Ryan Reynolds and his X-rated celebration after Wrexham cause major Carabao Cup upset

761 days ago

Ryan Reynolds may not have been watching Wrexham’s Carabao Cup match against Wigan Athletic, but the famous actor was watching from afar – and reacted hilariously to the result.

Ryan Reynolds has suggested that following Wrexham AFC is like being in an “Aliens movie” after the club needed a penalty shoot-out to progress to the next round of the Carabao Cup. On Tuesday, Wrexham beat League One side Wigan Athletic on penalties after a goalless draw at the Racecourse Ground.

In November 2020, acting duo Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – famous for creating and starring in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” – teamed up to buy Wrexham for approximately £2.35 million. They used their platforms to promote the club and the region, most notably through the popular Disney+ documentary titled “Welcome to Wrexham”.

After 15 years out of the Football League, the Red Dragons secured the National League title and promotion to League Two. However, Wrexham had a humbling experience on the opening day of the 2023-24 season, losing 5-3 at home to MK Dons last weekend.

Wrexham returned to winning ways in the Carabao Cup, beating Wigan. After the result, Reynolds took to social media to post hilariously, “Another year of hearts jumping out of our chests like we’re in a movie ****ing Aliens.”

The game finished goalless after 90 minutes and, as there was no extra time, the match was decided by a penalty shootout shortly after regulation time ended on Tuesday night. Luke Young, Elliot Lee, Tom O’Connor and Sam Dalby were the heroes as Wrexham scored all four of their penalties, while Wigan duo Charlie Hughes and Thelo Aasgaard blasted their spot-kicks over the bar to give the Welsh side victory.

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson vowed to make changes after the defeat to MK Dons, and only three players retained their places in the side. Meanwhile, Wigan made four changes from the side that beat Derby County 2-1 – and paid for them.

Ollie Palmer picked up the player of the match award after a good performance in attack for Wrexham, but he could not get past Wigan goalkeeper Sam Tickle. The Wigan keeper made six saves in the tie, including a brilliant double save to keep out Jordan Davies. Ben Foster was an unused substitute for Wrexham, with Mark Howard keeping a clean sheet in his place.