Due South, Or Not

Andy is feeling a little low after his ambitions were thwarted in dramatic fashion in the Manchester Marathon. Unfortunately, Erik Ten Hag's Manchester United hit roadworks of their own at the Vitality Stadium. A draw, and they were arguably lucky to escape with a point, means the team's Champions League hopes are hanging by the finest of threads. We've a full report on the match and rumours of a press conference spat involving the manager. The FA Cup offers hope for Manchester United's men, and the women will head to Wembley for the final of their equivalent after they beat Chelsea for the first time since the team's reformation. HOST: Ian Irving WITH: Andy Mitten and Carl Anka PRODUCER: Ollie Bellwood Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laurie Whitwell is called away from the airport departure lounge to fill us in on his breaking story, that Manchester United's Football Director John Murtough has left his post this week. Promoted internally and given a subtly different job title to many of his supposed equivalents, he has been viewed as a Glazer man by some with all the baggage that brings. But, as Andy and Carl explain, things are rarely as straight-forward as they appear from outside. Meanwhile, it looks like INEOS are going for more of the same from the women's team, with Marc Skinner rumoured to be close to agreeing a new deal. Can they oust Chelsea in this weekend's FA Cup semi-final? We were delighted to hear from Federico Macheda on The Athletic this week, even if it does make us feel quite old... he was full of praise for Kobbie Mainoo after the youngster's identikit goal against Liverpool. What we'd give for a follow-up at Bournemouth! HOST: Ian Irving WITH: Andy Mitten and Carl Anka PRODUCER: Ollie Bellwood Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Manchester United will finish the season unbeaten against Liverpool after another "silly" game at Old Trafford finished in a two-all draw. After an hour, Erik Ten Hag's men had achieved an xG of 0.01, yet they were level at 1-1, Bruno's magnificent 40-yard effort cancelling out the far-post finish from Luis Diaz at a corner. The game then swung completely when Kobbie Mainoo recreated Federico Macheda's famous curler. Sadly, Liverpool did square it up at the end via a Salah penalty, and the podcast team are now looking anxiously at the mid-table sides gaining ground as the run-in hots up. HOST: Ian Irving WITH: Carl Anka, Andy Mitten PRODUCER: Ollie Bellwood Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two crucial fixtures in West London in the last five days have yielded just one point for Erik Ten Hag's Manchester United. If that wasn't bad enough, they held the lead going into the 99th minute in both games. If Brentford was bad, this was an astonishing evening at Stamford Bridge. Looking fairly comfortable having put together another remarkable comeback, the Red Devils suddenly imploded to throw away all three points. So, what does this result, and the manner of the defeat, mean for Erik Ten Hag's future as Manchester United manager? HOST: Ian Irving WITH: Andy Mitten, Carl Anka, Laurie Whitwell PRODUCER: Ollie Bellwood Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead *** • Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/reddevils Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It may be Easter, but it feels a lot like a Monday as Ian Irving hosts Andy Mitten and Carl Anka to "pick over the carcass" of Saturday night's performance at Brentford. Such was the home side's dominance, it's easy to forget this finished a draw. But, after Mason Mount's late goal was cancelled out, it felt like a defeat, with comparisons even drawn to the horror show at the same venue last season. What price a win at Chelsea, then, and how will this squad look next season, with question marks over so many of the personnel in midfield and defence? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back after the international break and we are all aboard Kobbie's hype train! After the Carrington graduate bossed Belgium, it's time for the rest of the country to acknowledge what we already knew; Mainoo is the future. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions and requests; we get to as many of those as we can, covering midfield options with or without Casemiro, the future at left-back, and our podcast roles as Man United heroes. Saturday evening sees Ten Hag's men make their first of two upcoming stops in West London. Brentford are this weekend's opponents, bringing back some ugly memories for manager, fans, and podcasters alike. *** Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/reddevils Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laurie Whitwell returns to the pod to make it a full complement as we bask in the glory of a magnificent, dramatic, extra time victory over Liverpool in what is being called the greatest FA Cup win in Manchester United's history. There are so many threads to follow from a day packed with drama; the comeback, the supreme performances from young players, stories of redemption, and of course denying Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool at least one trophy in his farewell tour. Enjoy this bumper edition as we go into a short break for the international window. When we return, Erik Ten Hag's team will make their final push for the Champions League and prepare to take on Mark Robins' Coventry at Wembley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a fresh looking line-up on Talk of the Devils as Mark Critchley and Jay Harris drop by to talk Jadon Sancho, money matters, and Liverpool with Ian and Andy. Sancho got his first goal back in yellow at the weekend and Jay was at Bremen to see the game and talk to various Dortmund figures about how the United exile is doing. With Antony also failing to fire in red, it could be an interesting summer for the two big-money signings. Critch, meanwhile, has had a much less interesting assignment; he seems concerned about his new status as our US finance correspondent. And, with a massive game against Liverpool coming up this weekend, the stakes couldn't be higher for Erik Ten Hag. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once again, it wasn't pretty, but Manchester United got the job done. two-nil at home with Alejandro Garnacho winning two first-half penalties, scored by different players. The same questions remain, though. Casemiro's wasteful performance with the ball was the latest worrying midfield display and a huge performance was required by both centre halves, especially this season's unexpected hero Jonny Evans. One person who didn't enjoy Saturday's game is Evertonian Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester. He joins us to discuss his role on a new task force of "decision makers" aiming to get the ball rolling on the redevelopment of Old Trafford and the surrounding area. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The team have relocated to Hotel Football, overlooking a very famous waterway, not that Ian Irving would know. We're going in-depth today, first on Andre Onana, the subject of 'cautious optimism' and a detailed profile by Andy Mitten and Carl Anka. Slightly less optimistic, though not without hope, is the outlook for Manchester United's Women's team. They haven't been able to recreate the magic of last season having lost key players. Might they lose an even bigger asset in Mary Earps? ...and, with Everton coming to Old Trafford this weekend, there's no room for any sentiment with wins at an absolute premium. *** We’re asking you to fill out a quick survey about you and your podcast habits by going to theathletic.com/survey24. Three lucky entries will win £/$100 worth of Amazon vouchers too. • Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/reddevils Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices