Eddie Howe said that Anthony Gordon could feature for Newcastle United in their EFL Cup clash with Chelsea on Wednesday. 

Gordon missed the trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday after picking up a groin injury in the build-up to the game, but has since had a scan that has revealed no serious injury. 

Howe is hopeful that the setback is not long-term, but said that Newcastle would make the right decision if he features in midweek, with Arsenal next up in the Premier League. 

Gordon's presence was missed against Chelsea, with Newcastle falling to a 2-1 defeat after Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer scored either side of Alexander Isak's equaliser.

"We have to make the right decision (Chelsea tomorrow). We have Arsenal coming up very quickly (Saturday) & have to make sure we don't do any damage to it," Howe said. 

The England international has created more chances (18) than any other player for the Magpies in the Premier League this season, with only Bruno Guimaraes (14) completing more dribbles than Gordon (13). 

Howe also praised Chelsea's Palmer, who was once again the difference for Enzo Maresca's side on Sunday.

Palmer has continued his goal-scoring form following his sensational debut year for the Blues, registering a division-high 12 goal involvements (seven goals, five assists), so far this season, including his strike against the Magpies. 

The 22-year-old has two goals and one assist against Newcastle in five appearances against them in all competitions, and Howe stressed the importance of keeping Palmer quiet when they return to Stamford Bridge in midweek.

"It's a difficult question to answer, I thought he played really well. You can see he's playing really well," Howe added. 

"We didn't do enough to stop him in transitions. He set up the first goal in that fashion, scored the second goal in that fashion. We've learned from that.

"We will pass that on to the players and aim to do better. As a team, we will aim to collectively do better.

"The last 60 minutes, we defended a lot more securely, albeit we conceded a second."

Newcastle United saw off AFC Wimbledon with little fuss as Fabian Schar's penalty sealed a 1-0 win in the EFL Cup.

Tuesday's tie was rearranged and moved to St James' Park following flooding damage at the Dons' home ground last week.

And despite relying on a spot-kick from Schar in first-half stoppage time to get over the line, Newcastle never looked in danger of offering the lower-league visitors a sniff of an upset.

Miguel Almiron won the penalty after he was fouled by Joe Pigott, though referee Darren Bond needed a lengthy consultation with his assistant before he pointed to the spot.

Almiron, Sean Longstaff and Harvey Barnes could have added to Newcastle's lead, though Eddie Howe's team were not made to pay for their profligacy, with the Dons not managing to get a shot on target.

Newcastle will host Chelsea in the fourth round later in October.

Data Debrief: A gulf in class

It was as comfortable as it can get for Newcastle, who had 18 shots and finished with 2.05 expected goals (xG) to Wimbledon's 0.07.

Since losing 1-0 to Sheffield Wednesday in 2015-16, Newcastle have now progressed from their last five ties in the EFL Cup third round without conceding a single goal, although they needed a penalty shoot-out in 2022-23 after a 0-0 stalemate with Crystal Palace.

Mikel Arteta showered praise on Ethan Nwaneri after scoring a brace for Arsenal against Bolton Wanderers but cautioned him over making a start in the Premier League. 

Nwaneri struck either side of half-time in a game that saw the Gunners' youngsters star at the Emirates to help them advance to the fourth round of the EFL Cup. 

Jack Porter (16), Josh Nichols (18) and Myles Lewis-Skelly (18) also made their full debuts, while fellow teenagers Maldini Kacurri (18) and Ismeal Kabia (18) came off the bench to play their part. 

Goals from Declan Rice, Raheem Sterling - who scored his first Arsenal goal on his first start for the club - and Kai Havertz also contributed to the comfortable triumph. 

Arteta's side will face Preston North End in the next round, the stage they reached last season before being beaten 3-1 by West Ham at the London Stadium. 

But the Arsenal head coach was quick to laud his young players, particularly Nwaneri, who became the youngest player to appear in the Premier League against Brentford in 2022 at the age of 15 years and 181 days old. 

Now 17, Nwaneri has made four first-team appearances for the Gunners, with Arteta explaining that the teenager has surpassed his early expectations. 

"On the second one I was really happy for him because he scored. I'm very happy because I know the reaction of his teammates if he wouldn't," Arteta said. 

"So, I think overall, again, I think he was really good. I think it was a really strong performance for him. I think it really feels part of us.

"You can tell that he's playing with that confidence, that belief and the understanding of what he needs to do on the pitch.

“To start in the Premier League is another step. In his journey with the first team, he is always ahead of what everybody expected and I expected too.

