Pelle strikes late winner as Saints march on

Stoke 2 Southampton 3

Southampton beat Stoke for the second time in four days to reach the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup last night.

This game was much more eventful than Saturday’s 1-0 Premier League victory, with Graziano Pelle netting his second to make it 3-2 two minutes from time at the Britannia Stadium.

Saints looked in control at half-time at two up through Pelle and Shane Long’s first for the club but Stoke levelled through Steven Nzonzi and Mame Biram Diouf.

However, moments after substitute Peter Crouch was sent off, Pelle grabbed his second to earn Southampton their ninth win in 10 games.

Both managers resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes, with 16 of the players on show having started at the weekend.

Mark Hughes gave Bojan Krkic a rare start, the former Barcelona forward appearing for the first time in nearly a month, while Saturday’s goalscorer, Sadio Mane, missed out with a knock so Long came in for the visitors.

STOKE: Begovic, Bardsley, Shawcross, Wilson, Pieters, Cameron (Adam 73), Nzonzi, Walters, Bojan (Crouch 73), Arnautovic, Diouf.

SOUTHAMPTON: Forster, Clyne, Gardos (Alderweireld 90), Fonte, Targett, Schneiderlin, Steven Davis (Cork 90), Wanyama, Long, Pelle, Tadic.

Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire).