Cardiff comeback knocks Arsenal out of EFL Trophy

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League One side Cardiff City came from behind to beat a 10-man Arsenal Under-21 side 3-1, eliminating the Premier League club from the EFL Trophy in the final round of group stage matches.

Marcell Washington’s powerful strike gave the visitors the lead after great build-up play, only for Cardiff midfielder Troy Perrett to level the match two minutes later.

But calamity struck when Arsenal goalkeeper Alexei Rojas was shown a red card for a foul, and the hosts capitalised on their player advantage with goals from Will Spiers and Trey George.

There was also drama at Chesterfield, where Liverpool Under-21 came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against the League Two side, and then won the mammoth subsequent penalty shootout 11-10.

Liverpool, managed by former Wales boss Rob Page, went behind in the second half when Bailey Hobson’s shot bobbled past Fabian Mrozek in the visiting goal, before Dylan Duffy doubled the lead two minutes later.

It looked like Kaide Gordon – a previous scorer for Liverpool’s first team in the FA Cup – had netted a consolation goal to make it 2-1, before he struck again in added time.

The final spot-kick saw former Premier League midfielder John Fleck hit the bar and miss for Chesterfield with what was their twelfth and his second penalty of the shootout.

Despite getting an extra point from that finale, Page’s team finished bottom of their group, while Chesterfield progressed to the knockout stages as one of the top two teams.

EFL Trophy group tables

Chesterfield's Bailey Hobson runs with the ball against Liverpool

Elsewhere, Wolves Under-21 were eliminated after a 4-2 defeat at League Two side Salford City.

Fletcher Holman gave the away side the advantage, but the Ammies comeback included three second-half goals, two of which were scored by Ruben Butt, the son of the former England midfielder and Salford chief executive, Nicky.

Newcastle U21 also went out of the competition, as they lost 3-1 at League Two side Harrogate Town, where substitute forward Tom Cursons scored a pair of late goals.

There was further disappointment for Fulham U21, who exited the competition with three defeats, this time going down 2-0 at group-topping Colchester United.

Leeds Under-21 looked set for their first points of the campaign, before a red card for defender Reuben Lopata-White helped Accrington Stanley to fight back and win 3-2.

But it was not enough to overhaul Fleetwood Town and Port Vale in their group table, as the latter twice came from behind at home in an entertaining 3-3 draw, only for Fleetwood to get an extra point by winning 4-2 on penalties.

The highest-scoring match of the night came at Oldham Athletic, who were thumped 6-2 by Bolton Wanderers. Four goals in ten second-half minutes provided incredible entertainment at Boundary Park, after Marcus Forss had scored twice in two minutes to put the visitors 4-0 up.

Aaron Drinan scored his first hat-trick for Swindon Town, helping his side stun fellow League Two team MK Dons 4-0 away from home, as Ian Holloway’s Robins finished top of their group.

Second behind them, are West Ham United U21, the only Premier League club to have a team in the knockout stages.

Marcus Forss celebrates with Bolton teammates

But the award for grandstand finish must go to Peterborough United. Midfielder Donay O’Brien-Brady scored in the 94th minute of their win 2-1 at Crawley Town, ensuring they progressed at the expense of their opponents.

Similarly, Gillingham and Wycombe Wanderers had been level on points going into their match at Priestfield Stadium, but Michael Duff’s side were a class above their hosts in a 3-0 win to ensure they went through.

Omar Bogle followed up his goal against Shrewsbury last weekend with a double for Crewe Alexandra in their 3-1 win at Burton Albion, allowing his team to finish top of their group.

Also first in their pile are Exeter City, who had defender Ed Turns to thank as they won 1-0 at eliminated Newport County, while Northampton Town beat Shrewsbury Town 2-1 for their third consecutive EFL Trophy victory.

Doncaster Rovers came from behind to beat Bradford City 3-1 at home as both teams progressed, while the same outcome was enjoyed by Barnsley and Lincoln City, despite the former suffering a 2-0 loss at home as the Imps kept up their perfect winning record in the group stage.

Kick-off was delayed by an hour at Tranmere Rovers following heavy rain, but the hosts eventually edged past Blackpool with a 2-1 scoreline. Both sides were already in a qualifying position before the match began.

The pressure was also off in that respect between Bristol Rovers and Plymouth Argyle, with the home side winning 1-0 at the Memorial Stadium, after playing against ten men for almost the full 90 minutes following a red card for Pilgrims defender Kornel Szucs.

At Hayes Lane, Marcus Browne’s header helped AFC Wimbledon seal a 2-1 victory on their travels against eliminated Bromley.

Play was suspended for nearly an hour during the second-half of Stockport County‘s match at home to Wigan Athletic because of a waterlogged pitch. Dave Challinor’s team progressed with a 1-1 draw and then took an extra point with a 6-5 victory on penalties.

The EFL Trophy last 32 draw is scheduled to take place at 14:30 GMT on Thursday, 13 November.