Fernando Torres scored three goals on Tuesday to lead Liverpool to a 4-2 English League Cup win at Reading, while Arsenal also reached the fourth round with a 2-0 win over Newcastle.
Manchester City, Portsmouth, Sheffield United, Cardiff, Luton and Blackpool were the other teams to advance in England's second-tier cup competition.
Six-time winner Liverpool had stuttered after a strong start to the season, drawing its past three games, but manager Rafa Benitez's decision to recall Spain striker Torres proved crucial.
American midfielder Bobby Convey scored his first goal for Reading since recovering from a serious knee injury to equalize after Yossi Benayoun had put Liverpool ahead midway through the first half.
Torres scored in the 50th minute and John Halls made it 2-2, but Torres scored again in the 72nd and then rounded goalkeeper Adam Federici before tallying in the 86th to clinch the victory.
"In Spain, we know that he can kill defenders," Benitez said. "You need to learn that if you work hard, you will have a chance."
Arsenal, last year's runners-up, rested several first-team regulars but still eased past Newcastle with two goals in the last eight minutes.
Striker Niklas Bendtner had just volleyed wide before he put the Gunners ahead in the 83rd with a header from Armand Traore's left-wing cross.
Brazilian midfielder Denilson, who starred in last season's semifinal win over Tottenham, sealed victory when he hit a 20m shot with a minute to go.
Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson made nine changes for his team's home match with Norwich and had to wait until the 90th minute for a goal. Greek striker Georgios Samaras scored for the first time since January.
Cardiff struck four times in the first 30 minutes at West Brom to win 4-2, with former Liverpool and England striker Robbie Fowler scoring twice for the Bluebirds.
Portsmouth won 1-0 at Burnley with a goal by David Nugent, while Sheffield United beat Morecambe of League Two 5-0.
Luton rallied to beat visiting Charlton 3-1 in extra time after a 1-1 draw over 90 minutes, and Blackpool scored in extra time to beat Southend 2-1.
Defending champions Chelsea and Premier League title holders Manchester United were to enter the competition yesterday.
Chelsea were at Hull City, while United hosted Coventry.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two