Arne Slott insists Liverpool must defend their Carabao Cup title after securing a place in the semi-finals with a 2-1 win over Southampton at St Mary's.
Despite a major change in the squad, Slott's side emerged victorious thanks to first-half goals from Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott on a rainy evening on the south coast.
Cameron Archer halved the deficit on the hour mark as Southampton, under interim coach Simon Rask after Russell Martin was sacked on Sunday, produced a lively second-half display.
But it was the defending champions and current Premier League leaders who qualified, with Slott highlighting the importance of retaining the trophy after the match.
“We have to defend the title because the club won it last season,” Slott told Sky Sports.
“I wasn't involved but the players were, Jurgen (Klopp) and his staff of course.
“We want to compete in every cup, so we're happy to have reached the semi-finals. It's always a tough competition, but it's for sure this time.”
“We have to defend the cup.”
Arne Slott shares his thoughts as Liverpool progress to the Carabao Cup semi-finals 💭 pic.twitter.com/1GMEHTeL0X
– Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) December 18, 2024
Slott, who was suspended after picking up his third yellow card of the season in the 2-2 draw with Fulham, watched the game from the top of the stands.
The Liverpool coach was largely happy with his team's performance but admitted their standards had fallen at times.
“The first half was really good,” Slott said. “We did well, we played really well.
“But it was not a complete surprise that we conceded the goal because I think before that we started to act a bit sloppy. We lost one or two easy balls.”
The Reds return to league action on Sunday, when they make a trip to Tottenham, who face Manchester United in their final Carabao Cup quarter-final tie on Thursday evening.
