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      Pep Guardiola produces ‘excuse of the season’ as he claims trip to Newcastle for Carabao Cup could cost Man City title

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      PEP GUARDIOLA has made the “excuse of the season” as he moaned about Man City’s travel plans to Newcastle.Rivals fans have blasted Guardiola for his outcry about not flying to and from his side’s Carabao Cup game against the Magpies on Wednesday.
      Pep Guardiola has produced the ‘excuse of the season’Credit: Getty
      City are set to travel up North to Newcastle for their Carabao Cup clash – but they will take a coach there and back.
      Unfortunately for City no trains were available and they were also unable to fly.
      Speaking ahead of the game City boss Guardiola was fuming about the situation.
      He said: “After the game, we cannot come back by plane because of a problem – something for the planes.
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      “We don’t have a plane to travel back, so we have to take a bus.
      “It’s two or three hours later that we will arrive here – so, so late, arriving on Thursday.
      “The day after, Friday, we travel to Wolves, so that’s what you have to think about.
      “Then we go to Germany to play RB Leipzig in the Champions League next week.
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      “That’s a really important game for us, because we know what it means to be able to win there to qualify for the next stage.
      “I don’t know what happened with the aeroplane. The team manager told me.
      “It happened with the previous one, I think in London. It’s not a problem with the bus, but we will arrive much, much later than we expected, but it is what it is.”
      The journey time by road from St James’ Park to the Etihad Stadium is 2hrs and 39mins.
      One rival fan responded to Guardiola’s comments by calling it “the excuse of the season.”
      While another rival fan said: “2-3 hours isn’t a long ride😂.”
      A third added: “Pep’s playing the sympathy game again.”
      City have enjoyed an exceptional start to the new season, as Guardiola’s side look to defend their Treble victory last year.
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      The defending champions are six for six in the Premier League, and they got their European campaign off to the perfect start with a win against Crvena Zvezda. More

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      Casemiro and Andre Onana doing surprisingly well in Dream Team amid criticism of Manchester United pair’s form

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      DREAM TEAM managers should know by now not to underestimate the additional competitions.The Premier League will always be the bread and butter of our beloved fantasy game but points scored in Europe and the domestic cups often prove pivotal.
      Take last night’s Carabao Cup action as a prime example.

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      The numbers don’t lieCredit: Dream Team
      Manchester United strolled to a welcome 3-0 victory at home to a second-string Crystal Palace in a result that has changed the complexion of Dream Team rankings.
      Casemiro (£4.2m) scored one goal and assisted another to take the Eagles for 13 points by the final whistle.
      The five-time Champions League winner’s form has been subject to criticism at the start of this season with several pundits suggesting he doesn’t have the necessary mobility or running power at 31 years old to play as the Red Devils’ lone defensive midfielder.
      While there may be some truth to that notion, the Brazilian deserves praise for his unexpectedly effective contribution in the final third.
      Casemiro has scored four goals and provided one assist already, putting him above the likes of Martin Odegaard (£5.1m), Bryan Mbeumo (£3.7m), Luis Diaz (£4.1m) and team-mate Bruno Fernandes (£6m) in terms of goal involvements.
      His decisive display at Old Trafford on Tuesday night took him to 57 Dream Team points overall – only three midfielders boast a greater total at the time of writing.
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      Casemiro cashed in against a much-changed Palace XICredit: AP
      Similarly, Andre Onana (£3.5m) has taken his fair share of flak this season.
      The Cameroon international fronted up to the media after his howler against Bayern Munich but that fixture wasn’t the only time his shot-stopping has come under microscope since his summer transfer.
      Things were looking bleak for the ex-Inter custodian in the realm of Dream Team too as he mustered just seven points in five games between Gameweeks 2 and 5.
      However, Onana has produced a dramatic turnaround in Gameweek 6 with back-to-back clean sheets.
      He registered 17 points from his fixtures against Burnley and Palace – the second best Gameweek haul this season among assets in his position.
      Suddenly Onana has 34 points overall and is within three of Nick Pope (£4.1m), Dream Team’s outright best keeper at this stage.
      Things are looking up for Onana after consecutive clean sheetsCredit: Getty

      Granted, the rankings will probably change again once Wednesday night’s cup fixtures have been completed but it’s remarkable that Casemiro and Onana are currently among the best performers in their respective positions given the public perception of the pair’s form.
      The lesson here is two-fold:

      Justified real-world criticism doesn’t always mean a player is a flop in Dream Team
      Don’t neglect the Carabao Cup – there’s plenty of points on offer

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      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace LIVE RESULT: Erik ten Hag’s side comfortably through to Carabao Cup fourth round – reaction

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      CARABAO CUP holders Manchester United have begun their title defence with a comfortable 3-0 win over Crystal Palace.Alejandro Garnacho gave the Red Devils the lead inside 21 minutes after finishing off a superb move before Casemiro headed in to make it 2-0 minutes later.
      Anthony Martial scored Man United’s third early on in the second half as the Red Devils cruised into the hat for the fourth round.

