All things considered, this game couldn't have gone any better. Not only did we seal our place in the next round, but Markus Babbel completed an impressive ninety minutes, strikers El Hadji Diouf and Milan Baros both added to their goals tally, Chris Kirkland gave us another glimpse of his undoubted talent, and young Jon Otsemobor performed admirably on his first team debut.
As expected, Gerard Houllier made widespread changes to the side, with captain for the night Steven Gerrard the only starter who could be classed as 'first choice.' Fringe players such as Diouf and Cheyrou were included, along with forgotten men like Biscan, Berger and Vignal, and it's a measure of the strength in depth GH has assembled that our 'reserve' side were able to overcome what is a more than useful Southampton outfit.
The Saints are having a good season, and were at full strength for a tie which was possibly the toughest we could have had in this round. Had we been drawn against a team who are invloved in European football, they'd have fielded a weakened side. Similarly, sides who expect to be battling relegation, say Bolton or Sunderland, would have done likewise. For mid-table Southampton however, a team with little threat of relegation and not a hope of earning a European spot through their league placing, the Worthington Cup is something to take very seriously. That made them dangerous opposition.
They were never going to be a pushover, and it needed Kirkland to be at his brilliant best to keep them at bay in the opening half. The reds' struggled to get their passing game going early on, which was understandable given the number of changes and the fact that several of the side haven't played at this level for a while, or not at all in the case of young 'Semmy.'
In the opening twenty minutes, Otsemobor was probably our best player. Neat and tidy in possession, he charged forward at every opportunity and defended well when called upon. Too many attacks petered out due to a poor final ball though, and the reds' best opportunity fell to Smicer when he bundled his way into the box before dragging a shot wide.
Southampton on the other hand were peppering Kirkland's goal. Obviously sensing an aerial weakness in the home side's makeshift back four, they launched plenty of high crosses into the area, and seemed keen to engage the reds' backline in a game of head tennis at every opportunity. It was clearly a deliberate ploy, and it worked well in the opening half.
Kirkland saved well from Bridge, then he twice denied Delgado, first with a spectacular flying stop from the strikers powerful snapshot, and then tipping over a looping header. The pick of his first half collection however, was a miraculous low save from Oakley's 20 yard drive. 'Kirky' is about 6ft 6, but his agility is amazing. To get down as quickly as he did to deny Oakley almost defied belief, not to mention gravity.
The longer the game went on though, the more the revamped reds came into it. It took a while to get going, but eventually the likes of Smicer, Berger and Cheyrou began to excert an influence on proceedings. Gerrard was a bit subdued, largely due to the role he was given in a very attacking midfield. Someone had to sit in front of the back four and do the 'Hamann' job, and let's face it, it wasn't going to be Paddy, Vladi or Bruno was it!
Baros and Diouf were being well marshalled by the Saints back four, and poor old Milan took a couple of nasty blows to the head challenging for aerial balls. He'd only just received treatment for a head injury when he was clattered again by a stray elbow, and from the resulting free-kick, Berger blasted the ball home with the aid of a wicked deflection off Svensson. No doubt it will go down as an OG, but I'm giving it to Paddy.
The half time lead certainly flattered us, but we were much improved in the second half, and despite Gordon Strachan's post match comments, were definitely good value for the win.
Antti Niemi in the Saints goal had to pull off a string of good saves to keep us at bay in the second half, as Cheyrou, Smicer and Berger began to link up with the impressive Diouf to rip through the Saints rearguard time and again.
It took a Southampton equaliser though to really bring the best out of the reds. A scramble in the box saw Kirkland pull off a succession of quality stops, and just when it looked as though he'd averted the danger caused by two failed attempted clearances by Biscan, at the fourth time of asking Delgado finally grabbed the goal which the visitors had been threatening since the first whistle.
The decent sized group of Saints' fans were still celebrating when Diouf restored the reds' advantage, sidefooting home after Baros had bulldozed his way through the centre. El Hadji ran to the visiting fans just to rub it in a bit more. He loves winding people up does Diouf!
A couple of minutes later, Diouf - who was really starting to torment the Saints now - played in the tireless Berger, and the Czech picked out his young compatriot Baros who bundled the ball in from close range. Game over.
Smicer was denied after sweetly connecting with Vignal's beautiful left wing centre, and Cheyrou forced a stunning save from Niemi after more brilliant work by Diouf. There were other chances, including headers by substitutes Heskey and Diao, and a blistering right foot drive from the increasingly influential Cheyrou, as the reds started to click into gear.
The longer it went on, the better we got, which was to be expected. It took the players a while to get used to each other, but once they got into their stride they produced some excellent football against a decent side.
Vignal overcame a dodgy first half to give us a reminder of what he can do with an excellent second 45 minutes, and other than the part he played in Southampton's equaliser, Biscan had a decent game at centre half. Igor's distribution from the back was crisp and accurate, and his confidence seemed to be growing with each passing minute in the second half. I also liked the way he went over to congratulate 'Semmy' when he left the field. A nice touch that.
Cheyrou flitted in and out of the game, but everything he did had class written all over it. He's getting better all the time. Same with Diouf. Some of his close control was a joy to watch, and as ever, his work rate was commendable. Berger looked like the player we used to know and love, although he did give the ball away a bit too much at times.
The real plus points of the evening though were in defence, where Markus cruised through an hour at centre back, before switching to right back and showing that his fitness levels are now almost back to what they were. One marauding run down the flank in the dying minutes was a particularly heart warming sight.
The debut of Otsemobor was another major boost. Young 'Semmy' can be more than satisfied with his introduction to first team football. He used the ball well, was never flustered in possession and had no trouble dealing with the snarling Chris Marsden. A good night's work for the Academy graduate, who was rightly given a standing ovation when he was replaced by Djimi Traore.
The real hero though was Kirkland. It's a very difficult situation for him, as I'm convinced he would be first choice at ANY other premiership club. He seems to be happy to bide his time at the moment, but how much longer will that be the case? Jerzy is the best in the business right now, but 'Kirky' soon will be. We can't afford to let him go, and it's a difficult balancing act which Gerard has.
I don't know what the solution is, but if and when Kirkland decides that he's had enough of reserve team football, then Gerard will either have to drop Jerzy or send 'Kirky' out on loan somewhere for a year. He simply cannot be allowed to join another club, that's for sure.
Obviously he'll start all the Worthy Cup games, but I'd take it one step further and let him play in the FA Cup as well. He needs to have some incentive, and to feel like he's a part of things, and not just banging his head against a brick wall playing reserve team football. Chris Kirkland is a phenomenal talent. Unfortunately for him, so is Jerzy Dudek.
Team: Chris Kirkland, Jon Otsemobor (Djimi Traore), Markus Babbel, Igor Biscan, Gregory Vignal; Vladimir Smicer (Salif Diao), Steven Gerrard, Patrik Berger, Bruno Cheyrou; El Hadji Diouf, Milan Baros (Emile Heskey):
