Nunez and Elliott on target as Liverpool win 2-1

Jesus bags treble as Arsenal beat Palace 3-2

*

Tonali scores twice as Newcastle beat Brentford 3-1

(Updates with quotes, information)

LONDON, Dec 18 (Reuters) -

Holders Liverpool scheduled their berth in the League Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 success over Southampton at a wet and windy St Mary's Stadium on Wednesday, thanks to objectives from Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott.

Gabriel Jesus bagged a second-half hat-trick as Arsenal originated from behind to beat Crystal Palace 3-2, and Sandro Tonali scored twice to lead Newcastle to a 3-1 win over Brentford.
bet9ja.com
Nunez, who had actually been goaded by Saints fans previously in the game for a wild miss, got on the scoresheet in the 24th minute, after a mis-kick by centre back Jan Bednarek and a slip by keeper Alex McCarthy. Nunez put his finger to his lips in a gesture to the crowd after finishing past McCarthy.

Elliott doubled the Reds' lead 8 minutes later on when he let loose a low, tough shot from Cody Gakpo's pass. Cameron Archer pulled one back for the home side in the 59th minute with a curling shot from just inside the box.

"We entered this game understanding the circumstances that Southampton were going through and knew they were going to come out battling and we were prepared for it," Elliott informed Sky sports betting.

The game was a tale of teams at opposite ends of the Premier League table, with Liverpool at the summit and Southampton-- who sacked supervisor Russell Martin following Sunday's 5-0 home loss to Tottenham Hotspur-- in last location with just one win.

"We need to protect the trophy due to the fact that the club won it last season, so we want to complete in every league and this is one of them, so we're delighted that we reached the semi-final," said Reds supervisor Arne Slot, who watched the game from the press box while serving a touchline restriction.

Palace had Arsenal drawing in the fourth minute when Jean-Philippe Mateta nudged aside Gunners defender Jakub Kiwior to acquire a long ball and side-foot home.

But Arsenal completely dominated the second half and Jesus equalised in the 54th minute when Martin Odegaard sent a gorgeous through ball into the box and the Brazilian chipped the ball over Dean Henderson.

'SUCH QUALITY'

Jesus, who had scored just when this season before Wednesday, netted his second in the 73rd minute when Bukayo Saka slipped the ball through for him to hammer home. He finished his hat-trick eight minutes later when he ran onto a ball from Odegaard behind Palace's back line before shooting past Henderson.

"So happy for (Jesus). It's been a long duration for him without goals," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta informed press reporters. "To score the three types of objectives and the lots of actions that he was involved in, it's a fantastic thing for the team that we can count on a gamer with such quality."

Eddie Nketiah pulled one back for Palace late on when he leapt high to head home past David Raya.

At St James' Park, Tonali scored in the ninth minute when Nathan Collins' attempted clearance fell at his feet and he unleashed a rocket from 20 yards out-- his very first goal considering that his return in late-August from a 10-month ban for breaching sports betting guidelines.

Tonali volleyed home Anthony Gordon's cross from near the charge spot right before the break for his second objective, and Newcastle tripled their lead when Bruno Guimaraes sent a pass across the goal for Fabian Schar to tap home in the 69th.
bet9ja.com
"It was terrific to see Sandro score the 2 that he did," Newcastle employer Eddie Howe told the BBC. "Just an actually good feeling about the group at the minute. We are integrating in confidence all the time."
bit.ly
Yoane Wissa pulled one back for Brentford in injury time however the video game was well out of reach by then.
bit.ly
The last semi-final location is up for grabs on Thursday when Tottenham Hotspur host Manchester United.

(Reporting by Lori Ewing Editing by Toby Davis)
bet9ja.com