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#3 Ferran Torres seems to have found his rhythm at Manchester City
Ferran Torres started in his second consecutive EFL Cup game on Wednesday and produced a scintillating display on the left side of Manchester City's four-man midfield. He impressed with his control of the ball, first touch and pace.
He grabbed the assist for Sterling's second goal of the night and later went on to score his first goal for Manchester City with a cool finish past Peacock-Farrell in the 65th minute.
There are two takeaways from his performances. One, he can give serious competition to Phil Foden for a spot in Premier League games. Two, his natural ability to play in the advanced midfield role on the left will allow Sterling to move into central positions and fill in for the injured Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus.
#2 Should VAR be allowed in all EFL Cup fixtures?
As per current rules, VAR is to be used only in the semi-finals and final of the EFL Cup and in the fixtures leading up to these stages, the referee's decision will be final. Against Manchester City, Sean Dyche's men had a few penalty claims dismissed by the officials, and he later claimed in the post-match interview that they deserved to be awarded two penalties.
In just three gameweeks, there have been 20 penalties awarded in the Premier League this season, and they might play a decisive role in a lot of games to come. VAR has come in handy during penalty calls, and it is time for the EFL Cup to include it in all of its games, at least at the venues where the technology is available.
Having said that, even if the penalties were awarded, there's no guarantee that they would've changed the outcome of the game as Manchester City would've hit back even twice as hard after conceding a goal. However, it would have at least given Burnley a chance to fight back that's for sure.
#1 Raheem Sterling shows he can play as a lone striker
Raheem Sterling had the best game of the 2020-21 campaign so far. After struggling to adjust in the central striker's role in the last few games, he came out with flying colours on Wednesday.
The English forward was involved in all the three goals as he bagged a brace and also picked up the assist for Torres' goal in the 65th minute. It seemed that Pep Guardiola had given the 25-year-old the freedom to operate as he saw fit, and that allowed him to play to his abilities.
He is not a traditional striker and cannot be considered an out-and-out replacement for Aguero or Jesus. However, his goalscoring instincts have developed a lot under Guardiola and combined with his raw pace, he can very well fulfil the responsibilities of a lone striker until the regular strikers can rejoin the squad.
Also See: 10 best wingers in European football this season
