Liverpool will face Tottenham in the semifinals of this season's Carabao Cup, while Arsenal will play Newcastle in the other two-legged tie.
The draw for the next round took place on Thursday after Tottenham beat Manchester United 4-3 in London. Dominic Solanke scored either side of Dejan Kulusevski's strike to give Spurs a three-goal lead before United launched a second-half comeback. Joshua Zirkzee and Amad both found the net, but Son Heung-min hit back to halt United's momentum. Yet there was still time for Jonny Evans to score in added time.
Liverpool booked its place in the semifinals by beating Southampton 2-1 at St. Mary's on Wednesday. Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott both scored before halftime to give the Reds a two-goal lead before Cameron Archer pulled a goal back for the Saints.
The other two quarterfinal ties also took place on Wednesday. Newcastle kept its hopes of winning hardware alive this season by beating Brentford 3-1 at St. James' Park, with Sandro Tonali scoring twice for the hosts before the interval. Fabian Schar gave Newcastle a three-goal lead in the 69th minute before Yoane Wissa scored a late consolation.
Arsenal joined Liverpool, Newcastle, and Tottenham in the semifinals by beating Crystal Palace 3-2 at the Emirates. Jean-Philippe Mateta gave the Eagles a shock lead in the fourth minute of the tie, but the Gunners took control thanks to a hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus. Former Arsenal star Eddie Nketiah pulled a goal back for Palace late on.
Liverpool's Carabao Cup semifinal will be played over two games, more commonly referred to as two legs. Whichever team scores the most goals over those two games will progress to the final. The semifinals will take place on January 7/8 and February 4/5.
Liverpool is the most successful team in the history of the Carabao Cup, also known as the League Cup. The Reds have won the competition a record 10 times, including their 1-0 victory against Chelsea in last season's final. Virgil van Dijk scored the only goal.
Tottenham has a good record in the League Cup, winning it four times. The London club's most recent win came in the 2008 final against Chelsea, which remains it's most recent major honor. Arsenal is a three-time League Cup champion but hasn't won since 1993.
Newcastle is the only team remaining who hasn't won League Cup before, losing the final to Manchester City in 1976 and to Manchester United in 2023. The Magpies haven't won a major competition still in existence since their FA Cup final triumph in 1955.