Premier League new boys Coventry survived an EFL Cup second-round scare at League One Plymouth before easing through 4-2 at Home Park.

City had showed their class by racing into a 2-0 lead within five minutes courtesy of goals from Taiwo Awoniyi and Jack Rudoni but Argyle fought back to level nine minutes into the second half thanks to debutant Danny Irow and Xavier Amaechi.

Second-half substitute Ephron Mason-Clark scored City’s third goal within five minutes of his 62nd-minute introduction before Victor Torp wrapped things up with a 78th-minute penalty.

Awoniyi fired City ahead on three minutes, picking his spot after a brilliant flick-on by Caleb Yirenkyi.

Yirenkyi’s sublime pass on the spin from skipper Liam Kitching’s through ball set striker Awoniyi on his way to goal and he had time to pick his spot to beat home goalkeeper James Storer with a side foot finish.

Within two minutes City increased their lead following a lightning break down the right. Awoniyi set Rudoni racing on his way to goal and he made no mistake, again beating Storer with a clinical finish, this time from the edge of the box.

Jake Bidwell came close to making it 3-0 on the 18th minute, heading just past the post from Joel Latibeaudiere’s pinpoint cross to the far post.

Argyle responded in the 21st minute through Irow, who cut in from the left and beat Latibeaudiere, before sending a low shot past City keeper Daniel Bentley into the far corner.

Midfielder Harvey White had sent Irow – who has just joined Plymouth on loan from Tottenham – away down the left with a superb pass from his own half after spotting the winger out wide.

The unmarked Awoniyi could have doubled his tally on 27 minutes but headed wide from six yards from Latibeaudiere’s deep cross.

Striker Will Evans’ effort flew off the foot of Bentley and on to a post in the 31st minute after the keeper had failed to hold White’s long-range effort.

Argyle restored parity on 54 minutes when half-time sub Amaechi won the ball from City defender Kitching and raced into the box before beating Bentley with a thumping low drive into the corner.

Tatsuhiro Sakamoto volleyed just over from Mason-Clark’s cross in the 65th minute before the latter restored City’s lead in the 67th minute from close range, turning in Torp’s thumping cross.

Torp gave Coventry some breathing space by converting a penalty following a foul by sub Joe Edwards on Brandon Thomas-Asante, who could have increased City’s lead in stoppage time but hammered his volley over from the edge of the six-yard box.

The managers…

Plymouth’s Tom Cleverley:

“It was an entertaining cup tie. It was never in our plan to conceded two goals in the first four minutes.

“We showed a lot of resilience in pre-season, defensive records are what you can build results on so we need to be strong defensively.

“The reaction to that, losing two goals so early, was excellent. I couldn’t be happier with the players.

“I thought all four debutants were good. Oli Irow gives us something different. He wants to take players on, good pace and he’s direct.

“I thought Tyreeq Bakinson look assured and Joe Mwaro was excellent on his debut. It’s a night he will never forget against top opposition and James Storer in goal.

“Then you bring on Xavier Amaechi and he looked sharp, motivated. There were a lot of good performances out there.

“This is what you want from cup ties, I have got a healthy headache ahead of Saturday’s league game against Bradford.

“We have lost a game which I never want to do but we are in a healthier place. I thought as a team we showed more personality. We took the hand brake off.”

Coventry’s Frank Lampard:

“You have always got to enjoy a win but at this point it is also looking at performance and individual and collective performances.

“We made a lot of changes and so for me it’s good to have a look at players that we didn’t start at the weekend (Friday) and are pushing for places.

“I expected it to be difficult, it’s not an easy place to come. It was a great start to the game, two really good goals, high quality goals.

“Exactly what we want running through back lines and just showing good capacity to run and good combination stuff as well.

“Maybe we relaxed or something but we didn’t put our foot down. When you get teams in that situation you should go and put your foot properly down and we didn’t.

“In an early round in the cup it can happen. Big mistakes for the goals, we must be honest about that, and then a good reaction to win the game pretty well.

“Ephron is a big player for us so it was good to see him looking strong. He wants to get better all the time.

“But of course a win is a big deal because it’s a nice feeling to take back on the bus for four hours.”

Premier League new boys Hull followed up their 2-0 win over Manchester United on Saturday by knocking Stoke out of the Carabao Cup on penalties after a 1-1 draw at the bet365 Stadium.

Robert Bozenik opened the scoring for the hosts before the Tigers equalised through Kieran Dowell on the stroke of half time.

With neither side able to force a winner, Hull ran out 5-4 winners on penalties.

Sergej Jakirovic made 11 changes to the side that stunned Manchester United at the weekend, handing full debuts to Lucas Herrington and Matt Targett, as well as midfield pair Jens Hjerto-Dahl and Lucas Gourna-Douath.

It was a bright start from Hull, and Hjerto-Dahl in particular, who opened his body up and curled an effort towards the far post which was pushed wide by Josh Griffiths.

