Article body analysed
Premier League news conferences as Burnley, Sunderland and Leeds managers speaking to the media Farke: Newly promoted sides are 'never the favourites' Team news: Darlow to remain in goal, Bogle, James and Gnonto | Diarra 'will need time' All three promoted clubs are above the Premier League's relegation zone after five games It took just two matches for all three teams to register their first wins this season, compared to 11 games for last season's promoted trio; Leicester, Southampton & Ipswich Does this mean the relegation battle is wide open this season, with Wolves, West Ham and Aston Villa currently in the bottom three? Analysis: Why are the promoted sides doing better? | Best starts by top-flight newcomers Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say Written by Sam Drury, Alex Fletcher & Millie Sian. Alex Fletcher BBC Sport journalist Thank you very much, Sam. It is indeed time to shift our focus over to the Europa League and Nottingham Forest's return to European football. The 1995/96 season was the last time they featured in Europe and I wasn't even born. Anyway, as we take you through their draw at Real Betis we want those texts to keep coming in. Is Angeball starting to show at Forest? Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say. Sam Drury BBC Sport journalist Right, that's us all EFL Cup-ed out for now. We're moving on to the Europa League so Nottingham Forest fans - and Ange Postecoglou enthusiasts - this is your time to shine. I'm off for a much-needed coffee so I'll leave you in the capable hands of Alex Fletcher. Newcastle 4-1 Bradford Ciaran Kelly BBC Sport reporter at St James' Park Newcastle ended up scoring as many goals in 90 minutes against Bradford as they did in their previous five games in all competitions combined. It was the first time since April - a 5-0 win over Crystal Palace - they had bagged four goals in a single game and it could have been more as the dominant hosts had 27 shots, 11 efforts on target and 66 touches in the opposition box. Newcastle face sterner tests ahead yet it still felt a noteworthy night to rebuild confidence in front of goal. For context, a blunt attack mustered just a single shot on target against Bournemouth and the black-and-whites have only scored three times in their opening five league fixtures. When it comes to shot conversion (5. 6%) and big chance conversion (28. 6%), Newcastle have posted some of the worst top-flight returns, while only Aston Villa have scored fewer goals (one). But Joelinton and Danish forward William Osula scored timely doubles here. With three goals, the 22-year-old Osula is now the club's top scorer this term, having also found the net against champions Liverpool last month. Given Yoane Wissa's absence with a knee injury, and record signing Nick Woltemade needing time to adjust to the physicality of the Premier League, it was a welcome performance from Osula, who attracted interest from Eintracht Frankfurt last month. "He's very driven, " said boss Howe. "Will has got great attitude to his work and his career. He's very ambitious, he wants to play as all players do, but he is now justifying that by his training performances and when he plays on the pitch. "We have done a lot of work with him and will continue to do that for his benefit to try to get him to be the very best player he can be. " Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say Emile Heskey also an England international! Memorably scored in the Liverpool 5-1 Germany game in Munich. FMac, North East He certainly was, FMac, 62 England caps and seven goals - including the fifth in that 5-1 win - in total for Heskey Snr. Newcastle 4-1 Bradford Joelinton spoke to BBC Radio Newcastle about his performance against Bradford City: "I enjoyed myself - not only because I scored two goals but also because the performance in general was very good. It gives us the confidence to push on. "It has been a difficult start to the season for me. I hope I can keep going, be injury-free and play my best football. "Like the Premier League and Champions League, the Carabao Cup is very important for us. We want to attack every competition and win every game. " Click here for more Newcastle United news, insight and analysis Newcastle 4-1 Bradford Ciaran Kelly BBC Sport reporter at St James' Park Bradford City manager Graham Alexander could not help but smile as he reflected on his side's 4-1 Carabao Cup loss at Newcastle United. "You see the starting team that they put out, " he said. "As soon as we exchanged the teamsheets and we saw Bruno [Guimaraes] bring out the teamsheet, I thought, 'Right, OK, they're taking it properly. Real serious'. " Understandably so. The holders were not about to underestimate the League One leaders - and did not want their defence of the trophy to end at the third-round stage. Not after a 70-year wait to win major domestic silverware. Interestingly, Brazilians