Southampton fans would have been nervous that their beloved side would be turned over in cruel fashion at Wembley, heading into the Saints' FA Cup semi final clash with Manchester City.
Indeed, Pep Guardiola's men are capable of breezing past an opponent easily, even on English football's biggest stage, as evidenced when they beat Watford 6-0 in the FA Cup final in 2019.
Thankfully, Tonda Eckert's men soaked up the occasion and were tremendous throughout, as a late blitz of City goals handed the visitors from Manchester a narrow 2-1 win.
Impressive Southampton performers vs City
City dominated when it came to shots on goal, with 24 shots at Daniel Peretz's net, next to the Saints accumulating a paltry four attempts.
But, it would take until the 87th minute before Guardiola and Co. were ahead in the tie, as Nico Gonzalez smashed home a sensational winner.
Still, there are so many positives for Southampton to latch onto from the slim defeat, as they had their own screamer to celebrate when Finn Azaz broke the deadlock in the 79th minute by curling a terrific effort past James Trafford.
Finn Azaz with a wonder goal right in front of the @southamptonFC fans!
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) April 25, 2026
📺 @BBCMOTD, @footballontnt and @SportsonMax pic.twitter.com/Ydug3qmwn0
Silencing the City masses, and sending the Southampton fans into raptures, Azaz would have been over the moon with his goal, as he also won four duels as a constant livewire for Eckert's men.
Alongside the Irishman stealing all the applause, Welington was also very solid in defence, having to step in for Ryan Manning being suspended, with five duels won by the Brazilian, who could depart St Mary's in the summer.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis would have been pleased with his defensive work against his former employers, too, with six duels and tackles won, keeping the likes of Rayan Cherki at bay.
But, there is one name that hasn't been mentioned yet, who stole the show, as he resoundingly proved he is a Premier League-calibre talent against Guardiola's serial winners.
The Southampton star who showed he was Premier League quality
Heading into this one-off showdown at Wembley, Eckert would have been irked that he didn't have Flynn Downes at his disposal, to offer a sense of calm from the centre of the park.
Retrospectively punished for lashing out against Swansea City, back in Championship action, it meant Caspar Jander had a wonderful opportunity in the Saints starting XI to prove himself against the might of the ten-time Premier League winners, and he more than justified his selection.
Jander, who has reportedly been looked at this season by Premier League suitors, showed why he has had eyes on his performances, with the ex-Nürnberg midfielder a ball of energy throughout, winning eight duels.
He actually kickstarted Azaz's sensational opener, when winning the ball back from a careless City pass, with Jander further finishing the breathless contest with a classy 89% pass accuracy next to his name.
The 23-year-old wasn't fazed one bit by the magnitude of the game, and he is surely destined to be in the Premier League next campaign, with or without Eckert and Co.
Southampton will be aiming to keep a firm grip on their assured German, though, with the Saints potentially returning to Wembley next month, to try and secure a passage back to the Premier League.
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