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.

Substitutes Riley McGree and Morgan Rogers scored stoppage-time goals to steer Middlesbrough into round three of the Carabao Cup with a 3-1 comeback win at League One Bolton.

Australian ace McGree had only been on the pitch five minutes before rounding off sustained Boro pressure with a superb low left-foot finish.

Rogers, a summer signing from Manchester City, completed a deserved win for Michael Carrick’s Championship side with his first goal for the club.

The game started promisingly for Bolton in this repeat of the 2004 League Cup final.

Fresh from signing a new contract extension, Northern Ireland international Dion Charles gave Wanderers a 23rd-minute lead after Tom Glover could only parry Josh Sheehan’s shot.

The home lead only lasted 10 minutes as Matt Crooks lofted Paddy McNair’s through ball past Joel Coleman for his first goal since last April.

Coleman, injured at the end of the first half, didn’t reappear for the second which produced more bookings (5) than chances until the closing stages.

Sub goalie Nathan Baxter saved from Samuel Silvera and then brilliantly tipped McNair’s piledriver onto the bar.

But Boro’s pressure finally told with the late double from McGree and Rogers, giving the visitors only a second win of the campaign.

Birmingham’s unbeaten start to the season ended at St Andrew’s as slick Cardiff strode to a 3-1 victory and passage into the third round of the Carabao Cup for the first time since 2014.

It took the Bluebirds just three minutes to open the scoring as Karlan Grant burst away from Marcel Oakley down their right. The former West Brom man rolled a pass into Rubin Colwill’s path and the 21-year-old stroked home first time.

Blues’ best moment of the first period came in the 24th minute when Andy Rinomhota was booked for bringing down Juninho Bacuna from behind. The Curacao international picked himself up and curled the free-kick over the wall only to see Alex Runarsson superbly tip on to the bar.

The hosts’ task became even more difficult in the 56th minute when Lukas Jutkiewicz was sent off for serious foul play after a late challenge on Mahlon Romeo.

Cardiff doubled their lead 12 minutes later when Ollie Tanner picked out Colwill in the penalty box and the youngster laid back for Ryan Wintle to strike unerringly into the bottom corner from 20 yards.

Birmingham made a contest of it with 20 minutes to go as Manny Longelo threaded a pass into the path of Scott Hogan who finished neatly between the goalkeeper’s legs, but Erol Bulut’s men settled it with a back-post finish from Kion Etete four minutes into added time.

Captain Josh Laurent scored twice as Stoke thrashed Rotherham 6-1 to book their place in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

The win extends the Potters’ perfect home record to four victories in all competitions this season – a run that started with a 4-1 triumph over the Millers on the opening day of the new Championship campaign.

Stoke took an early lead when Dutchman Wouter Burger, making his full debut having recently signed from FC Basel, drove home from long distance after picking up Cameron Humphreys’ headed clearance.

Ryan Mmaee doubled the home side’s advantage in the 18th minute, beautifully bending the ball into the net after Mehdi Leris, also making his full debut having signed from Sampdoria, had pulled a cross back to him.

Rotherham skipper Sean Morrison’s header from a Cafu corner swiftly halved the deficit, but Stoke restored their two-goal lead just before the half-hour mark as Laurent arrowed a shot into the bottom corner after picking up possession outside the box.

The advantage was further extended as half-time approached, with Tyrese Campbell curling his effort in off the crossbar after toying with defender Jamie McCart in the area.

Any slender hopes the visitors had of staging a comeback were dashed in the 55th minute, when Laurent latched onto Campbell’s headed pass and rifled the ball into the net for his second goal of the night.

Leris completed the rout with a fine finish 18 minutes from time, scoring a first goal for his new club after being played through by Laurent.

Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a superb second-half hat-trick as Crystal Palace won 4-2 at Plymouth in the EFL Cup second round after trailing 2-0.

Palace scored three goals in four minutes to turn the tie on its head.

An inspirational triple substitution – the introduction of Jordan Ayew, Eberechi Eze and Jeffrey Schlupp on 55 minutes – had an immediate impact as all three subs played a part in the four Palace goals.

