With six Championship, five League One and four League Two clubs remaining in the Carabao Cup, the second round showcased some of the finest EFL performers.
According to WhoScored.com, the Team of the Round involved a fairly equal split of five Premier League performers, as well as six EFL representatives. With plenty of lower league teams progressing to the third round, let’s delve deeper into some of the standout, individual performances from earlier this week.
🌟 @WhoScored provide us with their highest-rated players from Round Two! 👇#EFL | #CarabaoCup
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) August 29, 2024
The following players are joining: Hakon Valdimarsson, Adam Webster, Eberechi Eze, Tim Iroegbunam, and Jean-Philippe Mateta, in this round’s elite team.
Jamie McCart – Rotherham United
Achieving a WhoScored rating of 8.09, McCart opened up the scoring in Rotherham’s bitterly disappointing defeat against League Two side, Fleetwood Town.
In the second minute, the Scot put the Millers 1-0 up, before eventually seeing his side succumb to a 2-1 defeat at full-time. An impressive defensive performance, with six clearances and eight aerial duels won, wasn’t enough to cope with Fleetwood’s attack.
Furthermore, the 27-year-old’s attacking impact after his opener was still very impressive for a centre-back. McCart had four touches in the opposition box and completed six passes into the final third.
Ryan Porteous – Watford
The Hornets’ Scottish centre-back provided one assist in a 2-0 victory over Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle. Watford’s number five was a key part in progressing to the third round, keeping a clean sheet and supplying Mileta Rajovic for his opening goal. The latter is possibly unlucky not to feature.
With a rating of 8.28, Porteous put up impressive numbers for the Championship side. The 25-year-old created three key passes and made four interceptions in 90 minutes.
Watford were able to apply a lot of pressure to Rooney’s side, with Porteous completing 14 passes into the final third. This domination was exemplified by the 17 shots that the second-tier team managed to take.
Alfie Doughty – Luton Town
An 8.33 WhoScored rating has landed 24-year-old Doughty in the Team of the Round. A nervy 1-1 affair with Championship side, Queens Park Rangers, culminated in a disappointing penalty shoot-out defeat for The Hatters.
However, in terms of individual performances, this was a great match for the wing-back. Doughty created four chances for the away side and made four interceptions. With six accurate crosses and nine passes into the final third, there was clearly a lack of adequate finishing to reward the former Charlton Athletic defender for his efforts.
The Luton player was the only one to score a spot-kick in his side’s shoot-out efforts. A dismal 4-1 penalty scoreline exemplified The Hatters’ lack of ‘cutting edge’ on the night.
Callum Paterson – Sheffield Wednesday
Back to his best, Paterson took centre-stage for The Owls in a 5-1 decimation of Grimsby Town. Achieving a score of 8.85, the 29-year-old scored twice and even contributed defensively, with six duels won and two clearances made.
Wednesday’s number 13 deservedly makes it into the team, with his brace contributing heavily towards their second round progression. Danny Röhl’s Championship side will travel to Bloomfield Road for their next tie with Blackpool.
Sam Greenwood – Preston North End
As the first of two stand-outs for Paul Heckingbottom’s North End side in the second round, Greenwood scored a stunning free-kick as well as a penalty. The 22-year-old put his side 2-0 up by successfully converting two early dead-ball situations.
Not a bad way to open your North End account. 😮💨#pnefc pic.twitter.com/s66eTCLSiC
— Preston North End FC (@pnefc) August 28, 2024
A 9.05 is a justifiable score for the Leeds United loanee as this early momentum sparked the Lancashire side into action, and eventually, a 5-0 win over Harrogate Town.
Milutin Osmajic – Preston North End
With a perfect 10.00 WhoScored rating, the Montenegrin striker sealed the tie for Preston with a hat-trick of powerful efforts. The 25-year-old took six shots in total at The Exercise Stadium.
The former Cadiz striker scored once from outside the box, from a tight angle, and with a central tap-in as his Lancashire outfit put five past Harrogate. Both Greenwood and Osmajic lead the line excellently for Heckingbottom’s side.
Preston will now await a visit from Premier League Fulham in the third round of the EFL Cup.
Writer’s View
A strong performance by Preston’s two strikers has earned them a well-deserved place in the EFL Cup Team of the Round. Luton and Rotherham’s representatives were unlucky to see their sides fail to progress, despite their impressive individual performances.
We could expect this form to continue for Callum Paterson, with a disjointed-looking Blackpool side awaiting The Owls in the third round. Elsewhere, Ryan Porteous will be staking a claim as one of the most important centre-backs in the Championship, with another impressive run-out.
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