… and that’s all she wrote. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
By contrast, Pep Guardiola cuts to the chase on BBC Radio. “The better team won. The opponent was better so we have to congratulate them. To win games you have to deserve it and tonight we didn’t deserve it.”
Nathan Jones, in a robust mood, speaks to Sky Sports. “I’m really proud. I’m proud of my players. I’m proud of myself and my coaching staff, because lots of people have been questioning certain things. So that goes a little way to justifying why we’re here and what we’re trying to create. I’m really proud of my football club, and how we’ve come through a tough time. It’s the second cup win in a week, and shows we’re building something. The performance levels have been there in the last four games. It’s just that we’ve given silly goals away and not given ourselves a real chance. Tonight we’ve been excellent, but it’s been building. Bear in mind I’ve only just been in the job, three Premier League games. Yeah, we had the Liverpool game but I’d one day to prepare. I’m not David Blaine, you know what I mean? I understand people’s frustrations but we’re building. The cliche is Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was a wonderful Southampton side, but we are on the way. We need time to change the direction, the momentum. It’s tough. Sometimes you have to take a little of the proverbial, and I’ve had to do that, but I’m clear, I’m strong. A born-again Christian, so God’s will is right there for me and I’m looking forward to the challenge. I would like an element of realism elsewhere, and if I get that, and we’re all together, we can do something here. At least I won’t get any abuse on my way home!”
The semi-final draw
Southampton v Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest v Manchester United
These two-legged ties will take place w/c 23 January and 30 January. Saints and Forest will be at home in the first leg.
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The semi-final draw is coming up soon … but in the meantime, why not catch up with what went on at the City Ground? Ben Fisher was there to see Nottingham Forest squeak past Wolverhampton Wanderers on penalties, and his report is here.
Saints captain James Ward-Prowse speaks to Sky: “A special night. These games are special to play in, especially when you’re struggling in the league. We knew this was a distraction for us, a great game for us to showcase what we’re about, with no fear. I think we showed the true Southampton tonight. The manager has come in and been excellent. He’s given us a fresh idea and new energy. It was a bit like the old Southampton tonight, bold and aggressive and on the front foot. That’s when we’re at our best. To put in a performance like we did tonight means nothing if we don’t get anything from Everton [at the weekend]. It’s a fantastic game for us to go into full of confidence.”
Gavin Bazunu - who marshalled a Saints defence that didn’t allow City a single shot on target, something that hasn’t happened for four years – adds: “It’s not just me, it’s the whole team. We’ve worked so hard since the new manager’s come in on defending the box and being so hard to beat. We need to be a hard team to play against.”
Ed Aarons was at St Mary’s tonight, and his report has landed. Here it is!
The last four of the 2022-23 League Cup.
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Draw coming up soon! Stay tuned!
Jones kept his gameface on during the post-match celebrations. But the mask slipped after he went down the tunnel, where he was caught on camera jubilantly cavorting with a member of his backroom staff. He deserves his moment. His team were immense.
Nathan Jones has been under pressure at Southampton, despite being in the job for less than two minutes. Four straight defeats in the Premier League tend to crank up that sort of thing these days, especially if the team is rock bottom. But this is huge. Before the game, he said: “The result is paramount … but first we need a performance, because if you don’t get that, you don’t get the result. But we’d love a performance and a result.” Well, he got both. Saints were magnificent, and deserved their reward of a place in the last four. This result may well kick-start their Premier League campaign, too. If they continue to play with this determination, concentration and intensity, survival is far from a pipe dream. As for City … just the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League still to play for. It’s not all lost.
PENALTIES: Nottingham Forest 4-3 Wolverhampton Wanderers. Sam Surridge missed the first penalty of the shootout for Forest, but Ruben Neves couldn’t convert the first one for Wolves. Seven successful kicks followed, before Joe Hodge missed Wolves’ last. The four-time winners are through to the semi-finals!
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FULL TIME: Southampton 2-0 Manchester City
What a result for Southampton! What a result for Nathan Jones, who might have won a few fans over tonight! He’s certainly won the respect of Pep Guardiola, who congratulates him warmly.
90 min +6: On Sky, Don Goodman names Moussa Djenepo as his man of the match.
90 min +5: Some more keep-ball from Saints. City eventually force them to play the ball out for a goal kick. A Hail Mary is launched. The ball comes in from the right. Foden heads harmlessly wide, and that is surely that.
90 min +4: The home fans are giving it plenty. Marching in. And no wonder: a corner for Saints down the right. They’re almost home and hosed. “Ah well,” begins Richard Hirst, “at least Pep has found that discarded kit hamper of grey shirts in the corner of the dressing room and can take them up to Manchester to give to United at the weekend. So it hadn’t been a completely wasted day.”