      Match result: Manchester United 3-0 Crystal Palace
      Man United team: Onana, Amrabat, Maguire, Varane, Dalot, Casemiro, Hannibal, Mount, Pellistri, Garnacho, Martial.
      Crystal Palace team: Henderson, Clyne, Holding, Richards, Mitchell, Doucoure, Riedewald, Schlupp, Rak-Sakyi, Ayew, Mateta

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      New partnership could be key to success
      While it was an easy night for Man Utd against Crystal Palace, one thing we can take from this game is the potential of their new midfield duo.
      Casemiro and Amrabat could really be a force to be reckoned with.
      They will give them more protection defensively and the ability to break up the opponent’s attacks, something they have been missing so far this season.
      Both players have a range of passing that can be key in the transition from defence to attack.
      Credit: Getty
      Goals flowing again in Manchester
      You cannot win games unless you are turning pressure into goals.
      This has been a struggle for Man Utd this season but certainly not against Crystal Palace tonight.
      Erik ten Hag’s side can take confidence from this and look to take it into their forthcoming games.
      ten Hag pleased with side’s dominance
      After getting an important win at Burnley on the weekend, Erik ten Hag would not have wanted to lose momentum with anything but a win this evening.
      It is important that United get back into the habit of winning games and they backed up their manager’s thoughts this evening.
      Crystal Palace made it easy for them but you can only beat what is put in front of you.
      Brazilian masterclass from Red Devils
      Casemiro controlled the game in the centre of the park.
      His range of passing, always directly to feet, was sublime.
      He topped off his performance by getting a goal also.

      FT: Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      It was a very one-sided affair this evening.
      Crystal Palace need to give a far better showing than this when they return to Old Trafford on the weekend.
      Man Utd progress to the fourth round of the EFL Cup.

