READING FC scraped into the EFL Cup third round after a nailbiting 4-2 win on penalties against League One MK Dons.

There was little to separate the sides on Tuesday night after the second-round tie finished 2-2 after extra time.

A Dean Bowditch penalty had given Karl Robinson's visitors a 34th minute lead.

But Callum Harriott grabbed his first Royals goal with a stunning strike on 69 minutes before netting a quality second with 113 minutes gone to put the home side 2-1 up.

However, MK Dons levelled only four minutes later through Kabongo Tshimanga to take the tie to a penalty shootout.

But it was Jaap Stam's men who held their nerve, with Jordan Obita converting the winning spot-kick after Ben Reeves and Samir Carruthers had missed theirs for the visitors.

Sadly, Royals celebrations were undoubtedly muted after Deniss Rakels and Liam Kelly both suffered serious injuries and were stretchered off in normal time.

Rakels damaged his ankle with just 13 minutes gone, while Kelly came off worse after a nasty clash of heads with teammate Jake Cooper early in the second half.

Rakels was immediately taken to hospital for an x-ray, while Kelly, who impressed on the night, required stitches to a facial cut and has suffered possible concussion.

Stam made a whopping 10 changes to his starting line-up with Obita the only survivor from the team that drew 2-2 with Brighton in the Championship on Saturday.

New signings Danzell Gravenberch and Liam Moore were handed their Royals debuts along with promising youngster Kelly, while Joseph Mendes made his full debut.

And there were also starts for Anssi Jaakkola, Cooper, Harriott, Tennai Watson and captain-for-the-night Stephen Quinn.

It was clear that EFL Cup glory is not a priority for Karl Robinson either, with the MK Dons boss making eight changes and naming six Academy players in his starting XI and a further five on the bench.

Royals burst out of the blocks and had their first effort on target after just 41 seconds when a deflected effort by Mendes was saved by Lee Nicholls.

And Nicholls was called into action again in the fifth minute when Harriott cut in from the right and fired a low drive which the Dons keeper held.

But Royals suffered an injury blow with 16 minutes gone when Rakels went down clutching his ankle after a challenge with George B. Williams.

The Latvia striker looked in severe pain as he was stretchered off, with Roy Beerens sent on to replace him.

It was the breather MK Dons needed and they responded with Ben Tilney testing Jaakkola then Oran Jackson forcing the Royals keeper to tip a rasping drive over the bar.

Royals, though, looked the more dangerous and Nicholls made a crucial fingertip save to keep out Harriott's powerful drive just before the half-hour mark.

Yet they shot themselves in the foot with 33 minutes gone by conceding a needless penalty.

Cooper's poor backpass forced Jaakkola to race of his line and bring down Tshimanga. Referee Charles Breakspear awarded a penalty and Bowditch slammed the spot-kick into the top corner to give Dons a 34th minute lead against the run of play.

Luckily, rule changes meant Jaakkola only received a yellow card as it was not a deliberate foul, whereas last season it could have been red.

But Royals regrouped and almost levelled on the stroke of half time when Moore's cross from the left was met with a powerful header by Mendes, but Nicholls was equal to it.

However, they were dealt another sickening injury blow eight minutes after the break when Kelly was the second home player to be stretchered off following a nasty clash of heads with Cooper in the middle of the pitch.

Academy graduate Kelly had been one of Royals' stand-out players until that point, but medial procedures meant he was unable to continue, with George Evans sent on to replace him.

At that stage it looked as though Royals had lost their rhythm and were heading out of the competition.

But Stam's men dug in and began to fight back, with Watson stinging Nicholls' hands from all of 30 yards.

And they did level the scores with 69 minutes gone thanks to a mesmerising strike from Harriott.

With the Dons defence sitting ever deeper, the summer signing from Charlton picked up the ball, took aim and arrowed an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box into opposite corner.

Now, Royals were in control and they went agonisingly close to taking the lead when Mendes's header from a Beerens cross was somehow hacked off the Dons line.

Tshimanga did force a save out of Jaakkola during a rare second-half attack from the visitors, but Harriott went close with another long-range effort as the clock ticked down.

Stam's men then pressed for a last-gasp winner, only for Nicholls to deny both Beerens and Evans.

And with seconds left in normal time, Mendes wasted a glorious chance to snatch a victory when he scooped over from six yards from a Watson cross.

That miss appeared to lift Dons' spirits as they began to carve open Royals as soon as extra time began.

George C. Williams brought the best out of Jaakkola with a smart save at his near post with 93 minutes gone.

Then a minute later the visitors were left cursing their luck after hitting the woodwork twice in the same move.

A shot from Reeves crashed against the post, with the hint of touch from Jaakkola, before Ed Upson smashed the rebound against the crossbar before Royals keeper somehow scrambled the ball away.

It was energy-sapping stuff and with Cooper and Watson going down with cramp, Royals were fortunate to remain level after the first half of extra time.

They created the first chance after the restart when Mendes's finishing let him down, then Jaakkola made a smart one-handed save to deny Reeves.

But Royals thought they snatched victory when Harriott put them 2-1 up in the 113th minute.

He linked up nicely with Quinn, produced a burst of pace and an even better finish to squeeze the ball past Nicholls and into the far corner from a tight angle.

But four minutes later Dons levelled when Tshimanga stabbed home after his initial shot had been saved to send the tie to penalties.

Royals, though, came into their own from the spot as Danny Williams, Evans, Quinn and Jordan Obita all scored theirs, while Reeves hit the bar and Carruthers' effort was saved by Jaakkola as Stam's side limped into the third round.

Reading return to Championship action this Saturday when they go to Cardiff City (3pm ko).

Reading: Jaakkola - Watson, Moore, Cooper, Obita – Kelly (Evans 53), Harriott, Gravenberch (Williams 76), Quinn (c), Rakels (Beerens 21) - Mendes. Subs not used: Bond, Gunter, Kermorgant. Booked: Jaakkola 33.

MK Dons: Nicholls; GB Williams, Wootton, Downing, Tilney; Jackson (Reeves 46), Upson; Bowditch (Carruthers 63), Rasulo, Thomas-Asante (GC Williams 76); Tshimanga. Subs not used: Burns, Brittain, Osei-Bonsu, Furlong, Booked: Bowditch 61.

Referee: Charles Breakspear.

Attendance: 6,848 (MK Dons 361).