Premier League sides West Ham United, Fulham and Sunderland narrowly avoided upsets in the second round of the League Cup on Wednesday. West Ham went through after League Two (fourth division) Macclesfield, without a point this season, fought bravely to try to deny the home side victory. The Hammers were trailing after just five minutes and needed another 70 to equalize courtesy of Lee Bowyer, before finally clinching a 4-1 win in extra time against Macclesfield's 10 men. Fulham, fresh from upsetting Arsenal on Saturday, conceded two goals in two minutes after the restart against League One (third division) Leicester but then scored twice in the final 10 minutes, Danny Murphy netting the winner in injury time for a 3-2 victory. Sunderland fell behind to Championship (second division) side Nottingham Forest on 60 minutes after a stunning Rob Earnshaw free kick but rallied four minutes from time. It sealed the win in extra time through Northern Ireland international David Healy. Fellow Premier League club Blackburn Rovers, playing fourth-tier Grimsby, went behind early on but a Matt Derbyshire double saw them through 4-1. League One Huddersfield Town was also on for an upset until Championship Sheffield United clinched a 2-1 win with two late goals.
