Southampton are through to their first major final since 2003 after beating Liverpool in the semi-final of the EFL Cup, over two legs.

A first leg lead of 1-0, thanks to a goal from summer signing Nathan Redmond, gave the Saints a head start at Anfield on Wedneday night, but a performance of the highest order, capped with a well taken stoppage-time goal from Shane Long, got them through 2-0 on aggregate.

Claude Puel will now be preparing his side to go to Wembley in a month’s time looking to bring back the League Cup for the first time in the club’s history, and will face either Manchester United or Hull City in the final.

Whilst the Saints were well drilled and organised, Liverpool look quite the opposite, often looking lacklustre and frustrated as they continue their poor run of form, having won just one in seven since the turn of the year, an FA Cup third round replay at Plymouth.

With that, here are THREE things we learned from Liverpool v Southampton…

Puel’s plot

The Frenchman has been questioned by some sections of the Saints support since he took the reigns from former St. Mary’s hero Ronald Koeman over the summer.

However, not one fan can question the former Lyon boss after the way he set his side up at Anfield on Wednesday night. From Maya Yoshida and Jack Stephens holding tight in the middle to Dusan Tadic and Nathan Redmond on the wings dropping back the second the hosts won the ball back, everyone knew their role and executed it to perfection.

Klopp the poor loser?

Jurgen Klopp has been hailed as breath of fresh air in the Premier League since his arrival from Germany as Brendan Rodgers’ replacement.

However, after the semi-final loss to the Saints, the former Borussia Dortmund and Mainz boss blamed everything from the referee to the wind for his side’s poor showing. Maybe we’re starting to see a bitter side to the ‘Normal One.’

Midfield money

Liverpool have spent a lot of money over the past few seasons, £100m of which was spent of players from Southampton, making the semi-final win all the more sweeter for Saints fans.

However, the pairing of Jordan Henderson and Emre Can in the middle seems to highlight where the Reds may have been lacking in investment.

The two are both highly talented midfielders, however, they are also very similar in their styles, meaning that something is missing.

A perfect midfield works when the opposing styles complement each other, take the physical and commanding Oriol Romeu, who shut down most Liverpool moves at Anfield, before moving the ball forward to the more technical and polished styles of Steven Davis or James Ward-Prowse.

Maybe Jurgen should take a look at his middle men?