Bertrand sees himself among Saints' top finishers
REUTERS - With just four goals in more than 250 league matches to date, Ryan Bertrand is hardly in the Sergio Aguero mould.
His League Cup tally is better -- Wednesday's strike against Arsenal was the Southampton man's second goal in 16 competition outings -- but still his claim he is one of Southampton's best finishers should probably be taken with a pinch of salt.
Either that, or put down to the euphoria of helping the south-coast Saints into the semi-finals of the English cup contest for the first time in 30 years.
Fullback Bertrand's finish sealed Southampton's 2-0 quarter-final win at Arsenal on Wednesday.
Having set up midfielder Jordy Clasie for the opener with a low cross in the 13th minute, the 27-year-old fired low himself 25 minutes later to take Southampton into the semis.
"I try and tell the rest of the lads I'm up there with the best of them (the finishers)," he grinned. "So, hopefully I showed that again.
"I've been in that situation a few times in the past and I just made sure the first touch was correct and, as soon as that was hit, it was going to be a goal," he added, smiling broadly.
The win takes Southampton into the last four for the first time since 1987. They will take on Liverpool over two legs in the semi-finals on Jan. 10 or 11 and Jan 24 or 25 to decide who plays Manchester United or Hull City in the Wembley final.
Tenth-placed Southampton visit Crystal Palace in the league on Saturday.
(Reporting by Debanjan Bose in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)