EFL Cup: Strand Larsen's Late Goals Propel Wolves To Comeback Victory Over West Ham

Wolves secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over West Ham in the EFL Cup's second round, intensifying the pressure on Graham Potter. Jorgen Strand Larsen was pivotal, scoring twice in quick succession to seal Wolves' first win of the season. Despite West Ham's promising start, Rodrigo Gomes put Wolves ahead just before halftime after Hwang Hee-chan's penalty hit the post.

West Ham managed to turn the game around early in the second half. Tomas Soucek equalised with a header in the 50th minute, followed by Lucas Paqueta putting them ahead 13 minutes later. However, Strand Larsen equalised for Wolves in the 82nd minute and then scored the winner shortly after. This defeat marks West Ham's third consecutive loss this season, with 11 goals conceded.

Sheffield Wednesday pulled off a surprise by defeating Leeds United in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw. Despite having only one stand open due to off-field issues, Wednesday's inexperienced squad held firm against Leeds. Karl Darlow's error allowed Jamal Lowe's cross to find the net, but Jayden Bogle equalised for Leeds late on.

Sunderland also exited the competition after losing to Huddersfield Town on penalties following a 1-1 draw. Leo Castledine scored early for Sunderland, but Marc Guiu levelled late on. In the shootout, Lee Nicholls emerged as Huddersfield's hero by saving Milan Aleksic's penalty.

Meanwhile, Wrexham advanced to the third round with a thrilling 3-2 win over Preston North End. Substitute Kieffer Moore scored a last-minute winner after Ryan Hardie and Harry Ashfield had cancelled out goals from Lewis Dobbin and Liam Lindsay. Wrexham had previously needed penalties to progress against Hull City but avoided that fate this time.

Data Insights: Challenges for Potter

West Ham faced an uphill battle given their poor EFL Cup record against Premier League teams, now losing nine of their last eleven such matches. They struggled offensively against Wolves with only seven attempts yielding an expected goals (xG) of just 0.92 while conceding five big chances worth 1.99 xG from Wolves' nineteen shots.

Sheffield Wednesday ended their three-match losing streak against Leeds in their long-standing rivalry with this being their 104th encounter. Penalty shootouts have become familiar territory for them as six of their last nine EFL Cup ties have gone this route; they also defeated Bolton Wanderers similarly earlier this season.