Round-up of the EFL Carabao Cup
Liverpool and Manchester United the two big names in English football that will not see the next EFL Cup round. The third round of the EFL Cup saw the entrance of all the major Premier League clubs.
Arsenal keep winning and the Gunners are playing a pleasant football. They beat Brentford 3-1 to advance onto the next round. Man City did the job at Oxford United [3-0] and Tottenham had to battle to overcome Watford [2-2, 4-2 pks].
The Spurs turned around the situation in the last 10 minutes thanks to Dele All before Watford’s equalizer in the last minute of the regular time.
A match at the top
The match of this round was without a single doubt Liverpool-Chelsea. Fans got to see a very entertaining game at Anfield Road where Chelsea completed a comeback to win 2-1.
Hazard scored a wonder goal to give Chelsea the win and Liverpool their first defeat this season after starting with six wins in six games.
Chelsea assistant manager and former Chelsea player, Gianfranco Zola, on the big victory:
“We are very pleased and we will go into the game with a good feeling but Saturday [against Liverpool again] is going to be different.
Today, to be fair, it was such a close game, they played very well, they could have won, and they had the chances to win it.
They are a very good team but in the end, we won and we didn’t steal anything. Saturday is going to be similar. Two teams that don’t sacrifice their philosophy, [who] want to win and are going to try to win on Saturday as well. Hopefully, it will be the same type of game, spectacular and good to watch.”
On Eden Hazard:
“Eden is one of the best players in Europe and in the world, for sure. What he’s done today, that goal is proof of that.
He is getting better and better. He is doing the right things at the right moment and in a wonderful way.”
Sad Manchester United
Of all clubs the biggest surprise came from Derby County when the team coach by Frank Lampard, beat his former coach Jose Mourinho and Manchester United [2-2, 8-7 pks] at Old Trafford.
Mourinho comments on the team
“We are playing against good teams with good young players, with speed, with intensity, they give great intensity to the game. They wanted to press, they pressed for every goal. We need to respect, we need to match that mentality.
“Again we conceded one goal. The kid hit a fantastic shot, but then we had an immediate reaction. We hit the post, we created more chances, but then came the red card and then we were in more trouble.
They scored the goal, we had a reaction of pride, of desire of trying and even with one less player we got an equalizer and then the penalty shootout is a lottery and we missed one.
I’m obviously sad with going out, but we didn’t lose the match, which I think is important for us and the penalty shootout is always what we know.”
On the Pogba gate?
“I made the decision for Paul not to be the second captain anymore, but there is no fall-out, no problems at all. The same person that decides that Paul is not the second captain anymore was exactly the same person that decides that Paul was the second captain – myself. I am the manager, I can make these decisions. No fall-out at all, no problems at all. Just one decision that I don’t have to explain.”
