Danny Ward does a Costa, Nico O’Reilly auditions plus other stats & stories you might have missed as EFL Cup third round continues

The EFL Cup continued tonight with four Premier League sides playing for a place in the fourth-round draw.

Due to Uefa changing the format of their competitions, this round of Carabao Cup action will be stretched over two weeks.

Manchester City and Aston Villa, who played in last week’s Champions League opening game week, join Chelsea — in Conference League action a week on Thursday — and Leicester City, with Manchester United, Tottenham, Brentford, Sheffield United, Preston, Southampton, Crystal Palace, Stoke, and Brighton, await the winners.

Both clubs wearing blue were at home, while the Midlands sides — also former competition winners — played on the road. All faced non-top-flight opposition, so there were opportunities for an upset, which has already befallen Fulham.

Understandably, with plenty happening across the four games, you can be forgiven for overlooking a significant moment or two. However, that’s where Squawka comes in, providing four things you might have missed from each fixture.

Chelsea 5-0 Barrow

Before tonight, all four of Christopher Nkunku’s domestic goals for Chelsea have come from the bench. Following their impressive win at West Ham over the weekend, Blues head coach Enzo Maresca made eleven changes, with the former RB Leipzig man leading the line. It took him eight minutes to breach Barrow’s defence; a second goal followed moments later as last season’s finalist raced into a 2-0 lead.

Chelsea and Barrow had met once before, with the Blues running out 5–0 winners in an FA Cup tie in 1948. Another big score was on the cards. In what is only their fourth season as an EFL club, Barrow have reached the League Cup third round for the very first time. Their only previous encounter with a Premier League outfit in this tournament saw them thrashed 6-0 by Aston Villa two seasons ago.

It was halfway to that score when a João Félix free kick cannoned off Barrow goalkeeper Paul Farman for an own goal before half an hour had been played. Pedro Neto made it four shortly after the break. Nkunku completed his first Chelsea hat trick in the 75th minute, giving Maresca his biggest win as Chelsea manager, eclipsing the 6-2 success at Wolves a few weeks ago.

The result extends Chelsea’s record against lower-league opposition in this competition, having won each of their last 17 such ties. Burnley, in 2008, were the last such side to beat them, prevailing on penalties at Stamford Bridge. The most recent team from outside the top two tiers to defeat the Blues in this competition was Scarborough 35 years ago.

Man City 2-1 Watford

The news that Rodri could be sidelined for the remainder of the season understandably hits Man City like a sledgehammer, with Pep Guardiola losing arguably his most influential player. Rodri’s absence could open the door for Nico O’Reilly, who impressed in the number six role during the summer.

Back then, O’Reilly scored City’s opener in the 2–2 draw against Barcelona in Orlando, which the Catalans ended up winning 4–1 on penalties. He operated alongside Mateo Kovačić at the base of Guardiola’s midfield. Rodri made that position his own at City, and Guardiola was convinced that the 19-year-old, following that performance, could make the grade.

And while Guardiola didn’t go so far as to suggest O’Reilly could be rotated with Rodri, he did admit that he could step into his shoes if required, which is more prescient than ever.

“We saw it last season in training with us, he is a guy who will be a player,” he said.

“His presence and maturity with and without the ball. Many, many good things. I am pretty sure he can help and play with us. He can maybe play a role in holding midfield when Rodri isn’t there.

“He is big and a good header, he is so strong in the duels and moves well in the small spaces. Can do a dual position of attacking and holding midfielder.”

Against visitors Watford this evening, O’Reilly started alongside Rico Lewis in City’s now-familiar 3-2-4-1 formation. The latter will likely retain his spot against Kovačić when the champions resume Premier League duties at Newcastle this weekend.

City, as expected, ran out 2-1 winners. Jérémy Doku and Matheus Nunes got on the scoresheet. Tom Ince netted a consolation four minutes from time. O’Reilly played for 72 minutes and, during his time on the pitch, completed 41 of his 46 attempted passes (89%) while boasting a 100% tackle success rate (4/4). It was a modest first outing of the season for a youngster shadowing Kovačić for the foreseeable future.

Walsall 0-0 Leicester

The only tie on Tuesday to be decided on penalties. Per the rules, no extra time shall be played if scores are level at the end of ninety minutes in Rounds One, Two, Three, Four, and Five with the winners determined by penalty kicks. Leicester, back in the Premier League following a season away, haven’t exactly pulled up any trees on their return. This midweek contest, expected to bring some respite, saw them produce nine attempts on the Walsall goal, with two on target compared to the hosts’ one. This is an unfortunate indictment, considering the Foxes boasted a 75% possession rate. A far cry from their last meeting in January 2023, which saw Leicester claim a 1-0 victory.

Fulham’s exit was naturally at the back of their minds, with Marco Silva’s men losing on penalties to Preston last week.  But that fate did not befall them against Walsall, perhaps letting the opportunity to create an upset get to them. The League Two side missed their first three spot kicks, or more accuratly Danny Ward (à la Diogo Costa) saving them all, while the Foxes converted all of theirs to progress. Steve Cooper’s men live to fight another day.

Wycombe 1-2 Aston Villa

You can forgive Emiliano Buendía from showcasing any emotions at Adams Park this evening, as the Argentine midfielder was making his first start for Aston Villa in 500 days. Buendía, who joined the club to some fanfare and was at one point heavily linked with some of the Premier League’s top six clubs, missed an entire year of action due to a knee injury.

On the comeback trail, he’s made three appearances totalling nine minutes, with two coming in England’s top division (seven) and the other at Young Boys (two), where Villa made their Champions League debut. Stationed behind striker Jhon Duran — who scored Villa’s second from the spot — in a deep-lying playmaker role, Buendia broke the deadlock subsequently, netting his first goal for the Birmingham-based club since a 3-0 win against Bournemouth in March 2023.

There would be no clean sheet for Unai Emery’s side as Richard Kone bagged a very late consolation for the hosts.

*Using Bookmaker/Affiliate links on squawka.com may earn us a commission, at no additional cost to you. 18+ only. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. For more information, visit begambleaware.org.