Carabao Cup Third Round Recap: Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool Progress
The Carabao Cup third round saw some of the biggest teams in England battle it out for a spot in the fourth round. Champions Manchester City were shockingly eliminated by Newcastle United, while Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool all booked their spots in the next round.
Arsenal Defeat Brentford 1-0
Arsenal travelled to Brentford and Reiss Nelson got them off to the perfect start as he fired the Gunners ahead on eight minutes. It was eventually enough for Mikel Arteta’s side to seal a 1-0 victory as Aaron Ramsdale recorded a clean sheet and Emile Smith Rowe picked up valuable minutes after being handed a start.
Chelsea Overcome Brighton 1-0
Chelsea locked horns with Brighton at Stamford Bridge and the Seagulls had two massive chances in the first half after errors from both Robert Sanchez and Moises Caicedo, but Joao Pedro and Ansu Fati could not find the back of the net. Brighton paid for those missed opportunities as Nicolas Jackson fired Chelsea ahead in the second half – and he had the ball in the back of the net for a second time after the hour mark – but it was ruled out for offside as it ended 1-0.
Liverpool Comeback to Beat Leicester 3-1
Liverpool took on Leicester City and the Championship leaders stunned the Anfield crowd after just three minutes as Kasey McAteer slotted past Caoimhin Kelleher. But Jurgen Klopp’s men produced a second-half comeback as Cody Gakpo levelled it up after an assist from summer signing Ryan Gravenberch before an absolute rocket from Dominik Szoboslai. Diogo Jota also got on the scoresheet late-on, finishing past Jakub Stolarczyk with a backheel as it finished 3-1.
West Ham, Fulham and Bournemouth Also Progress
In the other third-round games, Premier League sides West Ham, Fulham and AFC Bournemouth progressed with victories over Lincoln City, Norwich City and Stoke City respectively. League One side Lincoln thought they had took the lead against the Hammers in the first-half but the goal was ruled out for offside before Tomas Soucek’s goal sealed a 1-0 win for the east Londoners. Meanwhile, Everton eliminated Aston Villa with a 2-1 victory in an all-Premier League battle to seal their spot in the fourth round and Blackburn Rovers knocked out Cardiff City with a 5-2 win.
Manchester City Shockingly Eliminated by Newcastle United
But the biggest shock of the night game at St James’ Park as Pep Guardiola’s side suffered an early third-round exit to Newcastle. Last season’s treble winners had won every single game in all competitions since losing the Community Shield on penalties to Arsenal heading into the clash against Eddie Howe’s side, but Alexander Isak’s goal saw them suffer a rare defeat.
Conclusion
The Carabao Cup third round saw some of England’s biggest teams battle it out for a spot in the fourth round. While Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool all progressed, Manchester City were shockingly eliminated by Newcastle United in one of the biggest upsets of the season so far.