Liverpool made a successful comeback at Anfield on Wednesday, defeating Leicester City 3-1 to reach the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. Despite falling behind early to a Kasey McAteer goal, Jurgen Klopp's men rallied in the second half with strikes from Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Diogo Jota.
Liverpool eliminated Leicester City from the Carabao Cup on Wednesday with a 3-1 triumph at Anfield, scoring three times in the second half to complete their comeback. Kasey McAteer put the visitors ahead shortly after the start, but goals from Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai in the second half put Jurgen Klopp’s side back in front, and Diogo Jota added a third to send Liverpool through to the fourth round.
The match began poorly for Liverpool, who conceded a goal to Kasey McAteer in just the third minute—their fifth time trailing 1-0 in recent games. Despite the slow start, Liverpool dominated the statistics, firing 29 shots toward the goal, 10 of which were on target, eventually scoring through Gakpo, Szoboszlai, and Jota.
The highlight of the match was Dominik Szoboszlai's 70th-minute goal, a powerful long-range shot from 20 meters that hit the underside of the bar before bouncing in. Meanwhile, Leicester City continues to fight for promotion back to the Premier League, currently sharing the lead in the Championship with Ipswich Town.
In another Carabao Cup third-round fixture at St James’ Park, Newcastle United upset the heavy favorites, Manchester City, with a 1-0 win. Alexander Isak provided the decisive goal. City struggled to convert their early dominance into goals, even though key players like Erling Haaland, Kyle Walker, and Phil Foden started the match on the bench.
Newcastle rested several starters to manage their heavy schedule between Champions League fixtures, yet they remained dangerous. In the 53rd minute, Joelinton carved through four City defenders to provide a perfect assist to Isak, who was unmarked at the far post to score.
Manchester City attempted to change the momentum in the second half by introducing Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku, but they couldn't find an equalizer. Surprisingly, Erling Haaland remained an unused substitute throughout the game.
Despite controlling 68% of the possession, City lacked efficiency and had fewer shots on target than Newcastle. Julian Alvarez nearly scored twice, but one of his best efforts was stopped by a brilliant save from Nick Pope.
For the third consecutive year, Manchester City has suffered an early exit from a tournament they once dominated between 2018 and 2021. On the other hand, Newcastle, who lost last year's final, have set up a highly anticipated fourth-round clash with Manchester United.