90 min +3: Ward-Prowse and Walker-Peters play a little keep-ball near the right-hand corner flag. Saints are so close to a deserved victory now!
90 min +2: Time for Adams on the edge of the City box. He thinks about shooting but Orsic has a go instead. Blocked. No matter, because this is the end of the pitch Saints want to be. Walker-Peters then dribbles down the right and draws a foul from Alvarez. Free kick, and the clock ticks on.
90 min: Rodri clumsily clatters into Ward-Prowse, putting an end to a period of City pressure. There will be six added minutes. Put another way, Saints are six minutes away from the semis. Put another way, Pep is six minutes away from tasting quarter-final defeat in a domestic cup for the first time in his entire career. He’s 15 from 15 so far.
89 min: Saints string a few passes together. The crowd entertain themselves with a few olés. Too soon?
88 min: Rodri floats a diagonal ball into the Saints box from the left. Haaland gets in ahead of everyone and attempts to flick the ball on into the right-hand side of the net from six yards. But he doesn’t really connect – does he connect at all? – and Bazunu flops onto the dropping ball. For a nanosecond there, you expected the net to ripple.
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87 min: De Bruyne embarks on what looks like a dangerous run down the right, but then cuts a ball back to nobody in particular. Ake has to turn tail to retrieve the ball and City’s momentum is gone.
86 min: With time running out for City, Cancelo concedes a foul throw. In the dugout, Pep seethes quietly. You can bet his internal monologue is running a tad louder.
FULL TIME: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers. It’s going to penalties at the City Ground.
84 min: Rodri crosses from the right towards Haaland, but Lyanco is on hand to intercept and blooter clear. “City look tired and disinterested like Belgium looked in the World Cup,” suggests Jeff Sachs.
83 min: Armstrong has run himself into the ground and is replaced by Southampton debutant Orsic.
82 min: Some head tennis in the Saints box. This is backs-to-the-wall stuff now. But the ball breaks to Bazunu, who claims, then drops to the ground as keepers are wont to do these days. Textbook clock management.
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80 min: Foden swings the free kick in harmlessly. Lyanco clears. Huge cheers from the home fans. Then a pause and a chance for Saints to catch their breath as Perraud accidentally catches Alvarez in the face. Argentina’s World Cup winner goes down, but with the clock ticking on, and no free kick coming their way, gets back up soon enough.
79 min: This match has a real basketball rhythm now. Foden storms down the middle of the park only to be crudely hacked down by Diallo, who goes into the book. A free kick 30 yards out, just to the left of centre.
78 min: City go up the other end, Gundogan dribbling into the box from the left and crossing low. Alvarez slides in, hoping to ram home, but again Bazunu smothers and won’t be beaten.
Updated
77 min: Gundogan attempts to dance his way into the Saints box down the middle, but he’s swarmed. The hosts clear. The visitors come again. A long ball to look for Haaland. Bazunu comes romping out of his box to slam upfield. Walker-Peters sashays into the box from the right. He cuts back for Ward-Prowse, whose shot is on target but deflected towards Adams on the edge of the six-yard box. Adams slots home, but the flag goes up correctly for offside!
75 min: On the touchline, Nathan Jones loudly orders his players to keep on moving. To be fair to his players, Saints haven’t stopped all night.
73 min: De Bruyne wedges gracefully down the right in the hope of releasing Cancelo, but the flag goes up for offside. City’s play isn’t betraying any impatience or irritation … but a few of their players’ expressions are illustrating angst. Furrowed brows a-plenty.
71 min: A City goal will change everything, and with this in mind, De Bruyne works his way down the right. He curls in low for Haaland, who nearly meets the ball six yards out when sliding in, only to be denied by a brave smother at his feet by Bazunu.
70 min: Ward-Prowse finds Walker-Peters just inside the City box on the right. A first-time shot is on, but Walker-Peters hesitates and the chance is gone. When he eventually pulls the trigger, he’s closed down in an instant.
69 min: Foden works his way down the left and cuts back from the byline. The ball’s surely too far behind Haaland, but the big man elegantly hangs out a leg backwards, and attempts a back-heeled volley from 12 yards. It flies over the bar, but what ambition!
68 min: A free kick for Saints out on the left. Ward-Prowse sends it towards Caleta-Car at the far post. City do just enough to defend, then launch a counter. But Saints are alive to their attacking intent, and bust a collective gut to get back into position. The counter breaks down.
