Arne Slot has continued his dream run at Liverpool with a 2-1 win at Southampton, despite not being on the touchline.

Slot was suspended for the Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at St Mary’s, where Liverpool soared into a 2-0 first-half lead.

Harvey Elliott impressed for Liverpool, with the midfielder firing home in the 32nd minute after Darwin Nunez’s 24th-minute opener.

Cameron Archer gave the hosts hope in the second-half, but the visitors held on to secure a Carabao Cup semi-final spot.

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Slot may not have been grateful for another midweek game, but its nature did allow for him to make several changes.

Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images2024 Liverpool FC

One such change saw youngster Tyler Morton come in and play the entire 90 minutes, initially in midfield before a switch to right-back.

Former Liverpool player Jason McAteer said Morton ‘struggled’ for Liverpool in that role, and that was certainly the case, while he didn’t cover himself in much glory in midfield either.

Despite playing the entire match against Southampton, Morton was the joint-lowest-rated Liverpool player on the night, as per Sofascore.

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He failed to win any of his five duels, an issue that Slot appreciates, while he lost possession 12 times and conceded two fouls.

Moreover, the midfielder was inaccurate with his two long passes and one cross, with Morton also dribbled past once.

Given Southampton’s recent struggles and his own motivation to impress, a much more assured display would have been expected from the Liverpool academy graduate.

It was a fantastic opportunity for Morton to showcase his skills, having found it very difficult to break into the first team under Slot.

The 22-year-old had featured for just 72 minutes prior to the Southampton game, having played against West Ham and Brighton in previous Carabao Cup rounds.

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Morton is valued at £20million, which should more than tempt the Liverpool powers that be into considering his sale in January.

But a loan move next month is a much better option, with the midfielder having impressed during temporary spells at both Blackburn Rovers and Hull City.

ClubAppearancesGoalsAssistsBlackburn46–4Hull City4135Liverpool12–1Tyler Morton career stats

Even with a busy schedule and his versatility, it is clear that Slot doesn’t exactly trust the youngster on the pitch, but there is opportunity for development away from Anfield.

There is clearly a talented player there, and he did play out of position against the Saints, but Slot has set such high standards this season, and it remains to be seen if Morton can keep up with the pace.

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