Liverpool visit Southampton with challenges and opportunities
The Reds face the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with an extra challenge. Without manager Arne Slot, suspended from his third yellow card at the Premier League, Liverpool will have Sipke Hulshoff, his assistant coach, at the helm. The team, which already faces important absences at left-back, needs to find the balance to advance in the competition.
End of the match. Liverpool wins
90°+5 Elliott attempts to seal the victory but drags off target as Liverpool spurn a late chance to wrap up their semi-final place.
90°+4 Yellow Card
Yellow Card Benjamin Anthony Brereton Díaz
90°+2 There will be six additional minutes at the end of this clash. McCarthy punches away Liverpool's left-sided corner after Chiesa went close just moments ago.
90+1 Yellow Card James William McConnell
90° Yellow Card
Yellow Card James William McConnell
89° SAVE! Fernandes receives possession from Sugawara before delivering towards the far post. Brereton heads downwards towards the bottom-right corner, where Kelleher saves before the offside flag goes up anyway.
88° Harwood-Bellis pumps up the home crowd after winning a corner on the left-hand side. Liverpool are firmly under pressure but Fernandes' cross sails straight out for a goal-kick.
85° Newcastle's place in the last four has been booked with a 3-1 win over Brentford. Liverpool are still on course to join Arsenal and the Magpies, but Rusk's men are giving it a good go towards the end here.
83° Slot's side are attempting to take the sting out of this game by keeping possession. Tsimikas' pass back to Kelleher causes some concern, though, before Manning and Aribo combine and force Nyoni to clear on the edge of the area.
81° This performance could still end in defeat, though it may have restored some pride for the struggling Saints. Rusk's introduction will likely be temporary, but the Under-21s manager has got his side battling here.
79° McConnell impresses in midfield with a duck-and-dive approach to weaving through a couple of pressures. Bednarek soon regains possession, however, as Southampton look to forge an equalising opportunity.
77° This is the first time Liverpool have got to this stage as holders since they won the competition in four seasons in a row between 1980-81 and 1983-84. Can they see it through to continue their cup defence?
75° The offside flag saves Liverpool! Fernandes clips a dangerous free-kick in from deep, with Onuachu powering towards the six-yard box. The Southampton striker attempts to chest down and shoot, but the assistant raises his flag to cut short any excitement.
74° Onuachu has multiple defenders around him as his mazy run ends at the feet of Kelleher. That passage of play has the home supporters on their feet, however, as Liverpool continue to sit tight in defence of their lead.
71° Newcastle United are cruising through against Brentford in Wednesday's other ongoing quarter-final clash. Will Liverpool see this out to meet the Magpies in the latter rounds?
70° CHIESA SHOULD SCORE! A lovely flowing move sees Jota break the lines before offloading to the right of the box. Chiesa is completely unmarked and drags his shot towards the bottom-left corner. It looks to be going wide from a glorious opportunity but Harwood-Bellis clears on the line, just to make sure
69° Sugawara is furious as his shirt looks to be pulled by Nyoni when overlapping Dibling. The referee waves away appeals for a free-kick, though, much to the frustration of the home crowd inside St. Mary's.
68° Referee Hooper is jeered by the crowd after pausing the game to tie his laces. That will give Liverpool a much-needed breather, while elsewhere Arsenal are through to the last four after coming from behind to beat Crystal Palace 3-2.
66° It has been 30 minutes since Liverpool last attempted a shot in this game. Is the tide turning in favour of the Saints?
64° That may be a wake-up call for Liverpool. Slot's side were completely cruising, taking their time and dominating possession. Archer's rapid footwork and deadly finish, however, sets this clash up for an interesting final half-hour battle.
62° That may be a wake-up call for Liverpool. Slot's side were completely cruising, taking their time and dominating possession. Archer's rapid footwork and deadly finish, however, sets this clash up for an interesting final half-hour battle.
