Premier League Nottingham Forest ensured their place in the third round of the Carabao Cup following a 3-0 victory over League Two side Grimsby Town at Blundell Park.
Midfielder Ryan Yates fired a first-time strike on the volley into the top left corner following a cross from debutant Emmanuel Dennis to give Steve Cooper's side the lead.
Forest added a second ten minutes before half-time with a ball from Cafú finding striker Sam Surridge, who made no mistake on a one-on-one.
Despite Grimsby's pressure in the second half which involved substitute Ryan Taylor hitting the post, Surridge secured the victory with 13 minutes to play as his attempt cannoned in off the post following a good lay-off by Cafú.
The win for Nottingham Forest ensured they avoided defeat against League Two opposition as they progressed into the third round of the Carabao Cup where they will face fellow top flight opposition in Tottenham Hotspur.
The next round of Carabao Cup ties are scheduled to take place between 8-9 November.
Here are some of the key talking points from the fixture at Blundell Park:
Grimsby can be proud of their display
Despite the score-line, it could be understood why Mariners fans feel they deserved more from the game with the effort they put in and how many chances they had.
Going in as the clear underdog being three leagues below the Nottingham-based side, it was clear to see at times that Grimsby gave Forest too much respect, especially in the first half with the away side going into the break with a comfortable 2-0 lead, with Paul Hurst's side struggling to get a foot-hold of the game.
In the second half, however, it was Grimsby who were enjoying most of the ball and created 23 chances, with only a handful of them clear-cut which didn't really trouble goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey. With the ball, however, they looked a threat with some nice passes and passages of play on display.
Nonetheless, 23 attempts against a Premier League side from an opponent in League Two, no matter how many changes the top flight team makes, is very good going and with the result aside, Mariners fans can be proud of the effort their side put into the game.
Is a lack of a goal scorer Grimsby's downfall this season?
As mentioned, It was a performance that Grimsby Town and Paul Hurst can be pleased with, especially in the second half where they gave it a good go against the Premier League side in which the home side were unlucky not to have scored.
It was a game in which the Mariners had several attacks and the closest they came was when Taylor hit the post with a header. With all their attempts, however, it would be fair to suggest that the hosts should have had the ball in the back of the net at least once on the night.
A goal was probably the least Grimsby deserved on the night but they just couldn't find the back of the net.
A recognised goal scorer has been a problem at Blundell Park for quite some time now, even more so at the moment as John McAtee, who scored 16 goals for the club in all competitions last season, will not be due back any time soon after undergoing an operation on his shoulder.
Even though they have made an alright start to the season by picking up five points, despite playing a game less in League Two, Grimsby have only scored two goals in their opening four games since returning to the EFL. With the way they have played in those games, especially against Northampton Town in which they created 23 chances but only scored once, they really should have more goals to their name and potentially, more points on the board.
It's something that Hurst and the club have mentioned a few times as they tried to find a forward that will get on the end of one of those chances before the August 31 deadline. Grimsby should be fine in League Two this season with little threat of relegation, but bringing in a goal scorer could be a big difference in them having a more successful season, therefore giving them a better chance of pushing up the league table.
11 changes for Forest paid off
Going into the game at Blundell Park, it was clear head coach Steve Cooper was going to make changes to his squad, especially with an eye on the Tottenham Hotspur game in the Premier League on Sunday.
As expected, Forest made 11 changes to the side that began the 1-1 Premier League draw at Everton on Saturday, with quite a few players being handed their debuts in Cleethorpes.
Summer signings Wayne Hennessey, Cheikhou Kouyate, Remo Freuler, Emmanuel Dennis and Giulian Biancone all made their first starts for the Reds along with teenager Aaron Donnelly.
The decision to make 11 changes seemed to be a good decision from Cooper, as despite being somewhat comfortable in the game, it gave important minutes to some of the new signings as well as giving the players the chance to start gelling with fellow teammates.
A professional performance from the Reds
Cooper mentioned in his pre-match press conference that he wanted to take the game against Grimsby seriously, along with giving the Mariners the respect they deserve and his squad did just that.
After the first half where they had a comfortable two-goal lead, even in the second half where Grimsby started to ask a few more questions of the Reds, Forest stuck to their game plan and managed to keep the ball well.
They also had good passages of play on the night which Grimsby struggled to contain at times.
Forest showed their class in key moments in the game, but with them being three leagues above the home side, you expect that. Although Grimsby had 23 attempts as mentioned, the Premier League side only had nine compared to the Mariners, but they converted three more chances than Grimsby.
On the night, some of the quality that Forest possessed in key moments in front of goal was a big factor in the victory.
Forest were able to avoid a shock result on Wednesday night, beating the Mariners side they played against with distinction and professionalism, comfortably beating their opponents in the end to progress to the next round of the Carabao Cup.