Three of the biggest Premier League clubs in London have withdrawn from the Carabao Cup. Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur all suffered defeats in the third round of the competition on Wednesday. The tournament is essentially the second-tier knockout cup competition in England and Wales.
The Gunners went into their game with Brighton on Wednesday making 10 changes to their side that beat Chelsea at the weekend. Arsenal faced visiting Brighton early at the Emirates Stadium. Reiss Nelson had a fantastic run and fed Eddie Nketiah into the lead. The striker outplayed the goalkeeper with his looping shot to make it 1-0 after 20 minutes. However, this would be Arsenal’s last goal of the match.
Danny Welbeck converted a penalty that went past Karl Hein just seven minutes after the first goal. Kaoru Mitoma and Tariq Lamptey added two more goals in the second half as the visitors put the game out of reach. The win was the team’s third consecutive victory in all competitions.
North London clubs fall in the Carabao Cup
Spurs travel to Nottingham Forest in another showdown of Premier League sides. The visitors were second best for most of the match. Although the match was 0–0 at the half-time break, defender Renan Lodi put Forest ahead early in the second half.
The hosts doubled their lead just seven minutes after Jesse Lingard headed in Fraser Forster. It was Lingard’s first goal of the current campaign. Although Forest was down to ten men in the 76th minute, Spurs couldn’t find a way to create any real chances going forward. The match ended in a 2-0 win for the hosts.
Chelsea stumbles once again
Chelsea undoubtedly had the toughest matchup of the trio. The West London club had to travel to face reigning Premier League champions Manchester City. City started off with a foot forward but could not find the back of the net in the first half. However, the talented team finally scored when Riyad Mahrez converted in the 53rd minute.
The champions doubled their lead just five minutes later thanks to a goal from Julián Álvarez. Chelsea failed to score despite taking 15 shots towards City’s goal. The Blues have already lost three of their last four games in all competitions.
Liverpool almost joined the other big clubs in exiting the Carabao Cup early. The Reds managed to squeak for Derby County on penalty kicks. Caoimhín Kelleher saved three of the Derby’s penalties, with the final block coming against Lewis Dobbin, on loan from Everton.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Pro Sports Images
