Southampton earned a slender 1-0 second-leg victory at Anfield to overcome Liverpool and book their place in the final of the EFL Cup.
The Saints, leading by the same scoreline heading into the match, should have doubled their tally through Steven Davis and Dusan Tadic chances in the first half.
A better second-half performance from the hosts followed, but Daniel Sturridge missed a couple of chances and Philippe Coutinho another, before Shane Long pounced in added time to seal the aggregate triumph.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the EFL Cup semi-final second-leg tie between Liverpool and Southampton at Anfield. The visitors make the trip north to Merseyside protecting a one-goal lead from the reverse fixture a fortnight ago, secured thanks to a Nathan Redmond strike a quarter of the way into the contest - the least the Saints deserved.
It could well have been game over had Southampton - and Redmond in particular - buried a couple of their other chances in that first leg, but as it is we have a nice, delicately-poised match on our hands at Anfield. A place at Wembley in a little over a month's time awaits the winners of this one, with 120 minutes plus penalties to be played if required. Away goals do count, incidentally, though only after the additional 30-minute period at the end of the game if it is still tied.
TEAM NEWS!
LIVERPOOL XI: Karius, Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Matip, Milner, Henderson, Can, Lallana, Coutinho, Firmino, Sturridge
SOUTHAMPTON XI: Forster, Cedric, Stephens, Yoshida, Bertrand, Romeu, Davis, Ward-Prowse, Tadic, Redmond, Rodriguez
Starting with a look at the home team, manager Jurgen Klopp has made four changes to the side that fell to that shock 3-2 defeat to Swansea City here a few days ago. The big news is that Joel Matip comes back in for his first start in six weeks, having now returned to something close to full fitness following injury and ineligibility issues. The centre-back could not be risked by the Reds due to questions over his international status with Cameroon - he claimed that he had retired - but he is back in the fold tonight.
Matip has been a lucky charm for Liverpool, to say the least. The Reds have played 14 games with the Cameroonian in their ranks and have yet to lose any of those; drawing four and winning the other 10. Furthermore, just 11 goals have been shipped, so it is fair to say that his return to the side - alongside Dejan Lovren this evening - is a major boost for the home team. Elsewhere in the backline, Nathaniel Clyne again drops out with a rib injury to open the door for Trent Alexander-Arnold.
As well as Matip and Alexander-Arnold coming in, Klopp turns to cup keeper Loris Karius in goal and - perhaps surprisingly - Daniel Sturridge up top. A slight tweak of system was certainly required following what has been an abject run of form, though, so putting Sturridge alongside Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino could well me a masterstroke from the German boss. Four changes in all for the hosts, then, with Matip's inclusion the headline news.
Southampton boss Claude Puel has to make do without influential defender Virgil van Dijk for this huge clash on Merseyside, as he is expected to miss around three months of action with the injury picked up at the weekend. Jack Stephens, as expected, fills in at the back, while Steven Davis replaces former Bayern Munich ace Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the only other change from last time out.
Stephens alongside Maya Yoshida is far from ideal in a match of this magnitude - one of the biggest in the Saints' recent history, with a rare cup final outing on the line. It comes less than a week after Jose Fonte was allowed to depart for West Ham United, too, so from being overwhelmed with options at the back Southampton now have to make do with a youngster and a man who at times had struggled to force his way into the team in the past. It is simple - keep a clean sheet and the visitors are through.
Redmond was the match-winning hero a couple of weeks back with his well-taken strike - his only goal in 19 outings. The Englishman will certainly hope to find himself in some similar shooting positions tonight, having no doubt worked on his accuracy on the training ground. Jay Rodriguez carries the goalscoring weight upfront, with Dusan Tadic and James Ward-Prowse also providing some additional attacking support. It is a side that certainly looks to have goals in it, but will Puel's charges focus more on defending over the next couple of hours?
BENCH WATCH!
