Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers as Elliott and 3 more ...

ST MARY'S STADIUM, SOUTHAMPTON // Liverpool booked its place in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup with a relatively straightforward victory over Southampton. There was no Arne Slot on the touchline because of his ban, but it made absolutely no difference as he watched on from the stands.

Darwin Nunez set Liverpool on its way and before half-time, Harvey Elliott had added a second. The result was only going one way with the Reds well in control — much more so than during the 3-2 thriller between the sides on the south coast a few weeks back.

Southampton did pull one back through an excellent finish from Cameron Archer but Liverpool had enough to see the game out. It was deserved across the course of the game for the much-changed Reds.

Thiago Alcantara to return to former club as ex-Liverpool midfielder takes next coaching step I heard what Arne Slot said in his press conference and Liverpool needs to take transfer action Winners

Everyone who needed the minutes was a winner here, with Elliott making his first start under Slot and Alexis Mac Allister back after a couple of games out through suspension. Liverpool was able to give the night off to Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah and still cruised through into the last four of this competition.

The two extra games in early 2025 should mean more minutes for a few who remain on the fringes then, too, which will no doubt come as a boost. Caoimhin Kelleher, for instance, will get two more appearances at least, no matter what happens with Alisson Becker for the reminder of the campaign.

Losers

No one lost from a Liverpool perspective. Trey Nyoni lost some energy in the second half with the youngster looking a little jaded but he can be pleased with his first senior start. His talent would suggest it will be far from the last. Those who had to take one for the team by playing out of position would rather have been given the chance to show what they can do in their best roles but in the circumstances, they will take it. For many, just getting some action is a bonus.

Player ratings

Caoimhin Kelleher (7). He made one fairly simple save in each half but aside from that, wasn't really involved in the game in between. Late in the second-half, his close-range stop was the best thing he did all night but he would expect to make it. A relatively straightforward night for the Irishman who could do nothing with the long-range strike that beat him.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (6). A couple of his passes over the top caused Southampton problems but it wasn't the easiest of nights for that given the weather conditions. Defensively, he wasn't really tested. Came off at half-time with Spurs in mind.

Wataru Endo (6). In possession (which was the vast majority of the game), he was positioned in midfield, leaving Jarell Quansah as a solo center-back. It worked nicely with Liverpool always likely to be on the ball much more often than not. A solid, if unspectacular, showing.

Jarell Quansah (6). The first thing he did was give away a free-kick after 10 seconds of the game but things did quickly get better from there. Quansah hasn't had an easy time of it recently but he did well here and was solid, albeit against a very limited opposition. Fortunate not to concede a foul and get sent off late on? Possibly, but the referee Simon Hooper was emphatic and there was no VAR.

Joe Gomez (7). There was a school of thought that said keep him at center-back where he has done well this season but it was the right call to move him wide and play Quansah in the middle. They both looked more comfortable than when they have been the other way around and Gomez was particularly accomplished.

Tyler Morton (6). He kept things tidy in the center of the pitch before moving to full-back at the interval. He is more than capable of playing as the number six for Liverpool in games like these, though the chances of him getting a Premier League opportunity are slim.

There is likely to be more interest in him in January because, quite clearly, he is good enough to get regular minutes, as he proved with a strong midfield showing here. There is a reason quite a few teams took a look in the summer, though definitely as a midfielder and not a full-back, where he (understandably) wasn't quite so comfortable. Considering it was his first game in two months, impressive.

Trey Nyoni (6). You would never have guessed that he is only 17 in the first half an hour or so. Nyoni was involved in the center of the field and while he still needs to build up some more strength, he has all the technical quality that you need to make it at the top. He tired a bit in the second half and nearly allowed Paul Onuachu to go through on goal, but he was trusted enough to help see the result out.

Alexis Mac Allister (7). Playing as the number 10, this was a nice way to ease the Argentine back into things after his back-to-back one-game suspensions. There was no need to over-exert himself and he cruised through an hour before coming off.

Harvey Elliott (7). Lacks the blistering pace needed to play the right wing role in the same manner as Mohamed Salah but he buzzed around and was involved plenty. On his first start of the season, he scored and found life pretty comfortable. A very good sign.

Darwin Nunez (7). Took his goal well when he had time to think about it. It didn't silence the Andy Carroll songs but it should come as a major boost for his confidence. He could easily have overthought it with the goalkeeper, Alex McCarthy, basically non-existent. He got through a lot of running.

Cody Gakpo (7). The most dynamic of the Liverpool attackers, Gakpo started the match well. He came off before Nunez, which could hint that he will start ahead of the Uruguayan at Tottenham on Sunday.

Substitutes

Federico Chiesa (6). It was great just to see the Italian again after a period without him. He will benefit hugely from having gotten half a game under his belt, though he looked a bit off the pace. Could have scored when he got into a good position.

Kostas Tsimikas (6). Like Chiesa, it was a big boost for Liverpool to have Tsimikas back. The Greek was an especially important returnee given the lack of options at the back that Slot has at the moment. He looked sharp here and immediately offers a bit more depth to help out Andy Robertson. This was a simple outing for him where he played it safe.

Diogo Jota (6). He didn't start here because he picked up something minor against Fulham. It was good news that he was able to come back here and he was unfortunate to give away a couple of fouls. Involved in the build-up more than Nunez, hence why he remains ahead of him in the pecking order.

James McConnell (6). Generally a decent performer off the bench in the second half. Booked for a foul. Could probably do with a loan in the second half of the season.