Liverpool vs Southampton LIVE: FA Cup result and reaction as Jayden Danns scores first two senior goals

Jurgen Klopp has sprung to Chelsea’s defence by insisting they did not “bottle it” in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.

Mauricio Pochettino’s team came in for heavy criticism after losing in extra time to a Liverpool side featuring the teenagers Bobby Clark, James McConnell and Jayden Danns and doing too little to win the game after Klopp brought on rookies.

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville branded the big spenders “blue billion-pound bottle jobs” but Klopp disagreed with that assessment.

He drew on his own experience of being beaten in finals – including his first three with Liverpool and the 2013 Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund – to stand up for Chelsea.

Confirmed lineups for tonight are in!

Liverpool XI: Kelleher, Gomez, Quansah, Van Dijk, Tsimikas, McConnell, Elliott, Clark, Bradley, Gakpo, Koumas

Southampton XI: Lumley, Bree, Stephens, Bendarek, Manning, Charles, Rothwell, Aribo, Edozie, Mara, Kamaldeen

The FA Cup fifth round takes place this week – with an important change to the rules of the competition.

The old tradition of drawn Cup ties being replayed still applies to the third and fourth rounds, but fifth-round replays were scrapped during the 2018-19 season as part of a gradual slimming down of the tournament.

So every round from the fifth onwards will be decided by one tie, with extra-time and a penalty shootout available to settle drawn games.

The topic of FA Cup replays remains one of some controversy. For clubs participating in European competition after Christmas, the fixture congestion can become almost unmanageable, particularly given that Carabao Cup semi-finals are still played over two midweek legs. Fitting in FA Cup replays can be a challenge.

More here on the scrapping of replays:

Jurgen Klopp may have to start with Liverpool’s Carabao Cup-winning kids to try and keep their quadruple bid going against Southampton in the FA Cup.

Jayden Danns, who has never begun a first-team game, and James McConnell and Bobby Clark, who have only started one each, all came off the bench against Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday, along with 20-year-old Jarell Quansah.

And with Ryan Gravenberch added to Liverpool’s lengthy injury list and Klopp admitting he may need “miracles” for others of his senior players to be available on Wednesday, he could field an inexperienced side at Anfield on Wednesday.

Team news is up soon - here are Klopp’s hints ahead of kick-off.

After a week of Fantasy Premier League managers juggling their squads to account for teams not in action and the Carabao Cup final, it’s back to the grind for gameweek 27 - which started after Monday night football.

It’s a straight-up, everybody-plays-once gameweek this time around to make matters more simple, though for bosses considering transfers, next week again sees two clubs face double gameweeks so our transfer tips this time around have that in mind as well.

There are plenty of times when Jurgen Klopp scarcely has the feel of a 56-year-old: when he is bounding about on the touchline or berating fourth officials, when he is at the centre of celebrations with men decades his junior, when, last week after beating Luton, as his captain Virgil van Dijk smiled on benevolently, it was Klopp who turned to all found stands of Anfield to perform his trademark fist pumps.

There are occasional other moments when perhaps he does: when in November he realised his energy was not endless and concluded this had to be his final season at Liverpool or when he was pictured on the plane back from Wembley, dozing with the Carabao Cup in his arms; for the record, Klopp insists he only had a sip of beer.

Rich Jolly on the Cup-winning boss:

Liverpool completed the opening leg of their quadruple attempt this season when they defeated Chelsea in extra-time in the EFL Cup final at Wembley. Next on the agenda for Jurgen Klopp’s side is the FA Cup and a fifth round tie against Southampton on Wednesday evening (8pm, ITV1).

The Merseyside club defeated Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium and then blew Norwich away 5-2 at Anfield to reach this stage of the competition. With a home draw against a Championship club, they will fancy their chances of booking a spot in the last eight.

Liverpool are second favourites in the FA Cup odds for the trophy this season. The eight time winners last lifted the FA Cup in 2022 when they beat Chelsea on penalties in the final.

Here are the latest odds and pre-match tips:

Liverpool will look to keep their faint hopes of a quadruple alive when they host Southampton in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday.

Fresh off their dramatic 1-0 win against Chelsea in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final, Jurgen Klopp’s injury-stricken side face a quick turnaround before their latest cup clash against Championship side Southampton.

The Saints, looking to bounce straight back to the Premier League after last year’s relegation, are well-poised for a playoff push after an impressive start to the season.

Russell Martin’s side, though, have lost three of their last four league games, including a disappointing 2-1 defeat at home against relegation-threatened Millwall.

Here’s everything you need to know.

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