And here’s Ben Fisher on how Liverpool were neutralised:
Here’s David Hytner’s match report from St Mary’s:
Right, that’s it from me. Stick around on the site for all the reports and reaction. But for now cheerio!
Full-time: Southampton 1-0 Liverpool
Peep! Peep! PEEEEEEP!!! A deserved win for Saints though they’ll be kicking themselves that they did not take more of their chances. Liverpool, in a weird way, will be a little relieved to take just a one-goal deficit back to Anfield,
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90+4 min: One last attack for Liverpool. Origi beats Yoshida buts scuffs his cross behind.
90+2 min: After some stale possession, Coutinho blurts a shot into the fans behind the goal from 35 yards out. I say “fans behind the goal” but a more accurate description would be “fans 20 rows above the goal and a fair bit to the right”.
90 min: Coutinho – who has been at the centre of everything for Liverpool since springing from the bench – wriggles into space 30 yards out but his pass is only in the vague direction of Origi and out for a goal-kick. There’ll be a minimum of FOUR added minutes.
88 min: … which is headed clear. There was a Southampton fan behind Milner, the corner taker, who seemed to be complaining to a steward about the ball being outside the quadrant, which is – I suppose – optimistic.
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87 min: Coutinho and Milner combine to win Liverpool a late corner …
85 min: Sturridge spanks an effort from distance yards over the bar. Liverpool have generally been restricted to efforts from long range this evening, while the best chances have all fallen to the home side. With that being the case, this isn’t too bad a result for Klopp’s side as it stands.
84 min: Off the line! Another lightning break from Southampton sees Long clear down the left after a Lucas slip. He looks up and finds Redmond onrushing at the back post but his dinked effort is headed off the line, via the underside of the bar.
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83 min: And Liverpool make a change: Firmino is replaced by Origi.
82 min: And Ward-Prowse replaces Davis in midfield.
81 min: Rodriguez goes into the book for a cynical pull-back on Klavan. And he is immediately replaced by Long
80 min: Coutinho looks to find Firmino but Yoshida cuts out the pass.
78 min: Coutinho takes aim at goal from 30-odd yards but his first-time effort is well wide.
77 min: Southampton set up camp on the edge of their own box once more. Liverpool prod and probe without a huge amount of conviction.
75 min: Slightly bizarrely, Sturridge has a piece of paper from the bench and is running around showing it to his team-mates as play goes on. Eventually he crumples it up and tosses it away but that was an odd moment.
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73 min: Southampton make their first substitution: off goes Clasie, who has taken a knock, on comes Hojbjerg.
71 min: Brilliant from Rodriguez, whose backheel puts Redmond behind the Liverpool backline. He can’t find Davis with his cross, though.
70 min: Lucas blocks off Romeu to prevent another Southampton break and is perhaps a touch fortunate not to join Tadic in the book.
68 min: It’s very open now.
67 min: … Rodriguez rises highest to nod clear and Redmond is away on the break. He glides into the Liverpool half and neatly slips in Cedric inside the area. After a lung-bursting run, he opts to shoot rather than find Rodriguez in the middle and hits the side-netting. What a chance.
66 min: Coutinho dances into the area and wins his side a corner …
65 min: Tadic goes into the book after remonstrating over-zealously with Swarbrick over the non-award of a free-kick against Clyne.
63 min: Coutinho’s first contribution is to beautifully pick out Milner with a delightful outside-of-the-boot pass. Milner, ruining the moment somewhat, is offside.
62 min: And here is Coutinho after seven weeks out with injury. Wijnaldum, who has been fairly anonymous, makes way. Lallana drops deeper into the Liverpool midfield.
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61 min: Firmino brings Forster into action for the first time in the second half – his shot from distance is a bobbler, though, and straight at the keeper.
60 min: Coutinho is preparing himself for battle. By which I mean he’s putting his shinpads on in readiness for a substitute appearance, not running a wooden bayonet through a sack stuffed with hay.
58 min: This will surely put the kibosh on it but You Definitely Feel There Are More Goals In This.
56 min: Sturridge goes to ground under pressure from Van Dijk in the Southampton area. It was an apologetic slouch more than a dive, to be fair, but it had an air of desperation about it.
55 min: Romeu is having an exceptional game but he fouls Firmino in midfield here.
53 min: Southampton are a real threat on the break now. Tadic and Rodriguez again have the Liverpool defence scrambling, though it comes to nothing. Moments later Van Dijk goes down the right and looks to cross but can find only Karius.
52 min: Tadic dons a wig and booms three or four lines from Shakespeare’s Henry V then tumbles theatrically to the turf. Referee Swarbrick isn’t interested.
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50 min: Klopp heresy! “Can someone explain how a club like Liverpool ends up with Lovren, Klavan, and Lucas on the team, much less on the field?” wonders Josh Sutherland. “Lucas has been a loyal club servant, but how can this lack of quality stay here? I recognise they went out for Matip, but still, this is poor squad management.”
