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Carabao Cup

Carabao Cup first-round roundup: West Ham, Wolves and Middlesbrough all progress

West Ham, Wolves, Middlesbrough and Plymouth Argyle were among the sides to progress as the Carabao Cup first round delivered late drama and a host of penalty shootouts.

Will Lankshear celebrates scoring his first goal for Middlesbrough.

The Carabao Cup first round is in the books, as sides from across the top four divisions of the English football pyramid battled for a place in the second round.

Plymouth Argyle left it late to settle the Devon derby against Exeter City, while Burnley needed penalties to overcome Notts County.

West Ham United came from behind against Portsmouth and Wolves made a winning start under new head coach Cesar Peixoto.

Middlesbrough also edged out Wrexham thanks to a debut goal from summer signing Will Lankshear.

Here are the highlights from the opening round, plus the full results.

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Plymouth leave it late against Exeter

Plymouth needed two stoppage-time goals to give them a dramatic 2-0 win over rivals Exeter.

Former City defender Alex Hartridge headed Argyle 1-0 up in the second minute of time added on from a Harvey White corner.

Argyle’s Canadian striker Bim Pepple made it 2-0 in the fourth and final minute of stoppage time after a City defensive mix-up.

It was a tense, scrappy Devon derby that offered little in quality for the first half hour in front of a 16,755.

City’s 65th-minute substitute Ethan Sunderland saw red in the 88th minute after being yellow carded in the 78th before the late drama.

Burnley survive Notts County scare

Burnley prevailed 4-3 in a penalty shootout to book a place in the second round of the Carabao Cup after the Championship club had been held to a 1-1 draw by League One Notts County at Turf Moor.

Veteran defender Kyle Walker held his nerve with the winning kick after Clarets goalkeeper Max Weiss had saved from Emile Acquah and Jacob Bedeau.

Three divisions separated these two clubs last season and new Burnley manager Nicky Hayen’s team included 10 players with Premier League experience.

However, it was the visitors who struck first in the 42nd minute through Callum Roberts, the winger shrugging off Hannibal Mejbri after collecting Nick Tsaroulla’s pass 20 yards out before sending a fierce shot past Weiss.

County, who had five more players making debuts, needed the excellence of keeper James Belshaw to thwart Zian Flemming either side of Roberts’ stunner.

But when Marcus Edwards’ pass invited Flemming to burst between James Gibbons and Lucas Ness in the 47th minute, this time Burnley’s Dutch striker lifted a deft finish over Belshaw.

SPOT-KICK SUCCESS: Burnley won on penalties over Notts County.
PICTURE: Richard Sellers/PA

West Ham fight back to beat Portsmouth

Valentin Castellanos scored twice in an emphatic comeback win as West Ham beat Portsmouth 3-1 in front of the largest-ever crowd at a Carabao Cup first-round match.

The Argentinian’s brace helped get the Hammers’ season off to a winning start and propelled them through to the second round, two months after suffering Premier League relegation.

It also gave their rowdy fans something to cheer about on a day when under-fire West Ham co-owner David Sullivan sat in the stands, despite being advised not to attend by London Stadium operators amid an ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.

The Hammers’ pedestrian start was punished by Pompey in the 33rd minute when Adrian Segecic controlled Maximilian Kilman’s clearance and let fly with a left-footed shot which rebounded off the West Ham defender and into the bottom corner.

West Ham jolted into life shortly before the interval and drew level when Mohamadou Kante’s simple cut-back was directed into the far corner by Castellanos.

Captain Jarrod Bowen put the hosts in front two minutes later after latching on to Pablo’s mis-controlled pass and sending Nicolas Schmid the wrong way with a deflected effort from range.

The victory was sealed when Castellanos nodded in Bowen’s cross following good work from Kyle Walker-Peters to start the attack.

CUP DOUBLE: Valentin Castellanos (right) scored twice in West Ham’s win.
PICTURE: Owen Humphreys/PA

Wolves make winning start under Peixoto

Cesar Peixoto made a winning start as Wolves head coach with a 3-0 victory against Sky Bet League Two side Port Vale in the Carabao Cup first round.

