Tom Hancock analyzes the latest round of matches in the EFL Cup.

United are back among the goals

Man Utd 5-2 Leicester

With Ruud van Nistelrooy taking over the caretaker role following the departure of Erik ten Hag on Monday. Manchester United In the 11-and-a-half years since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, they have had as many managers as they had in the 68 years from the end of the Second World War to the aftermath.

Media reports suggest United are eyeing Sporting boss Ruben Amorim as Ten Hag’s successor, but Van Nistelrooy looks likely to be on the bench for Sunday’s Premier League clash. Chelsea.

And the Old Trafford faithful may not care.

With the former Premier League Golden Boot winner at the helm, United put on a goal-packed display to reach the EFL Cup quarter-finals for the fifth time in six years, finding the net as many times as they had in their previous six league outings. .

Fernandes’ goal against Leicester

Van Nistelrooy did not make any radical changes to the system, sticking to Ten Hag’s basic 4-2-3-1 formation and retaining the attacking midfield trio. Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes And Alejandro Garnachobut he has scored plenty of goals from a team that has struggled to score goals lately.

In the league this season, United have conceded just eight goals from an Expected Goals (xG) total of 14.8, the sixth highest in the league. Last night they performed very well on their xG.

Clearly there is still a certain softness in United’s defence, but their problems will never be solved overnight and Van Nistelrooy has at least shown what is possible for the man who will be in the Premier League’s hot seats – which is not yet possible to be him.

To see: Man Utd report

Confidence increased in Werner

Spurs 2-1 Manchester City

Timo Werner First goal of the season proves he has something to offer Spurs Manchester CityFirst defeat of the 2024/25 season.

Having chosen to initiate the 17 year old excitement Mikey Moore against Crystal Palace Last time in the Premier League, Ange Postecoglou He brought Werner back into the starting XI as he continues his quest to give the North Londoners their first trophy since winning the competition 16 years ago.

Postecoglou also supported the German striker in finding form. “It was great for him to score tonight and at a crucial moment in the game,” he said. “I hope this helps him move forward.”

Werner’s goal against Manchester City

But it wasn’t an entirely positive night for Spurs. They will evaluate your suitability Micky van de VenAfter the standout defender left the field clutching his hamstring in the first half.

Pep GuardiolaMeanwhile, he promised to “play in the second team” in this round of the EFL Cup, and he has partially done so. Likes Stefan Ortega, James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly were in the starting eleven at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Despite the result, Guardiola must be glad he didn’t put his main men at further risk after seeing the impressive performance. savinho taken away on a stretcher – lost Manual Akanji During warm-up and defender change, Reuben Dias at halftime.

Ahead of Saturday’s trip to the Premier League AFC Bournemouthchampions have a long list of injuries; RodryKevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish and Jack Grealish are ruled out for the remainder of the campaign. kyle walker.

To see: Spurs report | city ​​report

Szoboszlai impresses with his new role

Brighton 2-3 Liverpool

Arne’s Nest threw something like a curve ball Liverpool faced Brighton and Hove Albion three days before the teams’ first Premier League meeting of the campaign, Dominik Szoboszlai as a “false nine”.

The Hungarian playmaker thrived in an unfamiliar role and kept things going, completing 22 of 23 passes before being substituted.

In the second half, five changes for the home team and four changes for the guest team changed the color of the draw and turned into an exciting last 10 minutes; In this match, the Marches, both as Slot and the opposing team, cut the Reds’ lead twice and scored a single goal. Fabian Hurzeler Going head-to-head for the first time has added to the wealth of talent that could make Saturday’s clash at Anfield similarly exciting.

Highlights from Liverpool’s win at Brighton

This match is one of Liverpool’s 12 matches in the seven weeks between now and Christmas and Slot will need to make a good comeback to continue his eye-catching start to his tenure.

Definitely a guy who gets the chance to get more involved Cody GakpoHis decisive attack on his sixth start of the 2024/25 season came as no surprise to his boss.

“He’s been a good player at Liverpool for a long time and that’s a good thing,” Slot said.

To see: Brighton report | Liverpool report

History of Nwaneri

Preston 0-3 Arsenal

ArsenalA routine victory over Championship side Preston North End saw history made and the unwanted run ended.

Putting the Gunners ahead 2-0 in Lancashire, Ethan NwaneriAged 17 years and 223 days old, he became the youngest player to score in his first two starts for the club after appearing in the 5-1 defeat of Bolton Wanderers in the previous round.