49 min: The resultant corner is a beauty, inswinging and deep, but Karius does just enough to get his fist to the ball and deflect away for what should be another corner but is inexplicably missed by the officials.
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48 min: … Davis takes short to Tadic who hammers an effort at goal. Milner manages to flick behind with his head.
47 min: Lovely one-touch stuff from Southampton gets Cedric scampering away down the right. Milner, at the second attempt, manages to bring him down. Dangerous free-kick this …
Peep! Off we go then with the second half. No changes for either side, though Daniel Sturridge can expect the hook if he doesn’t improve. And an improvement on his first half display would be “touching the ball”.
And a plug! For charity!
In a few months I’m joining my good friend Dave (he’s a Sheffield Wednesday fan but if I can overlook that then so can you) on a 180-mile ride from Sheffield to London in aid of the mental health charity Mind. It’s a great cause to which you can donate here if you can spare anything. Cheers.
Half-time emails!
Here’s Peter Oh! “Re: your observation that “The Arms of Karius” has a Dungeons & Dragons ring to it (16 mins.). If the Liverpool keeper can play himself back into the regular number one spot, I suppose it could the dawning of the Age of a Karius.”
And here’s Bryan Tissinger: “Habe Senegal been eliminated yet from the Africa Cup of Nations? I was very worried that Liverpool would struggle without Mane for the next few weeks. He’s been their best, and most consistent, player all year.”
And here’s Niall Mullen: “Liverpool without a cutting edge: Pass pass pass pass pass pass pass pass pass pass pass pass lose possession PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC regain possession Pass pass pass pass pass pass pass pass pass pass pass …”
Half-time: Southampton 1-0 Liverpool
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Peep! Half-time and a hugely satisfactory half for Southampton. A carbon copy after the break will do them nicely. Liverpool have been flat.
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44 min: Superb save from Karius! Bertrand beats two Liverpool defenders close to the byline then pops the ball off to Tadic. His pass across goal finds Redmond, eight yards out, but his effort is brilliantly turned away by the Liverpool goalkeeper.
43 min: Van Dijk tidies up well as Firmino hares after a through-ball.
41 min: Davis plops a cross into the Liverpool area and Karius is out calmly to collect.
39 min: Liverpool are struggling to find a gap, or even a loose brick, in the red and white wall ahead of them. Firmino’s control lets him down when they do find a way through and Southampton have a goal kick.
37 min: … Karius punches clear as far as Clasie, whose returned volley is on target but lacking the venom to trouble the Liverpool goalkeeper, who was comfortably back in position.
36 min: Bertrand and Redmond combine neatly on the left before finding Rodriguez, whose shot is deflected wide for a Southampton corner, their first of the match …
35 min: A lull.
33 min: “Now Nathan Redmond knows the key to success,” writes Krishnan Patel. “It’s not hardwork, it’s not dedication. It’s getting Paul Doyle to do a Guardian piece on you on the day before the match.”
32 min: Tadic does well to win a free-kick off Lovren in midfield.
30 min: Clyne goes clutching his foot as Clasie overstretches into a tackle. Free-kick to the visitors … which is slung in far too deep by Milner. Lucas took a tumble in the area and the replays suggest he might have deserved a free-kick just outside the box.
29 min: … a Southampton head gets on the end of it and, after a fashion, the home side clear.
28 min: Lucas wins a cheap corner as Cedric slightly needlessly nods a long ball behind …
27 min: Klavan’s ball forward is cut out oh-so-easily by Romeu. Liverpool have just been a bit ragged since the goal.
26 min: Lallana wins Liverpool a corner, which is then slung into the hands of Forster.
25 min: And to emphasise that point about the crowd there’s a roar of approval as Rodriguez closes down Karius as he attempts to clear. The home fans are up for this.
23 min: “Re: Sinatra,” begins Steven Hughes. “Maybe that, like Sinatra’s support for JFK mutating into support for Ronald Reagan 20 years later, Southampton will be mainly moving the ball from the inside-left to the far right wing tonight?”
22 min: You can’t really say that goal was coming. But it at least gives the crowd – who you can tell desperately want to make this a Proper Evening of Football – something to shout about. Milner smites a shot at Forster from a narrow angle on the left.
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GOAL! Southampton 1-0 Liverpool (Redmond 20)
Well, well, well. Redmond takes his second chance with aplomb. Klavan makes a horrible howler of a clearance and Redmond is put through. Liverpool appeal for offside but he’s a good yard on, and he calmly slips the ball past Karius this time.
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19 min: Southampton, who are sitting Mariana Trench deep here, storm forward on a rare break. The crowd howl for a foul by Lovren but Liverpool can’t clear anyway and Cedric’s cross from the left drops to the unmarked Redmond at the back post. He takes a touch – the ball was at an awkward height – which allows Karius the opportunity to Schmeichel off his line and save.
18 min: The first real chance of the game drops to Firmino as Southampton switch off at the back. The forward’s volley is turned away acrobatically by Forster.
