Glad it's a home tie - Puel can play a similar lineup to tonight and still have a good chance of a win. Long trip for Sunderland midweek
What an incredible job our academy has done over the years. If Hesketh and reed keep playing as they did tonight, they are premier league quality. Walcott Lallana Hesketh Ox Reed JWP Shaw Stephens McCarthy Chambers That is ridiculous. So much young English talent! (Also not including players we have improved such as Clyne, Cork etc.)
Watching Barca Atletico, as usual players are throwing themselves to the floor after any contact, predictable screams of agony and waving hands in the air as they roll around on the floor. Must be so hard to ref a Spanish league game.
You're also forgetting the biggest of them all, Bale! Surman has done pretty well too, and I guess Schniederlin doesn't count, but we bought him young and developed him into the player he was before he wasted away at Man Utd. Not sure you can count Reed, Hesketh, Stephens and McCarthy as academy successes yet!
Thought Palace were the team who were ****. Apart from about 15 mins in the middle of the first half, we bossed them and didn't give them anything. Maya my MOTM - he's learning from Virgil and was immense. Long very close to MOTM - didn't stop running all night. Everyone else were good and it's great to see Harry and Jake coming through. Cuco - I love your attacking play, but your defending needs work! Bit concerned about such a long stint for Charlie - hope he can do it again at the weekend Great result - now continue it on Sunday! COYS!!!
I thought he looked a bit lost and nervous in the first 15 minutes and I was worried - especially when Charlie had a right go at him, but he grew into the game and played really well. Took the goal excellently - hope that means he gets more chances now than he did under koeman
Just got back - Didn't looked like we played a diamond, and we looked a lot more fluid. Good to see Puel isn't a one formation man. Martina has had two phenomenal games now, he has to start over Cedric who for me has been 5/10 so far this season. Hesketh was motm and looked extremely confident and calm on the ball. Would love to see more of him in the first team. Palace were bad, really bad, but great to get a cup run going and keeping the momentum. Credit to Puel, 3 spot on team selections in a row.