"He deserves that, and he is part of us, so he will have the minutes. So, very impressed."

But it was also a positive night for one of Arsenal's senior players, with Sterling opening his account for his new club on his first start for the Gunners. 

Sterling contributed an expected goals (xG) tally of 0.85 to Arsenal's 3.03 total, with his three shots on target more than anyone for the hosts. 

With Arsenal's next assignment a home game against Leicester in the Premier League, Arteta believes Sterling is making the right steps in pushing for a first league start. 

"Yeah, it was very good. I think he's getting better and better. I think physically you can tell that he's making steps," Arteta continued. 

"The moment the game opened up a little bit, you know what he can do, how he can deliver. He was involved in a few goals, so a very positive night for him."

Tottenham's clash with Manchester City is the pick of the bunch from the EFL Cup fourth-round draw.

City sealed their progress from round three by beating Watford 2-1 at home on Tuesday, while Spurs overcame Coventry City last week.

The Premier League heavyweights will go head-to-head for a place in the quarter-finals, while holders Liverpool face a tough trip to in-form Brighton.

Manchester United, who were in Europa League action on Wednesday, were drawn against Leicester City. Chelsea will face the winner of AFC Wimbledon's postponed match with Newcastle United, which will take place at St James' Park next week.

Aston Villa and Crystal Palace will face off in another all-Premier League encounter, while Southampton and Brentford were drawn at home against Championship opposition in Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke City respectively.

Arsenal, 5-1 victors over Bolton Wanderers, will visit Preston North End.

Fourth-round draw in full:

Brentford v Sheffield Wednesday

Southampton v Stoke City

Tottenham v Man City

AFC Wimbledon / Newcastle United v Chelsea

Man Utd v Leicester City

Brighton v Liverpool 

Preston North End v Arsenal 

Aston Villa v Crystal Palace 

Liverpool came from a goal down at Anfield to thrash 10-man West Ham 5-1 and book their place in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.

The victory piles more misery on Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui, who has endured a frustrating start to his tenure.

EFL Cup holders Liverpool did not have it all their own way, as they fell behind to Jarell Quansah's own goal in the 21st minute.

West Ham's lead lasted only four minutes, though, with Diogo Jota heading home from close range to restore parity.

Jota doubled up shortly after half-time, tucking in after fine work from Curtis Jones, though West Ham were left angered after their appeals for a Joe Gomez handball at the other end were dismissed.

Mohamed Salah slammed home a third after replacing debutant Federico Chiesa, and any hopes of a West Ham comeback were ended when Edson Alvarez received a second yellow card.

A West Ham capitulation followed – Cody Gakpo scoring twice in the space of three minutes to ensure Liverpool replicated the 5-1 victory they claimed over the Hammers in the quarter-finals last season.

Data Debrief: Reds burst Hammers' bubble... again

Liverpool have lost just one of their last 57 home games against West Ham in all competitions (W42 D14), a run stretching back to 1964 – that sole loss came in August 2015 in the Premier League (0-3).

The Reds' dominant victory on Wednesday means the EFL Cup holders have not failed to reach the fourth round of the competition since 2013-14, when Swansea City lost to Birmingham City.

Ethan Nwaneri marked his first Arsenal start with a double as the Gunners swept aside League One side Bolton Wanderers 5-1 in the third round of the EFL Cup. 

While Nwaneri was one of the youngsters included in a line-up that featured 16-year-old goalkeeper Jack Porter, it was one of Arsenal's senior players that opened the scoring at Emirates Stadium, with Declan Rice curling in from the edge of the area.

The Gunners doubled their advantage eight minutes before the break, with Nwaneri sliding home to net his first senior Arsenal goal after being found by Raheem Sterling.

Nwaneri netted his second of the contest soon after the restart, with the youngster capitalising on a mistake by Chris Forino before squeezing the ball under Luke Southwood. 

Mikel Arteta's side were however undone by a free-flowing counter-attack from the visitors as Aaron Collins raced clear, rounded Porter and coolly slotted home to give the travelling fans something to cheer.

But their celebrations were short-lived, with Sterling scoring his first Arsenal goal before substitute Kai Havertz rounded off the rout.

Data Debrief: A nod to the future

Prior to this game, Nwaneri had made just three appearances for Arsenal, but this performance showed that his future is bright.

The 17-year-old scored with both of his shots on target, ending the contest with an expected goals (xG) tally of 0.67 to the Gunners' 2.95 total, with only Sterling (0.85) managing more. 

