Manchester City’s heavily rotated squad cruised to a 2-1 victory over second-tier Watford in the English League Cup third round, extending their dominance in the competition. Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes scored first-half goals to secure the win for City, who fielded a team with only two players starting both the Premier League match against Arsenal and the League Cup tie.
Chelsea also advanced with a resounding 5-0 triumph over fourth-division Barrow. Christopher Nkunku netted a hat-trick, while Pedro Neto and an own-goal completed the rout. Aston Villa and Leicester City also progressed, with Villa defeating third-tier Wycombe 2-1 and Leicester winning 3-0 on penalties after a goalless draw with fourth-tier Walsall.
Despite City’s success in the League Cup, manager Pep Guardiola has downplayed its importance this season, stating that he will use the matches to provide playing time for fringe players. “We are not going to waste energy on this competition, for sure,” he said.
Doku opened the scoring for City in the fifth minute, capitalizing on a misplaced back-pass. Nunes doubled the lead in the 38th minute with a low shot. Watford pulled one back through Tom Ince in the 86th minute, but it was too little too late.
Chelsea made 11 changes to their lineup from the weekend’s Premier League victory, but Nkunku’s early goals set the tone for a comfortable win. Villa’s Jhon Durán continued his impressive start to the season with a penalty goal, while Leicester converted all three of their spot-kicks in the shootout to overcome Walsall.
The last 32 of the League Cup is being spread over two midweeks to accommodate the expanded Champions League and Europa League. Manchester United and Tottenham were among those to advance last week, while Liverpool and Arsenal play their games on Wednesday.
