Southampton vs Liverpool match report: Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi share the goals for rampant Reds

Who could have expected Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool to be this good, this quickly? His revitalised side stormed into the semi-final of the Capital One Cup with a display of ferocious intensity and quality, beating a shell-shocked and unresponsive Southampton side 6-1.

This was Liverpool’s fourth straight win and their seventh in eight games. If it did not feel quite as impressive as the 4-1 win at Manchester City the Saturday before last, then that is only because of the differing levels of the opposition. But Liverpool, it must be said, were not at their strongest either, using none of Roberto Firmino, Nathaniel Clyne, Philippe Coutinho, Christian Benteke or James Milner.

None of those players seemed to matter, though, because Liverpool had Daniel Sturridge back. This was his first start for two months, his first under the new Anfield regime. He turned the game with two brilliant finishes within four first half minutes, finishes which few other strikers could do, finishes which underline that he is still the best player at the club.

But even Sturridge was outgunned by Divock Origi, of all people. Origi had never scored for Liverpool, and rarely looked like he would. But here he scored an implausible hat-trick, getting a slight touch on Alberto Moreno’s half-volley just before the break, then scoring two emphatic goals after the break.

After Klopp’s first game as Liverpool manager, a drab 0-0 draw at Tottenham, he said that he did not “have to sprinkle magic dust” on the players. But that is what he appears to have done, to Origi, most his team-mates, to the whole feel of the club. Liverpool will now face Stoke City over two legs in January, competing for a place at Wembley, and who would bet against them from here?

It took Liverpool a few minutes to grow into the game, time in which Southampton scored once and could have scored another. Sadio Mane put Saints ahead after 41 seconds, heading in from Ryan Bertrand’s cross, before Victor Wanyama headed straight at Adam Bogdan from the same position.

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Liverpool were taking their time to get their bearings. Sturridge and Divock Origi is not a familiar strike pairing, and not every pass matched every run.

But when Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool click they look gloriously instinctive. And once they turned it on here Southampton could not live with them.

The equaliser came when Joe Allen swept a perfect first-time diagonal pass to Sturridge, running wide of Caulker. Sturridge’s first touch took the ball too wide, but he paused, beat Caulker with a stepover and then arrowed a left-footed shot into the far bottom corner.

The next goal was even better. Emre Can robbed Jordi Clasie in midfield and shuffled the ball away from him. Then, with the outside of his right boot, he dropped a curling pass over the top of Caulker’s head, right onto Sturridge’s run. Sturridge finished before Stekelburg realised what had happened.

Those goals changed the game and Saints could not even get to the break within one goal. When they failed to corner in first-half added time, Moreono struck the ball on the half-volley and Divock Origi deflected it in at the near post.

Southampton needed to start the second half well and Ronald Koeman switched to a 3-4-3 system. That got Saints further up the pitch, and raised their tempo, but they could not find the quality to get back into the game. At the other end, the new system was easily picked apart.

Jurgen Klopp withdrew Daniel Sturridge after just 58 minutes, replacing him with Jordon Ibe and a seasonal ‘Christmas tree’ 4-3-2-1 system. It worked perfectly, as Ibe had drifted into the pocket of inside-right space, away from any possible marker. He played a perfect pass through to Origi, whose run exploited the uneven line of Saints’ back three. Origi thundered his shot in off the underside of the crossbar.

Liverpool were rampant and Southampton were beaten. With their next attack after the fourth goal, Liverpool scored a fifth. Origi laid the ball to Moreno, on the left wing, who faced no resistance at all to cross from the left. Ibe chested it down on the edge of the box, and scored into the bottom corner.

Liverpool took it easy for the next 13 minutes, but there was one goal left to come. Substitute Brad Smith, making a mockery of Saints’ system, before crossing into the box. Origi ran in behind Wanyama, playing as a very nominal centre-back, and headed in the sixth.

Everton v Manchester City/Stoke v Liverpool

First legs 5 & 6 January; Second legs 26 & 27 January; Final Sunday 28 Feb (Wembley)

Man of the match Sturridge.

Match rating 8/10.

Referee R Madley (West Yorkshire).

Attendance 31,592.