Match Report

|Che Adams' double helped Southampton come from behind and avoid a shock against League One Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup fourth round.

This was Jones first win as Saints manage, after losing his first match in charge at Liverpool on 12 November, having only been appointed the day before.

Things didn't start well when, in the second minute, Bazunu failed to deal with Maitland-Niles' attempted clearance and after a scramble in the goalmouth, the young Saints goalie only succeeded in pushing the ball over the line.

It took Southampton a while to settle after this setback, but the equaliser came in the 25th minute, when Elyounoussi found space on the right and crossed into the box for Adams - who may well have been offside - to power a header home. No VAR in this competition, so the goal stood.

Lincoln, playing in the fourth round for the first time in almost 55 years, were the better side at the start of the second half, but Jones made a triple substitution and changed from 5-3-2 to 4-3-3.

It brought immediate improvement, and the second goal arrived when Elyounoussi's acrobatic effort was blocked and then bundled over the line by Adams for his second double in the competition this season.

Those two goals from Adams were the first time Southampton have scored more than one in a game since their win over Chelsea on 30 August. It is also the first time they have reached the quarter-finals of the competition since they lost to Manchester United in the 2017 final at Wembley.

Lincoln pushed for an equaliser late on, leaving gaps for Southampton to exploit, with Samuel Edozie and Adams both missing gilt-edged chances to add to the score for Saints.

No matter, Jones had his first win under his belt and can look forward to the quarter-finals in January next year.

IBO Reporter: channonite

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