Carabao Cup draw: battle of the Premier League’s young stars
In the fourth round Liverpool will face Arsenal and Chelsea host Man Utd
The fourth round draw of the Carabao Cup has thrown up two mouthwatering all-Premier League clashes that will end two of the big six’s interest in the competition.
Liverpool’s reward for beating MK Dons 2-0 on Wednesday night is a home tie against Arsenal, while Manchester United travel to Chelsea, who thrashed Grimsby 7-1.
Young guns
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
If Jurgen Klopp and Unai Emery continue their policy of using the Carabao Cup to blood their young stars then Liverpool against Arsenal will be an intriguing glimpse into the clubs’ futures.
The Gunners’s 5-0 win against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday was inspired by their youngsters, and Liverpool fielded four teenagers as they overcame League One side MK Dons.
Sweet 16
One of them, 17-year-old Ki-Jana Hoever, scored the Reds’s second goal, while Harvey Elliott became the youngest player to start a competitive match for Liverpool at 16 years and 174 days.
“They are all good, we can’t have bad young players, they are all really skilled,” Liverpool boss Klopp said of his teenage quartet.
“That’s why it’s important we can give them these matches, and we will try to continue like this.”
Teenage kicks
Man Utd were also reliant on adolescence to scrape past Rochdale, in what was another dispiriting night for fans at Old Trafford.
Despite peppering the Rochdale goal with speculative efforts, United didn’t manage to find the net until 17-year-old Mason Greenwood scored with a low shot on 68 minutes.
But eight minutes later the League One outfit were level, thanks to a stunning strike from 16-year-old Luke Matheson. That took the tie to penalties and United held their nerve to win the shoot-out 5-3.
Learning curve
“As you normally are when it gets tight, you’re happy when you win, you’re through and you learn again about different things,” said Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The United boss fielded a couple of other teenagers in Brandon Williams and Tahith Chong, and the Norwegian hinted that the fans might be seeing more of these youngsters in the coming months as he tries to reboot United’s season.
“We just have to take one game at a time but also we’ve got more than one eye on the future,” he said.
“We know we have to change things throughout the club and we are doing that. It’s a great stage for some of the youngsters to prove themselves and there were one or two that really did.
“I think Mason shows again he’s a goal-scorer and you’ve seen Brandon coming on, really assured performance on his debut, fantastic debut.”
James stars for Chelsea
At Stamford Bridge 19-year-old Chelsea full-back Reece James produced a man-of-the-match performance in the 7-1 thrashing of Grimsby.
The teenager scored Chelsea’s fifth and also had a hand in goals for Michy Batshuayi and Kurt Zouma.
Blues boss Frank Lampard said: “With his end product, Reece James showed what he can do. Two assists and a goal, but Reece’s performances on loan last year at Wigan showed the talent he has got.
“I think he is going to be a big player for this club. It is just the start for Reece.”
Another highlight for Chelsea was the return from injury of Callum Hudson-Odoi. The England forward, 18, also scored in the rout.
Carabao Cup fourth round draw
Ties will take place in the week starting 28 October
- Everton vs. Watford
- Aston Villa vs. Wolves
- Manchester City vs. Southampton
- Burton vs. Leicester
- Crawley vs. Colchester
- Chelsea vs. Manchester United
- Oxford vs. Sunderland
- Liverpool vs. Arsenal
Carabao Cup third round results
- Colchester United 0 Tottenham Hotspur 0 (Colchester won 4-3 on penalties)
- Crawley Town 1 Stoke City 1 (Crawley won 5-3 on penalties)
- Luton Town 0 Leicester City 4
- Portsmouth 0 Southampton 4
- Preston North End 0 Manchester City 3
- Sheffield Wednesday 0 Everton 2
- Watford 2 Swansea City 1
- Arsenal 5 Nottingham Forest 0
- Brighton 1 Aston Villa 3
- Burton 2 Bournemouth 0
- Chelsea 7 Grimsby 1
- MK Dons 0 Liverpool 2
- Oxford United 4 West Ham United 0
- Sheffield United 0 Sunderland 1
- Wolves 1 Reading 1 (Wolves won 4-2 on penalties)
- Man Utd 1 Rochdale 1 (Man Utd won 5-3 on penalties)
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The Pentagon faces an uncertain future with Trump
Talking Point The president-elect has nominated conservative commentator Pete Hegseth to lead the Defense Department
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
This is what you should know about State Department travel advisories and warnings
In Depth Stay safe on your international adventures
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
'All Tyson-Paul promised was spectacle and, in the end, that's all we got'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Why Man United finally lost patience with ten Hag
Talking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League
By The Week UK Published
-
Thomas Tuchel to become next England football manager
Speed Read 'Divisive' German coach hopes to lead the men's team to victory
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
The Premier League's spending cap: levelling the playing field?
Talking Point Top clubs oppose plans to link spending to income of lowest-earning club, but rule could prevent success gap from widening
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is a new English football regulator an own goal for the game?
Talking Point PM hails 'historic moment for football fans' but West Ham owner warns it could 'ruin' Premier League
By The Week UK Published
-
English football and the etiquette of leaving the stadium early
Talking Point The belief that 'true fans stay to the end' does not always apply
By The Week UK Published
-
Manchester United and Mason Greenwood: duty of care or double standards?
Talking Point The 21-year-old footballer’s possible return has provoked an outpouring of dismay from supporters
By Jamie Timson Published
-
2023-2024 Premier League predictions: champions, relegation and golden boot
feature A look at the top flight talking points and pundit picks for the new season
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man City: can ‘one of the best sides in history’ win the treble?
feature Guardiola’s Premier League champions have two more trophies in their sights
By The Week Staff Published