Reading exited the Carabao Cup via a penalty shootout after drawing 2-2 with Championship high-fliers Ipswich Town.

Ruben Selles made eight changes from the side that lost 2-1 at Exeter City on Saturday, with the side averaging just 20 years of age.

Brandon Williams’ own goal gave Reading the lead inside two minutes but the youthful side struggled to keep pace with the second tier outfit and fell behind through two goals either side of half-time. Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan dramatically levelled in the 88th minute, but three misses in spot kicks ended the club’s involvement in the League Cup for another year.

As they did in round one against Millwall, Reading struck first and almost instantly. It took just 70 seconds for Matthew Carson’s cross to be bundled home by Ipswich’s Brandon Williams under pressure from Vickers and Basil Tuma. Very much the high point for the hosts, the youngsters held firm and were content to play on the break. Omari Hutchinson was the star man for the visitors, getting the ball at every opportunity. Freddie Ladapo and Jack Taylor both came close for the Tractor Boys, but Coniah Boyce-Clarke was content with long-range efforts.

Never losing their enthusiasm, the concentration was beginning to dip as the half wore on and Ipswich could smell a goal. That was not before Reading had a chance to double their lead, winning the ball high and keeping Ipswich in their own box, only to overplay and eventually pass the ball out of play. It took until the fifth minute of stoppage time for Kieran McKenna’s men to make their pressure tell, Hutchinson beating Carson and fizzing a cross to the back post, where Humphreys was lurking to tap past Boyce-Clarke.

Full of confidence after scoring on the stroke of half-time, the second half truly belonged to the visitors when it came to the run of the play. The youngsters grew frustrated, and more and more gaps began to appear as the half progressed. Ladapo was sent clear on goal but had his shot smothered, only for the move to be repeated a matter of minutes later and the forward made no mistake the second time around, slotting past Boyce-Clarke and putting his side into a deserved lead.

Cries of ‘Ole’ rang out from the near-3,000 travelling fans as the Championship outfit continued to dominate proceedings. The introduction of regular first-team players Harvey Knibbs, Charlie Savage and Ehibhatiomhan did little to impact the flow of the game as it appeared to be drifting beyond the Royals. That was until the final few minutes as Boyce-Clark reacted quickly from a simple catch and fed the ball out wide for Ehibhatiomhan, who strode toward the goal and confidently slotted past Cieran Slicker to draw the sides level. The goal sparked plenty of late rally in the hosts, with Ehibhatiomhan running riot in stoppage time and trying to grab a second. Ultimately it was to be the lottery of a penalty shoot-out.

Three consecutive misses from the penalty spot, from youngsters Savage, Caylan Vickers and Ben Elliott, ensured the Tractor Boys progression to round three.