Liverpool won a dramatic penalty shootout to claim the first domestic trophy of the season in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley.
On Saturday Manchester City won 1-0 at Everton to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to six points over the Reds, who have a game in hand.
Marcelo Bielsa was sacked as Leeds manager after they lost 4-0 at home to Tottenham, while Newcastle won 2-0 at Brentford to move further clear of the bottom three.
West Ham beat Wolves 1-0 and Aston Villa won 2-0 at Brighton but Manchester United were held to a 0-0 draw by struggling Watford and Crystal Palace and Burnley ended in a 1-1 draw.
But what you want to know is who made my Team of the Week? Make your own selections at the bottom of the article.
Goalkeeper – Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool)
I must say, whenever I’ve seen Caoimhin Kelleher play in goal for Liverpool he looks totally unflappable. He goes about his job as if saving goals is the least important thing on his mind and yet I can’t ever remember seeing the Republic of Ireland international let Liverpool down. The Carabao Cup final is like any final, full of tension and anxiety, but for Kelleher it seemed like a training session. I’m sure it wasn’t but throughout this brilliant football match Kelleher didn’t only keep his nerve but actually won Liverpool the match. I don’t think I have ever seen anything quite like it. A goalkeeper taking the final penalty in a shootout and burying it so comprehensively in the back of the net must have scared the living daylights out of Kepa Arrizabalaga because he missed his.
Did you know? Kelleher made four saves during the EFL Cup final, before going on to score the winning penalty. He also made the third highest number of saves throughout this season’s competition.
Defenders – Matty Cash (Aston Villa), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Fabian Schar (Newcastle), Matt Doherty (Tottenham)
Matty Cash: This was an impressive performance by Villa having had a shaky period recently. Matty Cash came to Villa’s rescue a couple of times before the full-back got hold of a difficult-looking ricochet only to make a very decent contact and steer the ball past a desperate Robert Sanchez in the Brighton goal. Cash looked desperate to score and when he did we could see why, when in celebration he ripped off his shirt to uncover the support emblazoned across his undershirt for Poland team-mate Tomasz Kedziora, who plays for Dynamo Kyiv and stuck in the Ukraine capital under siege. Cash got booked for his celebration but this was one of those occasions when no-one seemed to care.
Did you know? Cash scored only his second goal in 53 Premier League appearances, and first away from home in his 27th game on the road. His opener was Villa’s first shot of the match.
Virgil van Dijk: Mr Dependable was everywhere in the EFL Cup final against Chelsea. He had to be as this was a proper game of football played by grown-ups. It was one of those 0-0 games American sports lovers see and can’t understand how a game with no goals can be such a good watch. The penalty shootout would have saved an American audience of course, because they like that sort of thing – but I can do without it. Liverpool won a football match but Chelsea contributed to a great final and can walk away from Wembley with their heads held high. Penalty shootouts are no way to end great games – we have to find another way.
Did you know? Van Dijk won more duels (nine) and more aerial duels (eight) than any other player. The Dutchman also won possession back nine times, the joint most alongside Fabinho.
Fabian Schar: Another clean sheet for Newcastle and another excellent performance by the Magpies. It’s been a long time since Fabian Schar has featured in my team of the week. However after his brilliant intervention to set up Joe Willock’s superb finish against Brentford I was compelled to include the Newcastle central defender. Not only did Schar find himself on the halfway line in open play after defending a corner in his own penalty area, but fought off a challenge, looked up and played the most exquisite ball for Willock to score. What is Eddie Howe doing at Newcastle?
Did you know? Along with an assist to his name, Schar also attempted more dribbles (three) than any other Newcastle player against Brentford. He also made more clearances (seven) than any other player.
Matt Doherty: I haven’t a clue which Tottenham I’m watching at the moment. Is it any wonder Antonio Conte is threatening to walk out of the club on a Wednesday night after their shocking defeat at Burnley, only to find himself rowing back from his comments on the Saturday, after a superb win against Leeds reminiscent of the one against Manchester City. Meanwhile Matt Doherty, a player Conte never signed, had an outstanding game. The Republic of Ireland international was full of running throughout this fixture and made up phenomenal ground in order to finish a superb run by Ryan Sessegnon.
Did you know? Doherty scored his first Premier League goal for Tottenham in his 26th appearance for them in the competition, while he both scored and assisted in a Premier League game for the very first time.
Midfielders – Joelinton, Joe Willock (both Newcastle), Dejan Kulusevski (Tottenham)
Joelinton: From the moment Josh Dasilva made that awful tackle on Matt Targett, Brentford’s fate was sealed. It’s difficult enough trying to get the West London club to win with 11 men, never mind having a player dismissed for trying to show how good you are. If Dasilva tries to win the ball in a conventional manner no-one gets hurt and there is no sending-off. Newcastle on the other hand are professional, calm and winning under Howe. One player who seems to be thriving under the new regime is Joelinton. If you’d have said to me at the beginning of the season that Joelinton would be starring for Newcastle United on the left side of midfield I’d have thought you were in need of some sort of assistance. However Joelinton has been a revelation since the arrival of Howe and so have Newcastle.
Did you know? A Newcastle player has scored in both home and away meetings with Brentford in each of the past three seasons the two sides have faced each other in a league campaign (David Kelly in 1992-93, Dwight Gayle in 2016-17 and Joelinton in 2021-22).
