Southampton stun Man City to reach League Cup semis

Pep Guardiola admitted Manchester City were "not prepared" arsenic they suffered a daze 2-0 decision against struggling Southampton successful the League Cup quarter-finals connected Wednesday.

Guardiola's broadside paid the terms for a limp show and ne'er recovered aft archetypal fractional goals from Sekou Mara and Moussa Djenepo astatine St Mary's.

City beryllium 2nd successful the Premier League, portion Southampton are languishing astatine the bottommost of the table.

But that immense spread wasn't evident connected a bedewed and windy nighttime connected the southbound seashore that Guardiola volition privation to hide successful a hurry.

For the archetypal clip successful 16 home cupful quarter-finals, Guardiola had finished arsenic a loser and helium had nary complaints astir the result.

"The amended squad won. We didn't play good. There are galore games you tin commencement not bully and flooded but we didn't bash it," helium said.

"When you are not prepared to play this crippled you get 1 inch precocious and don't people a goal. When you are prepared you people the goal.

"Today was a atrocious night, the hostile was amended truthful we person to congratulate them. We didn't merit to win."

City's astonishment exit continued a worrying inclination of lacklustre performances this play successful games Guardiola would expect them to win, a failing that has near the champions trailing 5 points down leaders Arsenal successful the Premier League.

Guardiola volition request an contiguous effect successful Saturday's important Premier League derby against Manchester United.

He made 4 changes from Sunday's 4-0 FA Cup 3rd circular rout of Chelsea, with Kalvin Phillips handed his archetypal City commencement since his £42 cardinal ($51 million) determination from Leeds past year.

Phillips was labelled overweight by Guardiola aft helium returned from England work astatine the World Cup and the midfielder hardly made the Spaniard devour his words with a mostly anonymous show that ended with his substitution aft 63 minutes.

Phillips' flop was successful keeping with City's unusually limp display, with their deficiency of poise and intent disposable close from the start.

Southampton went up successful the 23rd infinitesimal erstwhile Lyanco chopped retired a escaped walk from Sergio Gomez and delivered a debased transverse that France Under-21 planetary Mara swept location for his archetypal extremity for the club.

Five minutes later, Mali planetary Djenepo was allowed to beforehand unchecked earlier curling a superb 30-yard onslaught implicit Stefan Ortega, who was caught excessively acold disconnected his line.

Guardiola sent connected Kevin De Bruyne astatine the interval and Erling Haaland aft 56 minutes, but his lethargic squad finished without a changeable connected target.

Southampton person ne'er won the League Cup, losing the 1979 and 2017 finals, and they volition look Newcastle successful a two-legged semi-final aboriginal successful January.

Saints brag Nathan Jones volition anticipation this astonishment occurrence tin beryllium the springboard to silverware and, much importantly, Premier League survival.

"We've gone done a batch recently, radical questioning a batch of things. That goes a small mode to justifying wherefore we're present and what squad we're trying to create," Jones said.

Nottingham Forest earned a past 4 necktie against Manchester United aft beating Wolves 4-3 connected penalties pursuing a 1-1 gully astatine the City Ground.

After past weekend's embarrassing FA Cup nonaccomplishment against 2nd tier Blackpool, Forest are backmost connected the Wembley way arsenic they reached the League Cup semi-finals for the archetypal clip since 1992.

They took the pb done a close-range decorativeness from erstwhile Wolves centre-back Willy Boly successful the 18th minute.

Raul Jimenez grabbed Wolves' 64th infinitesimal equaliser, but Dean Henderson was Forest's shoot-out prima arsenic helium saved penalties from Joe Hodge and Ruben Neves.