Nathan Redmond celebrates scoring a goal for Southampton against Liverpool on Wednesday. — Photo performgroup.com |
Football
SOUTHAMPTON — Southampton edged one step closer to the League Cup final as Nathan Redmond’s cool finish secured a 1-0 win over
Claude Puel’s side went in front through Redmond’s first half strike at St Mary’s and only a strong display from Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius prevented Southampton from winning by more.
Southampton haven’t reached the League Cup final since 1979 when they were beaten by
But by ending a run of four games without a win in all competitions they are now within touching distance of facing Manchester United or
"We are deserving this result with all the many chances we had. It was important to win with the clean sheet," Puel said.
"
With United having won the first leg against
But Jurgen Klopp’s team, without a win in their last three games, will need to improve significantly to overturn the deficit at Anfield in the second leg on January 25.
"After the goal we conceded our reaction was not good. We were not compact enough," Klopp said.
"Loris Karius had to save our life. It’s a deserved win for
Klopp had fielded the youngest team in Liverpool’s history for Sunday’s embarrassing FA Cup draw against fourth-tier
With
Klopp’s team had routed
Former Southampton defender Nathaniel Clyne had
Toothless
Roberto Firmino had an even better chance when Adam Lallana knocked a high ball down for the
But Liverpool’s aggressive intent was undermined by their lack of focus at the back and
Puel’s side weren’t to be denied for long and in the 20th minute a woeful miskick from Reds defender Ragnar Klavan allowed Jay Rodriguez to thread a pass to
Despite dominating possession for much of the first half,
Once again it was slack
done better than blast straight at Karius from close-range.
By the time Lallana snatched at a half-chance early in the second half, Klopp had seen enough and he sent on
Yet, with Coutinho showing a few signs of rust on his return,
Coutinho’s presence couldn’t cure Liverpool’s defensive failings in any case and hen no-one tracked Cedric’s run into the penalty area the visitors were fortunate