Manager Nigel Clough praised Mansfield’s “absolutely outstanding” second-half display after they beat Sheffield Wednesday 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw at Hillsborough in the Carabao Cup.

Rhys Oates produced a superb equaliser with five minutes left after Anthony Musaba headed the Owls in front in the first half.

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

Clough said: “I thought in the second half we were absolutely outstanding. It was just whether we could get the goal or not.

“What a goal it was in the end, with 32 passes leading up to it and a magnificent run and finish.

“It’s not a fluke, it’s not a one-off, we’ve played like that in most of the six games, which is why we’re unbeaten.

“I didn’t think we took advantage of the positions we got into in the first half but we just needed that one piece of brilliance, which came in the second half.

“I thought that on the second-half performance, it was deserved.

“We seemed to grow in confidence as the game went on. I thought he (Christy Pym) played very well.”

Wednesday manager Xisco Munoz was left to rue his team’s failure to capitalise on the chances they created.

He said: “I’m a little bit disappointed about the game. We need to change our attitude in some moments of the game.

“We shoot 20/25 times and you have clear chances and you don’t score. This is football.

“We will have a moment for reflection and we have to think how we will change the situation.

“It is impossible to lose the game. My job is to try and put the guys in the box and today they are in the box. We need to improve in the last third, of course.

“They shoot, I think, three, four or five times and they score. We shoot 25 – it’s five times more.

“We are the team of the Championship and they are a team of League Two. Sometimes it’s difficult in this situation.”

Mansfield turned on the style to see off Grimsby 2-0 in the Carabao Cup first round and delighted Stags boss Nigel Clough believes a team could be in for a real hiding if they can reproduce that form.

Lucas Akins netted a 27th-minute penalty in a one-sided first half and Rhys Oates added a crucial second on 55 minutes.

But it could have been many more and Clough said: “I think you can see already that someone is going to cop for one sometime during the season.

“If we do put in a reasonable percentage of the chances and crosses then we will get four or five on occasions.

“I thought some of the football tonight was from a higher level. Some of our play from start to finish was excellent.

“The lads have set the standard in the first two performances.”

Grimsby goalkeeper Harvey Cartwright brought down Oates for the spot kick after a poor touch from a backpass and then Oates flicked home the second from David Keillor-Dunn’s pass.

Grimsby boss Paul Hurst admitted: “That was pretty much as good a performance as I’ve seen from a League Two side for some time.

“They (Mansfield) went very close last season and are a group that’s been together for some time.

“They played some very good football – Nigel Clough wants his team to play that way.

“We did contribute to that by inviting pressure, but there is no doubt about it they were the better team on the night by far.

“Harvey made the mistake for the goal but then made some good saves afterwards.

“And when we did have some good opportunities, Christy Pym made a good save from Danny Rose.

“Mansfield are one of the favourites in terms of that top group and on tonight’s evidence it suggests we are short of that.”