Carling Cup: The night the mighty fell
League Two Northampton record historic win in Anfield shoot-out as injury fears compound Chelsea's loss and Mancini insists he has 'no regrets'
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Your support makes all the difference.Abdul Osman, a 23-year-old from Ghana whose career has taken him to Northampton via Gretna Green, completed an extraordinary night in the Carling Cup by converting the penalty that saw the League Two side knock Liverpool out of the competition at Anfield. Northampton's shock victory followed Newcastle ending Chelsea's runaway start to the season with a 90th-minute winner and West Bromwich adding to Roberto Mancini's problems by beating Manchester City at The Hawthorns.
Northampton had led in extra time before David Ngog took the match to penalties and it was Osman's conversion of the visitors' fifth and final spot-kick – after Ngog and the 19-year-old substitute Nathan Eccleston missed for Liverpool – that secured a place in Saturday's fourth-round draw.
"It is starting to sink in and we'll have a few beers on the bus," said the Northampton manager, Ian Sampson, who spent a decade as a player with the club and is in his first full season in charge. "We will make it a party bus. To win at Anfield as a manager after just one year is absolutely delightful."
Roy Hodgson, who has made a stuttering start to his tenure at Anfield, felt obliged to say sorry to the Liverpool supporters after another damaging defeat. "I can only apologise to the fans who expected to see us win," said Hodgson, who made 11 changes to the side that lost to Manchester United on Sunday. "The fact is the players have to accept responsibility. I accept the responsibility for changing a lot of players in the team but I thought they were good enough to win the game."
Chelsea not only suffered a rare home defeat – the first in open play in a domestic cup competition since the start of the Abramovich era 2003 – but also ended the game with 10 players, having lost three to injury. Salomon Kalou, Yossi Benayoun and Gaël Kakuta were all taken off and Kalou is definitely out of Chelsea's trip to Manchester City on Tuesday. Two goals from Shola Ameobi, the second in the 90th minute, earned Newcastle, who fielded an under-strength side, a memorable 4-3 victory. "This was a game that most people felt we couldn't win irrespective of the side that we put out," said Chris Hughton, Newcastle's manager.
Roberto Mancini, Manchester City's manager, was forced to defend his team selection after his side lost 2-1 to West Bromwich. The Italian fielded two debutants in his back four, 19-year-old Greg Cunningham, 19, and Ben Mee, 20.
"I did not really have a choice," Mancini said. "I have injured players and others I could not risk ahead of the Chelsea game, with only two days of recovery time. We wanted to win the game but I have no regrets. I could not have done it differently."
Manchester United recovered from conceding an early goal to win 5-2 at Scunthorpe.
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