Related items

• Everton exit EFL Cup as Saints atone for penalty woe, Preston win epic

  Everton's miserable start to the new season continued as they were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Southampton, who experienced spot-kick joy after their penalty pain against Manchester United.

  Sean Dyche's Toffees have lost their past two Premier League matches despite leading 2-0 in each, and they let slip another lead on Tuesday.

  Abdoulaye Doucoure's opener was cancelled out by Saints' Taylor Harwood-Bellis, with a 1-1 draw taking the third-round tie to penalties at Goodison Park.

  Southampton, like Everton, are pointless in the league after Cameron Archer's spot-kick miss in their latest defeat at home to United on Saturday proved costly.

  But this time Saints succeeded from 12 yards, advancing after a 6-5 shoot-out win, with Ashley Young the only man to fail from the spot when Alex McCarthy saved the final kick.

  That was one of three shoot-outs among Tuesday's cup matches, with Preston North End remarkably winning a marathon contest against Fulham.

  Following another 1-1 draw, Preston were 16-15 victors on penalties as Timothy Castagne blazed the decisive effort over the crossbar after 17 attempts apiece.

  Stoke City and Fleetwood Town also drew 1-1, before the Potters triumphed.

  Elsewhere, Eberechi Eze netted the winner against former club Queens Park Rangers, with Eddie Nketiah also on target for the first time for Crystal Palace in a 2-1 victory.

  Brentford came from behind to beat Leyton Orient 3-1, while Sheffield United defeated former boss Steve Bruce and Blackpool 1-0.

• Ronaldo's Al Nassr dismiss head coach Castro

  Al Nassr are on the hunt for a new boss after dismissing head coach Luis Castro, the Saudi Pro League side confirmed on Tuesday.

  Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. have struggled through an underwhelming start to the season, winning just one of their opening three league fixtures of the campaign.

  The Riyadh club were also defeated in the Saudi Super Cup final 4-1 against champions Al Hilal last month.

  Al Nassr have seen enough, swiftly moving to part ways with 63-year-old Castro, who previously took charge of Brazilian Serie A side Botafago.

  "Everyone at AlNassr would like to thank Luis and his staff for their dedicated work during the past 14 months," the club said in a brief statement on social media.

  Castro, a fellow Portugal compatriot to Ronaldo, led the club to lift the Arab Club Champions Cup last year, a competition contested by 37 teams from Asia and Africa.

  However, Al Nassr finished second in the league last season, 14 points behind Jorge Jesus' Al Hilal, who were inspired by the goal-scoring exploits of Aleksandar Mitrovic.

  Al Nassr drew 1-1 against Al Shorta of Iraq on Monday in the opening game of the AFC Champions League Elite, which proved to be Castro's final match at the helm.

  Stefano Pioli, formerly of AC Milan, is one of Al Nassr's preferred replacements according to reports in local Saudi media.

• Ronaldo can reach 1,000-goal milestone before retirement - Jorge Andrade

  Cristiano Ronaldo is capable of reaching 1,000 career goals as long as he continues to look after his body, according to Jorge Andrade.

  The five-time Ballon d'Or winner netted his 900th goal for club and country in Portugal's 2-1 Nations League win over Croatia on 5 September.

  Ronaldo then added to his tally with a late winner in the 2-1 victory over Scotland three days later, setting him on his way to reaching the four-figure milestone.

  Former Portugal star Jorge Andrade, speaking at the Thinking Football Summit organised by Liga Portugal, backed his compatriot to do just that.

  "With Cristiano Ronaldo, nothing is impossible," Andrade said to Stats Perform. 

  "Since we've watched football, the idea of the 1,000 goals is associated with our great idol, Pele. 

  "But nowadays, both Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have managed to overcome other idols, Diego Maradona and Pele. 

  "They managed to be the highlight of the football game in a short time. It's not surprising Ronaldo can break that record. He looks after his body. 

  "He has a history of very few injuries. In terms of the Portuguese national team and the league he is in, he manages his efforts well."

  Ronaldo has scored 132 of his goals for Portugal, with whom he won Euro 2016, while the other 769 have come at club level.

  The 39-year-old has scored 68 times for current club Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where he has spent the past 20 months.

  While Ronaldo continues to score freely in the Middle East, long-time rival Messi is now plying his trade in the United States with Inter Miami.

  Andrade, best remembered for his time at Deportivo during his playing career, believes both deserve credit for taking on challenges elsewhere.

  "The most important thing for them is that they share the experiences they have even in adverse environments," he said. 

  "For example, Messi now plays in MLS. It's a difficult league; it's a league that doesn't have much visibility. 

  "He managed to be there and increase visibility. Cristiano Ronaldo went to Saudi Arabia and it's a complicated environment. 

  "He increased the visibility of that championship, making it attractive for other players to play who had just the five major leagues as the main goal to play.

  "In other words, these two players have changed the world of football."