Posh bundle Saints out of Cup

Southampton's miserable start to the season went from bad to worse as the

Coca-Cola Championship outfit were bundled out of the Carling Cup by League Two

Peterborough on Monday night.

Beaten 4-1 at home by Crystal Palace in their league opener on Saturday, Saints

were always chasing the game after Posh set the early pace and grabbed two

precious goals.

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Aaron McLean almost shocked Saints in the opening seconds and Darren Ferguson's

side snatched the lead when a 21st-minute inswinging corner by Dean Keates was

diverted into his own net by Saints striker Grzegorz Rasiak.

Rudi Skacel almost got the visitors back into the game three minutes later -

but his left-footed corner bounced back off the post with Posh goalkeeper Shwan

Jalal beaten.

It looked costly in the 26th minute when George Boyd reacted quickest to a

loose ball, prodding in the home side's second goal after Bartosz Bialkowski had

blocked a Keates effort.

But Rasiak netted at the right end in the 36th minute over when he tapped in

unmarked at the far post, following good work on the right by Nathan Dyer.

McLean had a chance to restore Peterborough's two-goal advantage less than two

minutes later, but Bialkowski in the Saints goal saved his effort.

Posh, who replaced Chris Whelpdale with Charlie Lee for the second half, almost

made it 3-1 in the 50th minute - but his header from another Keates corner

rebounded off the bar.

Skacel saw a shot blocked by Jalal in the 54th minute, as George Burley's team

pressed for an equaliser.

And the hosts preserved their slender lead when Jalal went full stretch to deny

Skacel - and he was just as positive dropping on a fierce effort from Bradley

Wright-Phillips at the far post.