LONDON, Aug 28 (Reuters) - West Ham United diced with a potentially embarrassing League Cup second round defeat by 10-man AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday before fighting back to win 3-1 against their third-tier opponents.
However, Premier League Cardiff City were dumped out 3-1 by second-tier Norwich City, while Southampton won 1-0 in an all-top-tier tie at South-Coast rivals Brighton & Hove Albion.
West Ham had lost their first three Premier League games to sit bottom of the table and their dismal start to the campaign had already sparked speculation among pundits as to whether new manager Manuel Pellegrini would see out the season.