Isak Steals the Spotlight as Liverpool Edge Southampton 2-1 in Thrilling Victory
Liverpool secured another dramatic late victory against Southampton in the Carabao Cup, with two summer acquisitions making the crucial difference.
The match at Anfield began with a moment of silence honoring Matt Beard, a former Liverpool women's team coach, who died at age 47 on Sunday.
Although Arne Slot made numerous changes to his starting eleven to manage player fitness during a hectic season start, Alexander Isak, Rio Ngumoha and Jeremie Frimpong all featured from kickoff. Southampton, meanwhile, showed early ambition by taking control of the opening exchanges.
Adam Armstrong nearly gave Southampton the lead late in the first period, striking the crossbar before Leo Scienza's rebound attempt sailed narrowly wide. Then suddenly, Alexander Isak made his mark with his debut Liverpool goal to give the Reds the advantage. Federico Chiesa capitalized brilliantly on goalkeeper Alex McCarthy's wayward pass before setting up the Swedish striker.
Slot substituted Isak at halftime for Hugo Ekitiké as he continues rotating his two forwards' playing time. Liverpool appeared set to cruise to victory, but Southampton substitute Shea Charles leveled the score for the Championship outfit in the 75th minute. Matters worsened shortly after the equalizer when Giovanni Leoni suffered a serious fall, forcing Slot to introduce Milos Kerkez. The Dutch coach had omitted both Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté from the squad, leaving the Reds somewhat vulnerable defensively.
However, the situation changed rapidly as Liverpool's resilient spirit prevailed once again.
Ekitiké restored Liverpool's lead in the 85th minute, but his celebration resulted in a dismissal for removing his shirt. The French striker displayed the back of his jersey to supporters as referee Thomas Bramall issued a second yellow card. Ekitiké will now be suspended for Liverpool's weekend fixture against Crystal Palace in a rematch of the FA Community Shield. The incident won't dampen spirits too much though, as the Reds maintain their perfect record across all competitions in the 2025–26 campaign.
Liverpool will discover their fourth round adversary on Wednesday after the completion of Port Vale vs. Arsenal.
Liverpool player assessments below.
Liverpool Player Ratings (4-2-3-1)
*Ratings provided by FotMob*
Player | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
GK: Giorgi Mamardashvili | 7.5 |
RB: Jeremie Frimpong | 6.3 |
CB: Giovanni Leoni | 7.5 |
CB: Joe Gomez | 7.1 |
LB: Andy Robertson | 7.1 |
DM: Wataru Endō | 8.0 |
DM: Curtis Jones | 6.8 |
RW: Federico Chiesa | 8.9 |
AM: Trey Nyoni | 6.2 |
LW: Rio Ngumoha | 7.2 |
ST: Alexander Isak | 7.7 |
SUB: Hugo Ekitiké (46' for Isak) | 6.4 |
SUB: Conor Bradley (57' for Jones) | 6.9 |
SUB: Jayden Danns (75' for Ngumoha) | 6.8 |
SUB: Milos Kerkez (81' for Leoni) | N/A |
Subs not used: Freddie Woodman (GK), Rhys Williams, Tommy Piling, Kaide Gordon, Kieran Morrison
Player of the Match: Federico Chiesa
Southampton (5-4-1): Alex McCarthy; Elias Jelert, Ronnie Edwards, Nathan Wood, Joshua Quarshie, Ryan Manning; Cameron Archer, Flynn Downes, Caspar Jander, Leo Scienza; Adam Armstrong
Subs: George Long (GK), Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Jay Robinson, Ryan Fraser, Shea Charles, Damion Downs, Kuryu Matsuki, Ross Stewart, Tom Fellows