Carabao Cup: Gakpo’s double takes Liverpool into QF; Arsenal move past Preston North
After a goalless first half at Amex Stadium, Cody Gakpo broke the deadlock just seconds after the restart when he found the top corner with an unstoppable effort.
Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was the star on Tuesday in their Community Shield win against Liverpool, has expressed his satisfaction over the victory and said that it’s exciting to play for Arsenal at the moment.
Aubameyang continued his romance at Wembley as Arsenal shocked Liverpool on Saturday to win this year’s Community Shield on penalties after the contest had ended in a 1-1 draw.
Aubameyang had given Mikel Arteta’s team the lead with a brilliant free-kick in the 12th minute. The Premier League champions brought parity in 73rd minute when their Japanese signing Takumi Minamino found the back of the net.
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Liverpool defense, which was missing Trent Alexander-Arnold, had allowed too much space to Aubameyang before committing a fould on him. The Gabonese striker then hit a curler into the far corner from the edge of the box to put Arsenal ahead and score his fifth goal at the Wembley.
In the shoot-out, Liverpool’s young striker Rhian Brewster was the only player to miss before Aubameyang hit the winning penalty to give Arsenal their second title in one month after the FA Cup.
“I feel very good. Ainsley was the man of the match, I’m really happy for him, he deserves it and today we deserved the win. We’re going to take this trophy and hopefully this time I don’t drop it,” Aubameyang was quoted as saying on the official website of Arsenal.
“I think we played it well. He did a fantastic action, starting from the back, then Bukayo gave me the ball and then I chose to go for it on my right foot, shoot and then it went it,” he added.
Meanwhile, with just a week of pre-season training, the victory on Saturday will taste sweeter for Mikel Arteta. Despite the disappointing Premier League campaign last season, Arsenal had ended it with a trophy and have now started the new season with another one.
“For sure, for sure. We are improving and yes there is still work to do but we are really happy and it’s a really exciting time to be at this football club,” Aubameyang opined.
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