Aston Villa Advance in Carabao Cup Despite Lackluster Display

Aston Villa secured a 2-1 win over League One side Wycombe Wanderers to advance to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup though their performance was underwhelming. Manager Unai Emery made 10 changes to the lineup, giving fringe players a chance to impress. Emiliano Buendía opened the scoring with a looping header in the 56th minute.

Jhon Duran excelling off the bench this season sealed the win with an 85th-minute penalty after drawing a foul. Duran, who scored four times in five Premier League substitute appearances, missed an early chance when through on goal but redeemed himself by converting the penalty to double Villa’s lead. Wycombe challenged Villa throughout with Kieran Sadlier and Garath McCleary testing goalkeeper Joe Gauci, who made his senior debut.

Gauci delivered a shaky performance but managed to prevent Wycombe from equalizing. Richard Kone scored a consolation goal for Wycombe in stoppage time but Villa held on to progress. Villa delivered a lackluster performance overall, and their fringe players struggled to make a strong impact. Competing in the Champions League this season, Emery had already downplayed the importance of the EFL Cup.

However, the sluggish showing against Wycombe indicates the team must improve if they want to seriously challenge for the trophy with tougher opponents ahead. Villa’s situation worsened when Brazilian defender Diego Carlos sustained an injury during the warm-up forcing a late reshuffle with a young inexperienced substitutes’ bench.

Aston Villa will need to step up their game in the next round if they hope to claim their first major trophy since winning the League Cup in 1996.