Millie Bright said it was “mind-blowing” that VAR was not used in England’s 2-1 Nations League defeat against the Netherlands.

Lieke Martens’ opener for the hosts would have been disallowed for offside if VAR had been in operation, as Danielle van de Donk took part in the build-up after returning from an offside position.

But VAR is not mandatory in the Nations League group stages – it is at the discretion of the host nation – and the Lionesses also had two goals struck off for offside, neither of which could be confirmed by VAR.

Speaking after the defeat England captain Bright, 30, was quoted on the BBC website as saying: “This is international football and we do not have VAR in a competitive international game, which is mind-blowing.

“There is no consistency. It is always frustrating (to not have VAR). We push the level of the game to be so high and professional, yet we sometimes have VAR, and sometimes we don’t and sometimes we have goalline technology.

“It is really unfortunate that these are still huge decisions that are incorrect. That’s where we as players have to keep speaking about it, we have to step up, and we have to demand better, and demand more.”

After Alessia Russo’s 64th-minute equaliser, England were then punished after losing possession in the 90th minute as Alex Greenwood gave the ball away and Martens fed substitute Renate Jansen, who rifled past Mary Earps.

England manager Sarina Wiegman also expressed her frustration at Netherlands’ first goal with Danielle van de Donk seemingly in an offside position before assisting Martens.

“When they scored their first goal, we didn’t do well, we didn’t play well, but it’s so obviously offside,” Weigman told ITV, following only the third defeat of her 41-game England tenure.

“That needs to be seen. I think the standards of the game are getting higher and higher, so (having VAR) would absolutely help. It’s just a little bit disappointing.

“(It is) absolutely a tough one to take and a very, very unnecessary one. The first half they were the better team.

“I think second half we totally dominated the game, and of course we scored one goal – but before that we got lots of huge opportunities, too. It’s just one moment that we don’t manage the game and in the counter-attack they score for 2-1. That’s very, very disappointing.”

The result leaves both England and Andries Jonker’s Netherlands on three points in Group A1. Belgium, who England face twice in October in their next group games, lead the pool with four points after drawing 1-1 with Scotland, who have one.

Wiegman’s side, 2-1 victors over Scotland in their opener last Friday, are attempting to secure a Paris 2024 Olympics qualification spot via this competition, and need to finish top of their group to have a chance to do so.

What the papers say

Arsenal are rumoured to be keen on signing Brentford forward Ivan Toney, the Mirror reports. The Gunners have been eyeing the 27-year-old and are said to be stepping up their interest ahead of the January transfer window, with Toney currently banned from all football activities until mid-January for gambling offences.

The Daily Mail reports that a sensational return to Chelsea could be on the cards for Tammy Abraham after two years at Roma as part of a swap deal for Romelu Lukaku, who is currently on loan at the Serie A club.

Manchester United may have their eyes set on German international forward Serge Gnabry from Bayern Munich, the Daily Mail reports. The Premier League club currently lack firepower without Antony and Jadon Sancho.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Aston Villa continue talks to extend Ollie Watkins’ contract, aiming to finalise a new deal for the England international by January according to 90min.

Nigeria midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, 26, may be gearing up for a move to Nottingham Forest or Barcelona, with interest being shown by both clubs for the Leicester midfielder.

John Terry was banned for four matches and fined £220,000 after being found guilty of racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand, on this day in 2012.

The Chelsea captain denied the charge but a Football Association regulatory commission ruled he was guilty of misconduct during his side’s 1-0 Premier League defeat to QPR at Loftus Road on October 23 2011.

The 31-year-old England defender announced his retirement from international football a week before the FA’s decision and decided not to appeal against it.

An FA statement read: “An independent regulatory commission has today found a charge of misconduct against John Terry proven and has issued a suspension for a period of four matches and a fine of £220,000, pending appeal.

