The best time of the season for players who are sidelined in the best Premier League squads is the early rounds of the EFL Cup, where athletes with little playing time can shine. Federico Chiesa was the best player on the field in Liverpool's 2-1 victory over Sunderland in Tuesday's most anticipated match.
Everything pointed to Liverpool having complete dominance over one of the worst teams in the 2025/26 Championship season after Isak started the match putting pressure on McCarthy, but Sunderland managed to cause the Reds some trouble, mainly through Adam Armstrong, who posed a huge threat to Giorgi Mamardashvilli and failed to take advantage of a great scoring opportunity he had.
Shortly after Sothon almost opened the scoring, Liverpool showed how to score a beautiful goal. Chiesa read the game excellently and received a good pass near the goalkeeper, surprising McCarthy by leaving the ball just right for Alexander Isak to finish after a low cross into the center of the penalty area.
Chiesa was tested in new roles at Liverpool
During the second half, Arne Slot decided to exploit Federico Chiesa's versatility by assigning him a different role, taking on the position of "number 10" after Conor Bradley came on for Curtis Jones. In addition, Ekitiké was also brought on and showed good chemistry with the Italian in organizing plays.
The problem was that Southampton remained alert and managed to snatch a draw from a corner kick. Endo misplaced his clearance, and Shea Charles picked up the loose ball in the box to level the score. The Reds were close to taking the tie to penalties, but the considerable difference in technical ability between the two squads made the difference.
In the final stretch of the game, with his team ahead, Chiesa returned to playing wide, now on the left, and almost managed another assist with a perfect cross to Ekitiké, who sent the ball just wide of the net. Near the end of regulation time, Chiesa received a great pass behind the defense and set up Ekitiké to make it 2-1.
The striker, who had received his first yellow card early in the second half for complaining, received his second for removing his shirt. Liverpool held on to their lead with one man down to advance, but the Frenchman received harsh criticism from Arne Slot after the game for receiving an "unnecessary and stupid" card.