Fulham beat Tottenham Hotspur 5-3 on penalties to reach the third round of the League Cup after they drew 1-1 at Craven Cottage on Tuesday, while second tier Leeds United also suffered shootout misery as they were dumped out by Salford City.
Tottenham defender Davinson Sanchez failed to find the net with their third penalty as Fulham keeper Marek Rodak saved low to his left, before Fulham’s Joao Palhinha and Kenny Tete both scored to complete the victory.
In the pouring rain, Fulham took the lead in the 19th minute of the London derby through an own goal from Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven from close range.
Four-time winners Tottenham did not manage a shot on target in the first half and the hosts could have led by two goals at halftime, but Spurs keeper Fraser Forster made a superb save to deny a Rodrigo Muniz header just before the break.
Ange Postecoglou’s side drew level in the 56th minute when Richarlison connected with a lofted pass by Ivan Perisic to nod home from
a tight angle.
Fulham, however, went close to sealing the win in regular time when Harry Wilson ran onto a loose pass inside the box but Forster’s save kept Spurs in the contest.
League Two Salford City beat Leeds United 9-8 on penalties also after a 1-1 draw. Both sides missed a penalty in their first five before Leeds’ Jamie Shackleton hit the bar, leaving Ossama Ashley to secure victory for Salford.
Second-tier Plymouth Argyle looked on course to cause another upset when they led 2-0 against Premier League Crystal Palace, but Roy Hodgson’s side fought back to win 4-2.
Ben Waine gave Plymouth an early lead and Luke Cundle made it 2-0 after the break but forward Odsonne Edouard pulled one back for Palace just before the hour mark followed by a Jean-Philippe Mateta hat-trick.
Bournemouth came from a goal down to win 3-2 at second-tier Swansea City, earning boss Andoni Iraola a first win in charge.
Wolverhampton Wanderers crushed League One Blackpool 5-0 while Premier League new boys Luton Town, who are without a point in two games following their return to the top flight, beat League Two Gillingham 3-2.
Second-half goals by Wilfred Ndidi and Jamie Vardy earned Championship leaders Leicester City a comfortable 2-0 win over League Two Tranmere Rovers.
City, Wolves agree on Nunes deal
London: Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers have come to a verbal agreement concerning the transfer of Wolves’ Portuguese midfielder Matheus Nunes, British media reported on Wednesday.
The clubs are understood to have arrived at an initial agreement on a fee of £47m ($59.83m) for the 25-year-old, with discussions actively continuing.
Wolves signed the Brazilian born Nunes last August for a then club-record transfer fee of €45m ($49.23m) from Sporting CP on a five-year contract.
After Kevin De Bruyne sustained a hamstring injury during the Premier League opener at Burnley, resulting in an extended period on the sidelines, City have been actively seeking a midfielder to fill the gap.
Earlier, it had been reported that Nunes has been refusing to train with the team in a bid to force through a move to City.
“He’s not with the group at the moment, his choice,” Wolves manager Gary O’Neil said. “After the bid from City, he decided it was best for him to not be with the group. Club policy and how we deal with things like that is set in place.”
Speaking after Wolves’ 5-0 win over Blackpool on Tuesday, O’Neil stopped short of criticising Nunes’ actions, saying he first needed to speak to the player.
Reuters
