Carabao Cup Third-Round Draw: Liverpool Face Spurs, United Get Brighton
Liverpool will host Tottenham Hotspur in the stand-out tie of the Carabao Cup third round, after the draw was made live on Sky Sports on Wednesday night. BBC Sport
Manchester United were paired with Brighton, holders Manchester City drew Norwich City at home, and Fleetwood Town — the last surviving fourth-tier club — will host Sheffield United. The draw came at approximately 10:15pm BST, broadcast after Preston North End's second-round match against Everton. BBC Sport
The Carabao Cup, English football's second major knockout competition after the FA Cup, brings together clubs from the top four tiers of the league pyramid. The nine Premier League sides involved in European competition this season — Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Sunderland — all entered at the third-round stage, as they do every year. BBC Sport
Two third-round spots were still to be filled when the balls came out. Chelsea host Luton Town on Thursday, with the winners facing Leeds United. Fulham take on AFC Wimbledon in the other outstanding second-round fixture. BBC Sport
The third-round matches will be spread across the weeks commencing Monday 7 and Monday 14 September. The final is scheduled for Sunday 21 March 2027. EFL
For Fleetwood, the draw delivers a home tie against Sheffield United that will fill their Highbury Stadium — a ground that holds just over 5,000 — with a match the supporters will talk about for years. They are the only side from League Two, the fourth tier of English football, still in the competition. BBC Sport
Liverpool against Spurs renews a rivalry that has produced memorable cup ties in recent seasons. Manchester United against Brighton pairs two clubs with unfinished business; Brighton knocked United out of this competition on penalties in 2022. City, meanwhile, begin their title defence against a Norwich side two divisions below them.
For fans of the bigger clubs, the third round is where the Carabao Cup starts to feel real. The early rounds belong to squad players and prospects. Now the European sides enter, and the chance to see a first-choice team in a knockout tie — with the risk of an upset that defines a season — arrives in September.