Paddy McNair then headed Liam Millar’s corner wide at the back post as the visitors enjoyed the best of the opening exchanges.

After losing their opening two Championship games of the season, including a 2-1 defeat to Swansea at the bet365 Stadium on the opening day, Mark Robins made seven changes as Bozenik, Luke Graham, Ben Pearson, Tomas Rigo, Million Manhoef and Laurence Giani were all handed starts.

Stoke had reportedly turned down a bid from the Tigers for star winger Sorba Thomas, and it was the Wales international who created the opener when he cut in from the left and whipped a cross in that was met by Bozenik.

The Slovakian scored the only goal when the pair last met on New Year’s Day, and the forward brushed aside McNair to head Stoke in front.

Griffiths had been given the nod in goal as Viktor Johansson was given the night off and the former West Brom stopper beat away Dowell’s first effort from distance as half-time loomed.

But the former Rangers man wasn’t to be denied a second time as he lashed home after he was picked out by Millar.

David Akintola was making his first appearance for Hull since January and spurred two golden chances to put them ahead after the break.

The Nigerian firstly steered Targett’s cross wide of the right-hand post before rounding Griffiths and firing into the side-netting after he was played in by Millar.

The forward then saw his next sight of goal comfortably saved by Griffiths.

With nothing to separate the sides at the end of 90 minutes, it was to be a penalty shootout that decided the tie.

New Stoke signing George Hirst saw his tame penalty kept out by Dillon Phillips, while Hull converted all five of their spot kicks as Mohamed Belloumi sent the Tigers into round three for the first time in six years.

The managers…

Stoke’s Mark Robins:

“I thought we played alright. There were hardly any clear-cut openings in the game other than one or two mistakes, they’d had a bit of a sight of the goal, we’d had a bit of a sight of the goal.

“Our goal was really good. The movement was brilliant in the box and the cross was really good, the cross finds him and he [Bozenik] scores again against Hull.

“I want to see us grow in real confidence and then try and boss games, and I thought we bossed the game. We were pretty good.

“We gave a goal away that was just typical of us really. It was a poor goal. We don’t win the first one, don’t win the second one, gets played wide, ball gets played in, we’re too deep and we miss tackles.

“I thought we were the better of the two teams, I thought we were good. There’s some young players in there making their debuts.

“To lose on penalties is no disgrace, the penalties were generally pretty good apart from the one you miss, which is never great.

“We’ve got to take out what we can, which is some decent performances, some good minutes into legs and the fact we’ve come through unscathed.”

Hull’s Sergej Jakirovic:

“We broke one more record, so now I have two penalty shootouts in a row!

“It was an opportunity for other players to play, and after Manchester United there was a lot of excitement, a lot of stress, a few problems with some players so I will use this competition to give other players a chance because you never know when we will need them.

“We used this game for [Hidemasa] Morita, for [Lucas] Gourna-Douath, for Jens [Hjerto-Dahl], also Abdulkadir [Omur], [David] Akintola, also Cody [Drameh]. For young [Lucas] Herrington it was great for adaptation to English football – intensity, dynamic, everything we need for the future.

“Akintola could have had a hat-trick but he showed a lot of effort, energy, he tried to press with Dowell and just missed at least one goal.”

The Irish FA’s betting regulations in Northern Ireland say that players cannot bet on any matches involving their team – at men’s, women’s or underage level – or league, and no one can place a bet on their behalf.

Michael Carvill, head of the Professional Footballers’ Association in Northern Ireland, said it was something he had noticed in a 15-year career at the top of the Irish League.

The PFA are working with the Irish FA and former players with the Gambling Support Group, where support and education are key.

Carvill relates to his former Crusaders team-mate Matthew Snoddy, who is one of four players involved in the GSG alongside Hogg, Aaron Traynor and Michael Ruddy.

“I sat beside Matthew for seven years and I never knew he had an issue,” said Carvill, who added you could see players’ moods change whenever they checked their phones immediately after games.

“It’s something that is concerning when you think you can share a changing room, train with them three nights a week and play with them and you’re not aware of what’s going on.

“It’s really a wake-up call for all of us that this isn’t going away. We have to set up something to try and treat it, and that’s the purpose of this project.”

As Carvill points out, gambling goes far beyond the traditional forms of betting – something he says has “increased risk”.

He touches on prize websites and competitions on TV, and says it is even being found in the academy levels of the game in Northern Ireland through gaming and in-game purchases.

Across his career in the Irish League, which started in 2006, Hogg witnessed first hand how the gambling industry changed, and how that impacted players.

While you used to have to go into the bookies to physically place a bet, with smartphones you can now gamble 24/7, and on endless things.

“The markets are now more advanced. It’s now become, like roulette, it’s almost instant,” he said.

“Betting habits have changed. Back then, when I started, there was more a social aspect to it.

“There’s just so much accessibility now that it is becoming more and more prevalent to footballers.”