Manchester City are taking on Liverpool at the Etihad for a spot in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup and it took Erling Haaland just 10 minutes to get back on the scoresheet
Joe Gomez has come under fire from Liverpool fans for his role in Manchester City’s opener in their Carabao Cup clash.
The Premier League champions are hoping to land a spot in the quarter-finals of the competition and reclaim the cup that they have made their favourite over the past few years under Pep Guardiola.
But they have to make it past the current holders of the Carabao Cup in the form of Liverpool – but they started in perfect fashion after an electric first 10 minutes. And there are no prizes for guessing the goalscorer or the assister.
Kevin de Bruyne picked up the ball on the left flank and delivered a sublime cross that Haaland attacked with all the force of a player that has been biting at the chomp to be back amongst the goals.
However, Gomez could be accused of ball-watching after sticking a limp leg out in a measly attempt to defend the cross while Haaland did not wait around. The Norwegian was some way behind the Liverpool defender but raced ahead of him to get to the ball first.
One fan was not happy with the Englishman, saying: “Joe Gomez playing like he hasn’t touched a ball or stepped foot on a training pitch for 6 weeks.”
Another wrote: “Joe Gomez has had 5 weeks off and looks like he’s spent every minute of it sleeping.”
And a third tweeted: “Joe gomez didn’t think haaland could get to that cross and got dunked on, sad.” While this fan wrote: “Joe Gomez should be our 4th choice CB. No chance he should be playing when Ibou is back.”
They were not alone with this fan posting: “Joe Gomez Sleeping… because that’s what he does.” And another tweeted: “That is absolutely TERRIBLE defending my Joe Gomez on Haaland there. So overrated.”
Liverpool did strike back, though, against the run of play when Fabio Carvalho coolly finished off a pass from James Milner after finding himself with acres of space in the City box. While both clubs might not prioritise the Carabao Cup, the match has been played at a frantic pace.
It speaks volumes that with nearly a month off of club football, both sets of players look keen to put on a show at a rocking Etihad between two genuine rivals.