League Two strugglers Crawley Town knocked Premier League newcomers Fulham out of the Carabao Cup on an "unbelievable" night at their Broadfield Stadium.

Goals from Tom Nichols and Liverpool loanee James Balagizi gave the hosts a famous victory, with the full-time whistle prompting a pitch invasion by their jubilant supporters.

Crawley sit 23rd in League Two - 84 league positions below their opponents - having lost four of their opening five league matches this season.

“What an evening,” manager Kevin Betsy, a former Fulham midfielder, told BBC Radio 5 Live. “Little Crawley Town beating Premier League Fulham. Unbelievable.

“What we have done is phenomenal. We had a plan of how we wanted to play and that will be our blueprint going forward.

“This club will go from strength to strength.”

Fulham - last season's Championship winners - came into the second-round game in good form having beaten London rivals Brentford 3-2 in the Premier League on Saturday.

Manager Marco Silva made 10 changes - with only 19-year-old Jay Stansfield retaining his place in the starting line-up - and that decision was punished by motivated opposition.

Crawley, who beat Bristol Rovers 1-0 in the first round, made the perfect start as Nichols slotted into the bottom corner after 16 minutes.

Nichols then turned provider for England Under-19 international Balagizi, who darted into the area and fired past Marek Rodak, allowing the home crowd to begin dreaming of an upset.

And despite having 67% of possession, Fulham's first shot on target did not arrive until the 92nd minute as the top-flight side exited the competition.

“Congratulations to them,” said Silva. “From the first minute they wanted it more than us.

“In these types of games you have to equal the enthusiasm and the intensity of the opponent.

“I am responsible for the changes. I took the decisions I took. They were the best options for the game. Some gave their maximum but it was not enough.” (BBC)

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