What do you think of the Carling Cup? Have your say

This week witnessed some depressingly familiar patterns in every Premier League manager's favourite pet hate. Players were rested, kids were thrown into battle, one manager didn't even bother showing up for his team's encounter. Yet the Carling Cup produced the kind of magic that would normally only be associated by its famous cousin, the FA Cup.

There were fairytales wherever you looked. Yes, the competition was devalued by some cautious team selections and disinterested managers, but it helped produce a wonderful cocktail of entertainment, goals and shocks.

The greatest of the lot was undoubtedly Liverpool's penalty shootout defeat to Northampton, a team sitting 69 places below their illustrious hosts in the elongated Football League table.

Cobblers manager Ian Sampson will take the result with him to the grave as the finest of his career. It did not matter that Roy Hodgson - somewhat foolishly given the team's precarious position – had picked a severely under-strength team. They were still expected to waltz into the fourth round with a boat-load of goals in front of the Kop. Instead, Abdul Osman steered home the decisive penalty, after he and his team-mates had successfully held Liverpool to a 2-2 draw after extra-time.

They were unfortunate not to have won the game after the extra half hour, as the Reds had to rely on a late David Ngog header to force the tie into a shootout.

This is what football is all about, and the scenes on the pitch and in the visitors' dressing room afterwards suggests Northampton didn't give two hoots that they were playing against a second string side. And nor should they. You have to be prepared to pay the price if you take a calculated gamble and, as a result, under-estimate the opposition.

I feel for Hodgson; he has inherited a deeply damaged squad, both in personnel and spirit, thanks to his predecessor, Rafael Benitez, and faces an arduous uphill slog to reverse this great club's slump.

Elsewhere, there were jubilant scenes at Brentford, where they dumped Everton out of the cup, again on penalties.

Fans poured on to the pitch to hail their heroes after its dramatic climax. No danger of the Bees devaluing the competition, even if their opponents had slightly, David Moyes another coach who paid the price for resting some of his key players.

Then there was Newcastle’s terrific last-gasp thrilling win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Shola Ameobi nodding home the fourth in a 4-3 win.

The Toon had also fielded a weaker side, as well as their illustrious hosts, but that did not compromise the quality of the entertainment.

Down at White Hart Lane there was another cracker of a tie, Arsenal producing an extra-time blitz to power past Spurs, 4-1 the final score.

Both managers threw youngsters into the fray to get some valuable first-team football, and it combined to yield a thrilling contest.

Yes, these managers are technically devaluing the competition by giving fringe players and youth players the chance to impress. But the quality of the football is rarely affected, such is the desire and commitment these youngsters display, knowing full well this is a unique opportunity to catch the manager’s eye in a competitive environment.

Many first-team players would struggle to lift themselves for a trip to Scunthorpe in the third round of a meaningless cup.

Indeed, the relative contempt with which some of these top level managers treat the Carling Cup has, perversely, increased the interest and thrill levels. If last round is anything to go by, let’s keep leaving Wayne Rooney, Cesc Fabregas, Fernando Torres and co. at home.

What do you think of the Carling Cup? Have your say below.