Tag: Carabao Cup

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LUCAS MOURA HELPS SPURS TO SCRAPPY CARABAO CUP WIN AT BURNLEY

Lucas Moura’s second-half goal sent Tottenham through to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals after a 1-0 win at Burnley.

Moura’s 68th-minute header settled a low-quality affair where both teams struggled in the attacking third for the majority of the game.

It was a much-needed win for Nuno Espirito Santo, who is under some pressure after an inconsistent start to the season, but a good cup run in this competition could help his cause.

Nuno will also hope it gives his side some confidence ahead of Manchester United’s visit in the Premier League on Saturday.

Burnley boss Sean Dyche was hoping his side could kickstart their season by beating Spurs, but they never really looked like doing that and had just one shot on target.

After travelling to Holland with a second string outfit in the Europa Conference League and getting burned with a 1-0 defeat at Vitesse Arnhem, Nuno knew he could not get away with doing the same at Turf Moor.

He made changes but kept a strong spine, which saw Harry Kane captain the side.

Kane could have given Tottenham the perfect start, but he continued to look off colour, dragging a shot well wide when being played through by Giovani Lo Celso in the third minute.

The game could have done with that going in as it developed into an insipid contest low on quality.

Spurs right-back Emerson Royal had to be alert to clear Johan Berg Gudmundsson’s dangerous cross from inside his own six-yard box, but Burnley struggled to cause any real threat.

The visitors were not much better as they again lacked the creativity that has dogged their season so far.

They did fashion a chance just before half-time, but Kane was again wayward with his finishing, blazing over an acrobatic attempt at the far post from a corner.

The start of the second half was not much better and Spurs fans were not happy, calling for change by chanting “Nuno where’s the subs?”.

The boss reacted and while Son Heung-min and Tanguy Ndombele were waiting to come on, the visitors had a big chance to go in front.

Davinson Sanchez won a tackle high up the pitch, which gave Kane space to run into, he played in Lo Celso, who looked set to score only for Nick Pope to produce a brilliant one-handed save.

Son and Ndombele came on and their first action was to help celebrate Tottenham’s opening goal.

Lo Celso played the ball out to Royal on the right and the Brazilian sent in an in-swinging cross which Moura headed home from eight yards.

It was almost two four minutes later as Moura found space 25 yards out but his fierce shot was well saved by Pope, who was keeping Burnley in it.

Burnley had to up their game if they were going to get back into the contest and they threw bodies forward, but Spurs defended well.

Erik Pieters finally had their first shot on goal in the final 10 minutes but Pierluigi Gollini easily saved it.

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MANCHESTER CITY’S CARABAO CUP DOMINANCE ENDS AS WESTHAM WIN ON PENALTIES

Manchester City’s grip on the Carabao Cup was finally loosened as West Ham knocked out the holders on penalties.

Phil Foden missed from the spot for City while West Ham scored all five of theirs to reach the quarter-finals.

City had won this competition in six of the past eight seasons, including the last four.

In fact Tuesday marked five years to the day since they were last eliminated from this cup, a 1-0 defeat at Manchester United.

But they were held to a goalless draw by a dogged West Ham side, who then finished the job when Said Benrahma converted the winning penalty to the delight of a sold-out London Stadium.

Club captain Mark Noble, handed an increasingly rare start in what is his farewell season, enjoyed a fine match and also netted his penalty, as did Jarrod Bowen, Craig Dawson and Aaron Cresswell.

It was Noble who had the first effort on goal with a drive from the edge of the box which was punched clear by City keeper Zack Steffen.

At the other end of the career scale, City’s 19-year-old striker Cole Palmer started up front in a team showing nine changes but still packed with internationals.

Palmer, who followed up his goal against Wycombe in this competition with one in the Champions League at Club Brugge, could have added to that tally when he received a cut-back from Riyad Mahrez, but his shot was too close to Alphonse Areola in the West Ham goal.

