Southampton 1-2 Liverpool reaction: Francis Benali on Carabao Cup tie

Francis Benali, a former Southampton defender, believes that the team’s showing in the second half of their Carabao Cup quarter-final loss to Liverpool on Wednesday has some encouraging signs for the next manager who will take over from Russell Martin.

With Simon Rusk temporarily in charge, Southampton had a lackluster first half but came out stronger after halftime. They managed to score a goal and made a strong effort to equalize toward the end of the match.

"While it's disappointing to be eliminated from the cup competition at this point, there are definitely some positives that they can and should focus on from their performance in the second half," Benali mentioned during the Football Daily podcast.

In the first half, it felt like the players were just going through the motions. Liverpool was in control of the game, even with the adjustments they had made to their lineup.

Southampton's main priority has shifted back to staying in the Premier League. They need to swiftly bring in a new manager to help turn things around behind the scenes at St Mary's.

"We need to fill this position urgently, as the new hire will require time to collaborate with the team in order to ensure we remain in the league this season."

A lot of tasks still need to be completed.

Tune in to the complete episode on BBC Sounds.