Match report
An excellent performance from Saints, and they go through to their first League Cup semi-final for 30 years. Arsenal, who made 10 changes, were dreadful in the first half, and that’s where the game was lost: Saints scored two on the counter-attack, and then defended strongly when Arsenal poured forward in the second half. Davis, Reed and Clasie in particular were excellent: they just stopped Arsenal playing. Arsenal’s long wait for a League Cup trophy goes on.
Thanks for reading. Goodbye.
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Full-time: Arsenal 0-2 Southampton
And that’s the whistle. Southampton go through to the semi-finals!
90 min +3 Flicked across the six-yard box, but no one went for it! Coquelin’s shot is deflected. Another corner, which falls to Gibbs, who spanks it into orbit. That’s game over.
90 min +2 Arsenal win a corner, but it’s surely too late. Off Yoshida, and out for another corner.
90 min Four minutes of added time. And Martinez denies Højbjerg! Saints could, and perhaps should, have scored more tonight.
89 min Still Arsenal come forward, but the impetus has rather slipped these past couple of minutes. This should be good enough for Saints.
88 min Ramsey bends one, but it’s well wide.
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87 min Arsenal on the attack, but Southampton break, and Sims does superbly by the touchline, but McQueen can’t apply the final touch! Hacked clear by Arsenal. Actually, Maitland-Niles did very well to stop it becoming 3-0.
86 min In by Xhaka, headed back, and Holding couldn’t quite get there. Corner to Arsenal, and Forster claims.
85 min Five minutes for the Gunners to save themselves. Everyone bar Martinez is in the Saints half, and Yoshida concedes a free kick 30 yards from goal.
84 min Good save from Martinez to deny Sims! Corner to Saints after another slick counter-attack.
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83 min Another Arsenal corner. Heavy pressure from the hosts. Iwobi has a go after the first delivery is half-cleared, but it’s straight at Forster.
82 min Saints just rocking a little. Davis hacks clear. Arsenal committing plenty of men forward, and they force a corner. Taken short, and Gibbs hits it, and Saints do just enough to clear. Another corner, this time punched clear by Forster.
81 min Lucas is booked for a late trip on Sims. Just looking back at that penalty claim, it was probably the right decision. Martina made slight contact, perhaps, but it would have been soft.
80 min And Yoshida hacks it off the line from Gibbs’s floating header! Now Ramsey goes down in the box, but Kevin Friend says no! Suddenly Arsenal have come alive.
79 min Oh, Oxlade-Chamberlain should have scored! Lovely touch inside from Perez, and Oxlade-Chamberlain is free in the box, but he fires it over! The clearest look Arsenal have had all night, and they couldn’t take it.
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77 min David feeds McQueen, and goes for the return, but then lifts the shot over the crossbar! It came at him at a difficult height and couldn’t control the shot. Now Long goes clean through … and puts it wide! Oh, Shane! That was a golden chance for three. Will Saints live to regret that?!
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76 min Still Arsenal can’t create that clear chance. Ramsey goes close, but it’s blocked.
75 min Martina and Sims combine nicely on the right touchline, but then the full-back’s touch lets him down, and it’s behind for a goal kick.
73 min Ramsey takes it nicely 30 yards from goal, but he slices his shot, and it’s a mile wide.
72 min Saints’ midfield trio have done very well to deny Arsenal space in the final third. There’s just no room for the hosts to work in.
71 min Mistake from Bertrand after Van Dijk went off on an upfield raid, but Forster does well to come out and clean up.
69 min Time running out for Arsenal. Still they haven’t really tested Forster, even though this second half has been much better.
66 min That sequence of three separate substitutions has just affected the momentum slightly. Arsenal back on the attack, but Saints defending stoutly. Coquelin with the shot from 20 yards, but it’s wide.
65 min After that mild farce, it’s an Arsenal corner, which is headed clear by Long. And after all that, Saints make another change, with Josh Sims on for Sofiane Boufal.
64 min Harrison Reed is down. In the meantime, Maitland-Niles is on for Carl Jenkinson. Reed can’t continue, so Pierre-Emile Højbjerg is will come on. This is taking too long. Hurry up!
63 min Southampton still look dangerous on the break, but Arsenal are at least showing some pep. Perez shoots, and it’s deflected over the bar. Corner.
62 min Oxlade-Chamberlain replaces Reine-Adelaide.
60 min Coquelin has a go from 25 yards on his left foot, but it’s no problem for Forster, who saves easily.
59 min Oxlade-Chamberlain looks like he’s getting ready.