As the first half drew to a close Palmer saw a shot deflected over and Nathan Ake headed a Mahrez free-kick wide.

West Ham were a much-changed side as well but still showing plenty of endeavour, with Noble setting up the overlapping Arthur Masuaku who fired just over.

They came even closer to breaking the deadlock when Masuaku stung the palms of Steffen, with Andriy Yarmolenko

At the other end the impressive Palmer teed up Ilkay Gundogan, whose shot fizzed across goal, before Kevin De Bruyne’s deflected effort was scrambled wide by Areola.

From the corner, the Hammers’ back-up keeper made a stunning point-blank save to keep out a header from John Stones.

It seemed neither team fancied the idea of penalties, with both attacking at will. Tomas Soucek was next to try his luck for West Ham but sidefooted wide when he should have hit the target.

Hammers boss David Moyes sensed his side, who beat Manchester United in the last round, could possibly record another statement win and made a triple substitution on the hour with Bowen, Benrahma and Pablo Fornals all sent on.

But City were still the more threatening and Palmer squandered a glorious chance when he lashed Raheem Sterling’s pull-back over before Areola saved with his feet to deny Gundogan and tipped Zinchenko’s drive away.

Foden, Jack Grealish and Gabriel Jesus had been summoned from City’s star-studded bench, and after Soucek curled another chance wide for the hosts, Areola held Sterling’s header to take the tie to penalties.

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MINAMINO, ORIGI ON TARGET AS LIVERPOOL HOLD OFF PRESTON TO REACH CARABAO CUP LAST EIGHT

Carabao Cup specialists Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi fired Liverpool into the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Preston but not before the Championship side threatened a major upset at Deepdale.

Memories of Sunday’s 5-0 destruction of Manchester United were fresh in the minds of the travelling Liverpool support, but there were few traces on the pitch as Jurgen Klopp changed all 11 players and got a radically different display as a result.

When Minamino turned in Neco Williams’ cross in the 62nd minute, it was Liverpool’s first shot on target after Preston had brought a number of saves out of Adrian in the first half.

Origi flicked in a second six minutes from time, but the gap between Klopp’s ruthless stars and their more modest back-ups was obvious as Liverpool only occasionally bared their teeth against a side 19th in the Championship and sporting several changes of their own.

Preston had never reached the quarter-finals, but that carrot was not enough to prevent Frankie McAvoy from swapping nine of the players who started the weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Blackpool – with on-loan Sepp Van Den Berg one of two survivors having received permission to face his parent club.

Klopp handed a debut to teenager Harvey Blair while Tyler Morton got his first start, but there was also plenty of experience as Joel Matip returned to partner Joe Gomez in defence.

It was no surprise to see Liverpool boss possession – goalkeeper Declan Rudd was the only Preston player to touch the ball in the opening five minutes – but they could not translate that into chances as the hosts defended strongly.

Instead, it was Preston who threatened. Tom Barkhuizen cut inside Matip before firing over, then Ryan Ledson tried an ambitious volley from the edge of the area which sailed over.

Brad Potts was the next to escape Matip, but his rising shot was pushed over by Adrian.

The best chance came in the 28th minute. After Gomez squandered possession Ali McCann put it on a plate for Sean Maguire, only to see Adrian make a superb point-blank save.

The ball fell invitingly for Ledson, but his shot struck Williams in the face on the line before Potts blazed over.

Liverpool somehow escaped, but they went in at the break still yet to test Rudd despite having 79 per cent possession.

Matip was replaced by Nat Phillips at the break, and Liverpool were quickly on the front foot, with Minamino going close before Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain twisted to make space before unleashing a powerful shot which sailed narrowly wide.

A largely frustrating night for Blair came to an end moments later when Conor Bradley replaced the former Manchester United prospect, but Morton continued to impress, and almost found Minamino with a curling cross from deep.

They broke the deadlock with their first shot on target just after the hour.

Williams, pushed forward by Bradley’s arrival, pulled the ball back for Minamino to flick it beyond the reach of Rudd and score his fifth Carabao Cup goal in as many appearances.

