Man United score 5, Spurs stun City, Liverpool hold on, Verstappen hit with grid penalty

It is almost a rule that a side whose manager has just been sacked will respond by doing the one thing that got him fired in the first place. Mostly that means scoring goals and actually winning a game, and if you’re Erik ten Hag, the five Manchester United put past Leicester has got to sting.

Another manager under a little bit of pressure was Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace, although given they’ve finally discovered how to win that might change. But fortune is a fickle mistress, so that could all be different again on Saturday.

The League Cup dominated proceedings overnight, so we’ll start there, with an expensive loss for Manchester City, a nervy win for holders Liverpool, and a once in a decade achievement for Palace.

A costly night for Pep

Pep Guardiola said all he wanted from his side’s last 16 clash with Tottenham was a good performance and no injuries. Oops. Manchester City lost defender Manuel Akanji during the warm-up, had winger Savinho taken off on a stretcher, while Josko Gvardiol was also seen getting treatment at full-time after their 2-1 defeat at Spurs.

The City injury list already read: Rodri, Oscar Bobb, Kevin de Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish.

On the pitch, Timo Werner scored his first goal of the season after five minutes, and Pape Sarr doubled the advantage 20 minutes later. City set up a tense second half when Matheus Nunes pulled one back just before the break, but an attack missing Erling Haaland could then find no way past the Spurs defence.

Ange Postecoglou has said he always wins silverware in his second season at a club, so remains on course for that, even if it is the League Cup. They will take on Manchester United in the last eight.

Rather be lucky than good

And so to Old Trafford, where United, freed from what you can only imagine were the creative shackles of their former boss, put five past Leicester City.