Just two days after their intense Premier League clash with Arsenal, Manchester City fielded a heavily rotated squad but still had enough to defeat second-tier Watford 2-1 in the English League Cup.
First-half goals from Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes secured City’s victory at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, as the third round continued with fellow Premier League teams Chelsea, Aston Villa, and Leicester also progressing.
Chelsea cruised past fourth-division Barrow with a 5-0 win, with Christopher Nkunku scoring a hat-trick and celebrating by inflating a blue balloon and holding it between his lips. Villa claimed a 2-1 victory at third-tier Wycombe, while Leicester triumphed 3-0 in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw against fourth-tier Walsall.
The last 32 of the competition is spread across two midweeks to accommodate the expanded Champions League and Europa League schedules. Teams like Manchester United and Tottenham advanced last week, while Liverpool and Arsenal are set to play on Wednesday.
Pep Guardiola, who won the League Cup four years in a row with City from 2018, has indicated that he won’t be taking the competition seriously this season, instead using it to give fringe players some game time.
“We are not going to waste energy on this competition, for sure,” Guardiola said.
Doku was one of only two City players, alongside Kyle Walker, to start both the dramatic 2-2 draw with Arsenal and the match against Watford. The Belgian winger opened the scoring in the fifth minute, capitalizing on a misplaced back-pass to fire home from just inside the area.
Nunes added a second in the 38th minute with a low left-footed strike, marking his first goal since joining City from Wolverhampton in the summer of 2023. Watford’s Tom Ince, son of former England midfielder Paul Ince, pulled one back in the 86th minute.
Chelsea also rotated their squad, making 11 changes from the team that started the 3-0 win over West Ham on Saturday. Nkunku scored twice within the first 15 minutes and completed his hat-trick in the 75th. In between, there was an own goal and a tap-in by Pedro Neto, marking his first for Chelsea.
Aston Villa’s Colombian forward Jhon Durán continued his impressive season by converting a penalty in the 85th minute to seal the win, adding to Emi Buendía’s opener in the 55th. The 20-year-old Durán has now scored four times in five league matches, all coming off the bench. Wycombe’s consolation goal came in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Leicester avoided an upset against Walsall after their Premier League opponents took them to penalties at home. Leicester converted all three of their spot kicks, while Walsall missed their first three, ending the shootout early.