LIVERPOOL SUBS: Mignolet, Moreno, Lucas, Origi, Klavan, Woodburn, Wijnaldum
SOUTHAMPTON SUBS: Lewis, Clasie, Long, Martina, Hojbjerg, McQueen, Sims
Simon Mignolet drops back down to the bench this evening to make way for deputy Karius, while Georginio Wijnaldum and Ragnar Klavan also drop out. No place in the squad whatsoever for Clyne, however, as a recurrence of his recent rib injury keeps him out altogether. Southampton have youngster Josh Sims among their subs, meanwhile, a few days on from agreeing fresh terms on the South Coast, while Shane Long is the obvious attacking replacement.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has made four changes to his side from the 3-2 defeat to Swansea City last time out. Among those to come in is centre-back Joel Matip, who starts his first game in six weeks due to a mixture of injury issues and ineligibility concerns. Southampton have two new faces in their side this evening, meanwhile, with Steven Davis and Jack Stephens coming in.
The Reds with a chance to finally kickstart 2017 this evening, then, following what has been a hugely disappointing month for the club. Things had been looking incredibly positive for the Merseyside outfit following that 1-0 win over Manchester City on New Year's eve - the last of four-successive victories to lift them into second place and into serious Premier League title contention. A slow start to the year has cost them dearly, though, and they now trail Chelsea by 10 points.
Two points in nine in the league has raised the inevitable serious doubts about Liverpool's ability to sustain their high-energy game across the course of an entire season. A 1-1 draw against Manchester United a little over a week ago was credible enough, even if they did deserve to take maximum points having led for a good hour of the match, but a 1-1 tie with Sunderland and that 3-2 reverse at the hands of Swansea three days ago has surely left them out of the title picture.
The good news for Liverpool - if you can call it that - is they have a chance to immediately redeem themselves. This is the second of four-successive home games; Wolverhampton Wanderers (FA Cup) and Chelsea (Premier League) to come after this EFL Cup showdown with Southampton. Click back into gear and win those three games, all of a sudden we are wondering what all the fuss was about; defeat in any of those matches, though, and it will be more doom and gloom.
As well as dropping crucial points in the Premier League and losing to the Saints in the first leg of their semi-final tie, Liverpool also took two attempts to overcome Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup. A weakened team was fielded, granted, particularly in the initial third-round match at Anfield, but it did little to fill fans with confidence in terms of their side's ability to break down stubborn defences. This recent run of one win in six games has laid their frailties bare; a serious inability to create against the lesser sides holding them back.
Klopp admitted himself earlier this week that an inquest of sort was held in the aftermath of the defeat to Swansea, as he felt that certain mistakes could have been cut out. It is fair to say that, despite the German's argument to the contrary, Sadio Mane's absence has been seriously felt. The Senegalese may have arrived from the Saints with a questionable price tag, but he has more than justified it in his early-season performances, arguably making himself the most important player in that attack line thanks to his energy and ability to get in behind.
Matip and Coutinho were the other two major losses for Liverpool, though both are now back in the side and Liverpool - on paper, at least - should become more fluid as a result. The Reds' defeats this season have come at the hands of Bournemouth, Burnley, Swansea and Southampton - four teams outside the elite, it is fair to say, and each of whom were happy to see their opponents dominate possession of the ball. The Merseyside outfit perform better when up against their fellow heavyweights.
That defeat to Southampton in the first leg was just their second in 11 League Cup outings; the other coming on penalties in last season's final against Manchester City. The Reds have overcome Burton Albion, Derby County, Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United to make it this far - a nice run of games on the whole but, as the saying goes, you can only beat the team in front of you. Beat them they certainly have - this is a competition Liverpool love like no other in terms of going all the way and lifting the cup.
This is the sixth semi-final that Liverpool have competed in since last lifting silverware - the 2012 Carling Cup, under the management of Kenny Dalglish. They have reached two finals in manager Jurgen Klopp's first campaign, but both ended in disappointment as Manchester City prevailed on pens in the League Cup and Sevilla overturned a deficit to win the Europa League. Now it is time to put that right, although they must overcome a one-goal deficit of their own to make it through to Wembley.