      FT: Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      The referee brings the game to an end, putting the visiting fans out of their misery.
      I would say all of the fans but the Man Utd fans are probably halfway home by now.
      Solid win for Erik ten Hag’s side but they will have far more challenging games than what Crystal Palace have offered in terms of resistance this evening.
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      90+2. Casemiro deservedly wins the man of the match award.
      The Brazilian has been the stand-out player on the pitch tonight.
      Even the Man Utd fans have had enough of this now as all you can see is empty seats in the home end.
      Credit: AP
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      90. They should make the Crystal Palace players travel back on the coaches with the fans to London.
      Try and give their travelling support something out of this wasted evening in Manchester.
      We are going to have three minutes added on.
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      88. Credit to Man Utd they are still coming forward looking for another goal.
      Palace are just about keeping them at bay, this time at the expense of a corner.
      As the corner is punched away, it comes to Lindelof on the edge of the box who hits it first time and forces another save out of the Crystal Palace keeper.
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      86. Pellistri cuts inside and feeds it to Hojlund in the box.
      He cannot keep the ball and is tackled.
      Palace struggle to retain possession and United just forward once again.
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      84. Van de Beek is penalised for a foul on Eze.
      Roy Hodgson looks bemused on the touchline.
      Mateta gets a shot away which draws a save from Onana, the rebound is dragged well wide of the United goal.
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      82. Let’s hope there is not much time added on this one.
      It has become a bit of a non-entity of a game now.
      Like watching two drunks fight outside a pub without a single punch landing.
      Credit: Reuters
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      80. Man Utd seem content just passing the ball around now.
      They will want to ensure that they keep a clean sheet to make a good night at the office.
      Although there is not much danger with the attacking intent we have seen from Roy Hodgson’s side tonight.
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      78. It would be nice for Man Utd to employ some sort of ‘chant co-ordinator’.
      They have been singing the same song for the last 57 minutes.
      If the Crystal Palace fans had not slipped into a coma watching their team it would be time for a rendition of ‘is that the only song you know?’
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      76. Hojlund will be hoping to get on the scoresheet this evening.
      He has one goal to his name since his arrival, although you could argue that was an own goal with the deflection it took.
      Plenty of time for him to change those stats still this evening.
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      74. Hojlund is ready to come on for Man Utd.
      Meanwhile Ayew tries to get into the box but goes down all too easily.
      Martial makes way for the Danish striker.
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      72. Evans looks to spread the ball out wide but Clyne gets a head to it, at the cost of a throw in.
      Crystal Palace seem resigned to defeat now in their approach.
      That said, they have looked like that since the first goal went in.
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      70. ten Hag finally makes the substitution of Hannibal.
      He is replaced by Donny Van de Beek.
      Dalot swings in a corner and Evans wins the header and Johnstone makes a good save to deny him.
      Credit: AP
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      68. Stop the press! Palace have their first shot on target.
      Onana saves it with an outstretched leg.
      It has taken 68 minutes for Hodgson’s side to register their first shot on target in this game, shocking.
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      66. Crystal Palace looked like they could play for 180 minutes and not score a goal against Fulham on the weekend.
      It is nice to see that they have brought that league form into this game.
      One way traffic at Old Trafford still.
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      64. Eze looks to switch the ball from right to left.
      There was such pace on the ball, Nathaniel Clyne would have needed to a time machine to go back to when he was ten years younger to catch up with that one.
      Palace look devoid of ideas in the final third still.
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      62. Gore bursts through the centre of the midfield.
      He tries to thread it through to Martial but it is cut out.
      United win back possession and look to come forward once again.
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      60. Casemiro plays another sublime long pass to Garnacho, who does well to control it.
      He drops his shoulder and beats Richards but then weirdly turns back to try and take him on again and is tackled.
      Gore and Evans come on for Amrabat and Varane.
      Strange that ten Hag has left Hannibal on the pitch, he is a red card waiting to happen.
      Credit: Getty
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      58. Hodgson looks set to bring Hughes and Eze on.
      It is all too little too late now.
      He could bring on Zidane and Ronaldo and it is unlikely they would be able to turn this one around for the Londoners.
      Man Utd 3-0 Crystal Palace
      56. The visitors are getting what they deserve here tonight.
      Their defending has been very poor and they are getting caught out ball watching all too often.
      Casemiro plays a ball into the back post and Clyne does not react to the run of Martial who strokes it home.
      Load more entries… More

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      I’m penalty-saving expert with secret plan.. West Ham won’t put me off in Carabao Cup shootout after Sheff Utd dark arts

