Southampton have qualified for their first League Cup quarter-final in 11 years after dramatically beating Stoke City 3-2 at the Britannia Stadium tonight.
First-half goals from Graziano Pelle and Shane Long had the Saints in cruise control in their bid to progress into the next stage.
Steven N'Zonzi reduced the arrears early in the second half, before Mame Biram Diouf finally equalised on 82 minutes as the clash looked to be heading toward extra-time.
However, Peter Crouch was dismissed for a second yellow card, and Pelle scored an 88th-minute winner from the resulting free kick to render Stoke's fight-back meaningless.
Below, relive all of the action with Sports Mole's live commentary of the clash.
Good evening ladies and gentlemen and thanks for tuning into our live text commentary of Stoke City's fourth-round League Cup clash with Southampton at the Britannia Stadium.
Let's jump straight into this one and get some team news, shall we? Go on then.
STOKE CITY XI: Begovic; Bardsley, Shawcross, Wilson, Pieters; Cameron, Nzonzi; Walters, Bojan, Arnautovic; Diouf
SOUTHAMPTON XI: Forster; Clyne, Fonte, Gardos, Targett; Wanyama, Schneiderlin, S. Davis, Tadić; Long, Pellè
STOKE CITY SUBS: Sorensen, Muniesa, Ireland, Adam, Sidwell, Assaidi, Crouch
SOUTHAMPTON BENCH: K. Davis, Yoshida, Alderweireld, Cork, Bertrand, Mayuka, Reed.
Right, let's start with the visitors then and I can tell you that Ronald Koeman makes four change in all from Saturday's win over Stoke oddly enough. Florin Gardos and Matt Targett replace Toby Alderweireld and Ryan Bertrand in defence. Big Victor Wanyama comes in for Jack Cork in midfield, while Shane Long partners Graziano Pelle up top. It is Gardos's 26th birthday today, so happy birthday to him.
On to Stoke now and little Bojan is one of three changes by Mark Hughes from the defeat to Saints at the weekend - and they're all attacking options. Peter Crouch, Victor Moses and Charlie Adam drop out for the Barcelona starlet, Marko Arnautovic and Mame Biram Diouf respectively. It's the same back four that conceded the one goal at St Mary's, with Phil Bardsley, Ryan Shawcross, Erik Pieters and Marc Wilson forming the defence.
What do we make of both teams then? Decent if you ask me, and it seems like neither manager is prepared to sacrifice this tournament in favour of the Premier League, which is good to see in my view. It's a trophy, and one of these teams will move two games away from a day out at Wembley early in the new year with victory tonight. Fair play to Hughes and Koeman. Incidentally, Koeman has a bit of a beef to settle with his opposite number tonight.
The Dutchman was on the scoresheet in Barcelona's 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in the 1991 European Cup Winners Cup final in Rotterdam. Any ideas who scored for United? Yep, it was Hughes, who bagged both goals to deny Koeman a winners medal in his native Holland. That must have stung him.
Let's have a look at Southampton and what a fine job Koeman has done early on in his career on the South Coast. They're second in the Premier League table, four points adrift of Chelsea after nine games played. If that wasn't impressive enough then chew on this: they also boast the best defensive record in the division and only the Blues have scored more goals than them. Are they the real deal?
It is hard to know in truth. There's always a temptation to be suspicious of clubs who unexpectedly blaze trails early on, because history has taught us that their heroics do not last. But try telling Southampton that they're a flash in the pan. Momentum is massive in football, and the Saints look unstoppable at the minute.
Stoke, on the other hand, have been a bit meh. They're 12th in the standings and have not strung together back-to-back Premier League wins all season. Inconsistency has undermined them thus far, but they have scored in 31 of their last 33 home games with Southampton so there's a nice little omen there.
Right, we're about three minutes from kickoff so let me use my psychic ability to look ahead two hours into the future - and we're actually still playing at the Britannia! That must mean the clash goes to extra time, which means that it was a draw in regulation. It was, or will be, a 1-1 draw. There you have it. My foresight doesn't lie.
Right, the players are out on the field and we're moments away now. Let's go!
Stoke are all ready to kick off but they have to wait for Southampton, who are in a pre-match huddle. There's plenty of team spirit in this Saints side, folks.
KICKOFF! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we're off. The Potters, playing from left to right, get us underway at the Britannia.
Southampton are almost in on goal after Marc Wilson plays a shocking ball, allowing Davis to nip in but Shawcross spares his teammate's blushes. Good start by the Saints.
First corner of the game and it goes Southampton's way, as Wilson dives to head Tadic's cross out of play. They play it short to Davis, whose cross fails to beat the first man. Poor from the Northern Irishman.
