Luton crashed out of the Carabao Cup as they were beaten 1-0 by League One Exeter at St James Park.
Demetri Mitchell scored the only goal of an absorbing game with seven minutes remaining before he was later sent off after picking up a second yellow card.
Luton made 10 changes to the team that picked up their first point of the Premier League season with a 1-1 draw against Wolves at the weekend, while Exeter made five to the side beaten 3-0 at Oxford.
The Hatters started brightly as Tahith Chong broke into the box, only to be denied a shooting chance by a superb tackle from Alex Hartridge, before Luke Berry’s long-range effort was tipped over the bar by Exeter goalkeeper Vili Sinisalo.
Cauley Woodrow then struck the outside of a post after Exeter fell asleep at a quick throw-in before a rare Exeter attack ended with James Scott curling narrowly wide from 25 yards.
Mitchell’s inviting cross was narrowly in front of Scott as Exeter started to come into the game before the former Manchester United youngster saw his shot to the near post saved by Tim Krul.
Elijah Adebayo headed wide for Luton as the game approached the half-hour mark before he saw a shot from 10 yards saved by Sinisalo before a lovely Exeter move ended with Caleb Watts firing high from 25 yards.
Exeter had a great chance to break the deadlock after 61 minutes when Mitchell robbed Joe Johnson and sprinted goalward.
His shot was saved at the near post by Krul before Kyle Taylor fired the rebound wide from 15 yards.
Both teams then made changes – Luton with four in one go – before Adebayo headed wide and substitute Jacob Brown headed straight at Sinisalo from point-blank range.
Luton were getting back on top, with Carlton Morris seeing a header cleared off the line and Brown glancing another header wide before Exeter went in front in the 83rd minute.
Substitute Yanic Wildschut did well down the right and his deep cross was not dealt with, allowing Mitchell to nip in and poke the ball in off the underside of the bar from close range.
Wildschut then fired tamely at Krul before Mitchell then received a second yellow card for a foul with two minutes remaining.
It was now all hands to the pump for Exeter, who defended as though their lives depended on it as a raucous sell-out crowd cheered them on.
And, as much as Luton huffed and puffed, they could not breach an outstanding Grecians defence as Exeter beat top-flight opposition for the first time since 1981 and reached round four for the first time since 1989.
Philadelphia Union v Orlando City: Curtin looking for improvement amid tough run
Jim Curtin is calling for his Philadelphia Union side to improve ahead of the visit of Orlando City this weekend.
The Union are on a run of four games without a victory, needing to come from two goals behind to salvage a 2-2 draw away at D.C. United last weekend.
The poor run has left the Union eighth in the Eastern Conference, already 10 points behind leaders Inter Miami.
Curtin knows his side must get better ahead of back-to-back home games, telling reporters: "We still have a lot we can improve.
"We go back home for two games and we have to play with confidence. That's really when this group are at their best."
Orlando, meanwhile, are in the midst of their own underwhelming start, winning just two of their first 10 MLS games to leave them 14th in the East.
Oscar Pareja's men went down 1-0 at home to FC Cincinnati last weekend, and the Orlando head coach was disappointed with the performance and defeat.
"It's another frustrating night because of the result," Pareja said. "Obviously, at this point we are needing urgency to get points."
Orlando goalkeeper Pedro Gallese added: "We’re trying to push a certain way instead of being ourselves. This team just has to fix that and try and be ourselves."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Philadelphia Union – Daniel Gazdag
Gazdag has started the season impressively in front of goal, netting six times in nine matches to kick off the campaign. If Philadelphia are to get themselves back up towards the top of the East, Gazdag may be the man to fire them to it.
Orlando City – Duncan McGuire
Orlando have found it tricky in front of goal so far this term, and McGuire leads the team's scoring charts with four, double what any of his team-mates have managed. It will likely fall upon him to provide his team's main goal threat again on Saturday.
