Everton and Newcastle clash in Carabao Cup fourth round without VAR

UPDATE - follow-up to Everton v Newcastle: Carabao Cup fourth round – live: Everton and Newcastle United meet in the Carabao Cup fourth round with a quarter-final trip to Fleetwood Town waiting for the winner the week of 14 December 2026. The match begins at 7.45pm GMT, played without VAR, and will go straight to penalties if tied after ninety minutes and stoppage time.

Lineups And Changes

Everton make two changes following their two-nil loss to Arsenal last weekend, bringing in Hayden Hackney and Tyler Dibling to replace Brennan Johnson and Harrison Armstrong on the bench. Jarrad Branthwaite misses out due to concussion rules, while Jack Grealish is left off the squad for breaking club rules over a reported missed training session. Newcastle United make one change after beating Crystal Palace two-nil, with Jacob Ramsey starting instead of Joelinton.

Context

Domestic cup competitions in English football often feature different rules from league matches, such as the absence of VAR in certain rounds. Teams frequently rotate their starting players during busy fixture schedules to manage fitness levels across multiple tournaments.