On Wednesday evening, Arsenal played North London rivals Tottenham in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup. The venue for the match was The Emirates Stadium. Alex Iwobi was in the starting line-up for Arsenal in this exciting encounter.
From the kick-off, both teams were at it hard. Chances were made on both sides of the pitch, but none threatened the goalkeepers until the 20th minute. In a counter attack, Dele Alli finds Heung-Min Son who slots the ball nicely past the Arsenal goalie.
Tottenham seized the advantage after taking the lead and kept on pressing, having more than 60% of the ball. But they couldn’t turn that advantage into another goal before Arsenal countered. The Gunners were much better going into the break but couldn’t find an opening.
In the second half, Arsenal kept on trying to get a decent chance, with Iwobi crossing well but the finishing touch was missing for the Gunners. Both managers made substitutions in the 58th minute. Harry Kane came in for the Spurs, to replace Lucas Moura. And Alexandre Lacazette came in for Iwobi.
And just like that, Spurs are 2:0 ahead. Kane makes an impact immediately, kicking a nice over-the-top pass to Dele Alli who does well to receive the pass and neatly shoots the ball over Petr Cech with the outside of his foot.
Arsenal were not going to stop and Lacazette was in on the goal in the first attack after the goal, but the ball hit the post. The Gunners hit the ball against the goal frame once more before the final whistle but in the end, it was Tottenham 2 Arsenal 0.
Alex Iwobi – Player of Arsenal – Vlad1988 / Shutterstock.com
After the game, one of the TV commentators, Jamie Redknapp said that he wasn’t sure why Arsenal manager Unai Emery took Iwobi out as he was on the ball and making things happen, linking well with others and passing. Iwobi has only scored once this season so that might be one reason. But he also has five assists to his name.
Fans have been quick to put blame on Iwobi after the game, especially after the last few matches where he was either subbed off at halftime after starting or subbed in for the second half.
In the other quarter-final matches, Manchester City beat Leicester City after a penalty shootout. Both Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho were in the starting line-up for the Foxes. Ndidi suffered an injury during the game and is doubtful for their next match.
League One side Burton Albion are the surprise of the Carabao Cup this season, beating the Championship team Middlesbrough 1:0 and going into the semi-finals. In the last quarter-final, Chelsea were better than Bournemouth by a single goal. Jordon Ibe was once again in the starting eleven for the Cherries.