WOOD SEALS UNITED PROGRESSION

WOOD SEALS UNITED PROGRESSION

Late header books a place in Round Four of the EFL Cup...

UNITED 1 (Wood 84), BLACKBURN 0.

United team: Silvestri, Coyle, Cooper, Bartley, Taylor, Vieira (Hernandez 58), O'Kane, Phillips, Mowatt (Grimes 82), Roofe, Antonsson (Wood 72). Subs: Green, Ayling, Denton, Dallas.

Blackburn: Raya, Lenihan, Lowe, Bennett, Wharton (Nyambe 8), Hendrie, Akpan, Byrne, Feeney, Samuelsen (Mahoney 62), Gallagher (Emnes 62). Subs: Steele, Guthrie, Conway, Marshall.

Referee: Darren Deadman

Booked: Phillips (United), Akpan, Emnes, Lenihan (Blackburn)

Att: 8,488 (463 Blackburn)

Chris Wood stepped off the bench to score the only goal of the game six minutes from time as United secured progression to Round Four of the EFL Cup with a 1-0 victory at home to Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday evening.

Wood, a second-half replacement for Marcus Antonsson, steered the ball home from close-range at Elland Road after Pablo Hernandez’s initial strike had been pushed away by David Raya to make it three straight wins for Garry Monk’s side.

United made a lively start to proceedings, looking to go on the attack from kick-off, and only a wonder-save from Rovers ‘keeper Raya denied Lewie Coyle from opening his account with a thunderous half-volley inside the opening minute.

The visitors soon threatened at the opposite end, though, Liam Feeney brushing the side-netting with a towering header from Elliott Bennett’s back-post cross, before Stephen Hendrie fired wide from the edge of the area.

But chances were otherwise at a premium for the majority of the first half, until Marco Silvestri was called into action three minutes before the half-time whistle to keep out Jack Byrne’s goalbound strike with a superb, full-stretch save.

Kemar Roofe then dragged wide from range for United as it remained goalless going into the break.

Roofe was involved from the off at the start of the second period, curling a low effort wide of the far post within seconds of the restart.

A relatively uneventful period followed, with sights of goal scarce for both sides, before Eunan O’Kane’s volley was blocked inside a crowded Rovers penalty area as United began to push forward in search of a way through.

Silvestri needed to remain alert at the opposite end, pulling off a crucial double save to keep out efforts from Marvin Emnes and Liam Feeney, before Roofe saw his downwards header from a Coyle cross held by Raya from six yards out.

Subsitute Pablo Hernandez then fired over before seeing his free-kick almost creep in at the far post, his delivery evading everyone inside the area, only for Raya to claw it behind.

The deadlock was eventually broken on 84 minutes as Wood made it six goals from 10 appearances this season, nodding home from no more than six yards out after Raya’s desperate attempts to keep the ball out.

Roofe came close to double the advantage within a matter of seconds, but a full-stretch Raya turned away his curling effort from inside the area, and United’s one-goal lead was enough to seal progression and a place in Wednesday night’s Round Four draw.

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