MATCH PREDICTION – PHILADELPHIA WIN
The Union have lost back-to-back home matches after losing just two of their previous 51 at Subaru Park in all competitions. Philadelphia have never suffered a three-match home losing streak in all competitions in club history.
Orlando faced just seven shots in the defeat to Cincinnati last weekend as they've conceded a league-low 9.7 shots per match this season. Opponents have converted a league-high 18.6% of their shots into goals against the Lions this season, however.
Orlando won 2-1 at the Union in the last meeting between the sides in Chester in March 2023, but the Lions have never avoided defeat in consecutive away matches against Philadelphia in all competitions and the Union look the favourites to earn the three points this weekend.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Philadelphia: 54.2%
Orlando: 19.7%
Draw: 26.1%
Al-Akhdoud 2-3 Al-Nassr: Brozovic stunner delays Al-Hilal coronation
Marcelo Brozovic scored twice – including a fine half-volley in second-half stoppage time – as Al-Nassr beat Al-Akhdoud 3-2 to delay Al-Hilal's Saudi Pro League title coronation on Thursday.
Former Inter midfielder Brozovic fired in a seventh-minute opener from outside the area before Cristiano Ronaldo tapped into an empty net to double the visitors' lead.
Sadio Mane struck the woodwork early in the second half and Al-Nassr relinquished control of the game from there, with goals from Hassan Al Habib and Saviour Godwin making it 2-2.
However, Brozovic blasted a bouncing ball home following a goalmouth scramble in the first of seven minutes of stoppage time to hand Al-Nassr a fifth straight win and keep them within nine points of Al-Hilal, with three games still to play.
They have only delayed the inevitable though as the leaders – who have only dropped four points all season – need just one more point to secure their crown ahead of facing Al-Hazm on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Brozovic upstages Ronaldo
While it's usually Ronaldo writing the headlines for Al-Nassr, he was upstaged by Brozovic on Thursday as the Croatian found the net with both of his shots, also leading all players on the pitch for final-third passes (19) and completing 90.1 per cent of his passes overall (81/95).
Nottingham Forest unsuccessful in appeal against Premier League points deduction
Nottingham Forest have been unsuccessful in their appeal against a four-point deduction for breaching the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules.
In March, Forest were deducted four points after admitting to breaching the league's financial rules by overspending by £34.5million over a three-year assessment period ending last season.
Everton have also lost eight points to two separate deductions, having been found to have breached the rules in the period culminating in 2022-23 and the period ending last campaign.
Forest's penalty dropped them into the thick of the relegation battle, with the club saying they were "extremely dismayed by the tone and content" of the Premier League's submissions to an independent commission and pledging to appeal.
Forest argued their lack of recent Premier League history placed them at a disadvantage to other clubs and said the sale of Brennan Johnson to Tottenham, which went through last September after the end of the assessment period, was within the "spirit" of sustainability.
The club's appeal against their penalty was heard on April 24, but an appeal board decided to uphold the punishment, which was itself more lenient than that requested by the Premier League.
In a statement released on Monday, the Premier League said: "The PSR sanction applied to the assessment period ending in season 2022-23 and was appealed by the club on two grounds.
"The club argued that the independent commission committed an error in not treating its sale of a high-profile player shortly after the assessment period as a mitigating factor, and that it committed a further error in electing not to suspend some or all of the points deduction it imposed.
"Each of these grounds was rejected by the appeal board, which found the independent commission was entitled to immediately impose the sanction it did. The four-point deduction will therefore remain in place."
It means Forest stay 17th in the table with 29 points, having pulled three clear of 18th-placed Luton Town by beating already-relegated Sheffield United 3-1 on Saturday.
Nuno Espirito Santo's team face Chelsea and Burnley in their final two games of 2023-24, with Luton likely to need at least four points from meetings with West Ham and Fulham to overhaul them.
Burnley, down in 19th, need to win their last two matches – against Tottenham and Forest – to have any chance of avoiding the drop.
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