Liverpool were sent packing from the EFL Cup in front of their home crowd on Wednesday night, and it was Ireland's Shane Long whose goal sealed the deal for Southampton.
Although Liverpool were camped in Southampton's half for much of the second half of the game, they were caught on the counterattack in the dying minutes after yet another poor corner from James Milner gifted possession to Claude Puel's side, allowing them to clear their lines and launch a counter attack.
Josh Sims, one of Southampton's young stars, drove up the pitch before playing a smart ball through for the Irish international, and he made no mistake against Loris Karius.
The moment Shane Long sent #SaintsFC to Wembley! Reaction on SS1 now. https://t.co/yspEKtwsSP
— Sky Football âš½ï¸ (@SkyFootball) January 25, 2017
Speaking after the game, Jamie Carragher pinpointed Long's contribution as key, and added that Liverpool are lacking a player like him in their ranks.
"I'm a fan of Shane Long [...] he's always the type of player, when he comes on you think he'll cause a problem with his pace," Carragher stated. "I've played against him, and it's not just his pace, it's his strength, that low centre of gravity.
"There was one incident on the other side [of the pitch] where he just knocked Matip over when he jumped for a ball. Coming up against him, you always feel he'll cause you a problem on the counter.
"I'm sure we'll get to Liverpool later, but you look a the two benches and when you see Shane Long coming on you think, that's better than what Liverpool have got on the bench in terms of a forward coming on, someone to bring on who you think can cause damage, bring some pace, run in behind.
"Liverpool don't seem to have that luxury at the moment."
This wouldn't be the first time that the Irish star has been linked with Liverpool either; he was apparently in line for a move back in his Reading days, when Kenny Dalglish believed he would provide another option outside of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez.
He was apparently on the radar again when Charlie Austin joined Southampton during the transfer window of January 2016.
While the Anfield club were believed to have had a bid rejected for Long back then, he spoke to the Irish Sun about sticking with Southampton, saying: "I'm here to stay."
"There’s good competition in the squad," Long added. "That pushes every player to play to their best because someone is waiting to jump in and take your spot."
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