the situation throughout the whole season.

Slot did say Salah's hamstring is minor, which is relief given what he means to the club and the summer that lies ahead. More on Salah in a moment.

[Transfer Desk: Salah, Gordon, Jones, Tonali, Chelsea — 13:38]

Transfer desk time. Let's start with the big one. Mohamed Salah.

Salah is leaving Liverpool this summer as a free agent. Nine years, everything you can imagine. The only remaining question is where he goes. And the latest is that Fenerbahce have held two separate meetings with his camp.

Fenerbahce can offer him Champions League football — they qualified. They've already got Ederson from Man City and N'Golo Kante in the squad. The reported asking wage is around three hundred and thirty-three thousand pounds a week. Whether Turkey matches that, we'll see.

Egypt's team director Ibrahim Hassan said this week he personally prefers Salah staying in Europe. Said he's heard of interest from PSG, Bayern Munich, and clubs from Italy. And made a pointed comment about MLS — quote, he would be far too out of the spotlight. Which is telling — Egypt need Salah at the World Cup and visible.

Slot's quote on Salah — if a player deserves a big sendoff, it is Mo. And he's right. Whatever happens next, this summer is about giving that sendoff the occasion it deserves.

Anthony Gordon — Bayern Munich. Gordon's camp have been in contact with Bayern for months. The German side want him as their top left-wing target for the summer. Expected fee in the sixty-to-seventy-million-euro range. No formal bid yet, but the direction of travel is clear.

Worth watching how Newcastle react to that one — Gordon has been one of their better players this season, and losing him would hurt. But sixty to seventy million is hard to turn down when you're trying to balance the books under PSR.

Curtis Jones — could leave Liverpool in the summer if the right offer comes in. Contract runs until 2027, talks over an extension have stalled for months. Inter Milan remain interested since January. Several Premier League clubs also keeping tabs. Fabrizio Romano broke this one — so tier-one, take it seriously.

Sandro Tonali — update via Romano. Return to Serie A is basically impossible. Newcastle would want somewhere between ninety and a hundred and ten million euros. Italian clubs simply can't get near that. Tonali wants to stay in the Premier League, he's happy at the top level. Man United, Man City and Arsenal are all tracking the situation. City are prioritising Elliot Anderson first, United have reservations about the total cost, Arsenal haven't activated anything yet. But the Italian clubs are out of the race.

And Chelsea manager — still unresolved. Enzo Maresca appears to be on his way out. Xabi Alonso was the main target but there's been a snag around operational control — Alonso wants more say in how the football operation runs. Nothing moving fast there. Andoni Iraola — who's leaving Bournemouth — has told Romano he dreams of managing at the highest level in England. But Romano's direct quote: at this moment with Chelsea, nothing advanced or decided.

That one could run all summer. Chelsea keep doing Chelsea things.

[Injury Board — 16:27]

Quick injury board sweep before we go. Beyond Arsenal's walking wounded, here's what matters for the coming week.

Liverpool: Salah out — minor hamstring, but no GW35. Alisson a doubt for the United game; if he doesn't make it, Freddie Woodman starts. Milos Kerkez left training early this week and is uncertain.

Man United: Lisandro Martinez suspended for GW35. Matthijs de Ligt out with a back injury. Matheus Cunha had a hip problem but the manager was hopeful he'd be available — if not, Amad Diallo keeps his starting spot.

Man City: Rodri still not back training with the squad — unlikely for Monday against Everton. Ruben Dias out long-term. Gvardiol also long-term. City are being asked to do a lot with a very thin squad at the back end of the season.

Tottenham — this one's almost comical. Eight players confirmed out including Simons, Odobert, Romero, Kudus, Solanke, Davies and Kulusevski. Eight. De Zerbi is essentially solving a puzzle with half the pieces missing every single week.

Newcastle: Schar, Livramento and Krafth all out defensively. Howe building a patched-up backline every weekend right now. Not ideal when you're trying to stay in the top half.

[Wrap-Up — 17:45]

Right, that's your lot for episode six. Thank you for joining me on a Saturday morning — hope wherever you are, the coffee's hot and the results go your way.

Big week ahead. Arsenal vs Fulham kicks off later today. Tomorrow, Fernandes takes aim at history against Liverpool. Monday, Arsenal at the Emirates under the lights — the whole country will be watching. Tuesday, PSG versus Bayern in Munich. And on Thursday, Villa Park hosts what could be a remarkable Europa League semi-final second leg.

Stay with us. Episode seven drops tomorrow morning to cover everything that went down today and Sunday. And if Bruno gets that assist against Liverpool — we are going to have a very good opening line.

I'm Tom. This is The Full Time Report. See you tomorrow.

Sources Referenced (39)

Leeds United official: Leeds 3-1 Burnley match report
BBC Sport: Leeds beat Burnley to move closer to safety
The Guardian: Calvert-Lewin eases Leeds to verge of safety
Leeds United official: Farke: It's a massive win
The Leeds Press: Jackson: Shell-shocked after Parker departure
ESPN: GW35 Premier League standings
Sky Sports: Bruno Fernandes closing in on assists record
ESPN: Could Bruno break the PL assist record?
PremierLeague.com: Official assist record confirmation
Sky Sports: Man Utd vs Liverpool — massive for Carrick and Slot (Neville)
Arseblog: Arteta hails Havertz and Rice evolution
Arseblog: Arteta pre-Fulham press conference
Arsenal.com: Every word from Arteta pre-Fulham
BBC Sport: Havertz injury saga
AOL: Arsenal hopeful over Havertz return
Sky Sports (Telegraph source): Arsenal external physio review
BBC Sport: Arsenal vs Atlético preview — Griezmann farewell
BBC Sport: PSG 5-4 Bayern — UCL semi first leg
MSN: Hakimi injury — terrible blow for PSG
Sky Sports News (X/Twitter): Arteta on PSG-Bayern — best game ever
UEFA: Forest 1-0 Villa — UEL semi highlights
Sky Sports: Forest 1-0 Villa — Wood penalty
Sky Sports: Emery fumes at VAR — Anderson challenge
UEFA: Braga 2-1 Freiburg — Dorgeles 92nd-minute winner
The Lines: UEL semi odds and Istanbul final
Onefootball: Salah in talks with Fenerbahce
BBC Sport: Arne Slot pre-Man Utd press conference — Salah minor injury
Threads: Anthony Gordon Bayern Munich contact
Threads/Romano: Curtis Jones could leave Liverpool
Onefootball/Romano: Tonali transfer update
ReadChelsea/Romano: Iraola Chelsea update — nothing advanced
Sky Sports: Merson/Carragher Arsenal-Fulham punditry
FPL Scout: GW35 injury updates
PremierLeague.com: Predicted line-ups GW35
PremierInjuries: Club-by-club injury table
NBC Sports: GW35 injuries and suspensions snapshot
BBC Sport: De Zerbi Tottenham rallying cry
BBC Sport: Eddie Howe pre-Brighton press conference
RotoWire: Ola Aina injury — hopeful to play Monday

Audio and Music Credits

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