It remains unclear whether Woods is preparing for a comeback.

He has not played competitively since 2024 after rupturing an Achilles tendon in March 2025 and having back surgery last October.

After March’s road accident – his second arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence – Woods said he was “stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health”.

It was the latest in a string of incidents that have littered Woods’ recent years.

His marriage ended – as did lucrative sponsorship deals – after he struck a fire hydrant, a tree and several hedges outside his home in a 2009 incident, sparking accusations of extra-marital affairs.

In 2017, he was sentenced to a year’s probation after pleading guilty to reckless driving. That came after police officers found Woods slumped at the wheel of his car near his home.

In 2021, Woods survived a serious accident which left him with extensive injuries and he played only a limited schedule since then.

Brentford emerged from a tense finish against Reading to book their place in the Carabao Cup fourth round with a 2-1 victory at Select Car Leasing Stadium.

Callum Wilson and Fabio Carvalho were on target in the first half as the Premier League club showed a clinical touch against League One opposition, who produced a number of chances but lacked the firepower to finish them off.

Paudie O’Connor eventually pulled one back to revive Reading’s challenge and Brentford could not rest easy in the remaining 18 minutes, although substitute Igor Thiago was among those who should have killed the match off.

It took just 136 seconds for Brentford to take the lead with Wilson finding the bottom left corner of the net after a slip in defence by O’Connor turned Dango Ouattara’s pass into an opportunity.

A cross by Carvalho caused problems in the visiting box and Reading then had the ball in the net but referee Tom Nield ruled out O’Connor’s bicycle kick for a high boot.

O’Connor was doing everything possible to make up for his earlier mistake as he headed a free-kick inches over the crossbar.

Reading had clearly recovered from the shock of going behind so early as they poured forward, with a double clearance by Michael Kayode saving Brentford before Jamie Reid went desperately close.

O’Connor slipped again as he fluffed a clearance, giving Wilson time to pick his spot only for keeper Joel Pereira to get his body in the way.

Brentford scrambled to keep out Reid as he closed in on goal and then Conor Masterson flashed narrowly wide, but the Premier League club then scored on the counter-attack.

In a cruel blow for the Royals, Ouattara took advantage of the space in defence to slide the ball to Carvalho who calmly directed the ball beyond Pereira.

Ellery Balcombe’s sharp reflexes prevented Josh Stokes from pulling one back for Reading but Brentford should have extended the lead only for Kayode to send a close-range effort wide.

Liam Fraser reminded the visitors they could not relax as he drilled a shot past the left post but the better chances were now coming at the other end, with Ouattara this time at fault for not making the most of a great opportunity.

Reading deserved a goal and it arrived in the 72nd minute when a corner was met by O’Connor’s header, with the Irish defender’s finish setting up a nervy finale.

On came Thiago but he was unable to improve the standard of finishing by his team, which had declined noticeably in the second half.

Watch every Carabao Cup third-round tie this week live on Sky Sports!

Sky Sports is broadcasting with four more games on Wednesday including Manchester United vs Brighton.

The fourth-round draw will follow after the game at Old Trafford.

Everton vs Wolves, Fleetwood Town vs Sheffield United and Coventry City vs Aston Villa will also be shown.

The action continues on Thursday when Manchester City welcome Championship side Norwich City, with kick-off at 7.30pm.

Sky Sports customers can watch matches on Sky Sports+, with games available on the Sky Sports app and the Sky Sports website.

Man Utd vs Brighton will be on Sky Sports Football.

In case you can’t be in front of a TV, you can still keep up with all of the action with our dedicated blogs on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Carabao Cup third-round results and fixtures

September 8

September 9

Tuesday September 15

Wednesday September 16

• Everton vs Wolves – live on Sky Sports+, kick-off 7.45pm
• Fleetwood Town vs Sheffield Utd – live on Sky Sports+, kick-off 7.45pm
• Coventry City vs Aston Villa – live on Sky Sports+, kick-off 8pm
• Man Utd vs Brighton – live on Sky Sports Football, kick-off 8pm

Thursday September 17

• Man City vs Norwich City – live on Sky Sports+, kick-off 7.30pm

Carabao Cup second-round results and fixtures

August 25

August 26

August 27

Carabao Cup 2026/27 round dates

Round three: w/c September 7 and w/c September 14

Round four: w/c October 26

Round five: w/c December 14

Semi-final first leg: w/c January 11

Semi-final second leg: w/c February 1

Final: Sunday March 21