LIGHTNING struck twice as Rovers’ worrying recent trend of conceding costly late goals continued with familiar foe Chris Wood netting in the 84th minute to dump them out of the EFL Cup.

Owen Coyle’s side have now been breached after the 83-minute mark in six of their last seven league and cup matches.

And there was no way back after Wood, who had also stepped off the bench to score Leeds’ opening goal in the Championship clash between the clubs one week previous, beat the inspired David Raya at the second attempt.

With Tommie Hoban and Derrick Williams cup-tied, and Gordon Greer, Charlie Mulgrew, Elliott Ward, Adam Henley, Danny Graham and Anthony Stokes injured, Rovers boss Coyle made nine changes in order to keep the majority of players who started the vital victory over Rotherham United fresh for Saturday’s trip to fellow strugglers Derby County.

His defence had a particularly makeshift and youthful feel about it with captain Jason Lowe its eldest member at 25.

The last thing that Coyle needed, then, was to see Scott Wharton hobble off in the eighth minute.

The 18-year-old centre-back was replaced by 18-year-old right-back Ryan Nyambe, who moved into the heart of the backline alongside midfielder Darragh Lenihan. Both played well.

By that stage Rovers would have been behind had it not been for the 21-year-old Raya, who produced a stunning first-minute save to prevent Lewie Coyle’s sweetly struck 25-yarder from finding the top corner.

But that was the closest a more experienced Leeds team would go in the first half.

Instead it was Rovers who had the better chances with Liam Feeney heading a deep cross from the fit-again Elliott Bennett into the side-netting before Stephen Hendrie fired a half-volley past the post.

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With large swathes of empty seats dotted around a ground at 20 per cent capacity, the half began to die a death, and the fact that the assistant referee’s broken flag raised the biggest cheer from the small crowd said it all.

But with Jack Byrne trying to pull the strings from the centre of the park, Rovers did end the half strongly.

Bennett cut inside on to his right foot and saw an effort take a nick off a defender and spin just wide.

From the resultant corner the ball broke to Byrne on the edge of the box and his shot was heading for the top corner until Marco Silvestri flew to his left to turn it behind.

Kemar Roofe, one of seven changes made by Leeds manager Garry Monk, tried his luck from distance before and after the break.

But both goalkeepers continued to be untroubled and Coyle responded by bringing on Marvin Emnes and Connor Mahoney for Sam Gallagher and full debutant Martin Samuelsen.

Emnes had notched his first goal for Rovers at Elland Road seven days earlier when Leeds snatched three precious league points thanks to Kyle Bartley’s 86th-minute winner.

And shortly after coming on Emnes should have repeated the trick after bringing down Hendrie’s raking pass over the top.

However his strike was saved by Silvestri who leapt to his feet to also keep out the follow-up from Bennett, who then hooked wide from the resultant corner.

With Pablo Hernandez and Wood thrown into the fray by Monk then it was the turn for Leeds to threaten.

Firstly Roofe headed straight at Raya before Hernandez’s curling free kick required the increasingly busy keeper to push it past the post.

But Leeds kept knocking at the door and, after the Spanish stopper denied his compatriot for the second time, Roofe hooked the ball back into the six-yard box for super-sub Wood to bundle home.

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It had all come about from a poor pass out of defence from Lenihan who, alongside the impressive Nyambe, had been excellent up until that point.

Raya then flew to his right to claw away a Roofe rocket that was headed for the far corner before Hope Akpan saw a big penalty appeal turned down when attempting to convert an Emnes cross.

MATCH FACTS

Leeds: Silvestri, Coyle, Cooper, Bartley, Taylor, Vieira (Hernandez 58), O’Kane, Phillips, Mowatt (Grimes 83), Roofe, Antonsson (Wood 71). Subs not used: Green, Ayling, Denton, Dallas.

Booked: Phillips.

Goal: Wood 84.

Rovers: Raya, Lowe, Lenihan, Wharton (Nyambe 8), Hendrie, Akpan, Byrne, Feeney, Samuelsen (Mahoney 62), Bennett, Gallagher (Emnes 62). Subs not used: Steele, Marshall, Guthrie, Conway.

Booked: Akpan, Lenihan, Emnes.

Referee: Darren Deadman.

Attendance: 8,488.