Leeds Extend Forest Woes, Coventry Complete Late Rally in Carabao Cup Round-up
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Leeds United dominated Nottingham Forest with a 2-0 victory at the City Ground, extending their recent ascendancy over the Premier League side and claiming their first away win there in over five decades. The result highlighted Forest manager Oliver Glasner's difficult early tenure, whilst Brentford impressed with a commanding performance against Birmingham to advance alongside other established sides.
Coventry City secured a more dramatic progression to the third round with a 4-2 victory away at Plymouth Argyle, staging a comeback from an equalized position to score twice late in the contest. Frank Lampard's squad, who made nine changes from their recent Premier League encounter with Arsenal, demonstrated impressive squad depth and resilience to claim a memorable away victory.
- Leeds beat Forest 2-0 (second win in three days); Coventry overcome Plymouth 4-2 in dramatic comeback
- Leeds secure first City Ground victory since 1972; Coventry score twice late after conceding equaliser
- Second-round matches showcase mix of dominant performances and squad rotation success across competing sides
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Leeds United and Nottingham Forest are two English football clubs, with Forest playing in the Premier League and Leeds having recently returned to it after promotion. The two sides met in the Carabao Cup, a domestic knockout competition contested by teams across England's top four divisions, alongside a number of other second-round ties involving clubs such as Brentford, Birmingham City, Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle.
Nottingham Forest's manager, Oliver Glasner, is relatively new to the role, having taken charge after a turbulent period at the club, so early results are being watched closely as an indicator of how his tenure is progressing. Coventry City, managed by former England international Frank Lampard, are a Championship (second-tier) side who occasionally use cup matches to give squad players game time rather than fielding their strongest available team.
The Carabao Cup, formally known as the EFL Cup, runs alongside the Premier League and Championship seasons and is generally considered less prestigious than league competitions, but it still offers clubs a route to silverware, European qualification in some cases, and valuable experience for squad and younger players.
Full account
Leeds United reached the Carabao Cup third round by beating Nottingham Forest 2-0 at the City Ground, completing a second victory over the same opponents in three days. Daniel Farke’s team had won 1-0 there in the league on Saturday, ending a long wait for success at Forest, and followed it with another controlled performance. Dan James broke the deadlock five minutes after half-time before Neco Williams put through his own net. The defeat added to a difficult start for Forest and their recently appointed manager, Oliver Glasner, who said the side remained some distance from its intended level and stressed that improvement would require time and sustained work rather than an immediate transformation.
Elsewhere, Brentford were emphatic 6-1 winners at Birmingham City. Callum Wilson scored early on his first start, while captain Nathan Collins struck twice; Aaron Hickey, Mikkel Damsgaard and Igor Thiago also found the net after Demarai Gray had briefly brought Birmingham level. The evening’s notable upset came at Vicarage Road, where League One Peterborough United defeated Watford 5-1. Watford head coach Alessio Dionisi had changed his entire starting side, and Peterborough took full advantage through an own goal, two goals from Harry Leonard and further efforts from Bolu Shofowoke and Harrison Jones.
West Ham United overturned an early Southampton lead to win 4-1, with teenage debutant Josh Ayala scoring twice before Taty Castellanos and Jarrod Bowen completed the result. Nuno Espírito Santo praised Ayala’s work in training and his use of the opportunity. Ipswich Town beat Leicester City 3-1, helped by two Marcelino Núñez goals including an attempt from around the halfway line, while Middlesbrough defeated Doncaster Rovers 3-1 in a repeat of last season’s cup meeting. Hull City needed penalties to eliminate Stoke City after a 1-1 draw, and Norwich City won 2-1 at Cardiff as Ante Crnac scored on his return from a lengthy knee injury.
Coventry City also progressed, although their trip to Plymouth Argyle was far less straightforward than their opening minutes suggested. Taiwo Awoniyi and Jack Rudoni put Frank Lampard’s side two ahead inside just over four minutes, but Plymouth responded strongly. Oliver Irow reduced the deficit and Xavier Amaechi equalised early in the second half, leaving Coventry under pressure. Ephron Mason-Clark, returning from a hamstring problem, restored the visitors’ lead, and Victor Torp later converted a penalty to secure a 4-2 win. Lampard described the result as important after Coventry’s first win of the season, while Plymouth manager Tom Cleverley highlighted his side’s response and the involvement of young academy players.
Where outlets differ
The first report is a broad round-up centred on Leeds’ second win over Forest and includes several other ties; it presents Glasner’s comments at length and reports the scores from across the round.
The second report focuses solely on Coventry’s 4-2 win at Plymouth, giving greater detail on the match’s momentum, Coventry’s travelling support, Lampard’s reaction and Plymouth’s young players.
Both accounts underline the potential difficulty of cup football, but the first does so through the Peterborough upset, while the second emphasises Coventry nearly surrendering an early two-goal advantage.
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