In his club career, Sterling has now started a game alongside players born 30 years apart – Jamie Carragher in 2012-13 (born January 1978) and Porter (born July 2008) – before he has turned 30 himself, and he will be delighted to have opened his Gunners account.

Steve Cooper is desperate to prove himself to Leicester City's supporters after being the target of dissenting chants during their EFL Cup tie at Walsall on Tuesday.

Leicester scraped through to the fourth round of the EFL Cup by winning 3-0 in a penalty shoot-out at the Bescot Stadium, having seen a much-changed team held to a 0-0 draw.

Goalkeeper Danny Ward saved all three spot-kicks he faced, but Leicester's performance drew criticism from the away end as the Foxes only managed two shots on target – and none in the first half.

Amid chants of "this is embarrassing", one supporter even encroached on the playing area to vent his frustrations at Cooper before being removed by stewards.

Leicester are also one of six teams yet to win a Premier League game this term, and Cooper's links to their rivals Nottingham Forest meant his appointment was not universally welcomed.

He knows he must build a positive relationship with fans as quickly as possible, saying: "I have no problem with it. It's an experience that I will try to make the best of.

"What an opportunity to show how good I am and how good we are. That will be my approach to it.

"I'll never have a bad opinion about any view. I have a lot of respect for supporters. I know I have got to build credit with supporters. 

"It's nights like this where you can look back and really build strong relationships. That's my objective.

"I really, really want to do well for this football club. I've really bought into what it stands for and the people who work here. 

"Everyone is so good-willed and good-natured and wants the club to do well and I take that responsibility seriously. It's important to talk about it. I see it as a great opportunity."

Leicester face a tough assignment at Arsenal on Saturday, having lost their last five league matches against the Gunners, also winning just one of their last 26 away league games against them (four draws, 21 losses).

Enzo Maresca believes his young Chelsea side sent out a message with their 5-0 thrashing of Barrow in the EFL Cup on Tuesday.

Christopher Nkunku scored a hat-trick, netting twice in the first half before claiming the match ball with his 75th-minute effort.

Barrow goalkeeper Paul Farman turned into his own net just before the half-hour mark, with Pedro Neto getting Chelsea's fourth three minutes after the break.

It was just Chelsea's second win at Stamford Bridge under Maresca, after their victory over Servette in August, with the Italian making 11 changes to his line-up as he continues to rotate his squad.

His much-changed team dominated throughout though, having 20 shots, with half of those on target, as they limited their League Two opponents to just five efforts and only one on target.

Maresca was particularly impressed with how Chelsea rose to the challenge he set them prior to kick-off.

"Before the game, I asked the players that even if they are the youngest team in the Premier League, to show how serious we are to me, but also to send a message that, yes, we are young, but we are serious and want to compete," Maresca said, as reported by BBC Sport.

Maresca made another notable change at the break, with Ben Chilwell coming on to replace Malo Gusto, who has recently returned from injury.

Chilwell was one of the players training away from the main squad at the start of Maresca's tenure, but he was unable to secure a move away from the club in the transfer window.

The left-back struggled with injuries last season and was limited to just 21 appearances under Mauricio Pochettino. 

Having reintegrated Chilwell back into the squad and handing him his first minutes since their FA Cup semi-final in April, Maresca was happy with what he saw from the England international.

"Very good. It was not easy for Chilly. He didn't get any minutes this season, but he has shown he is there, he is ready and working well," Maresca said.

"There is not any problem. If we have a chance, we will give him some more minutes."  

Pep Guardiola expects Rodri to be "out for a long time", though Manchester City are still waiting for official confirmation on the extent of the midfielder's injury.

Rodri sustained a serious-looking knee injury during a corner in City's 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday, having turned awkwardly while tiusslinThomas Partey.

The former Atletico Madrid man has since been seen in Barcelona, with reports suggesting that he has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

That would possibly keep him out for the season and would be a huge blow to City, for whom he has proven to be a key man since joining in 2019.

Before City's EFL Cup third-round tie with Watford, which they won 2-1 to progress to the next round, Guardiola was unable to offer any updates on his condition.

However, in his post-match interview, Guardiola conceded that he would be without the Spain international for a prolonged period.

"Rodri will be out for a long time, a while," Guardiola said.

"There are some opinions that it will be less than we thought, but we are waiting for the last phone calls from him and the doctors for what definitely he has and the type of surgery he has to get. We should know tomorrow."

Rodri played 50 times for City in all competitions last season, losing just one of those matches.

