Carabao Cup Round Two Review: Surprises, Thrillers, and Heartbreaks
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 29: The players of Fulham celebrate victory in the penalty shoot out following the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur at Craven Cottage.
The Tale of Tottenham’s Unexpected Exit
The gist of the review is that Spurs Spurs’d out. Other than that there were a few surprises here and there. We can count this round as a curtain raiser as the big boys who are involved in European Football this season will be in the draw for the next round.Â
So what were the surprising results of Round Two and who went through? Let’s take a look. Â
Premier League Big Names Squeak Through
As we said earlier and if we were not clear then this should clear it up – Spurs are out. It really is unbelievable, that with so much positivity around the club after a long time, they still managed to find a way to bottle something at the first hurdle.
Not taking any credit away from Fulham who were really good on their day. The tie between Fulham and Spurs ended in a 1-1 draw and it went to penalties where Fulham prevailed 5-3
Brentford survived a scare against Newport County as they managed to scrape through the tie on penalties. Brentford scored in the 87th minute only for Newport County to draw level in additional time but the Bees eventually progressed after winning the shoot-out 3-0.
Wolves thrashed Tranmere 5-0 as they advanced to the next round comfortably. A half-changed Wolves side demolished the League Two side. No surprises there.
In another All-Premier League tie, Burnley defeated Nottingham Forest 1-0 to advance to Round Three. Swiss international Amdouni scored a last-minute winner to hand Burnley the tie.
In a tense encounter, Everton finally had something to smile about this season as they edged past Doncaster Rover 2-1 at the Keepmoat Stadium. Doncaster took the lead only for Everton’s new striker Beto to equalize and then another new signing Danjuma won the tie for the toffees in the 88th minute.
Unlikely Heroes: Underdog Triumphs in Round Two
Now this is an upset, Lincoln City beat Premier League side Sheffield United 3-2 on penalties to knock the Premier League side out of the competition. The game had ended 0-0 and the Imps won the all-important penalty shoot-out to send the Blades packing.
Championship Clubs Making Noise
Bournemouth knocked championship side Swansea out of the League Cup as they won an entertaining tie 3-2. With the scores level at 2-2 after the 90th minute, Christie scored the winner in added time.
Chelsea survived a scare as they managed to beat League Two side Wimbledon 2-1. The Dons had taken an early lead via a penalty but the Blues managed to turn around the tie in the second half to avoid being the biggest casualty of the round. Â
Blackburn Rovers annihilated Harrogate Town as they ran out 8-0 winners. Jon Dal Tomasson’s impressive side put in a resounding performance to rout their hapless opponents.
Middlesbrough also had something to finally cheer about this season as they managed to progress through to round three of the Carabao Cup by beating Bolton Wanderers 3-1 away from home.
Lower-League Cinderella Stories: Who Made It to Round Three
Port Vale defeated Crewe Alexandra 2-0 on penalties after the game had ended 0-0.
Sheffield Wednesday’s disastrous start to the season continued as they were ousted from the Carabao Cup by Mansfield Town. The Stags defeated Wednesday 5-4 on penalties after the game had ended in a 1-1 draw. At least the Owls can take solace from the fact that their neighbors and arch-rivals Sheffield United are out as well.
Stoke City thrashed Rotherham 6-1 to progress to round three.
Leicester’s fine start to the season continued as they 2-0 at Tranmere Rovers.
Bradford City dumped Wrexham out of the League Cup with a 4-3 penalty shoot-out win.
Cardiff pulled off a surprise win at Birmingham City. The Bluebirds dumped the much fancied Birmingham City out of the Carabao Cup. Cardiff won the tie 3-1 at St Andrews.
Norwich City knocked Bristol City out of the competition with a 1-0 win.
Exeter City advanced to round three with a win over Stevenage. The Grecians won the tie on penalties 5-3.
