In a shocking turn of events, Southampton defeated Manchester City 2-0 in the Carabao Cup semi-final, sending the reigning champions crashing out of the competition. Despite City’s recent success in the competition, having won it four out of the last five years, Southampton were able to pull off a stunning upset victory.
City, who were missing several key players, put in a disappointing performance, failing to register a single shot on target for the first time since 2018. This is particularly surprising given that the Carabao Cup is a competition that City has taken seriously in recent years, with successive wins against Chelsea in the earlier rounds.
On the other hand, Southampton and their manager Nathan Jones deserve a great deal of credit for the win. The victory marks a lift-off for Jones’ reign as manager, and it is especially impressive considering that many would have deemed this match as the least likely to end in a famous win for Southampton.
In recent months, Manchester City has been generous to Southampton, allowing a number of players and staff members to leave the Etihad for St Mary’s since last summer. However, it seems that City’s generosity did not extend to them as it allowed Southampton to claim the Carabao Cup semi-final spot as well. It will be interesting to see how they fare in the semi final stages of the competition where they will face Newcastle United.