Daniel Sturridge flops again for Jurgen Klopp’s men as Nathan Redmond boosts his England chances
The Saints marched onto Wembley as they frustrate Kop boys at Anfield with historic victory
LIVERPOOL endured a frustrating night as they were defeated 1-0 by Wembley-bound Southampton in the EFL Cup.
Having gone down 1-0 in the first-leg a fortnight ago, the Saints held firm at Anfield to shut out Jurgen Klopp's men and snatch a late victory through Shane Long to seal a 2-0 aggregate triumph.
There were a number of big and impressive performances from the away side.
And there were some equally miserable ones from the Merseyside giants.
And that is where we will begin with the five things we learnt.
Daniel Sturridge flops again
Something is not right with Sturridge. Fans can see it, Klopp can see it and even his team-mates must now be able to see it.
The striker just can't seem to find the net at the moment - and he had plenty of opportunities here.
His first effort was a meek attempt straight at the keeper a quarter of an hour in.
But he fluffed his lines TWICE inside a five minute spell after the restart to leave his boss pulling his hair out.
With 59 minutes on the clock, Sturridge found himself free inside the six yard box with the ideal opportunity to level the tie.
But perhaps due to his lack of confidence, he attacked the ball too early and ended up acrobatically blazing over the bar.
And that was followed up with another strike over the bar moments later after he met a cross from the left.
If Liverpool are to be serious contenders for honours, then they need a forward who will snap up chances like these.
Sturridge needs to hit the goaltrail soon or he could find himself playing elsewhere next season.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is not just a defender
The 18-year-old right-back has burst onto the scene at Anfield this season and is making everyone sit up and take notice.
He produced another fine performance on Wednesday, but it was hit attacking abilities that made him stand out.
Although tasked with stopping opposition winger Nathan Redmond, who we will get onto shortly, Alexander-Arnold was not shy in getting forward.
And he proved to be a real danger for the tough Saints backline.
He could often be found in the right-wing position deep in the opposition half, crossing several balls into the box and teeing up Firmino after just 18 minutes.
Alexander-Arnold was the only man aside from the keeper not to have scored for the Reds this season, but judging by this display, his maiden strike is not too far away.
Jurgen Klopp does not have the magic touch when it comes to semis
Confidence was high among the Kop faithful that they would be able to overturn their first-leg deficit and advance to the final.
Especially when Klopp's semi-final record was brought up pre-match.
The German boss had never lost a last-four clash prior to his meeting with the Southampton.
He first led Dortmund to the DFB final in 2012, following that up in 2014 and 2015.
Klopp then guided the Bundesliga club to the 2013 Champions League final.
And last season, his first at Liverpool, he guided the Reds to both the EFL Cup and Europa League finals.
But that lucky streak came to a crushing end against Claude Puel's side.
Nathan Redmond enhances England chances
The livewire winger, who bagged the winner in the first-leg, gave the Liverpool defence more than just one scare throughout his 80 minutes on the pitch.
He was causing havoc in the opening 45 minutes, teeing up both Dusan Tadic and and then Steve Davis, as his pace tore through the hosts back four.
Former Norwich man Redmond is proving to be a vital addition to the squad since his arrival last summer.
He is already one of the most-vital men in the England U21 set-up, and if he can continue this form, a senior call-up is surely not too far away.
Adam Lallana's wait for silverware goes on
When the attacker left St Mary's back in 2014 for the bright lights of Anfield, he must have been thinking about where to house his trophy cabinet in his new gaff.
But the 28-year-old England star has still to add to his collection.
He has come close. Closer than he got on this occasion against his former employers.
He was part of the side that lost out in the EFL Cup and Europa League finals last year.
And it must have made him feel that little bit more sicker by the fact that it was the Saints that ended his latest hopes of winning silverware.
The last success he tasted in cup competition came back in 2010 when he helped the then League One Southampton to win the Football League Trophy.