Southampton cruised into the fourth round of the EFL Cup with a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.
The hosts named a much-changed starting eleven to the side that beat Swansea at the weekend with Jose Fonte, Jordy Clasie and Shane Long being the only three players to start both games as Claue Puel looked to the club’s youth system, bringing Harrison Reed and Jake Hesketh into the side respectively.
Palace also made numerous changes to the side that thumped Stoke 4-1 on Sunday, again only having three players to start in both games with Scott Dann, Joel Ward and Wilfried Zaha being chosen.
The game got off to a bad start for the visitors, as influential skipper Scott Dann was forced off after picking up a knock, being replaced by Martin Kelly.
Neither side were creating much in the way of chances in the opening stages, however, youngster Jake Hesketh was catching the eye with some good movement and slick passing. Fellow academy graduate Harrison Reed was also doing all he could to impress Claude Puel, and the 21-year-old was proving to be quite a menace for the Palace midfield with his tough tackling and his constant desire to win the ball back.
After 32 minutes the game eventually sprang into life, as Shane Long was sent chasing the ball and went down under the challenge of Palace substitute Martin Kelly. Penalty was the verdict of referee James Adcock. Charlie Austin duly stepped up and coolly slotted home his fourth goal in three games in all competitions.
It was proving to be a very dominant display from Southampton as they continued to press their visitors and began creating numerous chances. Jake Hesketh saw his header well saved Wayne Hennessy before the Eagles ‘keeper was again called into action as he got down brilliantly to deny Austin his second of the evening.
The hosts again had a chance to double their lead, as Shane Long latched onto Jake Hesketh’s pass and rounded Hennessy, only to see his eventual tame shot cleared off the line well by the back-tracking Damien Delaney.
It was a similar story as the second-half got underway, with the hosts enjoying the majority of possession and keeping Palace penned back in their own half.
Claude Puel then decided to make his first change of the evening, bringing off goal scorer Charlie Austin for Nathan Redmond.
The Saints’ dominance paid off just after the hour mark and it was a special moment for youngster Jake Hesketh on his first senior start since December 2014. Shane Long drove into the box and saw his low shot well saved by Hennessy, before Hesketh calmly drove in the rebound to double the lead. It was no more than he deserved as he had been Southampton’s stand out player for much of the evening.
Palace did eventually carve out a chance of their own, as Connor Wickham seized upon Jose Fonte’s loose header, only for Alex McCarthy in the Saints goal to brilliantly deny him from point-blank range.
As the game drew to a close, the hosts almost added some gloss onto the scoreline, as substitute Nathan Redmond saw his curling effort well saved by Hennessy.
So the game finished 2-0 and Claude Puel will be pleased with what he saw from his side, with Jake Hesketh especially giving him something to think about in terms of selection in the Premier League.
The draw for the fourth round followed shortly after the final whistle and Saints were awarded a home draw against Sunderland, who will be making their second trip to St Mary’s already this season.
Next up for Southampton is their first trip to the London Stadium to face West Ham United, as Claude Puel will look to continue his side’s impressive form.
