Man Utd survive League Cup shoot-out, West Ham crash out
Manchester United defeated third tier Rochdale 5-3 on penalties in the League Cup.
LONDON (AFP) - Manchester United survived a League Cup scare against third tier Rochdale as they won 5-3 on penalties, while West Ham suffered a shock 4-0 defeat at Oxford on Wednesday.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s struggling side were held to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford after 16-year-old Luke Matheson scored a 76th minute equaliser following Mason Greenwood s opener for United eight minutes earlier.
With United in danger of a humiliating exit, they held their nerve in the shoot-out, winning 5-3 as Daniel James converted the decisive kick after Sergio Romero saved Rochdale s second penalty from Jimmy Keohane.
Although United avoided the embarrassment of losing to a team 17th in League One, the sloppy manner of their performance will raise fresh questions about Solskjaer s ability to inspire his side.
United are languishing in eighth place in the Premier League after Saturday s dismal 2-0 defeat at West Ham left them with just two wins from six games.
"We go 1-0 up and you think come on, get a second . It s a learning curve," Solskjaer said.
"At this club we don t sit back and think that s good enough. That s not what we want here."
Liverpool eased to a 2-0 victory at third tier MK Dons as Harvey Elliott became the youngest player to start a competitive match for the club.
The 16-year-old put in an accomplished display and twice hit the crossbar as James Milner profited from terrible goalkeeping from Stuart Moore to put the Reds in front before Ki-Jana Hoever wrapped up the win.
Frank Lampard got a first home win as Chelsea boss under his belt as his youthful side thumped fourth division Grimsby 7-1.
Ross Barkley opened the floodgates and Michy Batshuayi struck twice.
There were also goals for Pedro, Kurt Zouma, Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi -- the England winger making his first appearance since suffering an Achilles injury in April.
Lampard handed debuts to four academy graduates as well as a first start for Billy Gilmour.
Gilmour was a stand-out performer in midfield and fellow rookies James and Marc Guehi also impressed.
"I m pleased, some debuts and the young lads who came on improved the team which was nice. It s nice to get that first home win," Lampard said.
"I thought Gilmour ran the game from midfield. It says a lot about the academy, and nights like this give the opportunity to mix the team up and give them a chance."
At the Kassam Stadium, third tier Oxford reached the fourth round for the first time in 22 years thanks to a stunning victory against West Ham.
Second-half goals by Elliott Moore, Matty Taylor, Tariqe Fosu and Shandon Baptiste left West Ham shell-shocked.
Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini made nine changes and handed a full debut to academy graduate Nathan Holland, but the understudies weren t up to the task.
Max Power s superb 25-yard strike in the ninth minute fired third tier Sunderland to a surprise 1-0 win at Premier League side Sheffield United.
Bournemouth were the third Premier League club to crash out as third tier Burton -- semi-finalists last season -- won 2-0 in a match delayed three times by floodlight failure at the Pirelli Stadium.
Wolves beat second tier Reading 4-2 on penalties after a dramatic 1-1 draw.
Debutant Bruno Jordao put Wolves ahead but Lucas Boye headed Reading level in the ninth minute of stoppage-time, setting up a shoot-out that the Premier League team won comfortably.
Aston Villa cruised to a 3-1 win at Brighton thanks to goals from Jota, Conor Hourihane and Jack Grealish.
