In part two of our EFL Cup round-up, we’re picking the bones out of two more all-Premier League ties: Brighton and Hove Albion v Liverpool and Newcastle United v Chelsea.
These Scout Notes are the reverse Elvis: less on the action and more on the conversation surrounding each fixture.
As ever, the impact on Fantasy Premier League (FPL) is our main focus.
RESULTS, GOALS + ASSISTS
| OPPONENT | RESULT | GOALS | ASSISTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton and Hove Albion | v Liverpool (h) | 2-3 loss | Adingra, Lamptey | Ferguson |
| Chelsea | v Newcastle United (a) | 0-2 loss | – | – |
| Liverpool | v Brighton and Hove Albion (a) | 3-2 win | Gakpo x2, Diaz | Morton |
| Newcastle United | v Chelsea (h) | 2-0 win | Isak, Disasi own-goal | Tonali, Willock |
TEAM SELECTION/ROTATION
| STARTING XI CHANGES FROM GW9 |
PLAYERS WHO KEPT THEIR PLACES (MINS) |
OTHER MINS FOR SELECTED PLAYERS |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton and Hove Albion | 8 | Igor (90), van Hecke (68), Kadioglu (45) | Ferguson (90), Estupinan (45), Welbeck (15), Mitoma (15) |
| Chelsea | 11 | – | Cucurella (90), Enzo (90), Nkunku (90), Felix (90), Mudryk (90), Madueke (33) |
| Liverpool | 8 | Robertson (90), Diaz (90), Jones (90) | Bradley (90), Gakpo (71), Mac Allister (26), Salah (19), Nunez (19), Konate (1) |
| Newcastle United | 5 | Pope (90), Schar (90), Joelinton (90), Tonali (90), Hall (72), Isak (63) | Gordon (72), Guimaraes (27) |
PALMER RESTED AS MARESCA ROTATES
As he does in Europe, Enzo Maresca changed his entire starting XI for the trip to Tyneside.
The ‘B team’ have performed well on the continent but fell short here, none of them laying much of a claim for involvement in Gameweek 10.
The Blues did rack up the shots and the possession in the second half but didn’t attack with much conviction. Christopher Nkunku (£6.0m) was muted, while Enzo Fernandez (£4.8m) was poor – his inclusion here is another indication that Maresca is going to continue with Romeo Lavia (£4.5m) in his Premier League XI.
Part of the rotation saw Cole Palmer (£11.0m) remain an unused substitute – a welcome breather for his FPL owners. In fact, the only Gameweek 9 starter who made it onto the field at all was Noni Madueke (£6.5m), on as a 57th-minute substitute at St James’ Park.
“Simply because I think Joao [Felix] and Christo [Nkunku] were doing very good. The reason why [we brought him] was in case we needed Cole but Joao and Christo were doing well so there was no need to change.” – Enzo Maresca when asked why he didn’t use Cole Palmer
Joao Felix (£6.1m) was probably Chelsea’s brightest spark. All twists and turns, making some incisive movement in Palmer’s usual number 10 role, he lacked the England international’s dead eye: six shots, a couple of them very decent chances, were spurned.
DARWIN + SALAH RESTED, GAKPO V DIAZ + ROBERTSON GAME-TIME WORRY
Darwin Nunez (£7.1m) and Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) didn’t quite have the full night off but 19-minute cameos at the Amex did strongly signpost Gameweek 10 starts. Not that there was much doubt about that anyway: positional rivals Federico Chiesa (£6.8m) and Diogo Jota (£7.3m) remain sidelined.
This match was another strong indication of how Arne Slot views Cody Gakpo (£7.1m). Despite no Jota or Darwin in the starting XI, the Liverpool boss again refused to use Gakpo through the middle. Slot instead operated with a 4-4-2 ‘box’, deploying Curtis Jones (£5.3m) and Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.4m) as the dual false nines/tens. Gakpo meanwhile was on his usual left flank, with Luis Diaz (£7.9m) on the opposite wing.
