London (AFP)
Liverpool managed to beat their rival Everton (1-0) with the youngest players in their squad, in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday. For its part, José Mourinho's Tottenham was held in check at Middlesbrough (1-1).
New major performance from Liverpool
With a formation mainly composed of players under 22 years old, in particular the young Harvey Elliott, 16 years old, the current leader of the Premier League again created the sensation by beating his rival Everton (1-0).
Beyond the result, it was the way that surprised, against the Toffees who aligned their typical team. Liverpool had an insolent success by scoring on one of their only occasions (distant shot from Curtis Jones under the bar, 71st).
But it was they who won the psychological and tactical match, especially in the second half, where their opponents were almost never dangerous. Liverpool have not conceded a goal in almost nine hours of play in all competitions. Only two weeks after his appointment, Everton coach Carlo Ancelotti recorded one of the worst underperformances in his career.
Tottenham is still skating
Unlike other Premier League leaders, Tottenham coach José Mourinho took his opponent seriously since he aligned his team to Middlesbrough (Championship).
Not enough to avoid a 1-1 draw and a support game at White Hart Lane. The Spurs, deprived of three framework players (Lloris, Ndombélé and Kane) dominated in a sterile manner in the first period and conceded a goal on the return from the locker room (Ashley Fletcher, 50th).
They were quick to equalize (Lucas Moura, 61st) but their strong pressure until the end of the match was not enough. It was the third consecutive underperformance against lower teams for Tottenham, after the draw in Norwich (2-2) and the loss in Southampton (1-0). Little reassuring before the reception of the unplayable Liverpool on Saturday. Chelsea, for its part, ensured the essential by beating Nottingham Forest (2-0) at Stamford Bridge.
Rooney inspires Derby County
Apart from the youngsters of Liverpool, the only surprise of this Cup Sunday is the elimination of Crystal Palace by Derby County (0-1), Championship club which has just joined the former Manchester United star, Wayne Rooney, after a stay in the American Major Soccer League, at DC United.
This meeting was marked by the viewing of the video screen at the edge of the lawn by the central referee, Michael Oliver, who then excluded the middle of Crystal Palace Luka Milivojevic, after a long interruption.
Since the start of the season, Premier League referees have been instructed to let their VAR assistants make decisions behind the screen. This consultation at the edge of the lawn is a first in English football, outside periods of experimentation. Note also that only matches played in a Premier League stadium, and equipped accordingly, used video assistance this weekend.
This third round saw four elite clubs be eliminated (Crystal Palace, Everton, Brighton, Aston Villa), pending the last meeting of this third round Arsenal - Leeds, Monday (19:56 GMT / 20:56 French), then the matches to be replayed for teams that have not broken up.
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