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LONDON. – Arsene Wenger said Arsenal’s lack of urgency early in the match and not his team selection was to blame for the London club’s 2-0 League Cup quarter-final loss to Southampton on Wednesday night.Southampton will take on Liverpool in the semi-finals after first half goals from Jordy Clasie and Ryan Bertrand got them past a heavily weakened Arsenal side and into the last four for the first time since 1987.

And Wenger launched a withering attack on his youngsters as Arsenal’s 19-game unbeaten run came crashing to a halt. “We didn’t have enough urgency in the first half. We were weak in some departments and we paid for that,” Wenger told reporters.

“We gave ourselves a mountain to climb. We were not good enough defensively and gave cheap goals away . . . it was one of these nights where we looked like we could play for two hours without scoring a goal.”

Wenger made 10 changes to his side from the team that beat Bournemouth last weekend but would not accept that as a reason for the defeat.

“I don’t think the problem was there. We had players who are used to top-level competition, but I think we maybe didn’t have the right urgency from the start,” the 67-year-old added.

“We were not incisive enough in the first half, especially. In the second half they played very deep and were sharper than us.”

Southampton manager Claude Puel made eight changes from the side that beat Everton at the weekend and, although impressed the victory, warned against complacency.

“We moved the team at the start with different players and the answer from them was fantastic,” Puel told the club website. “We will see for the future of the competition, but for now we have no time to be satisfied and happy because it’s important . . . to make a good result in the Premier League and then we have a very important final game in the Europa League.”

Tenth-placed Southampton visit Crystal Palace in the league tomorrow before their Europa League match at home against Israeli side Hapoel Be’er Sheva.

Southampton will take on Liverpool over two legs in the League Cup semi-finals on January 10 or 11 and January 24 or 25 to decide who plays Manchester United or Hull City in the final.

And Wenger urged his Southampton counterpart Puel to go on and win the EFL Cup, according to the Saints manager. Puel played under Wenger at Monaco for seven years and the pair were involved in a friendly exchange after the final whistle.

And Puel, whose side face Liverpool in the next round, was encouraged by his former manager to go on and win the EFL Cup. “Arsene just told me to go on and win it,” Puel said on Wenger’s remarks after the game.

Southampton eased through as Jordy Clasie’s first goal for the club was followed up by a smart Ryan Bertrand finish as Puel’s men wrapped up the win before half-time. – Reuters.