Ayew’s inch-perfect cross from the right side of the box was converted by Odsonne Edouard after 58 minutes and Mateta scored his first in the 61st, teed up by Eze after a superb run down the left by Tyrick Mitchell.

Within a minute, the French striker had put Palace ahead, hammering the ball home from Schlupp’s superb defence-splitting pass into the penalty area.

Mateta completed his treble in the 83rd minute, roofing the ball home from an angle after Eze had won it in midfield and put him in on goal.

Argyle had taken a sixth minute lead from their first meaningful attack as Tyreik Wright broke down the right. His deep cross was headed back across goal from the far post by Callum Wright, where New Zealand international striker Ben Waine hooked the ball into the roof of the net from close range.

Palace thought they had levelled when Jesurun Rak-Sakyi fired home but the effort was ruled out for an offside in the build-up.

Visiting defender Nathaniel Clyne then made a brilliant far post clearance as the Wright combination worked well again. Another deep cross from the right by Tyreik Wright was cleverly cleared as Callum Wright tried sweeping the ball home off the foot of the upright.

Palace should have levelled in the 32nd minute after another brilliant incisive run from Rak-Sakyi, cutting in from the right and sending a low cross speeding across the Argyle goalmouth. Mateta slid in at the far post but just failed to connect as the ball sped out of play.

As half-time approached, Kaine Kesler-Hayden made a last-ditch tackle to deny Naouirou Ahamada as he closed in on goal.

Argyle only took 30 seconds of the second half to double their lead. Mickel Miller cut in from the left and passed forward to attacking midfielder Luke Cundle, who curled the ball past Sam Johnstone from 25 yards.

Leicester were made to work hard for their place in the third round of the Carabao Cup with a battling 2-0 win over Tranmere at Prenton Park.

Second-half strikes from Wilfred Ndidi and Jamie Vardy proved to be the difference as the Foxes weathered a number of early scares to overcome their League Two opponents.

The Foxes enjoyed much of the possession in the early stages and could have taken the lead as early as the seventh minute when Harry Winks’ long-range effort flew narrowly wide.

The 2016 Premier League champions continued to dominate with further chances as Cesare Casadei’s header flew narrowly over the Rovers crossbar.

The visitors did not have it all their own way, however, and having defended resolutely and frustrating their Championship opponents for large periods of the game, Tranmere almost took the lead themselves when Dan Pike’s 20-yard effort was pushed out by Jakub Stolarczyk in the Leicester goal.

But the pressure eventually told after 55 minutes when Ndidi’s effort from the corner of the box ended up in the back of the net via both posts.

And just four minutes later Leicester doubled their lead when Vardy was on the spot to force the ball home from close range following an Ndidi cross right in front of the huge travelling support to make the game safe.

It is now five wins out of five in all competitions for Enzo Maresca’s side who will be in the hat for the third-round draw having also won their opening four matches of the Championship campaign.

An opportunist second-half strike from Przemyslaw Placheta was enough to put Norwich through to the third round of the Carabao Cup with a 1-0 victory over Championship rivals Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

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

It was the decisive moment in a fast, open game that did credit to both sides.

The highlight of an entertaining first half was Max O’Leary’s brilliant 27th-minute save to keep out a powerful downward header from Norwich striker Adam Idah.

Both teams failed to match promising approach play with a decisive finish, Nahki Wells forcing Norwich’s debutant goalkeeper George Long into a smart save with a 44th-minute drive.

Idah shot narrowly wide early on, while Gabriel Sara also went close for the visitors with a 40th-minute shot.

Norwich made a fast start to the second half, Liam Gibbs striking the crossbar with a shot from inside the box before Placheta broke the deadlock.

From then on, the visitors defended strongly to repel a committed home side, lacking a cutting edge.

Matt Doherty marked his second Wolves debut with two goals and Nathan Fraser scored on his first senior appearance as they brushed aside League One Blackpool 5-0 to reach the third round of the Carabao Cup.

