Crewe Alexandra were eliminated from the Carabao Cup after a 3-2 defeat to Barnsley at Oakwell in the second round.
The Railwaymen's standout moment came when academy graduate Joel Ewusi came off the bench and scored within four minutes, becoming Crewe's youngest ever player and scorer at 16 years and 79 days old. His goal made the scoreline 3-2, setting up a tense finish.
Mickey Demetriou almost forced the match to penalties with a late header, but the hosts held on to progress.
First-half drama at Oakwell
Crewe took the lead through Adrien Thibaut in a frenetic opening period. Reece Hutchinson's first-time pass sent Charlie McNeill racing away down the wing, and McNeill squared for Thibaut to sweep home confidently on 21 minutes.
Barnsley quickly levelled through Reyes Cleary before the half-hour mark, then Tyrese Noslin made it 2-1 when he thumped home from 10 yards after the ball was pulled back from the left. Corey O'Keefe added a sublime angled finish off the post from the edge of the box to make it 3-1 on 38 minutes.
Team selection and academy involvement
Manager Lee Bell fielded 10 academy players in total. Five players who featured in Saturday's win over Northampton retained their places: Tom Booth, Reece Hutchinson, Luke Offord, Josh Stephenson and Calum Agius. Loan signings Charlie McNeill and Kyle Ure made their first starts for the club.
Scholars Noah Bell, Luke Unsworth and Joel Ewusi were among the substitutes, alongside captain Mickey Demetriou, who returned after serving a one-match suspension.
