Manchester City, Chelsea，and Newcastle United are through to the EFL Cup semi-finals to make it an all-Premier League affair, with either Arsenal or Crystal Palace to join them in the last four.
While the Sky Blues saw off Brentford 2-0, Chelsea managed a tricky visit to League One Cardiff City, and Newcastle edged a three-goal thriller against Fulham, which makes for a stellar semi-final in the chase for the first silverware of the 2025/26 campaign.
Pep Guardiola rang the changes for the visit of Brentford, and Erling Haaland, who scored twice in City’s 3-0 win away to Crystal Palace last weekend, was an admiring observer as the men in Sky Blue swatted the Bees in some style. Divine Mukasa made his first appearance at the Etihad, and he had a hand in City’s stunning opening goal on the half hour. The 18-year-old sent in a cross, which Kevin Schade headed out to Rayan Cherki, who chested the ball down and rifled it into the top corner from all of 25 yards.
City’s second wasn’t as easy on the eye, but it saw the game out as Phil Foden fed Savinho, and his shot was deflected up and over the Bees’ keeper and into the net. The Sky Blues are through to the last four and the latestSBOTOP EFL Cup 2025 betting odds say Guardiola’s men are on track for another title.
Wissa’s first goal as a Magpie
Newcastle United edged out Fulham on Wednesday, and it was a big night for summer signing Yoanne Wissa, who scored his first goal for the Magpies after an injury-ravaged start in the North East.
Newcastle came to their game on the back of a damaging loss in the Tyne Tees Derby but that painful memory was erased as soon as the 10th minute, as Wissa opened the scoring with a clinical finish from close range. It was a sublime moment for the Congo star who moved from Brentford for a fee of £55 million in the summer but has had to wait four months to make his mark.
The celebrations in St. James’ Park had only just died down when the Cottagers fought back, Sasa Lukic meeting a cross from Antonee Robinson with an unstoppable header to level before the break. And the score stayed at 1-1 until deep into injury time when Newcastle had a corner. When the ball was swung over, Lewis Miley met it at the back post, and his header looped up and into the net to win the game for the Magpies.
Chelsea’s bench does the business
In other EFL Cup 2025 news, Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea made it through to the semi-finals on Tuesday night with a hard-fought 3-1 win away to League One side Cardiff City. The Bluebirds were flying the flag for the EFL as the sole survivor from the lower leagues, and they put up a great fight, particularly in a goalless first half.
In front of a passionate 33,000 crowd at the Cardiff City Stadium, the hosts certainly showed no fear of their illustrious visitors, recoding 10 shots, and four on target on the Chelsea goal. But the Premier League side pulled away in the second half after Maresca had called on some of his stars who were expecting a rest on the substitutes’ bench.
Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto both came on after halftime, and a brace from Garnacho took the game away from Cardiff, while Neto was also on target. In fact, the bench, worth about £400 million, was more star-studded than the starting XI which was captained by Moises Caicedo who was making a re-appearance after serving a three-match domestic ban.
After Garnacho had given the Blues a 57th-minute lead, David Turnbull lifted the roof off the stadium with a leveller with just 15 minutes left on the clock. But Neto showed his class with a super second for Chelsea, and Garnacho bagged his own second and Chelsea’s third in injury time.
Cardiff are riding high in League One, four points clear at the top of the table and well set for a speedy return to the Championship, and this showing will have given the Bluebirds confidence they can see it through. Meanwhile, the Blues are on the silverware hunt.
On Thursday, the quarter-finals will conclude when Arsenal host Crystal Palace, when the winners will join a top draw trio.
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