Izuchukwu OkosiThe fourth round of the Carabao Cup games were concluded Wedenday night after Tuesday’s game that saw Championship side Middlesbrough advance to the quarterfinals after eliminating Exter.
There were more illustrious teams in the English pyramid in action on Wednesday with Newcastle United claiming an emphatic 3-0 win over a poor Manchester United.
Same fate befell Arsenal who lost 3-1 to West Ham United in East London while Liverpool edged Bournemouth 2-1 in a highly competitive game at the Vitality Stadium.
Newcastle’s win was only their second win against the Red Devils since 1972 to avenge their Carabao Cup final defeat at Wembley and pile the pressure on home manager Erik ten Hag.
The Toons will travel to Stamford Bridge to take on fellow Premier League side Chelsea, who beat Blackburn 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Meanwhile Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has taken the blames for his team’s defeat to West Ham United and said in his post match conference:
“I’m disappointed with myself. “I’m very disappointed. I’m responsible for that,” he said.
The Spaniard made six changes to his starting XI, with Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and captain Martin Odegaard on the bench. The Arsenal side selected produced a below-par display.
“We’re out of the Cup, we wanted to play a very different game and compete.
“The game took a direction because of the first goal but we have to see much more from the team and earn the right to win.
“I’m disappointed with myself. We wanted to play in a different way and we weren’t able to do that. Every time we lose the pain is there.
“We have to use this pain and this defeat to prepare the best way for Newcastle [in the Premier League] on Saturday.”
Liverpool got the better of Bournemouth to reach the quarterfinals.
Substitute Darwin Nunez scored a stunner as Liverpool the Reds overcame the Cherries to reach the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup.
The Uruguayan striker cut in from the left and picked his spot perfectly for the 70th-minute finish, curling the ball with plenty of pace into the top right corner beyond a despairing Ionut Radu.
Cody Gakpo had put Liverpool in front in the first half when he pounced to poke home from close range after Harvey Elliott’s volley was parried into his path.
But Bournemouth levelled through Justin Kluivert as he netted his first goal for the club since joining from Roma in the summer. He emerged unmarked at the far post to head home an Alex Scott corner in the 64th minute.
The hosts committed everything to attack during the final 15 minutes. David Brooks and Hamed Traore chanced their arm, but neither could muster an attempt as the Cherries failed to level for a second time.
Liverpool will take on Premier League rivals West Ham.
Carabao Cup quarter-finals Fixtures
Everton v Fulham
Chelsea v Newcastle
Port Vale v Middlesbrough
Liverpool v West Ham
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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