GOALSCORER Harvey Elliott claimed Saints are a team "full of confidence" after his Liverpool side won 2-1 at St Mary's on Wednesday evening.

Elliott's first-half goal proved to be the winner after Darwin Nunez had given a rotated Reds the lead before Cameron Archer fired one back in the second half.

Southampton's defenders looked deflated after Liverpool's second, which took a slight deflection off Ryan Manning's outstretched leg on its way past Alex McCarthy.

A top save from Caoimhin Kelleher and a miskick from substitute Paul Onuachu meant Saints were unable to fully capitalise on their second-half pressure.

Southampton players look dejected after Liverpool double their lead at St Mary's through Harvey Elliott.Southampton players look dejected after Liverpool double their lead at St Mary's through Harvey Elliott. (Image: Stuart Martin) Elliott, speaking to Sky Sports, admitted he was not shocked by Southampton's resurgence after the break. 

He said: “I wouldn’t say I’m surprised (by how they came back at us) because if you look at the Premier League game, they caused us problems there as well.

“Southampton are a side full of confidence and they are not scared to play out from the back and take risks. It’s a credit to them. They caused us problems today and they have done before. 

“It was just about how we can deal with those problems as a team and the pressure they were putting on us.

“We had to make sure we stood strong and defended as well as we could. Despite conceding one goal, I felt like we did that very well.”