A SECOND half brace of goals from Luis Suarez sent Liverpool through to the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup at the expense of Stoke with a 2-1 win.
Both managers named strong teams, and a crowd of just short of 25,000 at the Britannia Stadium were rewarded with a first half full of chances that ended with Kenwyne Jones heading in the opening goal after Jon Walters had robbed Sebastian Coates.
But the night was to belong to Suarez as nine minutes into the second half the Uruguayan curled an exquisite shot into the corner before, with extra-time looming, heading in the winner five minutes from time.
Manchester City changed their entire team, but the goals flowed again as they demolished Wolves 5-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup at Molineux.
City showed their tremendous strength in depth after Wolves, who also made nine changes, earned a shock lead through Nenad Milijas.
Three goals in four minutes before half-time from Adam Johnson, Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko killed off the tie.
An own goal from goalkeeper Dorus De Vries and Dzeko’s second completed the rout before Jamie O’Hara’s consolation effort.
Substitute Daniel Sturridge struck late in extra time as 10-man Chelsea edged out an Everton side, also a man down, 2-1 at Goodison Park.
Chelsea went ahead through Salomon Kalou after a dreadful error by back-up goalkeeper Jan Mucha, but were pegged back by Louis Saha after their number two keeper Ross Turnbull was sent off.
Yet Everton wasted numerous chances to win in normal time and, after losing Royston Drenthe in extra time, Sturridge settled the fourth-round tie after 116 minutes.
Gael Givet’s header in the last minute of extra time secured an amazing 4-3 victory for Blackburn in an extraordinary match against Newcastle.
Rovers led 2-0, 3-2 and finally 4-3 as the Magpies refused to accept defeat at Ewood Park.
Ruben Rochina and Yakubu struck first for Blackburn, Danny Guthrie and Yohan Cabaye scored last-ditch strikes to send the game into extra time.
Morten Gamst Pedersen made it 3-2, Peter Lovenkrands equalised again from the spot, but then came Givet’s last-gasp heroics.
Nikola Zigic’s first goal since February’s Carling Cup final handed Birmingham a narrow 1-0 victory over Leeds and extended their winning sequence to six games in all competitions.
In an encounter between the npower Championship’s two in-form teams a single goal was always likely to settle matters, and so it proved as the 6ft 8in Serbian – troubled by groin and hip injuries since the club’s Wembley triumph over Arsenal – fired home after 35 minutes.