Sasa Kalajdzic doubled his Wolves tally days after getting off the mark at Everton and Fabio Silva capped a fine display with his first goal for the club since May 2021 before the popular Doherty, back at the ground where he spent a decade before leaving in 2020, scored two in seven minutes.

Substitute Fraser had set up the second of Doherty’s goals and the 18-year-old then got in on the scoring himself, beating goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell with a deflected effort late on.

With Matheus Nunes trying to force through a move to Manchester City, Goncalo Guedes heading back to Benfica on loan and Daniel Podence seemingly on his way out, Wolves need reinforcements in the final days of the transfer window but there were positive signs at Molineux.

Blackpool, without a goal in four matches since beating Derby 2-0 in the last round and deprived of cup-tied striker Jordan Rhodes and the injured Shayne Lavery, twice struck the frame of the goal but were comfortably second best.

Gary O’Neil made nine changes from Saturday’s 1-0 Premier League win at Everton, even including 15-year-old Emilio Ballard-Matthews among the substitutes, and will have been pleased with the attacking intent of those afforded an opportunity.

Kalajdzic, whose first season at Molineux was ruined by a torn ligament suffered on his debut, opened his Wolves account in the 87th minute at Goodison Park and needed only 10 minutes of this match to double it, bouncing a shot in after Pablo Sarabia’s effort was charged down by O’Donnell.

Wolves were then guilty of complacency against goal-shy Blackpool, loose in possession at the back and almost punished as Kenny Dougall saw a shot from 20 yards come back off the inside of the post.

But Silva settled nerves in the 25th minute as Sarabia ran forward from midfield and slipped the ball through for the 21-year-old to beat O’Donnell with a powerful finish.

After his last strike against West Brom in May 2021, Silva went a full season without a Wolves goal and then spent time on loan with Anderlecht and PSV Eindhoven, but O’Neil will hope his positive display here is a sign the former club-record signing, still only 21, is settling in at last.

There was a blow early in the second half for the hosts when 20-year-old Joe Hodge, making his first appearance of the season, pulled up clutching his hamstring when breaking into the box, with 19-year-old Harvey Griffiths handed a debut as his replacement.

The third goal came on the hour, with Sarabia again involved as he latched on to a deflected ball through and lifted in a cross from the left for Republic of Ireland full-back Doherty, back at Molineux after spells with Tottenham and Atletico Madrid, to head in off the underside of the crossbar.

Moments later, Doherty was at it again. The 18-year-old Fraser, on for Kalajdzic, beat the offside trap down the right and then tapped the ball back for Doherty to run at goal and beat O’Donnell at his near post.

At the other end Blackpool skipper Callum Connolly struck the crossbar with a free-kick but Wolves and Fraser had the final word six minutes from time.

England and Aston Villa star Rachel Daly and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland have won the Professional Footballers’ Association Players’ Player of the Year awards.

Daly’s Lionesses team-mate Lauren James and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka have been named as the PFA young players of the year in the awards voted for by their peers.

Daly and James were key performers for England in their run to the World Cup final earlier this month, but the accolades they received at the PFA’s 50th anniversary awards event in Salford are based on their performances last season.

Saka was voted the men’s Young Player of the Year after a terrific season for club and country, while a star of the club’s past, Ian Wright, picked up the men’s PFA Merit award.

Jill Scott, who won 161 caps for England and retired after the Lionesses won the Euros last summer, received the women’s Merit award.

Daly’s victory in the senior women’s player category came after she hit 22 goals in the Women’s Super League for Aston Villa last season – a remarkable achievement for a player who featured at left-back in the Lionesses’ successful Euros campaign last summer.

The 31-year-old from Harrogate saw off competition from five other illustrious WSL names on the nominees list – Sam Kerr, Frida Maanum, Guro Reiten, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw and Ona Batlle.

James, who featured in the World Cup final as a substitute after a red card in the last 16 against Nigeria meant she was suspended for the quarter-final and semi-final, was a key player for Chelsea as they won the domestic double.

Haaland enjoyed a stunning debut season for Manchester City, hitting 52 goals in all competitions as they won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble last season.

