City are through to the last 16 of the Capital One Cup after an amazing fightback to beat Burton.

Trailing 2-0 with only eight minutes left, Nahki Wells scored twice to force extra-time. And then young defender Stephen Darby spared the lottery of penalties with a long-range winner late in the second added period.

It was no more than City deserved for a spirited performance on a Valley Parade pitch that held up superbly considering the rain that had battered down constantly for two days.

Burton had struck first with their opening shot of the game, Billy Kee smashing home first time from Jack Dyer’s cross on 18 minutes.

And they doubled that advantage on the half hour through Aaron Webster’s header despite the best efforts of Gary Jones to clear it off the line.

Phil Parkinson had made six changes and threw on James Hanson , Wells and Kyel Reid in a triple substitution to give the home side more bite in the final half hour.

Their arrival did just that with the Bermudian striking twice in an incredible finish. With eight minutes left, he drove an angled shot past Tomlinson from James Meredith’s pass. And with time ticking away, Wells diverted Hanson ’s overhead kick home beneath a manic Kop.

Then it was down to Darby deep into extra-time to send City breathlessly through and dreaming of that exotic draw in the fourth round.