57 min McQueen with a chance! Martinez flapped at the corner, and McQueen struck it well, but just wide! Van Dijk took a knock in the melee but he’ll be OK. Southampton close on two occasions.
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56 min And now Boufal goes close! That was inches wide, and nearly cemented Saints’ place in the semis. It was deflected. Corner.
54 min Nearly three for Saints. McQueen and Martina combined down the right, but Martina couldn’t quite find Long with the cross, and Holding comes across to concede the corner, which is wasted.
52 min Arsenal win a free kick, and Xhaka hits it well, but it’s straight at Forster.
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50 min Lucky Martinez! Long, was it, hit a fierce shot, and Martinez spilled it, but fortunately for Arsenal, it bobbled safe.
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48 min Much better from Arsenal. Lovely ball out wide to Jenkinson, and he finds Ramsey unmarked in the box, but he can’t quite get the connection, and it loops up into Forster’s arms. That’s more like it, though!
47 min Ramsey finds Perez in the box, and his shot is feeble, but it does count as an effort on target. Arsenal’s first.
46 min We’re back. No changes from either side at the break, although Xhaka is on for Elneny, who departed with an injury.
Some half-time emails.
Charles Antaki: “All very dismal. With Coquelin and Elneny about as creative and forward-looking as treacle, nothing much is going to come Pérez’s way. Which maybe just as well for his own sake, since he’s doing everything he can to persuade us that he won’t do much with it anyway.”
Mike Nichols: “Minus Cazorla, Arsenal always seem to err a little too much on the side of caution. There’s so much of an emphasis on keeping possession on their breaks versus hitting that pass to open up the defense or trying to hit an open runner.
“Too many sideways passes, especially with Coqneny at the wheel. I mean, I know Arsène wants to rest guys ahead of the Month of Death that December turns into, but they could use at least one more incisive player out there. “
What a superb display from Southampton, and what an abject one from Arsenal. The Gunners just haven’t got going at all – I don’t think they’ve had an effort on target. Southampton have sat deep, filled in the spaces, and counter-attacked briskly – and they’ve scored two excellent goals. Arsenal have serious work to do.
Back in 15 minutes!
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Half-time: Arsenal 0-2 Southampton
And a moderate number of boos as the whistle blows.
45 min +2 Nearly another excellent break from Southampton, but Long’s touch let him down.
45 min Super skill from Boufal on the right side to completely fool Gibbs, but then he slips at the wrong moment. Boufal’s been very good in this first half. Two added minutes.
44 min On the bench, Arsène Wenger’s furrowed brow says plenty.
43 min Reine-Adelaide tries to take on Martina, but he’s tackled cleanly. Good defending.
42 min Elneny, who took a knock, can’t continue, and Xhaka is on.
41 min What an extremely accomplished first 40 minutes from the visitors. They’ve been happy to sit deep, let Arsenal have the ball, and hit on the counter. And they’ve done it brilliantly! Arsenal have been dismal.
39 min What an excellent goal from Ryan Bertrand. Saints won it in midfield, Boufal worried the full-back, and he slid it inside to Bertrand, who took a touch and fired it beyond Martinez. Clinical.
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GOAL! Arsenal 0-2 Southampton (Bertrand 38)
Boufal did really well to find Bertrand, and his shot was precise! Saints two up!
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38 min We still haven’t had an effort on the Southampton goal. Arsenal just haven’t been very good.
36 min Saints clear the first ball, but McQueen knocks the second one behind for a corner. Nothing comes of it, however, and Forster claims.
35 min Elneny curls it in, and Yoshida heads behind for a corner, the first of the game.
34 min Now a booking for Yoshida, for a crude block on Reine-Adelaide. Arsenal were nearly away.
32 min Boufal breaks, Iwobi drags him back, and Iwobi is booked. It’s just not happening for the home side.
30 min Saints look pretty good here. Arsenal are offering very little. They’ve been under-par.
29 min Elneny is cautioned for a clip on Bertrand.
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28 min And again Long goes clear, and again he has no support! Arsenal didn’t cover themselves in glory in defence there.
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26 min Long has a dribble as Southampton break, but is tackled cleanly. His fellow Saints didn’t seem desperate to get forward and support him then.
23 min A quarter of the game gone, and it’s been a bit flat from the home side. Lots of possession, but little goalmouth action.
22 min Martina crosses for Long, all alone in the Arsenal box, but it’s overhit, disappointingly.
19 min Better from Arsenal, and it’s played out to Jenkinson on the right side, who crosses straight out of play. Oops!
