Losing to Southampton, Man City was eliminated from the English League Cup

Southampton are currently bottom of the Premier League. In their two meetings with Man City in 2022, they conceded a total of eight goals. However, when the two teams met in the quarter-finals of the English League Cup, Southampton caused a huge shock by defeating the tournament's title contenders.

Man City only used a reserve team in this match, but the names that coach Pep Guardiola put on the field were of no less quality than their opponents. The away team still had Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Ilkay Gundogan and Joao Cancelo. As usual, Man City dominated the ball possession with a rate of up to more than 70%.

Surprisingly, the number of chances Man City created was too few compared to their usual attacking strength. Coach Guardiola's students only launched 7 shots, about half as many as their opponents, and none of them were on target. Southampton were inferior but their goalkeeper did not have to show his talent to block any shots.

On the other hand, Southampton only needed 2 moments within 5 minutes to launch decisive blows. Sekou Mara and Moussa Djenepo scored 2 goals for the home team in the 23rd and 28th minutes respectively.

After the break, coach Guardiola brought Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland onto the field very early. Man City attacked better, but the efficiency in finishing was not high. Julian Alvarez, Grealish and Haaland all had opportunities very close to the goal, but put the ball out.

Unable to find a way into the opponent's goal, Man City lost 0-2 to Southampton and was eliminated from the English League Cup. Southampton's opponent in the semi-finals is Newcastle United. The remaining match is between Nottingham Forest and Manchester United.

With Man City eliminated, the League Cup has only one team from the Big Six to reach the semi-finals: Man Utd. Meanwhile, two teams at the bottom of the Premier League table are still alive. This is a rare occurrence in the tournament.

According to VTC