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      LINCOLN keeper Lukas Jensen has warned West Ham not to try any dirty tricks to stop him producing another heroic Carabao Cup performance.The Hammers travel to Sincil Bank on Wednesday for a third-round tie against the League One Imps, who have already taken a Premier League scalp this season.
      Lincoln keeper Lukas Jensen is a specialist in saving penalties
      Jubilant scenes as Lincoln players celebrate with hero keeper Lukas Jensen
      Jensen kept a clean sheet before starring in the penalty shootout win at Sheffield United in the last round by saving two penalties … but only after Blades keeper Adam Davies tried to ruin his masterplan.
      The Imps ace, 24, told SunSport: “I had all the names of the Sheffield United players and which way they usually shoot on a piece of paper wrapped around my water bottle.
      “But their keeper kicked it into the stands so I couldn’t see!
      “Luckily, though, my goalkeeper coach Scott Fry and the other goalie Jordan Wright were there to let me know instead.
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      “I ended up saving the ones from Louis Marsh and Benie Traore and then Jon Egan put their last penalty over the bar to give us a 3-2 win.
      “The Sheffield United goalkeeper coach came to me afterwards to apologise and say he was the one who had instructed for the bottle to be kicked into the stands.
      “He told me the story about Brice Samba. He had done the same as me with the notes on the water bottle a couple of seasons ago and saved three penalties for Nottingham Forest against them in the Championship play-offs— so they didn’t want a repeat. 
      “West Ham can do what they like tonight as it won’t affect me. I have a good penalty technique. My size being 6ft 6in helps me, I can look intimidating for someone about to take a kick.
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      “If I look as big as possible and choose the right side when they shoot, I’ll have a great opportunity to save them. And to be honest I don’t really practice them. I’m natural.”
      Jensen signed for Lincoln in the summer after four years on the books at Burnley.
      And it is no surprise he has developed into a good keeper, given he worked with three England internationals Nick Pope, Tom Heaton and Joe Hart during his time at Turf Moor.
      Also he worked alongside Northern Ireland stopper Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Welsh ace Wayne Hennessey.
      So it was no wonder that he did not get much of a look-in at Burnley, apart from being on the bench for three Premier League games and being involved in the squad on a dozen occasions.
      Nick Pope was a huge help for Jensen at Burnley
      Joe Hart gave Jensen plenty of tips when they were together at Turf Moor
      He said: “I enjoyed working with Nick because we’re similar in size. I could learn everything from him.
      “From how he moves in the goal and it’s the same with Joe because he’s a big guy too. I’m only a few centimetres taller than him.
      “They both told me loads and I’m grateful for everything they’ve taught me because although it seems a bit stupid when they tell you something at that moment, a few months or years later you can use it.
      “They also taught me things like how to talk to people. I was new at the time coming to England from Denmark. So it was how to interact, how to greet people when you meet them. It was simple stuff like that.
      “But going into goalkeeping specifics, it was how to move around in goal, how to deal with certain situations, all that kind of stuff. All very technical.
      I have a good penalty technique. My size being 6ft 6in helps me, I can look intimidating for someone about to take a kick.LUKAS JENSEN
      “And I used every moment of it when I went out on loans because I was meeting new staff, new team-mates and that has been very helpful to me.”
      Jensen had loans with Bolton, Kórdrengir in Iceland and Carlisle before his breakthrough campaign last season at Accrington where he made 29 League One starts and six in cup competitions.
      And he saved two penalties AGAINST Lincoln in the Papa Johns Trophy, which brought him to their attention.
      Jensen said: “I had a chance to stay at Burnley for another year but would’ve only been loaned out again so we decided it was best I leave and here I am now at Lincoln.
      “We’ve got a talented squad who can achieve things this season. Against West Ham, we’ll try to get through the first half hour and then anything is possible.
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      Lukas Jensen is getting ready for a huge game against West Ham
      “I’ve a lot of respect for Lukasz Fabianski. If he plays tomorrow, I’ll certainly be wanting to chat with him after all the great years he’s had in the Premier League and with Poland.
      “But if it goes to penalties, I’m going to be hoping to be the happier keeper at the end!” More

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      Chelsea to exploit little-known Carabao Cup loophole to allow BANNED star to play vs Brighton

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      CHELSEA could make the most of a little-known loophole ahead of their Carabao Cup clash with Brighton on Wednesday.Nicolas Jackson is eligible to play – despite picking up a ban on Sunday.
      Nicolas Jackson CAN play against Brighton tomorrowCredit: Alamy
      Malo Gusto is still suspended after picking up a straight red cardCredit: Getty
      The striker was hit with a one game suspension after receiving his fifth yellow card of the season against Aston Villa.
      But yellow card bans don’t cross over to the Carabao Cup, so he can be named in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad.
      However, red cards do, meaning Malo Gusto can’t be selected.
      The right-back was shown a straight red for a horror challenge on Lucas Digne at the weekend.
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      He was initially booked for the foul, but the referee upgraded the card from yellow to red following a VAR review.
      Chelsea suffered a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday, leaving them 14th in the Premier League table with five points from six games.
      After the match, Pochettino admitted he was “disappointed” that two of his players picked up unnecessary bans.
      He said: “We were talking, we need to grow up like a team, not only in an individual way.
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      “I think players like Nico who are so young and feeling the Premier League and is learning, they need time.
      “In this type of game, we are competing and want to win and football is about winning but also players, when they are young, need to learn, and experience and make mistakes.
      “That’s why we feel disappointed as there are too many situations like this and I agree with you too many things like this and in the end we are losing the game and we are in situation we need to change as soon as possible.” More

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      Four little known Man Utd U18 stars called up to first-team training ahead of Carabao Cup clash with Crystal Palace

