West Ham United began their season with a 3-1 comeback win against Portsmouth in the Carabao Cup first round. Taty Castellanos netted twice for the Hammers, helping them progress to the second round.
The victory was witnessed by 53,369 fans, marking the largest-ever crowd for a Carabao Cup first-round match. West Ham co-owner David Sullivan was also in attendance, despite London Stadium operators advising against it due to an ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, which he strongly denies.
Portsmouth initially took the lead in the 33rd minute through Adrian Segecic. However, West Ham equalised before half-time with Castellanos's first goal, followed by captain Jarrod Bowen putting the hosts ahead. Castellanos then sealed the win by heading in Bowen's cross.
Separately, Millwall advanced to the second round after a penalty shootout win against QPR. Goalkeeper Lukas Jensen saved all four QPR spot-kicks, securing a 2-0 shootout victory after the match ended 1-1.