Guimaraes and Joelinton were the only starters on Wednesday night who also lined up when Newcastle beat Liverpool at Wembley to end that drought back in March. However, such are the options now at head coach Eddie Howe's disposal, it proved a comfortable night, despite Bradford's efforts. "The lads are very aware of the strength in depth, " said Howe. "So everyone in their position will be looking over their shoulder going, 'If I don't play well today, there's someone else waiting to take my shirt'. " Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say Great to see Wycombe progressing through to the next round and drawing Fulham at home. With the new manager the team are looking better and the fans are more optimistic. I hope that this new 'feel good factor' will enable us to show what Wycombe are capable of! Noel, East Anglia Huddersfield 0-2 Man City Sue Smith Former Leeds and England forward on BBC Radio 5 Live Phil Foden was instrumental in everything Manchester City did. You have to praise Huddersfield, who made it difficult for their opponent to get shots on target. The better side on the night went through. Nothing makes you feel older than the children of a player you remember watching in their prime being old enough to play first-team football. .. Still, for all that he received a fair amount of - largely unwarranted - stick later in his career, Emile Heskey was some player at his best. You have to be to score 110 Premier League goals. If either Reigan or Jaden get anywhere close to that over the next decade or so then they'll have had a very good career. .. Huddersfield 0-2 Man City Shamoon Hafez Football news reporter at Accu Stadium When the travelling Manchester City fans at Huddersfield sang the names of Yaya and Kolo Toure among their usual repertoire of songs for former players, they might not have expected to see another set of brothers step onto the pitch in Yorkshire not long after. However, after Pep Guardiola's side went 2-0 up against their League One hosts in the Carabao Cup, the manager turned to his bench and beckoned forward brothers Reigan and Jaden Heskey, who are the sons of ex-England striker Emile. After being given their instructions from a bench which included Kolo Toure, now part of City's backroom staff, and 10 years on from dad Emile's last EFL Cup appearance, fans got to witness his sons making their first-team debuts for the club. "Today, six players from the academy made the starting XI, " said Guardiola. "Two more came on, the Heskey brothers. I think their father and mother will be so proud of their kids. That's really cool. " Reigan is described on the City website as a "tricky, clinical winger" and at 17 is the younger of the brothers, with Jaden two years older and seen as a "mature, hard-working" box-to-box midfielder. Both are regulars in City's academy teams, with Jaden often wearing the captain's armband in the club's Premier League 2 matches. In 2024, he scored as City beat Leeds 4-0 to lift the FA Youth Cup. "They're similar to me, " Heskey told the Mail, external in August. "They are both very athletic. "The young one is very quick. The older one is a bit of a beast like I was. They've both got similar attributes. " Against Huddersfield, Jaden got 14 minutes, replacing fellow academy graduate Nico O'Reilly, with Reigan coming on for Savinho shortly after. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say As a Wrexham fan I’m sure both us and Cardiff think it's a very winnable tie and a chance for a quarter-final spot. Paul Jones, Wrexham Nathan Broadhead struck both goals against Reading to help fire Wrexham into the fourth round of the EFL Cup for the first time since 1977. But the Wales international's household may well be split when Phil Parkinson's side host Cardiff City in round four next month. Prior to the draw being made, the 27-year-old admitted he wanted Wrexham to be paired with the Bluebirds in the next round as his father supports Brian Barry-Murphy's side. "I'd love Cardiff. My old man's a Cardiff fan, " Broadhead said. "I don't know what side he'd be on. " The former Ipswich Town man got his wish - with the pair set to meet at the Stok Cae Ras during the week beginning 27 October. It ensures at least one Welsh team will reach the quarter-finals of the competition. Given Swansea City's progress, the next round will see three Welsh teams feature in the last-16 for the first time in the competition's history. And Broadhead feels the cup progress further demonstrates how Welsh football is in a good place at present. "It just shows where Welsh football's going, " he said. "We're making steps, Craig Bellamy, Wrexham, I'm happy. " Dafydd Pritchard BBC Sport Wales at Cardiff City Stadium Cardiff City head coach Brian Barry-Murphy will be speaking to the media in the next half an hour or so at his weekly news conference. The Bluebirds have been drawn at fellow Welsh club Wrexham in one of the many eye-catching fourth-round ties in the EFL Cup, their first meeting for 21 years. And with Swansea City securing a home fixture against Manchester City, this is the first time in the competition's history that three Welsh clubs have made it to the last 16. Cardiff have made a promising start to the season in League One under former Man City Under-21s boss Barry-Murphy, while Wrexham are adjusting to life in the Championship after three successive promotions. They started last season a division below Cardiff but, with their promotion and the Bluebirds' relegation, it's the north Wales club who will start next month's cup tie as favourites. