Aribo Unused Sub as Saints Knockout City from Carabao Cup

Nigerian international, Joe Aribo, was an unused substitute as Southampton knocked out favorites Manchester City from the Carabao Cup and booked a deserved spot in the semi final of the competition.

It was the biggest win for Southampton Manager, Nathan Jones’s short reign as they reached the EFL Cup semi-finals with a richly deserved 2-0 win over favourites Manchester City.

Jones has struggled for approval from Saints fans since his arrival from Luton Town but his rating surely soared with the manner in which the Premier League strugglers maintained their good cup form.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola rested key players such as Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne with this weekend’s derby with Manchester United at Old Trafford in mind, but nothing must detract from a vibrant Southampton display.

The game was settled in the first half by Sekou Mara’s crisp finish after 23 minutes and a superb second from Moussa Djenepo five minutes later when he caught City keeper Stefan Ortega badly out of position off his line with a lofted long-range finish.

Guardiola threw on De Bruyne and Haaland after the break but it was to no avail as Southampton defended their lead with fierce determination to reach the last four.

The swathes of empty seats for a cup quarter-final at home to Manchester City hinted at the mood at St Mary’s, with Southampton fans unimpressed with the appointment of Jones and his poor start, but by the end there was real joy around the stadium after this outstanding win.

Jones still has a lot of work to do, both in terms of moving Saints out of the relegation zone and winning over the sceptics, but this will do him and his players the power of good on every level.

Elsewhere on the night, Nottingham Forest reached the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup after beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw.