SAINTS progressed to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a 6-5 win on penalties after a 1-1 draw in normal time at Everton.
Abdoulaye Doucoure headed the Toffes in front after 20 minutes of normal time but Saints captain Taylor Harwood-Bellis restored parity before the break.
Russell Martin’s side required a penalty shootout to sneak through but Alex McCarthy saved the final kick from Ashley Young to send the away end home happy.
Martin made 10 changes to his team that were beaten 3-0 by Manchester United on the weekend in the Premier League with Lesley Ugochukwu the sole survivor.
The Frenchman started at the base of a midfield with Adam Lallana and Joe Aribo in front of him, and a front three led by Adam Armstrong.
McCarthy returned to the team for the cup, with Aaron Ramsdale given a night off, and made his 150th appearance for the club.
Academy graduates Tyler Dibling and Sam Amo-Ameyaw started on the bench while Will Smallbone’s tight hamstring kept him out.
About 1,000 Saints fans were brave enough to make the trip and filled a small section of the lower Bullens Stand at the historic Goodison Park.
They watched on as McCarthy made a strong save at his near-post to deny powerful Everton forward Beto with the first chance of the game 10 minutes in.
The atmosphere was so flat that 36 year old Lallana, making his first start of the season, could be heard barking instructions to everyone on the team.
It only marginally livened up when Doucoure nodded the Toffees in front after Jake O’Brien and Michael Keane kept a Dwight McNeil corner alive in the 20th minute.
Jesper Lindstrom should have doubled the lead in the next attack but he shot straight at McCarthy despite breaking two-on-one with Beto.
Harwood-Bellis went from defensive lynchpin to attacking hero within a minute after he denied Beto through on goal with a fair shoulder barge.
The 22 year old rose highest to powerfully head home a Charlie Taylor cross in the 33rd minute and send the two sides into the break level.
Saints made one change at the break with Mateus Fernandes coming on for Lallana but it was Everton with the first big chance of the half.
McCarthy stood tall to deny Lindstrom one-on-one for the second time in the match – but the Dane really should have scored.
Fraser squeezed his way into the box for a final chance but struck into Virginia before he made way in a triple-Saints change that included Dibling on.
Ross Stewart was the fifth and final change 12 minutes from time, before Iliman Ndiaye caressed into the Saints net but had been ruled offside.
Everton had a corner with the last kick of the game but Nathan Wood cleared and set the two teams for a penalty shootout to progress to the fourth round.
The first 11 penalties taken were all scored but Young’s crucial kick was saved by McCarthy to send Saints through after James Bree’s sudden death strike.
Everton: Virginia, Dixon, O’Brien, Keane, McNeil, Mangala, Armstrong (Harrison, 62), Doucoure (Iroegbunam, 79), Lindstrom, Ndiaye, Beto (Young, 62).
Unused subs: Pickford, Begovic, Sherif, Butterfield, Moonan, Barker.
Booked: Dixon, Lindstrom, Harrison.
Saints: McCarthy; Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Taylor; Ugochukwu (Downes, 63), Lallana (Fernandes, h-t), Aribo; Cornet (Dibling, 63), Fraser (Brereton Diaz, 63), Armstrong (Stewart, 78).
Unused subs: Lumley, Edwards, Amo-Ameyaw, Archer.
Booked: Armstrong.
Referee: Darren Bond.
