Football Update: Carling League Cup Round up
The second round of Carling League Cup surprised all, as there were mighty scares for Premier League outfits against lowly oppositions.
League one outfit Milton Keynes Dons proved to be a giant killer as they claimed the Premier League scalp of Blackburn Rovers by beating depleted Tangerines 4-3 after extra time on a night of intense drama at the Stadium MK.
Ian Holloway, the seasiders manager however, was absent from the match as he opted to watch another match of the same competition as it involved a potential signing for the man from Bath. Holloway missed an exciting night, as his side made 10 changes to the side that lost 6-0 at the weekend to the Gunners.
MKD only needed a minute to take the lead when Sam Baldock put them ahead but Brett Ormerodd pulled the game level soon after the restart. A flurry of goals followed and both the sides then found the back of net six times in a space of six fanatic minutes.
Jermaine Easter scored twice in a space of 60 seconds for the home side with identical strikes but Ludovic Sylvestre curled in a sublime 20 yarder to make it 3-2, while Charlie Adam equalized for the visitors from the spot after Ormerod was impeded inside the penalty area.
The match went into extra time and Lewis Guy won it for the hosts in the 110th minute, when he masterfully beat the offside trap and beat the onrushing goalie to score and knock out the tangerines.
Over in London, Oxford United gave the Hammers a scare of their lives as they kept the game goalless till after the 90 minutes only for Scott Parker to spare the Londoner’s blushed with a winner in the 93rd minute.
For Scott Parker, the club chairman had said that he is one player that he would never sell and the player proved why exactly. West Ham were pinned back by a team three division below them but survived the scare and barely avoided the humiliation to advance to the third round of the Carling Cup.
Parker smashed home from a Fredric Piquionne’s squared ball as West Ham made sure there were going to be no upsets in London.
Despite a dismal start to their Premier League season, Wigan Athletic had no problems in dispatching Hartlepool United 3-0. Goals from Jordi Gomez and Victor Mosses helped Roberto Martinez’s side book a place in the next round and helped the man forget the problems being faced by him in the league.
Martinez will have to thank his goalie Ali Al Habsi for pulling of a miraculous fingertip save to deny Joe Gamble a goal midway through the first half but an own goal by Sam Collins had already put the Latics ahead in the 3rd minute of the game. Two late strikes by Mosses and Gomez made sure of their progress to the next round.
Blackburn’s Sam Allardyce was also a happy manager last night, as his side beat Norwich City by 3 goals to 1. Manchester United’s on loan striker Mame Briam Diouf score a hat trick for Rovers and also hit the crossbar twice on his debut for the club.
League One outfit Brentford pulled an upset of sorts when they beat Championship side Hull City by 2 goals to 1 at Griffin Park. Mark Cullen had but the visitors ahead in the match but Robbie Simpson equalized for the hosts but Marcus Bean stole the show two minutes from time with a superb diving header.
Over at the South Coast Dutch veteran Edgar Davids made his debut for Crystal palace, as he saw his side got beaten by pompey on the night. Davids lasted 82 minutes in the game and was substituted only a minute after Ibrahim Sonko’s goal had cancelled out David Nugent opener. Pompey went on to win the match 4-3 on penalties.
Other Results from the night:
Blackburn 3-1 Norwich, Bradford 1-2 Preston After Extra Time, Brentford 2-1 Hull, Crewe 0-1 Ipswich After Extra Time, Hartlepool 0-3 Wigan, Leeds United 1-2 Leicester, Leyton Orien t0-2 West Brom, Millwall 2-1 Middlesbrough, MK Dons4-3Blackpool After Extra Time, Morecambe1-3Burnley, Peterborough2-1Cardiff, Portsmouth1-1Crystal Palace Portsmouth win 4-3 on penalties, Reading3-3Northampton Northampton win 4-2 on penalties, Scunthorpe4-2Sheff Wed, Southampton0-1Bolton, Stoke2-1Shrewsbury, Sunderland2-0Colchester, Tranmere1-3Swansea Watford1-2Notts County, West Ham1-0 Oxford Utd, Wolves2-1Southend After Extra Time
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