Crewe boss Lee Bell was quick to disregard his side’s penalty misery after being dumped out of the Carabao Cup by local rivals Port Vale.

The visitors missed all four penalties as they crashed out in the second round with a 2-0 shoot-out defeat after a goalless draw in normal time at Vale Park.

Elliott Nevitt blasted over, Rio Adebisi hit the bar and Joel Tabiner missed from 12 yards while Chris Long saw his penalty saved by Connor Ripley.

Bell admitted: “It’s a real kick in the teeth to go out on penalties.

“Penalties are a bit of a lottery and tonight just wasn’t our night.

“The fans were fantastic and it’s just a shame we couldn’t get a goal for them.

“I’m so proud of the players and there’s so much to draw on. The players need to get over this quickly.

“It was important I delivered the message that I feel is right. We’re going in the right direction and we’re a transformed team compared to last year.

“I know what it means to the area this game, regardless that it’s a cup game and a stand is shut.

“I told the players that whatever happens tonight they needed to be clapped off this pitch and they did that.”

Vale got the bragging rights in a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

Thomas Sang failed with Vale’s third spot-kick after James Wilson and Oliver Arblaster had scored the first two.

Boss Andy Crosby said: “These games are never easy.

“It goes to show that you get the rewards when you prepare properly and we’ve been taking penalties on the training ground for the last week.

“We’ve gone through a lot of detail in case it went to penalties and when you do that there’s less luck involved.

“We changed ends for the home supporters and thank you to the fans because I thought the atmosphere was great. The fans helped us get over the line.”

Manager Michael Carrick praised Middlesbrough’s “spirit and togetherness” after stoppage-time goals from substitutes Riley McGree and Morgan Rogers sealed a 3-1 Carabao Cup comeback win at Bolton.

Dion Charles celebrated his new contract extension by giving the League One outfit a 23rd-minute lead.

Matt Crooks equalised 10 minutes later but it took Boro until the first minute of stoppage time to grab a deserved lead and avoid a penalty shootout.

Three minutes later Rogers netted his first goal since a summer move from Manchester City to seal only a second win of the campaign for the Teessiders.

“I am delighted for the players and delighted for the supporters,” said Carrick of his side’s second-half domination.

“Even if we hadn’t got that goal at the end everyone could see how well the boys had played.

“It summed up how we have started the season with things not dropping for us. But the boys stuck at it, kept believing and found a way.

“It looked like only a matter of time and so it proved to be. It shows the spirit and togetherness in the group which considering results doesn’t always prove the case.”

Wanderers boss Ian Evatt, whose side are now without a win in three, insisted: “I thought we were the better team in the first half.

“We had good control for large spells. They scored slightly against the run of play.

“In the second half what happens when you don’t manage the ball, you are out of possession for long periods.

“A bit like we do to teams in our own division eventually you get fatigued.

“Against the best teams you get picked off. There are lots of positives to be taken and lots of lessons to be learned.”

David Wagner was bursting with pride after seeing his much-changed Norwich team reach the Carabao Cup third round with a deserved success at Bristol City.

The winner came on 49 minutes when Przemyslaw Placheta accepted a pass from Sam McCallum inside the box and turned to fire a right-footed shot just inside the far post.

It was enough to edge a fast, open game in favour of a Canaries team featuring nine changes.

Wagner said: “I am over the moon and very proud. We picked a young side and they have produced a very mature performance.

“We were not as clinical as against Huddersfield, but it was a great win against a very good Bristol side.

“What we showed was that whoever starts and whoever comes on as a sub, everyone knows his job and there is a togetherness about the group.

“We have a good and reliable squad, even if it is not high on numbers. I won’t rule out anything before the transfer window closes, but if we go with the current players I am up for the fight.”

Bristol City lacked a cutting edge to capitalise on some promising approach play.

Boss Nigel Pearson said: “It was about key moments again. There was a situation where Anis Mehmeti could have set up Nahki Wells for a tap-in and we have to do better in those situations.

“Ephraim Yeboah goes and looks dangerous, but we squander chances to give him the ball. That is poor decision-making.