66 min: Walker-Peters fizzes a low cross through the City box from the right. Adams can’t telescope his leg to poke home at the far stick. He might have been a smidgen offside anyway.
65 min: Armstrong chases a long pass down the right. He nearly bullies Laporte out of the way. The defender just about stands his ground to conceded a throw. From that, the ball’s worked infield to Elyounoussi, who takes too long to size up a shot from 25 yards. The City defence aren’t coping well with the Saints press at all.
63 min: Phillips, whose first start in a City start has been disappointing, is replaced by Rodri. Nearly all of the big guns deployed now.
Updated
62 min: City still haven’t had a shot on target. “As a Chelsea fan, this is so very empowering and comforting,” sighs Julian Menz, while he still can.
61 min: Saints make a double change. Mara and Lavia make way for Adams and Elyounoussi.
60 min: Walker-Peters tears down the right. He looks to have been held up by Ake, but when help arrives, he one-twos his way into the box and dinks into the City box. The visitors clear, but that’s got the crowd going again after a pensive few minutes of quiet City dominance.
58 min: A couple of changes back at St Mary’s. Grealish and Djenepo’s gentle set-to was the last act for both players. They’re hooked for Haaland and Perraud respectively.
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Jimenez 64). Raul Jimenez turns in Matheus Cunha’s cross, and the midlands rivals are level at the City Ground!
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55 min: Grealish petulantly shoulder-checks Djenepo off the ball. There’s nothing much in it, and Grealish tells his man to get up. Djenepo does not comply. A chance for Saints to run some seconds off the clock, grabbed with both hands.
54 min: De Bruyne tries to find a man yet again from the right. His cross is deflected into the sky by Lyanco, and Bazunu claims.
53 min: De Bruyne curls into the Saints box from the right. Ward-Prowse clears. De Bruyne tries again from the same flank. He claims his cross is blocked by a Saints hand, but the referee’s not interested. Everything is going through De Bruyne, like that’s breaking news.
51 min: City are dominating possession, though they’re misplacing passes on a worryingly regular basis at the moment, allowing Saints to break up their play. As a result, they’re going nowhere at the moment.
Updated
49 min: Lavia considers shooting from the edge of the City D. He doesn’t. He may as well have done, though, because he lays off to Lyanco, who harmlessly sails a misdirected pass out for a goal kick.
48 min: City have started the second half like Southampton did the first. A notable upsurge in tempo. Pep no doubt has told them what’s what during the break.
46 min: City nearly get back into the game within 55 seconds of the restart. De Bruyne draws three players towards him near the centre circle before sweeping a ball down the inside-right channel for Alvarez. The World Cup winner strides into the box and flashes a shot across Bazunu … but inches wide of the left-hand post. Well, that would have changed everything.
Southampton get the second half underway. They haven’t made any changes at the break … but Manchester City certainly have. Three of them, though Haaland isn’t one of them. De Bruyne, Ake and Akanji replace Palmer, Gomez and Walker.
HALF TIME: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers. Bit tardy with this update. So much so that they’ll be kicking off again at the City Ground any minute now. Apologies.
HALF TIME: Southampton 2-0 Manchester City
High-octane brilliance from Saints, who have scored two crackers. Pep Guardiola has some thinking to do. “Maybe City need to change to different coloured shirts at half time,” quips 90s comedian Stewart Lee Richard Hirst. (Kids, refer to No5 below.)
45 min: Armstrong dribbles cutely down the left. It requires five City players to surround him and get the ball off him. The home fans enjoyed that.
44 min: The rain is coming down steadily at St Mary’s now. Positively Mancunian.
43 min: City are uncharacteristically ponderous. Very strange. “Is this is a dream or are the Saints totally outplaying the mighty City?” asks a drowsy Colum Fordham. “The two goals have both been stunners and Southampton have showed much more verve.”
41 min: City win a corner down the left. Foden delivers. Caleta-Car deals with it. It’s better from City, but not by much. “Djenepo’s goal had more in common with another Le Tiss lob - his favourite of all time against former team-mate Tim Flowers,” argues Adam Channell.
39 min: St Mary’s might not be at capacity tonight, but the home fans are in good voice. No wonder. Bazunu still hasn’t had any serious work to do.
37 min: City have regained a semblance of control. They’ll not be panicking yet: they’ve only lost one of the last five matches they’ve played in which they’ve gone two goals behind.
Updated
35 min: City finally show in attack, sort of. Grealish dribbles down the left and forces a corner. Foden swings it in. Bazunu punches clear with confidence. “Ederson might be a more important sub than Haaland,” suggests Joe Pearson.
