Xabi Alonso will return to former club Liverpool in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup after his Chelsea side were handed a trip to Anfield in Wednesday’s draw. Premier League champions Arsenal will visit League Two side Fleetwood Town.
Alonso, who was heavily linked with the manager’s job at Liverpool after Jurgen Klopp left the club in 2024, made 210 appearances for the Merseyside club and won the UEFA Champions League with them in 2005.
Chelsea defeated Leeds United 6-3 at Stamford Bridge last week to book their place in the fourth round, and they must now negotiate a challenging tie with the 10-time League Cup winners after Andoni Iraola’s side saw off Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 on Tuesday night.
Brighton’s reward for staging a stunning two-goal comeback to dump out Manchester United could be a visit to Carabao Cup holders Manchester City, provided Enzo Maresca’s men come through their third-round tie with Norwich City.
Elsewhere, there is no doubt over the most romantic tie of the round, with Premier League champions Arsenal visiting League Two outfit Fleetwood Town. Fleetwood’s stadium, fittingly, is called Highbury.
There are four other all-Premier League ties, with Everton hosting Newcastle United, Crystal Palace visiting Fulham, Brentford travelling to Sunderland and Bournemouth welcoming Aston Villa to the south coast.
There is also an intriguing match-up between Bradford City and Peterborough, guaranteeing a League One club in the quarter-finals of the competition.
All ties will take place in the week commencing October 26.
Carabao Cup fourth-round draw in full
- Fleetwood Town v Arsenal
- Manchester City/Norwich City v Brighton & Hove Albion
- Everton v Newcastle United
- Sunderland v Brentford
- Liverpool v Chelsea
- Bradford City v Peterborough
- Fulham v Crystal Palace
- Bournemouth v Aston Villa
The confirmation of the draw came after Manchester United’s difficult start to the season deepened as Brighton came from two goals down to win 3-2 at Old Trafford.
Shea Lacey and Mason Mount struck inside the opening 10 minutes, but Charalampos Kostoulas, Pascal Gross and Maxim De Cuyper turned the tie around to condemn United to a second successive home defeat.
The result came just three days after United’s controversial 1-0 loss to Manchester City and leaves Carrick’s side with three defeats from six games in all competitions.
Brighton have now eliminated United from two domestic cups this year, following their FA Cup victory at Old Trafford in January.
It was United’s first home defeat after leading 2-0 in over 50 years, since a 3-2 loss to Spurs in September 1976, according to Opta.
Meanwhile, Tammy Abraham scored twice as Aston Villa beat Coventry 3-1, while Charly Alcaraz’s late strike earned Everton a 1-0 win over Wolves, in front of watching Prime Minister, Andy Burnham. Fleetwood Town reached the fourth round for the first time – setting up their meeting with Arsenal – with a 1-0 victory against Sheffield United.
Chelsea, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Sunderland and Bradford City had already booked their places in the last 16 a week ago, with Arsenal, Liverpool, Fulham and Brentford also progressing on Tuesday. Holders Manchester City host Norwich in the remaining third-round tie on Thursday.