“The Football Association charged Mr Terry on Friday 27 July 2012 with using abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour towards Queens Park Rangers’ Anton Ferdinand and which included a reference to colour and/or race contrary to FA Rule E3[2] in relation to the Queens Park Rangers FC versus Chelsea FC fixture at Loftus Road on 23 October 2011.

“The charge was the result of The FA’s long-standing investigation into this matter, which was placed on hold at the request of the Crown Prosecution Service and Mr Terry’s representatives pending the outcome of the criminal trial.”

The incident occurred in Chelsea’s defeat to QPR when the pair clashed verbally on several occasions in the match.

Terry was previously found not guilty – in Westminster Magistrates Court in July 2012 – of a racially-aggravated public order offence as the prosecution was unable to prove he had called Ferdinand a “f****** black c***” as an insult.

Terry admitted using the words, but insisted he had only been repeating words he thought Ferdinand had accused him of saying.

The FA decided to launch their own investigation of the matter which angered Terry and he announced he was quitting international football with immediate effect, saying his position was “untenable”, on the eve of the independent hearing.

Terry’s legal team had argued the governing body’s own rules dictated that his acquittal in court meant the case could not proceed but the FA decided to carry on with their investigation, stating their charge was distinct from the court charge.

The panel who handed Liverpool striker Luis Suarez an eight-match ban when they found him guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra the season before declared simply using racist language was enough to breach FA rules.

Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz battled bravely, but were unable to deny Canada, who registered a 2-1 scoreline in second-leg action of the Concacaf Olympic Qualifying playoff, on their return home at a sold-out BMO Field in Toronto, on Tuesday.

Unlike the first leg at Jamaica’s National Stadium where they were easy 2-0 winners, Canada, the reigning Olympic champions, came from behind on this occasion, to wrap up a 4-1 aggregate win and join United States as the confederation’s representatives in next year’s Paris Games.

Cloe Lacasse (39th) and substitute Jordyn Huitema (50th), did the damage for Bev Priestman’s side, after Drew Spence’s 33rd-minute strike offered Lorne Donaldson and his Reggae Girlz a glimmer of hope.

While Canada, by virtue of the win, also confirmed the second automatic spot in the Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup, the Jamaicans will have to quickly regain their confidence for meetings with Panama and Guatemala next month, which represents their opportunity to secure Gold Cup qualification.

Tuesday’s task for was always expected to be a difficult one for the Reggae Girlz, as Canada, playing at home for the first time in over a year, were brimming with confidence on the back of a two-goal advantage from the first leg.

Though Donaldson ringed in the changes, five to be exact, with talismanic striker Khadija "Bunny" Shaw and Jody Brown, out with injuries, it meant little to the Canadians, who went about business in a no-nonsense manner.

They required only two minutes to fire the first warning shot, as Adriana Leon unleashed from just outside the 18-yard box, but the effort was swallowed up by Rebecca Spencer, who produced another workmanlike performance in goal for Jamaica.

As Canada continued to show enterprise and mounted early pressure, the Reggae Girlz held their own defensively, as they ensured the opponent’s hunt for goals turned out fruitless at that point.

In fact, the Jamaicans were not without hope on the attacking front, and it was one of their occasional push forward that resulted in the opening goal.

Atlanta Primus’s initial effort from a distance was handled at the top of the arc by a defender and it was left for Spence to step up and convert a delightful free kick beating Kailen Sheridan diving full stretch to her right.

Canada launched a series of attacks in their probe for the equalizer and almost pulled level in the 35th, as a corner kick taken by Leon was headed on by Deneisha Blackwood. Fortunately for the Jamaican left-back, the crossbar was in the way.

The host again went close when Ashley Lawrence drove a stinging right-footer from a distance that Spencer tipped unto the crossbar and Primus, who dropped back to assist with defending, forced the ball out for a corner.

Leon served up a perfectly weighted delivery from the resulting corner and Lacasse rose above her markers to head home from close range to make it 1-1 heading into the break.

Though the Reggae Girlz were chasing the game, the manner in which they came out on the resumption said otherwise.