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say I agree with Ewan Nelson 07: 27, I think we have a good chance of causing another upset. Up the mariners! Andy Forster, Grimsby Tottenham 3-0 Doncaster Spurs have three games in the next 10 days and that includes a trip north to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League. So it's perhaps no surprise that Thomas Frank made seven changes to his starting XI for the visit of Doncaster. Frank wants his side to compete on all fronts this season and the fact he has only named the same team once this season - against Manchester City and Bournemouth - shows the Dane is willing to shake things up to maintain fitness. “It’s the balance where we need to use the squad, want to use the squad, we’ve a strong squad and players who want and need to play. That’s very important, " said Frank “Then we need to make enough changes, but not too many, try to get them in the right positions. That’s the challenge. "We all know, as I say all the time, if we’re going to play 60 plus games this season, we need to be really good at nailing that - making the right amount of changes per game. ” Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say A sub-par performance from Spurs last night in my opinion. It should have been about 6-0 if we had just taken our chances. .. Tim, Truro It could be a season-defining month of games for Spurs from end of October. They have Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, PSG and Copenhagen in the Champions League plus Man Utd and Arsenal in the Premier League. Jack, Oxfordshire Tottenham 3-0 Doncaster Earlier this month, Mathys Tel was left out of Spurs' Champions League squad by Thomas Frank. Tel did not respond straight away but did tell Le Telegramme that "it definitely hurts" to not be included in the clubs' European campaign. Frank said it was an “extremely difficult decision” to exclude Tel but that he handled it “maturely”. However, a boost can be provided by looking at the players Frank has developed during his career as a manager - Yoane Wissa and Ollie Watkins spring to mind. "His pressing ability is very good. I like the way he works in that situation and then, his link-up play is something that is a good level, but he can be even better, " Frank said after the match. "He really wanted to score and do well. Unfortunately, as a striker, that (is what) you get measured on. The overall performance was really a step forward. I really wanted him to score as well because that would make it an even better story. ” Tottenham 3-0 Doncaster Whilst last night marked just a second start of the season for Mathys Tel, his permanent move from Bayern Munich could not have got off to a worse start. Having scored just three goals since joining on-loan, he is yet to find the back of the net for his club this season - although he did score twice for France's Under-21's. With summer loan signing Randal Kolo Muani unavailable due to a dead leg injury against Doncaster, last night represented a good opportunity for the Frenchman to stamp his authority on the squad. Instead, he offered very little and departed the match with debutant Luca Williams-Barnett on in his place to become Spurs' 900th player. Mathys Tel for Spurs this season: Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say Brentford won't relish a trip to Blundell Park. Simon Saxby, Grimsby Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal Arsenal Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta spoke to Sky Sports following the victory: "We knew the crowd would be with them [Port Vale] if we gave them anything. In the second half and when they had throw in after throw in, we lacked control. "They played directly, They wanted to attack the box and we wanted to avoid that. We had moments in the game where we were very dominant and very good. " On Eberechi Eze: "That's why we got him - to win football matches. He should've scored another two I think. "His position depends on the players around him. There were certain moments where the space closed, so we moved him somewhere else. He is a player who has to be in touch with the ball and we have to find ways to do that. " Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.