Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were immediately eliminated from the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening. The Gunners had to lose out at home against Brighton & Hove Albion: 1-3. The Spurs drew the short straw to visit Nottingham Forest and walked off the field with a 2-0 loss.
Arsenal – Brighton & Hove Albion 1-3
Mikel Arteta chose to play with ten other names during this cup evening compared to last Sunday, when Chelsea were defeated 0-1 at Stamford Bridge. Only William Saliba had to start again at the Gunners, while Reiss Nelson got the chance as a starting player. The former Feyenoord player was important in the opening goal when, after a nice dribble, he delivered the ball perfectly to Eddie Nketiah, who then found the far corner with a wonderfully viewed shot.
Seven minutes later it was Danny Welbeck, who played for Arsenal between 2014 and 2019, who flawlessly put the equalizer on the scoreboard from the penalty spot. Fifteen minutes after the break, the visitors even took the lead when Kaoru Mitoma scored an almost identical goal as Nketiah did for Arsenal. Tariq Lamptey took care of the final chord and was responsible for the 1-3 in the Emirates Stadium.
Nottingham Forest – Tottenham Hotspur 2-0
Antonio Conte decided not to completely change his team for the away game at City Ground. Harry Kane and Ivan Perisic therefore formed the striker duo, just like last Sunday against Liverpool (1-2 defeat). Davinson Sanchez did get a chance in the three-man defense of the Spurs. Although the first half was fairly even, things went completely wrong for the Londoners in the second act.
Atlético Madrid mercenary Renan Lodi wonderfully opened the score on behalf of Nottingham. The Brazilian left back cut the ball to his wrong leg, only to curl it past Fraser Forster in the far corner. Ten minutes later, Jesse Lingard, one of the smallest players on the field, was allowed to head the 2-0 against the ropes uncovered. Even with one more man (two yellow for Orel Mangala), Tottenham was unable to score, making elimination in the EFL Cup a fact.