As such, their hopes of mounting a comeback were dented five minutes in, when Blackwood’s unforced error, allowed Lawrence to float a cross in for unmarked substitute Huitema to nod home.

Canada should have added another in the 62nd as another defensive error by captain Allyson Swaby, allowed another substitute, Christine Sinclair through on goal, but the legendary striker failed to add to her 190-goal tally, as her effort went straight at Spencer.

In the 72nd, Sinclair again found space in the 18-yard box for a right-footer that went just wide of the left upright.

The Girlz tried to play their game but were unable to cause any real problems in the attacking third. Instead, it was Canada, who asserted authority in the latter stages, and it took another big save from Spencer, who left her line well, to deny 19-year-old substitute Olivia Smith in time added.

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen is reserving “the right to take legal action” against his own club after his team posted a bizarre video to TikTok seemingly mocking the player.

The odd video comes after Osimhen helped the Italian team secure a first league title, the club’s first in three decades.

Despite Osimhen singlehandedly bolstering Napoli with 31 goals across all competitions, he became the target of a strange, now-deleted video, shared to the Serie A club’s official TikTok account.

Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda issued a statement on Tuesday night about the incident.

He wrote on Twitter: “What happened today on Napoli’s official profile on the TikTok platform is not acceptable. A video mocking Victor was first made public and then, but now belatedly, deleted.

“A serious fact that causes very serious damage to the player and adds to the treatment that the boy is suffering in the last period between media trials and fake news.”

Calenda added: “We reserve the right to take legal action and any useful initiative to protect Victor”.

The video featured a clip of the striker’s penalty miss from their match against Bologna on Sunday, with an odd, sped-up voice dubbed over the top.

The strange social media clip comes after there appeared to be tension between Osimhen and Napoli manager Rudi Garcia during the game.

The 24-year-old Nigerian striker was seen berating Garcia as he was substituted off with four minutes remaining of the goalless draw.

The bizarre social media scrap comes after Osimhen, who captured the interest of Manchester United this summer, did not sign a new contract with the Italian team.

Osimhen’s current deal runs through to the summer of 2025.

Erik ten Hag says Alejandro Garnacho was “not good enough” in his previous starts this season after the Manchester United teenager scored in the Carabao Cup victory against Crystal Palace.

Having secured a much-needed Premier League victory at Burnley on Saturday evening, the Red Devils ran out comfortable 3-0 victors against Roy Hodgson’s south Londoners on Tuesday night.

Casemiro scored and then crossed for Anthony Martial’s goal on a night started by Garnacho impressively putting the Carabao Cup holders ahead from Diogo Dalot’s cutback.

The 19-year-old began United’s first two matches of the season, but this was the first time he was named in the starting line-up since the defeat to Tottenham five weeks ago.

“You have seen at the start of the season we played him and then his contribution was not good enough,” manager Ten Hag said of the Argentina international.

“But he also had some good actions. You see always he is a threat in the game even when he is not playing that well.

“He has to learn when he does his job in defending he will always have his moment and he will always be decisive because he has great qualities.

“As well, it’s not only off the ball. But I want to see like today, he is entering the box in the right spot to finish.

“But I think it is quite normal for a player of his age that there is space for a lot of improvement.

“Everyone likes him, the fans like him, the team likes him, I like him but we also have to demand from him and push him because he can act on a very high level but he has to show it every day.”

United made seven alterations, as did Palace, ahead of Saturday’s Premier League reunion at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag will hope Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay can return from what the United boss called illness, so too left-back Sergio Reguilon.

The on-loan Tottenham full-back’s absence meant Sofyan Amrabat filled in there on his first start for the club, before stepping into midfield at half-time.

“Sofyan is a player, and that was one of the reasons we signed him, where the team needs him, he will play and he can play in more positions,” Ten Hag said.

“Every player has his best position but he gives a certain dynamic in the game. We have seen today but also for him and many players, we just started.

“That process was a little bit interrupted by the many injuries we have because when you can play a long time with the same team then you get routines, the players learn each other and it’s more automatic.

