Barnsley edge past Crewe in Cup thriller
Barnsley saw off Crewe 3-2 in the Round of 64 of the League Cup at Oakwell Stadium on Monday evening. The hosts had already taken the lead through Tyrese Noslin before Adrien Thibaut equalised for the visitors, but a pair of quick strikes from Reyes Cleary and Corey O'Keeffe put them in control. Crewe pulled one back late through Joel Ewusi, but Barnsley held their nerve to book a place in the next round.
Thibaut gave Crewe the surprise start at 21 minutes, catching the defence flat-footed. Noslin restored parity eight minutes later, and here's the thing about these early goals — they change the shape of the game entirely. Cleary doubled the lead at 29 before O'Keeffe added a third at 38, leaving Crewe chasing shadows. By then the visitors had already seen Jonathan Bland booked for a rash challenge.
Barnsley dominated possession at 66 per cent and registered 125 attacks against 55 for the visitors. They registered 17 shots from distance and 13 inside the box, though only eight found the target. Crewe were more clinical with their 56 per cent accuracy rate, hitting nine shots on target from 13 attempts, but the high line was picked apart repeatedly. The expected goals figures — 1.94 to 1.45 — told the same story of territorial superiority.
Crewe made four changes around the hour mark, bringing on Calum Agius and Reece Hutchinson alongside Joshua Stephenson and Luke Offord. Barnsley responded with their own wave of substitutions, introducing Cameron McGeehan and Makenzie Kirk at 67. Rogan Ravenhill picked up a yellow card in the 89th minute, not long after Ewusi's consolation goal had given the visitors a flicker of hope.
The result extends Barnsley's unbeaten run to four matches, following draws with Wigan and Gillingham and a 3-0 win over Lincoln City. Crewe's recent form had been solid with consecutive 1-0 victories, but they found no answer to the sustained pressure. Both sides shared 26 aerial duels, though Crewe won 17 of them — a small victory in a lost cause.
