Carabao Cup final and Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend

27.02.2023 - 11:27 theguardian.com

Casemiro wins things. Before arriving in Manchester he had claimed five Champions Leagues, three La Liga titles, one Copa América and 15 other trophies for club and country.

He’d won 10 of the 12 major finals he’d played. Now he has a Carabao Cup. Manchester United signed a player with an intimate knowledge of that winning feeling.

But would any of that experience count in a team that had forgotten what was required to get over the line? Without him they had lost three finals in five years while finishing second in the league on two occasions.

How fitting that his headed goal began the win against Newcastle. But beyond this single act, his greatest contribution is the way he has lifted those around him; especially his countryman Fred, who could be the most-improved player in English football.

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Manchester United’s manager, Marc Skinner, raged over two penalty appeals waved away by the referee, Cheryl Foster, in their 1-0 defeat at the WSL champions, Chelsea. “They’re stonewall when I watch them both,” he said. “We have to invest in the officials, we have to invest in the surrounding technology that can help. We’ve come to the champions’ home ground and put our stamp on it – you need those things to go for you.” Skinner also pointed to other incidents this season and warned of the impact of poor decisions on the destination of the title. “It’s the same as what happened in the Arsenal game [against Chelsea in the Continental Cup final], where [Caitlin] Foord goes into the box and Kadeisha [Buchanan] brings her down – it’s a penalty. They need to be picked up, they’re obvious. If they are not obvious we would swallow the medicine and get on with it. We have learned about our resolve and resilience this season; we didn’t crumble. We shouldn’t have to address it, not in big games when we go on to this stage and these are big for what the league looks like in the next eight games. That’s huge decisions.” SW

Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Fulham were meek against Arsenal: they looked timid and small from the opening moments, the surprise entirely minimal when their visitors put the outcome beyond doubt so quickly. Their tilt at Europe is fizzling out although that should not diminish the excellent work Marco Silva has done in ensuring they do not yo-yo down to the Championship yet again. They badly missed the suspended João Palhinha: he has now missed four games in all competitions this season and Fulham have lost all four, conceding 12 times. Fulham played a blinder in landing him from Sporting and their drop-off without him is a reminder that it will take some time for them to amass the depth of quality that will mitigate such absences. On Sunday they lacked and were unable to get any grip in midfield. At least their next four league games are against relegation contenders: if Palhinha returns with the influence he wielded previously, they can still lever themselves back into the top-six conversation. Nick Ames

Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Roberto Firmino scoring Liverpool’s seventh and final goal on Sunday was such an apt way to complete their perfect day. Two goals each for Mohamed Salah, Darwin Núñez and Cody Gakpo pointed to Jürgen Klopp having found his next all-star forward line, and then on came the outgoing legend to cap it all with a neat finish and that trademark smile. Neither of the new men – nor Diogo Jota – is a like-for-like replacement for what Firmino and Sadio Mané once brought to Liverpool but Gakpo’s speed and finishing, plus Núñez’s chaotic element, can still complement Salah. Gakpo arrived at Liverpool in January as a player unfamiliar with playing centrally but Sunday confirmed him as the heir apparent to Firmino. Salah, Liverpool’s new record Premier League goalscorer, was at his brilliant best, a pest to Manchester United even during his team’s difficult first half. He remains a cut above, near-impossible to stop in full flow and drove Luke Shaw, in particular, to distraction. John Brewin

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