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Carabao Cup

MOURINHO FOCUSED ON SPURS’ TOP-FOUR BATTLE, NOT LEAGUE CUP FINAL

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This month’s League Cup final offers Tottenham Hotspur a chance to salvage something from a season that has unravelled alarmingly but manager Jose Mourinho says finishing in the Premier League top four is the immediate focus.

A 3-1 home defeat by Manchester United last weekend put a huge dent in Spurs’ hopes of finishing in the top four and Friday’s (April 16) clash at Everton now looks like a match they cannot afford to lose if they are to stay in the race.

The loss to United left Tottenham in seventh, six points behind fourth-placed West Ham United and only one point above Everton, who have a game in hand, in the race for European places ahead of the clash at Goodison Park.

“Of course the Goodison match is very important. The distance between the two teams is very, very short. Of course they have one match in hand,” Mourinho told reporters.

“They have similar objectives to us. They are going to fight with us, and with other clubs, to try the best possible position, and see if we and them can get a European position.”

After the Everton game, Spurs host Southampton in the league before the Wembley clash with Manchester City in the League Cup final when the London club will be trying to lift their first silverware since they won the trophy against Chelsea in 2008.

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“Independent of the result at Goodison, and the result against Southampton, as you say, big nine days and the nine days are going to end with a cup final,” Mourinho, who was hired specifically to end the club’s trophy drought, said.

“We need to separate the waters. We need to say: the cup final is important, but is not the match tomorrow, we need to focus totally on a very difficult match.”

Tottenham took the lead against Manchester United but conceded three goals in the second half. They have now conceded 18 points from winning positions this season and Mourinho was again asked why they cannot hold on to leads.

“A team that starts matches well and starts winning matches means something positive, means something positive that (the media) like to forget – the positive aspect of that,” he said.

“But I agree with you in the sense that if you’re in winning positions and you lose points from winning positions, there are also negative things side-by-side to it.”

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Pushed to explain, he added: “That’s what I’m not ready to discuss with you. I think it has to do with some of our qualities as a team but I’m not ready to discuss with you.”

Mourinho has a virtually full-strength squad ahead of Friday, with only full backs Matt Doherty and Ben Davies unavailable.

“After 51 matches or so, in the last couple of months of the season to arrive in this situation with only two players injured, we cannot complain because the work has been good and the squad as a whole is in good condition,” he said.

-Reuters

 

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Carabao Cup

Nigerian parentage Ethan Chidiebere  Nwaneri lifts Arsenal with two goals

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Carabao Cup - Third Round - Arsenal v Bolton Wanderers - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - September 25, 2024 Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri celebrates scoring their second goal with Declan Rice, Josh Nichols and Bukayo Saka Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

Ethan Chidiebere Nwaneri, Nigerian parentage, scored a brace for Arsenal in their Carabao Cup third round 5-1 defeat of Bolton Wanderers at the Emirate Stadium on Wednesday.

Those were the first goals of the 17-year old for the club. 

He made his English Premier League debut against Brentford  in September 2022, becoming the youngest ever Arsenal player, and the youngest player to appear in the top flight of English football aged just 15.

In Tuesday’s League Cup match, Declan Rice opened scoring for Arsenal with a goal from 18 yards out in the 16th minute before Nwaneri made his presence felt in the 37th, latching onto a cross from Sterling to finish into an empty net from close range.

Nwaneri netted his second of the night soon after the break when West Ham were caught trying to play out from the back and Rice found the teenager who finished from just inside the penalty area.

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Sterling, on loan from Chelsea, and Havertz put the game out of reach with goals in the 64th and 77th minutes.

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Carabao Cup

Liverpool thrash West Ham in third-round League Cup wins

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Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo scored two goals apiece as holders Liverpool thrashed West Ham United 5-1 at Anfield on Wednesday to cruise into the fourth round of the League Cup in another solid performance from Arne Slot’s side.

Mohamed Salah was also on target for Liverpool who fell behind and endured some nervy moments before pulling away for a comfortable victory.

“I do feel like in most parts of the game we had control,” Slot said. “We had a large part of ball possession, particularly in the first half.”

Arsenal crushed third-tier Bolton Wanderers 5-1 in the evening’s other League Cup tie.

West Ham — who were reduced to 10 men when Edson Alvarez was shown a second yellow card in the 76th minute — opened the scoring at Anfield when Wataru Endo’s attempt to clear a corner ricocheted off Jarell Quansah and past keeper Caoimhin Kelleher for an own goal.

