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LONDON: Chelsea advanced to the third round of the League Cup after beating League One side Luton Town 2-0, with Danny Welbeck scoring on his debut in Xabi Alonso’s first competitive home game.

Despite pre-match speculation about the futures of Enzo Fernandez and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, one of Chelsea’s under-appreciated new signings was a key figure in the victory.

Welbeck scored the opening goal shortly after the second half began when he headed in Malo Gusto’s cross to open Chelsea’s scoring account.

Alonso fielded a strong starting XI with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and captain Reece James in the starting XI, as Chelsea dominated possession from the start.

“We want to have a squad that is complete in all aspects, in terms of quality, maturity and personality, with a mix of young and experienced players.

“It’s important for young players to get help to develop and in situations like that, experienced players help a lot.

“I’m happy with the energy and attitude of the players. The fans are also great, we’ve needed them all season. Now we’re resting and we’ll be back here (Stamford Bridge) on Sunday,” said Alonso.

Alonso, however, remained tight-lipped about Fernandez, who is reportedly close to joining Manchester City and is not in the squad, as well as Martinez, who is said to be moving from Aston Villa to Chelsea.

Palmer and Estevao were denied their best chances before Rogers rattled the crossbar at the end of the first half.

Luton put up stiff resistance against the hosts for most of the match, but failed to withstand the pressure after the break.

Welbeck’s powerful header finally broke the deadlock and turned the momentum of the match in Chelsea’s favor.

The victory was sealed with 10 minutes to go when Estevao made a dramatic move into the penalty area before missing an attempt, but the goal was ultimately recorded as an own goal by Luton defender Hakeem Odoffin.

Chelsea will face Leeds United in the next round.

Meanwhile, Rodrigo Muniz ended a goal drought of more than a year when he helped Fulham beat AFC Wimbledon 3-0 to advance to the third round and face West Ham.

Emile Smith Rowe opened the scoring for Fulham with a header from Kenny Tete’s cross in the first half before Muniz made it 2-0, also with a header from Tete’s pass.

The victory was Fulham’s first under new manager Alvaro Arbeloa, who made 10 changes after the defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League on Monday.

Summer signing Gonzalo Garcia completed Fulham’s victory with a stoppage-time goal.

MANCHESTER: Manchester United have completed the signing of Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba for a transfer fee that could reach 70 million pounds, continuing their efforts to overhaul the club’s midfield.

Baleba, 22, signed a five-year contract at Old Trafford with the option of a 12-month extension after reaching personal terms and passing a medical.

United paid Brighton an initial £65 million, with up to a further £5 million in performance-based bonuses.

Brighton also included a resale clause in the deal.

The Cameroon international is currently sidelined with an ankle injury but becomes United’s third signing in the midfield position of the summer transfer window after Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans.

In total, United spent 85 million pounds to acquire Santos and Tielemans before completing the purchase of Baleba.

Baleba, who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford for over a year, admitted that he cannot wait to wear the jersey of his dream club.

“It’s an incredible feeling to be joining my dream club. Playing at Old Trafford is always special, but to have the opportunity to do it as a Manchester United player is a huge honour.

“I’m looking forward to working with Michael Carrick. His experience and knowledge of the game make him the perfect coach to help me reach the highest level.

“The dreams of everyone at this club are very clear. The future is very exciting and I am determined to play a role in helping us achieve the success that we can achieve together,” he said.

United’s Director of Football, Jason Wilcox, described Baleba as a high-class midfielder who still has a lot of room to develop.

“Carlos is an elite midfielder with great potential to continue to develop. He brings a unique combination of qualities that will complement our squad.

“We are pleased to continue to strengthen our midfield with the arrival of another experienced international player who has proven his ability to perform in the Premier League.

“Carlos’ determination to join Manchester United and his belief that we can achieve our ambitions together make him the right player as we continue to build a dynamic and entertaining team, ready to compete in a variety of competitions,” he said.

Baleba’s presence is expected to relieve United fans who are disappointed with the lackluster start to the season after the team lost 0-2 to Hull City last Saturday.

LIVERPOOL: Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has described the club’s 2025 summer transfer window as potentially “one of the worst” in the history of the English Premier League (EPL).

After winning the league in his first season under Arne Slot, Liverpool spent around 450 million pounds on seven players, including 125 million pounds for Alexander Isak and 116 million pounds for Florian Wirtz.

However, apart from Hugo Ekitike, almost all of Liverpool’s new signings struggled to make an impact in their first season at Anfield as the Reds slipped to fifth place and Slot was sacked.

After Isak and Wirtz again failed to impress in the 2-2 draw against Newcastle on Sunday, Carragher gave a scathing assessment of Liverpool’s transfer dealings last summer.

“It’s only the first game of the season, but my concern is that the transfer window of the last 12 months may have left Liverpool a year or two behind to improve.

“Yes, this is just one game under (Andoni) Iraola, but we are talking about 12 months of below-par performance from all these players except Ekitike.

