Liverpool hit Saints for six to reach League Cup semis

Liverpool ran riot to reach the League Cup semi-finals with a 6-1 thrashing of Southampton in which Divock Origi grabbed a hat-trick and Daniel Sturridge scored twice.

Jordon Ibe added his name to the scoresheet as Liverpool emphatically overcame the early blow of Sadio Mane putting the hosts ahead inside a minute to emphasise their resurgence under new manager Juergen Klopp.

Klopp's side, who have now won seven of their last eight games in all competitions, join Premier League leaders Manchester City, Merseyside rivals Everton and Stoke City in the draw for the semi-finals.

While Liverpool's improvement under Klopp, especially away from home, has sparked a wave of renewed belief among their fans, they were second best and a long way off the pace as Southampton grabbed an early stranglehold on the tie.

A little over 40 seconds were on the clock when Mane stole a march on Liverpool left back Alberto Moreno and arrived at the far post to get his head to a cross from Ryan Bertrand and bury the ball past Adam Bogdan.

Liverpool, however, seem to have developed a steelier constitution under Klopp and turned the game around thanks to an inspired five minutes from Sturridge.

Having...