Rovers and out: Hammers pay penalty

West Ham 2 Blackburn Rovers 2 (Carabao Cup) (Lost 9-10 on pens)

In the Best Cafe Michael has purchased an unusual gift for Nigel, a plastic case for his lucky banana. It is yellow, banana-shaped and comes with a fork. We're joined by Matt and Lisa who are quaffing red wine in the style of Malcolm Allison in the Central. The daytime greasy spoon menu is off in the evenings, so it's falafel and chips all round.

Somehow Nigel gets his rigid banana case through security and we join Fraser in the stadium. As ever the Irons start slowly against Blackburn's second eleven and a Nayef back pass from Aguerd almost gifts Rovers the lead. They do score after six minutes as Vale gets behind the defence to stroke home.

The mainly squad players have to raise their game and Antonio starts to cause problems, dribbling down the left to cross low for Fornals to fire at the keeper. The same pair manage to fashion an equaliser as Antonio's run from the right causes confusion and his cross is miscontrolled by a defender into the path of Fornals who finishes crisply for his third goal in a week. 

After the break a terrible back pass by Conor Coventry almost gifts Blackburn a second, though Aguerd does well to block on the line. Lanzini has a goalbound shot blocked and sub Benrahma gives the side an instant lift. He sets up a chance for Antonio to fire at the keeper but then Said wastefully blasts the rebound over the bar.

Moyes brings on Scamacca and Bowen to support Antonio and Benrahma in a bid to settle the tie. Antonio hits the post from a corner. Aguerd plays a long ball into the box, a Blackburn defender gets a boot in ahead of Bowen and Antonio lashes home the loose ball to make it 2-1 with 12 minutes left.

But the Hammers have not heeded the threat of sub and rumoured West Ham target Brereton Diaz, who has already cut in from the left and fired wide. After a poor free kick straight into the arms of Pears, Rovers break and Brereton is given too much time by Johnson and Aguerd to cut in and fire into the top corner.

It goes down to penalties, which are surprisingly well-taken. Areola doesn't get close to any of them though nor does Pears. Behrahma, Bowen, Scamacca, Antonio and Lanzini score the first five as do Blackburn, and then it's sudden death. When it reaches 9-5 last man Ogbonna steps up to fire against the bar. "How shit must you be, our first team's at home!" chant the Rovers fans.

"We won't ever see a Moyes team score eleven again," reflects Fraser. Nigel's lucky banana case has failed to work any magic, though it has resulted in a 23-goal thriller. But we're out of the League Cup which was a good chance of a trophy. It might help avoid fixture congestion if there is a Europa Conference run, but even so it piles pressure on Moyes to get a result in the Leicester game, though he certainly deserves time to reset the squad during the World Cup break.

Inspired by a half-time meeting with the Gav, who is sporting a 1970s Middlesbrough away shirt, as you do, we head to a bar above a Chinese restaurant in Westfield. Meantime is available at £6 though the soft lighting gives the place a distinct 1970s James Bond vibe, which rather like West Ham leaves us shaken but not stirred. Had we won the shoot-out this might have been regarded as fairly routine progress, but we didn't and the slow starts and defensive lapses are increasingly worrying.

PLAYER RATINGS: Areola 6; Coufal 6 (Bowen 5), Johnson 5, Aguerd 5, Ogbonna 5, Emerson 6 (Cresswell n/a); Downes 6, Coventry 5 (Benrahma 7), Lanzini 6, Fornals 7 (Scamacca 5); Antonio 8.