However, in the nine they played without him, their win percentage dropped from 76% to 55.6%, with their points-per-game dropping from 2.5 to 1.7.

And Guardiola knows the onus will be on him to find a solution.

"When a team doesn't play with the best midfielder in the world for a long, long time, it is a big blow," Guardiola told reporters.

"Yes, he's irreplaceable. But my duty is to find a solution.

"There is an alternative, we will do it. When you have one player who is irreplaceable, as a team we have to find a solution."

Danny Ward saved all three penalties he faced to lead Leicester City to a 3-0 shootout win after a 0-0 draw against Walsall in the EFL Cup third round.

Leicester struggled to break down their resolute League Two opposition, with their only two shots on target coming in the second half.

The travelling Leicester fans were left frustrated by their side's showing, with one fan even making his way onto the pitch to vent at Steve Cooper before being removed by security staff.

But Leicester, who are still searching for their first Premier League win of the season since being promoted back to the top flight, prevailed from 12 yards.

Ricardo Pereira, Conor Coady and Oliver Skipp all netted their spot-kicks, but goalkeeper Ward ensured he will take the plaudits after correctly guessing right for all three of Walsall's penalties to seal the Foxes' place in the next round.

Elsewhere, Jhon Duran's hot streak in front of goal continued as he helped Aston Villa to a 2-1 victory over Wycombe Wanderers.

Emiliano Buendia marked his long-awaited return to the starting line-up after a long-term injury with the opening goal for Villa before Duran scored the second from the penalty spot after being brought down by Declan Skura.

Wycombe substitute Richard Kone got on the scoresheet to create some nerves for Villa, who held firm to avoid a fourth consecutive EFL Cup third-round exit.

Matheus Nunes' first Manchester City goal proved the difference as Pep Guardiola's team beat Watford 2-1 to progress to the EFL Cup fourth round.

Tom Ince set up a nervy ending for the hosts at the Etihad Stadium, but Championship side Watford could not find a late equaliser to force a penalty shootout.

City got off to a quick start, helped by Ryan Porteous' loose backpass, as James McAtee pounced before Jack Grealish teed up Jeremy Doku for a pinpoint finish into the bottom corner after five minutes.

Kwadwo Baah thought he had equalised in the 21st minute, drilling his low shot into the far post, but he was penalised for a foul on debutant Kaden Braithwaite.

Rico Lewis then opened up Watford's defence with a driving run before laying it off to Nunes, whose low effort crept past Jonathan Bond to double City's lead before the break.

Ince cleared Savinho's effort off the line before the Brazilian also struck the inside of the post as City searched for a second, while Bond made impressive stops to deny Nunes and Grealish.

Yet it was Watford who struck next - Ince bending a lovely finish beyond Stefan Ortega, but the visitors failed to test City again after that.

Data Debrief: No end to the City hoodoo for Watford

It has been a while since these two sides last met following Watford's relegation from the Premier League, but City always enjoy facing them.

They have now won each of their last 16 matches against Watford in all competitions by an aggregate score of 60-9, while they have also been responsible for the Hornets' last seven domestic cup exits.

It was another dominant performance for the hosts, who had 24 shots overall, getting eight of those on target as they created an expected goals of 1.98 compared to Watford's 0.46.

Christopher Nkunku scored a hat-trick as Chelsea breezed into round four of the EFL Cup by emphatically brushing aside League Two leaders Barrow 5-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Standing in for the in-form Nicolas Jackson, Nkunku stole the show with two goals in the first half before rounding off his hat-trick in the 75th minute as the much-changed Blues ran riot on Tuesday.

Nkunku opened the floodgates in the eighth minute, with the France international flicking in a second before Barrow goalkeeper Paul Farman turned into his own net.

Pedro Neto made it 4-0 straight after the break, tapping home from Mykhailo Mudryk's centre.

Barrow may be top of the pile in England’s fourth tier, but they managed just one shot on target as Nkunku added further gloss before going off with 15 minutes remaining.

While Barrow will reflect on their first EFL Cup third-round appearance since 1967-68, Chelsea will aim to keep up their early season momentum when they take on Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday.

Data Debrief: Deja vu

Before this game, the only previous meeting between Chelsea and Barrow in any competition was in the 1947-48 FA Cup third round – the Blues won 5-0 at Stamford Bridge.

History repeated itself on Tuesday, as Chelsea (who mustered 3.0 xG to Barrow's 0.3) made it seven wins from their last seven EFL Cup ties against teams from the fourth tier. Job done in comfortable fashion for Enzo Maresca.

