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In this week’s football phrase we look at the expression clean sheet, which we can use with two teams after round 2 of games in the Premier League. You can read the transcript for this podcast below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts. If you have any suggestions or questions about the phrase or our podcast then you can contact us here.
For Teachers ▸ suggestions on how to use this podcast in class
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- Vocabulary focus: ‘Clean sheet’: ask students how they would use the adjective and verb ‘clean’ and the noun ‘sheet’ (you may want to introduce a sheet of paper when sharing ideas)
- Listening for gist/main idea: before showing the transcript, play the audio and ask students to note down which two teams are the focus of the podcast ?
- Listening for detail: edit a section of the transcript, removing or change key focus words. Students listen and fill in the key word or identify the difference between the script and the audio.
- Discussion: Ask the students to find similar phrases in their own language and explain them to you and their classmates
Hello
DF: Hi there everyone. My name is Damon and you’re listening to the Learn English Through Football podcast and our weekly football phrase, which focuses on some language from the beautiful game. I hope you are all doing well. I am in the UK at the moment, although I’m normally based in Japan. It’s nice to be somewhere cooler than hot and humid Tokyo. We’ve had the second round of Premier League games with my team Liverpool battling to another 2-2 draw. They keep on having to come from behind; that is they concede a goal and then equalise. How about your team? Did they pick up three points, get a draw, or lose?
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English through football podcast (in Chinese)
Today’s Main Phrase
DB: Yes, you are listening to the Learn English through football podcast and that message was in Chinese. On this week’s show, his week we are going to look at a phrase that describes two teams in the Premier League. It is connected with scores and statistics. The phrase is ‘a clean sheet‘.
(a) Clean Sheet
DB: Last week, Damian looked at the phrase ‘to punish a side‘ in relation to Hull City’s win over Manchester United. In this show we will also talk about Hull City, as they have kept a clean sheet in their first two games. To keep a clean sheet is to not concede any goals. In other words, no team has scored against them.
In their first match, Hull City beat Manchester United 2-0 and then followed that with a 1-0 win over Coventry, meaning they have started this campaign with two clean sheets.
Arsenal are another team that have kept a clean sheet in their first two league matches. The Gunners have scored goals at one end while giving away nothing at the other. Many pundits have praised Arsenal’s defence because they have conceded no goals.
Common Structures
Here are some common patterns that you may hear using ‘clean sheet’:
- Hull City kept a clean sheet against Coventry.
- Arsenal have recorded back-to-back clean sheets.
- The goalkeeper’s last minute save preserved a clean sheet.
- Arsenal’s defence secured another clean sheet.
The phrase originally comes from record-keeping or keeping statistics from matches. In the past, if no goals were scored against a team, the goals-against column on the scoresheet remained “clean” another word for empty.
Similar Expressions
There are a few similar expressions that you might hear. Instead of saying keep a clean sheet ;you can say:
- shut the opposition out
- keep the opposition scoreless
- a shutout (more common in North American sports)
- not concede a goal
For example, we could say: “Hull City shut out Manchester United and then kept Coventry scoreless a week later.” Or: “Arsenal have not conceded in their opening two matches.”
All of these expressions mean roughly the same thing: the one team prevented the other team from scoring. We can use it for a single match – Hull City kept a clean sheet again‘, or several matches – Arsenal have kept two clean sheets in a row.
So, this week’s football phrase is ‘to keep a clean sheet’, meaning to finish a game without conceding a goal.
Contact
DB: Remember, if you have any questions or comments about this week’s football expression or indeed any other football language then drop us an email at contact@learnenglishthroughfootball.com, while you can also find us on Facebook, Bluesky and Instagram. We also have a football-language forum where you can ask and answer any questions you have on the language of football. And, of course, don’t forget to support us by liking our podcasts and sharing them with your friends. Thanks!.
Language Review
DB: So, on today’s short podcast we have looked at the phrase, ‘to keep a clean sheet’, which is when one team stops another team from scoring. How would you say these expressions in another language that you know?
Stinger: You are listening to Languagecaster.com (Learn English Through Football Podcast) (from an Arsenal fan)
Goodbye
DB: Yes, you are listening to the Learn English through football Podcast, or as we were known before Languagecaster. And that was from an Arsenal fan – I am sure that he is very happy indeed this week! That’s it for this week’s football expression – ‘to keep a clean sheet’. We’ll be back with our weekly podcast at the weekend with another football-language podcast. Enjoy the football this week – ta-ra
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