In their return to the EFL Cup (Carabao Cup) for the first time in 16 years, Wrexham advanced to the second round of the 2023/24 tournament after beating Wigan Athletic on penalties at the Racecourse Ground.
The match ended goalless after 90 minutes, with the Red Dragons missing a lot of good opportunities. However, they converted all four penalties in the shootout while Wigan only scored two of their four.
Ollie Palmer was given the Player of the Match award after a positive performance in the Wrexham attack, but even he could not find his way past Sam Tickle in the Wigan goal.
The Latics goalkeeper made six saves in the knockout tie, including a brilliant double save to keep out Jordan Davies. Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster was on the bench, but 36-year-old Mark Howard stepped in to keep a clean sheet.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's side could now face a Premier League side in the next round of the competition with the draw taking place on Wednesday, August 9. Chelsea and Tottenham are two of the teams they could come up against.
MORE: Wrexham schedule for 2023/24 season
Wrexham vs Wigan final score
| 1st Half | 2nd Half | Penalties | |
| Wrexham | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Wigan | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Lineups:
Wrexham (5-3-2): Howard – Forde (Barnett 73), O'Connell, Tozer, Cleworth, McFadzean (Mendy 58) – Jones, Davies (O'Connor 66), Young – Bickerstaff (Lee 73), Palmer (Dalby 73)
Wigan (4-2-3-1): Tickle (GK) – Adeeko, Hughes, Morrison, Watts – Balagizi (Aasgaard 58), Smith – Humphrys, McManaman (Lang 64), Pearce (Brennan 82) – Sze (Wyke 58)
MORE: How Wrexham did against Chelsea and Man United in preseason
Wrexham vs Wigan live updates, highlights, commentary
Final: Wrexham 0-0 Wigan (Wrexham advance 4-2 on pens)
Penalties:
Wrexham 4-2 Wigan
MISS! Aasgaard also skies his effort for Wigan as Wrexham are now in the second round of the EFL Cup!
Wrexham 4-2 Wigan
Dalby puts Wrexham one kick away from the second round now as he also scores from the spot. Wigan must score their next penalty or the game is over.
Wrexham 3-2 Wigan
MISS! Hughes smashes the ball over the bar! Advantage Wrexham.
Wrexham 3-2 Wigan
O'Connor waits for the goalkeeper to dive before passing the ball the other way.
Wrexham 2-2 Wigan
Humphrys jogs up to the ball and gets it into the bottom right corner.
Wrexham 2-1 WIgan
Lee also finds the bottom left corner for Wrexham.
Wrexham 1-1 Wigan
Wyke cooly sends the goalkeeper the wrong way to equalise.
Wrexham 1-0 Wigan
Young steps up first for Wrexham and slots the ball into the bottom left corner, producing a huge roar from the crowd.
End of Regulation: Wrexham 0-0 Wigan
The 1st Round EFL Cup fixture heads to penalties after a goalless 90 minutes.
The quality and intensity in the match certainly dropped off in the second half as both teams began to tire out. It is now down to spot kicks to decide who progresses to the next round.
92 min: Wrexham are now the team looking to play on the counter-attack. Wigan are doing well to pin the hosts within their own half for the time being.
90 min: There will be a minimum of five additional minutes.
88 min: Wigan seemed to have gained some late confidence as they are now pushing forward with a lot of numbers. Wrexham are being very sloppy with the ball, losing it very cheaply.
85 min: Lee drives down the left wing for Wrexham and puts in a cross, but he fails to find a team-mate in the box. The end product from both sides has been poor, to say the least.
83 min: Wigan make their final change of the match as Brennan replaces Pearce. The Latics are sitting a lot deeper on their own half now as Wrexham push for a winner.
80 min: With 10 minutes left of regular time, Wrexham look far more likely to score. Wigan could choose to defend deep and take the game to penalties as they are finding it difficult to retain possession.
77 min: Wrexham are trying to increase the speed of the match, but they making a lot of unforced errors. Wigan seem happy enough to sit back and hit on the counter.
73 min: Wrexham make a triple substitution as Palmer, Bickerstaff and Forde makes way for Dalby, Lee and Barnett. The latter has already been shown a yellow card by the referee for time wasting.
69 min: The ball falls kindly to Bickerstaff in the box for Wrexham, but his shot goes straight at Tickle. The Red Dragons should really be in the lead, but their finishing has been poor.
68 min: Palmer is the first Wrexham player to receive a yellow card. He pulls Lang's shirt to stop the winger from running up the pitch.
66 min: Palmer's cross almost ends up in the back of the net, but the ball goes just past the left post. O'Connor comes on for Davies in the Wrexham midfield.
64 min: Lang now replaces McManaman to add more pace to the Wigan attack. The Latics are looking to progress down wider areas before sending a cross into Wyke.
62 min: The tempo of this match has really slowed down. The Wrexham fans are trying to do their part in helping their side, but the quality of football in the final third is poor from both sides.
58 min: Mendy comes on for McFadzean in the Wrexham backline while Aasgaard and Wyke replace Balagizi and Sze for Wigan. Wyke scored two goals in the Latics' opening league game agaisnt Derby.
56 min: Both sides are preparing substitutions in order to find a breakthrough. If the game finishes level after 90 minutes, it will go straight to penalties.
52 min: DOUBLE SAVE! Tickle makes two stops for Wigan as Wrexham are on the front foot now. The goalkeeper parries the ball into a poor position again, but he smothers Davies' rebound as the hosts grow in confidence.
50 min: Palmer wins the ball off Hughes and cuts inside onto his right foot. He tries to curl the ball into the far corner, but his effort goes just wide of the goal.
