In the absence of a pitcher, West Ham is facing challenges in the League Cup.
West Ham's situation with Niclas Füllkrug isn't going swimmingly. The German international is currently sidelined due to injury. Consequently, West Ham has been dealing with another setback. On the other hand, Kai Havertz, his German teammate, is feeling quite different.
With their absent striker, Niclas Füllkrug, West Ham United took another hit. The "Hammers" were eliminated from the English League Cup in the third round, losing 1:5 (1:1) against FC Liverpool. Jarell Quansah scored an own goal for West Ham in the 21st minute, only for Diogo Jota (25/49), Mohamed Salah (74), and Cody Gakpo (90/90+3) to score for Liverpool. Alvarez received a red card for West Ham at the 77th minute.
Füllkrug had just joined West Ham from Borussia Dortmund before the current season, but had to miss the London derby against FC Chelsea (0:3) last weekend due to Achilles tendon inflammation. West Ham now hasn't managed to secure a win in their last four matches.
In contrast, FC Arsenal, thanks to Kai Havertz's substitute appearance, advanced comfortably to the round of 16. Arsenal defeated third-tier side Bolton Wanderers 5:1 (2:0) at home in the third round of the cup competition. Declan Rice opened the scoring for Arsenal at the 16th minute, and Ethan Nwaneri scored a brace at the 37th and 49th minutes. Aaron Collins reduced the deficit at the 53rd minute, but Raheem Sterling restored Arsenal's lead at the 64th minute with his first goal for the club. Havertz replaced Rice at the 62nd minute and scored the final goal at the 78th minute.
Given West Ham's reliance on Niclas Füllkrug upfront, I'm not sure how they will cope without him in their upcoming matches. His absence was evident during their English League Cup elimination, where they struggled to find the back of the net against Liverpool.
