LONDON – Alexander Isak grabbed his first Liverpool goal as the Reds edged past Southampton 2-1 in the League Cup third round, while Chelsea had to come from behind to avoid an upset against League One side Lincoln on Tuesday night.
Isak, a £125 million signing from Newcastle on deadline day, struck in the 43rd minute after Southampton keeper Alex McCarthy’s misplaced pass was picked off by Federico Chiesa. The Italian slipped the ball through for Isak, who finished neatly to claim his first goal in Liverpool colours just two days after his 26th birthday.
The Sweden striker, who also scored against Liverpool in last season’s final for Newcastle, was withdrawn at half-time as he continues to build fitness after a disrupted pre-season. Southampton levelled late on when Shea Charles pounced after Wataru Endo’s poor header dropped kindly inside the area.
But Arne Slot’s much-changed side found a late winner through Hugo Ekitike in the 85th minute. The French forward finished off another Chiesa pass before celebrating with his shirt off, earning a second yellow card that saw him dismissed moments later. It was enough to spare Liverpool from a penalty shoot-out and keep their winning start to the season intact – seven victories across all competitions.
Chelsea, meanwhile, suffered an anxious evening against third-tier Lincoln in their first meeting for more than a century. Enzo Fernandez’s error inside his own box gifted Ivan Varfolomeev the chance to set up Rob Street, who finished past Filip Jorgensen to give Lincoln a shock lead just before half-time.
The Blues, beaten in back-to-back games by Manchester United and Bayern Munich, hit back straight after the interval. Tyrique George levelled with a thumping half-volley and Facundo Buonanotte weaved through the visitors’ defence minutes later to put Enzo Maresca’s side 2-1 up. Chelsea saw it out without further drama to move into the last 16.
Elsewhere, Burnley suffered the biggest upset of the night as they lost 2-1 at home to Cardiff. Scott Parker’s decision to make 11 changes backfired, with Joel Colwill and Callum Robinson scoring for the Welsh side before Zian Flemming pulled one back.
Wolves claimed a 2-0 win over Everton to ease pressure at Molineux, with Marshall Munetsi and Toluwalase Arokodare on target. Brighton eased through as Diego Gomez struck four in a 6-0 rout of Barnsley, while Emile Smith Rowe’s second-half effort sent Fulham past Cambridge United.
