Slot says Liverpool want to defend their Carabao Cup crown after securing a place in the semi-finals

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 side, Slot’s side emerged victorious thanks to first-half strikes from Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott on a topsy-turvy evening on the south coast.

Cameron Archer halved the deficit on the hour mark as Southampton, under interim boss Simon Rusk following the sacking of Russell Martin on Sunday, produced a spirited second-half display.

But it was the holders, and the current leaders of the Premier League, who made progress, with Slot emphasizing the importance of keeping the trophy after the match.

“We want 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 and that’s why we are happy to have reached the semi-finals. It’s always a tough competition but this time for sure.”

“We want to defend the trophy” 🏆

Arne Slot shares his thoughts as Liverpool progress to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup 💭 pic.twitter.com/1GMEHTeL0X

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) December 18, 2024

Slot, who because of a touchline ban suffered after picking up the third yellow card of the season in the 2-2 draw with Fulham, followed the game from above in the stands.

And the Liverpool boss was largely happy with his side’s performance but admitted their standards have dipped at times.

“The first half was really good,” Slot said. “Good performance, we played really well.

“It didn’t come as a surprise as Alisofrietil the goal, I think before we started getting a bit sloppy we lost one or two easy balls”

The Reds return to league action on Sunday, when they travel to Tottenham, who will take on Manchester United in the last quarter-final of the Carabao Cup on Thursday evening.