The 23-year-old was voted as the Premier League’s top player, seeing off competition from his team-mates John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne, as well as from Arsenal duo Saka and Martin Odegaard and former Tottenham striker Harry Kane, now at Bayern Munich.

Saka secured the young player prize after enjoying his finest season to date, scoring 14 goals for the Gunners and contributing 11 assists.

He was also one of England’s star performers at the World Cup in Qatar last winter.

Wright’s career in football was recognised with the Merit award. The 59-year-old, who starred as a striker for Arsenal, Crystal Palace and England, is now a popular broadcaster for the BBC and ITV.

Wright has become a vocal ally for the women’s game and also campaigns against discrimination within the sport. He became an OBE for services to football and charity in the King’s Birthday Honours in June.

Scott received the women’s merit award in recognition of a stellar career at club and international level. The 36-year-old played for Sunderland, Everton and Manchester City between 2004 and 2022. As well as her England caps, she also featured for Team GB at London 2012 and again in Tokyo in the summer of 2021.

To mark the awards reaching a half-century, the PFA also handed out individual player prizes for the Championship, League One and League Two for the first time.

Chuba Akpom was voted as the second tier’s top player, after top scoring with 28 goals for Middlesbrough. His fine form at Boro earned him a summer move to Dutch side Ajax.

Conor Chaplin, whose 26 goals spearheaded Ipswich’s promotion push from League One, won that division’s award, while Bradford’s Andy Cook was League Two’s Players’ Player of the Year.

Bajan winger Thierry Gale has joined Austrian club SK Rapid Wien on a four-year deal from Georgian side FC Dila Gori.

The 21-year-old will wear the number 16 jersey for the Austrian side and is now the most expensive Barbadian footballer ever after Rapid Wien paid BDS 1.7 million for his services.

“I am coming from a rather atypical footballing country and have always had to work hard for everything in the past. I’m all the happier that the performances I showed didn’t go unnoticed by the club officials at SK Rapid,” Gale said.

“Rapid is a big club that has an international reputation and is also known far beyond national borders due to its incredible following. It’s the biggest transfer of my young career so far and I’ll do my best from day one to repay the trust placed in me with good performances,” he added.

Gale started his professional career in 2020 for Hungarian club Budapest Honved before moving to Dila Gori in 2022.

The winger scored 12 goals in 35 appearances for FC Dila Gori over the last two seasons.

Gale made his debut for Barbados in 2018 and has two goals in nine games.

Michael Beale stressed the importance of this week to everyone at Rangers as he looks first to take his side past PSV Eindhoven and into the Champions League.

The thrilling first leg of the play-off tie against the Dutch side at Ibrox last week ended in a 2-2 draw and further improvement since the opening-day cinch Premiership defeat at Kilmarnock was confirmed again on Saturday with the Light Blues’ 2-0 win over Ross County.

Beale hopes the complete 90-plus minute performance he is looking for comes at the Philips Stadion on Wednesday night, before the visit of Celtic in the league on Sunday where the Light Blues can leapfrog their Old Firm rivals with a victory.

“It is hugely exciting week if you’re a Rangers player or a Rangers follower and I’m no different as the coach,” said Beale, who revealed midfielder Kieran Dowell misses out with a slight knee problem.

“The two games we’ve got coming up in the next four or five days is what it’s all about, playing for this club.

“If you can’t enjoy it, and you can’t seize the opportunities in front of you, then you probably don’t deserve to be at our club.

“This is a huge moment. It’s important that we give this game everything – it is a final, if you like, in that sense.

“This team is due a big performance and we have a great opportunity. We know we will have to perform better than we did last week if we want to go through.

“There won’t be too many surprises, but we have a lot of variety across the forward positions.

“We know we will need to be strong defensively first and then take our opportunities when they come.”

Having qualified for last season’s group stage, Rangers lost all six games including a 7-1 loss to Liverpool to post the worst ever Champions League record.

Beale, though, is desperate for another shot at the competition.

