West Ham’s biggest win in 25 years: Six things learned from Wednesday’s Carabao Cup action

in , , , , , , ,

It was a lively evening of Football League Cup encounters, with some thrilling fixtures on display across the country. 

Arsenal eased past Brentford 3-1 at the Emirates to book their ticket in Saturday’s draw, while West Ham recorded their biggest win in 25 years after beating Macclesfield Town 8-0 at the London Stadium.

Elsewhere Chelsea edged past Liverpool 2-1 in a pulsating encounter on Merseyside, while Nottingham Forest survived a late Stoke revival to beat Gary Rowett’s men 3-2.

The late kick-off also witnessed some drama as Spurs beat Watford 4-2 on penalties after 90 minutes failed to separate the two sides.

So with five teams progressing past the third-round of the League Cup this evening, what did we learn?

1. Danny Welbeck out to impress

With the devastatingly potent attacking force that Arsenal have at their disposal in Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Welbeck has significantly fallen down the pecking order in north London, but the England international caught the eye this evening and he managed to raise a few eyebrows after bagging a brace against Brentford.

Welbeck certainly demonstrated a poacher instinct at the Emirates after netting two relatively simple goals; simple that is, in execution, but his positional awareness tonight was second-to-none, and if he is to have any chance of reinstating himself into the starting XI and supplanting either Lacazette or Aubameyang, then he needs to take the chances that come his way.

He did that tonight, and while Arsenal’s opponents will predominantly be viewed through the prism of second-tier opposition, Brentford have proven to be a very capable and lethal side this term, scoring the third-most goals in the Championship this season.

Welbeck is yet to start a Premier League match under Unai Emery, but the former Manchester United marksman will certainly be hoping his performance tonight can help cement him a starting berth for the match against Watford this weekend.

2. Hazard loves playing against Liverpool

Eden Hazard has now scored as many goals (six) for Chelsea across all competitions in seven games this season as he did during the infamous 2015/16 campaign when the Blues finished 10th in the Premier League, and tonight he stunned Liverpool after entering the fray in the second half.

The mercurial marvel struggled in the opening exchanges of his introduction, but he soon exploded into life in typical Hazard fashion, weaving through a number of Liverpool bodies before unleashing a sensational strike past a hapless Mignolet to secure victory for his side.

Under the tutelage of Maurizio Sarri, Hazard has transformed his game and taken his goalscoring ability to another level, playing with less restriction than last season, and dictating matches with an unnerving confidence.

Chelsea fans can count their blessings the Belgian stayed in west London this season after speculation with a move to Real Madrid started to gain serious traction, and given the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, Los Blancos may seriously need the Chelsea talisman in the near future – especially if you consider tonight’s defeat against Sevilla.

3. Pellegrini looking to make it three

During Manuel Pellegrini’s three-year tenure at Manchester City, the Chilean tactician managed to clinch two Football League Cup trophies, and it already appears that the 65-year-old is looking to replicate those achievements with West Ham this season, having masterminded an 8-0 win against Macclesfield Town tonight.

Domestic success is certainly par for the course at the Etihad, but expectations are not be as rife in east London; having said that, the Hammers have not won this competition since famously overcoming Liverpool at Wembley in 1981.

This could prove to be the perfect opportunity for Pellegrini to leave a serious lasting impression at the London Stadium, and etch his name into West Ham folklore. Having already edged past AFC Wimbledon last month, and now humbling Macclesfield Town tonight, his side will enter the draw this weekend full of confidence.

Since making a tentative start to the season, the club have now shifted into gear under Pellegrini’s stewardship and West Ham are unbeaten in their last three matches. The club have reached the quarter-final in the previous two seasons of this competition, and while it is early days, Pellegrini looks intent on going all the way.

4. Fabinho looked tidy but will need more time  

All eyes were on Fabinho tonight as the Brazilian made his highly-anticipated debut start for Liverpool, and while he looked tidy in possession, the Brazilian looked slightly off pace, and not quite up to speed with Klopp’s high-octane press.

Having said that, the former Monaco midfielder put in a decent shift and showed great promise; lets not forget this was his first start in a new division against a high-flying Chelsea side, so this was never an easy introduction, but Liverpool fans can be encouraged by his performance.

Playing in a midfield trident alongside James Milner and Naby Keita, the Brazilian enforcer anchored the centre of the park, allowing Milner and Keita to surge forward and contribute in the final third, though this was not a typically dominant display from the Reds.

Arguably the best central midfielder was Cesc Fabregas, with the former Barcelona man often given license to pull the creative strings from the middle of the park, but give Fabinho time and the 24-year-old could become a formidable pivot in front of Liverpool’s defensive line.

5. Pochettino averts mini-crisis but must now win something tangible

Mauricio Pochettino has averted a mini-crisis after his side came from a goal behind to beat Premier League opposition Watford, and his side have now followed this result up after ending a three-match losing streak by brushing past Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 at the weekend.

Despite this, Pochettino’s quest for silverware continues, and he must now use this victory and the one at the weekend as the building blocks to secure something tangible this season and cement his progress in north London, proving that he is a manager capable of winning trophies.

Having not recruited over the summer, the Argentine was staring down the barrel with his side lacking the energy and intensity of their ‘big six’ rivals, as well as witnessing his side suffer those three consecutive defeats, but with the club overcoming a defiant Watford tonight, this could be a turning point, and Pochettino must now look to offer a serious threat in this competition to silence the critics.

6. Daniel Sturridge: The League Cup King

Daniel Sturridge has now scored 11 goals in his last 11 appearances in the League Cup, and much like Danny Welbeck, the England international is very much on the periphery of first-team action at his club, having fallen out of favour, but both strikers have asked questions tonight.

Facing his former club, Sturridge broke the deadlock on Merseyside after opening the scoring on the 59th minute, tucking home an acrobatic effort after Keita forced Chelsea gloveman Willy Caballero to make a save, though the Argentine was only able to parry to ball in the direction of Sturridge who finished accordingly.

The out-of-favour forward is starting to make serious noise at Anfield just when it looked like his time with Liverpool was heading towards a bleak finish, having seen his Merseyside career blighted by various injury problems.

But having scored against French giants PSG in the Champions League last week and now netting against Chelsea – despite losing the match – Sturridge may start to give Klopp a managerial headache if he continues his fine goalscoring form.

The post West Ham’s biggest win in 25 years: Six things learned from Wednesday’s Carabao Cup action appeared first on Squawka News.



From Squawka NewsSquawka News https://ift.tt/2R13F0f
Labels: , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)