Carling Cup review
Southampton surrendered their place in the Carling Cup with a humiliating defeat at Watford as the home side's fans poured scorn on the Barclays Premiership team in a soul-destroying second half for rookie head coach Steve Wigley.
Ray Lewington's Watford team, ninth in the Coca-Cola Championship and with a reputation as draw specialists dished out a hiding to sorry Saints after the break when two goals by James Chambers and others by Heidar Helguson and Hameur Bouazza were added to Bruce Dyer's first-half effort.
Burnley's wastefulness tonight provided new Tottenham head coach Martin Jol with the win which was craved as the Londoners sealed a place in the Carling Cup quarter-finals.
Two goals from Robbie Keane either side of half-time and a stunning third from Jermain Defoe ensured Spurs will be in the hat for tomorrow's last-eight draw.
Steve Cotterill's side have only themselves to blame for not following up their shock last-round victory over Aston Villa with the equally impressive scalp of Spurs - even if the White Hart Lane club are currently in transition.
Cotterill was probably left tearing his hair out at the break as his players wasted six clear-cut opportunities - and Spurs took full advantage.
Inspired by their richly-talented teenage Dutch striker Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, Arsene Wenger's Arsenal youngsters pulled off another shock to beat a nearly full-strength Everton side.
Robin van Persie and Jermaine Pennant clearly showed their potential, as did 17-year-old Italian striker Arturo Lupoli, signed from Parma this summer in another inspired Wenger raid, who struck twice in a stunning comeback.
But the real star was Owusu-Abeyie, known as Quincy, who equalised Thomas Gravesen's deflected free-kick with his first senior goal just eight minutes after coming on as an early substitute.
Owusu-Abeyie had been all promise and little end product in the competition last season, being far too addicted to step-overs to make any real impact. What a difference a year makes.
Now 18, he has progressed and matured significantly since then and embarked on a spell-binding run in the build-up to Lupoli's first strike before also crossing for the Italian's second close-range finish.
Portsmouth also progressed as Aiyegbeni Yakubu's double strike saw off the challenge of Coca-Cola Championship side Cardiff City at Ninian Park.
The Nigerian bundled the visitors ahead just moments after the start of the second half before converting a 54th-minute penalty when Matthew Taylor was adjudged to have been fouled by Ireland's Graham Kavanagh.