Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle progress in English League Cup to ensure powerful lineup for semis

Arsenal, Newcastle and Liverpool advanced in the English League Cup on Wednesday to ensure a heavyweight lineup for the semifinals.

Gabriel Jesus scored a hat trick — including a crucial second goal from an offside position — as Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 3-2 to reach the last four for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

Liverpool kept alive its title defense by winning 2-1 at Southampton, with Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott the scorers in the first half for the leaders of the Premier League and Champions League.

Newcastle defeated Brentford 3-1 mainly thanks to two first-half goals by Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali and progressed to the semifinals for the second time in three seasons. The Saudi-controlled club from the north east, which hasn't won a major trophy since 1955, lost in the League Cup final to Manchester United in 2023.

United visits Tottenham on Thursday in the remaining quarterfinal match, guaranteeing that the semifinals will feature four of the biggest teams in the country.

Jesus had previously only scored one goal in 20 appearances in all competitions this season — and that was also in the English League Cup at second-tier Preston in October.

So the Brazil striker's first hat trick for Arsenal came as something of a surprise, as did the standard of his finishing.

There was luck for Jesus, too, as replays showed that he was offside when running through to score his goal that made it 2-1 in the 73rd minute at Emirates Stadium. However, there is no video review until the semifinals of the competition so the goal wasn't ruled out.

Jesus, who had equalized in the 54th with an excellently taken chip over goalkeeper Dean Henderson, completed his hat trick in the 81st by running through unmarked and smashing a low strike past Henderson.

That give his team a two-goal cushion but former Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah ensured a nervy finish by heading home a cross in the 85th to make it 3-1. Jean-Philippe Mateta had put Palace ahead in the fourth minute.

Liverpool has now gone 20 games unbeaten within a single season in all competitions for the first time since 1996, according to Premier League stats supplier Opta.

Things could hardly be going any better for Arne Slot, who fielded a weakened, heavily rotated team — featuring Japan midfielder Wataru Endo at center back — that still had too much for Southampton.

Nunez particularly enjoyed his goal, which came after he had been jeered by Southampton fans for missing an early chance. After putting Liverpool ahead, he put his finger to his mouth in a “shush” gesture to the home crowd.

Interim coach Simon Rusk took charge of Southampton, the last-place team in the Premier League, following the dismissal of manager Russell Martin on Sunday — hours after a 5-0 loss to Tottenham.

Slot sat in the stands for the match at St. Mary's stadium as he was serving a touchline suspension after getting booked for the third time this season last weekend.

Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

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Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus scores a hat-trick and his side's third goal during the English League Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Emirates stadium, in London, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Carabao Cup quarter-final match at St. James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Wednesday Dec. 18, 2024. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

Liverpool's Darwin Nunez scores during the English Football Lague Cup soccer match between Southampton and Liverpool in Southampton, England, on Wednesday, Dec.18, 2024. (AP Photo/Sean Ryan)

Liverpool's Harvey Elliott celebrates after scoring during the English Football Lague Cup soccer match between Southampton and Liverpool in Southampton, England, on Wednesday, Dec.18, 2024. (AP Photo/Sean Ryan)

Liverpool's Darwin Nunez celebrates after scoring during the English Football Lague Cup soccer match between Southampton and Liverpool in Southampton, England, on Wednesday, Dec.18, 2024. (AP Photo/Sean Ryan)

Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus scores his side's third goal during the English League Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Emirates stadium in London, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English League Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Emirates stadium, in London, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English League Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Emirates stadium, in London, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Five people were found dead in a Utah home after a man apparently shot his wife and four children before killing himself, police said Wednesday. A 17-year-old boy survived but has a severe brain injury.

Police believe the shooting in a split-level house in a Salt Lake City suburb happened over the weekend. The victims weren't found until Tuesday, however, when a relative who’d been unable to reach the family went inside.

The woman found the badly wounded teen in the garage. Arriving officers then found the mother, 38, and two girls, ages 9 and 2, dead upstairs together in the same bed.

An 11-year-old boy was found dead in a downstairs living room with his father. A handgun underneath the 42-year-old man led police to believe he was the shooter.

Investigators believe the surviving teenage son made his way to the garage after being shot elsewhere.

“The father likely shot all of the members of the family and then himself,” West Valley City Police Department spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku said at a news conference.

Neighbors hadn't reported any gunshots in the area over the weekend. They had no previous reports of domestic violence or other disturbances involving the family. So far, there was no note or other evidence pointing to a motive, Vainuku said.

“It’s certainly hard for our community to comprehend,” she said.

The relative had called police on Monday night because she'd been unable to get ahold of the mother for several days, despite usually having regular contact with her, Vainuku said.

Officers looked in windows and spoke to neighbors, but did not find any indications of an emergency or a crime so they asked the family member to keep in contact, she said. After the mom didn't show up for work on Tuesday, the family member entered the home.

“As we know, adults have the right to do what they want to do and they don't have to communicate with their family members if they don't want to,” Vainuku said Tuesday. “So that is kind of a tricky balance in protecting people's rights to do what they want to do but also acknowledging the concerns of family members.”

This Utah case is the 38th mass killing in the United States this year. At least 165 people have died this year in U.S. mass killings, which are defined by the FBI as cases in which four or more people die within a 24-hour period, not including the killer.

Police investigate a crime scene where they say multiple family members were found dead inside a home in West Valley City, Utah, Tuesday Dec. 17, 2024. (Scott G. Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)

Police investigate a crime scene where they say multiple family members were found dead inside a home in West Valley City, Utah, Tuesday Dec. 17, 2024. (Scott G. Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)

An officer walks past a command trailer as police investigate a crime scene where they say multiple family members were found dead inside a home in West Valley City, Utah, Tuesday Dec. 17, 2024. (Scott G. Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)

Police investigate a crime scene where they say multiple family members were found dead inside a home in West Valley City, Utah, Tuesday Dec. 17, 2024. (Scott G. Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)

Technicians investigate a crime scene where police say multiple family members were found dead inside a home in West Valley City, Utah, Tuesday Dec. 17, 2024. (Scott G. Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)