League Cup: Southampton 1-6 Liverpool- Five Talking Points

Liverpool knocked the living daylights out of Southampton as a Daniel Sturridge brace and a Divock Origi hat-trick smashed the listless hosts for six to canter into the semi-finals of the League Cup for a record 16th time.The Saints flew out of the blocks when Sadio Mane put them on the front foot after just 41 seconds with a well-taken header, but it was all Liverpool from thereon as a quick-fire double from the returning Sturridge and another one from Origi gave the visitors a commanding 3-1 comeback lead at the break.Even in the second half, Jurgen Klopp’s troops held the hegemony over the game and Origi struck two more on either side of Jordan Ibe’s strike to round off his hat-trick. After a bright start to the game, Southampton faded into mediocrity and were made to wipe the floor by a far superior visiting side.With Stoke City now lying in wait for the Reds in the last four, here are some of the talking points from the lopsided affair at the St.Mary’s.

#1 Sturridge back with a bang

Sturridge made a stunning comeback from injury as he bagged a brace of Liverpool

Following a couple of weeks on the sidelines through injury, Liverpool target man Daniel Sturridge made his return to the foray and how. The striker bagged a brilliant brace that sparked Liverpool’s comeback into the game and put on a sparkling display in the final third for the visitors.

In his first start under Klopp, Sturridge made his mark with a sumptuous strike from a tight angle, shifting the ball to his left leg to unleash a searing low drive past Sketelenberg just minutes before the half hour mark. While the away fans were still celebrating the England international’s leveller, the former Chelsea man popped with his second just minutes later, when he tapped the ball through the legs of the Dutch shot-stopper, latching on to Emre Can’s exquisite chipped cross.

What initially seemed to be a long night for the Reds after Southampton's bright start, quickly turned on its head after two moments of brilliance from the 26-year old, who returned to action for Liverpool with a wham.

#2 Origi makes his case

Origi put in his best performance yet since his arrival to Liverpool

Liverpool forward Divock Origi hadn’t struck a chord with the Kop since his move to the red half of Merseyside last year. With just 3 appearances under his belt, the young Belgian was sent back on loan to his former club Lille, but the move failed to spark life into his Liverpool career as Origi’s struggles seeped into the new season as well. After 6 games, he was yet to open his scoring account and make any sort of statement.

But, not anymore.

The 20-year old forward struck a hat-trick on the night to commence his scoring duties for the Reds in emphatic fashion, and in the process, also became the first ever Liverpool player to net a treble at the St.Mary’s.

While he was largely anonymous in the first half and could only get his first of the three strikes through a mere deflection off Alberto Moreno’s rasping drive, Origi truly stepped up to the plate after the break and turned all the limelight towards him with a dashing performance.

After an intelligent run to get in behind the Saints’ defence, Origi collected a pass from Lallana to hit a wonder strike into the top corner and rounded off a miserable night for the beleaguered hosts with a close-range but well-struck header in the final quarter of the game.

For all the criticism levelled at him, Origi cocked a snook at his detractors and how.

#3 Can shows his potential

Can’s assist with the outside of his right foot for Sturridge’s second goal was quite spectacular

Liverpool midfielder Emre Can saw the good and bad sides of his game both in the same night as the German went from a pantomime to a star. The former Bayer Leverkusen man got off to a sluggish start, conceding possession meekly and giving away needless fouls, and it was his remiss early on that allowed Ryan Bertrand escape his marker and lay a fine cross for Mane to head into the back of the net without a hitch.

It was going all downhill, until that glorious dinking ball to Sturridge.

From the outside of his right-foot, Can curled the ball over Southampton defenders for an on-rushing Sturridge to just tap home the visitor’s second. It was an absolute belter of a pass from the 21-year old Germany international, who then grew into the game and made up for his mistakes early on with a fine display.

Emre Can is touted to be one of stars of tomorrow for Die Mannschaft, but only needs to mantain the level of performance he put up last night, consistently.

#4 Southampton defence in utter shambles

The Southampton defense was all at sea against Liverpool’s relentless attacking

The hosts were extremely fragile at the back and just couldn’t handle the kitchen sinks thrown at them. The defence lacked any sort of shape and solidarity and were made to pay for the same when a relentless Liverpool attacked at full pelt.

Centre-backs Virgil Van Dijk and Steven Caulker were caught napping at the back repeatedly, allowing the likes of Sturridge and Origi to saunter their way into the box. The defensive organization was so shambolic, the Saints had no answer when the men in black footslogged forward in numbers.

Although Liverpool do deserve credit for the flair they exuded in their attack, it was Southampton’s languour that gifted the visitors too much time and space on the ball to execute their plan to perfection.

The Saints earned a reputation for being one of the meanest sides in the Premier League under Ronald Koeman. But last night, that reputation was torn to shreds.

#5 Liverpool now heavy favourites for the League Cup

Jurgen Klopp’s men have been on a roll and look a frightening prospect for any side at the moment

With yet another imperious performance, the Reds have truly made themselves a strong contender for the cup. After a relatively slow start under Klopp’s reign, Liverpool have now shifted gears and that’s reflecting on their results off late. 3-1 at Stamford Bridge, 4-1 at the Etihad and now 6-1 at St.Mary’s, the Merseysiders are on a roll these days and cannot be written off from any front if they continue in the same vein.

A run of some encouraging results in the league has seen Liverpool cut the gap at the top to just six points, and have now made it to the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup, where they play Stoke City over two legs. While Manchester City are most likely to be the obstacle in the finals, Liverpool have already got the better of them just a few days ago, and can repeat the feat again at Wembley if they continue to play at this level and reach the finals.

It’s been just nearly two months since Klopp took over the helm of the Kop, and in that span, has transmogrified Liverpool into a serious title challenger.