It may lack the glamour and giant killings of its more prestigious sister – the FA Cup – but the EFL Cup has provided us with plenty of mid-week entertainment over the last few days.
It kicked off with Leeds United’s first visit to Anfield since 2003 – a bitter-fought, tight affair that eventually saw the Reds pull away from the Championship outfit in a 2-0 win.
At the same time, a ten-man Hull City edged out the second-tier leaders Newcastle United in a penalty shootout, ending Toon hopes of Rafa Benitez adding yet another impressive title to his trophy cabinet.
On Wednesday, meanwhile, Southampton pulled off a surprise 2-0 win against a heavily rotated Arsenal side at the Emirates Stadium, as Manchester United met West Ham for the second time in four days – with the home side coming out on top at Old Trafford.
Overall, the quarter-finals of the competition certainly delivered. Here’s five things FootballFanCast learned from all the mid-week action.
We need Leeds back in the Premier League
A slightly weakened Leeds United side may have come up short at Anfield, starting well but eventually succumbing to the quality of a team who are second in the Premier League table, scoring the most goals of any side in the division.
Nonetheless, the big-match feel surrounding the quarter-final encapsulated exactly why we need Leeds back in the Premier League. They may be a shadow of Whites teams from yesteryear, but the club still carries fantastic support and there was genuine belief Garry Monk’s side could rise to the occasion with a giant killing before kickoff.
It almost had the vibe of a derby and Leeds returning to the top flight would certainly add a few to the Premier League calendar – not least including the Yorkshire outfit vs. Manchester United. Here’s hoping Monk can get his boys to the playoffs this season.
Rooney & Mkhitaryan are raring to go
They may have spent the majority of the campaign watching from the sidelines, the former shrouded in controversy for his late night drinking and the latter seemingly falling afoul of Jose Mourinho despite the fanfare surrounding his summer arrival, but Wayne Rooney and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were nothing short of electric against West Ham.
Working alongside each other in attacking midfield, the duo linked up fantastically for Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s first goal, Rooney playing the defence-splitting pass and Mkhitaryan providing the ingenious backheel that left the veteran finisher free to poke past Adrian.
Much has been made of Rooney’s declining physicality but Mkhitaryan’s pace made a real difference in creating time on the ball for the England international and an outlet to find behind the opposition defence.
Unfortunately, a yellow card has ruled Wazza out of the trip to Everton this weekend – but don’t be surprised to see him and the Armenian starting in the Premier League together soon.
Newcastle aren’t Premier League ready
Boasting a finely-assembled squad and a former Champions League winner in the dugout, Newcastle have dominated the Championship on the most part this season as expected – with many anticipating they’ll will the second-tier title by a comfortable points margin.
Some have even suggested their side is already ready for it’s seemingly inevitable return to the top flight, but Hull City disproved that theory on Tuesday night.
Indeed, barring a few changes, Rafa Benitez had most of his best men on the job at the KCOM Stadium, as the Magpies looked to eliminate a Hull City side stuck in the relegation zone with just three wins from 13 games.
Mike Phelan even selected a weakened side but Newcastle couldn’t overcome them, even after the Tigers went a man down just before extra time. Clearly, a few more signings are needed to make this Magpies side competitive in the Premier League.
Future’s bright at Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp was famed for the proficiency in which he nurtured young talent at Borussia Dortmund and we’re already seeing evidence of the German gaffer having the same effect as Liverpool boss.
Indeed, there were plenty of recognisable names in the Liverpool team that faced Leeds but it was the youngsters who truly stood out under the Anfield floodlights.
Adventurous right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold was a nuisance for the Leeds defence all evening, without letting anything in behind him, and set up Divock Origi for the first goal with an inviting cross to the near post.
Similarly, Ovie Ejaria looked tidy in midfield and really tried to force a moment of magic to bamboozle an organised Leeds team, whilst the Reds’ latest boy wonder Ben Woodburn netted after coming on from the bench to become the youngest goalscorer in Liverpool history – taking the record off a certain Michael Owen.
Based on their performances last night, it won’t be long before we see the trio picking up minutes in the Premier League.
Another baffling night for West Ham
Admittedly, playing twice at Old Trafford in the space of four days was never going to be an easy task for a Hammers side who are currently just one point above the relegation zone and under-fire manager Slaven Bilic will likely be more focused on his team’s Premier League form.
Nonetheless, the Irons didn’t really turn up on Wednesday night and in some ways were flattered by the 4-1 scoreline – for starters, Ashley Fletcher’s first-half strike was a rebound from a spilt David De Gea save that should have been relatively routine.
At the same time, it could have been far more humiliating at the other end for the east Londoners. Manchester United produced 19 shots and seemed to have the Hammers pinned back in their own box for the majority of the second half. Much work to be done before Bilic’s boys play Arsenal on Saturday.