EFL Cup: Three key takeaways from the round of 16 games

On Tuesday and Wednesday, eight matches took place in the EFL Cup to find out which teams would advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Of the 16 teams remaining in the EFL Cup, six were Cinderella hopeful’s from the English Championship division. Ten were remaining from the Premier League. Here are the final scores from Tuesday and Wednesday’s action:

Tuesday:
Arsenal 2-0 Reading
Liverpool 2-1 Tottenham
Bristol City 1-2 Hull City
Leeds United 2-2 Norwich City (Leeds won 3-2 on penalties)
Newcastle United 6-0 Preston North End

Wednesday:
West Ham United 2-1 Chelsea
Southampton 1-0 Sunderland
Manchester United 1-0 Manchester City

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Eight teams remain as the EFL Cup now reaches the quarterfinal stage. Six of those represent the Premier League, whilst two Championship sides still hold aspirations of making a dream run at the silverware.

Teams like Arsenal, Manchester United, West Ham, and Newcastle took care of business. Meanwhile, the likes of Tottenham, Manchester City, and Chelsea couldn’t find their game. Most teams proved squad depth to be an advantage, whilst others introduced some youth players for the first time.

Here are three key takeaways from the Round of 16:

1) Liverpool look dominant on all fronts

Jurgen Klopp definitely has Liverpool firing on all cylinders and it is showing in both the EPL and the EFL Cup. The Reds are getting solid performances from all of their players and it is making other EPL sides take note.

Due to having no European competition, it’s most likely that Klopp really wants to win this competition. Liverpool fell to Manchester City on penalties in the final last season, and brought a lot of those players back again this season.

Daniel Sturridge was magnificent against Spurs on Tuesday and looks to be back in form after a two-goal performance. Klopp also makes good use of the youth on Merseyside, by featuring the youngsters in these cup matches.

2) Manchester City can’t stop the bleeding

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Now win-less in their last six matches in all competitions, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City could definitely use a positive result. City defeated Manchester United 2-1 in the first derby encounter of the season last month.

But Jose Mourinho’s Red Devils eliminated City from the EFL Cup on Wednesday. The win for Mourinho eased some pressure at Old Trafford, but the same can’t be said for Guardiola. The City boss started two youth players and made several changes to his squad, with an EPL showdown against West Brom approaching.

The current EFL Cup holders are out, and were previously expected to make a deep run again this year. Now with one competition out of the way, Guardiola will hope to put much more attention on the Champions League and the Premier League.

3) Newcastle and Leeds offer a glimmer of hope for lower sides

The beauty of tournaments like the EFL Cup is the ability for lower-division sides to make a run at silverware and glory. Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle are on a good run of form in the Championship, and that transferred into a 6-0 thrashing of Preston North End on Tuesday.

With a deep squad, Benitez can choose to rotate his team after every match in the Championship and EFL Cup. Leeds is a team with history and Garry Monk’s side were able to push past Norwich City after extra time and penalties.

Going forward in the tournament, Newcastle definitely provides more of a threat to some of the big boys. Do not be surprised, though, if Leeds hang on for most of their quarterfinal match against Liverpool.

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The draw for the quarterfinals was made on Wednesday, with the matches being set for November 29th. Here is the draw:

Liverpool vs. Leeds
Manchester United vs. West Ham
Hull vs. Newcastle
Arsenal vs. Southampton