Report: Saints power past Watford to set up Liverpool tie

Mara scored twice in the second half, including a spectacular effort from distance, before Adams capped the result off to book Saints’ place in the last 16 of the competition, as they overcame the Hornets at the second attempt.

Stuart Armstrong’s late equaliser at Vicarage Road ten days previously had set up this encounter, and Russell Martin’s side – now 24 unbeaten – took full advantage of the opportunity.

Martin made seven changes from the team that won at Rotherham a few days earlier, as Joe Lumley, Jack Stephens, Shea Charles, Jayden Meghoma, Joe Rothwell, Tyler Dibling and Mara came into the starting line-up.

Jayden Meghoma was one of seven changes to the team (Photo: Matt Watson)

Kyle Walker-Peters, Ryan Manning, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Stuart Armstrong and Adam Armstrong made way and began the night on the bench, while Gavin Bazunu and Ryan Fraser were rested.

With Watford also making seven changes and weather conditions far from great as the rain teemed down at St Mary’s, it wasn’t the most fluent start from either team.

Bar a couple of little moments, including from the lively Dibling down the Southampton right, it took until the 26th minute for the first big effort, as Watford’s Ismael Koné advanced towards the Saints area and hit a shot that deflected off Jan Bednarek, looped over Lumley and bounced off the top of the crossbar.

Immediately, the hosts responded and created a huge opportunity when Mara slid a clever pass into the path of Adams inside the area, with the striker taking a touch just outside the six-yard box and then shooting low with his right foot, but Hornets keeper Daniel Bachmann did well to close the space and save his effort.

Ché Adams goes close to a goal in the first half (Photo: Getty Images)

From the resulting corner, Saints went close again, this time as the ball fell at the back post to Mara, whose crisp strike went just the wrong side of the near post.

After Lumley saved from an angled Mileta Rajović effort, Martin’s side created a decent opening five minutes before half time, as Dibling slipped a clever pass through for Will Smallbone, but from a tight angle he couldn’t beat Bachmann.

That was it for the first half, with neither team making any changes to their personnel at the interval.

Shortly after the restart, there was a bit of a heart-in-mouth moment for Saints, as Giorgi Chakvetadze surged into the area and went to ground in between Charles and Smallbone, but referee Darren Bond correctly ruled there had been no contact and booked the Watford player.

The breakthrough then arrived for Saints in the 52nd minute, as Mara fired them in front for the first time in the tie.

It came from the left side, where Rothwell received the ball and powered towards the area, playing a low pass into Adams, who flicked it through for the run of Mara, and he slammed a low, left-footed shot inside the near post.

Sékou Mara opens the scoring for Saints with a low shot (Photo: Getty Images)

Saints immediately pushed for a second, with Charles having a decent shout for a penalty waved away as he burst into the area from his right-back position and perhaps looked to have been bundled over, before Adams went close seconds later with a strike that cleared the bar.

But it didn’t take long for the lead to indeed be doubled, and, when it was, Mara was the one who struck again.

Much credit should go to Dibling, whose brilliant run from a deep position with the ball set things under way, playing a pass to Adams, who in turn moved it across to Mara just outside the corner of the box. The Frenchman, no doubt brimming with confidence after his goal a few minutes earlier, uncorked a stunning strike that rocketed past Bachmann and into the near top corner.

Saints’ first change followed, as the excellent Dibling was withdrawn to a big ovation from the crowd and an equally large embrace from Martin, who sent Sam Edozie on in his place, as the winger returned to action for the first time in more than a month.

Edozie almost had a dream comeback, as he latched onto a through pass from Adams, but he was held up enough by the Watford defence and his low shot didn’t end up having enough on it to trouble Ben Hamer, who had been subbed on as keeper straight after Saints’ second goal.

However, Edozie did play a part in a third goal arriving for the hosts, as he won a free-kick out on the left on 76 minutes, with Rothwell’s in-swinging delivery being turned in at the near post by the right boot of Adams.

Ché Adams converts for Saints' third goal of the night (Photo: Getty Images)

Edozie then went close to another, sprinting through only to fire against the post, as Saints completely overwhelmed their opponents.

Martin, who had earlier brought on Adam Armstrong, Stuart Armstrong and Sam Amo-Ameyaw, also sent youngster Cameron Bragg on for the closing minutes.

As the game rolled into added time, it was once again only the post that denied Saints a fourth, this time as Amo-Ameyaw saw his effort come back off the upright, but it mattered little as the hosts had long since removed any doubt about the outcome of the tie.

Up next in the competition: The small matter of a trip to Anfield.

Southampton: Lumley, Stephens (captain), Charles, Bednarek, Meghoma, Smallbone (Bragg 86), Downes (S Armstrong 77), Rothwell (A Armstrong 77), Dibling (Edozie 65), Mara, Adams (Amo-Ameyaw 77).

Unused substitutes: McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Manning, Harwood-Bellis.

Goals: Mara (52’, 58’), Adams (76’).

Yellow cards: Smallbone, Dibling, Edozie, A Armstrong.

Watford: Bachmann (Hamer 60), Sierralta, Hoedt (captain), Porteous, Rajović (Bayo 69), Koné (Ince 89), Sema (Asprilla 53), Chakvetadze (Andrews 53), Dele-Bashiru, Martins, Morris (Lewis 53).

Unused substitutes: Livermore, Pollock, Nabizada, Sierralta.

Yellow cards: Morris, Chakvetadze, Porteous.

Referee: Darren Bond.

Attendance: 17,844.