Youngsters defied, veterans dismissed, and different competition, same old result for Vincent Janssen – Sunday’s FA Cup ties provide plenty of action but just the one surprise.
Pedro at the Double
A much-changed Chelsea proved too much for a game Peterborough United outfit who did manage a spell of control – and a goal – after John Terry (5.2) marked his first action since Gameweek 11 by getting himself sent off.
Owners of the Blues’ main two, Eden Hazard (10.4) and Diego Costa (10.7), will have been delighted to see both warm the bench from start to finish, though Pedro (6.9) – who was utilised in the left wing-back role in a 3-5-2 formation – started and scored twice.
Discussing yesterday’s change in role with the club’s official website, the Spaniard went on to say:
”I had once chance in the first half which was unlucky, I shot very hard and it went up, but I’m happy to have scored two goals. It’s a new position for me but it means the same in terms of work. I had to run a lot but it was good for me and a good performance”.
Chelsea went on to chalk up a 4-1 routine victory, with the other goals coming from front two Willian (7.2) and Michy Batshuayi (8.5), who is yet to start in the league this season.
Kurt Zouma (5.3) returned after an 11-month lay-off with a knee injury. With coach Antonio Conte also recalling Nathan Ake (4.4) from his loan spell at Bournemouth, he now has real strength in depth in defence for the second half of the season – with or without the veteran Terry.
Ake’s return, together with Pedro’s successful trial at wing-back could suggest that Conte is looking at his options in Marcos Alonso’s position – at least in terms of cover.
Chelsea XI: Begovic, Zouma, Terry, Cahill (Aina 57), Ivanovic, Fabregas, Chalobah, Pedro, Loftus-Cheek (Azpilicueta 69), Batshuayi, Willian (Kante 73).
Subs not used: Eduardo, Moses, Hazard, Costa.
Another Cup Tie on The Reds’ Horizon
Liverpool fielded their youngest ever line-up and won nothing with the kids, a gritty Plymouth Argyle holding out for a goalless draw and January 18 replay.
Jurgen Klopp had both eyes on Wednesday’s trip to Southampton for the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final when he named a team with an average age of 21 years and 296 days, and although the youngsters enjoyed more than 75% possession and fired in 28 shots, they just couldn’t kill off their League Two opponents.
Even the introduction of the relatively ancient trio of Adam Lallana (7.7), Roberto Firmino (8.5) and Daniel Sturridge (9.7) in the second half was to no avail, but Klopp could at least be satisfied with the return to action of defender Joe Gomez (4.8) after more than a year out with knee ligament damage.
The replay will fall between a huge trip to Old Trafford and a potentially much less fraught home match with Swansea City for the Reds.
Essentially, the Merseysiders have six more matches still to play in January, then, and Klopp is unlikely to risk too many more of his first team regulars in the FA Cup, what with the Gameweek 23 visit of Chelsea and the completion of the Southampton semi-final also on his radar.
Liverpool XI: Karius, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Lucas, Moreno, Can (Sturridge 63), Stewart, Ejaria (Lallana 75), Ojo, Origi, Woodburn (Firmino 75).
Subs not used: Mignolet, Clyne, Wijnaldum, Klavan.
Negredo Back in the Goals
Grant Leadbitter (4.7) scored for the second time in three matches to help Middlesbrough ease past a limited Sheffield Wednesday side.
Coach Aitor Karanka spoke post-match of the importance of the FA Cup to Boro, having proved it by selecting a strong side to take on their Championship opponents.
Daniel Ayala (4.8) returned after a long-standing ankle injury to add experience to what has been a well-drilled defensive unit in his absence but then saw red for hauling down Wednesday’s Fernando Forestieri.
After missing 11 matches, Ayala will now have to sit out Gameweek 21’s trip to Watford.
His dismissal didn’t overly harm the home side as Alvaro Negredo (6.4), and then Marten de Roon (4.4) sealed the deal, the former profiting from a goalkeeping clearance that hit him and ended up in the net.
Negredo’s strike will perhaps slow down the FPL exodus ahead of clashes with Watford, West Ham and West Brom in the next three – the Spaniard has been sold by nearly 40,000 managers ahead of the Vicarage Road encounter.
New signing Rudy Gestede made the Boro squad but didn’t make it off the bench, while centre-half Bernardo (4.3) was given a home debut after playing his first 90 minutes for the club at Old Trafford in Gameweek 19.
George Friend (4.4) made a return to the starting XI at left-back with Fabio benched, perhaps suggesting that we may be closer to resolving that particular conflict and regaining the former as an assured option.
Middlesbrough XI: Guzan, Chambers, Ayala, Bernardo, Friend, Stuani, Clayton (Downing 62), De Roon, Leadbitter, Traore (Fabio 62), Negredo.
Subs not used: Konstantopoulos, Gibson, Forshaw, Gestede, Rhodes.
Pochettino Rings the Changes
A Tottenham B team laboured long and hard before finally breaking down Steve Bruce’s well-organised Aston Villa.
Only Eric Dier (5.0) and Toby Alderweireld (6.3) survived from the side that beat Chelsea, with Vincent Janssen (7.5) given yet another chance to impress up front.
The fact that the Dutch striker was the first player to be replaced, and Heung-Min Son (7.0) scored when pushed further forward as a result, spoke volumes for Janssen’s influence.
Big hitters Harry Kane (10.9) and Christian Eriksen (8.6) didn’t even make the squad, while man of the moment Dele Alli (8.5) came on for Janssen and promptly galvanised the home side.
Left-back Ben Davies (4.7) also found the net – his first goal for Spurs – in a 2-0 triumph.
Tottenham Hotspur XI: Vorm, Carter-Vickers, Alderweireld (Nkoudou 70), Wimmer, Trippier, Dier, Winks, Davies, Sissoko (Onomah 84), Janssen (Alli 60), Son.
Subs not used: Vertonghen, Wanyama, Lopez Sabata, Walker-Peters.
