West Ham United are in the Carabao Cup quarter-final after eliminating Manchester City, and Paul Merson has told David Moyes to go ‘full pelt’ to win it, in his Daily Star column.
The Irons stunned the defending champions on Wednesday night, beating Pep Guardiola’s side on penalties after a goalless stalemate. Ending their 1,826-day unbeaten streak in the competition, stretching five-years and including lifting the trophy four times at Wembley.
West Ham have never won the League Cup in the east London outfit’s history, while lasting touching silverware in 1980. Clinching their third FA Cup triumph, to add to previous titles in the Cup Winners’ Cup and Community Shield.
Moyes has also only won one piece of silverware as a manager with the Community Shield with Manchester United. Merson believes the West Ham boss now has a huge chance to add a major title to his trophy cabinet.
Merson urges Moyes to go ‘full pelt’
Merson feels West Ham eliminating Man City, and Manchester United in the prior round, has blown the Carabao Cup open. But the Arsenal icon would urge Moyes to go all out, as he cannot afford to keep making wholesales changes if the Hammers are going to win it.
“West Ham haven’t won a trophy since 1980!” he wrote. “You’ve got to have a go now. It’s almost a once in a lifetime opportunity for some of these teams. No City in a competition they’ve dominated for so long – it was getting very predictable.
“People say it’s not an important competition. But come the final, everybody wants to be walking out at Wembley in it. What has David Moyes won? A Community Shield? This is a massive opportunity for him to finally put a big trophy on his CV.
“He changed almost his all team against City, though. You can’t win this cup doing that. Go full pelt. You’ve just knocked out both Manchester clubs, why wouldn’t you go for it now? You’d have to say Chelsea are probably favourites, though.”
Should West Ham go all out for Carabao Cup glory?
Moyes will want West Ham to go as far into the Carabao Cup as possible, but will want to manage the workload of his players, even if Merson feels he should go all out for the title.
The Hammers are competing over multiple fronts this season, and performing well in each. They enter the weekend fourth in the Premier League, and are also unbeaten in the Europa League group stage. While eliminating both Manchester clubs from the EFL Cup despite the Irons making changes to rest certain players.
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