For now Southampton 1 - 2 Liverpool
This was goal
59° Gooooool SOUTHAMPTON
GOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLL!!! SOUTHAMPTON PULL ONE BACK! Fernandes’ hopeful pass in behind hammers into the face of Endo near the halfway line. The loose ball falls fortuitously for Archer, who races away before cutting into the area. The Saints striker takes his time, working space before arrowing a beautiful right-footed strike into the top-right corner. Kelleher scrambles but can’t stop the fizzing effort, and Liverpool’s lead is cut to 2-1!
57° Yellow Card
Yellow Card Harvey Daniel James Elliott
Like Downes, Elliott is also cautioned. The pair had hold of each other's shirts, seemingly started by the Southampton midfielder grabbing his opposite man. A bit of needless commotion as we approach the hour.
57° Yellow Card
Yellow Card Flynn Downes
Downes is the first name in the referee's book after an altercation with Elliott. The ball was way up the pitch but the pair seemed to be confronting one another.
55° Gakpo threads through the middle but Nunez is caught offside, with the pass perhaps intended for Mac Allister. Slot, serving a one-match touchline ban, looks settled in the stands as his side continue to dominate.
53° Since losing 6-1 to Liverpool in the 2015-16 EFL Cup quarter-final, Southampton have progressed from each of their last two games at this stage, both 2-0 wins over Arsenal in 2016-17 and Manchester City in 2022-23. That will not be the case here.
51° Mac Allister's cross is high and wide as Southampton defend the corner with ease, despite being down to 10 with Bree off the pitch. The full-back is back jogging on the touchline, though, and is fine to continue.
50° Tsimikas clips in behind for the run of Gakpo, who settles for a corner as Bree touches out of play. The Southampton full-back seems to have stretched too far, however, as he goes down holding his groin.
48° Southampton have eliminated Liverpool from the League Cup on three occasions (1960-61, 1999-00 and 2016-17); only Arsenal (6), Spurs (4) and Chelsea (4) have done so more often. It's hard to imagine a repeat here, however.
46° Substitution Liverpool
Substitution Trent John Alexander-Arnold Federico Chiesa
45°+2 HALF-TIME: SOUTHAMPTON 0-2 LIVERPOOL
It is complete dominance from the away side. Liverpool have managed 1.05 expected goals (xG) to Southampton's 0.08, while boasting over 70% of possession. Rusk is only in his first game in interim charge, but what can he change against the league leaders? Slot will just want more of the same.
Liverpool are currently cruising into the last four of the EFL Cup, leading Southampton 2-0 at half-time. Nunez capitalised on McCarthy's slip to open the scoring after 24 minutes before Elliott saw a deflected strike beat the Saints goalkeeper just eight minutes later. Kelleher has not been troubled once in the Reds' goal, and Slot's men should see this one through with ease.
45+1 There is just one minute added on to end the half as Elliott hacks Dibling down with a sliding tackle from behind
45° Endo is forced to turn behind for a corner as Southampton seek to reduce the deficit before the break. Manning delivers an inswinging set-piece towards the far post but Kelleher manages to punch away, and wins a free-kick after being impeded
42° Fernandes chops inside and leaves two Liverpool defenders on the floor, though his floated cross fails to find a team-mate as Bree slips when challenging Gomez. That is a missed opportunity for the home side.
40° Gomez brushes teenager Dibling out the way, dominating as Liverpool have done all half. This is the same old problem for Southampton.
38° Another corner comes on the left as Morton hurries Fernandes and forces a poor clearance. Mac Allister, who went close just minutes ago, whips towards the near post but Nunez cannot stop to direct at goal.
36° WHAT A STOP! Liverpool take their time in possession before Alexander-Arnold plays a delicate pass towards the edge of the area. Mac Allister sweeps a lovely first-time effort towards the bottom-right corner, but McCarthy produces an expert stop to tip behind
34° It's a familiar feeling for Southampton, who have that sinking problem once more at St. Mary's. Goals are a problem, their defence is unconvincing, and an EFL Cup exit looks the most likely outcome before the first half has concluded.
