Huddersfield Town produced a memorable Carabao Cup shock by eliminating Championship side Leicester City in a dramatic penalty shootout at the Accu Stadium. Goalkeeper Lee Nicholls was the star of the night, saving two spot-kicks as the League One club triumphed 3-2 after an exciting 2-2 draw in normal time.
Leicester took the lead early in the second half through Hamza Choudhury’s thunderous strike, but Huddersfield hit back when Dan Vost followed up his saved penalty to nod home his first senior goal. Harry Winks quickly restored Leicester’s advantage, only for Cameron Ashia to curl in a superb equaliser. In the shootout, Bilal El Khannouss struck the post and Nicholls denied both Jordan Ayew and Kasey McAteer to send the Terriers through to a second-round trip to Sunderland.
Birmingham City also advanced after a late 2-1 win over Sheffield United. Kyogo Furuhashi opened the scoring early on for the hosts, but Gustavo Hamer stunned the home fans with a breathtaking 50-yard strike to level. Just when the tie seemed destined for penalties, Jay Stansfield turned in the box and fired a deflected shot past Adam Davies to seal victory and a meeting with Port Vale.
Sheffield Wednesday’s youthful side held their nerve in a penalty shootout against Bolton Wanderers, winning 4-2. The Owls, who fielded five teenagers, led twice in the match but were pegged back by a stoppage-time equaliser from Amario Cozier-Duberry. Goalkeeper Pierce Charles saved two penalties before Liam Palmer converted the decisive kick to book a home derby with Leeds United.
Elsewhere, Barnsley overcame Fleetwood Town 5-4 on penalties at Oakwell after a 2-2 draw. Murphy Cooper’s saves in the shootout proved decisive. Cheltenham Town progressed comfortably with a 2-0 victory over Exeter City, thanks to goals from James Wilson and Ryan Broom, setting up a second-round clash with Cardiff City.
The second-round draw handed Manchester United a trip to League Two side Grimsby Town as they look to bounce back from last season’s struggles. All-Premier League ties include Bournemouth hosting Brentford and Wolves facing West Ham. Leeds United will visit either Bolton or Sheffield Wednesday, while Everton take on League One Mansfield Town.
Clubs involved in European competition this season will enter in the third round, with the next set of fixtures scheduled for the week beginning 25 August.
