Bristol Rovers bow out of Carling Cup as in-form Cardiff City show their class

Cardiff City 3 Bristol Rovers 1

Bristol Rovers found out why Cardiff City are top of the Championship as the Bluebirds marched into the third round of the Carling Cup with a comfortable victory in the Welsh capital.

There was no disgrace in defeat for the visitors, even though they struggled to make an impression before the break and trailed at the interval thanks to Michael Chopra’s eighth goal of the campaign.

The Pirates fell further behind in the second period after Peter Whittingham increased Cardiff’s lead, but they started to cause the Bluebirds problems and pulled a goal back through Steve Elliott.

However, their hopes of a revival were ended when substitute Josh Magennis restored Cardiff’s two-goal cushion near the end.

Rovers made three changes to the side that had started the 1-0 weekend win over Huddersfield. With goalkeeper Fraser Forster unavailable and Steve Phillips having joined Shrewsbury Town on a month’s loan, Rhys Evans returned in goal.

Fit-again defender Elliott made his first appearance of the season as Danny Coles started on the bench, and Dominic Blizzard also made his first start of the campaign in central midfield. Aaron Lescott, who was nursing a slight groin strain, was not risked and Jeff Hughes moved to left-back, with Chris Lines starting wide on the left of midfield.

The home side – fresh from their 3-0 weekend win over Bristol City – made the early running with Chopra firing wide from 22 yards in the sixth minute. Defender Gabor Gyepes then headed just over the top from a Whittingham corner, and the same duo combined to almost put the Bluebirds in front after 15 minutes.

Cardiff were awarded a free-kick near the corner flag and Gyepes rose to get in a downward header which bounced away off the inside of a post. The Welsh club continued to make the running and again Chopra was only just wide when he let fly from 25 yards.

Bristol Rovers were finding it hard to make much impression up front, but glimpsed an opportunity in the 25th minute when Evans fed the ball upfield quickly and found Jo Kuffour.

He fed strike partner Darryl Duffy, whose hurried shot was hit well wide of the target – much to the delight of the home fans, who needed little encouragement in taunting the former Swansea City player.

Cardiff attacked again through on-loan striker Kelvin Etuhu, but although the Manchester City player managed to get past Elliott, Evans dived to his left to parry the shot.

Cardiff finally made their breakthrough in the 33rd minute when Blizzard, in his own half and running back towards his own goal, was dispossessed by Etuhu. Chopra seized on the loose ball and advanced to plant a clinical finish past Evans.

Rovers started the second period in a more positive manner and Lines sent a header wide from 12 yards after Hughes had floated the ball into Cardiff’s box.

The Pirates made their first change just after the hour mark, when teenager Ben Swallow came on to face his hometown club. He replaced Blizzard and moved to the left wing, with Lines reverting to his more familiar central midfield role.

But Cardiff were to increase their lead in the 65th minute when Etuhu fed Chris Burke, who fired in a fierce low cross that Evans was only able to parry. As the ball ran loose, Whittingham seized on it to fire home.

And Rovers had an escape when Paul Quinn’s low shot deflected off Stuart Campbell and almost wrongfooted Evans, but the keeper did well to readjust and keep the ball out of the net.

The Pirates made another change, with Andy Williams replacing Duffy, but it was Elliott who was to strike back for the visitors with 15 minutes remaining.

Campbell floated over a corner from the right and the centre-back rose to get in a header which keeper Peter Enckelman got a hand to, but could not keep out of the net.

The goal breathed fresh hope into Rovers and a cross from the left drifted just beyond David Pipe at the far post. Then a good move saw Pipe break down the right and pull the ball back to Campbell, but the skipper was slipping as he tried to shoot from 16 yards and only succeeding in skying the ball high over the bar.

Hopes of a comeback were extinguished four minutes from time as Burke crossed, Gyepes rose to nod the ball down and substitute Josh Magennis – who once appeared as a goalkeeper for Northern Ireland Under-19s – slid the ball home.

Cardiff City: Enckelman, Quinn, Gerrard, Gyepes, Capaldi, Burke (Wildig 88), Rae (Scimeca 72), McPhail, Whittingham, Chopra, Etuhu (Magennis 79). Subs (not used): Marshall, Kennedy, Blake, Comminges.

Bristol Rovers: Evans, Regan, Anthony, Elliott, Hughes, Pipe (Reece 90), Blizzard (Swallow 61), Campbell, Lines, Kuffour, Duffy (Williams 69). Subs (not used): Coles, Hunt, Richards, Cayford.

Att: 9,767.