Liverpool Beat Southampton in Carabao Cup, but Cracks Show Beneath the Surface

A 2-1 win, but questions remain over structure and midfield balance.

Liverpool’s Carabao Cup Night, Progress with Fractures

Liverpool edged past Southampton 2-1 in the Carabao Cup third round, but the result masks as much as it reveals. In this match, a few high points emerged, but a concerning pattern also reappeared. My verdict is this: Arne Slot’s rotations and structural tweaks show promise, but the first half exposed flaws in rhythm, midfield identity and cohesion. The win is welcome, especially in a cup, but it also must serve as a warning and impetus for adjustments ahead.

Here is my breakdown, and how Federico Chiesa’s influence may yet become vital amid injuries and squad rotation.

Control, but not dominance

Statistically, this contest was tightly balanced. According to FotMob, Liverpool enjoyed 61% possession to Southampton’s 39%. Liverpool had 10 total shots, Southampton 13, a curious inversion for the home side. The xG, was nearly even, 1.85 for Liverpool and 1.87 for Southampton.

Despite having more of the ball, Liverpool’s control never felt authoritative in the opening half. The team struggled to translate possession into passages of sustained forward motion or clean links between lines. The performance felt fragmented. This was particularly evident in the first 30 to 50 minutes, when Liverpool looked disjointed, and some of their rotations registered as experiments rather than confident decisions.