Southampton vs. Liverpool: Score, Reaction from 2015 Capital One Cup Match

Liverpool advanced to the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup with an emphatic 6-1 win over Southampton on Wednesday, in large part thanks to an unexpected hat-trick from young starlet Divock Origi.

Sadio Mane opened the score inside the first minute, but the Reds struck back via Daniel Sturridge, who bagged a quick brace. Origi made the score 3-1 with a slight deflection just before half-time and all but put the match away with a brilliant strike after the break. Substitute Jordon Ibe made it 5-1, before Origi completed his hat-trick.

Southampton certainly didn't deserve to lose 6-1, as the hosts were the better team for large stretches of the match, but the Reds were far more clinical and played some superb attacking football in spurts.

As shared by Liverpool's official Twitter account, Sturridge was fit to start, while Origi also got the chance to impress manager Jurgen Klopp:

Liverpool had a horror start, however. Within seconds of the opening kick-off, the Saints worked the ball out wide and Ryan Bertrand launched a cross for Mane, who was left completely unmarked by Alberto Moreno. The forward easily headed home, giving the hosts the lead within the first minute.

Bleacher Report UK couldn't help themselves:

Southampton continued to press and came close to doubling their advantage, as Victor Wanyama was also given too much space at the back post. Adam Bogdan produced a fine save to keep the Reds from going down two goals, but the defence clearly struggled picking up the runners inside the box.

Liverpool looked very nervy, and Emre Can nearly troubled Martin Skrtel with a poor back pass. The hosts dominated the first 10 minutes, as the Reds just couldn't get a grip on the midfield proceedings.

But as the first half proceeded, Liverpool started finding more and more space out wide. Moreno put pressure on the Southampton defence with a number of surging runs forward, and Origi also did well with the pockets of space he was given.

Chances were few, despite the high tempo of the match, and with his first good look on goal, Sturridge pulled Liverpool level. Joe Allen found the England international with a lovely pass, and while Sturridge initially took a poor touch, he recovered to create some space and blast a shot past Maarten Stekelenburg.

James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo thought the goal was sorely needed:

Suddenly, the Reds came alive, and just minutes later, Sturridge doubled their lead. Can played the striker in beautifully with a clever pass from the outside of his boot, and Sturridge easily converted from close range, with a little help from Stekelenburg.

According to Dominic King of the Daily Mail, it was a clear example of why Liverpool miss Sturridge so much whenever he's out with an injury:

Southampton were shellshocked at the sudden turn of events, and it showed in their play. On more than one occasion a promising attack broke down because the wingers just couldn't make up their mind, and the pressure on the Reds' defence was lifted.

Sturridge tried to find his hat-trick minutes before half-time, but his free-kick flew well over Stekelenburg's goal. It looked as if the score would remain 2-1, but just before the end of the half, Liverpool struck again.

Moreno fired a hard shot into the box after an Adam Lallana corner, and Origi got a slight touch on the ball to deviate it past Stekelenburg. While it initially looked like Moreno would be credited with the goal, BBC Sport's Phil McNulty told his followers it would instead go to the Belgian:

Southampton seemed determined to continue pushing forward early in the second half, and the first chance of the half fell to the Saints, as Graziano Pelle blasted a shot into the side netting after a lovely ball from Dusan Tadic.

Liverpool were happy to defend and aim for the counter attack, and Lallana was the first to try his luck, aiming a shot from distance well wide of the goal. On the other end of the pitch, Connor Randall did well to block Pelle.

Substitute Shane Long fired a header just wide of the post as Southampton continued to push, but against the run of play, the goal fell on the other end of the pitch.  Ibe found Origi with a great through ball, and the young Belgian easily beat Stekelenburg to all but end the tie.

Per the Liverpool Echo's Neil Jones, there was little doubt this was Origi's goal:

Similar to the boost the Reds got from Sturridge's goal in the first half, Liverpool suddenly started playing fantastic football again. Origi and Moreno combined beautifully to set up Ibe, who took a touch with his chest and made it 5-1 after 72 minutes.

Southampton's bid to advance to the semi-finals was now truly over, but to their credit, the hosts continued to look for goals. That decision came back to haunt them, as instead, Origi completed his hat-trick with a good header.

ESPN's Richard Jolly gladly showered Klopp with praise for his efforts with some of the Reds' most recent signings:

With Sturridge now healthy and the young Reds side starting to find their form, Liverpool have an excellent chance of grabbing their first piece of silverware under Klopp. Health will be key, as Sturridge adds so much to the Liverpool attack, but Wednesday's win may have been a coming-out party for young talents like Origi and Ibe.

While it's just one match and fans shouldn't get carried away too much, Wednesday's massive win gave the Liverpool faithful plenty of reasons to be optimistic moving forward.

Post-Match Reaction

Klopp was more than satisfied with his team's performance, praising their creativity in the second half, per the Reds' official Twitter account:

He also reserved special praise for Sturridge, saying he now understands why people speak so highly of him:

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