“I prefer to play with a no. 9 but if they are not available – and of course, we had Darwin [Nunez] available but I think it was not good for him to start today after playing three games and with the upcoming schedule – then this was the result of what we tried to come up with. The players did really well, in my opinion.” – Arne Slot on his 4-4-2 box
The minutes played may have been telling, too. Diaz, who also got the nod against Arsenal last Sunday, got through the entire match. Gakpo, however, got the hook after 71 minutes. A sign that the Dutchman is to start against Brighton this weekend?
“For me, he is a regular starter. He is not starting every game but he has started on a regular basis and he is in a tough competition with Luis Diaz, who, in the moment he went on the left, also scored a goal. So, that’s normal: if you play at a club like Liverpool you have got two quality players for many positions.” – Arne Slot on Cody Gakpo
If the minutes were a giveaway, then Andrew Robertson (£6.0m) owners may be worried. The Scot lasted the full 90 minutes in what was a mostly second-string XI, just days after he started – and struggled – against Arsenal.
His form hasn’t been great of late. Slot’s decision to start him in the cup may therefore have signalled a changing of the guard at left-back, with Kostas Tsimikas (£4.6m) potentially in line for a Gameweek 10 run-out.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.0m) and Virgil van Dijk (£6.1m), in contrast, got the night off.
As for the on-field action, Gakpo was arguably the star of the show. Bagging another brace, he was a constant danger making inside runs from the left. Diaz got his goal from the left, too, moving over to his usual side when Gakpo departed.
HURZELER USED HIS SQUAD
Like Slot, Fabian Hurzeler made eight changes for Wednesday’s clash.
Regulars like Danny Welbeck (£5.9m), Georginio Rutter (£5.5m) and Kaoru Mitoma (£6.5m) either had complete rests or were restricted to cameos, likely with one eye on Saturday’s trip to Anfield.
Ferdi Kadioglu (£4.5m) was one of three Seagulls to keep their places, switching from his Gameweek 9 right-wing station to left-back here. Injury forced him off but his manager is hopeful of a recovery for the swift rematch with Liverpool.
Hurzeler used his enviable squad depth further forward, rolling out an all-new front six. Brajan Gruda (£5.4m) got his first Albion start and did well on the right, while Simon Adingra (£5.4m) was arguably Albion’s brightest spark on the other flank. Having seen a header superbly tipped onto the post, he lashed in an 81st-minute deficit-halfer.
Tariq Lamptey (£4.4m), eye-catching going forward but suspect heading in the other direction, netted a deflected second.
From this line-up, there’s only really Jan Paul van Hecke (£4.5m) and Igor Julio (£4.4m) who look like probable Gameweek 10 starters.
We’ll have more comments from Hurzeler in Thursday’s press conference round-up, coming very soon this afternoon.
HOWE ON ISAK, GORDON RETURNS
After a subdued, injury-hit start to 2024/25, Alexander Isak (£8.3m) made it back-to-back goals against Chelsea on Wednesday evening.
The Swedish striker swept the Magpies into a lead against their much-changed opponents, later seeing his cross nodded in by Joe Willock (£4.8m) via an Axel Disasi (£4.3m) touch.
Isak was taken off after 62 minutes, however, appearing to slightly limp from the pitch.
Eddie Howe is hopeful but couldn’t really offer much on his main man up top.
“I hope he’s okay, yeah. I haven’t spoken to him yet, so fingers crossed.” – Eddie Howe on Alexander Isak
Anthony Gordon (£7.2m) will be on standby if Isak misses out this weekend. He made his own return on Wednesday from a minor groin issue, having missed out on Sunday’s clash at Stamford Bridge.
Even if Isak is fit, there’s a chance Gordon isn’t on his favoured left flank for Saturday’s visit of Arsenal. Howe rolled back the years by playing Joelinton (£6.0m) on the left wing against Chelsea, with Gordon on the opposite flank.
The versatile Brazilian was excellent (bar an early sitter) and it’s possible that he will reprise that role in Saturday’s early kick-off.
Another option on the right, Jacob Murphy (£5.1m), missed the Chelsea game through injury.
“Sight hamstring but nothing serious.” – Eddie Howe on Jacob Murphy
