Four Premier League clubs were in EFL Cup and UEFA Europa League action on Wednesday, with the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points covered in this article.
This includes the latest quotes on David Raya (£5.6m), which you can also find in our early team news round-up.
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
| Team | Opponent | Result | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Bolton Wanderers (h) | 5-1 win | Rice, Nwaneri x2, Sterling, Havertz | Sterling x2, Rice, Saka |
| Liverpool | West Ham United (h) | 5-1 win | Jota x2, Salah, Gakpo x2 | Chiesa, Jones, Mac Allister, Darwin |
| Manchester United | FC Twente (h) | 1-1 draw | Eriksen | |
| West Ham United | Liverpool (a) | 5-1 loss | Quansah own goal |
ROTATION/TEAM SELECTION
| Team | No. of starting XI changes made from GW5 | Players who kept their places (mins played) | Other minutes for selected players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 8 | Calafiori (70), Rice (62), Saka (71) | Gabriel (28), Havertz (28), Sterling (81), Martinelli (19), Jesus (90) |
| Liverpool | 9 | Kelleher (90), Darwin (90) | Robertson (8), Mac Allister (31), Chiesa (59), Salah (31), Gakpo (90), Jota (59) |
| Manchester United | 3 | Onana (90), Mazraoui (90), Martinez (90), Dalot (90), Eriksen (79), Fernandes (90), Amad (67), Zirkzee (79) | Maguire (90), Mainoo (11), Ugarte (90), Mount (11), Rashford (79), Garnacho (23), Hojlund (11) |
| West Ham United | 7 | Kilman (90), Alvarez (76), Bowen (78), Summerville (90) | Cresswell (90), Todibo (90), Coufal (90), Soucek (59), Paqueta (69), Soler (78), Kudus (12), Ings (60), Antonio (30) |
RAYA INJURY UPDATE
David Raya missed Wednesday’s 5-1 win over Bolton Wanderers due to a thigh injury, with Mikel Arteta unsure if he will be fit to face Leicester City this weekend.
“We don’t know yet, he’s got a muscular injury.” – Mikel Arteta on David Raya
Backup goalkeeper Neto (£4.3m) would be in line to make his Arsenal debut should Raya be unavailable.
The Brazilian, who is on loan from Bournemouth, couldn’t play against Bolton because he was cup-tied.
In his absence, 16-year-old Jack Porter became the youngest-ever ‘keeper to represent the Gunners.
SAKA/STERLING IMPRESS
Arteta opted for a mix of youth and experience, with only Riccardo Calafiori (£5.8m), Declan Rice (£6.3m) and Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) retaining their place from Sunday’s energy-sapping Etihad encounter.
Rice put the hosts ahead with a tidy finish into the bottom corner, before two Ethan Nwaneri (£4.5m) goals.
Raheem Sterling (£6.8m) tapped home the fourth. A fifth was then added by substitute Kai Havertz (£8.1m) to complete the rout.
Saka and Sterling, in particular, impressed.
A surprise starter, Saka looked sharp and grabbed an assist. He also racked up three shots and six key passes before coming off on 71 minutes.
Sterling, meanwhile, marked his full debut with a goal and two assists.
“Yeah, it was very good. I think he’s getting better and better. I think physically you can tell that he’s making steps. The moment the game opened up a little bit, you know what he can do, how he can deliver. He was involved in a few goals, so a very positive night for him.” – Mikel Arteta on Raheem Sterling
JOTA + GAKPO AT THE DOUBLE/DIAZ REST
Arne Slot made nine changes for Wednesday’s cup tie against West Ham United, with in-form winger Luis Diaz (£7.9m) an unused substitute.
Instead, Federico Chiesa (£7.0m), Diogo Jota (£7.5m), Cody Gakpo (£7.2m) and Darwin Nunez (£7.2m) lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Given a No. 10 role, Jota scored a brace and was withdrawn on the hour mark, suggesting a start may be in order against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Gakpo also showed his class, with two goals, six shots and three key passes.
On Jota and Gakpo, Slot said:
“I think Diogo deserved it because he played a lot of good games for us already. If I’m correct he was only on the scoresheet in the first game against Ipswich. He’s been important for us in every single game he played but a striker also wants to score goals. I’m pleased for him that he scored two today although he played in a No.10 position. He scored two really good goals and Cody I think it was 10, 15 or 20 minutes before the end where he cleared the ball in his own 18-yard box and that is also what he brings to our game apart from scoring two.
“If I see him in training and the way he hits the ball in and around the 18-yard box it is with incredible speed. So, I’m not surprised to see him scoring like this. Someone just told me he scored a similar one last season in this cup tie against West Ham. So, I’m not surprised to see him score; not in the way he did, but it’s not only about them scoring, it’s also about them defending in their own 18-yard box.” – Arne Slot
Substitute Mohamed Salah (£12.8m) also got in on the act, scoring to make it 3-1, while Chiesa supplied the assist for Jota’s opener, crucially getting 59 minutes in the tank.
West Ham had earlier taken the lead through a Jarrell Quansah (£4.1m) own goal.
However, this was another concerning display from the Hammers, who had Edson Alvarez (£5.0m) sent off for a second yellow card. He’ll now miss Gameweek 6.
Jarrod Bowen (£7.5m) and Crysencio Summerville (£5.8m) did at least look positive on the flanks, with the latter missing a decent chance in front of the away end.
Niclas Fullkrug (£6.7m) had returned to full training ahead of Wednesday’s cup tie against Liverpool but failed to feature.
BLUNT UNITED
Manchester United were forced to settle for a point against Dutch outfit FC Twente.
Erik ten Hag made three changes to his starting XI, as Harry Maguire (£4.9m), Manuel Ugarte (£5.0m) and Marcus Rashford (£6.9m) started in place of Matthijs de Ligt (£5.0m), Kobbie Mainoo (£5.4m) and Alejandro Garnacho (£6.4m).
Christian Eriksen (£5.4m) put the hosts ahead with a superb strike.
In addition, Rashford made a positive impression down the left flank, doing everything but score.
However, this was another disappointing display from United, with Bruno Fernandes (£8.3m) unusually sloppy.
Mason Mount (£6.3m) and Rasmus Hojlund (£6.9m) did at least make their comebacks off the bench, adding to United’s attacking options ahead of Sunday’s clash against Tottenham Hotspur.
“Of course, they [the forwards] are all main [forwards], but Joshua [Zirkzee] is doing very good. He created a very good chance, it was a brilliant shot and a very good stop.
“We are very pleased that Rasmus [Hojlund] is back, of course, and now he has to come up to full fitness, full speed, and he can score a goal, we know that. He’s very good in the box.” – Erik ten Hag
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