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      ERIK TEN HAG included four new faces for Manchester United’s final training session ahead of their Carabao Cup third-round clash with Crystal Palace.The Red Devils begin their defence of the trophy with a home match against Roy Hodgson’s troops, who have beaten them in two of their last four visits to Old Trafford.
      Manchester United begin their defence of the Carabao Cup tonightCredit: GETTY
      The Red Devils will face Crystal Palace in their third-round clashCredit: REX
      Erik ten Hag has called up youngsters Ethan Wheatley, Ethan Williams, Louis Jackson and James Nolan (not pictured) to first-team training on MondayCredit: GETTY
      Under pressure Ten Hag – who has seen his troops blow hot and cold so far this season – is expected to make a number of changes to his starting XI for the visit of The Eagles.
      And he called up four Under 18s stars for the first team’s final training session before tonight’s match at The Theatre of Dreams.
      Defenders James Nolan and Louis Jackson, 17 and 18 respectively, trained with the senior Red Devils on Monday.
      Ten Hag also called up 17-year-old duo Ethan Williams and Ethan Wheatley – who play in midfield and up front respectively.
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      Nolan has made a total of 35 appearances for the Under 18s, scoring seven goals and racking up five assists in the process.
      Jackson, meanwhile, has turned out 34 times for the side, bagging two goals and a solitary assist.
      Williams has eight goals and 11 assists in 26 appearances to his name, while Wheatley has scored five times in 18 appearances.
      Carabao Cup glory was cherry on top of Ten Hag’s maiden season at the Old Trafford helm, which ended with a third-placed Premier League finish.
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      And the Dutchman is determined to defend the trophy, saying: “It is only a few months since we lifted the Carabao Cup at Wembley Stadium.
      “And we all remember what a great feeling that was,” Ten Hag begins.
      “It was an important competition for us last season and that has not changed this year.
      “We want to defend the trophy, so as we welcome Roy Hodgson and Crystal Palace tonight, this is an opportunity for us to keep moving in the right direction.”
      He added: “We want to win so we can reach the fourth round, of course.
      “But it is also important for us to build on the positive performance and result we earned at Burnley on Saturday evening.
      “Consistency is what we need now, not only from game to game but also within games.
      “Even among our defeats this season, we have had some good spells of play and shown real quality, only to let ourselves down at key moments.
      “Now, after showing a lot of character at Turf Moor, we need to follow one good result with another and keep building.”
      Erik ten Hag is determined to retain the Carabao CupCredit: GETTY More

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      Marcus Rashford AVAILABLE for Man Utd Carabao Cup clash vs Crystal Palace despite late-night crash in £700k Rolls-Royce

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      MARCUS RASHFORD is available for Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup tie with Crystal Palace — despite a car crash.The Manchester United star, 25, was involved in a collision in Carrington after returning from Saturday night’s victory at Burnley.
      Marcus Rashford is ready to face Crystal Palace despite his recent car crashCredit: Getty
      Rashford collided with another car and a traffic light camera post on Saturday night
      Rashford was at the wheel when his £700,000 Rolls-Royce collided with a car being driven by a 74-year-old gran and also hit a traffic light camera post.
      Greater Manchester Police said it is not investigating the accident further after deeming it a “non-serious road traffic accident” – with the matter now left for insurers to sort.
      The England international walked away unscathed and has pronounced himself fit for the home third-round clash which kicks off at 8pm and is live on Sky Sports.
      Rashford scored 30 goals in all competitions last campaign — a career-best contribution for a season.
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      United go into the game boosted by the 1-0 win at Turf Moor having previously lost three on the bounce.
      They are the holders of the competition after beating Newcastle in the final last term but, strangely, refused to do a press conference ahead of the tie.
      The Carabao Cup was United’s first trophy since the 2017 Europa League triumph under Jose Mourinho.
      Sergio Reguilon is itching to get back out at Old Trafford — despite his United debut ending in a 3-1 defeat to Brighton.
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      Reguilon, who also started against Bayern Munich and Burnley, said: “I played there for the away side once during Covid and so, unfortunately, there were no fans.
      “But the next time, the stadium was full and it was truly amazing. It’s a  historic stadium and really special.
      “There’s so much history. They have been through it all and it’s amazing to see this in football.”
      United beat Newcastle in the 2023 Carabao Cup finalCredit: Alamy
      Sergio Reguilon is hopeful of retaining his place in the starting XICredit: Getty More

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      Chelsea have pinched £200m of Brighton assets… but if Blues beat Seagulls in Carabao Cup it’ll be a genuine upset

