It was a thrilling night of Carabao Cup action as Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle United, and Cardiff City booked their spots in the quarter-finals with impressive victories across England and Wales.
At the Emirates, Mikel Arteta’s youthful Arsenal side proved their depth once again with a 2–0 win over Brighton.
Fifteen-year-old Max Dowman made history as the youngest Gunner to start a match, while fellow academy stars Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka did the damage on the scoresheet.
Nwaneri swept home a slick finish from Myles Lewis-Skelly’s clever assist before Saka doubled the lead from close range after a rebound.
Brighton threatened early on, but Arsenal’s defensive resilience extended their unbeaten run to 11 games and their sixth consecutive clean sheet. The win earned them a quarter-final tie at home to Crystal Palace.
Meanwhile in Wales, Manchester City came from behind to defeat Swansea City 3–1 in a late flourish that showcased Pep Guardiola’s squad depth.
Swansea took a shock lead through Goncalo Franco’s stunning top-corner strike, but City’s Jeremy Doku levelled before half-time with a deflected effort.
Late goals from returning duo Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki sealed the comeback for the eight-time winners, who will now host Brentford in the last eight.
Defending champions Newcastle United also advanced after a composed 2–0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at St James’ Park. Fabian Schar opened the scoring with a towering header from Sandro Tonali’s corner before Nick Woltemade added a second with his sixth goal of the season.
Spurs’ Pape Sarr tested Aaron Ramsdale with a fierce drive, and Harvey Barnes struck the bar, but Newcastle’s aerial dominance carried them through to face Fulham in the next round.
In the Welsh derby, Cardiff City edged past Wrexham 2–1 in a spirited clash at the Stok Cae Ras.
Yousef Salech put Cardiff ahead early with his sixth goal of the campaign, but former Bluebird Kieffer Moore equalised with a header soon after the break.
Cardiff’s hero, however, was Will Fish, who volleyed home his first goal for the club to seal the win and local bragging rights. Cardiff’s reward is a quarter-final meeting with Premier League giants Chelsea.
EFL Carabao Cup Quarter-Final Fixtures:
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Arsenal vs Crystal Palace
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Cardiff City vs Chelsea
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Manchester City vs Brentford
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Newcastle United vs Fulham
The ties will be played in the week commencing 15 December, as the road to Wembley begins to take shape.
