Edward Nketiah and Callum Chambers were on the mark as Arsenal trumped Leeds United 2-0 in the Round of 16 to make their way into the quarterfinals of the EFL Cup on Tuesday.

Mikel Arteta and his side would be pleased with the results as this tournament is a realistic opportunity for them to grab a trophy given they don’t have European football for the season. Although the two teams had an evenly contested first half, the Gunners dominated the second half to take the win.  

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Minutes after the break, as Emile Smith Rowe prepared to swing in a corner, Chambers rushed into the Leeds area after receiving the nod by Arteta to replace the injured Ben White in the 55th minute. The once pivotal cog in Arsenal’s defensive wheel is now a forgotten man, but on Tuesday night, after a few seconds of pinball from Smith Rowe’s corner, Chambers reacted the quickest to head the ball home and give Arsenal the lead. 

He hadn’t scored for the club since a 3-2 win over Aston Villa in September 2019. But now he’s scored another one, this time firing Arsenal into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals – with his first touch of the ball.

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Nearing the 70 minutes mark, Nketiah doubled Arsenal’s lead with two exquisite touches to carry the ball over the head of Leeds keeper Illan Meslier but in the end, he nearly managed to scuff the shot wide of a gaping open net.

Arsenal has now won six of its last eight games in all competitions and is unbeaten since August but is 10th in the Premier League.

There will be a third-division team in the last eight after Sunderland beat second-tier Queens Park Rangers 3-1 on penalties after the game at Loftus Road in west London ended 0-0 after 90 minutes.

The quarterfinal lineup will be completed Wednesday when Manchester City continues its bid for a fifth straight League Cup against West Ham, Burnley hosts Tottenham, Leicester plays Brighton, Liverpool faces second-tier club Preston, and Brentford visits Stoke.