Liverpool survive late Southampton fightback to reach Carabao Cup semi-finals | OneFootball

After a full and imposing pre-season under his belt, Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott had lofty ambitions this season. Could he crack a regular starting spot? The diminutive left-footed playmaker, signed amid so much promise from Fulham five years ago, certainly would not have anticipated his first start of the season coming in mid-December. But on a torrential night on the south coast, Elliott shone brightest as the Carabao Cup holders, ultimately, sneaked through at Southampton on Wednesday night.

Elliott scored the visitor’s second of the night, calmly slotting home with his weaker right foot, and was a figure of composure throughout and – at 21 – first-team maturity. When the pace needed slowing, Elliott did so in his roaming midfield-wing role. When it needed speeding up, Elliott found his man, quickly, with a forward pass. In a makeshift Liverpool XI, he was the starring light.

Darwin Nunez had opened the scoring midway through the first-half, seemingly setting the tone for a routine evening’s work for the Premier League leaders. But Cameron Archer’s sumptuous goal and a late Southampton second-half onslaught made Liverpool sweat for their place in the semi-finals and, in the final minutes, Jarrell Quansah was extremely fortunate to not see red for hauling down Mateus Fernandes as the final man, just outside the penalty area.

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Harvey Elliott celebrates his first goal of the season as Liverpool beat Southampton (Getty Images)

In the end though for Arne Slot, watching on behind TalkSport commentator Scott Minto in the stands at St Mary’s due to his one-match touchline ban, it was a satisfactory night’s work. Star players were rested and chances for fringe players were taken. In fact, the Dutch coach may have even been a tad relieved, in avoiding the treacherous swirling rain pitchside.

His long-term assistant Sipke Hulshoff manned the technical area as the Reds made eight changes, leaving the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch out of the squad. A calculated gamble by Slot, given Southampton’s current predicament, but that one that duly paid off.

But nor was there any need for them, as a starting XI featuring 17-year-old Trey Nyoni and homegrown midfielder Tyler Morton exuded composure and dominance. Trent Alexander-Arnold captained the club on his 300th start; a club that, in 13 days, he can choose to leave and sign a pre-contract with a team abroad.

Yet that is for another time. On Wednesday night, there was no room for fools in the pouring rain and a spot in the Carabao Cup last four was the task at hand. And it was Alexander-Arnold – as it so often is from his inverted quarterback role – who blew the game wide open on 24 minutes.

Turning supremely away from two onrushing Southampton attackers, the so-called right back sprayed a left-footed pass beyond the unusually high Saints line and through to Nunez. One-on-one with the goalkeeper has not been the Uruguayan’s forte in his topsy-turvy two years at the club but here, as Alex McCarthy slipped, he straightforwardly side-footed the ball into the net at the near post.

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Darwin Nunez opened the scoring for the Carabao Cup holders (Getty Images)

Eight minutes later, it was two. Cody Gakpo, who scored a brace in the last round down the road at Brighton, cut inside from the left and slipped in Elliott who finished assertively with his weaker right foot into the far corner. Intricate, decisive interplay in the final third from the visitors but, frankly, it was made far too easy by a hosts devoid of any confidence given their current plight.

McCarthy saved well from Alexis MacAllister just before the break and the only solace for the 20,000 or so home fans who braved the conditions was that it was only a two-goal deficit, in contrast to the five first-half goals conceded on Sunday against Tottenham which cost Russell Martin his job.

Whoever takes over from interim boss Simon Rusk has one gargantuan job this season.

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Arne Slot watched from the stands due to a one-game touchline ban (Getty Images)

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Cameron Archer pulled one back for Southampton in the second-half (Getty Images)

Alexander-Arnold and Gomez duly made way at half-time – with their work done – and £12m summer signing Federico Chiesa returned from a three-month layoff alongside Kostas Tsimikas.

The cup-tie seemed destined for nothingness until, out of nothing just before the hour mark, the hosts had a lifeline. Until then anonymous, Archer cut in decisively from the left and finished exquisitely into the far corner beyond Caoimhin Kelleher. Suddenly, the game had impetus and it took a terrific save from the Liverpool No 2 from close range to deny Archer a second, while Quansah blocked bravely from Mateus Fernandes. Slot was not sitting so comfortably now.

Substitute Federico Chiesa, with 20 minutes to go, blew a brilliant opportunity to score a third as Taylor Harwood-Bellis blocked on the line, while Southampton’s 6’ 5” striker Paul Onuachu missed a sitter in the final 10 minutes. Quansah then somehow went unpunished for bringing down Fernandes as the last man in stoppage time, as referee Simon Hooper dismissed the raucous home crowd protests.

But Liverpool – and their League Cup defence – held on. Either Newcastle, Arsenal, Tottenham or Manchester United await in the two-legged semi-final as they look to book another trip to Wembley.