LONDON, Aug 31: Chelsea and Everton survived major scares against fourth-tier opponents to advance to the third round of the English League Cup on Wednesday.
Ultimately, it was another Premier League team, Sheffield United, that was on the end of an unlikely upset, losing a penalty shootout to third-tier Lincoln for the biggest shock of the second round.
Chelsea fielded a heavily rotated started lineup, which was missing the likes of Raheem Sterling and Enzo Fernandez, against Blackpool and fell behind to a 19th-minute penalty at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea had to rely on reinforcements from the bench to survive a scare as a Mauricio Pochettino’s young selection recovered from a goal down to beat League Two AFC Wimbledon 2-1 in the Carabao Cup second round.
It took a first Chelsea goal from substitute Enzo Fernandez to break the visitors’ stubborn resolve at Stamford Bridge, after they had stunned home fans to take the lead through midfielder James Tilley’s 19th-minute penalty.
Noni Madueke equalised from the spot in first-half added time, as an unfamiliar starting XI made heavy weather of seeing off Johnnie Jackson’s team.
Pochettino brought in three players for their full first-team debuts — Mason Burstow, Ian Maatsen and Diego Moreira — but it took the introduction of a more recognised trio in the second half for them to see off the Dons, who were a stubborn defensive match for their Premier League opponents.
Nicolas Jackson, fresh from his first goal for the club against Luton, was introduced and provided a spark that had been absent, with Malo Gusto and Fernandez helping lend Chelsea the required bite.
The World Cup-winner struck the winner 18 minutes from the end after an unfortunate error from goalkeeper Alex Bass, as Wimbledon went down fighting.
Everton survive
Everton left it much later for its 2-1 win at Doncaster, with Beto a Portuguese striker who only joined the club from Udinese on Wednesday and Arnaut Danjuma scoring in the 73rd and 88th minutes, respectively, to complete a nervy comeback.
Having lost their opening three Premier League games without so much as scoring, a tie against the side 92nd in the standings looked just what the doctor ordered for Sean Dyche’s men.
But Everton’s start to the season threatened to go from bad to worse as League Two’s bottom side took a deserved lead through Joe Ironside’s header.
Doncaster were dreaming of a famous win, but the Premier League visitors belatedly showed signs of life as striker Beto on as a substitute early in the second half scored a day after signing from Udinese, before Danjuma secured a late 2-1 victory.
It was a gut punch for Grant McCann’s side but a morale-boosting win for the Toffees, although Dyche will be alarmed by much of his side’s display in South Yorkshire, where they return to take on Sheffield United on Saturday lunchtime.
They looked jittery from the outset and Joseph Olowu wasted a great chance from a corner that followed panicked play at the back.
Like Everton, Sheffield United has no points from three games in the league but won’t have League Cup games for respite in the coming weeks.
After a 0-0 draw at home to Lincoln, Sheffield United lost the shootout 3-2.
Burnley scored in the 90th through substitute Zeki Amdouni, a recently signed Switzerland international, to win 1-0 at Nottingham Forest in an all-Premier League matchup and second-tier Blackburn crushed fourth-tier Harrogate 8-0.
Third Round Draw
The third round sees the teams involved in European competition this season enter the League Cup.
The draw was made after Wednesday’s games and there were five all-Premier League matchups picked out, with the standout being Newcastle hosting Manchester City.
Ipswich vs Wolverhampton, Exeter vs. Luton,Aston Villa vs. Everton,Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace,Port Vale vs. Sutton,Bradford vs. Middlesbrough, Bournemouth vs. Stoke,Lincoln vs. West Ham, Brentford vs. Arsenal, Chelsea vs. Brighton, Salford vs. Burnley, Fulham vs. Norwich, Blackburn vs. Cardiff, Liverpool vs. Leicester, Newcastle vs. Manchester City, Mansfield vs. Peterborough. (PTI)
