RECAP: Danny Ings fires Southampton past Pompey

A Danny Ings double helped fire Southampton past Portsmouth 4-0 and into the Carabao Cup *checks notes* fourth round.

League One’s Portsmouth made an expected spirited start, with John Marquis striking the face of the post from distance, before a reactionary save from Alex McCarthy kept out Brett Pitman inside the opening quarter hour.

Jan Bednarek — a hero among the living — would then clear the ball off the line from a goalmouth scramble as the result of a corner kick.

Ings made Pompey pay for their inability to capitalise on a quick start when his second attempt from outside of the box found the bottom corner to give Saints the lead against the run of play on 21 minutes.

The forward nearly doubled the advantage three minutes later, but Craig MacGillivray made a sliding save, before before Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s follow-up was blocked away by a stretching Oliver Hawkins.

Ings, however, did ensure Southampton went into halftime with a 2-0 when he latched onto an inch perfect pass from Michael Obafemi, allowing the forward to chip the ball over a diving keeper.

The second half was void of quality attacking intent until Cedric and Nathan Redmond scored 10 minutes apart and inside the final quarter-hour.

Portsmouth: MacGillivray, Haunstrup, Burgess, Hawkins (Downing 59), Bolton, Close (McCrorie 82), Naylor, Curtis, Pitman, Williams (Evans 78), Marquis

Unused subs: Bass (GK), Maloney, Downing, Cannon, Walkes

Goals: None

Bookings: Hawkins (53), Pitman (55)

Southampton: McCarthy, Bertrand, Yoshida, Bednarek, Cedric, Hojbjerg, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Obafemi (Redmond 72), Ings (Long 82), Adams

Unused subs: Gunn (GK), Valery, Stephens, Boufal, Armstrong

Goals: Ings (21, 44), Cedric (77), Redmond (87)

Bookings: Bertrand (66)