Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said he now understands the fuss surrounding striker Daniel Sturridge after he scored twice in the League Cup thrashing of Southampton.
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“It was a new system, the diamond with two strikers, and after 10 minutes it worked”. That is one of the meetings we had with the team at the start of the season – about improving, being better than past year. He needs to decide when it’s time to fight and when to rest. “We may have to wait a long time to enjoy a football match like we did tonight”.
“I’m not a manager who changes a lot if the team is doing well, but always the question to the players is when they get the chance, you have to take it”.
In struggling to prevent Ryan Bertrand’s left-wing cross in the opening minute, Randall set the tone for Liverpool’s sluggish early defending which very almost cost them defeat.
This time Emre Can was the architect, catching the home defence square with an exquisite 40-yard pass using the outside of his right foot. “We scored ourselves some nice goals”.
Wilfried Bony’s 12th-minute goal calmed City’s nerves at the Etihad Stadium, but resilient Hull defending ensured it stayed close before late efforts from Kelechi Iheanacho and a Kevin De Bruyne double put a more presentable gloss on the scoreline.
Liverpool, however, seem to have developed a steelier constitution under Klopp and turned the game around thanks to an inspired five minutes from Sturridge.
With a hat-trick from Origi – his first goals for the club – and a further finish from substitute Jordon Ibe, Klopp’s team secured their place in the competition’s final four and moved the manager ever nearer his first major trophy at the club.
It looked to be going Southampton’s way when they took the lead at St Mary’s after just a minute.
He thrashed home Liverpool’s fourth goal from the edge of the area and directed a well-placed header into the net to round off the scoring. When I came to the club, I knew already that we would lose some good players.
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“After the last transfer window there was one team in the Premier League who got money out of the transfer window, and that was Southampton”, Koeman added. It was a well struck shot, although Maarten Stekelenburg in the home goal should have done better as the ball passed underneath his body. It’s important for us we have these good strikers. “And as you can see, we have absolutely no problem with matches against Manchester City”. The second legs are in the week commencing January 25.
