TUESDAY
Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterling were on top-form as Manchester City cruised to a 4-1 Capital One Cup victory at Sunderland to end a two-game losing run in explosive fashion.
The £100million duo tore the Black Cats apart on a night when the Barclays Premier League leaders demonstrated a brutal efficiency in front of a largely horrified crowd of 21,644 at the Stadium of Light.
Sergio Aguero started the ball rolling from the penalty spot before De Bruyne, Vito Mannone's own goal and Sterling made it 4-0 by the break to extend bottom-of-the-table Sunderland's first-half goals conceded tally for the season to 17 in just eight games and make Ola Toivonen's late header irrelevant.
Rudy Gestede settled a scrappy Second City derby as Aston Villa edged past rivals Birmingham.
The striker's second-half header sealed a 1-0 win to lift some of the building pressure on boss Tim Sherwood.
Villa had lost their last two games, and their last two derbies, to West Brom and Leicester before being booed off at the break here.
But the introduction of Jack Grealish at half-time helped turn the game in Villa's favour following a pedestrian first half.
David Meyler poached the only goal of the game as Hull defeated Swansea in a tie that saw a return to action for Jake Livermore.
Livermore managed 69 minutes in his first appearance since May, when he was suspended following a positive cocaine test, and played his part as Steve Bruce's side knocked over their Barclays Premier League opponents.
But it was his fellow midfielder Meyler who grabbed the winner, turning home from a matter of centimetres after Shaun Maloney's header was palmed across goal just before the break.
Everton survived a scare as they came from behind to beat Reading 2-1 at the Madejski Stadium.
Nick Blackman gave Reading the half-time advantage but Ross Barkley equalised just past the hour and the visitors won it 11 minutes later when Gerard Deulofeu crashed home a long-range free-kick.
Peter Crouch's first goal of the season was enough to see Stoke into the fourth round at the expense of Fulham.
The Potters made eight changes from their weekend draw with Leicester as Crouch started just his second game of the campaign, but they still had enough to see off a Fulham side who were consigned to the Championship following a defeat at the Britannia Stadium 16 months ago.
Andy King's header in the second period of extra-time saw Leicester through to the fourth round after a 2-1 win over West Ham at the King Power Stadium.
The tie looked destined for a penalty shoot-out until King, captain for the night, guided a Christian Fuchs cross into the top corner of the net and beyond Adrian, who had kept his side in the game with a string of saves.
Foxes academy product Joe Dodoo marked his full home debut with the opening goal after six minutes, his fourth in the competition after his hat-trick at Bury in the previous round, but West Ham equalised before the half-hour mark through Mauro Zarate's deflected shot.
Bournemouth held their nerve to edge past Championship Preston on penalties after a 2-2 draw at Deepdale.
The visitors made nine changes to the team who beat Sunderland on Saturday but went ahead after 23 minutes through a Shaun MacDonald header.
Jordan Hugill equalised for Preston and despite Marc Pugh's strike early in extra time, Preston drew level once again through Daniel Johnson's late penalty.
But the hosts blew their chance from the spot as Hugill, Johnson and Alan Browne all missed to send Eddie Howe's men through.
Middlesbrough cruised into the fourth round as they extended their winning run to five matches with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Wolves.
Albert Adomah scored twice with Diego Fabbrini also finding the target, as Aitor Karanka's side carried over their impressive league form into the cup environment.
WEDNESDAY
Mathieu Flamini struck twice as Arsenal beat north London rivals Tottenham 2-1 in the third round of the Capital One Cup at White Hart Lane.
The French midfielder marked his first appearance of the season with a superb second-half volley to secure bragging rights for Gunners' fans.
Spurs had mounted a spirited comeback after Flamini's close-range strike following a fumble by stand-in goalkeeper Michel Vorm, and equalised at the start of the second half when Callum Chambers deflected the ball into his own net.
However, it was Arsenal - beaten at Chelsea in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday - who finished strongly, with Flamini crashing home a fine 25-yard effort after 78 minutes to send the travelling support into raptures.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers' torturous season continued as they scraped through a tie on penalties against League Two Carlisle.
After Danny Ings' second goal in as many games for the Reds was cancelled out by Derek Asamoah in the first half to see the scores level at 1-1 after 90 minutes, the match eventually went to spot-kicks where debutant Adam Bogdan was their saviour with three saves.
But the cheer around Anfield as the Hungarian goalkeeper denied Bastien Hery was more relief than anything else.
Lewis McGugan piled further misery on Steve McClaren as Sky Bet Championship Sheffield Wednesday dumped Premier League Newcastle out of the competition.
A Wednesday side featuring 10 changes to the one which started Saturday's 3-2 victory over Fulham secured a famous 1-0 victory at St James' Park with the Magpies, who have publicly reversed their recent policy of dismissing the domestic cup competitions as an irrelevance, turning in another dreadful display.
McClaren's men did not manage a single shot of note on target over 90 soul-sapping minutes and have now won just one of the eight games they have contested so far this season with League Two Northampton their only victims in the last round of the same competition.
Chelsea continued to rebuild their season as they eased past Walsall.
Ramires, Loic Remy and Kenedy, on his full debut, put the visitors in control before Pedro's late strike secured a comfortable 4-1 win.
The competitive Saddlers pulled a goal back through James O'Connor before half-time but they could not cope with Chelsea's power as the holders cruised into the fourth round.
Jay Rodriguez, Sadio Mane and Shane Long scored two goals apiece as Southampton coasted into the fourth round with a 6-0 victory at MK Dons.
Rodriguez's goals were his first domestically in almost 18 months, having only recently returned from a lengthy lay-off with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
He netted for the first time since his comeback against Danish outfit Midtjylland in the Europa League last month but his efforts on Wednesday night were his first strikes in English competition since a Premier League double against Newcastle on March 29, 2014.
The 26-year-old's brace, his second from the penalty spot, came either side of Mane's double while Long grabbed his two later in the second half - making it the heaviest defeat in MK Dons' short history.
Anthony Martial stepped off the bench and scored his fourth goal in four matches as Manchester United strolled into the fourth round with a 3-0 win over Ipswich.
United's 4-0 defeat to MK Dons in this competition last year is regarded as the worst loss of Dutchman Louis van Gaal's tenure and there was no way he was going to let Ipswich record a similar result on Wednesday.
The United boss sent out a near full-strength side, and they spared little energy dispatching an Ipswich team that contained 11 changes.
Wayne Rooney scored his first goal in domestic competition this season, taking down Daley Blind's long pass before beating Ipswich goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski.
Andreas Pereira, making his first start, netted his maiden strike for the club - a dipping free-kick from 20 yards - before Martial raced through and prodded the ball home in injury time to continue his excellent start to life at Old Trafford.
Dwight Gayle's second half hat-trick fired Crystal Palace to a 4-1 win over south London rivals Charlton.
The striker's treble meant Eagles manager Alan Pardew enjoyed a satisfying night against the team he managed for two years and suffered relegation from the Premier League with in 2007.
But for Alou Diarra it was a nightmare evening, the former France international giving away two penalties before being sent off.
Gayle hammered home both spot-kicks - after Fraizer Campbell opened the scoring - and he nodded in the fourth while Mouhamadou-Naby Sarr pulled one back for Charlton.
Norwich progressed to the fourth round with a convincing 3-0 win against West Brom.
Thoroughly outplaying their Barclays Premier League rivals, second-half goals from Matt Jarvis and Kyle Lafferty and Sebastian Pocognoli's own goal sealed a deserved victory.