The third round of the EFL Cup ended on Thursday (28th), with Newcastle knocking out Manchester City 1-0 at home, and advancing alongside Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and other Premier League rivals. The draw for the last 16 of the EFL Cup was held immediately, and Newcastle were drawn to face the reigning champions Manchester United in a repeat of the final of the previous year. Interestingly, United were again drawn to play at the Otford Stadium in the current round of the tournament, making this the 12th consecutive time that they have been drawn to play at home in the Cup, breaking the record for the English history of the tournament!
Last year's finalists, Newcastle, and Manchester City, both played at half strength. Although Manchester City had the better of the ball, the quality of the goal was not as good as that of the hosts, and Newcastle scored the only goal of the match in the 53rd minute, with a beautifully organized shot by Alexandre Ishak at the near post. City's leader, Diego Guardiola, said after the match that he didn't care about the loss: "Do you think we are aiming to be the '4 Champions'? We are aiming high, but not so high that we are not satisfied to be the '3 Champions'!
Newcastle are once again in the spotlight in the EFL Cup last 16 draw, as they have been drawn against reigning champions Manchester United, who beat Crystal Palace 3-0 at home in the third round on Wednesday (27), and will have to travel to Otford to avenge a 0-2 loss in the final last term. The last 16 will also see Westham v Arsenal and Ponemaugh v Liverpool in the Premier League (see table).
Manchester United, the "King of Draws", has also set a record in this draw. Starting from 2021, they have won the "home draw" for the 12th consecutive time in all the local cup matches where the home and away matches are decided by the draw, with a record of 9 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in the previous 11 matches. Lower division club Salisbury reportedly drew the home leg of the Cup for 11 consecutive times between 2017 and 2019, and this time United have managed to rewrite history.
EFL Cup Round of 16 Draw
Manchester United (EPL) vs Newcastle (EPL)
Chelsea (Premier League) vs Bridgend Rovers (Championship)
Westham (EPL) vs Arsenal (EPL)
PONYMOUTH (EPL) vs LIVERPOOL (EPL)
Yateswich (Championship) vs Fulham (Premier League)
Ewarton (Premier League) vs Generali (Premier League)
Exeter (League One) vs Middlesbrough (Championship)
