Hits and misses: Gabriel Jesus, Harvey Elliott and Sandro Tonali impress in Carabao Cup quarter-finals | football news

Does this mean Arsenal don’t need a new striker?

Having the number 9 turn up with a hat-trick just in time for Christmas in Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Crystal Palace is the perfect antidote when your attack is questioned.

Arsenal’s recent lack of open play and their reliance on set pieces raised the now-annual debate over whether a new striker is needed in January. So what happens now with Gabriel Jesús looking for rhythm, at least during half of the football?

Arsenal and Jesús showed in that second half that their problem is not one of ‘forwards’. Many claimed the Gunners needed a striker last January and they finished with 91 Premier League goals, the most in their history in the competition.

What Arsenal have shown – and needs to be addressed – is a dependence on Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard. It is a problem of creativity more than of a striker.

Mikel Arteta’s team hardly looked like scoring until those two came on as separate substitutions and provided incisive assists for Jesus within minutes of arriving on the pitch.

So whether it’s upgrading the left winger position or getting better backups for Saka and Odegaard (Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling failed to impress, but Ethan Nwaneri looked promising), that’s where Arsenal need to focus if they want to make a move in January.
Sam Blitz

Palace fancy revenge on Saturday

Crystal Palace was in the fight for the cup, at least for 54 minutes. Until Jesus equalized, Oliver Glasner would have been beaming at how aggressive and diligently organized his team was.

That was shown in their first goal after just four minutes when Jean-Phillipe Mateta chewed up and spat out Jakub Kiwior as they battled for a 50-50 ball from Dean Henderson before the striker kept his cool in front of goal. We should not be surprised now by Mateta’s lethal shot.

Now there are 25 goals in his last 35 games as a starter for club and country; Any striker, except Erling Haaland, at the highest level would break your hand for such a return. Palace could not maintain their bravery out of possession and Arsenal finally broke through. However, back at Selhurst Park on Saturday, facing the same opponents, live on Sky SportsThis Palace team certainly possesses the game plan and aggression to make life difficult for the Gunners again. However, this time they will have to do it for 90 minutes.
Luis Jones

Elliott shines in Liverpool’s victory

Making his first start since May, Harvey Elliott shone in Liverpool’s 2-1 Carabao Cup quarter-final victory at Southampton.

The midfielder scored what turned out to be the winning goal with a clinical low finish in the first half.

Even at the age of 21, Elliott was one of the most experienced players in a youth team and led by example in midfield.

The Englishman made the most passes in the final third (21) of the match and produced a player of the match performance.

“It was exceptional,” he said. sky sports Don Goodman. “Not just the goal, but his overall work ethic with and without the ball. An excellent game.”

Now Elliott hopes his performance will earn him a starting place in the Premier League to become a regular under Arne Slot.
Declan Olley

Defense first: A sign of things to come for struggling Saints?

The plan was clear to everyone from the start when Liverpool arrived at St Mary’s for the second time in a month: stay compact, with rigid groups of five and four, frustrate Liverpool, hit them on the counter when opportunities arose and wait. for the best.

Under Russell Martin, Southampton liked to dominate the ball. But with little success – and ultimately his sacking just days ago – his interim replacement Simon Rusk knew that wouldn’t work, particularly against arguably one of the best teams in the world at the moment.

For a good 20 minutes Liverpool attacked and attacked but were kept at bay. When the clearances were extended, fans reacted with cheers. Afterwards, there were brave blocks that kept the final result respectable.

Saints fans had seen their team concede goals like no other recently (11 in the last three Premier League games, in fact) and seeing the defensive fragility disappear, even just a little, was very welcome.

Is it a sign of things to come? It’s hard to say for sure until Martin’s permanent replacement is named. If they play similarly in the Premier League, they could have the start of a bid for survival.
Dan Long

Fantastic Tonali presents it to Toon

If Sandro Tonali is unhappy at Newcastle, he certainly doesn’t look it.

The Italian midfielder finally appears to be living up to the hype and price tag at St James’s Park, and his brilliance made the difference in the Magpies’ 3-1 win over Brentford.

The first goal was exceptional, a very clean strike that demonstrated the technique he has at his disposal. His reaction and celebration show the bond he has forged with the Toon support, who strongly supported him during his suspension last season.

The second, the product of a well-worked routine from a corner, demonstrated his intelligence and spatial awareness. Away from the goals, he and Bruno Guimaraes dominated the midfield. It feels like a special partnership is forming between the two.

If it wasn’t his best performance in a Newcastle shirt, this was certainly his most impressive. His quality steered the game in his direction. If he could become the man to lead the club to that long-awaited trophy, he will never be forgotten in the city.
Simeon Gholam

The calendar catches up with Brentford

“It’s about getting the right balance in a tight week in which we want to perform at our best in all three games.” That was Thomas Frank’s previous explanation for making so many changes to the team that played against Chelsea on Sunday. Did you do it well?

Brentford will be back in action against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, so the frustration is understandable. “I’ve been pretty vocal about the fact that I don’t think we had the optimal schedule, but it is what it is. I fully believe this team can compete,” he said.

Frank added tellingly: “And by the way, a game lasts 90 minutes, not 60.” The problem was that when the Brentford manager called on substitutes Bryan Mbeumo and Mikkel Damsgaard, Tonali had already put Newcastle two goals ahead.

Damsgaard was a real bright spark in the final half hour of the game, releasing Mbeumo to set up Yoane Wissa for Brentford’s consolation goal. Mbeumo’s beautiful pass had opened up the defense creating a chance for Wissa moments earlier.

Would it have made any difference if Frank had felt able to form the trio? The Bees boss would point to the example of Ethan Pinnock, who was asked to start again only to be stopped by a hamstring problem early on. Something had to give. They were Brentford’s cup hopes.
Adam Bate