“If this situation doesn’t change in the next two or three months under Iraola, and these players don’t improve, I think we’re going to see it as one of the worst transfer windows we’ve ever seen in the history of the Premier League, when you consider the transfer fees and the impact on Liverpool,” said Carragher.

After losing four key players this summer – Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Ibrahima Konate and Curtis Jones – the team under new manager Iraola fielded four players bought last season against Newcastle – Isak, Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez.

“The goal of getting these players is not just for them to be good players.

“It’s about building a little dynasty for Liverpool.

“Don’t forget, Liverpool won the league two years ago. These players should do what Manchester City have done in the past few years, or Manchester United in the past, by winning two or three titles in five years,” he said.

Wirtz in particular has been the target of criticism from the former Liverpool defender.

“The idea that players need a year to adapt to the EPL, I think it’s a bit of a myth. I don’t think there are too many examples that show that,” he added.

Carragher added: “I don’t think we’ve seen performance that’s been significantly below his level. What we’ve seen over the last year is probably his level, a neat and tidy footballer.

“Not a player who should be worth £110m, but maybe a player worth £50m to £60m. Neat and tidy, a nice touch. I’m not sure what people expect from him.”

Liverpool will be back in action against Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday.

LIVERPOOL: Gary Neville has warned Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak to improve their performance and be more aggressive if they want to succeed with Liverpool.

Both are the most expensive players in Liverpool’s history, with Wirtz’s price reaching 116 million pounds, while Isak’s transfer worth 125 million pounds made him the most expensive player in Premier League history.

However, both endured a disappointing debut season with Liverpool last season as the club finished fifth and lost the Premier League title to Arsenal.

Wirtz and Isak were both named in the starting line-up as Liverpool drew 2-2 with Newcastle United in their opening match of the new season last night.

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However, neither failed to impress as Wirtz was sent off after 63 minutes, while Isak struggled to make an impact in his first appearance at St James’ Park since leaving Newcastle in controversial circumstances last year.

Neville, when commenting on the performance of the two, described Wirtz and Isak as players who were “too good” and needed a harder side to their game.

“The big thing for Liverpool is they have a quarter of a billion pound attacking duo, Isak and Wirtz, and we’ve been too good for them.

“They need to start playing well now. Otherwise, they will receive a lot of criticism. They need to start delivering results.

“For starters, they are too good and if you want to be a good player, you have to be exceptional at football.

“I don’t see the grit in Wirtz in particular — Isak is probably a little better — but Wirtz I see as just a good player who moves around the pitch, but doesn’t really look like he’s giving it his all to do anything,” the Manchester United legend said on the Gary Neville Podcast.

Neville also urged Wirtz to improve his game and be more courageous in taking on the role of a player who creates threats in the attacking area, including producing goals and assists.

“There are better players who glide freely on the pitch like [Mesut] Ozil and [Kai] Havertz, but I want to give him a little ‘rocket’.

“There’s ability and talent there, as well as an understanding of his position. Sometimes I think he moves around too much and doesn’t get close enough to his attackers.

“Sometimes I don’t think he understands where the fight is going to be decided. I also don’t see him joining Isak.

“For me, and I’ve been saying this for 12 months, he moves around too much without direction. Wirtz needs to think about being less involved in building attacks from the bottom.

“He needs to think about being a second striker, not a third midfielder. He also needs to think about the results he needs to provide, including providing Isak with short passes and the ball in the gaps in the central defence,” he said.

However, Neville insisted he still has confidence in both players.

“They need to improve. I’m putting pressure on them now because I’ve been watching them for 12 months, but I still believe in them.

“I think Isak is an extraordinary player. I’ve never seen anyone give Gabriel and Saliba, or Van Dijk and Konate, the kind of trouble he did at Newcastle.

“So, I’ve seen for myself how dangerous he is. My teammates and the Liverpool coaching staff need to see that.

“Wirtz needs to fix himself. Enough is enough. He’s still young and coming to a different country. I can see a great player in him, but we can’t keep seeing performances like this.

“He was taken off after an hour when the team needed a goal. That shouldn’t have happened. My biggest disappointment is those two players,” he added.

Wirtz and Isak will have the opportunity to respond to the criticism on the pitch when Liverpool host Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

MANCHESTER: Manchester United have reached an agreement to sign Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba, a source close to the Old Trafford club told Reuters on Wednesday.

British media reported that United would pay an initial fee of 65 million pounds, plus up to 5 million pounds in bonuses, with Brighton also acquiring a clause to receive a percentage of the player’s future sales.

Baleba, who will undergo a medical before completing the move, injured an ankle ligament in pre-season, but reports suggest the problem is not expected to affect him long-term.

The 22-year-old Cameroon international will become the third midfielder brought in by United in the summer transfer window after Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos.

Baleba has made 112 appearances since joining Brighton from Lille in 2023 and has long been a target for Michael Carrick’s squad at Old Trafford.

He made 31 league appearances last season, but missed part of Brighton’s campaign while representing Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations.

United, who open their Premier League campaign against newly promoted Hull City tonight, are back in action in the Champions League this season.