Carabao Cup: Liverpool and Man City Survive as Sunderland and Bournemouth Cause Upsets — All Wednesday Results

The Carabao Cup delivered another dramatic night of fourth-round action on Wednesday as Liverpool and Manchester City survived penalty shoot-outs, while Bournemouth and Sunderland booked impressive wins over Premier League opposition.

Five ties were played on Wednesday, with all five producing quarter-finalists. Liverpool eliminated Chelsea at Anfield, Manchester City edged Brighton on penalties, Bournemouth comfortably defeated Aston Villa, Sunderland saw off Brentford and Crystal Palace beat Fulham.

The results followed Tuesday's huge shock, when League Two side Fleetwood Town eliminated Arsenal on penalties.

Liverpool 1–1 Chelsea — Liverpool Win 6–5 on Penalties

Liverpool survived a tense battle with Chelsea to reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals after winning 6–5 on penalties.

Chelsea took the lead through Morgan Rogers, who converted from the spot after Ryan Gravenberch fouled Moisés Caicedo.

Liverpool responded almost immediately when Cody Gakpo equalised from another penalty after Wesley Fofana was penalised for handling the ball.

Neither side could find a winner during the remainder of normal time, sending the tie to a shoot-out.

The drama continued from the spot, but Liverpool eventually prevailed when Wesley Fofana missed Chelsea's decisive penalty.

The victory sends Liverpool into the last eight, where they will face Bournemouth.

Manchester City 2–2 Brighton — City Win 4–3 on Penalties

Holders Manchester City were pushed all the way by Brighton before eventually progressing 4–3 on penalties.

Brighton twice took the lead at the Etihad, with Malick Yalcouyé opening the scoring before Mateo Kovačić restored parity.

The visitors went ahead again early in the second half through Georginio Rutter, but City found another equaliser when Rayan Cherki's free-kick took a deflection off Vitor Reis and found the net.

With neither team able to settle the contest, penalties were required.

Stand-in goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli proved decisive for City, saving two Brighton attempts before Cherki converted the winning kick.

City will now face League One side Bradford City in the quarter-finals.

Bournemouth 3–0 Aston Villa

Bournemouth produced one of the night's most convincing performances by defeating Aston Villa 3–0.

The Cherries controlled the contest and secured their place in the quarter-finals without needing extra time or penalties.

The result sends Bournemouth into a last-eight meeting with Liverpool, creating an all-Premier League quarter-final between the two sides.

For Villa, it was another cup opportunity that ended before the latter stages.

Sunderland 3–2 Brentford

Sunderland produced another major result by beating Brentford 3–2 at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats raced into a commanding first-half lead, scoring three times in a short period to put themselves in control.

Brentford refused to surrender.

Callum Wilson pulled one back before Igor Thiago scored late to set up a tense finish.

Sunderland held on through the closing stages, however, securing their place in the quarter-finals.

They will now travel to face Crystal Palace in the last eight.

Fulham 0–1 Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace secured a narrow victory away from home, beating Fulham 1–0.

Eddie Nketiah scored the only goal of the match, giving Palace the advantage they needed to progress.

Fulham pushed for an equaliser but could not find a response as Palace protected their lead.

The victory sets up an all-Premier League quarter-final against Sunderland.

Carabao Cup Quarter-Final Picture

Five Wednesday winners have now joined Tuesday's successful sides in the quarter-finals.

The confirmed ties are:

Manchester City vs Bradford City

Liverpool vs Bournemouth

Crystal Palace vs Sunderland

Fleetwood Town vs Everton or Newcastle United

The final quarter-finalist will be decided when Everton face Newcastle United on Thursday.

The quarter-finals are scheduled for the week commencing 14 December 2026.

Liverpool and City Survive, but Sunderland and Bournemouth Steal the Spotlight

The headline names progressed, but the fourth round continues to demonstrate why the Carabao Cup remains capable of producing unexpected stories.

Liverpool needed penalties to eliminate Chelsea, while Manchester City required a shoot-out of their own against Brighton.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, dispatched Aston Villa 3–0, while Sunderland survived a late Brentford fightback to eliminate another Premier League opponent.

With Fleetwood already having removed Arsenal from the competition, the quarter-final line-up is beginning to take an increasingly unpredictable shape.

⚽ Fan Debate

⚽ Goal: Liverpool and Manchester City survive penalty drama.

🔥 Fire: Bournemouth's 3–0 win over Aston Villa was one of the night's biggest statements.

😲 Shock: Sunderland reached the quarter-finals after surviving Brentford's late comeback.

👍 Like: Which quarter-final are you most excited to watch?

💬 Comment: Can a lower-league side go all the way