While Liverpool have understandably relied upon their star players in 2021/22, there have also been some unlikely heroes along the way. Caoimhin Kelleher scored the decisive penalty in the Carabao Cup final before Kostas Tsimikas did likewise in the FA Cup last weekend, and Divock Origi has popped up with vital goals as he usually does.
But for the game at Southampton on Tuesday evening, Jurgen Klopp almost fielded an entire XI of understudies. Alisson Becker and Ibrahima Konate were the only men who retained their places from the Reds’ latest Wembley win over Chelsea and seven of Klopp’s most used 11 players this season were left out for one reason or another.
It would have been reasonable to expect some rustiness from the reserve Reds. Harvey Elliott hadn’t appeared in any of Liverpool’s previous 13 fixtures while Curtis Jones had only started twice in those matches, yet both did well. Arguably the most important contribution was made by a player who hadn’t started since the FA Cup victory against Norwich in the first week of March though.