34 min: “I can’t be the only person to have been reminded by Djenepo’s goal of a certain other lob by a Southampton player,” writes Kári Tulinius. What a player he was! And he did it all while wearing a tinfoil hat.
32 min: On the touchline, Pep Guardiola has the good grace to look extremely concerned. His team have been very much second best so far. Strange as it may sound, this scoreline, while ostensibly a shock, doesn’t flatter Southampton at all.
30 min: A reminder that Erling Haaland is on the Manchester City bench.
GOAL! Southampton 2-0 Manchester City (Djenepo 28)
If the first goal was sensational, this is outrageous! Palmer has a shot in the Saints box, but the ball ricochets and Saints clear. The home side go up the other end. Djenepo is allowed to stride into acres down the inside-left channel. He drifts towards the centre. He spots Ortega dossing around in no-man’s land, and curls an exquisite shot over the out-of-position keeper and into the top right! What a run! What a finish! What was Ortega doing?!
Updated
27 min: City have conceded first on six previous occasions this season. The stat tells us little, in so much as they’ve gone on to win three and lose the others.
26 min: Foden’s delivery is not up to much, and Saints clear. Laporte claims he’s been fouled in the box, hugged by Lavia and checked by Mara, but the referee’s not interested, and there’s no VAR. It would have been soft … but you’ve seen them given, too.
25 min: Southampton deserve their lead. City try to respond immediately, Gundogan powering down the inside-left channel. He’s crudely brought to ground by Lavia, who goes into the referee’s notebook. Free kick out on the left, 35 yards from goal.
GOAL! Southampton 1-0 Manchester City (Mara 23)
This has been coming! Sort of! And it’s a sensational goal! Ortega comes out of his box to head clear. The ball drops to Ward-Prowse, who thinks about shooting from 40 yards but hesitates and loses the ball. Phillips attempts to break, but Lyanco robs him out on the Saints right and advances down the wing. He crosses low towards Mara, who loses Walker and sweeps into the bottom right, a first-time fizzer that gives Ortega no chance. St Mary’s erupts!
Updated
21 min: Lyanco loops a pass infield from the right. Mara takes it down just inside the City box with his back to goal. He spins, making a little space between himself and Walker, but can’t keep his shot on the turn down. Deep into the stand it sails … but that’s another moment that’ll give the Saints belief.
19 min: Grealish tries to make something happen for City down the left. No. Not yet.
18 min: Southampton will be very happy with the way this match has started. Bazunu hasn’t had a save to make yet. He’s relaxed enough to ping a 70-yard pinpoint pass down the right, nearly releasing Djnepo.
16 min: Armstrong curls a cross in from the right. Mara battles to win a header but he’s swarmed by City defenders and fails to win the fight. “Didn’t Caleta-Car sponsor this competition once?” asks Richard Hirst. A Rumbelows reference, right?
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14 min: Sky Sports have just flashed up Pep Guardiola’s managerial record at the quarter-final stage of domestic cups. Played 15, won 15. God speed, Southampton.
12 min: See 10 min. It’s a wise gambit by City, because over half of the game so far – 52 percent, in fact – has been played out in their final third.
10 min: City play a bit of keep-ball to take the wind out of Southampton’s sail. Clever City.
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Boly 18). A breakthrough at the City Ground. Wolves fail to deal with a Forest corner whipped in from the left, and Willy Boly emerges from a melee to prod home from close range. No celebration, on account of the four years he spent at Molineux.
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8 min: The second corner is worked back down the left flank to Ward-Prowse, whose deep cross forces Ortega to fingertip behind again. The third corner of the sequence comes to nothing, but that’s a really promising couple of minutes from the hosts.
7 min: Djenepo strides down the right and forces Laporte into conceding a corner. Saints initially make a mess of the set piece, but City faff around while clearing, allowing Caleta-Car to take a snapshot from the edge of the D. The ball dribbles towards the bottom left, forcing Ortega to fingertip around for another corner, this time from the left.
6 min: Salisu bashes a simple clearance straight at Palmer, who romps down the right. He thinks about a curler into the top left, but rolls across the face of the box instead for Gundogan, who drags a low shot wide left. A good chance spurned.
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5 min: Gomez makes off down the City left. His cross is deflected high into the box and plucked from the drizzly sky by Bazunu. It’s not the most pleasant night on the banks of the Solent. That may or may not explain the empty seats.
4 min: Armstrong continues the Saints press in the middle of the park, but only manages to hoick the ball miles back down the pitch to concede the first corner of the match. Fortunately for the eager striker, City do nothing with it.