For now Southampton 0 x Liverpool 2
This was Liverpool's second goal
32° Gol Liverpool
Goal Harvey Daniel James Elliott
GOOOOOOOOOOALLLLL! LIVERPOOL MAKE IT TWO! This could be game over, only just past the half-hour mark at St. Mary’s. Elliott saw a strike blocked just moments ago but he makes no mistake this time. Endo and Gakpo exchange passes through the middle before the latter releases Elliott, who coasts into the box before drilling into the bottom-left corner, via the help of a deflection. It’s his first goal of the season, and the Reds lead 2-0!
29° Liverpool have scored 2+ goals in all seven of their previous games with Southampton, netting at least three in each of the last four. Could a repeat be on the cards here?
27° Bree slices Gakpo down with an ugly lunging challenge near the left of the area. The home crowd are disappointed, though replays show they should have no complaints for an ill-timed tackle
For now Southampton 0 x Liverpool 1
This was Liverpool's goal
Just as the hosts seemed to be getting into this game, Alexander-Arnold's long ball and Bednarek's failed clearance sees the Reds take the lead. It could be a long way back for the Premier League's bottom side against the top-flight leaders.
24° Gool of Liverpool Gol 0-1
Goal Darwin Gabriel Núñez Ribeiro
GOOOOOOOOOALLLLLLLL! 1-0 LIVERPOOL! The Reds edge ahead after a rapid counter-attack. Kelleher nips in front of Archer before Alexander-Arnold goes long with a flat pass through the middle. A misdirected clearance from Bednarek allows Nunez to race through, taking his time after McCarthy slips before firing into the bottom-right corner.
22° Falta cometida por Harvey Elliott (Liverpool).
20' - KELLEHER SAVES! Dibling finishes on target, but the chance is saved by the opponent
17' - Foul committed by Downes
15' - Take away Zaga! Nyoni appears to finish, but the ball hits the defense
15' - Darwin Núñez tries a shot and misses
13' - A GOAL KICK FOR SOUTHAMPTON NOW
12' - CORNER FOR LIVERPOOL!
11' - A well-studied game between the teams.
10' - FOUL ON CAMERON ARCHER (Southampton)
08 - HARWOOD BELLIS IS ON OFFSIDE AGAIN!
07' - OFFSIDE FROM LIVERPOOL'S ATTACK
Foul committed by Quansah
WHISTLE THE REFEREE, THE GAME IS ON!
Factors that may influence the game:
Hulshoff's experience: Hulshoff's ability to convey Slot's strategy to the players will be fundamental.
The team's adaptation: How will Liverpool adapt to the absence of Slot and the absences at left-back?
The home factor: Southampton will have the support of the crowd and will seek to take advantage of this factor.
The individual quality of the players: The individual quality of Liverpool's players can be decisive in overcoming difficulties and securing victory.
Challenges and opportunities
Slot's absence is a factor to be considered, but it can also be an opportunity for the squad to show its ability to adapt to different situations. Hulshoff, who knows the group well, will have the mission of keeping the team focused and organized.
The absences of Tsimikas and Robertson at left-back are a problem for Liverpool, who will have to improvise in the position. The inclusion of young players like Norris can be an opportunity to give the squad game time and observe new talents.
Liverpool's probable lineup
Given the absences, the probable Liverpool lineup to face Southampton is:
Goalkeeper:Kelleher
Defense: Quansah, Gomez, Van Dijk, Norris
Midfield: Endo, Mac Allister, Morton
Attack: Elliott, Nunez, Jota
What to expect from the game
The game promises to be very competitive. Southampton, at home, will seek to take advantage of the opportunity to eliminate one of the favorites for the title. Liverpool, in turn, will have to overcome the challenges posed by Slot's absence and the absences in the left-back position to advance in the competition.