Lankshear's Debut Goal Seals Cup Victory for Middlesbrough
Will Lankshear needed just an hour in Middlesbrough colours to announce himself.
The £10m signing from Tottenham stepped into the Carabao Cup and settled a tight, occasionally frantic tie with one clean, ruthless swing of his right boot, sealing a 1-0 win over Wrexham and a place in the second round.
Lankshear wastes no time
The game had been searching for a finisher. Lankshear decided he was it.
On 61 minutes, Jeremy Sarmiento arced in a cross from the right and Leo Castledine attacked it, steering a clever header into the danger zone. Lankshear read it early. One sharp swivel, one hooked first-time volley, and the ball flew into the far corner. No touch to set, no invitation for a defender to recover. Just instinct and technique.
It was his second warning. Moments after the restart he had already curled one effort just over the bar, drifting into space and shaping his body like a striker who has spent years rehearsing that exact movement. Wrexham survived that one. They did not survive the next.
Before the breakthrough, both sides had carved out enough chances to feel they should have been ahead.
Middlesbrough almost struck inside seven minutes. Sebastian Berhalter whipped in a teasing ball and Adilson Malanda, arriving late, prodded goalwards from close range. It looked in. Danny Ward had other ideas, springing into a brilliant point-blank save that set the tone for a busy night.
At the other end, Wrexham grew into the contest. Danny Imray found himself well placed from a Callum Doyle cross but failed to connect cleanly, the opportunity skewed rather than seized. The visitors went closer still six minutes before the break when Nathan Broadhead rolled Sam Smith into space. Smith drove low and hard, only to see Sol Brynn block with his legs. A big chance, firmly shut down.
Once Lankshear broke the deadlock, Boro began to play with a little more freedom. The anxiety drained, replaced by control.
They almost killed the tie off late on. With three minutes remaining, Morgan Whittaker ghosted into position and drilled a low strike past Ward, only for the ball to cannon back off the post. Wrexham clung on, but there was no late twist. The debutant’s volley stood as the difference.
A new season, a new centre-forward, and already a moment that will linger with the home support.
Wolves cruise as Jimenez returns to centre stage
At Molineux, Wolves did their work early and then turned the night into a welcome party.
A 3-0 victory over Port Vale was effectively wrapped up by half-time, Adam Armstrong, Andre and Fer Lopez sharing the goals as Cesar Peixoto’s first game in charge delivered exactly what he needed: control, clarity, and progress.
Port Vale, under Jon Brady, refused to fold. Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel produced one of the more remarkable interventions of the evening, somehow hooking the ball away from his own goal to prevent Wolves adding to their tally before the break. Later, Mo Faal stepped up from the spot with the away fans desperate for something to celebrate. Dan Bentley stayed big, saved with his legs, and the chance for a consolation disappeared.
The scoreboard, though, was only half the story.
The home crowd of 21,360 reserved their loudest noise for a familiar figure. Raul Jimenez, the club’s Premier League top scorer, re-signed this summer after three years at Fulham and came on late to a roar that felt like a reunion more than a substitution. He managed one fierce effort on goal, a reminder of the old power, but not the fairytale strike. A goal for him would have been harsh on a Port Vale side that kept competing even as the tie slipped away.
Wolves move on, their returning hero back in gold and black, the competition offering a clean runway into the season.
Magennis steals it at the death for Stevenage
At Wycombe, the drama waited until the final act.
Stevenage, marking their 50th anniversary season, snatched a 2-1 win in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, new signing Josh Magennis rising to meet Phoenix Patterson’s left-wing corner and thundering home the decisive header. One leap, one thud of the ball, and the away end erupted.
It was a ruthless end to a game that had swung repeatedly.
Wycombe started on the front foot, pinning Stevenage back, only to be undone by hesitation at the back in the 27th minute. Dan Kemp pounced, reading the uncertainty, surging through and drilling a low finish that silenced the home crowd and handed the visitors the lead against the run of play.
The shock woke Wycombe up.
Ewan Henderson dragged them level 11 minutes later. Silko Thomas, lively down the left, picked him out with a measured cross. Henderson slipped between defenders and finished right-footed from just outside the six-yard box, a cool touch in a crowded area.
Stevenage almost struck again on the stroke of half-time. Kemp, brimming with confidence, rattled the crossbar from the edge of the box, inches away from a second that would have changed the entire feel of the night.
After the interval, Wycombe took charge. They controlled territory, pushed Stevenage back, and created the kind of pressure that usually tells. It nearly did in the 77th minute when substitute Emre Tezgel, on for Cauley Woodrow, attacked another Thomas cross from the left. He looked set to score, only for Boro captain Carl Piergianni to throw himself in and block, a captain’s intervention at a crucial moment.
That tackle kept Stevenage alive long enough for Magennis to finish the job.
One late header, one perfect corner, and a milestone season for the club opens with a cup win wrenched from almost nothing. If this is how they plan to mark 50 years, their opponents have been warned.
