Liverpool coach Arne Slot appeared in press statements after qualifying for the Round of 16 of the English League Cup, following a 2-1 victory over Southampton.

The coach said: "It wasn't our best performance; you can expect that when we field an entirely new team, with many players who haven't played in a long time."

He added: "There were some positives; Georgi Mamaradashvili had a good match, as did Federico Chiesa and Giovanni Leone. Alexander Isak scored his first goal, and Hugo Ekitike netted another one."

He emphasized: "There were positives from the match, but in terms of team performance — and without undermining Southampton, who played well — our performance wasn't the best."

Regarding Ekitike's second yellow card for taking off his shirt in celebration of his winning goal, he said: "If he had scored a goal after dribbling three players and placing it in the top corner, perhaps he could have made everything revolve around him, but if I scored a goal like that, I would turn to Federico Chiesa to make everything revolve around him thanks to his running and assist."

On Giovanni Leone's injury, Arne Slot commented: "Of course, he is affected because he didn't feel comfortable right away, but this is something we need to evaluate now. Usually, these things don't happen within five to ten minutes, and you have to wait until tomorrow to see how he returns, and then perhaps an MRI will be conducted to learn more about the seriousness of the matter. Usually, a player's feelings tell you a lot... Let's hope for the best."

He concluded his remarks about Chiesa: "He was the most involved player in the game, who put in maximum effort and worked hard."