1 hour ago
2
ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL // Alexander Isak scored his first goal for Liverpool and Hugo Ekitike netted a late winner as Arne Slot's side booked its place in the next round of the Carabao Cup with a toiling victory over Southampton.
Isak played 45 minutes and scored just before he was replaced by Hugo Ekitike, only seconds after Leo Scienza had missed a sitter at the other end. After a poor Wataru Endo header, Shea Charles leveled the game in the second half.
Ekitike, who was sent off for a second booking after he took his shirt off in celebration, was the matchwinner, but he will now miss the weekend's trip to Crystal Palace. Here are the five things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded.
Alexander Isak off the mark
In breaking the deadlock, Isak scored his first goal for Liverpool here. It was a good thing for him to get that off his mind quickly as he begins to justify the big price tag.
With such depth among his ranks, Liverpool boss Arne Slot made 11 changes here from the weekend's game with Everton. That side, though, would still finish comfortably in the top half of the Premier League table.
And Isak was at the focal point, not doing much aside from scoring. He should have netted early in the game but Alex McCarthy saved. He wasn't going to let the goalkeeper off twice.
Federico Chiesa and Hugo Ekitike mixed
Federico Chiesa produced an assist after a good piece of anticipation saw him intercept a dodgy pass from Alex McCarthy in the Southampton goal, and he should perhaps have gotten a shot away a couple of times when the ball fell to him.
It was a decent showing, but nothing more than that: a performance that suggested he would get more minutes in the next round of this competition, rather than much meaningful in the intervening period.
It wasn't for a lacking of trying, but the depth that Liverpool has is clear. Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Florian Wirtz all sat this one out entirely, and it will take more than industrious running to change the pecking order.
As for Ekitike, how do you judge that? He scored and looked lively, but picked up two completely needless cautions. That suspension, given Isak isn't up to speed, is a headache for Slot.
Debutants impress
After a big summer, Liverpool had two debutants here in Giovanni Leoni and Giorgi Mamardashvili. The former, the young Italian center-back, was relatively impressive.
He has plenty of senior experience and wasn't in awe during his Anfield debut. Alongside Joe Gomez, he was cool, calm and collected when he was called upon.
Mamardashvili, meanwhile, is a very strong shot-stopper. He showed that in the first half when Adam Armstong went close. His distribution, though he didn't see that much of the ball, was also good.
There is only so much you can do to stand out in a game against a 19th-placed second-tier team, but Leoni and Mamardashvili have now made their first appearances for Liverpool. As we already knew, there is much more to come.
Young talents handed next chance
In Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni, Liverpool has two really top prospects breaking through. Arne Slot is a big fan of the pair and though they only showed flashes here, it was telling that they were trusted from the start.
Ngumoha was sometimes frustrated by the sea of tellow bodies in front of him and some of his stepovers didn't really lead anywhere, but he was demanding the ball at every opportunity.
Nyoni, meanwhile, started slowly but grew into things. He was better in a deeper roe where he saw more of the ball, rather than as a number 10, where he tended to get a little lost.
Neither teenager is going to be in the starting XI every week, but this competition has provided a platform for others in the past. Liverpool getting through should do them good as much as anyone else.
All eyes on the draw
After going all the way to the final last season, Arne Slot said he wanted to win here and go on a similar journey. If nothing else, progressing will allow players like Chiesa chances to play, which they might not otherwise be afforded.
The draw for the next round of the Carabao Cup will be on Wednesday night, following the conclusion of tomorrow's games. (In the UK, it will be shown after Port Vale vs Arsenal on Sky Sports).
The Reds will be ball number 12 and ties in the fourth round are scheduled to be played in the week commencing October 27. Ideally, Liverpool will come out of the hat at home once again.
English (US) ·