Wednesday already, folks. Hump day, they call it. And the hump is exactly what Wimbledon manager Neil Ardley has, and he has good reason!
The Carabao Cup is pretty much off people’s radars at this early point in the season, but when Wimbledon went 1-0 up against West Ham after two minutes last night, people like me started sharpening the knives and wondering what punchlines could follow.
Yet, West Ham managed to turn it around but needed to see Wimbledon go down to ten to make it happen. Cheaterito lost the use of his legs after minimal contact from Rob McDonald and the referee deemed that assault to be enough to issue a second yellow card after 18 minutes. Issa Diop didn’t score until after an hour had been played which tells you how much West Ham had to huff and puff. Ardley called it straight on Sky after the game and good for him.
As for West Ham fans, they are probably feeling like the tables have now turned on their season and a League Cup run is imminent alongside a push for Europe in the Premier League. I’ll check in with them again after they lose this weekend.
As I’m in League Cup mood, what else happened last night?
It’s hard not to like a footballer called Juninho, I am sure you will agree, unless you are a Huddersfield fan. Their Juninho, who is not anything like the one who played for Middlesboro or the one who used to score free kicks for fun for Lyon, managed to score a comical own-goal meaning the Terriers were Terrierble and got beat by Stoke last night. Even Saido Berahino scored. I know, right?
If you like a bet, I’d imagine you put plenty on Cardiff crashing out to Norwich as the last thing Neil Warnock needs is midweek football – that really messes with his tractor time.
Palace beat Swansea 1-0 and even Southampton went through, beating Brighton by the same score. Bournemouth eased past MK Dons 3-0 and Fulham won 2-0 against Exeter. So no laughs there, I’m afraid.
Sometimes I just miss stuff, and I was unaware that Hugo Lloris had been done for drink-driving last week. That explains his dip in form over the last season as I am pretty sure the post-match drugs test doesn’t check for a few Smirnoff Ices at half-time. Lloris was ‘relieved’ that Spurs beat United at Old Trafford as the finger would have been pointed at him otherwise, especially if there had been a mistake in there.
Someone might need to have a word with Kurt Zouma, who is convinced he still has a future at Chelsea despite Maurizio Sarri farming him out to Everton and preferring to keep David Luiz around the place. Kurt, that doesn’t seem to spell future to me.
In a break from the “it was all Sergio Ramos’ fault” narrative, Mo Salah has come out and openly blamed the Egyptian FA for Egypt being toilet in the World Cup. Salah is upset at celebrities being brought into the team hotel, the lack of personal security, endorsement demands and many other things as distractions the players did not need. Mo, you could have been wrapped up in cotton wool and it would have made no difference. Without you o on the field fully fit, Egypt are just not that good.
We’ve not talked about Anthony Martial maybe leaving Manchester United for at least 24 hours so it’s probably a good time to bring up the fact he is now being linked to both Atletico Madrid and AC Milan. The window is still open until Friday so I am sure we can squeeze a couple more in before he stays at United for the rest of the season.
Tottenham might have achieved the impossible and found an interested party for Moussa Sissoko. There’s something going on in Turkey as that is where Loris Karius also ended up and it is Fenerbahce who want the French international, initially on loan.
Transfer windows do mad things to people.
