Arne Slot insists Liverpool must defend their Carabao Cup crown after securing a place in the last four following a 2-1 win over Southampton at St Mary’s.
Despite a much-changed team, Slot’s side emerged victorious thanks to first-half strikes from Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott on a drizzly evening on the south coast.
Cameron Archer halved the deficit on the hour mark as Southampton, under interim boss Simon Rusk after the sacking of Russell Martin on Sunday, gave a spirited second-half showing.
But it was the holders, and current Premier League leaders, who progressed, with Slot highlighting the importance of retaining the trophy after the match.
“We have to defend the trophy because the club won it last season,” Slot told Sky Sports.
“I wasn’t involved but the players were and Jurgen [Klopp] and his staff, of course.
“We want to compete in every cup so we are happy that we’ve reached the semi-final. It’s always a tough competition but this time it is for sure.”
“We have to defend the trophy” 🏆
Arne Slot shares his thoughts as Liverpool progress to the Carabao Cup sermi-finals 💭 pic.twitter.com/1GMEHTeL0X
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) December 18, 2024
Slot, who due to a touchline ban incurred after picking up a third yellow card of the season in the 2-2 draw with Fulham, watched the game from high up in the stands.
And the Liverpool boss was largely pleased with his team’s performance but admitted their standards slipped at times.
“The first-half was really good,” said Slot. “A good performance, we played really well.
“But it didn’t come as a complete surprise to concede the goal because I think before that we started to get a bit sloppy. We lost one or two easy balls.”
The Reds are back in league action on Sunday, when they make the trip to Tottenham, who take on Manchester United in the last of the Carabao Cup quarter-final ties on Thursday evening.
