Southampton knocked out Carabao Cup favourites Manchester City to reach the semi-finals as Nathan Jones’ side pulled off a remarkable 2-0 win to book a last-four clash with Newcastle.
Saints played with a verve and energy that belied their status as the Premier League’s bottom side and were sent on their way by Sekou Mara’s fine finish after City sloppily squandered possession.
Jones’ men didn’t stop there and continued to press Pep Guardiola’s lacklustre side all over the pitch and Moussa Djenepo scored a sublime second with a 30-yard lob that caught goalkeeper Stefan Ortega out.
City finished the game with Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland on the pitch – both started on the bench – but the expected siege on the Southampton goal never materialised as City failed to even register a shot on target in the game.
Such was the ease that Southampton saw out the game, the home fans could even afford to bring the ‘ole’s’ out in the closing stages.
This was the first time a Guardiola side has failed to progress from a domestic quarter-final tie having previously won the last 15, including the last nine since taking the City job.
There was no sitting back from Jones’ side, who played very aggressively and directly to pin City’s defenders back in the early stages. That press set the tone and led to the opening goal. Some sloppy passing from Kalvin Phillips, on his first start for City, and Sergio Gomez was seized upon by Lyanco.
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