49 min: The Latics are dominating possession the start this second period. Wrexham are not over-committing with their press as they wait for their opponents to make a mistake before pouncing.
46 min: Wigan get the second half underway at the Racecourse Ground!
Half-time: Wrexham 0-0 Wigan
The referee brings an end to the first half. Wrexham will be the happier of the two sides despite a goalless 45 minutes as they have created good goal-scoring opportunities.
Wigan are not threatening Howard's goal as much as they would want to, but they did look stronger toward the end of the half.
48 min: The Wrexham fans are increasing the noise inside the stadium as they look to push their side on in the closing minutes of the first half.
45 min: There will be a minimum of five additional minutes in this first half.
44 min: Wrexham fans are not happy with Sze after he fouls Cleworth in a rash manner. They want him to be sent off, but the referee only shows a yellow card.
42 min: Wigan are trying to slow the tempo of the match down in order to take the pressure off their own goal. Neither side will want to concede this close to half-time.
39 min: Sze is able to continue for Wigan in this match. Wrexham continue to pile on the pressure as the away side cannot stop the crosses from coming into the box.
37 min: Sze is now receiving treatment after his picks up a knock to his ankle.
36 min: HUGE CHANCE! Jones' inital effort is parried into the middle of the box by Tickle. McFadzean shoots first-time with his weaker right foot, but he shoots over the bar from 10 yards out. Big let off for Wigan.
35 min: McFadzean sends a deep cross toward the back post where Palmer is lurking for Wrexham, but the striker fails to hit the target with his header.
33 min: Tozer is back on his feet and able to continue for the hosts as he eventually makes his way onto the pitch again.
30 min: Tozer is down with an injury, causing a break in play. The physios are on to help him.
28 min: Wigan are really struggling in the attacking third. They are being smothered by Wrexham defenders, making it difficult to find a pass in and around the box.
24 min: Wigan are dominating possession but Wrexham are being far more productive with the ball at their feet. Humphrys has been the best player for the Latics so far, but he needs help when attacking.
20 min: Smith is the first player to receive a yellow card in the match. The former Arsenal player fouls Jones near the halfway line, warranting the booking.
16 min: Young swings in a great cross from a corner, which Tickle tries to catch. The Wigan goalkeeper misses the ball, but it goes through everyone and out for a goal kick.
12 min: Smith fouls Palmer in order to stop a dangerous attack. Davies goes for goal from the free-kick but his effort goes straight into the hands of Tickle.
9 min: Wigan are trying to gain control of this match now as they keep possession of the ball. Wrexham are pressing with intent, but they are being cautious as they know the visitors have the width to play a lofted pass down the wings.
5 min: Bickerstaff has a good chance to score for Wrexham, but his acrobatic attempt lands on the roof of the net. It has been a very promising start for the home side.
2 min: The hosts have an early corner, from which Tozer manages to work a shot at goal, but Tickle makes a comfortable save for Wigan.
1 min: Wrexham get the game underway from the centre circle at the Racecourse Ground!
3 mins to KO: The players make their way out of the tunnel and onto the pitch as kick off is almost here!
30 mins to KO: There will be a lot of eyes on Wrexham this season due to their owners and success from last season. There is no doubt that they will be looking to achieve silverware this year, in the league and the cup.
60 mins to KO: Both sides have named their starting lineups for today's fixture. Palmer and Bickerstaff lead the line for the hosts while Pearce starts in a more advanced role for Wigan.
Wrexham:
Wigan:
90 mins to KO: Wigan were knocked out of the League Cup in the first round last season at the hands of Fleetwood. The Latics reached the final in 2006, but they lost 4-0 to Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United.
120 mins to KO: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' coverage of the EFL Cup first round match between Wrexham and Wigan.
Wrexham will have their work cut out for them in this game against opposition in the league above them. Phil Parkinson will be hoping that the home crowd can help them pull off a impressive win.
Here's a snapshot on the referee for the match:
Wrexham vs Wigan lineups
Paul Mullin, who scored 47 goals for Wrexham last season, is out with a punctured lung he suffered in their preseason friendly against Manchester United in the USA.
Ben Foster is on the bench for the hosts while new signing James McClean, who joined from Wigan, is not included in the squad.
Wrexham starting lineup (5-3-2): Howard – Ford, O'Connell, Tozer, Cleworth, McFadzean– Jones, Davies, Young – Bickerstaff, Palmer
Wigan manager Shaun Maloney, who scored twice against Wrexham in a 5-0 win for Aston Villa in the Dragons' last Carabao Cup appearance, has hinted that two of his loan signings could feature.
Kell Watts, who is on loan from Newcastle, makes his first start for the club. He came on as a substitute against Derby County in their season opener.
Striker Josh Magennis damaged knee ligaments in April and is not expected to return before September, while defender Jason Kerr will have been out for a year with a knee injury by the time of his anticipated comeback in November.
Wigan starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Tickle (GK) – Adeeko, Hughes, Morrison, Watts – Balagizi, Smith – Humphrys, McManaman, Pearce – Sze
Wrexham vs Wigan live stream, TV channel
This Carabao Cup clash will be available to watch in many countries around the world, with TV and live streaming options online.
MORE: How to watch Welcome to Wrexham Season 2
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | – | ESPN+ |
| UK | Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports Main Event |
Sky GO |
| Australia | beIN SPORTS 3 | beIN Sports Connect |
| Canada | – | DAZN |
| India | – | FanCode |
| New Zealand | – | – |
| Singapore | – | – |
| Hong Kong | – | – |
| Malaysia | – | Mola TV |