16 min Arsenal have had the lion’s share of the ball, but they haven’t had a look at goal yet. Not much from Ramsey so far.
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14 min Forster comes racing out of goal and snaffles the ball right on the edge of the penalty box. The Arsenal fans wanted a free kick, but I think he was inside the white line.
13 min What a pleasant surprise! Bertrand went clear on the left, crossed low, and it came out to Clasie, who just smacked it beyond Martinez from about 25 yards. What a strike! Arsenal are stunned.
GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Southampton (Clasie 13)
Out of nowhere, Saints lead!
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11 min When the Saints Go Marching In rings round the Emirates Stadium. Although neither time has done much marching in this game so far.
10 min Boufal goes down under challenge from Reine-Adelaide by the corner flag, but Kevin Friend says no foul. Boufal is livid.
9 min Elneny gives it away to Shane Long 30 yards from goal, with space to attack Holding, but the Irishman’s touch is poor, and the attack fizzles out.
7 min First bit of space for Arsenal, and Lucas tries to find Iwobi, but van Dijk is quickly across to cover.
6 min Absolutely nothing of note so far. Sterile domination from the home side.
4 min Some empty seats in the rows closest to the pitch. Maybe those fans haven’t quite finished their pre-match glass of prosecco.
3 min Almost two minutes of possession for Arsenal. Southampton haven’t had a touch. Now they have! And Davis almost releases Long. The striker was nearly in there.
1 min And we’re off. Arsenal in red and white; Saints in black.
The players are on the pitch. Time for pre-match hugs, embraces and general team love. And we’ll take a moment’s silence for the victims of the plane crash in Colombia.
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We’re close. About five minutes away.
If you prefer Manchester United v West Ham, Scott Murray has those details here:
Changes aplenty. Mohamed Elneny keeps his place from the Arsenal starting XI that beat Bournemouth at the weekend, but otherwise everyone is new, and Lucas Perez gets the nod in attack. Southampton chop and change things, too, and though Forster, van Dijk and Bertrand start, in come Martina, Yoshida, Reed, Clasie, Davis, Boufal, Long and McQueen. Josh Sims, who impressed against Everton, starts from the bench, and Charlie Austin sits this one out.
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Tonight's teams
Arsenal: Martinez, Jenkinson, Gabriel, Holding, Gibbs, Coquelin, Elneny, Reine-Adelaide, Ramsey, Iwobi, Lucas Perez. Subs: Oxlade-Chamberlain, Xhaka, Bielik, Bola, Macey, Maitland-Niles, Mavididi.
Southampton: Forster, Martina, Yoshida, van Dijk, Bertrand, Reed, Clasie, Davis, Boufal, Long, McQueen. Subs: Cedric, Rodriguez, Ward-Prowse, Hojbjerg, Stephens, Sims, Lewis.
Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire)
Hello and welcome
Liverpool and Hull are already into the last four of the EFL Cup, and tonight Arsenal and Southampton have chance to join them. It’s a lively looking contest between two good sides, albeit ones with moderate pedigree in this competition. Arsenal haven’t won the League Cup since 1993, when Steve Morrow scored the winner against Sheffield Wednesday and then celebrated in hospital having taken an ill-fated ride on Tony Adams’ shoulders, and Southampton have never won it. There’s a chances for one of these sides to go deep, as they say, especially with Chelsea, Spurs and Man City out of the picture. Can they grasp it?
Kick off is 7.45pm. Join us then.
Tim will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s why Arsene Wenger will rest some of his first-team regulars against the Saints:
Arsène Wenger will make wholesale changes to his regular lineup for the EFL Cup quarter-final at home to Southampton on Wednesday night while he has been reassured that Olivier Giroud’s muscular injury is nothing serious.
Giroud came on as a substitute in the 3-1 win against Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday and he felt something pull after what was his first involvement. Wenger thought, immediately afterwards, that Giroud had hurt his hamstring but it is the groin that has sustained the damage.
Wenger, however, has described the problem as only “slight” and, although Giroud will not play against Southampton, he has not yet been ruled out of the Premier League fixture at West Ham United on Saturday.
Lucas Pérez has recovered quicker than expected from the ankle injury he sustained in the previous round of the EFL Cup – the 2-0 home win against Reading on 25 October – and the striker is in line to feature against Southampton.
Wenger has used his squad players in both rounds of the competition so far – against Nottingham Forest, when the team won 4-0 away from home, and Reading – and he will not deviate from the policy for Southampton’s visit.