“You see Mason (Mount), Amrabat, you see also others, they can contribute to our game and they will do.”

As for Palace, Roy Hodgson had no arguments with the result as his side made a meek Carabao Cup exit in the third round.

“I thought we were well beaten, basically,” said the Eagles boss, who saw Dean Henderson go off injured on his debut at former club United.

“I thought they attacked better than we did, defended the few attacks we were able to mount quite comfortably.

“As a result, unfortunately, you tend when that happens to only be looking at one possible result and that was the result they came up with.”

LaLiga leaders Barcelona twice had to battle from behind as Fermin Lopez’s first goal for the club earned a hard-fought draw at Real Mallorca.

Xavi’s side have been the early pace-setters as they look to defend their league title but the visitors had to settle for a 2-2 draw at the Iberostar Stadium.

Vedat Muriqi and Abdon Prats goals had twice had the hosts in front but Raphinha cancelled out the opener before substitute Lopez struck to earn Barca a share of the spoils.

Two early goals set Sevilla on their way to an emphatic 5-1 home win over Almeria.

Youssef En-Nesyri headed home with seven minutes on the clock after Loic Bade had hit the woodwork and just a minute later the lead was doubled courtesy of a fine solo strike from Dodi Lukebakio.

Suso’s curling effort wrapped up the win before the interval with Erik Lamela adding a fourth before a Luis Suarez penalty reduced the arrears, only for Kike Salas to make it five in stoppage time.

In Italy, Juventus moved two points behind early leaders Inter Milan with a 1-0 win over a Lecce side who finished with 10 men.

Arkadiusz Milik’s close-range effort proved to be enough for Juve, who saw out the game to wrap up the win as the visitors had Mohamed Kaba sent off in injury time after picking up a second yellow card for simulation.

Meanwhile, Lille’s inconsistent start to the Ligue 1 season continued as they fell to a 2-1 home defeat to Reims.

Paulo Fonseca’s side have won just two of their six opening league games and early goals from Mohamed Daramy and Keito Nakamura saw them slip up once again despite Benjamin Andre’s second-half consolation.

Elsewhere, a much-changed Bayern Munich side made light work of third-tier Preussen Munster in the first round of the DFB-Pokal.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting put the Bundesliga giants ahead early on and they were out of sight by the break as Konrad Laimer and Frans Kratzig got in on the act.

The 4-0 win was wrapped up by a late Mathys Tel effort as Thomas Tuchel’s side advance with ease.

Gary O’Neil painted a bleak picture of the situation at Wolves and admitted “no magic wand” will fix their problems after a 3-2 loss at Ipswich in the Carabao Cup third round.

Wolves slumped to a fifth defeat in eight matches under the former Bournemouth manager, who only took over on August 9 following the departure of Julen Lopetegui by mutual consent.

O’Neil made 10 changes for the Portman Road clash and despite taking a 2-0 lead via goals by Hwang Hee-chan and Toti, the Premier League outfit were on the end of an upset after Championship high-flyers Ipswich responded through Omari Hutchinson, Freddie Ladapo and Jack Taylor.

Asked for a message to disgruntled Wolves supporters, O’Neil insisted: “To stick with the group.

“We are six weeks into a process and there is no magic wand. I can guarantee you when I arrived the place was not running perfectly and ready to go into a Premier League season.

“There are a lot of things that need fixing and of course I am willing to take responsibility, but the facts are you need some time to put things in place. That does not look like a team that I have worked with for very long at this moment, which it isn’t.

“Do I accept that we need to get results? Of course. Do I want the fans to enjoy every game we play and come away and support the players? Of course and we will work tirelessly to make sure we get it there and we will get it there.

“But there is no transfer window. The transfer window is closed and we are together as we are and need to get the maximum out of the group.

“We’ve named a strong team with 11 players that should be capable of winning here and we don’t, so it is my responsibility to make sure we get some more out of them.”

