David de Gea and four Manchester United defenders have been included in the official Carabao Cup ‘Team of the First Leg’.
On Tuesday evening, Newcastle beat Southampton 1-0 at St Mary’s in the first leg, thanks to a goal from Joelinton in the 73rd minute, which means that they hold all the cards to book their spot in the League Cup final at Wembley. Joelinton earned his spot in the team, as did Ibrahima Diallo of Southampton.
United are also in a good position to reach the final of the Carabao Cup after they saw off Nottingham Forest 3-0 at the City Ground on Wednesday night.
As a result of United’s clean sheet over Nottingham Forest, David de Gea, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia were all included in the ‘Team of the First Leg’, and the back five played their part in helping United beat Forest in what was an important game for Erik ten Hag’s side as they look to win their first major trophy since 2017.
🚨🚨| The official Carabao Cup Team of the First Leg. pic.twitter.com/feSdxJjA8r
— centredevils. (@centredevils) January 26, 2023
David de Gea did not have much to do but when he was called upon, he made a good save from Gustavo Scarpa’s volley in the first half. It was his pass in the build up that helped United score their second.
The Man United right-back, Wan-Bissaka, performed well in the second half as he looked more composed than he did in the opening 45 minutes at the City Ground.
Victor Lindelof, making his first start for United since their Premier League clash with Bournemouth on January the 3rd, put in a decent showing as he defended well in the second half in particular and progressed the ball nicely.
Lisandro Martinez was arguably the pick of the bunch as he performed extremely well to put United in a strong position to reach the final. The Argentine defended with intent and he played a vital role in United’s opening goal.
Tyrell Malacia played much better in the second half, just like Wan-Bissaka as he played his part in helping United keep a clean sheet.
The selections were made based on WhoScored.com’s ratings.
📈 Based on @WhoScored ratings, here are your star performers from the first leg! 🌟#EFL | #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/lWsU9NuK4u
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) January 26, 2023
