Southampton vs Liverpool Report

Scorers: Archer 59’; Nunez 24’, Elliott 32’

Liverpool secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Southampton at a rain-soaked St Mary’s Stadium, advancing to the semi-finals of the EFL Cup for the third time in four seasons.

First Half: Liverpool Take Control

With Simon Rusk taking charge of his first game as Southampton caretaker manager, the Saints looked to make a strong start in front of their home fans.

However, the match took time to settle, with both sides struggling to adapt to the wet and slippery conditions.

It was Liverpool who eventually broke the deadlock in the 24th minute. A deflected long ball from Jarell Quansah fell kindly to Darwin Núñez, who calmly slotted past Alex McCarthy, the Southampton goalkeeper slipping as he attempted to adjust.

The visitors doubled their lead just after the half-hour mark through Harvey Elliott, whose edge-of-the-box strike took a deflection off Ryan Manning, wrong-footing McCarthy and nestling in the back of the net. Liverpool could have made it 3-0 before HT, but McCarthy redeemed himself with a brilliant save to deny Alexis Mac Allister, ensuring the Saints remained in the contest.

Second Half: Archer Sparks a Fightback

Southampton emerged from the break with renewed determination and halved the deficit in the 58th minute.

A fortuitous ricochet off Wataru Endō found Cameron Archer, who cut inside from the left and curled a sublime finish past Caoimhin Kelleher.

Buoyed by Archer’s strike, the Saints nearly leveled the score just three minutes later. A pinpoint cross from Yukinari Sugawara found Archer again, but Kelleher produced a stunning reaction save to keep Liverpool ahead.

Despite late pressure from the hosts, Liverpool’s defense held firm, and they nearly sealed the result in the dying moments. Taylor Harwood-Bellis came to Southampton’s rescue with a heroic goal-line clearance to deny Federico Chiesa.

What’s Next?

Liverpool extend their unbeaten run to 20 matches in all competitions, keeping them in contention across four fronts as they chase silverware. A return to Premier League action awaits, where they remain locked in a title battle.

For Southampton, a spirited display under Simon Rusk will provide some encouragement, but the loss underscores their struggles this season.

Sitting rock-bottom in the Premier League, the Saints face a tough road ahead as they aim to avoid relegation.

For more info on this game’s outcome, you may also visit:
Carabao Cup draw, Final date, results, fixtures, stats, rules – The English Football League