By Robert Wheeler
- Gillingham schock Brentford
- Bournemouth thrash Everton
- Manchester City defeat Chelsea
UK – The third round of the EFL Cup saw some shock results but there was no problem for eight-time champions Manchester City who defeated Chelsea 2-0.
Gillingham the giant killers
Gillingham who is currently 22nd in League 2 defeated Brentford who is in 11th place in the Premier League. The shock result came at the Gtech Community Stadium in a match that went all the way to penalties.
It was looking like it would be a straightforward victory for the home side when Mikkel Damsgaard squared his pass to Ivan Toney who tapped into an empty net in just the third minute.
However, Mikael Mandron‘s header from an Alex MacDonald free-kick in the second half sent the tie to penalties. It was remarkable the game finished 1-1 considering the Gills had just one shot on target whilst the Bees had 16. Much of this was to do with the form of the Kent side’s goalkeeper Jake Turner who made a great save with his feet late on.
After 11 perfect spot-kicks, Damsgaard missed the decisive one for Thomas Frank‘s side as his placed shot rebounded back off the crossbar. He tried to cover his face with his shirts whilst the Gillingham players celebrated a famous win.
Bournemouth go cherry picking
Bournemouth defeated Everton 4-1 in a meeting between the two Premier League sides at the Vitality Stadium. The Cherries took a lead in just the 7th minute when Jamal Lowe‘s shot took a deflection and looped over Asmir Begovic.
Their advantage was doubled early in the second half as Junior Stanislas turned the ball in after a mix-up at the back for Everton. Frank Lampard‘s side responded through a curling effort from Demarai Gray.
But it was short-lived as Emiliano Marcondes made it three after Begovic had saved Lowe’s initial effort. The rout was then completed when Siriki Dembele stole the ball from Jack Stephens and teed up Jaidon Anthony who finished off.
It was a big win for Gary O’Neil‘s side who had lost their last four games. However, it puts pressure on Lampard whose side is out of the cup and is currently 16th in the Premier League. Everton faces Bournemouth again this weekend.
Business as usual for City
Manchester City has won six of the last nine EFL Cups and their domination of the competition in recent years continued with a 2-0 victory over Chelsea.
Riyad Mahrez gave City the lead with a sublime free-kick early in the second half. The victory was sealed when Mahrez’s shot was parried by Edouard Mendy into the path of Julian Alvarez for a tap-in.
Pep Guardiola‘s side has now won their last four matches in all competitions and was boosted by the return of Kalvin Philips after injury. Philips’ return is huge for his club and country with the midfielder now being named in England’s World Cup squad.
Chelsea has now lost three out of their last four matches which is not great for manager Graham Potter. The Blues have a tough fixture against Newcastle in the Premier League this weekend.
Arsenal are out
The Premier League leaders, Arsenal are out after suffering a 3-1 defeat at home to Brighton. The Seagulls were the last team to win at the Emirates last season and the first this season, so they are becoming a bit of a bogey team for Mikel Arteta‘s side.
The Gunners took an early lead when Eddie Nketiah swept in a curled effort 20 minutes into the game. However, just seven minutes later former Arsenal payer Danny Welbeck slotted in his penalty to equalise.
Kaoru Mitoma‘s second-half strike put Roberto de Zerbi‘s team in front and the win was secured when Tariq Lamptey made a great run before sliding the ball past Karl Hein.
It may be a blessing in disguise for Arsenal to be out of the cup with the club mounting a title challenge as well as competing in the Europa League.
Other surprise results
League 1 side Lincoln City defeated Championship team Bristol City 3-1 at Ashton Gate. The Imps had suffered a humiliating defeat to the National League South’s Chippenham Town in the FA Cup last weekend so this result went a long way in making up for it.
Nottingham Forest defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 thanks to a strike from Renan Lodi and Jesse Lingard‘s first goal for the club. Antonio Conte‘s side has now lost four of their last seven matches.
West Ham United was defeated by Championship side Blackburn Rovers on penalties. Ben Brereton Diaz who has been linked with the Hammers made it 2-2 in the 88th minute. This forced a penalty shootout which Rovers won 10-9 after Angelo Ogbonna hit the crossbar.
The EFL Cup fourth round will take place after the World Cup on December 19 with fixtures that include Manchester City vs Liverpool.
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