DID YOU KNOW? Liverpool have trailed five times heading into the second leg of a League Cup semi-final, but they have recovered and made it through to the final on each of the last two occasions. Only Aston Villa (82) and Arsenal (78) have won more games on home soil in this competition than the Reds' tally of 75, meanwhile, and no other team can better their eight trophies.
More good omens for Liverpool now - they have not lost back-to-back games in this competition since defeats to Chelsea in the 2005 final and Crystal Palace in the first round of the following campaign. Six of the last eight teams to win the first leg of a semi-final by a one-goal margin have also failed to progress through. Scoring has certainly not been an issue for the Reds, either, not least in this competition down the years because only Aston Villa (467) have score more than their 466 goals.
That may paint an overly bleak picture in terms of Southampton's hopes of protecting their slender advantage, but the Saints are firmly focused on progressing through. This is their big hope of keeping the 2016-17 season alive, after all, with a recent run of four-successive defeats seeing them now essentially jostling for position in the middle of the Premier League table. With Arsenal to come in the FA Cup on Saturday, too, it could well now be all or nothing for the South Coast side.
It has been a mediocre season for the Saints overall, albeit one that included a famous home victory over Inter Milan during their short-lived Europa League campaign. A group-stage exit was not helped by some mixed form in the English top flight, leading to questions being asked of Puel on the back of that recent four-game loss. Southampton eased past fallen champions Leicester City at the weekend, though, making it three wins in their last four overall to ease the pressure on their softly-spoken boss.
Southampton are aiming to reach their first League Cup final since 1979, when losing to Nottingham Forest, and just a second in their history. Their last appearance of any sort on the big stage came in 2003 when reaching the FA Cup final, so this presents a dream chance for those supporters to finally prepare for a big day out (although it is worth pointing out they have had the odd promotion and European campaign to celebrate over the years!). The Saints have won each of their last three away games against top-flight opposition in this competition, too - Arsenal twice and Stoke City.
As well as beating Arsenal and Stoke, Southampton have also overcome Crystal Palace and Sunderland in reaching the final four. It has been a trickier run than their opponents, albeit without facing any of the top-six elite prior to their first-leg meeting with Liverpool. That Redmond strike in the reverse fixture has given Saints fans real hope of ending their hoodoo of reaching a major cup final, but they still have one almighty task on their hands over the next couple of hours.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Liverpool have won three of their four League Cup ties against Southampton, the most recent of which being a 3-1 victory in November 2002 when Patrik Berger, El Hadji Diouf and Milan Baros all registered - now there's a throwback! These two sides drew 0-0 in their Premier League meeting at St Mary's Stadium earlier this campaign, but the most recent two games prior to that were more lively affairs - a 3-2 comeback win for the Saints and a 6-1 triumph for the Reds in this competition.
With kickoff now exactly five minutes away at Anfield, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Jurgen Klopp: "Arsenal won in the last minute, Tottenham I think had already lost but then came back into the game because City didn't use all their chances, didn't get a penalty and all that stuff. Nobody is having an easy moment, we all have the first part of the season in our legs. If we were fresher now than in August or September we would have done everything wrong."
Claude Puel: "It's an exciting game, not to be afraid. We play and we will see the result. Of course I don't want to go away just to see and just to listen without the ability, the capacity, to push them in difficulties. It's an exciting game and we will see the result. We are not the favourite of this game in the second leg away which is a very difficult against a great team, great players. All is positive for us. The pressure is for them, not for us."
Klopp admitting that his team are not as fresh halfway through the season as they were in the opening months, then, but the big question is whether they can finally step it back up over the coming weeks. With games in three competitions to come at Anfield over the next week - including a huge showdown with Chelsea here in the Premier League - they desperately need to get back to winning ways. Puel, meanwhile, is hoping that the pressure tells in this second-leg tie.
