Bristol Rovers suffered a disappointing 2-0 loss against Cambridge United in the first round of the Carabao Cup at The Memorial Stadium.
The U’s Louis Appéré secured the first goal with a left-footed shot from inside the penalty box, landing in the middle of the net after a clever pass forward from Sullay Kaikai.
The Pirates struggled to create opportunities in the first half and came out much improved after the restart, but Cambridge netted the second goal against the run of play, with James Gibbons whipping a cross into Ryan Loft to head past Luke Southwood.
The Gas could not find a way back into the contest and fell to their third successive defeat in all competitions to start the 2025/26 campaign.
Both teams named five changes heading into the midweek fixture, with the visitors starting the quickest of the two sides and enjoying plenty of possession in Rovers' defensive third. Gibbons was a threat against his former side all night and found Liam Bennett with a cross, but the defender could only find the roof of the net with his header.
The U's were applying the pressure, with Appéré next to cause problems to the Pirates' defence. The striker got onto Shane McLoughlin's quick free-kick before sliding the box across to Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu on the outskirts of the area, but the former Luton Town man lifted his first-time effort well over.
The Gas' opportunities to score came few and far between. First, Isaac Hutchinson's curled cross from the right was headed just off target by Luke Thomas before the winger found Jack Sparkes parading down the left, but he directed his attempt over.
Nevertheless, Cambridge continued to assert themselves in the contest and broke the deadlock through Appéré. The forward shrugged off his marker to get onto Sullay Kaikai's clever pass before calmly slotting his low strike past Luke Southwood.
Taylor Moore and Bryant Bilongo replaced Alfie Kilgour and Jack Sparkes in the second half, with the Pirates coming out of the blocks much faster after the restart. Bilongo lifted the crowd soon after his introduction, bursting past a defender and rolling a pass down the wing to Ruel Sotiriou, whose low cross was expertly cleared away.
Swiss striker Fabizio Cavegn was also introduced after the break and forced Jake Eastwood into his only save of the evening. The 22-year-old raced onto a pass down the right before drifting inside to get a shot away, but his low effort was pushed away by the goalkeeper.
Rovers were building their way into the tie, but conceded a second to put the fixture out of their reach. Gibbons broke down the right side of the pitch and put a dangerous cross into the heart of the box, with Loft getting above his marker to cushion a header beyond Southwood.
Cambridge secured their first victory at The Memorial Stadium since 2003, with the Pirates now hoping to kick-start their season when they travel to Chesterfield on Saturday in Sky Bet League Two.
Bristol Rovers: Southwood, Sparkes (Bilongo 46), Kilgour (Moore 46), Mola, Hutchinson(Dewsbury 61), Sotiriou, Thomas, Harrison (Cavegn), Conteh, Southam-Hales (Senior 61), Howley
Subs not used: Young, Omochere, Ellison, McEachran
Booked: Conteh
Cambridge United: Eastwood, Bennett, Watts, Appéré (Loft), Kachunga (Knight), Kaikai, Mpanzu, McLoughlin (Hoddle), Bradshaw, Jobe, Gibbons
Subs not used: Purrington, Ball, Brophy, Rossi, McConnell
Goals: Appéré 29, Loft 75
Booked: Brophy
Referee: Oliver Mackey
Attendance: 2681 (154 away)
