Jose a happy man
Arsenal manager after Southampton’s
(right) finds the net in the League Cup quarter-final at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
reacts LONDON: Arsene Wenger said Arsenal’s lack of urgency early in the match and not his team selection was to blame for the London club’s 2-0 League Cup quarter-final loss to Southampton on Wednesday.
Southampton will take on Liverpool in the semi-finals after first half goals from Jordy Clasie and Ryan Bertrand got them past a weakened Arsenal side and into the last four for the first time since 1987.
“We didn’t have enough urgency equalised.
“But in the second half the team got again the confidence to play and to win comfortably and play beautiful attacking football, which is something that the fans like. But we need results.”
Mourinho was not present in the dug-out, having earlier been given a one-game touchline ban for angrily booting a water bottle during United’s 1-1 draw with West Ham in the league on Sunday.
He could not be seen in the directors’ box and when asked where he had watched the game, he said it was a “secret.”
He had seen his side concede inside two minutes on Sunday, but here it was United who struck first as Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s deft backheel released Ibrahimovic to beat West Ham goalkeeper Adrian.
Ashley Fletcher, who left United
IMPRESSED: Hails players after Devils seal semi-final berth
in the first half. We were weak in some departments and we paid for that,” Wenger told reporters.
“We gave ourselves a mountain to climb. We were not good enough defensively and gave cheap goals away ... it was one of these nights where we looked like we could play for two hours without scoring a goal.”
Wenger made 10 changes to his side from the team that beat Bournemouth last weekend but would not accept that as a reason for for West Ham in July, equalised in the 35th minute after David de Gea allowed Dimitri Payet’s shot to bounce away from him.
But Martial scored twice, confidently tucking away right-wing passes from Mkhitaryan and then Antonio Valencia, before Ander Herrera teed up Ibrahimovic for United’s fourth goal in stoppage time.
Herrera was freed by Bastian Schweinsteiger, who received a warm ovation from the Old Trafford faithful as he came on to make his first appearance since last season.
Mourinho has softened his stance regarding the former Germany captain, who he had previously frozen out, and also saw Mkhitaryan produce another assured display on just his third United start.
Mkhitaryan shone in United’s recent 4-0 win over Feyenoord in the Europa League, but Mourinho was more pleased to see the former Borussia Dortmund star impress against domestic opposition. the defeat.
“I don’t think the problem was there. We had players who are used to top-level competition, but I think we maybe didn’t have the right urgency from the start,” the 67-yearold added.
“We were not incisive enough in the first half, especially. In the second half they played very deep and were sharper than us.”
Southampton manager Claude Puel made eight changes from the
“I’m so happy because today was against a Premier League team with Premier League qualities, with Premier League characteristics,” Mourinho said.
“That showed clearly his evolution because against Feyenoord we could think, ‘OK, it is a different profile of football.’
“But today was against a proper and typical Premier League team and Micky could perform this way. So I’m really happy.
“We know the reason why we bought him and we were waiting for his adaptation and it looks like it’s coming.”
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic professed himself “very disappointed” and said his team had paid the price for conceding early goals in both halves.
“You can’t have a slow start anywhere, especially not here,” said the Croatian.
“Because they’re good anyway, but especially when they’re 1-0 up side that beat Everton at the weekend and, although impressed the victory, warned against complacency.
“We moved the team at the start with different players and the answer from them was fantastic,” Puel told the club website. (www.southamptonfc.com)
“We will see for the future of the competition, but for now we have no time to be satisfied and happy because it’s important ... to make a good result in the Premier League and can play on the counter-attack.
“At half-time we said we can’t allow them to do it again, but it was exactly the same at the start of the second half.”
Bilc lost wing-backs Aaron Cresswell and Michail Antonio to injury and said both players would be assessed.
“(Cresswell) told me when he was coming off that he felt his groin was tight. He didn’t pull anything, so hopefully it’s not a major injury,” said Bilic, whose side host Arsenal this weekend.
“A couple of days’ rest and I hope he’ll be ready for Saturday. With Antonio we still don’t know.” AFP and then we have a very important final game in the Europa League.”
Tenth-placed Southampton visit Crystal Palace in the league tomorrow before their Europa League match at home against Israeli side Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
Southampton will take on Liverpool over two legs in the League Cup semi-finals on Jan 10 or 11 and Jan 24 or 25 to decide who play Manchester United or Hull City in the final. Reuters