Analysis

Carabao Cup hits and misses: Liverpool show their firepower and Aaron Ramsdale shows his fire in third round

Plus: Newcastle build momentum with win over Manchester City, Man Utd look to put their moment of crisis behind them and poor finishing costs Brentford...

Thursday 28 September 2023 12:27, UK

Liverpool firepower getting them out of trouble

Liverpool are approaching six months now since their last defeat. While they have kept only one clean sheet in all competitions this season, such is the firepower available to Jurgen Klopp, that is not proving a problem. There are so many goals in this squad.

Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez scored in the win over West Ham at the weekend. Against Leicester, it was Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai. Diogo Jota added late gloss in both games. Luis Diaz, a scorer in the first two games of the season, was not required.

Seven different players have found the net in this run of seven victories, a sequence that has been unusual given that Liverpool have actually fallen behind in five of those matches and had to overcome an equaliser in one of the other two.

Going behind so regularly hints at the fact that are still issues for Klopp to address. His once fluent side is not quite at its best. The encouraging aspect for Liverpool is that they no longer need to be. They are creating so many chances that the wins will surely keep coming.
Adam Bate

Ramsdale not finished yet at Arsenal

Aaron Ramsdale enjoyed the opportunity to give some back to the Brentford fans who had taunted him at the Gtech Community Stadium, turning towards the stands in celebration after tipping Yoane Wissa's low shot onto the post in the second half.

It was an outstanding save and proved a crucial moment as Arsenal secured their place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup by the slimmest of margins following Reiss Nelson's early strike.

Arsenal were largely comfortable in the first half but the second was a backs-to-the-wall affair. They needed their goalkeeper and, on his first start since losing his place to David Raya, he delivered.

The save from Wissa was the standout moment but he also produced a full-stretch stop to deny Frank Onyeka from distance. "He had a really good game," said Mikel Arteta afterwards.

Throughout, he was serenaded by the travelling fans over in the far corner, their songs a reminder of his enduring popularity. "We love him more," insisted Arteta. "We know his character, we know what he brings and we are happy to have him."

He added: "I don't think I'm the one to answer about Aaron Ramsdale's quality because I'm the person who signed him when no one else believed in him."

There were no clues from the Arsenal manager about who would be in goal against Bournemouth on Saturday. In all likelihood it will be Raya. But this was a reminder that Ramsdale is not finished yet.
Nick Wright

Newcastle building momentum

What a week it has been for Newcastle. Battling to a draw in Milan on their return to the Champions League. Thrashing Sheffield United 8-0. And now knocking Manchester City out of the Carabao Cup.

They made 10 changes for this one but a superb second-half display - driven by half-time subs Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes and marked by Alexander Isak's breakthrough - ensured momentum has been maintained.

The run of three defeats in a row at the end of August and start of September feels a long time ago now and victory at home to Burnley on Saturday would set up the mouth-watering clash with Paris St-Germain next Wednesday at St James' Park perfectly.

Moods can shift quickly in football but with a run of winnable Premier League games and glamour home Champions League matches coming up for Newcastle in October, Eddie Howe's side have their tails up once again.
Peter Smith

Phillips fumbles City chance

Kalvin Phillips finally has his Manchester City chance - but will he take it?

Rodri's red card has opened the door for Phillips in midfield well over a year since he signed having made just 14 Premier League appearances in that time.

For a player who has played so little, Phillips misplaced only 10 passes from 112 attempted against Newcastle. He had the most final third entries and completed the second-most passes (29) in that area of anyone on the pitch.

There was a tidiness and an assurance about his first-half performance yet when Newcastle turned up the intensity in the second half, he was not the only one in the City side that was quickly overpowered.

Phillips won just three of 15 duels and went into the book for a nasty follow-through tackle on Jacob Murphy. His influence on the game evaporated as City were dumped out. Phillips won't get many more opportunities, this one passed him by.
David Richardson

That Man Utd crisis looks more like a mere wobble now

After a storm comes a calm. Manchester United's first two months of the season have been like a tornado of off-the-field problems, players stepping out of line, stalled takeovers and poor performances - albeit against some stiff opposition. Any team in world football can lose three on the bounce to Arsenal, Brighton and Bayern Munich. But the fixture list is now easing, chemistry is being formed and fitness levels look up to scratch.

All these factors should in turn take the spotlight away from Erik ten Hag as United are likely to win lots of football matches again. They swatted Crystal Palace aside with the minimal of fuss.

It's Palace (h) next again before Galatasaray (h), Brentford (h), Sheffield United (a) and FC Copenhagen (a).

Calmer waters ahead and a possibility of seven straight wins being put together. That supposed crisis is becoming just a wobble by each passing performance.
Lewis Jones

Brentford put injuries worries aside, but profligacy tells

The injuries have started to mount at a rapid pace for Brentford in recent weeks. Still, Thomas Frank opted to name a strong team to face the Gunners, though there was little potential for creativity, with three defensive midfielders supporting Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa in attack.

The fact Thomas Strakosha and Ellery Balcombe were both on the bench at the Gtech told the story of the squad depth troubles Frank is currently having to contend with.

That said, chances did not come at a premium for the Bees, as might have been expected. They pressed high when Arsenal went backwards, hoping to force that one mistake that could change the game. Yoane Wissa should have levelled just after the half-hour, but instead inexplicably skewed wide from Christian Norgaard's cross.

After the break, they were a different beast altogether. The Bees took 15 of their 18 shots as they attacked towards the vocal West Stand; Keane Lewis-Potter was denied by the heels of Jakub Kiwior, while Aaron Ramsdale had to be at his best to keep out a rocket from Frank Onyeka after tipping Wissa's earlier strike onto the woodwork.

It seemed, for a few fleeting moments, as though an equaliser would be a formality and penalties would follow. But it did not happen.

The injury worries are not going anywhere fast, so Brentford must heed lessons learned on Wednesday ahead of clashes with Nottingham Forest and Manchester United prior to the international break that will determine their direction after it.
Dan Long

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