Preston seemed to sense their chance had gone as heads dropped, and Origi soon confirmed their fears as he scored his customary Carabao Cup goal – making it 11 in his 10 starts in the competition.

When Kostas Tsimikas’ cross from deep struck the crossbar it bounced down for Williams. His shot was blocked, but the ball sat up for Origi to flick in with an acrobatic twist of his leg.

Minamino should have added a third when he raced through on goal moments later, denied by Rudd, but further goals would have been harsh on Preston.

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CARABAO CUP: LEICESTER THROUGH TO LAST EIGHT AFTER BEATING BRIGHTON ON PENALTIES

Leicester reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup with victory over Brighton in a penalty shoot-out on an emotional night at the King Power Stadium.

Wednesday’s tie fell on the third anniversary of a helicopter crash at the stadium, which killed the club’s chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four others.

A crowd display and minute’s silence took place before kick-off ahead of the first home match to fall on the date, which finished 2-2 after normal time before Leicester won 4-2 on penalties.

Harvey Barnes gave the hosts an early lead before Adam Webster equalised in first-half stoppage time. However, there was still time for Ademola Lookman to restore Leicester’s advantage before the half-time whistle.

Substitute Enock Mwepu deservedly headed Brighton level midway through the second half to set up the drama of penalties.

Neal Maupay crashed his spot-kick against the crossbar before Mwepu saw his effort saved by Danny Ward, with the Foxes scoring all four of their kicks.

A much-changed Leicester team, with Caglar Soyuncu the only survivor from those who started the win at Brentford at the weekend, went ahead after just six minutes.

Patson Daka chased down a long ball and put goalkeeper Jason Steele under pressure, forcing him to rush his pass to Webster. Barnes was alert to take the ball off the toe of the Brighton defender before beating Steele with a low, hard shot.

Steele made a fine save to tip Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s shot onto the crossbar midway through the first half.

Brighton had threatened from a corner earlier when Dan Burn headed wide and they did so again just after the half hour as Shane Duffy leapt above Hamza Choudhury only for Ward to save his header.

It was from a corner that Webster was able to turn home the ball to equalise, after another Duffy header was blocked by Jannik Vestergaard.

However, another defensive mistake allowed Leicester to immediately restore their lead as Lookman pounced on a Jeremy Sarmiento back pass to poke the ball beyond Steele.

Aaron Connolly got in behind the Leicester defence early in the second half but decided to take his shot early from outside the penalty area when he had more time.

Brighton deservedly equalised midway through the second half when Mwepu beat Ward with a fine header from Marc Cucurella’s cross.

Albion looked the most likely winner in normal time but Leicester withstood the pressure and the tie went to penalties.

Maupay was Brighton’s second penalty taker and hit the bar. James Maddison, Barnes, Daka and Ricardo Pereira had all scored for the hosts, meaning it was over when Ward saved Mwepu’s kick.

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ARSENAL BEAT LEEDS UTD 2-0 TO REACH CARABAO CUP QUARTER FINALS

Arsenal moved into the Carabao Cup quarterfinals with a victory over fellow Premier League side Leeds United.

Arsenal eased through with second-half goals from Calum Chambers and Edward Nketiah in a 2-0 win over struggling Leeds.

Chambers opened the scoring in the 55th minute, 23 seconds after coming on as a substitute. The defender’s header looked to have been saved by Illan Meslier but goal-line technology ruled that the ball had crossed the line.

“He totally deserved it,” said Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta of Chambers’ goal.”It was a great moment because he helped us to win the game. He is someone who deserves the best, for how he is as a person and a professional.”

The Gunners’ second came in the 69th from a poor header back by Liam Cooper which left Meslier stranded as Nketiah rounded the keeper and his mis-hit shot from a tight angle just rolled into the corner.

“It’s always nice to play, it’s been a while, I have been working hard, waiting for my opportunity,” Nketiah told Sky Sports.

