What a difference a week makes for Nathan Jones. Seven days after the Southampton manager left the pitch with boos ringing his ears after losing the bottom of the Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest, an inspired performance that was capped by goals from Sékou Mara and Moussa Djenepo’s spectacular chip from knocked the wind out of Manchester City’s sails on a blustery night on the south coast.
For Pep Guardiola, who was aiming to become the first manager to win the League Cup five times and move ahead of Sir Alex Ferguson and Brian Clough, it was a night to forget as Kalvin Phillips made his first start for a City side that never really looked like finding a way back into this game after falling behind. But having now won three times in cup competitions despite having failed to pick up a single point from his four league matches, this time Jones was afforded a standing ovation from the delighted home supporters at the full-time whistle. Newcastle await in the semi-finals.