“I expect more from all the players in terms of the winning mentality we need. We came up a bit short tonight against a very good team.”

Norwich created the better chances, Max O’Leary saving brilliantly from Adam Idah in the first half and Liam Gibbs striking the crossbar just before Placheta broke the deadlock.

An understrength Ipswich had to work hard to secure a place in the third round of the Carabao Cup as they beat League One Reading 3-1 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

Town scored with three of their four spot-kicks but Reading missed three of theirs through Charlie Savage, Caylan Vickers and Ben Elliott.

Ipswich had fallen behind in only the second minute due to an own-goal from Manchester United loanee Brandon Williams but deservedly levelled in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage-time through Cameron Humphreys.

Freddie Ladapo made it 2-1 to Town just before the hour mark but Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan equalised three minutes from the end.

Tractor Boys manager Kieran McKenna changed his entire XI from that which started in the 4-3 Championship defeat at home to Leeds on Saturday.

And it was the hosts who made the breakthrough after just 69 seconds when Town keeper Cieran Slicker could only parry a Basil Tuma flick-on against full-back Williams – the ball then looping into the empty net.

Ipswich controlled the rest of the first half and, after a mazy run and deflected cross from Omari Hutchinson, Humphreys nudged home from almost on the goal-line.

Ipswich took the lead in the 59th minute when Ladapo sped on to Lee Evans’ fine pass to slot home but Reading substitute Ehibhatiomhan seized on a defensive error to make it 2-2 late on.

League Two Salford stunned Championship big guns Leeds with a thrilling 9-8 penalty shoot-out victory after their EFL Cup clash ended 1-1 after 90 minutes.

Jamie Shackleton missed Leeds’ vital sudden-death spot-kick when he thumped the bar, after which Salford’s Ossama Ashley notched the winning kick – dramatically at the second attempt after Karl Darlow had moved off his line to save the first.

As expected, with 46 league places between the two teams and visiting boss Daniel Farke going with a strong starting line-up, Leeds bossed the opening half-hour at the Peninsula Stadium.

Crysencio Summerville saw a free-kick saved by Alex Cairns, while Willy Gnonto was denied by Liam Shephard’s smart block.

The woodwork saved Salford when Summerville turned past Stevie Mallan before curling a shot against a post.

Despite Leeds’ dominance, it was Salford who broke the deadlock after 34 minutes. Ex-Leeds youth prospect Luke Garbutt crossed in for former Elland Road striker Matt Smith and he headed powerfully past a stunned Darlow.

Leeds piled the pressure on after the restart. Skipper Pascal Struijk headed straight at Cairns, while Summerville forced the Ammies keeper into another superb save.

Leeds finally struck in the 76th minute. Struijk bundled home from close range after sub Sam Greenwood’s free-kick was not cleared by the Ammies’ overworked defence.

The brilliant Cairns later denied £36m man Georginio Rutter, then Greenwood thumped the bar, meaning the game was to be settled in a shoot-out. Rutter and Connor McLennan also failed to score as all 20 outfield players had to step up.

Joe Morrell and Abu Kamara missed their spot-kicks as Portsmouth lost 5-4 on penalties to Peterborough after a 1-1 draw in the second round of the Carabao Cup.

Kamara had the chance to send Pompey through after Ryan De Havilland had seen his penalty saved by Ryan Schofield but blazed into the stands.

Wales midfielder Morrell then crashed his effort against a post before David Ajiboye stepped up to win it for 10-man Posh.

Pompey had the first effort after five minutes as a solid strike from Terry Devlin was deflected over for a corner, whilst at the other end Ajiboye tested Schofield from distance.

Posh took the lead after 29 minutes when an in-swinging corner caused problems and Ajiboye bundled the ball home from close range.

It took only six minutes of the second half for Pompey to equalise as a cross from Paddy Lane fell to Christian Saydee who, with his back to goal, swivelled to beat James Dornelly and goalkeeper Fynn Talley.

Peterborough’s Charlie O’Connell saw red after a second yellow card for a foul on Terry Devlin in the 59th minute, having already been booked for kicking the ball away in the first half.

