January 12, (THEWILL) – In a shocking turn of events, Manchester City suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Southampton in the Carabao Cup quarter-final match at St Mary’s. Despite dominating possession throughout the game, City failed to register a single shot on target as goals from Sekou Mara and Moussa Djenepo, earned the Saints a famous win.
City manager, Pep Guardiola, admitted that Southampton were the better side on the night and congratulated them on their victory. He also took responsibility for City’s poor performance, saying that his team was “not prepared” and “arrived one inch late.”
The Spaniard, who added that it was a ‘bad night’ for the Premier League champions, did reserve praise for Southampton, saying: “The opponent was better so we have to congratulate them. To win games you have to deserve it and we didn’t deserve it.”
Guardiola rotated his team, starting without key players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, and Rodri, and repurposing Kyle Walker as a centre-back. Despite bringing De Bruyne and Haaland on during the second half, City were unable to turn the game around.
The defeat marks a disappointing end to City’s Carabao Cup campaign, as they have now failed to reach the semi-finals for the second consecutive season. City had previously won the Carabao Cup four years in a row from 2018 to 2021 and have lifted the trophy six times in total within the last 10 years.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
