Alexander Isak scores first Liverpool goal since British record £125m move – after Arne Slot handed him start in Carabao Cup tie against Southampton
Alexander Isak scored his first Liverpool goal in their Carabao Cup third round tie against Southampton on Wednesday evening.
Isak was handed a start by Arne Slot for the clash at Anfield as the Swedish striker builds up his fitness having spent much of the summer on strike at Newcastle while he tried to force through a move.
Isak was one of 11 changes made by the Dutchman and it was his second start for the club after also playing 58 minutes against Atletico Madrid last week.
And the £125million British record signing got off the mark for the Reds just minutes before half time against the Championship side.
As Southampton tried to play out from the back, Federico Chiesa seized on a poor ball from Saints keeper Alex McCarthy inside the area.
Chiesa slotted the ball across the box and Isak was there to finish cooly from yards out to spark jubilant scenes at Anfield.
Alexander Isak scored his first Liverpool goal against Southampton in the Carabao Cup
The British record £125million signing slotted home cooly from Federico Chiesa’s pass
As he wheeled away the Swede did his trademark celebration and had a beaming smile on his face.
Isak had almost scored within one minute of the match when he had an effort from inside the box that McCarthy expertly saved.
The goal was one of Isak’s last actions of the match as he was withdrawn at half-time for Hugo Ekitike with Slot continuing to manage his fitness.
Meanwhile, speaking after Isak’s debut last week against Atletico, the Reds boss admitted he was pleasantly surprised by the Swede’s condition following his disrupted summer.
‘In the 60 minutes he played he seemed to be quite fit to me,’ Slot told TNT Sports after Liverpool’s dramatic 3-2 victory.
‘It wasn’t as if after 10 minutes he was already very tired. He could play at this level quite well after one or two weeks of team sessions.
‘So that was the thing and he can play football and that he’s a joy to watch and that is not a surprise to me.
‘He was fitter than I expected but the fans can’t get their hopes too high. We play three times a week and that’s a bit too much for him still.
‘We have two great number nines and we’re going to use both of them throughout their career here.’
Isak then came off the bench for the final 23 minutes of their Merseyside derby victory against Everton on Saturday.
Isak’s next action comes when the Reds face three tricky trips to Crystal Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea over the next 10 days ahead of the October international break.