Portsmouth threw everything at Peterborough’s 10 men and substitute Colby Bishop should have won it but failed to convert from point-blank range and it was the visitors who prevailed on penalties.

Brentford avoided becoming Newport’s latest cup victims as they won 3-0 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Rodney Parade.

Adam Lewis hit a post with Newport’s first effort, before Nathan Wood and Bryn Morris both saw theirs saved by Bees debutant Ellery Balcombe, and Keane Lewis-Potter settled the contest in the Premier League side’s favour.

Mathias Jensen thought he had won it in the 88th minute but teenage substitute Kiban Rai headed home deep into stoppage time to take the tie to spot-kicks.

The Welsh side have earned shock wins over Leeds, Leicester, Middlesbrough, Swansea, Watford and Luton in the last five years but they were denied another scalp as Brentford avoided a repeat of last year’s shoot-out defeat to Gillingham.

Exiles boss Graham Coughlan made five changes from Saturday’s 3-1 home win over Sutton.

Jonny Maxted made his debut in goal, while Josh Seberry came into the back line, Matty Bondswell and James Waite were drafted into midfield and fit-again Omar Bogle started up front.

Brentford made nine changes, with Vitaly Janelt and goalscorer Kevin Schade the only survivors from their weekend draw against Crystal Palace.

Thomas Frank handed debuts to goalkeeper Balcombe, Ukrainian midfielder Yehor Yarmoliuk and teenage forward Michael Olakigbe.

The first opportunity arrived after 18 minutes as the visitors recycled a corner and Lewis-Potter’s header looped over Maxted, but Harry Charsley was in the right place to clear the danger from under his own crossbar.

Kristoffer Ajer then saw a side-footed effort from 25 yards comfortably saved by Maxted two minutes later, before Schade’s fierce drive from the edge of the area was deflected behind.

That was one of eight corners won by Brentford in the first half but, despite enjoying 76 per cent possession, they could not get the early goal.

The home side could have opened the scoring after 34 minutes when Aaron Wildig and Bogle linked up well down the left flank and the striker produced a clever cross to pick out Charsley, who placed his header just wide of Balcombe’s right-hand post.

The lively Olakigbe went closest in the opening stages of the second half with a fizzing effort just over the angle of post and bar.

But Frank had seen enough after an hour and he introduced experienced trio Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Jensen.

Mbeumo forced Maxted into a smart save almost immediately.

Jensen made the visitors’ pressure tell two minutes from the end of normal time as he tapped in from close range after Mbeumo’s cross was cut back across goal by Lewis-Potter.

But County refused to lie down and Rai’s added-time header ensured the tie went the distance.

Tottenham suffered their first on-pitch setback of the Ange Postecoglou era after they exited the Carabao Cup in the second round at Fulham after Davinson Sanchez crucially had an effort saved in a 5-3 defeat on penalties.

Richarlison had opened his account for the season to cancel out a 19th-minute own-goal from Micky van de Ven, which had given the hosts a deserved half-time advantage despite being without boss Marco Silva, who was serving a touchline ban.

No further goals were forthcoming and the 1-1 scoreline at 90 minutes meant spot-kicks were required and after five successful penalties a low effort from Sanchez which was saved by Marek Rodak proved the difference.

Kenny Tete fired Fulham’s fifth penalty past Fraser Forster to book their place in the third round and leave Tottenham with only one realistic option of trying to end their trophy drought, which stretches back to 2008.

Both of these Premier League teams had exited this competition at the first opportunity last season, but 15 changes were made overall with Spurs making nine after entering at the second round stage for the first time since 2009.

Fulham went with largely their first-choice back four and left-back Antonee Robinson created the opening opportunity when he burst past Sanchez and crossed to the back post, but Rodrigo Muniz headed wide.

It was a sign of things to come from Sanchez, who had been expected to leave this summer but instead has moved up the defensive pecking order ahead of Eric Dier under Postecoglou.

Sanchez continued to be troubled and was at fault for the opener in the 19th minute.

Tom Cairney turned Sanchez inside out on the edge of the penalty area and his floated cross was deflected beyond Forster by Spurs’ centre-back Van de Ven.

