It was a night that Simon Rusk will never forget, the one when he took charge of Southampton for the first time in the wake of Russell Martin’s sacking and carried the fight to Arne Slot and Liverpool. Nobody gave Southampton a prayer – and not only because they had conceded five in defeat in each of their previous two home matches. It has been a season of remorseless struggle for them.
When Liverpool surged into a two-goal lead before the interval, they were strolling and this Carabao Cup quarter-final looked over. Darwin Núñez scored the first and there was then a first goal of an injury-hit season for Harvey Elliott. Slot watched from up in the press box as he served a touchline suspension for three yellow cards. He was comfortable.
And then he was not because Southampton were vibrant and dangerous in the second half. Jordan Archer got back them back into it and he would miss a big chance for the equaliser. Southampton had other flickers, not least in stoppage time when Mateus Fernandes felt he was dragged down for a penalty by Jarell Quansah. The referee, Simon Hooper, was unmoved. Liverpool had done enough.
Talk about a baptism of fire for Rusk, a knockout tie against surely the best team in Europe so far this season. Rusk’s experience as a manager had gone no further than a spell at the helm of Stockport in the National League in 2021. He is best known for his work as a youth level coach; he was in charge of the England Under-19s from August 2022 until the end of 2023.
Rusk was up against what had to be described as an experimental Liverpool. Slot could have named an excellent XI – pretty much – from the players he could not or did not call upon but the focus was on those he selected, taking in Wataru Endo in central defence and 17-year-old Trey Nyoni’s full debut in midfield.
Slot was not the first Premier League manager to take up temporary residence with the dreamers and romantics of the media. Arsène Wenger, for example, once squeezed himself into the Stamford Bridge press box at Chelsea in 2018 as he served a ban. Wenger kicked every ball that night.
The view here is more panoramic and Slot could enjoy the spectacle of his team taking control after the midway point of the first half. The breakthrough goal was defined by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s composure on the ball. He was Liverpool’s last man and Southampton had Cameron Archer and Mateus Fernandes around him but, not for the first time, Alexander-Arnold simply swayed to step up and away.
His left-footed pass for Núñez was diverted up and back by Jan Bednarek on the stretch and, at that point, every Southampton fan wanted the goalkeeper, Alex McCarthy, to rush out. He stayed at home and then slipped, allowing the Uruguayan to sweep past him.
Slot had started Nyoni on the left of the midfield three but he moved him over to the right-wing before the half hour. Elliott tucked in from the right and Alexis Mac Allister went to left midfield. The move was swiftly rewarded.
Another tactical detail was how Endo moved up into midfield when Liverpool had possession and he was involved in the second, playing a return pass to Cody Gakpo, who went right to Elliott. The first touch was good; the finish was low and firm, helped by a slight nick off Ryan Manning.
Rusk had set up to be solid; five at the back, four across midfield. Tyler Dibling looked to impose himself off the right wing and he shot at Caoimhin Kelleher after a Southampton break in the 20th minute.
But Liverpool were comfortable in the first half and they might have had another goal. Mac Allister drew a smart save out of McCarthy after an Alexander-Arnold pass. Earlier, Taylor Harwood-Bellis blocked to deny Elliott.
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Slot tweaked again for the second-half, introducing Kostas Tsimikas at left-back and Federico Chiesa on the right-wing. Off went Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez. It meant that Tyler Morton moved from defensive midfield to right-back, Mac Allister dropped in front of the defence and Nyoni went to the left of midfield. Slot has to love the flexibility of his players.
Southampton needed a break and they got one when an attempted pass from Mateus Fernandes smacked Endo full in the face, laying him out and falling for Archer, who surged up the inside-left before cutting inside Morton and Jarell Quansah. He shaped a beautiful curler into the far corner.
It was game on and Southampton were so close to the equaliser on 61 minutes. The substitute, Yuki Sugawara, crossed and Archer flicked at goal from close-range, Kelleher making a fine reaction save and Morton completing the clearance from in front of the line.
Slot doubled down on his selection policy for the night, James McConnell for Alexis Mac Allister in the 63rd minute further evidence of it. The manager wanted to offer opportunities. Southampton sensed one.
The substitute, Paul Onuachu, was crowded out after one run and there was also the moment when he could not sort out his feet after a cross from another replacement, Kamaldeen Sulemana.
Liverpool went close through Federico Chiesa – he had one shot cleared of the line by Taylor Harwood-Bellis – and then, at the very end, came the penalty drama.
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