Upcoming Southampton manager Nathan Jones watched from the stands at St Mary’s as his future new side scraped past Sheffield Wednesday after penalties to reach the Carabao Cup of the last 16.
A deal was struck one night with Luton boss Jones to replace sacked Ralph Hasenhuttl, a much-changed Southampton team – led by first-team coach Ruben Selles – came from behind to advance to the next round.
Sheffield Wednesday, third in League One after 17 games, posed a threat throughout the first 45 minutes and rightly took the lead via Josh Windass (24), but James Ward-Prowse’s penalty in first half stoppage time (45 +2) after Moussa Djenepo stumbled into the box, Southampton got back on an equal footing.
The hosts improved after the break but were unable to find a winner in normal time. Substitute Stuart Armstrong came closest, but his long-range effort slammed into the crossbar minutes before the final whistle.
The draw went to penalties and it was Southampton who kept their spirits up. England World Cup hopefuls Ward-Prowse, Mohamed Elyounoussi, Ibrahima Diallo, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Adam Armstrong and Theo Walcott were all successful from 12 yards out, but Owls defender Dominic Iorfa saw his goal saved by Alex McCarthy as the Premier League side won the shootout 6-5.
Southampton will be told on Thursday who they will meet in the last 16. The draw follows Manchester United vs Aston Villa, live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event from 7 p.m.
How Saints went into the fourth round
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s nearly four-year reign in Hampshire ended after Newcastle’s 4-1 home hit on Sunday, leaving Saints in the top relegation zone.
Nathan Jones quickly emerged as the front-runner for the vacancy and he posed for photos with home fans before kick-off after taking charge of current club Luton’s 2-0 defeat at Stoke on Tuesday night.
The 49-year-old is said to have been concerned about a fragmented performance in the first half in which the lively South Yorkshire visitors repeatedly threatened and initially led.
Livewire’s Josh Windass claimed the 24th-minute opener, emphatically thumping his sixth goal of the season past Alex McCarthy after clearly slipping by Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.
Saints almost grabbed a quick-fire leveler, but Owls keeper David Stockdale superbly blocked Joe Aribo’s goal-bound header from a free kick by James Ward-Prowse.
Pushing for promotion to the Championship on Wednesday and Saints battling relegation, the two clubs could potentially meet again next season.
The sane travelers who followed wasted little time mocking their rivals about that possibility and chanting ‘we’re going up; you’re going down’ were regularly heard around an increasingly annoyed stadium.
Restless home fans, who have also seen McCarthy dismiss goalscorer Windass twice before, as well as Owls captain Barry Bannan, seemed poised to berate their underperforming side at halftime.
But Saints players avoided the increasingly familiar treatment after Wednesday’s hard work being undone in extra time when defender Marvin Johnson dangled a leg to knock down Moussa Djenepo in the penalty area.
Referee John Brooks immediately pointed to the spot and captain Ward-Prowse duly hit the penalty in the middle of Stockdale’s goal to change the complexion of the match.
The Owls, who were unbeaten in all competitions for seven games before losing to the South Coast, were the last outside top division club to win the League Cup after beating Manchester United in the 1991 final.
Darren Moore’s men were not about to roll, although defender Michael Ihiekwe shot twice off the line from substitute Theo Walcott just after the hour after a sloppy split from Stockdale.
Saints thought they had won the game three minutes before time, but Stuart Armstrong’s deflected effort came back from the crossbar and Duje Caleta-Car couldn’t head home the rebound.
The draw ended in a penalty shootout and McCarthy was the match winner, saving Dominic Iorfa’s spot kick to send the hosts through to round four.
Selles: Mission Accomplished for Saints
Southampton first team coach Ruben Selles said: “This team is a team that can do great things, but everything takes time in this life and when you build a new team it’s never easy in the beginning.
“Some of those guys need patience. That’s what we have to learn, to be a little more patient in situations where we want to build something good.
“I know that sometimes this growth process doesn’t go hand in hand with the competition, with the score, with the need to win every game.
“If you lose today it’s a big loss, if you win you have to do that. We didn’t expect to win so late. In the second half we had chances to finish it earlier.
“It didn’t happen and in the penalties we did it, so it was a good job, mission accomplished for everyone – not just about advancing to the next round, but also about feelings, togetherness, performance and we got everything we wanted out of the game.”
Moore proud of ‘excellent’ Sheff Wed
Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore said: “I’m really proud of the team. We kept the opposition in the Premier League tied for over 90 minutes to force it to penalties. I thought we were excellent in the first half.”
“Even at half time, when we gave away the penalty, we just had to keep going, clearing the areas and making the right decisions. The game wasn’t over yet, it was still wide open for both teams to win the game. tried it, both teams changed system to try and win the match.
“I have no problem with it at all” [the nature of the defeat]. I wanted to see where my team stood. It was a barometer against the opposition in the Premier League and they all did very well.”
Jones watches as Saints struggle, yet reasons for optimism
Dan Sansom of Sky Sports at St Mary’s:
Many Southampton fans got the news they had hoped for on Monday when it was confirmed that the club had decided to part ways with Ralph Hasenhuttl. With their side in the Premier League relegation zone after losing six of their last nine games, most felt it was time for a change.
Southampton’s first-team coach Ruben Selles took on the midweek Carabao Cup game against Sheffield Wednesday, while future manager Nathan Jones watched from the stands at St Mary’s.
Despite Southampton fielding a much-changed squad from the one heavily beaten by Newcastle in the Premier League on Sunday, Jones was still able to get some useful insight into what he’s about to inherit.
Southampton had 18 shots against Sheffield Wednesday. They scored once. It’s the story of their season and one that undoubtedly contributed to Hasenhuttl’s firing. In their 14 Premier League appearances to date, they have only scored less than nine shots in 90 minutes during defeats to Wolves and Manchester City. But they have only scored 12 goals – the joint fourth lowest in the division.
Despite the lack of a vanguard in the final third, Saints’ ability to create so many chances will encourage Jones, given the average age of his future new side. During a £83 million review this summer, St Mary’s brought 10 new players – six of them are 20 or under. Southampton now has the second youngest starting line-up (24.3) in the Premier League.
Jones has a track record of nurturing the youth – just look at Leicester’s James Justin and Bournemouth’s Jack Stacey – and he would have been particularly impressed with 19-year-old Samuel Edozie’s performance against Sheffield Wednesday. The winger, who was taken over from Manchester City in September, caught the attention of the home fans and rightly received a round of applause when he was substituted in the second half.
Make no mistake though, scraping League One opponents with penalties shows the magnitude of the task Jones faces. Saturday’s trip to Liverpool – probably his first game in charge – is a free hit, but if Southampton lose it will be their first Christmas in the bottom three of the Premier League since 2004/05. They were relegated that season.
However, with Jones’ ability to develop young people and get the most out of his players, the St Mary’s hierarchy hopes he is the man to distract Southampton from the same fate. Despite their recent struggles, there are reasons for optimism.
What’s next?
Nathan Jones will likely take charge of Southampton for the first time on Saturday when they travel to Liverpool in the Premier League in their last game before the World Cup; kick off 3:00 PM.
Sheffield Wednesdaywhose League One season continues during the winter tournament, make the trip to Accrington Stanley on Saturday; kick off 3:00 PM.
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