In the third round of the Carabao Cup, goalkeeper Alex McCarthy was the star for Southampton as Russell Martin's side emerged victorious with a thrilling 6-5 penalties win over Everton. Both sides went into this massive game after coming on the back of four consecutive Premier League defeats and thus, wanted to take a win to boost their momentum for the upcoming league matches. This was an important match for Southampton, who started the recent match against Manchester United on a high note but couldn't build up on their momentum and conceded thrice in the home fixture.
Moreover, given the Saints struggles in both defence and attack, this was a chance for manager Russell Martin to make some lineup changes to give chances to other key players from last season as well. Adam Armstrong and Alex McCarthy returned to the starting lineup alongside Nathan Wood and Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who was expected to start this match following Stephens red card against the Red Devils. Harwood-Bellis had a great game, as he scored the equalising goal as well as organized the defence well as the captain in this match.
McCarthy helps Southampton advance to the next round with an impressive performance
Another player who was Southampton's best player in the match alongside Harwood-Bellis was Alex McCarthy, who kept two clean sheets in the three playoffs matches last season to help Southampton achieve promotion to the Premier League. In the match McCarthy made three saves including two massive saves on Lindstrom's good chances to help keep the score at 1-1. Further, he also saved Ashley Young's penalty which gave Southampton the win as they advance to the fourth round in the Carabao Cup.
Speaking about McCarthy, manager Russell Martin said,
"What a guy. He was brilliant tonight. He was amazing at the end of last season. We wouldn't have done it without him for sure. Then he's been an amazing team-mate the way he's responded to losing his place to Aaron Ramsdale."Russell Martin
Martin also praised McCarthy for his performance despite the fact that he isn't the first choice keeper at the club following Aaron Ramsdale's transfer move. Hence, it remains to be seen whether he gets a start in the next Premier League match with his impressive displays in this match.