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Premier League's defending champions Manchester City faced a shock 2-0 defeat after a resilient display by minnows Southampton in the quarterfinals of the EFL Cup as Pep Guardiola's side were dumped out of the tournament on Wednesday night.
Aided by goals first-half goals from Sekou Mara and Moussa Djenepo, the Saints have now progressed to the semifinals of the competition, where they will face Newcastle United in the semifinals.
Guardiola's decision to rest his key players Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne did not work out as the Saints sealed the victory in the first half itself. City had most of the possession as expected, but Southampton struck first in the 23rd minute through Mara. The striker made a good connection to a cross whipped in by Lyanco to put the hosts ahead.
Five minutes later, the Saints extended their lead after Djenepo spotted City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega off his line and curled in a brilliant effort into the top corner.
The Cityzens mustered seven shots on the night but none were on target and by the time Haaland and De Bruyne were introduced into the game, it was too late.
Nottingham bounce back
In the earlier fixture, Nottingham Forest's hero was their goalkeeper Dean Henderson as the side defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers on penalties to book a semifinal spot against Manchester United.
Former Wolves defender Willy Boly gave Forest the lead on the night after jumping a Serge Aurier shot struck the woodwork and Julen Lopeteigui's men failed to clear it. Wolves piled the pressure on their opponents after that as Henderson was called into action to preserve his team's lead, saving close-range efforts from Raul Jiminez and Hwang Hee-chan.
Wolves would be finally rewarded for their persistence in the 64th minute as Jimenez got an easy tap-in after a pass from new signing Matheus Cunha.
Heading into penalties, both teams missed their first spot-kick but Forest managed to take a 4-3 lead in the shootout. Then, Henderson saved Joe Hodge's spot-kick to send Forest into the semis.
Steve Cooper's side will face Manchester United in the first semifinal, while Southampton will lock horns with Newcastle United in the other one.
