EFL Cup: Newcastle beat holders Man Utd to reach QF; Liverpool, Chelsea, West Ham, Fulham and Everton also reach last-8
London, Nov 2 (IANS) Goals from Miguel Almiron, Lewis Hall and Joe Willock sealed an emphatic 3-0 EFL Cup fourth-round victory for Newcastle United as they beat holders Manchester United at Old Trafford for the first time since 2013 to sail into the quarterfinals.
Man Utd and Newcastle made 15 changes between them from their latest Premier League fixtures last weekend, with seven and eight respectively.
Newcastle took control of the tie thanks to first-half goals from Almiron and Hall, the on-loan full-back scoring his first senior goal with a precise long-range shot to put Newcastle two goals up before the break.
Willock added a third for the visitors on the hour-mark and cup holders Man Utd were unable to recover, falling to a second consecutive 3-0 home defeat following their loss to Manchester City in Sunday’s Manchester derby.
It was Newcastle’s biggest away win over Man Utd for 93 years, and the first time the Red Devils have lost consecutive home fixtures by three goals or more since 1962 – increasing the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag.
Premier League high-flyers Arsenal were another big-name casualty. The Gunners lost against domestic opposition for the first time this season in all competitions, with West Ham United running out comfortable 3-1 victors in their tie at the London Stadium.
A stoppage-time goal from Martin Odegaard was of little consolation for Arsenal, who were three goals down within the hour through a Ben White own goal and strikes from Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen.
Merseyside rivals Everton and Liverpool both booked their places in the quarter-finals.
Everton comfortably brushed aside Burnley with a 3-0 win at Goodison Park, with goals from James Tarkowski, Amadou Onana and Ashley Young condemning the Clarets to defeat as Sean Dyche masterminded a victory over his former club.
The 2022 EFL Cup winners Liverpool earned a hard-fought 2-1 win at AFC Bournemouth. Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez struck for the Reds either side of a Justin Kluivert equaliser for the spirited Cherries – and Liverpool progress to host West Ham in the quarterfinals.
In the remaining two ties of Wednesday night, Chelsea and Fulham safely navigated match-ups against lower-league opposition.
Benoit Badiashille and Raheem Sterling both scored at Stamford Bridge to knock out Blackburn Rovers, while Fulham won 3-1 away at Ipswich to reach the last eight of the competition – setting up a quarter-final away at Everton.
–IANS
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