Liverpool have moved to the next round of the Carabao Cup as the Reds defeated Southampton in the last quarter of the match. Another new match and another dying minutes victory for Liverpool football club as Hugo Ekitike tapped in the winner for the club. Although these domestic cup ties always get tricky for the big guns of the league, Liverpool have no intention of bottling anything this season. This match also marked the long pending official debut of Alexander Isak in the Liverpool colours. The Swedish talisman made it even special with a superb goal in the first half. He also performed his trademark celebration which hammered the hearts of Liverpool fans last season. Other than Ekitike and Isak, Liverpool’s Italian ‘Spaghetti Boy’, Federico Chiesa, pulled off an outstanding performance.
Liverpool Want Redemption in the Carabao Cup This Time
Arne Slot’s men were the contenders of doing a treble last season also. But the Reds couldn’t overcome the PSG hurdle in the UEFA Champions League. While they had a chance to complete the domestic treble too, Liverpool only won the Premier League. This season, Liverpool want to achieve that feat by hook or by crook. The club officials also did an extraordinary job in this summer transfer window. People also feel that Liverpool are bound to win the domestic trophies this season. Arne Slot and his men are also doing the same so far. Since the unfortunate defeat against Crystal Palace in the Community Shield final, Liverpool are yet to lose a game. Liverpool have won all the first five matches in the EPL that includes the win against Arsenal. They have recently earned another last-minute winner against Atletico Madrid in the first match of the UCL. Now, they have also defeated Southampton in the third round of the Carabao Cup. In the last season’s Carabao Cup, Liverpool had a miserable loss in the final against Newcastle United. Their new signing, Alexander Isak, hammered the last nail. But things have changed a lot this season. Isak has now joined the Merseyside club. Liverpool have a stronger squad than the last season. So, they will do anything to do the redemption by winning the Carabao Cup this time.
Ekitike Blunders and Chiesa Outclasses Everyone for Liverpool
Liverpool started the match with a wholesome change in the starting lineup. Mamardashvili replaced the first seed Alisson Beker. Italian prodigy Giovanni Leoni also had his official debut for the Reds. He showed the fans how good he is. But he is set to get sidelined for months due to a very unfortunate ACL injury. Everyone is very upset with this news as Leoni was having a fine shift. Slot fielded both Chiesa and Isak in the starting lineup as well. Isak opened his account with a beautiful assist from Chiesa. Later on, Chiesa assisted once more as Ekitike scored the winner. Since coming back from the long-term injury, Federico Chiesa has been performing at the highest level for Liverpool. Still, Slot surprisingly excluded him from the squad for the Champions League matches. But after this vintage performance against Southampton, the manager has decided to include him in the Champions League roster. Meanwhile, Ekitike has put his team in an awkward situation even after scoring the decisive goal. Already on a yellow card, Ekitike went onto celebrate his goal by taking off his jersey. He had totally forgotten about his first card. When Frimpong arrived and reminded him of that it was too late for the Frenchman. According to sources, Arne Slot has not taken this act by Ekitike easily. Anyways, Ekitike will not feature in the next match against Crystal Palace for Liverpool.
Teams that have Qualified for the Next Round of the EFL Cup
Along with Liverpool, some other big clubs have also qualified for the next round of the EFL Cup, better known as the Carabao Cup. Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea have defeated Lincoln City. Manchester City and Arsenal are also through to the next round. Tottenham Hotspur have also now joined these clubs in the next round after beating Doncaster quite comfortably. The fourth round will be played on October again. The official draw of that round is yet to take place.
Stay tuned for more news.
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