Both sets of players are now out on the field of play, with kickoff just a minute or so away on Merseyside. Terrific atmosphere inside the ground this evening, with fans even lining the street pre-match to grant Klopp his wish of the players being backed throughout the night. The pressure is certainly on Liverpool to perform on home soil tonight, but those 3,500 travelling Southampton fans are not here to simply see a brave effort - they are desperate for progression to the final.
KICKOFF! We are up and running at Anfield, where the stirring rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone continues through the first minute of the match. That is exactly what those Liverpool players require tonight, as they aim to overturn a one-goal deficit.
The visitors appear to be going with three across the top this evening. When looking a the team sheet it appeared to be more of Redmond and Rodriguez up top, with Ward-Prowse and Tadic closely in pursuit, but Puel has gone more attacking.
Martin Atkinson is the referee this evening, incidentally. The man in the middle has dished out just the one red card in 21 outings this season, shown to West Ham defender Aaron Cresswell against Crystal Palace in October.
A word on Jack Stephens, who has settled very well into this match. The loss of Van Dijk really was huge on the eve of this game but it is so far so good for the England Under-21s centre-back, who will relish the chance to impress tonight.
Speaking of impressive young defenders, Alexander-Arnold, who has stepped in well for Clyne of late - bar that loss to Swansea - was nearly in around the back. Coutinho's pass had just too much on it and it skipped out of play.
Still awaiting that first attempt of the match, with neither side doing enough yet to really create any openings in the final third. The longer it goes on, the more pressure that will be on Liverpool to make something happen.
Can, a surprising inclusion in midfield based on his recent form, sprays the ball one way and then the other - no way through that Southampton wall. Opposite number Romeu has a key part to play tonight, too, albeit with a more defensive mindset.
SHOT! First shot of the match comes via Sturridge, who is picked out by Coutinho in a dangerous area of the pitch. The turn on the spin was rather tame in the end, though, and ended right down the middle for Forster.
Redmond with a sublime takedown from an overhit cross towards the back post. Could not do a great deal with it in the end, but that shows the Saints are not simply at Anfield to sit back on their advantage for the full 90 minutes.
SHOT! Liverpool showing signs of stepping things up now as Firmino, much like Sturridge a few minutes before him, takes on the shot from around 20 yards out. Again, though, it was far too simple for Forster to keep out.
Ward-Prowse is given the chance to send in a free kick from a decent crossing position, but it sails right into the welcoming hands of Karius. Lovren pulled former teammate Yoshida, though the officials clearly did not see it.
Liverpool have seen 63% of the ball in the opening quarter of the match but, those two tame attempts aside, they have not done a great deal with it. Right on cue, though, they are given the chance to hit Southampton on the counter; a cross into the box headed well clear.
That was the first time tonight that the Saints have been caught out, having been perhaps a little too over committed in search of what would be a crucial away goal. They are still managing to restrict the hosts to minimum openings.
Alexander-Arnold with a superb cross form the right, which is headed away by a visiting player. Prior to that, Milner could not quite pull the ball back for Can who was stood waiting to shoot just inside the opposition box.
Liverpool so very nearly getting things together now in the attacking third. Firmino just appeared to slip when attempting to slip the ball through for a teammate, allowing the visitors to push out and clear their lines.
SHOT! A moment of panic for the hosts, as Redmond attacks down the left and sends in a cross that Lovren can only head into the path of an unmarked Davis just outside the box. Davis fires the ball into Milner, though, and the chance goes begging.
Henderson goes for a more direct approach with a ball from deep hit towards Lallana at the back post. Well headed away in the end, as the hosts' frustrations go on. Two attempts in 33 minutes for the Reds - Southampton will be delighted.
Rodriguez is given a ball to race on to, but he did not see Davis up alongside him and his weak attempt did not even trouble Karius in the end - slightly wide. Two half-decent openings for the Saints now in this first half.
SAVE! A huge moment in this match - huge! Bertrand with a simple flick to help Redmond in behind and, after skipping past one opponent, the Englishman squared to Tadic in front of goal. A mixture of bad finishing and good keeping from Karius denies the Saints a second goal in the tie.
