Carabao Cup, round of 16: Here're the key takeaways
The Carabao Cup saw five round of 16 matches being played on Tuesday. Holders Manchester City kept their course alive for a third successive trophy win after overcoming Southampton 3-1 at home. High-flying Leicester City earned a victory away from home against Burton. In another high-profile clash, Everton beat Watford. Here are the key takeaways.
Southampton sat deep against Man City and were cautious all the time. The ploy was to avoid another big defeat after their 0-9 loss against Leicester in the Premier League. This one-sided battle saw Saints in a damage limitation mode. Nicolas Otamendi scored the opener from a Bernardo Silva cross. Talisman Sergio Aguero scored a brace next as City eased through.
In-form Leicester City were impressive in their 3-1 victory at League One Burton. Leicester made many changes in the starting XI and that didn't stop them to play fluently. This highlights the depth and belief in the squad Brendan Rodgers has. Kelechi Iheanacho and Youri Tielemans gave the Foxes a dream start. Liam Boyce pulled one back for Burton, however, James Maddison scored another.
Everton won a crucial encounter at home to ease some pressure on manager Marco Silva, who managed the side to just three wins from 10 Premier League games. Everton got past a struggling Watford 2-0. Both goals came in the second half for the Toffees. Mason Holgate scored the opener in the 73rd minute. Brazilian international Richarlison added a second in stoppage time.
Oxford United beat fellow League One outfit Sunderland to progress through. The game ended 1-1 at normal time and it took penalties to decide the winner. Oxford were strong in the shoot-out and sealed the deal 4-2. Meanwhile, League Two outfit Colchester United went on to overcome Crawley Town 3-1. Colchester became the second League Two side to reach this far since 2012-13.
