AFCON 2025
A dramatic night in the Carabao Cup saw Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and defending champions Newcastle United advance, while Liverpool suffered a shock home exit to Crystal Palace.
Arsenal 2–0 Brighton & Hove Albion
Arsenal booked their place in the quarter-finals with a controlled 2–0 win over Brighton at the Emirates Stadium. After a largely tight encounter, the breakthrough arrived in the 76th minute when Bukayo Saka reacted quickest to turn in a rebound.
Brighton contributed positively but lacked a cutting edge. Arsenal managed the closing stages well and extended their strong domestic cup run.
Liverpool 0–3 Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace stunned Anfield with a commanding win to eliminate Liverpool. Ismaïla Sarr struck twice, continuing his impressive scoring record against the Reds, before Yeremy Pino added a late third.
Liverpool, heavily rotated and lacking fluency, produced only one effort on target and struggled to create meaningful chances. The result adds pressure to Arne Slot as Liverpool’s inconsistency continues.
Swansea City 1–3 Manchester City
Manchester City were forced to recover after Swansea took an early lead through Franco Fermino. Jeremy Doku equalised shortly before the break with a deflected strike.
In the second half, Mariam Marmoush put City ahead before Karim Cherki secured victory deep into stoppage time. City controlled much of the contest after the interval and deserved to progress.
Wolves 3–4 Chelsea
Chelsea survived a wild seven-goal thriller at Molineux. The visitors raced into a 3–0 lead before Wolves launched a determined fightback to make it 3–2.
Chelsea were reduced to ten men after Liam Delap’s dismissal but still managed to find a fourth goal. Wolves responded again to set up a tense finish, but Chelsea held firm to advance.
Newcastle United 2–0 Tottenham Hotspur
Reigning champions, Newcastle continued their title defence with a composed victory over Tottenham at St James’ Park. Fabian Schär opened the scoring with a well-placed header, while the second arrived after the break from an own goal.
Tottenham struggled to gain momentum, and Newcastle controlled the tempo to secure a deserved win.
