Big guns Liverpool and Manchester United reached the League Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday with 2-0 wins over holders Middlesbrough and an under-strength Crystal Palace side respectively in their fourth round ties.
English Premier League leaders Chelsea joined them in the last eight after a 2-0 extra-time win over Newcastle United with goals from substitutes Eidur Gudjohnsen and Arjen Robben.
Fulham went through 4-2 at Nottingham Forest, also after an extra period.
Liverpool, who have won the League Cup a record seven times, put paid to Middlesbrough's hopes of returning to the Millennium Stadium to defend the trophy they won after beating Bolton Wanderers last season.
Neil Mellor, on loan at second division West Ham United last season, struck twice in the last seven minutes with a right-footed close range strike and then a left-foot shot from 20 metres.
Goals from Louis Saha and Kieran Richardson gave Manchester United a comfortable victory at Old Trafford as the home side made light work of a completely changed Palace team, without several first team players who had been rested or were injured.
France striker Saha scored in the 22nd minute with a sharp close-range strike after being fed by Quinton Fortune before 20-year-old Richardson fired home from 20 metres just before the break with a shot that Julian Speroni let slip under his body.
CLASSY GOAL
Chelsea, who won the trophy in 1998, beat Newcastle at St James' Park to increase the pressure on manager Graeme Souness who has seen his new side ship six goals at home in two matches after their 4-1 defeat by Fulham in the league on Sunday.
The game was a stalemate until Gudjohnsen came off the bench to fire a low right-foot shot past Shay Given from 20 metres 10 minutes into extra time. Flying Dutch winger Robben wrapped up the victory with a classy individual goal 12 minutes later.
Robben, who has been a sensation since coming into the Chelsea side after injury, picked up the ball out on the left and attacked defender Titus Bramble at pace before coolly slotting the ball into the far corner past Given.
Fulham were given a tough game by second division strugglers Forest at the City Ground and looked to be heading out of the competition as they trailed 1-0 to a 71st minute Marlon King goal before Tomasz Radzinski equalised four minutes from time.
But the Premier League side took a two-goal lead in the extra period through Radzinski again and Brian McBride before Andy Reid got a goal back for Forest. However, Andy Cole scored a fourth for Fulham in the second half to clinch the win.
North London neighbours Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur reached the quarter-finals on Tuesday along with fellow Premier League side Portsmouth and second division Watford, who produced the upset of the night with a 5-2 win over Southampton.
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