Postecoglou had brought a feelgood factor back to Tottenham after a difficult first half of 2023, but the away fans at Craven Cottage turned their frustration to chairman Daniel Levy with chants calling for him to leave the club.

Forster had to be alert soon after to deny Muniz’s snapshot before Spurs did finally threaten but Richarlison’s effort was blocked by Tim Ream and Ivan Perisic had a free-kick deflected wide.

The lively Muniz went close again on the stroke of half-time with a header from Adama Traore’s cross, but Forster saved well to keep it 1-0.

Spurs boss Postecoglou had still seen enough and teenage forward Dane Scarlett was introduced for Giovani Lo Celso.

It had an immediate impact with Richarlison forcing Marek Rodak to tip over his deflected shot before Scarlett’s presence created a chance for Manchester United-linked Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who side-footed wide from 10 yards.

The leveller did arrive with 56 minutes played and it was a moment to savour for Richarlison, who stooped low at the back post to head in Perisic’s cross for only his fourth goal for Tottenham since a £60million move last summer.

Fulham were unhappy that Perisic was able to make the most of the hosts’ absent right-back Tete, who had to leave the pitch to get a new boot after a fine tackle on Scarlett moments earlier.

The hosts improved after conceding with Bobby Decordova-Reid slicing wide from inside the area and substitute Harry Wilson had an effort blocked by Sanchez.

Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min were on by this point and Manor Solomon nearly won it for Spurs with a curled effort but Rodak saved, before Forster denied Wilson with his legs to ensure penalties were required.

Fulham were picture perfect from 12 yards with Andreas Pereira, Raul Jimenez, Wilson, Joao Palhinha and Tete all able to score while Sanchez’s tame effort ensured Tottenham exited in the second round for the first time since 2005.

Sheffield Wednesday’s miserable start to the season continued as they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup 5-4 on penalties by Mansfield after a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes at Hillsborough.

Anthony Musaba gave the hosts a first-half lead before Rhys Oates equalised five minutes from time to force a shoot-out.

Wednesday applied pressure early on with Callum Paterson heading straight at Christy Pym and the keeper then saving a 25-yard effort from Josh Windass.

Windass also had a shot blocked and a header saved while Ashley Fletcher had an effort kept out before the hosts took the lead when Musaba nodded in at the far post following Paterson’s header back across goal in the 28th minute.

Lucas Akins had Mansfield’s first effort on goal with a header which was saved by Cameron Dawson and Davis Keillor-Dunn put a shot over the bar.

Windass then fired in a shot from outside the area which came back off the bar just before the break.

Pym made a great save to deny Michael Ihiekwe soon after the re-start and then saved a powerful 20-yard strike from Windass.

The keeper also did well to touch Juan Delgado’s header onto a post late on before substitute Oates drilled home a low shot from the edge of the area to take the tie to penalties.

Pym saved spot-kicks from Will Vaulks and Liam Palmer in the shoot-out as Mansfield progressed.

Crewe missed all four spot-kicks as they crashed out 2-0 on penalties to local rivals Port Vale in the Carabao Cup after the Staffordshire derby ended goalless in normal time.

It was a horror show for the visitors at Vale Park as Elliott Nevitt blasted over the bar before Connor Ripley produced a good save to keep out Chris Long’s penalty.

Rio Adebisi rattled the bar and Joel Tabiner’s miss ended their misery.

Thomas Sang failed with Vale’s third spot-kick after James Wilson and Oliver Arblaster scored the first two.

The hosts had the majority of the chances but couldn’t break down the Railwaymen inside 90 minutes.

Adebisi wasted a great chance to fire the visitors ahead as he poked over from close range.

Down the other end, Crewe goalkeeper Harvey Davies produced a good save to keep out Alex Iacovitti’s header at the back post.

Vale made a triple change to try and force a result but saw former Manchester United man Wilson’s audacious effort barely trouble Davies.

The Crewe stopper once again frustrated Wilson after Sheffield United loanee Arblaster found the striker.

Arblaster’s long-range strike flew just over the bar with five minutes to go before penalties decided the outcome.

