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Fulham 0-1 Southampton: Carabao Cup – Three Key Saints Players

By Harry Tizard

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 27: Luca De La Torre of Fulham and Kevin Danso of Southampton battle for the ball during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Fulham and Southampton at Craven Cottage on August 27, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by James Chance/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 27: Luca De La Torre of Fulham and Kevin Danso of Southampton battle for the ball during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Fulham and Southampton at Craven Cottage on August 27, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by James Chance/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 27: General view inside the stadium during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Fulham and Southampton at Craven Cottage on August 27, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 27: General view inside the stadium during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Fulham and Southampton at Craven Cottage on August 27, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /

Southampton’s road to Wembley got off to a good start on Tuesday night, with the Saints brushing aside a youthful Fulham eleven.

As expected, both teams came into the fixture with a whole host of changes from their weekend encounters, with the league the main focus for both sides.

The Cottagers made nine switches from their loss against Nottingham Forrest, leaving key players such as Aleksader Mitrovic, Ivan Cavaleiro, Anthony Knockaert, Alfie Mawson, and Marcus Bettinelli all at home.

The Saints favoured an approach much less drastic, with Che Adams and Jannik Vestergaard the only noticeable absente from the matchday squad. Off the back of an impressive appearance of the bench, wingers Sofiane Boufal and Moussa Djenepeo were given their first starts of the season, along with Michael Obafemi, Cedric Soares, and Alex McCarthy.

On to the game itself, The Cottagers came firing out the blocks, with their youthful side keen to show Scott Parker what they could do – putting the Southampton defence under pressure. However, Fulham were not able to capitalise on their opening dominance with a goal – and it came at a cost. The Saints slowly got a grip on the game and dominated the proceedings, with the possession statistic the only one in the home teams favour.

Top division experience was ultimately the deciding factor in the second half and was the difference between the two sides. With this considered, who were the three players for the Saints that were key in allowing them to progress through to the third round of the Carabao Cup: