AFC Bournemouth exited the Premier League Cup in heartbreaking fashion after Leeds United grabbed a dramatic injury-time winner to triumph 3-2.

The Cherries twice took the lead at Eastleigh’s Silverlake Stadium but were pegged back by the Whites, the visitors progressing to the quarter-finals.

Balraj Landa opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a well-taken strike before Sonny Perkins levelled on the stroke of half-time.

Dom Sadi’s ninth goal of the season restored the Cherries’ lead five minutes into the second half, only for Luca Thomas to equalise nine minutes from time.

Perkins grabbed the winner in the tenth minute of added time before Leeds goalkeeper Harry Christy made a superb double save from Archie Harris and Jonny Stuttle to win it for the visitors.

Kian Tydeman’s shot was blocked for a corner and a centre from Landa flashed across the face of the goalmouth as the Cherries started brightly.

Landa drew first blood after seven minutes, the former Eastleigh player placing a precise right-foot shot past Leeds goalkeeper Harry Christy having been teed up by Noa Boutin.

As the visitors went in search of a quick response, Cam Plain saved at his near post after Sonny Perkins had been picked out by Charlie Allen.

Allen then turned in off the right flank before unleashing a fierce drive from 20 yards which Plain got his body behind and smothered.

A timely interception from Leeds defender Cuba Cline prevented Tydeman getting a shot away after Dom Sadi had wriggled through and passed to his teammate.

Sadi fired narrowly over the crossbar following good work by Landa and Tydeman before another crucial intervention by Cline took the ball off the end of Jonny Stuttle’s toe as he prepared to pull the trigger from close range having been played in by Euan Pollock.

Cherries had their hearts in their mouths after Allen had gone to ground under a Boutin challenge inside the penalty area but referee Ryan Atkin was unmoved.

Finn Tonks was in the right place at the right time to divert Luca Thomas’s effort past the post before the teams traded presentable chances in the space of 60 seconds.

Firstly, Thomas created space and drilled a shot past the post before Sadi escaped his marker and lifted his effort just over the crossbar.

Pollock, set up by Tydeman’s deft pass, saw his thunderous drive saved by Christy and Stuttle fired into the side netting following a sharp turn.

The Whites levelled four minutes before half-time when Perkins, who scored for Leeds in the FA Cup last season, arrived to sweep Max McFadden’s cutback into the back of the net.

Connell’s team regained the lead five minutes into the second half and just seconds after an heroic block from Leeds defender Kris Moore had denied Pollock a goal.

A scramble inside the Leeds 18-yard box ensued before Sadi calmly gained possession and finished with a composed left-foot strike through a crowd of players.   

Thomas fired narrowly past Plain’s right-hand post before Cline’s glancing header from a Charlie Crew corner was saved comfortably by the Cherries goalkeeper.

Plain snaffled Cian Coleman’s piledriver and also got down smartly to save at his near post after Leeds substitute Joe Snowdon had tried his luck from distance.

Leeds levelled for a second time when Thomas latched on to a Joe Richards pass and rifled an unstoppable left-foot shot into the top corner, giving Plain no chance.

Christy pulled off a top-drawer save to parry Sadi’s stinging drive in added time, the Leeds goalkeeper diving full length to push it around the post.

Stuttle thought he had fired the Cherries ahead from the resultant corner, only for his close-range effort to be ruled out for a foul on the Leeds goalkeeper. 

Although Harold William denied Perkins with an excellent block, the striker had the final say when he smashed home the winner with virtually the last kick of the game.

Plain headed a Sadi corner over the crossbar before a stunning double save from Christy preserved Leeds' lead, the goalkeeper parrying Archie Harris's shot and then somehow scooping away Stuttle's follow-up effort.

AFC Bournemouth: Plain, Tonks, Boutin, Brown, Holman (William, 90), Harris, Tydeman (Osborne, 77), Sadi, Stuttle, Pollock (Gregory, 66), Landa.

Unused subs: Allan (g/k), Ogunleye.

Booked: Landa.

Leeds United: Christy, Cline, Toulson (Richards, 78), Coleman, Moore, Debayo (Monteiro, 65), Allen, Crew, Perkins, McFadden (Snowdon, 65), Thomas.

Unused subs: Baird (g/k), Chadwick.  

Booked: Debayo, Perkins.