Christopher Nkunku scored a hat-trick as Chelsea breezed into round four of the EFL Cup by emphatically brushing aside League Two leaders Barrow 5-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Standing in for the in-form Nicolas Jackson, Nkunku stole the show with two goals in the first half before rounding off his hat-trick in the 75th minute as the much-changed Blues ran riot on Tuesday.

Nkunku opened the floodgates in the eighth minute, with the France international flicking in a second before Barrow goalkeeper Paul Farman turned into his own net.

Pedro Neto made it 4-0 straight after the break, tapping home from Mykhailo Mudryk's centre.

Barrow may be top of the pile in England’s fourth tier, but they managed just one shot on target as Nkunku added further gloss before going off with 15 minutes remaining.

While Barrow will reflect on their first EFL Cup third-round appearance since 1967-68, Chelsea will aim to keep up their early season momentum when they take on Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday.

Data Debrief: Deja vu

Before this game, the only previous meeting between Chelsea and Barrow in any competition was in the 1947-48 FA Cup third round – the Blues won 5-0 at Stamford Bridge.

History repeated itself on Tuesday, as Chelsea (who mustered 3.0 xG to Barrow's 0.3) made it seven wins from their last seven EFL Cup ties against teams from the fourth tier. Job done in comfortable fashion for Enzo Maresca.

Arne Slot says Trent Alexander-Arnold has always been a "good defender" but backed him to get better if he can improve on his concentration.

The right-back has said he welcomes Slot's criticism, claiming he wants the Dutchman's help to become "the defender that no one wants to come up against in Europe".

Alexander-Arnold more often draws plaudits for his attacking play, and in Liverpool's latest win, he reached 100 goal involvements (19 goals, 81 assists), setting up Luis Diaz's second in their 3-0 win over Bournemouth.

Slot acknowledged how important Alexander-Arnold's impact going forward is, and that he is more than happy to help his defensive side.

"Yeah, it's difficult for me to judge how it has been in years before - we are talking here about a player that won the Champions League and a league title," Slot said.

"He mentioned himself that winning a league is about defending. It's clear to me then that he's been a good defender all his life.

"But because he's so so special with the ball, the main emphasis goes to him doing special things with the ball. With him, it's not about if he's capable of doing things, it's his concentration rate and being 100% focused.

"This is what we talk about a lot, that he always has to be active in every situation of the game, even if the ball is far away from him. It's not that he's learned how to defend in the last three months; he's won the league and the Champions League!

"It's just getting him to understand what is necessary for him to play the best possible game and that's what we talk about with all the individuals but also with him."

The defensive work put in by Alexander-Arnold is already starting to show, as he has made the third-most interceptions (31) out of his team-mates, and won possession on 176 occasions, with only Alexis Mac Allister (195) bettering that in the Premier League so far this season.

The 25-year-old has described his new manager's approach as "refreshing" after his bright start to life on Merseyside.

When asked how he felt about Alexander-Arnold's comments, Slot said: "I think we all remember the day that Jurgen [Klopp] left and what that man meant to him [Trent Alexander-Arnold].

"So, you can assume how good of a relationship the two of them had, so to hear him say this about his new manager is always nice. It's not always easy to come in and replace a manager like him.

"But it's the same with Trent as it is with the others. They are getting a lot of individual attention to make them better, because if they get better, then the team does as well." 

Ange Postecoglou acknowledged "there is no easy or quick fix" for Tottenham following their EFL Cup scare against Coventry City.

Spurs scraped through to the fourth round by the skin of their teeth, having been second-best against their Championship opponents for large periods of the tie at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

Ben Davies had cleared off the line from Haji Wright minutes before Coventry took a deserved 63rd-minute lead through Brandon Thomas-Asante.

The Sky Blues looked set to book their place in the last-16 draw, but Djed Spence rounded off a neat move to equalise in the 88th minute then, deep into stoppage time, Brennan Johnson completed the turnaround to snatch victory from under Coventry's noses.

Postecoglou has been the subject of criticism this week after stating he "always" wins silverware in his second season at a club.

The Spurs boss knows his side still have a long way to go, but was pleased by the character demonstrated by his players in testing circumstances.

"We had to just hang in there somehow, and we did," he told Sky Sports. "We weren't fluent or cohesive.

"I have consistently said there is no easy or quick fix to where we want to get to and one result doesn't change that.

"Tonight, we showed what we have been missing the first four games. A little bit of spirit to fight our way and find a way to win a game of football."