Newcastle United target Jørgen Strand Larsen stole the spotlight on Tuesday night, firing Wolves to a dramatic 3-2 League Cup victory over West Ham at Molineux.
Reports suggest Wolves have already rejected a £50 million ($67 million) offer from Newcastle for the Norwegian striker, who is being tipped as a potential successor to Alexander Isak. Introduced just 17 minutes from time, Larsen needed only three minutes to make his mark, netting twice in quick succession to flip the tie in Wolves’ favor.
His late heroics piled further pressure on West Ham manager Graham Potter, whose side remain winless this season after shipping eight goals in their opening two Premier League matches. Earlier in the game, Rodrigo Gomes put Wolves in front, before Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paquetá turned the scoreline in West Ham’s favor. But Larsen’s double ensured the Hammers left empty-handed once again.
Elsewhere, the night proved disastrous for two other Premier League clubs. Leeds United, fresh from a near-£100 million spending spree, crashed out to Sheffield Wednesday on penalties after a 1-1 draw. The result came against the backdrop of fan protests over owner Dejphon Chansiri, with the Supporters’ Trust urging fans to boycott the game due to the club’s financial troubles. Leeds compounded the misery by missing all three of their spot-kicks.
Sunderland also bowed out in embarrassing fashion, losing on penalties to League One Huddersfield after a 1-1 draw.
In other matches, Brentford sealed a comfortable 2-0 win at Bournemouth, with Fábio Carvalho and Igor Thiago getting on the scoresheet, while Burnley edged Derby County 2-1, thanks to a stoppage-time strike from Oliver Sonne.
It was a night of drama, upsets, and statement performances — with Larsen’s cameo perhaps the biggest headline of all.
