LONDON: Newcastle, Leeds and Brighton carried their strong Premier League form into the English League Cup on Wednesday by beating lower-league opposition in the second round despite fielding lineups containing fringe players.
The draw for the third round was also made and it features seven all-Premier League matchups — including Manchester City hosting Chelsea.
Newcastle were pushed the hardest of the three top-flight teams in action Wednesday, needing to come from behind to beat fourth-tier Tranmere Rovers 2-1 thanks to goals by Jamaal Lascelles in the 40th minute and Chris Wood in the 52nd.
Coming off a 3-0 win over Chelsea in the league, Leeds beat third-tier Barnsley 3-1 after Colombia winger Luis Sinisterra scored his first goal for the club.