Jon Dahl Tomasson felt his young side passed a character check on an excellent night for Rovers as they progressed into round four of the Carabao Cup.

Tomasson watched on as his side scored all 10 of their penalties, with progress sealed as Angelo Ogbonna hit the crossbar to give Rovers a 10-9 win.

The sides couldn’t be split after 90 minutes, with Jack Vale’s early goal cancelled out by Pablo Fornals.

Michail Antonio looked to have won it for the Hammers 11 minutes from time, before Ben Brereton came off the bench to score a superb equaliser.

Tomasson made 11 changes to his starting line-up, with several of the expected starters at Burnley left at home.

Of the performance of those who did play, Tomasson said: “First of all, I am very proud of the boys tonight.

“To come to this great stadium and perform like this against a Premier League side, a team that won six games in Europe as a walk in the park, they finished seventh last year, an extremely good side. We came here and we were brave on the ball and if you follow that game plan, you can get something out of the game. 

“A big credit to the lads in that way. I made a lot of changes before the game, a lot of players have had to be patient for a while. They haven't played much and then put a performance in like that.

“A big credit, a big effort from those guys. It means maybe they will be used in the Championship a little more often and it will be good for the competition. Jack got his first senior goal, he has played brilliantly for the Under-21s. 

“He's been good from the bench but he has some difficulty when he starts games and he is becoming better. He linked up play and Bez scored his 50th goal today, what a beauty.

“The time of the goal was incredible and he did extremely well. A massive credit for the boys and the fans who can travel back with a smile on their face. A fantastic effort for a midweek game and it was a tremendous performance.”

All 10 outfield players for Rovers scored from the spot, with West Ham managing nine successful conversions before Ogbonna hit the crossbar.

And Tomasson said: “I tried to practice penalties and I have lost them before. It can go both ways! It was a good thing for our young players to learn in the pressure moments. Both teams shot very well.

Tomasson had named much-changed teams for the previous two rounds, as Rovers beat League Two opposition in Hartlepool United and Bradford City.

He continued that theme against the Hammers, who also made 11 changes.

Yet both teams strengthened from the bench, with Ben Brereton and Sam Szmodics part of a double change on the hour.

With an East Lancashire game on the horizon, Tomasson said he held back Brereton’s introduction, but was delighted with his impact.

He explained: “If I hadn't thought about the game (Sunday), I'd have brought him on at half-time. I didn't do that because I had that in my head.

“We had some players that stayed at home.

“They had an excellent training session this morning with a good intensity and good spirit and the coaches travelled up with trains to be part of the group which is important. The players think that spirit is even better now.”

There was a chance that the game could be overshadowed by the East Lancashire derby on the horizon, but Tomasson was keen to give his squad players their moment in the spotlight.

He added: “Big credit.

“All those changes, it’s not always easy to cope with that, but the way they did it, they were very brave, stuck to the game-plan and were brave on the ball and they can play against very good players, who finished seventh in the Premier League, so in that way a big credit to them.”

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