Carabao Cup
IHEANACHO SCORES IN LEICESTER SEMIFINAL LEAGUE CUP LOSS
Trezeguet struck deep into stoppage time to send Aston Villa into their first League Cup final for a decade with a 2-1 win over Leicester on Tuesday (Jan 28) to progress to Wembley 3-2 on aggregate.
Matt Target’s early opener put Villa in front, but Leicester enjoyed the majority of possession and chances and finally found a way past Orjan Nyland when Kelechi Iheanacho levelled 18 minutes from time.
However, Villa snatched victory and a trip to Wembley on March 1 to face Manchester City or Manchester United when Trezeguet connected perfectly with fellow Egyptian Ahmed Elmohamady’s cross three minutes into added time.
Defeat ends Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers’s run of winning 31 straight domestic cup ties after a dominant spell at Celtic and he will rue his side’s inability to turn their dominance of the game into goals.
The visitors started with top scorer Jamie Vardy on the bench as he was eased back into action after a glute injury, but the Foxes still blasted out of the traps.
Iheanacho was denied in the first of a string of big saves by Nyland in the Villa goal inside the first three minutes.
James Maddison then had a hat-trick of efforts, two of which brought saves from Nyland.
However, it was Villa who struck first when the impressive Jack Grealish teed up Targett to fire across Kasper Schmeichel 12 minutes in.
Nyland may not even have played if Villa’s new number one Pepe Reina had been fit to play, but the Norwegian was inspired as he then produced his best save of the night to turn Youri Tielemans’s piledriver onto the bar.
Maddison was furious moments later when he saw another effort repelled by the arm of Marvelous Nakamba.
Mbwana Samatta was making his Villa debut after a £8.5 million (S$15 million) switch from Genk, but his first experience of Villa Park is not one the Tanzanian will remember fondly as he somehow failed to turn home another brilliant Grealish delivery early in the second half.
That could have proved the knockout blow for Leicester, but instead they were very much back in the tie when an explosive burst from Harvey Barnes teed up Iheanacho to finish.
Jonny Evans and Maddison then came close to putting Rodgers’s men in front.
But just when both sides seemed to be preparing for extra-time, Leicester were hit with a sucker punch when Elmohamady’s cross was volleyed into the bottom corner by his compatriot.
Trezeguet had to be hauled from the field by Villa security personnel after he was mobbed in a pitch invasion after the final whistle as the home fans celebrated wildly.
–AFP
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Carabao Cup
Nigerian parentage Ethan Chidiebere Nwaneri lifts Arsenal with two goals
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.
Sterling, on loan from Chelsea, and Havertz put the game out of reach with goals in the 64th and 77th minutes.
Carabao Cup
Liverpool thrash West Ham in third-round League Cup wins
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.
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.
“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.”
Carabao Cup
Manchester United put seven goals past Barnsley to progress in League Cup
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.
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.
“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.
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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