Sekou Mara's double gave Southampton a comfortable win over Watford in the FA Cup replay, which resulted in a draw against Liverpool at Anfield.
The French striker, who had been rumored to be on loan during the transfer window, scored twice in five minutes in the second half after a difficult opening game.
Che Adams added a third goal, ensuring Saints' exit from a game in which both managers made seven changes with promotion from the Championship a top priority.
Saints continued their unbeaten run of 24 games in all competitions, finishing second in the Championship and progressing to the last 16 of the FA Cup.
The previous three meetings between these two teams had all ended in draws, and it looked like they were heading in the same direction this time as too many substitutions disrupted the rhythm of both sides.
Watford mounted a quick counter-attack at five-on-four, but Ismael Cohn came closest to breaking the deadlock, but his shot hit the thigh of a defender and was deflected off the bar.
Mara, who is expected to join France's Olympic squad next summer, created the best chance for Saints in the opening 45 minutes when he found Adams in space, but Watford keeper Daniel Bachmann stuck out his foot and struck the striker. blocked the shot.
Mara took matters into his own hands in the 53rd minute as Southampton put together one of their trademark deft moves.
Joe Rothwell, on loan from Bournemouth, pulled out Adams on the edge of the box and his touch near the corner freed Mara, who clinically found the far corner to break the deadlock.
He made his finish even better three minutes later when the Saints launched a counter-attack from their own half, led by 17-year-old Tyler Dibling.
His powerful runs scattered the Watford defense and the ball passed through Adams to Mara, who fired an unstoppable 20-yard shot past Backman.
Adams, who had two assists, ran in at the near post to meet Rothwell's free-kick and slotted the ball into the Watford net, securing his goal at Anfield for his 10th goal of the season. I decided.
Southampton manager Russell Martin told BBC Radio Solent:
“There are a lot of games between now and[the trip to Anfield]so it won't be a focus for a while, but they took their chances with a really convincing performance in the second game. “I'm happy about that.”Half.
“The biggest test for us is to go there and be the team we want to be. We're not going to change anything. It's a great challenge.”
“I didn't enjoy the first half. It was probably as frustrating as I've had with them in the past. I'm not going to apologize for that because they were very good, but we had a lot of aggression and intensity. It was missing. It wasn't like us.
“They were great in the second half and everything we asked of them was mental, not technical or tactical.”
Watford manager Valerian Ismael told BBC Three Counties Radio:
“I was mentally down in the second half, but when you analyze the whole thing, you could clearly see the fatigue because we didn't recognize the players in some situations. We lost the ball very easily, we played too easily. He was given a yellow card and it was a poor call.''It was too late.
“We didn't step up in the second half and Southampton scored the first and second goals (immediately), but we were lucky not to add another goal in the end.
“Southampton did the right thing in the first half because they weren't playing a fluid game. But after the first goal they became more fluid and more difficult. Heads and feet were heavy. I started, and then I started making mistakes.''
lineup
southampton
formation 4-3-3
- 13Lumley
- twenty fourcharles
- Fivestevens
- 35Bednarek
- 29Megoma
- 16small boneBooked for 21 minutesReplacementbraggin 87 minutesminutes
- FourdownsReplacementS. Armstrongin 78 minutesminutes
- 19RothwellReplacementArmstrongin 77 minutesminutesBooked in 87 minutes
- 33diblingBooked for 51 minutesReplacementEdzierin 65 minutesminutesBooked in 86 minutes
- TenadamsReplacementAmo Ameyoin 78 minutesminutes
- 18Mara
substitute
- 1mccarthy
- 2walker peters
- 3Manning
- 9Armstrong
- 17S. Armstrong
- twenty oneHarwood Bellis
- twenty threeEdzier
- 27Amo Ameyo
- 40bragg
watford
formation 4-1-4-1
- 1backmanReplacementhummerin 60 minutesminutes
- twenty fourDerebasil
- FivePortiousBooked in 69 minutes
- Fourfoot
- 42morrisBooked in 46 minutesReplacementLewisin 53 minutesminutes
- 3SierrataI made a reservation in 75 minutes.
- 37martins
- 11connectionReplacementIncein 90+1'minutes
- 16ChakubetazeBooked in 49 minutesReplacementandrewsin 54 minutesminutes
- 12SemaReplacementAsprillain 53 minutesminutes
- 9LajovicReplacementBayoin 69 minutesminutes
substitute
- 6Lewis
- 7Ince
- 8livermore
- 15pollock
- 18Asprilla
- 19Bayo
- 26hummer
- 45andrews
- 61Nabizada
- Referee:
- Darren Bond
- Attendance:
- 17,844
live text
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Game over, Southampton 3, Watford 0.
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At the end of the second half, Southampton 3, Watford 0.
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Attempt failed. Sam Amo-Ameyo (Southampton) took a right-footed shot from the right side of the box, but it missed the right side of the frame.
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Foul by Shay Charles (Southampton).
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Yasser Asprilla (Watford) wins a free kick in defence.
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Sam Amo Ameyo (Southampton) hits the right post with a left-footed shot from the center of the box.
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Southampton corner. Wesley Haught gave up a goal.
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Substitute, Watford. Tom Ince replaces Ismael Kone.
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Attempt blocked. A right-footed shot by Tom Dele-Bashir (Watford) from outside the box was blocked.
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Substitute, Southampton. Will Smallbone was replaced by Cameron Bragg.
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Adam Armstrong (Southampton) is shown a yellow card.
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Samuel Edsey (Southampton) is shown a yellow card.
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Samuel Edsey (Southampton) went down, but the referee ruled it as a simulation.
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Samuel Edsey (Southampton) took a right-footed shot from the center of the box that hit the left post.
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Foul by Adam Armstrong (Southampton).
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Tom Dele-Basil (Watford) wins a free kick in defence.
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Attempt failed. Sek Mara (Southampton) took a right-footed shot from the left side of the box, but it missed the right side of the frame.
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Foul by Wesley Haught (Watford).
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Shea Charles (Southampton) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Corner, Watford. Jayden Meghoma conceded a point.