With round 2 of the EFL Cup over, one Premier League side facing a huge shock, and 72 goals scored across 25 games, let’s take a look at the biggest freak results.
5. Millwall 0-1 Leyton Orient
At first glance, you may not see it as a freak result, but if you look into it, you will notice Leyton Orient’s poor season in League 1 would have suggested a loss in this fixture.
‘The O’s’ have failed to get a single point from three, losing to Birmingham, Charlton, and Bolton in the League. This is despite their young manager, Richie Wellens, and his modern approach to the game. Fans of the League 1 side will hope a win like this will boost confidence.
Millwall had an equally poor start to their league campaign; however, they are on the championship side. They have had a draw and two losses from three games and sit 22nd in the league. This won’t look good on 47-year-old manager Neil Harris, who was only appointed in February of this year and finished 6 points off relegation last season despite finishing 13th.
Thus, despite having poor starts, Millwall should have won with their Championship quality alone, as neither has more confidence.
4. Walsall 3-2 Huddersfield Town
No Huddersfield Town fan would have been afraid of facing a team from the league below before this match, having had the perfect start to life with three wins from three in League 1 so far this season.
However, League 2 side Walsall beat Michael Duff’s side courtesy of a brace from Stoke Loanee Nathan Lowe and an own goal to secure Walsall victory from Michal Helik. Huddersfield were TWO-NIL up before this.
Huddersfield’s manager was only appointed in May and is pragmatic and demands hard work. This differs from Walsall head coach Mat Sadler, who wants to “Play well,” but this doesn’t always mean playing out from the back of his mind, although that is a part of his game. The League 2 side has two wins from three and managed double the shots Huddersfield did in their cup tie.
3. Barrow 0-0 Derby County (3-2 Barrow on Penalties)
A fairly even 90 minutes saw the game be decided by Penalties, in which three misses from Championship side Derby County concluded the game, and Barrow of League 2 won the game.
Derby County will be extremely disappointed not to build some momentum following 3 points from a possible 9 in the league this season.
Conversely, Barrow will be delighted to boost confidence, having won two from two, only conceding one league goal this season, keeping four clean sheets, and sitting fourth in League 2 this season. New Barrow manager Stephen Clemence will be pleased and proud of his side so far this season, and he will strive to achieve their long-term goal of promotion to League 1 this season (per co-owner Tony Shearer).
2. Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Blackpool
Despite a good performance from the Championship side, Blackpool overcame Blackburn thanks to 2 late goals from the League 2 side.
Blackburn Rovers currently sit third in the Championship, with 7 points from 3 games. This is despite losing the Championship’s top scorer, Sammie Szmodics, to Ipswich Town this window. This shockingly ends their unbeaten start to the season.
On the other hand, Blackpool have had an abysmal start to the season, sitting 22nd in League 1 with only 1 point from 3. Thus, their manager, Neil Critchley, was “relieved of his duties” six days before this game.
1. AFC Wimbledon 2-2 Ipswich Town (4-2 AFC Wimbledon on Penalties)
After a baptism of fire in the Premier League for Ipswich Town (facing Liverpool and Manchester City), McKenna’s side has gone from bad to worse as they fail to defeat a side THREE leagues below them.
This is despite the dominant performance Ipswich Town put out. Thanks to Kieran McKenna, they displayed the quality of their players and their quality on the sideline. Ipswich will face Fulham on Saturday, hoping for their first point this season.
AFC Wimbledon will be thrilled with themselves, as they now hope to do an even harder job in round 3, welcoming Newcastle United to their stadium. They can’t catch a break!
For the full list of results, click here: https://www.skysports.com/carabao-cup-results
The Domestic cups never fail to disappoint! See you at the end of Round 3.