“It would be huge (to qualify),” he said. “It would be huge for the club and the fans first and foremost, and these group of players that are desperate to play in that competition again.

“For me and the staff obviously that’s the aim coming into pre-season. We have a huge test in front of us to see that be a reality.

“I believe that this is a game that where both teams will have opportunities and it’s the team that’s the most decisive that will go through.”

While PSV Eindhoven were given a free weekend to prepare, Rangers travelled to Dingwall where Beale believes the 90 minutes was beneficial to his squad.

The former QPR boss said: “Obviously we’ve got about 14 or 15 players moving on this summer and nine new players coming in. The more games you play you think your team will get stronger.

“It was a good victory at the weekend. It was a clean sheet, it was a step in the right direction in the league and I was pleased with that.

“Sat here now without any injuries and everyone in a good place mentally, I think it was the right thing that we played. I think it’s to our advantage that we played at the weekend.”

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has been charged with acting in an improper manner following his red card at Newcastle on Sunday.

The Netherlands international was dismissed for a foul on Alexander Isak in the first half of Liverpool’s 2-1 victory at St James’ Park but the centre-back initially refused to leave the pitch and then remonstrated with referee John Brooks.

That earned him an automatic one-match ban against Aston Villa this weekend but the suspension could be increased, which could see him sit out the trip to Wolves also.

“Virgil van Dijk has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3.1 following Liverpool’s Premier League game against Newcastle United on Sunday, 27 August,” read a statement from the Football Association.

“It’s alleged that the defender acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words towards a match official.”

Van Dijk has until Friday to respond to the charge.

The Spanish Football Federation is considering whether it has grounds to sack Spain Women’s World Cup-winning head coach Jorge Vilda, according to reports.

Vilda is still in the post after most of his coaching staff resigned in protest against federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales, who has refused to quit for kissing Spain player Jenni Hermoso after their World Cup final win.

All of Spain’s 23 World Cup winners, plus another 58 players, have said they will not represent their country until Rubiales has left his post.

Rubiales, 46, was provisionally suspended by FIFA on Saturday pending an investigation into his conduct in Sydney after Spain’s win against England on August 20.

He was applauded by Vilda after repeatedly insisting that he would not quit at the RFEF’s extraordinary general meeting last Friday and the federation is exploring its options over whether they can sack the head coach.

On Monday, the RFEF regional heads became the latest group to call for Rubiales’ resignation, while members of the Spanish government have added their voices to the those demanding he step aside.

Earlier on Monday, Rubiales’ mother announced she was going on hunger strike over the “inhuman” treatment of her son, according to reports in Spain.

The president grabbed his crotch in the stadium’s VIP area in celebration of Spain’s win over England, when he was stood metres away from Spain’s Queen Letizia and her teenage daughter.

FIFA has suspended Rubiales for an initial period of 90 days. He and the RFEF have also been ordered not to contact Hermoso either directly or through intermediaries.

Hermoso has accused the RFEF of a “manipulative, hostile and controlling culture” and said Rubiales’ kiss was “an impulse-driven, sexist, out-of-place act without any consent on my part”.

Napoli have confirmed the signing of Denmark international Jesper Lindstrom on a permanent deal from Eintracht Frankfurt.

The 23-year-old had been linked with several clubs during the summer transfer window, including reported interest from Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham.

Lindstrom joined Frankfurt from Brondby in 2021 and went on to help the German club win the Europa League the following season with a penalty shoot-out victory over Scottish side Rangers.

The Denmark midfielder, who played at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, is said to have agreed a five-year deal with Napoli.

A brief statement from the Serie A side read: “Napoli is delighted to announce the signing of Jesper Lindstrom from Eintracht Frankfurt on a permanent transfer.”

Commenting on Lindstrom’s departure, Eintracht Frankfurt board member Markus Krosche said on the club’s website: “Over the last two years Jesper has played a big part in our positive development.

“Jesper’s time in Frankfurt was also notable for his impressive individual development, which is a good example of how we as a club are able to take highly talented players to the next level.

“We wish him all the best for his future in Naples.”