Wednesday saw a thrilling lineup of EFL Cup matches featuring some of the biggest clubs in English football, and it didn’t disappoint. While Manchester City suffered a major setback, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool secured their places in the next round. Here’s a recap of the action:
Manchester City’s Quadruple Hopes Dashed
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City faced Newcastle United at St. James’ Park, and their quadruple aspirations came to a halt as they were knocked out. Despite dominating possession with over 70% in the first half, City failed to break the deadlock. In the second half, Newcastle upped their game, and Joelinton’s low cross set up Alexander Isak to score the decisive goal. City pushed for an equalizer but narrowly missed a late opportunity. The defeat was a significant blow to their trophy ambitions.
Chelsea Ends Goal Drought
Chelsea faced Brighton at Stamford Bridge in a match that saw the Blues finally break their goal drought. In the first half, Brighton had the upper hand, with Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez providing an unintentional assist to Joao Pedro, whose chip shot hit the roof of the net. However, Chelsea’s fortunes changed five minutes into the second half when Nicolas Jackson found the back of the net, ending Chelsea’s goal drought that had stretched throughout September. Cole Palmer’s assist allowed Jackson to slot the ball home. Chelsea’s improved performance secured their spot in the next round.
Liverpool’s Comeback Victory
Liverpool staged a comeback against Leicester City at Anfield, overcoming an early deficit to win the match. Leicester took the lead within two minutes through Kasey McAteer following a rapid counter-attack. Liverpool pressed for an equalizer, with Ben Doak hitting the crossbar and Conor Coady clearing Cody Gakpo’s header off the line. Dominik Szoboszlai, coming off the bench, struck a sensational goal from 25 yards out to put Liverpool ahead. Diogo Jota sealed the victory with a clever back-heel finish late in the game. Liverpool’s resilience and firepower saw them advance.
Arsenal’s Hard-Fought Win
Arsenal faced Premier League rivals Brentford in a hard-fought contest in west London. The Gunners took the lead early on when Eddie Nketiah capitalized on a defensive error by Mathias Jorgensen to set up Reiss Nelson for a close-range finish. Arsenal’s goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale pulled off a remarkable save to deny Frank Onyenka’s long-range effort, while Jakub Kiwior provided a crucial goal-line block to deny Keane Lewis-Potter. Arsenal’s solid performance saw them progress in the competition.
Everton Capitalizes on Villa Mistakes
Everton continued their improvement by capitalizing on mistakes from Aston Villa. Amadou Onana set up James Garner for Everton’s opening goal, taking advantage of a Robin Olsen clearance error. Dominic Calvert-Lewin added a second, capitalizing on a poor backpass from Youri Tielemans. Boubacar Kamara scored a consolation goal for Villa with a deflected strike, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Everton from moving on.
West Ham Survives Lincoln Challenge
West Ham faced a resilient Lincoln City side and survived a first-half scare. Despite a challenging first half, the Hammers turned the tide in the second half, with Tomas Soucek scoring the decisive goal from Said Benrahma’s corner. West Ham advanced to the next round but had to work hard for their victory.
The EFL Cup continues to provide exciting and unpredictable moments, and the remaining teams are now one step closer to lifting the coveted trophy. Football fans can look forward to more thrilling clashes as the competition progresses.
