MNC: Arsenal’s wobble, the case for Carrick & are Liverpool “soft”?
Football Daily
BBC
4.3 • 4.6K Ratings
🗓️ 26 January 2026
⏱️ 54 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
All the reaction as top of the table Arsenal drop points to Manchester United at the Emirates. Chris Sutton, Steph Houghton and Rory Smith join Mark Chapman to discuss Sunday’s result in North London – are the nerves kicking in for Arsenal? And could Manchester United have a dilemma on their hands if Michael Carrick’s impressive start continues? They turn their attention to the south coast where Liverpool were beaten by Brighton – ending an unbeaten start to 2026. Have those results papered over the cracks of a “soft” Liverpool team? And they look back at the weekend’s VAR and handball controversy – were the rules applied correctly for Chelsea’s penalty at Crystal Palace?
TIME CODES: 00:30 – Arsenal 2-3 Manchester United 34:35 – Liverpool 45:30 – VAR & Handball
5 Live / BBC Sounds UEFA Champions League commentaries: Wed 2000 PSG v Newcastle, Wed 2000 Man City v Galatasaray on Sports Extra, Wed 2000 Napoli v Chelsea on Sports Extra 2.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio Podcasts. |
| 0:05.7 | Hello, you're about to listen to a BBC podcast, and I'm Ed Gamble, host of another BBC podcast, The Traitors Uncloaked. |
| 0:12.7 | But my show is available only on BBC Sounds, just like Ellis and John's Saturday bonus episodes, |
| 0:18.2 | The Pop Top Ten podcast with Scott Mills and Rylan, and comedy specials |
| 0:22.2 | from the likes of Harriet Kemsley, Susie Ruffle and Rommashranganathan. |
| 0:26.0 | However, and maybe I'm biased, it's really all about the traitors uncoaked. |
| 0:30.3 | So for a whole bunch of exclusive scoops and podcasts, listen only on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:36.2 | This is the Monday Nightclub with Mark Chapman. |
| 0:39.7 | On the Football Daily podcast. |
| 0:42.2 | Welcome to the Monday nightclub. |
| 0:44.1 | Chris Sutton, Rory Smith and Steph Alton are with us. |
| 0:47.6 | Only one place to start, and that's at the Emirates. |
| 0:50.2 | Arsenal 2, Manchester United 3. |
| 0:58.3 | Arsenal with a four-point lead at the top of the table. |
| 1:03.6 | We will start with them and then come on to Manchester United in a little while. |
| 1:08.8 | I had an Arsenal fan this morning, Steph, text me going, I haven't slept. |
| 1:12.8 | And I'm thinking, your four points clear. Isn't that a bit of an overreaction? Yeah, I do feel as though it is, I think, even the interviews that were done |
| 1:18.9 | after the game, I think, yeah, of course, it's disappointing to lose at home and to have that |
| 1:24.3 | unbeaten home record taking away by Manchester United. |
| 1:32.3 | But as a neutral, it was a really, really good game and to see two teams that really wanted to win it. |
| 1:37.4 | But I do feel as though when Arsenal goal 1-0 up, they're very much in control of the game. |
| 1:44.0 | But when United get that goal back, he can sense there's a bit of nervousness around the players, around the stadium, around the fans. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.