Milton Keynes Dons lost 4-1 to Norwich City in the Carabao Cup on Saturday, exiting the competition at the first hurdle. The defeat came despite several debuts for the League One side, who struggled to contain Norwich’s early pressure.
Norwich took the lead after just 44 seconds when Mohamed Toure capitalised on a misplaced pass by Charlie Goode. Five minutes later, Anis Ben Slimane doubled the advantage after Cohen Bramall lost possession in a similar situation, leaving Milton Keynes Dons chasing the game from the outset.
Andre Brooks scored on his Norwich debut just before half-time to make it 3-0, though Milton Keynes Dons pulled one back through Ryan Wintle’s goal from the penalty spot after a handball decision. Wintle’s strike gave the visitors hope, but Norwich restored their three-goal margin immediately after the break when Brooks scored again following another defensive lapse.
Paul Warne handed debuts to Cohen Bramall, Charlie Goode and Ryan Wintle, while Sam Nombe led the line in his first competitive appearance since October 2020. Nombe came closest to a second goal with a header early in the second half, but Norwich held firm to secure progression.
The match official was Elliott Swallow, who booked four players including Callum Paterson and Joe Riley for Milton Keynes Dons. Norwich made several substitutions, introducing players such as Jacob Wright and Kenny McLean late on, though the result was never in doubt after the half-hour mark.
Milton Keynes Dons will now turn their focus to the League One campaign, which began a week after this cup tie. Their next fixture is against Reading at Stadium MK, a game they can prepare for using our fixtures page to track dates and times.
The squad depth was tested in this match, with several fringe players given opportunities. For details on player numbers and roles, supporters can visit our squad page to see how the team is shaping up for the season ahead.
Statistically, Milton Keynes Dons managed only one shot on target in the first half, according to the match report, highlighting their struggle to create chances against a Championship side. More detailed performance data is available on our stats page for those wishing to analyse the game further. Defensively, the concession of four goals exposed vulnerabilities that the coaching staff will address ahead of the upcoming fixture against Reading.
