Liverpool's Daniel Agger controls the ball during his team's 2-1 win over Stoke. Photo / AP
Manchester City kept up its free-scoring form by thrashing Wolverhampton Wanderers 5-2 in the League Cup, while Chelsea and Blackburn scored late winners in extra time to advance to the quarterfinals today.
Buoyant after routing Manchester United 6-1 to take a five-point lead in the Premier League, City rallied with three goals in a four-minute span just before halftime after conceding an early goal at Molineux.
Adam Johnson and Samir Nasri started the comeback, with Edin Dzeko adding a double either side of an own goal by goalkeeper Dorus de Vries at Molineux.
"Them getting the early goal lifted everyone,'' said Johnson. "The first 20 minutes were shaky but once we got the ball down and passing and moving and the second goal, it was virtually over.''
Substitute Daniel Sturridge scored Chelsea's winner with four minutes left in extra time as the London club beat Everton 2-1 in a match that saw both teams finish with 10 men.
Salomon Kalou made up for Nicolas Anelka's missed penalty in the 16th by putting Chelsea ahead before the visitors had goalkeeper Ross Turnbull sent off in the 58th for bringing down Louis Saha.
Petr Cech, Turnbull's replacement, saved the resulting penalty by Leighton Baines but Saha took the game into extra time with a near-post header in the 83rd.
Royston Drenthe was dismissed for Everton in a frenetic extra 30 minutes before Sturridge slammed home a rebound after Florent Malouda's shot was parried out.
Gael Givet was Blackburn's match-winner in the last minute of extra time as Newcastle was beaten 4-3 for its first defeat of the season, while Liverpool rallied to beat Stoke 2-1 thanks to a second-half brace by Uruguay striker Luis Suarez.
Manchester United, Arsenal, Cardiff and Crystal Palace reached the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
City took its tally of goals to 15 in its last three away matches but it needed Nenad Milijas' 18th-minute goal to stir the visitors into action.
With a point to prove after being ignominiously hauled off by Mancini before halftime in the Champions League victory over Villarreal last week, Adam Johnson was instrumental in City's comeback
The England winger ran on to Dzeko's lay-off and clipped a shot into the bottom corner before turning provider, slipping through a pinpoint through-ball for Nasri to score with a low finish from the edge of the area.
"I think Adam can do a bit more but he has everything to be one of the best wingers in Europe,'' City manager Roberto Mancini said.
Dzeko fresh off a double as a substitute against United bundled in the third and fifth goals from close range, sandwiching an unfortunate own goal by De Vries in the 50th.
Jamie O'Hara grabbed a consolation for Wolves a minute later.
With United easing past fourth-tier team Aldershot 3-0 yesterday, City could face its local rival in the last eight.
"We'll play anyone at the moment,'' Johnson said. "Our confidence is up it doesn't really matter who we get.''
While City made wholesale changes to the team that thrashed United at the weekend, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish fielded a number of first-team players and will be thankful he retained Suarez.
The striker missed a number of chances in the 1-1 league draw against Norwich on Saturday but was more efficient against Stoke, equalizing with an unstoppable drive after dribbling past Ryan Shotton.
Suarez grabbed the winner for the seven-time champions by heading home a volleyed cross by Jordan Henderson.
An eventful game at Ewood Park saw Newcastle force extra time with goals in second-half injury time by Danny Guthrie and Yohan Cabaye, canceling out efforts by Ruben Rochina and Yakubu.
Morten Gamst Pedersen scored a free kick for 3-2 but Newcastle equalized again through Peter Lovenkrands before Givet's winner.
-AP
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