Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Everton qualified for the English League Cup third round on Wednesday after defeating second-tier opposition.
The top-flight trio secured their places in the last 32 with victories over Charlton Athletic, West Bromwich Albion and Preston North End respectively.
Four-time League Cup winners Tottenham Hotspur recorded a comprehensive 5-1 home victory over Charlton Athletic. Mikey Moore opened the scoring in the 41st minute, and Dominic Solanke doubled the lead four minutes later.
Austrian substitute Kevin Danso added a third in the 67th minute following an assist from Portuguese midfielder Mateus Fernandes. Recent signing Savinho, who joined Spurs from Manchester City on Tuesday, scored the fourth in the 82nd minute. Welsh defender Ben Davies made it five in the 85th minute before Lloyd Jones scored a late consolation for Charlton in the 87th minute.
Newcastle comeback against West Bromwich
Newcastle United, who won the League Cup in the 2024/25 season, overcame former winners West Bromwich Albion 3-2 in a hard-fought home encounter. Northern Ireland midfielder Isaac Price gave the visitors the lead in the 19th minute before Ivorian forward Bazoumana Toure equalised for Newcastle in the 38th minute.
Substitute Harvey Barnes put Newcastle ahead three minutes after half-time, but Price restored parity for West Bromwich with a 77th-minute penalty. Barnes then scored his second goal of the evening in the 81st minute to seal the victory for the hosts, who survived a strong challenge from a West Bromwich team that also holds one League Cup title in its history.
Everton win at Preston
Everton recorded a comfortable 4-0 victory away at Preston North End, driven by a standout performance from French forward Thierno Barry. Barry scored three goals, finding the net in the 25th, 59th and 70th minutes to put the match out of reach.
Welsh substitute Brennan Johnson added Everton's fourth goal in the 72nd minute. Portuguese-Guinean forward Beto remained an unused substitute on the Everton bench throughout the match.
Tournament schedule and European entrants
The second round of the 67th edition of the League Cup concludes on Thursday, with 23 clubs advancing to the last 32. The competition is one of the primary domestic knockout tournaments in English football, featuring teams from across the top divisions.
The 23 second-round winners will be joined in the last 32 by the nine Premier League clubs competing in European tournaments. The incoming sides include defending champions Manchester City, record ten-time winners Liverpool, and English champions Arsenal, who were defeated finalists in the 2025/26 edition.