The loss further adds woe to a Leeds side that has been struggling in league play.

“We conceded a goal, the goal that we conceded was at the start of the second half, after that the game wasn’t the same,” said Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa.

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CHELSEA BEAT SOUTHAMPTON IN SHOOTOUT TO ADVANCE TO CARABAO CUP QUARTER FINAL

Chelsea needed another shootout to earn a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with Southampton beaten 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge.

Reece James again provided the decisive kick like he had done in the previous round against Aston Villa after Theo Walcott and Will Smallbone had failed from 12 yards for the Saints.

Kai Havertz’s first-half goal had the hosts on course for another victory but Che Adams pegged the Champions League winners back before spot-kicks were required in west London.

Both managers made a plethora of changes but it was Blues boss Thomas Tuchel who made the fewest with only six from the thrashing of Norwich. Ross Barkley and Saul were among those handed a chance and they combined for the first opportunity in the sixth minute.

Barkley picked out Saul from a corner and only a stunning finger-tip save by the recalled Fraser Forster stopped the summer addition from opening his account for Chelsea.

Havertz had retained his spot from Saturday’s 7-0 win and after he missed out on a goal against the Canaries, the German was eager to make amends.

A first effort with his weaker right foot whistled past the post from 25 yards and his next in the 26th minute went even closer.

Havertz combined impressively with Barkley inside his own half before Marcos Alonso sent the forward away where he worked a yard of space and fired towards the top corner but Forster was able to parry wide for a corner.

It had been far from one-way traffic with Southampton, who matched up the hosts and went with wing-backs for the first time this term, causing problems and Adam Armstrong should have done better with a back post header following a corner by namesake Stuart Armstrong.

Off the pitch, Saints assistant Richard Kitzbichler had shown he was more than up for the fight after twice crossing words with Tuchel on the touchline with the pair tenacious during each exchange.

Another chance went the way of the visitors with 33 on the clock when Stuart Armstrong saw a shot blocked by Trevoh Chalobah after good work from Kyle Walker-Peters.

There was still time for one more opportunity before half-time and it proved decisive.

Barkley again caused problems with his delivery from a corner and this time Havertz was not to be denied, with the ex-Bayer Leverkusen ace able to guide his header into the bottom corner for his third goal of the campaign.

Southampton would not trail for long though with the equaliser coming two minutes after the break and Walker-Peters involved again.

The wing-back was played into the area and while his effort was blocked by the legs of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Adams was on hand to tap home and get off the mark this season.

It contributed towards a frantic start to the second period with Forster called into action on three occasions and equal to firstly Havertz and then Barkley and James while down the other end Adam Armstrong forced a fine save out of Chelsea’s second-choice goalkeeper.

With the Blues lacking control of the fourth-round tie, Tuchel turned to Ben Chilwell and Mason Mount but it was Saul who almost produced the second when he fired wide following Havertz’s cut-back before his curler forced Forster into another excellent stop.

Ralph Hasenhuttl also called for reinforcements and Smallbone nearly enjoyed a perfect return after nine months out following a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament but his header was saved by Kepa seconds after his 77th-minute entrance.

More heroics from the Spanish custodian in stoppage-time ensured penalties were required with Southampton’s two centre-backs Lyanco and Mohammed Salisu denied from Smallbone corners.

It saw the tie go to spot-kicks and although Forster produced a stunning save to thwart Mount, Walcott and Smallbone failed from 12 yards and it saw Chelsea go through to the last eight of the competition.

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CHELSEA BEAT TOUGH ASTONVILLA SIDE IN PENALTY SHOOT-OUT, ADVANCE TO CARABAO FOURTH ROUND

A much-changed Chelsea side crept into the fourth round of the League Cup as they beat Aston Villa 4-3 on penalties after the Stamford Bridge clash ended 1-1 on Wednesday.

Manchester United crashed out though as West Ham United avenged a weekend loss in the Premier League to claim a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford with Manuel Lanzini scoring early.

