Liverpool 0-1 Southampton: EFL Cup semi-final as it happened

Who will join Southampton at Wembley on 26 February?

Manchester United currently hold a 2-0 advantage over Hull City in the other semi-final. You can follow live coverage of the second leg of that tie with IBTimes UK sport editor Nick Howson tomorrow night.

Goodbye for now.

So Southampton, who have still not conceded a single goal during this season's competition, reach their first League Cup final since 1979. They rode their luck at times during that second half, but it is difficult to say that they didn't deserve it over the two legs.

Southampton reach the EFL Cup final

Full-time

Liverpool 0-1 Southampton (0-2 on aggregate)

Having been under the cosh for almost the entire second half, Southampton pour forward on the counter in stoppage time and land the killer blow that seals their place at Wembley.

After Liverpool are denied that penalty, the Saints clear a corner. Sims sprints ahead and ends up setting up Long, who takes a touch before shooting coolly beyond Karius.

Epic scenes in the away end behind that goal. The Saints have done it.

Goal: Liverpool 0-1 Southampton (Shane Long)

Origi goes down in the box under the challenge of Origi but Atkinson only points for a corner. Four minutes of added time for Liverpool to find a goal that would send this tie into extra-time.

Wijnaldum replaces Coutinho. Liverpool fail to take advantage of a late corner and somehow do not get another despite Sims clearly turning the ball behind.

Liverpool players and fans alike complain about timewasting as Forster ambles over to take a free-kick. Good work from Long and Hojbjerg down in that corner to keep possession away from the hosts.

A final change from Puel. 19-year-old winger Sims, who penned a new three-and-a-half year contract in midweek, comes on Redmond.

Lallana appeals for handball after hooking a cross off Stephens and the home crowd bay for a spot-kick when Bertrand tries to see the ball away from Sturridge and out to safety. Neither were serious shouts.

Coutinho bends a shot agonisingly wide of the far post and Klopp sends on Divock Origi in place of Can.

A couple more Liverpool crosses come to nothing and Firmino sees a low shot blocked. Milner, knowing he will be flagged offside, allows the ball to go behind for a goal kick.

Southampton need to get their shape back and find an outlet ball. They have absorbed an enormous amount of pressure over the last 20 minutes or so.

The desperate home contingent appeal in vain for a penalty after Milner tumbles during a tangle with Cedric. That was never going to be given.

Davis pops up to clear Liverpool's latest corner with a bullet header. A full-blooded challenge between Milner and Cedric then results in a Forster goal kick.

Signs of frustration from Lallana as another Liverpool attack fizzles out. Can slices a pass straight out of play and only serves to increase the growing sense of anxiety around Anfield.

Both teams demonstrate carelessness in midfield. Redmond seizes on a lazy ball from Henderson and sprints forward, setting up substitute Hojbjerg for a hopeful effort that is deflected wide by Lovren.

Can deals with the corner.

Henderson whips in a brilliant cross between Stephens and Bertrand, but a stretching Sturridge can only fire over on the volley.

Firmino then tees up compatriot Coutinho, but he gets his finish all wrong and slices the ball out for a goal kick.

Liverpool are really asking questions of Southampton now. Plenty of time left for them to find that crucial breakthrough.

Lallana is sporting a cut to his thigh and leaves the field to get it strapped up.

Southampton come forward but Tadic's pass does not quite reach Redmond.

Southampton fail to deal with Milner's cross and Sturridge ends up blazing over from close range. What a chance that was for Liverpool to level the tie.

Klopp tries to rouse the Anfield crowd. 30 minutes left for his team to keep the Wembley dream and his proud semi-final record intact.

Ward-Prowse's race is run. Hojbjerg takes his place.

Ward-Prowse collides painfully with Long while trying to meet a cross and goes down in need of treatment. Plenty of midfielders on the bench for Southampton.

Fraser Forster, you lucky devil. The towering goalkeeper somehow scrambles back and claws the ball off the line under pressure from Sturridge after allowing Can's swerving shot to get past him.

