Report: Saints oust Everton on penalties

It was the same outcome the last time the teams met in a cup tie, back in 2018. Like that night, the score was 1-1 after 90 minutes, as on this occasion Taylor Harwood-Bellis’s header cancelled out Abdoulaye Doucouré’s opener, with both sides trading set-piece goals in the first half.

Milestone man McCarthy saved crucially from Jesper Lindstrøm in the second period, before thwarting former England teammate Ashley Young to decide an otherwise perfect shoot-out, as Mateus Fernandes, Ross Stewart, Ben Brereton Díaz, Harwood-Bellis, Joe Aribo and James Bree all scored emphatically.

The two managers made 18 changes between them, including 10 for Russell Martin, with Lesley Ugochukwu the sole survivor from Saturday’s starting line-up against Manchester United.

Saints started brightly, with plenty of early possession and a half-chance for Adam Armstrong, who glanced a header wide from Ryan Fraser’s cross inside the opening minute.

But McCarthy was the first goalkeeper to be tested when striker Beto hammered a shot from a tight angle that had to be turned aside at his near post by the veteran stopper.

Everton forced five corners inside the first 20 minutes, with Dwight McNeil heading off target from the fourth of those and Doucouré eventually forcing the ball home from the fifth.

McNeil’s corner was tipped away from goal by McCarthy but kept alive by Roman Dixon on the byline, nodded goalwards by Michael Keane and redirected into the net by Doucouré, scoring against Saints for the fifth time in his career.

Ryan Fraser made his first Saints start since returning to the club on transfer deadline day

The initial response was promising. Adam Lallana, always involved, picked an intelligent pass for Charlie Taylor, whose cross looped into the air, making the chance difficult for Aribo, whose header sailed over.

Everton might have doubled their lead from the next attack when Jesper Lindstrøm escaped in behind the Saints defence, but his shot was tame and too close to McCarthy, who was able to make a stooping save as the hosts spurned a golden opportunity to double their lead.

Instead they were pegged back, as Saints struck from a set-piece of their own. Youngster Dixon was booked for sliding in on Fraser near the left corner of the penalty area, inviting Taylor to swing in the free-kick and Harwood-Bellis to equalise, heading down into the ground and up into the net.

Like Taylor, Maxwel Cornet played under Everton boss Sean Dyche at Burnley, and the winger threatened to turn the tie on its head late in the first half with a dart inside from the right that opened up the space for a 20-yard shot on his powerful left foot, but the Ivorian sent the ball soaring over the bar.

The half-time interval prompted Martin’s first change, as Fernandes, who scored his first Saints goal at Cardiff in the last round, replaced Lallana, who had helped the team control 77 per cent of the first-half possession.

The game opened up in the second period, as both sides traded opportunities before the hour mark.

Armstrong nipped in front of his man to meet an Aribo cross but could not apply enough of a touch, similar to the first minute, before Lindstrøm spurned an even better chance than his first-half opening.

Sprinting through the inside-right channel, the Dane went eye to eye with McCarthy only to be denied by a fine save, as the keeper stood tall, shut down the angles and repelled the driven shot with his torso.

Alex McCarthy makes a crucial second-half stop to keep out Jesper Lindstrøm

Back came Saints, as Fernandes, impressive since his introduction, fed the ball through for Fraser, who was thwarted by Everton keeper João Virgínia from close range, albeit a tight angle.

That preceded a flurry of changes – two for Everton and three for Saints, as Flynn Downes, Tyler Dibling and Brereton Díaz replaced Ugochukwu, Cornet and Fraser.

Dibling’s fleet of foot navigated an opening for a 25-yard shot that thundered into Brereton Díaz, wiping him clean off his feet, before Stewart entered the fray as Saints’ final replacement.

Having picked himself up off the canvas, Brereton Díaz was afforded space to shoot from a central position outside the box but could only find the grateful grasp of Virgínia, before Everton substitute Tim Iroegbunam headed over from a corner.

But it was Dibling who came closest to preventing penalties when the 18-year-old danced his way down the right, evading two challenges to find a shooting position and drilling the ball over the bar at the end of it with the chance to settle the tie in the 89th minute.

Young might have been the hero himself, volleying wide from yet another Everton corner with the last kick of the 90 minutes, but the 39-year-old was ultimately the fall guy when McCarthy stood his ground from Everton’s sixth spot-kick, parrying the ball on to the post to send Saints through to the last 16.

Southampton: McCarthy, Bree, Harwood-Bellis (captain), Wood, Taylor, Ugochukwu (Downes 63), Lallana (Fernandes 45), Aribo, Cornet (Dibling 63), Armstrong (Stewart 79), Fraser (Brereton Díaz 63).

Unused substitutes: Lumley, Edwards, Amo-Ameyaw, Archer.

Goal: Harwood-Bellis (32).

Booked: Armstrong.

Everton: Virgínia, Dixon, Keane, O’Brien, Armstrong (Harrison 62), Doucouré (captain) (Iroegbunam 79), Mangala, Lindstrøm, Ndiaye, McNeil, Beto (Young 62).

Unused substitutes: Pickford, Begović, Moonan, Butterfield, Barker, Sherif.

Goal: Doucouré (20).

Booked: Dixon, Harrison, Lindstrøm.

Referee: Darren Bond.

Attendance: 33,842.