16 min: Tadic cuts back onto his left foot on the Southampton right and swirls his cross straight into the arms of Karius. Which sounds a little like a card you play in a swords-and-sorcery board game. “Ah, your Magus potion has no effect from me for I have the Arms of Karius.”
14 min: Another Yoshida pass fails to find its target and Cedric struggles to clear. Liverpool have enjoyed close to 70% possession in these opening exchanges.
12 min: Southampton are already missing Fonte at the back. Liverpool are happy to allow Yoshida to be the man to bring the ball out of defence for the home side and his distribution has been, shall we say, appalling thus far.
10 min: There’s a problem for Van Dijk. He went up for a header and seemed to twinge his lower back on landing. He’s up and moving, though. For now.
9 min: Pass, pass, pass from Liverpool. Pass, pass, pass. Passpasspasspass. Pass, pass, pa… tackle from Romeu.
7 min: Clyne rumbles forward and sends himself tumbling with the force of his shot from 30 yards. The effect of the shot failed to match the effort exuded – it was blocked pretty much at source.
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6 min: Milner does brilliantly to collect a Wijnaldum pass but his subsequent attempt to find a team-mate is nothing like as good and Southampton can clear. This is yet to settle down really.
4 min: Redmond’s low cross pinballs through off Lovren and Tadic and Karius has to drop fairly sharpish to collect with Rodriguez sniffing for any spillage.
2 min: BOOOOOO! It means only one thing. Well, given the former Saints players in this Liverpool lineup it could mean one of three things to be perfectly honest, but in this case it reveals that Dejan Lovren is on the ball for the first time for Liverpool.
1 min: Rodriguez takes an optimistic tumble on the edge of the Liverpool box after nice work from Steven Davies. Nothing doing. As the ball breaks, Van Dijk is a whisker away from finding Redmond with a cracking lofted ball forward.
PEEP! Off we go then. Southampton, resplendent in red and white, get us under way. Liverpool brace themselves in “Toxic and Thunder”.
The Saints PA system pumps out Frank Sinatra’s My Way. Make of that what you will.
The players emerge into a packed St Mary’s and line up for the usual pre-match handshakes. I’ve never seen anyone look quite as happy to be shaking hands with a set of officials as Virgil van Dijk. He’s beaming.
Click-clack, click-clack … the teams are in the tunnel.
Pre-match email dept
“Apparently Liverpool will use their neon third kit today instead of the black away one,” writes Peter Oh. “I’m not a fan of the colour but realised that I couldn’t quite describe it. I consulted the official club online shop and discovered that the hue has the colourful name of “Toxic and Thunder” (their capitalisation). A bit of a dramatic name for a shirt colour, but it could be a worthy title of a new Guardian football column.”
Tunnel thoughts from the managers:
Claude Puel: “It’s an exciting game against great players. We can do a good first leg.”
Jurgen Klopp: “When you can smell the final, you try to do anything to go there.”
The last time these teams met in the League Cup, it didn’t exactly go according to plan for Southampton:
Some pre-match reading:
And in today’s Fiver:
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The teams
Southampton: Forster, Cédric, van Dijk, Yoshida, Bertrand, Clasie, Romeu, Davis, Tadić, Redmond, Rodriguez. Subs: Lewis, Long, Ward-Prowse, Hojbjerg, Stephens, McQueen, Sims.
Liverpool: Karius, Clyne, Lovren, Klavan, Milner, Lucas, Can, Wijnaldum, Lallana, Firmino, Sturridge. Subs: Mignolet, Gomez, Moreno, Stewart, Coutinho, Woodburn, Origi
Preamble
It’s really not that long ago that Southampton were at Wembley lifting some silverware. Back in 2010 Alan Pardew’s Saints team – containing Papa Waigo, Michael Antonio, Radhi Jaidi and Paul Wotton – hammered Carlisle 4-1 beneath the big arch to claim the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.
Clambering up the Wembley steps behind the captain Dean Hammond that day was a young Southampton player by the name of Adam Lallana. That remains his only winners’ medal despite four more years with Southampton and two full seasons with Liverpool. Jürgen Klopp’s was effusive in his praise for the attacking midfielder on Tuesday – “He has made outstanding, big steps from an already high level” – and he is expected to form part of a full-strength Liverpool lineup this evening.
Klopp could be forgiven if he has one eye on the league fixtures that follow both legs of this semi-final. Manchester United await at Old Trafford this weekend while Chelsea are the visitors to Anfield after the second leg at the end of the month. But there’s definitely something to be said for getting a trophy in the bag by late February.
Southampton will certainly think so. It’s been a tricky first season for Claude Puel. There’s little to no danger of Saints slipping into relegation trouble but this is a club that has grown accustomed to year-on-year progress. That is a forlorn hope in the league this year but this competition does represent an opportunity for Puel to do what neither Mauricio Pochettino or Ronald Koeman did – to bring some silverware to St Mary’s.
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