29 October 2009 / REUTERS, LONDON
Holders Manchester United, featuring an on-target Michael Owen among their second string, reached the League Cup quarterfinals with a 2-0 victory at Championship (second division) side Barnsley.
Tottenham Hotspur, beaten by United on penalties in last season’s final and the winner in 2008, was eyeing a hat-trick of finals after it beat Everton 2-0. Blackburn Rovers beat Championship struggler Peterborough 5-2, Portsmouth enjoyed a rare win with a 4-0 home success over Stoke City and Sunderland and Aston Villa were playing extra time after a goalless 90 minutes. United, whose first team was beaten 2-0 by Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, settled early nerves by taking a sixth-minute lead when Danny Welbeck, who scored the winner against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the last round, headed in from a corner. Two seasons ago Barnsley beat Liverpool and Chelsea en route to the FA Cup semi-finals and the Yorkshire side, struggling at the wrong end of the second division table, went close to an equalizer when Daniel Bogdanovic headed against a post midway through the first half.