GOAL!!!! STOKE 0-1 SOUTHAMPTON (PELLE)
Unbeliveable start from Southampton as Pelle puts them one up in superb fashion, using Wilson as a shield to bend the ball past him and Begovic from outside the area. That was the Italian's ninth goal in 11 games for club and country - eighth for Southampton - and what a signing he is proving. Fine goal.
Decent response from Stoke as they break on the counter and Bojan looks to play Diouf through on goal, but his pass is cleared the Clyne who did well to get back.
Incidentally, Stoke boss Mark Hughes has won the League Cup three times with three different clubs, but he's up against it if he is to win as a manager. They're one down and struggling as it stands.
Southampton fans chanting "is this a library?" now in what was already a very subdued atmosphere from the home fans - and that was before the goal.
Stoke have knocked it around well enough at times but they're yet to have a real sight at goal. Southampton, meanwhile, look very decent every time they have the ball. Even the robust midfielders Wanyama and Schneiderlin are looking excellent in possession.
Massive intervention from Nathaniel Clyne, who heads away before Arnautovic could nod home a delightful cross from Jonathan Walters. He saved a goal just then, no doubt about it.
Stoke need a bit of inspiration from somewhere in the final third. So far they've done little to nothing of note in an attacking capacity, aside from that Clyne clearance.
Good chance for Stoke but it comes to nothing. Arnautovic played in Diouf in the middle after a swift counter, but Gardos does well to stifle the Senegalese. Arnautovic was probably better off shooting. Lord knows why he didn't.
Better from Stoke and they win a corner after Gardos cleared N'Zonzi's whipped cross. It comes to nothing as Marc Wilson heads over from Bojan's delivery. They're slowly but surely coming into it a bit more now.
Did Bojan really come through the same academy as Lionel Messi? The former Barcelona starlet has just earned a "wahey" from the Southampton fans after what was meant to be a cross ended up flying into row-z. Strange one, so it was.
GOAL!!!!! STOKE 0-2 SOUTHAMPTON (LONG)
This is such a good goal, my friends. Shane Long nets his first goal for the Saints after completing a superb team move. Dusan Tadic played a superb reverse ball to the overlapping Steven Davis on the right-hand flank, before the Northern Irishman cut back for Long to tap home from close range. Excellent stuff from the Saints.
CHANCE! It might be three, but Pelle, after controlling Tadic's precise lofted pass, cut inside Wilson but swung a leg at the ball and it blazed well over. Still, in the form he's in Pelle might've been expected to do a bit better.
Bojan is having a mare, my friends. He plays a silly pass across midfield as Wanyama easily intercepted before using those big legs of his to gallop forward. He found Tadic on the left, who swung a cross in but it was too deep and Begovic comfortably claimed it.
DISALLOWED GOAL! Stoke think they're back in this, but they aren't. Walters is rightly ruled offside after a finishing smartly beyond Forster via the crossbar. The Republic of Ireland international was just taken out of it by Schneiderlin, too. What a miserable few minutes for the poor chap.
You get the impression that Stoke need to score legitimately before the break if they are to get back into this one. The Saints have already repelled Arsenal for 45 minutes in the previous round so, you know, they're very decent at both ends of the field.
SHOT! They look very dangerous on the counter, Southampton. They break forward at pace and the ball eventually drops to Wanyama, who thrashes well wide of the mark from outside the area.
It's only 44 minutes gone but the travelling fans already 'ole-ing' every pass from Southampton - and so they should. It's been very, very easy for Southampton so far.
ONE MINUTE ADDED ON:
HALF TIME: STOKE CITY 0-2 SOUTHAMPTON
Well, that's all she wrote for the first half, my friends. Easy for Southampton. Torture for Stoke, who have looked so poor in that opening 45 minutes.
Graziano Pelle got the scoring underway with a fantastic curling effort after about six minutes, before they added another stunning, yet different type of goal on the half-hour mark when Shane Long finished off a wonderful team move.
There's very little to report by way of Stoke chances, sadly. They had one goal rightly disallowed for offside through Walters, while Nathaniel Clyne certainly prevented a goal with a last-ditch header to deny the oncoming Marko Arnautovic. Other than that it has been a dreadful half of football for the hosts.
Should the score remain the same, Southampton would then qualify for their first League Cup quarter-final in 11 years! Could they win it? I've had the privilege of seeing all their games in this competition so far; the 2-0 win away to Millwall, and the 2-1 win away to Arsenal and, considering their first-half performance here, they look a good shout. Chelsea and Liverpool are still in the competition, but Manchester City are losing at home to Newcastle as we speak, so would you back against the Saints going all the way? Me neither. A good draw and who knows.
RESTART: And we're back underway at the Britannia, my friends. Can Stoke get back into this, or will Southampton continue to flex their goalscoring muscle in this second half? Time will tell.
