It was red shirts and red faces for Huddersfield Town as they crashed out of the League Cup at the first hurdle for the second season in succession, 2-1 at Shrewsbury .
David Wagner’s side recovered from the concession of a first-minute goal to AJ Leitch-Smith to boss the first half and level through Elias Kachunga.
But the second period was far more open, and Shrewsbury Town sealed victory thanks to a Louis Dodds’ shot which slipped through Danny Ward’s hands.
It was disappointing for the on-loan Liverpool keeper and for boss David Wagner , who saw his side struggle to capitalise on a string of chances.
Wagner made three changes after Saturday’s opening-day Championship win at home to Brentford , handing a debut to Jon Gorenc Stankovic and bringing in the Slovenian’s fellow defender Martin Cranie as well as wideman Sean Scannell .
Tommy Smith, Mark Hudson and Joe Lolley were the men to miss out, with midfielder Jonathan Hogg taking the captain’s armband.
Striker Nahki Wells, at the centre of reported interest from a number of divisional rivals , was named on the bench after proving his recovery from a knee injury.
Shrewsbury, like Town playing a 4-2-3-1 system, kept the side beaten 1-0 at home to MK Dons in League I on Saturday.
And The Shrews made a storming start with an opener after just 22 seconds, Leitch-Smith taking advantage of defensive hesitancy to beat Danny Ward with a deflected shot.
It was a shock for Town, but they recovered some composure and after Scannell won a corner which was cleared, Jack Payne should have done better when played in by Elias Kachunga, but dragged his low shot wide with only keeper Jayson Leutwiler to beat.
It was the first of three chances in as many minutes for Payne, who wriggled into space in the area only to have his drive beaten away, then met Chris Lowe’s cross with a header which Swiss stopper Leutwiler held.
In the midst of all that, Aaron Mooy had an inswinging corner headed off the line as the home back four were put to the test.
Centre-back Christopher Schindler was catching the eye with some neat passes and Town were doing all the attacking after their early setback, with Rajiv van La Parra’s effort blocked by a scrambling Shrewsbury defence.
Another awkward Mooy corner was punched clear before Hogg was yellow carded for his foul on former Barnsley man Jim O’Brien as the home team mounted a rare attack.
Payne’s persistence was causing Shrewsbury problems, but the Town man was struggling to find that incisive touch in front of goal, and put a Lowe corner wide after 36 minutes.
The much-threatened equaliser finally arrived six minutes before the break through Kachunga, who headed home his second goal of the season from close range after Mooy put in an inviting cross.
WATCH: Shrewsbury Town 1 Huddersfield 1 - Half Time Analysis
Cranie became Town’s skipper for the second half after Hogg was replaced by Ivan Paurevic at the break, and keeper Ward was quickly in action to hold a Dodds snap-shot at the second attempt.
The visitors responded when Mooy played in van La Parra, who put a shot narrowly wide.
Wagner made his second change just before the hour, when Saturday’s match-winner Kasey Palmer went on for Payne, and the on-loan Chelsea man soon tried his luck with a long-range free-kick after a foul on Schindler, however Leutwiler saved.
Shrewsbury had a couple of free-kick opportunities of their own, and the tie was by now fairly open as Town’s 652 fans in a 2,862 crowd urged their side on.
A mazy dribble by Palmer which took him past three opponents ended with a low effort which was saved.
Then Town were hit on the break as Dodds squeezed home a low shot after Cranie’s tackle on the advancing Ivan Toney, and keeper Ward will have been disappointed not to have kept the ball out.
Michael Hefele replaced Lowe on 84 minutes as Town pushed for parity but to no avail.
