Carabao Cup: Key takeaways from third round of matches
The Carabao Cup lived up to its expectations as some superb results were witnessed in the third round of matches on Tuesday. League Two Colchester United overcame Premier League giants Tottenham 4-3 on penalties after a 0-0 affair. Defending champions Manchester City beat Preston 3-0, whereas, Arsenal thrashed Nottingham Forest 5-0. There were big wins for Leicester and Southampton. Here are the key takeaways.
Spurs are having a difficult time in 2019-20 campaign and it another missed opportunity for Mauricio Pochettino. Colchester - the lowest-ranked team left in the competition - frustrated last year's semi-finalists throughout the 90 minutes. The hosts won a dramatic shootout after Christian Eriksen and Lucas Moura missed from the spot. This was the biggest shock for Pochettino as a manager.
Unai Emery was an ecstatic manager after he saw his young Arsenal side brush aside Nottingham Forest 5-0 at home. 18-year-old Gabriel Martinelli scored a brace in his first competitive start. "He's hungry to have that opportunity to help us," said Emery. This was the third straight win for Arsenal across competitions and this will lift the camp ahead of the Manchester United clash.
Manchester City showed their superiority against Preston away from home to ease through a 3-0 victory. The match was settled in the first-half itself with City scoring all their goals ahead of the break. This helped them calm down and play without any urgency in the second half. Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and an own goal by Ryan Ledson saw a solid City triumph.
Leicester City showed why they are a serious threat this season. Brendan Rodgers' side have done remarkably well so far and the thrashing of Luton Town put more weight to their credentials. Two goals each on either sides of the half helped the Foxes thrash Luton 4-0. Meanwhile, Southampton also won after a commanding 4-0 win over Portsmouth. Cedric Soares scored a brace.
Elsewhere, Everton shed off recent disappointments to beat Sheffield United 2-0. Watford saw Danny Welbeck score as the side held on to beat Swansea 2-1. Crawley Town stunned Stoke City 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw earlier.