Life does not get any easier for Wolves with Manchester City set to visit on Saturday and it will be a return to Molineux for Matheus Nunes, who left in a £53million deal last month.

O’Neil pointed out the club’s net spend this summer when asked to reflect on the issues at the Midlands outfit.

“I think when I arrived the culture of the club needed a shift and some of it needs to move towards more togetherness,” O’Neil admitted.

“Yeah, there is a big list of things that need fixing. Of course I understand it is my responsibility and people will say, ‘they did fine last year,’ but the truth is they got 41 points and we made an £80million profit on players in the summer.

“So, we’re £80million short of where we were and last year we got 41 points.

“We need to move it from that in a more difficult situation now than the club was then player-wise, so that’s the facts of the job.

“I understood that when I took the job, I understand it now and every weekend is not going to be rosy. We’re going to suffer some tough weekends and we’ll need to crack on and go again.”

While Wolves were left to reflect on a sorry defeat, Ipswich’s highly-rated manager Kieran McKenna toasted his own first win against top-flight opposition.

After Hwang and Toti netted within 15 minutes, the Championship’s second-placed club continued their terrific form with three unanswered goals.

Chelsea loanee Hutchinson started the comeback with a right-footed effort from eight-yards before Ladapo fired home inside the area before half-time.

Taylor completed the turnaround with a 25-yard thunderbolt and the 58th-minute strike sent Ipswich into the fourth round of the competition for the first time since 2010.

“We need to enjoy tonight because it is the first time we’ve had a Premier League team here in quite a few years,” McKenna acknowledged.

“It is 11 years since we beat a Premier League team so a good night for progress and the regrowth of this football club again, but it is a cup game.

“The result tonight does not win us anything but it is really significant as a marker point for the development of the squad, so we’ll take it as that and enjoy it for a sign of progress.”

Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson called his players ‘bottlers’ after they lost a Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out 3-1 at League Two Mansfield.

Posh came from behind to lead but the game ended 2-2 when Lucas Akins netted a stoppage-time penalty.

Former Peterborough goalkeeper Christy Pym then saved two spot-kicks before Davis Keillor-Dunn netted the winner as the Nottinghamshire team ensured they remain the only EFL side unbeaten this season, making the fourth round of the competition for the first time since 1975.

Ferguson said: “I don’t like criticising my players in public and I very rarely do as a manager. But I am not letting them get away with that one. They absolutely bottled it.

“For the first 65-70 minutes, the penalty aside, I thought we were really, really good and they couldn’t get near us.

“But all of a sudden Mansfield started going back to front a bit more and we just bottled it, pure and simple. I can’t dress this one up.

“It is terrible result, there is no other way of putting it, and it is a massive opportunity missed.

“It was a massive chance to get in the last 16 and I hope Mansfield now get Manchester United away or something like that so our players can see it tomorrow night.”

Will Swan put the Stags ahead from the penalty spot in the fifth minute but the visitors piled on the pressure and levelled when Jonson Clarke-Harris’ 25-yard free-kick went through the wall and past Pym on the half hour.

Clarke-Harris swept home a second in the 47th minute but Mansfield raised their game and began to dominate and were rewarded with Akins’ spot-kick success three minutes into added time, before emulating their shoot-out win at Sheffield Wednesday in the previous round.

Delighted Stags boss Nigel Clough said: “We are into the next round for the first time in nearly 50 years, which is a hell of an achievement, but so is going 12 games unbeaten.

“For quite long spells we were second best as they were so good. There wasn’t too much we were doing wrong. They were just very competent.

“The respect they showed us by naming a full side said everything. They are a top side in League One and you can see the big difference, the pace and the speed they move the ball.

“We just hung on in there, trying not to concede a third goal and at 2-1 anything can happen in the last 20 minutes.

“I thought the equaliser was coming after Lucas Akins’ goal that was offside. It was no more than we deserved for hanging on in there.

“We have been good taking penalties in training and at Sheffield Wednesday so we saw no reason why we couldn’t win the shoot-out.”

