Feature4-3 to the Reds so far... Liverpool and Southampton's League Cup history

It has been an evenly matched League Cup history to date, with the Reds prevailing four times and Saints on three occasions – including the most recent.

Here, we recap the previous meetings…

November 1960, third round – Liverpool 1-2 Southampton

Liverpool’s first League Cup campaign was halted at just the second hurdle when Southampton won this third-round tie at Anfield.

Bill Shankly’s Reds had needed a replay to overcome Luton Town in the previous round and that eventual success proved to be wasted energy as Saints promptly eliminated them.

A double either side of half-time from Terry Paine sent the visitors through, with Roger Hunt’s equaliser restoring parity for only eight minutes.

October 1971, third round – Liverpool 1-0 Southampton

The Reds reversed that form in the same round of the competition more than a decade later.

Steve Heighway’s effort five minutes into the second half was sufficient for a 1-0 result for Shankly’s side, though the score did not adequately reflect the play.

Southampton were indebted to the performance of goalkeeper Eric Martin in limiting the damage, while Chris Lawler and Emlyn Hughes both struck the crossbar.

February 1987, semi-final – Southampton 0-0 Liverpool, Liverpool 3-0 Southampton

Almost sixteen years passed before another League Cup clash between the clubs, but a place at Wembley was on offer when it came around.

A goalless first leg at the Dell was a satisfactory outcome for Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool, particularly given they lost Paul Walsh to a 47th-minute red card.

Saints stifled the Reds for three-quarters of the Anfield return a fortnight later, but Ronnie Whelan broke the deadlock and Dalglish – the player-manager replacing the suspended Walsh – and Jan Molby added late gloss.

October 1999, third round – Southampton 2-1 Liverpool

Another third-round encounter and another Saints success.

And it was all the more galling for Gerard Houllier’s Liverpool given they got in front at the Dell through Michael Owen but failed to capitalise on their chances to put the tie beyond the home team.

Dean Richards brought Southampton back on level terms and in the last minute Trond Egil Soltvedt consigned the Reds to an exit.

November 2002, third round – Liverpool 3-1 Southampton

What might appear on paper to have been a routine home win wasn’t quite the full story in this latest clash in round three.

Patrik Berger’s deflected free-kick was equalised by Agustin Delgado and Liverpool needed goalkeeper Chris Kirkland to make a number of key saves.

But quickfire goals from El Hadji Diouf and Milan Baros booked a ticket into the next round for the Reds, who would go on to lift the trophy later that season.

December 2015, quarter-final – Southampton 1-6 Liverpool

Liverpool’s evening at St Mary’s couldn’t have begun any worse as future Reds hero Sadio Mane gave Saints a lead in the first minute.

But the visitors warmed to their winter task on the south coast and went on to deliver another marker of what was possible under the recently appointed Jürgen Klopp.

A Daniel Sturridge brace had Klopp’s men ahead before the half-hour mark, Divock Origi enhanced the score with a clinical hat-trick and Jordon Ibe was also on target to produce a resounding win.

January 2017, semi-final – Southampton 1-0 Liverpool, Liverpool 0-1 Southampton

Perhaps the Reds used up too many goals 13 months earlier, as they drew a blank at a crucial moment across 180 minutes against Southampton here.

Nathan Redmond’s strike at St Mary’s gave Saints – featuring one Virgil van Dijk at the back – an upper hand at the midway point of the tie.

Klopp’s charges could find no way past Southampton when Anfield hosted the decisive second leg either, and indeed the visitors compounded their aggregate lead with an added-time breakaway finished off by Shane Long to seal their place at Wembley.