GOAL!!!! STOKE CITY 1-2 SOUTHAMPTON (N'ZONZI)
What an excellent start to this half by Stoke, as Steven N'Zonzi takes aim from well outside the box and finds the bottom corner past Forster. He had Bojan on the right, but he elected to go himself and didn't he vindicate the decision. Even had he struck it into row-z he was still right not to play in Bojan, who's been having an absolute mare all night.
Still, Southampton won't be too worried. That goal came out of nowhere - I think it was Stoke's first shot! - so Koeman's side just have to continue going about their business and they'll get more chances.
As expected, Stoke aren't threatening a second at all and the fluency is the exact same prior to N'Zonzi's goal. Southampton still on top here.
CHANCE! Southampton probably should've added a third, as Tadic does well to pick out Long in a free-flowing counter-attack, but the Irish striker hits it first time in the box and Begovic does well to save.
Prior to that chance Stoke had looked a little bit brighter to their credit. Mark Hughes's half-time words look to be having some sort of effects; far more hunger about them overall.
CHANCE! Another really good chance for Southampton and they should be out of sight. Wanyama plays a delightful one-two with Tadic, before going through one-on-one with Begovic but the goalkeeper stood up well once more and pulled off another decent save. Begovic is single-handedy keeping them in it.
No more goals as of yet but there are plenty left in this one, I think. There's still a frenetic tempo about it.
BOOKING: Phil Bardsley becomes the first player to be booked by referee Lee Mason tonight after a foul on Long, and it's fair to say the right-back is fuming. It puts him out of Saturday's clash with West Ham. Marc Wilson also booked just then, with Long again drawing the foul. Wilson takes the decision a little better, though.
Pelle goes down in the box after tangling with Wilson, but Mason rubbishes appeals for a penalty. Probably the right decision.
Around 20 minutes of normal time left to play at the Britannia. Southampton should be heading into the quarter-final, but anything can happen now. One more Stoke goal will take us to extra-time by the way - and penalties if necessary!
CHANCE! Oh deary me. Remember I said Bojan was having a mare? He has reached new low just then. He galloped on to the ball after a mistake from centre-half Gardos but with Diouf unmarked in the box, tries to find him but a routine pass is cut out by Fonte. Massive, massive chance.
SUBSTITUTION: Here comes the cavalry. Peter Crouch and Charlie Adam replace Geoff Cameron and Bojan. Can one of them come up with the moment of magic that Stoke so desperately need? Let's see.
BOOKING: And Charlie Adam has already been booked for a foul on Morgan Schneiderlin, who is still on the ground.
It's getting a bit feisty now at the Britannia, but Stoke still trailing by the odd goal. They have a corner now. Charlie Adam whips it in left-footed and Marc Wilson should've done better with his header. He headed into the ground and the ball bounced over the bar. Good chance.
Southampton are clinging on here as Stoke look to swing in their fourth successive corner.
GOAL!!!! STOKE CITY 2-2 SOUTHAMPTON (DIOUF)
They've done! After five straight corners, Stoke finally make the most of one of them as Phil Bardsley's near-post flick-on is nodded in by Diouf and Stoke are well and truly back in this. Just a reminder that we go to extra-time if there has not been a winner in the 90 minutes.
Five minutes left at the Britannia and if anybody is going to win this now it'll be Stoke. They're looking by far the better team at the moment but it looks like we might be going to extra-time.
RED CARD: Oh my word this is stupid from Crouch, who receives two bookings in the space of two minutes to get sent off. It was a truly stupid second tackle from big striker and Stoke are down to 10.
GOAL!!!! STOKE 2-3 SOUTHAMPTON (PELLE)
Unbelievable drama down at the Britannia folks as Pelle has surely won this for Southampton now. Tadic's free kick bounced off Erik Pieters, and Pelle pounced to strike beyond Begovic. It was the free kick that Crouch gave away, incidentally. Hughes will be fuming.
SIX MINUTES ADDED ON: Perhaps a slight consolation for Stoke after a whirlwind last few minutes is that they have plenty more time to get another equalier.
SUBSTITUTION: Two Southampton subs to tell you about now as Toby Alderweireld and Jack Cork replace Steven Davis and Florin Gardas respectively.
Stoke applying plenty of pressure but Southampton comfortably repelling everything so far.
FULL TIME: STOKE 2-3 SOUTHAMPTON:
That's it! Graziano Pelle is the hero for Southampton, while Peter Crouch is very much the villain for Stoke after the Saints scored from the free kick that he conceded en route to being red-carded. Their fight-back is meaningless, sadly.
Anyway, that's all from us folks. We hope that you have enjoyed what proved a thrilling fourth-round clash in the League Cup as Southampton booked their place in the quarters for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign! Amazing scenes. Thank you and goodnight.
Written by
Shane Callaghan
Shane Callaghan
