This week saw the conclusion of the third round of this season’s EFL Cup. There had been games on Tuesday, and Tuesday and Wednesday of the previous week. The best was probably saved till last, though, as we saw Manchester City, Newcastle, Spurs and Arsenal all in action.
All four big guns are involved in the Champions League this season, and all four faced third-tier opposition as they tried to book a spot in the fourth round. The Yorkshire trio of Doncaster, Huddersfield and Bradford, plus Port Vale, were dreaming of big upsets, but it wasn’t to be. All four Premier League sides won easily, by two goals or more, ensuring a very high-class line-up in the last 16 of this year’s Carabao Cup.
We will look at the draw for the fourth round shortly, but first, let’s round up the results from the final four matches of the third round.
Easy Wins for Premier League Quartet
Man City were away to League 1 Huddersfield, and the Terriers might have fancied their chances with City naming a predictably weak starting side. Relatively weak, that is. Phil Foden, Savinho, Oscar Bobb and John Stones were among the big names to play, but Pep Guardiola made a host of changes. Six players from City’s academy started, and two more – Emile Heskey’s sons Reigan and Jaden – came off the bench.
However, with Foden superb, the serial Premier League champions strolled to a 2-0 victory. They had 75% possession, with Foden and Savinho getting the goals and Town failing to have a shot on target. Arsenal also secured a 2-0 away win, beating Port Vale thanks to goals from Eberechi Eze and Leandro Trossard. The Gunners fielded a relatively strong starting XI and had far too much for their hosts. They didn’t create loads of clear chances but had 81% possession and restricted Port Vale to three shots, all off target.
It was a similar story for Newcastle and Spurs, who were both at home. They beat Bradford 4-1 and Doncaster 3-0, respectively. Joelinton and young striker William Osula got a brace each for the Magpies as Newcastle managed 27 shots, 11 on target and an xG of 4.38. Spurs were a little less dominant and allowed Doncaster 10 shots, but ultimately they recorded an easy win after going 2-0 up inside the first 20 minutes.
EFL Cup 4th Round Draw
🏆 The Round Four draw 👇#EFL | #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/pWYuQ64yeg
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) September 24, 2025
The fourth round draw is stacked with quality, although we didn’t get too much in the way of exciting clashes. The full draw is below:
- Arsenal v Brighton
- Grimsby v Brentford
- Liverpool v Crystal Palace
- Newcastle v Spurs
- Swansea v Man City
- Wolves v Chelsea
- Wrexham v Cardiff
- Wycombe Wanderers v Fulham
The matches are set to be played on the 28th and 29th of October.
Will We See Any Upsets?
Grimsby are the lowest-ranked side left in the competition, and the Mariners have done superbly to make it this far. They have beaten Shrewsbury, famously overcame Man United, and then saw off Sheffield Wednesday. They are the only League 2 side left in this season’s EFL Cup, and on home soil, they will feel they have a real chance against Brentford.
Aside from Grimsby, Swansea have the chance to upset Man City and will be greatly helped by the game taking place in Wales. However, an upset seems unlikely. Meanwhile, Wrexham, who are in the Championship, will welcome visitors Cardiff, who are in League 1. The Bluebirds are flying high in the third tier, but Wrexham have far greater squad depth, and if both managers opt to make changes, the side from the north should win this Welsh derby.
The only other fixture which isn’t an all-Premier League affair sees Wycombe host Fulham. Wanderers are down in 18th in the third tier, so they would need an awful lot to go their way to get the better of the Cottagers. Moreover, right now, getting away from the relegation fight is sure to be their main priority.
As for the other ties, Newcastle versus Spurs is obviously the most exciting from a neutral’s perspective. The defending champions will be keen to go all the way again, while Spurs will also feel this is a competition and piece of silverware they can target. This should be a great game and is definitely the pick of the round.