Nwaneri’s amazing left foot effort from outside the penalty area. Gabriel JesusThe Brazilian broke the deadlock with a crucial goal himself, and it was his first goal in 25 matches in the 2-1 Premier League win. Nottingham Forest On January 30th.

Highlights from Arsenal’s win at Preston

Doing so against top-flight opposition is another matter and Arsenal have had no shortage of goals this season, but it will give Jesus a welcome confidence boost.

Arsenal return to league play with a trip Newcastle United At lunchtime on Saturday they secured their fourth clean sheet in six away games in all competitions this season.

To see: Arsenal report

Isak gives Blues to Chelsea

Newcastle 2-0 Chelsea

Alexander Isak He scored twice in two games as Newcastle avenged Sunday’s league defeat by knocking Chelsea out of the EFL Cup.

Isak managed to score consecutive goals for the first time since the end of last season, when he scored a career-best 25 goals in all competitions, 21 of which came in the Premier League.

Isak’s goal against Chelsea

Eddie Howe has highlighted how his team created chances but failed to complete them after their last home loss against Brighton, and this slight uptick in the star centre-forward’s form will please the Magpies boss as he prepares for the visit of Arsenal on Saturday.

Enzo MarescaSlightly experimental Chelsea team selection including starters Kiernan Dewsbury Hall on the right and Renato Veiga It didn’t work in midfield, but the Italian was happy with how his team was functioning.

“If we analyze the performance, I think (making 11 changes) worked,” he said. “If we analyze the result, it didn’t work.”

To see: Newcastle report | Chelsea report

Palace finding form

Aston Villa 1-2 Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace seems to have revealed a similarity of form, hammered Aston Villa Achieve back-to-back wins for the first time this season and ease the pressure even more Oliver Glasner.

Palace won at Villa Park for only the fourth time in their history and did something they had not been able to do since the final day of last season: score two away goals.

This was against Wolverhampton TravelersGlasner and Co will face each other on Saturday in another trip to the West Midlands.

As for the defeated Villa, Spurs are next in the Premier League. It will be super sub John Duran Will he finally make his first start of the campaign? Probably not – Ollie Watkins‘s form still looks a bit out of whack – but the clinical Colombian striker has extended his purple patch by scoring three goals from three starts in all competitions this season.

To see: Villa report | palace report

Saints disappointed despite win

Southampton 3-2 Stoke City

At one point in the second half of their narrow victory over title challengers Stoke City, Southampton He had a whopping 91 percent possession.

That figure dropped to 78 percent for the full game, but the Saints’ performance in monopolizing the ball reinforced what we already knew: Russell Martin He has a philosophy and will stick to it.

Despite such extensive possession of the ball, Southampton could only manage to take a 2-0 lead before James Bree clinched the score two minutes later.

And the players didn’t seem in the mood to celebrate. “The kids were a little angry and frustrated (after the game),” Martin said. “They didn’t look very happy, so I reminded them that they were allowed to smile.”

Bree winner vs Stoke

Saints don’t have much to smile about this season: they’re still looking for a first Premier League win, and it will take more than Guardiola’s impressive possession statistics to achieve that when they host a resurgent team. Everton on Saturday.

To see: southampton report

Flekken sends Bees

Brentford 1-1 Sheff Wed

Keeper Mark Flekken He was the hero as Brentford beat Championship side Sheffield Wednesday on penalties but the Dutch defender knows he can make it easier for his side.

Flekken was at fault for the visitors to equalise, before making the crucial save from the penalty spot to deny The Owls’ Liam Palmer.

Flekken’s match-winning penalty save

In his haste to launch a quick counter-attack, Brentford’s No 1 rolled the ball straight towards Djeidi Gassama; Gassama completely nullified the previously one-sided encounter with his magnificent 25-yard strike.

Flekken said: “The moment I took the corner kick I had so many options but I chose the wrong one. The mistake I made helped a lot to break down our mental aspect. It took away the control we had. It turned from a controlled game into an open game, I need to learn from that.”

Thomas Frank He will no doubt enjoy controlled play when he takes his team to Craven Cottage for the West London derby against Fulham on Monday night; With a win in this derby, Brentford can rise to sixth place in the Premier League.

To see: Brentford report

EFL Cup quarter-final draws

For the first time since 2010, all four EFL Cup quarter-final ties will be played by Premier League teams.

Spurs – Man Utd
Arsenal – Crystal Palace
Newcastle – Brentford
Southampton – Liverpool

The quarter-final matches will be played in the week starting on December 16, after the 16th Matchweek in the Premier League.