Five talkings points from the Carabao Cup third round

Five talking points from the Carabao Cup third-round action, featuring Manchester United’s big win and a marathon penalty shootout.

Rashford reignites form

Manchester United have issued the perfect response to their defeat to Liverpool before the international break, earning back-to-back wins with 10 goals scored and none conceded. Erik ten Hag’s team thrashed Barnsley 7-0 on Tuesday night, with Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen all influential.

For Rashford, it was a welcome return to the scoresheet at Old Trafford and followed on from a goal at Southampton at the weekend. The 26-year-old’s opener was brilliant and all-but-ended hopes of a Barnsley shock, as he weaved past two defensive challenges and finished emphatically.

Rashford turned provider for Garnacho before the break, before scoring his second after half-time to round off an excellent evening. After his struggles last season, this was a positive performance from the forward.

New Bee proves his worth

Fabio Carvalho’s desire for regular first-team football saw the midfielder leave Liverpool in the summer, with Brentford completing a £27m deal for the 22-year-old. It was a significant sum for a player with limited Premier League experience but Carvalho has already shown signs that he can become a key cog for Thomas Frank’s side.

Carvalho opened his account for Brentford in stunning fashion on Tuesday, equalising acrobatically after Brandon Cooper had fired Leyton Orient into a shock lead.

It was a wonderful piece of improvisation from Carvalho, who then notched two assists before half-time as Brentford turned the game around. After a productive loan spell at Hull City last season, he will be desperate to prove himself against top-flight opposition.

English football’s longest ever penalty shootout

Preston North End and Fulham set a new English football record after a marathon penalty shootout decided their third-round tie.

Reiss Nelson’s equaliser for Fulham cancelled out Ryan Ledson’s opener for the Championship side before a record-breaking shootout followed. The first 16 spot-kicks were all scored – eight per side – before Jorge Cuena’s effort was saved. However, Kaine Kesler-Hayden missed the chance to win it for Preston but his tame effort was stopped by Fulham goalkeeper Steven Benda.

The shootout continued until it was 15-15 and Timothy Castagne skied his second kick of the shootout over the bar. Ledson stepped up to convert for Preston, sealing a 16-15 win and progression to round four.

Everton issues continue

Everton’s tough start to the season continued with elimination from the Carabao Cup on penalties. In an underwhelming contest between the Toffees and Southampton, the Premier League strugglers drew 1-1 with the tie decided via spot-kicks.

Ashley Young was the guilty party as Everton lost 5-6 on penalties. Their early cup exit adds to a run of four consecutive defeats to start the Premier League season, which leaves Sean Dyche’s side at the bottom of the table. The most recent two of those losses have seen two-goal leads surrendered, with confidence clearly lacking at present.

Dyche won plenty of plaudits for his firefighting amid difficult circumstances last season, but he’s coming under pressure right now.

Eberechi Eze is a class act

Eberechi Eze has come a long way since his initial emergence at Queens Park Rangers. A member of the England squad that reached Euro 2024 in the summer, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish said he was ‘genuinely astounded’ the Eagles did not receive huge bids for the midfielder in the summer.

Eze returned to QPR in midweek and demonstrated his class on and off the pitch. A match-winning display saw Eze create one and score the second in a 2-1 win for the Eagles, before staying behind at full-time to take pictures with fans of his former club.

Parish’s recent interview saw him call Eze ‘an outstanding footballer, an outstanding person. He’s a gift to any football club’.

He’s not wrong.

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