Kevin Betsy’s side are second in the English Football League after just one point from five matches but deservedly progressed to the third stage thanks to goals from captain Tom Nichols and Liverpool loanee James Balagizi. The home side held on comfortably to invade the pitch after the final whistle. “The players put in a fantastic performance,” said former Fulham midfielder Betsy, whose side beat Bristol Rovers in League One in the first round. “We were relentless in our pressing and application. We stayed in the game very well. It worked. It was a fantastic night for all. Fulham are a good team. When I looked at the team sheet, I was like, ‘My God, there are a lot of good players in there.’ We are having a bit of a difficult game in the league, but in the cup we are doing quite well.” Bournemouth manager Scott Parker praised the character of his young side as they twice came from behind before beating Norwich on penalties to reach the third round. Former Cherries loanee Todd Cantwell missed the decisive penalty in a tense affair after Adam Iida thought he had returned from a six-month injury lay-off with a late winner from the bench, only for Brooklyn Genesini to bring Bournemouth level on delays. and secured a 2-2 draw. Steven Gerrard felt his Aston Villa side gave themselves the boost they needed as they came from behind to beat Bolton 4-1. After a disappointing start to the season and a difficult run of games in the coming weeks, a cup shock at the University of Bolton Stadium on Tuesday could have made life uncomfortable for Villa and Gerrard. However, despite falling behind their determined League One rivals, the Premier League outfit produced a strong performance to progress to the third round. “You’re always looking for the right reaction and response,” said Gerrard, recalling Saturday’s defeat at Crystal Palace. “The players and I know that the performance and the result at the weekend was not good enough.” Elsewhere, Premier League newcomers Nottingham Forest won 3-0 at Grimsby Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Second Division Preston North End 2-1. Crystal Palace scored twice late on to beat Oxford United 2-0, their first win in the competition since 2018. Brentford bounced back from their weekend defeat at Fulham to beat fourth division side Colchester United 2-0. Che Adams kept his tally going with two goals as Southampton beat Cambridge United 3-0. Adams also scored twice at the weekend as Southampton beat Leicester City.
