IRELAND U21 international Joe Hodge started in the EFL Cup tonight alongside senior Irish international Nathan Collins, as Wolves beat Gillingham 2-0.
Elsewhere, it was a mixed tonight for Gavin Bazunu, as he was credited with an early own goal, but his Southampton side came from behind to beat the Mark Kennedy-managed Lincoln City 2-1.
Hodge played the first half before being replaced by Adama Traore, while Collins completed 90 minutes. In addition, Connor Ronan was an unused sub.
Late goals from substitutes Raul Jimenez and Rayan Ait-Nouri handed Julen Lopetegui a winning start as manager in a hard-fought Carabao Cup tie against the League Two strugglers.
Jimenez, making his first club appearance since August, broke the deadlock in a tight contest at Molineux with a 77th-minute penalty before Ait-Nouri secured a 2-0 victory and a quarter-final place in injury time.
Wolves dominated the encounter but lacked bite against the Gills, who defied their position at the bottom of the English Football League to show great resolve.
It was an intriguing opener for Lopetegui, who begins his challenge to lift Wolves away from the foot of the Premier League against Everton on Boxing Day.
His first side contained two of Wolves’ five World Cup players in Jose Sa and Ruben Neves.
The other three players involved in Qatar, Jimenez, Hwang Hee-chan and Matheus Nunes, all played roles off the bench.
The first 30 minutes were tame, with Wolves dominating possession but the visitors sitting deep to soak up pressure.
Diego Costa, Hodge and Neves all had efforts blocked but goalkeeper Jake Turner was not tested.
The Gills themselves struggled to get out of their own half and their fans cheered as if celebrating a goal when they won a corner on one rare foray forward.
Wolves stepped up the tempo in the latter stages of the first half and went close when Neves curled a free-kick narrowly wide before Daniel Podence and Hodge were denied in a goalmouth scramble.
Podence began to trouble the Gills more often and tested Turner from long range. He then wanted a penalty after going down in the area but play went on and Hodge headed wide after being picked out brilliantly at the back post by Goncalo Guedes.
Wolves went even closer when Neves slammed a shot against the post with the last kick of the first half after a clever run and dummy by Podence at a corner.
After that flurry of activity, the break came at a good time for Gillingham and allowed them to regroup.
The second period followed a similar pattern to the first, with Wolves continually frustrated in the final third.
Eventually, the visitors began to tire and Wolves, boosted by an injection of quality from the bench, sensed their opportunity.
Costa flicked an effort just wide and Turner saved superbly at the feet of Nelson Semedo.
The pressure mounted but it still took a moment of fortune for Wolves to break through as Cheye Alexander was penalised for fouling Hwang in a crowded penalty area. Jimenez calmly stepped up to slot home the resulting spot-kick.
Ait-Nouri wrapped up victory when he prodded home a second in time added on.
Ex-Ireland international Shaun Williams played the first 74 minutes for Gillingham.
LINCOLN CITY TAKE THE SHOCK EARLY LEAD AGAINST SOUTHAMPTON THROUGH PAUDIE O'CONNOR!!!pic.twitter.com/8bhRJbYsxr
— Football Report 🕊☮️🌍🌎🌏 #BerhalterOut (@FootballReprt) December 20, 2022
Meanwhile, Che Adams scored twice as Southampton marked Nathan Jones’ first home match as manager by scraping into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
Top scorer Adams struck either side of half-time to spare Saints blushes after the Imps threatened an upset following Bazunu’s early own goal.
The lacklustre hosts laboured for much of a forgettable fourth-round tie at a sparsely-populated St Mary’s, leaving Jones with plenty to ponder as he plots a Premier League survival mission.
Adams’ winner – his eighth goal of the season – arrived 16 minutes from time, preventing the jeopardy of a penalty shootout, which Saints had required to sneak past third-tier Sheffield Wednesday in the previous round.
Lincoln, who sit 14th in Sky Bet League One and beat Championship Bristol City in round three, acquitted themselves well and will probably leave the south coast feeling aggrieved as replays suggested Adams’ 25th-minute equaliser was offside.
