Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos scored twice in an emphatic comeback win as West Ham beat Portsmouth 3-1 in front of the largest-ever crowd at a Carabao Cup first-round match.
The Argentine’s brace helped get the Hammers’ season off to a winning start and propelled them through to the second round, two months after suffering Premier League relegation.
It also gave their rowdy fans something to cheer about on a day when under-fire West Ham co-owner David Sullivan sat in the stands, despite being advised not to attend by London Stadium operators amid an ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, which he emphatically denies.
The Hammers’ pedestrian start was punished by Pompey in the 33rd minute when Adrian Segecic controlled Max Kilman’s clearance and let fly with a left-footed shot which rebounded off the West Ham defender and into the bottom corner.
West Ham jolted into life shortly before the interval and drew level when Mohamadou Kante’s simple cut-back was directed into the far corner by Castellanos.
Captain Jarrod Bowen put the hosts in front two minutes later after latching on to Pablo’s mis-controlled pass and sending Nicolas Schmid the wrong way with a deflected effort from range.
Elsewhere in the Carabao Cup opening round on Saturday, goalkeeper Lukas Jensen returned from a long-term injury and saved all four QPR penalties in a shootout as Millwall progressed 2-0 at the expense of their London rivals following a 1-1 draw at Loftus Road.
Championship Charlton brushed aside fourth-tier Cheltenham 3-1 at Whaddon Road, while AFC Wimbledon needed penalties to see off Newport 5-4 after scoring a 97th-minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Plough Lane.
Newly-promoted Bromley lost 5-4 on penalties at home to fellow League One side Reading after a 1-1 draw, while Barnet were edged out 2-1 away at Cambridge.
Marc Bola struck in the 99th minute as Watford made a winning start to the Alessio Dionisi era at home against League Two opponents Crawley, while former England defender Kyle Walker hit the winning shootout penalty for Burnley as they avoided a huge upset at Turf Moor against Notts County.