Serge Gnabry faces a period on the sidelines after suffering a fractured forearm in Bayern Munich’s 4-0 DFB Pokal win at Preussen Munster.

The 28-year-old fell awkwardly in an early challenge and was substituted shortly after Eric Choupo-Moting fired the Bundesliga champions into a ninth minute lead.

Bayern later revealed the extent of Gnabry’s injury on their social media accounts, writing: “Serge Gnabry is confirmed to have suffered a fracture of the ulna in his left forearm.. following an X-ray examination during the match.”

Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel described the loss of Gnabry, who scored in his side’s Champions League win over Manchester United last week, as a “bitter blow”.

Tuchel confirmed: “Serge will undergo an operation tomorrow and will miss several weeks.

“It’s a bitter blow for him personally but also for us. He is an important player and a super character.”

Skipper Millie Bright said England “gifted” the Netherlands their goals and were “not ruthless enough” after the Lionesses were beaten 2-1 in Utrecht in their second Nations League group game.

The hosts took the lead in the 34th minute when Georgia Stanway was closed down near her own box, the ball went to Danielle van de Donk and she teed up a Lieke Martens finish, which it appeared would have been ruled out for offside if VAR had been in operation.

After Alessia Russo’s 64th-minute equaliser, England were then punished after losing possession again in the 90th minute as Alex Greenwood gave the ball away and Martens fed substitute Renate Jansen, who rifled past Mary Earps.

Bright told ITV: “I think there were some really good parts of the game where we really dominated.

“I thought they were ruthless when they had their opportunities, and to be honest we gifted them two goals, which is really disappointing on our behalf.

“I think when you concede in that manner, that’s the most disappointing thing, especially when games like this really matter.

“They had probably less chances but were really, really clinical in those. We had a couple but were not ruthless enough in that area.”

Having threatened little for much of the first half, England went close to levelling in the 41st minute, Rachel Daly volleying against a post, and Lauren Hemp and Lucy Bronze then saw efforts saved by Daphne van Domselaar, before Linda Beerensteyn struck the bar for the home side.

Van Domselaar subsequently made an excellent save to deny Hemp early in the second half before Russo’s leveller and Jansen’s decisive late impact as the battle between England boss Sarina Wiegman’s current and former employers – both of whom she has guided to Euros glory and a World Cup final – proved an unhappy occasion for the 53-year-old Dutchwoman.

Wiegman afterwards expressed frustration at the opener, replays of which suggested Van de Donk had been in an offside position.

The manager described it as “obviously offside” as she voiced her disappointment at what is only the third loss of her 41-game England tenure.

Wiegman told ITV: “(It is) absolutely a tough one to take and a very, very unnecessary one.

“The first half they were the better team. I think second half we totally dominated the game, and of course we scored one goal – but before that we got lots of huge opportunities too. And it’s just one moment that we don’t manage the game and in the counter-attack they score for 2-1. That’s very, very disappointing.

“I also think – that’s disappointing too – when they scored their first goal, we didn’t do well, we didn’t play well, but it’s so obviously offside. That needs to be seen.

“I think the standards of the game are getting higher and higher, so (having VAR) would absolutely help. It’s just a little bit disappointing.”

The result leaves both England and Andries Jonker’s Netherlands on three points in Group A1. Belgium, who England face twice in October in their next group games, lead the pool with four points after drawing 1-1 with Scotland, who have one.

Wiegman’s side, 2-1 victors over Scotland in their opener last Friday, are attempting to secure a Paris 2024 Olympics qualification spot via this competition, and need to finish top of their group to have a chance to do so.

Bright said: “It’s still all to play for. We have to rest, recover, go again – (and) reflect. These opponents are getting better and better, and we have to reflect, evolve, get better as a team, develop.”

Michael Carrick feels Middlesbrough are starting to finally find their form as they progressed to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 win at Bradford.

Boro, who only won for the first time in the Championship this season at the weekend, made seven changes from that victory over Southampton but started brightly and went in front through Emmanuel Latte-Lath.