CHANCE! Second big chance in the space of two minutes or so for the visitors. Redmond again runs amok and has the quality to pick out a teammate, but this time Davis blasts over the bar from close range.
Rodriguez in acres of space down the right and he looks up and sees two runners. Rodriguez was one of them, only for Can to get a telling touch before him. Southampton really should be two goals to the good on aggregate.
The ball is hooked on by Emre Can into a dangerous position, but Stephens was there to clear it away and keep his side ahead in the semi-final tie. Half time fast approaching; Southampton being the more deserving of an opener.
SHOT! The visitors ending the half strong as they win themselves a second corner of the match. Redmond works it short to Tadic, who in turn cuts inside and lays it off for Ward-Prowse to drag narrowly wide of the target.
HALF TIME: LIVERPOOL 0-0 SOUTHAMPTON
A goalless first half to this second-leg tie at Anfield, then, but Southampton - much like in the first leg - should have given themselves some breathing space. The Saints have been the better team overall, creating the two standout chances of the opening 45 minutes against a Liverpool side seemingly still in their slumber.
Liverpool took time to get going and were restricted to just two shots from range in a first half edged by their opponents. Daniel Sturridge, given the nod up top in one of four changes from last time out, sent a tame attempt down the middle and Roberto Firmino did likewise just two minutes later. The visitors were enjoying themselves when given the chance to break forward, with Nathan Redmond - the difference maker in the first leg - particularly proving to be a threat down the left-hand side.
Redmond skipped past one and picked out Dusan Tadic after initially being played through by Ryan Bertrand's smart flick, but a mix of poor finishing from the Serbian and good keeping for Loris Karius kept the scoreline level. Steven Davis was the next to profit from Redmond's impressive work inside the area, though he also failed to keep his composure when it mattered and could only blast high over the bar from eight yards out.
The only other openings of the first half also fell the way of the visitors, as James Ward-Prowse dragged a shot from the edge of the box wide and Davis saw his well-struck shot blocked aside by James Milner. Despite their impressive first-half showing, Southampton have little to show for it on the night and we remain locked at 0-0 in this second leg. Extra time and potentially penalties to come if Liverpool level up, remember.
I would not be at all surprised to see Jurgen Klopp make a change at the interval, with Liverpool - much like against Swansea a few days ago - struggling to create anything. Trent Alexander-Arnold has been the only threat so far down the right, so maybe Divock Origi could be thrown into the fray up top...
LIVERPOOL SUBS: Mignolet, Moreno, Lucas, Origi, Klavan, Woodburn, Wijnaldum
SOUTHAMPTON SUBS: Lewis, Clasie, Long, Martina, Hojbjerg, McQueen, Sims
RESTART! We are back under way at Anfield, where there is news of one change to bring you from the break. It is an alteration for the visiting side, as Shane Long comes on for a presumably injured Jay Rodriguez in attack.
Promising for Liverpool, as Sturridge is given a ball to chase down over the top. He could not quite get on the end of it, but some closing down created space for Alexander-Arnold to cross, only for the ball to sail over the bar.
Well what Long brings you is pace aplenty. The Irishman was looking to run in behind soon after being brought on, but he was cynically brought down to win his side a free kick. More seconds eaten up, with 40 minutes left to play.
A cross towards the back post looked to be cut out by Karius, but his nervousness was clear to see as the ball spilled loose. Liverpool put that behind them and broke forward, and Milner did well to earn his side a corner.
A nasty one for Yoshida, who jumped up head height in an attempt to win the ball. Looked like a potential rib injury but he is soon back to his feet without the aid of any treatment. Good news for the Saints - they are already stretched at the back.
SHOT! Lallana far more involved in this second half, with his latest pass finding Coutinho. The Brazilian's shot deflected off a pair of legs but was easily captured down low by Forster, who has yet to make a serious save.
OFF THE LINE! Incredible! Forster made a howler when attempting to punch a Can shot clear. More than made up for it, though, as he spun and clawed it off the line. Shouts for a goal but the referee did not get the signal to say it had crossed the line.
