The Independent
·20. Dezember 2024
The Independent
·20. Dezember 2024
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'You can do better than this' - Slot makes Chiesa admission after Liverpool return
Newcastle United will face Arsenal while Liverpool take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
Newcastle have high hopes of ending their 69-year wait for a major domestic trophy and the Magpies will face Mikel Arteta’s side for a place at Wembley, while Tottenham’s reward for a chaotic 4-3 win over Manchester United will be a tie against holders Liverpool - who they face in the Premier League on Sunday.
Newcastle defeated Brentford 3-1 on Wednesday night while Gabriel Jesus scored a hat-trick to help Arsenal to a 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace. Premier League leaders Liverpool continued their Carabao Cup defence by beating Southampton 2-1.
The semi-final ties take place over two legs –with the first leg in early January and the second leg in early February. The first silverware of the season is contested as the final takes place at Wembley on Sunday 16 March.
Pinned
So, here’s the full draw (all two games of it...), with the teams listed first having the home leg first. Remember, the semi-finals will be played over two legs across the week commencing 6 January and the week commencing 3 February. The winners will battle it out at Wembley Stadium in the final on 16 March.
Arsenal v Newcastle
Tottenham v Liverpool
Luke Baker19 December 2024 22:44
Ange Postecoglou was delighted with his players after winning a highly entertaining Carabao Cup quater-final against Manchester United.
“I can’t speak highly enough of this group of players,” he said. “Again tonight we had 10 players from our list unavailable for one reason or another. We had a day’s rest less than Man United.
“We are not just getting through games, we are still maintaining our level of football. As I keep saying, we will get to some smoother waters at some point but this period is going to see us have enormous growth.
“We played so well, well in control of the game. It’s the way our season has gone a little bit, we self-inflicted some pain on ourselves and then we had to scramble to get a foothold again.
“It should have been a lot more comfortable than it ended up being but having said that, I still can’t get away from the fact this group of players is doing an unbelievable job at the moment to get us through this.
“We’re in a semi-final of a cup competition, so I think that’s something to reflect this progress for us and we’ve got an opportunity now, home and away to get to a final and we’ve earned that opportunity.
“It’s one to look forward to, but we’ve got important games starting this week, starting Sunday (against Liverpool), that we’ve still got to get through and the mentality the boys are showing at the moment, we’re going to tackle these games in the same way we’ve tackled the ones in recent times.”
(Getty Images)
Jamie Braidwood20 December 2024 13:30
As Son Heung-min wheeled away and the Tottenham fans on the South Stand bounced their way into the Carabao Cup semi-finals, it was fitting of this bonkers, breathless tie against Manchester United that the winning goal would come straight from a corner kick.
A huge night for Ange Postecoglou, as Spurs moved a step closer to lifting their first trophy since 2008, came with relief as Son’s corner made sure they rescued themselves from embarrassment. “Are you not entertained?” Postecoglou grinned. Aware that there would be criticism of his side’s near-collapse, he was proud of what he saw, too.
Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 Manchester United: Spurs recovered from Fraser Forster’s mistakes in a breathless tie as Ange Postecoglou’s side reached the semi-finals
Jamie Braidwood20 December 2024 12:30
Years since winning a major trophy
Liverpool: 0 - 2024 Carabao Cup
Arsenal: 4 - 2020 FA Cup
Tottenham: 16 - 2008 League Cup
Newcastle: 69 - 1955 FA Cup
(Getty Images)
Jamie Braidwood20 December 2024 11:30
This is the second time Newcastle have earned a spot in the final four of the Carabao Cup under Howe after they reached the 2022-23 final, but lost to Manchester United.
The two-legged semi-final ties are set to be played in January and February next year and the Newcastle boss believes the cup can be something for the team to “look forward to” in the midst of their league campaign.
Howe said: “I think it’s a really good thing for us currently, because it’s on the horizon.
“It keeps a positive feel as something to look forward to, while knowing we need to do work in the Premier League to get our position where we want it to be.
“I think when you look at us play at our best, there’s no reason why we can’t improve our position and be really competitive in the semi-final.”
(PA Wire)
Jamie Braidwood20 December 2024 10:30
“I like the whole game. Are you not entertained? I know the studio is probably having a meltdown over my lack of tactics,” Ange Postecoglou told Sky Sports after the 4-3 win over Manchester United.
“We’ve got so many absences at the moment, centre halves, kids on the bench. If we get through the period we’re going to get enormous growth out of it.
“I really liked how we played tonight, obviously those moments tainted it a bit and that has happened this season before and it doesn’t help our consistency, but the mentality of the boys... I love it.”
Meanwhile, Dominic Solanke said it was important for Tottenham to stick together and come back against Manchester United after Fraser Forster’s mistakes.
“Being 3-0 up we could have dealt with the game better, killed some time but we made it hard for ourselves, but the important thing is we won and we’re through,” the two-goal striker said to Sky.
“That’s football sometimes, we stick together. Mistakes are a part of football, we dug in, we showed spirit and got the job done.
“Scoring against a team like United is great but the most important thing is to win today and getting to the semi-final.”
Dominic Solanke (left) scores Tottenham’s third goal (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Wire)
Jamie Braidwood20 December 2024 09:31
Mikel Arteta said Gabriel Jesus is “back at his best” after the Brazilian’s brilliant second-half hat-trick fired Arsenal into the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
Jesus headed into the last-eight fixture with only two goals this year, prompting Arteta to insist he would not be sold when the transfer window opens next month.
And Jesus repaid his manager’s faith with three goals that could breathe new life into not only his stuttering career, but Arsenal’s campaign too.
“I’m so pleased for him,” said Arteta. “It’s been a long period without goals and today, to score three goals, the three types of goals that he scored - and the many actions he was involved in - he looked very sharp.
“It’s a great thing for him and the team that we can rely on a player of such quality. Gabi at that level is a big asset for us. It is a big message for the team that we have Gabi back at his best. It’s now about consistency.
“This moment of spark will bring so much confidence to him. Now we need to take it and give him more games and chances. When a player is in that moment, it’s important for them to continue.”
Gabriel Jesus ran riot against Crystal Palace (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Wire)
Jamie Braidwood20 December 2024 08:31
In his press conference, Ruben Amorim admitted that Manchester United “disconnected for eight minutes” in the second half but said that his team were better than Tottenham for most of the game.
“I didn’t feel like it was [chaotic],” he said after the 4-3 defeat. “The 8 minutes of the second half was like that because we were losing a lot of balls in transitions. But I thinl we were controlling things during almost all the game, playing the same way, trying to find the spaces. I can feel it.
“For the fans it was like that [chaotic] because there’s a lot of goals and one team is recovering from 3-0, but I saw a team that knows what what we what we want to do and so it was not chaotic in my opinion. I could not see the chaos in my team.”
(Getty Images)
Jamie Braidwood20 December 2024 07:31
Arne Slot was happy with Liverpool’s progress to the semi-finals and the Dutchman said squad rotation, which included a full debut for 17-year-old midfielder Trey Nyoni, was key during a busy period of the season.
“It would be normal if I play all the regular starters that we have a better team than we had tonight, otherwise I make every week the wrong decision,” said Slot.
“But we also trust these players because we know how much quality they have, so that’s the first reason to play these players, that we have a lot of confidence in them.
“Second of all, it’s not about a result on Sunday (away to Tottenham), it’s more for the long-term fitness of the players that we make the decision that the ones that played so many minutes to give them a bit of rest during this week because the schedule is going to be intense again in the upcoming weeks.”
(PA Wire)
Jamie Braidwood20 December 2024 06:31