Tottenham Hotspur surrendered an early 2-0 lead at Wolverhampton Wanderers but eventually won 3-2 on penalties as manager Nuno Espirito Santo claimed his second win of the season against his former club.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel made 10 changes to his starting lineup and German striker Timo Werner took his opportunity to give his side the lead in the 54th minute as he headed a Reece James cross past Villa keeper Jed Steer.

It was Werner’s first goal of the season and he wasted another chance to make it 2-0 before Villa hit back through youngster Cameron Archer’s header to send the tie into the penalty shootout.

Ben Chilwell struck the bar when he could have won it for Chelsea but James made no mistake as his spot kick found the top corner of the net.

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FOURTH ROUND DRAW: MANCITY DRAW WESTHAM, ARSENAL TO WELCOME LEEDS

Manchester City will travel to West Ham United in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup as they continue their bid for a fifth consecutive victory, while Arsenal welcome Leeds United.

City came from a goal behind to beat League 1 outfit Wycome Wanderers on Tuesday and dodged a tie against local rivals Manchester United, who suffered a 1-0 home defeat to West Ham on Wednesday.

Arsenal eased to a comfortable 3-0 victory over League 1 side AFC Wimbledon on Wednesday, while Leeds edged to a 6-5 penalty shootout win over Championship side Fulham.

Elsewhere, Chelsea will face Southampton at Stamford Bridge in the fourth round after they managed a penalty shootout victory over Aston Villa on Wednesday following a 1-1 draw.

Liverpool will travel to Championship side Preston North End. Jurgen Klopp’s side cruised to a 3-0 victory over Norwich on Tuesday, granting them a place in the fourth round.

Carabao Cup fourth-round draw in full

Chelsea vs. Southampton

Arsenal vs. Leeds United

Stoke City vs. Brentford

West Ham vs. Manchester City

Leicester City vs. Brighton and Hove Albion

Burnley vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Queens Park Rangers vs. Sunderland Athletic

Preston North End vs. Liverpool

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CARABAO CUP: AARON CONNOLLY AT THE DOUBLE AS BRIGHTON SINK SWANSEA

Aaron Connolly struck twice to ensure Brighton’s place in the Carabao Cup fourth round after a 2-0 win over Swansea.

The Republic of Ireland international had only one goal to his name in the calendar year before his 33rd-minute deflected strike broke the deadlock at the Amex.

Connolly’s second then followed five minutes later in almost identical fashion as he placed the ball in the far corner beyond Swansea goalkeeper Steven Benda.

Swansea hit the woodwork twice in the second half but were unable to force a comeback, unlike their 3-3 draw against Luton at the weekend when they were three goals behind.

Brighton kept their impressive run of form going into the cup despite boss Graham Potter naming an entirely different starting XI from his side’s hard-fought 2-1 win over Leicester at the weekend.

Neither side had any clear-cut chances in the opening stages, with both managers making a significant number of changes to their line-ups.

Swansea had the first opportunity of the game when the ball was played in to Korey Smith, who headed wide of the target from a Jake Bidwell cross.

The game had been without any opportunities or clear-cut chances when Connolly broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute.

The Seagulls number seven was played in by Alexis Mac Allister down the left and made his way into the box before taking a shot which deflected past the goalkeeper off a defender who was trying to make the block.

It was the Ireland international’s first goal of the season on only his second club appearance.

Connolly added his and Brighton’s second just five minutes later.

He was played in again by Mac Allister but had more to do, running past a defender before expertly placing the ball into the far corner and out of reach of Benda.

Swansea had a good opportunity to pull one back at the start of the second half when Morgan Whittaker found Liam Cullen but his header bounced off the woodwork and Joel Latibeaudiere’s follow-up attempt looped over the bar.

Whittaker then had a strike of his own deflected wide after being set up by Smith.

Jakub Moder had a chance to secure Brighton’s place in the next round when he was fed in behind the backline but the ball was just ahead of him and Benda was able to gather.