Real end-to-end game on our hands now. Ward-Prowse and Long jump for the same cross; neither being able to direct it towards goal in the end. Southampton the better team on the whole but Liverpool so nearly level with that Can shot.
CLOSE! So, so close to a Liverpool goal. Sturridge is so often deadly from close range, but he turned the ball over the bar with his acrobatic attempt from just seven yards out. Ward-Prowse now replaced by Hojbjerg for the Saints.
Lallana struggling with an impact injury at the moment, which looks to be a cut to his thigh - should be OK with some strapping. Redmond nearly played through, but it is Liverpool who are currently asking all the questions.
CHANCE! Another chance, another Sturridge miss. Not the easiest, in truth, but you would fancy the striker to convert when getting on the end of Henderson's left-sided cross. The volley ends over Forster's bar.
CHANCE! It's Coutinho's turn to miss a glorious chance! Firmino picked out him compatriot with a good cross from the right, but Coutinho could not quite adjust his body properly and his shot failed to find the target from inside the box.
A couple of sloppy passes from Liverpool allows Southampton to counter. Redmond again makes the right choice by slotting the ball through for Hojbjerg down the right, but his subsequent shot deflects behind for a corner.
Wave after wave of Liverpool attack in this second half, with Southampton struggling to even put any sort of counter-attacking move together. More than 160 minutes of this tie played and Redmond's goal in the 20th is the difference so far.
Sturridge plays the ball down the right for Alexander-Arnold, who sends in a fine cross but had no teammates around to capitalise. At this rate you would back the Reds to find a leveller in the final quarter of this match - surely!
This has been such a frenetic game that it comes as a surprise to see Klopp has still yet to make a change to his side. A lack of options, maybe, but fresh legs would be welcome around about now. Both the Saints' changes have been forced on boss Puel.
SHOT! Coutinho takes matters into his own hands, cutting in from the left and sending a shot narrowly wide of Forster's goal. Origi is now on for Can, as Klopp goes into all-out attack mode for the final 12 minutes.
SOUTHAMPTON SUB! Puel uses his final change of the evening, bringing on Josh Sims for Redmond for the final 10 minutes - or more! Redmond was superb for around 50 minutes of this match, but he has faded as it has worn on.
Liverpool appear to have lost all of their momentum over the past five minutes or so, with Southampton actually enjoying a little more of the ball. In a strange way, that could suit the Reds as they may have a chance to themselves counter.
Into the final six minutes of the match now and the Reds just cannot find that one big chance. Sturridge has had a couple of big openings and Coutinho also squandered one, but that came in the space of around 20 minutes earlier in the half.
The ball pings around inside the box and catches Long's shoulder, but referee Martin Atkinson was quick to wave away the appeals. Probably the right call on initial viewing, with Long unable to pull away from the ball.
And so we are now into the final two minutes of the match. This contest has absolutely flown by and I would not mind an extra 30 minutes. Not looking like heading that way, though, because Liverpool are struggling for momentum.
PENALTY APPEAL! Liverpool fans urging their players on now as we enter four minutes of added time. Stephens dives in and brings down Sturridge, but the referee felt that ball was won first - hard to tell, in truth.
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 0-1 SOUTHAMPTON (SHANE LONG)
A classic counter-attacking goal from Southampton seals the aggregate victory! From that penalty shout at one end, the Saints break and it is slotted through to Long who made no mistake when one-on-one. Southampton through; Liverpool out!
FULL TIME: LIVERPOOL 0-1 SOUTHAMPTON
Referee Martin Atkinson blows for full time to bring the semi-final to an end. What a game it was - a real gripping affair that saw both teams squander a couple of big chances apiece. Shane Long's goal in the first minute of added time proved to be the difference in the end, earning the Saints a 2-0 victory against Liverpool on aggregate.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at Anfield. Be sure to check out this on-the-whistle report before heading off, while reaction will follow elsewhere on the site over the next hour or so. Thanks for joining!