Saints substitute Samuel Edozie squandered a golden chance to make the result safe in added time when he somehow shot wide of an open goal, while match-winner Adams should have claimed a hat-trick with another excellent opening.
Jones’ maiden match as Saints manager – a 3-1 Premier League loss at Liverpool on 12 November which left the club second-bottom of the top-flight table – came two days after he replaced the sacked Ralph Hasenhuttl.
The former Luton boss was forced to wait a further 38 days for his home debut due to the World Cup and, having named a strong team, he endured a nightmare start.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles woefully sliced a Max Sanders corner high into the air inside two minutes and, as the ball dropped dangerously underneath the crossbar, Bazunu inadvertently bundled home under pressure from Irish defender Paudie O’Connor.
Jones had plenty of time to work with his new squad during the enforced break in domestic football, with Germany international Armel Bella-Kotchap and Ghana defender Mohammed Salisu the only Saints players selected for Qatar.
His disjointed side took time to bounce back from the shaky beginning and appeared to benefit from a significant slice of fortune for their equaliser.
Adams, who moments earlier was denied by a fine stop from City goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, headed home a Mohamed Elyounoussi cross but replays suggested it should have been disallowed for offside.
With VAR not being used in the competition until the semi-final stage, the goal was allowed to stand, much to the frustration of Imps boss Mark Kennedy and the healthy travelling support.
Lincoln’s only win at Southampton was a 3-2 second-tier success in December 1960.
The visitors were far from disheartened by the controversial leveller and almost regained the lead when Bazunu produced a smart stop to deny the lively Charles Vernam just before the break.
Murmurings of discontent greeted the half-time whistle and Southampton continued to toil following the restart, despite dominating possession.
City keeper Rushworth went largely untested, while Lincoln enjoyed further moments of attacking enterprise as they went in search of a shock.
With the threat of spot-kicks beginning to loom, Southampton finally went ahead.
Imps defender Joe Walsh blocked Elyounoussi’s acrobatic effort on the line following Theo Walcott’s cross but Adams was on hand to turn home the rebound.
Sanders came close to levelling with an effort from distance late on before Edozie and Adams each contrived to waste glorious chances in added time.
In addition to O’Connor, Irish players Danny Mandroiu and Sean Roughan also started for the visitors.
Meanwhile, Adam Smith’s own goal handed Newcastle a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals as Eddie Howe’s men edged past his former club Bournemouth.
The Cherries skipper’s 67th-minute misfortune was enough to secure a 1-0 victory for the Magpies at St James’ Park and increase hope that they can finally end a domestic trophy drought dating back to 1955.
If the win was deserved – the Magpies dominated much of the 90 minutes in front of an expectant crowd of 51,579 – it proved hard-fought with keeper Nick Pope having to save from substitute Jack Stacey and Dominic Solanke to preserve his clean sheet and ensure a seventh successive win.
Irish goalkeeper Mark Travers started for Bournemouth, while Ben Greenwood made the bench.
Finally, Leicester will be eyeing up a tilt at the Carabao Cup after easing into the quarter-finals with 3-0 win at MK Dons.
The Foxes resumed their season after a 39-day break for the World Cup in style as goals from Youri Tielemans, Ayoze Perez and Jamie Vardy booked their spot in the last eight.
With Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham already out and one of Manchester City or Liverpool following them after their tie on Thursday night, this year’s competition represents a real chance to break the stranglehold held by the top-six clubs going back to Swansea’s win in 2013.
Irish trio Dawson Devoy, Warren O’Hora and Conor Grant all started for the League One side
English League Cup results on Tuesday:
4th round
Milton Keynes Dons 0 Leicester 3 (Tielemans 18, Perez 29, Vardy 50)
Newcastle 1 (Smith 67-og) Bournemouth 0
Southampton 2 (Adams 25, 74) Lincoln 1 (Bazunu 2-og)
Wolves 2 (Jimenez 77-pen, Ait-Nouri 90+1) Gillingham 0
Additional reporting by Paul Fennessy