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The Hammers’ celebrations were short-lived as Jota equalised four minutes later, leaping to head home Federico Chiesa’s acrobatic volley.

Jota netted his second in the 49th minute when Curtis Jones slotted a reverse pass to the Portuguese player who scored into the bottom corner.

“It’s important when you’re down to get that (equaliser) as quick as possible and to score at Anfield, it’s always special so happy to help the team,” Jota told Sky Sports.

Talisman Salah made it 3-1 in the 74th when he knocked in the rebound off Alexis Mac Allister’s shot, and then Alvarez was sent off two minutes later following a late challenge.

Gakpo added to Liverpool’s lead with goals in the 90th and 93rd minutes, his first a fantastic strike from 17 yards out after a one-two with Darwin Nunez.

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“The last 20 minutes we didn’t manage well,” said West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui. “The players made a big effort. I’m sorry for our fans.”

The Reds captured a record 10th League Cup title last season, manager Juergen Klopp’s final trophy with the team before he stepped down at the end of the campaign.

New manager Slot has barely missed a beat. The Reds sit a point behind Manchester City in second in the Premier League after five games. They also opened their Champions League campaign with a victory over AC Milan last week.

“We have just one defeat,” Jota said. “We are still progressing, still developing our ideas — but only by winning games you become better so we are happy.

“It’s hard but we want to win again obviously, we are the reigning champions.”

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Carabao Cup

Manchester United put seven goals past Barnsley to progress in League Cup

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Carabao Cup - Third Round - Manchester United v Barnsley - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - September 17, 2024 Manchester United's Christian Eriksen scores their sixth goal Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen all scored twice as the Old Trafford side roared into the last 16 of the League Cup with a 7-0 rout of third-tier Barnsley on Tuesday.

United were joined in the fourth round by fellow Premier League sides Brentford, who beat third-tier Leyton Orient 3-1, and Crystal Palace after they edged Queen’s Park Rangers 2-1.

Top flight Fulham were knocked out in extraordinary fashion by second-tier Preston North End after the match ended 1-1 — the home side prevailing 16-15 in a 34-penalty shootout, the longest-ever in the competition.

United manager Erik Ten Hag has endured a rocky time since taking over in 2022 but enjoyed the biggest win of his reign.

England forward Rashford ended a six-month goal drought at the weekend when he scored against Southampton in the Premier League and needed only 16 minutes to strike against Barnsley.

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His silky finish high into the net paved the way for United to demolish Barnsley who were no match for Ten Hag’s side.

Antony added the second from the penalty spot in the 35th minute and Garnacho poked home United’s third in first-half stoppage time to put the hosts in complete control.

Garnacho side-footed his second from Rashford’s pass just after the restart and returned the compliment as Rashford made it 5-0. Eriksen scored his first United goal for more than a year in the 81st minute, slotting in Bruno Fernandes’s cross.

Eriksen then fired in from the edge of the area to complete United’s biggest-ever League Cup win and their biggest margin of victory since Ten Hag took charge in 2022.

United’s previous biggest wins under the Dutchman were 4-1 defeats of Real Betis and Chelsea.

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“Football is football. Sometimes you have ups and sometimes downs, but we have to use these games to get momentum and consistency,” Rashford said.

Ten Hag added: “I thought the first goal from Marcus was really good, but so were the rest. We played with a lot of speed and were ruthless in front of goal. The key was the right attitude and to be 100% concentrated.”

BASEMENT BATTLE

The Premier League’s bottom two clubs met at Goodison Park and there was more woe for Everton as they bowed out on penalties to Southampton after a 1-1 draw.

Abdoulaye Doucoure put Everton ahead but Southampton levelled through Taylor Harwood-Bellis and the visitors won 6-5 in the shootout. Eleven penalties hit the net before Ashley Young saw his effort saved by Alex McCarthy.

Brentford were given an early scare when Brandon Cooper put Orient in front but Fabio Carvalho equalised in acrobatic fashion. Mikel Damsgaard headed Brentford in front and Christian Norgaard ensured progress for Thomas Frank’s team.

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Eddie Nketiah scored his first goal for Crystal Palace since moving from Arsenal and Eberechi Eze struck the winner against his old club Queen’s Park Rangers to send the visitors through.

Sheffield Wednesday won 1-0 at Blackpool, while Championship (second-tier) side Stoke City needed penalties to get past fourth-tier Fleetwood Town 2-1 after being held to a 1-1 draw.

The remaining third round ties will be played on Wednesday and next week, concluding with holders Liverpool at home fellow Premier League side West Ham United on Sept. 25.

-Reuters

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