LONDON: While the English League Cup lacks prestige, it still provides a platform in the early rounds for out-of-favour players or those lacking in confidence to make an impact.

Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge and Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain did just that on Tuesday.

Both scored twice to secure passage for their youthful teams into the quarter-finals, with Liverpool beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 and Arsenal eliminating second-tier Reading 2-0.

Sturridge has struggled to convince Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp this season, but he was a livewire all night at Anfield where his double put the hosts in charge before Vincent Janssen pulled a goal back with a penalty for the visitors.

Oxlade-Chamberlain exhibited the confidence manager Arsene Wenger sometimes feels his 23-year-old player lacks, drilling home in the 33rd minute and netting again with the aid of a deflection with 12 minutes to play.

“He has acted in front of goal like he didn’t deserve to score,” Wenger said. “Now he has some belief with his finishing and we hope every time he has the ball something can happen.”

Liverpool and Arsenal are joined in the last eight by Newcastle United who romped to a 6-0 win over 10-man Preston North End and Hull City who won 2-1 at Bristol City.

Leeds United beat Norwich City 3-2 on penalties, while the quarter-final lineup will be completed on Wednesday.

Tottenham, who are midway through a run of seven games in 23 days and have the Champions League to worry about, had more justification for retaining only Eric Dier from the side that drew 0-0 with Bournemouth at the weekend.

Liverpool, record eight-time League Cup winners and last season’s beaten finalists, were ahead after nine minutes when Sturridge, who has started just two of their last six games in all competitions, showed predatory instincts to poke home.

While his work rate often comes under scrutiny, Sturridge’s eye for goal has never been in doubt and when Marko Grujic’s shot deflected into his path, he showed lightning reactions to beat Spurs keeper Michel Vorm to the ball.

“He did what he has to do. It was brilliant, he could have scored three or four,” said Klopp, who regularly prefers Brazilian Roberto Firmino in attack in the Premier League.

Sturridge passed up two chances either side of halftime, but he made amends by doubling Liverpool’s lead in the 64th minute. Georginio Wijnaldum played him through on goal and Sturridge squeezed his finish through Vorm’s legs in front of the Kop.

It had been smooth sailing for Liverpool until that point but Lucas Leiva nibbled the heels of Erik Lamela to concede a penalty, which Janssen slammed home with 14 minutes remaining.

Alberto Moreno was then lucky to avoid conceding a second spot kick after tangling with Lamela again, but the match ended with Liverpool back on the front foot as Sturridge struck the crossbar and substitute Danny Ings had an effort saved by Vorm.

Arsenal, who are unbeaten in all competitions since the opening weekend of the Premier League season, were frustrated for large periods of the first half before Oxlade-Chamberlain put them ahead, poking the ball through defender Tyler Blackett’s legs into the corner of the net.

He doubled the lead with 12 minutes left when he drove a shot from distance that was deflected in off a Reading boot.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, who also scored in last week’s 6-0 Champions League victory over Ludogorets, now has five goals this season.

“He has worked a lot mentally to be focused,” Wenger said. “It comes out every day in training and it’s starting to come out in games.”

Newcastle thrashed Preston in an all-Championship battle with Serbia striker Aleksandar Mitrovic and Senegal’s Mohamed Diame both scoring twice while Matt Ritchie netted a penalty and Ayoze Perez scored in stoppage time to round off the rout.

Headers from centre-backs Harry Maguire and Michael Dawson took Hull through at the expense of second-tier Bristol, who replied through Lee Tomlin’s 50-yard solo goal in stoppage time.

Leeds twice came from behind and survived playing extra time with 10 men, after making all their substitutions and losing a player to injury, to edge Norwich on penalties following a 2-2 draw. Ronaldo Vieira scored the winning penalty in the all second-tier contest.

Published in Dawn October 27th, 2016