The League Cup in its many incarnations may not have the same sense of history attached to it as its famous cousin the FA Cup, and managers like Arsene Wenger may have publicly denounced it to be a fifth priority for them in their season's objectives, but as the Gunners showed on Tuesday night, there is no replicating the pride of putting on your team's jersey and stepping out onto the field trying one's hardest to win. With the footballing universe still coming to terms with Arsenal's miraculous 7-5 win against Reading on Tuesday, they were to be served up another classic when Chelsea welcomed Manchester United to Stamford Bridge for the second time in a week.

For once the refeering was not the center of attraction, and while the game may have had both its share of controversies and unpopular decisions, it was the football on display that stood out. There continued to be defensive horror shows by both sets of teams, but there was also more than its fair share of brilliance as Chelsea came back at the death to level the game at 3-3 to force extra time, and went on to win the match 5-4 in extra time.

Tottenham Hotspur have started making enquiries into the availability of Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez. Liverpool had earlier shown an interest in the Chilean star but Spurs have jumped the queue to sign him amid rumours that Barca are considering a sale.

The 23-year old had a fairly decent first season at the Nou Camp but has failed to reproduce his best for the Catalans this season, scoring just once in 11 appearances this season. The player had himself acknowledged a drop in form this season and reports claim that Barcelona are willing to cash in on their underperforming forward.

Arsenal have been struggling to reach a consensus on the issue of a new deal with star winger Theo Walcott as he runs down his final year of contract at the club. The club are now preparing for a final round of negotiations to finalise a new deal for the Englishman.

Walcott has been adamant for a wage hike at the club and wants to see his £60,000-a-week wage packet boosted to about £100,000-a-week. However, Wenger is unwilling to break the traditional wage structure at the club, a problem that played a major part in the departure of skipper Robin van Persie from the Emirates in the last transfer window.

German midfield star Lewis Holtby has entered his final year of contract with FC Schalke and the player’s agent Markus Noack has admitted that the 22 year-old has offers from English and Spanish clubs which he could consider when the transfer window opens this January.

A youth product of second division German club Alemannia Aachen, the 22 year-old is said to be negotiating a contract extension with Schalke, whom he joined in 2009. However, the midfielder could be convinced to revisit his decision as offers from England and Spain have begun to come in for Holtby. The player is a fan of Premier League side Everton although their Merseyside rivals Liverpool have been credited with an interest in the midfielder, reported Sky Sports.

Genoa defender Mario Samprisi is the subject of prime interest for Premier League big guns Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool who reportedly sent scouts to watch the youngster when Genoa lost to AC Milan on Saturday.

The Italian started his career at Milan’s youth academy but switched over to Genoa in the summer of 2011. The 19 year-old made his debut for the Serie A side in January this year and has already made 7 appearances for the club this season. Samprisi has also been a regular for Italy’s youth sides over the years.

The 219^th Merseyside derby produced ample fireworks to keep both sets of supporters satisfied as Goodison Park enjoyed a 2-2 draw between Everton and Liverpool. All four goals came in the first half as Liverpool raced into a two goal lead by the 20^th minute mark, with Leighton Baines unfortunately deflecting Luis Suarez’s effort into his own goal on 14 minutes before the Uruguayan doubled their lead six minutes later with a free-header from a free-kick.

Everton roared back into the game immediately, halving the deficit just two minutes after Suarez’s goal through Leon Osman. Steven Naismith then netted his first Everton goal on 35 minutes to make it 2-2. The 2^nd half was a more sedate affair though with both sides creating enough chances to win the game, none of which were taken as the points were shared. Suarez, riled up by David Moyes’ pre-match comments, could have won the game at the death but for a poor call from the linesman as he wrongly disallowed his goal for being offside.

Liverpool have laid their eyes on an ex-Chelsea legend to solve their striker crisis as they attempt to sign Didier Drogba on a two-month loan from Shanghai Shenhua. The Chinese football season ends next week and the People believe that Liverpool could make a shock move to bring the 34 year old to Anfield. The striker intends to return to England to train ahead of the African Cup of Nations in January, but whether he lands in England to play first-team football or train remains to be seen.

The Daily Mail feel that a move could be scuppered by the complexities involved as Liverpool need special permission from the Premier League to sign a player outside the transfer window, an event that rarely occurs in the current circumstances. Shanghai Shenhua have seemingly given Drogba permission to head back to England provided he returns to the club in March, but with the club still mired in financial uncertainty anything is possible.