Joe Willock: Since this young man’s arrival at St James’ Park from Emirates Stadium he’s found the going rather tough. Injuries and sickness have largely interrupted his ability to get into any consistent form at Newcastle. Nevertheless we’ve seen glimpses of what he can do, and he certainly has an eye for goal. Against Brentford he showed that he also has the eye for the spectacular. His finish was superb while his performances get better with each game. Howe said after his performance against West Ham when he scored the equaliser, that this was a player who with the right development could go a long way. I think he’s right.
Did you know? Since Willock made his league debut for Newcastle (6 February 2021) he has scored more Premier League goals for the club than any other player (10).
Dejan Kulusevski: I said when I selected this kid for my team last week that he looked very comfortable in a Tottenham shirt. Well, he’s rapidly becoming a favourite of mine. The way Dejan Kulusevski took his goal against Leeds was just pure class. Just when you thought it had been a difficult week for Leeds having been beaten 6-0 in midweek by Liverpool, the game against Tottenham was about to make it considerably worse. That said, no-one could have predicted Bielsa would have been given the sack after the game, but he had taken Leeds as far as he could.
Did you know? Kulusevski has scored two goals in five Premier League appearances for Tottenham, as many as in his final 44 Serie A games for Juventus.
Forwards – Luis Diaz (Liverpool), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Phil Foden (Manchester City)
Luis Diaz: From the moment I clapped eyes on this player in a Liverpool shirt I thought they’ve only gone and done it again – they’ve bought another red arrow. A player who is quick, a team player, can score goals and fit in with the current regime and, if need be take over from the outgoing ones. The Colombia international looked fabulous against Chelsea. He had a chance to win the match and knew it as he beat the ground in frustration as his shot went straight into Edouard Mendy’s hands. Thomas Tuchel admits Chelsea’s EFL Cup final preparations were affected by the situation in Ukraine and insisted he had mixed feelings going into the Wembley final. Well his team did a great job under the circumstances. He’s nothing to be ashamed of.
Did you know? Only Mohamed Salah (five) took more shots than Diaz (four), who also had the most touches inside Chelsea’s area (10). Diaz also attempted more dribbles than any other player (five), while also contesting more duels than any other player (16).
Harry Kane: The ball from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was just fabulous, but the finish by Harry Kane was even better. Kane’s vision is only matched by his touch and quality of pass. This player when he is on top of his game has everything. The pass for Son Heung-min was just wonderful, while the South Korea international gratefully accepted the gift from his striking partner. As for Leeds it couldn’t go on like this. Their players have given everything they had to Bielsa but were leaking goals faster than a burst water main. The relationship had to come to an end. The question is who now?
Did you know? Tottenham striker Kane has scored 11 goals in his nine Premier League games played in Yorkshire. Only Alan Shearer (16) has scored more as a visiting player in the county than the England captain.
Phil Foden: Once you got over the emotional scenes at Goodison Park and the extraordinary support for Everton’s Ukraine international Vitaliy Mykolenko and Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko, you knew this was going to be a difficult match for City. Both players never entered the fray but it didn’t make the match any less interesting. Phil Foden might have scored shortly before referee Paul Tierney made an appalling decision by not awarding Everton a penalty when Rodri clearly moved his arm towards the ball. The decision was only compounded by the utter incompetence of VAR operator Chris Kavanagh, who clearly can’t tell when a player is using his arm to control a ball. However, it was Foden who brilliantly anticipated Michael Keane’s error by moving towards Everton keeper Jordan Pickford. Now that’s a goalscorer.
Did you know? Manchester City’s Foden has scored 10 of his past 12 Premier League goals away from home. He has scored three goals against Everton in the competition, only netting more versus Brighton (four).
Pick your XI from our list and share with your friends.
The Crooks of the Matter
Those who hold the view that sport and politics shouldn’t mix have never lived in the real world. It’s a bit like salt and pepper. These are strong ingredients, but when combined provide an unescapable dynamic. The same is also true of sport whenever politics enters its arena and, in the modern world, it would appear that you can no longer have one without the other. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had, on the face of it, nothing to do with football until it was appreciated that the Champions League final was scheduled in St Petersburg on 28 May.
Now, that might have been the last thing on Vladimir Putin’s mind when he ordered his ‘peacekeeping troops’ into two rebel-held regions in Ukraine. However, once a full-blown invasion was announced and the country came under attack, the international football community across the continent closed its ranks showing their support for the Eastern European country.
Nadine Dorries, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said the British government will not allow Putin to exploit events on the world stage to legitimise his illegal invasion of Ukraine. Neither should Uefa or Fifa. Fifa has ordered Russia to complete their upcoming matches without their flag, anthem and as the Football Union of Russia in neutral territory, following the invasion of Ukraine. I don’t think that goes far enough.
Footballers are people with families like everybody else and can’t be expected to turn a blind eye to the harsh and sometimes devastating realities of the real world – and neither should they. Manchester City’s Ukraine international Zinchenko summed it up perfectly when he said: “No-one should ever be allowed to appropriate his country.” I think it’s a point worth some thought. And while you’re at it, try telling him sport and politics shouldn’t mix.
