Ten Premier League clubs were in action today in the third round of the League Cup, but it was fourth-division Carlisle United who nearly made all the headlines.
Liverpool 1-1 (3-2 PKs) Carlisle United
Playing at Anfield against a team in the fourth-tier of English football, Liverpool needed a penalty shootout to take down Carlisle United. Danny Ings put the Reds ahead in the 23rd minute, but the minnows from Carlisle answered quickly with a strike from Derek Asamoah. Despite controlling possession and outshooting Carlisle 47-5, Liverpool couldn’t find a winner after 120 minutes.
In the shootout it was goalkeeper Adam Bogdan, in his Liverpool debut, who made three saves and led the Reds to a win. Despite the result, Brendan Rodgers will have plenty of questions to answer. Even worse for Liverpool, both Roberto Firmino and Dejan Lovren were forced off with injuries.
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Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Arsenal
With so many questions as to where the goals would come from for Arsenal, it was an unlikely hero at White Hart Lane as Mathieu Flamini scored twice to lead the Gunners over Tottenham in the North London derby. Flamini put Arsenal ahead 1-0 in the first after cleaning up the rebound from an Alex Oxlade-Chamerblain shot, but Spurs drew level thanks to an own-goal from Calum Chambers. Then, Flamini scored a wonderful second goal, hitting a brilliant volley into the bottom corner to eliminate Tottenham from the competition.
Manchester United 3-0 Ipswich Town
Championship-side Ipswich Town traveled to Old Trafford, where Manchester United took care of business with a 3-0 win. Wayne Rooney opened the scoring in the first half before Andreas Pereira curled in a beautiful free kick in the second, the youngster’s first goal for the club. Anthony Martial came on as a substitute and tallied his fourth goal in four matches, as the start to his Manchester United career could not be going any better.
MK Dons 0-6 Southampton
After stunning Manchester United in the League Cup last season, MK Dons ran out of magic against Southampton today as Saints cruised to a 6-0 win. Ronald Koeman’s men jumped out to a two-goal lead within ten minutes, and the rest of the game was history as Jay Rodriguez, Sadio Mane, and Shane Long all scored twice.
Walsall 1-4 Chelsea
After a weekend win over Arsenal, Chelsea eased to a 4-1 win over Walsall. Goals from Ramires, Loic Remy, Kenedy, and Pedro helped the Blues take care of their third-tier opposition.
[ MORE: Tuesday’s League Cup roundup ]
Newcastle United 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Newcastle’s terrible form continued today with a loss at home to Championship-side Sheffield Wednesday. A Lewis McGugan strike in the 76th minute downed the Magpies, as Steve McClaren’s start to his career as Newcastle boss has gone from bad to worse. His only win came against fourth-tier Northampton in the second round of this tournament, which they are now out of.
Norwich City 3-0 West Bromwich Albion
In a match between Premier League clubs, Norwich City got the best of the Baggies with a big 3-0 win. The Canaries went ahead through goals from Matty Jarvis and Kyle Lafferty, before an own goal in stoppage time from Sebastien Pocognoli made it 3-0.
Crystal Palace 4-1 Charlton Athletic
Dwight Gayle scored two from the penalty spot and added another late as his hat-trick led Palace to a 4-1 win over Championship-side Charlton. Despite struggling to find consistent minutes in the Premier League, Gayle has now tallied eight times in four League Cup matches.