SAINTS manager Russell Martin admits he wants better performances but encouraged his downbeat players to celebrate their 3-2 win over Stoke City. The St Mary's side dramatically booked a place in the last eight of the Carabao Cup but it should have been a much simpler task than it became. Saints were two goals ahead against the Championship outfit but required an 88th-minute James Bree wonder strike after giving up the lead.
It follows Saints collapsing against Premier League relegation rivals Leicester City to an eventual 3-2 defeat in the last home outing. But Bree's long-range effort means Saints got over the line and will wait to learn about their quarter-final opponents in Wednesday evening's draw. Speaking after the match, manager Martin said: "We spoke before the game about winning it and making sure we get through.
"I came back in and also saw Brentford with a really strong team out struggling against their Championship opposition - it's never easy in the cup. "We got through, we made it tougher than it should have been for sure, but we also showed a bit of character to get through a bit of adversity in the game at 2-2. James Bree scored Southampton's winner in emphatic fashion (Image: Stuart Martin) "At 2-0, we conceded a goal which was madness because we were so dominant in the first half, I really enjoyed the performance.
"I think the final decision in the box in the final third wasn't quite there and we should have made more of the dominance we had," added Martin..