The Uruguayan opened the scoring in a hard-fought quarter-final win at St Mary's but his overall performance was unconvincing

Darwin Nunez silenced his critics… kind of. The much-maligned Liverpool striker responded to constant chants of "You're just a sh*t Andy Carroll!" at St Mary's on Wednesday night by opening the scoring in a 2-1 win over Southampton that sent the defending Carabao Cup champions into the semi-finals of this season's tournament.

Nunez didn't play particularly well thereafter but Arne Slot will obviously be hoping that the misfiring forward will be lifted by what was just his fourth goal of the 2024-25 campaign so far.

The Dutch manager will also have been delighted to see Harvey Elliott double Liverpool's advantage on his first start of the season – as well as the fact that a much-changed Liverpool line-up managed to withstand a second-half Southampton fightback sparked by Cameron Archer's wonderful curler to progress to the last four.

Below, GOAL rates all of the Reds on show as the Slot's side got back to winning ways after last weekend's 2-2 draw with Fulham in the Premier League…

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Caoimhin Kelleher (7/10):

Back in the starting line-up after losing his spot to the fit-again Alisson last week and had just one save to make in the opening 45 minutes. However, he made a cracking stop from Archer midway through the second half.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (7/10):

Liverpool's captain for the evening played a pivotal role in his side breaking the deadlock by jinking past a couple of players after receiving a poor pass from Kelleher under pressure – before launching the ball forward.

Jarell Quansah (5/10):

Looked like a much more composed Quansah than we've seen of late – at least in possession – but he was guilty of allowing Archer to cut inside onto his right far too easily and had a major scare in the dying seconds after appearing to take down Mateus Fernandes. It's become very easy to understand why he's fallen behind Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez at centre-back this season.

Wataru Endo (7/10):

Asked to fill in at centre-back and did an excellent job, with the Japan international repeatedly stepping into midfield to good effect, most notably in the build-up to the second goal.

Joe Gomez (6.5/10):

Liverpool's utility man was deployed on the left-hand side of the defence and had no issues at all with Tyler Dibling before being withdrawn at the break to give Kostas Tsimikas some much-needed game time.

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Trey Nyoni (7/10):

A very encouraging performance from the teenager on his full debut. Nyoni won the ball, used it smartly and also got a few shots away. A serious prospect.

Tyler Morton (6.5/10):

Saw plenty of the ball in his defensive midfield role and kept things nice and simple in possession but won't be happy with his role in the Archer goal, as he didn't really do anything other than get in Quansah's way.

Alexis Mac Allister (6.5/10):

The senior man in midfield, Mac Allister was unsurprisingly good on the ball, creating a couple of decent openings and also went close to scoring. However, the Argentine definitely didn't make as big an impact as he would have liked before being withdrawn.

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Harvey Elliott (7.5/10):

Elliott couldn't have hoped for a better return to the starting line-up, with the versatile forward producing a fine low finish to double Liverpool's first-half lead. He did, however, pick up a silly yellow card for a tangle with Flynn Downes.

Darwin Nunez (7/10):

A badly-needed goal for the Uruguayan, who showed uncharacteristic composure before opening the scoring. Has to be said, though, he never really looked like adding a second and was guilty of some dreadful decision-making in the closing stages.

Cody Gakpo (7.5/10):

No goal for Mr. Carabao Cup on this occasion but he did create Elliott's goal with a well-timed pass after a tidy exchange with Endo. As usual, a constant threat down his preferred left flank before being given a well-earned rest ahead of the weekend.

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Kostas Tsimikas (4/10):

The Greek international was introduced during the break and made two dreadful errors that could easily have resulted in goals.

Federico Chiesa (6.5/10):

Finally back on the field! Chiesa came on at half-time and had a fine chance to score in the 68th minute but seemed to try to pass rather than score himself. Still, he showcased his skillset with an outrageous first touch followed by a nutmeg, and also had a shot cleared off the line at the death.

James McConnell (6/10):

Took over in midfield from Mac Allister shortly after the hour mark and looked confident.

Diogo Jota (7/10):

Replaced Gakpo but took on the No.9 role while Nunez moved out to the left. Almost immediately created a great chance for Chiesa and was just so lively. Slot will be praying the fragile Portuguese will be available for Sunday's Premier League clash with Spurs.

Jayden Danns (N/A):

Only saw five minutes of game time after being subbed on for Nyoni.

Arne Slot (7/10):

Made wholesale changes – some of which were enforced – but still came away with the win. The decision to use Endo at the back was a masterstroke.