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      THE dastardly duo to blame are former Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren ‘Big Dave’ Moore and the ex-England women’s international Izzy Christiansen.On the touchline of a deserted Eco-Power Stadium, the home of Doncaster Rovers, these absolute rascals conducted the draw for the third round of the Carabao Cup last month — and they paired Chelsea with Brighton and Hove Albion.
      Moises Caicedo cost Chelsea £115m from Brighton but his old club are still doing better than Mauricio Pochettino’s big spendersCredit: Rex
      Pochettino’s strugglers will take on Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton in the Carabao Cup at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday nightCredit: Getty
      In doing so, they applied a bloody great sack of Saxa to Chelsea’s open wounds.
      Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge, the Blues will welcome the club who are everything they are not — intelligent, well-run, profitable, successful, attractive and sickeningly in love with life.
      The season is only six matches old and Brighton are already ten points clear of Todd Boehly’s billionaire boys club.
      And Brighton are the club Chelsea have pillaged to the tune of almost a quarter of a billion pounds since Boehly and his Clearlake crew took over at the Bridge.
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      Since last summer, they have swooped to take Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo, Robert Sanchez, Graham Potter and his entire backroom staff, as well as recruitment chief Paul Winstanley, from the Seagulls.
      Yet somehow Brighton are even better and Chelsea are much, much worse.
      Now, all the people I know at Brighton seem like thoroughly good eggs but unless they are AI robots devoid of any natural human impulse, then they must surely take time out once a week to sit down in a meeting room and laugh at Chelsea.
      I mean, you just would.
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      Wednesday’s cup tie is a meeting of two clubs who simply defy logic.
      If modern football is all about money — and it largely is — then it should be impossible for a club as wealthy as Chelsea to be this bad and for a club as modest as Brighton to be this good.
      Two years ago, Chelsea were champions of Europe… now they are no longer even playing in Europe and can’t beat anybody of note.
      Last October, Potter — unbeaten in eight games as Chelsea boss — returned to the Amex Stadium and suffered a 4-1 hammering.
      Starting that day, Chelsea are now on a run of just 28 points from 33 Premier League matches — beating only Bournemouth (twice), Crystal Palace, Leeds, Leicester and Luton.
      This is sustained relegation form — and if the newly promoted trio of Luton, Sheffield United and Burnley did not look so weak, Boehly would have genuine reason to fear relegation.
      We’ve already pointed out here the sheer folly of Chelsea spending such an extraordinary amount on such a callow bunch of players.
      But during Sunday’s 1-0 home defeat by Aston Villa, striker Nicolas Jackson gave us the perfect example of his club’s rank stupidity.
      Jackson was booked for the fifth time in six Premier League matches and every single yellow card has been for dissent.
      Perhaps Roberto De Zerbi will show compassion and send out a reserve team, given that — unlike Pochettino — he must juggle the extra demands of European football.
      That means he is going to miss Monday’s trip to Fulham, the little club down the road who took them for four points last season and also finished above them.
      During his successful spell at Tottenham, Mauricio Pochettino was renowned for his work in developing young players and also for being no taker of s***.
      Unless the Argentinian manager has gone soft, he must be utterly livid with Jackson and he must be wondering what on Earth he has signed up for.
      Meanwhile, Brighton were chalking up a fifth win in six league matches against Bournemouth, courtesy of Kaoru Mitoma, who was signed for roughly two per cent of the fee Chelsea forked out for Caicedo.
      Perhaps Roberto De Zerbi will show compassion and send out a reserve team at the Bridge, given that — unlike Pochettino — he must juggle the extra demands of European football.
      But if he names a strong line-up, then Chelsea beating Brighton at home will constitute a genuine cup upset.
      Which is a staggering, and really rather beautiful state of affairs.
      ED SHAKER
      IF VAR officials couldn’t spot that Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah’s horrific late lunge on Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario was a clear and obvious straight red, then — for the umpteenth time — what the hell is VAR actually for?
      Eddie Nketiah’s lunge on Guglielmo Vicario should have meant an obvious dismissal for the Arsenal striker, especially after video replaysCredit: Getty
      SQUEAKY TOM TIME
      IF Brentford were northern they would have been long recognised as what they are — a bigger, uglier, even better version of Sean Dyche’s Burnley or Tony Pulis’ Stoke.
      Yet on Saturday, Dyche’s Everton gave Thomas Frank and Co a proper Dycheing.
      The Bees have sold their excellent goalkeeper, David Raya, suffered a lengthy suspension to their goal machine, Ivan Toney, and lost their left-back, Rico Henry, to a horrible season-ending injury.
      Brentford are a brilliantly run small club but there is only so much misfortune any small club can take in the Premier League before things start getting seriously squeaky.
      RETRO FIT
      AS a tragic lover of retro football kits, it was heartening to see Nottingham Forest turn up at the Etihad in an all-red adidas outfit, so similar to that in which they won two European Cups in 1979 and 1980.
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      And, at least until next May, Forest still have more European Cups than Manchester City.
      Now read Dave Kidd’s view on “feel-good story” Jonny Evans… More