Liverpool vs Southampton
20:00, Wednesday 28th February
Anfield, Liverpool
FA Cup Fifth Round
Referee: Craig Pawson
Fresh from lifting the English Football League Cup following their extra-time victory over Chelsea on Sunday, Liverpool host Southampton at Anfield in Wednesday evening in the fifth round of the 2023-24 FA Cup. Jurgen Klopp’s Reds gave been in excellent form of late, with just a league defeat away to Arsenal amidst a strong run on Premier League wins, and arrive in the fifth round of the FA Cup after victories away to Arsenal & home to Norwich City. Their visiting promotion-hopefuls are going through a tricky run, having lost three of their last four Championship fixtures after dropping points via six draws in their previously twenty-two matches – the Saints arrive in the fifth found of the back of a third-round victory over Walsall and a 3-0 replay win over Watford.
Liverpool and Southampton have been drawn together in the FA Cup on eight previous occasions (with two of these requiring replays), with the last meeting also being a fifth round tie at Anfield – the hosts won 3-0, courtesy of goals from Ian Rush, Peter Beardsley, and Steve Nicol, before ultimately being beaten 4-3 in a Villa Park semi-final by Crystal Palace. The Reds are eight-time winners of the FA Cup, last lifting the trophy in 2022, whilst the Saints won their one FA Cup in 1976 and most-recently reached the final in 2003. Southampton last visited Anfield in November 2022, falling to a 3-1 defeat in Nathan Jones’ first match in charge, whilst the sides’ last meeting was on the final day of the 2023-24 season – with league matters already settled (Liverpool falling short of European Cup qualification and Southampton’s relegation already confirmed), the sides played out an entertaining 4-4 draw.
After a very difficult period following their relegation from the Premier League in 2005, which included spending 2009-10 & 2010-11 League One, and eleven-year stay in the top flight from 2012-13 can be viewed positively from a Southampton perspective. Their first five seasons, in particular, were very successful – they enjoyed a relatively good showing on their return, finishing 14th, before four successive top-half finishes under Mauritio Pochettino, Ronald Koeman, and Claude Puel. The Saints rather lost their way from 2017-18 onwards, however – they showed occasional promise under Ralph Hasenhuttl, but eventually fell apart during a dreadful 2022-23 season in which they and say bottom of the table through more than half the season before their inevitable relegation.
Following their miserable campaign last season – and managerial uncertainly through spells with Hasenhuttl, Jones, & Ruben Selles at the helm – the appointment of former Wycombe Wanderers and Norwich defender, Russell Martin, as manager looked like a reasonably shrewd move. A former Scotland international, the young manager had shown promise during short spells with MK Dons & Swansea City. Martin’s Saints started the season well, but fell to four successive defeats in September that threatened to end their promotion hopes before their campaign had really got going. Southampton were excellent through autumn & much of winter, however, going unbeaten and dropping just twelve points in twenty-two league matches, whilst also progressing to the fifth round of the FA Cup. Their form during the last couple of weeks has dropped off poorly, however, with defeats away to Bristol City and away to Hull City & Millwall seeing them lose touch with fellow promotion candidates Leeds United & Ipswich Town.
Contextual factors mean that neither Liverpool nor their visitors will identify the FA Cup a priority for the remainder of the season, with title- & promotion-challenges taking precedent, respectively, but both will see opportunity in this midweek fixture. For Russell Martin’s Southampton, a cup tie under the Anfield lights could be considered as freeing from the pressure that recent form has put upon them in the league – there’s minimal expectancy on them for the match, and so a positive performance against the Premier League leaders could be just the tonic. Jurgen Klopp has seen his squad depleted of senior players during recent weeks, but the excellent performances of Liverpool’s crop of talented youngsters – not least in Sunday’s League Cup Final success – has transformed the shape of the squad in the eyes of supporters. Jarrell Quansah & Conor Bradley seem – like Caoimhin Kelleher before them – to have quickly established themselves as key squad players, and they & Bobby Clark can all be expected to start on Wednesday night. James McConnell & Jayden Danns have also already had a taste of – and contributed to – success with Liverpool, and both will hope to feature against Southampton, as the Reds seek to progress a memorable final few months of Jurgen Klopp’s time in charge of the club.
