Mark Hughes hailed the contribution of “outstanding” goalkeeper Angus Gunn, whose saves helped Southampton beat Everton 4-3 on penalties and progress to the Carabao Cup fourth round.
The 21-year-old £13.5million summer signing from Manchester City made crucial stops from Bernard and Ademola Lookman during the tie before denying Theo Walcott in the ensuing shoot-out.
Gunn was an ever-present for Norwich while on loan in the Championship last season, and trained with England before the World Cup.
❤️🔴 That penalty shoot-out relief! YES! 😇 #saintsfc pic.twitter.com/LAoUtwdQpH — Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) October 2, 2018
Making his second start of the campaign in the Carabao Cup he earned high praise from manager Hughes.
“We are delighted,” he said. “In each of the games he has been part of, he has given us a calmness and an assurance you need.
“He is an outstanding young goalkeeper. We had to move quickly because there was a lot of interest in him.”
Hughes felt his side were “good value” for the victory that means they travel to Leicester at the end of the month.
We salute you, #SaintsFC fans! A huge thank you to those who made the long trip to #EFC tonight! 😇 pic.twitter.com/dMY6R1tCr5 — Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) October 2, 2018
“We wanted to progress. We had good opportunities to increase the lead,” Hughes said. “We restricted a good Everton team to very few chances and kept the crowd quiet, which is always important when you come here.
“There was real determination to what we were trying to do. A number of guys hadn’t had much game time and credit to them, it is important to keep your focus and if you do you can come in and make an impact.”
On striker Danny Ings, who scored the opener just before half-time, he added: “He is making a huge impact. He has that knack of being in the right place at the right time. He has that knack goalscorers have.”
Everton manager Marco Silva, who had made seven changes to the team which beat Fulham 3-0 at Goodison Park in the Premier League on Saturday, refused to blame substitute Richarlison for blasting his penalty over the crossbar before Walcott had his saved by Gunn.
✍️ | Late drama in normal time, but we suffer penalty 💔 in the #CarabaoCup. Report 👉 https://t.co/trqMleQzJe #EFC pic.twitter.com/5E7r00z7PC — Everton (@Everton) October 2, 2018
It allowed defender Cedric Soares to seal the tie by beating Toffees goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg, and Silva denied his personnel changes were to blame for the outcome.
“It is not just him (Richarlison) to miss the penalty,” said the Portuguese. “Richarlison, even Theo, they will have all of our support to go forward. It wasn’t the first moment when one good player missed a penalty.
“If the players are kicking the penalties, it is because I take that decision. During the match we missed some chances as well and we didn’t score.
“Yes we prepared the match to win and when I took the decision to start with Bernard and (Ademola) Lookman it was because I believe they will perform in this way. They are different from Richarlison and Theo, they play more between the lines.
“I didn’t have doubts when I prepared the match. We played last Saturday, we play Saturday as well.”
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