Peterborough United survived a chaotic, end-to-end thriller against Barnsley to reach the Carabao Cup fourth round for the first time since 2009, winning 7-6 on penalties after the sides played out a 3-3 draw at London Road. Elsewhere on a busy night for the competition, Max Dowman inspired Arsenal to victory at Ipswich, Brentford edged past Reading, and Fulham fought back to beat West Ham.
Peterborough 3-3 Barnsley (Peterborough win 7-6 on penalties)
Few games in this year’s competition have been as entertaining — or as ridiculous — as this one. Barnsley took a shock lead after just 61 seconds when Peterborough goalkeeper Alex Bass was charged down by Cameron McGeehan, with Tykes captain McGeehan nodding the rebound in off the crossbar.
Peterborough equalized in the 19th minute, with Lucca Mendonca’s cross pushed out by Barnsley goalkeeper Kieran Flavell straight into the path of Harry Leonard, who prodded home. The hosts then completed a swift turnaround eight minutes later when Harley Mills’ free-kick was headed in by an unmarked Danny Ormerod, making it 2-1.
Barnsley leveled again five minutes before halftime through Reyes Cleary, who beat Mendonca down the left before finishing into the bottom corner. The visitors then looked to have snatched the win when Cleary bent in his second goal of the night in the 74th minute — only for Ormerod to head in another Mills cross with just two minutes remaining, forcing extra time and, eventually, penalties.
The shoot-out itself went the distance. After 12 successful spot-kicks apiece, a tame effort from Barnsley’s Luke Alker was saved by Bass, teeing up Harrison Jones to send Peterborough through with a converted penalty. Former Republic of Ireland Under-21 international Liam Kelly also scored from the spot in the shoot-out, helping seal Posh’s first trip to the fourth round in 16 years.
Also in the Carabao Cup
Arsenal 4-2 Ipswich Town — Dowman does it again. Max Dowman continued his breakout season with a two-goal display to help a heavily rotated Arsenal side beat Ipswich 4-2. The 16-year-old, who made headlines last season with a goal and assist in a title-clinching win over Everton, had featured only as an unused substitute four times this campaign before playing for Arsenal’s under-21s the previous Saturday. Three days later, he scored a brilliant individual goal seven minutes into his first appearance of the season, then added a second immediately after halftime to put Arsenal firmly in control. Noni Madueke and Mikel Merino also found the net before Ipswich pulled two back through Anis Mehmeti and Chuba Akpom, but the night belonged to Dowman, who continues to look like one of the most exciting talents in English football just months before his 17th birthday.
Brentford 2-1 Reading — Wilson and Carvalho see off spirited League One side. Brentford held off a tense finish to book their place in the fourth round, with Callum Wilson and Fabio Carvalho scoring in the first half to put the Premier League side in control. Reading created a number of chances but lacked the cutting edge to punish Brentford’s missed opportunities, and former Limerick defender Paudie O’Connor pulled one back to set up a nervy final 18 minutes. Substitute Igor Thiago should have put the result beyond doubt late on but couldn’t add to the scoreline, leaving Brentford to see out a narrower-than-expected win.
Fulham 3-2 West Ham — Bobb’s first goal for the club proves decisive. Oscar Bobb’s brilliant solo effort earned Fulham a hard-fought win at the London Stadium. The Norwegian, summoned from the bench by manager Alvaro Arbeloa as his side chased a winner, needed less than 10 minutes to deliver, jinking through West Ham‘s defense before finishing inside the near post. Rodrigo Muniz had given Fulham an early lead, only for Morato to level for West Ham, before Cesar Palacios restored the visitors’ advantage and Pablo forced another equalizer in first-half stoppage time. A cagey second half followed before Bobb’s introduction settled it, with Timothy Castagne also making a crucial late goal-line clearance to deny Taty Castellanos and secure the win.