The crowd waits for Atkinson to signal a goal, but the decision system confirms that the ball did not cross the line. Technology is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

Coutinho looks to test Forster after positive work from Lallana but Davis manages to take the sting out of his shot.

Southampton cause yet more panic in the Liverpool box. The hosts then counter when Stephens gives up possession and Yoshida is forced to block after Lallana, played in by Sturridge, opts to delay his cross.

Southampton pick up where they left off, with Tadic looking to set up Long. The Saints win another corner, but Liverpool survive.

The teams re-emerge from the tunnel and the second half is underway. No changes from Klopp just yet, but Puel has sent on Shane Long in place of Rodriguez. The latter is said to be struggling with an ankle injury.

It's certainly fair to say that Liverpool are missing Sadio Mane, who remains at the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal. His speed could really have helped to open up this resolute Southampton defence.

As it is, Liverpool have done most of their passing in front of them. No-one seems willing to take a chance and do something different.

An impressive first half from Southampton, who have kept their defensive shape and made it nearly impossible for Liverpool to break them down.

However, just at St Mary's two weeks ago, Puel's side will be left ruing a lack of ruthlessness in the final third. Both Tadic and Davis have wasted brilliant chances to make their lead more comfortable.

The hosts, who have had over 70% possession, just cannot handle Redmond's pace and trickery down the left. They have been awful, simply put.

Half-time

Liverpool 0-0 Southampton

One minute of added time signalled at the end of the first half. Milner stands up Romeu and sends in a cross that falls safe after Firmino and Sturridge both go for the same ball.

That just about sums up another disappointing 45 minutes for Liverpool.

A poor clearance from Can affords Southampton their second corner. Tadic takes it short to Redmond and picks out Ward-Prowse for a low shot that is dragged wide of Karius' right-hand post.

Southampton really have the bit between their teeth now and only a timely intervention from Can stops James Ward-Prowse from connecting with Rodriguez's cross from the byline.

End-to-end stuff now as Liverpool apply their own pressure before getting caught on the counter once more.

Redmond is again the architect, taking advantage of the space left by Alexander-Arnold and easing past Matip. This time he finds Davis, who takes a touch past Henderson before losing composure and blasting into row z.

A glorious chance spurned by Southampton. Redmond glides into the box, beating Matip and drawing out Lovren before cutting the ball back for Tadic, whose meek low shot from close range is saved by Karius.

The Serbian should have done so much better with that.

Tadic fails to make contact with Firmino's cross but Cedric Soares is on hand to mop up. Liverpool come again through Coutinho, but he just cannot find a way through the mass of bodies in front of him.

Southampton try to set Rodriguez clear on the break, but his tame shot is deflected by Lovren. Davis was arriving on the far side of the penalty area in plenty of space.

Still goalless as we tick past the half-hour mark. If nothing changes, then Southampton are going to Wembley.

Almost a chance for Southampton to double their aggregate advantage as Bertrand sends Redmond scampering away down the left. His low cross is headed away by Lovren and Milner produces a sturdy block to deny Davis.

Firmino is barged over by the retreating Rodriguez and Coutinho's deep free-kick poses no danger to Forster.

Matip complains to Atkinson that he is being held by Stephens. Plenty of grappling going on at these set-pieces.

Liverpool are ramping up the pressure a bit now, getting to the byline. A brilliant right-wing cross from Alexander-Arnold is met with an equally impressive clearing header from Stephens.

It's been a good, disciplined start from Southampton and they might need to weather a bit of a storm now.

After a Southampton corner breaks down, Liverpool counter swiftly. Alexander-Arnold tries to pick out Lallana with a lofted pass, but Stephens makes an important headed intervention.

Emre Can brings down Redmond and gives away a free-kick in a dangerous area. The ball is swung in towards the vague direction of Yoshida, allowing Karius to claim without issue.