2 min: It’s a bright start by the Saints. They’re on the front foot and pressing City hard. Ward-Prowse and Diallo both spurn opportunities to stick the ball into the mixer. Not ideal, but promising enough from the underdogs.
City get the ball rolling. Saints snaffle possession quickly and Walker-Peters advances down the left. He reaches the edge of the City box before falling over, allowing Ortega to claim.
The teams are out! Southampton are in their inverted Rank Xerox shirts, while Manchester City wear third-choice Stabilo Boss highlighter green. Ah, those early 80s Saints shirts! Any old excuse to post the greatest First Division goal of all time. We’ll be off in a minute.
There’s another League Cup quarter-final being played this evening. Nottingham Forest host ATVLand rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers at the City Ground. It’s a 7.45pm kick off. No early goals. News when we have it.
Nathan Jones talks to Sky. “It’s one of the best teams in the world. It’ll be a really tough challenge, but we’ll have to embrace it. It’s a wonderful night, quarter-final of the EFL Cup, and it’s a wonderful occasion. We’ll have to rise to that. We’ll have to do things very, very well tonight, and a lot of things have to happen for us to win the game, but look, it’s an exciting night. The result is paramount … but first we need a performance, because if you don’t get that, you don’t get the result. But we’d love a performance and a result.”
Pep Guardiola speaks to Sky Sports. “We are still alive in everything. Eleven players cannot play every game. We need everyone to play. I’ve done it all my career, play everyone. Maybe in the second half, people will play minutes. We are playing the same way as normal. All managers are different and play different shapes. We have struggled here with Ralph [Hasenhuttl] in the past, but we have good memories too.”
Some breaking news: Southampton have signed Argentinian midfielder Carlos ‘Charly’ Alcaraz from Racing Club. The 20-year-old, who scored 12 goals in 83 appearances for Racing, has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with the Saints. “He will give us a really exciting option and add a bit more creativity into the side, which is something that will be a real benefit to us,” says manager Nathan Jones.
Midfielder Carlos Alcaraz has joined #SaintsFC on a four-and-a-half-year deal from @RacingClub ✍️
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) January 11, 2023
Southampton make five changes to the starting XI named for the 2-1 FA Cup win at Crystal Palace. Kyle Walker-Peters, Moussa Djenepo, Ibrahima Diallo, Romeo Lavia and Sekou Mara are in for Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Romain Perraud, Joe Aribo, Samuel Edozie and Che Adams. Croatia winger Mislav Orsic, the £6m January signing from Dinamo Zagreb, is on the bench and ready for his debut.
Manchester City make four changes to the side that started the 4-0 FA Cup rout of Chelsea. In come Joao Cancelo, Ilkay Gundogan, Jack Grealish and – making his first start for City since moving from Leeds in a £42m summer deal – Kalvin Phillips. Making way: Rodri, Manuel Akanji, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez.
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The teams
Southampton: Bazunu, Djenepo, Lyanco, Caleta-Car, Salisu, Walker-Peters, Diallo, Lavia, Ward-Prowse, Mara, Armstrong.
Subs: Caballero, Perraud, Finnigan, Elyounoussi, Edozie, Aribo, Orsic, Adams, Morgan.
Manchester City: Ortega Moreno, Cancelo, Walker, Laporte, Gomez, Phillips, Gundogan, Foden, Palmer, Alvarez, Grealish.
Subs: Ederson, Ake, Haaland, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Akanji, Mahrez, Lewis.
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The teams in social-media form.
YOU REDS 🔴⚪️
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) January 11, 2023
How #SaintsFC will line-up against #ManCity: pic.twitter.com/Kb75l2qV6B
🔵 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🔵
— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 11, 2023
XI | Ortega Moreno, Cancelo, Walker, Laporte, Gomez, Phillips, Gundogan (C), Foden, Palmer, Alvarez, Grealish
SUBS | Ederson, Ake, Haaland, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Akanji, Mahrez, Lewis#ManCity | @HaysWorldwide pic.twitter.com/fEfzmlDegL
Preamble
Manchester City have won four of the last five League Cups. They’ve won five of the last seven. They’ve won six of the last nine. They know how to get the job done. They’re hot favourites to win tonight. They’re Manchester City.
Football can be a funny thing, though. Southampton may have lost their last two matches against City 4-0 and 4-1, and they may have lost their last six Premier League games straight. But they’re also coming off the back of a spirit-replenishing FA Cup win at Crystal Palace, and they did manage to hold City twice in the league last season. So you never know. Saints reached the final of this competition in 2017 and another visit to the semis could kick-start their season of struggle. They’ll not want to end the evening wondering. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!
