Aston Villa's miserable start to the season continued with elimination from the English League Cup on Tuesday.
Unai Emery's team was beaten 4-2 by Brentford in a penalty shootout in the third round, after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
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Grimsby fans celebrate their side's first goal of the game against Sheffield Wednesday during a English League Cup third round soccer match, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, at Hillsborough in Sheffield, England. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)
Crystal Palace's Chris Richards, center, celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game against Milwall during an English League Cup third round soccer match, Tuesday Sept. 16, 2025, at Selhurst Park in London. (Adam Davy/PA via AP)
Crystal Palace's Chris Richards celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game against Milwall during an English League Cup third round soccer match, Tuesday Sept. 16, 2025, at Selhurst Park in London. (Adam Davy/PA via AP)
Brentford's Mikkel Damsgaard scores the winning penalty against Aston Villa during a English League Cup third round soccer match, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, at the Gtech Community Stadium in London. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)
Villa, which reached the Champions League quarterfinals last season, hasn't even scored a goal in its first four Premier League games this campaign — one of which was a loss at Brentford last month.
Returning to the Gtech Community Stadium, Villa at least found the net for the first time this season — through recent signing Harvey Elliott after a defensive error in the 43rd minute — but Aaron Hickey replied with a fierce volley in the 57th to take the match to penalties.
Brentford goalkeeper Hákon Valdimarsson made two saves, from John McGinn and Matty Cash, before Denmark playmaker Mikkel Damsgaard stroked home the clinching penalty.
Villa has lost its first match in the League Cup in four of the last five seasons but Emery was encouraged by this latest display.
“We have some new players and we have some issues getting balance in the squad and now we are progressing in the right way that I want," he said.
Crystal Palace also needed spot kicks to advance to the fourth round — in its case against second-tier Millwall, which equalized in stoppage time to make it 1-1 and force a penalty shootout.
Palace won 4-2 after two saves from Argentine goalkeeper Walter Benítez.
U.S. international Chris Richards gave Palace the lead in the 72nd and also converted one of the penalties in the shootout.
Palace hasn't lost any of its last 16 games in all competitions — a run that includes wins in the FA Cup final and the Community Shield.
Fourth-tier Grimsby Town followed up its elimination of Manchester United in the previous round by winning again, this time beating second-tier Sheffield Wednesday 1-0.
The third round continues on Wednesday with Nottingham Forest visiting second-tier Swansea, with the rest of the matches taking place next week.
Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Grimsby fans celebrate their side's first goal of the game against Sheffield Wednesday during a English League Cup third round soccer match, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, at Hillsborough in Sheffield, England. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)
Crystal Palace's Chris Richards, center, celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game against Milwall during an English League Cup third round soccer match, Tuesday Sept. 16, 2025, at Selhurst Park in London. (Adam Davy/PA via AP)
Crystal Palace's Chris Richards celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game against Milwall during an English League Cup third round soccer match, Tuesday Sept. 16, 2025, at Selhurst Park in London. (Adam Davy/PA via AP)
Brentford's Mikkel Damsgaard scores the winning penalty against Aston Villa during a English League Cup third round soccer match, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, at the Gtech Community Stadium in London. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)
