EFL Cup/friendlies round-up: Rashford goal, Kulusevski assist, Nketiah up top

With the FIFA World Cup over, attention quickly turns back to Fantasy Premier League (FPL).

Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were among eight top-flight sides in Wednesday night action, split between winter friendlies and the EFL Cup.

Our Scout Notes reports on the most noteworthy tactical tweaks, injury news and manager quotes from these ties.

For the game-time played by each player, check out our mid-season minutes tracker here.

And for everything else you might need before Gameweek 17, don’t forget our complete guide to the FPL restart.

MANCHESTER UNITED 2-0 BURNLEY

• Goals: Christian Eriksen, Marcus Rashford
• Assists: Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Scott McTominay
• Man United XI: Dubravka; Wan-Bissaka (Shaw 72), Casemiro, Lindelof, Malacia (B Williams 85); McTominay, Eriksen; Rashford (Fred 85), Fernandes, Garnacho (Antony 59); Martial (Elanga 72)

A wonderful solo goal from Marcus Rashford (£6.7m) will only escalate his huge FPL popularity during this window of unlimited free transfers.

He received the ball from Scott McTominay (£4.9m) around 65 yards out and kept running until firing low into the far corner, adding to Christian Eriksen‘s (£6.3m) earlier strike to ensure a quarter-final place for the Red Devils.

Rashford’s mojo certainly seems to have returned, making a mockery of his FPL price tag ahead of Nottingham Forest (H), Wolverhampton Wanderers (a) and Bournemouth (H).

Injury-prone forward Anthony Martial (£6.7m) is only in 2.4 per cent of squads. He followed up the 45 minutes of two recent friendlies by getting 72 here, which makes him an intriguing differential.

The rest of Erik ten Hag’s starting XI was a mixture of resting David De Gea (£4.9m) and Luke Shaw (£4.8m), whilst being without World Cup finalists Raphael Varane (£4.8m) and Lisandro Martinez (£4.5m). This, combined with a Harry Maguire (£4.7m) illness, forced Casemiro (£4.9m) to be pushed into centre-back.

Midfield maestro Bruno Fernandes (£9.8m) played all 90 minutes but Portugal team-mate Diogo Dalot (£4.8m) is nursing a hamstring issue. After the match, ten Hag had some good things to say about replacement Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£4.3m).

“He has a future. He has had some good years at Man United but, from the start of this season he has had a lot of illnesses and injuries. So, from the restart on, he is fit and you see him progressing.

“I am really happy today with his performance, especially, the way he gave the assist. About his movement, the timing and a great pass from Bruno. But the assist was great, so I am happy with his performance.”

Ten Hag simply answered “no” when asked if he had an update on the absent Jadon Sancho (£7.1m), who is on an individual training programme.

CHARLTON ATHLETIC 0-0 BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION

• Brighton XI: Steele; Lamptey, Dunk, Colwill, Gross; Gilmour (Estupinan 62), Caicedo; March, Lallana (Trossard 62), Enciso (Mitoma 46), Undav (Ferguson 79)

The Seagulls lost this match on penalties after misses from names like Pascal Gross (£5.6m) and Leandro Trossard (£7.1m).

Earlier league postponements against the already-eliminated Bournemouth and Crystal Palace now have a chance of being added into either Gameweek 19 or 21 – the midweeks where future cup rounds are taking place – but we remain at the speculation stage of that possible schedule rejig.

It would add to the interest of already-popular Trossard, whose seven goals have fired him up to fourth in the midfielder rankings.

He was one of several World Cup participants to make a cameo at Charlton. Makeshift left-back Gross made way for Ecuador’s Pervis Estupinan (£4.5m), as Kaoru Mitoma (£4.9m) came on at half-time.

Tariq Lamptey (£4.2m) and Moises Caicedo (£5.0m) were played from the start.

BLACKBURN ROVERS 1-4 NOTTINGHAM FOREST

• Goals: Brennan Johnson (x2, one penalty), Jesse Lingard, Taiwo Awoniyi
• Assists: Neco Williams, Jesse Lingard, Sam Surridge
• Nottingham Forest XI: Henderson; N Williams (Mbe Soh 88), Worrall, Boly, Toffolo; Yates, Mangala (O’Brien 63), Freuler (Colback 83); Johnson, Awoniyi (Dennis 83), Lingard (Surridge 83)

A win over Spanish giants Valencia has been followed by a 4-1 cup win at Championship high-flyers Blackburn for Steve Cooper’s side.

Continuously mocked for making 21 summer signings, perhaps Nottingham Forest are starting to settle into a solid outfit. Three clean sheets arrived from their most recent five league matches, although Wolverhampton Wanderers are the only team to score fewer goals so far.

Brennan Johnson (£5.6m) bagged a brace here including one from the penalty spot. He’s the forward with the most minutes and he scored 18 times in Forest’s promotion-winning season, yet has only twice been able to do it in the top flight.

Big-money summer signing Taiwo Awoniyi (£5.7m) added to his Valencia goal but – despite being his side’s top league scorer – has started just six of his 13 appearances, never lasting more than 72 minutes. Had Morgan Gibbs-White (£5.5m) not been missing with a knock, he may not have even started here.

Highly-owned defensive assets Dean Henderson (£4.7m) and Neco Williams (£4.0m) both began this cup tie, although the former won’t be able to face parent club Man United in Gameweek 17. Meanwhile, Williams has been benched in three of the last seven league matches, here starting at right-back in the absence of Serge Aurier (£4.5m), who has a tight calf.

ARSENAL 0-0 LUTON TOWN

• Arsenal XI: Ramsdale (Turner); White (Sousa), Holding, Gabriel (Foran), Cedric; Partey (Sambi Lokonga), Xhaka (Elneny); Saka (Vieira), Odegaard (Cozier-Duberry), Martinelli (Marquinhos); Nketiah (Cirjan)

In a rematch of the 1988 EFL Cup final, a strong Arsenal XI played out a behind-closed-doors goalless draw with Luton Town.

