EFL Cup: Four-goal Gomez steals the show as Brighton hit Barnsley for six
Brighton hammered Barnsley 6-0 in the EFL Cup, with Diego Gomez scoring four of their goals at Oakwell.
Diego Gomez stole the show as he scored four goals in Brighton's 6-0 rout of Barnsley in the EFL Cup third round.
Brighton booked their place in the fourth round in emphatic fashion on Tuesday, with Gomez at the heart of a sensational display at Oakwell.
The former Inter Miami midfielder scored two stunning goals in the process of completing a first-half hat-trick, which was sealed with an acrobatic, long-distance volley.
Gomez's second goal was an arrowed finish, lashed beyond Barnsley's goalkeeper from the edge of the box, and he made it 4-0 in the 68th minute with a crisp effort from inside the area.
With the damage well and truly done, Fabian Hurzeler's team added further gloss late on – substitutes Harry Howell and Yasin Ayari getting in on the act.
Elsewhere, Nathan Broadhead's second-half double propelled Wrexham into the last 16, as they beat Reading 2-0.
Wolves downed fellow Premier League side Everton by the same scoreline, as Vitor Pereira's struggling team picked up just their second win of the season, following their 3-2 victory over West Ham in round two.
Marshall Munetsi put Wolves ahead in the first half, and though a below-par Everton side huffed and puffed – with James Garner hitting the crossbar – the hosts sealed victory at Molineux when Tolu Arokodare raced through to score his first goal for the club.
Two goals in swift succession from Joel Colwill and Callum Robinson, meanwhile, saw League One side Cardiff City shock Burnley 2-1 at Turf Moor.
Zian Flemming netted for the Clarets, but Scott Parker's team failed to generate too many clear chances as they crashed out. Wycombe Wanderers beat Wigan Athletic 2-0, while Emile Smith Rowe scored as Fulham eased to a 1-0 victory over Cambridge United.
Data Debrief: Diego dazzles as Brighton bag another bagel
Brighton's Gomez is the first player to score four goals away from home in an EFL Cup match since Julio Baptista for Arsenal against Liverpool at Anfield in January 2007.
And after beating Oxford United 6-0 in round two, Brighton have become the first team in EFL Cup history to win consecutive matches in the competition by a margin of six or more goals.
Wolves, meanwhile, have now won each of their last seven home ties in the competition, matching their best run on home soil in the EFL Cup, which was set between September 1966 and October 1972. Everton, on the other hand, have lost in the third round in four of the past five seasons.
