Liverpool will be reminiscing on what was a memorable night at Wembley Stadium at the weekend, after a team devoid of their usual stars came through to beat Chelsea 1-0 in extra-time and win the Carabao Cup. It was captain Virgil van Dijk who scored decisively so late on, but all the praise was heaped on ‘Klopp’s kids’, after no fewer than four academy graduates - all aged 21 or under - came off the bench to play their part.
That’s not to mention the pair of 20-year olds in Harvey Elliot and Conor Bradley who started, and that youthful exuberance will need to come to fruition with hardly any turnaround time granted in their hunt for another domestic trophy. That comes in the form of their FA Cup fifth round tie against Southampton at Anfield, where the Reds have won each of the last six H2Hs.
Southampton will be hoping for a Liverpool hangover as they make the trip to Merseyside, especially since they’ve lost the last four FA Cup meetings against their hosts. The Saints usually make the most of their appearances in the fifth round though, having progressed from three of their last four such ties, although the exception is last season’s shock defeat to League Two side Grimsby, which may still be fresh in their memory.
Their recent form is also a cause for concern, having lost three of their last four matches (W1) to fall out of the Championship automatic promotion places. Perhaps manager Russell Martin will be delighted this tie is away from home then, with his side contrastingly losing just once in their previous 14 road trips (W7, D6).
Players to watch: Luis Díaz could inspire Liverpool should things get tense, since he’s scored in the second-half in their last three home games. Hoping to undercut the Colombian will be Ché Adams, who scored in the ninth minute at Anfield last season, to go with three of his last four goals coming before the break more recently.
Hot streak: Liverpool’s last eight home games saw both teams score. #LIVERPOOL #SOUTHAMPTON #livefootball #livescores #livefootballmatchtoday #footballmatch #footballlive #footballtoday #epl #EPLLIVE #premierleague #facup