After suggesting that Gabriel Martinelli (£6.8m) could be placed up front during Gabriel Jesus‘ (£8.0m) injury, Mikel Arteta kept him on the left as an inside-forward and put faith in Eddie Nketiah (£6.5m).

“I think [Jesus] is a unique player but Eddie [Nketiah] has incredible qualities as well for the way we want to play. We have other alternatives in that we can play Martinelli up front as well. We are currently a little bit short in terms of up-front positions but getting Emile [Smith Rowe] back is going to be a big one.” – Mikel Arteta

Martinelli joined Bukayo Saka (£8.0m), Aaron Ramsdale (£4.9m), Granit Xhaka (£5.1m) and Thomas Partey (£4.8m) in getting some minutes played after their World Cup adventures. Expect William Saliba (£5.3m) to come in for Rob Holding (£4.2m) at centre-back once he’s back from Qatar and up to speed.

There was no Kieran Tierney (£4.7m), Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.0m), Takehiro Tomiyasu (£4.2m) and Emile Smith Rowe (£5.6m), with local media suggesting that Tierney and Tomiyasu were merely being rested. Tomiyasu has been struggling with a hamstring strain of late and has been dogged by injury for much of 2022.

Ben White‘s (£4.7m) starting spot doesn’t look under threat for the time being, then, making him a bargain for these league leaders that have the joint-most clean sheets and joint-fewest goals conceded.

EVERTON 2-0 ASTON VILLA

• Goals: Anthony Gordon, Neal Maupay
• Assists: Nathan Patterson, Alex Iwobi

In a rematch of the 1977 EFL Cup final, Everton and Aston Villa were also behind closed doors at Goodison Park. This time, we don’t know the exact starting line-ups but can piece it together using match reports.

For example, the early Anthony Gordon (£5.3m) goal was assisted by Nathan Patterson (£4.0m), which is encouraging for FPL managers hoping to select the right-back as their cheap defender. He played all 90 minutes of their first seven league outings, before an injury.

We also know that Neal Maupay (£6.1m) and Alex Iwobi (£5.6m) combined for the second goal, with Jordon Pickford (£4.5m) making a string of first-half saves before being replaced at the break.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1-1 NICE

• Goal: Matt Doherty
• Assist: Dejan Kulusevski
• Tottenham XI: Forster; Tanganga, Sanchez (Dier 66), Lenglet (B Davies 66); Emerson Royal (Mundle 74), Hojbjerg (Sarr 46), Bissouma, Doherty; Kulusevski (Devine 80), White (Son 74), Gil (Lankshear 90)

With Nice being French, they’ve never faced Spurs in an EFL Cup final. As the side with the most representatives in the final World Cup weekend, it was no surprise to see Hugo Lloris (£5.5m), Cristian Romero (£4.9m) and Ivan Perisic (£5.5m) absent for this home friendly.

It allowed Matt Dohery (£4.6m) to score again from left wing-back, his fourth from Spurs’ three most recent friendlies. Such form would surely only reassure Antonio Conte that he needn’t rush to reintegrate Perisic into the starting XI.

Assisting Doherty was Dejan Kulusevski (£8.0m), just like during their 4-0 training ground win over Motherwell. The 22-year-old Swede was involved in three of that afternoon’s four, having returned from injury to set up a goal in Gameweeks 15 and 16.

He looks very sharp and is a great alternative way to get Spurs attacking coverage. Harry Kane (£11.6m) is expensive but, with Richarlison (£8.4m) set for a spell on the sidelines, Kulusevski looked nailed-on for minutes.

Kane was rested here but Son Heung-min (£11.6m) recovered from illness to make a short appearance.

“There are players that finished the World Cup later, it’s normal that their physical condition is not 100 per cent. For this reason, it will be very important to make the right evaluation because I have a group of players that are working from (the first week) with me and my staff and in this moment they are ready.

“Then there are players that arrived in the last few days, they started to work later and I have to try to make the best evaluation for the starting XI and to pick the best for the game against Brentford.” – Antonio Conte

LEEDS UNITED 2-4 MONACO

• Goals: Robin Koch, Joe Gelhardt (penalty)
• Assists: Marc Roca, Wilfried Gnonto
• Leeds XI: Klaesson; Kristensen (Firpo 67), Ayling, Koch (Llorente 45), Struijk (Hjelde 80); Forshaw (Joseph 62), Roca; Greenwood, Aaronson (Gyabi 80), Gnonto, Gelhardt

Ownership in Leeds assets is low, as only Rodrigo (£6.3m) and forward-enabler Sam Greenwood (£4.2m) are in over 2.5 per cent of squads.

The Spaniard is being eyed up within the community for a promising fixture run that starts in Gameweek 19. However, he missed out against Monaco, as did goalkeeper Illan Meslier (£4.5m) and a cluster of other players – including Crysencio Summerville (£4.4m), who has sat out most of the mid-season friendlies with a foot injury.

“We have some illness going around. Rodrigo had tightness and, again, if it’s a friendly you don’t risk these things. We think that most of them will be ready for Manchester City but we’re not 100 per cent sure.

“Illness is day-by-day, you know. It’s similar to the other guys that I said, it’s day-to-day basis. I think, I believe he’ll [Meslier] be fit, yes.” – assistant head coach Rene Maric

They took a 12th-minute lead here when Robin Koch (£4.5m) headed home a Marc Roca (£4.8m) corner but a splurge of early second-half goals put the French side 4-1 ahead. Joe Gelhardt‘s (£5.1m) stoppage time penalty was a consolation.