Morgan Rogers’ close-range finish in the second half sealed the visitors’ spot in the next round and Carrick reckons his side are beginning to click.

He said: “The players’ approach to the game, their attitude to the game was right from the very start.

“I was really pleased, thought everyone looked really comfortable, did their jobs and looked dangerous.

“It was a good game for us, the atmosphere was good and the game certainly means a lot for the supporters. It is starting to come, I can see that clicking a bit.

“We controlled a lot of the game, dominated a lot of it, we kept them out of the box for the majority and thought we looked like a really good team.”

Carrick underlined the importance of building some momentum after making it back-to-back victories.

He added: “We backed it up, the habit of winning games and getting on a run is important for us.

“I think the level of performance was important for us, we felt that way on Saturday, so it was building on that a little bit but again.

“It’s not come as a surprise. We could see it coming, what the boys were doing day in and day out and felt we weren’t quite getting what we deserved, so tonight was a good sign for us moving forward.”

Bradford boss Mark Hughes was content to switch his full focus to the league as they focus on getting promotion from League Two.

He said: “Not the result we were looking for, but the cup is not a priority for us this year.

“We have done better than we have in recent years and we’ll take that, but the priority for us is the league and getting out of it.

“The second goal did not allow us the opportunity to win the game, so at that point it was about looking after players who are important for us and our league form.

“We’ve been able to protect a few players that are vitally important for us so we move on to the league.”

Steven Naismith hailed match-winner Alex Lowry as a special talent after the on-loan Rangers player’s late goal sent Hearts into the Viaplay Cup semi-finals.

Kilmarnock were in the ascendancy as the match edged closer to extra time, only for Lowry to strike in time added on to the regulation 90 minutes.

Brad Lyons had earlier cancelled out Jorge Grant’s opener before Lowry claimed his first goal since moving on loan to Tynecastle last month to seal the victory.

Naismith praised Lowry as one of the best young Scottish talents in the game but said he wanted to see more from the 20-year-old on a consistent basis.

The Hearts manager said: “Alex has got brilliant ability.

“I’m not sure I’ve seen in my whole footballing career a young Scottish player that I have been working with that has got such good … he can do things with a ball that a lot of others can’t.

“I’ve challenged him to see more moments like that.

“He’s been frustrated at not getting more game time but I said to him, you need to show moments and when you are on the park, you need to do more.”

Naismith was pleased to have a Hampden Park semi-final to look forward to but warned that his team would need to follow up that result, starting with a trip to play Ross County this weekend.

He added: “I was delighted to get through. It was the next step we needed to take.

“At this club there’s a demand to get to semi-finals and finals and ultimately win silverware.

“It’s a big win and everybody’s delighted but we do need to back that up.

“Over the past few seasons we haven’t had good performances at Kilmarnock, and Ross County has been the same.”

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes admitted he was frustrated that his players had unnecessarily chased a winning goal rather than waiting for extra time.

He said: “I was angry [at full-time] that we’ve allowed that type of goal to decide the cup tie. We had Hearts where we wanted them. We were in charge of that tie in the second half.

“We played the last phase of play as if we needed a goal to get back in the tie. We were guilty of trying to win it then. We were too excitable, too gung-ho to win a game of football in 90 minutes when we could have won the game in extra time.

“It was all last-gasp and unnecessary, almost as if we were chasing a game to win it in 90 minutes when we didn’t need to. We could – and should – have won it in extra time. But we allowed an opportunity for Hearts and they took it.”

Vincent Kompany admitted his Burnley side had done nothing out of the ordinary in sweeping aside Sky Bet League Two Salford to reach the last 16 of the Carabao Cup.

The Clarets put their Premier League struggles to one side in a 4-0 victory at the Peninsula Stadium with all four scorers – Sander Berge, Jacob Bruun Larsen, Dara O’Shea and Wilson Odobert – getting their first goals for the club.

Kompany made 11 changes from the side that started Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Manchester United but saw Burnley put the result to bed early with the first three goals coming inside the opening half an hour.

