Sunderland were beaten on penalties following a 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday night.
The Terriers took the lead with an unstoppable volley from Leo Castledine in the ninth minute.
Sunderland looked flat in the first half but responded in the second.
Substitute Milan Aleksic’s cross found the head of Marc Guiu who equalised six minutes from time.
Neither side could find a winner in the remaining minutes and the game went to penalties.
Aleksic missed the deciding penalty after the first 11 in the shootout had all been scored.
Sunderland exit the **EFL Cup**at the first time of asking for the fourth consecutive year, but what did we learn from it?
Rigg dilemma for Le Bris
The 18-year-old midfielder didn’t leave much of an impression on the match on Tuesday night.
Chris Rigg, who has been tipped to go to the very top of the game, is one of Sunderland’s most prized assets and if The Black Cats are to protect the youngster's value, they need him playing games.
However, the midfielder is not physically ready for the Premier League and is now on the outside looking in following Sunderland’s summer spending.
Regis Le Bris' side have spent in the region of £165 million this summer, including around £80m on midfielders.
A player of Rigg’s age and potential needs to be playing games and not just sitting on the bench, and due to Sunderland’s cup exit, his playing time will now be severely limited.
The England under-19 international has played just a single minute of Premier League football over Sunderland’s first two games.
A loan to the Championship could benefit Rigg. After all, he played 45 times for the Black Cats in the Championship last season, scoring four times and providing an assist.
Sunderland’s on-loan striker got off the mark in his first start for the club against Huddersfield.
Guiu looked a threat all night and gave the Black Cats fans a glimpse of what they can expect to see from him this season.
The 6-foot-2 striker offers something different to **Eliezer Mayenda**and Wilson Isidor and provides a physical presence up top for Le Bris' side.
The Spanish striker won three of his six aerial duels and completed eight of his nine passes.
The 19-year-old, on loan from Chelsea, also showed his pace when threatening to get in behind the Terriers' back line on multiple occasions.
Guiu has been limited to 11 minutes of Premier League action so far but more chances could be on the horizon for the former Barcelona striker.
A new centre-back is a must
Despite Sunderland’s centre back pairing of Nordi Mukiele and Arthur Masuaku looking comfortable for the majority of the evening, it’s not one Black Cats fans would be eager to see lining up on a Saturday in the Premier League.
Masuaku is naturally a left-back, whereas Mukiele operates as a right back; however, the latter is no stranger to playing in the heart of the defence.
Dan Ballard was subbed off after just nine minutes against Burnley last weekend and Ballard’s replacement, Jenson Seelt, struggled throughout in the loss to the Clarets.
Outside of Seelt, Le Bris' only other option at centre-back is summer signing Omar Alderete.
Luke O’Nien, Aji Alese, Dennis Cirkin and Leo Hjelde all remain on the treatment table.
The Black Cats have been chasing **Bologna**’s Colombian centre-back Jhon Lucumi all summer, and were also linked with Chelsea defender Axel Disasi this week, but time is running out for Sunderland to find defensive reinforcements with Monday’s deadline looming large.
Mukiele to start against Brentford
Mukiele made his Sunderland debut in their cup exit to Huddersfield.
The former PSG defender looked comfortable all night long, granted it was against opposition two leagues below.
The French international defender played 78 minutes and completed the second most passes (82) after Harrison Jones (83). He also had the best pass completion rate on the pitch with 95%.
Mukiele won two of his three duels, made nine recoveries, three clearances, and one interception. He also came close to scoring a diving header from a corner in the 62nd minute.
Given Mukiele’s performance and pedigree, coupled with Le Bris' limited options at the back, the 27-year-old should be given the nod ahead of Seelt who has struggled to adapt to the demands of Premier League football.