Alfie Doughty scored a screamer as Premier League Luton knocked League Two side Gillingham out of the Carabao Cup with a 3-2 second-round victory at Kenilworth Road.

The Hatters, who are still searching for a first top-flight point of the season, were ahead after just two minutes. Summer signing Jacob Brown was fed by Luke Berry and arrowed an unerring left-footed shot beyond Glenn Morris into the bottom corner.

He had another go after seven minutes, unable to repeat the feat from further out this time, as Gills did not threaten a great deal during the opening stages, Jayden Clarke firing well over from range.

Berry’s shot was easy for Morris, but Luton had a second after 28 minutes when a clever free-kick routine saw Doughty unleash a truly magnificent 25-yard strike that flew into the top corner, giving Morris no chance at all.

After the break, the Gills tried to pull one back, Max Clark’s long-range effort straight at Tim Krul, before the visitors did halve the deficit with 55 minutes on the clock.

Clarke escaped Luton’s defence on the left and went through to sidestep a tackle before lofting into the net.

Gills should have levelled moments later, Amari’i Bell failing to deal with a high ball forward, as Ashley Nadesan out-muscled the Jamaica international to be faced with Krul, denied by the trailing leg of the Dutchman.

The corner led to another glorious chance as the ball dropped to Macauley Bonne, who skied his inviting half-volley well over the bar.

Luton brought on summer signings Ross Barkley and Issa Kabore to try and regain the ascendancy and it worked in the 66th minute.

A ball forward was headed out to Cauley Woodrow who, with Morris slightly out of his goal, was able to power an effort over the backpedalling keeper for a first goal of the season.

Kabore saw his calls for a penalty waved away by referee Jeremy Simpson, before the Gills made it 3-2 with two minutes left, sub Tom Nichols’ stooping header going in despite the best efforts of Krul.

Nichols’ shot was saved by Krul, as midfielder Jonny Williams went close to a stoppage-time leveller, his snapshot flicking off a covering defender and going behind.

Ross Barkley almost wrapped up victory even later, a four-on-one break seeing the midfielder’s effort beaten away by Morris, as the Hatters edged their way through.

Exeter made it through to the third round of the League Cup for the first time since 1989, but they needed penalties after a 1-1 draw with Stevenage at St James Park.

Exeter made a fine start to the game with a goal in the fifth minute. Alex Hartridge saw his initial header saved from a corner, but he reacted quickly to volley past Krisztian Hegyi.

In a half of few chances, Exeter’s Pierce Sweeney saw his header easily saved by Hegyi, while it took until the 40th minute for Stevenage to threaten, but Elliott List’s fierce shot was saved by Viljami Sinisalo in the Exeter goal.

The home side’s domination continued after the break, but they were unable to kill the game off. Sweeney, Hartridge and Jack Aitchison all went close before Aitchison was forced off after a nasty collision with an advertising hoarding.

Out of nothing, Stevenage drew level when Jordan Roberts headed in a Harry Anderson cross in the 69th minute. That sent the match into a penalty shoot-out with neither side able to find a winning goal.

The stage was set for Sinisalo to save from Dan Butler, and Sweeney to send Exeter through by scoring the fifth of their five spot-kicks.

Aiden O’Brien’s first goal for Sutton handed the League Two side a shock 1-0 win over Wycombe in the second round of the EFL Cup.

The Yellows travelled to Adams Park on the back of four straight defeats and as the second-lowest ranked team left in the competition.

But after weathering an early barrage from their League One hosts, O’Brien struck in the 19th minute to give Sutton a lead they would never relinquish.

The best of Wycombe’s early chances came when a clean-through Garath McCleary fired straight at Sutton goalkeeper Jack Rose.

Rose later launched a long ball upfield which Josh Coley ushered straight into O’Brien’s path with only Max Stryjek to beat.

The Irish international coolly slid his effort under the Wycombe goalkeeper and Harry Smith almost doubled the visitors’ advantage five minutes later with a swipe at the near post.

Sutton finished the half the stronger but the home side pushed hard after the break as substitute Luke Leahy rattled the woodwork from a Sam Vokes flick on.

