Wycombe Wanderers have secured a place in the third round of the League Cup for the first time in three seasons following a hard-fought 1-0 win over Swansea City.
In one of the shocks of the round, Richard Kone’s well-taken strike just before the break sealed the Chairboys' first win in Wales since 2016, and most importantly, their second consecutive victory of the new season.
In an open first-half, the opening chance of the contest fell to Josh Scowen, but his bending effort on the edge of the box was easily gathered by Lawrence Vigouroux.
Franco Ravizzoli was rarely tested during the opening 45 minutes, despite Swansea getting into some very good positions.
Zan Vipotnik got on the end of a Nelson Abbey cross, but the former couldn’t connect as cleanly as he would have liked, as his header missed the target.
Kyle Naughton, who is now in his 11th season with the South Wales team, tried his luck from range but his effort was blocked by Tyreeq Bakinson, whilst Matt Grimes and Florian Bianchini also had a half-chances.
Kieran Sadlier then went close for Wycombe, as his snap shot just wide of the target, before Wycombe scored five minutes before the break.
Richard Kone bagged his second strike of the season after a brilliant move with Matt Butcher.
A throwing on the right-hand side was controlled by the Ivorian.
He laid it off to Butcher who got near the six-yard box, he laid it off back to Kone, who took one touch and buried it past the ex-Oxford man Vigouroux, who was helpless.
The second half was a flatter affair but Wanderers defended imperiously to keep their slender lead intact.
The Swans had a whopping 73 per cent of the ball at the Swansea University Stadium, but failed to register a single shot on target as Wycombe held on.
The result means the Chairboys have entered the third round of the League Cup for the first time since the 2021/22 season, when they lost 6-1 to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
It is also their first win in Wales in nearly 3,000 days.
Their last triumph west of the border came in November 2016, when Sido Jombati’s late free-kick gave Gareth Ainsworth’s a 1-0 victory over Newport County.
Coincidentally, Wycombe's last win over Swansea came in the same round of this competition in August 2006.
That year, the Chairboys reached the semi-finals, losing to Chelsea 5-1 on aggregate in the final four.
The Blues would go on to win that year's cup, beating London rivals Arsenal 2-1 in the final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
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