Replays show that Dejan Lovren was blatantly tugging at Yoshida's shirt there. That could have been a penalty, had the referee spotted it.

Good build-up play from Liverpool led by the confident Alexander-Arnold. Roberto Firmino drifts pass Romeu all too easily and will be disappointed to have directed his effort straight at the goalkeeper.

First signs of any jitters from Stephens as he makes a complete hash of a pass intended for Forster and ends up giving away a needless corner. Luckily for him, Liverpool fail to do anything with it.

At the other end, a cross from Redmond intended for Rodriguez is easily gathered by Karius.

Sturridge executes a nice turn before being dispossessed by Bertrand, who is quickly robbed by Lallana.

Coutinho then tees up Sturridge. He cuts inside Yoshida before letting fly with a low shot that is held by Fraser Forster.

Coutinho attempts to slide a low pass through for Sturridge but Stephens is alert to the danger. No trouble for that Southampton defence in the opening 15 minutes or so.

Bertrand provides an option for Dusan Tadic on the overlap and ends up shooting harmlessly into the side netting from a tricky angle.

Jay Rodriguez does well to slip in Redmond, who, apparently unaware of his position or that of his teammates, inexplicably tries to send a pass backwards instead of trying to test Karius.

Coutinho receives possession from James Milner and tries to pick out the run of Alexander-Arnold with a curled pass in behind the Southampton backline. However, it's overhit and the 18-year-old cannot keep it in play.

Some sloppy, hesitant play at both ends nearly leads to Lallana and Redmond creating chances.

No opportunities for either team as of yet.

Liverpool begin to dominate possession. Matip comes striding forward and combines well with Alexander-Arnold, but the ball ends up going behind.

Both teams just feeling each other out during the opening few minutes. Southampton try to get something working down that left-hand flank, but Ryan Bertrand is unable to keep the ball from rolling behind for a goal kick.

Referee Martin Atkinson gets this semi-final decider underway. Liverpool will kick from right to left in the first half.

Top marks to Southampton for that black and silver away kit. One of the best change strips that the Premier League currently has to offer, in this humble writer's opinion.

It's looking a little bit chilly on Merseyside this evening...

Kick-off is now just over five minutes away.

Klopp appearing remarkably relaxed and upbeat during his pre-match television interview.

Puel, meanwhile, is confident that Stephens can handle the pressure of the occasion.

Discounting the EFL Trophy, Southampton have not scooped a major honour since their 1976 FA Cup victory over Manchester United. They did reach the League Cup final for the first and only time three years later under Lawrie McMenemy, but ended up losing 3-2 to Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest.

Eight-time League Cup winners Liverpool, bidding to reach their 13th final, will not need reminding that extra-time and penalties are a possibility tonight if the tie ends all square. Last year they lost their semi-final second leg against Stoke City 1-0 at Anfield and relied on spot-kicks to see them through before losing via the same method to Manchester City at Wembley.

A reminder that Klopp, who held a frank dressing room discussion with his team after that defeat to Swansea, has never lost any of his semi-finals as a club manager....

Southampton have plenty of injury worries to contend with at present, with Van Dijk joined in the treatment room by record signing Sofiane Boufal, Charlie Austin, Alex McCarthy, Jeremy Pied, Matt Targett and Jake Hesketh.

Other than Clyne, Liverpool's only other absentees are Marko Grujic, Adam Bogdan and Danny Ings.

Klopp will be desperate for supporters to carry that sort of spirited atmosphere into the stadium, although obviously without the flares...

Southampton had lost all of their last four Premier League matches before that win over Leicester, whose abysmal away form has underpinned a steep fall from champions to possible relegation battlers.

The Saints also squeezed past Norwich in an FA Cup third round replay last week and currently sit 11th in the top-flight, comfortably above the bottom three but with no hope of repeating last year's exploits and qualifying for Europe.

While they do not concede many, goals have been somewhat hard to come by under Puel and some supporters have expressed concern over a loss of identity.