On the hour mark, Swansea hit the woodwork for the second time as Smith’s strike rebounded off the crossbar.

Just before the final whistle, Brighton almost added a third when Pascal Gross’ free-kick from just outside the area hit the bar.

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WESTHAM ELIMINATE MANCHESTER UNITED FROM CARABAO CUP

Manuel Lanzini fired West Ham to their first win at Old Trafford since 2007 as underwhelming Manchester United bowed out of the Carabao Cup in the third round.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were beaten semi-finalists in the last two editions and came into this match fresh from sealing a thrilling 2-1 Premier League win at the London Stadium when the sides met on Sunday.

But three days on it was David Moyes’ men celebrating as Lanzini secured West Ham a rare Old Trafford triumph and Carabao Cup progress as the hosts failed to turn a gamut of shots into a goal in a 1-0 loss.

The Hammers had failed to win on their previous 17 trips to Old Trafford, with Carlos Tevez the last player to score a winner there back in May 2007.

This time Argentinian compatriot Lanzini did the damage, sweeping home after Ryan Fredericks roared past rusty Alex Telles on a night when the sides made a combined 21 changes.

Juan Mata hit the crossbar as the Red Devils looked to level in the first half and West Ham debutant Alphonse Areola helped keep Man United at bay in the second period as an avenue to a first trophy since 2017 closed.

The hosts had 27 shots but could not find a way through, with Andriy Yarmolenko hitting the post in a stretched end to the third-round clash.

It was a disappointing evening for the majority of the 72,468 at Old Trafford, where Solskjaer made 11 changes and Jarrod Bowen was the only survivor from Sunday’s meeting in east London.

Dean Henderson made his first appearance of the campaign having struggled with prolonged fatigue after contracting Covid-19 and Telles was another making his first start of the campaign.

The Man United left-back looked rusty on his return from an ankle injury and was breathing a sigh of relief after Bowen missed the target following his poor attempted challenge in the build-up.

West Ham debutant Alex Kral saw a close-range shot blocked by Eric Bailly as the Hammers continued brightly, with Moyes’ men capitalising on out-of-sorts Telles in the ninth minute.

Fredericks’ burst beyond the left-back and his deflected cutback from the byline was struck beyond Henderson by Lanzini in front of the Stretford End.

It appeared to act as a wake-up call for the hosts and Sunday’s match-winning goalscorer Jesse Lingard was furious referee Jon Moss did not award a penalty.

The former West Ham loanee went down in the box under pressure from Mark Noble, who was being teased by home fans after David De Gea saved the substitute’s late penalty on Sunday.

Jadon Sancho saw a shot blocked and Anthony Martial sent a deft touch bobbling wide after Mata’s cross-shot rattled the crossbar as the home side launched wave after wave of attack.

But, despite being under the cosh and forced to replace injured Fredericks with Vladimir Coufal, West Ham retained their lead heading into the break as Areola denied Lingard before Telles and Martial failed with attempts.

Solskjaer’s side returned from the break strongly and Mata delightfully clipped over for Sancho to hit an audacious volley from an acute angle off target, before Diogo Dalot rifled a low effort just wide.

Yarmolenko struck wide from 20 yards as West Ham threatened to extend their lead, with Solskjaer turning to substitute Mason Greenwood – a move that almost paid immediate dividends as he forced Areola into a smart stop.

The West Ham shot-stopper denied Lingard before Solskjaer introduced Anthony Elanga and Bruno Fernandes as the hosts attempted to turn the screw.

The latter bent wide from 25 yards and Areola blocked Martial as the match entered the final 10 minutes, with Man United leaving gaps at the back as they searched for a leveller.

Yarmolenko somehow hit the post having rounded Henderson in the 86th minute and two minutes later Noble was played in by Bowen, only for his first-time strike to be stopped by Henderson.

The Man United goalkeeper denied Bowen soon after but those missed chances did not prove costly as West Ham celebrated.