But, just as in the first half, the early Wycombe pressure fizzled out, with one last opportunity for Kane Vincent-Young spurned high over the bar.

Bradford reached the Carabao Cup third round by beating Wrexham 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Tyler Smith’s penalty inside three minutes handed Bradford the advantage but Will Boyle equalised to take the game to spot-kicks.

Dan Oyegoke’s effort was saved by Mark Howard, but Luke Young missed and James Jones’s penalty was stopped by Harry Lewis to send the Bantams through.

Bradford’s early spot-kick came when Aaron Hayden brought down Jamie Walker and Smith buried, the goalscorer being denied a second by Howard not long after.

In response Jake Bickerstaff’s effort landed inches wide on the quarter-hour, while Lewis kept out Ryan Barnett’s shot and Ben Tozer’s header in quick succession.

Brad Halliday blocked Sam Dalby’s header on the line as Wrexham went close, before Bickerstaff’s later low effort fizzed inches wide.

Emmanuel Osadebe curled a glorious effort over before the hour for Bradford and Halliday later squandered a one-on-one chance wide.

Boyle made the Bantams pay as he emphatically headed home Young’s corner with fewer than 20 minutes left as penalties followed.

Matt Derbyshire, Richie Smallwood, Adam Wilson and Halliday scored for Bradford, while Elliot Lee, Ollie Palmer and James McClean netted for Wrexham.

Ryan Christie came off the bench to steer Bournemouth past Swansea and into the third round of the Carabao Cup, just as penalties were looming.

The Scotland international turned the ball into the far corner in the first minute of stoppage time after he was fed by fellow replacement Justin Kluivert to seal a 3-2 victory.

Swansea had made spot-kicks appear likely when another substitute, Jamie Peterson, drove the ball through a crowd of players to make it 2-2 with 11 minutes remaining, but Christie had other ideas.

It was a deserved win for the Cherries, who are still searching for their first Premier league victory of the season.

The Swans had taken a first-half lead through a penalty from Matt Grimes, but fell behind in the second half as they suffered at the hands of Wales international David Brooks.

It was his well-taken strike that levelled things up at 1-1 in the 55th minute before the same player supplied the cross from which Hamed Traore gave the Cherries a 2-1 lead.

Bournemouth reacted to their 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham by making seven changes, including giving a debut to goalkeeper Andrei Radu.

The loan signing from Inter Milan had previously sat on the bench for three Premier League matches this season.

Wales striker Kieffer Moore, a loan target for Cardiff City among others, was handed his first start of the season.

Swansea made five changes from the side that had lost 2-1 away at Preston, a result that left them still searching for a first league victory under new head coach Michael Duff.

But they took a deserved lead in the ninth minute through a penalty from their skipper Grimes.

A Swansea free-kick on the left was only half-cleared before a rising drive from Liam Cullen was blocked by the arm of Bournemouth’s Wales defender Chris Mepham.

Referee Matthew Donohue had no hesitation in awarding the spot-kick from which Grimes scored his first goal of the season.

It took the Cherries a while to muster much of a response, but they should have levelled through Traore just before the half hour.

The Ivorian was given time to place his shot after being teed up by Brooks, but his effort from 10 yards was dragged beyond the far post.

Just before the break, Traore went closer when he struck the outside of the post after he turned sharply near the penalty spot.

Cherries boss Andoni Iraola made three changes at half-time – taking off Moore, Lloyd Kelly and Joe Rothwell, who were replaced by Dominic Solanke, Milos Kerkez and Lewis Cook.

The improvement was immediate and after sustained pressure the visitors equalised through Brooks in the 55th minute.

Traore controlled possession in midfield and struck a beautiful volleyed pass wide out to Brooks on the right who had been given too much space by Swansea.

The Cherries captain for the night controlled the ball instantly and then drilled a precise low drive across goalkeeper Carl Rushworth and into the far corner.

Brooks then reached the byline and although Solanke’s header struck the bar, Traore was on hand to force the ball home to make it 2-1.

Paterson was on target for Swansea from a rare attack to level the scores, but the class of the Premier League club eventually told when Christie scored his winner.