Fulham survive Wycombe Wanderers scare to reach League Cup quarter-finals
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Fulham's Issa Diop scores the winning penalty during the League Cup last-16 penalty shoot-out win over Wycombe Wanderers.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Fulham had to be “serious” to survive a penalty shoot-out against third-tier side Wycombe Wanderers to reach the League Cup quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw at Adams Park on Oct 28.
Manager Marco Silva’s side trailed to Cauley Woodrow’s fourth-minute rocket against his former club.
The Cottagers, who have never won the League Cup, equalised when Josh King, 18, scored his first senior goal in the 48th minute.
Wycombe held out as Fulham put them under heavy pressure, with Anders Hagelskjaer clearing Kevin’s strike off the line in the final seconds.
In the shoot-out, Fulham twice missed the chance to win it as Ryan Sessegnon and Jonah Kusi-Asare were denied by Wycombe goalkeeper Will Norris.
But the hosts could not take advantage and, after Donnell McNeilly’s kick was saved, Issa Diop thumped in the winner.
Fulham’s win ended a run of four successive defeats that had sent them crashing down to 17th place in the Premier League.
“We know surprises happen in this competition if your approach is not serious enough,” Silva told Sky Sports.
“We were serious, but when you come off some bad results, you have to be positive and confident, but you feel something around and the first minutes of the game showed that.
“It was their only shot on target they had, and it was a goal we should’ve defended better.
“We didn’t play with the intensity we should have in the first half but we did after that, and we created seven or eight clear chances. I told the players, in these types of moments, we are the first ones who have to be positive.
“We know the future is going to be better when we have players back, but we have to fight for this moment altogether.”
Brentford joined their west London neighbours in the last eight with a 5-0 demolition of Grimsby Town that ended the giant-killers’ memorable run in the competition.
The fourth-tier Mariners stunned Manchester United in the second round and knocked out Championship side Sheffield Wednesday in the third round.
But Grimsby were subdued by three goals in the first half from Mathias Jensen, Keane Lewis-Potter and Reiss Nelson as Brentford took control despite making nine changes from the team that shocked English Premier League champions Liverpool 3-2 on Oct 25.
Fabio Carvalho and Nathan Collins then completed the rout in the second half at Blundell Park.
The victory kept Keith Andrews’ side in the hunt to reach their first major cup final.
“We’ve got outstanding strength and depth and there’s real fight for places. And I think the players are aware of that because they push each other every single day,” Andrews said.
“Whatever the game will be in the quarter-finals, we’ll pick the team we feel will be right to hopefully progress.”
Will Fish’s volley fired third-tier Cardiff City into the quarter-finals after Championship side Wrexham’s Kieffer Moore had cancelled Yousef Salech’s opener in the all-Welsh clash at the Racecourse Ground.
The Bluebirds are in the quarter-finals for the first time since they reached the 2011-12 final.
Cardiff City boss Brian Barry-Murphy said: “For a young team like ours to deal with the equaliser and respond the way we did was very satisfying for us.” AFP