“We can put this result in context,” Kompany said. “We know we’re the Premier League team, we’re supposed to win, we’re supposed to put in a performance but it’s easier said than done, especially when you have 11 changes.

“We showed good discipline, a professional performance. We got the goals, we got the clean sheet. We put it behind us now and focus on the Premier League and the next round…

“Eleven changes, some new players, some positional changes as well. You can always go back through it and say this and that could have been better but in the end we were disciplined, we created as many chances as we needed to win the game and we didn’t concede chances.

“Midweek, away from home, I’ve been in the game long enough to know it can be a different game and we kept it how it was supposed to be.”

In a season when Burnley, still winless in the Premier League, had only found the net five times in their previous six games, the goals and the fresh names scoring them will be a source of confidence.

“Goals (have been hard to come by), yes, but I think we’ve had chances,” Kompany said of his side’s season. “For a newly-promoted team you’re not going to go into the Premier League and all of a sudden start scoring two or three a game.

“We know that but we’re just delighted for the forwards to have scored some goals and for a lot of new players as well to be on the scoresheet. That’s something that’s going to matter this season.”

While the goalscorers were new the source was familiar, with Anass Zaroury having a hand in all four.

Berge headed in the Moroccan’s 12th-minute corner before Zaroury teed up Bruun Larsen’s lob. The winger then tried to beat Alex Cairns with a quick free-kick from a tight angle and when the goalkeeper could not hold it, O’Shea bundled home.

Nine minutes from time, Zaroury crossed for Odobert who cut back inside before finding the net.

It all added up to a sixth straight defeat for Salford as under-pressure Neil Wood deals with a lengthy injury list.

“Playing against a Premier League team, three levels above us, it’s always going to be difficult,” Wood said. “They’re very technical, very good players and tactically it’s a very good system that’s difficult to defend against.

“It’s disappointing to concede off two set pieces for us…All credit to them, they’re a very good team.

“It was a really difficult night but not a night that we weren’t expecting.”

Port Vale boss Andy Crosby feels his side’s place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup is “reward for a lot of things”.

Vale reached the last 16 for the first time since 2006-07 with a 2-1 victory over Sky Bet League Two strugglers Sutton, with Funso Ojo coming off the bench to fire home a superb winner.

Swansea loanee Josh Thomas had earlier opened the scoring before his effort was cancelled out by Sutton substitute Hisham Kasimu.

Crosby said: “When you start in the first round of the Carabao Cup you want to go as far as you can.

“Every time you get through to the next round, you want to get through to the next one.

“That’s what we’ve done. We’re in the fourth round for the first time in a long time for the football club.

“It’s reward for a lot of things. It’s reward for Carol and Kevin (Shanahan) for investing the amount of money they do into the football club.

“It’s brilliant for our supporters, who haven’t seen the club in the fourth round for a long time. They keep turning up and I thank them a lot for the support.

“I think we have to preach to them what we’re trying to do. It might be different from what they’ve seen before. There may be some frustration at times with what we’re trying to do, but we have to play a way that suits our team.

“That’s going to take time, but when we get to utopia and we’re playing incredible football with and without the ball. We’re making progress.”

Sutton boss Matt Gray was left with mixed emotions after his spirited side were sucker-punched by the late winner.

He said: “There were so many things I was happy with, apart from the result sadly.

“It’s a result I don’t think we deserved.

“They couldn’t break us down when we were in our shape, so to concede a goal from a counter-attack from a corner is a hard one to take.

“It’s something we’ll be looking at, it’s really frustrating.

“It was a great response from their goal. We had some great chances. We had to bide our time and eventually got the goal.

“It felt a little bit similar to the first goal. We were pushing forward and got done on the break which was very disappointing.

“We’ve not had some good league results, we’re working tirelessly to get things right and we saw some positives on the pitch.

“We need to keep working on that, building on that and I’m sure the results will turn soon.

“You can see that from the fans’ reaction at the end. They’re completely with us.”