The Portuguese, 46, replaced Rob Edwards at Molineux in June on a two-year deal and was tasked with leading the club immediately back to the Premier League after relegation.

The home side scored in the 15th minute when Adam Armstrong calmly side footed home from close range when midfielder Kyle Dempsey failed to clear Mateus Mane’s cross.

After Vale’s Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel missed a golden chance, Andre made it 2-0 in the 34th minute.

The Brazilian midfielder nodded home when Kieran Trippier’s deep cross was headed back into the danger zone by Yerson Mosquera.

Fer Lopez scored his first Wolves goal in the 43rd minute.

The Spaniard coolly picked his spot after sidestepping Lewis Montsma just inside the area after a short pass from Rodrigo Gomes.

Dan Bentley denied Faal from the spot in the 54th minute, easily saving his centrally placed kick after Yerson Mosquera was judged to have pushed the striker.

Raul Jimenez got a late Molineux return off the bench after his free transfer from Fulham, delighting the home fans.

FIRST BLOOD: Adam Armstrong struck first for Wolves in their victory over Port Vale.
PICTURE: Nick Potts/PA

Lankshear makes instant impact for Middlesbrough

Will Lankshear’s debut strike ensured Middlesbrough made a winning start to the season as they beat Wrexham 1-0 in the Carabao Cup first round.

Lankshear, a £10m summer signing from Tottenham Hotspur, scored the only goal of the game in the 61st minute as he hooked home an excellent first-time volley.

The 21-year-old curled an effort just over the bar at the start of the second half, but he did not have to wait too much longer for his first goal in a Boro shirt.

Leo Castledine headed Jeremy Sarmiento’s cross into Lankshear’s path, and the striker swivelled neatly before hooking a superb first-time volley into the far corner.

Boro almost doubled their lead with three minutes remaining, but Morgan Whittaker’s low strike rebounded off the post.

Will Lankshear celebrates scoring his first goal for Middlesbrough.
OFF THE MARK: Will Lankshear celebrates scoring his first goal for Middlesbrough. PICTURE: Richard Sellers/PA

Carabao Cup first-round results

Thursday 6th August

Bristol City 0-1 Walsall

Friday 7th August

Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 Port Vale
Wycombe Wanderers 1-2 Stevenage
Middlesbrough 1-0 Wrexham

Saturday 8th August

Cambridge United 2-1 Barnet
Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Millwall – Millwall won 2-0 on penalties
AFC Wimbledon 1-1 Newport County – AFC Wimbledon won 5-4 on penalties
Barnsley 1-1 Wigan Athletic – Barnsley won 6-5 on penalties
Bradford City 2-0 Rochdale
Bristol Rovers 0-1 Peterborough United
Bromley 1-1 Reading – Reading won 5-4 on penalties
Burnley 1-1 Notts County – Burnley won 4-3 on penalties
Burton Albion 1-2 Blackburn Rovers
Cardiff City 3-2 Swindon Town
Crewe Alexandra 2-1 Accrington Stanley
Derby County 1-2 Lincoln City
Fleetwood Town 1-0 Chesterfield
Gillingham 0-3 Luton Town
Grimsby Town 1-3 Blackpool
Leicester City 1-0 Northampton Town
Leyton Orient 2-0 Oxford United
Norwich City 4-1 MK Dons
Preston North End 1-1 Huddersfield Town – Preston North End won 4-3 on penalties
Salford City 1-1 Shrewsbury Town – Shrewsbury Town won 4-3 on penalties
Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Bolton Wanderers
Stockport County 1-1 Doncaster Rovers – Doncaster Rovers won 5-4 on penalties
Stoke City 2-0 Oldham Athletic
Swansea City 0-1 Birmingham City
Watford 1-0 Crawley Town
West Ham United 3-1 Portsmouth
Cheltenham Town 1-3 Charlton Athletic
Colchester United 0-2 Southampton
Rotherham United 1-4 West Bromwich Albion

Sunday 9th August

Mansfield Town 0-3 Sheffield United

Monday 10th August

Plymouth Argyle 2-0 Exeter City

READ MORE: Bristol City 0-1 Walsall: Saddlers upset Robins as Aaron Pressley seals Carabao Cup progress

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