No one could have foreseen this but Southampton have knocked out Manchester City of the Carabao Cup quarter-finals as they delivered a colossal performance to win 2-0 at St Mary’s on Wednesday evening.
Southampton have been struggling for much of this season both under Nathan Jones and his predecessor Ralph Hasenhuttl. The Saints are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table having lost all four league matches Jones has taken charge of. There has been great concern surrounding their ability to put up a fight for survival this year but what we have seen from them in their last two matches is that they will not go down without a fight.
With most people expecting Wednesday evening’s match to be a routine victory for Pep Guardiola’s men, we couldn’t have been given a bigger shock. Southampton took the game to the side who had won six out of the last nine League Cup titles and dominated play. It didn’t feel like you were watching the bottom-ranked Premier League side at all as not only were they solid defensively, they moved the ball around really well to break City’s lines.
They fully merited their two-goal lead. The first involved brilliant movement and an even better finish from Sekou Mara to register his first goal for the club - and what a time to get it. Their second came from another player who had been waiting for a goal in Moussa Djenepo. He scored a sublime finish as he caught goalkeeper Stefan Ortega off his line, scoring his first goal since March 2021. They were enough to settle the tie as Jones became the first manager to beat Guardiola in a domestic cup quarter-final.
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It was clear that each of the 11 players out on the pitch were fighting for each other and that was a huge lift for the supporters who have not had a great deal to sing about in recent months. He may have only joined the club in November but some fans were already turning their backs on Jones after the Saints’ woes continued in the top-flight.
With the way his players battled against Guardiola’s men and against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup on Saturday, there is no doubt that they are fighting for him. They were so organised that the team they were facing, who are renowned for their organisation, looked disorientated in comparison.
Guardiola was forced into changes at the break because his side were not in the contest. Kyle Walker, Sergio Gomez and Cole Palmer were taken off for Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake and Kevin De Bruyne. De Bruyne may have been brought on to ignite a spark in attack but Guardiola’s decision to swap his defenders highlighted how frail City looked at the back as Southampton were constantly threatening them.
Goalscoring machine Erling Haaland was called upon just before the hour mark but the Saints defence did excellently to keep him relatively quiet, something not many teams have been able to do this season. Haaland, alongside his teammates, were completely nullified.
The Saints’ shape and desire to win every ball took the visitors by surprise and it all contributed to a great night under the lights at St Mary’s. With their two recent wins, and the level of performance they delivered this evening, this could prove to be season-changing for the Saints. They may have a League Cup semi-final to look forward to but first they have a relegation six-pointer against Everton this weekend which cannot be overstated.
They win that game and they can start to believe that there is still hope for this season. The football and results from the last two games have given them a huge boost. The Saints have also been boosted by some early business in the January transfer window with Mislav Orsic joining from Dinamo Zagreb and Carlos Alcaraz arriving from Racing Club.
As full-time drew near, Southampton’s famous old anthem started to echo around the ground and it is fair to assume it was the loudest one they’ve sung all season. It feels as though they’ve seen enough to think this group can turn their fortunes around in the league while also dream of another League Cup final trip to Wembley.
Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest also reached the last four after defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-3 on penalties after drawing 1-1 in 120 minutes. Former Wolves defender Willy Boly put Forest ahead in the first half before Raul Jimenez levelled the tie with a tap-in at the far post.