The big news for Southampton concerns the absence of much sought-after centre-back Virgil van Dijk, who limped out of the second half of Sunday's dominant 3-0 win over Leicester City with an ankle injury. Claude Puel remained cagey on his fitness a couple of days ago, insisting that it was not serious and that the club were awaiting the results of a scan.

With no defensive reinforcements yet secured in the wake of Jose Fonte's move to West Ham United, 22-year-old Jack Stephens once again comes in to partner Maya Yoshida. That, you imagine, will be a clear area of weakness for Liverpool to exploit.

Steven Davis returns to captain the Saints after injury, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg dropping to the bench.

Like Coutinho, Oriol Romeu and academy graduate Josh Sims both signed new deals this week.

Liverpool confirm that Clyne is suffering from a rib/abdominal issue. He originally picked up that knock at St Mary's and missed the trip to Old Trafford before returning against Swansea.

Matip replaces Klavan as expected, while Loris Karius deputises for Simon Mignolet between the posts. The much-maligned back-up goalkeeper's impressive performance was one of few bright spots for Liverpool in the first leg.

Nathaniel Clyne misses out due to injury, so 18-year-old Trent Alexander-Arnold gets the nod at right-back once again. Daniel Sturridge also replaces Georginio Wijnaldum, with Adam Lallana in midfield.

Liverpool have gone rather early with their team news. Here's their squad for tonight...

Liverpool's preparations for this second-leg fixture have been immeasurably boosted by this morning's news that Philippe Coutinho, who made his return from ankle ligament damage in the first game against Southampton, had ended speculation over a potential move to Barcelona by signing a new five-year contract.

Captain Jordan Henderson is also fit to play tonight despite a lingering heel problem and a fresh knock sustained at the weekend.

"It's different, it's similar but still different. We know much more from last year about it," Klopp said at his pre-match press conference when asked if the problem would need to be managed in a similar way to the heel injury that plagued Henderson last season.

"We don't train a lot in this period between the games so instead of running one day, when the players who have played 90 minutes are running for recovery, he's on the bike - that's maybe the only difference with what we do with him.

"The rest is how I said - you don't use the phrase 'bite on his teeth' [grit his teeth]? You know what it means, it's not the moment to feel nothing, he always feels a little bit, but he can cope with it."

After scoring hatfuls of goal en route to establishing themselves as the most realistic threat to Chelsea's ambitions, Liverpool have experienced something of a slump in 2017 with only one win from their last six matches across all competitions. A shock 3-2 home defeat by relegation-threatened Swansea City on Saturday came as a hammer blow to their title ambitions and ended a formidable home unbeaten run that stretched back over a year.

Jurgen Klopp lamented his side's defensive mistakes after that upset and is expected to hand Joel Matip his first start for six weeks tonight in place of Ragnar Klavan. Despite having recovered from an ankle injury, the centre-back was withdrawn from contention for the draw with Manchester United and not risked in the FA Cup third round replay win at Plymouth Argyle amid an ugly eligibility row with Cameroon.

Fifa finally cleared him to play last week and he was subsequently thrown on as a makeshift striker against Swansea as the Reds searched in vain for a stoppage-time equaliser. He also played 60 minutes for the U23s against Ipswich Town on Sunday.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

Good evening and welcome to IBTimes UK's live coverage of Burns Night football. The old bard would no doubt have preferred us to focus on tonight's Scottish Premiership clash between leaders Celtic and St Johnstone, but instead we lock in on events south of the border as Liverpool and Southampton meet at Anfield in the all-important second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final.

The Saints' failure to make their dominance count at St Mary's a fortnight ago means this tie remains finely poised, with only a cool first-leg finish from Nathan Redmond separating the two sides ahead of kick-off.

So dish up your haggis, neeps and tatties and join us as we guide you through all the latest injury lines, official team news and confirmed lineups. Live updates to follow after kick-off at 20.00 GMT.